9 Layers

[Clairvoiance]

Demons and angels exist. Right and wrong are prominent. Living or dying is a choice.


In downtown Chicago, crime has gone from bad to worse, but the newest addition to these crimes are the attacks of what people call "the still dead". Also known as demons.


Hauntings have gone up, deaths have increased, and there are only a handful of those with the gift of clairvoyance left in the city, as they have seemed to become the target of demons as of late. The battle between clairvoyants and demons, which has been going on for centuries, is finally nearing its possible end, as the demons have finally risen to the challenge of ending the existence of clairvoyants once and for all. But not without a motive.


From throughout the nine layers of hell, one demon is carefully selected and commanded to end the life of a human with clairvoyant abilities that has been specifically assigned to them. Only nine demons are sent to kill these remaining clairvoyants on earth, with one incredible promise to become a god. If all nine demons succeed in the murder of their clairvoyants, each and every one of them will become a god of the underworld. However, if even one demon fails to kill the clairvoyant assigned to them, all demons shall fail and not only lose their chance at power, but are banished to eternal existence in purgatory. If this happens, the challenging game starts all over again with new demons assigned to the last of the clairvoyants.

 

[Clairvoiance]

Karma liked her new body.


Pale skin seemed almost invisible with her long white hair brushing up against it past her shoulders, and the girl flicked away loose strands of hair from her bangs out of her piercing red eyes. She stared at herself in a dusty old shop window, people walking past her as if they couldn't see her and she actually liked it that way. She blinked, changing the color of her eyes to a stark blue, in hopes to fit in a bit more.


She knew her clothes were a bit out of date, but had no experience in this area or year since....ever. Her black and white lace dress came right above her knee, lacing in a corset top and long sleeves that covered almost the tips of her fingers. Her heels were high and she was used to walking in them at least. Still staring in the window pane, she noticed the reflection of people walking past and knew she was standing out like a sore thumb. Not like anyone would think to assume that she was actually a demon, of course. Humans were too stupid for that.


Karma turned around and stared out at the city. She knew she had one thing she needed to do above all else, but she needed a starting place. This world was far different from what she was used to, and though she did not miss it at all, she knew she had to become a part of it. With one swift step, the girl started walking down the street with everyone else and her now blue eyes darted around. She knew her subject worked and lived around where she had ended up, but above else, knew she needed something else. A job.

 

[Kitsune]

*camera shutter*


Karlisle released the button and instantly captured the view from below— below the bridge that is. Chicago has always been a busy city, and he had spent much of his life growing up and around the hustle and bustle of everyday Chicago life. He loved it. The sounds, the smells, the quick paced, hard working electric energy of the city— if you stopped and closed your eyes, you could feel its heart beat. He loved this city. And what's more— he also loved his job. He worked for several local new companies in town, along with the Tribune newspaper. He was a photographer. His camera doubled over for not only providing a steady income he could live off of, but it's main utility to him was it's sure-fire way to always tell the truth. Now granted, he usually could tell what was and wasn't apart of the supernatural world— who wasn't a demon and who was... he learned to keep his distance if it can be helped. But there were many times when he wondered what does the world looks like to normal people. To some degree, he longed for that, and his camera was the way of experiencing that. It never lied— if he tried to take a picture of a demon, sometimes they would appear all fuzzy and faded, and other times (depending on the strength of the demon) they would disappear from the photo altogether. He enjoyed his work... it never didn't feel like some sort of adventure, never knowing fully what he would discover.


Being born a clairvoyant, he always grew up with this understanding of a world that not many people could ever see. He had heard rumors of other people possessing such abilities as to see this world in the same way he also can, but he actually never had had the pleasure of meeting those people. They just remained rumors to him.


On this day, he found himself under the bridge taking the snapshots of the city he loved, and wondered at the same time, if he would find anything else along the way. Soon, he would relocate.

