Chapter 30. Disappeared. (Sebastian route)
The match day, Susanna woke up very idly. She had trouble sleeping and she wanted to remain in her bed for a little longer, but the noises Sebastian made while preparing the bath were enough to keep her awake, and it was then, when she got a feeling of unsettlement: after that night, when she kissed the demon, he started to wake her up in the mornings by sweetly talking to her while he played with her hair or caressed her face, seeing how she slowly opened her eyes something that let her know he longed for her closeness, touching her every chance he had.
And yet, that day was different. Sebastian returned to that old custom of stealthily entering her room, turning on the dressed light and bathroom, making enough noises so she would smoothly wake up.
When Susanna opened her eyes, she looked around, as if she was looking for something she didn't find, and then she stood up, a little confused.
"Good morning, Milady. Bath is ready." The butler pointed with a kind smile on his face and a polite attitude, but even though she didn't dislike it, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
"Morning, Sebastian." She looked down and sighed as she walked towards the bathroom, but right before entering, she heard the door closing and the butler appeared in front of her, whispering.
"Is something wrong? You seem rather thoughtful…" his lips almost touching Susanna's ear and she immediately felt a shiver down her spine "were you expecting me to wake you up in a different way?" laugh could almost be heard in his voice.
"You're such a tease!" she complained as she pushed him and frowned.
"Today is the day." Sebastian smiled "I didn't want to distract you." he caressed her with his right hand and used the other one to take her chin so she would look at him in the eyes.
"So now are you worrying about distracting me? You know very well I would get distracted if you stand in front of me, anyways." She got closer to him and before kissing him, she lowered her head and whispered "besides, the odds are that our contract will be completed by tomorrow…"
"You shouldn't think about that now" then he kissed her with calm and the girl's mind became blanc for a moment. No matter how many times they kissed, the effed he had on her was always the same "moreover…" he whispered on her ear again, making sure she trembled "I'd like to enjoy this a little longer… and I plan to do it with you. Don't be afraid, we'll be together longer than you think…"
"I should be afraid of you…"
"There's no reason for you to do that." And then he kissed her again, softly and calming her. That's when she knew Sebastian was scheming something… something that wasn't necessarily bad, and she couldn't predict. The demon was full of surprises.
A moment later, she made an effort to distance herself from the demon and continue her way to the bathroom, but before doing it, she felt her butler's hand on hers, stopping her.
"Don't forget this…" he handed her a scarf so she could cover the contract mark.
"…Thanks…" she said after looking at him for a second. She ought to keep the secret of Sebastian's true identity.
A few hours later, three reapers appeared on the Serafer residence front door, ready and willing to start with the plan. Ronald wore a pair of jeans and a Chelsea jersey; an outfit that was similar to the one he used when he first visited the stadium. As for the other two, they wore their usual suits in red and black.
As soon as they were inside, they headed to the first floor studio, where Abby, Fer and Mr. Haggard were already expecting them, along with Susanna, who had instructed Sebastian to welcome them.
"Alright, everyone, take an earpiece, please." Said Fer as he put one of them on his ear "they all have a small button right in the part that goes in the back of the ear. Use it to turn it on as soon as we split. They have a microphone and, of course, everything you say will be heard by the rest of us."
"So, mind your language." Susanna joked, but the message was for the reapers and Sebastian, who were given to say something that could reveal their identities.
"The frequency is set, so it would be really hard to find without an adequate radio or an aerial, since what we're about to do isn't quite… legal…" he looked at everyone with anxiety on his face "we better watch out hay we say."
"It's alright, Fer. If something goes wrong and someone finds out about this, I'll take the blame and Sebastian will take care of hiding you guys and sending you away, so nothing bad happens to you." The girl explained. Ever since the day they went to that warehouse to kill Schneider, Sebastian prepared a set of fake passports and Id's, so the employees could flee the country without a problem. This was a battle Susanna had to fight alone and, although she was grateful for their help, she wouldn't let them be harmed.
"Miss…" all of a sudden, Abby, who remained silent the whole time, spoke with determination and seriousness "whatever happens, we are on your side. We won't leave you alone. We are in debt with your grandfather and with you…"
"Those people shall pay for what they've done to you and your family…" unexpectedly, Fer's gaze became sincere and touching "and I think I speak for the three of us when I say we do this by our own conviction." And then Thomas smiled and put his hand on Susanna's shoulder, who looked at him surprised.
"That's true. Also, there are a few things your grandfather entrusted me to tell you when this is all over, so we better make this plan work." The girl didn't know what to say about it and nodded. An instant later, Sebastian cleared his throat and went ahead to explain the plan, or more exactly, review it.
"Team number 1 will have Ronald, Grell, Mr. Spears, Abby and Fer, who will drive the car to the Stamford Bridge, where Ronald will part ways. Then, the rest of you will leave the car in a nearby place and walk towards the subway. Meanwhile, Mr. Haggard, my lady Susanna and I, will go to Brompton Cemetery and start with the plan. Please, remember we'll abort the plan if any of us sees something suspicious or out of place. We don't want anyone getting hurt, and please, keep in mind we'll certainly face something violent in those tunnels."
"Indeed." William finally spoke "It is also very important that you don't leave your posts… not for anything in the world…" he looked at everyone with severity "not only you'd be risking your life, but everyone else's too. We have an escape route on both sides of the tunnel, and the last thing we need it to be left without a way to get out."
"Any questions?" Susanna asked, feeling anxious and nervous. She wouldn't mind a drink in that moment. No one said anything and she continued "very well, then… let's go and… good luck, everyone."
"Miss…" Fer spoke before she could leave the room "don't forget this… you could need it." He gave her a gun and a holster so she could carry it on her jeans.
She nodded and a tiny smile appeared on her lips. Then, they left the room and stepped out of the house. Each one knew very well what to do, but the risk of Demian's plans being misunderstood was there, and Susanna couldn't stop thinking about the possibility.
Before entering the car, William softly touched Susanna's shoulder to pick her attention; a small touch to let her knew he wanted to speak to her, and perhaps to feel her closeness, at least for a little while. Sebastian immediately noticed it and looked at the reaper with his demon eyes, threatening and ready to attack. The girl knew a persuasive gaze wouldn't be enough to calm him, so she did something more direct.
"Wait for me in the car, Sebastian… I'd like to talk with Mr. Spears for a moment… that's an order." She said with firm voice, which earned her an offended look from her butler.
