Page 271 of Mayhem and Minnie

Another window shatters, then another. The demons flock inside the church one by one, slowly, methodically, as if they were taking their time.

Immediately, I notice a difference between these demons and the one that had possessed Cara. That one had been volatile, hungry. These ones are sentient.

At last, the door breaks too, and some twelve, fifteen more demons step inside the church.

Their expressions tighten with pain as they step on the ice-coated floor, but it doesn’t seem to deter them. It’s just an inconvenience, but they remain focused on their objective.

“Oh, no,” Minnie mutters, taking a step back.

“What?”

“Take cover, Marlowe! These are all high level. Damn it! I infused the ice with the same blessing chant as the holy water, and it barely tickles them.”

Fuck.

That’s bad.

Especially since I count more than twenty in total.

Twenty fucking high-level demons.

“Marlowe, go!” Minnie yells at me.

I shake my head. I’m not about to let her deal with twenty high-level demons when she just confessed she can only take on four or five at a time.

Clutching onto the crucifix and the holy water, I grab my pocketknife and get ready for those fuckers to strike.

“I’m not going anywhere, Minnie,” I grit out. “If it’s our fate to die here today, then we’re going to face death together.”

“But—”

“I’m not running,” I repeat.

She glances at me, worry reflected in her features.

“You still have my blood in your system, so you should be good for now,” she says. “But please take care.”

I give her a hard nod.

The demons are slowly approaching. It’s almost like watching a zombie parade with the way they’re moving. There’s no urgency, no hurry.

Minnie manifests her ice swords and she gets into a position to fight.

The holy ice she’d created is slowly dissipating now, absorbed by the demons as they congregate in the front of the church.

Minnie frowns.

Instead of striking, they gather in a formation—somewhat similar to the one the sentinels had assumed. But there doesn’t seem to be a leader among them.

They extend their arms, almost touching each other, but not quite. From the first demon’s fingertips, a black smoke erupts, winding out like a thread. It reaches the second demon’s fingers, and he shudders. Black smoke envelops its entire body and he passes on the black smoke current to the next demon. They do this until the first is connected to the last through that black smoke.

Slowly, they raise their gazes toward us, their eyes fully black. And in that blackness, a small, red spot appears, almost like a laser beam.

They move in sync as they come toward us.

Minnie summons her energy shield, and a blue shimmery light envelops her from head to toe. She’s ready to strike as they come closer.

But to both our surprises, the demons don’t pay her any attention.

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