Hell's Army

Chapter Thirty-one- War

Ingleseid squished his way through the crowd as a float shaped like a ridiculously happy kiwi barrelled past. Others followed suit like giant cows heading to the milking shed.

"Where's Samael?" Holly demanded as a TV camera shoved its way into their faces.

Tatters fiddled with the hem of his shirt nervously.

"He'll be here," Ingleseid muttered. He hated crowds. Why anyone would willingly spend their Christmas with thousands of sweaty people watching massive pieces of cardboard roll down the road, he would never know.

The floats rolled to a stop, and the mayor's face lit up on the giant monitor as he stood on a float shaped like a pavlova. His wrinkles stretched across his face to an almost painful point as he smiled. "Good morning, Setan City," he said, and people felt the need to scream and cheer over the very mention of their name. "How's the Christmas going?" More cheers. "Today marks the 153rd Christmas since our city was founded, and as we remember all that we have achieved together, all that our ancestors achieved, I have only one thing to say to you all- Merry Christmas."

People erupted around him, excited screams filling the air as a man with dishevelled black hair and dull eyes slipped behind the mayor and snatched the microphone out of his hands.

The mayor made a few weak sounds of protest and Genesis said, "Good morning, Setan City."

Two broad shouldered men with 'Security Guard' written across their jackets ran at him, but hands snaked around their necks, and two vampires wrenched them back.

"153 years," Genesis breathed. "153 years of squabbling in the dirt, doing everything in your power to keep yourself in this miserable little planet one second longer. Desperate for control in a world that can't be controlled. Yet. Good morning, Setan City," he said again. "I am your saviour, and I have come to drag you out of the mud and blood and filth of your existence and give you life."

For the first time since the parade had started, everyone was silent.

"Someone get him off here!" the mayor snapped, and Genesis smiled.

"Do you want to see how it works?" he murmured.

Then he tore the mayor's throat out.

He looked up at them all, fresh blood smeared across his face glinting in the sunlight. "This is the part where you scream."

People screamed. People ran. People sank to the ground and sobbed.

Merry Christmas.

The vampires descended into the crowd like a great plague. Parents screamed for their children. Lovers held each other. Wide eyes, shrieking lips, waving arms flashed by in a wave of fear. And amongst it all, the ground groaned and split, inhuman creatures clawing their way to the surface. The demons had arrived.

"Inglesied?" Holly asked, taking a step back. "Plan would be really good right about now."

He looked at her, caught something drifting on the horizon behind her and grinned. She frowned and followed his gaze.

People were walking towards them. No, not walking, marching. They wore matching suits and matching expressions- cold and hard and dangerous.

He tossed Holly a stake as the nearest angel ripped a demon in half with his bare hands. "Plan- Kill anything with fangs."

She shrugged. "Works for me."

He sent a stake spinning into the heart of a vampire descending on a little boy holding his ice cream in wonder, and it exploded into dust. He caught a flash steel through the haze, and the head of the vampire behind him snapped back as a bullet slammed into it. Morganstone shot him a grim look and staked the nearest vampire.