A Hollow Cry (After Life Book 1)

by Bee Douglas

  “Of course,” she spits out, “they don’t want to get their hands dirty unless it benefits them. And what about the other Accursed? Who’s all coming?” She’s answered with silence. “A bunch of fucking cowards.”

  “They’ve stationed a handful of demons and Reapers along each corner,” Briggs explains, ignoring her comment and refocusing to the situation at hand. “Both entrances are heavily guarded. The Reapers are armed with their usually daggers. The demons? Mortal blades.”

  I watch closely as he explains what he’s been scouting, pointing out various areas. “How do you know all this?” I ask, my curiosity getting the best of me.

  He offers a shy smile. “Military.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “They’ve cut off all the major access points,” Willow states, peering below.

  Even under the darkening sky, the bodies are easily distinguishable. But I can’t make out any details of who they are. I just hope people like Quill and Luna have enough sense to stay away. I have a feeling this isn’t going to end pretty.

  Looking over my shoulder, I ask, “What about the cellar?” He gives me a confused look. Willow shares the same expression, staring at me as if I just spoke in Portuguese. “Xi implemented a secret escape route through the basement. When I started singing there more and more, Quill took down there. Aside from those that worked there, no one else knew about it.”

  “No one except you.” Willow smirks.

  “It won’t be easy to get to,” I explain. Pointing to the building that brushes up against the Playground. “Are there many people over that way?”

  Briggs shrugs. “Yes and no. All eyes are on the bar, but I wouldn’t go making a scene. Especially not that close.”

  I nod, trying to think of any possible route we can take. It’s a tricky task. With as many people that are stationed around, we would practically have to be invisible to get inside. Kane’s nifty disappearing act would come in handy right about now.

  “The roof.”

  Briggs and I turn to Willow. She’s strapping a quiver to her thigh. It’s jammed pack with arrows. Taking one out, she inspects the point. It glows like the dagger she had taken out of Kane. She places it back in the quiver and slings the bow behind her back.

  She steps out and points a few building down from the Playground. “We’ll head to that old diner off of Tenth Street. Using their connecting rooftops, we shouldn’t be seen. While they have the bodies, they’re not particularly bright. They don’t have any lookouts on the roofs.”

  “Smart.” He agrees. “We’ll climb down and gain access that way.”

  Willow withdraws a dagger from its holster and hands it to me. The blade similar to the one used to attack Kane. I look at her, confusion taking over me.

  “You will need this,” she says. “I know your abilities are still up in the air and I don’t want to see you get hurt.” She straps the holster around my forearm, securing it in place. Willow looks at me, her face nearly inches from mine. “Make sure you do the most damage as possible. Don’t hesitate. Don’t over think. Kill or be killed.”

  33

  Kane

  Echoes.

  All I hear are echoes.

  Voices of people I know mixed with those I don’t.

  My conscious wavers in and out. I can’t stay awake long enough to make out anything that’s being said. My eyelids close mere seconds after opening.

  When I’m finally able to pull myself out of the darkness, it’s hard to depict where I’m at. My hands are bound. The sharp metal of cuffs bite into my wrists. I’m left to lie on a hard cement floor. I can taste the way dirt stirs with every breath I take. There’s no light. It’s as if I’ve gone from one type of dark abyss to another.

  “Hello?” I call out, picking my head up. I’m met with nothing but silence.

  I drop my head to the ground. It feels like someone strapped a cannonball to it, weighing me down. My brain is pounding. A mental sledgehammer being brought down over and over again. I try and pull against the cuffs. They don’t budge. Whoever put them on didn’t leave an ounce of room for escape. Where in Hell am I?

  The last I remember, I was running out of the room. My feet grew leaden with each step I took. Pain radiated throughout my body from the base of my neck, causing me to fall. Royce had been taken to the ground as well.

  Wait. Royce.

  I call out his name, but get no response. I call out once more. This time, I’m met with a loud clanking noise.

