The headache feels like a punch in the face as Elizabeth pushes herself up off of the bar top to sit upright on the stool. After the room stops spinning, she grabs the bottle beside her, unscrews the cap, and lifts it to her lips. As the liquid flows down her throats, she catches her reflection in the mirror behind the bar. Her long blonde hair falls in a tangled mess over her face and past her shoulders. She brushes it back over her ears and stares into the mirror; into the bright, emerald eyes looking back at her.

She notices that the room behind her doppelganger is in shambles and turns around on her stool to survey the damage. Tables and chairs are strewn about, glass from windows and bottles litter the ground, and one of the pool tables is flipped upside down. Even the jukebox is tipped over, with its glass face smashed in. The few patrons that occupy the room seem not to mind the destruction, though, as they go about their day drinking.

Movement from Elizabeth’s side pulls her attention away from the scene of ruin. She glances to her side and sighs. Bringing the bottle back to her lips, she turns back to the bar. When she puts the bottle down again, she looks into the mirror again; her gaze settling on the man seated beside her.

His hair is a tangled, gray mess and looks as if it has not been washed in months. A layer of grime cakes his face and tattered clothes. He stares at Elizabeth with a cocked head and a lopsided grin that shows off a mouth of rotting teeth.

Elizabeth turns to the man and lets out a second, louder sigh. "Yeah, sure," she says before sliding the bottle to him.

His eyes light up as he brings it to his cracked lips and gulps down the liquid inside as if he is dying of thirst. When he finally stops to take a breath, he glances at Elizabeth with a look that reminds her of a stray dog begging for food.

She waves him off. "Take it."

He yips in delight and retreats to the end of the bar, farthest from the entrance.

"If you keep doing that he’ll just keep coming back for more."

Elizabeth looks up to see Jimmy standing behind the bar.

He is a strongly built man with a hardened face and deep, blue eyes. His muscles show through a plain white t-shirt and his skin is the color of someone who has spent most of their life working in the sun. In his callused hands are another bottle and two glass tumblers. He sets the glasses down and begins to unscrew the cap of the bottle.

Elizabeth shrugs. "You’re probably right, Jimmy," she says. "But who else am I gonna share my wealth with?"

Jimmy pours the liquor. "Right," he says, drawing the word out. "You mean the wealth that caused that?" He gestures behind her.

"Not my fault," she says as she takes one of the tumblers. "Jackson is a sore loser, you know that." She takes a drink.

Jimmy takes a swallow from his own glass. "But you didn’t have to provoke him."

"He called me a thieving cunt," Elizabeth says. "What should I have done?"

"You could have at least taken it outside." Jimmy’s eyes scan the room as he frowns.

Elizabeth takes another drink before setting down her glass. "Fine, fine," she says as she reaches into her pocket. She pulls out a wad of bills and tosses it across the bar. "Don’t want it going around that I don’t clean up my own messes."

"Shit." Jimmy sets down his own glass and picks up the bills. When he finishes counting he says, "You couldn’t have won all this from Jackson last night."

"I have other ways of making money besides beating that douche at cards." She picks up her glass and downs its contents. "So, will that cover it?"

"And then some," Jimmy says as he counts the money again.

"Good," Elizabeth says. "Get yourself a new jukebox with some better music on it. And I drink for free from now on." She reaches across the bar, grabs the bottle, and begins pouring herself another drink.

"I can’t take all your money, Elizabeth." Jimmy peels a few bills off of the stack and slides the rest to her.

Elizabeth shakes her head and slides the bills back. "I’m not giving you a choice," she says after downing her second drink. "Think of it like me investing in the bar, if you want. We’ll be partners."

"Why would you want to invest in this dump?" Jimmy picks up the money again.

Sighing, Elizabeth takes a swig straight from the bottle. "The world’s gone to shit," she says. "This is as good a place as any."

As soon as the words leave her mouth, the door to the bar opens. She looks toward the entrance and has to shield her eyes from the bright light flooding in. Three silhouetted figures walk in before the door closes again. Elizabeth’s eyes take a few moments to adjust back to the dim light and, when they do, she recognizes the three newcomers.

