Netherworld, Soul Guardians Book 4 (19 page)

A wave of crab demons jumped on her.
Their teeth perforated into her flesh, and Kara did her best to
pull them off her without stopping. She had followed the mist to
get to the sun, so she would follow it out. That was her
plan.

Between kicking and hitting the crab
demons, Kara lost track of time.

She shivered at the thought of being
trapped inside that green entity forever—

Another volley of crabs attacked. Kara
cried out as she plucked them from her face and chest. Their razor
sharp teeth cut through her angel skin. She wished she had a
moonstone or firestone with her, so that she could blow them all
into a crab cocktail. But she had no such luck. She had to keep on
running. With a renewed sense of determination, she ran wildly
through the mist. The eerie darkness still surrounded her, but she
started to smile at the sound of the bones and shells breaking from
the weight of her boots.

The sound of crushed shells tapered
off. The mist lifted. She ran down a passageway and into a gloomy
lobby. Black windows lined the opposite end. Without hesitating,
Kara ran to the first window and kicked it. Glass shattered at her
feet and Kara hesitated for a second. An arm reached out through
the opening. She recognized David’s brown leather jacket
immediately. She locked her hand into his and was hauled through
the window to safety.

Chapter 15

The Transformation

“
K
ara! What happened to you? We thought we’d lost
you.”

David embraced Kara tightly. She let
herself fall into his arms. She fought the sob that threatened to
burst and shivered in his embrace.

“
The door opened…and you
disappeared. We tried to kick it down, but it wouldn’t budge. And
then it vanished. Just like that, there was no more
door.”

Kara pushed herself away from David
gently. She lifted her eyes to his. “I was in—” She examined his
face. “David! Oh my god, your eyes! What happened to your eyes?
They’re all black—and your face! Your skin!”

David turned away, his shoulders
slouched. “I know. I look hideous. Don’t look at me. Peter’s
affected too. Whatever it is—we both have it.”

Peter sauntered towards them. His skin
had lost its natural pink pigment and was a chalky white color. His
face was drawn, with dark circles under his eyes. All the whites in
his eyes had disappeared, and only impenetrable black sockets
remained. He looked much worse than David. He looked like a walking
corpse that would collapse at any moment. He forced a
smile.

Kara grabbed David by the elbow and
steered him around to face her. He didn’t meet her eyes. She took
his face into her hands and studied it for a moment, never letting
go. She shuddered.

“
I’m freaking out here.
Your eyes are completely black, David. And your skin is clammy and
white. What happened? Who did this to you?”

Kara inspected herself. “Are my eyes
black? How’s my skin? Do I look like you?”

David shook his head solemnly. “No.
You look pretty awful yourself. But nothing like us.”

“
Thanks. So my eyes are not
black?”

“
No. They’re their normal
brown.” David pulled away from Kara. He stood quiet for a moment.
“No one did this to us…it just happened. I guess whatever this
thing is—it’s only affecting Peter and me. And it’s getting worse
by the minute.”

Kara watched David carefully. He was
slouching, as if he had trouble standing. He kept avoiding her
gaze. Whatever this thing was, it was attacking them like a
disease. They looked feverish and sweaty. But something nagged her.
“I’m afraid to say this…but you look like—you look
like—”

“
Higher demons.” David cut
her off. “We know.”

Kara grabbed David’s arm and pulled
him towards her. “But how is that possible? It makes no sense. You
can’t just become higher demons. You’re angels. This is crazy. This
sort of thing just can’t happen.”

“
I don’t think it’s crazy.”
Peter lowered himself to the ground and held his head with one
hand. “It makes perfect sense. Angels can’t roam the demon world,
only demons…or those with demon essence like you, Kara. I think
since we…since we took some of
your
essence…we were able to survive here. But now
it’s claiming us.”

“
Claiming you?” Kara
repeated frustrated. “No. No, that can’t be. It must be something
else. Something we haven’t seen yet. Angels don’t just transform
into demons. It’s not possible. There has to be another
explanation. I mean…if what you say is true, then I should already
be a higher demon. And I’m not. I have the essence in me. Why
haven’t I changed?”

Peter shrugged and pursed his lips. “I
don’t know. Maybe you’re different somehow. You’ve always been
different, Kara. Maybe you’re just not affected the way we
are—because your essence is true. We mixed ours with yours…and I’m
guessing it wasn’t enough. I think the netherworld sensed it, and
it’s changing us.”

David raked his hair with his fingers.
“I think Peter’s right. This place...” he gestured with his hands,
“is turning us into freakin’ demons. Demons! Kara! I hate freaking
demons! And now I’m becoming one. It’s the freakin’ twilight
zone.”

Kara paced on the spot. Her eyes
narrowed. “No. You’re not turning into demons. I refuse to believe
that. There’s got to be a way to stop the transition. Maybe we can
reverse the process somehow.” Panic threatened to close her
throat.

“
We can’t.” David’s voice
rose. “We’re turning into higher demons, whether you like it or
not. It’s the truth. And it’s happening. We can’t stop it. It’s too
late for us.”

Kara ignored the comment and turned
her palm up. She examined the cut across her hand. It was nearly
invisible. Her brow creased in thought. “Then let’s get more out of
me. Maybe with a little more, it could reverse what’s been
done.”

She lifted her hand to
them.

“
No.” David took her hand
and squeezed it gently. “It was one thing to extract your essence
in the mortal world, but who knows what would happen here. You saw
what happened. It might kill us all.” His black eyes searched hers.
“And I know taking it made you weaker. We’re not going to do that
again. We can’t all be useless—we owe that to Jenny.”

Kara knew David was right. If they
took more of her essence, she wouldn’t stand a fighting chance
against Lilith. She couldn’t let her win. Jenny’s soul depended on
her.

