Warmth was in your cheeks

  True warmth,

  life

  Death not yet your soul.

  Allies

  Jewels,

  soft was your body.

  Muscles firm, perfection was for you bought,

  stolen, and gifted.

  Mithril was your tempered soul

  the void encased your heart.

  Loving you was all

  Protecting you long we had conceded.

  Death. Death would come for you.

  You had to die.

  The weakest to the strongest.

  Defeating the shadows,

  demons; thine own self!

  Evil become your soul, evil drank of your life.

  Murder was your fate. Betrayal: destinies gift.

  Sacrifice: your ultimate love.

  Knowing what would come, we would have not allowed it!

  Stopped you, protected, left you in the silver!

  I feel your blood to this day upon my hands.

  I see the life leave your eyes.

  Witness I was, to the demon born from you.

  From your death.

  Fear. In your eyes… your last living look, was fear.

  That fear would come to know fear.

  For fear itself is the master of fear.

  Terror shirks in the sight of terror.

  For some, heartless and arrogant,

  faith bright as the Sun,

  shines a fear to frighten the afraid!

  Your shadow burns the darkness!

  Your terror sends fear to flight!

  Regret your death, all will.

  Love your death, we all do.

  In death you were found, little one.

  In the embrace of evil, you yawned

  Born to Sin

  Reborn unto Christ.

  Awakened into death.

  Us you would have killed.

  Us, who failed you.

  Fight us! Kill us! Do your worst!

  We can still save you!

  Attack! Kill! Terrorize!

  Look to the darkness!

  The shadows, both, they flee not!

  Escape them ye tried! Kill them, you fought!

  For their safety you plead!

  Leave you, they did not.

  The fight of three shadows.

  Witnessing, the fates held breath.

  And how the cheer was cried when the last evil came to light.

  Flee! Run! Escape!

  Chase you we will not. Find yourself, you, the one so young.

  We love you, child. As you know.

  This, none of this, would have been without you.

  I would not have been, without you.

  Countless victories and lives, not without you.

  All you went through.

  The life of your death.

  Rest the rest you deserve.

  Fret not for us.

  You gave them the time.

  Your sacrifice, was their victory.

  Foolish as it may have been.

  I love you.

  I’ll miss you.

  Goodbye my little flower in the snow.

  My black rose of feathers.

  At the Angel's Choir we again shall meet.

  ~Awakened Into Death

  ~Feldyn Goldchord, the Endless Bard.

  * * *

  It was decided a couple of days rest was in order before the whatever training Iiyni had in mind. Like it or not, what else could they do? There was no way to move forward, anywhere was dangerous, and sooner or later they would need to fight. Meaning it was also time to settle in to their temporary home, while trying to accept their inability to help not only their friends, but anyone.

  Feldyn, having just revisited the worst moments of his life, had at least one pressing matter on his mind. What the zombie king had done to him. Of course Reba had checked him over, though he had not been too concerned at the time, simply wanting to know if he was healthy. Now, wanting a more in depth assessment, Reba callously dismissed his concerns, all but forcing Feldyn to demand she run some tests

  It wasn't that Reba didn't care, she just knew Ted's M.O; he was not regrowing Feldyn's limbs, he was re-attaching them. Removing the limbs made it easier to gather sample materials. As for sucking the bards eye out, those he would have regrown. Same for teeth, hair, or most internal organs.

  Still, to alleviate Feldyn's concerns, Reba checked him out, and found nothing out of the ordinary. Unless being perfectly healthy was cause for concern. His elven blood did have traits foreign to her, so she kept a few vials for later research. If Ted had done something, it was beyond her abilities to detect.

  Reba had her own issues. John was pressing her about the abilities she had shown during the fight with X'al'antra. She promised to 'look into it' when there was time, which had made him angry, accusing her of not taking things serious. Reba of course cared more than she was letting on, but where to even begin? In all honesty, Reba was in no hurry to add to her ever growing list of things that made her not human, and there were plenty of more important matters to focus on than having hidden powers.

  John didn't push the topic too hard, as he quickly ended up having something else on his mind. He and Feldyn were discussing prophecy, and Iiyni overheard; pointing out the prophecies the old man had been so obsessed with for years, were not part of the Esseff Codex.

  Iiyni didn't know much, but she knew enough to blow their minds. The Esseff Codex ala Saints wasn't the only set of prophecies written about Aethra. The alternative prophecies had also proven true, time and again. Feldyn had never heard of them. Which was no surprise; he was far from a scholar, and recent events had shown him the Esseff were not exactly truthful.

  Two of these sets of alternate prophecies were used as a way to circumvent other books of prophecy, or to manipulate outcomes wanted. They were the Kurtin Black and the Ulteare, both of which heavily focused on demonic involvements.

  The Kurtin Black was almost like an anti prophecy to the Codex. It spoke of failures, and death of the Esseff, and demonic victories. Though fully translated, it was supposedly split into several parts, and guarded by some big players.

  The Ulteare was a cluster fuck. Basically a ton of random prophecies, all favoring the bad guys. Prophecies that -supposedly- if pulled off, would lead to events listed in the Kurtin Black. The Ulteare was widely available to demons, which meant the details of of the prophecies were all over the place, reducing their credibility.

  John (and to a lesser extent, Feldyn) were fascinated, the old man insisting on knowing more; driving her nuts with questions, that she had few answers for. He was crestfallen and ashamed to have been following evil prophecies, determined to correct his ignorance with knowledge. Iiyni preferred to correct it with a boot to his obsessive face. Though she decided to wait until training began to enact said correction.

  There were plenty other questions and emotions in those first couple of days, now that there was time to stop and think. Oddly enough, most of the, uh, oddities got brushed off. Gigi able to talk to angels in her mind, and even send her thoughts to Masque, and Ally knowing the incantation for, and able to cast a fairly powerful umbrella lightning, were just a couple things the group mostly shrugged off. Some were greatly curious, others accepted it as the way things were now.

  After plenty of talking, lots of drama, and mostly private tears, Iiyni decided enough time had passed to begin training. No one objected. In fact, they were all quite eager. A focus was needed, and what better focus than the martial?

