With a bit of effort, I sent a little energy into the beads and launched them to the left of Elias while casting another fireball directly at his chest. The beads caught him directly in the chest as he dodged the fireball. They exploded, and within seconds he was surrounded by smoke and began walking in circles.
I covered my mouth and rushed towards Zeke and Kelly.
“That spell should confuse him and keep the smoke in his eyes, but it only lasts about thirty seconds. Is there another way out of here?”
Zeke frowned at me. “If there was, don’t you think I’d be gone by now?”
“So, what do we do?”
“Hang on,” he said, rubbing his chin. “I’ve got an idea.”
A blink later, that fucker leaned towards me and then snapped himself forward, head-butting me and breaking my nose in the process.
I put my hands to my face as I staggered back, which gave him plenty of time to pull a small revolver from his boot and shoot me in the stomach.
Honestly, I hadn’t seen that coming. I felt the bullet bounce around inside, tearing me up. I’d like to say I stood back up and rushed him, but no.
I fell to the ground and held my gut in pain.
“Hey, Mister Elias,” Zeke called out, “how about you take Kelly here to be your friend? She’s young and healthy. Probably be a good test subject, too, right?”
I looked up at him, still writhing in pain. My PPD enhancements had one positive side effect. I healed faster than normal people. Hopefully I healed fast enough that being shot in the gut wouldn’t kill me, but damn did it hurt.
“Zeke,” I croaked, “you bastard.”
He didn’t bother looking down. “What? I ain’t her daddy.” He frowned. “I mean, I don’t think I am.” He then waved his gun in my general direction, causing me to wince in anticipation. “And sorry for the head butt, Vedis, and for shooting you, too. But you punched me earlier, so I guess we’re square on that.”
I could taste my own blood pooling in my mouth.
Not pleasant, but it could have been worse.
“An interesting proposition,” Elias said, strolling casually to join us as he waved away the last of the smoke.
Okay, so it just got worse.
“You seem to have taken care of the officer here,” Elias added with a chuckle. “He’s even less of a threat than before, which is saying quite a bit.”
It was getting to be a full-on dick carnival here. Anger spiked through my pain. I hated feeling helpless.
“That’s nothin’,” Zeke stated, wisely dropping the gun. “Just doing you a favor. I mean, we’re friends now, right? Friends help each other, you know?” He pushed Kelly toward Elias. “So what say you take the girl and let me go…friend? I won’t say anything to anybody, anywhere, anytime. I got your back, pal.” He then paused and squinted at Elias. “I mean unless you want me to tell people, of course. Say the word, buddy, and I’m your man, or werebull, or whatever the hell you want me to be.”
Elias looked at Kelly then knelt down in front of her, putting his weight on his human leg.
“Hello, Kelly,” he said in a gentle voice. “It is Kelly, isn't it?” He patted her head as she frantically tried to pull away. Elias grabbed her by the back of the neck, keeping her eyes on him. “Kelly, I need you to do something for me. You see, I came here on a bit of an errand today. I need to make some friends. Would you like to be my friend?”
The beast ran his clawed hand down her cheek, scratching her, but not drawing blood.
Elias looked up at Zeke, who was smiling proudly.
“I must thank you, Barman. An adult might have worked, but the success rate isn't ideal. A young were-beast such as Kelly here, however, should prove wonderful for the next round of testing.” Elias smiled back at Zeke, but the smile never reached his eyes. “However there are a few issues we must overcome. Would you help me?”
“Sure thing, pal,” Zeke answered seriously. “Whatever you need. Friends for life, yeah?”
“I would say that was appropriately stated, Barman.”
With that, Elias stood up and ripped Zeke’s throat out as if it were nothing.
Zeke fell, grasping his neck and choking. The life in his eyes faded an instant later.
“You see Kelly,” Elias said as the little girl shook uncontrollably, “the barman gave me little choice. His demeanor betrayed him. While he had claimed to be my friend, the truth was that he would certainly have cooperated with the authorities as soon as he felt it was in his best interest. That was enough to seal his fate.” He looked at his bloody claws, wiping them on his pants. “He also gave me you as an alternative to himself. Very short-sighted.” He sighed. “But, most importantly, he insulted my hunting prowess by capturing my prey for me. Stealing my kill and my prize are unacceptable.” He gave Kelly a dark stare. “Try to remember that, will you? If you survive, you might find that to be useful in your own hunts.”
I saw Elias stand and reach for the door. He was clearly planning to take Kelly away and do god knows what to her.
No.
Not going to happen.
My anger exploded into rage that radiated through my body.
I wasn’t the best guy in the world at fighting, and I had a broken nose and a bullet running around in my innards, and I was practical to a fault…taking a negative view towards the world. To be honest, if it had come down to my life or Zeke’s I probably would have let him die.
But there were lines in the sand of my life, and this fucker was about to Pogo stick over a huge one.
There was no way in hell I was letting this thing take a child.
“Hey, Patches, did you forget something?” I croaked, the effort sending a new level of pain rushing through me. “I’m still here. Not enough of a man to finish me off?” I coughed up some more blood. “What’s the matter, afraid you’ll burst a seam?”
