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

He wondered what good it would do. He’d already struck the damned thing with all his might. It was a good strike too. It had connected well. If that hadn’t been enough, what could he do now in his weakened state?

He was still determined to fight though. The image of Karen lying still on the ground was fresh in his mind. The rage gave him strength to search for the beast.

The beast stood at the other end of the warehouse floor, its back against a wooden crate, it stared at him, confusion in its eyes. There was no damage on the body of the beast, no sign of his sword having pierced the skin, no broken bones, or blood, nothing. And yet, it remained in its spot, staring at him in confusion, not charging, not roaring and not being generally terrifying.

With wary eyes on the beast and the longsword pointed at it, Alex hobbled towards Karen. Coming up to her, he dropped to his knees and let his sword fall by the side. She lay on the ground on her back, her eyes closed. Alex feared the worst until he noticed her chest rising and falling evenly.

He placed a hand under her head. The touch wakened her. She opened her eyes and stared at him, though there did not appear to be recognition.

“Hey,” Alex said softly.

Karen blinked. “Alex?”

He nodded. “You’re going to be okay,” he said, trying to put on a confident voice.

“Have you defeated the Krumier?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Alex said, trying to hush her. “You’re hurt pretty bad, but it’s going to be okay.”

Karen rolled her eyes. “I’m a Demon Hunter. I know what my body can take, Alex. Unless the beast is dead, neither of us are going to be okay!” Grimacing, Karen sat up. “What is it doing?”

The overgrown lizard was still in the exact same spot, having not moved an inch to the left or to the right.

“Why’s it staring at you?” Karen asked.

“I don’t know,” Alex muttered.

The beast stood on its hind legs and stared very specifically at Alex. That confusion remained in its eyes. What was there to be confused about, he wondered. They were both injured, easy pickings now. Why hadn’t it charged?

And then the beast spoke.

Its voice was raspy and the tone was heavy. But the word unmistakable.

“Master?”

Chapter 24

 

 

 

 

Alex and Karen had come to this warehouse looking for demons that were supposed to be dealing in human body parts. Instead, they’d found a Krumier. It was a formidable beast from hell. One so powerfully strong, it had knocked Karen unconscious and broken Alex’s arm.

Alex’s arm was healing at an incredible pace. He could feel the bones clicking back together. It was strange. It was astonishing too, to be able to rejuvenate at that speed. But more astonishing than that was the beast.

It had spoken.

A crocodile like creature speaking human words was surreal in itself. But more than that, it had called him a…

Alex turned to Karen. “Did… did-”

“Definitely heard him call you master.

He hadn’t misheard. “Is that normal?”

Karen raised an eyebrow. “For monsters from hell to call us masters?”

Alex would have shrugged his shoulders, would the act not have hurt considerably. “I’m new to this Demon Hunter thing. Maybe he’s my pet monster?”

When Karen stared at him blankly, Alex elaborated, explaining how in some fantasy movies, sometimes, along with new powers, the main protagonist also got a scary beast as a pet.

“You think this is a story and you’re the main protagonist?”

Alex was about to respond, but then noticed Karen’s lips twitching. She was mocking him.

“Pet monsters not a thing,” Karen said, her eyes back on the beast.

The Krumier stood with its arms by its side and its back slightly hunched. It continued to stare at him with dim yellow eyes. Not the most intelligent of creatures, Alex thought. Maybe that was why it had called him master. Mistaken identity.

But the beast was mistaken no longer. The dim look disappeared. The slit around the beast’s yellow eyes narrowed. It bared its teeth and snarled.

“Yup, definitely not your pet,” Karen muttered.

Karen glanced back at her blades. They lay on the floor by the smashed crate. She made to move towards them when Alex grabbed her by the arm.

“We can’t fight it. Our weapons are useless,” he told her. “We need to get out of here.”

He expected her to resist, to tell him this sort of thing happened all the time, that she ate beasts like the Krumier for breakfast. But Karen didn’t say any of that. She nodded, her eyes faltering, she seemed exhausted.

The only problem now was actually getting out of the warehouse. They would have to pass the beast were they to exit the same way they had entered. That wasn’t an option, not in their weakened stated. Alex’s arm hadn’t healed completely. Karen was hurt more than she was letting on.

The only other way out was through the glass panels near the ceiling. Alex was confident he would be able to jump that high. He’d done it before. What he didn’t fancy his chances of being accurate enough. The last thing he needed was to miss the glass panes and instead smash his head onto the ceiling or the brick wall. It only just occurred to him that breaking the glass panes with his head would hurt too. What if they were toughened glass?

“Why are you smiling?” Karen hissed.

“I-” Alex stopped, deciding against sharing his thoughts.

The beast roared. It awoke him from his hazy thoughts. He scanned his surroundings once more. The warehouse floor was large and filled with crates. If they couldn’t escape, they could certainly run and hide. He took Karen’s hand in his and darted left towards