DEREK
They got a meeting with Butler within twenty minutes. He had apparently been in the area, maybe even waiting for their report. They gave it to him, leaving nothing out. Or rather, the others gave it to him. Derek didn't say much, and he didn't really remember what happened. He just remembered that by the time they finished, the sun was almost completely gone, and they were back at the dorms.
He really needed that shower.
He stumbled through the lobby, ignoring his friends' attempts to guide him by the arm. He didn't jerk out of his fugue until he bumped into Emily, standing between hin and the elevators.
“Whoa there,” the RA said in a friendly tone, holding him at arm's length. “You alright?” She frowned, looking him up and down. “You smell like a sewer. What were you up to?”
He sighed, some of his wits returning to him. “I... it's not important. I need to shower.”
“He'll be fine,” Ling promised with a smile, grabbing his hand. “I'm sure I'll be able to get him very clean.”
It took all of Derek's willpower not to jerk away. Was she serious? It was a nice offer, but more creepy than anything. Where did all this come from?
But Akane yanked Ling off him. “No. He's not going anywhere with you.” She didn't say anything else, and Ling just rolled her eyes.
“I... I...” He managed to get to the elevators. Ling kept trying to grab him, and Akane kept putting herself in the way. They sped up to the ninth floor, Ling making incredibly obvious “subtle” suggestions and Akane denying her with monosyllabic stoicism.
Silver and gold, what's going on? he thought. Since when were either of them actually interested in him?
By the time they reached Derek's floor, he had broken into a cold sweat. He couldn't move. What was he supposed to do? It wasn't like he could just ignore them, and even though he did like them both, kinda, this was really not the time to be making that kind of decision. Adam and Laura tired of waiting, and headed off without them.
Rather than answering their flirting, Derek just kept his mouth shut and stumbled out of the elevator. He managed to reach his door without doing anything too stupid, just as Adam coming out.
“I'm going to be staying with Lily tonight,” he said. “I'll be back tomorrow for lunch.” He hefted his backpack over his shoulder— Derek had no idea why he needed his guns, but decided not to ask—and headed back to the elevators. Derek seized on the opening he had given him.
“Ah, sorry girls, I think I just need to sleep. It's been a long day.” He disentangled himself, ignoring Ling's increasingly loud protests, and slipped into his room. Thankfully, Adam had left it unlocked. “Have a nice night.” He locked the door behind him.
And turned around to see Laura lying on his bed.
She was on her back, propped up on the pillows, reading one of his monster magazines as though she belonged there. He had his bed set up so that the pillows were next to the window. That way, he didn't have to turn around to see an intruder. It also meant that Laura didn't have to turn to speak to him. Some distant part of his brain noted that he would probably need to wash his sheets early to remove the smell of the sewer.
“You sure are popular,” she said. She wiggled her bare toes. She flipped the page, as though she were actually reading it.
Derek swallowed. “I guess... they're trying to make me feel better.” She shook his head vigorously. “But it's just confusing me more. I don't need flirting right now.”
“I'm well aware of that.” She put the magazine down on the short dresser in arm's reach. “I know what it's like to lose someone you love.” She gave him a level gaze, though he noticed that her hand inched towards her necklace before she could stop herself. “I know exactly what you need right now.”
It took him a second to realize what she meant
Derek stepped forward slowly... then I took another step and another. And then he was there, and she was close enough to touch.
Laura smiled sadly—pityingly, really.
She was right. He needed this.
He collapsed on top of her, his head in her lap, and cried.
He didn't know how long he cried. He didn't know when he ran out of tears, but he kept crying anyway. There was nothing else in the world except for Laura, gently brushing his hair and whispering that everything would be all right.
Chapter 60: STRAGIS
“Lizzy? That you?”
Lizzy shook her head to clear it and smiled at the bouncer for the bar. “Yes. Sorry. I have a really bad headache.”
The giant nodded. “You look like hell ran you over. What happened?”
She frowned, bit her lip, and shook her head. “I'm... not sure. It's all very... fuzzy.”
