The Damned, To the South

The previous installment of young Chloe Bradshaw’s saga can be found here.

Some months have now passed. Many a human has been transformed into a Demon. We find willing humans, turn them, teach them how to sustain themselves, and let them go to search for more willing humans.

Meanwhile, no Hunter has revealed anything about their mysterious master and even torture is useless.

I haven’t had word from our friend the shopkeeper. She has closed her business and taken her weapons with her. I can feel the war edging closer each day.

We have to move every two weeks, because having at least five Demons in a city feeding while the new recruits are training isn’t good. Luckily, it only takes about a week of hard training until the newly made Demon can go on his or her own. We can train two Demons at the same time, which gives us extra time.

As of today, Marius, Travis and I have approximately made about sixty Demons. If all has gone well with the others, there will be more Demons than Hunters.

Walking alone, the only light I can see is that of the moon. No streetlights. I walk to a nearby house, no light shining through the closed curtains. I stand outside of it, staring at the closed door.

“Lily,” somebody says behind me. I spin around and see a Hunter standing there, clad in black.

“Lily? Who’s that?” I ask, feigning innocence.

“You know damn well who that is!”

“I haven’t known anybody by the name of Lily for ten years.”

“No? Well you’re hearing the name now.”

“Who has sent you?”

“My master he has sent me, like he has sent everyone else. When all of them didn’t come back he sent me. Said if I was to say ‘Llly’ I’d be able to get a reaction.”

“Is that all you want? A reaction?”

“We want to make sure you know what peril you are facing.”

“How about the peril you are facing?”

I lunge at him with my sword, but he blocks me. I stand back and smile.

“Good, but not good enough.” I spin behind him, stabbing him in the back. He gasps and falls to the floor, blood spurting. I put the sword to my mouth, intending to lick it clean of blood but I decide otherwise and wipe the crimson liquid on my trousers. I leave his body to soak in its own blood.

I look at the house where I, like on most days, slaughtered yet again another innocent human being. It isn’t the fact that I kill that sometimes gets to me, but the ecstasy that I feel when my teeth sinks into someone’s flesh and their blood pours into my mouth, the fact that I have to restrain myself from actually killing more then one human a night.

But I can’t feel sorry for myself all the time; I will go mad by doing so.

I walk back to our lair. The blood is drying on my hands and mouth. The name ‘Lily’ keeps running around my head. A name from my past, one which I have blocked from my memory.

“Lilith, are you alright?” Marius asks me when he sees me, his face full of worry.

“Ah, Lilith,” I mutter without realising that I had said it out loud. “Yes, I’m fine. Thanks. Why?”

“You have been gone for a long time. I though a Hunter had gotten to you,”

“One did,” I tell him.

“What happened?”

“He said Lilly,” and without an explanation, I walk away.

I felt shut of from Marius, Travis and the other two Demons (I hadn’t bothered to ask for their names, I soon forget them anyway). They keep asking me what is wrong but I keep saying “nothing.” I don’t mean to worry them; I just don’t feel like talking.

“Are you ready?” Marius asks when we next have a chance to speak.

“Ready for what?”

“Have you forgotten? We have to go to Antarctica,”

“I would have thought that it would have been cancelled, giving the circumstance,”

“So would I, but I have had word that it is still on. We have to be there in a week, so I suggest that we get moving.”

“Where are we going?” Travis asks when I explain to him that we must be off. Before I can answer his question a training Demon asks if they can come too.

“Yes, we are all going. And to answer your question Travis, we are going to Antarctica. Every Demon goes there once every five years. Marius has had word that we are still going this year, despite everything.”

“Shouldn’t we dress up warm for Antarctica?”

“Have you ever felt seriously cold since I turned you into a demon?” He has not, of course. “When we go it will be cold, but it won’t be unbearable. It will only feel like a cold winter morning.”

“Why do we have to go?” Travis asks.

“It’s tradition. It started of with one of the first Demons who wanted to keep an eye on his brothers and sisters, and to know how many humans they have turned. Marius and I didn’t tell you about this because of the circumstance. We thought that they would stop it this year. But every five years, messenger Demons remind us. I had completely forgotten about it, and I think that Marius also forgot, until a messenger told him.”

“Is there a Demon leader or something then?” Travis finally said.

“No, but there is an elder Demon, the oldest one alive. He decides on whether or not we meet. Of course, as soon as he dies the job will get handed to somebody else.”

“Do you know who it will be handed to?” Travis wans to know.

“No. But we must hurry. It will take about a week to reach our destination.” I gather my weapons and pack my black jacket. I hope the others are clever enough to only pack their essentials.

“Are you ready?” Marius interrupts my thoughts.

I am.