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

lamp post. She glanced at his long sword. The blade was a dull grey. Compared to hers, it looked harmless. But looks could be deceiving. At any second, his sword could turn into a blade of fire.

“Leave her alone,” Alex said.

The guy frowned. “Leave her alone?” he asked. “Mate, fuck off.”

Naturally, Alex did the opposite. He stepped towards them. “Let her be.”

“You want to fight over this bitch?” the girl asked. “She’s not even that pretty. Go to the town square. They’ve got them all rounded up.”

The demon girl lying on the ground looked up at him with terror in her eyes. She shuffled back quietly on her bottom. Her back came up against the low fence of grey stone that curved around the corner house. She was about his age, possibly a year or two younger. She had that cute innocent look about her.

“Let her go,” Alex repeated.

“Or what?” the girl asked.

“Or, we’re going to have a problem.”

He immediately felt stupid. It had sounded much cooler in his head. The words didn’t come out naturally. His tongue felt heavy. And right on cue…

“Dumbass. Or, we’re going to have a problem?” the voice mimicked. “What are you, a fucking 1970’s gangster?” 

Alex didn’t know that was 1970’s gangster speech. But it did raise a question. “How can you know what gangsters in the 70’s spoke like, but not know your own name?” 

The male Demon Hunter made a noise. It sounded like a grunt, but rolled in with a laugh too lazy to form. “There’s two of us, buddy.”

“James…” the girl said. “Look at his sword.”

“What about it?”

Alex was wondering the same. Was it blazing red without his knowledge? He held the sword up. It was its usual dull grey. It looked very much like a blunt instrument, one more suited for a heavy bloke with little skill.

“You’re Alex,” the girl said. “You defeated the Krumier.”

“You got all of that from looking at his sword?” James asked.

“The long blade of grey metal,” the girl whispered. “I thought it would be more impressive.”

“We’re famous now?” the voice asked. 

“It would seem so,” Alex replied.

“Ok well, going forward, you should let me handle it. I’m used to being famous.” 

“You were famous?” 

“Of course,” the voice replied. 

“You don’t even know your own name,” Alex pointed out.

James took a step back. His stance relaxed. The confident arrogance on his face vanished, replaced by a cautious grin. “What do you want with her? There’s plenty more in the town square,” he said, then his grin widened. “Or, you could just take Jess here. I’m sure she’d let you do anything you want to her.”

Jess glanced at James, then dug her elbow into his ribcage. James groaned. No longer smiling, he glared at her.

“Walk away,” Alex told them, his voice hard.

The two Demon Hunters shared a glance. Their eyes wary, they stepped back slowly. Once they were ten feet away, both turned and vanished into the dark night. Alex slung his sword back into its sheath. He held a hand down for the demon to take. She stared at it nervously. Then, hesitantly, her hand gripped his. Alex pulled her up.

The demon lifted her skirt up and pulled her torn top around her chest, covering her bra. She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him.

“Live nearby?” Alex asked.

The road was deserted, as had been the many he had walked past. But noises came from further ahead. He could hear the screams and roars. Not far from here, something terrible was happening.  The girl raised a hand and pointed in the direction of the sounds.

“Come on,” Alex said grimly. “I’ll drop you off.”

The demon girl fell in behind him as they walked. She was still unsure of him, and Alex could feel her eyes watching him.

“She’s cute,” the voice said. “Probably grateful too. Bet she’d let you do anything you want to her.”

Alex ignored the voice. It rarely ever said anything good. Sometimes, he wondered if it were a teenage boy trapped in there, one that had been exposed to copious amounts of porn.

“You seem to get the pretty demons too,” the voice continued. “Melissa, Akash, now this one… I’ve been down to hell. Most of them are hideous.”

This was new information to Alex. “You’ve been to hell? What’s it like?” 

“Like hell,” the voice chuckled. “Hot, dark, ashy. Sort of like being in the centre of an erupting volcano. Satan’s a cunt, too.” 

“You mean Satani,” Alex said automatically. And he agreed with the voice. Satani was a cunt. He shuddered as he remembered how she’d made him suck her cunt. Worst part was, he’d enjoyed it. The bloody bitch was kinda hot… Exceptionally hot, he reluctantly admitted.

“Nah,” the voice said. 

“Nah?” 

“Satan was a dick. He was running things down there last I visited. Doing a terrible job cuz you know, he’s an egotistical piece of shit.”

“Strange you can remember all of that, but not your name,” Alex said. 

In response, the voice shrugged. It was a strange feeling and Alex inadvertently shrugged too.

From behind him, the girl quickened her pace and came to walk beside him. “I’ve only been here a week,” she said.

It took a moment for Alex to understand, and when he did, he asked stupidly, “From hell?”

The girl nodded shyly. “It’s nicer here, definitely.” She looked up. “Sometimes the sky is blue. This world is beautiful,” she gave him a smile, one that faded quickly. “But… I miss my family and…”

“They’re not here with you?” Alex asked, trying to be conversational.

The girl shook her head.

Alex wanted to ask why, but it felt like an intrusion. The girl stared at the ground, downcast. The portals were controlled by the wealthier demons, but he knew little about the rules