“You need coffee,” he declared. “Ronnie!” he called to the bartender. “Get some caffeine for the lady. On me.”
Lizzy smiled at him again. “I can't thank you enough.”
He grinned toothily. “No problem, little one.”
The big Thor was one of the few people who could get away with calling her that. Not just because he was bigger than her, but because he didn't mean it as an insult. He was a good man, although everyone said he was hard to approach.
While he was distracted, one of the patrons tried to sneak past the torches marking the exit of the bar. Mjolnir noticed immediately.
“Hey!” He stomped over and grabbed the man by the collar, pulling him back inside. “Settle your tab first, Greg.”
The man grumbled, but slouched back over to the bar, likely hoping he'd have better luck convincing Ronnie to let him off easy.
“Busy night?” Lizzy asked, glancing around the room. Thor's Rest wasn't exactly huge, but it was decent sized, and over half the tables were taken. She spent a lot of time here, so she was well aware that there were usually less people. Maybe the residents from the rooms upstairs were down for dinner. The patrons were a pretty even mix of cultures. With someone like that as the bouncer, you learned pretty quick to leave racism at the door.
Mjolnir shrugged. “Not too bad. Enough to keep us working, not so much that we're overwhelmed. Just about perfect.” He grinned. “It was a good night before you got here. Now it's a great night.”
“Your coffee, Lizzy,” Ronnie called, carefully placing a steaming mug on the tabletop. “You can wash some of that dirt off in the back, if you like.”
She grimaced. “I'm sorry. I must look terrible.”
He waved her complaint away. “Nonsense. You look as beautiful as ever. Why, if I weren't married, I'd be trying to drag you back to my room.”
“I think I'll stick with the coffee for now.”
He laughed. “See, that's why I like you, Lizzy. You have a good sense of humor.”
She drained the mug as slowly as she could, nursing it over the course of about fifteen minutes. Six men and three women tried to shoulder past Mjolnir during that time, but he made sure they all stayed inside, where they decided that arguing with Ronnie was a better idea than having the Hammer of Thor after them.
Greg was the one who noticed the broadcast. “Hey, they interrupted the game.”
Lizzy looked up at the nearest television to see that female reporter sitting at a news desk, ready to speak. The line at the bottom of the screen proclaimed “SPECIAL REPORT.”
“Hello,” the woman began. “I'm Eliza Cassan, reporting live. Moments ago, I was given a memo from Butler himself, regarding the ongoing search for the source of the screamers. In a daring raid, the Paladins have finally managed to ascertain the identity of the Composer.”
The entire bar murmured with apprehension, but Mjolnir just grinned. “About damn time. Maybe we can actually fight back now.”
Then Lizzy's face appeared on the screen, in a window off to the side. The bar fell as silent as the grave. A glass shattered when Ronnie dropped it to the floor. No one reacted.
“This woman, Elizabeth Greene, is the Composer,” the newswoman proclaimed in that same dry tone she used for everything else. “She is
to be considered extremely dangerous, and should not be approached under any circumstances. If you find her, contact MC and leave the area immediately. That is all.”
Eliza and the newsroom blacked out, but Lizzy's picture grew to fill the whole screen. It was a very nice picture, cropped from one of the group photos they took on Akane's birthday. You could see Laura's black hair at the edge.
Greg got off his stool very slowly. Everyone else around Lizzy did the same. They were all the ones who had tried to get out without paying. Did they think they'd get some sort of bounty?
“Now, don't make any sudden moves and nobody gets hurt,” he advised her, as he slowly drew his gun. Lizzy could hear the other delinquents doing the same around her.
Mjolnir stomped up with a scowl. “Put those away, you morons. There's been a mistake.” The men stepped away from him, but didn't lower their weapons. The bouncer just rolled his eyes. “This girl is an old friend. She wouldn't hurt a fly.”
“And she's been sitting here the past quarter hour,” Ronnie pointed out. “The Composer was found out a few minutes ago. It can't be her.”
Lizzy favored him with my best smile. “Thank you for your vote of confidence.” She slid off the stool, careful not to make any sudden movements, and raised her hands to show everyone she was unarmed. “As long as no one gets violent, I don't see any reason this can't end peacefully.”
