The Girl with the Hematite Eyes

"What has the bastard done? How did he....?

"Mother?" Someone in the congregation sputtered. The Queen dumped Connor at their feet.

++++++++++++

"Samohteht....I...." Brooks called.

He looked up at the raging goddess. Black rents in her flesh marred her complexion now.

Everyone shrank back from her.

She focused momentarily and her tissues fused together again.

"Sickness. He has infected me with a sickness." Samohteht howled. She began to walk towards Brooks, who was weeping into a cum-stained cushion.

"But. That's impossible...." Claudine offered, trying to take the Queen's arm. Panicked muttering rippled through the crowd. "It's impossible."

A black lesion appeared on Samohteht's cheek. Claudine sprung away from her Queen, a repulsed look upon her face. She began to back away from her 'mother'.

Samohteht stopped and felt her cheek and looked down at her breasts, another mark was raised above her left nipple.

"Aaaargh." She yelled furiously and dispersed into tornado of black malignancies.

The cloud of darkness shot round the room, whipping round and over those present. Rage and pure hatred could be felt emanating from each piece of the swarm.

Many of the ordinary humans in the room began to scramble for the door. Their demonic lords and ladies had no hope of controlling a mass exodus. Some of them actually joined the throng attempting escape. Samohteht's capricious children felt no actual love for her, of course.

The noise of the swarm was horrible and grating mixed with hysterical shouting.

Though his guards were only feet way Connor found that no one was watching him. He crawled over to Justine. He tried to speak but his throat was crushed.

"Justine?" He croaked, getting it to work after the second attempt.

"Yeah." She answered, clinging to his arm, then her eyes widened in fear. Something behind him...

+++++++++++++++++

Samohteht had reformed. It was only a partial success.

Black gashes streaked across her chest and legs. These wounds did not bleed, instead they crumbled, flaking dust upon the marble floor.

Even her unmarked skin had a dull grey pallor. Her blonde hair was a knotted mess and had faded into almost colourlessness.

"Claudine..." She cried, looking for her adjutant to assist her.

+++++++++++++++

Claudine backed away further. No succubus ever got sick. It was unthinkable.

She couldn't bear the thought of this ...creature...touching her with its diseased skin....her mother....

"No....don't come near me..." She shouted. Any loyalty she had for her Queen was overridden by her desire to stay healthy...beautiful....

The queen dragged herself towards the dais, towards Claudine and the naked priest.

++++++++++++++++

Connor noticed that the remaining demons were maintaining a wide margin from the source of their power. They had a uniform horrified/ uncertain expression on their faces.

It was now. The time was now.

He darted forward and onto the platform. Checking behind him to see Justine was following he tried to pull Brooks onto his feet.

"No...Nooo!" Samohteht shrieked. Her lower jaw was gone, replaced by a chitinous mandible. It made her voice terrible and alien.

She began to hobble faster towards those who had been the cause of this nightmare. She planned to rip their limbs from their bodies.

Connor yanked the priest to his feet.

"Come on. Come on!" He shouted, as Justine took his other side. "We've got to get out of here."

"No...I can't leave her...." Brooks answered.

One of the remaining demons, an incubus, passed out, knocking over a brazier onto a pile of cushions. It was soon ablaze, filling the hall with noxious fumes.

There were more screams and more people joining the mad scramble for the doors out to the gardens.

"Father?!" Justine yelled, tears filling her eyes.

"Its my fault..." Brooks mumbled. He held his hand out towards Samohteht but didn't actively resist when Connor and Justine began to drag him towards the far end of the room.

The Samohteht was dragging herself behind them, relentless.

++++++++++++++++++

"Hey, heroic types! Over here! Don't you fucking forget about me!"

It was the girl strapped to the wall. Connor had completely forgotten her. God, they didn't have time for this. The North end of the room was completely on fire now.