She waited for a moment until they were all nearby the cars and then turned to look at the reaper, who was still looking at the demon's direction. They didn't lose eye contact for a moment, and something inside Susanna told her that, if it wasn't because there were too many witnesses, some kind of quarrel would have taken place.
The supervisor's gaze radically changed when he looked at the girl. It went from being cold and severe, to a concerned and warm look. He knew the demon's reaction was a sign that something changed; Sebastian had never showed himself so hostile, nor so possessive towards the girl, and that could only be consequence of that kiss he regrettably witnessed. And yet, he still had a small hope that everything was just another trick of the demon.
"Susanna… are you alright?"
"Yeah, I…" she smiled, but he interrupted her.
"There will be many consequences of our plan; it isn't something we should make light of. Any mistake could… end up in chaos and…" he suddenly stopped talking and sighed. The last thing he wanted, was to lecture her, but that attitude was his only shield to hide his feelings "What I mean, is that you should be worried. This could mean a lot of pressure to you and… I just wanted to make sure you are alright." He fixed his glasses.
"Will…" his words took her by surprise and something inside of her softened, along with her expression, and she showed him a sweet smile "I'll be fine. I know this will be hard, but I have you guys to help me out, and that's more than I can ask for." There was a pause "thanks." She smiled again and he nodded, seeing how she turned around and headed towards the car.
William felt some kind of pressure on his chest, along with a terrible frustration he managed to hide because of his years of practice, and after looking at the sky for an instant, he walked towards the car, ready to face what was next. The sooner they finished with it, the sooner he could go home and forget about everything, at least for a while.
They divided in two cars; Fer, Abby and the reapers in one heading to Stamford Bridge and another one with Mr. Haggard, Sebastian and Susanna heading to the cemetery.
The road to the cemetery seemed to be longer than it actually was. Despite of pretending the contrary, the girl had a bad feeling and was scared. This could be the last chance to stop the Final Linkage and she didn't know what could happen. Suddenly, Sebastian softly took her hand. A warm and comforting caress, as if he knew exactly what was worrying her and he wanted to make her feel better… and it worked when she looked at him and he smiled with security, transmitting her the braveness she needed.
It was difficult to get near the Stamford Bridge, because there were many fans heading towards the stadium and the streets were filled with them and their cars. It was an important game: quarter finals of the Premier League, and the rivalry between both teams was considerable, which raised the public's expectation and excitement.
"It's ok if you don't leave me in front of the stadium. I can walk." Ronald put on his neck the blue Chelsea scarf "besides, I don't want you to be late because of me."
"Are you sure? I think we might still get a little closer." Fer pointed as he looked through the window, trying to see where the line of cars ended.
"Don't worry." He opened the door and before getting out, he looked at everyone "good luck. See you in a few hours." He winked and headed towards his destiny.
"Stage one, cleared" said Grell as he relaxed on his seat, but notices a very particular expression on his boss' face "Is something wrong, Will?"
"Nothing…" the Supervisor said emotionless and after an instant he continued "Is just that, that man won't give up… not without giving a good fight, and you know the implications very well."
The rest of the time, there was silence and once they left the car in a parking lot, they headed to their positions. Each one pretending to not know each other, in order to avoid suspicion.
Once they were inside the station, they walked towards the tunnel that was marked on their map. Abby pretended to wait for a friend, while Fer did the same on the other side of the rails. On his way there, he bought a newspaper and sat on a bench, reading it to appear more casual. Meanwhile, Grell and William seemed to have disappeared, but it was only their ability to hide from the human eyes. Once they were inside the tunnel, they walked, slowly and with caution, in case there was some kind of trap.
"Do you think we'll find demons?"
"Grell Sutcliff…" William looked at him with rigor "shall I remind you that everyone could hear us?"
"Oh, Will, honey, don't be silly… you need to turn on the earpiece first." He winked and continued walking, looking at his boss to make sure his earpiece was turned off.
"Honestly… I don't see why we need an artifact such as this… and demons are the least of my worries. The angel is the one that worries me the most." When he finished the sentence, he turned on the earpiece, nothing could be heard yet. As for Grell, he decided to leave it turned off for the time being.
Meanwhile, Mr. Haggard was parking the car near the cemetery entrance. There were some people nearby and a funeral was being held on the other side of the memorial park, so Susanna and Sebastian casually walked, as if they were there to visit a grave. After making sure no one was seeing, they entered the crypt that would take them to the tunnels and turned on their earpieces.
Once they were inside, Susanna felt a chill. The shadows she usually saw in dark places were watching her, judging her and freezing her blood, leaving her almost static. Unexpectedly, Sebastian caressed her hair and got closer to her from behind, as he lit a lantern.
"You're probably frightened, my dear, but…"
"E.. excuse me?" she was surprised.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to make light of your bravery, it's just that…" the demon explained while his face showed an almost angelical expression.
"No, I didn't mean that… what did you call me?"
"My dear…" he whispered on her ear, very close to the earpiece.
"Seb…" He interrupted the girl.
"Or perhaps you'd like me to…" he took her hand and softly kissed it "call you something else more…" suddenly, William cleared his throat with a discreet, but rather evident way from the other side of the earpiece.
"We have a work to do. I suggest you focus on the task at hand Michaellis."
"My, my… apparently, someone is jealous." Said Sebastian with a smile on his face.
"Jealous of what, exactly? don't be ridiculous. How could I be jealous of a vermin like you?"
"Wait jealous? Are you talking about me, Sebas-chan?" Grell decided to turn his earpiece on. Right in the right moment.
"It's too obvious, Mr. Spears. After all, Susanna and I…"
"Let's continue with the plan, alright?!" the girl interrupted "this is not the time for this." She didn't even want to imagine the riot that could take place if they continued arguing.
Lucky for her, Ronald had experience with that kind of things, so he tried to relax the atmosphere; the tension was evident, and not only because of the girl's interaction with the demon.
"Ronald here, do you copy?"
"Do you really have to pretend you're in an action movie?" Susanna joked.
"Hey, it's not every day that I can use these things…" then, the uproar of the stadium was heard.
"Wow! It seems like they are all excited there."
"Yes, the game's about to begin and…"
"Is it too much to ask for some concentration from you?" Will's deep voice was heard "tell me, is there something unusual in the stadium?"
