Demons 3 Draft 1 CH 22 (Patreon)

I shoulder one of the double doors open and the men standing outside the building turn to stare at me and the man whose weight I support. Humbert is conscious, but with his dose of boost no longer affecting him, he has trouble putting a foot in front of the others. The eight men are armed, so are guards, but they don’t raise their weapons, looking more confused than worried.

“How?” one of them manages to ask.

“What are we supposed to do with them now?” asks another.

I consider the soul stone in my pocket.

“You know the rules,” a third answers. Still, none of them reach for their weapons.

“Yeah, but they pitted them against Hard as Steel. No one’s ever gotten past him and left the building.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

“Oh, he is going to be pissed. I pity whoever’s thrown in there next.”

They don’t realize we killed Hard as Steel. Humans can’t kill demons without help, so those put in the maze have to rely on cunning. Outsmart the demon until they escape. How will they react when they find out?

“That’s going to be someone else’s problem.” He takes a radio and speaks into it. “I need a lift at the tower for a couple heading to the newbie house.” He smiles at us. “Sit tight, it’ll be a few minutes. Normally we have a car standing ready, but, well, Hard as Steel, so we didn’t bother. You two are going to be one hell of an addition to the family.”

“Couldn’t be happier,” Humbert mumbles.

“You two look like you actually got in a scuffle with Steel,” one says. “How did you get out of that in one piece?”

“We—”

“Ran,” I cut off Humbert. In his state he might tell them we killed the demon and the men speak about Hard as Steel like he was a coworker. Humans can be vindictive when someone they like is hurt or killed.

Humbert’s reply is mumbled too softly for the guard to make out, which is good. He is right, I am lying.

The vehicle is smaller and not reinforced. Not designed to hold prisoners.

“Get in,” the lead guard says. “You don’t want to have to walk to the house, not in your condition. You’ll be able to shower and rest there. It’s usually a few days before anyone has the time to work out where to assign you.”

“Will there be food?” I ask as I help Humbert in.

“Yeah, the fridge is stocked.”

“This is a coffin,” Humbert whispers.

“You’re safe,” the man replies. “You’ve passed the test, definitely proved yourself.”

“When will your boss be told?” Our safety ends once Mister Graves finds out.

The man laughs as sits on the passenger side in the front. “It’s good to have ambition, but you’re going to have to be patient. We’re far too low to merit the boss’ attention. Prove yourself for a few years and then you can think he’ll notice you.” He motions to the drive and we drive off.

The only remaining factor is Hard as Steel’s body. “We made quite a mess. How long does it take to clean the maze?”

The man turns in his seat to look at me. “I can see you must have.” He indicates my right hand, covered in the remnants of the demon’s brain matter to my elbow. “What is that?” if he notices how black my skin is, he doesn’t show it.

Humbert chuckles. Did he wake up to see me extract the soul stone?

I shrug.

“Normally it takes a while, but Steel’s going to demand to be fed, so we might throw someone in tonight. I’m told we still have a bunch of intruders to deal with. So they might not bother with any cleaning.”

A soldier will know better than to raise the alarm on finding a dead demon, but that means they’ll reach the exit without injuries. That will raise suspicion. So by tomorrow morning things can deteriorate.

We continue in silence, and when the vehicle stops, it’s in front of an older building. It reminds me of the one I lived in when I knew Robert. Each room a small apartment. The guard helps me bring Humbert inside. Instead of a small lobby with the person managing the building behind a counter, we enter a large living room with half a dozen seats. The lone occupant stands and takes over the guard.

“The chair,” Humbert says, pointing to one of the seats.

“You look like what you need to sleep.” The man says. He’s muscular, younger than Humbert, with a black beard and hair.

“I need to say awake,” Humbert whispers. “Eat. proteins and carbs. Not sure I’ll wake up if I sleep. This isn’t hitting me the right way.”

I look to the guard, but he’s leaving. Whatever this is, we are on our own.

“There’s plenty of food,” the man says. “I’m Taros.”

“Derick,” I answer as we sit Humbert. “He’s Captain Humbert.”

“Gregg,” Humbert says, then snorts. “The captain part can do screw itself.”

Taros looks at me and I shrug. “There are showers?”

“Second and third floor are bedrooms. Each has a shower. The first one on the left on the second floor is mine. There’s no one else here right now, so pick any other.”

* * * * *

I return feeling better and hungrier. Humbert is eating, a small table before him is covered with empty plates.

“Your friend is famished. Just how hard was your trial?”

“Deadly,” Humbert answers between bites of the sandwich. He sounds better, more alert, but he still looks tired. “What are you doing here?”

