Demon's Punish Ch. 03

"Without?" Angie said. She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. Yet she didn't cry or cringe. There was steel within her. Gideon admired that.

"Less of a waste than most is still a waste," Umbral said.

"We are going to keep both." Gideon turned to stare at Umbral, but Umbral wasn't kicking at Rhea anymore. Gideon whirled looking around. "I will search all my memories until I find what I need."

Umbral laid a hand upon Gideon's shoulder. He felt the pressure of the presence. "Idiot, those are gone. You were given a glimpse and a choice. That is more than most are given. Now all you have is me."

Umbral was right, Gideon realized. All those lifetimes worth of memories were gone. Had walking in Umbral's memories somehow closed off access to the others? Like a fool, Gideon had stumbled into this mess.

"You didn't think you would be allowed to keep everyone's memories, did you? Why there'd be nothing left of you. There barely is anything left. You are like a leaf in the wind. My wind." Umbral turned towards Angie, "Now get rid of the trash, so we can get down to business."

Gideon wanted to resist, throw a tantrum like a petulant child. He hated being bossed around, even more so now that he'd become whatever he'd become. The problem was, he did find the naked bodies of his greatest enemies to be distracting.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Gideon walked over and took Jake and Rhea by the ankles, dragging their naked bodies into the hallway, where Bill sat huddled against the hallway wall. "Get rid of these two."

"B-b-but you said I could stay near..." Bill looked up and around. His head leaned out, his eyes peering into the bedroom. "Is she...better?"

"Well she's about to give birth to a spirit I hauled out of Purgatory." Gideon shrugged. "Yeah. Peaches. Nothing but peaches." He nodded and went back into his room, slamming the door.

Umbral was leaning against Gideon's desk. "At least you can listen to reason. I can work with that."

Gideon raised a finger at the spectral image, not sure if this was just how his mind was coping for the weird shit he'd fallen into. "I'm not going to let her explode."

Umbral raised his hands, balled together. "Boom." His hands opened. "They always go boom. Act like a lord. Do your duty. Maybe the Geist can be harvested. If not, we will try again."

"You tried nine times, and they exploded each time."

"Your point?"

"Why the fuck am I listening to you about this? I need to do the opposite of what you did."

"Oh yes, is that how your society has advanced? Throw a tantrum when life doesn't go your way? No, you silly little shit. You and yours push on. Do the hard thing. Learn. Grow. Advance."

Gideon sat down on the bed next to Angie.

Angie looked at him with wide eyes. She shivered. "I'm going to explode?" She gulped, and her lower lip trembled. "I don't want to go that way. Please, Gideon."

He tried to smile, but it felt too fake. He let the expression drop from his face. He squeezed her forearm but couldn't find any words to comfort her. He needed to lie. Say something reassuring, even if it sounded phony. Something. Anything.

Angie's eyes glimmered moisture. She sniffled, turning her head away from him. She looked at the far wall, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a huff. "It's fine." She sniffled again. "All of us knew we'd gotten the shit end of the deal." She took three deep breaths, her lips forming a circle. "It's not like I didn't know it'd all go sideways." Another sniffle and tears did start to flow. "Always on the receiving end, y'know?"

"This is why I started binding their mouths. It's just so annoying. They whine and complain. Beg and plead." Umbral shook his head, rolling his eyes. "It's so annoying."

"Wait a fucking minute. Let's just, uh." He scratched his head, then turning it to the sound of thunder outside. Rain? "Did you hear that Ang?" Boom. Boom. Boom. The last one shook the house. Gideon ran to the window.

"What is it?" Angie asked, trying to scramble off the bed, but the Five Fold Binding held her pelvis in a vice grip. "Is it rain?"

Umbral rolled his eyes, looking out through the same exposed window through the blinds that Gideon had peeled aside. Gideon felt a flash of pain in his head like when he ate ice cream too fast.

Umbral said, "Now there is a proper tool. She fights against her sisters." He chuckled. He nodded. "Of course, if you die so does her only way out."

"What is it?" Angie stretched her body towards the window, but only succeeded in lengthening her spine and twisting her head around.