  Moments later, the entire room is illuminated with a blinding light. The edges of my vision are hazy. I blink them several times before I’m able to make sense of anything. The walls are lined with kegs and bottles of liquor. Glasses in every shape and size are stacked along a counter. They put me in a store room.

  Taking a deep breath, I push myself up to a sitting position, despite the way my body screams in refuse. I know this place. Using my foot, I kick over a box. Napkins spill out onto the floor. They are blood red with black scrawl: The Devil’s Playground.

  “Well, well, well,” a sickenly sweet voice says from behind me. In front of the swinging doors stands my own personal nightmare in high heels. Her dark hair sweeps behind her shoulders as she stares down at me, hands on her hips, “look what the cat dragged in.”

  Spitting at her feet, I glare up at her. “Let me out of here, Vivian.”

  Her demented laugh echoes around the enclosed room. Her heels clacking against the cement mixes with the sound. She bends her knees, lowering herself to my level.

  “You just had to go and piss everyone off, didn’t you?” Her voice is masked in sympathy as she reaches out to touch my face. With my hands bound as tight as they are, all I can do is snap my teeth. Vivian snatches her hand back and sneers down at me. She doesn’t offer me another look as she strolls out of the store room, letting the doors swing wildly behind her.

  Minutes later, two Reapers walk in. I’ve seen them a handful of times. They stay south of town, staking claim in the suburban areas. They lift me up and drag me out, one of their arms under each of mine. The tips of my shoes drag against the concrete. Any strength to fight is lost to me.

  All the tables and chairs are moved to the outskirts of the bar. The overhead lights Xi keeps off during business hours are lit, bringing all the minor imperfections to life. Griffin and a few others are posted at each door. In the dead center of the room, inside a newly marked pentagram, is Death. The three stand patiently as I‘m dragged out.

  “Nice to see that you’ve finally woken up,” Belial greets me, hands clasped behind his back.

  “Why am I here?”

  Leviathan and Satan exchange an amused look while their brother stares me down. Clearing his throat, he explains, “You have done us all a great disservice. We extended our gratitude in locating the Banshee. We offered you a personal hand in unleashing all of her powers. And yet, you chose to defy us. You allowed a human to twist your loyalties. Now, you must pay.”

  “I’ve done nothing wrong,” I bellow, fighting against the cuffs.

  Leviathan lets out a laugh as he takes a few steps closer to me. “Don’t act as if we are blinded to your actions. We’ve been informed every step of the way.”

  Before I can respond, searing pain radiates from the center of my shoulders. I let out a scream, unable to contain it. Vivian’s laugh joins in with the sound of my torment. She steps into my line of vision, holding a Changeling’s crystal in her hand. My blood drips off of it.

  “You weren’t working with the Changelings?” I ask between gasping breaths.

  She lets out another laugh. “Of course not. I have no ties to them.”

  My brow draws together, trying to piece everything together. All this time, I thought either her or another demon was running off, leaking information. I’ve been dead set on it being Vivian or Baz. But no, I’m wrong. I glance up at Griffin who stands the closest to the pentagram. A serpent’s smile spreads across his lips.

  “You?” He nods.
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br />   “Do not place blame, Kane,” Belial sneers down at me. “It is truly unbecoming.”

  Vivian digs the dagger into my skin, dragging the blade along my clavicle. I clamp my jaw shut, refusing to give her a reaction. “You aren’t the only one that knows how to use people,” she whispers in my ear.

  “All you this,” I say loudly, ignoring her comment, “because we haven’t been about to lure the Banshee out yet?”

  Leviathan laughs as Satan says, “All of this, because we need to weed out the weak. Hell was once a revered power that ruled with an iron fist. And now? Not only does Heaven undermine us, but humans do as well. Reapers, like you, are the reason for this. You walk this world as if you should not be grateful for our bargain. You’re wrongly entitled. It is time for Hell to take back its reign, and for those to pay for their disloyalty.”

