I took a step back as a shriek rent the air. The head of one of the Jahabich exploded in a mass of orange goo as a tiny fist erupted from it.
Its body dropped to the floor, revealing Gan, also now free from Vehron’s spell. She nimbly leapt over the creatures and raced to stand by my side, seeming – if anything – even smaller than normal.
She glanced up at me and smiled broadly. “You look ravishing, my love.” Aw gross! Talk about ruining my victory dance. “We shall fight together to the end.”
All of a sudden, I realized maybe I wasn’t as big on self-sacrifice as I’d been a few short minutes ago. I mean, how much of a downer would it be to finally kill Sauron, only to be finished off by some orcs?
Even so, the odds were against us. Gan’s suicide squad had killed many, but there was still a small army of Jahabich and vampires facing us – and many of those vamps looked to be both armed and well trained.
But maybe the odds didn’t need to be as stacked as they looked. After all, if it had worked for Vehron...
Of course, I made it a point to be a wee bit more specific.
“FOLLOWERS OF IB, STAND DOWN!!”
Whoa! I couldn’t believe the power that seemed to flow out of me. It felt like I could’ve compelled anyone to do anything. For a brief moment, I understood why the older vamps found it so appealing, so intoxicating.
And that’s why I realized how dangerous it was for me to ever acquire a taste for it.
Regardless, it worked – mostly. Once again, all the vampires in the room – save my friends this time – stopped what they were doing and became as statues. Sadly, the actual living statues lining up to attack us weren’t affected by it. However, their forces cut down by at least two-thirds and with Gan by my side, the odds seemed much more palatable.
There was still the question of what to do with the vamps once we were done pulverizing some gravel, but hopefully, inspiration would hit before then. For now, though, we had plenty of other things to hit.
“Follow me,” I said.
“Even to the gates of Hell, my darling.”
Ugh! I so needed to watch what I said to the little freak. First things first, though. Right now, it was too easy for us to be dogpiled. More space was the answer, especially if I could lead them away from where Christy still lay unconscious.
Thus, I ran straight at the orange-eyed devils and took a flying leap over their heads – way over their heads, as a matter of fact. Good thing the ceiling of this place was nice and high, otherwise, I’d have cold-cocked myself.
I landed and almost lost my footing on the slick floor. But just as I was about to fall, my toenails elongated into talons and caught hold. Neat trick. I’d have to remember that.
“What the fuck’s going on now?”
“Sorry, man,” I said to Tom. Fuck this. It was too dangerous for him to be there with me. All a Jahabich needed to do was take a swipe at my ass. “Make that double sorry.” I pulled him out of my pocket and tossed him toward a far corner of the room where there didn’t seem to be any fighting or bedazzled vamps standing around.
“Fucking asshole!” he yelled, sailing off into the distance.
I turned to face the monsters just as Gan made a similar, if much more nimble, leap over them. She landed as gracefully as a gazelle – fucking little show off.
“Let’s do this.”
Just as the words left my mouth, the water from the sprinkler system began to slake – turning from a torrent to a drizzle and then just a few residual drops.
It was about fucking time. Now who...?
“Dr. Death, your whore.” Gan pointed in the direction of the double doors leading to the rest of the complex.
In the chaos of battle, I hadn’t given much thought to my friends – save to hope they’d managed to find a quiet corner to ride things out in. With Vehron’s compulsion in place and everyone on a time out, it had seemed safe enough, but now I needed to remember that had all changed.
Amazingly enough, Sally was stepping back in. Had she been the one to shut off the fire system? How the fuck would she even have known where it was?
Oh well, no matter. Hopefully, the others weren’t far behind. I doubted she’d forget about them in the middle of...
Hold on. Forget? Holy shit, some days, I am so fucking stupid I’m surprised I remember to breathe. The Jahabich were almost upon us, but I needed to try. I didn’t know when or if I’d get another chance.
Besides, she was worth it.
