This World Belongs to Us

10: Azarial

Azarial took a large swig of whiskey. As soon as he was done, Kivar grabbed the bottle, and then took a large swig himself. Kivar's state was a little concerning. While he could easily hold the blood inside his body, he couldn't reduce the pain from the bullets.

They were stuck in this cabin, and had no medical supplies or weapons comparable to guns. They had barricaded the bullet ridden front door with two bookshelves and the couch. After checking the strength, it seemed secure. They had also boarded up the downstairs windows by using wood from the shelves. The broken circular window upstairs remained open.

It was dark inside. Soon after the initial attack, the men had shut off the generators that powered the cabin. Kivar had brought everything from the closet out into the main room. He hoped that he could use something here to make a trap or two. He scrutinized the items as Azarial drank more whiskey.

The men clearly knew about the passage to the basement, but instead of attempting to barricade that, the demons planned on letting the humans enter. Kivar was ready to kill. He mentioned something about being glad that he'd been shot, because now he could hear their blood calling to him. Azarial, despite feeling incredible anger at Richard, wasn't keen on actually killing anyone. He hoped he wouldn't have to make that decision.

When the demons couldn't sit around and wait any longer, things were set in motion. Kivar had constructed a crude trap that involved the machete from the closet. He had rigged it above the closet door. It blended in with the wall surprisingly well. Using some string, hooks, and tape, he made a trip wire that would break as soon as the closet door was opened. This would cause the machete to detach from the wall and swing down toward the intruder, hopefully stabbing the person in the face.

However, they weren't going to wait for this to happen. Kivar and Azarial would hide in the dark basement and devise the next moment to attack.

They checked on the humans by looking out the circular window. They had set up a tent next to the driveway. One of the men was stationed on watch. As soon as they poked their heads through the window, the man aimed his gun and gave them a warning shot.

It was a strange standoff between the two groups. This confused Azarial. He felt impatient and was getting increasingly nervous. Kivar explained to him that nobody wants to rush blindly toward an enemy. Patience and tactics begin a battle, and it's only later on when things descend into chaos.

Azarial wished Sumita was here.

Then there was the question of Liara. The men couldn't have kidnapped her. They just recently drove up. So, where could she be? And who took her?

These questions, along with many others, remained unanswered and unspoken as Azarial and Kivar descended the ladder into the basement. Kivar thought they should hide in the religion room. He quickly moved over there and opened the door. Immediately after stepping inside, Azarial felt uncomfortable. He could just feel the insanity and fanaticism dripping from the words on the walls.

The two demons crouched in the darkness. Kivar breathing sounded uneasy, and he kept shifting his position. This probably wasn't because of nervousness from the men hunting them, but was more likely because he hadn't stuck a needle in his arm recently. The total darkness, which would have normally been calming to Azarial, now felt oppressive and heavy.

After a long while of waiting, Azarial stood and activated his Vi Athenemate to bring some light into this small room.

"How much longer do you think this will be?" Azarial asked.

Kivar shrugged, indicating his lack of a clue.

"I don't know if I can just sit here and wait for someone to come and try to kill us."