Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 16

It had taken Megan weeks before she had managed to memorize the layout of the lab.  She was pretty sure that it was intentionally designed to be confusing.  If she had asked they would have given her some speech about increased security, but she secretly thought it was just because they liked watching people get confused, lost and frustrated.

She tugged at the hem of her skirt.  Most days she forgot how short it really was, but whenever there were new people in the lab, especially people who weren’t stuck wearing the same, stupid uniform, she suddenly felt naked.

She had spent God only knew how long studying, working her way through school, keeping her grades up, and always fighting to be top of her class.  All of that so she could be dressed like a cheap stripper and forced to play nurse maid.

She took a deep breath.  It didn’t pay to be bitter.

“You’re paying your dues.”  That’s what her boyfriend had said to her.

God she hated that phrase.

As she approached the lab, she saw Steven standing just outside the door.

Many would say that Steven was attractive.  She had actually thought so, herself.  At first.  Then she had gotten to know him.  There was something off about that guy, something that made her uneasy.  Especially when she had to be alone with him.

She felt a chill run down her spine.

“We have a special project.”  Steven didn’t even look at her when he spoke.  He was too busy fiddling with a lit cigarette that he rolled between his fingers, before taking a long drag.

“If she catches you smoking in here...”  Megan covered hear nose.  She hated the smell of smoke.  It made her stomach turn.

“She doesn’t care.”  He finally looked at her.  His eyes were flat, emotionless.  “Come on.”

He dropped the cigarette to the floor, snuffing it out with his shoe.

The lab door slid open, and Steven stepped inside.  Megan hesitated for a minute.  That chill that had run up her spine had moved to her gut.  A gut that was now twisting into knots.

This just felt all wrong.

“Come on.”  Steven glanced back at her. “We have an assignment, and she expects it to be done promptly.”

Megan took a deep breath, and against her better judgement, stepped into the lab.

The door slid closed behind her, and suddenly she was plunged into darkness.

“Lights on.”  She yelled as loud as she could.

The voice commands weren’t working.

“Damn it, Steven.  We can’t work in the dark.”  She turned, trying to feel her way back towards the door.

“Oh, yes we can.”  Steven’s voice sounded like he was right behind her.

She didn’t even have a chance to turn before he brought the heavy, steel tray down on her head.

It only took one hit, and then Megan was out cold.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 15

When I woke up I found myself lying in the very uncomfortable bed back in my quarters.  I turned my head and saw Kurt sitting next to me.

“You’re awake!” Megan’s very high pitched, chipper voice seemed to cut through my head.

The young nurse rushed over to my bedside, and quickly began to check my pulse.

“That little brain dive took a lot out of me.”  I tried to sit up, but I found I was still too weak.

“Did you learn anything?” Kurt gently ran his fingers through my hair.
“More then I expected.”  I flinched when I felt a needle prick my arm.  I glanced down, and saw Megan drawing blood.

“Standard procedure.”  She held her free hand over her heart.  “Scout’s honor.”

“Megan,” I watched as she pulled the needle from my arm. “How did you end up here?”

“Well,” Megan wandered away from the bed, taking that syringe filled with my blood with her.  “I was one of the top students in my class.  One of my professors recommended me to Dr. Duguard, and then... poof!  I’m out of college, and over at Yamada labs playing the sexy nurse.”

Kurt glanced at her.  “If you were studying to be a nurse, then why choose here?”

“Not a nurse, silly.”  She placed the syringe filled with my blood into a small, silver case.  “I was studying to be a geneticist.”  She turned around, and glanced down at the outfit.  “This is just my uniform.  All the new recruits have to wear them.”

“That seems really inappropriate.”  A finally managed to sit up with Kurt’s help.  “Couldn’t you have gotten work somewhere else?”

She sighed.  “Yamada is the best.  Globally the are recognized as the top company in pharmaceutical, medical, biological and genetic research.”  She tugged at her skirt, trying to make it cover more then it was ever intended to.  “This is what you do to build a name for yourself.”

“So... what is it like to work with Dr. Duguard?”  The girl seemed open enough, so I thought maybe she could give me a better idea of what was going on here.