"Justine?" He said. He indicated that she should set the girl free. Then he changed his mind. "What are you doing here?" This was to the captive. You never knew, maybe this had been a kinky demon thing...

"You what they say about curiosity and the cat? Well, it was an attempted banishment spell, that, nearly squished this pussy flat...I tried to get rid of 'em!"

Nearby a curtain was set alight and Connor could feel the heat of it on his face. "Justine."

Whilst the older woman freed the captive, Connor looked behind them.

The fire had caught up with the crippled demon Queen. She had pulled herself to her feet using a stone pillar.

Her skin rippled black like oil and her body was stretched and misshapen like a Giacometti ablaze.

She had no semblance of humanity now, only her eyes remained and she returned his gaze. He was reflected in them.

Connor looked away, disturbed by how silent the creature was, how calm.

"Thank you. The name's Low, by the way. Now let's get the fuck outta here."

"The way back through the house has got to be around here." Connor shouted. The noise of the flames was so loud and parts of the hall must have been falling down at the far end.

It was hard to see and even harder to breath.

Connor couldn't see Justine. He let go of Father Brooks, just for a second so he could look for her.

++++++++++++++

"Justine!" He cried. He coughed. The smoke was getting to his lungs and every movement hurt. "Low, where's Justine?" He wanted to get them all out unharmed.

"I've got her. We leave now, or we're never going to." Low shouted.

"Where's the door?"

Just then there was a sound and a flash of light and a massive hole was smashed through a wall. It seemed as if all the air and smoke was being sucked out through it.

It was impossible to breath but when Low waved frantically as Connor to head for the crude exit, he understood.

Turning back to the priest he saw the man heading into the flames. His expression was calm as he was engulfed by the oncoming inferno.

Brooks never made a sound.

Horrified Connor stood there a moment, and then collecting himself, he, Justine and Low made it out into the open air.

+++++++++++++++++++

The exact moment that the queen died all the succubae, all the incubae dropped where they were standing.

All those milling about on the lawn, watching as the mayoral mansion burned slumped to the grass, comatose.

All those in Sixville suffered the same fate.

All over the globe, none were spared.

++++++++++++++++++

The exact moment that the queen died all the human victims began to wail like paid mourners. Rendered incapable of speech by the power of their grief.

In Sixville, where the most of the populace were enslaved, the noise was indescribable.

Connor couldn't believe what he was hearing at first, the volume was so loud and the sound so strange.

He held on to Justine, unable to let go. Who was comforting whom as they staggered down the streets of this small town?

++++++++++++

Low found a pick up truck and pulled some pliers from the back. She smiles triumphantly.

"Where are you going?" Connor asked her.

"See ya later." Low replied happily. "Thanks for everything."

Connor was stunned. It seemed so unfeasible that anyone could have escaped tonight without any trauma.

He watched her disappear.

++++++++++++++++++

A man walked passed. He was only wearing pyjamas. His face was red with tears and he was crying loudly.

A little girl was trailing after him, tugging at his pyjama pants. Connor guessed the man was her father...he was oblivious to her.

Dozens of these 'zombies' were roaming the streets. Connor and Justine avoided them at first but soon realised that they were harmless.

++++++++++++++++

Down near Main Street they found a car crash into a storefront. The pair of them managed to pull the occupant out but they'd gotten there too late.

She'd been a demon, anyway.

Justine had spat on the kerb when she had realised.

++++++++++++++++++

They came across few survivors. Connor guessed, or rather, hoped that most of them were taking refuge in their homes...its not as if the emergency services were functioning.

One woman had seen them from her car. She pulled over and assailed them with questions. Turns out her husband had woken up in the night, making the same racket as everyone else.

They'd only been married two months.

+++++++++++++++++++

Around dawn the first of the trucks arrived. They looked like military vehicles.

Connor waved to them.

At first he thought that they were all going to ignore him then one pulled to the side of the road.

A tall, commanding man got out and walked towards them.