  Or so they thought. Apparently when the imp said training, she meant torture. After only one day they had to beg her for respite. She refused. Her training was insane! There was no way they could keep up with it! The first day she demanded five thousand push-ups! Of Jeff! Needless to say, there was a lot of arguing. Unbeknownst to them, Iiyni wanted this. She had to ask the ridiculous to know their limits. Their sissy ass whiny excuses. Her estimate? Pathetic. Weak. Unskilled, the lot of them. And still, Iiyni was confident the core of this group could be shaped into monsters. No, not just confident, she was positive.

  Where she was more curious than anything, was just how many of her new… companions, had that spark lurking within them?

  * * *

  After days of being subject to her ridiculous ‘training’ Ally demanded a break because of what day it was. Caleb’s birthday. The Dragonturd had been surprised. He hadn't had a clue what the date was. Ally had known and was planning for it; she made an AMAZING cake! Iiyni had been wanting to bust some fucking heads to get to taste it.

  They held the little party in the fireplace room, Stryker choosing to stay in the infirmary-lab-kitchen, despite them offering to move him to a stretcher and wheel him. He had been pretty emo, but was trying harder to be positive. The celebration was nice, even if it was lacking in gifts. Not that there was much to be given. Iiyni thought that was a bit sad. A birthday party with no gifts? She had no idea what she could give him, but did have a secret he might enjoy... Honestly, the little demon wasn't sure, but selfishly wanted to take the risk, not sure what was truly compelling her.

  “Yo, birthday boy!” Iiyni called to Caleb as he was heading down the hallway after the party. “Hmm?” he asked, cocking his head around, smiling. “Might have a gift for ya,” she offered, with an evil twinkle in her eye. She had her hair in the usual braid, and was dressed in the same long t-shirt with no pants style the girls here were pretty much stuck with.

  “Follow,” was all the imp gave in explanation. So follow he did; down several hallways until they reached her room. Caleb was getting a little worried now. “C'mon! And lock it!” Okay, now he was terrified. “Over here,” she headed to a closet, and opened it, revealing a desk and computer setup. The hell? “You ain't gonna rat me out, are you?” the demon was facing away, powering up the clunky PC.

  Caleb’s concern had turned to curiosity, and he promised to keep his mouth shut. “Promise,” Iiyni told him, even after he had done so twice, taking the moment to stare into his eyes, leasing well after he reiterated said oath. "Good,” she finally consented, “Would hate to have to kill you." He doubted she meant that...

  Iiyni sat at in her swiveling chair, and began a complicated login process, appearing to now be blushing. Caleb had a horrible feeling Iiyni was about to share something really freaking weird, his curiosity set to cringe mode, but still active.

  Turned out he was sort of right, and it was disturbing, in a privacy-violating moral aspect. Somehow Iiyni had installed secret cameras, or Jeff was a perv and she hacked into his. "Iiyni, what the fuck?" he asked startled, quickly averting his eyes when she opened a video player, and loaded what was obviously Ally, entering a bathroom. "No one knows, I was careful!" she reassured.

  When he didn’t reply, the imp couldn’t help but glance back at him. "The fuck you looking away? Don't pretend to be all offended!" Iiyni scowled at the side of the boys head. 'If he even tries judging me, I'm breaking his face!' After a moment, he met her eyes. The boy looked embarrassed and conflicted, but not judgmental. He was also blushing. Good! No face breaking today!

  "Iiyni, you can't just... it's a serious betrayal of someones trust to do this!" he lectured, eyes dancing to the monitor and back to Iiyni's more than one who was as judgmental as their words. She paused the video. "Well, if they don't know, no one gets hurt, right? 'Sides, ain't it kinda a thrill to watch like this?" her eyes were twinkling innocent as a kid in a candy store. It was disturbingly cute. "That... isn't the point," Caleb replied.

  He kinda wanted to agree with her, (if only to get to watch the video...) but it was just so damn wrong. Honestly, Caleb probably would have given in if not for the angel in his head. An angel that was acting more like a devil at the moment, and making it all weird.

  'You're as bad as Iiyni!'

  'That is your own projection! The filth in here has tainted me, obfuscating my intent. Again, and simply worded, I do not believe Ally would mind, by the very nature of her own self proclaimed nudism and erotic views.' Caleb knew Ally was about as much a nudist as John was; using the excuses instead to be naughty if wanted. Erotic? The justification of spying on her in the shower by an angel was just cementing his views of right and wrong further. 'I am not trying to justify it! I am merely pointing out I do not think she would mind!'

  'Nor would you, it seems.'

  That led to a ranting diatribe about not justifying voyeurism, and how me meant Ally would allow herself to be filmed with permission, and awkwardly worded views on Ally and Caleb already having had sex multiple times. Something Caleb remembered more as fact than experience, and envied.

  "Hellooooo, Earth to dipshit?" Iiyni prodded, and Caleb realized he had appeared spaced out. "Sorry, arguing with a perverted angel," he explained, and her eyes went wide. "Holy fuck balls, I forgot about that!" She froze, and her wide eyes narrowed. "Wait, perverted? You telling me he wants to look at Ally? Wow... awkward."

  "Right?" Caleb sighed and shook his head.

  Iiyni laughed at it all, honestly a bit weirded out, but that sorta summed up her life this last month. "Guess we can be a pervy spy trio; a demon, an angel, and a human, getting down with the DFC." Caleb gave her a look that expressed seriously? rather well. He actually looked a bit disgusted. She didn’t take it personal. "Sorry, otaku are worse influence than demons. You know what I mean though. Loli is love and all that." She snorted.

  Caleb was again a bit puzzled. "Ally isn't a loli," he told her. "Um, no shit? Girl is super hot though." Iiyni turned red. "Never, ever, tell her I said that." Iiyni realized Caleb still wasn’t getting it. "I don't just have videos of Ally, moron. You just, I dunno, never look at Gigi, or Trixie, or..." she shrugged awkwardly. Now Caleb looked horrified. "Don't you give me that look!” the imp snapped, a bit too harshly. “What does the angel think?" Caleb frowned, as Nameless was unusually silent. 'Pervert!'.

  "Iiyni... look, I won't tell anyone, okay? But you have to promise you will turn the cameras off, or remove them or whatever it is you did to get these." She made a pouty face. "Iiyni." Tossing her hands in the air, "Okay, fuck, fine! But I'm not deleting the videos I already have!"

  "You have-"

  "I don't have to do shit! And if you try to tell, I will find a way to frame you for it!" Her look was deadly serious. He sighed again, and nodded his understanding.

