Free The End of the World As I Know It (The Ghosts & Demons Series Book 2) by Robert Chazz Chute, Holly Pop Page A

conflict, Tam. You are…selfish.”
    “I’ve seen what your side does.”
    “You have seen noble warriors fight…for survival. You have seen…us fighting for our children.”
    I turned the wheel too fast and the back of the bus slid sideways. Something crashed against the right rear fender. When I peered through the back window, I saw that I’d knocked over a mailbox.
    “Careful. Samantha Biggs will be upset…with you if you damage this vehicle…but don’t worry. She considers…you a friend.”
    That shocked me. We knew demon agents could move through to our dimension in small numbers — usually in ones and twos — but why would they know the details of my life?
    “What do you want, Key?”
    “Surrender.”
    “You don’t know me.”
    “This request comes…from your father.”
    “I have no father.”
    “Peter Smythe is your father.”
    “Like I’m Luke Skywalker and he’s Darth Vader? No. Screw that. Peter Smythe is not my father. Not anymore. Fathers stick around. Good ones don’t betray the human race.”
    “He wants you…to be spared. When we break through in…full force…New York will fall.”
    “What am I supposed to do? Run home and hide?”
    “Precisely. Cooperate and you…and your mother will be spared.”
    “You’re asking me to be a traitor.”
    “Your father is asking you…to survive.”
    I glanced back, forcing myself to drive slow enough to avoid sliding into a bodega. Even though the body was strapped in, I hated that it was behind me.
    “Tamara. Ra is…fire and ice. Ours is a dimension of Hell and your dimension…is our heaven. Our homes are threatened…by lava. Imagine…your world threatened by the…eruption of a super volcano. You have been misled. When…Ba’al establishes his reign on Earth, humans and the Ra will live together. We…have culture. Our opera is so sweet…it would make you…cry.”
    “I hate opera. All of it makes me cry.”
    “We have art. Much of what you call magic is our science. We…have dreams. We must escape our dimension so…those dreams can be brought…to fruition. Your…kind will share your world or perish.”
    “You used the words, ‘establishes his reign.’ That’s all I need to know. The answer is no, Key.”
    “Are…you certain , girl?”
    “I will look for you in the field of battle. I’ll be the one with the bloody sword, coming for your throat.”
    “Well said…even if I don’t believe your bravado. We are not…so different. Your armies conquer and occupy…just as ours do. Robber barons rule your world. Your politics… disguises the fact that…a few families run everything. Ba’al is a benevolent leader who is trying to save…his people.”
    Almost to Castille. I hoped Victor and Manny or Wilmington would be waiting. Maybe Chumele would be ready with the spell to release Rory. Playful puppies and cute kittens and dancing baby pigs. Playful puppies and cute kittens and dancing baby pigs!
    “Always in a rush…always late. Time is so fast…a river flowing past. You try to grab at the current, to cup a moment, but the present…slips into the ago and…away. The future is not here, but it’s coming faster…than you can bear.”
    “Is this how you really talk? Or is that bad demon poetry?”
    “Demon. Your word. I told you…we are the Ra. It is the nature of opposing…armies to demonize each other. It allows us to commit…unspeakable acts of war.”
    I turned the last corner and slammed on the brakes, eyes wide.
    The heavy snow turned orange as it fell into fire. Castille lit the night. High flames and blasting heat reached up to melt the snowstorm.
    I picked up my phone to call 911. The text screen was still open. Sam had texted TO FREE RORY, BRING ELDORA TO CASTILLE! SHE’S KEY! VICTOR’S ORDERS!
    She’s Key.
    Lesson 117: Demons have a sick sense of humor. Yeah, I had no idea, either.
    A new text came from Sam just as Eldora’s corpse gave a breathy farewell. “Welcome to Hell…Tamara. Meet me