“Why don’t we go to another city where we can kill at will and relax, then come here after we’ve gotten rest,” said Ted.
“We are not on vacation. We have a mission and the mission is right here in Atlanta.” I kept walking forward. The thought of rest did sound good but there’s a reason Valcrum has angels here on earth. He sent us to Atlanta after we disobeyed him, but the angels were already here. Why?
“What mission? We are stuck here. Valcrum is not going to come down here so what mission do we have,” asked Fred.
“He wants to find a way to kill all the angels. I think we need to find a way to kill them before they kill us,” said Dylan. He glanced at the men behind him.
“What do you know. You know about as much as we do. Don’t act, like you’re his second in command or something,” said Fred.
“You want a piece of me, Fred? I know you’re scared but deal with it. The situation is the situation, and fighting us won’t change it,” said Dylan.
“I should have never listened to you. My life was going just fine until you ruined it,” said Fred.
“We’re all you got. Deal with it,” said Jake.
“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to kill you and leave your dead body as a feast to the crows.” I tossed the dead horse to the men. I’m not wasting my time on them. They either do what I want them too, or they die. I’m not cruel; at least I’ve given them a choice.
Three hours passed before we came to a half cracked green and white sign that said Buckhead. The city looked like a worn-down factory. The streets were empty. There was a sign that crossed out cars. There were tons of bikes, mopeds, and scooters.
“Where are the cars?” asked Jake. “I can’t walk another mile down the road. We need transportation since we can’t fly anymore.”
“I say we find a place to lay down and scout the area tomorrow,” said Fred. He rubbed the back of his head as he lumbered forward.
“This place had banned cars. It looks like these people don’t use cars, and travel by foot,” said Dylan.
Their chatter was insignificant. I smelled perfume. The scent was very seductive and reminded me of pomegranates. Our luck was turning around. Women always like to gossip and I intend to capitalize from it right now. I am sure I look like something a cat dragged out of a dumpster, but I did not look better than any of these guys.
“Guys, we are not alone. Come quick.” Sniffing the air, I followed south until I heard the footsteps in the distance. It was two women or a man and a woman. My nose was telling me it was two females. Guys just do not smell sweet. Some do but most do not. I tugged on my shirt and tried to fix my wet locks. After a minute, I gave up and headed toward the sounds. My eyes narrowed on them. My men snickered while I fumbled to fix my appearance. Do they think they look any better?
Peeping from behind the tree the two girls came into view. Wow. They are identical twins. Jerking my head for them to follow me, I headed toward our latest victims. Once they tell me everything they know, I will end their miserable lives and continue looking for a place for us to stay. I walked as fast as I could to catch up with them without looking like a stalker. When I was about four feet behind them, I cleared my throat. My men following my lead walked slower appearing to have an engaging conversation among themselves.
“Hello pretty ladies. Where are you headed?” I waved before plastering a seductive smile across my face.
“Get lost creep. We don’t know you,” she said.
“Easy killer. My name’s Trevor and I saw you lovely ladies walking and thought I would introduce myself.” I held out my hand to the one with jet-black hair. She has a bad attitude. I am tempted to kill her and find someone else to give me the scoop on this desolate city. Who does she think she is?
“We’re pressed for time. See you.”
I glanced at my men. They had formed a half circle around the girls. The red-haired one seemed different than her sister. Something about her intrigued me. I must admit the red-haired one is strikingly beautiful. Her sister is beautiful too, but her smart mouth makes her ugly. Her voice is deep which fits her dark black hair. If I met the red-haired girl without her sister, I probably would have let her live. It is a shame that she did not choose better company.
“Arianna be nice. He’s clearly talking to me. Don’t mind my sister, my name is Kyra. It’s nice to meet you,” said Kyra. She shook my hand.
“Kyra. That is a beautiful name.” I watched Kyra’s face turn as red as the lipstick coating her lips. Her lips were full, and I wanted to take that lower lip between my teeth and bite it. Hard.
