Post by thefangedrose on May 13, 2024 17:57:16 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.
There are also supernatural elements to this story now. Be warned of that in advance. The supernatural elements of this storyline were not always present but asked by whose who wanted this series to be added. “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 to keep the original writer's concept alive.
I hope you enjoy it.
I give you Chapter 21!
Civil War 2
Chapter 21
A Kingdom in Flames
Location: North Carolina
Date: May 6th
Time: 11:45 PM
What remained of the Collective gathered three streets down from their former home and waited. None of the group wanted to, as they believed that help was never coming but still they waited.
Seconds grew into restless minutes but as the restlessness grew into a quiet resentment a set of headlights pulled into the other side of the alley they had all taken refuge in. The headlight snapped off and they heard a group of doors open and close.
One by one the shadows stepped out in front of the vehicle and approached the group. The hulking form of The Sins walking out in front with Ashley Kenyon flanked to his right with a Glock strapped to each thigh. On his left was the red-haired Hana with the half-masked Shadow walking beside Silk behind the trio.
The group looked over those who had arrived and then up at the mammoth masked man.
“Where’s Michael and Danika?” Mary asked.
“It’s too dangerous.” The gruff damaged voice replied. “There is a good chance none of us walk out of this.”
“Then why come?” Jason asked from where he stood leaning back on the wall with Mary leaning on his chest and stomach.
The Sins shifted his gaze to the man and just stared for a moment as if sizing him up. He knew with Morgan asking him never to return, this family would need someone to watch out for them. In his way, seeing if this man was worthy. Itt was Hana however who answered.
“Because it’s what we do,” Hana answered simply. “Jessie is under the protection of the Children of Nephilim. She is a victim.”
“We go in fast,” Silk told them as she stepped between Ashley and The Sins. “There is zero chance we can out-muscle them. No matter what we hit them with, they will keep coming. We go in fast, we hit hard and you all get Morgan’s cousin out.”
“Do not worry about what happens to us,” Hana added softly. “Get Jessie and get out.”
“Sariel is going to be a problem there,” Jasmine advised.
A second figure stepped up to stand beside Silk. Dressed in what appeared to be black and dark blue pants and a top with a special black type of body armor on her torso and half her face covered by a mask.
“Kanojo wa watashi no monodesu.” Shadow ordered.
Silk motioned back with her thumb at the woman standing beside her.
“That is her job,” Silk assured them.
No sooner had she finished those words than the entire block shook. A huge fireball rose into the night air from two blocks north. All of them wheeled around and Ashley took two steps ahead of the group.
“Twoey….” She whispered in fear.
Ashley took off first followed by the rest of the group a few seconds behind. The group hurried through the streets looking up at the windows of houses as people peeked out to see what was happening. As they rounded the corner to the final straight away the wall and its tall metal gate came into view.
The gate was still closed and they heard Morgan shout something about a “Faerie.” When they reached the gate itself they all saw a bruised and battered Morgan slam into the ground and Lucifer plant his boot into the side of her neck.
And then the gate slowly pulled backwards. It moved with eerie quiet for something so big made of steel. They all came through it and Morgan looked up from where she was pinned down and met the eyes beneath the mask.
“KILL.THEM.ALL.” She demanded.
“You heard the lady.” The gruff voice from behind the mask shouted.
Lucifer turned his head just in time to get enveloped in the big man’s arms. The Sins hit him around the midsection, driving him off Morgan and spine-first into the wreckage that was the wall of the house. The masked man threw a right hand at his head only for Lucifer to catch it in his hand, much as he had Morgan’s own earlier.
A glint of steel flashed downward toward his masked face. Sariel seemed to materialize out of thin air above them, coming down with her katana outstretched. Just before it made contact it was met with another. Sariel pulled her arm back, deflecting a counterstrike from the masked woman before her. The two women began to exchange strikes and counterstrikes, their blades connecting with soft metallic clangs and faint blue sparks as bits of metallic slag flew from the blade edges.
Lucifer took the chance to arch a headbutt that took the masked man in the face snapping his head back. But the head slowly came down, blood running out the eyehole and down the snake scale….and the thing behind the man let out a guttural scream of rage.
