Chapter Eleven: Bar Fight

Mortise,

They were hairless pieces of shit, humans that have been cooking in hell for who-knows-how-long. Crawling towards me like ants, wanting to tear me apart. I readied myself, while the demon's meaty face curved into an off-putting grin and he started laughing in deep rumbles.

"Eat him!", he called out to them and they screeched in response, running at me. I caught the first one with my bloody knuckle to face, but they quickly jumped on me. I tried keeping them away from me. An elbow to the face, a knee to the stomach, even headbutting one.

But I was quickly overpowered and started to feel the rage build up. The pain started, as they clawed on my shirt, cutting into it and my skin, some even pulling my hair out.

I could feel it raise, soon it will take over me and I will kill them all. But before it could come to that, a sudden burst of fire engulfed me.

I felt my arm go free, so I quickly pulled the coat over my head, as the fire crashed into me and everything around me. Touching the carcasses of ash skins, while at the same time latching onto the trees, the sky, and the demon in front of me.

It gave a deep roar, as its flesh burned off his body. On the other hand, ash skins turned into raisins on the ground. I turned around to find legs less body composed of fire and a head forming of a humanoid being. An Ifrit, a demon of fire. As it fulfilled his command, it started to retreat underneath her feet.

"Oh look at that, a witch showed up", I said to Jacki, fixing my coat and suit. This one was also working with a Church but on my side. She was wearing a charcoal black trench coat, with a dark brown shirt tucked in and dress pants and shoes.

She had long black hair, which covered the right side of her face. Which was bandaged along with her forehead and neck. She raised her hand and pointed at the demon, "Send the Biforn, back to hell", without any expressions.

"Don't tell me what to do", I said as I turned around towards the demon. Shaking the dust off my coat, as I stepped in front of the burned figure. He looked up at me with what reassembled a face once, now disfigured.

"This is not...the end...Asmodeus is on the earth...and others will soon...Fellow...paving the way for our Lord... to devour..all of you", He said in deep rumbles. I smiled back on this glorious news and hunched down to his face. "It's fine, this just makes it easier", I said as I placed my hand on the top of his head.

"Once you are down there, spread the word. Come anytime you want and we will serve you", I said as my blood-soaked napkin around my wound started bubbling and scolding the top of his head.

"Coniuro nequitiae. Aperi ianuam inferni, et hanc sordes demitte", I uttered the spell and as soon as the word left my mouth, the ground underneath him cracked inwards. Releasing intense heat and scolding winds upwards. A gateway to hell, for my intent and purpose. In a swift motion, I pushed him inside.

The ground cave inwards after him and I was left with rage burning inside my heart. Clenching my teeth I reached out for one of my Cigarettes and held it with my mouth. It tasted like roses, just how they would smell.

The mist and the haze started to dissipate and ash dissolved into the ground along with the ash spawns. Once again the trees flourished with greeny and the cold wind blew once again. Along with the light of the coming dawn greeted with a soft orange glow.

I felt myself claiming down, as I exhaled the last of the smoke and then threw away the bud. I turned at Jacki, only to see the true form of the burned-down house.

Then it all started collapsing on itself, with that woman still inside. The walls broke inwards and the floors fell on each other, kicking up the dust and ash. No doubt that woman couldn't have survived that.

"Don't worry about her, she will come to no harm", Jacki said calmly, as suddenly a beacon of light shot out from the rubble. I flinched and brought my arm up, barely making out what was happening in front of me. But, just for a moment, I witnessed the divine being of pure white flames.

It was hunched down and in the motion of standing up, supposedly shielding that woman. And as quick as it came, it vanished just as quickly. I came to the remains of the wall and looking inside I saw that the angel had left behind the charred circle and a perfectly fine woman in the center.

At that moment I turned to Jacki. "Do you have someplace to be?", I asked Jacki, who shook her head. "Good, here is what I want you to do".

Catherine,

It felt like swimming in a lake of fire before everything turned cold. I woke up in the passenger seat with sunlight hitting my face, but before I could even make sense of what was happening. My stomach acted out and I felt something coming up into my mouth.

I quickly pulled the lever and opened the car door, swinging out onto my knees. Jutting out what little I had eaten and for the next few minutes, I only tasted bitterness. Quickly spitting what remained in my mouth, I grabbed onto the car roof and pulled myself up.

Coming to see the figure staring at me, a girl wearing a charcoal color coat and a dark brown dress suit. The right side of her face was bandaged along with her forehead, covered by her long black hair. "Who are...you?", I said, gripping my forehead in pain.

"Mortise asked me to take you to him", She replied with no expression. "Huh, okay", I said as I sat back into the passenger seat of my rented car and closed the door. I turned to her, "Do you have anything to drink?", I asked. She nodded, pulling out a flask and heading it to me.

"What is it?", I asked. "It's cranberry juice,'' she replied. I opened the cap and took in the sweet and fresh smell. Without a second thought, I started drinking as she started the car. The cranberry juice was delicious.

...

For the next minute, I enjoyed the wind blowing against my face and the flask in my hand. Finally, I looked over to her. "So, what's your name?"I asked expecting an answer, but she remained quiet. Her eyes fixated on the road, not even blinking.

"Hey, are you alright?", I again asked and still there was no response. Just then the radio switched itself on. "Good morning, Los Angeles!", said Dom in a booming voice. "Bright and sunny isn't it?", He added. Pain pulsated from the middle of the head, hearing his excessively optimistic voice.

