by Hunter Blain
Holding my hammer up to the ceiling, I focused on the clouds outside and asked them to condense for several miles in all directions around where I was.
The light outside began to dim, but I could still feel the sting of the sun’s rays as they bounced off the doorframe.
Closing my hands, I sent all my focus into the sky, drawing the thickest cloud cover I could possibly imagine. I pictured the clouds stacking on one another until they were knocking on the door to inner space.
Opening my eyes, I saw the almost dead warlock with the dangling hood crawling over to me with something in his hands. He was nearly on top of me when I saw the knife. Relief washed over me as I saw it was just a normal steel blade. Not silver or iron.
I finished my cloud cover, blocking out the sun until it was as dark as midnight outside. Luckily, the Gulf of Mexico was close by and able to lend a limitless supply of moisture with which to help form the clouds.
The blade came down and went through my cotton shirt, and the muscle underneath.
“AYH!” I yelled before the unnerving feeling that something was wrong with my breath took hold. Looking down with a shaky head, I saw the blade up to the hilt in my chest. My lung had been punctured.
I wasn’t too worried, as I knew I didn’t need to breathe, but I was alarmed that the steel blade had cut through my preternaturally reinforced skin. John was learning all kinds of stuff about being in the sun. Yes, he was!
Unable to lift my rifle-wielding arm, I swung Mjolnir in an arc over my body and slammed it into the back of the warlock’s head. The strained expression in his eyes went slack as one of his orbs rolled up in the socket.
I brought the weapon back and repeated the attack, this time feeling the hammer break through as if striking a melon.
Blood poured over the material of his hood as he dropped to the floor with a thud.
Letting go of Mjolnir, I reached with trembling fingers to wrap around the hilt of the blade, and tried to pull.
The pain was immediate and intense, causing a scream to leave my lips. I couldn’t help myself, even knowing how stupid it was to make a sound. The agony replaced everything in my universe, throwing away all previous concerns and worries. All I knew was the white-hot lightning that was burning where the blade violated my flesh. A part of me briefly wondered if the blade had been superheated in a blacksmith’s furnace before being plunged into my torso. That was the only explanation I could think of as to why it hurt so freaking bad.
I bit my lower lip, sucking in a deep breath before crying out again as my pierced lung tried to obey my command and expand.
Blackness swam in my vision, narrowing it to a pinprick as I told my hand to pull with everything I had. I couldn’t know if it was working as I fought to not let my vision go completely black.
There was a sloshing, sucking sound as liquid rushed down my side and into my armpit. My eyes cleared, leaving behind an army of glowing black bugs that swam in my vision then slowly began fading away.
I once again lifted my heavy head and saw that my hand was holding the knife dripping with scarlet. A stream of blood bubbled up from the back of my throat, causing me to cough up a thick pink mist before I was able to catch my breath and force myself to my left side and then to a seated position, using my left hand as leverage. I figured if I were sitting up, the blood wouldn’t flow up to my mouth.
I shot my head to the side and spit a glob of blood on the ground, moaning as I attempted to get to my feet. It tasted metallic and alien in my mouth.
“DEP-WEG!” I cried out weakly as I stumbled into the hallway and away from the safety of the side room. There hadn’t been any noise for a while, and it concerned me.
“Hello, John,” a familiar voice said.
Fear gave me renewed strength as I pulled up my rifle and squeezed the trigger before the muzzle was even pointed downrange.
Ulric lifted a casual hand, reminding me of what I had done to Baleius, and my gun glowed a bright orange before deforming and melting with alarming speed. Unfortunately for me, I was still grasping the weapon as the parts that were comprised of metal sloshed over my hand, dissolving it.
I screamed as I dropped to my knees, grabbing my wrist with my left hand. What I had thought was searing pain in my chest was diminished to a dull nag as the nerves in my right hand proved what searing actually meant. The pain was indescribable until it stopped hurting completely after a few agonizing seconds. I was able to catch my breath and look down to see that my hand was a third of the size it should have been, and my fingers were sliding off in a mass exodus. I understood, then, that the pain had stopped because the nerves were gone, melted away.