Taros shrugs in his seat. “It’s where they put me up after I got out of that tower. They take me out to do work, menial stuff mostly, and never alone. But I’m treated more like an employee than a slave. And I can’t complain about the accommodations.” He gestures around.

“So you came here looking to work for these bastards?” Humbert asks. He looks at the empty plates. “Is there any more?”

“Where are you putting it all?” Taros asks, standing. “And no, I didn’t come here looking to join. I came here looking to loot the empty buildings.” I follow him to the kitchen where he indicates the fridge. “Help yourself before your friend empties it all.”

The selection of fresh fruits and vegetables is slim, but with that are a few packs of uncooked meat. They smell off, after so long eating meat right after killing my prey, but I eat them, not bothering being neat about it.

Taros eyes me as he prepares more sandwiches from processed meats. “Yeah, that answers that.” He indicates my black arm. The room didn’t have clothing, and I destroyed the trench coat’s sleeve trying to choke Hard as Steel. “That’s a giveaway you aren’t entirely human. Eating raw meat confirms it.”

“Humans eat raw meat,” I answer. They have entire meals built around it.

“Calling us humans is another sign, and yeah, some do. But it’s not right off the bone like you’re doing.”

“You don’t sound bothered.” I shovel fruits in my mouth.

“I’m a scavenger. That means I don’t get to stick to one place all that much. People don’t like it when you grab what’s theirs without asking, or taking it even when they say now. The world isn’t this nice little place the news likes to tell everyone it is. The cities are nice, usually. This one’s not the norm. But the wild? You are going to see some strange stuff there.” He heads back to the living room with the stack of sandwiched. I follow with my meat and vegetables.

“So you’re a thief,” Humbert says, eying the man suspiciously.

“Call it what you want.” Taros places the plate on the table and sits. “What I am is a survivor who goes about it his own way. I can deal with structure for a while, but eventually, it starts chafing. Even this won’t be enough for me to endure it after a while, then I’ll move on.”

“If they let you,” Humbert says.

“Once I decide to leave, they aren’t going to stop me.”

“There are demons,” I point out.

Taros smiles. “There are ways to give even them the slip, make them lose your scent. You don’t travel the wild without encountering them, or their wild equivalent.”

Humbert looks at the last two sandwiches like he doesn’t understand why there’s there. “I think I’m done.”

“Finally.” Taros sighs. “So, what’s next for you two?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Humbert asks.

“He called you captain, and as tattered as it is what you’re wearing screams military. I can’t think working for organized crime is something your superiors look kindly on.”

“Well, she can just go fuck herself if she isn’t happy with me,” he snaps. “If I decide to join the mob, it’s my own damned decision.”

I join Taros in staring at Humbert.

“I’m not going to work for them,” he states. “How can you even think that? But Fallon doesn’t get a say in what I do after she just left me to die.” Taros winces. “And how can you work for them? They tried to feed you to a demon, they’re feeding others to them.”

“People live and people die,” Taros answers nonchalantly. “I can’t control what happens to them, just what happens to me. So I’m not going to worry about them.”

“That so…” Humbert searches for a word, so I offer one for him.

“Human?”

He glares at me and Taros chuckles.

“My plans include rescuing Claws and the rest of Captain—”

“Greg,” Humbert cuts me off. “It’s Greg. Gregory, if you want to be formal about it.”

“The rest of Greg’s soldiers and bringing Amanda back to the people she works for. If you’re willing to help, you are welcome to come with us.”

“You’re assuming a lot,” Greg says, “thinking I’m on board with that plan.”

“You might be done with the colonel and the military, but you are not someone who abandons the people under his command.”

“I had no problem abandoning you to a bunch of demons.”

“I was not under your command,” I answer, “I was a pawn.”

Taros looks from me to Greg. “You two have something of a complicated relationship, I take it?”

“He ran off from the military, who footed the bill to make him.”

“You mean like you’re thinking of doing right now?” Taros replies.

Greg glares at the man but doesn’t have a response for him.

“Wanting out is all and good, and I won’t cause you problems even if I decide to enjoy the luxury a while longer, but you have a lot of people out there, human, hybrid, and demon, who are going to want to strop you. I’m not really seeing this coming to a good end.”

“The occasion will present itself,” I answer, standing. “That is one thing I have learned in the years being on my own. It might take some work on our part, but we can make something work. But for now, I need to rest. If you can sleep, Greg, you should too.”

“In a while. I want to give this crap a couple of hours to get out of my system entirely before I risk it.”

“Please don’t bother me,” I tell Taros, “I will be resting for the rest of the day and all night.”

“No problem, I’m used to keeping busy on my own.”

Greg eyes me suspiciously while Taros pays attention to me. He knows how little sleep I need. But him, I trust not to alert the guards if he decides to intrude on my sleep and doesn’t find me there.

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