"Nothing, Sir. Everything seems to be in order, but I haven't seen the whole place yet." His voice was agitated. Apparently, he had some trouble to walk among the crowd.
"Nothing unusual here, either. The subway isn't too crowded." Fer commented as he turned the page of his newspaper.
"If we see something suspicious, we'll let you know." Susanna continued walking next to Sebastian.
No one could have imagined the things the mausoleum hid. Much less, how deep below ground the stairs went down. Those stairs hadn't been used since the early 50's, and the place couldn't be compared with that cave back in Sweden. The fact of being a cemetery and being a shelter during the World War II, made the place look even spookier. It had an atmosphere of sadness and despair coming out of its walls, not to mention the low temperature.
Susanna saw some more shadows passing by; it was to be expected from a place like that, but it didn't make it any less scary. She had a feeling they would attack her any time, but the constant presence of the demon made her feel secure. And, as if he has just read her mind, he got closer to her and gave her a quiet and comforting kiss on the forehead.
All of a sudden, a warm air surrounded them and Sebastian's eyes immediately shone, becoming more alert and ready for anything. They both remained motionless for a second and none of them said a thing, but Susanna knew something was about to happen. Nevertheless, before she could think something else, she heard voices on the earpiece.
"Did you feel that Will?" Grell asked.
"Yes…" there was silence "but I can't see anything near us." The sound of his dead scythe unfolding was heard.
"We can feel it too." Sebastian added "proceed with caution, this seems oddly familiar." And after saying that, the reapers and Susanna knew he meant some kind of demonic activity.
Each one continued their route, until something similar to an earthquake made them scream, but neither Ronald nor Fer or Abby felt it; they knew something was going on when they heard the rest of the group complaining and yelling.
Sebastian took Susanna in his arms and ran towards the other side of the tunnel, trying so hard to get near the end of it while he protected her, but then, a very loud buzz was heard and a terrible dizziness invaded him for several seconds. The demon lost his balance and his legs didn't seem to respond, but he regained his consciousness when he heard the girl's screams.
Apparently, they were falling into a supernatural hole; it wasn't normal for Sebastian to have a sensation such as that, and it could only mean one thing: something really bad was going on. They were falling and his face showed how startled he was. His demon eyes allowed him to see the edge of the abysm. He'd never felt something like that before, but he knew exactly where they would end up if they continued falling, so without giving it much of a thought, he threw Susanna towards the surface, using great strength so she could get to the tunnel.
"You cannot fall, Susanna!" was the only thing he could say to warn the girl and save her, while she managed to grab a pipe from the ceiling.
At the same time, William and Grell went through a similar situation, but they couldn't react on time, since the abysm appeared to have a stronger effect on them, and it was dragging them to the bottom.
For a while, the only thing that was heard through the earpieces, were screams of terror and frightening laments that could scare to death anyone who'd heard them. Ronald yelled with all his strength, asking what was going on, but no one answered. The howls contrasted with the excited and joyful voices of the stadium. Abby and Fer stared at each other with uncertainty and fear…
And then, there was silence and everyone thought the worst, until Susanna cried in pain, as if she was hurt, and without losing any more time, Fer threw the newspaper away and ran towards the tunnel, looking for the girl and deliberately ignoring Abby's voice, telling him to stop.
William was very clear when he said they couldn't abandon their post, but this was an extraordinary situation; neither him, nor Grell or Sebastian seemed to be conscious, since nothing was heard from his earpieces, so the young man thought the worst had happened and hurried to look for Susanna, who was still alive.
He ran as fast as he could and took the lantern he carried on his pocket so he wouldn't fall. He was sure there was some kind of deep hole on the ground, or at least something that attacked the other men and left them unconscious.
As for Ronald, he was desperately calling for the reapers, but there was no answer. He knew he shouldn't move from the stadium; not before finding out if something would happen in the stadium and making sure those souls could be collected.
A few minutes passed and the young reaper was distressed. He had to hurry, but it wasn't easy to do his job, knowing something bad could have happened to the others. Something he was sure it was related to Janssens-Guillot.
Suddenly, Susanna's voice was heard.
"Can anyone hear me?" they all answered immediately and asked about what happened "I don't know… we just… fell. It was like an earthquake and then the ground opened… Sebastian… he tried to save me and… I can't find him anywhere…" her voice was weak and she hid the tears so she could ask "what happened to William and Grell. Are they alright?"
"We don't know anything about them either. I'm on my way. Just keep walking through the marked route and we'll eventually meet." Fer said as he ran as fast as he could and entered a door that lead to a shortcut.
Meanwhile, in an unknown and dark place, William and Grell were recovering from the terrible fall. As soon as they could stand, they looked around with curiosity. They were in some kind of old and ruined city, with dark sky, where the color was something between red and orange, with silent thunders and floating structures, as if they were pending from an invisible rope.
The ground had cobblestone pavement and they were surrounded by old and destroyed buildings. They walked, looking for a clue of their whereabouts or an exit, but there was no one near and the temperature was warm, even sultry, despite of the evident lack of sun. The air was heavy; difficult to breath and both reapers had a bad feeling.
There were dark stains with different shapes and tones on the tall pillars that stood along the lane. None of them wanted to find out what was it, and they kept their distance from the walls, just in case. Despite of being a place with almost sepulchral silence, several screams could be heard in the distance… cries of pain that gave them the creeps. Neither of them recognized the place, but it couldn't be a human dimension.
"The architecture seems to be from another country… perhaps Eastern Europe, but I highly doubt we're there… the atmosphere is… different." William held tight his death scythe "this looks like…"
"A demonic dimension?" a voice was heard from behind them "yes, this feels just like home."
"Sebas-chan!" Grell seemed relieved to see someone he knew, aside of William.
"But I don't know how did we end up here." The demon looked around "I wonder if…"
"A portal…" William growled, looking around, searching for signs of another nearby portal; something that could take them out of there.
"A great power would be required to open a portal like that. Or two of them!" Grell added "apparently, the same thing that happened to Will and me, happened to Sebas-chan as well.
"The ground opened and I couldn't…" the demon couldn't finish the phrase and an expression of concern and frustration appeared on his face.
"What happened to Susanna?" the dark haired reaper tried to sound as calm as possible, considering the implications "there's no way she could survive here…" his words showed that, even he was having trouble being there, in the demonic dimension.
