“I heard about how bad the demon problem had gotten over in the UK, but I didn’t understand how bad it really was until I experienced it myself.” Amanda explained.

“What the fuck possessed you to come all the way over here from the States?” Drifter asked.

“I don't… I mean I do… have family… over here, I mean. A sister. She’s a college student and I… came to visit her.”

“Don’t you have your own demon problems to deal with, back home?”

“Occasionally… it ain’t nearly as bad as what you guys are dealing with. Just look around.”

The group stopped to examine the cold, empty street.

“It’s early evening and everything's already closed, not a single car on the road and the only people out here are the occasional cops. We’re not too far from the mall, but this place is empty already.”

“If you came here to look for your sister, then why did you join a crazy cult?” Dale questioned.

“That’s where I found her. She said she found a group of people who would keep her safe and told me to get in contact with them as soon as possible, for my own protection. I didn’t really believe it myself, but once I arrived, I figured I’d go to one of their meetings with her, but it didn’t go so well.”

“What happened?”

“I just couldn’t stand how they rejected everything I was taught. Praising demons? Giving up your individuality? Treating them like gods? It made no sense! Why should we bend the knee when those monsters are the ones who caused all this suffering in the first place!? It ain’t right!”

“So, they attacked you for having the wrong opinion!?”

“Not exactly. I stormed outta there, but after I left, I was chased by these gargoyle things. They cornered me in an alley. That’s when Locke saved me, but I’m pretty sure that attack wasn’t a coincidence.”

Drifter sighed. “Goodie… Idealogues. They’re always fun to deal with.”

“Does that mean we’re gonna go fuck them up?” Dale asked.

“I guess…”

The group soon arrived at the imposing cathedral, with its large steeples and looming bell tower. The headquarters of the Daemonism cult.

“This the place?” Drifter asked.

“Yeah…“ Amanda answered.

“I’ve seen a lot of chapels in my travels, but this one doesn’t have any of the wear and tear the others have. Looks new.”

“Those weirdos brought me here. At first they just seemed overly enthusiastic, but once I was inside, it was another story. They’ve all given up their free will in exchange for peace of mind and their dedication is unnerving. After seeing those acolytes willingly die in front of their demon god earlier, I realised I needed to get Abby out of there immediately.”

“Oh, that’s her name.”

Without saying another word, Drifter kicked the entrance to the cathedral open. The banging of Drifter’s foot against the massive wooden doors as they screeched open, drew the attention of the acolytes inside.

It was the same scene as before. A room full of hooded people, kneeling on benches. The group hung back as the sermon continued, the entire church falling silent in prayer. This time however, there was no demon priest on the podium. Instead, a stern old man in pure black robes, looked down upon his followers, paying no mind to the interruptions.

“Hey! Abby! You in here!?” Drifter yelled, drawing the ire of the attendants. Unfortunately, he received no answer. “Welp, I tried.”

“Are you sure your sister’s here?” Dale wondered.

“Hard to tell with all their hoods up. I’ll look around.” With Amanda searching, Drifter casually waltzed down the aisle, to get a closer look at the cult’s leader.

He looked down upon Drifter, from atop his podium like a disapproving school teacher dealing with yet another delinquent.

“Hey!” Drifter called. “Are you Anderson!?”

“I am Lord Anderson, yes.” He responded, sternly. “Is there a particular reason you are interrupting our prayer time?”

“Yeah! Are you a demon?”

“No.”

“Then why do you worship demons?”

“I have chosen to cooperate with the demons, as doing so will lead mankind to a new world, where our two races can live in peace. Unlike you, man in the white coat. You, who has so carelessly slaughtered countless of our demon brethren.”

“The only ones who got slaughtered this afternoon were your own people.”

“I have already been made aware of the horrible tragedy from this afternoon, as well as the one at the church that was swallowed by that deadly mist. We have paid our respects to the fallen who were cruelly taken from us. Perhaps if the White Heathen hadn’t antagonised our demon brethren, with his vicious and volatile vexations, they would still be alive.”

