The Journalists

Chapter Five

Raise No More Devils Than You Can Lay Down

We were in a dark alleyway between skyscrapers. All around us, dark frothing clouds were encasing the sky above us. Demons hated the sunlight and usually tried to avoid it by conjuring storms. Don't ask me how it works, I honestly don't know.

Matt was a ways in front of me in a steady pace. I had to run to catch up and I thought for sure that I could see a smirk on his face before he covered it with a blank mask. We were now in another alley way. Matt hated going into crowds. Humans seemed to both disgust and intrigue him. I was like his pet human, always along for the ride.

"Indeed," he commented. Oh boy. It started to rain. I looked up at the clouds and saw writihing faces of eyeless skulls. Anyone can see these if they look--but it has to be a demon oriented storm. You would be surprised by how many storms are actually caused by the presence of a demon. In fact, back in Caspin, we had a blizzard complete with thunder, lightning and a tornado warning! (That was all Matt's fault by the way).

My blue shirt was becoming soaked and my hair laid dripping in my face. I fought to stay up with Matt as he walked onward past overflowing dumpsters and gangsters who turned their backs to us. It seemed that Matt's intent was to go to the headquarters of The Journalists here. There, three hundred Journalists lived, reported and worked.

We went down two more alleys to a particularly tall building by the name of The Empire State Building. We were headed to the large parking garage underground. Our footsteps echoed eerily in the crowded garage. Car upon car sat silently, waiting for their owners to get off work and to drive them to protective home garages next to their stunning counterparts.

"You know what The Hidden is don't you?" Matt asked.

"No...I've heard about it, but nothing in detail," I answered carefully.

"Well, there's a legend. When Satan was cast out of Heaven, it is said that he fell so hard that he landed deep in the crust hence the placement of Hell," he explained and stopped walking. His eyes searched mine unblinkgly. It really bothered me when he did that. His pale skin and mortality status was bad enough to get over, but when he added the eyes...oh boy.

"Ok?" I said, looking away.

"The Hidden is a group of Fallen Angels who were thrown and landed in elements. There, they stayed, for thousands of years, waiting for their revenge."

"So, they are elemental demons then?" I asked. He nodded. We have a couple of complete elementals, one a demon named Thomas and the other, an angel named Gabriel. Thomas prefers water and Gabriel is the mastermind of fire. They were a perfect duo for this job, so why did Matt and I get caught up in this? I voiced my question.

"Perhaps because wer're the best?" Matt suggested. A bad thing about him was his "self-rightousness".

"Excuse me then," he said before turning away.

I followed him into an elevator. Once we were both in, I noticed how cold it was. When Matt was upset, a drop in temperature was always to be expected.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. A pissed off demon would not suffice. Especially within a closed space. The door shut decisively and he reached out with a pale finger and hit the basement button. He gave me a quizical look look.

"Nothing to be sorry about," he said, smiling.

"Then why--" I was cut off by the startling appearance of two demons. One was a female with long and flowing dark, dark red hair. the other was a brown haired male. Both were unsmiling and menacing. Matt moved to stand in front of me. Most demons were unnacustommed to the likes of me.

"Leave her," Matt said warningly. The femalie grinned showing pointed teeth. Her eyes matched her hair. The male stared into my eyes with a burning hunger. Demons feed off of humans guilt from within. I could feel his unwelcome presence scouring my mind.

"She's clean," he said softly. He lifted his brown eyes away from me. The tension eased, but it was still cold. I shivered. MAtt noticed and placed his right hand on my shoulder. I could feel my shirt getting drained of moisture. Soon, it was completely dry against my skin. I gave him a greatful look and bit my tongue to keep from thanking him. He nodded. Now that his pet was taken care of, he got down to business.

"I need access to the citizens' reports," he said in a demanding voice. The female's eyes flickered between Matt and I.

"Mattius, why don't you grace us with your presence more often?" the female crooned in an enticing voice.

"Geneca, it is nice to be welcomed, but I'm on official business." Matt was only referred to as Matt by me. No one else had that priviledge. Geneca bit her lip. The blue veins on her forehead darkened against her pale skin. Her eyes were becoming completely black.

"Enough," the male warned her. To Matt, "I'll have them ready." He then grabbed Geneca and they both dissapeared.