Death Unleashed

by TJ Adams

  “What deal did we make?”

  She snorted a cynical laugh. “You poor thing. It must be frustrating not knowing what you were.”

  I detected no sympathy in her voice.

  “I thought that at first, but now I’m starting to think it’s liberating.”

  “Death can’t hide you from your past, no matter what he does. See, it’s only been months and you’re already this far in discovering the truth.”

  “Does this have something to do with the Sutekhnese?”

  “It was all your idea. You were the smart one. It was you that convinced us to go along with it.”

  I felt faint and just a little sick, so I’m sure my face had paled.

  “How did we meet?”

  She turned from me and strolled across the rug. “Is that really going to help you?”

  I didn’t want to ask the next question but keeping quiet would not change the truth. “Was I a witch?”

  “You really don’t remember?”

  “I’ve got nothing from Bounty or Agnes.” Did that make me my own person now?

  “The power of three. That’s what you said. The triangle was the most powerful object or so you believed. You sought us out because you wanted to harness the magic from our resultant link. It was only after you turned your back on me that I joined David’s cult.”

  “I had nothing to do with the cult?”

  “Why’s that so important to you? No, you didn’t. You wanted it to be between the three of us because it was as three we were the most powerful.”

  “Then why did I leave you?”

  “You tell me, Agnes. Oh, that’s right, you can’t. I guess neither of us will ever know.”

  “The night I died Death said Bounty was scheduled to die. That is why he gave me her body.”

  “Why tell me this? I was already dead, so how should I know the answer to the question you so obviously want to ask.”

  “I met David recently. He had a necklace that he said detected magic and that he used it to keep tabs on magic in the city. How is it he didn’t know about Bounty or me?”

  “You cloaked our magic whenever we used it.”

  Wow, I sounded good.

  “What did I hope for the three of us to achieve?”

  She smirked, which twisted my insides. Did I really want to know this?

  “You think Death saved you because you were the good one?” She came in close enough I should’ve been able to see the pores on her face, but her skin was too porcelain perfect for that.

  She jabbed a finger into my chest. “There’s a whole lot of bad inside of this heart. Don’t ever think you can escape it. The only difference between you now is you don’t remember.”

  The seconds ticked like hours as we stared at each other.

  We both turned when the door opened. Conflicting emotions swirled up when Satan entered the room. This was all too shocking. I wanted to shut out everything she’d said, but I needed to know more and something told me Satan’s arrival heralded an end to our conversation.

  Despite her sarcasm toward Satan earlier, she straightened and backed away as if a silent reprimand had passed between them.

  Satan said nothing, but remained at the door, holding it open like someone would do with an unwanted guest. Trinity took all of two breaths to respond and marched off, heels clipping on the wood floor. She narrowed her eyes to slits when she passed Satan, which had no effect on him but to make him playfully smack her on the ass then shut the door.

  For these months now I’d wanted to know the memories I’d lost. Never once in all that yearning had I thought I would be someone I loathed to know. Trinity made it sound like I was the one at fault.

  “Is everything she said true, or is it a skewed, bitter version of the truth?”

  “Hard for me to say since I didn’t hear a word?”

  “Was I the ringleader?”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “You know who I’m talking about? Bounty’s just the body.”

  “Are you so sure about that?”

  I slumped onto the chaise lounge and buried my head in my hands with a long moan. I felt the dip of the seat as Satan sat down beside me. He wasted no time in manhandling me, stroking my back with a soothing, warm palm. I wanted to tell him to stop, but for once I could be touched without suffering an emotional onslaught.

  “Make sure you stick with only back strokes, or I’ll take your front teeth out.”

  He chuckled. “See that’s something Bounty would’ve said.”

  I sat up and threw his hand off, growling all the while. “I’m not interested in your cryptic talk.”

  “Why does there have to be a clean divide between Agnes and Bounty?”

  “Because it’s easy. I don’t want to be two people. I don’t even remember either of them.”

  “I would say you’re now someone else. Each would have an influence over your thoughts, but without your memories you are free to dictate your own personality.”

  I turned so I could face him squarely. “Am I really? No one can start fresh like that.”

  Satan lounged back and stretched his arms out either side of the backrest. “If you say so.”

  Although looking like he couldn’t care less about our conversation, I could see cogs turning behind his eyes. “You can choose to chase your past, or you can become anew for the future.”

  “I had no idea you could be such a motivational speaker.”

  “Only for you.”

  “I can’t help but believe there are underlining reasons behind everything you say.”

  Satan ran his hand through a few strands of my hair, following his fingers with his eyes. “As always you are too perceptive.”

  “If I was such a bad person why did Death give me a second chance, why didn’t he let me go?”

  “Perhaps he wanted to keep you away from me?”

  “He let Trinity go, so there had to be some other reason.”

  Satan ran a hand over my brow. “Worry is doing terrible things to your complexion.”

  He was not going to divert me.

  “How did I die?”

  “Murder?”

  “Jesus, what? I was killed.”

  “That’s what the word means.” He pushed to his feet. “I’ve grown bored of these questions.”

