《Corporate Demon》


 Business Trip

    The sky was cloudy and the air was filled with gunshots and bombshells. My heart was pounding and my head felt dizzy. Where was I again?


    ¡°Stop, please! We¡¯re comrades Michael! Get- get off me!¡±


    I thought I heard someone shouting, but I wasn¡¯t sure. Something felt warm.


    ¡°Wa-wait! Stop! Please, Michael! PLEASE!!¡±


    The Devil would surely smile on this wonderful day.


    ¡­


    Some time later, I woke up to find myself surrounded by corpses and on top of a woman I didn¡¯t recognize. I stood and looked around, only to notice an officer waving at me urgently from the trench. I crawled over, realizing that I was only alive by some miracle after staying in the open so long. Sure enough, as soon as I jumped into the trench, a bullet flew past my head.


    ¡°Private Michael, what were you doing away from your position?¡±


    His words seemed to set off a spark in my brain, bringing back memories I felt like I shouldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°I... I¡¯m not sure, Sarge. I just woke up and I was there.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t do it again. Go back to your squad Private.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    I crawled back to my designated squadron ¨C Squad 13. When I got back, I noticed that some people were missing, including the woman I had a crush on. I tried asking the squad leader only for him to shoot me a question back.


    ¡°Leader sir, where is Cassandra?¡±


    ¡°Last time I saw her Michael, she was with you. You said you had something to talk to her about.¡±


    Something whispered that I should agree, so I nodded my head affirmatively.


    ¡°Anyway, Michael, where were you for the last few hours? Every squad member was required to report back to their stations at 1500.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Lieutenant, I can¡¯t confirm either. I woke up out in the open next to Gordon Trench.¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ, out in the open!? How the hell did you get there!?¡±


    ¡°No idea sir, some devil must have taken me.¡±


    ¡°Well, when a medic comes by we¡¯ll get you checked out. Do you still know your designation, Private?¡±


    ¡°301 Sir!¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re fine to me. Just be careful next time. Oh, and what happened to Private Sandra?¡±


    For some reason I couldn¡¯t understand, my heart started pumping loudly in my chest. I stuttered in my reply.


    ¡°Sh-She said she had somewhere to be and we split up halfway. She should have been long gone by the time I woke up in the field.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask MP to do an investigation later. Report to your station Private.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    After wiping an innocuous bead of sweat off my head ¨C for some reason the freezing underground air felt warm ¨C I went back to my assigned station. After sitting there for a while, I got the order that every soldier hopes he¡¯ll never hear. Charge forward.


    ¡°All soldiers in Area 4, observers have reported that there is a lapse in fire from enemy lines. At 1800, all soldiers are to charge forward.¡±


    After acknowledging the order, I grouped together with my squadmates and waited by the open for the time to come. The squad leader looked at our blank faces and nervously stammered some encouragement.


    ¡°Alright men! It¡¯s - it¡¯s time to push the enemy back! When the clock turns 1800 in 300 seconds and the officers signal the charge, we¡¯re going to show those bastards what for!¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    My squadmates and I silently nodded our heads, too anxious to respond. After waiting for what felt like a lifetime, the signal finally came.


    ¡°All units, Charge!¡±


    I jumped out of the trench with my leader on my left and the rest of the squad right behind me. The empty battlefield was suddenly filled with screams and a thousand gunshots for a trumpet. The bright flashes of muzzles and the smell of blood and gunpowder immediately assailed my mind as I ran forward. The sound of bullet fire, which Command said had lapsed, was as loud as thunder in my ears. Even louder was the stampede of footsteps to drown it. In the middle of roaring beasts, I couldn¡¯t tell if I was screaming too. Suddenly, I saw something strange on the battlefield. Someone strange.


    A man in a black business suit stood in front of me, smoking a cigarette while casually looking around. He looked like a salaryman from an office building, not a man on the killing field. He wasn¡¯t a soldier holding a gun nor a displaced civilian looking for cover. No, he was something else. Something else entirely.


    He turned his head towards me and suddenly the emotions that I thought were numb came crashing back into my mind. His eyes were a pale yellow, like those of a wolf. From under his black hair, two inconspicuous horns poked out. His mouth, which I thought was closed, suddenly opened and a full array of shark-like teeth displayed themselves. His forked tongue licked his lips as he said something to me.


