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

“No, the fucking pigeons shitting all across London,” Alex muttered. “Yes, the fucking Demon Hunters. They’re going to kill innocent demons.”

Karen nodded solemnly. “Demon Hunters die in the line of duty. Not like this. In bed, heart ripped out. It won’t be pretty.”

“We have to stop them,” Alex repeated.

The elevator began to descend. Karen leaned against the mirrored wall. Her shoulder pressed against his. “It’s going to be a massacre,” she said, her tone very matter-of-factly. “Most Demon Hunters are just itching for an excuse to kill demons. Now they’ve been given a big fat one.”

“We have to stop them,” Alex repeated through gritted teeth. “We’re going to do something, right?”

“Like what?”

“We tell Satani,” Alex said without hesitation. She was a demon herself. She would stop the massacre of her own kind, surely.

Karen smiled. It wasn’t a mean smile. It was the sort he’d seen people give to children that asked naive questions.

“Even if we managed to get an audience with Satani, and a massive if, she wouldn’t stop them,” Karen said. “The only reason those poor demons were even allowed out of hell was because the more powerful demons on earth needed them to do the shitty jobs. Satani won’t care about a few dozen deaths in Ignis Estate. Hell, she might even want it. They did kill a Demon Hunter. She is fond of us.”

“She’s fond of us,” Alex let out a mirthless laugh. That’s what Demon Hunters thought, that Satani cared for them. They had a bond with her. A bond that was created when she gave them what they wanted in exchange for their souls. Alex had not made that deal with the devil. He didn’t have the same feelings for Satani. No. He felt anger when he thought of her. He pushed those feelings down now. “I thought you cared about demons?” Alex said through clenched teeth. “I thought you were different.”

“I have to pick my battles, Alex,” Karen said softly. “There’s nothing I can do against a horde of murderous Demon Hunters.”

The elevator reached the ground floor. The doors parted and Alex stepped out. A steely determination set in him. He walked quickly with his shoulders hunched, leaving Karen behind. If she wasn’t going to help, he would do it himself.

* * *

Karen didn’t follow after him. He was glad for it as he didn’t want to talk with her right this moment. But as he stepped out of the Red House of Satan and stood on the kerb looking down the narrow road and the cars driving past, he wondered if it might have been better to have asked her to drop him off to Ignis Estate. Or at least a train station.

Alex stepped onto the road and walked towards the main street. He felt in his pocket for his mobile phone. There was nothing there, of course. His phone had been smashed to pieces during his battle with the angel. Instead of being able to call an Uber, Alex would have to take a black cab. The things were bloody expensive.

Why did he care? Wasn’t he bloody rich now?

Alex managed to hail one pretty quickly. Half an hour later, he stood opposite the entrance of Ignis Estate. Already, he knew something was wrong. It was a clear night. The moon shone brightly. It made the large smoke clouds billowing upwards clear to see.

The Demon Hunters had begun their vengeance. Alex crossed the road and walked into Ignis Estate. On either side were the enormous tower blocks of steel and concrete. A small fire raged by the overfilled bins pressed against the tower block to his left. The shops in the centre were empty. Those fortunate enough to have shutters were spared the destruction. The others had their windows smashed and doors broken. Furniture from inside was strewn across the pavement and some onto the grassy section that doubled up as a playground.

There were no children about. No grown demons in sight either. Aside from the burning fire and the few lamp posts that worked, the area was dark. But the night was not silent. Alex heard the first echoes of screams. Demon screams. They were distinct from human ones by their veracity. Alex took a deep breath and braced himself for what may come.

He grabbed his sword and left behind the tower blocks. He hurried past the terraced houses with red tiled roofing and yellow brickwork. The streets were surprisingly clean. There wasn’t much in the way of litter cluttering the sidewalk or flapping about in the wind. The streets were empty too. Not a single demon in sight. Every window in every house was dark, as if the inhabitants were afraid of attracting attention. Alex got the feeling that this wasn’t a first for the demons. Maybe they were used to Demon Hunters going on the rampage. The demons knew to keep a low profile and to stay indoors with the lights out.

But not all had managed to do that. At the corner of the road, two Demon Hunters stood over a blue demon girl lying on the ground. Her short skirt was by her ankles. Her white top was torn. Alex didn’t recognise the two Demon Hunters. Not surprising as he hardly knew anyone at all.

With his sword drawn, Alex felt confident. He knew the voice in his head was present. He could feel the warmth flowing through his body. The long sword almost felt light. “What’s going on here?”

The two Demon Hunters looked back at him. It was a girl with long blonde hair, and a guy with his hair dyed blue. They were both beautiful. “She’s ours,” the girl said. “Go find your own.”

The girl held a sharp knife in her hand. The silver blade glistened in the orange lighting from the