The Others Agency

by V J Lee

  The pain was there again, and stayed the entire way down the corridor to the elevator, and then down to the basement, where the old morgue was housed.

  Once they entered the concrete room where the meat lockers were, Roth released her pain. Rissa took in great, gasping breaths.

  Trevor was right there with her, rubbing her shoulders and kissing her forehead.

  The stench of sulfur was even stronger down here. The air was crackling with electricity.

  Roth stood at the foot of her bed. He flipped the foot stirrups up, then placed her feet in them.

  He smiled at Rissa, and she saw that the charming doctor she had met in the fertility clinic was long gone. It looked as if Roth’s teeth had grown and sharpened—they looked like small daggers—and there seemed to be several rows of them. But still, she didn’t get a read of “Other” from him.

  “We can do this one of two ways,” Roth said. “You can give birth like normal, or I can rip that baby right from your womb, which will kill you in a most painful manner. We will do the latter if there is any kind of problems from either of you. So, what I want you to do is just let nature take its course. I’ll let you know when to push, and once I have my child, we can be done with each other. Forever.”

  “Do you expect us to believe you’ll let us out of here alive?” Trevor ground out. His eyes were focused on Roth, but his hand was inching under Rissa’s pillow.

  Roth laughed—a vile sound that made every hair on Rissa’s body stand on end. “You are a smart one. You’re right. You will never make it out of here, but I can make it painless … or not so much.”

  Rissa didn’t think she was going to live through this birth anyway. So, she would do everything in her power to help Trevor and their baby survive. The thought had no sooner crossed her mind, when Trevor lowered his lips to her ear.

  “Don’t you dare. Your only job is to stay alive. We got this, and this fucker is going down. Do you trust me?”

  She nodded, but didn’t really feel it.

  Roth held out that fucking hand again. His nails had grown long and dark, making his fingers grotesquely disfigured. As the pain struck, Rissa screamed, “What the fuck are you?” She knew there was evil lurking under the skin of the real Dr. Roth.

  He lowered his hand and the pain was gone.

  Roth started shaking almost violently, as his skin fell away.

  The smell of sulfur exploded around them. A black wind came out of nowhere. There, standing in Roth’s place, was something that Rissa couldn’t explain, but the word demon came to her lips. The thing standing, or more accurately, swirling there at the foot of her bed, was like nothing she had ever seen before. It was a giant, black, churning mass of wind with red, slanted eyes, and huge inky-black misty wings that flapped back and forth, causing the hot, nasty air to blow over her body.

  “I was going to use Roth to help deliver this baby, but now, see what you made me do? It looks like we must do this the hard way.” The thing spoke through a gaping mouth with those rows and rows of sharp, fang-like teeth.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Rissa groaned, as another pain assaulted her.

  “I am Bune. I am the mighty Duke of all that is evil, and you should all fear me. You will bow before me.”

  As he was saying this, the head of a black, vicious-looking dog appeared to come out of his neck. Its head was big and square, with razor-sharp teeth in the long muzzle. The drool dripping off of its two-inch-long canines looked like acid, because as it dripped to the floor, the concrete sizzled and melted away. Its ears were pointed with sharp barbs on the ends, and its eyes swirled a molten lava color. The dog head snapped its vicious teeth at them.

  Then, popping out of the other side of Bune’s neck, appeared the head of a black-and-red dragon, blowing fire out of its mouth. The head in the middle, Bune’s own head, solidified as well. He had wavy black hair, and features that looked like they had been cut from marble. A straight, narrow nose and full lips, which didn’t show those rows of hideous teeth, and though his eyes were still red, the man was breathtakingly beautiful.

  “Not now, you idiots! Get back in,” he hissed, as all three heads disappeared. Rissa and Trever were once again staring at the swirling black mist with a gaping mouth, sharp teeth and red eyes.

  “What the fuck?” Trevor chose that moment to voice exactly what Rissa had been thinking.

  Bune solidified enough to wave an arm in frustration. “I am sick of the Master being the only one who can make life. I came up here, to earth, so I could be a master of my own.” He swirled around the room, dissipating then reappearing, right behind Trevor.

  “Everything I have put my imprint on has failed. I even brought a soul from hell and tried to make him something more. He, too, failed me. He had his ownthoughts, and that will never do.” Bune then whispered in Rissa’s ear. “You may have called him Shark Boy.” His rancid breath blew across her sweating brow. He dissipated and reappeared to the side of Rissa, placing his hand on her belly, causing pain to assault her with a vengeance. “I will take this child and raise him to overthrow the Master. Then, I will rule.”

  Was this dillwad talking about the Devil? This was not good, so not good at all. There was an explosion near Rissa’s head, her ears ringing painfully. Trevor had managed to sneak her gun from her bag, and had shot at the thing. The bullet passed right through him, slamming into one of the lockers.

  Both the head of the dragon and the dog came out, snapping at Trevor. Bune laughed. Trevor stepped back, and the pain in Rissa was so overwhelming, her vision was blacking in and out. She knew she had to stay conscious, but she didn’t think that she had any fight left in her.

  Chapter 25

  Trevor watched with horror, as it appeared that Rissa was giving up, and that was unacceptable.

  “Come on, sweetheart, stay with me,” he murmured in her ear.

  Bune was now up on the ceiling, casting a dark shadow. The only features Trevor could make out were two knurled hands and red eyes.

  Rissa’s back came up off the bed. She had enough fortitude to wrap her arms around the rails, so she wouldn’t be pulled off the bed and slammed into the ceiling. Trevor put an arm across her, adding another layer of protection.

  Trevor was wracking his brain as to how he could get them out of this alive. If Bune was just mist, there was no way a gunshot could hurt him; hetried that one already. And he couldn’t do what he really wanted, which was to beat it to death with his bare hands.

