The Lower Demon part 2

The Green Witch.



Mort had been pitched overboard, the commander had been true to his word they had not followed them over into the jungle of the Green Witch. It wasn’t all jungle over here, relics of a bygone age were everywhere. The jungle only truly started in the areas that were once park land, many ruined buildings scatted the landscape, even some of the better roads still existed, the most notable still standing structure of the Green Witch was the former power station, the inhabitants could only begin to imgaine the power of electricity and could only wonder at what such a building was used for, but still it stood, its chimney stacks long crumbled but the main structure still stood proud. It was beside this great ancient edifice that Lorek the golden tree grew, a part of an old warehouse facility long looted and owners long forgotten, an old vehicle stood rusiting in the yard of philip mor, the rest of the letters were gone from the warehouse, thee forest had crept out towards Lorek but here buildings although crumbling still existed. These days Lorek had started to list dangerously to the left, its golden trunk had begun to turn a dull brown and still the tree, who had decided to change mankind and failed, glowed a bright gold even in the dark.
Havok looked at the strange time piece on his wrist as he stepped off the boat, he watched as Mort sputtered his way across the river and found no amusement in it, the time piece had been off and it had cost them Emille. Once the Green Witch had been his place but these days after dark the crumbling ruins were not safe, the area that had been park land was to be avoided, he was losing the Outlaws might even have to abandon the area, Lewis might not take them in, this had been a chance to grab Emille and force the Lower Demon to recognise them, it was not ideal but it would have at least bought time, the heath of black had gone, overgrown and untreadable and it would only be a few years before the jungle claimed the Green Witch.
He had saved the boy from the Isle of wolves that was something, he was so young and did not deserve to die in that hell hole, he had achieved what he had wanted to do, he had lefted the Hacked-Knee been the first person to escape the Isle of wolves and had been given pardon to cross the river, no mean feat and he had impressed Havok, as weak as he he was he had found the will and the courage to take on Mort, he was worth saving it was a shame he had not been able to strange the bastard.
“Hide the boat.” Havok said bitterly, “Get the boy some clothing, he can’t walk around naked.” He hoped over the side of their boat into the river before climbing a ladder and getting to dry land.
The prisoner watched him go, he longed to see Emille again the though of her alone threatened to get his thingy moving and he understood that was wrong in front of these people. However Emille was the half of it he was out he was free, in the heat and the blue skies and the light; the things he only saw in dreams and had come convinced that there in his head were the only place they existed as he saw the sights of this place memories of his former life had began to return. He remembered the sights and smells of the Hack-Knee and they were not like here, it was still hot - everywhere was hot - but here there were no people, no crush no fear these people were free of the Lower Demon it was just in the air, and he would help them, it would take time but he needed to see Emille again and by helping these people he would, it had never entered his mind that should he get to see Emille again that she may not feel for him as he did for her, these complex thoughts were not yet part of how his mind worked, so far the prisoner was still more animal than man.
He was lead away from the river bank down the Irons Yard and here he got his first sight of Lorek. Lorek there was no doubt about it a tree, what was so special he did not no it wasn’t the biggest of trees or the widest, it listed so much so that it was going to fall over soon and great green vines sapped at its branches and hung in lazy loops around it. Despite its sick looking nature each and every man or woman knelt before it and closed their eyes in prayer, he knelt too; not out of respect for the tree or even gratitude to these people it was because everyone else had done it.
As he knelt and closed his eyes he got the feeling the tree watched him, it was ridiculous how could an object with no eyes ‘watch’ him. There was the feeling of it though perhaps it was all those years locked away where he could be looked at whenever a guard felt like it and some did, a naked boy all alone for some of the lonely guards that had been enough, he had often pretended to be asleep.
You have a name. A deep rumbling voice cracked inside his head.
“I do.” He was unsure though.
Tell me.
“I Don’t know it anymore.” He confessed to the voice of Lorek, if the people were aware of him talking to no one they paid him no attention; each one was deep in prayer
You must remember, do not let the Lower Demon take that away from you, when you remember who you are we can see about what your future holds.