"Ah, you wouldn't know her. No, you might. It's Bijou, one of Isabella's daughters fighting two of her sisters. They move so fast." He shook his head. He remembered how Bijou had rounded on Craven at the card table. Gideon got lost watching the three dance amongst each other. Their arms blurred. Their bodies twisted in the air, impacted each other, and then rebounded. It was like a clap of thunder every time they impacted. It was like watching three snakes fight. Their movements were sleek grace, enfolding and brushing against each other. Except when Bijou slipped, she got hurled through one of his neighbor's tree. The trunk cracked.

"What can we do to help?" A muffled voice called from downstairs.

Feet thundered up the stairs and the door burst open. Angie hissed. His bed groaned. Gideon turned. Angie's eyes were huge and black. The darkness hugged her body, oozing out of her pores. Standing in the doorway with long limbs and a naked body was Lavinia. A glimmer of perspiration gave her skin a sheen like the air around a roaring bonfire. The air grew warm in the room.

"Master-" Lavinia cut off as Angie hissed again. "Err, okay then." She took a step back. "They're fighting."

"They were never very bright. Great in a fight and ruling the world, but subtle thoughts were never their specialty." Umbral sighed, walking back over to Gideon's desk. He poked at a few of the items on the desk: several textbooks, some pens, and action figures.

"Yeah," Gideon said, "Angie's a little territorial."

Lavinia pouted, crossing her slim arms under her breasts. They were like two apples, begging to be plucked. Gideon licked his lips. If not plucked then at least nibbled. Lavinia's pout turned into a little smile as she widened her stance. She was adorned in her diamond studded belly button ring. It was large and drew Gideon's attention lower to where...Gideon shook his head. No. He needed to think.

"I think Bijou is trying to protect your house." Lavinia cut in, "So we probably have time, if you're quick?" She put her arms behind her back, clasping them above her ass. Her chest thrust outward.

"Not quick enough." Gideon said, tearing his eyes off Lavinia.

Angie was foaming at the mouth. Her teeth had all become long and needle-like.

Gideon thought through his options. The darkness had returned as billowing sheets of black with tentacles threaded throughout attached to his shoulder blades. More thunder boomed outside. He heard Bijou cry out. Glass shattered somewhere below. Metal groaned. Lavinia was new to whatever she was. Angie was going to burst soon. And he didn't like the idea of imprisoning himself in his house for all time.

Gideon sprinted through the room. His arms went wide, and he tackled Lavinia. The darkness enveloped them both in velvet and ice. He felt the warm flesh of Lavinia turn feverish, but he didn't stop. Lavinia didn't cry out. She accepted him picking her up with his arms and tentacles. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her thin arms encircled his neck in a hug.

With a backwards gesture, Gideon released the binding upon Angie. He didn't stop running. He dove down the stairs, twisting in the air, landing on his back. Lavinia squeezed him, rested her head against his chest, and started laughing. More darkness puffed out from his back, insulating him from the friction and shock of impact. Instead he slid down the stairs like he was on a toboggan.

He didn't need to look back to feel the malevolence rolling off of Angie as she pursued. He didn't need to look into her eyes to know there was hate there. The momentum of the slide propelled Gideon and Lavinia through most of the downstairs. He rolled, lifting Lavinia back up with ease. She smiled and kissed his chin. One of Gideon's tentacles shot out and smashed through the front door.

Gideon emerged into a battle field. Bijou blurred around, trying to block the attacks of her two sisters. Behind her was the crumpled remains of his neighbor's car.

"No!" Bijou called out, as one of her sisters turned and sprinted towards him. Bijou shot out after, but was caught by the other sister and hurled across the street.

Gideon cradled Lavinia tight in his arms, he cringed and then he heard the thunder. The sister struck the black, billowing sheets without pausing. Gideon turned and took the first fist with his shoulder. One of his tentacles shot out in retaliation, but the sister snatched it in mid-air. The sister pulled; Gideon felt pain and then tearing. Another tentacle shot out and that one was caught as well. The sister pivoted and spun, using the caught tentacles like a sling. Gideon and Lavinia were lifted into the air. The world blurred around him as they picked up velocity. He tried to anchor his remaining tentacles into the ground, but it was too late. They were spinning so fast that the tentacles rebounded off the ground.

With the laugh, the sister released her hold. Gideon and Lavinia sailed through the air. His tentacles were damaged. They both hit the street hard. Gideon's eyes blurred. Some of his bones broke.

