Chapter Six: Demon Hordes

Hekin glared at me, a wave of toxic miasma filling the room with a stifling aftermath that could've been born from the depths of hell. "Damn you and that stupid cat!"

Penny Lee growled at him as she revealed her claws.

"There, there," I told her as I rubbed her back to calm her down. It took a minute, but it worked. She settled into my lap and watched Hekin with those haunting golden eyes.

Jopp was resting in the back of my mind. He didn't care what happened, as long as no other demons were nearby. I think he failed to notice that Hekin was very hostile.

"Come on," I told Hekin. "Live a little. It's an easy game. Come closer. I'll show you."

Hekin's hair bristled. "Don't you dare touch me!"

"Chill, Hekin. Look, your piece is right here, and you toss the die to see how far you go."

Hekin growled at the board game. I placed the die in his shadowy claws and waited.

Penny Lee sat up and stretched. The second I glanced up, I realized that Hekin wasn't a shadow anymore. His amber eyes still glowed, but he appeared more human. I stared for a bit, wondering why he was jacked! I patted my poochie tummy and sighed.

"I'm hungry," Hekin blurted. "What's there to eat around here besides battle cows?"

"Play a round with me and then you can eat." I wasn't in a negotiating mood.

"I'm really hungry for human meat," Hekin snarled.

"I'll starve your sick ass for thirty damn days if you don't shut up and play a round!" I blasted.

Hekin chuckled as he threw the die. "I'll be sure to tear you limb from limb, and keep you alive to watch me eat you from the inside out."

"Move your piece," I ordered.

The tiny claps on the board brought back fond memories of playing these games with my parents. It was kind of hard to recall any details, but I knew we had a great time.

Hekin stared at me with a puzzled expression. "I . . ." He closed his mouth and shook his head. "No, nevermind."

"What is it?"

Hekin kept his eyes on the board. His face was as red as the blood moon. "Your parents. What were they like?"

He could tell what I was thinking? That couldn't be it. Ah! He could tell what I was feeling! Could all demons sense emotions? Jopp said they feed on fear and sorrow. I had none of these since Penny Lee and Jopp kept me company. Hekin was irate but he couldn't hurt me. I was safe, for now.

I tapped my chin as I remembered them. "They were good people. We liked camping and fishing. We could talk about anything while the stars twinkled above us. After the fire that killed them, I couldn't bring myself to love what we once did. Now that I've come to terms with you guys, death doesn't seem scary anymore."

Hekin glanced at me with a solemn visage.

Did he sympathize? It was interesting to see how this affected him.

It was kind of unfair that he could sense my emotions better than I could his. If Jopp was ancient, what would that make his elder brother?

"Your turn," Hekin reminded. He crossed his arms and watched me like an eagle sizing up a tasty fat mouse.

I took the die and rolled them.

It seemed as if time had slowed down; the die were still in the air, approaching the board.

A crack of thunder traveled through, vibrating the house and tingling my ears. Jopp instantly woke up and bolted towards the patio. Dark clouds roamed the morning sky.

"They're coming," he whispered.

Hekin stood beside me and stared at the incoming shadows. "Master isn't with them. Do you really think you can win, brother?"

"I can and I will," Jopp responded.

Penny Lee meowed with an angry tone. She swatted Hekin's leg until he stepped aside.

"What the hell?!" he started.

She hopped onto my shoulder and meowed at the horde, a worried sound.

I scratched her chin to cheer her up.

Jopp began to form a spiritual barrier around the house. Its crimson glow shimmered like ocean waves, ever in motion. Penny Lee's eyes flashed violet. It stunned me for a second, but no one else seemed to notice.

Jopp placed gruesome traps around the house. Ice spikes filled numerous pits while poisoned vines covered the yard. Indigo flowers the size of Penny Lee grew from the vines, and fangs the size of my hand filled their hungry maws. I gasped when scorched trees ambled towards us. Their tall stature made them seem slow as they formed a wall with the poisonous vines and hungry flowers. All of this confirmed my theory that Jopp had been a forest nymph before.

Hekin glanced at me with a smirk before he surrounded the house with another spiritual barrier. His shimmered a dark violet, and it pulsed like a heartbeat. His fiery minions cackled as they emerged from the scorched trees' branches. Like little monkeys, they hopped and bounced around, ready for action.

I wondered if this would be enough.

A wave of shadowy demons, at least a hundred strong, pushed against the walls, but the trees held fast. The fiery minions pierced through the ranks while the scorched trees batted them away and stomped them into flower food. The vines shot poisonous needles that infected the demons and slowed them down.

With every victory, I could feel Jopp and Hekin absorb the demonic energy. Penny Lee glanced at me when I realized they weren't as bloodthirsty as before. Was their hunger satiated this way? Was this how they became powerful?

Another wave of demons attacked, and this was two hundred strong.

The scorched trees had become bulkier with thicker bark, and the fiery minions weren't the size of monkeys but of rhinos. The flowers had become various sizes, ranging from a hamster to a big one in the center that rivaled an elephant.

With every attack, the creatures became bigger, the spiritual barrier stronger, and the demon brothers more powerful. This went on for two weeks, day and night. I was exhausted, but Jopp and Hekin kept fighting. I knew if they stopped, the place I called home would be overrun.

Penny Lee licked my hand to bring me back, and I was relieved to see the dark clouds were gone. The new day felt invigorating, and I couldn't wait to step outside for a relaxing forest stroll.

Jopp and Hekin rested as Penny Lee and I surveyed the area. The world had changed so much, and as far as we could tell, human civilization no longer existed.