  “Think of the time you’ve spent over the last several weeks as a test,” Leviathan interjects. “We placed this in your hands to see if you would follow through. You spent the first few weeks going absolutely nothing to benefit the cause. You and the Banshee stayed at home reading books. Then you came to us, ready to throw in the towel. How weak. We knew the Banshee was frail. The likelihood of her having any sort of control over her powers was slim to none. Not that you knew that. But instead of pushing her and testing her strength, you had her sing.”

  “She’s not even that good of a singer,” Vivian chimes in. Her cheeks tinge pink when the prince shoots her a scolding glare.

  Belial begins pacing in the center of the pentagram, ticking off a list on his finger. “The Accursed. The demons. The witch. All resources we presented to you, minus a ribbon and bow. And yet, you chose to shelter her.”

  “She’s just a human.”

  “And humans die. The Banshee with lose her life sooner than anticipated, and it is all thanks to you.”

  Those words sting worse than that wretched crystal blade. It’s true that she wouldn’t have been anywhere near this mess if I didn’t drag her into it. She wouldn’t have been tormented and harmed if I just pushed her a little more. And now, she’s going to pay for my actions with her life.

  “You don’t have to kill her.” I sound pathetic bargaining for something I know they’ll never agree to.

  Satan shoots me a look, daring me to speak again. “You are right, but it will be done anyways.” Circling the edges of the pentagram, he holds up his hands. “You Reapers think this is some game? A second chance at life? That is where you are all wrong. You work for us. You are nothing but lowly vassals sent out in the world to collect the souls we have staked claim on. Nothing more. And it is time that you all are reminded of that. You are not invincible. You are weak. We can, and will, end you as easily as we resurrected you.”

  Silence fills the space. No one dare fights what he just said. Cowards. All of them.

  Vivian disappears from behind me. Seconds later, she begins poking my back over and over again with that fucking blade. I bite down on my tongue. Blood fills my mouth as I fight back my cry.

  “Bring out the other one,” Satan orders.

  The Reapers that dragged me out disappear once more.

  “Let go of me.” I hear Royce’s revolt the closer he gets to the main floor.

  As they bring him in, I notice that he’s walking. He’s not being dragged like the ragdoll they turned me into. But with his hands bound behind his back, he’s not getting anywhere. They bring him to his knees next to me. Making eye contact, he’s just as confused and angry as I was.

  “What is all this?”

  “Why don’t you ask your little friend there?” Leviathan dares him.

  Turning to me, he asks the same question. “It’s our repercussion for not worshipping the shit streak these princes leave in their wake.”

  His eyes widen in realization. “Where is she?”

  “She is coming.” The corner of Satan’s mouth turns up. “They both are.”

  My back is lit aflame as the blade pierces my skin from the top of my spine to the bottom. The pain can’t be ignored. I cry out, lunging my body forward to try and get away from it. All that does is force me to land face first on the ground. A roar of laughter breaks out. Someone snaps their fingers, and a moment later, I am brought to stand.

  I’m beyond pissed. I want to rip out the throats of everyone in this room. Death. Vivian. Griffin. Each and every demon and Reaper that stands like slaves.

  The sound of a walkie talkie echoes from the corner. Griffin brings it to his ear, listening to whatever is coming through. “Right,” he responds. “My Lords, they’re here.”

  Satan stares down at us with a heinous smile. “Perfect.”

  I don’t have time to react. They drag me away, back to the store room. Before the Reaper henchmen leave me alone, the one turns to me. He offers a sympathetic smirk. “You had this coming,” he says quietly before shutting the lights off, leaving me alone in the pitch black.

  From the confines of the store room, I can hear Royce bellow out in pain. Vivian must be having a field day with that little blade of hers. Being a creature never tainted with a soul, the crystals don’t harm her the way they do us.

  I have to get out of these cuffs. I need to get out of here. Nora can’t be anywhere near here. They’ll kill her.

  Before I can even force myself to stand, the silent Reaper comes back. He carries with him a black sack, which he places over my head and cinches it as tight as it will go. And then, more pain. It radiates from my gut, forcing me to topple over. I don’t even hear the door swing shut, nor can I see if the light is shut off. Just a silent, black abyss centering around searing pain.