“She’s a cold hearted bitch, but a smart one!”  She finished her sentence with a smile that would make the coldest heart melt.  “When you spend as much time locked away in windowless labs, with almost no human contact, you tend to grow a little cold and distant.”

Even after a short conversation it was obvious that the last words to describe Megan were cold and distant.  She seemed to be a genuinely happy person, and considering the way the rest of the staff at the lab had been acting, I found it refreshing.  

The pager hooked to a small belt loop on Megan’s outfit started to vibrate.  She pulled it free, and gave the small screen a glance.

“Looks like I’m needed in the viewing room.”  She re-clipped the pager to the belt hook.  “I’ll be back in a bit to check on you, okay?”

“Don’t worry.”  Kurt reached out, giving my shoulder a squeeze.  “I can handle this one.”

“You two are so cute!”  With a slight giggle Megan grabbed her bag, and headed out of our quarters.

Follow her!

Juktha’s voice seemed to scream through my brain.

“What is it?”  Kurt glanced at me, his calm look replaced with one of concern.

Don’t let her go to that room!

I winced in pain, my hand clutching my head.  “We need to go after her.”

Carefully I stepped off the bed, and started towards the door.  I felt Kurt’s hand grip my shoulder.

“Where do you think you’re going?”  Kurt turned me towards him.  “You are way too weak to be out of bed.”

“Juktha thinks she’s in trouble.”  I started to turn towards the door again.  “We have to go after her.”

“But...”  I could feel Kurt’s grip tighten.

“If you are with me, then I’ll be safe.”

He sighed.  “Fine.”

We both headed out of our room, and into the maze of hallways.  Hopefully we hadn’t wasted too much time.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 14

Ashtyn had helped them move Bobby back to his room, but once things were settled she headed straight for the nearest computer.

He had said something in his sleep.  A name, over and over again.  She couldn’t be entirely sure of what it was, but she knew that it was a big piece to the puzzle they were trying to solve.

“What the hell was it?”  She was mumbling to herself.  “Goop?  No.  Grack... Grath!”

That was it!

“Shit.”  She glanced around her.  Every hallway in the lab looked the same.  No markers, no nothing.  She was completely and totally lost.

“Can I help you?” A familiar voice came from behind Ashtyn.

Elizabeth.  Had she been following her this whole time?

“I need to look something up.”  Ashtyn turned, facing the young doctor.

“Anything in particular?” Elizabeth was smiling, but her eyes seemed cold.

Ashtyn had to admit that she was starting to get sick of the cute act.  Sure, she had bought it at first, but the girl had gotten a little too bipolar for anyone to be buying it anymore.

Still, she was the only one there, and the only who had any idea where anything was, so she didn’t have much choice when it came to asking for help.

“Well,”  Ashtyn took a deep breath, “I need a computer with internet access.  Unless you have any books on pre-history demonology, religious practices or holy legends just lying around.  Those could be helpful as well.”

“I didn’t realize that your field required such extensive research.”  Elizabeth looked genuinely surprised.  “I don’t know about actual books, and internet access is fairly limited in the building, for...”

“Security reasons, I know.” This was going to be a royal pain in the ass.  “I thought you said they would supply research materials.”

“We tend to think more along the lines of lab equipment.” Elizabeth lowered her head.  “Just like you, we are a little out of our element here.”

“Oh, no.  This is exactly my element. Anything that could knock Bobby and Juktha back like that is no virus.”  Shit! She shouldn’t have mentioned Juktha.

“What is a Juktha?” Elizabeth took a step towards her.  The look in her eye suddenly made Ashtyn very uncomfortable.

“Long story.”  A nervous smile spread on Ashtyn’s lips.  “So, about that internet connection?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”  Elizabeth started walking down one of the long white hallways.  “Follow me.”

She knew she had to, but at that very moment, after seeing the way Elizabeth’s ears had perked up at the mention of Juktha’s name, following that girl was the last thing Ashtyn wanted to do.

Ashtyn did her best to keep up, but Elizabeth was hustling down those hallways as fast as she could.

“There is one office in this particular part of the lab that does have internet access.”  Elizabeth never looked at Ashtyn as she spoke.  “We very rarely allow contractors to use it, but in this case, I think we can make an exception.”