“See?” Mjolnir said, punching Greg lightly on the shoulder. The smaller man had to struggle to keep his feet. “If she were the Composer, you think she'd let you point guns at her?”
The men slowly, grudgingly lowered their weapons.
Lizzy smiled at them each in turn as they holstered their guns. “He's right, of course. If I were the Composer, I would do this.”
Then she formed her hand into a point, stabbed Mjolnir in the back, and ripped out his heart.
The giant gurgled, blood bubbling out of his mouth, and fell to the ground with enough force to shake the entire room, gore splashing up from the gaping hole in his back.
She dropped his heart next to him and squished it beneath her foot. Blood spurted.
One of the patrons made a dash for the entrance the bouncer had been guarding. She waved her bloody hand, and the fires jumped out of their braziers, creating a wall of flame that prevented anyone from escaping.
There was a reason she had come to this bar, specifically.
She licked her fingers carefully, making sure to savor every drop. Once she was done, she turned her eyes to the patrons of the bar, staring back at her in terror.
Elizabeth grinned, revealing perfect white teeth, now stained crimson.
“If I were the Composer, this is exactly what I would do.”
End of Book 2: The Composer of Screams
Book 3: The Army of the Lost will be out soon
If you liked the book, don't forget to leave a review!
Author's Note
Well here it is, the second half of the original “first book.” It ends on a better reveal and cliffhanger than the first half.
I'm sure it's obvious that this book is supposed to be a companion pair. No attempt is made to re-introduce characters or the setting. But despite that, I am still surprised and proud of how well it works like this. It also took well to the transition from first-person narration to third-person.
The next few books will be split in some odd ways, and might take a bit longer. But I am still confident I can make them worthwhile reads. Thank you for reading my book, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Table of Contents
Book 2
Chapter 1: PIRATICA
Chapter 2: PRAESIDIO
Chapter 3: OCCULTA
Chapter 4: REDDITA
Chapter 5: CAELUS
Chapter 6: INOPINATUM
Chapter 7: SALUTEM
Chapter 8: FURTUM
Chapter 9: CARO ARTIBUS
Chapter 10: INSIDIIS MURES
Chapter 11: INUIDIAM
Chapter 12: EXAMEN
Chapter 13: FOEDUS
Chapter 14: IMPERO
Chapter 15: CUTIS
Chapter 16: DESTITUTIO
Chapter 17: EXPLORATORES
Chapter 18: POST
Chapter 19: IDENTIFICO
Chapter 20: CURA
Chapter 21: MUTARE
Chapter 22: STULTITIA
Chapter 23: MATHEMATICA
Chapter 24: OSSIS
Chapter 25: SERVATOR
Chapter 26: FUROR
Chapter 27: AUXILIUS NECESSARIUM
Chapter 28: PROPSITI
Chapter 29: AVES
Chapter 30: ALAE
Chapter 31: COR
Chapter 32: MERETRIX
Chapter 33: SAPIENTIS
Chapter 34: IACET
Chapter 35: ELECTUS
Chapter 36: INVIDENTIA
Chapter 37: TABERNA
Chapter 38: AUXILIUM
Chapter 39: APSURDUS
Chapter 40: PRAETERITAE
Chapter 41: SANGUIS
Chapter 42: EXPERTUS
Chapter 43: HOMINES ET MONSTRA
Chapter 44: SOLUTIO
Chapter 45: SANGUINE PRIMA
Chapter 46: CAELI RUINA
Chapter 47: MUSICAE
Chapter 48: FIDES
Chapter 49: LUX
Chapter 50: CAELO CECIDISSE
Chapter 51: INVENIRE
Chapter 52: SUMPTU
Chapter 53: AMICITIA
Chapter 54: ABSENS
Chapter 55: CAPTA
Chapter 56: CLOACAE
Chapter 57: APOCALYPSIS
Chapter 58: FUGAE
Chapter 59: SOLACIUM
Chapter 60: STRAGIS
The Composer of Screams Page 39