The atmosphere crackled and the sky took on a reddish glow. Lightning continued to strike, accompanied by thunderous booms. We were running out of time.
I pulled a few things out of my bag that caused Piper’s eyes to widen. “You have got to be joking me,” she said when I laid them out on the ground. The cat made a sound like it agreed.
“I can’t do it myself, I don’t have a mirror.” I took out a piece of paper from my pants, unfolded it and laid it next to the implements.
“Do me first and then it’s your turn.”
“What?” she squawked.
“You can’t go in there unprotected. Period. It’s either this or you go back to Psi Phi House.”
We had a stare-down but she finally relented. “Oh fine. But this totally sucks, you know that, right?”
“How’s it feel to be a Demon Slayer now, huh?”
She pointedly ignored me and began the task.
Fourteen
PIPER
M
y chest hurt. I purposely crept too close to the house and made a ton of unnecessary noise to be heard above the storm. I tripped over a hose I couldn’t see in the long grass and fell into the porch fence. I’d have bruises, I was sure. Mrs. Murphy herself came out to see what the ruckus was and grabbed my arm with incredible strength.
They needed hosts for the demon invasion and I played right into her hand. That was why they were keeping Hunter alive as well. We couldn’t be possessed if we were already dead. Timing was everything. Comforting thought, that.
She dragged me inside and threw me next to Hunter. He looked awful. Either he put up a big fight or they just beat the crap out of him for fun, I couldn’t be sure. I tried to wipe away the blood on his face with my sleeve. He moaned.
“Run,” he tried to say. “Run.”
“Shh, be still.” I continued to minister to his face. “Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”
His hands were tied behind him so I helped prop him up so he was more comfortable. One of the zombies made a threatening gesture at me.
“Oh, relax. We’ll be zombies soon enough. Don’t you want one of your little friends to inhabit a comfortable, strong body instead of an invalid?”
The zombie was confused and looked to Mrs. Murphy for guidance. Yep, she was definitely in charge around here.
“Leave them. There’s nothing they can do now.”
She walked toward Thomas, who was seated at the dining room table, head slumped to his chest. I’d never seen him look worse.
She caressed his cheek lovingly, running an aged, withered hand across his chest. Ohmigod! Colby was going to freak when she saw this. It looked like Barnaby had a girlfriend in Mrs. Murphy.
I pretended to help Hunter sit up but really dropped a blade from inside my sleeve down to my hand and ran it across the duct tape holding him captive. Hunter stirred in surprise. It would take several passes to get his hands free so I pressed the blade into his hand and pretended to cower in fear next to him, putting my hands in plain view so the zombie who was guarding us wouldn’t get suspicious.
“What’s the plan?” he asked between swollen lips.
“We’re Plan B. Don’t worry,” I assured him.
“Piper—”
“Shhhh. Trust me.”
He fell silent, working industriously on freeing his hands.
Colby arrived, making an entrance the zombies weren’t likely to forget. She kicked the door down and stood at the threshold demanding, “Barnaby!”
Two zombies rushed her but she easily tossed them out of her way. Mrs. Murphy approached, yielding a wicked-looking sword.
“Cool it, grandma,” Colby said. “I’m not here to rain on your parade. I’m here to talk to Barnaby. He offered me a very interesting deal the last time we met.”
Mrs. Murphy faltered, looking back toward Thomas. Thunder crashed and the room exploded with light from the storm brewing outside. It had been going on for hours and hours. I imagined thousands of demons whirling around in the air, waiting to possess their hosts and become the army Barnaby wanted.
Hunter’s eyes widened. He finally knew who the Protector was and I could see his shock. Colby Blanchard looked more like a high school cheerleader than an Undead Protector. Mrs. Murphy seemed to share his disbelief.
“You’re the Protector?” she said in synthesized shock.
“Never judge a book by its cover, grandma. I’m sure you’re stronger than you look.”