“Thanks.”  Ashtyn was doing her best to keep calm, but the complete personality one eighty that Elizabeth was pulling was starting to really creep her out.

Without warning Elizabeth stopped, turning towards the wall.  She produced a key card from her pocket, and pressed it against the wall.

A red outline lit up around the card, and suddenly a section of the wall pulled back, then smoothly slid to the side, revealing a doorway.

“This way.”  Elizabeth smiled and motioned for Ashtyn to enter the room.

“Hidden doorways?” Ashtyn knew she looked like a wide eyed idiot, but she didn’t care.  “This place is just jam packed with secrets.”

“Yamada Labs specializes in secrets.” Elizabeth smiled, bowing her head slightly as if embarrassed.

“Listen, Elizabeth, drop the shy girl bit.”  Ashtyn crossed her arms.  “You’ve dropped character way too many times for it to still work.  I know Kurt and Bobby stopped buying it a while ago.  I, on the other hand, wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt.  But come on...”

“What are you...” Elizabeth shook her head when she saw the look Ashtyn was giving her.  She removed her glasses, and rubbed the bridge of her nose.  “Whatever.”

“Good.”  Ashtyn walked into the computer lab.

Elizabeth caught up, leading the both of them to a computer terminal.

“So, you going to tell me what a Juktha is?” Elizabeth sat down in front of the computer and started typing in a series of passwords.

“Yamada Labs isn’t the only one with secrets, sweetie.”  Ashtyn couldn’t help but smile.

After a few more keystrokes Elizabeth finally handed control of the computer to Ashtyn.

Ashtyn sat down and instantly began her search.  Most of the information she needed was buried in digital archives that most people didn’t even know existed.  If a person went in blind, they would probably need months to even find a sliver of information.

Ashtyn, on the other hand, had learned the various systems fairly quickly.

“So, what was with the whole playing acting bit?”  Ashtyn never took her eyes off the screen as she spoke.

“Nomi thought it would easier to get you guys to work with us if I played it a little more sweet and innocent.”  Elizabeth did her best to scan the information on the screen, but Ashtyn was moving through documents too quickly for her to keep up.  “You bought it, so I guess she had the right idea.”

“You really that guy’s fiance?” Ashtyn glanced at the ring on Elizabeth’s finger.

“Which guy?  Andrew? No.”  Elizabeth laughed, “screwed around a few times, but he was always more focused on his work then on people.  Amazing scientist, crappy human being.”

“What can I say, Demon Slayers Inc. is a sucker for a damsel in distress.”  Ashtyn started to slow her search.  “I think we are getting somewhere.”

“What are you looking up, any ways?”  Elizabeth leaned in, trying to read  the document pulled up on the screen.  “How the hell can you read this?  I don’t even know what language this is.”

Ashtyn looked at her, confused.  “What the hell are you talking about?  It’s in English.”

“No, it’s not.”  Elizabeth reached out and began to trace the letters on the screen.

Ashtyn watched, shocked.  Even though the text she was looking out seemed to be spelled out in perfect English, Elizabeth’s fingers were moving in odd lines and circles.

“What the hell are you trying to pull? Stop that!” She gently smacked away Elizabeth’s hand.

Ashtyn shook her head, trying her best to focus.  She rubbed her eyes, and for a brief second, as her vision began to clear, she could swear the words on the screen changed.

She started reading again, but then suddenly she froze.

“What?  What’s the matter?”  Elizabeth stood up straight, a touch of fear entering her voice.

“We aren’t dealing with a demon.” Ashtyn’s voice was flat, emotionless.

“I could have told you that.” Elizabeth crossed her arms, looking smug.

“No, you don’t understand.”  Ashtyn turned towards the other woman.  “We are dealing with a god.”

***

Nomi sat at her desk, watching the monitor on her computer intently.

The incident in the lab had been more then informative, but now, listening to Asthyn and Elizabeth talk, she could barely contain herself.

Her brother was a god?  Her mother had always treated him like one, but now he actually was one, and Nomi had him under her control.

Screw the army, she thought.  Whatever power that thing possessed, if she could harness it, then she could do more then just rule this tiny little lab.

She sat back, closing her eyes. She smiled, imagining that she could feel the power coursing through her veins.  It was so close.  All she had to do was reach out and grab it.
There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”  She sat up, doing her best to compose herself.

