I am so screwed…
***
It was evening when Lilith arrived home. The sun sat low on the horizon and a multitude of colors splashed against the sky. Artistic swirls of red and yellow, combined with light purple streaks, made for a breathtaking scene.
Lilith would have normally enjoyed such a lovely sight. Indeed, under different circumstances, she would have loved watching the setting sun light the sky and ocean on fire. But, at that particular moment, her mind was a million miles away, focused on something other than setting suns and beautiful scenes. She only had one goal in mind, and it wasn’t watching the sunset, but rather, getting through the door to her apartment, her bastion of safety.
She was quick to walk up the stairs, and quicker still to take out her key and unlock the door upon reaching her apartment. The door opened and Lilith slipped through. After closing it behind her, she leaned against the doorframe and closed her eyes.
Her body was shaking.
She had just asked a man to go out with her. What had she been thinking? What had possessed her to do something so foolish? She must have been out of her mind when she asked that question!
The sound of footsteps alerted her to someone’s approach. Her eyelids fluttering open, Lilith was greeted to the sight of Maria walking up to her.
The sporty woman wore a large smile, a Cheshire cat grin that went from ear to ear as she slinked toward Lilith like a jungle predator. She stopped several feet in front of Lilith, placed her hands on her hips and leaned over slightly, her wide smirk making Lilith more than a little uncomfortable.
“So, did you have fun talking to your new friend?”
“Why did you leave me like that?” Lilith ignored the question and glared at her friend, a tint of red flaring to life on her cheeks. She did her best to ignore the burning of her face, however, as she had done enough blushing for one day, thank you very much.
Still wearing her “cat that ate the canary” grin, Maria shrugged. “You had pretty much forgotten all about me the moment you started talking to that guy. You and he were so deep into your discussion, and you looked so content, that I didn’t want to interrupt. When the food came, I asked them to set yours next to you and left.”
Lilith looked away guiltily. “Sorry,” she murmured softly. “I didn’t mean to ignore you like that.”
“It’s all right.” The smile on Maria’s face showed no hard feelings. “I’m honestly pleased to see you talking to a guy. I was worried you’d never find a man that didn’t make you want to run away screaming. And besides, if it had been me talking to that piece of eye candy, you can be sure that our situations would have been reversed. In fact, I would probably still be with him… perhaps after asking him to show me around his house…”
“M-Maria!” Lilith thought her face couldn’t burn more fiercely than it already did. She’d apparently been wrong, as her face now felt like it had been shoved into the sun. Maria’s giggling did not help matters at all.
“You two looked so cute together, sitting there and talking about your favorite Japanese books.”
“They’re called light novels,” Lilith muttered almost too softly for Maria to hear.
“So defensive,” Maria snickered at her friend, while Lilith did her best impression of a turtle and hid her face in her shirt. It didn’t work very well. If anything, it only served to make Maria even more amused.
Clapping her hands, Maria switched subjects. “So, I remember you saying something about needing help with your math homework?”
Lilith sighed in relief at the new topic. The bright red flush receded from her face, and she smiled at her friend.
“Yes, I’m having a bit of trouble with the word problems.”
“All right, then! Let’s see if this goddess of intelligence and beauty can help you solve those problems.” Maria led Lilith into the living area. “And after I help you with your homework, you can share all the juicy details about your encounter with that beautiful man, and whether or not you plan on dating him.”
Lilith’s face felt like it was being steamed.
“I-it isn’t like that!”
“Right, right, I believe you.”
It was clear to Lilith that her friend did not believe her, not one bit. And for some reason, she had the strangest feeling that Maria was never going to let her live down what had happened. Call it a woman’s intuition, but she just knew that this wouldn’t be the last time she heard about it.
***
Christian walked to his hotel at a slow, measured pace. He thought about going faster, of arriving at the sanctity of his room sooner, but the cool night air felt nice against his skin and helped to clear his mind. And he had a lot on his mind.
Lilith had asked him out. Lilith had asked him out and he had said yes. What had he been thinking? He wasn’t supposed to get close to his target. Going on a date with her definitely qualified as getting close. What would Samantha think when she found out that he was spending quality time with the person he was supposed to kill?
But then, there was no guarantee that Lilith was a succubus. He’d never heard of a succubus who was afraid of men. The chances of her actually being his target seemed slim to none.
And even if she was the succubus that he needed to kill, would it really matter if he went somewhere with her? Wasn’t he supposed to learn as much about her as he could? That’s how all those assassins he’d read about in books and light novels worked. They befriended their target, learned everything they could about them: their habits, their personality, what they did, and where they went. Knowing all of that would be important if he did end up having to kill her, as it would make doing the deed that much easier.
This wasn’t like killing vampires, werewolves or demons. Succubi weren’t fighters, and they preferred remaining in civilized areas that were populated with many people, making it harder to just outright dispose of them. If she did turn out to be a succubus, this confrontation wouldn’t end in battle but an assassination.
