Sweetheart

Chapter 33: Unexpected Help

Things were going to shit. Lilith, Angie, Vaggie, and Cherri's attempts to use their arsenal to keep Alastor from going anywhere were starting to piss him off. Nifty, Rosie, Mimzy, and Angel we're having no luck getting Alastor's attention. Husker and Ashley were having to avoid flying bits of ruble as they got demons off of the street. Poor Charlie was having to use her demonic powers to try to draw the evil souls from Alastor and was having no luck, and to top it off, Alastor would let out an occasional radio static wail of pain and smash up buildings and roads with his tentacles.

"Charlie!" Vaggie yelled over another wail, "What do we do!?" Charlie was standing in a blazing pentagram, her eyes red, horns protruding from her skull, and her hair floating above her.

"I don't know!" Charlie yelled back her response, cutting of her chanting in demonic language. "I'm not strong enough to pull out the souls alone!" Charlie looked like she was about to cry. Vaggie wanted nothing more than to run over and comfort her, but that would mean breaking the line that kept Alastor contained.

"Maybe I could be of assistance?" came a familiar voice from behind Charlie. Charlie turned and let out a shocked gasp.

"Dad!?" Lucifer gave his daughter a quirky smile. He took relaxed strides until he was standing beside his daughter. Another blazing pentagram erupted beneath his feet.

"Come now Charlie, dear!" Lucifer grinned as horns sprouted from his head, "You didn't think I'd let you do this alone did you?" Lucifer's eyes also went red. Brilliant white, feathered wing sprouted from Lucifer's back, a constant reminder of his past life. Lucifer's hair began to float as he and Charlie synchronized their chanting.

"Alastor."

Lucifer used the remains if his power that he wasn't using to send Alastor his thoughts.

"My old friend, I'm sorry. I should have known that what you did to our friends wasn't really you. You trying to over throw my rule was the souls that torment you. I remember you telling me about how you prayed that when you left the cult you were born in, you'd be able to stop the cannibalism you grew up knowing, but you couldn't. You loathed yourselves for not being able to stop your hunger, you loathe yourself now. Please Alastor, their are demons here fighting to help you. They care about you. You must fight against the turmoil in your mind. You have to hear them, you have to see. Fight, Alastor. Fight!"

Alastor let out another screech of pain as a giant shadow started to peel away from Alastor. The shadow had his shape, but there were hundreds of pained, scowling faces etched across the shadow's body. The shadow was struggling against the power that Lucifer and Charlie were using to pull it away from Alastor. Ashley and Husker flew down and started pulling on Alastor to try and help separate him from the shadow.

"It's working!" Mimzy shouted cheerfully.

"You're almost there, guys!" Lilith cheered as her husband and daughter struggled with the demonic spells they were chanting. Their power was draining from using it to this extent. Finally, they managed to say the last part of the incantation, the shadow screamed one last time before exploding in a cloud of black dust. Husker and Ashley were knocked to the ground, away from Alastor from the force of the explosion.

"Al!" Angel ran to were Alastor was, unconscious on the ground. Charlie and Lucifer collapsed in two, panting heaps. Vaggie and Lilith went to help them stand. Ashley flew to her dads.

"Is he okay?" She asked as Angel held Alastor's head in his lap. Alastor's breathing was very shallow and his skin was to grey.

"He's unconscious, and he's very weak." was all Angel Dust said in response.

"We need to get him back to the hotel before people start arriving to see what happened." Rosie said as she came to help lift Alastor up off the ground.