The door swung open and Steven stepped in.  His expression was his usual scowl, but she wasn’t paying attention to his face.

Most people had found her choice of uniforms ridiculous, but for Nomi they were one of the few sources of joy in her life.  She had made sure to hire the most attractive people she could find, and if they were intelligent, then that was just a plus.

Steven was no exception.  Her eyes followed down his lean, muscular torso towards his form fitting pants.

She smiled.  She couldn’t help it.

“You wanted to see me?”  He had caught her looking, his usual scowl now a sly smirk.

“Close the door behind you.”

Once he had, she motioned with her hand for him to step around the desk.  As he did, she turned so that she was facing him.

“Get on your knees.”  Her voice was low, seductive.

With no complaint Steven complied.  As he knelt before her Nomi uncrossed her legs.

“Worship me.” She reached out and gently ran her fingers through his hair.

“Yes ma’am.” Steven leaned forward, his head guided by Nomi’s hand.

As Steven went to work a plan started to formulate in Nomi’s mind.  If that thing in the cage was still her brother, at least in some part, then maybe he would still have a few of Andrew’s interests.

She smiled, looking down at the top of Steven’s head.

High sex drive ran in her family, and after the way she had caught her brother looking at Megan, she realized she had the perfect bate to attempt to tame the beast.

She leaned back, letting her mind wander back to the task at hand.

It’s good to be queen, thought Nomi.  Even better to be a goddess.

Let Me Know What You Think!

Hey guys, so as the serial chugs along, I am interested in knowing what you think of the series so far.  The reason I ask is because the idea I have for the official Accidental Demon Slayers 2 ties directly into the events of the serial.  If people are enjoying it, then I'll start working on that game.  If not... then I'll rethink my idea. 

So!  Please sound off in the comments section on what you guys think! 

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 13

I was back in that room, Juktha’s room.  Even in this dream state my body hurt.  The lighting, the pillows, even the warm, sweet sent of vanilla that filled my nostrils did little to calm me.

What had I just seen?  That thing was Juktha’s husband?  That monster?  Juktha, to me, had always seemed so warm, so kind.  How could she marry such a horrible creature?

“He was not always like that.” Juktha was standing towards the back of the room, her head bowed, her hands clasped.

I had never seen her look this way.  She was crushed, emotionally destroyed.  I could feel her fatigue as much as I felt my own.

“I just don’t understand.” Speaking hurt.  It felt like all my ribs were shattered.  “He’s such a monster.  You’re...”

“Time can corrupt.  It shattered him.  That’s why he can possess multiple hosts.  Whatever his journey was, it destroyed him, then rebuilt him as... as...”  She took a step towards me.  When she lifted her head to look me in the eye I was shocked to see tears running down her cheeks.  “We are not like you.  We are influenced not only by ourselves, but by our hosts.  As much as we leave our mark on our hosts, so they leave theirs on us.  Grath’s hosts have been... When a host is corrupt, they corrupt us.  They can turn a once loving god, and turn him into a vengful, violent monster.”

“What kind of host could have done that to him?”  I sat up, wincing as my body shouted it’s objection with a shock of burning pain.

“I do not know.”  Juktha sat down across from me.  “The civilization that birthed us was ancient, lost to your modern world.  We have changed, both in form and in name over the centuries.  Our myths and legends have been rewritten.  Unlike you, the life of a deity is not a linear path.  With each change to us, not only are our futures altered, but also our pasts.  Some time ago, possibly centuries ago, Grath and I were separated, our stories split.”

She took a deep breath. “Grath was once a shining warrior with a pure heart.  When our myths were joined... When we were married, he lived up to the name he was later given.  He was just.  He did not set out to punish, but to protect.”

It was hard to imagine the monster I had seen as anything just or kind.

I could not bare to see the sadness in Juktha’s eyes.  For me, I had only seen a monster.  She had once seen a beautiful being worthy of her love.  I couldn’t imagine the heartbreak to see something you once held so dear so perverted.

“Can he be saved?” I leaned forward, taking her hand in mine.

“I... I don’t know.” Her words seemed to catch in her throat.

