City of Sinners

City 23

I have been hearing a lot of chronicles around the world about demons. There are different versions of demons around the world, but one after another, each of those versions has one similarity: their capacity to bring horror.

Right in our front is a demon. A creature that just like among those whom we read and hear and watched on screen, is a terrifying monster—the only difference is that this demon is real; is right in front of my f*****g eyes; has the ability to kill us; and it this is not just a fictional character—or a part of a show.

This is real.

“Wh—What the hell are we gonna do, Sitri?” Gaston asked. He was at my back and even though I could not see him (because my eyes were fixated at the demon), I can imagine his big terrified face.

Valour has all the right to feel that way earlier. That kind of traumatized response when he remembered that there was something a terrifying creature lurking around the area. He has never been that way, but it was totally understandable why.

The demon has three faces; one is of a smiling woman, another is of an expressionless man with scars scattered all over his face, and the other is a cat—half of its face is a terrifying fur creature, half is a dead skeleton. All of them, they have long demonic horns standing on their forehead. Now the multiple face of the demon already bothered us. But seeing those three faces being attached to a body of a spider, it has became even weirder. And more frightening.

“I—I don’t know,” I said, flustered.

“W—we have to have a plan. We’ll be a rotten ass here if we don’t.”

“Now tell me that, leader. What the hell is our plan?” It was also the first time for me when I have ran out of smart ideas on how to deal this demon. But as that demon move its leg, I know for a fact that we cannot stay here stunned—in a bad way—of its terrifying attribute.

Finally, I grabbed my jade knives and with all the courage who have still not escaped from my chest, I commanded; “Prepare yourself, Vultures, we will fight that demon.”

“Y—You sure, Sitri? We will not escape?” Gaston asked, worried about my decision.

“Escape? Where?” I asked.

That’s when Gaston felt stunned to speak. Because he realized that even though we managed to escape from that demon, there will be more kinds of creature that are much horrible and much terrifying than what we are facing; and all of those can be escaped from. Not all of those will give us a chance to escape. Even this three-headed demonic creature in our front, I don’t have any idea if it would give us a chance to escape. I doubt.

That is why, we will fight. Even though it means we are going to struggle for our precious lives.

Now the demon has released a screeching sound—particularly from the woman face of the demon. When it did, her head suddenly vanished.

No, there was just a black, vain hole that has just appeared in front of the woman’s face, and then from that, the face was gone. The only thing that was left is her neck—her elongating, snake-like neck.

“Be careful!” I realized it was the same woman who has abducted Valour and the others in the safezone last time, that is why I know it will be up to no good. There was a black hole that has appeared at the back of the gang, but there also appeared at the left side part.

For a second, the simultaneous opening of the black hole had confused me, but I kept myself alerted; ready to launch an attack whenever it would appear. But then, a sudden thumping feeling arrested my chest, and before I knew, there already a black hole that had erupted at my back.

I thought it was my end, because I know I am off-guarded at that moment, but then it was a quick flash when I realized that Solomon was already at my back, protecting me from the demon as he used his sword to block the snake-like fangs of the woman.

I mentally slapped myself, and I gripped my jade knife tighter. I did not let my fluster roll and affect unto me. While the demon was busy biting the blocked sword of Solomon, I took that as a chance to attack.

As swift as the wind, I let my fighting instinct guide me. My feet were light and quick. Before the demon knew, I was already at her front. I sliced her shadow-colored face. One. Two. But on the third slice, I was unexpectedly thrown by an invisible force. My body met the ground in just a snap, and that has made my body burning in pain.

“Wh—What?!” I muttered under my pained breath.

“Sitri, are you okay?” Solomon asked he has already unleashed his blocking stance he was doing with the demon’s fang.

In response, I nodded at him.

Few of the Vultures went towards me, and offered some help.

“No, I am okay,” I said, grimly pursing my lips as I stand, trying to hide the clutching pain cursing through my body.

One of them had offered me a healing potion which I willingly took. Damn it, I don’t want to swallow the pain sin my body as I fight that absolutely horrifying demon.

But what has caused me to suddenly burst away earlier? It was an invisible force that is really hard to notice.

Now I took a deep breath and I started to compose my self. When I am calm once again, my attention went back to the demon. But now, it was already being surrounded with people from different gangs already. They were fighting it, attempting to kill it instead of escaping from it.

I saw Valour and Agos being stationed in a safe place, and they were being guarded by some of the Vultures and remaining of the Owls.

Now I gripped my Jaded knife once again. And then, knowing that I might either die or win in this battle—which one, I never knew—I started to attack the demon once again.