Colby glanced around the room; her eyes rested on me for a moment. It was a warning. Murphy would be tough. I nodded.
Suddenly Thomas stirred, his eyes aglow with demonic strength. His face was drawn and haggard but I gave an involuntary gasp. He did look possessed. What would Colby do?
“As you can see, I’m unarmed.” She raised her hands in mock surrender. She was wearing jeans and a pink Psi Phi House hoodie.
When Murphy didn’t move, Thomas stirred in his chair. “I knew you would come. It was written all those years ago that you would rule by my side. Come to me, Colby.”
She cocked her head to one side. “What’s up with the handcuffs, Barnaby? I’m not into the kinky stuff.”
“Merely a precaution, my sweet. My full possession is not complete. I wouldn’t want any surprises from your Thomas. His defeat is imminent but still he struggles.”
“You mean this isn’t a done deal yet? Do you have any idea what would happen to me if you don’t keep up your end of the bargain?”
Hunter stirred next to me, struggling to free his hands and attack her. I held him back. Please, she was so overacting. Couldn’t he see that? Men were so blinded by what they wanted to see they couldn’t look objectively past their own prejudices.
Colby took a step closer to Thomas but Murphy pointed the sword at her. “Come no closer. I protect my master.”
Colby stopped and put her hands on her hips. “I will not be playing second fiddle to Haggy McHag over here, Barnaby.”
Murphy advanced on Colby, hissing; Thomas’s laughter filled the room. “My pet, how splendid you are. Bring her to me.”
Murphy reluctantly lowered her weapon, and stepped aside so Colby could join Thomas. Hunter finally freed himself but I shook my head. It wasn’t time. I’d promised Colby not to interfere unless her play failed. She hadn’t made her move, so for now, we watched and waited.
“Let’s make our move,” Hunter whispered.
“No, we’re Plan B,” I stubbornly insisted.
“Are you crazy? She’s already in league with him. They’ll end us all if we don’t act.” He tried to move but I elbowed him in the ribs.
“No!” I hissed quietly. “You have to trust me. If you care for me at all, Hunter, you’ll do this for me. Just let it play out.”
His struggle was visible. He wanted to believe me but was scared to let go of his preconceived notions and have faith in Colby and myself.
Finally, he nodded curtly and watched Colby play the role of evil villainess.
She marched right up to Barnaby, as I could see no sign of Thomas left. I prayed we weren’t too late. “Let me free you, my lord,” Colby purred, placing her hand on his cheek in a caress. “Nothing can stop us now that we are together.”
Barnaby’s reaction was swift. Being incorporeal for so long, now that he could feel emotion the touch of another person made him greedy for her.
He grabbed the front of her sweatshirt with his captive hands and viciously kissed her. She didn’t struggle, but pulled him closer, ripping his shirt open, exposing his chest while opening herself to his assault. When they finally parted, her mouth was bleeding and his fangs were out.
I clutched Hunter’s arm, unaware of how my fingernails were digging into his flesh until he flexed his muscles. I immediately relaxed my grip. Colby had to kiss that gross demon, full on the mouth, tongue and everything. I wanted to puke but imagined Colby wanted to more.
He demanded, “Remove my bonds.”
“But, Master, it’s too soon,” Mrs. Murphy argued, though she advanced to do his bidding.
Colby whipped forward, grabbing the keys out of the hag’s hands. “He’s all-powerful. A god. He must be freed.”
She turned back to him, a seductive smile on her face, which must’ve hurt because her lower lip was cut. He held out his hands when a tremor shook him. For a moment, I could actually see Thomas emerge. “Kill me, Colby. Kill me before it’s too late!” he cried.
She laughed in a really ruthless, hurtful way. “Now why would I do that? Go away, Thomas. It’s time for the big kids to play.”
At her urging, Thomas seemed to give up and leave. Barnaby reemerged, laughing cruelly. “We shall rule the world together.”