    ¡°A human shouldn¡¯t be able to see me. Are company spells getting cheaper?¡±


    I tried to scream, but my jaw wouldn¡¯t move. The devil himself was in front of me and fear froze my tongue. He slowly approached me and I turned around to run. My desperate escape away from the battle didn¡¯t escape my superiors, however. An officer saw me deserting and decided that he had to promote discipline. Taking out a pistol, he shot me right through the eyes. I thought I heard him mutter something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me, blame yourself. Cowards die in war.¡±


    I wanted to shout that he was wrong, that I was running from something far worse than war! But my voice wouldn¡¯t leave my lungs and I fell to the ground helplessly. I tried to look behind me, so strong was the fear that even as I lay dying I wanted to check if I was safe. Or maybe, it was precisely because I was dying that my fear only grew stronger.


    I looked and there he was. Right in front of my blurry eyes. I knew he would take me, I knew I was going to be tortured for eternity. I prayed for God to save me, something I had done a few times on the battlefield but never like this. Never hoping so desperately. Please, save me! Anyone!


    ¡ª


    I looked at the dying man before me and shook my head. Did he really think I was going to eat him? There''s no way I would do that on a business trip. It''s too unprofessional and besides, corporate would kill me. Still, if he was already dead¡­ Why not grab a soul while I¡¯m here? Those company quotas are only getting worse and worse these days.


    I reached out for his soul and stashed it in my briefcase. Gunfire and chaos were all around but it just passed right over me. The greatest benefits of traveling for work were the safety packages the company offered. If I came to the human world on my own time, I couldn¡¯t imagine how much an invulnerability spell would have cost me.


    ¡°Well, I might not have needed it anyway,¡± I muttered as I finished storing the soul and closed the briefcase. Technology these days was only getting more advanced and visiting the human world was more dangerous than ever before. But if I came in a personal capacity rather than for work, I would never have been in a scary place like a battlefield to begin with. Rather, I would much rather not be here and instead, try to get some albums signed¡­


    ¡°What can you do, I suppose. Even humans have to work.¡±


    I shook my head ruefully to get rid of the useless thoughts and focus back on my job. Looking around the piles of bullet-ridden corpses, I spotted a few intact souls. After collecting all of them, I got back to smoking a cigarette while I waited for more people to die.


    ¡°The life of a soul collector really isn¡¯t as glamorous as corporate makes it seem,¡± I laughed to myself as I sat idly puffing rings. From the long trips to the endless waiting, collector work is extremely mundane and boring. Maybe back in the old days, before the non-intervention laws, collector work was more fun.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s certainly how it was. What kind of demon would enjoy waiting around for others to do his killing rather than slaughter his prey himself? Still, I suppose it¡¯s much safer now¡­¡±


    Hey, killjoy, you mind not complaining on the open channel? You¡¯re really bringing the mood down here.


    ¡°No way, you guys think you can have a good time when I¡¯m up here struggling? I¡¯m gonna ruin your day too,¡± I joked in response.


    Try to have some fun while you¡¯re there David. It¡¯s not every decade that you get an all-expense-paid trip to the human world.


    ¡°I know that much. I¡¯m just a bit bored sitting around all day.¡±


    Well¡­ why not do something interesting then? I¡¯m sure corporate wouldn¡¯t mind a little bit of¡­ recreation.


    David nearly fell over in shock. He asked again to check his ears.


    ¡°Are you sure? You know what would happen if I got caught. You as well, since you¡¯re my supervisor.¡±


    It¡¯s not as serious as you think, David. Everyone does it from time to time. Why do you think the inner-liberation party is so popular? Because occasionally we need to let loose.


    David couldn¡¯t help nodding his head in agreement. All those non-intervention laws and policies really restricted a demon¡¯s behavior. Still, he didn¡¯t want to lose his job or end up in the tenth circle.


    ¡°Are you sure Jesse? I don¡¯t want to face the consequences if you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure. Some other collectors I¡¯ve supervised did the same thing and no one cared. Just make sure you don¡¯t go too crazy.


    A smile crossed David¡¯s wicked features.


    ¡°Time to have some fun.¡±

 War Meeting

    ¡°Sir, please reconsider! This is madness!¡±


    In a small meeting room with a single table, a man with a retreating hairline was looking at his subordinates with disdain. Felix thought, could these people really not see the direction the war was going? If no drastic measures were taken, their loss would be inevitable! Yes, it¡¯s just like that man told him. He had to push forward and change history.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand? We¡¯re going to lose! I know you¡¯re all good men and strategists, but we need to alter our plans! If we don¡¯t end the war before winter, what do you think is going to happen to our country?"


    ¡°But General, surely there are better alternatives than this! Millions will suffer!¡±


    ¡°And millions will suffer in our nation if we don¡¯t commit to this plan. There are no other options.¡±


    The people around the room all turned their heads to the paper in front of them. Lying at the center of the table was a proposal so unethical, so evil, it could only be made by a demon. But, in spite of that, each of these distinguished strategists understood the benefits. Like the devil leaning over their shoulder, the tempting thought of accepting it passed through their minds. Should they just use it?