Gunfire rang out behind the group as Ashley and Morgan began to open up on the cow-sized black dogs that came running out of the tree line. Bullets hit them in the joints of the shoulders and middle of the front legs causing some to collapse mid-run, muzzled driving into the dirt, and flip end over end.
“NO! LEMME GO!”
The masked man heard someone yell. Two figures quickly passed him disappearing into the front door of the house A third figure raced by disappearing inside as well.
Another scream brought the masked head around and he saw the tall, slender blonde Lilith Meadows being dragged across the yard, her hands clawing frantically at the dirt as one of the hound's rag-dolled her across the grounds toward the woods.
Lucifer took the opportunity to throw a forearm into the masked face, blood exploding across the inside of the mask’s mouth. With too much strength for a man of his size, Lucifer spun the masked giant around, grabbed him by the throat, and slowly bent him backward toward one of the exposed broken windows.
“Tell Michael I’m coming for him next.” Lucifer purred.
**
Josie hurried up the stairs dragging Jessie by the hair. When she reached Morgan’s room she stopped and pulled the girl against her as a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Her dark musings were abruptly distracted as the door to the room was forced open with a kick that splintered parts of the frame. She spun around and, in her moment of distraction, Jessie slipped free from her embrace and bolted to cower in a corner. Josie’s annoyed scowl at being interrupted quickly curled into a dark, humored smile as the woman entered the room. Her black clothes were ruffled and covered in plaster dust. Strands of her tight brown bun framed the sides of her dirtied face. Her entire exposed body from her face to her arms bore scrapes and cuts. Josie took in the sight…and laughed.
“Welcome home.” She mocked, lifting her arms out to present their surroundings; the bedroom she had claimed which once belonged to the vengeful woman before her. “Like what I’ve done with the place?”
“...I said I was gonna kill ya…” Morgan said in a low growl, clenching her fists, causing her muscles to pop. Not nearly as defined or as large as Josie, but still impressive from an athlete’s perspective.
“Yeah. Sure.” Josie took a step forward. Then two. “You’ve always been nothing but talk–”
Josie froze when Morgan’s arm shot up, aimed the barrel of the weapon in her hand right at her face and pulled the trigger.
….*Click*….
Morgan hissed as she slowly brought the gun down and let it clatter to the floor, maintaining her confident posture. She wasn’t giving up on account of running out of bullets.
“Bean… Vete de aquí…”
“Morgy–”
“¡Ahora!”
Bean didn’t need to be told again; she scrambled to her feet and rushed past behind her cousin, out of the room. Josie’s eyes flickered from Morgan to Jessie, back to Morgan. Her broad shoulders shook with a soft chuckle before she turned her attention to a pair of old, Celtic, war axes adorning the wall in an X over a mantle.
“You know, I tore the rest of that childish sports shit down but these…” Josie shook a finger at the axes. “I like these. I kept them…as a reminder.”
Josie reached out and forcefully pulled the axes down, subsequently ripping the rack they rested on out of the wall. She turned to face Morgan, clutching one ax each in her hand with a look that said she was ready to go. A pause…a smirk…and she tossed one of the axes over at the Italian’s feet.
“C’mon, Payne.”
Morgan lifted her eyes from the ax up to Josie.
“What’re we fuckin’ Vikings?”
“Wasn't “Mama Robi”?” Josie’s words left her lips with venom that burned through Morgan’s veins. The smaller woman tensed. Josie’s jaw clenched. “PICK IT UP!” Her voice boomed like another explosion off the walls of the spacious room around them.
Morgan reached down and lifted the war ax into her hands, gripping it tightly as she locked eyes with Josie again. The larger woman’s taunt had caused any lingering sense of amusement to wash from her demeanor. Now… Now…there was only that rage. That hatred. That same look she’d given her during that fateful video call with Jessie.
“...You abaht t’have dejavu, Bridal.”
