To be wanted by Demons

by noir fluer

Sweat rolled down her forehead, her hair was plastered to her face. She crouched in the corner trying to slow her ragged breathing. She clutched her families most guarded treasure close to her chest.A sob escaped her, if only Constantine were still alive!( On Hiatus)

CRASH! the large glass in the picture window of the front room was blasted in as a huge Demon stepped through. Its gargantuan wings quivered, and saliva dribbled down its chin. It stepped further in to the room sniffing, its half rotten nose wrinkled with the effort. It growled as it caught the sent of its quarry, the demon prowled farther into the house. His master would be very happy if he retrieved the spear of destiny.

Sweat rolled down her forehead, her hair was plastered to her face. She crouched in the corner trying to slow her ragged breathing. She clutched her families most guarded treasure close to her chest. It had been handed down for generations in her family starting with her five times great grandmother Angela Dodson. Over those many years the spear had been safe, hidden from every one, including most of her family, No one had sought it out for so many years! so why now!
She started, and gasped as she heard the pounding foot steps that grew closer to her. With one hand still clutching the cloth clad spear to her chest, she used the other to steady herself as she tried to scramble towards the back door. She was reaching for the handle when the first large, taloned foot penetrated the door way. Hastily she wrenched the door open and tumbled out, not bothering to close it. Tripping and tottering she ran as fast as she could into the forest behind the house, The ferocious roar of the pissed off demon gave wings to her flight.

He stood in the door way and roared as the young girl disappeared into the darkness of the woods, he spread his wings and took flight above the forest, surely a mere mortal could not escape him. As he flew over the vast forest circling to find the girl the moonlight glittered on his slimy skin, He was enormous, and his features were disgusting. His long arms hung at his sides, the talons on his arms and bowlegged feet brushed the tree tops, the foliage dying with his touch. He circle for hours not finding the girl, and with a final outraged cry he flew off towards the moon vanishing in a puff of acrid smoke and sulfur.

She gazed up through the trees watching as the demon finally flew off, trembling within the protection circle she had drawn and cast just before the demon flew over her. She closed her eyes and made a silent oath to find some one to help her, this wasn't the first demon to attack her with in the last few months, a sob escaped her, if only Constantine were still alive!

He sat bolt upright in his bed, gasping for breath he held a hand up to his chest as if trying to still his crazed heart. He looked around, it was still his apartment, still his room. He got up and went to the bath room, leaning on the counter he stared at his reflection, he recalled the dream he'd had, it was not the first one he'd had about this young girl, this girl that reminded him so much of Angela. Though this was the first time she had called out his name. Something was wrong he had to find this girl before someone or worse yet something found her first.

Back in her house, she hastily grabbed a bag and threw things into it randomly. She knew it was a bad idea to be here but she needed money to get to the city, those fifty miles away, and to pay for the assistance she was looking for. At last ready to leave to house, she shoved the spear into the bag and ran out of the house and into the night, leery of every whisper on the wind, and every sigh of the land.

The bus stop was a little over a twenty minute walk, as she neared the lights of the station she began to run.

At this hour of the night the place was dim and lonely. The young girl hunched in her shoulders hoping to make herself small. She came up to the desk where the clerk sat dozing over her desk.

" excuse me, " whispered the girl, the clerk snorted and went still again. frowning the girl reached out and tapped the woman on the shoulder.

" excuse me. " this time she said it a little louder. Still the woman did little more than stir. A tiny thread of panic slithered through her.' this is silly, you have no reason to panic. ' she told her self hurriedly. The panic receded to worry.

" Excuse me. " this time she raised her voice normal and shook the woman at the desk. The woman rocked back in her chair, startled, then glared at the young girl in front of her trying to focus. Taking it as a sign of offense the girl shied away. Seeing the girls fright the woman's face softened, then she smiled a concerned smile.

" What can I do for you? " she asked in kind voice.

The girl placed money on the counter and pushed it towards the woman,"I need to go into the city, " she said in her quiet voice.
The woman stared at the money, ' why would this child want to leave to that city all be her self ' thought the woman, but she rang up the ticket anyways, asking while she did so,

" Why would you want to go into that big ol' city by your self? "

The girl went still, she hadn't figured any one would ask her, " umm, I-I'm uh meeting my dad, " she said doggedly, the girl let out a sigh, as the woman nodded and handed her the ticket. As the girl turned to walk away to wait for the bus, the woman stopped her with a final question,

" By the way, what's your name, child, so's I can call you when your train gets in?"

