The Demon Deception (30 page)

The walked for a few minutes in silence, then
Lazarus spoke, “Is this about what happened in Tucson?”

She was noncommittal for a few moments, then
she nodded.

“Freaked you out, didn’t it?” he asked.

Again, a cautious nod.

“You want to talk about it?”

She was pensive, and it was a few seconds
before she began talking, “I’ve never seen anything like that in my
life.”

“Few people do. When they do, it’s often the
last thing they see before they die.”

She glanced over at him, “Have you seen a lot
of that kind of thing?”

“More than you can even imagine.”

“How do you deal with something like
that?”

“One at a time, until they’re all dead.”

“No, I mean, mentally. How do you deal with
the nightmares?”

He shrugged, “I don’t have nightmares.”

She stopped, “How can you not have nightmares
about things like that?”

“I don’t know. I guess I come from a
different time, a different place. Things like that don’t really
affect me. I’ve been dealing with monsters like that for a very,
very long time. I think that if I was the kind of person that it
could affect, I wouldn’t still be here. One of the possessed would
have killed me long ago.”

“Do you have someone you talk to about
it?”

He shook his head, “No, I just don’t talk
about it.”

They began walking again.

She frowned, “I don’t think that’s good for
you, to bottle it up inside.”

He smiled, “I’m not bottling it up inside.
For me, it’s done when it’s done.” He brushed his hands together as
if brushing away dust.

She shook her head, “How can you kill all
those people and not be touched, someway, by what you’ve done?”

He spread his hands, “I don’t think about it.
You have to understand, the possessed have already made their
choices. They did something to make their deal with the devil. They
cheated, lied, murdered, betrayed. If I hadn’t killed them, they
would have continued to do so.”

“How can you say that about another human
being? They had lives, dreams, families.”

“By the time they get to that stage, they
aren’t really human anymore. Plus, the people that they’ve killed
had lives, dreams, and families as well. The demons eat away at
their souls, until all traces of humanity are gone. Believe me when
I tell you, I’ve seen the level of depravity that some of these
creatures are willing to go to worship their master. The humanity
has been stripped away.”

“I just wish it didn’t have to be this
way.”

He looked at her, “If it wasn’t like this,
how do you think it would be?”

“I just think that, sometimes, with the wars,
the hunger, the disease, the violence, it would be better if we
just weren’t here.”

“Do you think it would be better?”

“Yes, then there would only be nature.”

“Nature is a cruel mistress, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you have any pets?”

She nodded, “Yeah, I have two dogs and a cat
at home.”

“Well, think about what would happen to them
if we weren’t here. Do you think they would survive long if we
didn’t provide for them? Just because we’re not on the planet,
doesn’t mean that hunger, disease, and violence would
disappear.”

She paused, then shook her head.

“Life is filled with predators and prey. We
can choose to be prey, or we can fight the predators. I choose the
latter,” Lazarus said.

“How do we do that?”

“Police, Military, first responders, FBI,
CIA. All of them are on the front lines, heroes against chaos. But,
we must also be ready to defend ourselves, and the people we love.
That’s why Sam trains so much. He wants to make sure that he’s
ready to fight for the people who can’t fight for themselves.
Always remember, when seconds matter, the police are only minutes
away. Much better to rely on your own capabilities.”

They arrived at Wendy’s. They walked in, and
the cashier asked if they wanted it for the dining room or to go.
Darcy spoke and made the decision for both of them, “To go,
please.”

They ordered, waited for about five minutes,
then the girl behind the counter gave them their food. They walked
back with their food and soft drinks in hand.

“You know, Darcy, you don’t have to go with
us in the morning.”

She looked over at him, “What do you
mean?”

“Look, you’re a sweet woman. I don’t think
this is right for you. You can just stay here at the hotel, and
we’ll pick you up when we’re done. Or, I can give you money, and
you can ride a bus home. No recriminations. When we’re done here,
Sam and I will stop back by your house, and we’ll talk to you about
your gifts.”

Her smile was gentle, “I’d like that. I’d
like to see you both after we leave here.”

He teased her, “I think that you’d rather
have a chance to see Sam again after we leave here.”