I wrapped my arms around her, comforting her like she had done for me so many times.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 12

I took a step back, unable to fully comprehend the creature’s words.  Did he just call Juktha his bride?

“Justice, why did you do this?  Why would you hurt this young man like this?”  As Juktha spoke I could see the tears building in her eyes.

“Justice?  I hate that name!”  The creature howled. His arm lashed out, the blade from his wrist cutting into Andrew’s side.  There was no blood.  “Call me by my true name.  Do you know how long I have waited to hear you speak my true name?”

“Grath...”  She flinched as the name left her lips.

The creature, Grath, smiled.  “Like music to my ears.”

“Grath, please explain.”  Juktha took a step towards him.  I wanted to reach out and stop her, but I knew it was pointless.

I was only a spectator in this moment.

“My dear, you did not see the darkness in this young man’s heart.”  His voice grew softer.  “I am only playing the role that I was given.  As much as we, as gods, are the creators, you know full well that we are only puppets to our human masters and the roles they assign us.”

“You need to release him.” Her voice was pleading, begging for Grath to listen.

“There is nothing left of him to release.”  He looked back at Andrew’s body. He pulled his blade free from Andrew’s torso.  The skin ripped, but there was nothing inside. “Soon this shell will fail me, and I will need to find another to continue on.”

“No!” Juktha screamed.  “You need to stop.  How many more people can you hurt?  How... how many have you already killed?”

He turned his head towards her, his focus so intense that it seemed almost physical.

“As long as there is evil in this world, in the hearts of men like him,” Grath thrust his finger towards Andrew, “then I will continue to cause pain, and I will take joy in my duty.”

I froze when Grath turned his attention to me.  He took a step forward, moving much easier then he did in the real world.  He smiled, and for a second my heart skipped a beat.

“You chose a man?” He laughed.  “How like you, Juktha.”

He stepped closer and stretched out his arm.  The tip of the blade that grew out of his wrist pressed against my cheek.

“Does that make you my bride as well?”  His voice was mocking me.  “I believe it does.”

“I’m... I’m taken.”  My voice was shaking so hard I could barely form words.

“Then maybe I shall choose your partner as my next host.”  He leaned his head closer to me. “I’ve never been a woman before.”

“Not a she... a he...” I wanted to take a step back, but I just knew that if I moved, even a little bit, he would slit my throat.

“Even better!”  He began to laugh, the sound booming through the space.

Juktha stepped in front of me, pushing the blade away from my face.  “You will not!”

The laughter stopped.

“How dare you!” Grath raised his hand, as if to strike Juktha.  “You are in no position to question me.  This is my world.”

Juktha didn’t back down.  “And out there, that’s mine.  It is my job, my mission, to protect my host, and those close to them.  I will kill you before I let you lay a finger on them.”

“I’ll lay more then a finger.”  Grath lowered his arm.  “If you haven’t noticed my dear, I’m not really restricted to just one host.  Not anymore. Threaten me again, and I will take them all from you.”

His smile, that sickening smile, returned to his face.  “Now, leave!”

We couldn’t even object.  A strong force smacked into my gut, knocking the wind off of me.  I could feel it lift me off my feet and start pushing me.

I was flying backwards, out of the mind scape, out of Andrew’s shell, and back into my own body.

The return was so forceful that it actually knocked me off my feet, and sent me sprawling onto the lab floor.  I was only able to see the lights of the lab for a brief moment before the strain of my journey took hold, and I passed out.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 11

In the darkness inside my head stood Juktha.  She was looking at me, her brow furrowed with worry.

“There are other ways.”  Her voice sounded stern, almost motherly.

“I know, but this is the quickest.”  I walked towards her, reaching out my hand.  “So, are we going to do this?”

She nodded.

The fact that she was agreeing to this put me at ease a little bit.  At least I knew she wouldn’t jump into something deadly.

The last time I had done this, the mind-scape that I had entered had been colorful, active.  Inside Andrew’s mind there was only black and grey.

The world around us seemed to pulse and swirl.  I could see faces, silently screaming out, hands reaching for unobtainable freedom.  The walls moved and shifted as the beings trapped inside them tried, and failed, to escape their prison.

We floated forward, towards the only source of light in the space.  One pillar of shimmering yellow shone in the center of this hell, and in the middle of it was a young man.