The girl turned and looked at the woman," Dodson, Erika Dodson. " and with that she walked off towards the chairs closest to the doors and closest to the light.

It was three o'clock in the morning when the dream had woken him, it was now almost four as he walked to the club Mid-night called home. The dreams over the past month, plagued his thoughts as he went. He saw the demons that hunted this girl, saw the fear and confusion in her eyes, and yet there was no screaming, like in the cheap horror films, just the sound of her ragged breathing, and the sickening smell of sulfur and rotting flesh, and the high pitched keening, guttural, almost caressing sound of hell speak.
He recalled what he had heard, not the girls voice but the empty promises that the demons whispered to her; ' Come to us child, we wont hurt you,' ' I can promise you more now than your human life would offer you in a thousand years,' . It was more of the usual half-breed shit, prompt you, poke you, push you, pull you.
His thoughts had wondered from there, it wasn't until he felt the hand push violently against his chest did he realize his feet had taken him to Mid-nights of their own accord.
Now that he thought of it, it had bee many years since his last visit to Mid-nights. Constantine looked at the man who guarded the door, it was a new bouncer but he was still as vigilant as the other bouncer had been. The bouncer was holding up a card so that the front of it was facing away from him, he stared at it.

" Two warts on a ducks ass, " he said quietly as ever, and the bouncer lifted the rope and allowed him to enter.

" Erika? Erika Dodson? your bus has arrived and will depart in five minutes." she awoke to the sound of the loud speaker in the bus station, calling her name. She grumbled and stood up slowly, regretting falling asleep in the uncomfortable chairs. Erica gathered her things, which were very little in number, a duffle bag full of clothes and a spear, and a coat on her back. She shuffled to the doors and waited as they whoosh-ed open, then she looked at the giant grey bus with the blue and green stipes and the dog on it with the words " Racing Hounds " under it. Sighing she took one last look at the country and farmlands she lived in for years, saying her silent good-byes then she boarded the bus, finding a seat in the far back, and as the bus pulled away she drifted back into an uneasy sleep, filled with the faces of demons, her grandmother and strangely enough the man people once called John Constantine.

John had woven his way through the club to the door that led to Mid-nights office and although the music was still blaring jubilantly, the faces of the many half-breeds had turned to stare, all wondering the same questions ' was that the john Constantine?' , ' shouldn't he be dead! ' , ' after all these years he's still alive! ' , ' how many times has he cheated death and better yet Lucifer! '
John tried his damnedest to ignore the stares that were shot in his direction, tried not to turn around and scream at them, tell them all to quit staring before he deported each and every one of their sorry ass's. And just as his precious control, the little bit of it he had, was about to slip, the door opened slowly as it always did, and John quickly rushed inside.

Looking up from his desk Mid-night stared in amazement at his new visitor. He could not believe that before him stood John Constantine, still as young and unaffected by time as all those years ago. Although Mid-night could not say the same, time and life had taken their toll and now he was just beginning to see the effects of old age creep its cracked cold fingers into him. Mid-night could not help but let his mouth drop open in astonishment, but after allowing himself a minute to silently freak out he semi-composed himself and greeted John as usual.

" You haven't changed a bit, Mid-night, you still wont get up to offer me a chair, " said John as he grabbed a chair and sat down. Mid-night couldn't help but smirk, even Johns dry sense of humor hadn't died.
He became serious though as he saw the look on Constantine's face, it was the same look he'd had all those years ago.

" What is it, Constantine?" He dreaded the answer.

Constantine leaned over and whispered, as if he wanted to keep the walls from hearing him.

" Something is happening again, I've been having dreams and they are too real for me to ignore, there is someone or thing coming to this city."

Mid-night sighed and looked at the hands in his lap, it sounded like the usual paranoid schpiel that John used to come to him about, but the last time he had not believed him, the world had almost met its end. He looked up to Constantine.

"I don't know what to tell you, I am still neutral and I shall remain as such until I draw my last breath, If this is going to interfere with the balance then I am not permitted to help you, you already know that, " he explained.

John gritted his teeth, God how he wished he had a cigarette right now, but woe and behold, he had given up the habit years ago. So now he had to be content to utter a silent stream of curses, aimed towards Mid-nights resilience.

