Age of Demons

Chapter 40 - Ashlyn

Detroit Safe House

The first day back out in the field was a Sunday. My body thrummed with unused energy that desperately needed to be exercised.

I was early. I anxiously tapped my fingers on the table, waiting for the rest to file in.

The door opened, and I glanced behind me to see Mara enter. She had her hair twisted in a braid as usual. Her face was pale, and purple half moons hung below her eyes.

We made eye contact, and Mara nodded at me before collapsing in a chair near the head of the table. I didn't know what to say to her; she must have been taking this a lot harder, so I stayed quiet.

My mind drifted to thoughts of Sylvia. Did Des still visit her? He probably did. A thought came to my mind. Why did she stay down there now that she was awake? Did the commanders force her to stay?

Zamara strode in, and her focus landed on me right away.

"It seems, Ashlyn, that you and Des are the only two we can use to eradicate the demons. While the other possessed are capable of the skill, they lack the kind of hold you have over your demons."

"Is James all right?" I asked.

"He should be back to full health shortly."

Mara scrutinized the two of us. "I assume the idea didn't work?"

Zamara claimed the head of the table. "If only it had. With the current circumstances, we need as much strength as we can get."

I had noticed this morning. When I made for the stairs to get to the asylum, I stopped in my tracks. There was one large window, and glancing through it, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Hordes of demons. So many, it was as if the earth was made up of darkness. I stayed rooted to that spot, unable to believe what I was seeing. Back at Deliverance, on a bad day, you might see three demons wandering, but never in groups, never in a mass.

Somehow, though, I wasn't afraid. No shaking, no panicking—nothing. The only thing I felt was desire. I yearned to go out there and draw in the strength of an army. I wanted it all; I wanted the power I could take from them.

Zamara's voice jostled me back to reality. "Today is going to be different. All of the teams will be working as one unit. And everyone is going to stay within the boundary."

In a short amount of time, teams were dispatched. Mara and I strode beside each other, Vince and Corin a step behind us with Tia in between, and Des in front.

I observed the other teams—they were geared up like us too—in black with biker helmets on. Everyone—except Des and me—held a gun at their side. Zamara had once mentioned that twenty teams were established, and this time I witnessed how many of us there were. Each team had five to ten people in it. Together, we were one cohesive army.

But we were no match for what waited for us. Only yards away, the boundary was defined by a literal wall of demons. They writhed, their ethereal bodies drawing as close as possible, as if they could taste us already.

We progressed slowly, keeping vigilant, even though we were protected. Things were changing, and the demons were adapting. Who knew what they could overcome next? I took in Mara. She poised tall, looking up at a ravenous demon that loomed over her. She didn't tremble—not like the guy next to her was. She glared danger and death straight in the eye.