Post by thefangedrose on Apr 6, 2024 13:14:00 GMT -8
Disclaimer
This series contains elements of a supernatural nature and will play a parody of the Judao-Christian faith. It is not meant to be mocking or subversive but simply done for a creative outlet.
You. Were. Warned.
The supernatural elements of this storyline were not always present. “The Pact” is a concept that kept Jesse’s original “Walk the Line” idea alive while honoring that none of them had these “abilities” five years ago.
I hope you enjoy it.
I give you Chapter 17!
Civil War 2
Chapter 17
Poison
Location: Reddick, Florida
Date: March 24th
Time: 9:11 PM
The group gathered at the window where Silk and Shadow stood to take in the sight of Lucifer and his Horde making their leisurely way up the driveway. Michael walked over slowly leaning heavily on the oak cane, and the color drained from his face when he saw it.
“Options?” He asked.
“Not many.” Hana answered folding her hands in front of her. “No way we make it to the garage now.”
“And if we run?” Ashley added from the rear of the group. “Those hounds will run us down before we get a half a mile into the trees.”
“Unless something here keeps their attention.” A voice growled from the back of the group.
Michael turned his head to look at the masked man standing in the back and lifted a brow.
“Bait?”
“It can’t be you.” The Sins growled. “He’d kill you on sight.”
“Or you.” Michael seconded. “Lord only knows what he would do with you….or Danielle for that matter.”
At the mention of Danika coming to harm the beast let out a low warning growl and the smallest of little nods.
“Agreed.”
“We will do it.” Maiko whispered.
Ashley’s head snapped around, the raven hair whipping around her face and her eyes aflame with anger.
“Absolutely not.”
“Pool….”
“Twoey, No!”
Maiko slipped between Silk and Shadow until she came to stand beside Ashley and laid a hand on her cheek.
“Everything you have done for Us?” Maiko whispered. “It’s Our turn to protect you.”
Ashley said nothing, a full lip taken between her teeth to chew. After a moment she sighed.
“The last time you did that….”
The statement hung in the air. The last time had nearly killed her when she had to step in between Ashley and Sathanas.
“Lucifer will not harm Us.”
“Whatever we’re doing?” Silk chimed in still looking out the window as the group neared the part of the driveway where it converted from gravel to concrete. “We need to do it now.”
“Let’s go.” Michael ordered.
The group all fell in behind Michael with The Sins pulling up the rear. He waited as Ashley cast one final look at Maiko then suddenly she pulled out the black glock from her right thigh holster and shoved the grip into Maiko’s hand, took the woman’s head in her head and pulled her over to press a kiss into the side of her head then turned and walked from the room.
Maiko looked over at the hulking masked figure and half smiled.
“Keep her safe?”
For a moment the masked figure just stared, breathing deeply from beneath the mask before he let out the softest nod.
“With my life.” Came the growled promise.
Maiko smiled in return and whispered.
“Thank you, Dean. For everything.”
The massive masked man just stared at her for a moment and then offered the smallest of nods then turned and hurried from the room and down the stairs. When he reached the bottom he saw Ashley heading into a doorway leading down into a basement and followed.
The basement had a set of concrete stairs leading up to a cellar door that opened into the backyard. John pushed the doors up with a near-silent creak. One by one they climbed up the cellar stairs but as Danika climbed through leaving only Ashley and The Sins at the bottom the lights suddenly cut off with a loud audible CLICK.
Ashley’s head whipped around to find The Sins had turned the breaker box off drowning the area in darkness.
“The fuck?!” She hissed quietly.
“Giving her a fighting chance.” The masked man growled and passed her as he headed up the stairs.
Ashley shot him a surprised look, then glanced back at the house momentarily before joining the group as they slipped into the trees. Upstairs, Maiko stood at the window as the lights snapped off and a sudden grin crossed the edges of her mouth. She tightened her fingers slowly around the weapon's grip, leveled it at the window, and squeezed off ten straight shots.
The sound of the weapon reverberated through the room as the grass first cracked and then full-on broke. Maiko wasn’t the best shot so only one of the rounds hit flesh, sinking into the upper torso of a woman walking in the lead.
Sariel’s eyes shot up to the window and she seemed to lock eyes with Maiko. Behind the group, Lucifer looked up with the faintest hint of annoyance on his face. A single hand gesture was all that he gave but the group all made a bee-line for the door with the large hounds out in front.
