Chapter 18

“Where is he? Where’s that big, bad devil? Where is Father Murphy? Where is Sister Lisa? Where are Sheriff Warner and Mayor Kalamatas? Where is Chief Moskowitz? Where is WGTO? I want coverage! I want the whole fucking community to witness me put several bullet holes in this motherfucking demon, so they know to fear me, and not him or his human handler, partner, whatever you call that prick?” Big Joey Massena, the capo for this particular town, demanded.

The sweat pouring profusely off the Mafia boss’s was there for a reason. His reputation and the need to save face required him to confront the demon that was reported to him, but he had never actually considered what to do in such a context. There wasn’t exactly training for confronting demons in most places. Most people, even devout Catholics and other Christians who believed in the literal existence of demons, didn’t really factor them into their daily lives or planning, did they? Massena paid lip service to Catholicism, but like many mobsters, there was a necessary level of doubt, since they seemed more likely damned souls than most.

Naturally, the gangster brought a Catholic priest with him, but the man was hardly an expert exorcist, so he was a bit nervous, too. So was Sister Lisa, who crossed herself ... and wet herself, more than a few times as they faced Tozroman along with the rest of David’s company (and it was David’s, not Tozzie’s). She was already horrified at the grisly summary executions ordered by Big Joey of people indulging in public sex. It seemed more apparent to her and others that the place had descended into a massive bacchanalia, with people everywhere fucking complete strangers, but that was no reason to kill people, was it?

Mercedes chose that moment to flirt with Big Joey, distracting him with her freshly fucked, naked body that had just been gang-banged by seven men in the food court. That was all the time needed for David to rally his tribe behind a perimeter with a variety of weapons protecting them. He stood up and walked right up to Big Joey, armed to the teeth, yet nude now, raising the mobster’s hackles as he hadn’t anticipated such boldness. David had survived Gianni Falcone and he now had a demon at his back. He was much less afraid of Big Joey Massena.

“Who the hell are you guys, anyway?” Big Joey insisted on asking David now.

“Funny choice of words, friend. Who the ‘hell’ indeed? Tozzie, what are your thoughts on Hell? Tell me an interesting fact about your birthplace. Hell, that is,” David turned to Tozroman just long enough to make the gangster boss even more frightened now.

“Well, there’s the fact that until it was shut down, there was a special place in it just for Big Joey. He’s a murderer, after all. Not only Hellfire and brimstone, which is just another word for sulfur, but also rats eating his cock and balls over and over for eternity. The good news is that they’d grow back, but the bad news is that they would just get eaten all over again while he was alive and conscious the whole time. Yeah, Hell wouldn’t exactly be fun and games for the Don here. You’re still not getting into Heaven, buddy. Just for the record. You were just lucky enough to avoid Hell and the torment that I’ve just described,” Toz laughed as Big Joey grew very pale indeed.

“What else might he have expected?” Salome asked Toz now, the cum from a GNC clerk still oozing out of her ass.

“Well, a red hot pitchfork, of course. Right up the bum! By red hot, I mean with actual flames on the points,” Toz grinned at that prospect, making Big Joey shudder at such a thought, “searing his bunghole repeatedly forever.”

“Trying to scare me, are you? Just what do you want, demon? What do I have to do to get rid of you? I’ve been meaning to kill you, but you’re clearly in a stronger position, with more leverage than I expected. Perhaps we can work out a deal, as long as you get the hell out of town and never bother us again,” Big Joey now backtracked a bit.

“Sorry, but the murderers who butchered a bunch of people in a mall must die first,” David warned Massena, who glared at him in response.

“Hey, don’t look at him that way. That’s non-negotiable! He’s the leader of my tribe. I’m just his enforcer. He’s the boss. I’m merely his best soldier, that’s all. Although I do think that it’s time for the parting of ways. I should go my way and David his. It’s for the best. As for you, it’s up to David to decide what to do with you,” Tozroman looked at David for guidance.

“The six mafiosi and Big Joey must die. The rest can live. They can tell others not to mess with us, either. You know what to do, Tozzie,” David instructed the demon.

“Dracarys,” Connie laughed as she spoke, as if she were Daenerys Targaryen, Queen of Dragons.