"I'm aware of that, and as soon as I realized where we were being taken, I made sure she remained in the tunnel, safe and away from the portal." Sebastian seriously explained "I'd never let something happening to her." William gave him a serious look, almost threatening, and that was the moment when he noticed his demon eyes remained shiny and pink, just like they truly were and not disguised as human's.
"I see…" William finally said, and then he saw the intensity on the demon's gaze. There was something different in his eyes; neither his usual mocking expression or his antagonism were there, and at long last, he understood why. He did his best to avoid thinking about it, but now he had to face it: that kiss between Sebastian and Susanna meant much more than he could imagine. The demon was genuinely concerned about her, and not only because of the contract.
In that moment, he didn't know what was worse, the growing heaviness inside his chest, along with the stomachache caused by his frustration, or the suffocation caused for being there.
"Do you have any idea of how to get out of here? We still have a mission to fulfill, and besides, demons could appear any moment." Then, Grell's attitude change "Oh, but I hope they are all just as handsome as Sebas-chan!" he jumped with excitement, but something in him was different. He didn't look as full of energy as always.
"And if you don't get out of here son, this dimension will wreak havoc on you." The demon looked at the reapers "I assume you already noticed you're losing strength.
"What are you implying, you Satan spawn?" William threatened him with his death scythe.
"Do not worry." He put away the weapon with a slow movement "remember, we are on the same side. Besides, I need your help to get out of here. We don't know what are the plans of Demian Janssens-Guillot, and Susanna could be running out of time." Both reapers nodded "very well, follow me."
When Fer found Susanna, the expression of anguish on his face immediately disappeared. From the moment he heard those yells, he feared the worst, but after seeing she only had a couple superficial wounds and her jeans were slightly thorn, he knew nothing too bad happened to her. Still, there were no signs of Sebastian anywhere, or Grell and William's. At least not inside the tunnel.
"I'm so relieved you're fine, Miss Susanna."
"Nothing happened to me, but… Sebastian fell into a huge hole and…" she looked around "there's not even a single crack on the ground…" she was preoccupied "and I think the same thing happened to the reap… eh, I mean Grell and Will. And to make things worse, I lost the gun. I'm sure it fell along with Sebastian."
"We don't really know what happened, or if they are safe, but… we have to finish what we started. I'll help you get rid of that guy"
"Fer, don't…" she was afraid something bad could happen to him. After all, her enemy wasn't normal at all… he had supernatural help.
"Please, don't say that… you know very well I'm more than capable of doing it. Remember I was once part of the MI7." He smiled and Susanna felt comforted.
"Thank you, Fer."
And then, they both continued walking towards the intersection where the ritual would take place. They still had two kilometers to walk and the girl had enough time to think about an excuse to explain Fer what was going on there. On the other hand, she knew Sebastian and the reapers were alright… or at least they were alive. If something had happened to them, the contract mark would have disappeared, and she still felt it on her neck. Warm and real, like the first time it was set on her neck.
They walked for several minutes and then a noise was heard through the earpieces, as if there was a big crowd on the other side. It was Ronald, who turned the microphone on.
"Are you guys alright? What happened?"
"We don't know, but we must continue with the plan. I'm fine, and Fer is walking beside me. We're heading towards the intersection."
"Those are good news, at least…" Ronald's voice seemed sad "there's nothing unusual here and the security measures are impressive. This could be a real chaos, if something happens."
"We'll make sure it doesn't…" Fer answered, and then they continued with their task, focused on searching for a clue that could tell them what might occur.
No one spoke for a couple minutes and only the voices in the stadium could be heard, but suddenly, Ronald heard something similar to a punch through the earpiece.
Fer and Susanna walked along the tunnel, but a sneaky shadow appeared behind them and punched them in the head with a big piece of wood, leaving them unconscious and to its mercy.
The man who did it, tied their feet and dragged them towards the intersection. They weren't too far away. The smell of incense filled the place and a faint light indicated there was someone else there. There was a big underground dome, which meant they were several meters below the surface.
No one answered when Ronald tried to communicate; only Abby, who was guarding the tunnel entrance and couldn't move from her position. The situation worried the reaper, especially because he couldn't leave the stadium either. Not until he found out something about the summoning.
Things didn't look good…
Meanwhile, in the demonic dimension, both reapers and Sebastian walked through an area with dry trees and arrived to some kind of old plaza, surrounded by impressive columns that impressively towered in front of them, giving the impression they reached the highest point of the scarlet sky.
Suddenly, the demon stopped walking and took out a book from his jacket. It was Richard Serafer's journal.
"A while ago, I read about a ritual to open portals, and even though it's designed to be performed in the human dimension, it might work here."
"Are you sure about that? If it's a demonic dimension, shouldn't you be able to leave at will?" the supervisor questioned with severity; he didn't completely trust him, much less knowing what happened between him and Susanna, so he considered the demon as an annoying rival.
"That would be the most logic thing, isn't it?" the demon mocked "nevertheless, this is not my original dimension, so I'm afraid it's out of my jurisprudence and I cannot leave that easy. Not without the necessary elements."
"And I supposed, that is related to what's inside that book." Grell pointed.
"This diary has endless writings about rituals and summons, that Susanna's grandfather gathered through his life. Some of them date from several centuries ago, some others were created by the same men who started all this muddle. Each of them is designed to be executed by a human. If this feel on the wrong hands, it could mean a serious problem, just like the one we're facing now. That is why Susanna entrusted me with it." He looked at the supervisor "and thanks to that, we can leave this place, but I need your help." Both reapers nodded.
"What do you need us to do?" William finally answered.
"Grell, I need you to go to one of those ruined buildings and get a piece of glass from the windows. Spears we'll need a piece of wood as well; you could use that death scythe of yours to cut one from those trees. As for me, I'll look for the right place to perform the ritual."
"We'll be right back." Grell hurried to look for the glass.
As for William, he walked a few meters to but a branch from one of those dry trees. He chose to bring a small log he cut with his weapon, but he felt his own strength slowly abandoning him, along with a terrible long to leave that place.
Once he was back to the point where Sebastian was waiting for them, he observed how the demon was staring at the floor, as if he was looking for something, perhaps the exact positon to make the ritual, but still, he was clueless about how he might do it. There were many things he still ignored about demons and their powers.
"Grell should be here soon… and if your ritual works, we should be back soon." He dropped the log.
"It will… and Demian will pay for what he's done." Sebastian seemed furious.