"..." He opened his mouth to say something to counter Mid-night but he knew very well that Mid-night could not help him combat this new evil.

Mid-night looked expectantly at John while he sat and chewed the inside of his cheek in sheer irritation. Finally after several minutes of silence Constantine finally asked," At least let me use the Chair to see who it is that I need to find or what it is I am going up against."

Mid-night shook his head," Im sorry John but I destroyed the chair along time ago..."

John looked at Mid-night like his head had rolled off his shoulders, although that may not have been very strange but still, destroying the chair? It was one of the few gate ways!

John inhaled through his nose and exhaled very, very slowly." Is there any other way I can possibly find out about what is to come? "

A small smile crossed Mid-nights face, " That is a question you should have asked along time ago." and with that he got out of his chair, a silent command for John Constantine to follow.

She was awakened by a rough hand on her shoulder and a voice.

"Hey,..hey you, this your stop?" it said. She lolled her head around and looked up through hazy eyes. It was dark still and she couldn't see very well, so she sat up and looked around trying to get a better look at her surroundings.

" Is this Los Angeles city? Down town? " she croaked. Trying to see the time on the broken clock at the front of the bus.

" Yeah it is. Why the hell you'd wanna be down hear at this hour is beyond me though, " He trailed off shaking his head. Erica shuffled around gathering her things as the man stood three seats away from her, watching. Finally with her bag in hand she walked towards the nearest exit and got off with just a short wave and a nod of thanks to the driver, as she left she did not see the massive wings the man had sprouted. He shook his head with a sad smile, and said a prayer for the young girl, she had hard times a head of her.

Getting off the bus Erica looked around, ' where to start? ' she wondered. The city was big and she had never been here before, her momma had always said the city was a corrupt place, but that was before her and daddy had passed away four years ago. Now she was eight-teen and on her own. Looking up and down the almost deserted street she turned and went right, to find a place to stay, and only god knows where else.

John looked around the room its walls were covered with symbols of protection, scriptures and spells. They were painted on to the dusty walls with grainy, sand like pastes. The ground was dirt, and all around the room were shelves and altars with different statues and what looked to be deities from many religions. On the shelves there were jars full of leaves and balms and what looked to be stones. At the center of the room was a pit, it was charcoal black, it looked as if it had been used many time and yet it had a sense of age to it, an age that lasted for many, many years before him. As John looked about the room examining the different jars and symbols Mid-night walked around the room selecting several different things from the jars and throwing them all into the large bowl he held. As he walked around he prayed, though it sounded like chanting. Finally he came to stand in front of the pit, he set the bowl down beside his feet and threw a powder into the pit, fire ignited. It blazed white, then blue, then purple and finally the warm red, yellow and orange. John came to stand beside Mid-night , who had put his hands up to the fire, as if warming them, still he prayed.

As John watched a thin filmy smoke began to form through out the room, in the smoke shapes and figures began to appear. The pictures shifted and slithered to finally form one giant picture. It was a picture of a girl, the girl in his dreams, she was already here, and was somewhere downtown. The pictures shifted violently, to show a Demon, it was huge, it had the body structure of an emaciated gorilla. The demons arms drug in the dirt of the fiery depths of hell, its wings quivered as it turned and snarled at everything in its path. Its lower jaw jutted out, the rotting nose wrinkled and the exposed brain squirmed. Suddenly it turned sharply and looked directly at Constantine, it let out a ferocious roar and slashed at them through the image, the image disappeared and Mid-night stumbled back.

John started forward to catch Mid-night should he fall but stopped as Mid-night held his hand up.

" There, you know what you want, now go. " he said quietly.

John frowned this was not like Mid-night, he raised an eyebrow and stood waiting for Mid-night to elaborate. But that was not what happened.

Mid-night turned on him, holding his chest. His eyes had gone a milky white, sweat poured down his face." I said get out! " his voice was strained, but the look on his face told John he was serious, and so John went, making haste.