He sensed the tree remove itself from him, he had seen other things too, he had seen a world before the heat before the crack, he had seen strange flying metal birds and ways people could move faster than a horse, they had just been garbled images but he had never really given much thought to the old civilisation and yet looking round towards the old power station he realised they must have been amazing to see.
“Did he help you?” one of Havoks outlaws enquired,
The former prisoner shook his head, it still hurt him to speak.
“Lorek will.” Smiled the outlaw, “but sometimes it takes a while, sometimes he will even ask a favour of you before helping.”
“My…name.” The prisoner said.
“Ah. Well there’s no rush. Now that your out in the big heat you got all the time in the world to figure out your name.”
The prisoner nodded.


Havok however did not feel like he had any time, every second he watched as the time piece lost time, it was on its way out, since the world had cracked nothing from the old civilisations lasted long, but this time piece was from the Old Old where it worked on wind up power not butteries it was supposed to last forever.
He had taken a small detachment of his men and ventured up the Irons Yard onto to the large road, there were still signs clearly displayed that must have described what this road was called or even what it was for, however the means for deciphering the old civilisations language was far beyond Havok, the strange squiggles that called writing was beyond him and anyone he knew.
At this time of day Main road was as busy as it ever got, the people that lived here were travelling back from Lewis’s Hamlet from the markets there. They did not concern him he needed to speak to The Brain and to Race Car because if the time piece was gone they were the only ones who could fix it.
It troubled Havok as he passed, to see the subtle signs of vegitation taking over the crumbling buildings, even the road was growing a fine sheen of emerald grass, it had begun to sprout here and there between the black road surfaces all it it a sign that the Green Witch was losing its battle to the jungle and he did not have the man power to cut it back. Or even tame it
Along the Big Road that lead from the Green Witch over to Lewis’s hamlet one building stood mostly in tact, true vines from the old park land now hung like thick snakes around it and stinking moss and fungi grew over its façade but the old brick buildings shape remained, its open arches that led to its interior had been cleared and several modifications had been made although what these were Havok had no idea, pointed metal things that shone against the sky. It was dangerous and would eventually cause the Lower Demon to cast his gaze this way, after all Emille was Lewis’s insurance not Havok’s, Lewis could not afford to even suggest he dealt with the Outlaws despite what everyone truly knew, the Lower Demon liked the trade too much - there was a very fine balance here on what could be done and said, the Lower Demon did not take blatant affronts to his system, and breaking into the prison was going to bring some reprecussions.
Havok stepped over a large root that had cracked and twisted its way through the old black road surface, seemingly trying to follow the strange white lines that had once ran down its middle, the old civilisations had some strange ways.
As he made his way into the Arches and into the entrance of the building it was like entering another world, there were no signs here of the creeping jungle it was warm and comfortable, the Outkasts might be kids but they knew ways of living that no one else dreamed of.
“Yo Hav.” a cheery not quite yet mans voice called, he looked down and rolling towards him in a construction that Race Car had built, which was in effect a chair on wheels was Wheels, named after strange contraption. The boy had never had use in his legs, and when Havok had found him some years ago, he wondered how such a boy could survive in this world without his legs but he had fitted into the four man (or boys and girl) group like he was born into it.
Along one wall the Outkasts tag was spray painted, no doubt by the only girl of the group of kids Millie, her job was to make sure that the people of Lon-din knew the Outkasts had been there and they were standing against the man, be it Mort or the Lower Demon or one of the other Barons, the Strange withdrawn Baron De’ath or the brutish Baron Kill.
“Getting up to trouble Wheels?” Havok smiled, the boys lank dark hair hung greasy and over his eyes he looked up but his back was crooked and his shoulders round meaning he could never quite straighten up, “Course Hav.” He smiled, “The Brain is working on something and Race Car is building it, its going to be epic man.”
“Millie?”
Wheels looked troubled, “Millie, man I dunno. She woundered out for the Ford to check on the watch points supplies, you know race car is trying to rig up those ‘leckit lights so the bastards wont come during the night well that was two days ago man.”