Those words…burned into Josie like the sharp edge in her spine that she remembered those years ago and her teeth ground together. Another life. Another body. Joshua Mcbride. Dead at the hands of a fire ax wielded by Anthony Crawford, Sathanas. Josie stomped forward, boots thudding heavily on the hardwood floor as she closed in on her target. She twirled the ax in her hand, leaving Morgan unsure of where it would come from until it was coming down at her head like she was trying to split wood. Morgan planted her feet and lifted her own weapon, parrying Josie’s just in time.
*CLANG*
Josie drew back and swung again. Morgan parried, lest she take the curved blade into her ribs. She pushed it away and Josie swung back around, looking to cleave her head from her shoulders but hit only air as Morgan ducked. Josie stepped in and hooked her ax head behind Morgan’s boot, sweeping her foot from underneath her. Morgan hit the floor with a grunt and Josie let out a furious roar, bringing the ax down again. Morgan rolled away in the nick of time as the ax head buried itself into the floor, sending splinters of wood up. Josie ripped it out like a knife pulled from butter. Morgan rushed her now with a hate-fueled cry of her own and swung her ax right for the base of her spine. Josie was quicker than her size let on. She pivoted back and parried low with her ax then pushed off the rest of the way. Morgan’s ax was sent further away from its intended target and - *WHAM* - a haymaker from Josie caught Morgan in the face so hard, her head snapped to the side and Morgan tasted liquid copper on her tongue.
“Gotcha!” Josie taunted, finding the means to laugh some again as Morgan spat a wad of blood onto the floor. “Aww, Morgy, you’re bleeding…” Josie cooed darkly before rushing in and again those axes met with a loud *CLANG* that echoed throughout the room.
**
She couldn’t get her foot free of the great beast's mouth. Her hands clawed at the grounds of the place she had come to call home while the flames burned behind her. She felt the bushes and shrubs cutting into her arms and face as the huge dog dragged her into the trees.
She twisted her head around to look at the hound and swore for a moment its eyes were a brilliant green. Not black….and the strange sores on its face seemed to have….vines growing out of it.
“No!” Lily cried and grabbed one of the roots of a tree that had broken the ground. With a hard yank and an audible snap of her finger breaking the hound pulled her free. Lilith let out a scream of pain and fear as she felt the digit break.
For nearly 90 seconds she was rag dolled across the ground hearing something in the brush in the direction she had come from. She looked back, cradling her arm to her stomach, and saw Lluvia and Mary running through the trees trying to catch the demonic hellhound.
“LET HER GO!” Lluvia shouted in panic.
“LILY!” Mary screamed in fear.
And then suddenly the hound simply….let go. She found herself lying in the middle of a clearing. Lilith whimpered and got up to her knees as the Hellhound looked around as if it was confused. It’s black eyes looking back at her and the lips of the muzzle curled back into a snarl. Lowering its shoulders it lunged at her only to be kicked in the side of the head by Lluvia and Mary at nearly the same moment.
Both women danced this way and that, avoiding the snapping jaws by mere inches. But Lily wasn’t looking at them as they performed their little ritual dance of death. She was looking up at the canopy of trees and listening.
“Lily….” The voice giggled. “There you are.”
“Is it…?” Lily asked with a hopeful catch in her voice. The sound of Lluvia screaming as the hound bit down into her hand brought Lily’s head around. She looked back to find Mary kicking the thing with hard stomps to get it to release her wife. Lily looked back up at the canopy. “Can you help us?!”
“You know I can.” The voice giggled, hints of mischief in it.
Mary and Lluvia both suddenly shielded their eyes as the entire forest seemed to come alive with a bright green flash of light. Like another bomb had gone off, this time without the shockwave. When the light faded out and the darkness claimed the woods again Lilith was standing with her hair blowing gently in the wind, her fingernails elongated and painted with those long runes.
The hound seemed to freeze as it felt a familiar presence and the blonde woman opened her mouth and let out the most ear-piercing shriek they had ever heard. Like nature itself was screaming in rage. Mary and Lluvia both covered their ears and the hound lowered its head to the ground and began to mewl as it pawed at its ears.
“They are Ours and you will not touch them!” A dual voice screamed from the blonde woman’s mouth.