What is wrong with me? I should not be lusting after Kyra. It does not matter that she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I never thought I would meet a woman that was prettier than my Lily. It does not matter; I am going to kill them anyway so it is not cheating. It is only cheating if you’re caught. Lily will never know that I find Kyra attractive.
Love. I’m going to have to tell Lily on you. This must be a record. You’ve only been on planet Earth for a few hours and you’re already cheating and forgetting about Lily. Someone should tell her you aren’t worth her tears, so she can move on and discover true love.
“Are you ladies from here?” Her eyes widened when I did not let her hand go as quickly as I should have. Victoria, go away. Get out of my head. Blinking I focused all my concentration on Kyra. It should be hard but it is not. Kyra is easy to look at. I am sure I could look at her all day and not get bored. I like her so far, but I am sure that will change. No one is perfect except my Lily.
Her skin felt like silk, and her breath reminded me of home-cooked cherry pie. There are not many women that are tall enough to look me in the eye, but she had to be at least five foot nine. Those long legs and dark mauve dress with the silver belt buckle did things to my focus.
“Who are these guys with you,” asked Kyra. She pointed to the eight men that had formed the circle around them.
“Move out of my way. Creep,” said Arianna. She pushed against Jake’s muscular chest and only his pectoral muscles moved.
Jake smirked but stepped aside. His smile grew bigger when Arianna flounced past him in a hurry.
“We all grew up together. That is Akihiko Yamamoto, Dylan Johnson, Jae-ho Kim Lee, Fred White, Vihaan Patel, Ted Bennett, Jake, Ivan Sokolov, Antonio Garcia, Marco Ricci, Winston Chu, and Phil Freeman.
“Who are the other guys,” asked Kyra? She turned her head and noticed that her sister was walking away from her. She rushed to catch up with her.
“We all work together.” My men nodded their heads but did not try to make small talk. When Kyra turned to her sister I glanced at my men. Why are they acting like they have never seen beautiful girls before? Do I have to do everything myself?
“Are you really leaving me, Ari? How rude.” Once she saw her sister slow down, she ran to catch up.
“We’ve got eight minutes. You need to keep up or you get left,” said Arianna. She crossed the street and passed the two tall buildings on the right-hand side.
“It won’t take us but five minutes to get there. If we ran, we could get there quicker. We’ll still be on time or a minute or two late,” said Kyra.
“I’m never late. Just get his number and come on.”
If you like you can hang out with us and get to know us much better.” The thought of spending time with her caused my pulse to speed like a car at a Nascar race.
“What type of girl do you think I am,” asked Kyra. She crossed her arms across her chest and raised her right eyebrow.
“You act easy. Guys think you’re easy,” mumbled Arianna. She rolled her eye and turned the corner.
“All I am trying to say is I want to spend more time with you. I would like to get to know you better.” I grabbed her hand and place a kiss on her fingers.
Her pocket on her shirt started moving. I did not want her to think I was staring at her chest. I have been looking at it, but I am very discreet. She already has reservations about s
pending time with me. I do not want to look like I want her body. I do want her body. What man would not want her?
“I’m not hanging out with forty guys. You on the other hand, well that is a different story.”
A gecko jumped out her pocket and ran.
“Joe come back here,” said Kyra. She snatched her hand away and ran after the animal. She disappeared around the corner.
“What kind of girl keeps a gecko in her shirt dress?” asked Jake. He glanced around then rolled his eyes.
“Girls don’t like animals like that,” said Ted. He shrugged and looked around.
“Whoever finds it first gets to kill it,” said Fred.
The pressure built behind my eyes. The horns would be coming out soon, if I did not make a sacrifice soon, I would start looking the hundred and forty-year-old man I am. I need to wrap this conversation up and find the next sacrifice.
