The Demon Dealings

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to handle this, how to get rid of her. I knew that I needed help, that I couldn’t do this by myself but I also knew that I didn’t want any more casualties.

How do you stop something that is bigger than you? Bigger than anything you have ever had to go up against in your life. How do you fight something that you thought you would only ever read about in books?

I didn’t know. I suppose no one really knows how to battle their demons or prevent bad things from happening until they do it. Even then you don’t know how exactly you did it.

I didn’t say anything to Matheas or Spiros on the way back to the house. I didn’t want to say anything. I just wanted to be left to my thoughts but I knew that was not going to happened when we got back to Matheas’ house.

The men sat on the couch, waiting for an explanation, something… Matheas and Spiros wouldn’t look at me, knowing that something was going on. Something significant and I wasn’t sure how to tell them that I didn’t want their help.

“I can’t do this by myself.” I started, “but I don’t want you to end up like everyone else…” I took a deep breath. “Nothing good can come if you help me.”

“Nothing good will happen if we don’t.” Spiros added stoically.

“I know… I just don’t know how to do this.” I said quietly.

“We make Lorna an offer she can’t refuse.” Matheas replied nonchalantly.

“How do we promise her more than she’s already got… She wants the world, how are we supposed to stop her from taking it?” I asked them bitterly.

“We beat her at her own game.” Spiros looked me in the eye and continued, “We do what we did before. Make a deal, send her away from here and back to where she came from.”

“How are we supposed to send her back from where she came from if we couldn’t do it before? Even when we had help.” I shook my head lightly.

“We’ve defeated her once. We can do it again. You just have to believe that you can do it.” Spiros tried to motivate me but it wasn’t working the way he had hoped.

“The circumstances are different here. I don’t have eleven other people to rely on…” I looked away from him, “And you’re not the same.” I whispered.

“I have the power, I can make the deal. All you need to do is delve into her mind. Figure out how to stop this thing once and for all.” He said determined.

“I don’t see any other way around it, short of killing her.” Matheas added. He winced slightly at his words.

“What do we even have to offer her?” I looked at Spiros for an answer. “And what do we ask for in return? We certainly cannot ask for her to stop her plot.”

“We ask for Cade.” Spiros responded simply.

“Cade…” I whispered. I had forgotten him in the heat of the moment. Left him in the hands of the enemy knowing that we were conspiring against them.

I don’t why I felt so guilty. Why was this emotion the only one I could feel? Why not something else? Cade had lied to me, he had kept a significant piece of the puzzle to himself. He knew who she was and might have known all along. But there was something in me that regretted my decision to leave him. Because what if he hadn’t known? What if my distrust was unfounded?

“As for the offering, leave that up to me.” Spiros stood from his chair. “We can do this.” He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

I swallowed hard and Matheas looked at me with concern, knowing that I had an idea that he would not like.

“Make a deal for me.”

Spiros’ hand on my shoulder tightened and Matheas stood from his spot on the couch, in clear disagreement with my suggestion.

“We can’t make a deal for you.” Matheas said decidedly.

“I’m our best bet. They want me and I’m sure there is a lot they’re willing to do to get me.” I said sternly.

Spiros remained silent, watching me carefully. So I continued.

“They want to use me as a weapon. They want to use me to enslave the human race. I don’t know anything else that would be better for this.” I told Matheas.

“You won’t let them use you... It’s not in your nature.” Spiros added.

“That’s why we have to use me in the deal. I know how to manipulate it. I can work this to our advantage. If we’re going to do this, to make a deal with her, to trap her somewhere else, it needs to be me.” I looked up at Spiros who needed less convincing it seemed than Matheas.

Matheas took a deep breath, “We’re going to need one hell of a plan to pull this off.” Matheas said shaking his head.

I sat on my bed for several hours that night thinking. Demons were not something to be taken lightly. They had done a lot already and gotten away with it. Who was to say that they wouldn’t be able to do it again but on a much larger scale?

Somewhere in the middle of my thoughts I fell asleep.

The room is white with a twin sized bed in the middle. Almost like a hospital room with a hospital bed. Cade was strapped in, cuffed with special leather cursed so he could not get out on his own.

He was yelling, fighting the restraints. His mother walked in and smiled. He yell, screamed at her but I couldn’t hear a word. I couldn’t hear a sound.

She pulled a syringe from the drawer and filled it with liquid. She stuck it in his arm, straining against the bed quickly and emptied its contents into his arm. His veins began to turn a pale blueish color before turning completely white.

Cade yelled loud and fought against the restraints, the white creeping up his arms towards his neck and then his face. He fought harder as it got closer to his eyes, white liquid oozed out of his nose and then eyes and slowly down his face.

Lorna laughed at the pain she was inflicting him.

“This is what happens when you rebel against me.” She said to me.

“Let him go!” I cired.

“This is what happens when you try to play both sides.” She said and stepped closer to me.

“You’re killing him!” I yelled as he continued to scream and writhe on the bed.

“His mind is filling with every fear he has consumed from a dream. His mind is connecting his fears and making them a reality. His skin is on fire. His eyes are like ice.” She stepped closer.

“You can’t do this to him. He’s your kid!” I told her.