The first she notices is Johnson. He is in in his early twenties, same as her, and walks up to the bar with a slight swagger. His hair is reddish-brown, and he sports a goatee of the same color. As he moves to take a seat at the end of the bar, Elizabeth notes the two revolvers loosely holstered at his hips. Though to far away to make out, she knows that there are naked women painted on their grips.

Next to draw her eye is David. In his early thirties, he is more disciplined and reserved than Johnson. His hair is close-cropped, military style, and his eyes scan the room as if analyzing any threats that might be present. A rifle hangs around his neck that he moves and sets onto the bar top as he takes a seat next to Johnson. Elizabeth notices that he lets his hand dangle near the holstered pistol on his hip.

Finally, Elizabeth reluctantly allows her gaze to turn to Connor. Though he is a few years older than her, and has jet black hair, he shares those same emerald eyes. Two pistols are holstered at his sides, and a large combat knife is sheathed on the chest of his vest. As she looks him over, they make eye contact. It is almost as if she is looking back into the eyes of the mirror.

She breaks the stare first and turns back to lift the bottle to her lips once again.

"You know them?" Jimmy asks.

"I know them," Elizabeth says.

Connor walks up and seats himself on the empty stool next to her. He looks to Jimmy and says, "Can I get a water?"

Jimmy shoots a questioning look to Elizabeth and receives a slight nod. He grabs a glass from under the bar before walking a few feet away.

"What do you want?" Elizabeth asks before taking another drink from the bottle.

"I want to talk," Connor says.

Jimmy returns with a glass of slightly brown water. "One water," he says and he sets it in front of Connor.

Connor looks up at Jimmy glaring at him. "Thanks," he says. He grimaces as he takes a drink.

Jimmy lets out a half grunt, half chuckle. "You okay here, Elizabeth?"

"I’m good, Jimmy, thanks."

From the end of the bar Johnson motions for Jimmy. The bartender shoots Connor a dirty look before walking away.

"How’d you find me anyway?" Elizabeth does not look at him.

Connor turns towards her. "I’ll always find you, Lizzie," he says. "That’s what a good brother does."

"Your a good brother now, are you?" She takes another drink from. "And don’t call me that."

"I want to make things better between us."

"And I want you to leave me alone." She takes another swig. "But we don’t always get what we want, do we?" Slamming the bottle down on the bar, she stands and heads toward the entrance.

"Hey, girl," Johnson says as she approaches. "Let’s have a drink and catch up."

"With you, Johnson, anytime," she says. "Not with him."

"He’s trying, Elizabeth," David says. "Can’t you just hear him out?"

"He has nothing I want to hear."

Connor walks up. "Please, Elizabeth. I-"

"I don’t want to hear it, Connor." She walks to the door and pulls it open.

Directly outside of the door, about to enter, are Jackson and six other men. Jackson stands a head taller than Elizabeth and is almost twice her size. A bandage is wrapped around his head, his left eye is swollen and bruised, and there is a split in his upper lip that is crusted with dried blood. Behind him are six men A scowl spreads across his face as he sees Elizabeth.

Elizabeth lets out a sigh. "Not now, Jackson."

"You cheated me, girl," He says as he enters, causing her to step back. "And you humiliated me in front of my boys."

"This is not the time," she says. "Come back tomorrow and we can have it out then."

He steps closer. "You’re going to give me what you owe."

David and Johnson turn around on their stools.

Connor steps to Elizabeth’s side and gestures to Jackson’s injuries. "You do that?" he asks her.

"Stay out of this," Elizabeth and Jackson say in unison.

"Sure, no problem," Connor says, addressing Elizabeth. "I can see you don’t need my help. That’s evidenced by his face."

Jackson growls. "Where’s my money, bitch?"

"You really don’t want to get into this with me today, Jackson."

A moment of silence passes as Jackson seems to consider her statement

Elizabeth easily sees his punch coming and dodges the massive fist aimed at her head. Before Jackson can react, she smashes a fist into his stomach with enough force to double him over.

"Told you," she says.

Connor addresses the men behind Jackson, saying, "Don’t suppose you guys will let them work this out themselves, huh?"

The men step forward beside their leader, ready to back up him up.

"Guess not." Connor extends his arm in front of Elizabeth and steps back, forcing her back with him.

She pushes his arm away. "I don’t need your help."

"Not asking," he says. "We’ll take the lackeys. You settle your score with the big guy."