"Fort the first time, I agree with you…" there was silence for an instant and then, William said "and I suppose… you won this time." Sebastian looked at him with curiosity.
"This dimension affects you way too much…" the demon had a dark expression which hid the smile that appeared on his lips.
"Don't be stupid…" he adjusted his glasses "you know very well what I mean… she…" he didn't finish the phrase because he immediately regretted what he was about to say, and for his surprise, de demon didn't answer with hostility.
"That's right. She chose me…" William became tense "and yet," Sebastian took a step forward and looked at the reaper in the eye "it doesn't change the fact that you, are the one who can calm her and take her out of that state of shock she gets every time she hears that phrase in Latin…" the supervisor was taken by surprise. He certainly didn't expect to hear such think from Sebastian "and, that is something I cannot do and never will… I cannot feel."
"You, miserable wretch…" he said with pity and a bitter smile appeared on his face. At least he got a small victory in that war he maintained with the demon for several months. Suddenly, Grell was back.
"Here's the piece of glass." He handed it to Sebastian "what's next?" he seemed rather impatient, undoubtedly, because of the effects the dimension had on him. He was more restless than his boss, who despite looking rather tired, kept perfect composure.
"It's right here." Sebastian hit the floor with his shoe "I shall trace a pentagram identical to the one on Susanna's neck."
Sebastian took the glass and cut his hand, pouring blood right under his feet, and then on the log. His wound was closed after a few seconds, and then he appeared a flame that slowly became bigger and bigger, burning the log until it became charcoal and he used it to trace the pentagram with seven symbols on it. The reapers paid attention to his actions, waiting for an explanation.
Ronald felt uneasy. It was halftime in the stadium, and the communication between him and the others, was broken. The only one he could talk to was Abby, and she didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary inside the tunnel.
Manchester United players were back in the field, jogging to be ready for the second half. They eagerly wanted to score another goal, since the score was tied 1-1, and both teams had good chances of winning.
The crowd yelled when the second half started and they cheered for their team. Few minutes later, another goal was scored by Chelsea, and the stadium vibrated with excitement. By that time, Ronald had already walked around the whole place, looking for suspicious activity, but he couldn't find anything. The security inside the stadium was heavy and the cameras were working just fine, so if something was meant to happen, it would be underground, and if that was the case, there was nothing he could.
Being a grim reaper, he was unable to stop someone's death, unless of course, the person was indispensable for humanity, which didn't happen often; perhaps once or twice every century, and someone with such characteristics had recently appeared… aside of that, his job at the stadium was to stop all those people's souls from being part of a massive sacrifice, in case a catastrophe occurred.
"Damn… Susanna, where are you?" he complained, without receiving an answer, and then he decided to check his to-die list.
He only wanted to make sure he wasn't in the list. It was an irrational impulse, since she was taken out of it, and for more than one good reason, but something inside the reaper told him to check it anyways; the list was often updated by the high ranks.
Humans are so unpredictable, once in a while they can appear or disappear from the lists. Suddenly, the young reaper's eyes widely opened, showing surprise and he finally understood what was going on.
He looked around, as if he was isolated from the euphoric and excited people; a terrifying silence that apparently, only he could hear, froze his blood and cold sweat ran through his forehead and nape. An instant later, he ran as fast as he could and headed to the tunnel intersection.
He barely had fifteen minutes to get there and stop a catastrophe. He thought about the worst scenery, and if it happened, he would be the one who should stop Demian Janssens-Guillot…
Almost at the same time, Susanna started to wake up. She gradually opened her eyes and quickly felt a strong smell of incense filling her nose. The vision of the great tunnel was very different from what she imagined: the place as illuminated and pretty dry. Evidently, someone had been there often. There were two metal stairs on both tunnel sides and they connected each other with a gangway and a railing. There was a control box right in the middle, nevertheless, everything seemed blurry, as if it was a mirage.
She knew she wasn't dreaming because her head was hurting so bad, right where she received the blow and when she was sure no one was looking, she raised her head to see if she could find out something more of her situation.
Everything seemed blurry because of the many candles set on the floor. Apparently, they were on strategic places. The ground was covered with something that appeared to be white sand, and there were red lines drawn on it, forming a pentagram with symbols the girl recognized from her grandfather's journal. Before she could find something else, she got distracted with a familiar silhouette lying in the floor in one of the reverse star peaks, next to two men who were talking.
Susanna felt her heart skipping a beat when she realized what was going on: the ritual was about to begin and Fer, who was unconscious, was lying there for a specific reason. It didn't take much imagination or knowledge to figure out what would happen, so Susanna used all her willpower to sit, since that blown in the head had left her very dizzy, and the incense intensified the sensation.
Her feet were tied, just like her hands and she noticed a bandage tied on her right arm, covering an open wound; she knew it because it hurt. Trying to avoid detection, she uncovered and touched her contract mark, trying to summon Sebastian, but it was futile. The demon was nowhere to be seen, although she felt a slight throbbing on her neck, and she knew he was trying to communicate with her.
For a brief instant, she felt relieved because she knew he was alive, and a huge wage was taken off her shoulders, but she still had to figure out how to stop the ritual. She couldn't do much to save Fer either, so she thought about gaining some time.
"Demian!" both men immediately looked at her.
One was clearly younger than the other, and they looked alike, so Susanna thought it was Demian and his son. The older man should be around sixty. His skin was very pale and it contrasted with his threatening dark eyes. His brown hair was perfectly combed and his serious attitude let the girl know it wouldn't be so easy to get rid of him. Not this time.
The younger man, couldn't be older than twenty-two. His sharp now was just like his father's, but his hair was blond and messy. Without a doubt, he was the one who left her and Fer unconscious. His eyes, oscillating between green and brown, looked at Susanna as if they were looking at her very soul, but at the same time, they showed fear deep within.
The girl felt her heart beating so fast as she looked at them walking towards her. She didn't have much time and she didn't know what those two were capable of, and yet, she was willing to take a chance to win some time.
"I'm glad you're awake. You are just in time to see how a new era is born… or more exactly, to see the one who'll bring it."
"The fallen angel!"
"That's right…" and then, Demian stood in front of her and looked at his son, doing a little movement with his head to tell his soon to put her on her feet.
With a violent movement, the young lad did as he was told and held her arm with too much strength. Susanna felt pain and complained as she glared at him.
"Be a little more careful, Seth. We don't want her to be damaged for our special guest."