With a dismissive shrug Kara looked
away from David. His black eyes brought back memories of higher
demons.

She looked around. “Wait a minute?
That’s strange? Why aren’t the buildings moving
anymore?”

Peter shook his head. A frown creased
his forehead. “We don’t know. They just suddenly stopped. I think
it has to do with what’s happening to us. I believe this world
treated us like parasites, and it wanted to exterminate us. But
now…since we’ve changed—it stopped.”

A chill rippled through Kara. Peter’s
words made sense. She knew she had to get her friends out of here
soon. “Well, at least it’s happening at a slow pace. We should be
able to get to Jenny soon and get out. Before this sickness gets
the best of you.”

“
Actually, it’s been
happening really fast.” David stared at his hands. After a moment
he looked up and pointed. “As soon as you disappeared into that
building, I noticed Peter’s eyes change. And then he told me mine
had changed, too. It all happened in a few minutes.”

Kara walked over to David and put a
hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, but that was at least an hour ago, and
we won’t be down here for much longer—What? Why are you looking at
me like that?”

“
Kara, you think you’ve
been gone for only an hour?” David and Peter shared a nervous
look.

Kara shifted uncomfortably. She looked
at them both and shook her head slowly. “Just about. Okay, maybe a
little more or less. Why? What’s the matter?”

“
You’ve only been gone
about five minutes.”

Kara’s mouth fell open. “What? No way.
I’ve been out there kicking crab demons and fighting against a
giant green sun that wanted to suck out my brain for at least an
hour. I’m sure of it.”

David arched an eyebrow in wonder.
“Demon crabs? A giant green sun? Sounds delicious. What happened in
there?”

Kara sighed and recounted the events.
When she was finished, she crossed her arms over her chest. “So you
see, it’s been more than five minutes.”

“
Well, not to us, Kara.”
Peter pushed himself back on his feet. He teetered for a moment and
then steadied himself. “Maybe wherever you were, time had no
meaning. But right here, where we stand, it does. You’ve been gone
for only five minutes.”

David gave Kara a tight smile. “So,
you see. Peter and I don’t have much time. If we’ve changed this
much in five minutes—in an hour, we’ll be cooked and ready to
serve. For real.”

David’s face was drained of color.
Kara noticed strands of white hair against his temples. She
remembered his dying face before he disintegrated in her arms back
in Horizon. She couldn’t go through that excruciating experience
again. She wouldn’t let David die a second time.

“
Then let’s get you two out
of here. I’ll come back for Jenny later—”

“
No.” David cut her off.
“We came here for Jenny. I’m not going anywhere without
her.”

“
Me, too.” Peter put on a
brave front, but Kara could see the terror spreading across his
pallid face. “We just can’t leave her here to die. And I know she’d
do the same for us.”

Kara shrugged. She knew she couldn’t
talk David into leaving, and Peter was just following David. There
was still a chance they could retrieve Jenny and get out before
things got any worse for them. It was a slight chance, but right
now what other choice did she have?

“
Then I suggest we get a
move on. Jenny is probably in worse shape than the two of you.
She’s been here a lot longer than us. If we hurry, she might still
have a fighting chance—”

Music interrupted her. A symphony of
harmonious tunes echoed from a distance. It felt strangely out of
place, and yet Kara welcomed it. “Do you guys hear that? The
music…can you hear it?” Her spirits lifted with every
note.

“
I hear it,” said Peter.
“It sounds classical. Dark classical, I think.”

“
Yeah. I hear it too.”
David pointed behind them. “It’s coming from over there. I think we
should check it out.”

Kara remembered the same type of music
coming from the casino. She remembered its bright lights and
card-playing demons. “I think it’s coming from the casino. If
Lilith’s anything like her father, she’s there with Jenny. And
she’s expecting us.”

“
Then let’s go say hello to
the ice queen.” David drew a soul blade from his jacket. “Here—I
think you’ll need this. It’s my last spare.” He handed it to Kara
who took it gladly.

Once they were ready, the three of
them marched through the quiet street, a little slower than before.
The silence felt eerie compared with the screeching of the wails of
the metal city. The city that had wanted to devour them a few
minutes ago, now lay as silent and unchanging as the dead. They
walked through the ominous city in silence. The tread of their feet
joined with the sound of the distant music. Red eyes glowed in the
dark. Shapes moved in the shadows. The wind brought hoarse whispers
in languages that Kara couldn’t understand. But nothing attacked
them. They passed stone edifices and tall glass buildings that
soared into the darkness above. Kara saw silhouettes of creatures
through the darkened windows, but still nothing came at
them.

In the midst of everything, Kara
realized that her pace had slowed dramatically. The others couldn’t
keep up with her, and so she had reduced her pace to match theirs.
Her nerves twitched inside her.

She stole a look over at David. His
brows were knit tightly together. His lips moved in an unnatural
way, almost as though he were chanting. His face was sunken; dark
circles tinted his black eyes, and most of his hair had gone white.
She forced herself to look away.

The music intensified. It was gothic,
with loud violins and thunderous trumpets. She could hear whispers
of laughter. The opaque darkness dwindled, and Kara could see light
over the buildings like the breaking of dawn. The structures were
less dense and smaller in size the further they went. Red lights
flickered above the buildings for a moment and then moved out of
sight. Curious, Kara walked faster. Again red lights spread out in
a semicircle as they flickered into view above the city. They went
up and down in a circular motion and disappeared behind a building.
Finally, Kara passed the last stone edifice and turned a
corner.

She stood before a large park the size
of a baseball field. A fifty-foot high wrought iron fence with
metal spikes on top surrounded the park, and a cloud of mist
hovered over the ground. Kara was reminded of her nasty little
experience with the crab demons.