“Fire is your strongest weapon against the possessed bodies,” Eligos told her. “Burn them, dismember them. If the body is wrecked the spirit leaves. God how many times have I said that now; I sound like a broken record.”
“Electrocuting them seems to work well,” I informed them. “It worked for me when I faced Argyle and his gang.”
“It will work if the current is strong enough to burn them to a crisp or dis…I’m not saying it again.”
“OK,” I said, laughing. “Would you like me to say it for you?” I added cheekily.
“Would you like me to toss you through the window?” he asked with wide eyes.
“You wouldn’t do that to her” Lily pointed out.
“Wouldn’t I?” Eligos said turning to face her.
“No, you love her too much and that would hurt her.”
“I’d heal her afterwards.”
“You wouldn't do it, I know you wouldn’t.”
“Oh shut up,” he said, knowing that what she was saying was true.
“See, told ya,” she smirked.
“I’ll toss you through it in a minute,” he said smirking himself.
“Keira would beat you up if you did, wouldn't you?” she said looking at me.
“Yes.”
“Women!” Jake giggled.
Lily took the metal spoon out of her hot cup of coffee and put it against Jake’s forearm.
“Ow!” he shouted, quickly moving his arm away. “What the hell was that for?”
“Being cheeky,” she told him.
“If I get a blister now, I swear to God…”
“You’ll what?” Beth interrupted.
“Oh God, I forgot there’s two more of them now,” Jake said, burying his head in his hands. “We’re all done for.”
Lily looked over at Beth and smiled at her.
“Oh stop moaning!” Marley told him.
“Jesus, they’re all at it,” Eligos remarked.
“Problem?” I asked him cockily.
“Not at all, my sweet beautiful little princess.”
“Creep!” Beth, Marley and Lily said, all at the same time.
All of us burst out laughing.
We were still laughing when Jake’s phone started ringing. It was Tyler telling him they were all on their way over and to turn the TV on. He said it wouldn't matter what channel we put on we would see it. He told him me and Lily would have to be prepared for what we were about to see. We all walked into the living room. The laughter had stopped; we knew what we were about to see was going to be bad. Tyler was right: no matter what channel we put on, the news was on. It looked as though an atomic bomb had gone off in a city. Jake messed with the remote to try and turn it up, but there was no need. I felt sick to my stomach.
I recognized the burned-out buildings and shops. I turned to look at Lily. She was as white as a ghost. The city on TV was our home town, our birthplace, West Chester.
“Mom!” I said, running out of the room.
I ran into the kitchen to grab my phone. Lily ran in after me to get hers and tried to call her parents.
“It won’t connect!” I told her.
“No, mine won’t either,” she said in tears.
Neither of us had been particularly close to our parents. Lily’s were horrible to her and my mom and I were never close. What worried Lily the most was that her grandparents lived in West Chester too, along with her aunt and uncle. All of them had tried to get Lily away from her mom and dad when she was younger. We tried again but we still couldn’t get a connection.
“Keira,” Lily cried, shaking her head.
“We’re going,” I said as I grabbed my car keys.
We both ran into the hall just as Tyler and the others walked in. Eligos, Jake and the girls were now in the hall too.
“Where are you going?” Eligos and Beth asked us.
“West Chester,” we both answered as we ran out of the door.
“Why don't I take you?” Eligos shouted to me.
“No, you need to stay here just in case they need you here. I need you here,” I said as I got in the car.
None of them said anything. As soon as Lily was strapped in I put my foot down on the accelerator and sped out of the grounds of the house.
“Keira, what if…”
“Don’t. Not yet!” I told her.
Chapter Thirty-Six
West Chester
Both of us were silent all the way to West Chester, Pennsylvania. I was so anxious; I held on to the steering wheel so tightly my hands and arms were aching. I broke every speed limit. On some of the straight roads, thanks to the power in me, we were going so fast that the speedometer couldn’t keep up. At this speed it would take only a few hours to get there. We had tried calling our families again, but we still couldn’t get a connection. We had been sent a few text messages from the guys, telling us that all the channels had just been showing the same footage. Nothing new at all. We told them we would call them when we arrived. I kept asking myself over and over, ‘Why are you going there?’ and ‘What are you going to do? You can’t help anyone there – what are you trying to achieve?’ But I wouldn't turn back; I had to see what had happened with my own eyes, not through the TV set.
When we arrived in West Chester we both got the shock of our lives. The whole place was in perfect condition, the buildings were intact, people were walking around getting on with their everyday lives. There was no sign of anything being wrong anywhere. I pulled up outside my mom’s house. Everything was the same as it had been just before I left for Salem.
“What’s going on?” Lily asked, extremely confused.
“I have no idea,” I said, getting out of the car warily.
She got out and followed me towards the house. Before we got to the porch my mom walked out of the front door. When she saw us she stopped dead in her tracks.
“Keira!” she said in disbelief.
I was so relieved to see she was OK; I did something I’d never done before. I ran up the steps of the porch and flung my arms around her, tears started rolling down my cheek.
