Demons 3 Draft 1 CH 12 (Patreon)

The city in the distance looks similar to others I’ve seen; Tall building, some trying to touch the clouds, diminishing until there are no longer visible under the horizon. We ran for weeks to arrive. Interrupted with the occasional hunt.

Hunting with Claws felt right. It aligned with the occasional memories I get, so much I tripped as I attempted to go down to all fours while running without realizing it. With him there, we took down a larger creature. Something Claws calls Quick Chargers, because they maneuver quickly and like to charge at their quarry. Their heads are hard and painful. Claws disappeared a few times and returned with armloads of fruits and vegetables to complete my diet.

I make out a road cutting across the plain, no traffic on it. “Where is everyone?”

“This territory was emptied.”

“If you mean the district, the last I heard, they just told people to be careful.”

Claws shrugs and points further along the road. “The military has a camp closer to the city.”

“This is the first time you mentioned them.” I jog in the direction he indicated. Claws stays at my side, silent. “Did you think I wouldn’t come if you said they were already here?” I knew they would be here the instant Claws mentioned Amanda. The army will not let her go, not when she holds the knowledge of making more like me.

“You refused to be part of my family, Derrick. Twice.” Claws’s tone has no inflection, not even an undertone to indicate how he feels about it. “You are young. What you are and what I feel you are conflict. I am not certain of your reactions.” We run in silence, then he lets are a human sigh. “I have not been a parent in a long time, and how a was with my last child is not how I can be with you. I do not mean to hurt you, Derrick. I apologize.”

“It’s… I understand.” Jason didn’t mean to hurt me either, but I’m something neither completely understands. “You’re doing the best you can. I guess I need to remember that too. Amanda told me so many lies, even Jason did. Humans seem to enjoy lying. I prefer how honest demons are. If there are things you haven’t told me about what’s ahead, I’d prefer you did now.”

“I have told you all I know.”

I nod and run. “Do you know anything about this sickness that’s afflicting humans? You’ve been alive for a long time. Have you seen it before?”

“Humans are fragile beings. They are always falling sick and even dying from it.”

“Have you seen something on the scale of what’s hitting the district?”

He doesn’t answer immediately. “No. But I know little of what has happened here. I learn much of the world by speaking with others like me, who travel far, and we have been hunted out of this district. Protect the People may be the only family left, and I had not heard of him from others.”

I nod, then focus on the horizon, slowing. My eyesight isn’t as good as my sense of smell or hearing, but it is better than human. I make out two forms, people, walking. Behind them, I see what might be the roof of tents.

“Sentries,” Claws says. “The military is close behind them.”

“You should take a less threatening form. If we’re going to work with them again, this time it’s best if we approach on their level.”

Claws shrinks, his skin becoming clothing, even his head is more human, the muzzle only slightly pronounced. A hood forms to cover his head and hide that detail in shadows as the two humans notice us and stop, raising their machine guns.

They are dressed oddly for soldiers; instead of the dark body armor, they wear gray contamination protection. Tighter and thicker than what the scientists used when they handled dangerous material, but the way it covers them from head to two marks it as more to protect them from whatever causes the sickness than from us.

“Stop right there,” the woman says when we reach speaking distance. What I see of her face is a tense expression, suspicious eyes. “This is a restricted area, turn around right now or we’ll open fire.”

I keep my hands away from my body, from any weapons they could fear I hid. “We’re here to help.”

“We don’t need any help,” the other says, a man. The sun reflects off his faceplate, hiding his expression. The tone is severe. “We have the situation under control.”

“You do not,” Claws states, and the growl he can’t mask has them immediately on edge, their weapons moving to point at him.

I move before they are done. I am not risking Claws getting hurt, even slightly. Before they register, I’m next to them. I have the barrels in hand and pushing them up. The man has the time to press the trigger before my knee in his stomach and a gentle shove from it sends him back. The barrel burns my hand, but I am now the only one holding the gun. A slight impact of my shoulder against the woman’s chest and he joins her companion on the ground, her weapon also in my hand.

They scramble to stand and pull their sidearms as Claws lands between them, now a four-legged creature, more fangs and claws than anything else.

“Do not pull out your weapons,” he warns, the words barely understandable.

I pull the magazine from the machine gun, study it. “Irradiated round.” I put it back in and walk to the soldiers, handing them back. “I thought there were no demons left in the District.”

“There aren’t,” the woman says, eyes the machine gun suspiciously.