Havoks lip twisted, “I’ll send a patrol, as long as she stayed on Big Road and didn’t venture into the jungle she’ll be all right this is still our little piece of Lon-din.” Well until the jungle fully claimed it and destroyed what few buildings were left.
The boy seemed to brighten a bit his crooked back straightening a bit as he tried to meet Havoks eyes, “So what brings you here big man, you get the princess?”
Havoks lips pursed from beneath the massive mane he claimed was a beard, “No, actually I need to see Race Car about this.” He dangled the time piece from his hand and Wheels looked it in awe.
“Come on then.” The boy in the wheels chair said, once he had told him Race Car had found something like this from the old civilisations made from metal but it was long rusted and the fabric seat moth eaten and decayed, Wheels own chariot was constructed from old small wagon wheels with a hard wooden seat bolted on with rough shod nails.
This place in its time had been some kind of leisure place for the people, there was a deep pit that the Outkasts kept full of water for swimming but they had converted the other large rooms to sleeping dorms and resurch labs, The Brain and Race Car were trying their best to restore it, having ripped out all the old ’leckit wiring to try and figure out how it worked.
Their work room was the biggest man made room Havok had ever seen, strewn everywhere was old civilisations technology every where it was forbidden to tamper with and it was perhaps wise after all had they not cracked the world with this shit had they not destroyed the sky with this. These boys were young and enthusiastic and very useful but there might come a point where the Outkasts operations became even too hot for the Outlaws of Green Witch, and Havok was inclined to agree this stuff was dangerous, fuck ’lectik lights.
“Boys.” he said in greeting and two of the strangest looking young men he had ever seen looked up from their work, The Brain was an ugly son of a bitch with a nose that was far too big from for his head, thick rubber looking lips from which massive teeth protruded to make his life worse he was covered in large red boils each of which seemed to want to erupt with every facial expression. And Race Car? Well Race Car was only slightly better with his cheeks a large round hamster like look and large ears that jutted out rather largely and oddly shaped either side of his head, one slightly higher than the other, they were nice kids - they were just unfortunate looking, the Outlaws would have been done in several times had it not been for them. Race Car sported a large crimson top that he had found when he was much smaller and still wore on it was what he claimed and old vechile that the old civilisations had used to race in hence the name, strapped around his waist was his tool belt, this boy was a genius in construction just like the Brain was a genius in figuring shit out.
“Havok, did you get her?” Race Car beamed, and the brain had gone scarlet just thinking about the princess, The old leader of the outlaws didn’t even what to know what was going through The Brain at that point.
“No.” he said bitterly, “This time piece lost time, so the planning was all out.”
“Impossible.” The Brain said marching forward and snatching the watch away from Havok, he took it over to his work station and looked at it, strangly he pulled and old ’lectik light which didn’t work over it as if this gave him a better view of it.
“Ah don’t mind him.” Race Car said.
“Wheels says Millies been gone a while.”
Race Car who only came up to Havoks waiste line, which was not as lean as it had once been and was a constant reminder that he was well past the age most people were dead at these days, the boys face looked troubled his cherub cheeks expanding as he thought, “Yeah. I…” He stopped on the verge of confession.
“Go on?”
“Well I found an old manual, when I was doing some digging around.”
“You can read their writing now?”
Race Car laughed, “Noooo, man no one can read their fucked up sqiggles not even brains over there, even though he pretends to.” The boy said in a mock tone of conspiracy, “But it was a diagram and those I can read, I thought I’d found a power source for the ’leckit but…”
Havok knew he was not going to like this, he had a fondness for all of these kids, it was half the reason he let them stay, as dangerous as that was, “But?”
“It was in the ruins of the Oberversity.”
Havoks eyes widened, “Oh, you stupid…even we don’t go into the Oberversity the ghosts.”