Lavinia latch on tighter to him. "I don't know what to do." One of her arms hung limp against Gideon. Most of the Darkness had been consumed in protecting them. Just a few sheets and one tentacle remained like an umbrella dangling over their heads.

Bijou appeared between them and her two sisters. Her face was caked in blood and dirt. Just a few tatters of clothing clung to her snow white flesh like some avant-garde bikini. One of her rib bones was sticking out of her skin, seeping blood that dribbled over her abs. Her head faced forward, swiveling between her two sisters. "You should run."

"Where?" Gideon said, clamoring up to his feet.

Lavinia slid behind him, running her feverish flesh over his. She hugged from him, laying her head against his back. "I'm useless." She sighed, kissing his spine.

Bijou's sisters giggled. They looked fine with glossy black hair and pale skin, svelte and long limbed. They wore jeans and t-shirts. They had a modern look that contrasted with the gothic clothing Bijou wore. They danced on the tip of their toes. "We going to finish this?" They asked in unison.

Bijou gave a small nod and burst into their midst. The twin sisters danced around her. The trio were a whirlwind of flesh and black clothing. Bijou was thrown down onto the ground; her two sisters piled on top punching and kicking. One of the sisters leapt into the air, flipped, and ran at Gideon.

"Shit," Gideon said, as the sister's fist struck the black umbrella-like remains of his defense.

The sister's fists struck with wet thwaps. Then she dropped to the ground like she was going to do a push-up; her feet tore into the asphalt. Her body shot forward underneath Gideon's defense. She came at him at a hundred miles an hour, lifting him, and then slamming him back into the street. The ground cracked. Gideon's head bounced up and down. The sister didn't pause. Her fist came down in rapid bursts. His nose shattered. One of his cheek bones crumpled. Blood gushed into his mouth and eyes.

"Get off him!" Lavinia shouted from somewhere. There was a pause in the onslaught on his face. Lavinia screamed then went silent.

Gideon's brain was mush. His thoughts were congealed, unmoving obstructions in his mind. He coughed, turning on his side and trying to expel the blood that he'd inhaled into his lungs. His chest burned. The blood smeared everywhere as he tried to clean his eyes. He saw a blurry, red stained figure approach.

"Now where did we leave off?" The sister asked, crouching over him, and driving her fist into his ear.

His head bounced off the street again. He screamed in feral pain.

"Do it you idiot!" Umbral was there, crouching in front of his face. "This is your gamble. Throw your dice."

Gideon couldn't shake the pain. The fists came again in bursts against the side of his face. He could make out Bijou throwing off the sister that was on top of her, then turning and tackling into Gideon's assailant. He had a moment. He fought for breath. He pushed air into his lungs. He shouted. It came out as sputtered coughing. "AHhhee!" More blood sprayed on the ground. Gideon felt the asphalt with his fingers. He needed to get up; maybe if he could sit up he could get real air into his lungs. He rubbed at the blood in his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, the blood kept getting into them.

He heard the crack of thunder. Bijou gasping, crying out. The sisters were laughing. The gush of wind as the trio blurred back into combat. He shook his head, but felt his brain hit against his skull over and over again. There was just fog and cotton in his head.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Umbral said, squatting down next to Gideon. "Looks like we are going to have to do this the hard way." Umbral raised his right hand and crammed it into the back of Gideon's skull. Umbral pushed through Gideon's head until his forearm was buried up to his elbow.

Gideon felt pain, like someone was driving a spike through the back of his skull. Over and over the pain throbbed with hammer strikes. "Gah...I...I..."

As Umbral spoke, his hand worked Gideon's mouth like a puppeteer. "By my name..."

"By my name," Gideon said. His eyes stared into the pavement. He didn't see anything. Didn't feel anything but that pain in his brain. Something was tearing out chunks of his mind.

Both sisters pulled up short. Bijou leapt at one of them as they were distracted. The other streaked towards Gideon screaming.

"I call forth."

"I call forth."

The sister hit the wreckage of the car, shouldering it aside like it was paper mache. Her hand was outstretched. She gave a lion's roar.

"Angie, my sword."

"Angie, my sword."