“You will find it and bring it to me alive.” I rushed around the corner looking for Kyra. I gritted my teeth when I spotted her sister. She looked up.
“Dang. Watch your step,” said Arianna. She bent down shifting through the blades of grass.
“Don’t rip my head off. I’m just trying to help find the gecko.”
“I’m sure that’s not the only thing you’re trying to do.” Arianna got to her feet and grabbed a fistful of my shirt.
“You hurt my sister and I hurt you. Go flirt and mess up another girl’s life and stay the hell away from my sister.” She pushed me from her and walked around the corner.
“Kyra stay here and keep looking. I’m sure Joe will turn up.” Arianna hugged Kyra and walked toward the building with the red door.
“I can’t believe you’re just going to work. What about Joe?” Kyra wiped her tears
Arianna sighed. “I’m going to tell Lisa I’ve got cramps; so, I can help you find him.”
Kyra likes me. I can find out a lot from her. Her sister is not going to let me near Kyra, so I need to use their sibling rivalry against them. It should not be hard. Kyra does not listen to her so it will not take long to drive a deeper wedge between them. Kyra acts a bit entitled but as beautiful as she is, she can afford to be. Beautiful people can expect the best from life. Trials and tribulations are necessary for the weak, ugly and lazy people.
Pratt Labs. Why does the city of Atlanta have such big lab companies? Has this city been struck with disease? Kyra will tell me all I need to know when she swoons over me for finding Joe. Why did she name the gecko Joe?
Closing my eyes, I took a whiff of the air as the breeze rustled through the trees. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the orange dotted gecko in the tree bush biting the head off a cricket. Joe and I would get along just fine since we have a lot in common. Both of us kill when necessary.
Scooping him up, I held him, so he wouldn’t get loose. I spotted Jake across the clearing and I held up Joe and smiled. He signaled for the others to stop looking. The wind was picking up and I smelled moisture in the air. I turned the corner and found Kyra crying underneath the tree. When she saw me, she kept crying not bothering to hide her vulnerability from me.
“I can’t find Joe. This is the worst thing that could’ve happened to me.” She wiped the snot from her running nose and massaged her temples with her hand.
“You could be dead.” I sat down next to her careful to keep Joe concealed from her. I intend to give him back to her, but I am intrigued. “I will buy you another gecko if we do not find him.” I wiped the single tear that slid down her cheek.
“You can’t replace him. He was a gift. You don’t understand. Some things can’t be replaced.” She jumped to her feet and ran her hands through her hair.
I jerked back. Did a lover give her Joe? If so, Joe will not be food for Jake. “Who gave him to you? Was it your boyfriend?”
“My father gave him to me. My dad was killed in Hawaii while on a business trip; he bought me Joe. I received Joe a day before my dad was killed.”
“I need to keep looking. I’ll talk to you later.” She turned the corner. When she spotted Arianna, she burst into tears.
“What’s your number? If I find him, I’ll call you.” Her cries almost made me give her Joe. I needed to sleep on her story. Why would her dad give her a gecko? Did she always want one?
Kyra accepted the tissue her sister handed to her. Her eyes were looking everywhere at once. She wasn’t listening to her sister. Kyra looked at me then whispered something in Arianna’s ear. After a minute she handed Kyra a pen. It was hard not to smile. Arianna did not like me at all. Most women have a hard time resisting me but Arianna did it well. If the circumstances were different, she and I may have been friends. Oh well. Those are the breaks.
Kyra handed me her number and walked away. Arianna glared at me and wrapped her sister in her arms. I could not make out her hushed words but I could tell Kyra was slowly calming down. They disappeared into the woods behind the building.
I looked at Joe. He was the key to gaining Kyra’s trust. If I am lucky, I might be able to get Arianna off my case. A burst of pain radiated from the back of my skull to the front. Arianna was the last of my worries. Valcrum will pay for giving me these stupid horns and taking all my powers.
I met the guys around the corner. Most of them were holding their heads.
