Atonement (Heaven Sent Book 1) Read online

  Walking laterally now, Gen looked to see how far the clearing extended and whether there were any homes nearby. She was always evaluating how close these encounters were to human activity. Though most humans couldn’t see, nor hear the supernatural, they could inadvertently become hurt or even die. That was the real cost of this fight, human collateral damage in the never-ending war between Heaven and Hell.

  To the east it seemed to expand into a sprawling field. From where she stood, she could see the top of a large building. There were lights on, and smoke was billowing from the top, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Gen was looking for people but saw no movement. At this distance it was impossible to clearly see the ground level and surmise how many people were inside.

  “One of the men in the field is replaying the story of what’s going on in his head. I just picked up the back end of it and listened as he went through the story from the beginning. It’s weird, it’s like he’s replaying it for me, or he’s stuck in some sort of loop. There’s something odd, yet familiar about his voice.” Gen was making her way back to the group when she heard Deb ask if she had spotted the children.

  “Not yet, but basically some unfriendly Hollows kidnapped children from the surrounding area and these human men, working with friendly Hollows, tracked them down. The friendly Hollows are trying to negotiate the children’s release, but the kidnappers are saying no one has anything they want.”

  Gen was about to make her entrance when a shadowy gateway opened just behind the group and several more entities walked through it.

  “Ok, so this is getting more bizarre. There are two demons, an unclean spirit, and a vampire in the mix now. One of them uncloaked the children. Deb, if you can see what I see, you have about five kids between six and eight years of age. I would suggest you get to them first, that way you can project your shield and keep them from getting hurt. They are tied up and crying, but otherwise appear unharmed. The humans are taking out weapons that are not going to work on any being on this field. I don’t know that I would classify this as an all-hands on deck situation, but I’ll need some help if anyone wants to join the party.”

  As Gen continued to survey the entities her eyes rested on the Hollows, she knew they were souls that refused to choose a side upon death. She felt sorry for them, their neutrality alienated them from both Heaven and Hell. They were doomed to walk the earth empty, with no purpose and no allies. When one gazed upon them, there was no emotion in their facial expressions; they were stiff and stoic. They moved liked ghosts: detached, cold, and aloof. The Watchers called them lost souls, but everyone else referred to them simply as Hollows.

  Gen and her siblings had encountered many an unclean spirit; this was an old term for a demon that could attach itself to humans, even possess them if desired. This one was tall and lean, with sunken eyes that seem to disappear into his abnormally large head. Gen and her siblings investigated claims of the existence of unclean spirits on behalf of the Catholic Church. That was their cover while on earth. They had been paid advisors in this capacity for generations, never staying too long in any one location. These days, they called Boston home, but they rarely dealt with the clergy in person.

  Gen despised vampires. They were blackened souls who preyed on the weak. They were inherently selfish because their very existence depended on it. Human blood was sacred, consuming it kept them satiated and immortal. This one was old—his bony frame was more of a skeleton with skin, no hair, barely any muscle, a bent-over posture from years of animalistic scavenging—certainly not the heartthrob Hollywood depicted. His lips were blue, indicating he was already suffocating from starvation; he was here for dinner.

  Special humans, who could see the supernatural world, would often capture and tie down vampires; using rope dipped in Holy Water that was interlaced with rosary beads and blessed palms, they would leave them to starve, a slow painful death where they rotted away in some desolate wasteland. This practice was more than a thousand years old, but no one knew where it started or who shared this knowledge with the humans. This practice had dwindled the number of vampires roaming the earth. They were practically an endangered species, but Gen was most apprehensive about their presence because vampires were unpredictable, much like a serial killer. The only thing you could count on was their propensity for violence and their appetite for bloodlust.

  Gen quickened her pace and walked out into the clearing approaching the group from an angle, one that had the best vantage point.

  “You guys lost or something?” Gen watched the demons turn toward her, but then they turned their attention back to the group they were with.

