Demon's Doorway Read Online Free Page A

paranoia, aiming his gun at every sound in the nearby trees. He positioned himself close, off to the side and only a foot away. He reemerged from the spirit realm as he reached for the gun. There was no sound, no fancy light show. Alex was simply there, ripping the gun away.
    He reared back and tossed it in the woods. Don backed up and grabbed the shovel off the ground.
    "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Alex asked.
    "I'm gonna dig up her body. I'll hire the best exorcist out there, with the biggest cross. I'll send her to Hell. I'll send both of you to Hell."
    Despite the seriousness of the entire evening, Alex and Laura exchanged glances and burst out laughing. It was the first time he'd seen her laugh in quite a while.
    Alex tilted his head. "Do you watch a lot of movies?"
    The fear vanished from Don's eyes, rage taking its place. He let out a primal scream as he ran forward, bringing the shovel back to swing.
    Alex's wings were out before Don took a second step. He disarmed Don easily before he could take a third step, and stuck him across the face as he stared at his empty hands.
    Don lay on the ground, a palm to his cheek, defeated. Alex didn't even need to raise a hand. He wrapped the tips of his wings around each end of the shovel, and snapped it like a pencil. His wings could do so much more than lift him off the ground.
    Alex discarded the broken shovel and knelt in front of Don. Laura's ex-husband was close to hyperventilating and already crying.
    "It's funny you keep bringing up Hell," Alex said. "Let's go for a little ride."
    He grabbed Don's arm, and the landscape around them changed. The night sky turned a deep shade of red, like blood. The car next to them disappeared. The trees remained, but the leaves were gone. The pavement transformed into a dirt road.
    Alex picked up the scent of sulfur, and possibly burning flesh. Sadly, it was a familiar scent, and didn't faze him. Don's cheeks turned a shade of green, and he turned over to vomit.
    "Shhh," Alex warned. "Keep quiet, or you'll rile them up."
    "Who?"
    Alex gestured to the shadows around them in the dead trees. "Them."
    The move from the living realm to the demon realm was done. Laura was safe, thankfully, far away in the spirit realm. The feeling of oppression, of dread, was very real in the air. The demon realm was far removed from the living and spirit, usually only discovered accidentally. The living and ghosts were both very much in danger from even a basic demon.
    Except for Alex.
    The shadows began to stir. Grotesque, horrific creatures made their way across the ground, down from the trees. Some walked on two legs, others four, some of them six. Their skin was burnt, at least the ones that had skin. Several of them dragged human body parts behind them. Screams could be heard in the distance, bodies breaking, torture, suffering. Alex had been to the demon realm more than he wanted, and the scenery still made the hair on his neck stand up.
    Alex's nose flinched as a new scent moved through the air. He looked down to see dark wetness spreading across Don's slacks, and picked up the smell of shit.
    Don tried to pull away, but Alex held fast, for the murderer's own safety. "Don, I'm telling you, don't move."
    The demons stopped ten feet away, maybe a hundred of them. They formed a circle around Alex and his guest. The demons drooled, twitched, snarled. One of the six-legged variety scratched at its ear, and ripped it clean off its face. The demon next to it hungrily gobbled it up.
    Don finally vomited, all over his shirt and lap.
    The demons spoke in a collective voice, their mouths not moving.
    "Master."
    Alex cringed. He hated when they called him that. He wanted to stand, assert his dominance over them, but had to keep hold of Don.
    "Don't call me that. I've told you. My name is Alex."
    They said nothing. He was quite sure they were simply ignoring him.
    "New…meat? New toy? We can play?"
    He stared at Don. "That's up to you. You either