The technician shuffled into the pentacle. One of his feet accidentally scuffed the chalk outline, breaking the symbol ever so slightly.
It was enough. Sam had been waiting for this exact moment, praying vehemently and gambling that they would not just taser him before restraining him. He felt the change immediately. Both of his eyes shot open. He moved as fast as he ever had in his life, his actions a blur to the wary guards, grabbing the technician around the neck and turning him around to face the other men in the room.
In shock, taken completely by surprise with the sheer speed of Sam’s actions, the four guards fired their iron barbs simultaneously. All they succeeded in doing was frying the technician that Sam was using as a shield.
As the man gyrated violently in his arms, Sam threw him at the first of the guards. The guard released his grip on the taser and tried to draw his baton but the technician slammed into him, and their two bodies dropped to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs.
The other three had drawn their batons, but Sam was already in amongst them. Hikari had trained him extensively in unarmed combat, especially in close quarters. The small room and the cluster of bodies worked to Sam’s advantage. The men were getting in each other’s way.
Sam attacked the guard closest to him. The guard was well-trained, probably an ex-soldier. He was also armed with an iron baton that should work well on someone like Sam. Unfortunately, he had not counted on Sam’s strength and reflexes.
Sam slipped under the swinging baton and punched the guard once, twice, three times in the chest before the guard even realized what was happening. The man was already out of the fight after the first punch. The second punch broke every rib in his chest. The third contained so much force that it lifted the guard off his feet and sent him catapulting into the guard just behind him.
The last guard still standing swung his baton in a sideways arc. If it had connected, Sam knew that it almost certainly would have shattered his skull. Sam stepped inside the swing, stopping the blow dead. Grabbing the man’s arm, he flicked it over his head and down straight onto his knee. The sickening crack of a breaking bone was almost as loud as the man’s scream of pain. Sam finished him off with a punch to the side of the head that floored him instantly.
He turned, picking up two of the fallen batons just as the remaining guards got to their feet. The two men faced him nervously. Sam could clearly see the fear on their faces. With a wordless agreement, they separated, one moving around behind him while the other attacked from the front.
The solid iron batons in Sam’s hands felt good. They weren’t his swords but they were effective weapons in such a confined space. After all, using two weapons at once was his speciality.
His right baton darted out and slammed into the face of the guard in front, knocking him off his feet. The guard hadn’t even seen the blow coming. At the same time, he lashed out backwards with the baton in his left hand, instinctively knowing where the other guard was. He was rewarded with a solid thud as it connected, and turned just in time to see the last remaining guard slump to the ground, unconscious. Less than thirty seconds had passed since the guards entered the room.
Outside, Sam found himself alone in a long, brightly lit corridor. He blinked in the white glare of the neon bulbs and listened carefully, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. He could hear voices some way off but not the urgent sound of running feet or yelled warnings. So far, his partial escape had gone unnoticed.
He glanced both ways down the corridor. He was about half way along. Both directions looked identical with a set of frosted glass doors marking each end. Set into the corridor were a further four doors – two on either side of his, also made of solid wood. If he was Jonah, where would he have put his friends? It wouldn’t make sense to separate them too much. It would be much more simple to contain them within the same general area. No doubt, Jonah had been questioning them on Sam’s potential vulnerabilities and so he would want them near to him in order test out any possible leads. He was guessing but he was confident that Joshua and Grace would be behind one of those four doors.
The first door to his left was empty but for a few stacked crates. The second was locked and bolted from the outside. Sam slipped the bolt and backed up to the other side of the corridor. It wasn’t much of a run-up but it was enough. The impact of his shoulder against the door splintered the lock and the door flew open. Grace was inside, tied to chair.
He could see the relief on her face along with several cuts and bruises. Jonah and his men had not been gentle with her. She said nothing as he untied the rope, just curled her lip at him ever so slightly in gratitude. Sam felt his rage mounting again. Jonah would pay for this.
“Are you ok?” he asked. “Can you walk?”
Grace nodded mutely. Sam helped her to her feet and he retraced his steps back along the corridor, Grace sticking close to him. They found Joshua in the last room, locked but easily dealt with. Unlike Grace, he was neither tied to the chair nor suffering from the same treatment that had been inflicted on her.
Joshua looked surprised to see him but his expression quickly changed to happiness.
“What took you so long?” he asked.
“A few of Jonah’s men got in my way,” Sam replied. “They won’t get in my way again. Why weren’t you tied up? How come they didn’t hurt you like Grace?”
Joshua shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe they were starting with Grace and were going to get to me later. Probably saw her as an easier target.”
Sam nodded. That made sense. But something was niggling away at the back of his head again. “Let’s get out of here. Did either of you two see which way was out when they brought you here?”
“I did,” said Grace. “Outside those glass doors is a set of elevators. They’ll take us back down to the lobby.”
“Good idea,” said Joshua.
“No,” she said. “That won’t work. There will be guards downstairs. There’s no way we’d get past them all.”
“Fair point,” said Joshua. “Besides, when Jonah hasn’t heard from his guards in a few minutes, all hell is going to break loose. Forgive the pun.”
