The Devil's Apprentice by Patrick Stewart (polar express read aloud TXT) 📕

“Oh, for fucks sake,” Karen muttered, nodding at the angel, “I hope he’s not planning on going into the estate.”

“Is it a problem if he does?”

Karen nodded. “Angels are supposed to leave the demons alone, but you know how you get douchebag humans that do stupid things for shits and giggles or as a dare? Harassing demons is like at the top of their list. Arrogant pricks. Just because they won the war, they think they can do whatever they want.”

Alex glanced at the angel leaning against the lamppost. He did have that air of confidence about him. Only natural considering how tall and handsome he was. And the wings. The wings were freaking awesome.

“War?”

“Yeah. It happened a really long time ago. Thousands, I don’t know, maybe millions of years ago. There was a great war between demons and angels. Satan led the armies of demons into battle against the angels. The angels were winning, but Satan refused to surrender. In the end, Satani orchestrated a coup, imprisoned Satan and made peace with the angels.”

“What were they fighting about?” Alex asked.

Karen seemed to not hear him. Her eyes were still on the angel leaning against the lamppost. A tall blonde woman approached him. She placed a hand on his chest and kissed him on the lips. The angel finally looked away from Ignis Estate. He wrapped his arms around the girl and gave a sudden pull, squeezing her body tightly against his.

Karen tore her eyes away, satisfied that the angel wasn’t going to enter the estate, at least not this time. “Different rules for angels,” she told him. “We don’t police them. They’re allowed to do whatever they want to with humans. It’s only our business if they cause harm to demons.”

“And then we get to kick their assess?” Alex asked, thinking back to the douchebag that had harassed Laura.

“The demons lost the war, Alex. Angels are much stronger. Try not to pick a fight with them. In fact, try to steer clear of them in case they try and provoke a reaction. Defend yourself, if you have to, but generally our best bet is to register a complaint back at the Rubrum Domus Satanas.”

Karen crossed over and stood at the mouth of Hookers Road. She paused and looked back. “You asked what the demons and angels were fighting over?”

Alex nodded.

“They were fighting over the souls of the humans,” Karen said.

* * *

Alex’s apartment wasn’t far from Ignis Estate. Having grown up in the area, he’d often passed by the place en route to elsewhere. He remembered the last time he’d come this way. It was three months ago. He’d paused to stare at Hookers Road. Someone had been stabbed to death there two nights previous. It had been on the front pages of the local paper.

The estate was enormous. Much larger than any council estate he’d ever walked through. To his left and right were the enormous tower blocks. They were great big structures of dull concrete. The paint had chipped away on the blue railings that ran across the external corridors of each floor. Past the tower blocks, going further into the estate were small terraced houses with yellow brickwork and red-tiled roofs.

It was much like any other housing estate in the country aside from its size. The place was enormous. It was big enough to house thousands of people. Except the occupants weren’t human.

In the centre of the tower blocks of concrete and steel, the road split to encircle a patch of land. Half of the space was taken by children running around kicking a ball on a grassy patch. The other half had a café, a convenience store and a locksmith.

They were demons.

Blue and red skin was the most common. But there was paper-white, ink black and Alex even spotted one demon with skin as yellow as banana peel. It was a surreal feeling, like being on a parallel version of earth, one filled with demons.

“Most demons live here, but there are a few wealthy ones dotted around the city,” Karen said as they strolled past the children kicking the ball.

Alex nodded along, not really taking in her words. A small demon boy with black spikey hair, pale red skin and balls of black for eyes rushed past him on his way to join the other children. As he made it to the grassy patch, he turned to look back Alex. He bared his teeth and hissed.

Alex didn’t take it personally. “Do most of them have teeth like that?”

“Shark-like? Some do, but not all.” Karen said. “They don’t like us Demon Hunters much. Mostly because we treat them like shit.”

Again, Alex nodded. But he wasn’t listening. Not really. It was a lot to take in. This new reality, one where demons and angels existed, one with heaven and hell. This very moment, he was walking through a mostly ordinary housing estate. But every inhabitant was a demon.

That was the new reality, one filled with demons and angels that fought over the souls of the humans. That was what Karen had said. Or at least, they’d fought a war once.

“What did you mean when you said the angels and demons battled over the souls of the humans?”

“Demons and angels weren’t always here. They came from somewhere else. Another dimension I guess,” she shrugged her shoulders. “The angels wanted all the souls to rise up to the heavens above, the demons wanted them to sink into the ground and the hell that waited below. They fought a war over it. The angels were winning when Satani struck a truce with God. It was agreed the souls would rise or fall on their own.”

They continued down the path that led past the towering blocks and towards the terraced houses. Beyond them rose smaller towers