“That’s your excuse?”

“It’s plainly obvious that it was your actions that caused that demon to attack our people. Their deaths were the result of your callousness. Their blood is on your hands. If you are not stopped, your actions will only continue to breed more despair and violence across this great nation.”

“Or maybe your demons need to show a little respect to the people who already inhabit this world. Instead of attacking us, just for being different.”

“How dare you imply that demons brought violence into this world. Humanity has been violent ever since we achieved free thought. The demon’s we see before us are a punishment sent by God. It’s little wonder that they have such a low opinion of us, when we are nothing but primitive primates struggling for ourselves, at the expense of others.

By contrast, the demon's power allows them to thrive without the need for such petty struggles. After humanity stripped them of their god Lucifer, their world fell into ruin while ours flourished.

Now it is time for them to take back what is theirs. If we can admit to our own weakness and submit ourselves to the demons, they can lead us to a world where survival for all is guaranteed. A world of equality and peace. And I, Lord Anderson, have taken it upon myself to become their messenger for the human race. Now, abandon your outdated beliefs and become one with Daemonism.”

Drifter zoned out and lost interest halfway through Anderson's speech and swiftly changed subjects.

“Did you try to kill Amanda because she disagreed with you?”

“Of course not. Although, heathens are more at risk of having fatal encounters with our demon brethren.”

“Sounds like a nice cover-up for attempted murder.”

“I will not tolerate such baseless accusations. If you have no further business, then be gone White Heathen.”

Drifter glared for a moment, before turning around waving his hand.

“Fuckin’ whatever… nice gargoyle statues, by the way.” He remarked, pointing to the statues perched above Anderson and his stage. He returned to Dale at the entrance.

“That’s it?” Dale asked.

“Yep.” Drifter replied.

“Why didn’t you just vaporise him, like with the demon priest.”

“And piss off even more cultists? No thanks. I'd rather stay off their radar.”

"But, what about Anderson?"

"Who cares? People like him usually end up destroying themselves anyway.”

“Now my followers!” Anderson suddenly announced, prompting the hooded figures to lift their heads in unison.

“With our prayers over, it is time for my final announcement of the evening. The demons have finally chosen their candidate for the ascension ceremony.”

A short, blonde girl walked onto the stage, next to Anderson, whom Amanda recognised immediately.

“Abby!? What are you doing!?”

“Ammy! I’ve been chosen!” The girl replied before being interrupted by her Lord.

“Yes! To pay tribute to the demons who fell, the sister of their murderer shall be chosen as the first to ascend! To venture into the depths of Hell with her newfound powers to further strengthen the ties between demon and humankind by becoming both!”

“What!? You can’t punish Abby for something I did! What the hell are you going to do to her!?” Amanda cried, pulling out her gun.

“This is no punishment, this is a perfect opportunity to strengthen the ties between our two worlds. The ceremony will be quick and painless.” He assured, escorting Abby away.

“You are dismissed!”

Amanda tried to give chase, but a wailing wall of spirits blocked her path. “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts!”

“Amanda! Wait!” Dale yelled, dashing over to stop her. “Don’t touch that! Those ghosts are deadly!”

“But, my sister!”

“Don’t worry, Drifter can get past it, right?” Drifter was already in the middle of leaving with the rest of the acolytes. “What the fuck, dude!?”

Dale dragged Amanda out of the cathedral as they caught up to Drifter. “Are you going to help us or what!?”

“This situation’s too complicated for me, I’ll pass." Drifter reasoned.

“But, we can’t just leave!” Amanda objected. “Abby’s still in there!”

“Then go get her.”

“But, if you went in, you could save her no problem.”

“Use your head, stupid. Killing random demons is easy, no one gives a shit about them. But, the fact that this place is even allowed to operate without any government interference means they must have some influence. I was able to lay low for this long by staying out of that shit. If you want to investigate the old man’s demon cult, go find the evidence yourself.”