With those thoughts in mind, Christian cleared his head and looked up at the sky. The sun had gone down. The twilight sky greeted him. It was dark out. The streets were lit only by the lampposts lining the sidewalk, a few of which buzzed and flickered. He marveled at how he could actually see the stars from where he stood. The night was so clear, so unlike the big city he lived in.
What I wouldn’t give to live in a place like this…
While he was looking up at the sky, several people stepped out of a small alley that he had just passed and surrounded him. Christian looked back down, and studied them with a casual glance. There were six in total, and all of them were guys.
He took in their expressions, noticing the intense glares they directed his way. Some of them clenched their hands into tight fists, their knuckles turning white. Others held makeshift weapons. None of them looked happy with him, though he couldn’t fathom what he might have done to upset these people.
“Can I help you?” he asked mildly.
“You’re the guy who was talking to our angel,” the one in front said with narrowed eyes. He was a big guy, not quite fat, but definitely pudgy. His slicked back brown hair looked greasy, and his small dark eyes glared ferociously from underneath a thick unibrow.
“Angel?” Christian tilted his head, his brows furrowing. What were they… ah. “Are you talking about Lilith?”
“You think you can just waltz into this town and claim our angel’s heart for yourself!” another guy yelled from behind him. Christian turned his head and saw a skinny man wearing baggy clothes, with blond hair and a beanie. “We’ve been in love with her far longer than you have! We won’t let you have her!”
“We’re going to teach you a lesson for trying to take away our angel!”
“You’re dead meat, pal!”
Christian sighed as he realized what this was. Men like these must be the reason that Lilith feared the opposite sex so much. These people seemed to possess a very unhealthy obsession with her.
A part of him wondered why. Lilith was beautiful. Even Christian, who never really thought about women romantically, couldn’t deny that she was the singular most stunning example of a woman he had ever seen. But, really, that shouldn’t be reason enough to have such fanatical interest in her.
Unless she really is a succubus. But if she is, then why is she so afraid of men?
“You guys really don’t want to do this,” Christian warned them. “Please, just walk away.”
“No, we really do want to do this,” a voice to his left said.
Christian turned his head. Exiting from the same alley as everyone else was another man, making the group now surrounding him seven.
The one who spoke, and who Christian felt might be the ring leader, was a giant of a man. He towered over everyone there, his large, hulking body reminding Christian of steroid-enhanced body builders. His arms and legs were nearly twice the size of his head, which looked absolutely tiny on his disproportionately large body. His thick limbs strained against his t-shirt and jeans. Christian was sure the man’s clothing would rip the moment any strenuous movements were made.
The man grinned at him. It wasn’t a very nice grin.
“We really, really want to do this. Get him, boys!”
Six men rushed him at the same time, their battle cries ringing in the night. Some carried makeshift weapons, others just had their fists. Either way, their intention to commit violence was clear.
Not that it mattered. These men were far. Too. Slow. Their movements were like molasses running down a tree in the middle of winter. What were a few humans when compared to the monsters that he had faced?
Once they reached him, all six men attacked. Those who weren’t carrying a weapon swung their fists, while those who were tried bashing him over the head.
None of the attacks hit.
Christian wove through the hailstorm of fists and makeshift weapons. A closed fist to his face was redirected over his left shoulder by an open palm. A strike to the back of his head was dodged entirely when he ducked, the fist barely ruffling his hair. One of them tried swinging a bat at his midsection, but Christian diverted the attack with his shoe, bringing his left foot up and kicking the weapon away. His left hand then reached out, even as his body moved to the left, and grabbed onto a steel bar that someone tried thrusting into his spine.
With a grunt, Christian yanked on the bar. A surprised cry came from behind. He spun around to face the person who tried landing a crippling blow on him. The man holding onto the steel bar was off balance and stumbling toward him—a perfect opening.
Christian didn’t hesitate to attack. While he normally disliked harming the humans he should be protecting, he wouldn’t hesitate to defend himself if attacked. These guys had attacked him first. That made them fair game.
His left fist shot out in a straight jab. Rather than aim for the man’s face, as most rookies did, Christian hit his adversary in the throat with the knuckles of his middle and index finger. Strangled choking sounds emitted from the man as he stumbled backward, his hands moving up to his neck, as if trying to unclog the now blocked air passage.
Wanting to finish the man before he recovered, Christian stepped into his guard, grabbed him by the head with both hands, and then yanked his face down until it met Christian’s knee. A loud crunch! preluded the spray of blood that splattered across the front of Christian’s left pant leg.
The man’s head snapped back as Christian let go of him. His eyes glazed over. He blinked several times. Then he fell backward, his eyes rolling up into his head, as pain and shock overloaded his senses. He hit the ground with a dull thump.
Christian was moving before the man hit the ground. Utilizing some incredibly complex footwork, he shuffled around a blow meant to rattle his brain. It was a sloppy punch, easily dodged. As the man who threw it stumbled past him, off balance from putting all of his strength into that single swing, Christian stepped in behind him. Once in position, he grabbed the man by the arms and spun him around.
