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

being struck with a sledgehammer. The longsword fell out of his hand as he was flung back. On the floor, his head spinning, Alex felt his chest. He expected to find it a caved mess with bones broken and blood pouring out. His fingers pressed against his flesh. No sticky blood, no broken bones. He climbed to his feet and gripped the door frame to steady himself.

The demon girl stood a few feet away, armed with her swords, Alex expected her to slice at him. But she did not. The tips of the swords rested on the ground. She stared at him, disappointment in her eyes.

“You’re the one that killed the Krumier?”

“Apparently…” Alex grumbled.

“How?” the demon demanded. “You’re so useless.”

Alex’s longsword lay behind the demon girl and out of his reach. Even if he could get to it, without the support of the voice in his head, he wouldn’t be able to wield it with much success.

Melissa came up beside him and wrapped her arms around his waist to support him. “What’s the plan?” she whispered.

Alex didn’t have a plan. He was going to die. “Get out of here,” he whispered to Melissa.

“Not leaving you,” was her response.

Alex was about to turn and push Melissa away when the green demon grabbed his longsword and threw it at him. Alex managed to catch it by the handle. He stared at her, confused.

“Again,” the green demon said. “This time, try.”

Alex pushed Melissa back and took a step forward. “Seriously dude, if you’re there, I really fucking need you!”

“And don’t you ever forget that, you ungrateful piece of shit,” the voice said. 

Alex clenched his teeth. “You- what the fuck man, I could have died!” 

“Stop being so dramatic, you whiny little shit. This bitch isn’t going to kill anyone.” 

Alex begged to differ. The demon before him looked like she’d killed plenty. She charged now, very likely to add to that kill count. But Alex felt it then, that warmth in his chest, it flowed rapidly through his body. He felt strong and energised. The longsword felt good in his hand. He swung it at the demon. She blocked it once more, but the force of the strike caused her to take several steps back.

Alex’s left hand curled into a fist and he struck at her face. It connected well. Blood spilled from her mouth as her head slammed into the wall. She staggered back. Alex pressed his advantage. She swung wildly with her blades. He blocked the strikes easily, then kicked her in the chest. It wasn’t his hardest kick. A part of him held back, knowing he could easily kill her, could actually cause her chest to cave in.

The demon lay on the ground. Her palms opened in surrender, releasing her grip on the swords’ handles.

“Easy,” the voice said. 

Alex ignored it. From behind him, Melissa rushed past and grabbed the two swords. Smart. The last thing he needed was to lower his guard and have the green demon drive those swords in his back.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

It was a good question. Alex glanced back down the corridor, past the kitchen and out the broken window that led into the darkness of the night. There was no sign of Karen. He wasn’t worried about her safety. She was more than capable of dealing with Marvin. Alex on the other hand didn’t have the faintest clue of how to interrogate this demon.

Which is what he was supposed to do. Interrogate her.

“Get the rope,” Alex said.

Melissa rushed off and returned quickly with the rope from the kitchen. It was actually a bunch of ropes. Marvin had torn it into smaller pieces when he broke free. It would be useless to try and tie the green-skinned demon with it.

“Your useless. Let me do this,” the voice said. 

“Fine,” Alex muttered out loud. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Melissa glance at him queryingly. He ignored it. “What’s the plan?” 

“Take her clothes off.” 

“What?”

“This isn’t going to be pleasant. Whatever morals you have, you need to ditch them. We’re dealing with demons here. They’ve murdered innocent humans. Children. Whatever they have planned, whatever they’re doing, you’ve probably just scratched the surface. You need to stop this now. So, are you going to man the fuck up you pussy little bitch?” 

Alex ignored the last bit. The voice in his head did have a point. Crates of mutilated bodies, Satan’s own beast out loose, something horrible was going on. He wasn’t comfortable telling the woman to take her clothes off, but in context, it was better than torturing her, wasn’t it?

And the demon was going to be tortured. If not by him, definitely by Karen soon as she returned. Worse still, his Demon Hunter friend seemed to be in a murderous mood.

“Take your clothes off,” Alex said.

He could feel the sudden change of atmosphere in the room. Melissa and the green demon both stopped breathing. There was complete silence. Alex wondered if he’d gone too far. He was new to this, but telling a captured female demon to take her clothes off, it didn’t matter the circumstances, that was Mark territory.

He was about to backtrack on his demand when the green-skinned demon climbed to her feet. Her expression unreadable, she pulled down her skinny black jeans. It was her black top that came off next. Without needing further prompting, she pulled down her black panties and bra. She stood before them completely naked.

Her face hardened, her expression now readable. Defiance.

“You have to break her,” Melissa said.

“What now?” Alex asked.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” the voice said gleefully. “Grab her by the hair and drag her into the kitchen.” 

Alex did not move. He most certainly was not going to do that.

“I think we should take