By the Light of the Flames
2024 – San Francisco, CA
Chris stared glumly out the window of a deserted school bus. Four small children huddled close to him, and the youngest, a bright-eyed girl of five, whimpered quietly. Chris pulled her closer, and continued to look out the dirty pane, foggy with his strained and worried breath.
A smoking building about a mile off sent smoke into the sky. The black puffs did little to affect the gray overhead; blue hadn't been seen for five years.
Every few minutes, rough and dangerous winds swept the forsaken city, and the burning stench of flesh and wood reached Chris' nostrils; he cringed with unspoken agony. Those bodies could be his friends…or his cousins.
The warm bodies snuggled up next to him flinched and squeaked when a loud explosion rang out from the distance. He peered further out of the bus, and his eyes involuntarily widened. Oh god…
Three demons were approaching the bus, all armed. Two were darklighters, who sniffed the air vigorously. Chris knew they smelled him and the whitelighter blood that ran through his veins.
The other demon was a simple upper-level demon, armed with a fireball, that burned brightly amid the rubble and dust. All three glanced around, and then yanked off the school bus doors with a simple pluck. The yellow chipped steel door clattered to the muddy ground, and lay among the torn-up tar. Several rotting rodents were a few feet off, and one of the demons almost stepped on them, scattering the flies that swarmed eagerly around the limp fur.
"Come on, you imbeciles," the darklighter with the scared face said, seething, as his hands itched to kill the one they hunted. Unfortunately, their master demanded he be brought back alive, or not at all.
The upper-level demon, known as Kratchrol, kicked a piece of rubble. It was a molten part of metal, with wires and coils sticking out of it. It was a distinct shade of red, probably part of the Golden Gate Bridge, which had been torn down a few years back. Or rather, it was burn down during the Craten Wars.
The Craten Wars were the final demonic wars before the Dark Master, Lord Wyatt, took total control over the entire world. This war, however, was fought between Wyatt and a group of demons known as Cratens, who relied mostly on fire balls and fire bolts, whom they could not control one the flames left their hands. As a result, almost half the city burned down.
The trio of demons stomped onto the bus, and the wheel creaked suddenly, causing the demons to grasp rotting and brittle seats until the aged bus balanced the weight.
It was too late. They turned in time to see a trickle of brilliant blue orbs flow out through the ceiling of the bus, up into the sky, and out of sight.
"No…no…no…" the younger darklighter murmured, and began to shake.
"We can't go back to the mast, not after having failed him." The other two nodded in grim agreement.
The demon conjured another fireball, and shot it directly at the gas tank of the vehicle. The bus exploded in a fiery burst.
A wobbling human man, scrounging among the heaps of rotting food didn't even look twice. You see, that was just the average day.
Underworld, Lair of the Dark Master
Bianca paced restlessly across the room, the sound of her high-heeled boots echoing across the stone and cement floor. Her team was missing, and the blame would undoubtedly fall upon her.
A buzzingof black orbs interrupted her impatient manner, and she immediately knelt down on one knee, her neck craned down in a symbol of respect and inferiority.
"Well, demon, what have you to say?"
The deep, menacing voice rang out clear and strong, and the several lower-level demons around her quivered. Bianca, however, stayed still, with an exception of her head, which looked up to meet the dictator's cruel and fear-striking glare.
"I have no excuses," Bianca replied simply, "My demons failed."
The lower-level demons around her winced; they knew they were about to witness another slaughter. But then their master surprised, and did something they never expected. He laughed.
"An honest demon! I like that." He smiled, and Bianca quivered on the inside, although she maintained her brave front. "Get out. I'll call for you when the situation arises."
Just for fun, he flung out his hand, and the demon next to her exploded.
-Author's Note: Is this story worth continuing? This idea is a bit overdone, but I promise new and interesting plots. Please review, good or bad.