  I jumped up. “Before you go⸺”

  “You’ve had more than your share of my attention.” Before I could complain he disappeared.

  So where was I? A smidgeon closer to the truth. I was evil according to Trinity, but there was no way of knowing how much of her story was tainted by her bitterness. In so many ways I was responsible for her death. If I hadn’t turned my back on her perhaps she never would’ve gone to the Sutekhnese. Oh man, how was I ever going to look at Matteo and not be filled with guilt? And of course, if Trinity had not died by suspicious means Matteo would be living in blissful ignorance of the supernatural. That meant I was responsible for the outcome of two lives.

  Poor innocent Matteo, who was probably right now sitting by his mother’s bedside, holding her hand while she slipped away, helpless to save her, naïve as to the real reason for her fading life.

  Once I kicked the soul snatcher’s ass, I was going to hunt Death down. And I could guarantee our confrontation wasn’t going to be pretty.

  20

  The slimy tentacle tightened its hold around my waist. With one firm pull I was swiped from my feet into the air and whipped back and forth as the tentacle lashed wildly, its grip so tight I was about to be cut in two.

  The cave was dark enough that, while being flung about, I couldn’t see how close I came to hitting the rock walls or being scraped across the ceiling. My head whiplashed about, my body like a ragdoll. Every time I raised my arm, fist balled ready to pound at it, the tentacle would change direction and my arm would nearly wrench from the shoulder socket.

  I yelled in anger, only to have the noise drowned by the splashing of the water as the thing thrashed a
round, playing with me like a cat with a mouse. This was not how I would end. Not after everything, trapped in the grip of some slimy aquatic creature. All I saw was the end of the beast, now wrapped around my waist. The rest lay submerged beneath the Styx.

  After a few more wild swings, during which I was dunked in the water for a brief moment, laughter echoed off the stone walls, made all the more sinister by the surrounding darkness. The sound more human than alien, so it wasn’t coming from whatever had me by the tentacle. Unfortunately the noise had no effect on the creature, which continued to use me like a conductor would wield a baton. The creature maybe immune to the chilling laugh, but I wasn’t. My memories steam rolled through. I knew who the laughter belonged to.

  On one of my crazy tangents through the air, something solid struck my hip. The pain radiated through my bones, up my spine, and made my teeth clash. But through the brief flicker of confusion at the sudden pain, I thought wall. I’d hit the wall. The first solid surface I’d felt since I left the ground. Instinct took over and I scrambled for a hold. Protruding close to my shoulder was a large sharp angle of rock, with enough ridging to allow my fingers a good hold. When the tentacle swiped the other way, I held on, gritting my teeth through the strain.

  Using the anchor of my arms, I kicked out at the tentacle. My first aim swung wide, skimming uselessly down the side of its thick slimy arm. I grunted in frustration and mustered another kick. This time hitting it hard in the center. The creature continued to pull and my fingers weakened, which strengthened my resolve. Without any finesse or guidance, I kicked repeatedly until I felt the lasso of its tentacle loosen around my waist. Ignited with the possibility I might escape what had seemed my death, I renewed my kicks, each driven with the power of adrenaline.

  Unable to withstand my onslaught, the tentacle unraveled and slid back into the water. I fell for eternity, or so it felt in the dark, to the stone below, landing on the hip that had struck the wall. I groaned and rolled over onto my back, not sure my hip joint would be willing to take my weight any time soon.

  Was that clapping I heard? I inched to sitting, with most of my muscles seized in shock, complaining bitterly about being made to move. Through the dim of the glow lights, which gave me next to little visibility, I saw the outline of a man making his way toward me. I didn’t need to see him to know who it was. There was only one person who knew where I was and only one who could be here.

  “Well, well, aren’t you ever the survivor.”

  As he said this a glow came to life, a small orb that lit up Dominic’s face. It took me moments to realize that he cradled the light within his palms.

  “No offense but I was hoping I wouldn’t see you again.” I said.

  “The feeling’s mutual. You seemed to have gotten yourself lost on the way to Hades. I felt it was my duty to make sure you reached your destination.”

  “Alive or dead was that the deal?”

  No smile reached his face. “Oh, you’re already dead. You just don’t realize it yet.”

  “I entered breathing and nothing’s killed me so far.”

  “Do you really think you can escape from Hades’ underworld?”

  “No harm in trying.”

  “Always so full of your own importance.” He stepped closer and raised his hands, drawing the light up to his face. It was then I saw the light was a glowing orb of energy. Impressive. “But who’s the weak one now?” His sentiment was made all the more potent by the fact I still sat on my ass while he towered over me. And since I wasn’t in any need to prove anything I remained where I was, only to give my body a chance to adjust to sitting before I attempted to stand; I didn’t really fancy wavering in front of him or falling on my ass again.

  “The Ferryman betrayed me. I’ve got no way of getting to Hades. Does this mean I get a free ticket out of here?”

  Humor worked to deflect tension, normally. Dominic had obviously forgotten this important rule in human relations. I saw no trace of a smile on his face. Shining from below, the light did a good job of making him look psycho creepy.