  "They would have their feelings hurt if they knew you did this. Maybe even hate you for it," he told her. "Well, then they will never know, will they?" Her voice didn't have the same conviction as before. "I'll keep my mouth shut," Caleb promised.

  The two sat in silence for a moment, then Iiyni broke it. "The fuck you still here?"

  "Uh, you invited me?"

  "And you judged the fuck out of me!" She turned to look at the monitor, clicking around absentmindedly. Caleb was doing his best to figure out how to word what to say, and now Nameless was ignoring him, so no help there. "Look, I didn't mean to judge you. I was…” he sighed. “I felt like I was doing something wrong when I saw Ally on the monitor. Honestly, voyeurism is wrong; but since you already have seen all your videos, re-viewing them is like... double jeopardy or something." Caleb swore Nameless rolled his non-existent eyes. "You're an idiot," Iiyni chided, "but thanks. This mean... you want to watch things with me? Maybe?"

  Caleb honestly felt a bit bad for the demon. She had never felt things like hormones before. He guessed a loli demon liking loli wasn't the worst thing ever... Gigi definitely didn't mind being seen naked, so Iiyni wasn't harming anyone there. Though the kid was covering up more these days. "I... don't want to betray anyone’s trust more than I already have, so I'm not going to watch. But I'll stay and talk with you if you want?"

  "That's fucking awkward," Iiyni grumbled, and opened a video, Caleb seeing a -clothed- loli Reba before turning around, surprised at the pang of regret he felt. "Your loss I guess…" she mumbled.

  ‘How the hell do I get myself in these situations?’ Trying to go with it, Caleb started talking, managing to avoid ever seeing the screen again; though he was pretty sure Iiyni had paused or closed the video almost immediately after opening it. The awkwardness actually triggered some really deep conversations. In fact, it went so well they decided to do it again. For the talks. Or so Caleb thought.

  Right as he was leaving, Iiyni reassured him she would find some naughty loli videos online, so he could watch too and not feel guilty since they were strangers. Then she closed the door in his bewildered face.

  Wonderful.

  * * *

  The lack of attire for the girls had resulted in segregated combat training. Even the demon wasn't okay with training pantie-warrior style. Not even with the boys gone, since she knew first hand a girl's mind wasn't any cleaner than a man's. Because of that, Iiyni went out of her way to be modest. Or she so she thought. The little demon was one of those accidental exhibitionists types. Bottoms always a little too tight, and shirts were also far too loose, as she frequently flashed her chest when bending down. Not that anyone was trying to peek, though it did make a few of them uncomfortable.

  And it wasn't just clothing that was needed, the group had a lack of supplies and amenities in general.

  Jeff and John were completely against anyone leaving the base. Iiyni had allowed the two their paranoia, but enough was enough. This location was defensible, and the Order didn't seem to give a crap where they were, allowing for ample time to figure out what to do next.

  Everyone (save for Trixie, Gigi and Jeff) were gaining in combat skill at an absurd rate. Even those three had gained an illogical amount of strength and talent in the short time they had been training. Iiyni knew it wasn't natural, but she had no explanation as to how it could be happening. It was honestly a bit freaky. Iiyni knew that not only did they need to start mixed combat practice, but they needed weapons to practice with, not to mention proper food. At the rate their bodies were advancing, especially the guys, they needed something healthy and real, not canned and processed crap they'd been living on.

  Not to mention the need for decent internet.

  The fuck were they to research portals or anything with the limited network Jeff had hooked up? Saying it was limited was an understatement. He used some weird Order tech to ride cell and radio waves to access data streams, at a speed so slow it was practically impossible to download videos! When it even worked at all! Un-fucking-acceptable.

  All of that was what led to their current meeting.

  “I do not see why this would not work,” Masque stated in his normal, monotone way. “I agree,” Stryker added.

  Stryker, though stuck in his bed in the kitchen-slash-meeting room, had been involved in all important topics and discussions. Reba spent all her time when she wasn't training, in here, planning her super secret restoration of the dismembered officer. The daily cooking banished to a large and fancy dedicated kitchen-cafeteria combination. Jeff sure made a strange home...

  “Because you do not know the Order!” John -again- lectured the two males. Iiyni waved a hand dismissively, “and you do not know demons. What? You worried about satellites?” John tried to give her a withering look, but couldn't completely hide his Jeff-caliber paranoia. “Masque and I can be as concealed as we need to be; even infrared can fuck off. Demons need to live in the shadows, invisible, unless we want to be seen.”

  “You would simply go out, find supplies and return?” a half naked Jeff asked (causing John to whip around and glare at him like he was a traitor), sipping coffee. Trix couldn’t help but groan at how her dad always seemed to be posing and flexing these days, sans a shirt. He was in shape now, not a model! Ugh! “Pretty much,” Iiyni answered. She then decided to be way more specific before the paranoia brigade started bitching again.

  “Look, this place is fucking great, but we need more. I mean, y’all really want to keep fueling your bodies off of cans and boxes?" She made sure her eyes met Jeff's. Man was seriously into his body since he started getting some muscle tone. "Ain't gonna lie, I’m dying to try real food. The shit Ally makes is already amazing, so I can't imagine what food without all the preservatives and chemicals and crap is like. We eat green and clean, fiber, high protein, all that happy horse shit. It benefits training and us overall.

  “More than food too! We need to progress to mixed training. You can't expect us train with you guys in our panties!" Most of the males cringed. the word pantie tended to cause that. “Weapons are also needed, and I don't just mean for self defense; swords, knives, axes, a well-rounded warrior has experience in all types of weaponry.

  "We're also going to lose our damn minds locked down here! We need some entertainment, creature comforts! Games, clothes, fun shit. Do you have even the slightest idea how many houses and businesses there are to loot out there with no owners? I do! Don't give me that look, we've been over this!"

  During the Three Terrors drama, most, if not all the people in the area, had vanished. Ally told them it was like that practically to Portland, Mike and Adam corroborating. Iiyni swore it wasn't her or her sisters, and as far as she knew the Terrors either. They had intended to cause mass chaos in the Longview-Kelso area, in hopes of delaying the Order, killing people for various needs, and making an escape easier. After the shield-barrier trial, when looking for Zit, Iiyni had noticed how few people there were. Later, when going back to resume the shit, there was almost no one to be found.