"I'm sorry, father." The young man replied and loosened the grip on her arm.
"Nevertheless…" Demian got closer to her and looked at her in the eye, studying here for a few seconds, and then he punched very hard on the face "this is for my dead colleagues… and for the great economic losses I've got. Do you have any idea of how expansive is to buy the European Union port authorities? Or how much I had to invest on bodyguards and mercenaries while you were chasing us? And how about the effort to prepare that special nitroglycerine?"
"It should have cost you that, and much more…" she looked at him with hate on her eyes "and it will."
"Are you threatening me?" he said with disbelief "I don't think you're in position of saying such things… that demon you have as butler can't help you now. Much less your reaper friends. They are weak…"
"You don't know what you're…"
"Silence!" the girl felt intimidated "can you believe it?" Demian looked at Seth "a demon butler… it was obvious he would betray you."
"He'd not…" Demian punched her again to keep her quiet. This time, he managed to make her lip and nose bleed.
"If he hasn't done it, is because he has other plans in mind… and besides, that's not important now. They are all so far away. I've personally sent them."
"So it was you… what did you do to them?" she already knew; it couldn't be a coincidence William, Grell and Sebastian disappeared at the same time. Gradually, the contract marc became warmer and warmer on her neck. It almost hurt, and that gave her some hope.
"Let's see…" he laughed for himself and walked towards the pentagram, while looking at his watch "Reznik had telepathy. Your family has the gift of vision… they could see beyond what any mortal can. Schneider could summon demons and some other creatures. Ricardo Soler had astral projection and Aidan Crawford atmokinesis… I have the gift of summoning portals. Is something I've developed through my whole life and it grows stronger with each generation. We waited for so long to make the Final Linkage… waited for out gifts to be strong enough. And now the time has come. Each of these gifts are necessary to bring the fallen angel, because they give us something in common with him, and they make us capable of generating an entrance to this dimension for him.
"But everything is useless. I've absorbed all their…"
"Exactly! And you've made my work easier with that. Five is such a big crowd, don't you think?" he remained silent for a moment, while he grabbed a syringe from his pocket and injected its content on Fer's neck.
"No! wait!" Susanna struggled to get free from Seth's hands.
"Stay still!" the young man yelled as he tightened the grip on her arms.
"Oh, don't worry, he's not dead… yet." He walked towards the center or the pentagram and looked at the girl with mocking eyes and a cynic smile on his face "and, by the way… I knew you wouldn't cooperate with me, so I took the liberty to use some of your blood to trace the pentagram, that way I'll have the essence of each gift given by the fallen angel… still, I might need some more later on. I'll let you know."
And after saying that, he turned his back to Seth and Susanna, and started to say something in ancient Aramaic. The ritual had begun…
Meanwhile, in all the entrances of the Stamford Bridge and the roofs, individuals dressed with black suits and wearing glasses appeared, each one holding a sharp gardening tool, ready to act in the exact moment…
The dark sky in the demonic dimension seemed restless. Thunders appeared more often and they were getting louder. The air became even more dense and both reapers experienced great discomfort; something they've never felt before.
"The pentagram has to be traced with freshly burnt wood, bathed in demon blood." There was another thunder in the sky and they all looked up "that means it's working. The frontier between this dimension and human is weakening in this location. We should hurry."
While he finished drawing the pentagram, he recited something unintelligible with a soft voice, and then he took the glass between his hands and a purple light appeared around it, turning it into a mirror he put in the center of the pentagram.
"Mirrors are natural portals…" then he stepped in one of the pentagram peaks and made a signal so the reapers would do the same in other two "whatever happens…" he looked to the side, noticing a couple type D demons approaching "you need to focus. The more you do it, the faster we get out of here. Just think about the word Micaloz."
The reapers looked at each other with curiosity and then nodded, ready to do their best effort, however, it was quite hard, since the demons were about to attack them. They were getting dangerously close and moved very fast.
Sebastian said a couple words in an unknown language, as if it was a mantra and the sky shook, this time with a piercing sounds that caused shivers.
In that same moment, Fer screamed in pain. A sound that would remain on Susanna's mind for the rest of her life. It wasn't a normal scream; it was almost agonizing and brutal, as if his arms and legs were being ripped away and he couldn't do anything about it. His gaze as lost in the distance, apparently, he couldn't focus, or he might even be blinded.
Susanna's eyes were full of tears and she struggled to untie herself, but it was useless. She was just hurting herself with the rope. A great impotence invaded her and Fer's screams reminded her of her own kidnap. The mark of her contract with Sebastian hurt more and more and the tunnel began to fill with mist and cold air.
"Ah!" Seth suddenly complained and fell unconscious.
"Susanna! Are you alright?" it was the Young reaper, who had arrived just in time.
"Ronald! We need to help Fer!" she stated as he untied her ropes so she could move.
"Susanna, I…" she looked at her with regret on his eyes "there's nothing I can do…" he took a knife from his pocket and cut the ropes. Then he looked down and after an instant, he managed to continue "I've come to collect his cinematic record and… I'm afraid I cannot save him. That would go against the rules…"
"No!" and she hurried to get to Fer, trying to find his pulse.
Demian continued with the ritual, and not even Susanna reaching Fer took him out the trance sate he was in, so she took the opportunity to drag the young man outside the pentagram and leaned him back in one of the walls. His pulse was weak and he was sweating after the agony he just faced. Very slowly, and struggling, he opened his eyes, his vision still blurry, but he managed to look at the girl.
"Miss Susanna…"
"Fer, don't speak… I…" she started to cry "I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me! I shouldn't have brought you with me… nothing of this…"
"Please, don't say that…" he caressed her head with the little strength he had left, softly and sweetly "I knew the risks and… I hope I helped somehow…" he smiled with nostalgia "when I meet your grandfather again, I'll tell him how proud he should be of his granddaughter and… how grateful I am for what he did for me." She couldn't say anything and saw how slowly Fer's skin became paler. Breathing became harder for him as well "they cannot win… trust in… your… strength… don't… don't give up."
All of a sudden, his arm, the same he used to caress Susanna, fell down, as if all his strength was gone. His blond hair fell on his sweaty forehead and his eyes didn't reflect emotions anymore. He was gone
"No, Fer! Please, don't leave me!" she cried and Ronald took her shoulder while he leaned down next to her and closed Fer's eyes.