“Keira, what is this?” she said, pulling me back from her.
“I thought you were dead,” I told her.
“Why? Why would you think that?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Do you want to come in? I can make us all a cup of tea,” she said, smiling.
“I don't want to bother you, I just wanted to…”
“Keira, I know we’ve never been close, but you are my daughter. Let me make you and Lily a cup of tea. Then you can tell me why on earth you thought I was dead.”
She took me and Lily inside and into the kitchen. We sat down on the stools while she made us both a drink. Nothing had changed in the house since I moved out four years ago. There were still photos of her and my dad all over the place and some of me when I was a little girl. The furniture was the same: the pale wood chairs to match the cupboards, the sand-colored granite worktops and beautifully carved table.
“Here you are, girls,” she said, passing us both our drinks. “Now, what's all this about?”
Me and Lily told her what we had seen on the news. My mom was really confused; she didn’t understand what was happening. She knew some towns had been wiped out, but she had no idea why. She knew I knew what was going on and questioned me over and over, until finally, I told her. I didn’t tell her about my personal life and Lilith; I only told her about the attacks and that something was coming.
“This is crazy” she said. “Why do you have to stop it? Surely this is Hell’s problem.”
“I was chosen, I suppose,” I lied.
I hadn't told her I’d died, gone to Hell and now I was a demon. I just told her I was extremely powerful and that there was more in me than anyone had known.
“This is ridiculous! This sort of thing should only exist in the movies,” my mom said.
“Well, it’s real, I’m real, everything is real,” I shot back coldly.
She didn’t respond. She just walked over to the sink and turned her back on me and Lily. All of us stayed quiet for a few minutes.
“Well, I can see you’re OK so we’ll be leaving now,” I told her. “If anything should happen or if you get frightened just-”
“If I get frightened,” she laughed. “I’ve been frightened since the day I found out what your father had in him. Oh yeah, and frightened since I got pregnant with you when I’d been told I couldn’t have kids, and since you turn out to be whatever it is that you are…I’m used to being frightened, Keira. You just worry about yourself, not me.”
“Fine, be like that!” I snapped. “I drive all this way to check to see if you’re OK and you’re still a witch with me. I’m sorry I came.”
“So am I.”
“Come on, Lily; she’ll never change,” I said, making my way out of the kitchen and to the front door.
“You know,” I heard Lily say to my mom, “if you had taken the time to get to know her, you would have realized what a fantastic daughter you actually have. Everyone loves her; it’s a shame her own mother doesn’t. I pity you, you always wanted a child, then you have one, but she’s not good enough; she’s different, so you shun her. You didn’t deserve to have her, and you still don't. As soon as she heard you might have been in trouble she got in the car and raced here, and this is the thanks she gets. I’ll make sure she doesn’t bother if it ever happens again.”
My mom didn’t respond and a moment later Lily was walking out the front door with me.
“Are you OK?” she asked me as we walked to the car.
“Fine, I’m used to her.”
“I’ll call the guys and tell them what's happened.”
“Oh God, I forgot. I said I’d call them when we first got here.”
“Yeah well, we had a bit of a shock. I’m sure they’ll forgive us,” she said, putting the phone to her ear.
I’d just put my seatbelt on when I heard my mom call my name. I told Lily to give me a minute and got back out of the car.
“What is it?” I shouted to her.
“I know I’ve never been much of a mother to you, but that doesn’t mean I don't love you.”
“Actually it does. You see a mother who loves her daughter holds her hand when her father dies; she doesn’t pass her on to her granddad. She takes her to school on her first day. She shares her joy and her tears and they spend time together. That’s just a few things a parent should do with their child. My dad loved me. He spent time with me when he was alive. You never did! You just stayed away from me. In fact you didn’t do any of those things I just said, so don't give me that “I love you” crap,” I told her bluntly.
“Do you think I’m proud of what I did? Keira, I was mixed up in things I never for one minute thought could exist. I didn’t know what to do, how to do it…then I lost your father, and then I lost you.”
“You didn't lose me! You pushed me away; you left me to look after myself when I was just ten years old. All you did was make sure I had clothes and food. Oh sorry and a roof over my head when I wasn’t at my granddad’s.”
“Keira, I’m sorry,” she said in tears.
“You’re twelve years too late.”
I got back in the car and drove off.
“Do you want to talk?” Lily asked me.
“No I’m fine. She doesn’t upset me, and seeing her upset doesn’t bother me. She chose this relationship twelve years ago, not me. It’s a bit late to try and fix things. Anyway, do you want to stop by your parents’ place or anything?”
“No, God no, now I know everyone’s OK, I just want to go home.”
“OK.”
“I spoke to the guys. They were shocked to say the least; they were just as confused as we were. Especially since it was still on every channel they put on.”
“I think something's messing with us again,” I told her.
“It sure sounds like it.”
