I imagined demons as these grotesque creatures, but these dark entities that were standing in front of us were anything but. They looked like people. Normal, average Joe, Bob and Sally's; only more pale with a crimson tinge in their eyes. It creeped me out when each demon removed their hood and revealed their faces. I gasped, and looked around because I had no idea that that's what they would look like. Not in the slightest. Everyone else seemed panicked, sure, but not surprised.
"They look..."
"Human?" Val asked, arching a brow at me. She nodded and turned back to couple of demons parked outside. Staring up at the Soliel like they knew we were inside there. Like they could sense us. "They were people once. They did horrible things in their lives and were sent to Hell and in turn, they morphed into these... creatures-so of course they'd look human."
"They know we're in here," Roman said, looking around the hallway, for an escape. "They are going to come up for us. And none of us have weapons to kill ghosts, especially not demons."
"There are specific weapons to kill ghosts?" I asked in disbelief.
"Val where's the closest exit?" Roman asked, ignoring me. Topher shot me an apologetic glance.
"That way," Val pointed to the direction from whence we came, "straight down. C'mon!" She called over her shoulder already running down the hallway.
I was sure the demons could hear us-hear me-our feet slammed against the ground and echoed down the hallway, the sound bouncing off the grimy walls. I was breathing heavily, but everyone else seemed rather unaffected. Maybe I was just that unfit that even dead I couldn't run down a seriously long hallway without gasping for air. We stopped at the end of the hallway, where it split into two.
"We can try going up to the roof and go down the concierge where the fire escape is," Val suggested. "Or downstairs through one of the three main exits but I'm sure those idiots barricaded it or something."
Roman nodded. "Up it is."
We went right, and went through a door that had an arrow pointing up. We hurried up the stairs.
"Avoid the shadows!" Topher said, running behind me.
We all formed a straight line as we ran up the stairs. We found the door leading to the rooftop of the museum. The air whipped around us fiercely. The sun was going down, dipping behind the building, casting a warm glow on the small town of Hope. It was supposed to be comforting, I guess-watching the beautiful sunset-but it was anything besides comforting. It amplified the fact that, just as the sun was disappearing behind the horizon, we would die and disappear, too.
I didn't realize I was shaking until Topher slipped an arm around my shoulders and held me close to his body. It calmed me. That bright sparkle in his eye made me feel better. It smoothed out the fact that I might die.
"Meredith, do you still have salt?" Val asked, turning her pockets inside out to find that they were empty-no salt.
I stuffed my hand in my jacket pocket and pulled out a handful of salt. I poured it in the center of Val's hand. She curled her fingers around it.
"They're coming," Roman said, standing in front of us all, like a shield.
"Wait," Val said, "the trolls can jump. So they might come up from that side, too." Val pointed to the edge of the building. "I have enough salt to make a circle for Topher and Merri and then the little that's left I can throw at them-it burns them, y'know?"
"You should be inside that circle, too." Roman said. But Val was already forming a circle on the ground. The snow had melted into patches of water. It seemed as though it hadn't began to snow in a while.
"I'm not getting in that circle without you Val, you know that." Topher said, "Let us protect you. For once."
"No!" Val said, jerking away from Topher's extended hand. "I've been around much longer than you have. It's my time."
"What are you saying, Valerie?" Topher frowned.
"You know what I'm saying."
"Val listen to Topher. I know what to do," Roman said. He began to rub his hands together, and like there was a disruption in the elements, a black fire began to erupt in between his hands. He rubbed it harder, the fire grew and all three of us took step back. He threw his hands up, and the fire filled the air. The fire began to form a large scythe in the sky. Roman caught it with a strong hand and he sliced the sky; the sound of the claw ripping through the air caused my hair to whoosh back.
"That was so cool," Topher said, with eyes as big as saucers.
Roman's coat fluttered in the breeze. He slammed the scythe against the ground causing the building to rumble with the power the scythe contained. Roman didn't look back at us.
"I knew a grim reaper was supposed to have a scythe!" I said, grinning. "It was only a matter of time until he pulled it out."
"Don't get too excited," Roman laughed. "I'm not a ghost hunter so this," he gestured to the scythe will only hurt them, but it won't kill them."
"The salt barrier, it-" Val was cut off when seven demons surrounded us.
They all stared at us. Waiting for us to make a move. They looked like crack addicts. Skinny, pale protruding skin, and their irises changing color from crimson red to brown. The tallest one, the one that had a buzz cut and had chocolate-brown skin, stepped forward.
"A grim reaper," he smiled, "this is going to be fun. You can surrender or you all can die." He said, "Your choice."
"We are so not surrendering," I muttered, glaring daggers at the demon.
"You have a big mouth there for a measly soul. You do know I can snap you like a twig with my mind in the matter of seconds, right?" A woman with hair the color of stopped smoke, said.
"Don't move in just yet, Rebecca," the chocolate man said, holding up a hand to stop her from moving in on me.
"Marcus..." the woman, Rebecca whined.
The chocolate man's name was Marcus? How ironic is that? The one person who I loved the most-my father-was named Marcus; and now I would be killed by someone named Marcus. Oh, the irony!
"You will go first," Marcus said, his velvet red tongue flicked over his lips, his eyes boring into me.
I swear it all happened in slow motion. Topher stood in front of Val and I acting like our own personal shield from the magical beasts that were trying to get past the barrier. Rebecca had this smoke that exuded from her mouth; Val said it choked you. It ricocheted off the barrier. Rebecca became agitated, and began slamming her fists against the barrier. The two men that were both pale and scary-looking helped Rebecca by slamming their fists against the barrier in hopes that it would crumble and fail, leaving us unprotected.
They were so close to us. It was hard to stand up straight when these creatures were so close to us. So close that I could feel their breath on my face.
Roman swiped his scythe through about three demons which left their amputated limbs scattered on the roof. I swear I could feel the bile rising in my throat.
"Hold out your hand," Val whispered to me. I did. She poured a little salt in my palm. "On three." I nodded. "One. Two. Three!" She hissed and we hauled the salt at the demons. They staggered back, clutching their faces and screaming in agony. I didn't know it was that bad. When Rebecca removed her hands it looked like someone had thrown acid at her face, which meant it was pretty much ruined.
"Marcus!" Rebecca screeched like a banshee. "Let's go!"
Marcus shoved his boot in Roman's chest and he spiralled through the air and collided against the door we had come through.
Marcus turned around and winced when he saw the state at which his fellow demons were in.
They all jumped down the roof. After a couple of seconds of tense silence we stepped out of the scattered salt barrier and breathed out in relief.
Val jumped up and punched the air triumphantly. "We did it!"
She looked over the edge of the building. The demons were nowhere to be seen. Val turned to face us. She smiled. "I am so glad I had you all with-"
A hand wrapped around Val's neck and all color drained from her face.
"No!" Roman hollered.
Val was dragged off the ceiling. All three of us scrambled to the edge. When we looked over we saw the demons devouring Val's body, until her body dissipated in the air like stardust.
We could hear them cackling.
Val was dead. For good this time.