“SALLY, REMEMBER EVERYTHING!! PLEASE!!”
My last compulsion had been frightfully powerful, but had been widely dispersed. This one, with its laser-like focus, made me feel like I was the Death Star and she Alderaan. It was hard to explain, but I could sense the wave of power as it traversed the room and hit her straight on.
Sally screamed as her head snapped back from the force of it. She went down like a ton of bricks.
Sadly, I wasn’t afforded the luxury of checking on her right then, as our enemy was upon us. A massive clubbed arm swung at me as I was still distracted, slamming into my face.
Hmm, it split my lip, but that was all. Such a blow would have taken me out of the battle before, but now – now it felt like being in a schoolyard slap-fight.
I returned the favor, taking the creature’s head right off its wide shoulders.
Hah! If that was how this fight was going to be, then I probably should’ve tied one arm behind my back to make it almost fair.
Nah!
As Gan bounded around, looking like an extra from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I waded into the brunt of the monsters, let them surround me, and then tore the fuckers to pieces. Limbs, teeth, bits of things that I couldn’t identify – they all went flying in every direction. So this was what being a human sledgehammer felt like.
Each time I took one down, I got splattered with more of their gooey insides. Gross, but harmless as long as they didn’t kill me and, sadly for them, I’d already decided that maybe I wanted to live after all.
I was gonna tear these fuckers apart one at a...
“Bill?”
I turned my head, slapping aside a Jahabich who I heard step in to take advantage of my distraction. Oh yeah, eat your heart out, Daredevil.
It was Sally, and she was awake. She was still a bit dazed, looking like she’d just taken a baseball bat upside the head, but she was back on her feet.
I didn’t care to leave Gan alone against these monsters, but she appeared to be more than holding her own against their dwindling numbers. Fuck it. My partner needed me.
Time appeared to slow down for a second, but I knew it was just me accelerating across the room at a speed that would have normally been impossible. Sally’s eyes opened wide in surprise as I stopped in front of her, probably appearing as if I’d just teleported.
She looked up at me, more so than usual, and took a step back – uncertainty and a little fear showing on her face.
“It’s okay, it’s me,” I said.
“How do I know that?”
“Want to take another tumble and I’ll show you how much better things are when I’m in the driver’s seat?”
I fully expected to be decked for the comment, but instead, she remained serious. Had my compulsion failed? The old Sally wouldn’t have hesitated to make some crack about...
“I remember.” She looked into my eyes. “I remember everything.”
“How we met? Jeff? The Woods of Mourning...”
“Yeah, yeah, all of it,” she said, averting her gaze and looking down at the floor.
I’d done it. Holy shit, I’d actually done it!
A wave of euphoria spread inside me – happiness that I hadn’t known in what felt like forever. Everything else seemed secondary in that moment. The only thing that mattered right then was that Sally was back.
I raised my head and let loose with a whoop of joy, probably sounding like a total idiot, but not giving a single fu
ck.
So enthralled was I, that it took me by surprise when she looked up again and gasped. I was about to ask what was the matter when I realized something had changed.
It took me a moment to figure it out, but then it hit me. She looked normal again – well, not her so much as the height she typically was compared to me.
That’s when a feeling of – I don’t know how else to describe it – deflating hit me. It was like exhaling an impossibly long breath, except that it wasn’t coming from my lungs.
After a moment or two, I looked down at myself. Where there had been abs, now there was flab. I watched in amazement as my hands shrunk – turning from big-ass enemy clubbing mitts back to stubby fingers meant more for programming SQL subroutines.
That was weird enough, but then I realized my pants – stretched out from my abrupt growth spurt – were now in danger of falling off. Crap! I quickly grabbed hold and hitched them back up, lest I end up celebrating our triumph with my ass on display for all to see.
There was no denying what had happened. I was me again.
I glanced back at Sally and grinned sheepishly. At least she was still in focus – apparently a welcome side effect of my transformation. I didn’t know how long it would last, but it was nice to be able to see her without the benefit of lenses.