  “Nora,” I mutter. The only one I want to see, but the one that needs to stay far away from here. “Nora.”

  34

  Nora

  “Stay low.”

  We were able to climb back down to reach the little diner Willow mentioned without being seen. I’m honestly surprised no one stopped us. Three people climbing up and down fire escapes night time would alarm me. But then again, weirder stuff than this happens on a daily basis. And with the two of them dressed in dark clothes, I’m the only one that would draw attention in my jeans and sweater. After we get this mess taken care of, I’ll have to have Kane take me to stock up on black clothes. Pastels don’t exactly work in this type of business.

  “Watch your step,” Willow says, pointing to a mess of electrical cords. I’ve never been on top of a city building, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as barren as it is. Cables and antennas. Random bits of trash and the occasional empty beer bottles.

  I stay behind Willow with Briggs tailing in the rear. I’m in awe of how stealthy these two move. No faltered steps. No hesitation. Then there’s me, yet again, sticking out like a sore thumb. I can barely walk without tripping over thin air. I’ll stick with nursing and leave the ninja skills to them.

  As we get closer, the lower we crouch. We’re practically scooting on our asses by the time we reach the drop window. Briggs pulls back the door, moving slow and precise to limit the amount of noise.

  “Is this safe?” I feel like such a dumbass the moment the words leave my mouth.

  Willow’s face hardens as she looks at me. “If you don’t think you can do this, then turn back now.”

  I’m not going to bring up the fact that I’m not the best person for this job, because that would just be vocalizing what’s probably going through their minds. And it would make matters worse for myself. My head hasn’t stopped reeling since Kane and Royce left us at the house. I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. This may be the dumbest idea, but at least I’m trying. Swallowing the hard lump forming in my throat, I say, “That’s not what I meant.”

  She keeps her eyes on me. With everything at stake, I understand her cautious mindset. But after a moment, she finally gives in, accepting that I’m not backing down.

  Willow lowers herself in through the hatch first. When it’s clear, she lets out a low whistle.

  “A
fter you.” Briggs gestures to the drop window.

  I nod, peering down. It’s dark. I can’t see two inches in front of my face, let alone where I’m going to land. Sitting down, I swing my feet over. I grab either sides of the frame and lower myself down, causing my arms to burn almost instantly. I don’t know how Willow made this look so easy. Stretching out my legs, I find the rungs of a ladder. I do my best to hook onto it and climb down the rest of the way. Briggs follows in suite. The walkway from the base of the hatch wraps around the edge of the warehouse, swaying and creaking as we descend to ground level.

  When I step off, I tell them, “We need to find the conveyor belt.”

  “Xi can’t make things simple, can he?” Willow sighs.

  With the amount of cobwebs and dust covering every inch of this place, it must’ve been closed for over a decade. Maybe even longer. And yet, all the old machinery and workstations remain.

  “Do you-”

  Briggs’ question is cut off by the side door being thrown open. The metallic burst echoes through the room. He holds his arm out, stopping us from moving out from the cover of a machine. Peering over the edge, there are three figures standing in the doorway.

  “Come out and play,” a voice calls out as the sound of footsteps pads against the cement.

  Taking advantage of their movement, Briggs and Willow branch out. I go to follow, but she shakes her head, gesturing from me to crouch down. As the two of them disappear, I take hold of the dagger, clamping it tight to my chest.

  Briggs’ roaring voice and the clash of metal nearly makes me jump out of my skin. My heart is racing at an unimaginable rate. In every show or movie I’ve seen, fight scenes are nothing more than a minor rush of adrenaline. But being blinded from the scene, only able to hear the clashing and grunts, leaves me feeling overly antsy.

  “There you are,” a raspy voice says.

  I barely have time to look up and see a sword like blade aiming for my head. I dive down and out of the way, landing on my elbow. A numbing sensation shoots up to my fingers. I can’t process the pain though. The man lunges for me again as I roll and scramble to stand. He swings the blade with a brute force, lodging it into a foundation pillar. I take off running.