Tengzu Horrors II

Tengzu Municipality, Cheena, Earth

***

As soon as the shrieking sounds of the demon ether were gone, Dreygo heard sobs under the floor. It was the last of the four undead demons vanquished by his weapon. He surveyed the room and looked for the source. Elaine and Sho followed him to the room.

Dreygo peeked below the bed, his knees on the floor. It was a little girl. She was continuously crying, curled, and hugged her knees. She was emaciated to the farthest corner below the bed and against the wall.

"It's ok, little girl," Dreygo said. The girl continued to cry and did not answer back.

"She won't come out. She's afraid of you. Look at yourself," Elaine said.

Dreygo inspected his clothes, it was full of blood, and his long hair was disorganized. He shrugged.

Elaine now peeked below the bed.

"The monsters are gone, little princess." Elaine extended her hand with open palms.

The girl's cry slowed down and received Elaine's hand. She glanced at the body lying on the floor, she cried again upon looking at the face of her dead mother. She hugged Elaine tightly around her waist.

"Is it over?" Officer Sho asked.

"I think it is, it was the fourth one. I hope this is the last," Dreygo responded.

"I found five dead kids outside the alleys. They tried to run but I think the demons caught up to them," Officer Sho mused.

"We have to rest and hide. I sense a strong demonic presence within the area. It seems it is hunting us. His location is mobile but only within a kilometer radius," Dreygo said.

He felt it, it was not an ordinary demon. Probably, it could be a Demon Lord capable of bringing such aura. It could be Belrag, but he sensed differently.

With the undead demons within the vicinity, his best bet was the Demon Lord of wrath. Taking up with a Demon Lord was unwise.

"I am not certain, but maybe a Demon Lord is present in this municipality." Dreygo mused.

"Who's he?" Sho asked.

"Kragus' Lieutenant. It could be Zerath, the Demon Lord of Wrath." Dreygo responded.

"How do we stop him?" Elaine asked.

"We can't," Dreygo responded and it silenced Elaine and Sho.

Dreygo knew that Zerath was luring them. He was putting Elaine and Officer Sho in danger. They had to lay low and asked for Viriel's help. He assessed that such caliber should not be faced alone.

They had to hide for now and take the fight in the morning. Demons were weaker when the sun is high.

Elaine knelt with one and leveled her eyes at the crying girl.

"What's your name?" Elaine asked.

"Alysa," the girl replied, still sobbing.

"Alysa, I am Elaine. This is Sho and Dreygo. We are your friends. There is something bad happening outside. Can we stay here for the night?" Elaine pleaded. Her hands were on the girl's shoulder.

Alysa nodded. Officer Sho hurried down the stairs and repaired the door's locks. He glanced outside through the blinds, and the night was quiet.

Dreygo followed suit. Elaine stayed upstairs with Alysa and they both sat on the bed right after she covered Alysa's mother's corpse. Alysa's head leaned on Elaine's shoulder and their hands clasped with each other.

"It's ok young fellah," Elaine whispered to the whimpering child.

"My mommy." She said, shakingly.

"Their souls are in a good place, Alysa," Elaine responded. Her hand caressed the girl's hair. "How about a sing you a song."

The girl did not respond.

Elaine sang a lullaby and continued to caress Alysa's hair. Alysa was an orphan now and she could not live on her own. But Elaine knew she could not take care of Alysa for their journey posed death-defying threats.

Alysa continued to cry upon seeing the corpse on the floor thus Elaine called upon Dreygo and Sho to transfer the body to the other room. Alysa started to calm herself and lay on the bed, Elaine was beside her, continuing to sing a lullaby.

Her lullaby echoed to the entire house. It soothed, not only Alysa but also a relief to Dreygo and Officer Sho. They rested momentarily upon hearing Elaine's voice. Her angelic and soft voice mend the Harbinger's heart as if a divine touch had given him peace.

Dreygo lowered himself to the couch in the living room and Officer Sho sat across him. Dreygo slouched and his head facing upward. Elaine's voice made him sleepy and relaxed, making him calm his senses. Even Zerath's nearby presence had urged him to rest. Finally, his eyes were closed.

***

Suddenly, the horrendous visions in Hell rushed his dreams. Elaine's lullaby was fading and he sat on the couch, now made with a pile of skeletons.

There were no songs in Hell, only the irritating shrieking sounds of Demon bats that flew above the smoky skies. They made continuous high-pitch sounds that one could not stop.

The shrieks of bats made lesser irritating than the cries of humanoid demons. These were not normal bats, they were large like humans, or they were humans before and transformed into bats. He never knew how but he heard the stories.

But these bats feared Dreygo. Even though they can fly, an escape from the harbinger was still close to impossible.

Not only the large bats that irritated him during his sleep but also the unending thunders made by the western cold continents. The storms never rested, as others would say. The harbinger would hope that the shrieks, the thunders, and the demons' cries would harmonize to make music, at least.

The Hell's night sky sometimes became orange, in some seasons of the year, and would deliver heavy rain of fire. These balls of fire that descended from the skies created tremors as these pebble-sized burning rocks clashed upon the ground.

Such rain of fire would happen once every calendar year but it lasted for 30 days. He was restless all month long. The Demon Lords called it a cleanse. It was a ritual they made once a year to summon a rain of fire for an instrument of population control.

But Death harbingers were properly sheltered, sheathed against the scorching rain. All night for one month, the cries never stop. It was also the resting season of Death Harbingers, but rest he could not find. It was better to kill demons with his sword for he could rest after achieving death quotas.

***

Awakened, his consciousness drove him back to the house. He hauled his back from lying to a sitting position and noticed perspiration had soaked his shirt. The sun was nearly going up. He knew Elaine was now asleep and so was Alysa.

He continued to survey outside and he saw police cars. Four police officers took the neighborhood's complaints about the noise and probably the missing persons.

He saw one policeman knocking on doors across the street and he anticipated it will knock on their doors too.

These might be cops under the Triad's employ as Dreygo feared.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Dreygo peeked at the window but concealed himself against the wall. It was a police officer. The knock startled the Officer who had just awakened from his slumber across the harbinger.

"Maam, this is the police. I need to ask some questions," The police officer said behind the door.

Knock! Knock!

"Ma'am, this is the police. Just making some rounds…" The police officer continued to call out. Various people went out of their houses, they were talking with the police officers outside.

Elaine went down the stairs and went directly to the door. "Officer, we are good," Elaine answered behind the closed door.

"Are you sure, ma'am?" The Officer insisted.

"Yes Officer, I am sure," Elaine responded.

"Your neighbors heard noises and if you have something to report, please do not hesitate to approach us. We are still outside, assessing the area," The Officer assured.

"Thank you, Officer," Elaine answered.

Elaine escaped a great sigh.

"I talked to Viriel," she referred to her telepathic abilities to communicate with diving beings.

"He said undead demons are growing in Tengzu and one Demon Lord is present. They will attack this city tonight. He instructed us to stay in this house and he will come and aide us."