“Let’s find a place to stay and get rid of these headaches.” I placed Joe inside my right pocket since it had three tiny holes in it. He could breathe in there until we got home.
Most of the buildings on this side of town looked abandoned. I liked that but it did not sit well if we need information. I spotted a boarded-up apartment building with green graffiti on the side. This looked like the perfect place to live. A single-story traditional house was a block down the sidewalk from the apartment building. The owner must have lived near the apartment, so he could manage the building.
“You can’t be seriously considering staying in this dump,” asked Jake. He turned up his nose and looked at the other men.
“My feet hurt but I’d be willing to walk further to find a cleaner place to stay,” said Ted.
“You guys sound like a bunch of women. Shut your traps.” I had heard all the complaining I could take for one day. I need sleep and I must find Joe a cage. Losing him would be a nightmare. I am only concerned about Joe’s comfort, so the rest of the men can suck it up.
Moving around to the back, I knocked out the back window. Glass shattered and tiny pieces stuck in my hand. I ripped the pieces from my flesh and wiped the blood on my pants. Slipping my hand inside I unlocked the door.
Dust, decay, and wood rot filled the air. I almost vomited on the spot. What the carpenter ants did not eat, the termites did. Half of the wood siding was missing. The house had not been lived in a very long time. This place was disgusting but we could work on that tomorrow.
Dylan walked toward the back of the house. The rest of the men went to explore the rest of the house. The house was a ranch but it had more square footage than it appeared to have on the outside. A green sofa set was placed next to an old-fashioned television.
“I think I found something you can put Joe in,” said Dylan. He came back holding a fish tank with a black-vented hood.
“Thanks.”
Chapter Eight
Arianna
“We’ve been looking for four hours non-stop and Joe isn’t anywhere in sight.” Glancing at Kyra my heart crumbles inside my chest like a soft-baked chocolate chip cookie. I’m dying to lash out at her for bringing him, but this time I hate that I was right.
“I need to get into the lab and start work. I know you’re supposed to step in and play me so that you can fill in for me when I’m sick, but I’ll meet you at home.”
“That’s it? You’re just going to give up?” Kyra brushed the dirt off her hands and got to her feet.
This girl! I breathed deep to gather my thoughts so that I don’t speak in anger like she does. Kyra was the youngest by three minutes, but her selfishness was incomprehen
sible. We live in the same house and face the same struggles, yet she is oblivious to everything except what she wants. I’m growing tired of her foolish tantrums and her selfishness. She takes being spoiled way too far.
“I know your head is always in the clouds but we need the money. Mom can’t afford to take care of us on her hospital salary alone. We can come back out here in the morning, but the day is almost over and we need at least six more hours on this paycheck.”
“Fine. Go!” She stomped off through the woods.
Rolling my eyes, I watch my ungrateful sister disappear through the woods. I stood there five more minutes to calm down. My cheeks felt hot and I didn’t need a bad attitude when I get back to the job. Turning the corner, I glanced at the patch of grass to my right before swiping my badge unlocking the door.
Pratt Labs always smelled like eucalyptus and green tea. This place was immaculate and I’m grateful to work here. Kyra’s head may be in the clouds but mine wasn’t. How does she think she gets new pairs of shoes and jeans? The hallways were darker than usual but it was the first time I was working the late shift. It’s a blessing that the company even offers a late shift.
Crossing the threshold to the southside of the building, I went inside the microbiology lab. Today was my first time working on this side of the building and I’m nervous. I usually work on rats but this side of the building makes a difference for humans. At my age I’ve never thought about cancer, but I know it affects many, and I’m scared of screwing something up.
The door to the lab closes and I shake like a leaf. There was a girl mixing something in a test tube. She looked up at me and didn’t say anything but kept her focus on what she was doing. Am I in the right place? She looked like she was a model.
“I’m Arianna Deeds. I’m not sure I’m in the right place.”
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