**
*CLANG* … *CLANG* …
*CLANG* … *CLANG* … *CLANG*
A symphony of steel on steel rang throughout the Castle. Josie and Morgan’s heated battle waged on, having brought the two women out into the hallway. Marks in the wall were left where Josie’s ax head had narrowly missed taking Morgan’s head off. The fight carried on and Morgan found herself being sent tumbling down the steps courtesy of Josie’s foot driving into her chest like a sledgehammer.
She hit the floor of the downstairs foyer of The Castle; the wind leaving her in a loud gasp. Josie came running down the steps, leaping off halfway. Morgan’s eyes went wide as she saw those feet coming right down at her head. A quick roll to the side and Josie’s feet met hardwood instead. Morgan snatched up her ax as she hopped to her feet; adrenaline pumping through her body. Josie rushed in with another swing. A downward angle from the side that Morgan parried with her weapon and locked the ax heads together, ensuing a struggle for control. In the midst of the struggle, they heard it.
A terrible, ungodly scream of fury that reached all the way to the Castle, sounding as if it came from the surrounding forest on the property outside. Josie’s head whipped around in disbelief but Morgan knew that sound as well as anyone.
Arianrhod.
Morgan felt a small surge of hope as she quickly turned her mind back to focus on the immediate threat. Josie had the same thought as she turned her head back just in time for Morgan to push all of her weight into their struggle and took her across the jaw with an elbow. Josie’s head snapped to the side and she found herself being thrown off balance with surprising force that she didn’t expect from the smaller woman, and she slammed into a support pillar, losing hold of her ax. Josie found her feet and clapped her hands slowly.
“I’m impressed…!”
Morgan growled and rushed in, swinging with all of her might for Josie’s head. Again, there was that surprisingly quickness as Josie shot up to stand and trapped the smaller woman’s ax between her arm and the pillar. Morgan didn’t stop there as she continued her attack.
*WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*
Morgan drove her fist repeatedly into Josie, punching away at her body. Her ribs. Her sternum. Josie’s legs began to buckle as Morgan punched and punched and punched. She caught Josie across the jaw and gave the massive woman her own taste of liquid copper as she split her lip. Josie’s head snapped back around and she finally found an opening to parry another punch, trapping Morgan’s arm against her own hip and blasted her back with a headbutt. Morgan heard - and felt - a crunch as blood leaked down from her nose. She staggered back and another boot from Josie took her in the sternum and sent her sliding back across the floor. That one felt like it bruised something as Morgan cleared her vision to see Josie snatching up her ax again and storming towards her. Morgan looked around. Where was her ax?!
Morgan spotted it. Too far to get to with how fast Josie was moving in. Then she remembered. Back pocket. Right cheek. Morgan reached back and pulled out her knife, flipping the blade out of the butterfly handle just as Josie was coming right up on her with that ax raised.
*SHLLKT*
Morgan brought the knife down in an icepick grip and two inches of titanium embedded deep into Josie’s left shoulder. Josie froze in her approach, feeling the searing hot pain in her flesh. She met Morgan’s gaze…and smiled. Morgan felt her blood run cold a split second before Josie grabbed her around her hand and pulled the blade out, snatching her up by her throat and pinned her back against a wall. Morgan’s head hit the wall and her head fogged up. That fogginess cleared right up as she felt Josie force her own hand over and those same two inches of titanium slowly pushed into her own shoulder.
“AAAAAAGGHHH!!!!”
Morgan’s scream reverberated throughout the Castle. She did the first best thing she could think of, reaching out and grabbing Josie by the side of the face, digging her thumb into her eye. Josie let out a guttural scream and dropped Morgan to the floor. Morgan grunted from the impact, scrambled up and drove her knee up right into Josie’s ribs. Josie doubled over. Morgan grabbed her by the back of the head, slamming her face into the wall with a crunch and kicked a leg out from underneath her, sending Josie crashing to the floor. In the fleeting moment of reprieve, she spotted her ax on the floor and rushed for it. By the time she picked it up and turned, Josie was already back up and storming towards her, snarling…
**
The masked Shadow hit the wall beside the gate, blood running down her arm from a grazing slice while in front of her, the agile Sariel came running in blade pointed low. Across the yard Jasmine, Jason, and River struggled against a small army of Demons, all of them bleeding from various places on their faces and torso while in the distance sirens rang out.