He sat in a dark room, gazing at his hand, turning it his way and that. He had felt a presence while he was out for Lucifer. He glared as he remembered it, it vibrated with that old fool Mid-nights power and under that John Constantine. His hand still tingled with the residue of the power, he should have known Constantine would find out and try to stop him. He growled sending the many little demons in his lair scattering and the larger ones stirred. Just as he was about to get up and ration a beating to one of the lesser demons his head demon walked in, looking pissed and all around not happy. He grinned, his head demon was much like himself, skin and bones, a gorilla like structure, the only difference was his head demon was a natural demon, and himself? well he was a half breed, before that damned Constantine burned him and left him helpless against that forsaken angel.
At the thought he snarled and batted at the little demon at his feet sending it sprawly while it wailed in a high keening screech. Then he turned on his head demon and snarled at him as well. The demon stood un-phased his master was always quick to temper when his thoughts wondered to Constantine or to his demise. The demon knelt down, crossing its long arms across its chest, its long fingered hands rested against its jutting hip bones.
After having his little out burst he turned to is demon and asked in the high hell speak, so that his other demons wouldn't understand.

"what have you brought to me?" his voice was a high pitched wheezing, keen like hiss.

The head demon popped his jaw so that it would dislocate and hang just enough so he could talk like his master.

" I hunted the child, tracked it to its house even, the thing ran off in to the forest and that's where I lost it. "

He looked down at his head demon, rage contorting his already hideous face.

"You lost a child in a forest! " he roared "how did you, a demon, manage to lose a mortal child ! "

At this the head demon flinched, its master was second to Lucifer, if ever the time arose when its master would not be able to hold his temper he would surely destroy it.

"Master Balthasar please, listen" he said patiently " there was something of God about the forest, the child new protection circles! " desperation was filling his voice as he saw the look that crept into his masters face.
Abruptly Balthasar turned around and marched of into one of the dark corners. The only word that left his lips was.

" Connnsssstantiiiine..." it was a quiet hiss.

Erica hauled her bag up the steep flight of stairs, she had found a for rent sign not twenty minutes after she got of the bus. It was in a less that desirable part of town but, it made do. She booted open the door and tossed her bag into the corner as she looked around, the walls were cracked and grimy, they had water spots and other shit on them that she didn't want to even know what it was. Going over to the bed, Erica looked down at it, grimacing. Gingerly she pulled the blankets back with a thumb and fore-finger, expecting to see the sheets in the same condition as the rest of the apartment.

sigh Mercifully it was clean as a hospital bed, she sat down and began to think about what the hell she was gonna do.

Now that she was in the actual city, the hard part was going to be finding the right exorcist. She supposed that she could look into the phone book for a professional, but the majority would most likely be a hoax.

She sighed again flopping back onto the bed, " If only Constantine were still alive " .

Constantine walked down the street trying to remember what the streets looked like. He cussed for the thousandth time. ' God damnit-all ' he cursed. ' where was the fucking street! '. He was getting very angry, and was that the third fucking time he passed that bent up trash can with the hobo by it! Suddenly he stopped and inhaled through his nose and exhaled very sharply. He reached into his breast pocket for the cigarettes he always carried, but when he found the pocket empty, he growled. "Fuckin' A, I need a smoke! " he muttered under his breath.

Finally succumbing to the need to ask directions he went into the nearest convenience store. After a long drawn out discussion, he finally got directions to the " End Apartments ".

Finding it useless and boring to just sit there and wait for an idea to hit her Erica got up walked around the room looking for a phone book. After searching the entire room, finding nothing, she decided to go to the receptionist and ask for the nearest church. Walking down the hall she remembered the spear.

" SHIT!" she shouted, startling several people out of their rooms, and others out of drunken stupor that they had fallen into while trying to get back to their rooms. As she dashed back to her room she ran head-long into a wall, ricocheting off of it and landing with an outraged 'oomph'.

" What the hells you problem kid! " shouted the wall. Erica stopped her irate grumbling and looked up startled be the walls sudden vocalization.

There standing infront of her was not a wall but a tall man, in a dark rumpled suit, looking completely irritated and all around not happy with the situation he was in. Erica was stunned, that being so she was at a loss for words.

" Well? " he snapped " why the hell weren't you watching what you were doing! "

At the point the initial shock was wearing off and this dude was really rude! " hey you know what buddy? Eff-off, I got enough shit on my hands! I don't need yours! " And with that Erica got up, made a show of dusting herself off, and began to walk passed the asshole in the suit, making to shove him aside as a point.

This plan, however, was very short lived as when her hand reached out and made contact with the man, he grabbed it and spun her around forcing her up against the nearest wall leaning close to her face and glared.

