Page 48 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
Jasper's presence beside me was a comfort, even if no one else could see him right now. He needed to preserve his energy. I likely looked crazy as hell smiling and flipping off the air, but whatever. I felt good. Though the closer we got to the hangout area, which was off the back of the building in the garage bays, the more my nerves started to fray.
"They're going to have questions," I muttered under my breath.
"Let them ask," Jasper replied, his ghostly form shimmering as we passed under the neon lights. "You have nothing to hide anymore."
Easy for you to say, ghost boy.The gang members who worked this level knew me, but they didn't know everything that had happened. About Rhodes pushing me away, about Scorpio... about completing some crazy ass mate bond, and now having a demon ghost attached to my hip.
The scene that greeted us when we arrived was pandemonium. This was exactly what happened after a traumatic event with nobody in charge. Panicked gang members rushed around like headless chickens, some of them even fighting each other. This was playing directly into Scorpio's hands, and I couldn't stand for it.
"Enough!" I shouted. "Everyone, stop what you're doing and shut the fuck up for two minutes."
To my surprise, they actually listened. Maybe it was the commanding tone, or maybe it was the fact that I'd helped save their asses from Scorpio's mind control fuckery. Either way, I had their attention.
"Jasper, how many exits are there?" I asked, not caring if people thought I was crazy for talking to thin air.
"Four ground level, two in the basement, and the roof access," he replied, his ghostly form moving through the crowd to double-check his count.
I clapped my hands together. "Alright, listen up because I'm only saying this once. We have seven exit points that need to be secured. I want three people minimum at each exit. If you see anyone acting weird or suspicious, you radio it in immediately."
"Who died and put you in charge?!" A voice rang out over the crowd, and the air suddenly became flooded with palpable energy and tension. A wave of silence and anticipation enveloped everybody.
I straightened my spine and looked out over the gang of people who I never thought I'd give a single shit about. I'd come into this with one purpose: to expose The Exiled for their crimes and serve justice in whatever form necessary.
"Who died and put me in charge?" I repeated, my voice carrying across the now-silent room. "Nobody died yet. That's what I'm trying to prevent. Your leaders aren’t here right now, and we've got a serious fucking problem on our hands."
I stalked forward, my boots clicking against the floor as I approached the source of the challenge—a burly guy with neck tattoos who probably thought his size made him intimidating. Please. I'd faced down Asrael in training fights, I fought Rhodes, hell, I'd literally just fought Scorpio.
"Let's cut the bullshit. Every single person in this room knows exactly who I am and what I mean to The Exiled. Your five leaders?" I spun in a slow circle, making eye contact with as many people as possible. "They chose me. And right now, they're dealing with something bigger than this club, bigger than all of us."
Jasper's ghostly form nodded encouragingly from the corner. I drew strength from his presence.
"So yeah, I'm taking charge because I give a shit whether we all live or die. We're going to come to an understanding right here, right now! I'm going to help your leaders, so I need every last one of you to step up. Scorpio isn't done. He's going to keep coming for us, and he's going to use mind control to turn us against each other unless we get our shit together right now."
The crowd shifted uncomfortably at the mention of mind control. Good. They should be uncomfortable.
"I've seen what he can do firsthand. He'll make you hurt your friends, your family, and anyone you care about. And you won't even know you're doing it until it's too late." I pulled up my sleeve, sending my power to my arms, reversing the healing I’d done to hide the scars. I revealed them so they’d know I knew what the fuck I was talking about. "These? He gave these to me when I wasn’t able to fight back. So, unless you want to be a mindless waste, you need to take this seriously. This is the least of what he could do to you, or get you to do to anyone he chooses, but we can beat him if we work together."
A woman near the front—one of the bartenders I recognized—stepped forward.Oh great, it’s Steph.The one I beat up on fightnight. I braced myself for whatever challenge she was about to throw at me when she asked, "What's the plan then?"
"We fortify this place. We protect each other. And most importantly?" I smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it. "We show that mind-controlling piece of shit exactly why The Exiled run this city."
Energy crackled through the crowd. I could feel the shift in the room, fear transforming into determination.
"I need teams at every exit. I want our best fighters up front. Anyone with magical ability, spread out—we need early warning if he tries anything. Listen up—if you see anything suspicious, you call it in. If someone starts acting weird, you call it in. If you so much as get a bad feeling, you fucking call it in. We're not losing anyone! Not tonight, not tomorrow, not ever!"
I could see it in their faces—they were with me. The chaos from earlier had transformed into focused energy.
"One more thing," I added, my voice dropping lower. "I’m going to help your leaders with their mission, and when The Exiled get back, I want them to see that we handled our shit. That we protected what's ours. Why?!" I scanned the room, taking in the expressions of determination and loyalty. "Because! With the fallen, I rise!"
Cheers rang out.
"With the broken, I cry! With the lost, I find my own!"
The very air seemed to vibrate from the intensity with which we were screaming the oath into the universe, meaning every single word, with every single ounce of our souls.
"With the outcasts, I am home! With the forgotten, I remember. With the chaos, I am centered. With the wrong, I find the right. With The Exiled, I WILL FIGHT! Now, move your asses and protect what's ours! Come find me to get your assignments and make it quick, I have somewhere important to be."
The room exploded into coordinated activity. Jasper drifted closer as I started assigning positions.
