InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Seventh Key ❯ The Demons Among Us ( Chapter 6 )

The Seventh Key

 

Sorry for the late update, but I've been having fun with Displacement and am now back to school. But, better late than never!

 

Hope you guys didn't like Ayame or Miroku too much :p.

 

Chapter 6

 

The Demons Among Us

 

Inuyasha rushed up the stairs, Bankotsu, Kagome and Kikyo right behind him. As he emerged on the balcony, Inuyasha cocked his gun. The door to Ayame's room was banging, and a green light was shining from the crack between the door and the floor. Inuyasha lowered the gun and kicked the door it.

 

On the bed lay Miroku, at least, what was left of him - a demon weating Ayame's nightgown had its claws wrapped around his face and throat, blood flowing from several deep scratches. Inuyasha raised the gun and fired. The demon lifted Miroku's body up, and the bullet neatly pierced the back of his skull. With a snarl, the body was thrown through the air, knocking Inuyasha on his back. The demon pounced on him not a moment later.

 

“Holy shit!” Kagome gasped. Inuyasha flipped open the satchel on his belt and grabbed the key from it. He brought it up, but a quick wave of the arm flung it from his grasp before the demon's jaws came towards his face. Inuyasha lifted his arms and grabbed the creature's shoulders, holding it back. The key slid along the wood of the balcony where Kouga was running up the stairs. The lid slipped open, and a single ruby drop fell onto the edge of the landing as Kikyo ran and picked it up.

 

“Move!” she shouted, pushing Bankotsu aside with the barrel of her shotgun. She raised the key up and slammed it towards the demon. Its claw wrapped around Kikyo's wrist and jerked it, slammed Kikyo's elbow into the doorframe. Kikyo screamed as the demon twisted and pulled. Her lower arm snapped off, and Kikyo fell back as blood poured from what had been her arm. The demon raised the arm and hand - still clutching the key - and turned to bound towards the window. Inuyasha grabbed Kikyo's shotgun and lifted himself up to fire. The demon's head exploded as the shells shattered its skull and pierced its eyes. Kikyo's arm fell to the floor in the wake of the explosion.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“AHHHH!” Kikyo screamed as Kagome poured more rum into the frying pan in which the stump of Kikyo's arm was resting. Bankotsu was off to the side making a crude covering for the wound from a tablecloth and duct tape.

 

“Give that thing!” Kikyo snapped, grabbing the rum and taking a long drink.

 

“Here, this will have to do,” Bankotsu said, slipping the covering over her arm.

 

“This is bullshit, we have to get her to a hospital before she dies from blood loss or something!” Kagome protested.

 

“We're not going anywhere!” Inuyasha snapped. “We stay here, she'll be fine.”

 

“Is it me, or has listening to you got us fucking nowhere?” Kouga yelled. “Ayame's dead, the cop's dead, Mr. Postman's dead, and the braud over there got her fucking arm ripped off.”

 

“I hate to say it, but Kouga's right for once,” Mushin piped up. “No offense guy, but if we can get out of here, we gotta try. We stay here, they'll just pick us off one by one.”

 

“Only if you let them tempt you, is anyone listening to me!?” Inuyasha demanded.

 

“Say what you want about me, but it seems like everyone here is tired of listening to you, seeing as how you've already gotten three people killed,” Kouga glared. “Now, Mushin, you've lived here since the Stone Age. There any mines around here?” Mushin thought for a moment.

 

“Yeah, I think so, a bunch of off-shots here and there. A big ole one, the Yanardo, runs for a few miles south near town and into the mountains up north,” he replied. Kouga smirked.

 

“Good. Anyone who wants to live, follow me,” he said. He stood up and marched over the basement steps.

 

“Who're you gonna blame when the next person dies then?” Inuyasha snarled. Kagome and Bankotsu gave him a pair of blank looks before Bankotsu put Kikyo's remaining arm over his shoulder and helped her to her feet. Inuyasha watched silently as the three stood and moved to the basement steps. Mushin sighed and shrugged before following them. Inuyasha cursed and rolled his eyes, sticking his pistol in his belt before grabbing the shotgun and walking to the steps.

 

THUMP

 

Inuyasha walked down the steps to see Kouga taking a sledgehammer to the back wooden wall of the room. Everyone else was standing to the side.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” he muttered. Kouga turned and scowled.

 

“Getting your useless ass out of here,” he replied. “Just stand back,” he lifted the sledgehammer and slammed it back against the wood with a heavy thud. He drew it back and slammed again. As the heavy metal head hit the wood, Inuyasha's eye twitched. The sledgehammer swung again…

 

And slammed the wooden stake deeper through the wrist. The ropes went taut and pulled the cross up as he ran from his hiding place.

 

“The key!” he stopped and spun as a hooded creature emerged from the shadows and stretched out a claw. He shook his head and stepped back. The demon stepped forward with its hand out, and screeched as something dripped onto its wrist from above. The demon's wrist smoked and sizzled as it recoiled. He looked up at the blood dripping from the cross above and held up the key in his hands…

 

The wood splintered and fell back, bringing Inuyasha from his haze. Kouga slammed the broken planks aside, revealing a dark, dusty shaft into the dirt behind them. He smirked and turned, grabbing Bankotsu's shotgun from him and stepping into the shaft. Mushin grabbed a flashlight from a nearby box and followed. Bankotsu helped Kikyo up the small step inside before the two of them went in.