  “Get lost Guardian, you have no business here,” a demon shouted.

  Another demon pushed his counterpart out of the way and took a jab at the Hollow closest to him; stunned and unprepared the Hollow went crashing to the ground.

  “So much for a conversation.” Gen moved in front of the humans, her shield would protect them, but only while they remained physically close.

  The demons threw hot, blistering balls of fire in her direction, Hell cannons. For now, they bounced off her shield. She couldn’t leave the humans unprotected; one hit would be deadly. The blasts were wild and sent several shimmering sparks into the air above them. Behind her, she heard one of the men shout to get down and another gasp in awe as nothing made it past her and onto them. This wouldn’t be making sense to them right now. She would probably need to show herself if she had any hope of getting them to leave the area.

  Xavier arrived first, taking a swing at the largest demon, the battle erupted. Greg engaged the unfriendly Hollows while Frankie calmed the friendly ones and ordered them to leave; he didn’t have to tell them twice. Deb was with the children. She untied them and told them to take hold of a long twisting rope that she slowly pulled bringing them away from the chaos. One child wouldn’t move, presumably too traumatized to walk, so Deb swept him up into her arms while continuing toward the hillside that led away from the battle and toward the safety of the building below.

  Gen felt Tom arrive beside her. “This is an odd collection of thugs. I can feel your anxiety, what are you so nervous about? Dan just arrived and took out the second demon, this will be over soon.”

  Gen shook her head “I don’t know, that feeling, that tight gnawing sense in the pit of my stomach, it’s still there. It normally subsides when I get to where I’m supposed to go.”

  The men were shooting at the demons, their bullets melting upon contact. The demons laughed and looked over at Gen pointing and gazing conspiratorially in her direction. There was a queasiness in her stomach. “They’re looking at me like I’m lunch, Tom. Not exactly the reaction I expected.”

  “It could be the glee over being reunited with Satan. I mean that’s what’s about to happen.” Tom put his hand on her shoulder attempting to reassure her, it wasn’t working.

  “There’s something else going on here, I just don’t know what it is.” Before Tom could retort, multiple gateways opened and they were overrun by several more demons, weapons in hand they were prepared.

  Three demons among them were more ominous than the rest, their hulking stature, leathery skin marred with scars half healed, and burns that still held heat, told her they were battle tested. Their sweat singed the ground and each one carried with them a chunk of the Chain of Chaos, a network of jagged wire braided together with shrapnel and dipped in Hell fire. This weapon was meant to tear and gouge the body on contact, like being flayed and burned alive.

  “We need to move, get these humans out of here,” Tom shouted his order as he ran toward the milieu.

  Gen turned around and allowed herself to be seen by the humans. “You need to go, none of your weapons are going to work on any of these entities. Me and my siblings have this, now go!” They gazed upon her confused.

  “Who are you people?” one shouted.

  “Where did you come from?” another added.

  “I don’t have time to explain what’s
happening, you need to listen.” She paused as she noticed how many stood in front of her.

  “Wait, where did the other guy go? There were five of you, now there’re only four.” She turned back trying to spot him among the ruckus with no such luck. He wasn’t there. He was either dead or had already run away. It was hard to tell as the bodies began piling up. Though they were outnumbered, the O’Mara’s were better fighters. Gen turned her attention back to where the Hunters had been standing but they were now running in the same direction as Deb, toward the safety of the building in the distance.

  Gen pulled out a dagger and joined her brothers in the battle. Slicing one of the demons on the back side of both knees she drew him down while Frankie finished him off with a stab to the neck. Her boots splashed through the bloodied grass as she made her way deeper into the fight. Dan punched one demon knocking him back, but Gen used her shoulder to body check him back toward Dan who had drawn his sword. The demon fell onto the blade he never saw coming.

  She threw her dagger into the heart of a demon preparing to stab Xavier. Her brother pulled the weapon out and tossed it back to her on her way past them. She hurled herself toward another demon holding Greg. She landed hard on his back and nearly decapitated him as she lifted his chin in the air and sliced his neck.