The pain in my chest, seeing its opportunity to shine again, gave the performance of a lifetime, stealing my breath.
“I must say, I am surprised that you came. I anticipated your friends, but you — You are a welcomed delight, indeed,” Ulric purred as he clasped his hands behind his back and slowly made his way over to me, careful to step over the debris.
My vision was swimming with the glowing black bugs again. This time, they had brought reinforcements.
“You will now watch as all your friends die, one at a time.”
My heart sank as the bugs in my eyes all stopped moving at once, as if unsure of what they had heard. Anger rose in my chest, and I made a choice.
Without summoning Mjolnir, I focused on the clouds above dissipating as quickly as possible. Ulric was standing right in the path of sunlight, as was I. But if I was going to go down, he was going to burn first.
From behind him, my peripheral vision witnessed the light outside beginning to shine through the darkness.
Ulric arched an eyebrow and looked around, seeing the walls beginning to light up. He turned his head and tsked a few times before turning back to me with a shark’s grin.
I was bleeding out of my chest, unable to say anything without the threat of passing out from pain. My hand had stopped melting, but my arm throbbed at my wrist and all the way up to my elbow. I didn’t even know my body parts could throb without a heartbeat. It wasn’t like in Faerie where I had been a mortal. Being awake during the day just made me . . . weak. Incredibly weak. As weak as a mortal, of that I was sure.
But none of that would matter for much longer. The sun was about to come pouring through the hole in the house at the end of the hallway. Ulric was going to die.
With his smile stretching wider, he kicked me in my knife wound, shattering the bone. His attack, though it looked effortless, sent me tumbling through the wooden bannister of the stairs, where I cartwheeled through the air to smash into the first floor with a heavy thud.
I landed on my right side, breaking my elbow and knee and dislocating my shoulder. The pain was too much, and created a hot feeling all over my body.
I rolled onto my back, coughing up more pink mist, and looked up as Ulric walked to the hole I had created in the wooden railing.
He looked down at me, his grin never fading, and I smiled up at him as the light behind him bloomed to full strength and the sun pierced the last of the cloud cover.
Ulric shot out his hands to both sides and lifted his face to the ceiling while gasping sharply. Then he dropped his head to the side and let his wrists go limp, mimicking Jesus on the cross as light bathed him.
Dread stole my breath more than the broken ribs and punctured lung. Ulric didn’t burst into flames or even began to smoke. He . . . just stood there, in the full light of dawn. His face was now hidden by shadow, but I could see his glowing eyes and gleaming teeth.
“Foolish child. I am more than a vampire now. My power is bestowed by Hell itself.” He dropped his hands and straightened his head as he looked down on me. His smile faded as a voice dripping with malice spoke, “I am the Grand Master Warlock, boy. The most powerful being on this plane. And soon to be the ruler of Hell.” His face scrunched into faux concern as he asked, “Oh dear, and what are you, John? What are you but a stubborn fool?”
There wa
s movement from somewhere at the base of my vision. I hoisted my head — much to the protest of my body — and looked down to see warlocks in full battle robes dragging unconscious bodies toward me. Ulric’s men each had on black hoods that were tied around their throats with string, like an executioner.
Joey, Locke, and one of Collin’s men were laid beside me.
“Not that one,” Ulric said, pointing to the man in the balaclava.
One of the warlocks leaned down to place a blade against the man’s throat.
“Fuck you, bloodsucker,” the man said through obvious pain while looking up at Ulric in defiance.
“Stop,” Ulric commanded. The warlock did as instructed and looked up to his master with the blade still pressed against the prisoner’s throat. “Take him outside and burn him alive.”
I audibly gulped as my head dropped to the ground, smacking into some of the wooden debris.
The man tried to fight as he was dragged outside, but he had apparently been injured badly enough to make him combat ineffective.
