Page 52 of Chaos Demons

I nodded to her and got to work, calling out to the people in the church and herding them into the basement.

“Stay with them,” Harmonia called to me.

“We’ll protect you,” Eva added.

Yet again, I found one of my daughters acting more like a parent to me. Usually it was Reia, all logical and orderly when I wasn’t. Today, it was Eva, protecting me when I should have been the one sheltering her.

I ushered the last of the innocent people into the basement, following them down the stairs into a large room. People huddled close to their families, clearly terrified. I didn’t blame them.

Everything was quiet upstairs… until a horrible screeching, breaking crash tore through the silence, making everyone gasp or cry out.

Then came a rapid succession of gunshots: Eva. Those shots seemed to go on for ages but also ended far too soon. And when they stopped, we all held our breath.

My heart thundered with dread and uncertainty, verging on panic. My daughter was up there and so was my closest friend.

Was Eva okay?

Was Harmonia?

Was that the end of it?

It was more likely the end of the bullets, not the monsters. And from the frightened looks of those around me, they were thinking the same thing.

Tension twisted in my stomach, and bile burned my throat.

What if they needed healing?

I had to check. I couldn’t just sit down here and cower if they needed me, and as much as I was scared stiff, I had to know what was happening.

I crept back up the stairs and peeked out the doorway.

Just as I did, Eva yelled, “Thanks, and reload this one!”

More shots rang out, but they didn’t sound the same as before.

I opened the door a bit more and saw Harmonia with her arms outstretched and I assumed she was doing something to try to calm the zompires. The creatures did seem sluggish, slowly plodding toward Eva and Harmonia.

My daughter backed up — one careful step at a time — a handgun held in a steady grip. She fired with precision, never missing her target. There was a wild look in her eyes and a grin on her lips.

I’d always known Eva was a hellion, but the viciousness she’d shown today was just a bit too much for me. Trent was behind her, reloading her rifle, but he was nowhere near done when the shots from the handgun turned to clicks; empty.

Still, my commando-clad teen wasn’t afraid. She plucked up an axe — I had no clue where she’d found that, probably in somebreak in case of firebox — and charged at the zompires with a war cry.

I’d thought Eva to be the daughter who was the most like me, and she was, in looks, all curves with my silver eyes. And like me, she’d gravitated toward bad boys and started her sexual escapades early, but this new side of her was nothing like me. This dominance and power, this strength and warrior spirit. Where had that come from?

It certainly hadn’t come from me. Maybe we weren’t as much alike as I’d thought.

Perhaps it was time for me to learn something from her.

I slipped out from the doorway, closing it behind me. Drawing in a long breath, I tried to find my warrior spirit, because if — heaven help us all — the zompires got past Harmonia and Eva, they’d be coming for me next. And if I was with the humans downstairs, I’d only be endangering them. Which meant my place was up here.

But I had no clue what I could do against these things. I was pretty sure seducing them or healing them wouldn’t be helpful.

I slowly crept to where Trent was reloading the rifle. He handed me the small handgun and a box of bullets. I had no clue how to load a gun, but there was no time like the present to learn.

“I’m glad you two were able to reconcile,” I said to him as I fumbled with bullets.

We might all die today, but at least Eva would die knowing the truth about the man who loved her.

---