“We’ll see if we can figure it out when we get back. But for now, just sit back and enjoy the drive.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Empty House
We’d had the music on in the car that loud all the way back to the house, that when we turned the stereo off our ears were ringing. We pulled up on the drive. None of the guys’ cars were there.
“Do you think they’ve gone somewhere with Eligos, maybe to practice fighting?” Lily said.
“Probably, you know how bored they get when we’re not with them.”
“I know. It’s cute.”
We got out of the car and walked inside the house.
“Anybody home?” I said loudly, closing the front door behind us.
Nobody answered us.
“Looks like we’re home alone,” Lily smiled.
“Wow, I’ve forgotten what that feels like.”
“Let’s see what the news channels are saying now.”
I followed her into the living room and sat down while she turned the TV on. We flicked through channel after channel but there was nothing about West Chester. Just the same boring TV programmes and documentaries.
“OK well, since we’re just waiting for them to come home now, how does a beer, a bag of chips and sitting out on the porch sound? It’s a nice evening; it’d be a shame to stay indoors.”
“Yep, you’ve got my vote,” I told her.
I got the beers while Lily got the chips and some other snacks. We hadn't eaten since this morning so we were both really hungry now. But neither of us could be bothered with cooking and we were sick of ordering out. Both of us would end up looking like a pizza one day.
We sat on the chairs outside, kicked our shoes off and put our feet up on the chairs facing us.
“Cheers!” Lily said, holding her beer bottle up.
“To us, just for being us,” I laughed, tapping her bottle with mine.
“Are we gonna spend some time together, so I can master my power?”
“Yeah we need to; I need to spend time trying to master mine. Jesus, I mean, according to Eligos, I haven’t used a quarter of it yet,” I said with wide eyes.
“I can’t wait to see what you’re capable of.”
“Neither can I.”
We sat outside for an hour or so and had a couple of beers. I looked at my watch, it was now 8p.m. and the guys still weren’t back.
“Where do you think they’ve gone?” I asked Lily.
“God knows. Tyler probably picked a direction and drove in it. Somewhere out of the way of people though. I bet they’ve gone for a beer too,” I said.
“Hmmm, maybe, I’ll give them a call.”
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and tried to call Jake.
“It won’t connect,” she told me.
“Have you got reception?”
“Yeah, it’s full.”
“Maybe it’s his reception then. Try calling one of the others, or use my phone,” I said, sliding it across the table to her. “Your network might be busy.”
She tried to call Lucian but again the call wouldn't connect.
“Use mine, Lily.”
She tried Jake and Lucian again, on my phone this time, then Tyler and finally Danny. Eligos, Marley and Beth didn’t have phones.
“It still won’t connect!” she said worriedly.
“Lily, calm down; they’re all together, Eligos is with them, they’ll be safe. I bet they’re all in the middle of some bloody field somewhere, messing around. I bet Danny’s keeping them out late so he can play with the weapons longer, and I bet there’s no reception where they are. It makes perfect sense. If something was wrong, surely Lilith would have found a way to tell me or sent someone to me.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.”
“Don't be sorry for being worried.”
“I’m just so scared of something happening to them.”
“Look at it this way: nothing has been able to get to us yet. They have a Grand Duke with them who can call on 360,000 demons at any time to help him. Som
ething tells me they don’t have to worry.”
“I know, I know…” she sighed.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Worry (Part 1) – Danny’s Story
I walked back into the living room to find Jake putting his phone away after speaking to Lily. I’d just been on the phone to my parents telling them that West Chester was fine and dandy. They couldn’t understand what was going on either. None of us had any answers, not even Eligos, which was really unusual. He was normally the one who could answer our questions but now he was just as confused as we were.
“They’re on their way back now,” Jake told us all.
“How long do you think it will take them?” Eligos asked.
“Well, she probably won’t drive like a madwoman now, so it will be few hours at least,” Lucian answered. “Unless I’m wrong and she works her magic. I mean it only took them a couple of hours to get there. The speed they must have been going…that’s frightening!”
“Well, it’s not like she’d lose control of the car, is it? Her power would keep it grounded,” I said.
“I’m surprised she didn’t make it fly,” Tyler said. “Hey, do you think she could do that?”
All of us laughed at him.
“This isn’t a movie, Tyler,” Marley told him.
“Hey, hellloooo! Demons exist, Heaven and Hell exist. Why not flying cars too?” he said very seriously.
“Tyler, shut up!” I grinned.
“So what’re we gonna do now then?” Jake asked. “It’s strange Keira and Lily not being here; I don’t like it.”
“You know, maybe we should spend time learning to fight and mastering some of this new power,” I suggested.
“Yeah, you should,” Eligos agreed. “I don’t think we’ll be waiting for the big fight much longer. They are building their army quickly; it could happen any time.”
None of us spoke for a few minutes; we all seemed to go into a world of our own. We were going to drive out somewhere but then I remembered that Keira owned a hell of a lot of land around the house. As long as we went to the outskirts nobody would see anything. We walked over a couple of large fields and decided to stop there.