“I know I know.!” Tears had sprung up in Race Cars eyes “but she said she didn’t believe in the ghosts and that I was just a little chicken shit, too scared to go in and find the ’lektic even though we could get the lights fixed on the crossing point, so she took off I told the others she was just running supplies. And…” a sob wracked the boy and Havok was reminded too well that for a pint sized genius he really was under all that just a kid, the Brain while older was emotionally stunted and was busy pretending to study the watch and not get involved with all this…wetness.
Havok knelt and looked the boy in the eyes, “What’s it Wheels would say…It’s all cold, man we can sort it.” He grinned and Race Car fell away in hysterics, “Cool, its all cool you old dolt.”
He helped the giggling boy to his feet, “Right its cool, Race Car I’ve got this new guy. Nearly did ol’ Morty in for us, I want to test him out anyway. Brain you think you can fix it?”
The ridiculously ugly boy looked over, placing a pair of old glasses over his nose, one lense was cracked and the other gone, “Who knows this old shit never works for long.”
“Amen brother.” Race Car agreed.



The prisoner had been provided with clothing, and old dirty white shirt patched so many times that not much of the original garment was left and an old pair of place shorts which may have one been full length trousers which had been cut down - badly. It was strange after so much time without clothing, he could constantly feel the harsh fabric against his skin, an annoyance he knew he was going have to get used to. He was led from the Irons Yard and Lorek towards the outlaws camp, they had walked back north towards the river bank, all signs of any boats were long gone, and Mort had obviously been fished out or drowned, it would have been to easy for the wicked baron to be dead.
Here the greenery was restricted to small vines and overgrown grasses some of which were even native, the heat and the jungle was somewhat offset by the river but not enough that it made a difference to humans. The outlaws hideout was in what looked like an old very small and once white castle, now it was more a grey colour and where once a clock face had been was now just a hold, as no doubt someone had smashed it or stolen the old clock workings. Its gates however were intact as were its small walls which were no more than six foot in height but topped with wicked looking fencing..
As he was led in by the others he found they drifted off towards where ever it was in the complex they went when they were not being outlaws, several clapped him on the back for his attempt but from here he was left alone.
“Well what have we here.” Came a chiding, feminine voice, she was above him.
“Fresh blood Sissy.” Said a dirty, scruffy man who had remained by his side. The woman from about cart wheeled over the balcony and landed before him. The prisoner was impressed, this was the second woman he had seen, and while his loin did not ache for her nor did he heart speed up he understood that she was a fine example, young but older than Emille, but thin and dangerously muscled in her arms and thighs, which did nothing to detract from her feminine charm, her face was oval and she was a scarlet headscarf, she was hot but she was not Emillie.
“What is your name new blood?” she said licking her lips. Her old white shirt barely concealed her small breasts and a bandoleer run in between them carrying a wicked looking serrated blade, there prisoner understood the true danger of this woman, she used these looks as a weapon, she was hard where Emillie while not weak looking was soft .
“I…don’t know.” He said honestly, as she moved closer.
“No name huh?” she said looking at the scruffy man at his side.
“We busted him from the Isle, lost Emillie but this chap nearly took out Morty.”
Her eyes widened as a dangerous glow seeped in there and a small smiled curved her lips, “Your shitting me? Mort?”
“By Lorek Sissy, fucking had him up against the bars, ol’ Morty was turning blue.”
She drapped her self over him, one leg curled around his as she hung off his shoulder, he was uncomfortable with the familiarity and all too aware of her body next to his.
“Yeah,” the scruffy guy said, “Plue you’ll like him Siss he’s got a big one.” the man hacked out a laugh as he made his way through the complex.
Her deep blue eyes bore into his, they had an almost predatory look to them, “Well aren’t you an interesting one then.”
“Put the poor boy down Sissy.”
The girl spun with glee as she bounded away from the already forgotten prisoner, “Havok!” She squeeled planted a kiss on the old mans cheek, she had to tip toe as she did.
Havok escorted Sissy back over to the prisoner, “Is it true he doesn’t have a name?” She said.
“I don’t know?” Said Havok, “Do you.”
The prisoner nodded, “I…just don’t….remember.”
