GAME ON - GoM 2

3

The school teacher waited for the Keepers in his car, at the parking area between the six touristic cabins and the manager's. The demons walked out of the seventh cabin still rubbing Harry's blood off their hands with wet tissues. The teacher had the engine already running, and geared in as soon as they got in the backseat. He exited the complex and drove down the road by the lake toward the house on the cliffs.

"Not as tough as he plays," one of the Keepers said.

"Maybe we should go easier on him," the other demon said. "He's of no use dead."

"Ha! Are you gonna ask'im out and say 'please'?"

"I'll say 'pretty please' if that makes'im give us that damn Cross."

The other demon was about to keep mocking him when a sudden blast of light caught their attention. A heartbeat later both demons bent over, hands to their own throats, choking. The teacher got a glimpse of a lightning webbing straight to the church's lightning rod. He didn't got to think, "Weird," when a violent gust of wind hit the side of the car as he drove past Main Street. Then he saw the squirming demons on the backseat and slowed down to pull over.

But one of the Keepers patted the back of the teacher's seat and shook his head, managing a hoarse cawing. "Floor it!"

The teacher did. After all, the Duke had appointed him to assist the mighty Keepers and do their bidding, whatever it might be.

As soon as they got to Markus' place, the demons staggered out of the car and into the house, where they were finally able to breathe again. Markus hurried to help them to the living-room couches, and they dropped themselves there, cursing and panting.

"What happened?" asked Markus, concerned.

"I don't know," one of the demons replied, his voice still raspy. "But somebody just worked some serious white shit in town."

"What!?" Markus turned to the teacher.

"A lightning just fell in town," the man said. "I think the church's lightning rod got it."

"A lightning! Here?"

The teacher shrugged. "Yeah, and we went through some heavy wind just after that."

"From the lake?"

"No, it blew from the mountains."

"Shit!" Markus snarled.

"Why? What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong?" Markus glared at the teacher. "There's no lightning up here, so close to Mount Baker, you idiot! And tonight the wind's blowing from the lake!"

He rolled his eyes when the man mouthed a silent, "oh".

"We need to find out what the hell's going on, Ritmann," said one of the Keepers, still agitated.

"Don't worry. George can check on the church. You guys go have dinner. Tonight's guests are on the way."