Demon Gate is almost here! Today, I'm sharing a deleted chapter, featuring a fight between the archangel Gavri'el and the demon Abigor against three other demons. And yes, handcuffs are involved.
Gavri’el
I vowed to never set foot in a soup kitchen again.
The place reeked of despondency and resignation. Volunteer servers wearing white plastic aprons and hair nets stood behind a polished silver counter, large pots before them. In a corner, a man sang “Amazing Grace,” his baritone heartfelt. I would’ve enjoyed the song if I believed its message. Right now, I was meeting the demon Abigor to learn about tonight’s match.
I made my way through the line. Before me, homeless people, many in tattered sweaters, grimy pants, and faded knit caps, held up their trays to receive ice cream scoop servings of mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.
Carrying my tray to a rectangular table, I searched faces for any sign of Abigor. He had fifteen minutes, then I’d leave.
A dark shape loomed over me. I looked up, a forkful of mashed potatoes halfway to my mouth. A tall, muscular man in a black duster stood there. Light from the overhead fluorescent bulbs glinted off his shaved head.
I lowered my fork. “Abigor. So Beelzebub’s lined up another fight.” Good. Another chance to kick some demon ass. “Where?”
“You’ll find out. Meantime, want to spar?”
“Sure.” If Abigor wanted to fight, I doubted he’d be my opponent. Unless he wanted to know what he was up against.
Outside, we entered a fenced off vacant lot down the street. I set up a barrier while the demon removed his duster and hung it over the chain-link fence.
“Suppose I can’t use my scythe.”
“Right.” Abigor assumed a fighting stance. He raised his fists. “Ready when you are.”
I grinned. “I won’t hold back.”
“Don’t expect you to.”
This was what I lived for. Every muscle pulled taut, every nerve burned. My opponent attacked first. I dodged the blow and swept out with my right leg, hooking Abigor’s ankle and sending him sprawling. I pounced, knees slamming into the small of the demon’s back. A surprised grunt filled me with satisfaction. I wrapped my arm around Abigor’s burly neck in a chokehold.
“Give in?”
Instead, my opponent rolled onto his back, knees bent, and pushed his feet against my mid-section, shoving me aside.
I fell back but got up. Abigor didn’t play. Like me, he took fighting seriously. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be my opponent in this next fight.
We continued sparring for the next half hour. When we finished, Abigor brushed leaves, dirt, and grass from his clothes. He held out his hand. “I’m looking forward to our actual fight.”
Foreboding chilled my blood. A malevolence tainted the air.
The demons had arrived. Had Abigor hoped to wear me out, making his victory almost certain?
“Ready?” Abigor asked.
“Bring it on.”
“Good.” The demon summoned a pair of handcuffs.
I stared at him. Manacles in hand-to-hand combat? What the hell?
Abigor snapped a cuff on my wrist. To my surprise, he fastened the other shackle onto his. “Beelzebub wants us to work as a team.” He tugged at the manacles, as if to test their strength. “He wants to see how well you can work together with a demon, since teamwork doesn’t seem to be your strong point.”
Before I could answer, two demons appeared in a flash of smoke, accompanied by the acrid odor of sulfur.
They moved fast.
I barely had time to react when some invisible force knocked me backwards. I fell, and the handcuff pulled tight around my wrist. Something jerked me back.
“Careful!” Abigor hissed. “Keep your eyes open.”
“Like I’m not?” I preferred fighting alone. Beelzebub’s teamwork kick seemed geared toward getting me killed. Big surprise.
“Get behind me,” Abigor ordered. “Fighting side-by-side won’t work.”
“Yeah, so I figured.” I obeyed. Problem? I could only fight with one arm. This battle was going to need some fancy footwork.
I caught a human shape speeding toward me out of the corner of my eye.
Wait for it…
My leg shot out, booted foot catching my assailant in the stomach.
The demon doubled over, gasping for breath. Staggering back, he stared at me, eyes wide with surprise.
I pummeled him into the ground, but Abigor pulled me back, engaged in his own fight. I tried to lunge forward, but my partner’s muscular bulk proved too strong.
A third demon appeared, courtesy of the smoke and sulfur. He rushed me, his grin malicious.
At least they wielded no weapons. In one smooth movement, I treated this newcomer to an uppercut.
These fights bored me.
I should’ve remained focused. Not only did my opponents have speed and agility, but they had remarkable recuperative powers. I should’ve realized the fight wasn’t over…
The blow hit hard and fast, knocking me off my feet and slamming Abigor face-first into the dirt.
I cursed as I struggled to stand, ignoring Abigor’s muffled curses.
Confident in our defeat, the demons stalked toward us, eyes filled with malice, mouths twisted in mocking sneers.
“Get up, dammit!” I jerked on the cuffs, yanking me and Abigor back to standing. No way I’d lose to those smirking assholes. If only I could reveal my true power—but again, something prevented that. Was it the handcuffs? I’d no idea.
I ran forward, not caring if my demonic partner kept up or not. A vicious kick to the groin, and one demon went down, writhing and clutching his crotch.
My next target tried to dodge out of the way, but I’d seen the slight shift in his body and swept my leg out, catching the demon’s ankle with my boot. He face-planted into the dirt.
Two down. One to go. I glanced around, but the third demon had vanished. Had our opponent given up?
An “Oof!” from Abigor, and I pitched forward. Palms pressed against the ground, I pushed myself back into a standing position.
I reeled, sending Abigor stumbling behind me. Like I cared. I had the last demon in my sights. A hook punch knocked him back. Without giving my assailant time to recover, I pommeled the demon’s solar plexus.
He writhed on the ground, holding his stomach and glaring at me. The handcuffs fell off. The officiating demon, who had kept quiet until now, stepped forward. He grabbed my arm and Abigor’s and raised them. Again, cheers and jeers from an invisible audience filled the air.
I summoned my scythe and separated three demon heads from their torsos.
I’d passed the second test.
Would there be a third?