Sam was hardly listening. He was thinking furiously and then, suddenly, he knew what to do.
“Come with me,” he said to the others. “I’ve got a plan.”
The two desk clerks behind the lobby’s reception desk looked up when they heard the elevator chime. Two men and one woman dressed in guard uniforms strolled out. The clerks lost interest and returned their attention back to other matters.
Sam deliberately walked slowly, not willing to draw attention to himself. Joshua and Grace did the same, keeping their heads in the direction of the front doors and ignoring the other people in the lobby.
The doors slid open as they approached. Outside, it was dark. The city had come alive again. There were lots of people on the streets and at least two dozen milling around outside the hotel.
There were two guards still on duty outside. Unfortunately, it was the same two guards that had let them in earlier. Despite their disguises, the guards immediately recognized Sam and his friends.
Sam saw both of them open their mouths to raise the alarm. He stepped in close and punched the first one so hard in the stomach that he dropped to his knees instantly. Sam grabbed the second one and brought him close enough to whisper in his ear.
“Make a sound or any sudden movements and they’ll be the last you ever make,” he hissed, forcing the tip of the iron baton concealed in his jacket pocket into the guard’s side.
The guard gulped nervously and nodded his understanding, sweat starting to bead on his forehead.
“I only want two things from you, and then I’ll let you go,” said Sam quietly. “Do you know what those two things are?”
The guard nodded again. “Your swords?”
“My swords,” Sam agreed. “Where are they?”
“They’re in a storage room off the lobby,” said the guard.
“Good,” said Sam. “Take us there. Grace, Joshua, you stay here.”
Sam held the man by the arm as they re-entered the hotel. The lobby clerks favoured them with some curious stares but Sam waved at them reassuringly. “He’s feeling sick,” he said, indicating the other man. “Just helping him find his medication.”
The guard guided Sam to a small door adjacent to the lobby desk. He fumbled around in his pocket and brought out a key with which, after three attempts, he managed to unlock the door. Inside, the room was just a series of aisles containing racks and shelves, all filled with various confiscated or lost goods.
Sam pulled the door to behind them and the guard led him to a section that was obviously where all the weapons were stored. Sam saw his swords immediately, jutting out of a metal cylinder filled with all manner of long, thin weapons, including Joshua’s baseball bat. Relief flooded through him. His swords were a part of him; he hadn’t felt whole since they had been separated.
Dropping the batons, he tucked his wakizashi into the belt of his borrowed pants, feeling better already, then tried to conceal the katana and the baseball bat underneath his jacket. The end of both weapons poked through below the material of the jacket but it would serve. He only had get through the lobby then they would be clear.
There was a knock on the door. The guard turned away and Sam used the opportunity to touch a nerve point on the man’s neck. Nerve points were always a bit touch and go – certainly not something to be used in combat. You had to strike with precision and pick your spot carefully. Thankfully, it worked. Sam supported his body to avoid any alarming thuds as the guard slumped silently to the floor.
He moved to the door and opened in such a way that the body of the guard was concealed behind Sam’s own bulk. He slid outside and found himself confronted by one of the desk clerks.
“Is everything alright in there?” she asked.
“Fine,” said Sam.
“It’s just that you said something about that guard needing his medication. I know for a fact that he doesn’t keep it in here. He leaves it in his locker.”
“My mistake,” said Sam, trying to push past her, silently cursing his bad luck.
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Where is he, anyway? I’ve seen you around here before, haven’t I?”
Sam decided to take his chances. “Sorry, gotta go.”
He sidestepped around her and she cried out in alarm. “Stop. Stop that man,” she yelled.
He raced through the lobby and out through the main doors, roughly pushing anyone that got in his way. “Let’s go,” he said to Grace and Joshua, handing Josh his baseball bat.
The crowd were looking around in confusion as the woman’s yells carried outside. Sam ignored them. Just in front of them, a car pulled up. Finally, something was going their way, thought Sam, as a well-dressed couple got out of the Bentley.
“We’ll take it from here,” said Sam. “Josh, you drive.” The man started to protest but the cries died in his throat when he saw Sam remove his katana from under his jacket.
Joshua pushed the man aside and tumbled into the driver’s seat. Sam climbed in the passenger’s side while Grace hopped into the rear. “Go!” cried Sam.
Josh sped off, frantically waving people out of the way.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Sam asked.
“Sort of,” confessed Josh. “I think I can get us out of the city.”
Sam nodded. He started to relax. Their getaway seemed to be almost too easy though; he would’ve expected Jonah to be better prepared than this. Then he felt it – the familiar sensation of demons. Jonah had released the demons from whatever confined them to the churches. They were coming.
“Drive faster,” he ordered urgently. “They’re after us.”
“I’m trying,” protested Joshua. He didn’t ask who was after them, probably assuming the worst.
They sped through the city at high speed, Joshua seemingly taking turns at random but Sam realized that they were gradually heading north. They turned a corner, the tyres squealing in protest and found themselves at an intersection. Before them, illuminated by street lights and moving as one great mass, were hundreds of grey bodies. Every direction was blocked by a horde of Lemure. Sam could see the bulky shapes of other, larger demons mixed in with them.