“But, why can’t you just-”

“I don’t care about your damn sister! She’s your sibling, so you save her!” With that, Drifter left, leaving Amanda and Dale to their own devices.

“Don’t worry.” Dale assured. “Drifter may be a lazy cunt, but I’ll help.”

“Thanks, but I don’t even know where to start.”

Just then, the last of the acolytes left, with the doors to the cathedral locked tight. Dale spotted Anderson entering his car from the car park.

“That was a quick ceremony.” He wondered. “Ammy, you stay here and see if your sister’s still in the cathedral and I’ll tail Anderson back to his home. With her as a witness and a little incriminating evidence, we can take this cult down.”

“Did you just call me Ammy?”

“Well… I mean… that’s what your sister called you… so I just thought…”

“Why are you so red?”

“I’m going now…”

As the cult leader drove off, Dale hurried after him. Light on his feet, it was easy for him to keep up with the vehicle whilst staying out of sight. Amanda was left at the empty cathedral, in the middle of the night, completely alone.

“Don’t worry, Abby. I’m coming for ya.” She psyched herself up. “Okay… so… how do I get in here?”

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

She pushed and pulled on the doors, but they weren’t budging. She refused to break in through the windows as it would be too obvious, she wanted to leave as little of a trail as possible, but she had to take some kind of risk if you wanted to get in. Amanda quickly came to a solution. She pulled out her gun, and using its demon magic, shot a tiny bullet into the keyhole, destroying the lock mechanism and opening the door.

“Oops.” She sarcastically shrugged.

She slowly nudged the door open and slipped inside the cathedral, making as little noise as possible. The room was covered in darkness, save for the spots illuminated by the light of the Moon from the ceiling windows.

“This place is huge.” She groaned to herself. “And this is just one room. How am I supposed to find anything in here?”

She thought about climbing onto the podium, but as long as the wailing wall was blocking her path, no one was getting anywhere near it.

“Dammit. Why would Anderson even leave my sister in a place like this, all by herself?“ Feeling hopelessly lost, Amanda figured that since she was in a church she may as well ask the big man himself.

“Oh Lord, I know there’s evil, twisted, godless sinning going on in this temple of yours. But if you can hear me, I humbly request you give me a sign. Anything that’ll point me in the right direction.”

There was silence for a minute straight. Nothing happened.

“Why did I think that would work? I’m just wasting my time.”

Suddenly, a bright light manifested before her, as if the light of the heavens themselves were shining through the darkness. “Holy crap. Is that you God?”

“God?” The light responded, as the sound of clanging chains echoed throughout the room. Amanda was disappointed that her divine intervention was just another demon.

“Locke? What are you doing here?”

Locke appeared curious. “I would like to ask you the same thing. Is it coincidence we met like this, or fate?”

“Please don’t, I’ve heard enough lofty crap today.”

“Yes. The humans here are rather strange, aren’t they?”

“Hey, since you’re here. Why did you enchant my gun like this? Why would a demon help me like that?”

“It was just an experiment.”

“Experiment? For what? Is it about Drifter?”

"I just wanted to see how much power a human could draw out of a demon weapon. Be it sword, or gun."

"You were testing me too?"

"It seems you've already drawn plenty of power from it and I’m not even that good at enchanting objects."

"But, why test me in the first place?"

Locke looked over to the model of the man pinned to a cross, hanging on the back wall of the room. To humanity, this man was sacred. A saviour, whose teachings and actions are emulated to this very day, but as a demon born in another world, he meant nothing to Locke, he was just another human.

“Tell me, Amanda. What does this place mean to you?”

“Changing the subject?”

“In my world, there were temples just like this. Places of worship, where we paid respect to our superiors, Lucifer and his disciples. Their powers were so far above our own, we considered them gods, but that was foolish. They were no gods, just talented liars. Manipulators who wormed their way into power through intimidation and cruelty. How Lucifer could consider any of them as his disciples is beyond my understanding.