“I can do this whenever I please.” She laughed. “He might make it through this.”

“He won’t make it. You and I both know that.” I said in a hard tone.

“He might not make it.” She confirmed. “But he will be a dark walker once again.”

Her laughter filled the room. Everything began to swirl together and turn black as night.

I woke with a start, breathing heavily I gripped at the sheets. I felt guilty. Cade had been honest after all and now he was paying for it. I hoped that we could save him in time but I wasn’t sure that would happen. I knew that I had to find Lorna as soon as possible so we could make the deal.

I stood from my bed and quickly got dressed. I opened the door to my room only to find Matheas standing there, ready to knock. He looked me up and down, confused.

“I was coming to check on you… Where are you going?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Why were you checking on me?”

“I could tell something was wrong…” He trailed off.

“Everything is fine. And I’m going to make sure it stays that way.” I went to move passed him but he stopped me.

“Look, I know I haven’t been the best…” He paused. “Protector, or familiar but-“ I cut him off.

“Now’s not the time to get sappy on me.” I deadpanned.

“We’re connected, whether we like it or not. I can sense that something in you is off and it has been off since your mom… I’ve been trying to ignore this connection for so long but I can tell you’re about to do something and I have to try to stop you.” He replied determined.

“Where is this coming from?” I asked him, feeling slight irritation rise with in me. “Where’s the Matheas who would tease me about this stuff?”

“He’s still here… But whatever it is you’re going to do I’m going with you.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stood in the door way.

I laughed bitterly. “I’m going to set up this deal. I’ve waited long enough. We need a timeline and I’m going to provide it.”

“What happens when this goes South? How do you put the pieces back together?” He asked me.

“I don’t.” I paused, “I kill her and move on.” I looked him in the eye to let him know I was serious. That I would kill her if it came down to it.

Matheas winced and let out a sigh. “Are you sure this is a promise you can keep?”

“She killed my parents. She killed Jane. And she’ll kill you. I won’t let her get away with this.”

“This won’t end the way you expect it to.” Matheas pointed out. “But when does it ever?”

“We’re not heroes, Matheas we’re far from it. We have to expect the worst. And hope for the best. That’s all we can ever do.” I scooted by him, through the door way and walked down the hall and out the door, not looking back at him.

Spiros had mentioned that dark walkers hung out together. That they would hide in plain sight and feed the same way. There were a few places I knew where they could do that. Somehow, I knew exactly which one to find Lorna at.

Deception was in the very nature of every demon. It was in the nature of most dark walkers to trick their prey into coming to them, to make them believe that they were safe until it was too late. I supposed that was why they disguised their feeding grounds as a country club.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what she was doing there. She was taking advantage of the humans lured into the vicinity along with the other dark walkers. And I wasn’t in to mood to skirt around them,

The first demon I saw bent to my powers, “you will take me to Lorna.” I told him as I influenced his mind to follow my command.

He nodded and motioned for me to follow him through the maze of halls. The building was darkly lit and reeked of supernatural evil. I tried to not let my eyes wander, knowing that everywhere dark walkers were taking advantage of their prey, humans I would not be able to save, even if I tried.

He stopped in front of a door and gestured for me to go in. He simply walked away, leaving me to collect myself before facing Lorna.

I opened the door slowly to a room that, much like the hall way was darkly lit. I could see the human sitting in the room silently screaming, no word or sound able to leave her lips. The demon in the room with Lorna laughed heartily.

“You brought another play thing?” She asked.

Lorna looked over at me lazily and smirked. “Leave us.” She demanded and the she demon looked confused. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing her human and exiting the room.

“I was wondering how long it would take for you to come to me.” She smirked at me.

“If I had it my way we wouldn’t be meeting at all.” I told her darkly.

“Now, now Natasha, don’t be that way. You have come to me for a reason.” She replied lightly.

Why was I doing this? I didn’t want to be there but I needed to deliver a message. “Look, I’m not here to chit chat.” She laughed again, “I’m here to deliver a message. There is an offer on the table. We know what you want and are willing to make a deal for it.”

“I don’t think you quite understand how that deal will work.” She smirked at me.

“I know a lot more than you think I do.”

“You overestimate yourself. You couldn’t defeat me back then and you won’t defeat me now certainly not by yourself.”

“Things have changed since then. The only thing that has remained is your desire for power, it is a weakness you didn’t know you have.” I deadpanned.

She tossed her head back and laughed, “you don’t understand power little girl. You never will.” Her voice was dark and ominous but I shrugged it off.

“I understand that you will do anything. Take any world that you can by any means necessary. And I’m here to make a deal so I don’t end up like my mother.” I stared her fiercely in the eye.

“And why would I need your deal to get what I want when I already have plans in motion doing just that?” She cocked her head to the side slightly.

“Your plans won’t work on me.” I spat. “Not if I don’t come willingly. This deal will tie up all the loose ends you’ve suddenly acquired.”

“You’re a clever girl Natasha. I will consider it.” She said as if it were a burden to be considered.

“I expect you’re answer at midnight in two days at Grover Park.” I said bluntly.

“I’ll be seeing you Natasha.” She said cryptically and walked out the door, with a satisfied smile etched across her features.