I saw Elias’ eyes glow more brightly and he let go of Kelly. He then reached down and grabbed me off of the floor by the neck.
“I told you to show me respect,” he warned, shaking me. “It will be nice to end your pathetic existence.”
I thought I’d been in pain earlier, but this added new meaning to the word. It was all I could do to stay conscious.
I wanted to use both hands to try to keep him from crushing my throat, but I needed one hand free. I took as deep a breath as I could and let go with my right hand as I grabbed the bracelet on my left wrist.
I felt along the bracelet until I found some square beads and pulled them off, palming them. Then I started kicking and struggling like I was trying to put on tight leather pants right after a shower…uh, for example.
He looked at me.
I opened my mouth and mumbled something.
“Please don’t drag this out,” he said in a tired voice.
I tried again.
With a sigh he loosened his grip just enough to let me talk.
“Very well,” he said. “Have your last words.”
He turned his ear to me.
As I sent power to the beads in my hand I told him, “Suck it, Frankenstein.”
As his mouth opened to reply, I slapped the beads into his mouth and pulled my hand back just as they exploded, sending pieces of his head and neck flying.
As far as plans went, it wasn’t bad.
What was bad was that his hand closed around my throat in reflex, crushing my windpipe before dropping me.
Chapter 5
It's funny what you think about when you're dying.
Random memories popped up. I remembered losing big games, letting people bully me, and feeling worthless. I remembered unrequited love and regrettable relationships. All in all, I hadn’t lived my life to the fullest. Hell, I’d barely lived at all.
Not a fun way to spend my last minutes on Earth.
Towards the end, I remembered my family.
They’d stayed in the Netherworld, the supernatural reality that paralleled topside, also known as the Overworld. My mom ran of
f when I was born and my dad died when I was young, so my grandpa had been the only real family that I had, at least until he died six months ago.
I was crushed.
He was a complete pacifist and I'd always felt I'd disappointed him by going into the PPD. The last time I saw him was the day I left the Netherworld for my first topside PPD posting. He'd given me a firm handshake, some money, and the medallion I'd seen him wear my whole life.
It was about the size of a half dollar, silver, and had the face of a fanged and horned creature engraved. It reminded me a little of a Thai Khon mask, but I never could pin it down to a specific culture. Grandpa said he didn’t know where it was from either but it reminded him of his childhood in Asia. He never took it off.
I’d always felt it was creepy looking and was glad he usually kept it under his shirt.
When I asked him why he was giving it to me, he said, “Boy, your ambition has always gone way beyond your ability. Can't say you don't remind me of myself that way.” He poked my in the chest with a bony finger. “You’re stubborn and persistent, and even worse, you don’t realize that. Nothing stops you when you think you’re in the right. Lucky for you that you’ve got a good heart. Too bad most people in power don’t. Keep down the path you’re on and you’ll likely make a few good friends…and a shitload of enemies.” He then dropped the medallion over my head and tapped it. “This here might just be the thing that makes the difference between being a well-meaning pain in the ass, and being a pain in the ass that gets results.” As he turned away he added, “Just remember, the power’s in your blood.”
I'd always thought he'd been speaking figuratively, like old people do. I assumed it was the old man’s way of saying ‘believe in yourself’. So, I gave his words about as much thought as ‘always give 110%’, ‘the early bird gets the worm’, and all those other things people tell you when they don't have good advice to offer.
As I spasmed on the ground, I grabbed that medallion, looking for something to comfort me in my final moments.
The instant my hand touched it, I felt a surge of power hit me and a deep voice filled my head.
“Ah, Amos,” it said, “you've come back. I’d so hoped you would.”
I gurgled in shock, wondering how whoever this was knew my grandpa’s name.
Apparently, the thing with the gravely voice was fluent in death-rattle.
“Oh, I see, you are not my Amos” the voice said with a hint of curiosity. That was replaced with a heavy dose of resignation. “No matter. You may not be my beloved, but you do share his blood. The contract allows for this.”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
My vision was narrowing, but I thought I could make out the outline of a person approaching. It reached out to me, only to stop when the voice returned.
“Oh, you’re no fun,” the voice said miserably. “I had a whole speech waiting for this occasion, but I suppose it will have to wait, seeing as how you’ve only a few moments of life remaining.”
I heard a sigh.
“My apologies, Reaper,” the voice spoke again, speaking to the person who had approached me. “It seems a contract has been enacted. Your services will not be needed today.”
The figure seemed to nod, though I didn’t actually see it move, then it vanished into a beam of light.
“Very well, then,” the voice said, turning its attention back to me. “In accordance with the blood oath entered into by the young warlock, I hereby fulfill the demonic role as set forth in the Compact of Infernal Alliance, granting the agreed upon assistance and requiring all established rules and protocol to be reenacted and observed.”
As the voice faded away I could just make out a parting remark. “Have fun, son. Try not to destroy the entire world…if you can help it.”
There was a whole lot I would have liked to ask about what’d just happened, especially that last bit, but I was too busy trying not to bite my tongue off as energy poured through my medallion and into my body. It was hot and cold, light and dark, and… blue? The power burned its way to my core and my body spasmed and twitched as my mind struggled to find refuge in darkness.