She met my gaze, but where I expected an eye-roll or perhaps a snarky comment on my appearance, I was instead surprised when she simply said, “I’m so sorry, Bill.”
Before I could question what she meant, the doors burst open and a sea of armed soldiers charged in, guns ablaze.
Unexpected Company
While I stood there gaping like an idiot, Sally grabbed me and threw me to the side. At first, I thought she was attacking me, but then I realized it was only to move me out of the way.
The newcomers immediately opened fire on the vampires standing about, still under the spell of my compulsion.
The poor schmucks never stood a chance. Heads and chests exploded in sprays of blood, followed by streaks of light as their owners exploded into ash.
“What the fuck?” I cried as the carnage played out before me. I stood and took it all in, appalled at the utter lack of mercy on display.
That’s when I saw them. Off to the side, not far from where I’d told Adam and Dave to keep an eye on Sally, lay my friends. Ed and Dave were both sprawled on the floor, unmoving. Adam was – crap – nowhere to be seen. In the chaos following Vehron’s death, I hadn’t noticed what happened.
I turned back to Sally, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her like a rag doll. “What did you do?!”
“She did as commanded, Freewill.”
The voice was barely audible over the gunshots ringing out, even to my ears, but somehow, it still managed to convey a sense of authority.
I turned toward its source, finding Alexander – leader of the First Coven – standing just inside the doorway. He was wearing similar body armor to the goons busy mowing down Vehron’s minions, except, of course, much more regal in appearance. Gold highlights were apparently still the fashion for dickheads in power looking to distinguish themselves from the rabble.
He stepped in and two other members of the Draculas joined him – Vargas, who I’d met briefly during my trial, and another whose face was much more familiar.
“James?”
“The Wanderer did warn you not to trust her, did he not?” Alex asked, raising his voice so it was discernible above the gunfire. James’s eyes opened wide at the statement. “Oh please, Wanderer. One does not live as long as I without developing some skill in foreseeing the actions of others.”
Shit!
I wanted to pummel the smile right off his fucking face, but could sense the weariness in my body. I was back to normal – the boost from both Dr. Death and all the stolen blood was gone. There was no way I could do anything against him ... unless.
For the briefest of moments, I’d been in possession of Dr. Death’s power – the hidden strength within me. Then I stupidly let it go somehow – probably the elation at seeing Sally back to her old self.
Go figure. Just my luck to pick the exact worst moment to do so. If I’d held onto it for even a minute longer, I could be feeding Alex chunks of his own asshole right now.
The question was – how did I get it back?
Was it even possible to?
I hadn’t heard a peep from Dr. Death since almost blowing myself to bits, and I had a feeling he wasn’t going to be particularly helpful, even if he did deem me worthy of a mental conference bridge.
I was on my own, but maybe that was enough.
The very sight of Alex filled me with rage. His casual words of how he’d used my friends against me did nothing but add to the disgust I felt toward his continued existence.
I let those feelings take me, just as he’d taken Sally from me. He’d manipulated her, filled her with a hidden agenda, and now was nonchalantly enjoying the fruits of his labors – his men blowing others to bits as if this was a shooting gallery.
And yet, as the anger filled me, I was still just me, and me I remained.
“Destroy the Jahabich,” Alex commanded, his tone no more emotional than if asking someone to change the channel. “Cleanse this place of their presence.”
Oh crap! I spun back to where Gan had been fighting, but saw that she’d leapt clear of the fray as some of Alex’s men began to engage the creatures, switching from guns to melee combat.
She strolled in our direction, seemingly unfazed by the slaughter going on around her. One of Alex’s men turned toward her for a moment, but a quick sidelong glance from her sent him back to his task.
And a slaughter it was. The vamps I’d unwittingly ordered to act like statues were starting to snap out of it, but it was too late. Many had already been exterminated like bugs, and still Alex’s men continued their advance.