He was naked, barbed wire wrapped around his body, binding his legs together and wrapping up his boddy, cutting into his torso and neck.  Dried blood covered his pale skin in tiny, flaky paths.  Only his hands were free, outstretched.

In each, he held a scale, one shining and gold, and one made of rusted, rotting steel.

Around his eyes was a dirty white blind fold.  Two red stains marked his eyes.  Dried blood streaked his checks, and almost looked like crimson tears.

This was Andrew.

The closer we got, the more I could sense that this young man was not alive.  He was a reminder of the person who had once occupied this place.  He was an icon in a temple.

“How does that happen to someone?”  I turned to Juktha.

My heart rate quickened when I saw the look of horror in her eyes.  Whatever was in here was strong enough to scare her.

“Justice...” her hand went to her mouth.

“You finally came.”  A raspy, male voice echoed through the mind-scape.  “I’ve been waiting for you.  Both of you.”

From behind Andrew’s tortured body stepped the creature.  He looked exactly as he had in the lab, only now, when he opened his mouth his growls and grunts formed actual words.

“My bride has finally come home to me.”  The creature smiled.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 10

Elizabeth led us into the lab.  For the most part it looked just like the rest of the structure, except for the large glass cage that sat in the center.  Well, at least it appeared to be glass.  The fact that the hulking creature sitting inside of it was still contained was a big enough clue that whatever it was made of was much stronger then your average window pane.

The room was large, lined with work tables and cabinets storing various medical supplies and equipment.  Flat screen monitors lined one side of the room, the screens displaying vital signs and other data.  Most of it really just looked like a mess of random numbers to me.

As we entered a young woman and man approached us.  The young woman was wearing... well, the only way I could properly describe it was a perverts idea of a nurse’s uniform.  It was a stark white dress that buttoned up in the front. The skirt was cut short, revealing the garters that held up the frilly white stockings that covered her legs.  Unlike most nurses, this young lady had decided that a pair of white pumps were the perfect, comfortable work shoe.  Her dirty brown hair was done up in a messy bun, and to top it all off she wore a pretty little nurse’s cap on top of her head.

The young man wore white scrubs.  The top was a short sleeved V neck that showed off his impressive swimmers build, and the pants were so tight I could see that he tended to lean to the left.  At least he left the fuck me pumps at home.  Instead he wore a pair of white dress shoes that came to a square toe.

Ashtyn leaned closer to me.  Her voice was a low whisper when she spoke.  “I think they bought their uniforms from a porn set.”

“And hired their staff from there, too.” Kurt didn’t even bother trying to lower his voice.

“Dr. Duguard hires only the best and brightest.”  Elizabeth was obviously annoyed by our comments.  “That includes individuals only in the best physical shape.”

The young man’s face was expressionless.  The young woman on the other hand was all smiles.

“My name is Megan.”  Her voice was, as expected, a perky squeak.  “This Gloomy Gus is Steven.”

“These two will be aiding you in your research.  At least as far as lab work goes.”  Elizabeth turned and looked at Kurt.  “Considering your work with us in the IT department, I would assume you are familiar with the equipment we use.”

“I have a basic understanding.”  Kurt crossed his arms over his chest.  He wasn’t enjoying Elizabeth’s sudden shift to smug.  “I’m a quick study, so I should be okay.”

Elizabeth just nodded, turned, and headed towards the glass cage.

I couldn’t help but wonder if her sudden shift in attitude was because of what she had seen back in the “dorms”.

“This,” She raised her hand and gestured towards the monstrosity housed in the glass box, “is Andrew.  Or at least, it was Andrew.”

I could see Ashtyn watching Elizabeth, studying her.  She wasn’t buying the act either.

The three of us slowly approached the glass cage.  The video hadn’t properly displayed the sheer hugeness of the creature.  He was at least seven feet tall, with wide, muscular shoulders.  His skin was a deathly gray, and bulging veins popped across his body.

His face was just as I had remembered it.  The eyes had been covered over, and the teeth had been replaced by thick, sharp fangs. His nose was gone, replaced with two slits that seemed to grow and shrink as he breathed in and out. As I studied him I also noticed that he had no visible genitalia.