He stayed like that for several moments before slowly standing back and straightening up, then turning in the opposite direction, heading off at a brisk pace, not letting go of Erika's already bruising wrist.

Frightened deeply Erica began to struggled and flail with all her might, thoughts of the demons that had perused her over the month entered her mind, lending strength to her efforts. she began to shout.

" Lemme go! You demon bastard! I said Let! Me! Go! you know what, you fucker? you'll have to kill me first! and guess what you kill me you don't get what you want! "

The man whirled around, with such ferocity that you'd think he would have gotten whiplash. The look on this mans face was terrifying. It was a look of mixed insatiable rage and unrelenting terror. Erica stopped.

He had just gotten out of the receptionists office and he was pissed. He had spent the better part of an hour trying to get the damned old geezer to give him the room number of a resident under the name of Dodson. The old man insisted on the fact that unless it was police business of he was a family member then the resident would have to give the room number to him themselves because he, the receptionist, was sworn to confidentiality. After that he had told the old fart that yes he was family, that he was related to the residents grandmother and that this was an emergency. Finally the guy let up and gave him the room number, lets just hope he's to old to know that there are laws against that type of harassment. Constantin e had to smile, what an ass he could be sometimes.

On his way to the room still fuming over the previous incident he was bum rushed by a speeding bullet the size of a person. He snarled, after clearing his head, down at the girl, who was sitting on the ground. she was grumbling obscenities that would make even the most callous of sailors blush. But her language was not his problem the fact that she was in his way was, didn't these idiots know when they were all in the shadow of impending doom? ' that's right dumb shit get poetic!' he thought to himself.

Finally he shouted " what the hells you problem kid! "

The girl looked up at him with such a shocked looked, you'd think she were two instead of what looked to be eighteen. She sat and stared at him for much longer than he would have liked, in the time that she gawked, three things could have happened: one, she memorized his face in which case if she were a half breed he was funked, two: he could have been to the room and back to his car with the child from the vision, or three: he could have been to the room and back without the child from the vision and moving on to a new lead. This being the case he decided to take his anger out on this poor creature.

" well!" he snapped " why weren't you watching what you were doing! "

So sudden was the change on the girls face that it surprised Constantine. Her look went from bewildered, to you just shouted at the very, very wrong person the wrong freaking time. She jumped up, and shouted.

"Hey you know what buddy? Eff-off, I got enough shit on me hands I don't need yours?"

She dusted her-self off, making a huge exaggerated show of it, that which Constantine rolled his eyes at, and started to stalk passed him. As she glared on her way towards him a thought entered his brain like bolt of lightning, ' this is the girl your looking for dick head! grab her!' and so he did. He grabbed the girls hand as it came in contact with his chest meant to shove him back. He spun her around and slammed her against the wall. He stuck his face right in hers examining the line s of her features, not hardened with fear. Yes, this girl was most definitely the spawn of Angela; she was beautiful, and quick tempered, just like Angela was all those years ago. At the remembrance of the events Constantine stood slowly trying to compose himself, and set off at a brisk pace still dragging the help less thing of a girl behind him.

With a sudden might tug the girl began to wriggle and with trying to free herself. When he refused to release her she began shouting her foul mouthed obscenities again.

" Lemme go! You demon bastard! I said Let! Me! Go! you know what, you fucker? you'll have to kill me first! and guess what you kill me you don't get what you want! "

Enraged that she would dare even think he was one of those disgusting, filthy half breeds, but also terrified that she had been chased by God knows how many of them, and for -he-didn't-want to-think-about -how long. He whirled around on her, his face set for rage, but his eyes glowed with the worry that this new terror would be worse than the last.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, with all of the other residents watching waiting for something to happen. The look of warring emotions never left Constantine's face, the look of wonder and fear never left Erica.

" Don't you ever compare me, to those filthy, disgusting, conniving bastard, excuses for Satan's minions!" He whispered fiercely leaning into her ear, allowing his breath to caress the side of her face menacingly.

Erica shivered as the ice in his voice slithered from his mouth and down her spine." o-ok " she whispered back.

As Constantine leaned away again, Erica locked eyes with him staring into the eyes of this strange man, the man that, little did she know, would be her only hope within the next few weeks.

" Who are you " she asked following the man in the direction they were previously heading, no doubt to his car.

" Constantine, John Constantine." was his only reply.