Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Descent: Child of Shadows ❯ Chapter 21

Descent: Childe of Shadows

 

The older man running the bar looked over at the twitchy guy in the corner, wondering at his oddly average appearance. Mousy brown hair, battered overcoat and jeans, glasses gleaming as he bent over his beer. The only odd thing was his hands, which twitched and moved almost with a life of their own. He looked up at the barkeep, "Yes?"

 

Fighting back his disquiet at the odd young man the barkeep asked gruffly, "That all?"

 

"Not exactly," the young man took a drink, "do you remember a few weeks ago, a odd priest or her friend causing trouble here?"

 

"You connected to them?" his voice was cold, gray eyes narrowing.

 

"Bounty hunter," he said casually.

 

"Yeah, that crazy priest was here once," the barkeep admitted, "busted up the place then set the bar on fire."

 

"On fire? A woman after my own heart," he purred, gazing off into the distance dreamily. Shaking himself he asked, "Any idea where she is now?"

 

"Hasn't been back," the bartender said with a firm shake of his head, "and I don't want to see her again, either."

 

"That's too bad," he got up, leaving money on the table.

 

"What are you...?" the barkeep asked as the young man took out from his coat four glass test tubes with two different fluids in them. He tossed two of them towards the occupied tables at the back, the rest up at the main bar. The glass broke with a almost musical sound, the chemicals mixed then there was an explosion of fire. Flames raced fast, screams of alarm and pain ringing out, then coolly the young man turned to go.

 

"My name is Pyre, and I have a message for you to pass on," he said, ignoring the mob of people who were streaming by him out the door, "tell Descent and her priest to come out, or I'll make this city burn." And with that he was gone too.

 

"First that crazy priest burns my place down," the bartender raged, "now this?!" Outside of the building he collapsed on the sidewalk and groaned, "What did I do wrong?!"

 

Over in another part of town a blonde dressed in a schoolgirl's outfit walked along the street with a easy air about her, window shopping. Casually she chewed gum, then pushed the pink stuff with her tongue to start up a bubble. Blue eyes amused she paused by the fashion outlet, gazing at the clothes with longing.

 

"I still don't understand why I'm here with you, Thrillkill," the morose young woman frowned, her long black hair falling limply around her face.

 

"Cause I think you're interesting, Deathwish," Thrillkill answered brightly, "you're the first person I've met who I can kill more than once."

 

"Gee, thanks," Deathwish sighed. A bit crossly she asked her companion, "Are we going to start working, soon?"

 

"I thought we were already at work?" Thrillkill smirked. They had hit two shops so far, casually killing anyone who crossed them.

 

"No sign of 'em, though," Deathwish pointed out, her flat, dead eyes sweeping the crowd then the busy street beyond.

 

Thrillkill pouted, "Maybe we need to do something more noticeable?"

 

"How about this?" and after a running start Deathwish threw herself out into the busy stream of traffic. She hit one car, blood fountaining as he legs were broken then bounced, flying till she hit another vehicle's windshield, shattering it as well as her shoulder. Blood splashing she hit the pavement a short distance away, sending more cars careening aside.

 

The chain reaction crash that followed was almost textbook. The first car tried to brake then was hit from behind, both cars ramming into a lamppost. They in turn stopped other cars while the vehicle with the wrecked windshield careened up onto the sidewalk, plowing down bystanders then crashing through a shop window.

 

"Cool," Thrillkill loudly popped her bubblegum as she watched the unfolding chaos admiringly. In a few moments Deathwish emerged from the madness, her clothes splattered with red but fully healed from her injuries. "You know," Thrillkill looked the blood splattered woman over, "you look sort of hot like that."

 

Deathwish ignored that as she frowned down at her arm, the flesh twisted out of alignment. Grabbing her forearm with her other hand she yanked and wrenched at her flesh, the misaligned segments of bone grinding eerily until they popped back into place. "Do you think that was enough?" she asked flatly.

 

Sirens wailed off in the distance as Thrillkill shrugged casually. "If not," she said cheerfully, "we can also kill any emergency services that come, too."

 

"Freeze!" the police officer yelled, the dusky skinned young man holding his gun at the ready. They had rushed to the business district when a 911 call reported a crazy man.. they hadn't expected to find bodies slashed with knives.

 

The black clad young man turned, his eyes narrowing a bit, then he seemed to merely flick his wrist. With a painful cry the officer stumbled backward, dropping his gun as he reached up towards his face where a bloody knife dripped between his eyes. A second blade to the throat cut off his gurgling cries, and after a moment he dropped.

 

"Damn it," a annoyed voice came from behind the black clad man, "do you have to play with them, Solitude?"

 

"Yes," Solitude flashed a grin, "otherwise it's no fun, Sister."

 

Sister Rosette sniffed loudly, her red hair flowing around her pretty face, her black and white nun's habit giving her a reserved look. "God won't forgive you this," she said flatly, reaching up to thoughtfully finger her rosary.

 

"God and I haven't talked in years," Solitude answered dryly.

 

Sister Rosette gave him a dangerous look as she hissed, "I'll deal with you after we've found the other unbelievers."

 

"I'd like to see you try," Solitude laughed, reaching out to slap her ass.

 

Rosette moved like a shot, wheeling around to knee him right in the balls. As Solitude was gasping painfully she slipped her rosary free from around her neck, whipping the white beads across his face and making him cry out in surprise as the weighted length struck.

 

"Crazy bitch," Solitude cursed in pain, staggering.

 

"I'm a bride of GOD," Rosette growled as she whipped the beads hard across his face again, staggering him once more. "Repent!"

 

"What the hell..." Solitude moaned weakly, shocked and confused by the sudden violence.

 

"GOD may forgive you," gracefully Rosette pulled the rosary around his neck then tightened it, exposing the razor wire hidden beneath the metal beads, "but I won't."

 

"No," Solitude reached up as he felt the wire cutting into his flesh, slicing his fingers as he tried to get free, blood pouring down his black clothes.

 

With a final twist of her arms Rosette finished, watching the man's head roll free as the body dropped, still twitching faintly, to the dirty ground. With an odd kind of serenity Rosette kneeled down beside him, clasped her hands and began to pray softly.

 

From the shadows Aileen watched the young woman going through her after kill rituals, then the redheaded killer walked away. Talking softly into a mic. mounted on her collar she asked, "Cathy, I thought you told me her prescription to the anti-psychotics was up to date?"

 

"Her prescription might be up to date but she's obviously not taking them," Cathy replied dryly. "What do you want to do?"

 

"I think," Aileen turned to see Rosette dabbing her fingers in the pool of blood then crossing herself formally, "we'll send her after the others... she only kills sinners."

 

"Maybe," Cathy sounded dubious, "but she considers you a sinner, too."

 

"I can handle her if needed," Aileen smiled dangerously.

 

"I've heard that before," Cathy grumbled.

 

To be continued...