  Since it didn’t appear as though we were going to have a fun chat, now was as good a time as most to stand. A whole lot of places on my body complained, but I ducked my head so Dominic wouldn’t see my grimace and rose gingerly to stand before him.

  Within seconds of gaining my feet I was hurtled backward into the rock wall, landing in the wrong spot as a sharp jagged point jabbed just left of my spine. I groaned in agony and crumpled to the ground. My back muscles spasmed and I arched backward, feeling like I’d been shot.

  Panting through the pain, I heard measured footsteps cross the stone toward me. “This is what I gave my life for. No longer the weakling, I have powers you cannot fathom.”

  “I’d take life’s pleasures any day. Yours is an empty kingdom. Not even the women you populate your world with can stand to stick around.”

  “You know nothing of what it means to exist with abilities, for people to fear you.”

  I could understand why Dominic would feel intimidating people was such an attractive option.

  “In the end no one wants to be with you. Not such a glamorous way to spend eternity.”

  His lips dropped their sneer and he began to wave his arms around over his head. The orb, morphed into a stream of intense light that funneled like an arrow toward me. When it hit I was thrown backward as the volts of electricity scorched through me. I felt like I was burning alive, my insides frying like bacon. If I touched my face would my skin peel away like melting plastic. And there was no relief. On and on Dominic directed a solid stream of electricity until I felt totally crispy fried. I’m sure all my synapses were gluing together.

  When the end came the agony continued; my body scrunched into the fetal position, fingers curled inward, head twisted back in an unnatural angle. I wasn’t even sure if I was still alive. In fact, at this moment I would do anything to be dead. But the next gasp of breath told me Dominic had failed to kill me off; if that had been his intention.

  My screams were mental, as I lay on my side helpless. Dominic’s foot collided with my stomach, but I kept the moan to myself. When I felt him shift away, I tried to move my fingers, surprised they worked. Fear for how bad I was burned got the better of me, and I held back from attempting to move any more.

  The pale, thin face of my mom, filled my head. It was the courage I needed to move again. Surprisingly, given the volts I’d suffered, my body was willing to straighten. I tried one leg, then the other, unfolding like a baby just out of the womb. I clenched my teeth, waiting for a few renewed jolts of pain, but it was as if nothing had happened.

  Dominic must’ve heard my movements for he turned as I rose to my feet, the orb of light now in the palm of his hands again. The surprise on his face was the last thing I expected to see.

  “How is this possible?”

  “Easy, I just stretched one leg and then the other. From there standing was elementary.”

  “How can you be breathing?”

  “I don’t get much say over that. My lungs just do it of their own accord.”

  As distracting as his questions were, the slippery hands that grabbed my ankles won. I looked down. Dominic’s eyes dipped the moment I felt them touch my skin and he sneered. “You may have survived my attack, but no one can escape the damned souls.”

  I stood close to the river. Hands reached out from the lapping water and wrapped around my legs. They poured at me, but none tugged, wrenching me into the water. Instead, the hands patted and caressed what they could reach of my legs.

  Dominic’s slow etching horror was a photo moment. I didn’t understand why they were reacting like this, and I tried not to smile in triumph; the last thing I wanted were more volts of electricity.

  “Why are they not taking you?” He shouted in alarm, but it was a rhetorical question more than anything else.

  “I’ve already met those guys. They didn’t much like my flavor.”

  “You’ve been in the water
?”

  “I’m wet aren’t I?”

  He peered close as if only now noticing my sodden clothes and limp hair.

  “You drank from the Styx.” Uttered in shock. What was he so shocked about? Most likely he’d hoped the damned would take my soul, placing me forever at his mercy.

  “I should never have paid the Ferryman.” It was all coming back; the hands holding me under, the terrible fear as I drowned, the kissed that saved me. And now it seemed the damned were on my side.

  “Then it looks as though you will have your meeting with Hades.” With that he disappeared, taking his light with him.

  The fury in which he declared this puzzled me. Dominic was having a hard day and it seemed my survival fouled his mood even more.

  I was about to yell after him for directions until I saw the Ferryman’s boat gently rocking in the water. The little bastard had returned.

  21

  The Ferryman ignored me as we drifted along the Styx. I allowed him his silence for a time before I bit into the quiet. “For another coin I would like some answers.”

  I thought he wasn’t going to reply. Just as I was about to prod a little further, he spoke, whisper quiet. “You need no more help from me.”

  “Help? Is that what you call it? I would hate to see your vengeance.”

  No reply.

  “You’re a real chatty guy. Don’t you get bored ferrying all those souls in silence?”

  “Bored comes from the possibility of doing something better.”

  “What were you before this?” Might as well capitalize on his sudden willingness to chat.

  “Without my duty I do not exist.”

  “You’ve never lived.”

  “I am the Ferryman. That is my title. That has always been my title.”

  “Did Hades create you?”

  “I am the will of my master. His need is my command.”

  “Did he want you to throw me in the river?”

  I got nothing back, which to me meant no. “And what is so shocking about drinking the water? Am I going to get some horrible disease, grow two heads or something…which wouldn’t explain Dominic’s look of horror. I’m thinking he expected the damned to take me.”