“Back,” he yelled.
Joshua brought the car screaming to a halt and slammed it into reverse. It was no use. More demons were streaming onto the street behind them.
“Keep going,” said Sam. “Straight through them.”
Joshua continued to reverse at high speed, slamming into any Lemure bodies that got in the way. They threw themselves at the car, clawing and scratching at the windows. The rear window shattered. Grace screamed but Josh could see her striking out with her feet at any Lemure who tried to push through the window. Fortunately, the Bentley was an extremely solidly built and heavy machine and the attempts for the Lemure to slow it down were destined for failure.
It all changed in an instance. Joshua swerved violently to avoid the hulking mass of a horned demon that appeared behind them. Out of control, they ploughed through the glass front of a shop in a storm of glass shards. As the car slammed into the counter of the shop and stopped dead, the air bags in the car exploded out, forcing Sam and Joshua hard back into their seats. None of them had been wearing their seatbelts. Sam felt the hard impact as Grace’s head connected with the back of his seat.
Sam turned around in his seat, fighting against the confining mass of the airbag. Grace was lying on the rear seat, groaning. Suddenly, the Lemure were upon them once again. Long, grey taloned hands reached for her through the rear window, clutching at her clothes. Stunned, but now aware what was happening, Grace screamed again.
Sam wrestled with the airbag, finally popping it and tried to struggle through into the back seat. Next to him, Josh was trying to get through his own airbag to reach the gear shift. Grace was being pulled through the rear window. Sam grabbed her clothes desperately but he was in an awkward position and it was hard to get a good grip. He could feel her slipping away.
He changed tack and jerked his car door open, knocking two Lemure off their feet. He drew his swords but the situation was impossible. Wreckage from the crash was impeding his swing and more Lemure kept piling into the shop. He saw Grace being dragged out of the car and he screamed his frustration.
“No!” he yelled, trying to fight his way forward.
Countless Lemure stopped him, throwing themselves at him, heedless of the few that fell under his swords. Other Lemure were swarming over the cars roof, trying to get at Joshua on the driver’s side. Fortunately, they couldn’t – part of the shop counter effectively blocked that side of the car.
“Sam! Sam!” He could hear Joshua yelling his name and he turned. Joshua had deflated the airbag. The Bentley roared to life. “Get in! We have to go!”
Sam threw himself into the car. He glanced backwards. Surrounded by a mass of Lemure bodies, Grace was disappearing out of the shop. Inside the car, three Lemure had forced themselves through the shattered rear window and were reaching for Joshua and himself. Sam quickly dispatched them with three short thrusts of his wakizashi, showering the leather upholstery with cinders.
Joshua threw the car into reverse and the Bentley charged out of the shop, grinding over shop wreckage and scattering the Lemure. He put the car in gear and the wheels spun, producing black smoke of burnt rubber.
“There!” said Sam. Ahead of them was the pack of Lemure carrying Grace, moving rapidly away from them down the street. “After them!”
The Bentley shot forward. More and more Lemure launched themselves at the car. For relatively stupid creatures, they seemed to know exactly what they were doing, trying to prevent the two boys reaching Grace.
Sam sensed a familiar presence above them and then the Bentley shuddered under a massive impact. Sam and Josh both ducked. With a horrible screech of tearing metal, the entire roof of the Bentley was ripped of
f. The Astaroth roared in satisfaction, still clutching the torn section in the claws of its hind legs. It dropped it, the roof clattering on the bonnet of the car, forcing Joshua to swerve again.
Sam stood up, fighting for balance as Joshua swerved again and again, trying to keep the Astaroth off them. Sam struck upwards, fending off the claws of the massive flying demon above them.
The Lemure carrying Grace were getting further and further away. Suddenly, he realized what their destination was - what it had always been. A church. The gateway. They were taking Grace to hell! At the far end of the street, he could see it. It looked like any of the hundreds of small churches that littered the city, with white washed walls and a slate roof. The sign above it said it was a wedding chapel.
The Lemure weren’t far away. Even with the power of the Bentley, they weren’t going to get there before them. Like the Lemure, the Astaroth seemed to know what it was doing, forcing the car to veer off so it couldn’t intercept the fleeing creatures.
More Lemure piled onto the car. Now Sam was forced to split his attack, dispatching any Lemure who got in through the roof and keeping the Astaroth at bay. Sam knew they were fighting a losing battle. Next to him, Joshua seemed to share the same thought.
“We have to get out of here,” Joshua said, his voice high with panic. “We can’t save her. There’s too many of them. We have to go.”
“No!” roared Sam. “We’re not leaving her. We’re going to save her.”
Visions of the poor family in the airport terminal of Jacob’s Ladder swarmed into his head. He thought of the woman in the street of his home town that he hadn’t been able to save either. So many people had been taken. He hadn’t been able to save those people and still berated himself for not trying hard enough. He wasn’t going to let the same happen to Grace. Grace was a good soul a good person. An innocent. He wouldn’t condemn her to Hell. She didn’t deserve it. Wasn’t this what Gabriel wanted him to do? Wasn’t this part of what he was left behind to accomplish?
Rapture Page 19