Angie was in front of them. Her body enveloped in black tar like a biker's body suit. In her hands she had the largest scythe Gideon had ever seen. It loomed and curved back. One of Angie's booted feet was planted in the middle of the attacking sister's sternum. The sister looked dazed. Angie grinning, exposing rows of needle teeth. "My turn, bitch."

The sister back flipped. The scythe left a trail of black smoke like an after image. Angie's legs bunched, then she pushed forward. A chunk of the walkway flew into the air behind her. Her attacks were wild, but the sister didn't have a weapon.

Lavinia stumbled into Gideon's back, hugging him. Her face was warm and wet. "She's almost as fast as they are." Then she kissed Gideon's back, moving around his body so she was in front.

Umbral frowned over his steepled fingers. "She's inside out." He nodded his head. "Yes, I see now."

Gideon smirked but didn't comment.

Bijou staggered up. The sister she was facing off against turned to watch Angie's scythe. Bijou grunted, pushing off the earth, striking at her sister's throat. The sister gasped. Bijou limped, sighing, and then straightening. Bijou's body bent forward, and then fell forward, as she brought the heel of her right foot into her sister's cheek. As the sister cartwheeled through the air, Bijou pivoted and leapt at the other sister. That second sister jerked away, but was in the middle of dodging Angie's scythe. Bijou landed in a heap, tripping, and clattering a few feet short. That sister's momentum staggered. Angie surged forward. The giant scythe cut the sister in half as if her body was made of paper. Bijou heaved back onto her feet.

The remaining sister barreled into Bijou, shrieking. As the sister's arm cocked back to slug Bijou, Angie's scythe took off the arm and part of the sister's face.

Bijou scrambled into a crouch, huddling down like a linebacker. Her head was turned up to look at all of them. Her face was a broken purple landscape of pain. "Mother sent them to kill you."

Angie hissed. Her legs coiled like they had before. Her arms twisted her scythe around her body and high over her head.

"Hold," Gideon called out, moving around Lavinia and approaching Angie. He stood just behind her scythe, which was as big as she was. No, he pushed against the fear. He couldn't hesitate. He walked and laid a hand upon Angie's shoulder.

She looked up at him with those bulbous black orbs and a smile twice as wide as normal. It was like her lips went up to her cheek bones, and her mouth had sprouted five rows of shark's teeth. She whined and nuzzled the hand Gideon had on her shoulder.

"Not you?" Gideon asked. He was feeling better. At least the spurting wound in his forehead had scabbed over. His jaw only throbbed when he talked.

"You bitch!" Lavinia shouted from behind Angie and her scythe. "Kill the cunt, and let's burn her body."

"She's made her choice," Umbral said, walking around Bijou. His gray, leathery hands hovered around Bijou's body. "She could be useful. She'd been released from service." He pursed his lips. "Ask her who is coming after her."

Gideon raised his hand, "Not now, Lavinia." He turned his dark eyes on Bijou. "I won't cancel your curse."

"I know, my Lord." She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Who is coming after you?"

Bijou's lips compressed and she leaned backwards. She took to her feet, dusting at the tatters of her clothing. Her body was all lean lines and slithering grace. She folded her hands over her pale abs. Each breath flexed her six-pack. "One of the Templars. My mother hopes to distance herself..." Bijou looked away, blinking back a tear. "From my actions."

"So you help me to what?" Gideon's brows wrinkled. "Put them on my trail?"

Angie growled. "Kill her. Kill her," Angie chanted over and over.

"Kill her!" Lavinia joined in.

Gideon turned his head to looks at Umbral.

"Perfect." Umbral grinned, pressing his fingers against each other. "This I can use." He nodded to himself.

"How much time do we have?" Gideon asked, ignoring all three.

Bijou looked up at the sky. "I don't hear their choppers yet, but-"

Angie tilted her head. "I hear two."

"Shit." Gideon looked around. The pain was receding but it wasn't gone. He felt dizzy and staggered into Angie. "Shit fuck."

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post script: I hit a lull about midway through. Then I spent time tinkering, but you can only read your own work so many times before you just want to move on. So, I decided to post it. I'm a bit concerned the style from the first half doesn't jive with the second half because of the break. I'm also not happy with the sex scenes, but I think it was the setting...dunno.