  Was the same for Castle Rock. They killed off a lot that first night, sure, but everyone? Masque had been allowed to go scout the area once after arriving here, and found maybe a hundred people in the large radius he searched, none of them in Castle Rock, most in the country side. He didn’t travel far into the larger Longview-Kelso area, unwilling to go farther south due to heavy Order presence, and not wanting to risk being detection by being stupid.

  "Ain't proud of my role in it, but still a fact. There’s not gonna be much for produce or meat that isn't rotten, but me and Masque can cover ground fast as fuck, easily finding stuff to swipe. We'll be good guys about it, only taking extra shit from big places. No swiping from little farms, and old ladies’ freezers. Also, the internet idea I still say is worth it and easy to setup, with -again- Masque and I able to move so far so fast."

  The internet idea was first suggested by Adam, some time back. Turned out he was not only an electrician and motorhead, but also quite experienced with networking and electronics. Due to that knowledge base, he had proposed a way to pirate internet, taking queues from Order tech. It was simple: attach a homemade Order spiker box to the net lines. These boxes tapped into the stream, splitting it off like a router, only it employed a VPN type of technology to hide obfuscate the data being used. Adam had further suggested using multiple Order routers and repeaters (which there should be several of, abandoned in and around Castle Rock), making a gigantic network, that jumped and spliced across the county. Mix in wireless tech, and they could stretch it to damn near anywhere, undetected. Not that such a large network was required, they only needed access to a few good lines.

  Once close to Jeff's, they would run a huge landline, connected to a heavily fire-walled network completely separate from Jeff's main network, which would have no wireless technology. He already had his entire base set-up like one big Faraday cage, all signals received and sent from outside the base, and routed inside with landlines, so a private indoor wifi network could not breach his infrastructure. Both networks would be total and utterly air gapped. All in all, would be tinfoil hat level secure.

  “I say they should go for it,” Stryker interjected again. “I gotta agree,” Reba said, stopping John as he started to bitch. In the short time since their flight from Castle Rock, Reba had been aging fast, currently looking like a young tween. “We really do need things, dad. A lot more than Iiyni mentioned."

  “It’s worth the risk,” Ally said now. “We are just sitting in a hole in the ground, sorry - a very fancy hole in the ground. How are we even supposed to get a lead on what to do next if we can't leave, or even use the internet to do some research?"

  "Aye, every day we spend here is another day Pazely and Bryan are out there alone," Feldyn pointed out. It had been pointed out many times before, but they were still at a complete loss on their next move. "I understand you're concerns John, truly I do," Feldyn continued. "If the Order was going to come after us, they would have. I honestly believe, as Mike and Adam have said, they simply do not care, given their other concerns."

  "For now," John mumbled to himself, lost in thought as he mulled it all over. "Aye, for now," Feldyn agreed. "All the more reason to wait no longer. We need to be seeking leads with haste. Time is something that should not be wasted nor risked."

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  They waited while John thought. No one else saying anything, even Jeff seeming to have already decided it was a good idea. Iiyni didn't know why the fuck it was so important to convince the old grump; Caleb was the leader, not him! Even if putting Caleb in charge would be a pretty bad idea. To be fair, it was hard to image him being in charge of anything.

  The others saw a hotheaded dipshit when they looked at him. A boy that meant well and didn't think before he acted or spoke, and when he did act or speak it tended to be all kinds of fail. However, the time Iiyni had been spending with him lately, sitting in her room and talking, had shown her more. A lot more. Good and bad. She could definitely see a leader in him. It was buried under stupid pretty deeply, but it was there.

  "Fine!" John finally consented, with a dramatic display of tossing both hand sin the air. The kids -and Stryker- cheered. "But at the first sign of trouble, if anything at all goes wrong, we will be commencing with an immediate evacuation. Understood?"

  "Yes, mom," Iiyni replied, in her best placating teenage voice.

  * * *

  At least there was no traffic, and the sky was clear. Even if they were driving through the fucking desert. Fru-hii absolutely could not stand driving. Why mother chose her to transport the old bitch, she didn't know, must have pissed her off or something.

  Snarling, both hands on the wheel of this old rice-burner, Fru-hii tried to ignore the stench of grease from the food picked up at a diner for the skeleton lady sitting in the back. At least the woman ate quickly. The radio in this junk heap didn't even work. Rolling down the drivers-side window, the woman made a complaining noise, mouth too full for words. Fru-hii ignored her. She needed to think. A breeze helped. Fuck, she wished to be looking over an ocean right now... listening to the waves, feeling the wind against her flesh... Thinking about what she had to do...

  "My napkins are flying all over the place!" the skinny broad complained. The succubus barely registered the bitching, replying reflexively, "You're lucky I even got you any."

  "Did your mother teach you no respect?"

  "Fuck off," the succubus ordered more than simply replying, getting a grumbling sound in return.

  "Look lady, I don't like you any more than you like me. We'll be going our own ways soon, okay? So in the meantime can you just shut the fuck up?"

  "No, I will not! I do not care if you are some big bad demon, I have done nothing for you to speak to me this way! Through this entire ordeal I have been polite and patient. The things I have gone through in the last few weeks, finding out that my town, my students, that they all.... that they all..." her voice cracked.

  Fru-hii rolled her eyes "Lady-"

  "Terra! My name is Terra! Miss Terra, to you!" Fru-hii was grinding her teeth and trying not to squeeze the steering-wheel hard enough to break it. "Miss Terra, I have a lot on my mind. Get all this shit is hard for your tiny, old, human brain, to comprehend. Just look at it like this, you are lucky to even be breathing, and hey, at least some of your students lived-"

  "Which you wont take me to!" Terra snapped. "Mothe- Yuna, told me to bring you to the Order location on this map. She says they're friendly and will take care of you." Fru-hii looked at the scrawny old hag in the rear-view mirror. "Better hope she was telling the truth," the demon smirked smirked, before something farther back down the road, and cursed.

  Miss Terra pivoted in her seat to see two police cruisers, lights flashing, rapidly gaining on them. "I told you you should have paid for the food" she lectured the pissy succubus. Fru-hii chose not to answer, and just kept driving, hoping the cops would pass. They didn't. Fuck.

  She pulled over, and shut off the car. "Don't kill them," Terra told her. Told her! The nerve of this human! "Yes ma'am," Fru-hii answered, mockingly.

  The cops began shooting at the vehicle.