 

“You coming or what?” Kagome asked, turning. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and came down the stairs. The two entered the shaft, and Inuyasha paused. He flipped open the satchel on his belt and withdrew the key. A few ruby drops leaked onto the shaft entrance, and he nodded before going deeper.

 

“You go first, you got the flashlight,” Kouga said, gesturing for Mushin to go ahead of him. Mushin nodded and stepped forward. “Besides, you're so liquored up the demons will throw you away if they get ya.”

 

“Ha, don't worry,” Mushin chuckled. “I worked at these mines way back, I know them like the back of my hand. The north-south spur leads to town, just a mile outside. We find that shaft and we're fine.” As he spoke, Kagome, Kikyo and Bankotsu followed them. Inuyasha had his back to them, keeping his gun trained on side passages as he walked.

 

“Alright, which way?” Kouga asked as they came to a fork.

 

“Well, that's the south-north way there,” Mushin pointed. “But wait, we came in through the west wall, so…wait, we have a turn not too far back, so…” Mushin fell silent and thought for a moment.

 

“How about we just wait here for them to find us and ask them to show us the way out?” Inuyasha sneered. Kouga flipped him off without turning. “Just pick a damn direction,” he growled.

 

“Alright, let's see…I think it's that way,” Mushin said, heading down a tunnel. The rest of the group followed. Kagome led up the rear, and stopped as a sound reached her ears. It sounded like…crying. She turned and listened before heading down another sidepath.

 

“How the hell did you work here, it smells like shit,” Kouga said behind her.

 

“Ya get used to it, back then in…” Mushin's voice faded into gibberish as Kagome turned a corner. The crying got louder. She turned once more…

 

“Shippo?” she asked. The little boy looked up through teary eyes and gasped, huddling back against the wall. “How the hell did you get down here?” Kagome asked. “Come on, come here,” she said, holding out her hand. Shippo sniffed and slowly reached out to take it. “What happened, where are your parents?” Kagome lifted Shippo up and walked back to the main passage.

 

“My…my dad…” Shippo sniffled. Kagome turned to the corner and was met with a roar. Shippo screamed as Kagome dropped him and spun, kicking Kurama in the face…at least, what used to be Kurama. The demon's head snapped to the side as it stumbled back, and Kagome grabbed Shippo to run past.

 

“THEY'RE HERE!” she screamed. Someone - it sounded like Inuyasha - cursed ahead, and the group came back as they fled down the shaft. The demon Kurama, along with someone in Botan's clothes with another demon behind her came down the shaft Kagome had found Shippo in. Inuyasha followed up the back as the demons gave chase.

Kagome, Shippo and Kouga emerged from the shaft entrance, Bankotsu and Kikyo close behind with Mushin. Behind them, Inuyasha tripped over a rock and fell, turning onto his back as the Kurama demon leaned over him with a roar. Inuyasha backed up as the demon pounced, and felt a hand on his back.

 

Bankotsu pulled him through the entrance, and the Kurama demon hit air. It screeched an slammed its fists on the barrier angrily as three more demons clustered behind it.

 

“Don't worry, I sealed the entrance,” Inuyasha explained, standing up. Bankotsu nodded as they back up. Kouga sneered and picked up the shotgun.

 

“Sons of a bitch, four years of minimum wage!” he growled, aiming at the Kurama demon. Inuyasha spun and gasped.

 

“No!” he cried. Kouga fired, and the Kurama demon roared as the air before it exploded. Flaming wood and demon innards littered the shaft and basement as the barrier shattered. The demons screamed and jumped through the newly opened passage.

 

“Run!” Inuyasha ordered. Everyone, eve Kouga, listened and dashed up the stairs. Mushin and Bankotsu ran up the stairs to the second floor as Kagome picked up Shippo and followed. Kikyo was behind them. Inuyasha turned at the top of the basement steps and kicked back a demon behind him. He ran up the stairs, turned at the landing, and dove onto the second floor. Behind him the demons came…

 

And were knocked back as a glowing red barrier flashed on the railing and top step of the balcony.

 

“What the hell?' Inuyasha gasped.

 

“When you dropped the key, it leaked a little,” Kikyo muttered. Inuyasha nodded and gasped for breath as the demons yowled and slashed at the barrier.

 

“I guess we've got an `I told ya so' coming,” Mushin said. Inuyasha shook his head.

 

“Don't worry…at least we're all in one piece…sorry Kikyo,” he amended a moment later.

 

“Forget it, I'll kick your ass later,” she replied. The demons glared at them on the steps before turning and heading down the stairs.

 

“Helloooooo!” the sound of a bell filled the air, and the hotel residents stood up. Naraku stood leaning against the front desk, banging the small bell there. “Hey, think I can get a room?” he called. “I pay well, I got a couple thousand souls in my trunk outside,” he offered.

 

“Fuck you!” Kikyo spat.

 

“Now that's not very courteous,” Naraku pouted. The demons loitered around the lower floor as Naraku whistled and stepped down the basement steps. “See ya later!” he called up.

 

“We'll see you in hell you bastard!” Kagome shouted.

 

“From the way things are going, yeah, it's likely,” Naraku chuckled.