Unlike the snakes, Lucifer was truly exceptional. One who stood above the elites and brought light to our realm. The demon world rallied behind him, granting him all the support we could give in the hopes that he would lead us to a brighter future. A future where we would no longer have to be subservient to these false gods.

Sadly, he too eventually fell. Disappearing from our world. Leaving us at the mercy of one false god after another. Gods who abandoned their people and brought them to the brink of extinction, through their own self indulgent actions, until our world became the wasteland it is today.

I wonder, are the Gods you humans worship just as false as ours?”

“They’re just stories. Examples we use to live by. Whether they’re true or not isn’t really important.”

“Just stories? If only my people were so fortunate…”

“Is there a point to all this rambling?”

“This human, well, former human, Anderson, is just another false god, abusing his influence to manipulate his followers for his own gain. Including my people. A human controlling demons like they were his pets. How much lower must my kind fall in their desperate attempts at attaining power?”

“You’re not the only one who wants to get rid of Anderson and his cult. You’re free to help us, you know.”

Without warning, Locke’s chains fired out of his left and right side, shooting into the pitch-black ceiling, stopping only after a disturbing crunch echoed throughout the hall. With a single chain on each side, Locke dragged the corpses of two gargoyle demons off their perches as they limply fell to the floor. His chains penetrated through their skulls.

“There’s your help.” Locke replied as the wailing barrier dissipated. “There are no more traitors in the building. Feel free to investigate to your heart’s content.”

Amanda was baffled by his actions. “I don’t get it. Why are you helping me again?"

The chained demon stood silently.

“Locke, what are you fighting for?”

He gave no answer.

“Because, if you’re trying to destroy humanity like all the others, then you’ll have to get through me.”

Amanda drew her gun, but Locke showed no interest in fighting. She fired a few shots, but they didn’t even singe his chains. No matter how many shots she fired, Locke took all of it without budging an inch.

“You’re just like Drifter.” She remarked. “You just stand there and take it, like some indestructible wall of indifference, neither of you seem interested in standing up for anything. Is it pride, or have you just given up?”

A white portal emerged from behind Locke. “I stand for one thing: The resurrection of my world and its people, but as long as the catalyst for my people’s misery still exists, neither of our worlds will ever obtain peace.”

“Are you talking about Drifter?”

Locke disappeared into the white light, leaving Amanda alone, in the dark, empty cathedral. With no demons lurking in the shadows she was free to snoop around for any signs of her sister, but with the sheer size of the building she questioned whether that was even possible.

Thinking back on her encounter with Locke, Amanda wondered how he was able to find those gargoyles without even knowing they were there.

“Can demons sense the presence of other demons?” She thought. “But, Drifter’s human and he can do it too… I wonder… can people who wield demonic power sense the presence of other demonic powers?”

She figured, if her gun had been bestowed with demonic power, then maybe, she too could sense this power. She closed her eyes and focused, clearing her mind, just to see if she could sense anything, even the tiniest blip. To her surprise, she felt something. It was vague, but it was resonating somewhere within the building. It was an odd feeling, like having a third eye that could see beyond what was humanly possible.

Amanda followed this sensation, occasionally bumping into walls and tripping over herself, her newfound abilities did not take into account her surroundings. After fumbling in the dark for a few minutes, carefully feeling around, she made her way into a back room. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she kept the light off, but even with just the light of the Moon, shining through the top of the bell tower, she could tell this room was special.

It was far more decorative and contained a casket in a glass case in the center. Whatever was in there, it was the source of the demonic presence she felt. Examining the glass, Amanda found the locks that sealed it to the floor and shot them out, allowing her to delicately lift the glass to access the casket. Upon closer inspection, the casket almost looked like a coffin, which only made her more nervous about opening it.

Pushing the lid off, Amanda felt a sickening mixture of relief and dread upon viewing its contents.