"Hello. I'm General Thommen. I'm going to pass you over to Sergeant Isler here and he's going to take your names and that sort of thing." He said very authoritatively.

"You're not American troops. What are you doing here?" Connor asked, refusing to budge or be handed over to the General's shadow.

All down the street stretchers of people were being loaded onto the trucks. The operation was too prepared, too organized...

"Are you Father Brook's back up?"

Thommen looked surprised, then he relaxed. He got them to introduce themselves then offered them a ride to the command post.

++++++++++++++++=

"We aren't back up, so much as Plan B. Brooks felt that he could resolve the situation with a little more finesse..." He shrugged his shoulders. "HIV virus blessed by the Pope, himself...undetectable."

Connor looked at the man. He seemed so in control. He sipped his coffee as Sixville was emptied of its people. Thommen belonged to the Special Ops branch of the Swiss Guard, the same as Brooks. It seemed that they could act with impunity anywhere on the globe.

"What will you tell people about what happened here?"

Thommen scratched his chin and inspected a clipboard.

"A natural gas leak." He answered levelly.

The end.

+

(I've just finished and I'm sitting here in my room, well, cell, really. I should turn this in to Justine and Father di Pace but I can't. Trawling through it all again has left me with an uneasy feeling, something I can't put my finger on. When Justine comes I will have to plead for more time....)

+

(It's been three weeks since I've arrived in Rome and four days since I finished the job that I was assigned but still the unease grows. Justine and her friend di Pace are starting to worry about me. Their superiors distrust me, I think, that much I could read between the lines.)

+

(I have convinced Justine, who persuaded di Pace to let me have a look at the sleeping demons, only then can I truly put this behind me.)

+

(It has been days since we set off. We are all currently staying at some monastery, I have no idea where. I can tell you the Swiss Guard are all over the place and that something seems to be disturbing them.)

+

(They are awake! All of them! The five in the secure prison below this farmhouse and those thousands hidden away around the world! According to our hasty briefing, they all woke up simultaneously. The warden here assures me that we are quite safe but my faith is not strong.

They pace their cells and wait, I know it!

Di Pace has been recalled to a council of senior churchmen. Before he left he told me that he intended to recommend a death sentence for each any every one of ...them...let's hope that his voice can sway the others.... Curse them for not doing this straight away!)

+

They're all dead! The guards I mean. I recognised some of them from Sixville.

I've never seen so much blood.

I heard the gunfire from my room. I pulled my own gun and went out. By the time I got there it was too late. My only thought then was to get to the succubae and incubi below and to kill them.

I was too late again. From a dark alcove I watched an intimidating blonde woman shouting in German and freeing the captive demons.

I confess that I ran blindly through those labyrinthine passageways.

When my courage returned I went to look for Justine.

I'm weeping now and can barely see, though it is getting light.

Justine is with them. She is their new fucking Queen! Her eyes... I realise now, now, when it's far too late and hopeless what it was that niggled at me!

That night, years ago, Father Brooks began talking of them as a hive, but then he moved on to carnivorous plants. He was so close! So close that I am in pain right now.

I don't know how I know this but ...when a queen dies, worker bees make special queen cells. This royal jelly is fed to larval queens and a new queen is born.

The whole of Sixville was a goddamn hive and all the corruption and sin was fucking demon queen jelly! Justine was goddamn succubae all along and we never knew it. Shit. Shit. Shit. Justine was heir apparent.

I've never been so scared in my life. I'm down some sort of ruined cellar but I know it won't do any good. They are searching for me. Even if they don't kill me when they find me my soul is going to hell.

My cock is twitching at the threat/promise of their flavour.

David...

I've just prayed to a God I don't believe in, for the strength to kill myself before that happens. Ha. Bitter much....

I hope this and the rest of the Sixville stuff makes it back to di Pace or to the Church. I am going to hide it here and make a run for it.

They must know what happened here!)