  Miss Terra shouted, leaning down, trying to get low as she could. After everything that happened to her (even being nailed to a cross!) she didn't want to die the victim of a police shooting! Heart racing, struggling with the seat belt, she realized the gunshots had quit, and the front drivers-side door was open. Warily sitting up enough to look out the back window; Fru-hii was walking back to the car from the three very dead cops.

  Getting in the drivers seat, she tossed a handgun to Miss Terra who dodged it like a burning coal. "Might actually want to keep that close," the demon advised. Miss Terra was flustered. "Wh-why did you- why were they shooting? Did you really just kill three cops?!" she kept looking from the back of Fru-hii's head, to turning around to gawk at the bodies in the road. "They were crooked. Someone's payroll. Not sure who, but they obviously meant to kill us."

  "But, why?! Wouldn't that mean they knew you were a, you know?"

  "Probably not. That isn't exactly public knowledge, as you have been warned." From the look at the leathery skinned woman in the rear-view mirror, Fru-hii knew she wasn't going to drop it. "We have a lot of enemies on the criminal side of the fence. They have no idea we are anything more than human. Someone at the diner probably recognized me."

  Miss Terra leaned back in her seat, jaw hanging open. At least she was quiet. Good. Now Fru-hii could think. Soon enough she would drop the woman off with the Order faction that was supposed to be friendly to their cause, then Fru-hii would ditch the car and continue on foot to the cabin in the woods near Longview, Washington, and confirm if Iiyni'jeari'eea had really turned against Hell.

  Napkins flew out the back window that was no longer there, as the succubus kept driving north on the highway through the desert.

  * * *

  Looting was paradise.

  Though it did bring a little guilt. They were taking things from the recently dead (or missing), after all.

  As one might imagine, getting to loot every house in a small city yielded endless treasures. Masque and Iiyni, thanks to their speed and strength, could make numerous trips per day. First they brought back sacks and sacks of clothing. Mostly for the girls. Guys clothes were boring anyway. They did bring some for the guys, all outdoors and tactical wear. The men were excited, the girls (other than a mild reaction from Gigi) were ecstatic. Next they had brought electronics. Game systems, computers, and TVs, mostly. Trixie quickly had a video game library she had feared to even dream for.

  After that the looting duo focused on was food. Dry goods, and the and huge list of spices Ally requested. Most was easy enough, fresh produce and meat took a bit more effort. Plenty of places still had working refrigeration, thanks to the ridiculously stubborn power grid in the area. Even still, a lot of produce was on the not so fresh side, and the majority of the frozen meat was not cut. Ally had of course been eager to figure out how to do the butcher thing, but they still had no internet, so she decided to just wing it until then.

  To improve the produce, the pair went a bit... farther. Reaching areas where Iiyni actually strolled on in and bought it normally. Not like they were hurting for cash.

  After a week of looting runs, Iiyni and Masque could report that the immediate area was Order free. The military had the entirety of Southwest Washington quarantined. They sent some patrols in here and there, the occasional fly over with drones, that sort of thing. No hurry to re-open the area to the public, it would seem. Which was good news for the group. It made it mostly safe for others than Masque and Iiyni to venture out of their underground shelter. Mike and Adam even began doing supply runs on their own. Coordinating with the two demons to not run into ground patrols, or get caught by an aerial surveillance.

  The facilities at their base filled-out quickly. Ally had a kitchen with every cooking device one could ask for. Literally, she ran out of things to ask for. None of them wanted for reading material, games, or something to watch. The latter came mostly from the internet once they got it going. Untraceable internet meant unlimited TV and movies. Reba set up a lab, with a side room for Stryker. She made him an amazing drive-able bed with a built in toilet trap-door thing. No more battling with the man when it came to needing to use the restroom! Mike got a machine 0shop, even extending a new area of the complex, adding -a very secure- door to the outside large enough to get vehicles and other oversized machinery in and out.

  Combat training continued, of course. A big area was cleared outside, and covered with an equal sized heat shielding camouflaged canopy; to cut down on satellite paranoia...

  All of this in a matter of a few weeks. It was getting close to Christmas now, and there was less and less reason to be out gathering. However, on one of the last runs before the holiday, Adam and Mike had brought back something special.

  A dog.

  While not doing much more than cruising around, looking for something that caught their eye, they spotted a German Shepherd mix, maybe three or four years old, eating garbage in an alley. Noticing them, it became quite excited and chased their SUV, refusing to go away. The dog was very intelligent, knowing all the basic commands. Trixie decided his name was Cruiser, since that was how he was found.

  Jeff threw a bitch fit, demanding they get rid of the animal, but Cruiser made Trixie so happy he gave in. Iiyni was almost as happy as the little brunette, which was oddly out of character. Gigi, like with most things lately, hadn't seemed to care much.

  Reba and Ally sat outside with Adam the evening they brought the dog back, watching Iiyni and Trix running and laughing and squealing, playing with their new four-legged friend.

  “At least the kids are happy,” Adam sighed, with his usual big smile. “Well, only one of them is a kid,” Reba corrected. Gigi was outside earlier, but went back in. She had been sitting in a tree ignoring everyone, except Lance, whom hung out in the tree with her. More often then not, wherever Gigi was, you knew Lance would be near. Adam laughed. “Yeah, good point. I swear, it’s hard to keep up with the ages of people here. After a few days, age just seems to vanish with you guys. Heck, I keep forgetting Iiyni is a demon, and what she's done. Now, I don't know, we all just feel...”

  “Equal?” Reba asked, and he shrugged. “Yes and no. Not really sure how to put it,” Adam answered. Both girls were pretty sure they understood.

  Reba looked about the same age as Ally now. Same height too, with a different build. Reba was also very slender and petite, only with a shapelier butt and bigger chest than the extremely petite build of the blonde. If Ally didn't dress in revealing clothing, she would have no figure out all. Reba was very happy with her own looks. In fact, so happy was she with her appearance, a bit of paranoia of aging too much further was nagging at the back of her mind. She had truly been a bit sad how fast she had aged, wished it had lasted longer; or that she could shape-shift. Some days being a beautiful teenager, others a pretty little girl. At least she had made the best of-

  “Doesn't Iiyni seem a bit… over excited?” Ally observed, frowning, distracting Reba from her thoughts. “She’s acting like she’s a four year old on a sugar high. And the look in her eyes… kinda creeps me out. I can't be the only one noticing?” Iiyni had an intensity in her gaze that was hard to put your finger on- “Kinda looks horny,” Adam observed, not hesitating in th eleast to share is awkward assessment. Ally sat up straighter, eyes wide. Oh my gosh, she does!