The thing was, considering everything that had happened here, I wasn’t sure I wanted them to stop. For all his bluster, Alex had been right about the Cult of Ib being a blight upon this world.
I turned away, disgusted with myself as much as anyone else here, and glanced back to where my friends still lay. Thankfully, they’d been untouched by the newcomers. I aimed to keep it that way.
I stalked up to Alex, ignoring every self-preservation instinct I had. “If your people harm my...”
He merely waved a dismissive hand. “Spare me your impotent rage, Freewill. Had I wished this facility fully cleansed, we would not be having this conversation. You and your friends have fulfilled the terms of your sentence. Regardless of what you might think of me, I honor my bargains.” I couldn’t help but notice a note of annoyance in his voice as he said it.
“Oh?” I asked before common sense could take over. “Is that why you’re here now? Is that why you ordered Sally to ... um ... do whatever she did?” I glanced back and saw her slumped against the wall, her knees drawn up and her head down in them. A wave of pity washed over me at seeing her like that, used like a pawn in a game of chess.
“That is precisely why I gave her the orders I did,” Alex said, drawing my attention back to him. “I knew you would try to fulfill your end of the arrangement. She was to be my contingency once you failed.”
♦ ♦ ♦
“Wait?” I replied. “When I failed?”
“Indeed. Facilities such as these are heavily modernized, but even modern security measures are a fickle thing. They can be beaten, circumvented. Unsurprisingly, passwords were changed and remote access cut off not long after Boston fell. However, each of our strongholds has an override as well – known only to the eldest of the First – hardwired at the very deepest layer.”
“What’s that got to do with...?”
“If you had been paying the slightest attention,” he interrupted, “you would have noticed what I said about remote access being severed. The override could only be triggered from inside the facility. Your dear Sally was given that override
along with orders to use it at the first available opportunity, letting nothing stand in her way. Doing so shut down all security protocols, allowing my strike team access.”
“So why are you here with them?”
“I am not some armchair general who commands from afar. I am a born leader of men.” He stepped past me and watched as the Jahabich resistance continued to be whittled down. “I am also quite aware of Vehron’s power.” He glanced back at James, a mixture of pity and disgust on his face. “As well as the fact that I alone possess the strength to defeat him.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t. I did.”
Alex turned to face me, the brow over his blue eye raised ever so slightly. “As I can see. Imagine my surprise. Sorry to say, but you, the Icon, and your friends were all expected to perish at The Destroyer’s hands. You were merely a means to an end to gain access, carrying a payload that you were not aware of.”
“So this was a suicide mission all along.”
“Oh, I don’t think Yehoshua meant it as such, but have no doubt that I am every bit as amazed as I sound. I suppose I owe you some modicum of gratitude. Though I am not certain how you managed to pull it off, I am nevertheless impressed that you saved me the effort. You will forgive me, though, if I do not shower you with praise. This was, after all, meant to be a death sentence for your betrayal.”
“Sorry to not oblige.” I glanced back at Sally again. Free of Alex’s compulsion, she thankfully hadn’t blabbed about walking in to find me in control of Dr. Death’s skin. I had little doubt Alex would have found that too interesting to let pass and possibly far too dangerous to let me live.
“How did you defeat him?” Vargas asked.
“The beast inside of him raged out of control,” Gan said, joining us. “It proved too much for even The Destroyer.”
Alex acknowledged her with a slight nod. “Prefect Gansetseg.”
“Lord Alexander,” she replied, bowing.
“I will admit to some trepidation in risking you on this mission,” Alex said to her. “However, I see that those fears were unfounded.” She merely smiled as if there was no doubt in her mind. “As I do not sense his presence, is it safe to assume that my dear brother François is in need of having his seat on the First Coven filled?”
The Tome of Bill Series: Books 5-8 (Goddamned Freaky Monsters, Half A Prayer, The Wicked Dead, The Last Coven) Page 121