"It's alright, Susanna. It happened very fast." Then he summoned his lawn mower and started to collect his cinematic record. However, little after he started the collection, something seemed to be pulling the film away. As if an invisible force didn't allow his soul to be collected; it was being subtracted "what the hell?"
Suddenly, Demian saw his son lying unconscious on the floor and hurried toward them, punching Ronald with superhuman strength. His eyes were now completely black and he looked terrifying, as if he was possessed by something or someone. Susanna stood up and tried to get to the reaper, who received a heavy blow and he was recovering, but before she could do it, the man strongly held her and dragged her towards the center of the pentagram.
The reaper almost tumbled, but when he recovered his balance, he threw himself at the cinematic record that was being subtracted inside a portal. He barely made it on time to finish the collection and after he was done, he turned to attack Demian, but he anticipated his movements and used Susanna as a shield, causing Ronald to parry, and moved some candles from the pentagram. Some of the symbols were now gone, but the man holding Susanna didn't seem to notice it and he started to recite words in an antique language. The girl struggled to get away from him, but she couldn't and the pain of the contract mark started to be unbearable.
Suddenly, Demian took a knife and made a deep cut on Susanna's hand, letting the blood spill on the center of the inverse star. The atmosphere changed in the tunnel. There was almost absolute silence, and only the cold air whistling on the nearby tunnels could be heard. Then, an irritating noise came from the control box up the stairs. It was like an alarm with an eerie sound that echoed in the place.
"It's time…" finally pointed Demian after laughing maleficently. An instant later, a loud noise was heard in the distance, and a light earthquake was felt.
Ronald and Susanna looked at each other with wide eyes. They couldn't believe what was happening. The reaper already suspected it, but he thought he'd have some time to prevent a disaster: the sound they heard before was a devastating bomb that exploded right under the Stamford Bridge.
For an instant, the girl was astonished, imagining how many people would have died in the explosion, but before giving it much of a thought she felt Demian throwing her to the ground, leaving her motionless as he positioned above her.
Ronald hurried to attack Janssens-Guillot and managed to bring him down, but before he could corner him, another tremor was felt and the ground opened.
"It's a portal!" Susanna yelled as she crawled to get away from the pentagram. The portal was opening in one of the sides of the tunnel, nearby Demian and Ronald, and as soon as she saw wat was trying to get out of it, she screamed in terror.
They were type D demon, that quickly leaped to reach Susanna and Seth.
"Oh, not again!" the reaper took off his jacket, which was now broken after assaulting Demian. Then, he took his death scythe and attacked the demons. He wasn't willing to let them feed on souls.
He managed to chase away one of them, but they were four and it was very difficult to keep them at bay. As for Demian, he walked towards Susanna and took her back to the pentagram. She punched her, regretting losing her gun; the man was too strong, which had to be some kind of consequence of the ritual he performed a few minutes before.
The man recited a spell and there was another tremor. The girl started to think everything was lost, but the contract mark unbearably burned her neck and the floor opened again, showing a deep and terrible darkness that didn't seem to have an end.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Ronald complained. He was still fighting the demons and received a few punches while he was at it. Lucky for him, they didn't carry the Gungnir spear this time.
When the portal was open, a set of knifes stabbed the arm of the man holding Susanna, while Sebastian went out the portal with a super-fast movement.
"Susanna!" the butler yelled with urgency and worry. Right after him, Grell and William went out the portal, but they were accompanied by more demons.
"Honestly… we can't disappear even for an hour, because demons start to come out of everywhere."
"Sir! Sempai! You're just in time to…" Ronald spoke as he punched a demon on the head "send this aberrations back to where they belong."
"Ronald, I thought you were in the stadium… thank goodness you disobey orders as well." Grell smiled at him "and for what I can see…, this could have been much worse and Susanna could be dead." He summoned his chainsaw and ran towards the demons to attack them.
The situation at the stadium was much worse. There were hundreds of injured people and many more were dead, lying in the floor, along with the remains of the construction. Cries and screams of desperate people buried under heavy rocks and bricks were heard and the sound of the ambulances came from the distance.
The reapers started the arduous job of collecting the souls of the people who died, but they knew the numbers would greatly increase in a matter of minutes.
As soon as Sebastian was near Demian, he kicked him, sending him to the top of one of the stairs. Then he helped Susanna stand up.
"Sebastian… are you alright?" she looked at him, checking if he was wounded, but he seemed to be fine.
"Susanna… I should be the one asking that…" he softly caressed her cheek and took a handkerchief to remove the stains of blood from her face. Then, he kneeled down with solemnity "My lady, I hope you could forgive me for not taking care of you the way should have. I promise this won't happen again." When Susanna saw him, she was very surprised and caressed his head with tenderness.
"I know… I was so worried about you, as well." She smiled and Sebastian looked at her, a little shocked.
"You are so gently, milady…" he grabbed her hand and stood up while holding it "I don't know what would I be capable of if I hadn't seen you again… all because of that bloody bastard." Suddenly, his calm and warm expression became evil and his demon eyes shone even more. They hadn't adopted their usual reddish tone since he came out the portal "but, for the time being, there are some things we shall take care of…"
Then, Sebastian turned around, looking for Demian, who appeared to be doing another enchantment, but the butler couldn't stop him, since he saw one of the demons was dangerously approaching Susanna, so he carried her to keep her safe.
The reapers were still fighting the type D demon, but then, five of the six that were there, ran away, disappearing in the tunnel that lead to the stadium. Ronald was ready to go after them, but William stopped him.
"There's no need…" Grell and Ronald looked at them, taken aback. "a bomb exploded in the stadium, hasn't it?" Ronald nodded with curiosity "I supposed something like that would happen." William adjusted his glasses "so, I took precautions and made the proper arrangements. There's a special team taking care of it as we speak…"
"Oh, Will, dear! You think about everything!" Grell remarked.
"It's my job…" he adjusted his glasses again and then jumped to attack one of the demons, piercing trough his chest with his death scythe. His speed was incredible; the demonic dimension weakened him and he was just recovering, and yet, his strength and abilities allowed him to get rid of that demon in short time, as if it didn't imply much effort. Being the Supervisor of the Management Division, he should be an individual with exceptional qualities.
After that, Sebastian jumped towards the reapers, leaving Susanna to stand up.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"We're fine, but…" William walked next to them and looked at the girl with some regret "it seems like you went through some trouble as well." His voice was soft, and he fought the long to get closer and embrace her. He knew it was too late for that.