Toz smiled, opened his mouth, and immediately expelled more black flames from his throat, incinerating first Big Joey, and then each of his henchmen. The priest, nun, cops, and politicians were all shaken up by this obvious execution. When Father Donovan Quinn chanted something in Latin, trying to banish Toz, David drew his Luger and shot the man dead in cold blood. The message was unmistakable. Toz had been loyal, had David Howard’s back, so David returned the favor. He wasn’t messing around, not anymore. He was fresh out of patience and mercy.

“Run along, tell the others to leave us alone. When the new capo is chosen, make sure that he knows. In the meantime, we’re leaving this town as fast as we can, I promise you. Deal?” David asked the Mayor.

“Deal. Just ... make sure that anyone who has mated with you leaves immediately. Doesn’t go back for their stuff. City Hall, which is me until a new capo is chosen from above, doesn’t want their ... condition to spread. Forget the food court. You can eat somewhere else, in some other town,” the Mayor agreed.

“Done,” David answered.

“Also, Sister Lisa has to go ... and so do these reporters. We’re able to censor what remains of the Web these days reasonably well in Jersey, as you know. There are limits, but it’s doable. The last thing that we want are a bunch of journalists spreading word of this. We both benefit from burying this story. You get to keep your relatively low profile, making your exodus easier. I get to stop the panic and hysteria before it can spread. Are we agreed?” Mayor Spiro Kalamatas urged David now.

“Agreed. Given the sheer of encounters and everything, we’ve now got about ... forty-eight people in our tribe. That’s gonna be tricky to move, but we’ll be out of here as fast we can make it. Toz, were you serious about splitting up, because I think that would be the best approach, actually. We should select our teams now, yours and mine, and take different roads, be less conspicuous that way and improve our odds that at least some of us will escape Jersey,” David encouraged Toz in front of the Mayor.

“Look, take whatever vehicles you brought here and go. Just split up and leave, ASAP. You have CB, right? You can coordinate your evacuation?” Chief Moskowitz now added his support to the Mayor’s proposal.

“Yes, of course. My team definitely includes my wives, no doubt of that. Denise, Andrea, Jenny, Azita. Who else is coming with me?” David turned to the group for volunteers.

“Me,” Amanda blurted, “I’ve come with you this far. I see no reason not to keep it going. What about you, Allen, Connie? Want to stay with me ... and with David? Bearing in mind that he’s still gonna be intimate with me ... and possibly Connie, and that you’ll have my blessing to be with his ladies, too. And that there will be a lot of lezzie stuff happening between me and the other women. You haven’t gone all jealous again, right? You’re good to leave with us.”

“Yes, I’m all for it! Count me in. You, Connie?” Allen concurred.

“I’m all in, too. Where you go, I go, whether it’s with Amanda or David or anyone else,” Connie threw her lot in with her boyfriend and his wife.

“So far, that’s eight. Me, my four wives, plus Allen and his two ladies. Who else for my group?” David continued with some urgency.

“I’m going with you still. No chance of that not happening. I’m committed to this,” Claire reminded him, “I want to be one of your wives, too.”

“As do I. Marry me, David Howard,” Salome assured him.

“And I ... wish to be married to David as well,” Karen backed her up.

“So, we’ve hit eleven now. Anyone else?” David asked them.

“I’m still in, which means that Kyle is, too, I think,” Melanie informed them.

“Indeed. Where Mistress goes, I follow,” Kyle affirmed.

“That’s thirteen out of forty-eight, a good start. Who else?” David persisted.

“Me, of course,” Clement stated for his part.

“And thus me, because where Clement goes, I go. What about you, sweetie?” Mercedes asked Brandy.

“I’m with David, too. Yes, absolutely. Full disclosure, I am a drag queen. My legal name is Brandon, but I love to dress up as ‘Brandy.’ Any objections?” Brandon/Brandy announced.

“None here. Who else?” David resumed.

“Me, too,” Clark Rustic volunteered, “I’m seriously hooked on Amanda.”

“I don’t blame ya for that. That’s seventeen now. I’m off to a good start, but let’s table the rest of my team. Anyone definitely up for joining Tozroman and his group, speak up now,” David decided that this would motivate more people in that group of exiles to voluntarily join a caravan.