 

[Clairvoiance]

Karma walked in and out of the Tribune building like it was nothing. She knew whoever it was that she was dedicated to find worked in this specific office building, but as what, she did not have the slightest idea. All she did know was she took on replacing a secretary she had recently tempted and succeeded in deceiving to commit suicide....what a shame. Hopefully secretaries in this century didn't have to write everything by hand still. Surely people were smart enough to create something a bit more useful by now. Replacing the now deceased, Karma decided to find other clothes to wear since she clearly was not fitting in here and the lady at the desk at the Tribune did not take well to her clothing being from a different time period. God, how badly she needed a cup of tea after a morning in this God forsaken city....literally.


With a few smiles and a wink, Karma was able to swipe a free tea from a nearby coffee shop. The boy behind the counter really didn't have a chance, it was almost unfair to him. He didn't know who he was dealing with. What an innocent.


She took a sip of her free drink and rested against the arms of a bridge that cast out onto a gaze of what most people called 'beautiful' waters. Karma saw nothing beautiful about water, as it was wet, cold, and damp, none of which sounded appealing. She had heard of swimming but was not sure exactly how to do it, so she stayed as far from the blue surface waving in the breeze. Another sip of English Breakfast tea and a small breathe of fresh air was enough for her, and she began heading beneath the bridge.

 

[Kitsune]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/57a8c2b29ee0c_circleline.jpg.710d9efa997845988f35834ffbb05e4b.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="55279" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/57a8c2b29ee0c_circleline.jpg.710d9efa997845988f35834ffbb05e4b.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

Karlisle reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white can of spray paint— onto the bridge he painted this symbol. A perfect circle with a single horizontal line dashed through the middle from side to side. He looked down and smiled briefly while letting out a contented sigh. Grasping his camera firmly in his hand, he then took a quick picture of it. Before he had time to look at the photo he heard something nearer the opposite end of the bridge. He knew it was time to leave— his place of solidarity was about to be interrupted.

 
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[Clairvoiance]

A boy?


Beneath the bridge, where she had expected to find herself some moments alone, she saw a figure spray painting against the brick of the bridge wall. She couldn't help but smile to herself a bit; whoever it was, she liked their rebellious spunk. Before she turned away to pretend she didn't see, Karma felt something in her stomach twist and a sort of heat shoot through her fingertips. She blinked, her eyes slipping back into their ruby haze while she took a deep sniff into the air like an animal. There it was. That scent. She had never smelled it before and yet she knew it anywhere. That was her human.


Knowing he could sense her true form if she wasn't careful, Karma knelt to the ground and tucked her feet beneath her knees, hands wrapping around her calves and head falling in between her thighs. Instantly her form shifted into that of a small black cat, her red eyes still very much apparent, and she trotted towards the boy walking away from the underbelly of the bridge. In animal form it was difficult for clairvoyants to assess a demon, unless a picture was taken of them. But she wasn't worried about that. What were the chances he would even HAVE whatever a camera was anyway? She'd only heard about those as well.


Within seconds, Karma found herself pressed lightly and purring gently against the strange boy's legs so he had to stop walking and notice her

 

[Kitsune]

"Why hello there." Karlisle said aloud to the fuzzy cat pressing against his legs purring gingerly. He looked down at the animal with a gentle smile. "What are you doing down here all by yourself?" He asked quizzically before laughing to himself and thinking that the cat was probably down here for the same reason he had been.


—...to be alone...—


He pulled away his hand from behind its ears and motioned towards his camera. With ease, he focused the lens upon the furry subject and clicked. He stopped suddenly looking out of his viewing box and actually gazed upon the cat for a moment. It's eyes were a deeper color then he had ever seen before in any cat. He knelt down and scratched its neck—


"hmm... What should I call you." The cat purred loudly as he continued to scratch down and around its spinal column. He then looked off into the distance and over the bay. The crashing waves seemed more violent today all of a sudden.


"I need to get going..." he said to himself.

 

[Clairvoiance]

The flash from the camera made her jump a bit, but she refused to show that. Purring continuously, she listened to the boy beckoning to her. Oh how she truly loved this form. She gave a small mew and set her front paws upon the boy's knees, rubbing her forehead into his skin and gazing up appearing to be lovingly. His eyes were so blue. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen such blue eyes. Where she came from everyone's eyes were red or yellow, or sometimes just completely black. But his....they were almost beautiful.