"Occupational hazards." she shyly smiled and looked at Demian, who was still on the stairs, kneeled down, his eyes completely black. His expression had changed and he seemed about to get a heart attack.
Immediately, the reapers and Sebastian got ready to attack him, but the butler's sharp ears recognized something on the other side of the tunnel.
"It seems like the pipe carrying the water supply is about to break. If it does, everything will be flooded and we'll be dragged by the current.
"It must have been the explosion." Ronald explained and looked at the tunnel what lead to the stadium, trying to see something "how long till it happens?"
"Maybe a couple minutes." The butler said thoughtfully.
"But Demian!" Susanna broke the silence and they looked at each other as if they were planning something. An instant later, they lunged against the man, who was now standing and had a knife on his hand, ready to cut his veins, reciting "Bene ha Elohim."
A moment later, Demian jumped down, falling right in the middle of the pentagram. As soon as he touched the floor, another earthquake was felt; the strongest so far and, slowly, his body started to disappear, as if the ground was absorbing him.
In that moment, Seth woke up and saw his father disappearing. He was very careful not to make a single noise and stood up as fast as he could, running away from that place.
When the body was done, a golden mist appeared and headed towards Susanna. It was Demian's power, which was to be absorbed by the girl. This time, she felt dizzy and she was sure something was calling her.
"Is something the matter?" Grell noticed and approached her.
"No, it's just… I'm dizzy… I think…" she looked at the pentagram on the floor and saw a red light coming out of it.
They were all very surprised. It could only mean one thing, but none of them said a word; they were speechless, until they saw a silhouette coming out the ground.
At first, it seemed to by only a shadow, but it gradually became clearer and the first thing they notices were the black wings slowly displaying in the air
The fallen angel had arrived.
None of them said a word, the y limited themselves to look at the mythical being. He had human form, but he had black wings. It as a tall and pale man, about 6´3 ft tall and when he stood in the middle of the inversed star, he looked at them, with a mocking smile, studying them with a gaze that seemed to be made of pure ice.
His face was extraordinarily attractive. After all, he was an angel… one that fell from God's grace millenniums ago. Part of his penitence could be seen on his left eye, that was red and bloodshot. Dark marks were below it, reaching his cheekbones. A supernatural image that was taken out from hell itself, and contrasting with his, his right eye was the purest blue, brilliant, as if it was filled with light.
Quickly, his gaze was fixed on Susanna, who didn't dare to look at him and took a step back, fearing for her life and, once again, the dizziness invaded her. She took Sebastian's arm to not fall down. The demon had approached her in a protective way as soon as the fallen angel appeared.
Ronald held his death scythe as tight as he could, trying to hide the fear he felt, while Grell adopted a serious attitude, more threatening than he'd showed before. He turned on his chainsaw and his eyes shone, ready to attack, but William made a simple, but firm movement to stop him. His harsh and serious countenance observed his rival, trying to guess what he was up to, but only one thing was certain: they had to be cautious, because it wasn't just any supernatural being.
Suddenly, Sebastian stood in front of Susanna and his eyes shone, more demoniac than ever and a dark aura surrounded him. He was ready for anything, although he knew a serious fight would risk his mistress life, aside of destroying e tunnel. On the other hand, they didn't have much time before the place flooded, so his top priority would be to take the girl out of there.
As for the angel, he limited himself to observe them, tilting his head with curiosity after seeing their behavior. He seemed relaxed and calm, while he passed his hand through his dark hair, looking at Susanna again.
"So, you are the final piece…" his voice was deep and manly "to be honest, I expected something more…" he looked at her from head to toe "mundane and willing. I thought you would be a sacrifice more…" and when he saw her terrified and confused expression, he laughed "I guess that's not important anymore. You've got what I need."
"Don't take another step closer…" William threatened him with his death scythe and glanced at Sebastian, as if he was trying to say something.
"A grim reaper will stop me?" he laughed again "are you doing this to stop me, or to protect this girl?" without a warning, William used his death scythe to attack the fallen angel, who made a fast and graceful movement to dodge him. Nevertheless, he managed to make a small scratch on his arm "how cunning… you might just be quite entertaining and…" he looked at Susanna "of course, you as well." He winked and she felt a chill traveling down her spine
"I know how tempting could that be, but… I can't let you put a single finger on her." Pointed Sebastian with arrogant and threatening attitude. He understood what William wanted to say; they needed to distract the angel and flee.
"A demon!... I will have a lot of fun with you, but… not today." He pointed at the tuned that lead to the stadium and from his index finger, an energy halo was shot. The water was about to flood the place, and before flying away, he smiled "…soon…"
When the angel disappeared, the tension went away, but it was replaced by a notorious worry.
"We have to get out of here as soon as possible." Sebastian approached Susanna to carry her and run towards the exit.
"Wait…" she looked at the corpse on the floor "Fer…" Susanna's voice was cut.
"Oh…" Sebastian looked down, stopping to think about the young man's death for a moment. Then, he looked at the reapers.
"I'll take care of the boy." William got closer to Susanna "we'll go through that tunnel that leads to the cemetery and then..."
"Abby!" Susanna exclaimed, remembering something could happen to her. And then Will looked at the redheaded and nodded.
"It seems like…" Grelll checked his to-die list "there's no problem. She's not on the list."
"I'll go get her." Ronald smiled "shall we?" Sebastian and the Supervisor nodded.
I a matter of seconds, William took Fer's body and carried it on his back. Then he ran next to Grell through one of the tunnels, while Sebastian hurried to take Susanna in his arms and take her out of there.
Author's notes.
This chapter ended up being longer than I thought, so it took me longer to update, but here it is. I'm really sorry for Fer's death… my beta reader almost killed me when she read it and, I certainly hope you guys don't hate me…
I'm afraid there are few chapters left to finish the story, and this will get more and more exciting. Besides, we're getting closer to that lemon escene… muahahaha!
I'd like to take the opportunity to thank two of my fellow master's students, Aldo and Xavier, since they give me great ideas to write the arguments between Will and Sebastian… every time they start arguing in class, I take notes and I come up with new ideas to write the reaper and the demon xD
Dearlybel0ved: I know… took them long enough… *cof cof* took ME long enough *cof cof* Sebastian's going to be such a tease from now on, if that's even possible, since he already is.