“Then why have irradiated ammo this deep in it?” She exchanges a look with the man before taking it and scrambling away. “Don’t point it at us. We’re here to help.”

The man taps something at his belt and I tense. “Base, this is Tian, east-side sentry. We have a situation here.”

“Are you and your partner still operational?” the voice is tinny, faint, an earpiece in the man’s ear.

The man swallows. “Technically, yes.”

The silence is long. “Report.”

“We have to intruders who claim to be here to help. A man—”

“Derrick,” Claws says, and the man cringes. “I am Claws in the Dark.”

“What was that?” the tinny voice asks. “I couldn’t make it out.”

“That—that was a demon.” Now the man’s voice trembles. “It’s with the man, Derrick,” he hurries to add, “the demon says its name is Claws in the Darkness.”

“In the dark,” I correct.

“In the dark!” the man repeats, his tone rising in fear. I can’t smell it through the suit, but I exchange a look with Claws. We are both away from them. What does he have to be afraid of?

“B—Base?” the man asks when the silence stretches to a minute. “Please come in.”

“Hold position, I need to contact someone who can make a decision about this.”

“Base? We need reinforcement. I don’t think the man’s human.”

“What are they doing?” the woman asks, not as afraid.

“I don’t know. He’s not replying. Said something about someone else having to make a decision.”

“Typical,” she replies under her breath.

“Don’t reach for your sidearm,” I tell her, still watching the man, waiting for Base to reply. “We are here to help, but we will defend ourselves. I’m not human, I’ve already demonstrated I’m faster and stronger. Don’t force me to show in what other ways I’m different.”

“Escort them in,” the tinny voice says.

“Say again, Base?”

“The orders are to escort them in.”

“Base, the man just confirmed he isn’t human, and he’s with a demon. Please confirm you want us to bring them to the camp.”

“Did you hit your head or something?” the voice asks, sounding annoyed even through the distortion. “The colonel said to bring them in. You are to make sure nothing hurts them, am I clear?”

“Crystal, Base. Tian out.” The man swallows and looks at his partner. “We have to escort them to the camp, and, I quote ‘make sure nothing hurts them’.”

“Is that a joke?” she asks. The man shakes his head. She looks at me and Claws. “Can anything even hurt them?”

“Your bullets can,” I answer, “if you manage to hit one of us.” I smile reassuredly. “I wouldn’t recommend trying it.” She scrambles away again before standing.

Claws is on two legs again, but he doesn’t look human. His skin hangs loosely over a massive form, an imitation of the trench coat I wore when hunting the city. His head is still more fangs than anything else, and the humans’ reaction amuses him.

We start toward the camp and the soldiers follow us.

The camp is a series of tents connected by tunnels of the same material the soldiers wear. They lead us to a large box, one of the few I see, each one located at the periphery, as an entry and exit to the tent complex. It’s twice my height, the same in width, and half that in depth. A white thick plastic, I notice when the woman opens the door. Opposite it is another door, closed.

“It’s a decontamination room,” she says. “Everyone goes through it before entering, no exceptions.” She believes what she says, but it is still a room that can seal me in and pump whatever they want in.

“We will go in together,” Claws says, shrinking to a size matching mine. He looks at the two soldiers. “All of us. If they attempt to hurt us, we can destroy the container and go away to heal. Then we will return and no longer offer to help.” He doesn’t point out what will happen to anyone else in there with us while we break out.

I motion for the man to go in, enter after, then Claws joins us. My hand brushes his skin and I see us pressed into a cave, a sense of something large outside, danger, a need to protect each other. I pull away. I need to be here and now.

The woman closes the hatch once she is inside. She presses against her partner, making sure not to touch Claws. A mist rises around us. The chemical smells are cloying and irritating. I breathe through my mouth in an attempt to mitigate it, and the taste of it is worse.

It is replaced by water raining down over us, clear water with only a slight taste of disinfectant. When it stops, the interior door opens, revealing a corridor leading to a partially open tent flap where I can hear voices, indistinct by the number of people arguing.

The woman gets out of her protective suit, she wears the usual body armor underneath, and steps out of the decontamination chamber. She hangs the suit on a hook and takes a towel, offering it to me as her partner removes his suit and hangs it. She offered one to Claws. Instead, he shakes himself once and the water flies off him. She uses the towel to wipe her face, muttering curses.

I’m still wet when they lead us to the flap, but not dripping. She opens it as a man yells.

“There is absolutely no way I am working with him, not after how he betrayed us last time!”