Seb went to answer it, but I was already on my feet, covering him. No weapons, but I didn’t always need one.

It was Monica. “You need to move.”

“Where?”

“Red Flowers. Something very bad is about to happen.”

I nodded to her. “Stay here. We’ll go take care of it.”

She shook her head. “No, I know where Thruor is right now, I’m going to go find her.”

I nodded again, then grabbed my sword from where I’d put it behind the door and was out into the street ahead of Seb.

He pushed past me to get the car unlocked. “I’ll drive us.”

It was far enough that it would be faster even in DC traffic. I took shotgun, with no protest from Clara.

She was mumbling what was probably a spell as we moved.

“I wish she’d given us more details,” Seb grumbled.

“There probably wasn’t time.”

Maybe it was a chance to save somebody’s life – or their soul. Or both. Either way, Seb hit the gas and I stayed tense and ready, almost not fastening my seatbelt. I decided to after a moment. “Don’t get pulled over.”

He nodded. “Don’t worry.” And he stayed just at the speed limit, slowed to go around a bus, and eventually pulled up outside.

I sensed utter wrongness, and it wasn’t just one demon. I could smell brimstone.

“Crap. Somebody’s opened a full blown gate to Hell.”

Clara sniffed as well. “I’ll stay out here and work out how to close it, you go beat up whatever came through?”

I grinned at her and headed for the door. It was open, and the building receptionist seemed, and likely was, oblivious to what was going on upstairs.

“Red Flowers.”

“They’re having…”

I stepped towards the receptionist. “Stay out of this. Better yet, evacuate the building.”

She looked at me, looked at Seb. “I knew they were trouble.”

“Go.”
And I ran for the stairs. Not the elevator.

I wasn’t taking the elevator in a building with a portal to Hell opening in it. Nope. I’ve seen that movie.