You know that scene in Return of the Jedi where Luke is getting barbecued by the Emperor? It was like that. Just not as much fun and there was no light show to accompany the anguish.
Something told me to stay awake, though, and so I fought.
I couldn’t immediately scream, seeing that I had no windpipe, but I felt the energy change somehow. It pressed out, healing my wounds and reshaping my body. My throat expanded and air quickly filled my lungs, giving me the ability to have a major screeching fit.
Painful or not, breathing was good.
After what felt like years, my eyes opened, and I found myself seeing things I’d never seen before.
My entire being felt wrong, almost defiled on a deep level…but I also felt complete. It was like I’d located a piece of myself I’d never known was missing. It felt like me, or rather the version of me I didn’t want to think about most of the time. That was scary, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it.
I looked over at Elias.
The trail of blood behind it showed it must have crawled to the pile of bodies somehow. As I watched, I saw flesh, bone, and lots of other nightmare inducing stuff flow from them and replace what my explosives had damaged.
I let him finish.
I didn’t know why, as this would have been a perfect time to attack, and I usually took advantage of any opportunity to win.
But whatever was inside of me wanted more than a victory.
It wanted pain.
I smiled as I pushed myself to my feet, feeling sharp teeth scrape against my lips.
Elias straightened up a few seconds later. He was fully healed and really ugly looking.
I tossed a fireball at him, not forming it the normal way, but just hurling it through the air on instinct.
Unlike the ones I’d thrown in the past, this one knocked him off his feet, scorching his flesh and setting his clothes on fire.
He was back up quickly, but his eyes carried new respect. Maybe even…fear?
Elias advanced on me cautiously, ready to dodge if I threw more fire at him.
As I watched him approach, I noticed threads of energy running throughout his body, moving as if trying to form a crude pattern.
Interesting.
I grinned at him, looking at my wrist, like I was checking an invisible watch.
He snarled and charged me.
A voice, not entirely my own, growled, “I hope you brought some KY, Frankenbitch, because you’re about to get fucked.”
Chapter 6
Elias sprung forward, bear claws going for my throat. He’d used the other hand before, toying with me when he hadn’t seen me as a threat.
I felt claws emerge from my hands, too.
That was new.
My hands re-shaped, becoming much thicker and rougher than usual. I couldn’t tell for sure, but I thought my skin was darker too.
I side-stepped Elias’ attack instinctively and tore deep gouges into him as he passed.
The odd part about this was that I didn’t have this instinct. My instinct was more of the “Oh, shit, I’m about to die” type. The kind where I wanted to curl up in a little ball and whimper. I never actually did that, but it was my go-to as far as instinctive actions went.
Now, I could have taken advantage of the situation and attacked him from the back, but something inside me told me to wait. It wasn’t the idea of a fair fight, or anything noble like that. No, it was more like the action and methodology of a predator.
I felt an uncomfortable kinship with Elias for a moment, remembering how he seemed to relish having people at his mercy. Knowing how badly I could hurt him was intoxicating. I’d never been a threat before, but now I was and it felt damn good.
He lunged at my left, trying to catch me off guard, but I wasn’t falling for it. He tried again, this time grabbing at my right
side.
Nope.
Finally, we started to circle each other, seeking out weaknesses. I noticed several holes in his defense, and had a few opportunities to tear him a new one, but decided to let him make the first move.
Thinking back, I hadn’t noticed any of that before. Sure, I’d gone through basic combat training, but I’d never seen anything more serious than the SOA until now. Something inside me noticed it, though, and fed that information directly to my body. It had to have something to do with the amulet and the voice I’d heard…unless I was going through some kind of second puberty nobody had warned me about.
“How is this possible?” Elias asked, feinting again as he talked. “You were dead. Nothing heals as quickly as that.”
“You did,” I countered.
“Yes, but I’m special.” He pulled himself up to full height for a moment. “I’m destined for greatness. The masters told me so!”
“Eh.” I shrugged at him. “Guess I’m special too, then. We’re all unique little snowflakes, you know?”
Rage filled his face at my remark, making him lose his calm for the first time.
“You mock me?”
“Yeah, I kind of do that,” I snarked. “Don’t worry, it’s just because I don’t respect you.” I leaned in conspiratorially. “I mean, at all.”
That was too much for him.
He charged, catching me in a tackle.
That was his intent, anyway.
As soon as his head got in range, I tucked it under my armpit, grabbed his shoulder and dropped to the ground, bouncing his head off the solid concrete with a dull thud. They call it a DDT in professional wrestling. I never found out what that stood for, but all I cared about at the moment was that it rattled his brains long enough for me to roll over onto his back and lock him in a chokehold.
I know you shouldn’t try professional wrestling moves at home, but they sure seemed to come in handy when kicking the crap out of a supernatural freak of nature.
But, how was I pulling this off? It didn’t make sense.
Everything about this was surreal, especially my sudden promotion to genuine badass.
Bangkok Warlock: A Mark Vedis Supernatural Thriller Book 1 (Southeast Asia Paranormal Police Department) Page 3