At the mention that he needed to go, Karma perked up. She was not about to lose him when she had just found him. She let out an exasperated mew and was prepared to follow him

 

[Kitsune]

Without a moments thought Karlisle suddenly reached within his backpack he had slung behind him and pulled out a almost empty bottle of water, and a dark gunmetal thermos. Then from his pockets he pulled out a knife, which he proceeded to quickly open and cut into the bottle. With a few swift movements, he had detached the bottom end of the plastic bottle and simply set it on the ground before the cat. He next reached over to his thermos and untightened the cap— a lightly tinted amber liquid steamed out of the container and into the makeshift drinking bowl filling it to its brim.


"I hope you don't mind tea. It's a special kind my mother taught me how to make. It's not milk, but it's good."


With that, he packed up his belongings and patted the cat on its head, toussling its ears gently.


"I've got to get to work. You stay out of trouble little one." He gazed deep into the cats eyes and paused for a moment. He was struck by its eyes. Such a deep crimson yet they shone more brightly then he had ever seen, at least from this close. He didn't feel strange, but it did cross his mind that this might not be a completely normal cat, however, he did not put much thought into the matter. After petting its head once more, he rose from his couching position and continued towards the ladder that would lead him to the surface. He had to make a delivery.

 

[Clairvoiance]

This guy even carried around tea in a thermos! She couldn't have been assigned a better project.


Taking a few licks of tea, the boy said his goodbyes and she smiled to herself. A twinkle set into her crimson eyes and she held back for a bit, watching the boy walk away from her. She knew she couldn't climb that ladder in this form, so she was going to have to change if she were to follow him.


She waited until he disappeared to shift back into her human self again, and when she did she instantly cracked both sides of her neck. Her hand stooped below her to pick up the small makeshift cup of tea and she sipped it humanely, looking in the direction the boy went. She set off to follow him from a distance.

 

[Kitsune]

Karlisle turned the corner and proceeding walking down the busy walkway towards the Tribune. His steps were tight and even, moving through the crowds with ease and balance, never faltering or wavering too far out of line. There was a strength and assurence that moved him in each step he landed— further and further with eyes ever on his present and subject. He walked into he building, through the revolving glass panes, and past the receptionists at the front desk.


"Rose. Evelinn." He nodded his head towards the ladies behind the desk. "Is he in a good mood today?"


"Well, put it this way. The Misses decided to walk out on him— so needless to say, he's taking it pretty rough."


"Again? Well, hopefully I might be able to help him."


"Good luck." one of the ladies shouted out to the man as he was stepping into the elevator across the hall. Up we go.

 

[Clairvoiance]

Perfect


Karma saw the boy walk into the Tribune and smiled. She wondered if he noticed the missing secretary yet, the one with whom she danced with the devil. What a thrill ride that had been. Tempting others into suicide was one of the most fun things she could think of to spend her time.


She knew that following him to his work would very possibly cause him to be able to identify her real identity. But part of her decided that's exactly what she wanted. Stopping first in the ladies Tribune bathroom, Karma cut the lace from the black tight structure of her underskirt and used it to tie her hair into a high ponytail. She made sure to bring her eyes back to a piercing blue color and imagine a bright shade of red lipstick on her thin lips to entice whoever she may need to. That reminded her....


She cut the top layer of her dress off so that it was merely her longsleeved, corset top and tight black underskirt that was showing. It wasn't too modern still, but it looked more work oriented. As she stepped out of the ladies room, Karma slipped a pair of reading glasses from one of the secretary women caught up in a conversation about some celebrity, slipping them over her eyes. Perfect. Now she blended in just fine.


She ran up a flight of stairs and waited for the elevator to open so that she would meet with the boy on his way up to wherever he was headed. She tucked a strand of white hair behind her non pierced ear and watched as the elevator door revealed the young man standing there, while she stepped assuredly into the elevator with an irresistible smile. She looked him up and down, rolling up her sleeves to quarter length while she leaned against the opposite side of the otherwise empty elevator.