    ¡°I disagree with this plan.¡±


    A strong voice spoke against it. A man with broad shoulders and a heroic stature stated his opinion for the first time. Unlike the previous speaker, he was also a general. General Albert stared deeply at General Felix as he continued.


    ¡°If we go through with it, we will be sacrificing all human virtue. Simply put, we would be demons.¡±


    ¡°Sacrifices always have to be made. As the creator of the plan, I am willing to become a demon to save our nation.¡±


    A few strategists gasped, knowing the hidden implication of his words. General Felix was claiming all responsibility publicly so that whatever consequences may occur in the future would fall completely on his shoulders. Albert, however, just scoffed.


    ¡°As if the word of an insane man could be trusted. You would destroy everything we stand for! Even if we lose the war, it would be preferable to losing our humanity. The peace treaty would surely not be too harsh based on our military power.¡±


    Something like treason was plainly stated, but no one reprimanded him. They all thought the same thing in their hearts but did not have the courage to state it. Additionally, this late in the war, replacing such a distinguished general would be impossible. Albert¡¯s previous feats made his position irreplaceable. Perhaps that was why he thought could preach his opinion openly. Felix, however, disagreed.


    ¡°Your words demonstrate a complete lack of patriotism. If you do not have the courage to die for your country, then I will help you.¡±


    ¡°What do you¨C¡±


    A gunshot rang out as Albert looked down in astonishment. Right through his chest, a bloody hole was created. He tried to stutter out a final question, but his last words died in his throat. General Felix, the perpetrator, put his gun back in its holster nonchalantly. He glanced around the room with satisfaction, daring anyone to challenge him. After no one said anything, he slowly walked to the corpse. Putting a hand over his chest, he touched Albert¡¯s shoulder delicately.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°What a tragedy! A great man has left us today. General Albert, one of the great leaders of our nation, has passed on. But fear not! Even in death, he shall contribute to our country! His last act was to push forward the Nine Plagues! His memory shall never be forgotten.¡±


    In mock sadness, he mourned the loss of the greatest opponent to his agenda. One of the men in the room, Albert¡¯s most loyal subordinate, made a dash for the door while screaming. Before he could leave, however, a gunshot rang out once again. With smoke and gunpowder, the course of history was set. Felix smiled.


    ¡°Now. Shall we spread the Nine Plagues?¡±


    ¡ª


    David looked at his handiwork with satisfaction. It¡¯s not every day that one man gets to change the course of history¨C though, of course, David was not a man.


    ¡°Still, though. Wasn¡¯t he too easily manipulated?¡±


    All he had to do was sit next to him at a cafe, whisper some suggestions in his ear, then leave. Really, he barely had to use any magic at all. Just a small persuasive spell, something that any demon knew how to cast. The man must have been close to doing something similar already.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. Just makes my work a little easier.¡±


    Work? I thought you were trying to get away from work.


    ¡°That¡¯s part of it, but don¡¯t you think I should mix fun with obligation? That¡¯s the best way to enjoy a business trip after all.¡±


    You¡¯ve got me there. Although I will say, your fun is going a bit further than anticipated. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have encouraged you.


    ¡°The cat¡¯s out of the bag now Jesse. Besides, it¡¯s not so bad that corporate will intervene right?¡±


    Corporate won¡¯t, but Rules and Regulations might. Manipulating high-level officials is going too far, even for them. I really shouldn¡¯t have encouraged you¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s fine supervisor, as long as we keep our mouths shut, no one will know what happened. All I did was offer a little suggestion, right? So let¡¯s just sit back and watch the show.¡±


    Hah, I guess so. Time for some popcornea then!


    ¡°Hey, wait! That¡¯s not fair, let me have some!¡±


    Sorry, company rules. No bringing food on business overseas!


    ¡°It¡¯s a different realm, not a continent¡­ I really miss good food.¡±


    David licked his lips mournfully and tried to turn his attention back to work. He looked at the strategy meeting in front of him and the lunatic that was still discussing their crazy plan. David¡¯s eyes lit up in anticipation.


    ¡°I hope it will be interesting.¡±


    ¡ª


    Every war leaves a mountain of dead men in its wake. No battle is a better example of this than the Battle of Somme. Countless people fought and died, losing their lives to leave behind piles of corpses. Instead of burying them, why not use their bodies for something more?