The masked Sins was down on one knee with both hands grasping the jagged end of a piece of steel rebar that had once been part of the foundation of the house wall wielded by Lucifer. Ashley, bleeding from her left eyebrow raised both her Glocks pointing them at Lucifer’s back as the sound of a window breaking brought her attention around in time to see Maiko hit the grass and roll end over end limply across the grass.
Her deep sigh of relief that Twoey was okay was short-lived as a massive black-veined demon climbed out the window after her, kicking a piece of drywall out of his way as he moved. Ashley shifted the weapons and squeezed off two shots before the weapons clicked to signal they were empty.
Ashley looked around quickly and saw how badly things were going. The only bright spot in all of this was the sight of Lilith Meadows standing her ground nearly single-handed with half a dozen of the black-veined Demons but The Sins struggled to keep the crude spear at bay, the jagged edge cutting into the front of the mask and pushing down its length…..
Jasmine, River, and Jason were getting ping-ponged between Demons….
Hana was scooting backward away from her sister who was walking toward her holding a long shard of glass in her right hand…..
Sariel was bearing down on Shadow….Silk came running from the side only to eat a spinning roundhouse kick to the face sending her face down into the grass beside Shadow…..
Still, her eyes were drawn back to Maiko who was crawling toward the driveway across the dew-covered grass with the mammoth Demon stalking behind her. A single tear rolled down her eye as she reholstered the Glocks and grabbed the buck knife from her boot. Behind her eyes, it was like she could see another place.
A white room filled with such warmth and happiness and she saw a face she hadn’t seen in nearly half a dozen years. The face of a woman she considered a sister at one time.
The face of Aerynn Donnelly.
Aerynn’s eyes seemed to be hardened with resolve and she was shaking her head. And then the entire field of her vision was engulfed by a bright warm white light. Everywhere she looked she saw spots.
Lucifer’s head shot over to look at her as he felt what transpired. Hell, everyone seemed to pause as they felt it.
Like a bell had tolled inside them. A chime rang down to their deepest recess. To their very souls.
Ashley planted her foot into the dirt and sprinted toward it, jumping over Maiko as she crawled and wrapping both her muscular legs around the huge Demon that had killed Maya Kenndy and drove the blade into its eye.
The blade sank in with a loud wet POP but….instead of simply throwing Ashley off she felt the thing go limp and collapse down to a knee. The sickly black goo in the thing's veins suddenly began to bubble and the thing simply collapsed in on itself leaving only Ashley kneeling in a puddle of black goo.
Lucifer stared across the courtyard at her in shock and….the faintest hint of fear.
**
*KRRRRNNNCH*
Morgan narrowly evaded a swing and Josie’s ax came crashing against a side table in the living room, splintering the wood into half a dozen pieces. Morgan came in for a swing and Josie parried, batting it away with her own like a baseball bat. Morgan stumbled back, watching her footing that she didn’t trip over anything so as not to lose her balance against her deadly foe. She readied another attack before she felt it. A sudden…surge..coursing through her body that threw her focus off. It was unnatural. Powerful. Coming from all over.
“Wha…?” She stammered.
Her focus was snapped back to Josie as she saw her winding up and back for a killing blow. Morgan ducked. Felt the whoosh of air over her head as the ax missed her scalp and took a chunk out of the wall. Morgan shook the rest of the rattles from whatever that feeling was off before Josie’s fist met her face in a backhand and sent her tumbling over the sofa. The very one where she and her loves had spent countless evenings together, chatting, having movie nights. Where Lilith and Jasmine spent so many evenings in front of the fireplace. Morgan clutched desperately onto her ax so as not to lose it as she scrambled up to her feet. Josie rushed forward and came leaping over the back of the couch, swinging her ax out. Morgan jumped back, just as the blade came inches from her face.