  “Huh?” Reba looked between the two, hands in the pockets of the large hoodie she wore, hood pulled over her head. She wasn't all that cold, but snuggling inside large hoodies and sweaters was just too cozy to pass up on a chilly day. Unlike Ally, sitting in roughly the position, wearing short-shorts and almost too small of a t-shirt, with obviously no bra on.

  Adam shrugged, and in true Adam style speculated: “maybe she has a thing for dogs?” Reba looked concerned. Ally giggled, “wouldn’t surprise me. All the time she spends with Caleb alone these days, she probably has a ton of built up sexual frustration.” Iiyni and Caleb, since his birthday, had been spending a lot of time together alone. “Do I want to know what that even means?” Adam asked, looking happy and amused. He was pretty much always happy and amused.

  “Caleb is… weird,” Ally hugged her knees to her chest, thin shorts hugging her tighter. Reba was the only one who noticed, despite the homunculus being convinced the entire world was looking, and feeling highly uncomfortable for the teen. “He’s kinda like… I dunno, a tease? But in a bad way," she explained. "He flirts, and hints at.. more. Then out of nowhere gets all preachy or judgmental.” She smiled. “Cluelessly. He isn't trying to judge, or make you feel bad. Probably not even flirting. He’s just... Caleb.”

  “So, the stuff that between you you was only because he was possessed?” Adam asked innocently, but it still made her wince.

  Enough time had passed for them to get to know each other. To talk of pasts, and present. Mike and Adam had a good working knowledge of all the weirdness that had transpired. The two ex-mercs shared their own tales as well, though in much less detail. Both leaned towards the typical male stereotype of not expressing much of what they were feeling, nor going too deep into details about anything that housed emotion or drama.

  Michael Luvan White. Simple background, not so simple of a man. Basically he didn’t fit with either the white elitists or the black racists. His words. Mike grew up middle class and was subject to the bullshit many blacks are by whites of higher class. Though it didn’t bother him the way he was expected to be bothered, going so far as to oppose what he called the “poor me, I’m black” way of thinking, saying it did little more than to perpetuate the continuation of racism and racial sensitivity. In the current day and age, you can imagine how that went for him. He joined the army after dropping out of college; tired of the protesting, riots, and the something for nothing mentality.

  His -admittedly extreme, at the time- libertarian views, pushed his fellow soldiers. Only two years out of basic, and he was setup to be killed. That was how much he managed to piss people the fuck off, simply by having a passive attitude to what everyone else viewed as monstrous atrocities. Mike now wondered if the Order was actually behind the attempt on his life; a test to see if he was worthy of them.

  After being left for dead, yet making it back alive, the Order soon approached him, and gave their pitch. Having nothing to lose, vanishing from society definitely sounded pleasant. Mike's death was faked shortly after he joined them, and has been legally dead (KIA) ever since. His mother and father know the truth, the Order allowed this, as long as they remained silent. After joining the Order they put him through extensive training in his fields of choice (engineering and mechanics) before settling him in one of their mercenary companies.

  Adam (Ferdinand Black) had a similar story, with even less detail. He generally just shrugged off questions. Adam was a widower; wife dying in an arson. Like Mike, he also seemed to be anti quite a few views, though never specifically mentioned politics. Adam had joined the Marines, and was later recruited to the Order, where he met Mike. That was about it.

  At Jeff’s he could usually be found working on a project, or reading a book; which you wouldn't guess due to his high energy levels; the man rarely sought out the company of others. Mike, on the other hand, liked to eat his meals with everyone, watch TV and movies with them, that sort of thing. Adam, too enjoyed it, but you had to go looking for him, not the other way around. Ally really liked both men, and hoped they weren't spies or something. Killing them would make her sad.

  “Being possessed definitely took down his prude wall,” Ally admitted, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout. “Sorry, my bad,” Adam apologized, realized he had been callous. “Ah, it’s fine,” Ally smiled faintly. “I’m pretty much over it. We’ll always be good friends, and I'm not really sure why I fell for him like I did... it was so random and weird, even... One minute we were like brother and sister, then I'm all obsessed. Turns out I'm more into girls anyway. Not sure how that surprised me. I do miss sex. Wish we could do the friends with benefits thing at least,” Ally admitted far too casually.

  "You can't try to rekindle that flame; even though the demon is gone, there is an angel inside of him now," Adam speculated.

  “Exactly! He isn't really a prude, he just tries to do the right thing, and sex ties him in knots when trying to justify it as a Christian. Guess God is pretty clear about it, but... I don't know, life isn’t always so black and white for us I guess. Or I'm just making excuses trying to justify it... He is also kinda dating one of my best friends," Ally kept hugging her knees to her chest, and looked down at her toes wiggling thing absentmindedly, "who is on another planet being hunted, while we sit here relaxing and… I don’t know.

  “He has to be in a bad place right, but is so closed off from all of us... He only talks to her,” Ally finished, staring over at Iiyni with envy. She had grown quite fond of the demon. They all had. Didn't change the fact that Ally wished her own relationship with Caleb was close as before. She wanted her friend back. The rest of it, the sex… she didn’t care about. She never felt for him romantically anyway, but… in truth, she wasn’t sure why it had been so important to her. There had been a reason, wasn’t there? It felt like it. Yet she couldn’t remember what it was.

  “I guess it's a good thing he isn't into little girls then!” Adam announced, both females furrowing their brows in confusion. “You know, the demon?” he asked, they didn't change their expressions. “Uh, sexual attraction to children generally isn't a good thing?” Adam continued with a nervous laugh, wondering what he said wrong this time. “Iiyni isn't a child,” Reba pointed out. Again. He chose to just drop the topic and move on. If he kept putting his foot in his mouth he was going to choke on it.

  “Understand though. About Caleb,” Adam clarified, trying to salvage the conversation. “He isn’t even my type, and way too young, but something about him just makes my mind wander; maybe if I was a teenager in a different life, type of thing.” Reba frowned and furrowed her brow, obviously confused. Ally tilting her head a bit, not quite sure what the man was getting at.