She blushed, “Well, there is that.”

“Yeah, there is that. Sam’s a great guy.”

“I don’t think he likes me though.”

“Oh, he likes you. What man wouldn’t? You’re
smart, lovely, and sweet. He’s just coming from a different
background than you. He’s a lot more traditional. He’s a Catholic
altar boy who joined the Marines right after 9/11. He’s not really
into the feminism, socialism thing.”

She frowned at that, “You think he doesn’t
like me because of my education.”

He shook his head, “It’s not your education.
You just have to appreciate who he is. Meet him half way is all
that I’m saying.”

She took a sip from her soft drink, “I just
wish it was easier.”

“Well, Sam’s a handful. But, when you get
through the crunchy nougat, you find a soft chewy inside.”

She laughed, “I’d never imagine that. He just
looks, so,” she hesitated, “tough.”

“Oh, he is that. He’s one of the toughest
guys I’ve ever met, mentally and physically. And I’ve known a lot
of tough guys. But you ought to see him with his cat, Mooch.”

“He has a cat? I figured him more as a dog
kind of guy.”

“Well, he likes both. But Mooch showed up at
his house as a kitten. Mooch was pretty scrawny and sick. Now he’s
a fourteen pound cat. Believe me, he loves that cat. Mooch is kind
of like therapy for him. Mooch grounds him, gives him something to
care about.”

She laughed at the visual of Sam and his
fourteen pound cat. They arrived at the main doors of the lobby.
Lazarus opened the door for her again, and she stepped inside. They
were both on the second floor, so they rode up in the elevator
together. Darcy leaned over and kissed Lazarus on the cheek,
“Thanks, Eli. I appreciate your help.”

The kiss warmed his cheek. He smiled, “I’m
glad our talk helped.”

She nodded, “it did, a lot.”

The doors opened, and they stepped out. Darcy
went left, and Lazarus went right.

“Goodnight, Eli. I’ll see you in the
morning.”

“You can still sleep in, or take the bus back
home.”

She didn’t say anything, she just shook her
head, and drank from her soda again. Lazarus watched her walk
towards her room, then turned to his. He opened his door, and sat
the sack with his food on the bed. He put the soft drink on the
nightstand. He sat down on the side of the bed, and kicked off his
shoes. He laid back against the pillows, grabbed the remote, turned
on a movie, and began eating.

----------------------------------------------------

They gathered
downstairs around ten-thirty. They walked out to the van, loaded
up, and drove to Denny’s. It was closer to lunch, but Lazarus
wanted a good breakfast. He was one of those guys that could eat
breakfast three times a day. He had home fries, sausage, and three
eggs over easy. He dipped his toast in the egg yolk before he
finished the eggs. Sam had a cheeseburger with fries, and chocolate
milk. Darcy had a club sandwich and a coke. Lilith decided on a
salad.

Lazarus pointed at Lilith’s salad, “Really?
You’re going to fight other dimensional aliens with just a salad in
your stomach?”

Lilith smiled, “You don’t get a figure like
this by eating everything in sight.”

Sam spoke, “I thought you got that figure
because of your hellish demonic powers.”

Lilith pouted, “That’s not a nice thing to
say.”

Darcy piled on, “If I had to stick to salad
for four thousand years, I think I’d go insane. I agree with Sam. I
think it’s the demonic powers keeping you slim.”

Lilith sighed, “I’m so unappreciated
here.”

Lazarus rolled his eyes at the theatrics,
“Well, people might be nicer to you if you weren’t a minion of the
Great Deceiver.”

Lilith scowled, “Eli, you know I could wave
my hand and every person in here would be happy to rip you apart
for being mean to me.”

Lazarus conceded, at least partially, “Thanks
for making my point for me. Well, they’d all try. I don’t think
they’d succeed. Not with Sam here.”

Darcy looked at Sam and squeezed his arm. He
smiled at her.

Lilith was throwing a pity party for herself.
She placed her hands flat on the table, “I just thought I might get
a pass. After all, we fought Agent Johnston and his associates
yesterday. I thought we were a team.”