Maiko turned from the window and started across the room as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Reaching behind her she grasped the pair of knives sheathed across each side of the small of her back. The blades came free with a steely hiss as she crossed the threshold of the doorway leading to the hallway of the house's second floor.
Below her, on the main floor, the windows on each side of the door shattered as the large hounds jumped through them. One of the pair landed on a table that slid out from under it causing it to slide off, hit the floor, and slide across the floor. The other landed on the floor and began to scan the room.
The door slammed open driving into the wall and half dozen of the black-eyed and black-veined demons walked into the room. The woman who had taken the shot looked around, her lip curling into a beastial snarl. She proceeded deeper into the room and through the door leading to the kitchen when a dark blur shot by her and she fell to a knee, black blood shooting from the back of her thighs.
A large man behind her looked around with narrowed eyes but saw nothing. As he walked toward the door leading to the kitchen he passed by an opened door to an office just as the faintest hints of white and red appeared in the darkness of the doorway. A painted face.
Sariel and Shamsiel entered behind the Demons and stopped in the doorway, their eyes silently scanning the darkness. One of the hounds caught something moving out of the corner of its eyes and lunged, grabbing a piece of fabric between its teeth and whipping its snarling head back and forth.
The fabric turned out to be nothing more than a coat on a coat rack and from the other side of the room came a girlish giggle emitting from the darkness. Sariel looked in the direction of the giggle and her eyes narrowed.
“Mother.” Sariel called out. “It doesn't have to be like this.”
Sariel stood in absolute stillness, her eyes darting around. When she saw the faint glint of steel her arm came up and caught a blade by the hilt just as it was about to drive into Shamsiel’s chest.
“It doesn’t.” Came a whisper from the dark, now above on the second floor. “You can surrender.”
“You know I can’t do that.” Sariel answered.
All eyes turned to the balcony of the second floor overlooking the living room as a figure stepped forward. The hair is a red and blonde combo and the face is covered by tribal paint. Sariel raised her arms in peace and stepped forward.
“Mother….” She whispered in reverence. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“It’s too late for that.”
Another voice called out, this time from behind the woman standing on the balcony of the second floor. Maiko’s eyes widened as a second figure came into view, the twin snake bite piercings glimmering in the moonlight streaming through the window.
Maiko slowly turned around unable to come to terms with how Lucifer had snuck up on her but before she could fully turn his arm lashed out and grasped her face in his palm. Two large steps forward nearly dragging her by the face took them to the extreme edge of the balcony where her back slammed into the door railing and it shattered.
Lucifer stood with Maiko held by nothing more than his palm grasping her face and her entire body weight leaned back out over the empty air. One eye looked out from between the fingers, terrified and pleading but he just looked down at her with the empty blank expression of disappointment.
“I have no further need for you.” Lucifer told her matter of fact.
At that moment it looked like there was a slight spark of some kind of electrical charge that went off around the painted woman’s face and her body jumped as if in convulsions. Her arms went limp and the eye looking out between the fingers rolled back into her head.
Then Lucifer simply…let go.
Maiko Adachi fell limp, no longer held up, and crashed to the floor, landing in a heap on the back of the couch. The force of the impact overturned the couch and table beside it and sent her limp body crashing into the ruins of the table.
Sariel just stood wide-eyed, staring down at the tangle of limbs that had once been one of her closest, and oldest friends.
**
Location: Western Mississippi
Date: April 1st
Time: 11:43 AM
It had taken until nearly dawn for the group to make their way through the darkness that was the trees and shrubs of moonlit Florida. Things in the dark waters wanted to do them harm, but the group all ran from a much bigger threat. They had all heard the shots ring out followed by the bellowing of the hounds as they charged into the trees.
But whatever Maiko had done had bought them the time they needed. When they finally emerged from the treeline just on the outskirts of a storage facility Michael led them to a locker near the back of a facility where two large vans and bags of clothes awaited them.
The group changed, save for Ashley who stood in the doorway of the unit looking out. Even when it was time to go and the group knew they needed to leave Ashley couldn’t stop herself from looking over the dashboard for some hint that the woman she loved was coming…but there was nothing but darkness ahead.
And so the group went west. They all knew the bug-out plan. West to Vicksburg MS, a few days there, and then west to Hobbs, NM.