Morgan managed to catch her footing before Josie did and came in for an overhead swing. Josie brought her ax up and caught the underside of the ax head over her handle. Locked up again. Morgan thought fast and swung her boot up right into Josie’s crotch. Josie buckled forward, giving Morgan the slack to pull their axes down and she SLAMMED the top edge of the ax head square into Josie’s face. Josie’s head snapped away and back around, blood gushing down her mouth from a busted nose. The massive woman roared and swung up underhanded. Morgan brought her ax up to parry but the sharp edge of Josie’s ax head met right at the handle and splintered the entire weapon in two. The sheer force of the swing knocked Morgan back on her ass and she fell back.
Josie loomed over Morgan and brought her ax up again, looking to cleave her down the middle. Morgan rolled clear, thankfully, for a third time during their skirmish. Josie’s ax buried itself deep into the floor. So deep she couldn’t easily just rip it out this time. Morgan looked. Saw the half of her own ax on the floor. Saw Josie struggling. Vulnerable. She grabbed her broken yet still useful weapon up. Swung down. The back spike of her ax head plunged deep into Josie’s right foot, piercing the boot and digging deep down into the flesh. Josie shot up, losing grip on her weapon and howled in agony.
“AAAAAAAAGH!! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!”
The towering woman, often referred to as Abaddon among the Children of Nephilim, dropped to a knee as she stared down at the ax head digging into her foot. Morgan stepped in and drove her knee right up into her face. Josie’s head snapped back, spewing blood and spit like a fountain. Morgan snatched her by her ponytail and drove a Hard punch square into her face!
*WHAM*
She drove another.
*WHAM*
And another.
*WHAM*
And another!
*WHAM*
Morgan kept punching, and punching, and punching. Every shot focused directly on Josie’s face as she gave into months of pent-up rage on the woman who, among others, had been the cause of all of it.
“I TOLD YOU!” *WHAM* “DAT I!” *WHAM* “WAS GONNA!” *WHAM* “FUCKIN’!” *WHAM* “KILL YOU!”
*WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*
Morgan’s fist throbbed when she stopped punching. Josie’s face was now bloodied, swollen. Eyes shut, lips busted as if she had gone 12 rounds in a boxing ring. Morgan released her hair, Josie fell forward, catching herself on her hands and Morgan pounced on her back, pressing on the back of her head with all of the strength she had left. Josie fought against her; her throat inching closer to the spiked end of the ax head buried into the floor. The struggle for literal life and death ensued as Morgan pushed harder, forcing Josie’s throat down closer to that sharp tip. Morgan growled, reared back, and slammed an elbow into the back of Josie’s head. She stood up…and jumped. Her feet came up and one boot came back down onto the back of her head, driving it down toward that spike. She didn’t see the foot kick the ax across the floor until Josie’s face smashed into the floor where it once had been and turned, seeing the ax slide across the floor. Morgan’s head whipped back around, meeting the tear-filled eyes of a familiar, Latina face.
“...B…Be…” Morgan stammered. “...Bean…?!”
“Morgy don’t. Please.” Jessie whimpered, sobbing softly.
Morgan looked down at Josie, writhing weakly on the floor. She looked back up at Jessie; the hate and anger dissipating away and being replaced with relief as she reached out towards her.
“C’mere, baby…”
Jessie let out a sob of relief and ran into her cousin’s arms; the two embracing each other tightly.
“I tol’ju… I tol’ju I was comin’ din’t I?”
“You did, you did…”
Jessie sobbed into her cousin’s chest as Morgan cradled her head lovingly.
“An’ I tol’ju to stay strong baby, an’ you did…an’ I am so proud o’you…!”
Morgan pressed her lips to the top of Jessie’s head, closing her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. It was at that point, Morgan noticed the sounds of fighting were starting to die down. The occasional string of gunshots still ran into the air. The sound of a groan and movement behind them made Morgan and Jessie both turn to find Josie starting to rise. Her back was bowed and her head down, the wealth of brown hair shadowing her face but the bitch was getting up.
