The kid yelped as the demon left another dent in the locker.
If I couldn’t use my powers, I’d have to go about this the old-fashioned way. Lunging forward, I brought my sword swinging down on the head of the creature. Its skull cracked like a watermelon, dark red gore spilling onto the tile. All but one of the hands jerked up, all trying to wrap around my blade to pull it out from its head, but it was already dead even if it hadn’t caught up to that fact yet. The grip of the hands loosened as the demon collapsed with a splat.
“Stay here,” I ground out through my teeth at the two eyes peeking out of the locker. As I ran back toward Emma, I heard her scream. Willing myself to sprint even faster, I turned the corner to see her on the ground, holding her forearm arm which was gushing blood. The kukri was on the ground, and out of reach, next to another many-armed demon. It lay limp on the ground, eyes completely white, and despite its mostly monstrous face it somehow registered shock and horror. From the looks of it, she’d managed to crack the essence out of that demon before yet another joined the party.
Instead of bearing over her, ready to take its kill, the tentacled-mouth monster was currently fending off a demon dog that was biting at the arms of the beast as if it were made of kibble. The creature was fast, but the demon dog kept at it, sinking its teeth into an arm preventing it from escaping to the ceiling.
The demon unknowingly backed up toward me as it tried to shake the demon dog loose. I dropped my sword on its head like the first, the head splitting, sending blood and gore flying everywhere. When the monster fell back onto the ground, the half-decayed dog jumped on its body and started to chew on the arms with enthusiastic vigor and loud, wet smacks.
Raising my sword one more time to behead the mutt, a cry from behind me stopped me. “Don’t.”
The kid had emerged from the locker and was running for us. He ran right by me to put his body between me and the demon dog.
Over his head, I saw Emma’s eyes wide with surprise, her shoulders now propped against the lockers, still holding her arm. There was a strange gleam in her eye, reminding me of how she looked after she absorbed the Ururu. Had she done it again? No. There were only two, she just must be dazed.
“Don’t you hurt him,” the kid demanded, his skinny arms thrown out, protecting the undead mutt. Fire shot out of his eyes at me in warning. As if this young man could stop me, but it gave me pause.
“Buddy wouldn’t hurt anyone,” he said, his voice breaking, not from emotion but because he was growing into a man.
Emma mouthed the word “Buddy,” while the demon dog paid us no mind, happily tearing apart the multiarmed monster turned dog snack.
Again, I was caught in indecision. Creatures from the Stygian needed to be eradicated, but the kid’s passionate plea confused me. “Step out of the way, kid,” I said, trying to make my words seem reassuring.
Emma got to her feet, still holding tight onto her arm, two trickles of blood seeped out between her fingers and travelled down her hand. Her biceps and neck had bright red marks that I knew would later turn into bruises. The damned thing had gotten its hands on her. Rage flared in me as the need to kill it all over again flooded me, but I’d have to settle for the demon dog.
When Emma took the first few steps toward us, the dog’s head jerked to the side as if tracking her movements even at it loudly smacked, gulping down gray meat. She stopped in her tracks, but said to the teenager, “Did you call him, Buddy?”
The frizzy headed kid turned slightly but kept his arms stretched out, keeping his skinny frame as large as possible. I could have easily thrown him out of the way, but I didn’t want to man handle the kid if I could help it.
“Yeah, that’s his name. And Buddy wouldn’t hurt nobody.”
“He’s from the Stygian, kid,” I said. “As soon as he is done with that corpse, he will tear out your throat.”
“He saved me,” Emma said, now staring at the dog with an awed expression.
“What?” I didn’t understand. I didn’t want to understand. My patience was waning. I needed to get Emma medical attention and get us into the safety of our home. I needed to realign with meditation to reconnect with my magic.
“The demon dog saved me,” she said. When she turned back to me, I saw there was a dazed gleam in her eye like after she’d taken the Ururu’s life force. If she wasn't able to communicate so clearly, I might have thought she was high.
No, she is more likely in shock.
The kid lowered his arms slightly and turned to meet Emma’s gaze. If I could get a step closer, I could easily push him aside and finish off the hell mutt.
“I’ve been training him,” the kid explained.
“What’s your name?” Emma asked.
“Lucas,” he said, ever so slightly ducking his head and breaking eye contact from Emma.
“How can you possibly train one of these things, Lucas?” she asked.
Just a little closer.
“I keep Buddy in a cage in the boiler room, feed him demon meat I steal. There is a morgue nearby that set up a specialty demon destruction center so that everything could be blessed and burned.”
“Calan, don’t,” Emma said, an instant before I was about to push the kid out of my way.
The teenager whirled around with indignant fury, splaying his arms back out. Emma sidestepped the dog before I could say anything. She kept putting herself in danger’s way. My hands twisted around the hilt of my sword as I locked my jaw.
