the city proper. Not knowing where the demonic activity really starts, I pull off on Lemont to find traces of civilization.
It doesn’t take me long to find it.
I approach a roadblock a little over a mile up the road. Two cars parked longways blocking the flow of traffic in the northbound lanes though I can see they have a similar setup on the other side. Off to the left I can even make out what they are protecting as there is a makeshift wall built around part of a subdivision.
I stop the car well before the roadblock and shut off the engine. The last thing I want to do is provoke a fight out here with people I don’t know. I’m going to be stirring up enough shit without looking for more trouble.
“What brings you here?” the man asks, approaching my car. He is armed with a classic hunting rifle and wearing a full camouflage outfit.
“Thought they outlawed guns here?” I say, pointing to his weapon.
“The law doesn’t mean much anymore,” he says.
“I guess not.” I open my car door slowly, stepping out with my hands up hoping he isn’t the jumpy type. “I’m looking for a friend. A woman with long red hair, about five-five, something of a feisty streak.”
“The woman from St. Louis?” a young gal, maybe in her early twenties says as she walks up to the car.
“That’s her,” I say.
The man with the rifle lowers his gun before giving me a pat down. “You need new friends,” he says, when he grabs my knife.
“Can’t argue there,” I say with a smile. “She causing any trouble?”
“You could say that.”
The young woman walks closer once the man is done with his search and offers her hand. “I’m Shelby Clark. This is my father Robert.”
“Mitch Butler,” I say shaking their hand.
“Your lady friend has a thing for fire,” Robert says, sitting on the curb. “Burned down a neighborhood just south of here this morning. The refugees have been moving in ever since.”
“It’s not her fault,” I say, as Robert hands me back my knife. “She was trying to save a group of people down our way and ended up being possessed by a demon.”
He nods. “I figured that much. We’ve been under siege by them for years.”
“Not much better down there,” I say. “In fact, some major shit is about to go down, so the faster I can find her and bring her back home, the better.”
“She shouldn’t be that hard to find,” Shelby says, backing up towards the cars.
“Just follow the fires?”
“Something like that.”
“We took one of refugees in from the other neighborhood in earlier today. You are welcome to come in and question them.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Shelby asks, taking her position.
“It’ll be fine,” Robert says. “If he gets out of line, I’ll just shoot him.”
My eyes dart over to Robert, seeing the seriousness in his eyes.
He leads me to the edge of the wall and we follow it around to the north until we reach the makeshift gate. Getting a good look at the whole thing makes me wonder how it is still standing here today as it doesn’t look like much more than sheets of tin held up with pieces of rebar. Once we pass through, I see my suspicions are true.
“I guess you have been pretty lucky?” I ask, pointing to the walls.
He nods. “We were worried when we saw the fires yesterday, but they never got any closer than before.”
“You keep talking about the fires, but I didn’t see any smoke coming in. Where was it at?”
“About a half mile south. A little ways off of Lemont.”
“Weird,” I say. “I would have thought it would still be smoldering at this point.”
“Me too,” he says, walking up to one house. “But the survivors say that the fires stopped when your friend left.”
“Interesting.”
Robert opens the front door as I walk into the house. Around the room there are lit candles along the wall at four foot intervals that cast a yellow glow throughout the room.
“Sit,” he says, pointing to a nicely patterned
It doesn’t take me long to find it.
I approach a roadblock a little over a mile up the road. Two cars parked longways blocking the flow of traffic in the northbound lanes though I can see they have a similar setup on the other side. Off to the left I can even make out what they are protecting as there is a makeshift wall built around part of a subdivision.
I stop the car well before the roadblock and shut off the engine. The last thing I want to do is provoke a fight out here with people I don’t know. I’m going to be stirring up enough shit without looking for more trouble.
“What brings you here?” the man asks, approaching my car. He is armed with a classic hunting rifle and wearing a full camouflage outfit.
“Thought they outlawed guns here?” I say, pointing to his weapon.
“The law doesn’t mean much anymore,” he says.
“I guess not.” I open my car door slowly, stepping out with my hands up hoping he isn’t the jumpy type. “I’m looking for a friend. A woman with long red hair, about five-five, something of a feisty streak.”
“The woman from St. Louis?” a young gal, maybe in her early twenties says as she walks up to the car.
“That’s her,” I say.
The man with the rifle lowers his gun before giving me a pat down. “You need new friends,” he says, when he grabs my knife.
“Can’t argue there,” I say with a smile. “She causing any trouble?”
“You could say that.”
The young woman walks closer once the man is done with his search and offers her hand. “I’m Shelby Clark. This is my father Robert.”
“Mitch Butler,” I say shaking their hand.
“Your lady friend has a thing for fire,” Robert says, sitting on the curb. “Burned down a neighborhood just south of here this morning. The refugees have been moving in ever since.”
“It’s not her fault,” I say, as Robert hands me back my knife. “She was trying to save a group of people down our way and ended up being possessed by a demon.”
He nods. “I figured that much. We’ve been under siege by them for years.”
“Not much better down there,” I say. “In fact, some major shit is about to go down, so the faster I can find her and bring her back home, the better.”
“She shouldn’t be that hard to find,” Shelby says, backing up towards the cars.
“Just follow the fires?”
“Something like that.”
“We took one of refugees in from the other neighborhood in earlier today. You are welcome to come in and question them.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Shelby asks, taking her position.
“It’ll be fine,” Robert says. “If he gets out of line, I’ll just shoot him.”
My eyes dart over to Robert, seeing the seriousness in his eyes.
He leads me to the edge of the wall and we follow it around to the north until we reach the makeshift gate. Getting a good look at the whole thing makes me wonder how it is still standing here today as it doesn’t look like much more than sheets of tin held up with pieces of rebar. Once we pass through, I see my suspicions are true.
“I guess you have been pretty lucky?” I ask, pointing to the walls.
He nods. “We were worried when we saw the fires yesterday, but they never got any closer than before.”
“You keep talking about the fires, but I didn’t see any smoke coming in. Where was it at?”
“About a half mile south. A little ways off of Lemont.”
“Weird,” I say. “I would have thought it would still be smoldering at this point.”
“Me too,” he says, walking up to one house. “But the survivors say that the fires stopped when your friend left.”
“Interesting.”
Robert opens the front door as I walk into the house. Around the room there are lit candles along the wall at four foot intervals that cast a yellow glow throughout the room.
“Sit,” he says, pointing to a nicely patterned
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