Mimi's Demons

Chapter 114: Voodoo? Voodoo!

Except maybe a flying lamp and a dozen invisible arms.

Even as he swore and dove to the side, the air rent with the sound of many claws tearing through his suit coat.

Honrye had taken hold of Mimi and wrapped his arms and wings about her till only the bottom of her paisley pink pajamas and dirty feet could be seen. He was shouting something at Duke, green eyes ablazed, but it was lost on Duke as he was more concerned with the macabre smile on Louis's dark face.

"God damnit, Louis, what the hell?" He kicked at an invisible something digging into his calf with needle-sharp pain. He'd seen the evidence of it, been told stories by Mimi, but he'd never actually felt a demon given physical power through blood.

Omen had resorted to using his rifle as a club, batting about him wildly in hopes of hitting whatever peeled his suit and left long, red lines around his face and pinpricks in his giant hands. He narrowly missed hitting Duke himself. The whistle of the rifle's butt flying by Duke's ear made him suddenly think it wouldn't be the demons who did him in, but his own bodyguard. It would only take one sound hit.

Strips of gray skin splattered here and there from where move invisible claws tore at Honrye's bat-like wings. Rather than show pain, Honrye snarled, face warping, fangs bared and lengthening. Mimi's exposed legs dangled limply from beneath the wings.

Where the wings membrane had been torn away, something paler was left behind. Something white stuck up through a particularly bad gash. Bone?

"Leave the girl and you leave here alive," said Louis, his calm, flat tone at odds with the blood and flesh being scattered about. "You can return to your same old life. You won't get another deal like this again."

A lucky claw dug true into Duke's collarbone. He yelled and grabbed at his shoulder, but his hands touched only air.

"Or die," said Louis, as though he couldn't care less, and turned his attention to the hissing spitting Honrye. His eyes narrowed. He stepped about the wreckage which was once a living room to Honrye's side. "I don't even know what you are."

"Stay back!" spat Honrye.

"Oh please." Louis took hold of the bony arm of Honrye's wing and tore.

A strangled scream tore from Honrye, bringing him to his knees. A great flap of gray skin and membrane was tossed to the side with a wet slap.

And now Duke could see, through his own flailing arms and claws digging into his flesh, what that the strange paleness showing through wasn't bone, but feathers. White-gray feathers.

Louis froze for a full second, along with the scuttling knives along Duke's body.

Then he threw back his head and laughed.

"You think you're an angel? Boy, you don't even know what an angel looks like, let alone what one is." He grabbed a mass of wet feathers and yanked, throwing Honrye to the wrecked floor. "You're the saddest excuse of a demon there ever was and that's all you ever will be! This half-ass pretend body of yours gives you no power!"

Louis dug suddenly clawed fingers into the tightly wrapped wings about Honrye, digging deep to the bone.

Honrye's scream gargled. His form trembled.

"It only gives you pain! And that's all you'll get for holding on to her, so give it up! She's no use to anyway!"

More tearing. More screaming. Feathers flew into the air even as they vanished. Bits of bloodless flesh followed after.

Louis's face no longer looked human.

Claws at Duke's knees brought him back down. Omen followed after with a heavy thud, one eye closed and bloody. He'd managed to make it half-way to Honrye before blood had replaced his kneecaps.

"You can't be her friend! You can't marry her! You can get nothing from this girl because you made your choice! You're one of us, you stupid little boy, and you always will be!"

Duke started to crawl. His bloody hands threatened to slip out from beneath him on the dirty hardwood floor. Claws dug into his forearms, digging towards his wrists.

"Just let her go!"

"NO!" Honrye roared.

Duke looked up from his bloody path. Honrye had become more white than gray. Feathers had grown back where they'd been yanked out, and his skin had begun to shine white. His horns had vanished and his overgrown hair gone pale.

But he'd also began to fade.

Duke reached out. Just a few more feet and he'd be there, he'd be in reach when Honrye inevitably lost hold of his physical form.

But then what? He could feel his blood leaking down from countless cuts. His head spun, light and high, despite the adrenaline. Omen had already fallen behind him, face first into the floor. The most Duke could be was yet another meat shield to wrap around Mimi, and that was only if he could overpowered a demon empowered Louis.

Was coming back all in vain? Why even give him a second chance if he wouldn't even have the time to change a thing?

Why the hell wasn't God or angels or something doing anything? Why had he been left to this pit? Why was his Mimi?

Honrye's white face twisted in dismay as his arms and wings became transparent enough to see a curled Mimi clutched against his chest. Louis's lengthened claws could be seen, solid as stone, digging deeper and deeper.

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My youngest has invented something he's found he loves: ketchup rice. 

I don't know whether to be happy or face palm. Rice is a carb and ketchup has a ton of sugar in it anyway. Not much of a change from the usual stuff he craves. But he's so pleased with himself. I guess the cuteness counts for something. 

Also the great fluffy Jim, my cat, snuck out while we were rebuilding the boys floor and got in a fight with something and lost, like he always does. Huge he may be but he's lost a fight to a mouse before. I had to take him to the vet and fork over almost $300 for the antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and other medicines for him. He seems a little better already. But really I wish he had just respected the closed door and not scurried out into the unknown. He's lost weight too. This long move has been stressful on him.