“Well that wont do.” Said Havok, “We’ll have to give you a name until you do remember.”
“Oh..Oh I Know I got a perfect name for you, Leordin.” She bounded about in glee, the prisoner watching and admiring but not really understanding, although she could have named him Pig Fucker and he probably would have taken it just to see her bounding about like that.
Havok turned to her, seriously busy eye brows in a frown he tried to speak quietly but the booming bass like rumble of Havoks voice meant he didn’t do quiet very well, “He doesn’t deserve that name.”
“I think it suits him.” Sissy had planted a fist on either side of her hips.
Havok rolled his eyes, “Very well,” He sigh, “I expect your Hungry…Leordin.”
The prisoner with a new name nodded, “Starving.”


Leordin was lead through a crumbling but well kept ruin, rooms here were mostly taken up as sleeping quarter, men and women (many far plainer that Emillie) were moving about seemingly all knowing what duties they were supposed to be carrying out. It seemed well organised to Leordin and yet never having seen anything remotely like this had no real idea. All he understood were four dark walls and one drip into a bucket, his world had been completely blown apart by one woman, and now he was expected to take all of this in, freedom in itself was terrifying.
Havok greeted men, as did Sissy as they passed but it was all a blur as he was led into a long room full of tables and chairs a strong pleasant odour came from somewhere further back and Leordins stomach growled painfully.
The three of them sat together, no one approached other than to bring them other a bowl of watery stew that had a few pieces of grey meat floating at it, Havok looked at it with some distaste but Leordin ripped off a hunk of hard bread and went at it, he had never eaten anything this substantial.
Sissy watched him, not really eating her own but toying at it with a smaller piece of bread that Leordin was trying to manage.
“I can’t stay Sissy. It went horribly wrong, Mort escaped they kept Emille the Lower Demon will be furious not to mention Lewis.”
“You’d think Lewis would be grateful, the coward.”
“Not a coward,” Havok was shaking his head, “He is a good man and he does what he must, you think we’d eat this well if it wasn’t for Lewis, you think we’d be armed? Without Lewis we would be dead.” Havok stood, “I’ve gotta’ go prepair the debriefing.” His voice lowered as he turned to Leordin, “And kid I’m sorry but that meal doesn’t come for free, you’ve gotta’ work for it around here.”
Leordin watched him go, the stew not tasting so good afterwards as the words rung around inside his head.
“He’s such a miserable git sometimes.” Sissy said watching the big man retreat, “But he’s a big softy underneath. So you really don’t remember anything from before going onto the Isle?”
“Nope.” He said around a mouthful of bread, “Well actually I know I was born in the Hacked-Knee, that’s about it.”
“Yeah well I wouldn’t want to remember if I was born in that hell hole either. So tell me…” She leaned towards him, “Is it true you’ve a got a big one?”



Havok and his out laws had come off rather well out of the storming of the prison he had lost seven, their families (if they had any) would be informed and he would see to their welfare, there was even a chance Lewis would smuggle them into his hamlets - it was not the easiest of lives in the Hamlets but it was a good place and it was warm, hell everything was warm.
He came out of his debriefing feeling more rattled, this HQ which had been so perfect for the last year or so would be abandoned now, as a precaution and they would fall back to Havoks far more grand secondary HQ but that would be temporary those that lived in the Green Witch but were not part of his army were safe enough, after all it was still recognised as one of the boroughs inside Lon-din and as such was left alone after all Havok was not the biggest thorn in the Lower Demons side, he often diverted resources away, to where or what was unknown but any speculation was even more terrifying - what if there was an Upper Demon for instants? Although the Green Witch was only just inside the boarders on the other side were the waste lands of Kant and in Kant terrible mutations lived, some might have once been human, but nothing that lived out there deserved to lived and was killed without question if they entered the Witch.
Those fucking old civilisations bastards and all there stupid machinery it was at time like this he knew threw the Outkasts out of Green Witch did they really want to recreate the same mistakes as those people that build Lon-din. The Brain had once confided in Havok that he believed that the Lon-din was once home to nearly nine million people, before the world cracked and the skies heated - numbers of people that were almost impossible to fathom now that their race numbered in the tens of thousands only.