Sam spoke, “Lilith, there’s no sympathy here
for you.”

Lilith looked up at Sam, “Sam, why do you
dislike me so much?”

Lazarus grew anxious as he waited for Sam’s
answer. Sam tensed up, his hands the size of country hams as they
balled up into fists. Then he breathed in and out a few times, and
his body relaxed, his hands uncurling. He placed them flat.

“Well, Lilith, there’s what Eli said. You
know, minion of the devil, demonic evil, temptress, succubus. Then
there’s my brother, Mikey.”

Lilith looked confused, “Who? Your brother? I
didn’t know you had a brother.”

Sam leaned back, “Yeah, my little brother. He
was five years old when he was taken. His body was never found.
Some evil bastard kidnapped him. I know what your covens do to
worship you and your master.”

Lilith shook her head, “I don’t know what
you’re talking about. What year did that happen in?”

“That was nineteen eighty-seven. I was eight
years old.”

“Are you sure it was a coven?”

Sam leaned forward, “Your covens steal
children, and sacrifice them. Who else would it be?”

Lilith shook her head, “New York wasn’t
really my area. At least, not then. I was doing Europe. Beelzebub
was making inroads in New York though. He moved a lot of heroin and
cocaine through the city in the ‘80s. It was very hard for me to
operate in New York with him there.”

Sam shook his head, “I don’t care what demon
it was that controlled the city at that time. You’re still a
deceiver. You ruin lives. You pedal poison and lies.” His face grew
grim, scary. The death mask descended over his features, “I’ll
never be on your team.”

Lilith drew back from what she saw in his
eyes, her destruction.

Darcy drew back from Sam as well. What she
saw there scared her.

Lazarus coughed, and Sam’s face changed. The
mask receded, and Sam re-emerged. His face grew contrite as he
noticed the looks from the three others, “Sorry, I get carried away
when I think about Mikey.”

Darcy leaned in towards Sam, and put her hand
over his, “It’s okay. I understand.”

They ate in silence after that, the
occasional, “Pass the salt,” the only words heard.

They finished eating. Lazarus settled the
bill, and then followed the others out to the van. Sam and Darcy
settled into the back, and Lazarus walked towards the driver’s
seat. Lilith met him before he got there, “I think I’ll drive
now.”

Lazarus eyed her, then handed over the keys,
“Okay, you can drive. Just make sure you stop at the Bisbee Coffee
Company.”

----------------------------------------------------

They pulled off of State Route 80, onto
Tombstone Canyon road, and swung around to the north, to the
downtown area of Bisbee. The pulled around behind the building that
had the little mall with touristy shops, the ‘Bisbee’s Table’
restaurant, and in the west part of the building, the Bisbee Coffee
Company. They parked on the south side of the building. They had
only been driving for about thirty minutes, but Lilith stretched as
she got out of the van, mainly for the benefit of two men who were
walking across the parking lot.

Sam and Darcy climbed out of the back, and
Sam asked, “Alright, where’s the coffee place?”

Lazarus motioned for them to follow him, and
he walked down Commerce Street and turned right at the end of the
building. He walked into the door that opened into the coffee shop.
Sam stood outside and held open the door for Lilith and Darcy.
Darcy stepped inside, looked across the hall, and saw a store that
sold copper jewelry, and she went over to look around.

Lilith walked up to the counter and ordered.
Lazarus looked at the baked goods to see if there was anything he
wanted. When Lilith was finished, he ordered a brownie, and the
Miner’s blend in a large cup. He looked around, and didn’t see what
he wanted, so he asked the young woman behind the counter, “Do you
have some bags of Miner’s blend?”

The girl nodded, “Do you want whole beans or
ground?”

He thought about it, and thought about where
he might be when he was drinking the coffee, “Let me have eight
bags of ground coffee beans.”

“That’s a lot of coffee, Eli,” Sam said.”

Lazarus looked back at Sam, “Well, I never
know when I’m going to be here, so I like to get coffee when I
am.”

The girl was ringing up his bill, “You know
you can order online, right?”

He shrugged, “I never know where I’m going to
be, so it’s hard to get it sent to me.”