    ¡°Major, tell every officer on the ground to bring the cadavers of allies and enemies alike to District 03.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir! Just¡­ is it possible to ask why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s restricted, Major. Just follow your orders.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    Gustav saluted the general and went to inform his subordinate lieutenants over the radio. Still, he couldn¡¯t but wonder what the purpose of such a strange order was? For the past year and a half, every soldier¡¯s body was either burned or sent home¨C depending on the condition of the body and the situation. If they started to gather all of them in one district, wouldn¡¯t that cause disease?


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not my place to question Command,¡± Gustav shook his head to clear it of curious thoughts. Nothing is worse than a soldier who doesn¡¯t follow orders just because he doesn¡¯t understand them. Gustav knew that very well, which is how he became a Major.


    After he informed his subordinates, he let them disseminate the order to the rest of the officers. From now until May, every dead body¨C be it friendly or foe¨C would be stored in one district across a total of ten warehouses.


    ¡°Six months of corpses¡­ How many will there be?¡±

 Intelligent and Cruel

    If tragedy can be counted, it would surely be in the number of corpses. General Felix looked at the bloody warehouses with satisfaction. All ten of them were filled to the brim with rotten bodies, stacked like so much dead flesh. The subordinates around him held their nose or brought gas masks, but he did no such thing. He scoffed at them silently. If they couldn¡¯t even endure the stench of their actions, how could they be trusted to stomach the blood that comes after? Still, appearances must be maintained.


    ¡°Thank you all for your hard work and dedication these past few months. I know it must have been difficult, but all our suffering in the dark will turn into the bright torch that saves our Fatherland!¡±


    A chorus of cheers rang out, but Felix didn¡¯t miss that some of them were more lackluster than others. He knew that his stunt in the meeting room created a lot of tension, but if he could just pull through to phase 2, none of it would matter. Soon, through hell and high water, the Fatherland would be saved. His lips curved upwards unconsciously


    ¡°General, are you sure we should do this? What if other countries find out?¡±


    Felix looked at the nervous man spoiling his mood. Cowards like this were common in rear posts, no matter how high their rank. He wished that he could punish the traitor just like he did Albert, but that would create too much dissension at such a crucial time. He tried to recall the man¡¯s name as he formulated a response.


    ¡°Lieutenant-general Frederick, do you have doubts at such a time?¡±


    ¡°No sir! It¡¯s just¡­ even if the plan succeeds, what will happen afterward?¡±


    Felix¡¯s brow scrunched up as a few of the other men nodded. He took a few calming breaths before continuing.


    ¡°Frederick, what do you think will happen if we don¡¯t use the Nine Plagues? Do you think losing the war would have positive repercussions on our country? Because if we don¡¯t use the plan, we would certainly lose the war.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sir¡­ you¡¯re absolutely correct.¡±


    ¡°Good man. Now, shall we commence phase 2?¡±


    Felix smiled as the last obstacle was removed. Finally, the glorious future of the Fatherland is nearly secured. If he ever saw that man again, he would have to thank him.


    ¡ª


    On a hidden beach off the coast of Northern France, a small group of soldiers was deep behind enemy lines. On their boats, they brought with them large amounts of cargo. Although they weren¡¯t briefed on the contents, they had some ideas from the smell.


    ¡°Are the brass crazy!? What the hell are we doing deep in enemy territory with only a bunch of rotting corpses! Where are the guns, the artillery!?¡±


    ¡°Well, Kyle, you should know that bringing artillery is just impossible. As for guns, I¡¯m not too sure either.¡±


    ¡°Always the smartass Alex, can¡¯t you give Kyle a break? Besides, he¡¯s got a point.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do! What the hell is the point of carrying dead bodies!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re about as clueless as I am Kyle. Why not give it a rest and get to work?¡±


    The group of men squabbled a while before they got to the task at hand. For some reason, the brass ordered their squad to carry out a top-secret mission, the purpose of which was classified. Their mission: bring hundreds of dead bodies behind enemy lines and spread the corpses, focusing especially on water supplies. They might not be doctors, but every soldier has some understanding of how diseases spread, so they knew the effect their actions would have. Precisely because of that, they couldn¡¯t help but consider the futility of their work.


    ¡°You know, even if we do get tons of disease to spread, what¡¯s the point? Aren¡¯t we hundreds of miles behind enemy lines? We¡¯re not even close to a supply depot.¡±


    ¡°Right and what¡¯s one squad gonna do anyway? We¡¯ve only got a hundred bodies to drop off and seven men to do the dropping. It¡¯s gonna take a while to do it and even if a disease does happen, it ain¡¯t gonna spread much.¡±


    ¡°And if it does spread, so what? There aren¡¯t any enemy soldiers or industrial centers nearby anyway. All that¡¯s gonna happen is some civilians dyin¡¯.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The self-proclaimed genius of the group, Alex, suddenly stopped.