  Did they really not know? “I’m gay,” Adam informed them both. “Was this supposed to be obvious?” Ally asked, with a smirk. She guessed it made sense, but honestly had no idea. Reba looked like she was going to short circuit. Ally didn’t get her once teacher's complete freak-out over sexual stuff. Gay, straight, didn’t matter, if she was confronted directly with sex related topics she looked like her mind was going to short circuit.

  Like on queue, Reba coughed nervously, and (not as smooth as she thought) scooted closer to Ally. 'Really?' Was all Adam thought, more than a bit irritated that the homunculus was an actual homophobe. When he saw the look of amusement in Ally’s eyes, he calmed down. ‘Guess there could be more to it. Maybe Reba was just uncomfortable with sexual topics in general?’ She had appeared uncomfortable when Ally was talking about sex. “Wasn't trying to hide it. I honestly thought everyone knew.”

  Feeling her evil side beginning to wake, Ally also scooted to be closer to the brunette, who leaned against her without thinking. Feeling Ally's presence was something familiar, allowing Reba to relax. She totally sucked at socializing; whenever interacting with groups on a friend level in the past, she upset them. Getting told how weird or rude her actions were. This group was the first time in her life she had been accepted, despite being weird.

  It was true sexual topics freaked her out. Reba was raised by John; “taboo topic” was a gross understatement where that man was concerned. She definitely was no prude, just… shy, perhaps was the word. Unless she was alone.

  “You haven't said much of anything about yourself,” Ally pointed out to the man, snuggling against Reba. “I haven't?” he asked, honestly perplexed. He swore he had! Maybe just not to these two. “It’s a simple story. I’m gay. I’m a Christian. I don't believe lust and love are the same thing. I struggled with it for years, but what God says is truth, like it or not. What I crave with my body and mind is against that truth. I eventually decided I didn’t want to explain to God someday why I chose my sexual desires over Him.

  "Now, I know, I have heard every argument. This was my own choice, nothing I want to force on other people. You would think putting God first would be something people admired," he laughed humorlessly. "Yeeeeeah, It didn’t go well for me. The ones that preach Jesus still acted like I was a stain on the Earth needing to be cleansed, and those psychos that call for equality all the time turned me into a target. They warped everything I did to make me seem a hateful bigot for having the nerve to choose what I chose.

  “I even had a wife. I love- loved her so freaking much. There was simply no desire of a sexual sense. In that way, it's always been men. They're like an intoxicant. I mean, women don't repulse me, I find them beautiful in their own way." He shrugged and sighed. "I made my choice. I am not a pure man. I've sinned plenty. Have even been with men while married. With my wife's permission, at least. She... allowed me to... To try and make me happy.” Ally had never seen him looking so depressed.

  “A group that represents the 'it's okay to fuck anything over eighteen' jackasses, killed her.” He said that almost casually, his eyes looking away from the girls. “Was an accident. They were trying to torch my car, but the fire spread. I was stationed overseas; Heather was back home in the States. She had texted me that night. A new book by her favorite author... She was planning to spend the evening reading and drinking wine. She always drank too much wine when she read, and would fall asleep in her chair,” several tears ran down his face.

  He missed her so much. Their routines... Laying her favorite quilt over her as she slept... Listening to her morning complaints about being stiff and sore from sleeping in weird positions... Her smile... The look in her eyes trying to befriend the squirrels in the park...

  "When the news reached me, I went AWOL. Made it all the way back to Kentucky from Afghanistan. Hunted down those involved in her death, forgave them, then killed them.” He continued staring blankly towards the woods. "What I did was evil. Murder. I turned myself in. The Order got me out, impressed with how I managed to make it all the back to the States without getting caught. I'm sure the murders gained me points too. It took some convincing, but I joined, met Mike, and now here am!"

  “That’s horrible!” Reba exclaimed, voice heavy with sympathy.

  She and Ally were totally cuddling now. Ally felt a bit like a monster using such a sad tale to her advantage, but hey, you take the chances you’re given!

  “I’m hungry!” Iiyni announced, approaching the trio with Trix and Cruiser in tow. Reba looked over to them, realized she was cuddled up with Ally, and went stiff. Iiyni looked at them and made a pouty frown. “Jealous?” Ally teased. “I am!” Iiyni snapped, to the blondes surprise. “I’m a girl too, y'know! I want to be all huggy and snugly sometimes! Share blankets, eat popcorn, and movies and stuff! Just girls chilling topless, in their panties, and having fun!” She was honestly upset. Even if that last sentence caused everyone (including paralyzed Reba) to make a what the fuck face.

  “Want to stay in my room tonight?” Trixie asked, shaking her head at the weirdo demon. “Cruiser can too, and we can watch movies and have cocoa and play games.” Iiyni looked like she just won the lottery. “And w-we can, like, sit together... and stuff?”

  “Sure! It'll be fun! Maybe Gigi wants to too. Can be a slumber party. With tops. And underwear,” Trix reassured the imp, since she sounded nervous. Couldn't blame her- you never knew with Gigi! Not sure why she looks disappointed now, though...

  Deciding it was time to quit torturing Reba, Ally stood up, Adam following, then Reba, trying to act casual. The embarrassed expression on her face was just too damn cute, so Ally leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

  Reba punched her in the face, and stormed inside.

  Ally, on the ground again, choking on blood, didn’t look very amused, struggling to right herself. She was pretty sure Reba broke more than her nose. Adam seemed to find it very amusing.

  Trix sighed, then said to Iiyni, “and no kissing.”

  * * *

  Christmas was great! Caleb the brooder and Gigi the emo were even happy. Reba was overcome enough with the Christmas spirit she gave Ally a hug (whom she had been keeping at arms length since the kiss) before retreating. Stryker even left his room to join the others for Christmas morning, driving his new super-bed.

  There were awkward prayers given, and happy birthday tidings to Christ. The joy also brought a bit of guilt. Not only were they finding happiness amidst the horror and tragedy that had recently befell thousands; Bryan and Pazely were still out there. Many a vow was again made to save them. Which at this point was beginning to sound hollow on all their ears.

  Everyone had gotten gifts. Presents were piled under the tree for days, yet there was still more come Christmas morning. Each of them had made things, and, or, secretly asked for the looters to keep an eye out for specific items.

  All in all, it was a blessed day for them, especially Iiyni; her first true Christmas celebration. Ally, of course, prepared a magnificent Christmas dinner, and made sure there were proper Christmas treats. Which they had already been eating for days. Ally made far too many cookies...