Then there was Millie, no one would volunteer to go into the Oberversity, they would rather march into the Tower Bridge or worse the Castle on the Edge of the Abyss than into that accursed place, but Leordin had a name now that was not his - why the fuck Sissy? Of all the names why that one? The bitch truly was sadistic sometimes and was probably taking up with this Leordin where she had left off with the old one.
Thimking back to those days when he was a younger man before he had been Havok before he had encountered Lorek and his family had been people of importance, before he had learned of the plan to make humanity beautiful - before he found out Lorek had been dying - before the Lower Demon, those days were not easy or safe, there was no system anarchy reigned but god he looked back on them with some fondness it had been his first trip to the Green Witch that had started all of this and there were things in the Oberversity that were better left alone, and so Race Car and that big Brain needed their precious ‘lektik so badly because fire wasn’t good enough and now Millie…
He had too pull himself together he knew what this was about, this was about cocking up the rescue but it could have gone far worse, hell would be worse when Lewis found out.
It was time Leordin earned that meal he had eaten.


Leordin watched Sissy with some fascination, it may have because he had spent so much of his own life alone sheltered from how the world worked and away from the opposite sex. It was not so much her he watched but the way the woman interected with those around her, she demanded respect from men, but gave none in returrn - she would flirt to get what she wanted, leaning close rubbing her small breast against an arm or leaning just right over the table and they were crazy for her, would do almost any thing she asked of them - would probably leave this complex and drown themselves in the river if she asked, just to get a hint of her attention, a hint of that kind of her attention anyway. At other times and there was a clear change in her personality she was one of them, a commander of them the lines were drawn between them and she was one of them, no different to a man and they seemed to know and they seemed to adore her without question, a confusion between the small girl they had raised to a sister like figure and then an alluring power that they tried to pretend did not exist.
It was the power of her Leordin admired but he didn’t see her as an object of his affection or even an object of his lust, he was pretty he knew but she was not Emillie - but if he could control her he could control these men and that would be a very good place to be, after all Havok had not liked him being named Leordin - why?
A hand fell on his shoulder and he jumped, the force of the large meaty hand kept was the only thing that kept him in his seat, “She is something.” Havok said sitting by him, “But she is not for you.”
Leordin agreed, “I know, I was just watching how she interacted with the men.”
Havok nodded, he had noticed to, “She knows what she is doing.”
“What if one of them crosses the line?”
“They wouldn’t.” Havok said looking fiercly at Leordin, the yonng man had been out of prison only a few hours but he had changed remarkable, he had already seemed to put on some weight, he was still skinny but he wasn’t bony anymore, his speech had improved dramatically he almost sounded educated.
“Humour me Havok.”
“They’d be hung if it was against her wishes.”
“I think she plays too dangerously with them, I think she pushes too far and one day someone will take advantage.”
Havok stood a few men noted it and watched with interest, the mans already sun burned face turned a deeper shade of red, “And just what the fuck do you know prisoner you’ve been here a few hours and you think you got it sussed out!”
Leordin stayed quiet and continued to watch Sissy, Havok sat back down signalling his men to stand down a movement the prisoner did not even see.
“Your jealous?” Havok questioned.
“Nope.” Leordin shrugged, “But are you?”
“How dare…”
Leordin realised he had become to familiar with Havok too quickly, “Sorry, I’ve been on my own for some time Havok I don’t know when to shut up. What I meant is she is obviously important to you, but you don’t want her sexually what is it?”
Havoks eyes narrowed, “It’s none of your damn business, listen I like you kid, I like the way you dealt with Mort but that’ll only get you so far here, you ate my food you owe me. After this if you want to leave I won’t stop you, if you want to stay fine.”
Leordin shrugged, “I like you Mr Havok, I’ll stay and you tell me what is required for the payment of my food.”
“Well for a start you can drop the fucking Mister business, and second me and you are going on a little outing to the Oberversity.”