The creature’s hands had appeared to be almost sword like on the video, but up close I could see that the sword-like structures had actually grown out of the top of the wrist, hiding the hands beneath the bone-esque blades.

Ashtyn stepped closer, taking in the full site of him.  “This one is new to me.  He does have similar traits to several demonic types, but as a whole he’s an original.”

As she walked I noticed that Andrew followed her with his head.  Without eyes, he obviously couldn’t see her, but he sensed her.

Ashtyn turned to me.  “Do you think you could manage a brain dive?”

A brain dive was a term that Ashtyn had created.  Basically it was using Juktha to enter other people’s minds.  In some cases I could even remove the demonic invader.  I had done it only once or twice before, and the process was always draining.

“Do you think that’s safe?”  Kurt glanced at me, then back at Andrew.

“I don’t know.”  I sighed.  “We don’t have much else to go off of, so I guess it’s the best place to start.”

I walked towards the cage, and I could feel Megan and Steven watching me.  I glanced over at them.  Steven hadn’t changed his expression, but Megan was so comically wide eyed that I had to bite back a laugh.

“Is there anything you need us to do?”  Elizabeth was standing next to me.  She had started to slip back into her old character.

“Just stand back.”  I gave her a half smile.

When I looked back at the cage I could see that I had drawn Andrew’s attention.  He took a lumbering step towards me, then another.

He was studying me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Here we go.”  I said the words softly to myself.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 9

When Kurt and I stepped into our room, I wasn’t surprised to find a completely sterile environment.  Smooth white surfaces, no seams.  I had to sit on the bed just to make sure that it wasn’t a hard, plastic bench.  It had some give, thank God, but I had a feeling that back pain was in my future.

“We shouldn’t be here.”  Kurt was pacing back and forth.  “You should have never taken this job.”

“Kurt, I had no idea that it would involve... this.”  I ran my hands across my face.  I was on information overload.  “Still, Juktha...”

“I don’t give a shit what Juktha said.”  Kurt spun on his heels, turning to face me.  “These are not nice people.  These are not people that need saving, and more importantly, most of them don’t deserve saving.  You heard Dr. Duguard.  They exposed people to an extremely infections, unknown virus.”

“I know.”  I had never seen Kurt this fired up.  It actually made me a little scared... And just a tiny bit turned on.  “I didn’t know that when they hired us.  I didn’t know that when I walked in the door this morning, and they, of course, waited to tell us until after we had signed the contracts.”

“The contracts that just made us prisoners in this fucking lab.”  Kurt slammed his fist against the wall.  “How the hell do we get out of this?  Out of here?”

“We keep our heads down, and finish the job.”  I stood up and walked towards him.  Gently I placed my hand on his arm.  “We, both of us, have faced hells much worse then this place.  We can do this.”

“Do you really think they want us to ‘exorcise’ this Andrew guy?”  Kurt leaned against the wall, the anger and frustration melting away into general annoyance.

“Not for one second.” I laughed.  “I have no doubt that Dr. Duguard and Elizabeth are up to something.  I just don’t know what.  Not yet, at least.”

“We just have to be careful.”  Kurt’s hand rested on my cheek.  “Bobby, just keep reminding yourself that these aren’t nice people.  No matter how many tears they shed, or engagement rings they flash.”

“You caught that, too?”  I smirked.  “She hadn’t been wearing it when she came into the office.  I would have noticed.  She’s a decent actress, but she breaks character a bit too much.”

“What do you mean?” Kurt looked confused.

“Every once in a while she cracks.  She flashes her disdain for us.  I doubt she even realizes she does it.”  I kissed Kurt gently.

“What was that for?” He smiled, his cheeks turning a slight pink.

“It was a promise.  That I won’t let them hurt you.”  I kissed him again.

“And that one?”  He pulled me closer.

“Just cuz I wanted to.”  I laughed.  For a brief moment I forgot that we were standing in the middle of what was basically a high tech prison.  For a moment we were back home, in our apartment, in our kitchen.  I could almost smell the food cooking on the stove, hear the TV in the background.  For a moment I was calm.

A knock on the door dragged me back to reality.

The door cracked open, and Elizabeth, doing her best impression of a scared mouse, poked her head inside.