“Jo-John?” Joey asked as he looked up. His face was bloody and one eye was swollen shut. As he tried to speak, his lip split open with each word, making me cringe. “Wh-what are you . . . doing . . . here?”
“I couldn’t let you die, brother,” I answered as I lifted my remaining good arm up and rested the back of my hand on his chest. He laughed once in a moan before rolling his head from side to side, wincing.
I used most of my strength to lift my own head and look over Joey to see Locke, unconscious. He was breathing, but had multiple burns on him with focal points, as if he had been struck with ferocious lightning.
There was a piercing scream from outside as the crackle of flames was born. I closed my eyes as the man took one more breath before his lungs were seared and his vocal cords melted. The last I heard of the brave man was nothing but a hiss that was swallowed by the rise of the hungry flames.
I willed my eyes open and glared at Ulric with renewed hatred, wishing I could somehow turn my rage into raw power and burn my maker until not even ash remained.
Two more warlocks clad in robes and black hoods came up from behind Ulric. One had a limp and burn marks on one side of his body, while the other let one arm dangle lifelessly at his side, blood dripping off his fingers.
“Get them,” he commanded, and the two minions walked back out of sight behind their master. “Execute the masked one. He is of no use to me.”
There was a crackle of lightning, accompanied by a shriek through gritted teeth, before silence sounded after several seconds.
The warlocks came back into view. The one with the busted arm carried the lean Hayley over his good shoulder while the other one dragged Depweg from under his armpits. I smiled to myself as I saw that the minion’s back was rounded and that he would probably strain something with how much Depweg weighed.
Hayley was dragged downstairs and dropped unceremoniously next to me while Depweg was simply dropped from the second story on the other side of the warden. I cringed as I heard something snap in my best friend’s body.
The warlock, holding his lower back, made his way downstairs to stand in front of the line of prisoners with his buddy.
“I’m-I’m sorry, guys,” I exhaled with tears filling my eyes. I had failed to save them.
“No, you aren’t,” Ulric chided aggressively. “Not yet. You break into my home and try to take what is mine? Now you will pay for your trespass.”
He extended a hand as he spoke, and Joey began rising off the ground with a cry of pain and surprise.
“Joey!” I yelled weakly, lifting up my only functioning arm to reach fruitlessly for him.
“John! Help me!” he cried out, finding the last of his strength and injecting it into his words. “Please!”
Depweg groaned and I could see him placing a hand on his head and looking up in shock to see his packmate dangling in midair.
“J-Joey?!” he exclaimed, confused.
“Depweg, help!” Joey cried out, lashing out with his arms and legs to no avail.
“No! Take me instead! Please!” Depweg yelled, his emotions bubbling over at the thought of losing the last of his pack.
“Don’t worry; you’re next,” Ulric purred with delight.
“It’s going to be okay, man. It’s going to be okay,” I lied to Joey as he reached the second floor. Ulric grabbed him by the back of his neck while his other hand dragged a finger across the straps holding the plate carrier in place. It fell down, smashing into my good knee with a sickening crunch. I almost passed out, but the thought of my friend being held kept me awake.
“It’s going to be okay, Joey!” I yelled, wishing the words were true.
Joey looked down at me with his one good eye while a trembling mouth broke my soul.
“I’m scared.”
Joey let out with a flood of fresh tears.
I inhaled sharply at those two words, ignoring the flood of pain in my chest, as I registered what Joey had said.
Ulric’s hand burst through my friend’s chest with an explosion of bone and a shower of blood that rained on those who loved Joey the most.
“JOEY!!!” Depweg bellowed as he tried to scramble to his feet, hyperventilating; but his body was too battered and broken to even hold himself up. “JOEY! PLEASE GOD!”
“God’s not here,” Ulric beamed victoriously.
A look of shock and confusion etched itself on Joey’s face as his trembling hands reached up to gently grab Ulric’s wrist. My friend’s heart was in Ulric’s hand and pounding erratically, not knowing it was all over.