Josie stood on unsteady legs as she looked at the cousins through the wealth of bloody hair. There was something evil in those eyes as they looked at the two and the booted foot took a step forward to begin the fight anew...but then stopped. Josie looked behind her as she felt the command…and slowly backed away. Moving as if something called to her. She turned, almost falling again as she hurried through the doorway and out of the room. Morgan didn’t think twice about it, turning right back to Jessie, cupping her face.
“Hey…you okay? ¿Estás bien?”
Jessie nodded. Morgan kissed her forehead before letting the young woman cling to her again. The sound of familiar voices drew her attention. It was their tones and scattered words that told her it was safe to relax. Phrases like. “They’re running!” and “We’re okay!” Morgan sighed.
“C’mon, Bean… Let’s find tha others…agh! Sssshit…”
“You okies?” Jessie asked in concern.
Morgan nodded, wincing in pain as the adrenaline rush began to leave her and the toll of everything on her body came crashing down at once. Jessie hung one of her cousin’s arms over her shoulders and let the older woman lean on her as they walked to meet up with the rest of the group. Somehow…some way…it seemed as if almost…they’d won…
**
The call had come so fast that no one had even registered it was happening. Lucifer looked from Ashley holding the knife to the makeshift spear he held. He released the crude spear and began to take backward steps. As he did every Demon, Hound, and all the others froze answering his wordless command, and did the same. Then with alarming speed, he turned toward the gate and bolted. One by one each of his lieutenants, Demons, and Hounds did the same.
Within moments, the only ones left on the Castle grounds were those who belonged there. The fire burned bright as the sirens grew louder. Ashley looked down at the knife in her hand. It looked like a normal knife now….whatever had happened wasn’t active anymore.
“Ashley….” Hana coughed as she forced herself to up to a knee. “Cops…any second.”
Ashley knew what she had meant. Ashley quickly moved from person to person and gathered up any firearms….Luckily Morgan had left hers upstairs on the floor. The weapons were handed to one of the reformed Demons that Jason quickly led off the property avoiding the main gate.
The pair was only gone moments when the flashing lights pulled up hot. Five cop cars followed by two fire engines and an EMT ran speeding through the opened gate into the driveway. The Cops all came out weapons drawn shouting for everyone to show their hands and everyone obeyed.
“We were attacked by home invaders!” Jasmine shouted.
This seemed to be enough to placate the cops…if only slightly. That is until the mask, cut from the face of The Sins by Lucifer earlier, finally fell. The snake scale mask hit the grass in two pieces revealing the face of Dean Matthews underneath. One of the cops, who had been present when all hell broke loose here a year prior looked over and his eyes widened. He shifted his weapon to the big tattoo'd blonde man and barked.
“DO NOT FUCKINI MOVE!” The cop shouted as the firefighters began to dowse the house with water. Another of the officers looked at their colleague in shock but the first officer shouted. “That man attacked a dozen officers here a year ago. I was one of the responding officers! He’s still wanted out of California for murder. ”
This got the attention of the cops who all leveled their weapons at him.
“ON YOUR FUCKING KNEES!”
All the others could do was watch as the large blonde bearded man slowly sank to his knees and placed his hands behind his head. As the officers held him at gunpoint one of them went to him and roughly cuffed first one hand and then the other.
Jasmine stepped forward ready to shout in defense of her brother but Dean met her eyes and shook his head ever so slightly.
Their part in this was over now.
This fight had cost them enough. Their entire vast Kingdom was burning because of this fight and they wouldn’t cost them anything else. Ashley moved to stand next to Jasmine and laid a blast-goo-covered hand on her shoulder. The two watched as Dean was loaded into one of the police cars. Ashley happened to look over and from between two buildings in a dark alley she could just barely make out the silhouette of someone watching them.
A shape and a pair of angry red eyes.
They had won their home back, but at what cost?
This war was far, far from over.
“Fight like you’ll never die. Fight to stay alive. Fight to raise the crown. Fight to take ‘em down. Fight like your gods and monsters, because you wanted to save a life….fight for you and I….Fight....”
