Note: "The Resistance" is just the working title. I may post more of the first chapter in separate posts, but since it's over 18 pages long I thought I'd just give you a teaser for now. All comments are welcome.


“Dead end, little girl,” the demon hissed.

Espie looked up when she heard his voice and screamed, even as her momentum continued to carry her forward. He was still far away, but she was closing the distance quickly. His leathery wings expanded to cut off any hope of escape down the trail to the Mt Diablo upper parking lot.

Stop running, she told herself, but her body wouldn’t listen. He was pulling her in like a magnet. She screamed again. His lips drew into a grin that made her wince. A fleck of drool rolled past his fangs and trailed down his scarlet cheek to his chin.

Her legs pumped into the ground, propelling her toward the monster. Each step seemed to take hours. Please stop! she cried, though by now her throat had closed so no sound could come out.

You knew this was coming, a voice answered in her head. You knew death would catch up to you.

But not so literally! Espie shouted with her mind. I don’t want to die at Monsheth’s hands. Anything but that.

He was close enough now she could smell the sweat from his body, that pungent mixture of cloying saccharine and putrid flesh.

Can’t run from the Death Demon, the voice answered in a tone so cold it sent shivers through Espie’s body.

“No!” Espie cried out loud. With every drop of willpower she had left she forced herself to stumble. Her trajectory interrupted, she fell to the side, away from Monsheth. Instead, the Diablo Valley loomed four thousand feet below, threatening to rush up and end her life. Good, she thought as she felt gravity pulling her downward. A much better way to die.

Espie felt light. The hot wind kissed her cheeks as she fell forward. She’d snapped her eyes shut reflexively when she realized she was about to fall, but now she opened them again, wondering at the Martian landscape below her. At least, with the sun casting its red glow over the valley, that’s what she’d liked to call it. Now she’d get to see it up close. The silver cross she wore around her neck slipped free of her t-shirt and jingled next to her ear. Espie spread her arms and thought, I always wanted to fly.

The ground stopped moving toward her. No, that’s not right, she thought as she glanced to her left and right. I’ve stopped falling. But if I’m not falling, does that mean – Her thoughts raced. Am I flying?

As if in response, her body jerked upward like she’d been on the end of an invisible fishing line. As she spun around, she saw a flash of red and screamed again.

“Not getting away that easy,” Monsheth said as he reeled her in, moving hand over hand. "I could just snap my fingers and pop you right into my belly, you know. But this way is so much more fun." His laughter came in crackling spurts.

Espie closed her eyes. If she didn’t watch, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. His fetid breath washed over her, letting her know his fangs were inches away.

“Let her go!”

Espie opened her eyes at the sound of Bruce’s voice. One hand was stretched toward Monsheth, something glinting between his fingers, while the other gripped the side of the mountain. His usually perfect hair flew in several directions and the stubble over his face made him look ten years older. Espie’s admiration of his appearance ceased when she heard Monsheth’s harsh voice.

“What’s that? Your Rescue Rangers ID badge?”

“In nomen de Deus,” Bruce said, drawing back into a pitcher’s stance and flinging the object at the Death Demon. It landed at Monsheth’s feet with a soft plop. Espie could see the edges of a small metal disc just as Bruce said, “Redimio vos quod ligatio vos!” He punctuated it with the sign of a cross over his left breast.

Monsheth roared and stepped backward. The spell broken, Espie crashed to the ground.

“Ow!” She yelled as she rolled into a crouching position. Little wells of blood appeared where she’d skinned both knees under her cargo shorts. “Dammit.”

“Come on,” Bruce said, holding out his hand to her. “That’ll only hold him for a few minutes.”

She stared at his hand for a moment before grabbing it and pulling herself to her feet. “Took you long enough.”

“I’m trying to keep everyone alive, okay?” He dragged her along as he started running back over the rocks toward the outlook. Ahead, Espie could see Karen and Sarah, Bruce’s wife and 12-year old daughter, scrambling down the narrow path. “Forgive me,” Bruce continued between breaths, “if I can’t be everywhere at once.”

“No point in running,” Monsheth’s voice carried on the wind behind them. “Nowhere to go but Hell!” His laughter was mercifully dampened by a crack of thunder overhead.

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