He could have taken him out with a chop to the neck, but doing that would have served no purpose other than removing him from the fight, which this particular move accomplished with an added benefit.
When Christian swung the man around, it wasn’t just to toss him, but to throw him in the way of someone wielding a bat, effectively using him as a shield. Already in mid-swing, the bat wielder was unable to stop his attack from cracking harshly against his friend’s skull. The sound of wood cracking against bone rang through the empty street. This noise was followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground.
Gaping at his friend’s motionless body, the bat wielder could do nothing as Christian moved swiftly into his guard and attacked. A jab to the stomach doubled him over, while a cross to the face sent him reeling.
Before the man could stumble too far backward, Christian leapt into the air, his body spinning like a top, his left leg extending. The sound of flesh meeting shoe was loud as he kicked his adversary in the face. The attack had enough power behind it that the man he kicked spun out of control before hitting the ground with bone-jarring force. He didn’t get back up.
Three down. Three more to go.
As he landed on the ground, Christian tucked himself into a forward roll, avoiding the man coming in from his left, who’d clearly been intending to attack him while he was unprepared. He then kipped up to his feet right in front of another attacker, whose eyes widened upon seeing him pop up.
Poke.
“Oh, God! My eyes!”
Those same wide eyes were forced closed when Christian jabbed a finger into each one. The man stumbled around like a drunk, his hands covering his eyes, as if doing so would block out the pain.
Christian’s left foot slid across the ground. His center of gravity lowered as he crouched down. Bringing his fists in to his torso, Christian took a deep breath, and then expelled it in a loud shout. His fists shot out at the same time, moving so quickly they blurred.
Like a gunshot going off, Christian’s attack crashed into the man. One fist hit the solar plexus. The other pounded into the lower abdomen below the belly button. Both attacks connected harshly, slamming into the man like a bullet train speeding down a track.
The force behind each punch was powerful enough to knock the man clean off his feet. He soared through the air, then hit the pavement, bounced, and proceeded to ragdoll across the ground before coming to a stop. He then lay motionless, completely dead to the world.
Breathing out slowly, Christian straightened up. He turned and looked at two of the three people left, the pudgy one and the skinny guy with baggy clothes. Both took a step back, their eyes wide in fear as he eyed them with an expressionless gaze.
“It looks like you two are the only ones left.” Christian wasn’t normally one for banter with his enemies. There was no point in talking to people who were already dead and just didn’t know it yet. But these two were not enemies, not really, just misguided humans. And Christian didn’t kill humans. “I would suggest running away and never coming near me again, but know that if you do decide to fight me, then I won’t hold back.”
He then slid into the southpaw stance, a fighting stance he had learned in his training with the Executioners. The two men nervously looked at him, then at each other. Christian didn’t speak. He didn’t move, nor did he act. He simply waited and watched as the pair held a silent conversation. After several seconds of nothing but quiet, the two came to a decision.
In less time than it would have taken Christian to say succubus, the pudgy man and the skinny man were running away, speeding down the street, screaming their heads off as if an Ancestor was chasing them. With those two out of the way, Christian turned to the last person who had confronted him.
The musclebound brute stood off to the side, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the wall of a building. He didn’t look particularly concerned for his comrades sprawled across the ground, nor did he appear frightened by the fighting p
rowess that Christian had displayed.
A part of Christian felt disgust for this man, who didn’t seem to care for the people under him. This man was not a leader. Leaders were supposed to protect the people who looked up to and followed them. He had done neither.
Christian shunted these thoughts to the side. They wouldn’t do him any good right now. Instead he focused on the man before him.
“You didn’t attack me.”
“Tch, course not. I saw the way you moved before we decided to take you on. I knew you had martial arts training. Really.” He shook his head. “What kind of idiot do you take me for?”
“I see.” Christian frowned. His gaze swept across those he defeated. All of them were laid out, unconscious on the ground. They would all be waking up with one hell of a headache come the next morning. He then focused back on the man before him, and his frown deepened. “You used these guys to observe my fighting style before battling me yourself.”
“That’s right,” the brute said, grinning as he pushed himself off the side of the building. He walked forward, his gait confident, cocky. “I wanted to see what you have to offer. And now that I’ve seen it, let me tell you, I’m not very impressed. You’ve got some skill, no doubt, but it’s clear to me that you’re not a martial artist of any kind. You just have some basic training.”
Christian frowned at the true statement, but didn’t answer him. “You’re not a very good comrade, forcing these guys to fight me when you knew they had no chance.”
“Comrade,” the muscle-head scoffed. “Boy, these fools mean nothing to me. They’re just a means to an end. Their only purpose was to fight you so that I could find out what kind of fighter you are.” He paused before chuckling. “Well, actually, I originally wanted to use them to help me corner Lilith so that I could finally make her my woman.” He frowned. “But then you showed up and I had to change my plans. Now I’m gonna have to find a new group of idiots to help me. I should kill you for that.”
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