Joey’s head began to shudder, and then his chin dropped to his chest as he became too weak to hold himself up. His hands slipped on the copious, viscous black-red blood, and dropped to dangle lifelessly at his sides. His single eye went unfocused.
The heart thudded once more, then twice, before realizing something was wrong and struggling to beat for the last time.
“NOOOOOOOOOO!” I cried out while my body was wracked with uncontrollable sobs.
Depweg was continuing to try and will his broken bones to instantly mend and hold his weight up. They were unable to comply with the request. I could see frantic eyes turning yellow as his body began the transformation. Hope bloomed in my chest that we might survive as his new were form was insanely powerful.
Ulric lowered his arm at an angle and let Joey slowly slide forward, the hand holding Joey’s heart disappearing back into the chest cavity. After what felt like several gut-wrenching seconds, Joey’s lifeless corpse rag dolled through the air and crashed on top of Depweg, pinning him to the ground. He must have struck his head because Depweg stopped moving, effectively halting the transformation. Just like that, the hope that had dared to blossom in my core withered and died.
The two warlocks who had burned the soldier alive entered through the back door, their masks seeming off-kilter. They were coming to help choose another victim to kill in front of me. Another one of my friends, my family.
“Who’s next?” Ulric asked theatrically. He lifted his blood-coated index finger and pointed at my best friend. “Ah, that’s right. Depweg!”
My eyes blazed with unrestrained fury as I stared up at Ulric. The hatred in my heart could engulf the entire world in flames of searing wrath in that moment. My skin became hot as white plumes started pouring from my eyes.
Ulric cocked his head at me, still holding Joey’s heart in his blood-soaked hand while his index finger gradually dropped.
“YOU,” I bellowed, shaking the walls as if an earthquake was happening, “WILL DIE!”
From below, the two warlocks with the ill-fitting hoods suddenly pulled out powerful rifles and shot the other two minions from behind. Their chests exploded as Ludvig and Magni pulled off the hoods they had stolen from the warlocks outside.
Ulric took a step back, dropping Joey’s heart to the first floor as surprise crossed his face.
“Get them out of here,” I commanded to the hunte
rs. Ludvig grabbed Depweg and Joey, carrying one over each shoulder, while Magni grabbed the much smaller Locke and Hayley. They disappeared out the front door as I levitated to the second story.
Ulric smiled at me and took a step to the side, letting the sunlight he had been blocking smash into my body.
I screamed as my flesh began to burst into flames, coating my entire body.
Everything went still and my soul was pulled toward a chest under a bed just on the other side of the wall of the largest room. It exploded open, turning the bed above it into countless splinters, cushion, and springs.
Inside was the rest of the armor — my armor. My beanie and trench coat were next to it.
I extended my left hand and the armor flew through the walls in showers of drywall and wood and smashed into my burning body, which was almost a skeleton at this point.
The armor solidified in place, becoming whole again with the belt that I had already been wearing, and the flames stopped in an instant.
Looking down with my empty sockets, I willed the Sight of the Gods from Mjolnir and watched in fascination as my body plumped and healed, pulling from the energy that had been contained within the armor before I had given it to Val.
Within seconds, my entire body was whole again, just as the armor was, and I looked at Ulric with a deadpan expression as my eyes continued to plume white, crimson, and now blue with the electricity from Mjolnir.
Ulric took two hurried steps back with a look of utter shock on his face that was intermixed with anger at being bested.
I willed my wings to manifest at full span and saw they were covered in white feathers. Lifting my regrown right hand, I slowly willed a gladius to form in my grip. Once it was born, it burst to life with roiling heavenflame.
“Are you scared, Ulric?” I asked with a reverberating voice that shook the walls as I lifted the tip of the blade toward my maker.
“NO!” he cried out in surprise rather than in answer to my question as he opened a portal under his feet.
I sent out a geyser of furious flames right as he dropped through the portal, letting most of my attack sail through the air where his torso had just been.