“We’re... we’re ready for you in the observation room.”  Her voice was shaky and uncomfortable.  Her discomfort at seeing Kurt and I being affectionate did not seem like part of the act.

“We’ll be right out.”  I kept my voice light, friendly.  I mustered up what was left of my calm to keep up the appearance that I still believed her story.

I looked to Kurt.  “You ready?”

He nodded.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 8

Elizabeth rushed back from the staff dorms, making a bee line directly for Nomi’s office.

God she couldn’t wait to get away from those three.  They creeped her out.  Talking about possession and God knows what else. She still had no idea why Nomi wanted them there, but she wasn’t one to question orders.  She just followed the script she was given, and did what she was told.

She had to admit, she had sold her whole “devastated fiancee” bit pretty damn well.  They had bought it.  Hell, part of her had actually believed it.

Andrew.  Oh poor Andrew.  If they only knew what had really happened to him.  Only she knew the truth about that one.  Not even Nomi knew what Elizabeth had done.

She smiled.

She knocked gently on the door in front of her.  The plaque read “Dr. Nomi Duguard”.  One day, if she played her cards right, it would be her name up on that door, and not that cold hearted bitch.

“Come in.”

Quickly, and making sure she wasn’t being followed, Elizabeth stepped into the office.

“So?”  Nomi was sitting behind her desk.  She leaned back, clasping her hands, and resting them on her lap.  “How’d it go?”

“Fine.”  Elizabeth took off the coke bottle glasses she had been wearing, and rubbed the bridge of her nose.  She still hadn’t gotten use to the damn things.  Who knew that being part of the Yamada Labs team meant having to play a character.  “They bought it. Just like you said they would.”

“Of course they would.  It’s heart tugging gold.”  Nomi laughed.  “Fucking hero types.”  Nomi reached in her desk and pulled out a small, silver cigarette case.  Flipping it open, she slipped out a cigarette, placing it between her lips before lighting it.

“So, are you going to tell me why you brought them here, exactly?”   Elizabeth plopped down in the chair across from Nomi.  “These aren’t your normal types.”

“I have my reasons.”  Nomi sat up straight.  “Is the imaging equipment set up in their rooms?”

“Yes.”  All of this struck Elizabeth as ridiculous.

Did Nomi believe that these idiots were for real?  Sure, the data they had collected on them seemed to suggest some type of paranormal phenomena, but it was hardly anything ground breaking.

“You question my motives.” A sly smile spread across Nomi’s face. She took a deep drag, and exhaled a torrent of smoke.  

“No ma’am.”  Elizabeth couldn’t hide the panic in her voice.  Nomi did not take kindly to those who questioned her authority.

“They are connected to these creatures some how.”  Nomi reached into one of her drawers and pulled out a file.  “What DNA data we could collect shows that they too have mutated DNA similar in structure to our little experiments.”

Elizabeth wasn’t buying it for one second.  “Yes, ma’am.  I’ve seen the data.  Still, they...”

“Just do as your told, alright?” Nomi slapped the file down on the desk.  “You were not hired to make decisions, just to follow orders.  Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”  Elizabeth bit her tongue.  She just had to wait it out a little longer.

She just had to wait for this whole God forsaken project to blow up in Nomi’s face.  She knew it would.  The material was all too... too insane.  Then, after the dust settles all she would have to do would be to swoop in and take the lead researcher position.

She just had to be patient, and play along.

“How have you been feeling lately, Elizabeth?”  Nomi was watching her.  Almost studying her.  Smoke swirled off the burning tip of her cigarette and curled in front of her face.

“I’ve been fine.”  Something in her bosses tone gave her pause.  “Why?”

“I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t cracking under the pressure.  You may not see it, but your role in all of this is very important.” A smirk cracked on Nomi’s lips.

“I can handle it.”  Elizabeth stood up.  “I should make sure that the lab assistants have been able to properly transport Andrew.”

Nomi just nodded and waved her off.

As Elizabeth headed to the door one thing became crystal clear in her mind.  She had better watch her back, because that bitch had something up her sleeve.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Alternate Lives *Update!*

So, huge update!  The game is written.  The script is done.  So from here on out it is just a matter of going through and spell checking (which is something the first game REALLY needed a lot of), and implementing the art.  Yay for progress!