Colby nimbly unlocked his cuffs, throwing them playfully behind her. He reached for her face, and kissed her again, this time less brutally. I noted how her hands stayed in front of her chest and held my breath. She was making her move. I slid a wooden stake out of the other sleeve of my sweatshirt, gripping it tightly. Hunter had the blade and I had a stake. That was I all I could smuggle in. Murphy had a sword and I knew she would be the one we had to take out before she could get to Colby.
“We have to take out Murphy before she can get to Colby,” I whispered, surprising Hunter. “Wait for the signal.”
“What is the signal?” he asked, but just then it came and there was no mistaking it.
Colby unzipped her hoodie while Barnaby kissed her and pulled it wide, then flung her arms around him and held him tightly to her. An unearthly scream filled the air. For a moment, Murphy stood transfixed. What was going on? Then she saw the smoke rise from between their bodies, and the smell of cooking flesh filled the air. Hunter was ready to pounce; he dove at Murphy while I took on the closest zombie vamp.
I was terrified but didn’t freeze. It was an amazing thing actually, the way my body sort of took over and my mind calculated the distance to stake the vamp. In two steps, I drove the wood into his heart and
poof
, the mist escaped as he collapsed. Turning to the next foe, which was about to stab Hunter from behind, I kicked him in the back of the knee, dropping him instantly.
Hunter barely noticed, so intent on getting to Murphy before she got to Colby. Barnaby screamed and screamed, trying to pull away from her, but Colby held tight. I knew she could use Barnaby as a shield if Murphy got close enough but she wouldn’t do that. Barnaby was in Thomas’s body and she would never harm Thomas. She would die first.
I was so proud of Hunter. He dodged Murphy’s sword, small blade in hand, and when she made her play to stab Colby, he effectively blocked it with a blow to the eye. Yuck! A hiss of mist escaped and he quickly took her sword and lopped off her head. Gross!
It had to be done—Mrs. Murphy wasn’t a vampire, she was human. She wasn’t decaying and he needed to make sure nothing could try to inhabit her body. I was glad he had that duty to perform, not me. He quickly did the same to the zombie whose knee I took out.
I rushed to Colby, who still held Barnaby, but his screams seemed to have stopped. She was crying, and when she finally released Thomas, his body crumbled to the ground. Were we too late?
Fifteen
COLBY
I
couldn’t seem to stop crying. And not because my chest hurt from the brand or from the disgusting lip-lock with a demon, but because Thomas wasn’t moving. I was too late. Hunter rushed up, still holding a sword, but all I could think about was how Thomas wasn’t moving. If the Demon Slayer decided to kill me, I’m not sure I could have fought him. I felt empty inside.
“Colby, are you okay?” Piper was pulling my hoodie open to see the damage the tattoo caused.
When we sat together, huddled in the bushes, giving each other homemade tattoos using the special potion Ms. Weatherbee brewed for me, I didn’t think it would hurt so much. Sure, the razor-sharp needles bundled together and poked continuously into my chest was far from a good time, but the burning sensation continued long after the needles left my body. That was the real killer.
It was the liquid silver that kept me from healing the tattoo immediately. It bubbled and erupted like an ugly black brand. On Piper, it had a different effect. It gave her tattoo a shimmery quality.
The plan was that the symbol on me, pressed against Thomas’s chest, would brand him. Effectively protecting him against demon possession and sealing our souls together by replacing the missing piece of his essence with my own. Entwined with each other for all eternity. Without Thomas, I would never be whole again and without me, neither would he.
“It isn’t working. Thomas is gone.” I moaned, ignoring Piper’s attempt to inspect my brand.
I was wearing only a bra under the zip-up hoodie. She tattooed the symbol directly over my heart, so that when I pulled open my sweatshirt, the brand would connect directly with his skin. Hence the need to rip off his shirt while kissing him. I couldn’t imagine how it looked to Hunter, who was convinced I would bring forth the end of the world. Seeing me lip-lock a demon would certainly make a convincing argument that I was evil.