"Good morning, sir"

 

[Kitsune]

Karlisle was slightly taken off guard by this person whoever she happened to be— It was a Monday. Nobody said 'good morning, sir' in that tone of voice on a such a terrible day as Monday. The only people who knew how to do that were terrible people. And they weren't the sort of people you wanted to be associated with, especially on monday mornings. With a sigh, he opened his mouth to speak.


"Good morning, miss," he coxed a genuine smile to don his face as he looked at the girl with white hair now standing beside him. "You must be new around here, I don't believe i've seen you around before."


—the elevator music played softly behind them—

 

[Clairvoiance]

"I'm quite new, actually," Karma chimed sweetly, causing herself to blush a bit and hide her face behind her shoulder as if she were a timid child, "something happened to a Mister Karlisle's secretary, so I am her new replacement it seems. Poor thing." She tossed her hair back a swing and looked him in the eye.


"You wouldn't happen to be able to point out Mister Karlisle for me, could you? I'm just not certain what he looks like...."<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/lil.jpg.14f9332264f375d79cc848c3a10cb62c.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="55290" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/lil.jpg.14f9332264f375d79cc848c3a10cb62c.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

 

[Kitsune]

Just then, the elevator opened. Loud noises flooded the elevator— streamers, party hats, cake, beer, red wine, champagne, loud music— it was a full fledged party. Karlisle wasn't surprised, however his new secretary seemed to be somewhat startled at the sight before them. People were shouting and celebrating and frolicking around as if they were children. In fact, you almost could mistake this floor for some sort of badly tended daycare center.


"You'll have to excuse me for a moment, miss." Karlisle said with a smile as he slid through the elevator doorway and into the lobby. He's editors office was down across the hall— he made his way there.


Opening the door, he found his boss sitting promptly behind his mahogany desk with a call girl, dressed in a skimpy bunny related costume, sitting on his lap. The man turned his chair to see Karlisle and let out a shout of joy, "KARLISLE! THE BITCH IS GONE! FINALLLY!"

 

[Clairvoiance]

The extravagant expressions of all these people as soon as the elevator door opened shocked Karma but not because of the noise. She had never seen party utensils such as streamers, hats, confetti, and had certainly never heard this sort of loud music before. She pressed herself against the back of the elevator and stared wide eyed at the madness ensuing in front of her. As Karlisle got out of the elevator, she realized she needed to as well, but then lost him as soon as he wove himself inside the reception of party animals called human beings. God, they were disgusting. And.....then she noticed the red wine. Maybe they weren't all bad.


With her heels loudly clinking on the floor below her, she headed to the person pouring drinks and gave a small smirk his way, batting a bit of an eyelash.


"What's it take for a lady to get a drink around here?"

 

[Kitsune]

"KARLISLE! YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT! SHE FINALLY LITERALLY DROPPED DEAD." The editor exclaimed jubilantly. His wife, had committed suicide the day before— this party was in poor taste, needless to say, but Mr. Butler was in charge, and what ever Mr. Butler said went. Karlisle knew however how Mrs. Butler was a fantastic secretary, and even further than that, she was a kind a loving individual. Nobody really knew why she did it, but it was speculated that with a husband like the editor Mr. Butler, it was no wonder.


"I'm sorry for your loss sir." Karlisle said respectfully. "She was a wonderful and diligent worker."


"Aye, she had her moments, but she never really was good for anything." Mr. Butler took the cigar out from his mouth and quickly spanked the call girl on his lap. "Dance!"


The girl stood quickly and began moving her hips— Karlisle simply stare at his editor.


"I got the pictures of the bridge just like you asked. The police said they think she jumped from the Michigan Avenue one and floated down the river some ways for a few hours until someone found her."


Karlisle threw a handful of photos down on the desk.


 
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[Clairvoiance]

"Thanks, you're a doll," she cooed, her lipstick ridden lips leaving a red ring around the glass's edge as she left her own little signature on the wine boy's cheek.


"Hey, who called the stripper??"


Karma realized pretty quickly that the nearby man, beer on his breath and his tie heavily undone into a tangled knot, was relaying this "stripper" business to her. She looked at him with pursed lips, bringing the wine to take another drink as if one more sip would drown out the human species stupidity.