“Abby…? What the heck are you doing in here?“

Her stomach was throbbing, something was terribly wrong. “Why would Anderson just leave you locked away in a casket like this?” She then noticed a strange vial laying beside her slumbering sister. Suddenly, Abby awoke, staring into the distance in a daze.

“Abby? You okay?”

“Ammy? Is it done? Am I… a demon?”

“I don’t know…”

“I’m… so cold…”

“Abby? Hey, Abby! Look at me!”

“…cold… and pain… why…?”

Despite her cries, Amanda’s sister didn’t react to her. Her mind was completely absent. She continued mumbling to herself until she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Where am I…?” She whimpered. “I can’t feel… so empty… it’s numb…”

Amanda backed away, as her sister struggled to breathe. She grabbed at her chest, as her body began to convulse violently. Amanda wanted nothing more than to help her sister, but it was far too late. Her skin was peeling, her muscles expanded and contracted unnaturally, her body was transforming against her will, as she began leaking substances from every orifice. She wasn’t even conscious anymore, no longer capable of acknowledging Amanda’s presence.

As her body continued to contort, she became unrecognisable, a distorted mockery of the human form, rotting like a zombie. Amanda was left in tears, helpless to stop her sister’s grotesque metamorphosis.

“What in God’s name did he do to you…?”

“Holy hell, that was easy.” Dale cheered, having successfully followed Anderson to his home undetected.

The cult leader's house was situated just outside the main city, in a forest near the motorway. Dale quickly hid in the shadow of the trees as Anderson looked around, confused by the sudden yelling he heard. Unable to ascertain its origin, he left his car and headed towards his front door. Dale waited for Anderson to enter his home before leaping over his metal fence and sneaking through his garden.

The house wasn’t particularly interesting, it was large, but certainly not mansion sized, but its location gave it an air of exclusivity. Waiting for the noise in the house to die down, Dale bided his time until an opportunity to search the place finally arrived. After ten or so minutes, he finally found his chance.

“Fuck me, he’s finally settling down. Next time I’ll just rush the guy and steal what I can while he’s knocked out, I can’t stand waiting around like this.”

After waiting patiently, Dale couldn’t afford to just break in so crudely, he needed to be more sly. He quickly noticed the tree leaning over the house behind him. Its branches looked strong enough to support a person and were close enough to the house that perhaps, they could serve as a route inside. Dale jumped onto the branch and examined the upper window, expecting it to be locked, but was pleased to find that it had been left open.

“Is this a trap, or is he stupid? Let’s find out.” Diving through the window, Dale landed inside the darkened room with no problems. However, he felt an eerie presence inside. He treaded carefully, making little to no noise, as two silhouettes emerged from the darkness, from either side of the window, maces in hand.

The shadows swung their steel clubs, only for Dale to draw his blade and with a quick turn, slash straight through them, leaving their spiked balls castrated.

“You two must be confident to just leave the window open like that.”

With their weapons cut short the shadows were hesitant to make another move.

“Look, if you just leave, I won’t hurt you, alright?”

The shadows threw away their desecrated rods and resorted to using their fists. He may not have had Drifter’s destructive force, but Dale’s speed was more than enough to overwhelm his two assailants.

Ducking underneath their swinging fists, Dale uppercutted the first shadow in their jaw. One punch was enough to slam the creature against the wall, knocking them out. As he thought, they were mere guard dogs, peons he could handle easily. Dale quickly dealt with the second demon, who was too awestruck by his partner’s defeat to guard himself. With blinding speed, Dale dug his fist into the demon’s gut, rendering it unable to fight.

Though proud of handily defeating two opponents at once, without resorting to killing, his victory was far from perfect. “Dammit… that made a lot of noise. Better look around as much as I can before the old man shows up.”

Dale rummaged through the room, looking through drawers, closets and even under the bed, but found nothing of worth. There was a laptop, but his hacking skills were severely lacking.