  The day after Christmas, reality came knocking.

  Red warning lights began to flash. Reba chose to stay in her lab with Stryker, being as how they were in the middle of some tests that were not wise to abruptly stop. Mike, who had been assisting, went instead, since she didn't need his help for this part.

  “And so it begins,” Iiyni mumbled, observing the figure on the monitor, standing in the middle of their outdoor training area, looking up at the camera. “Who is that?” John asked, as it was obvious from her tone the demon recognized her. “My sister, Fru-hii,” she sigh-groaned.

  “You all stay here, I got this.”

  “Need we be concerned?” Feldyn asked, and the imp shook her head. “Doubt it, She follows my mom, who has her own agenda. Cloak and dagger shit, with some politics mixed in. Straight up picking fights ain't really her M.O.”

  “Then why is she here?” Mike asked from behind her. “That's what I’m going to find out,” Iiyni told him, and was gone before they had a chance to ask more.

  Not wanting to give her emotions time to be annoying, Iiyni hurried to open the doors and get outside; now standing just yards from her sister. “Nini! How you been?” Fru-hii beamed, phony and corny. "Would have got here sooner, but was saddled with a bunch of side quests. You know how it is," her irritation was palpable. “Want do you want, Fru-hii?” Iiyni asked, hands on hips. The succubus squinted a bit, and gave a sardonic chuckle, “Oh wow, so it is true. You really did find a way to turn traitor."

  Fru-hii (Fru'yo'hii), like most of Iiyni’s family, was pretty in a nontraditional sense. Below average height but not short, slender build, average chest, small butt. Age-wise she could pull off young as fourteen up to the mid-twenties. Her dark brow hair was pulled into a ponytail, which matched the vibe of her simple outfit; spaghetti-string tank-top, stylish bra, simple short-shorts, and barefoot. There were no visible demonic traits. Something their mother made sure of. She was... more attractive than Iiyni remembered.

  “What do I want? That's all you have to say?" Fru-hii finally responded to her sister's question. Iiyni'jeari'eea, as obstinate as ever, continued to stare her down. Didn't matter. Fru-hii was just to confirm if her sister really had the Christ Mark, and deliver some information. Less talking meant she could get the fuck out of hillbillyville faster. “Fine, whatever. Grats to figuring out a loophole to save your ass from eternal damnation. And like you guessed, that isn't the only reason I'm here. Mom sent me to pass along some info. No clue why, but it's what she wants.

  "Your escapades have triggered the fuck out of Hell, and good ‘ol Dill Pickle is using it to his advantage, of course. Rumor is he's planning something soil side. Lilith is also all worked up," Fru-hii told her.

  Iiyni frowned. She got why Dill Pickle was excited. He would view this as a chance to kill her and get a better foothold on Earth. As if being the Terror of vice and crime wasn't enough footing. Lilith on the other hand, never gave two fucks about anything other than her witches. Is she upset about Shuzariel? "She's riling up her hag squad, and encouraging them to wreak havoc. And we have solid intelligence they have you in their cross hairs. You and your Esseff friends."

  Fru-hii sneered, waiting for a reaction from her bitch of a sister. Not that she- “Why bother to warn me?” Nini asked, and the succubus was admittedly stunned for a moment. Nini would usually over exaggerate some kind of bored reaction (fake yawns, eye roll, pretending to space out on something, that kinda shit) just to piss you off. “Chronos insisted,” the succubus answered. Nini was visibly surprised. Also new. Had this Christian shit turned her soft?

  The way Iiyni'jeari'eea was obviously thinking things over, made her uncomfortable. Fru-hii felt like she was talking to a stranger. It almost made her forget the other key reason she was sent north. “Oh yeah, scarecrow bitch? Terra? Your new allies surrogate mom or something? She’s fine and alive. Was rescued along with Rarami. Mom had me drop her off at an Order base in Utah, to keep her safe.”

  “How is that keeping her safe?” Nini replied, a level of acid to her words that caused Fru-hii to flinch.

  “Do you really not know anything? The Order is more like the Disorder right now. When you killed the good king dandy, things went to shit. Broken into factions, spread all over. Only two hold any real power: a fundamentalist sect, and a demon worshiping sect. I dumped the old bitch off with the slightly less evil of the two. She’ll be fine.” Fru-hii looked at the security camera, mounted in a tree a ways off, and shouted, “you're welcome!” before flipping it off. “That's it,” she shrugged, and turned to leave.

  Iiyni'jeari'eea was suddenly standing in front of her. Was this the end? “So, the traitor is gonna send me to burn,” the succubus laughed humorlessly. "What the fuck ever. Go for it, Nini. Not like I could stop you if I tried.”

  “Iiyni.”

  “Huh?”

  “Iiyni. My name is Iiyni. And I’m not going to kill you, don't be dramatic. I just…” she turned slightly red and Fru-hii about keeled from the sight.

  “You can come with us. The Echoes are real Fru-fru," Iiyni called her sister by a nickname she hadn't said in a very long time, stunning Fru-hii all the more. "You can accept Christ and be free too! Everyone can!” The horror and rage that filled the succubus, Iiyni was not blind to. With nothing else she could say, she stepped to the side, letting the taller demon pass.

  “Oh, by the way, Zit’s horn’s have began to grow,” Fru-hii said coldly from behind her, Iiyni whipped to face her.

  Imps and succubi look different in Hell than on Earth. One feature distinguishing imps from succubi are their horns. Out of Earth creatures the horns could be best compared to that of a ram. Imps had nothing more than two bony nubs on their head. Iiyni's were barely visible on Earth, but she always kept her hair over them. If an imp continued to age physically, once around what would be considered puberty, their horns began to grow.

  If an imp stopped aging before puberty, they would forever remain an imp. So rare it was near myth, an imp would again begin to age, ceasing in the tween-age appearance, with small horns. For reasons unknown, they were considered an abomination. Despite Hell relishing in abominations, in this case it marked the imp for death.

  “And Jenta hates you now," Fru-hii tacked on. The more she could hurt Iiyni'jeari'eea the better. And nothing hurt worse than the truth. "She has vowed to be the one to kill you. Zit doesn't agree, of course. The moron has been a loud supporter of yours.” Fru-hii bound away, and was gone.

  Iiyni was grateful none of the cameras had a view of her face, standing there, still as she could, sobbing her eyes out.