  Everyone felt the sudden shift of power when Michael arrived. He held a harpe sword in one hand and parrying dagger in the other. He engaged the three larger demons that Gen had been nervous about. Though they were more than eight feet tall, their hulking nature burdened their movement. Michael was imposing but agile. He decapitated the first demon pushing his body down and stepping on top of him, this brought him level with the other two. One demon lunged, while the other prepared to swing the Chain of Chaos. Michael swung his sword backward, lodging the sickle part of the blade in the demon’s eye and removing half his face. He threw his dagger at the other demon’s forehead sending him to the ground along with a clanging of chains. Three dead in less than a minute, Michael tilted the battle in their favor.

  Gen looked up as the sky shook with thunder and lightning pierced the darkness. A large reddish-brown glow formed around them, something was coming.

  “Get back, go to the tree line, now!” Michael shouted as he ran motioning with his hands. Gen watched her brothers run toward the trees and followed them. As they got to the relative safety of the forest, they turned back just as a Hell Fighter and two Hellions arrived in the middle of the field noticeably pissed at the number of fallen comrades that lay at their feet.

  Hell Fighters hadn’t been seen on earth in decades. Gen couldn’t remember the last time they encountered one.

  At least it’s not a newborn, Gen sighed in minor relief. Watching the demon’s somewhat labored movements she thought, He’s older, he shouldn’t be able to stick around too long.

  The demon was set ablaze in Hell fire. His large frame, long arms, and dragon-like head just a mere outline in a shadow of rolling flame. Once away from Hell, the flame dwindled, and its skin cooled to a leathery black veined with streaks of red. The Hell Fighter’s blood was made of venom, cast from those tormented in Hell, it was Hell’s deadliest weapon against Heaven. The upper level demon’s venom was fatal, even its sweat was enough to cause serious damage. Newborn Hell Fighters carried the most lethal dose of the venom in their blood, because the essence of the tortured still lingered. Though the Hell Fighter’s venom was poisonous, its physical strength faded over time, which meant they couldn’t stay away from the source that manifested them for very long.

  The arrival of a Hell Fighter would typically signal the end of the battle. In most cases a Guardian would be forced to vacate the scene, but the O’Mara’s had a weapon of their own.

  Before the Hell Fighter could make a move, Kelly arrived, taking a stance between the demons and her siblings. One of the Hellions lunged wildly at Kelly’s head, but she ducked and the demon’s momentum sent him tumbling across the field behind her. Michael stepped out from under the treelined covering and stabbed the beast through the ankle, quickly stepping back away from the animal in case its blood had been tainted by the Hell Fighter. The hideous beast howled like a rabid animal. Michael’s blade had penetrated all the way through to the ground, effectively pinning the hound in place.

  Kelly threw a knife at the second Hellion’s ear landing a blow that sent the monster to the ground in a heap. It attempted to gain relief by clawing at the blade, trying to remove it as it rolled back and forth across the grass. Blood gushed from the dog-like creature’s head and he squealed as his skin began to burn, puffs of steam wafted above its head.

  She must have dipped the blade in Holy water, Gen presumed. Nice touch, Gen thought.

  The odds were even now, it would be Kelly one-on-one against the Hell Fighter. The demon stomped forward taking an enormous swing toward Kelly. She blocked it and then used the demon’s own momentum against him. Kelly pulled down as the demon’s weight was propelled forward. The demon fell to one knee and Kelly grabbed onto his neck and swung up and onto his back, harnessing her legs around his shoulders and tucking her feet under his arms for stability. The Hell Fighter got back to his feet, grabbing at her twisting and bucking as he tried to pull her off, but she held on. She threw a katar at the second wounded Hellion’s heart and its chaotic rolling movements instantly halted.