The group reached Vicksburg without a problem and no hints that the Children or Lucifer had any indication of where they were. That didn’t make things easier for Ashley who drew more heavy-eyed with each passing day. She spent less time each day sleeping and more time standing on the balcony of the motel and looking out over the road.
This particular morning Danika was out in the grass beside the motel kneeling in the sunlight with her head bowed as if she were meditating. Michael was inside the room with John, The Sins and Hana discussing the move to Hobbs while Shadow and Silk stood on the balcony silently watching Ashley.
“You know she made it out.” Silk said suddenly from where she leaned back on the wall. “Your girl is too mean to die.”
Shadow cast a look over at Silk who winced and motioned she was sorry. Ashley didn’t say a word. She just stared off eastward, with her thumb running back and forth along soft white and brown fur.
A rabbit's foot.
“Sorry…” Silk added.
“It’s fine,” Ashley replied without ever taking her eyes off the road.
The soft creak of a door opening brought Silk and Shadow’s eyes. Michael stood in the doorway leaning on the cane. He looked over Ashley to the road and then back at her.
“It’s time to go.” He told her.
“We’re fuckin staying.” Ashley said softly.
“Ashley….” Michael started.
Before he could speak further however she turned and her hand dropped to the glock on her left thigh and she whispered.
“I said. We’re staying.”
If the others were triggered by this it didn’t show. Michael just let out the faintest sigh and shook his head. He got it. He didn’t want to admit it, but he got it.
Dahlia.
Danika.
Sela.
…
He’d have waited for them too.
As it turned out however he didn’t need to say anything. The shadow of a larger figure crossed over him and from above his shoulder he heard a gravelly voice growl.
“You want her to get to Hobbs and find no one waiting?” The Sins asked. “We all know the route. After today she won’t even stop here.”
Ashley’s nostrils flared but she said nothing. Pushing past the two men she entered the room and began to pack. Michael motioned with his hand for the others to follow suit and get ready to roll out.
Fifteen minutes later the vans were loaded. Michael turned his gaze to the road and watched the traffic as the final items were being loaded. He watched as the cars and trucks passed with a large semi truck rolling down the road toward them.
When it reached them the air brakes hissed. The Sins slowly climbed out of the passenger side of the second van and placed his hand on its top to ready himself as the door of the semi-opened and a pair of paint-splattered boots climbed out.
A pair of fishnet-covered legs followed ending in a pair of black short shorts. The legs were dotted with tattoos. A woman’s flat stomach was left bare with a top made of grey wool covering a large chest with a shirt that had been for a much less busty woman that turned a full-length shirt into a crop top.
A sleeveless black denim vest covered the top with turquoise hair cascading down each shoulder.
The woman thanked the driver and slammed the door closed as a voice broke the silence from near the vans.
“TWOEY!”
Ashley broke off at a dead run and nearly tackled the blue-haired woman but Maiko caught her in a firm embrace. Ashley just held on for dear life while the others approached. Silk took the blue hair between her fingers and lifted it with a lifted brow.
“You stop for a make-over?”
Maiko just laughed and shook her head.
“It’s a long story, but We think We look good.”
“Seconded.” The Sins growled.
Ashley shot him a look and he raised his arms and laughed.
“Welcome back.” Michael’s voice called out and the group parted to allow him by. When he reached Maiko he reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. “I was getting concerned.”
“So were We” Maiko told him softly. “It was a little touchy for a bit.”
“What happened?” The Sins asked.
“We are sure you heard us fire at them?” Maiko told them and the group nodded. “It was a game of cat and mouse after that. Just to buy time….but Lucifer caught Us on the second floor. He knocked Us off the balcony and that’s the last thing We remember.”
Michael raised a brow at that.
“He didn’t take you?”
Maiko shook her head by way of response.
“We woke up the next day and everyone was gone. We figured it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“Hmm.” Michael mused but shrugged. “Happy to have you back.”
“You can say that again.” Ashley purred.
Maiko then turned to look down at Ashley and a grin crossed her beautiful face.
“Well. Then kiss me like you missed me, Pool.”
Ashley’s laugh was cut off as Maiko pulled her into a kiss.
Unlike when the two reunited in the Kingdom’s Castle there was no full-on make-out session here. Just a passionate kiss. After which everyone began to head into the vans and Ashley ran her tongue over her lips.
An all too familiar taste.
“The sweet escape is always laced with a familiar taste….of poison.”
