Demon Hunt

The cold and musky air struck through us; bitter like the winter weather. Onward we marched, looking for shelter in the burned and disassembled buildings. All Hell had arisen here, in our once peaceful town; many were lost, and even more mutilated. Decrepit corpses covered the icy landscape, fresh blood glistening in the light of the burnt buildings.

“This is hopeless, we’re facing a force that can’t be stopped, and we may as well accept fate. These monsters are going to rip us apart, tear us limb from fucking limb.” I screamed to my colleague, who ignored me, and simply muttered, “We must continue.”

Charlie was determined, after what had happened. After working a hard day, I came home to see my girlfriend cradling our child. I didn't know which was more frightening: seeing my dead girlfriend and stillborn child or knowing that someone broke into my house to place them there. Ever since that fateful turn of events, Charlie has vowed to help me get revenge; to send these fowl beasts back to their rightful home in Hell. We still don’t know how it happened, but it was horrifying. I could barely recognize the corpse as hers…. And our poor son, Skyler, ripped of his chance at living a fruitful and laborious existence on this once blessed Earth.

We came to a bridge that looked unstable; its floor creaked and cracked at the touch of our feet. The old wood gave way to the wind, swaying endlessly.

“Must we continue this way friend,” I whined.

“Do you want revenge or not? Would you rather we lay down and just let these foul beasts rape and kill everyone else that may be alive?” Charlie snapped, determination soaking his every last word.

“No.” Is all I could reply with; it was his idea after all, and he was very up to the challenge; or so he thought.

We had no weapons to speak of, other than the makeshift blade we sawed out of wooden stakes. If we even stood half a chance at killing these monsters, they shouldn’t have been able to murder fully trained militia.

We got across the bridge successfully, just to have it snap on us, entrapping us on this side of a crevice that’s higher than the Empire State Building.

“Well, guess we won’t be going back that way, better carry onward.” Charlie said, reassuringly.

“Yeah, guess so.” I said, unsure of what laid ahead of us.

We passed piles of bodies, burning and permeating in their own boiling flesh. I cringed at the sight, and the smell of such horrors. This atrocity will not go unnoticed, and we will put a stop to it; I thought to myself. I noticed we had reached a building, some sort of screwed up looking church. Barbed wire rose out from under an inverted cross, set ablaze, and dripping with blood and chunks of flesh. Soon after, I realized there was a sign, it read “Set free the souls, in the blood of perdition.” What kind of Hell are we walking into?

“Charlie, I have a bad feeling about this place man.” I said, clinging to him.

“Yeah, so do I, but these freaks are probably in there. And if we’re going to get this done, we’re doing it now, no regrets, and no pussying out.” Charlie said.

I could see the sparkle of determination in his deep hazel eyes, the kind not oft seen. Sure, we were risking our lives to save people who may not even be alive, but I’ll be damned if we weren’t proud of it.

We bashed in the door, like a couple of action hero’s sworn to duty. The interior of the church was decaying, rotting like the flesh that surrounded it. Paint was peeling off the walls, the piles that were once pristine, now rotting and burning. There were bodies on display like some sort of messed up BDSM fantasy scene; dead corpses hanging by their own intestines, and spikes coming out of every wall, blood dripping off of each and every one. There, in the middle, they stood, burning.

“WE HAVE COME TO DESTROY YOU, FOUL ONES, FOR YOU HAVE TAKEN THAT WHICH WE HOLD DEAR AND PERVERTED IT, TO FULFILL YOUR OWN SICK FANTASIES.” Charlie screamed, as if he was preaching to them.

The beasts looked at him for a brief second, and then scoffed. Their skin was ablaze, and rotting into a morph of flame and hellish nightmare flesh. Horns rose from their skulls, and they were covered in the blood of the innocent civilians they had killed. Just one look at them would turn any mere mortal to flee, but we were no mere mortals. We were one with them, and disagreed with their ways.

“YOU HAVE TAKEN OUR ONCE NON JUDGEMENTAL SPIRIT, AND PERVERTED IT INTO THIS. YOU ARE DESTRUCTIVE, INCONSIDERATE AND PRIMAL BEASTS. YOU ARE WORSE THAN THE HUMANS.” Charlie screamed louder than before.

The beasts laughed at us, and replied. “You fools, you mingle with these disgusting and pitiful humans, and for that we pity you. Your girlfriend tasted delicious by the way, just the right mix of flesh and barbeque.” The leader laughed uproariously.

“THAT’S IT, YOU WILL PAY. THIS ENDS HERE.” I shouted, running at the leader; retracting the claws from my flesh and revealing my true form. My skin morphed into that of theirs, and I revealed myself to them.

“Not impressed.” The leader scoffed.

We met in the middle of the church, in a fiery blaze of blood. His claws struck me in my shoulder, digging at the flesh and cutting into my bone. I felt his darkness creeping into my very soul, trying to corrupt my mind like his. I fought the urge, and dug my claw into this sternum; twisting into this flesh and ripping out his stomach.

“Give it up; you’ve never stood a chance against me.” I said, triumphantly.

My claws dug into his body further, until I had reached the other end. I felt the popping of his spine, shattering as I ripped it from his body. He retaliated, digging his horn into my skull, trying to merge with me. I felt his soul violating mine; the worst bond that one could ever experience. This demon, this hellish beast of nightmares, had to be destroyed. I knew it, in my very bones.

“Face it, you can’t defeat me, this is my true form. I am not in a measly vessel, like you. You should have possessed someone with a little more meat, no pun intended.” He said, as he ripped through my vessel’s flesh.

I cast myself out of the vessel, and appeared before him in my true form.

“Fine, we’ll play your way.”

Meanwhile, in the background, Charlie had already taken care of his little cronies. I had been too preoccupied to notice it until just now. And he was about ready to sneak up on the beast, before he had noticed. The leader turned to Charlie and immediately began tearing his vessel apart, limb from limb. In a mess of blood and flesh, I watched as my best friend was ripped apart. His soul had been in the vessel for so long; he had merged with it, and could not escape. I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t get to him in time, the demon was too quick.

“GET OFF OF HIM.” I howled, hurling my claws into his body.

“You’re too late, and, I have a date with the Devil. I’ll be leaving now.” He said, as he evaporated into thin air.

I crawled over to my once best friend, and examined his mangled body. I knew he was dead, but somehow, I didn’t feel remorse. After all, he got us all into this mess in the first place. If he didn’t want to become a demon hunting bad ass, all these people would still be alive. I knew I shouldn’t have lent him that summoning book….