  The pinned Hellion pulled at its leg until it ripped and tore away from the ankle still tethered to the ground by Michael’s sword. The beast hobbled toward Kelly leaving a bloody trail behind it. By the time the wounded Hellion reached its master, Kelly had killed the Hell Fighter. As the Hell Fighter collapsed to the ground, Kelly jumped off the demon kicking the wounded Hellion lurching toward her. Jumping onto the Hellion’s back, Kelly pulled out a long silver blade and plunged it into its head, killing it instantly.

  Getting to her feet Kelly turned to her siblings. “Sorry, I couldn’t find my stupid boots.” Kelly’s sweatshirt smoked as the remnants of demon blood soaked through. She swiped hard, but it would burn through to her skin if she left it on. Though she was immune to the poison, her clothes weren’t.

  “I’m surprised the Hell Fighter didn’t put up more of a fight,” Michael commented.

  “What do you mean?” Dan asked.

  “Did you notice anything odd when you were engaging it?” Michael asked Kelly but then didn’t wait for an answer. “It should have been harder to kill. Even though he was obviously older, he should have put up more of a fight.”

  “He was pretty feisty,” Kelly shot back.

  Gen interrupted them. “Do you smell that?”

  Kelly was quick with a retort. “Yeah, I know, Hell Fighters reek, it’s all over me.” Kelly attempted to clean the venom off, huffing loudly she finally gave up and pulled the sweatshirt off tossing it into the burning pile of debris.

  “No, not that. It smells like a fire, a real one.” Gen was looking in the direction of the building. She could no longer see nor feel Deb. “I can’t feel Deb. They didn’t want us walking toward the building, they wanted us up here. Whatever pulled me here, it’s down there.” Gen pointed toward the hillside. “This must have been a distraction from the real target!”

  “We need to move. Go! Go! Go!” Xavier started running and everyone followed.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “There is no way I’m running in these boots!” Kelly’s protest went unanswered. “Seriously, why are we running, it’s like ten miles away, why aren’t we using our powers?” Relenting, she began a painstaking jog when she heard her brother Dan’s reply.

  “It’s less than a mile from where we just were, and you know using our powers can be draining. You just got into an intense fight, and you might need to conserve your energy in case you get into another one.” Dan was correct, but Kelly grimaced all the same.

  “I don’t see how running is conserving my energy. Anyone have a cheeseburger? Now that might restore me, especially since that little charade back there interrupted my plans to go
get one from Jake’s.” Jake’s was Kelly’s favorite local hang out.

  Kelly had arrived last, what was left of her burned T-shirt still warm to the touch. As she crested the hillside, she observed the full structure and grounds which unfolded before them. A fire alarm was going off somewhere deep inside the structure. The three-story building was made of brick which was worn to a faded red. Every few feet double-hung windows adorned the surface, each with a thin sill painted white, but it was the oversized steel doors that exposed its older age. The track and football field that lay just beyond it were pristinely manicured, but unoccupied. Tall stadium lighting partially lit up the area, revealing an additional car park, which was nearly full.

  Dan spoke first “It’s a high school and there is obviously some sort of event going on.”

  “Both parking lots are full, parent teacher night?” Frankie questioned.

  Kelly spotted Deb at the far end of the lot maneuvering the children around parked cars gradually making her way toward the building. Before she could get to the front door another alarm went off. This one sounded closer, perhaps from the first floor. Surveying the exterior, Kelly noticed smoke hanging in the air above the building. She heard people inside yelling, along with the stampeding echo of shoes stomping tile. People inside were running. Shadows of light began to dance across the cream-colored walls on the second floor. Oh no, Kelly thought, the fire’s spreading quickly.

  “We need to get in there, now! These kids are in trouble,” Gen yelled. Tom grabbed Gen’s arm, keeping her from advancing.

  “We need to wait, Gen. We don’t know this is anything more than a natural fire, in fact, it feels like a human started this,” Tom reasoned.

  “Tom has a point. It wouldn’t be the first time we were tricked into action.” Michael’s argument was valid but frustrating.