“ ‘You have inputted the wrong password too many times. Please restart the computer to try again.’ What…? Oh fuck off!” Having no luck with the computer, Dale frantically searched the room again, looking under the bed.

“There’s got to be something in here. Anything? Besides… ew.” He pulled out something soft, slithery and rotten. “…dirty old man socks…”

He sighed in exasperation, staring into the abyss underneath the bed. “Am I dumb… or have I not thought this through?”

“Both.”

“Uh oh.” Dale banged his head under the bed in fright, before jumping to his feet. Anderson, still in his robes, was leering at him through the doorway. Although he panicked for a moment, Dale quickly regained his composure.

“Well, damn. Guess I’ve been caught.” He sarcastically admitted, throwing his arms up in surrender.

“What are you doing in my house?” Anderson calmly, but firmly asked.

“Looking for an autograph?”

“I doubt that.”

“Okay, I found God and I’ve come to repent for my sins. How’s that sound?”

“I’m afraid you've strayed too far to repent now, boy.”

“Oh geez, am I in trouble?”

“How bold of you to mock me to my face, but I would suggest you take this more seriously.”

“I bet you feel pretty big when you stand on that stage, preaching to your little army. But, strip all that away and you’re just another weak old man, with horrible fashion sense.”

“Is there a point to these petty insults?”

Dale suddenly rushed the old preacher, slamming him to the floor, in the hallway.

“Get some sleep, old man.” With the old preacher knocked out, Dale took this opportunity to search him, eventually coming across his wallet.

“Fuck yes, now we’re getting somewhere.” Dale opened the wallet, but found nothing other than a single credit card. “Really, that’s it? Not even some spare change?”

Distracted by the wallet, Dale failed to notice Anderson, pulling himself up, his eyes glowing a monstrous red. Before he knew it, Anderson’s arm burst out of his robe, expanding to the width of a tree trunk, as it stretched forward, completely overwhelming Dale, shoving him back with his massive claw.

Anderson’s arm forced Dale into the bedroom, his claws clinging to the wall, holding Dale securely within his grip, as the card Dale was holding, the only useful item he could find, flew out the window.

“Goddammit! No! What the hell is this!?”

The priest slowly crept into the room.

“You arrogant child. You dare underestimate the power of the demon’s messenger!?”

“What the fuck!? You were a demon!?”

“Not quite. I have been blessed with demonic power, a gift from their King, to gather followers for demonkind.”

“There's a Demon King!? Who!?”

“That information would be wasted on you.”

Dale unsheathed his blade, stabbing Anderson in his massive arm, but without any room to manoeuvre he couldn’t sever anything off, only leave a deep stab wound.

“You little vermin!” Anderson cried from the pain. “For breaking into my home, assaulting my guards, insulting my power and for harming my very being. I will make you suffer.”

“Try me, cunt!”

Anderson’s free hand morphed as his fingers became sharp like knives. He swiped at Dale’s legs, slicing his flesh. It stung like crazy, but Anderson was far from finished, he continued hacking away, tearing through the muscle and scraping away at the bone, until Dale’s legs snapped clean off. Dale had never experienced such intense pain in his life, even with his demonic healing, all he could do in the face of Anderson’s relentless hacking and slashing was scream in agony, until he eventually passed out from the ordeal.

Anderson retracted his arms, returning them to normal as he panted in exhaustion.

“Now look at what you’ve made me do.” Anderson moaned. “I’ve used up too much demon power. Now I’ll need to extract more from that girl tomorrow.”

He picked up the remains of Dale’s legs. “I’ll keep these for now, in case you get any ideas of escaping. Perhaps I’ll return them to you at some point. You could be a useful slave, or a nice backup energy resource.”

Anderson carried the unconscious Dale to his downstairs hall, opening a door to a dark room, chucking the body inside, like dead weight. He took one look at the garbage bin in his kitchen and promptly dumped Dale’s legs in with the rest of the trash.

“Or, perhaps not.”