Reaper

Demons

David brushed past Vanessa and rushed out of the narrow passage way. He was drawn to the demonic entities outside. His sword hungered for their flesh. With a frenzied look in his eyes, he bounded over the railings and jumped straight down to the ground floor.

“Your end draws near,” he exclaimed in an almost intoxicated voice.

Vanessa looked down in alarm to see that David was surrounded by lesser demons. Those black snarling creatures with spiked appendages and sharp white teeth were the Crawlers from hell. Considered to be the lowest among all demons, they posed no threat on their own, but in a pack of 20 things were much different. What these lesser demons lacked in defense, they made up for in mobility.

“Watch out!” Vanessa shouted as a couple of Crawlers jumped at David. He reacted in a split second and shot them out of the air with silver bullets. This made the other lesser demons around even more furious and they let out a unanimous shriek.

“Come at me!” David shouted.

The demons now enraged due to his provocation bared their fangs at him. He knew he had to clear a path for him to maneuver or the Crawlers would pounce on him from all sides. As the lesser demons rushed at him from every direction, he shot down the ones in front and quickly holstered his gun. Once they were in close range, he gripped his katana with both hands and swiveled around. Swaying back and forth, he twirled his sword with the finesse of an accomplished fencer. The sharp silver blade sliced through the demonic flesh with ease. He dodged to avoid their leaping attacks, parried their claws and chopped off their limbs with his lightning fast slashes.

As the last demon pounced on him from behind, he changed the grip on his katana, flicked it under his arm and thrust the sword deep into the demon’s heart, without even turning around. Black blood and severed limbs lay scattered all around him, with a few splashes besmirching his leather jacket. Vanessa stood in awe, staring at him in disbelief. In just a few seconds, he had wiped out an entire pack of lesser demons all by himself without even getting a scratch on his body.

“Guess they aren’t so tough after all,” he smirked and sheathed his sword.

“You may have destroyed their bodies but they can still come back. Demons need to be banished.” Vanessa climbed down the stairs and pulled out her silver pendant which was shaped like the holy Cross. She held it in front and exclaimed aloud, “By the powers of the Holy Trinity, I banish you lesser demons from this household. Be gone from our world and return to the depths of hell!”

As soon as the last words were spoken, the demonic corpses turned to mounds of ash and the black blood which had been spilled all over the floor evaporated into the air. David finally felt the evil aura fading from his surroundings. The banishing was successful.

“Let us get out of here before any other demons decide to show up,” Vanessa advised.

“I think I can handle a few demons,” David replied with arrogance.

“It is good to be confident, but stupid to overestimate one self. The demons you just destroyed were nothing but pawns. Crawlers are the lowest among all demons and they neither possess magic nor weapons. There are far more dangerous demons in hell.”

“Demons like Andras?”

“Yes, demons like Andras.”

David suddenly felt a pain at the side of his neck. He pressed it with his fingers and felt a mild wetness. There was blood on his hands.

A small scar had formed on his neck and the wound closed by itself in a few seconds.

Vanessa moved closer to him to get a better look.

“What the hell is this?” David asked with annoyance.

“It is a Night Scar. When you destroyed these demons your sword absorbed their powers. You now have access to a special ability which will allow you to see perfectly in complete darkness. All the demons have this power. It will come in handy when you encounter them outside at night.”

“I think I like being a Reaper. Maybe this is my true calling,” David grinned and cracked his shoulders with satisfaction.

Vanessa uttered a brief prayer and blessed the souls of the servants who had been slaughtered by Andras. She knew their souls had already been dragged to hell, but felt it was her duty to give them a dignified farewell in her mind. They didn’t waste any more time and headed straight for Vanessa’s house in the countryside. Though nowhere was really safe now, it was the only place she could think of. She just hoped Ryder would find them before Andras. Even now his phone was switched off.

It was a 3 hour drive to Vanessa’s humble dwelling in the countryside. The reason for her choosing to live so far from the city was to avoid attracting unwanted attention. She had witnessed the ugly side of humans during the Salem witch trials and the subsequent witch hunts which had followed. Ryder had asked her countless times to come live in his mansion but she couldn’t bear living among so many humans.

David had slumbered off when the car stopped next to a hay field.

“We are here. Wake up.”

Hearing Vanessa’s voice, he rubbed off the sleep from his eyes and stretched himself out with a lazy yawn. The fight with the demons had left him exhausted, but now he felt refreshed after the quick nap. When he alighted on the grass, it was dark all around with not a single torch or lantern in sight. Even the stars were hidden behind clouds. But David could see everything with perfect clarity. In fact, he could see even better now than in broad daylight.

“So, that’s where you live?” he asked, gazing at the repurposed barn which had been modified into a house with a single bedroom, a workshop and a dining area.

Vanessa switched on her flashlight and replied, “It’s not as fancy as Ryder’s house but it’s my home. Watch your head on the way in.”

He followed her down the muddy path and waited for her to unlock the door. It was a chilly night, but inside her house everything was warm and cozy. While it appeared to be a rustic home from the outside, once inside he realized the place was just like any other small house with electric heating and lighting. Most of the furniture in the house was made of wood and a wide variety of wind chimes hung from the remodeled wooden ceiling. She closed the door after they had entered and jammed a laurel branch into its handle.

“What’s that for?” David enquired.

“It is a laurel branch blessed by my sisters. It should keep the lesser demons at bay. But just to be double sure, there is something else I must do.” Vanessa rolled up her sleeves and raised her arms in the air. “Ishvazor Senol Lireth.” She turned back at him and nodded, “It’s done. We are safe now.”

“Was that some kind of a spell?” David asked.

“A minor concealing incantation. This house will no longer be visible to anyone except us.”

“That’s a cool trick. You are quite a powerful witch it seems.”

“Not really. It’s a 2nd tier incantation. Almost all witches can use it. This will fool the monsters and the lesser demons but it is not potent enough to hoodwink the greater demons like Andras. All we can do is hope that he doesn’t know about us.”

Just then Vanessa’s phone beeped loudly. She took it out of her pocket and began navigating through the messages in her inbox.

“It’s a message from Ryder. He has found a lead it seems.”

“Did he say when he will return?”

“Tomorrow evening. I have to tell him about what happened at his place.” She quickly read through the entire message and typed back a long and detailed reply.

Immediately her phone rang. It was Ryder on the other end.

“Where are you and Mr. David?” he asked.

“We are safe. He is with me.”

“I should have seen this coming. Their blood is on my hands now. This was all my fault.”

“It was Andras.”

There was a long pause after which Ryder added, “I know. The seal has been broken, Ms. Chase. Paimon is coming!”