"For god's sake... Shut up Dom", I shouted at the radio. "And who the hell is she?", I asked in a low voice. "Her? That would be Jacki, don't bother asking her anything, she will not reply to you. One-track mind, you know. So anyway, how was last night?", Dom asked, again in that irritating excessively optimistic tone.

"Get to the point, Dom", I replied. "Fine, I get it, a touchy subject. Grab Mortise, wherever he is, and meet up with me", Dom said just before the radio cut off to an actual station playing hip-pop music.

I immediately pulled out the radio from its slot and threw it out of the car. Finally getting the silence I deserved And then soon an old-looking building came into view, with few bikes and a single car parked outside.

A roadside bar, with a well off looking board sign with the name, "Durkin Jackass".

Mortise,

I tossed a few bucks on the table and asked for a whole bottle of a Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky. Just delicious and quite fun to drink in this particular bar of all places.

Nice cozy woodwork and on a lonesome highway without being much crowded. It had not been that long since I stepped inside and the two hunks behind me at the pool table had already called the Jackass.

I just had gotten halfway through the bottle and was slightly drunk before he came honking. Everyone stepped to the corner of the bar, as his fat ass came along with two tall buff-looking men on his sides. "Hey look, the Jackass here!", I said gratefully, opening my arms.

"No! Get the fuck out of my bar, you bastard!", He spat out, already dying from his asthma and fuming with anger. I stood up, "Hey, you can't do that, I am a paying customer", I said, bringing some distance between me and the good alcohol on the shelf behind the bar table.

"Fuck you and your shit stain bills! I told you that I'll kill you if I see you here again", He said yelling at the top of his lungs, while I just had a smile on.

Releasing that he wasn't getting rid of me that easily, he looked at the low-life next to him. "Get him out here!"He spat out and that guy nodded in response, turning towards me.

I looked at him in a welcoming manner, while he ran up to me and delivered a punch across my jaw. I tasted blood in my mouth while it trickled down the side of my lips and the pain was just right enough to get the blood flowing. I glared at him, he stood right about my height, trying his best to be intimidating.

I pulled myself towards him, "Nice punch", I said, just before I punched him in the face with the bottle in hand, spilling some on him. The weight of my punch left him staggered and the Jackass stepped back.

As the other one ran at me with a shoulder to the stomach, trying to pin me on the ground. But just in time I pushed my weight forwards and dragged my feet back, stopping him in his place.

I felt my smile getting even wider, as I raised my bottle in the air and smashed the back of it into his spin, causing him to lose strength in his arms in pain. Allowing me to shoot up my knee under his jaw, shooting his head up. I grabbed the top of his hair, while the guy I punched earlier ran at me. I quickly threw the guy onto him.

He caught him and quickly shoved him to the side. Giving me enough time hit the back of the bottle right in his forehead. Making sure to cock it with my thumb, so as not to spill the good-tasting liquid. He fell, bleeding profusely from his busted forehead.

"Haha, All this just for sleeping with your wife. Dame, I should do that often!", I said laughing looking back at the Jackass, then gulping down the Whisky. His face turned red and in anger, then he looked at my side while I filled my mouth with Whisky. "Fucking kill him!", He yelled.

My head snapped to the right, seeing a pool stick coming for my head. I ducted, seeing the two hunks at the pool table coming for me. I rushed at him grabbing the guy's puke-stained shirt and pulled him in while smashing the back of the bottle into his stomach.

The pain caused him to drop the stick, while I crashed my forehead into his nose, breaking it. The other guy came and gripped me, trying to pull me off him. I quickly emptied my mouth on his face, letting the Whisky burn into his eyes. Pushing the guy with the busted nose on the ground and turning towards the last guy standing.

Crashing his back into the pool table and pushing his face back on the pool table with my hand while I finished the bottle. Feeling his struggle, I stopped at the last sip and smashed the back of the bottle into his nose, smashing inwards while keeping him still. I threw the bottle over my shoulder, as I looked at the Jackass.

"See this fucker, next I come here. You better show hospitality!", I yelled at him, seeing only anger and frustration, just before his eyes moved behind me. Quickly realized that I didn't hear the bottle hitting the floor. Just before it came to the side of my temple, breaking on impact. Staggering me and whoever smashed the bottle into me, then grabbed me and pulled me away from the guy

I stumbled back on my feet and I saw the same Navy-blue trench coat-wearing woman from the church. Staring at me with anger on her face. Everyone in the bar was quiet, staring at this fantastic show. "To the car...now", she said, gritting her teeth. I turned around, peeking outside and finding the car with Jacki in the driver's seat.

I turned back to her with a smile, "Oh well", I said, fixing my coat. Then I looked at the Jackass, "I guess I'll see you later. Say hi to Mrs. Jackass for me", I said as I left, with the women following me to the outside.

It was a fun little time I had, but it didn't cause any rage in my heart. Maybe that was reserved for the demons. "What was that, is that something you do regularly?", she asked me angrily, as we walked down to the car.

I stopped and looked back at her with a bleeding temple, "Which part, beating up people or sleeping with their significant other?", I asked. She squinted her eyes at me, "How did you end up with the church?" She asked.

"Oh they took me in on their own accord", I said, as I looked at Jacki. "Go back", I said and she nodded before crawling to the back seats. And then looked at the woman, "You drive", I said as went for the passenger seat.

She didn't reply, just quietly sat in the driver's seat. I too sat in, finally resting on a comfy seat and turning to her. "So, since you have already broken a bottle in my face, may I ask your name?" I asked to let myself bleed from the side of my temple.

"It is Catherine", she said. "Well nice to meet you sweetheart", I said with a smile. She sighed and started the car and we were off into the sunrise.