"Excuse me," the girl very quietly announced, eyes shutting gently, "I work here, just like you do."


"Oh, of course you do." The man stepped bold and indirectly towards her, sticking his sweaty hands into her long hair and sighing a wave of beer into her face. "And you can work on me anytime."

 

[Kitsune]

"$500 Karlisle. You know my rate and what I expect."


"You are going to give me $1000, or else people will find out the real story about what you did to your wife."


Butler hesitated for a moment and caught his breath.


"I know what you did to her, and I have proof."


"You're black mailing me, Karlisle?" he asked.


"Consider it a professional curtesy. I look the other way, and you give me what i ask, or else."

 

[Clairvoiance]

The dumbass doesn't realize I make idiots like him


As the man reached for the first button on her blouse above the corset waist, the girl pulled her hair out of the man's fingers and snatched his thick wrist in her small pale hand, yanking him down to her level so her lips touched the tip of his ear. She lightly pressed her index finger into the man's bulging blue vein closest to his wrist joint and dug her black painted nail deep into his skin. The man tried to yell out his distress like he could scream the drunkenness out of him, Karma whspering into his ear ever so sweetly.


"Oh ssssh shh shh, hush now sweetheart," she sunk her nail deeper into the man's skin, taking a sip of wine with her free hand as she held him there, "now say 'I'm sorry' like a good little boy."


The man howled, hunching over like he was going down to his knees is seconds, but she pushed him back up with the crook of her shoulder. Another centimeter into his wrist would do the trick.


"I said.....say you're sorry."


The man's drool slithered past his front teeth and dripped down his chin, stuttering in attempts to find the words.


"S-s-sorry, I'm sorry!"


Karma took another swig of wine, emptying her glass, and whispered into his ear once again, "Sorry Miss K."


"S-Sorry Miss K, I'm sorry Miss K!!!"


Her nail slid out of his skin as if it had only been a sliver in his palm, the man still howling in panic beneath her formal grip on his wrist. She tapped her empty glass of wine with her non-bloodied fingernail, and gave the startled drunk a kiss on the cheek.


"Now go get me another drink, hunny."

 

[Kitsune]

Karlisle walked out of his editor's room with a blank check in his pocket and a smug smile for an expression. He looked over to his new secretary and walked over to her—


"Let's go. In fifteen minutes this place will be shut down and all over the news— and that's the last thing we need right now." He gently touched her arm and pulled her beside him as he weaved through the crowds to the elevator. He shoved past drunken coworkers (a poor excuse for coworkers) and pressed the elevator button. The door promptly opened and they both walked in. He quickly touched the button to the roof.

 

[Clairvoiance]

Karma stumbled into the elevator, looking over towards Karlisle strangely. "I never told you my name."


She looked the boy up and down again with a small smirk. She sure did like a man that took charge

 

[Kitsune]

"I never said you did. Let's go." The elevator door opened to the top level— Karlisle took Karma by the hand and moved quickly towards the fire exit. He bounded up the stairs with haste, and threw open the door to the roof.


"Hurry, we don't have much time left." He sprinted over to the edge of the building to look over the city. Sirens were in the distance, growing closer by the second. Karlisle once again picked out the spray paint from his pocket and made another symbol similar to the one on the bridge, except this one had a single vertical line running down the middle of the circle. "Step in the middle and close your eyes."

 

[Clairvoiance]

Karma gave the boy a bewildered look, but didn't care to ask questions at the moment. She liked his spirit, and the fact they were running from the law, for some reason, gave her a thrilling chill she missed very much. So, she listened. She stepped in the middle of the circle and closed her eyes. What did she have to lose anyway?

 

[Kitsune]

He took out his camera and took a picture of Karma. In a flash, she disappeared instantly. Karlisle quickly stepped into the circle himself— turning the camera on himself, he quickly snapped a picture of himself, and in the blink of an eye, he too was gone.


He opened his eyes, and there she was again. Both of them, under the bridge. The sirens overhead flying towards the Tribune with a great speed.