    ¡°What¡¯s holdin¡¯ you up Alex?¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the point,¡± Alex muttered to himself as his fellow squadmates turned to look at him. After he gathered his thoughts, he stared each man in the eye and shared his conjecture.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the point. Maybe we aren¡¯t meant to be killing soldiers, but civilians.¡±


    ¡°What, why? It¡¯s not like killin¡¯ em is gonna make it easier to win the war.¡±


    ¡°Right, right. And how many civilians can one little disease kill anyway? One squad ain¡¯t enough to do anything.¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s not just one squad though,¡± Alex said. He took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°What if there are dozens or hundreds of squad like ours doing the exact same thing? What if thousands¨C tens of thousands¨C of rotten bodies are littered across the whole of Northern France?¡±


    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s crazy talk man. Are the people making plans really going to waste that much manpower on such a stupid operation? Some far-off plague ain¡¯t gonna kill the millions of enemy soldiers at the front!¡±


    ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t have to. Maybe if the generals on the enemy side realize they¡¯ve got hundreds of thousands¨C though I¡¯m not sure of the exact number¨C of civilians dying in the backlines, they¡¯ve got to stop the war. How can a country allocate resources to stop an epidemic while fighting a war?¡±


    ¡°Hey Alex, if you¡¯re right, isn¡¯t this a big deal then? Aren¡¯t we going to be killing thousands of non-combatants? Not to mention it¡¯s morally wrong, I don¡¯t want to end up in front of a tribunal after the war is over.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have to worry about that Kyle. For big things like this, the people at the top take all the responsibility¨C the gain and the blame.¡±


    ¡°I dunno man, can¡¯t we get in trouble too? After all, we¡¯re the ones spreading the diseases.¡±


    ¡°No, Carl. Don¡¯t you remember the purpose of the mission was classified? As long as we keep our mouths shut, we can claim we never knew what we were really doing.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty smart.¡±


    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s our genius Alex over here. Figured out those top strategists¡¯ plans right away.¡±


    Alex looked at his squadmates who he had fought with for over a year. They were like brothers to him and the fear of death only brought them closer together. But at that moment, they looked different to his eyes. Was he really brothers with people that didn¡¯t care about the deaths of thousands? The deaths of civilians that they would cause? As he waded through the water back to the body-filled boats, he saw his own reflection. In the sparkling-bright ocean, his dark empty eyes stared back at him. He laughed as he realized he didn¡¯t care as well.


    ¡°Time to get to work then.¡±


    ¡ª


    David couldn¡¯t help but applaud the man known as Alex. Intelligent and cruel. The perfect qualities for a good soldier and a good demon. Intelligent enough to understand the purpose of his orders and cruel enough to follow them. Truly, a model demon. David only wished that he would die so he could take his soul for a bonus.


    Are you thinking about the special collection bonus?


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    Hah, you get those eyes when your thoughts turn greedy.


    ¡°Really? Well, you¡¯re right. Don¡¯t you think he would fit the requirements?¡±


    Probably. Not a lot of humans these days have what it takes to be turned. Speaking of which, what about that general of yours?


    David rubbed his chin, ¡°He¡¯s not a bad candidate, but not quite up to company standards.¡±


    I guess so. Anyone that doesn¡¯t realize he¡¯s a tool definitely isn¡¯t good material. Is this what you want though?


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    To create a plague. It¡¯s not a bad idea, but Rules and Regulations might find out.


    David shook his head, ¡°you¡¯re right that they might investigate, but you¡¯re missing one crucial thing.¡±


    What¡¯s that?


    ¡°Humans are more evil than demons.¡±


    What do you mean?


    ¡°By the time the war is over, more people will die from gunshots than disease. Or did you really think they would surrender?¡±


    ¡­ If what you¡¯re doing wasn¡¯t illegal, I would definitely recommend you for a promotion.


    ¡°Well, I appreciate the thought. Isn¡¯t spreading chaos what business trips are all about?¡±


    You¡¯re definitely attractive when you¡¯re scheming. Do you wanna do something when you get back?


    David nearly choked, ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    If you¡¯re willing to get fired for workplace relationships!


    ¡°Thank Lucifer, it was a joke,¡± he sighed in relief, ¡°I really wouldn¡¯t know how to handle it if you were for real.¡±


    I¡¯m still your boss, you know? At least pretend to feel sad.


    ¡°... Can we just get back to the show?¡±


    Sure, as long as it doesn¡¯t turn boring.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s entertaining then.¡±