Jackson rises back up to his towering height. "You’re dead you fucking cunt!"

"Come on, then, bitch," Elizabeth says.

Jackson charges at her but she shifts her weight and uses his own momentum to lift and throw him to the floor. As he hits the ground, though, he grabs her ankle and yanks her down with him. She narrowly rolls out of the way as a giant fist smashes down toward her. Rolling away, she strikes out with a kick that catches him in the groin. She uses distraction to get to her feet, but he recovers quicker than she anticipates and she is caught by a glancing blow to the cheek that sends he reeling. Turning to see Jackson running toward her, she jumps and kicks out with both feet, hitting him squarely in the chest. He stumbles and falls over the overturned pool table. She rises to her feet once more, using the momentary respite to check on the others.

Connor is holding his own against two men. He easily dodges a punch before connecting with a powerful hook of his own that lifts the man off of his feet. The second man launches himself forward and tackles Connor to the ground. They begin tussling as the first man begins to recover.

Johnson and David are in a standoff against four men. Johnson seems to be toying with his opponents as he drinks a beer and dodges an attack with a slight flourish. David, sighs and shakes his head at the other man’s antics. For his part, he fights with expert skill and quickly dispatches one of the attackers with a strong palm strike to the face.

"You’re going to be eating through a tube after this is over."

Elizabeth turns her attention back to Jackson. She scoffs and spits out a mouthful of blood. “Stop talking about it and make it happen then.”

She bounds forward and springs over the upended pool table. Using her momentum, she lashes out with a sweeping kick that connects with the side of Jackson’s face. He stumbles sideways and she presses the attack. He swings at her, but she dodges and counters with a quick jab to his throat. The blow knocks him back as he clutches his throat and gasps for air.

Elizabeth smirks and says, "I know you can do better than that."

A moment passes before Jackson stops choking and sputtering. His face is red and his eyes bulge out from the sockets. He reaches into his pocket an produces a knife that he flips open to reveal a long, sharp blade.

Elizabeth frowns. "Cheater."

He throws himself at her and attempts to drive the blade into her body. They wrestle for control of the knife and he forces her back toward the bar. She quickly scans her surroundings for anything that will help her gain the upper hand. As she looks about, she sees the others are still busy with their own attackers.

Connor is down to one opponent, a short man wielding a pool cue. He swipes and jabs at Connor, using the improvised weapon’s reach to keep him at bay. Turning aside one particular attack, Connor reaches out and grabs the stick. He snaps it in half with a quick chop before delivering an elbow to the side of the man’s head. As the man falls unconscious, Connor hurls the half of the stick he holds.

Elizabeth’s eyes follow the stick as it soars across the bar and hits one of the men that is engaged with David and Johnson. It strikes the man with little force, but the brief distraction it provides allows David to lay the man out with a stiff right hook. He turns back to the two other men he and Johnson are facing. They are armed with broken bottles and advancing.

"Really, guys?" Johnson says, gesturing to the bottles.

"You want to just shoot them?" David asks.

"Of course not," Johnson replies. "But what happened to the unspoken rules of bar fights?"

"You know you talk too much, right?" David says.

"That’s a thing?"

Jackson slams Elizabeth against the bar, forcing her attention back on him. "You brought this on yourself, you little bitch," he says.

"Only bitch here is you, you fucking pussy," Elizabeth snaps back.

The knife presses into her skin as her strength wanes. Blood trickles down her throat as the blade pierces her neck. She glances over and sees Connor, who is looking concerned. He begins to pull out one of his pistols. Before he can bring his weapon up, though, the door to the bar is blown off of its hinges.

Elizabeth’s vision takes a moment to adjust to the bright light that floods the room again. She can only make out three massive figures silhouetted against the blazing sunlight outside. When she can see clearly enough, though, her heart drops. Standing just inside the doorway are three demons.

The demons’ skin is a deep red, large black horns grow from their temples, and their eyes are pools of darkness. Black fur covers their goat-like lower bodies that end in large hooves. On their backs, leathery wings spread out to almost six feet in length. They grin widely, revealing sharp teeth, as they tower over everyone in the bar.

One of them steps forward. He stands a head taller than the other two, and has a mutilated socket where his left eye should be.

"Are we interrupting?" he says.

Next Chapter: Demons and Angels