  Rissa’s dress was still pushed up around her waist. The black dress made her already-pale skin a ghostly white. Trevor saw her once-sparkling eyes dimmed with pain, and the understanding that she wouldn’t make it out of this alive—when they were open, at least. She kept passing out from the pain. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to keep his promise to Rissa and take care of their baby if she didn’t make it. Because if she didn’t make it out of here, neither would he. He was ready to fight to the death to keep her alive, and if she died, he would be hot on her heels, all the way to the afterlife. Trevor was going to die protecting her, and he had made his peace with that long ago.

  But what Trevor was trying to wrap his head around, was why didn’t Bune just rip the baby right out of Rissa? Why was he playing with her … torturing her?

  Rissa’s body relaxed again. Trevor looked up to the withering mass of black mist on the ceiling. It slithered across the ceiling and down the wall. It drifted across the floor, until Bune brought all the mist together, standing in his solid human form at the foot of the bed. Trevor got a look at what Bune thought to be his human form.

  He had to be standing at least six-and-a-half feet tall, with broad shoulders and muscles bulging everywhere on his body. He kept the red eyes and black wavy hair, which flowed like silk to the back of his suit jacket. Bune’s skin was tanned to perfection. His facial features looked to be sculpted by a master sculptor’s hand, every line chiseled perfection. He had on a gunmetal gray Armani suit with a crisp white shi
rt and red tie to match his eyes.

  Bune stood there with both hands in the pockets of his perfectly-tailored, expensive suit.

  Cocking his head to the side, he observed Trevor with a questioning look on his face. “You love her.” It wasn’t a question. His voice was deep and gravely.

  Trevor had to shake his head at the stupidity of that question. “Of course I do. She’s everything to me.”

  “You would give up your life for hers?”

  “Yes.” There was no need to think on that stupid-ass question for a single second. Trevor knew if he died, Rissa would care for their kids and give them the best life possible. But if she found another man, Trevor would haunt that guy until the day he died.

  “It upsets you that I am hurting her. You would rather I just pull the baby out and get it over with.”

  “I don’t want to see her in pain. If you’re going to kill her, just do it fast and painlessly. Then you can take me and torture me.”

  Bune began to pace back and forth at the foot of the bed. “You know, I watched her being tortured when she was in my custody. Never would she give up a secret, or anyone who was Other. Even knowing she would be electrocuted or beaten. Even starved and dehydrated, she never weakened … but you, on the other hand, I feel would crumble rather quickly.”

  Trevor straightened to his full height, shoulders back and head held high, before saying, “You’re right, I would never last as long as she did. But I would never tell you anything; I’d kill myself first.”

  Bune smiled a devastating smile, showing only one row of beautifully white and straight teeth. “I’d never allow that. The pleasure of killing you will be all mine.” He stopped at the very end of the bed again. This time, one tanned hand reached out as he stroked Rissa’s ankle. Those long, tan fingers stroking over her smooth, white flesh was a sin. It was a travesty that something so vile could touch someone so sublime.

  The action made Trevor clench his jaw, along with his fist. His right hand still clutched the gun, but his trigger finger was shaking so badly, he didn’t know if he could stop himself from shooting.

  Then, it hit him like a lead balloon. If Bune was in this state, maybe Trevor could shoot him. Maybe not kill him, but hurt him badly.

  Bune turned to Trevor and smiled. “I wouldn’t, if I were you.” Damn it, the bastard could read his mind. Bune cocked his head to the side and nodded his head, as if he were talking to someone or something telepathically.

  Now that the sulfur smell had eased a bit, Trevor could smell the dust and dank of the morgue. The dust floating around had his eyes and nose itching. He had to get Bune’s attention off Rissa.

  “Did you really marry Petra?” he asked, hoping the question would get Bune talking until Trevor could figure out some plan to get Rissa out of here alive.

  “Are you jealous?” Bune asked with a snort. “No, of course you’re not. Petra …,” he said with a longing look and devilish smile. “That one was so easy to turn, even as the good doctor. That one craves money and power like no other. But no, I did not marry her. Dr. Roth married her; I merely took her soul.” He shrugged a shoulder, and continued, “It was easy, once she thought she could have you back. But the deal was that I would get the boy back. There must have been a small amount of good left in her. She traded the boy for her,” he said, nodding toward Rissa.

  Trevor’s eyes snapped up to the demon.

  Bune snickered. “Yes, we wanted the boy. We tried to get the boy. Then Petra came to me, telling elaborate stories of the skills the various agents had. But I was most interested in one in particular.” Again, those long fingers ran up and down Rissa’s toned calf. “Rissa’s skills are well known through the Others, but Petra handed over all the information as to her talents, which are quite impressive. So, the plan to divide and conquer was a great success. It just took one break-in and attack on Petra, and you and Rissa were officially done. Just like Petra said would happen. Of course, a little black magic for lust helped a little, now didn’t it?” Bune leered at Trevor.

  “I ended up having sex with Petra, because of you? You put some sort of spell on me?”

  “Well, we just made you hard … you stuck it in her. You caused Rissa to dump your ass, setting into motion the events up to her turning herself over to us. Too bad I had some snakes in the nest that aided in her escape. I could have stopped it, but after I put the imprints on the baby, I needed someone to carry it to term.” He ran his hand over Rissa’s swollen belly. “Or at least, until it was ready. And what do you know … now is the time.”

  Trevor’s chest hurt, his jaw ached from clenching it. Suddenly, the door opened. Trevor jerked his head in the direction of the room’s entrance. The doorway was filled with people … lots and lots of people were streaming into the room.

  Bune changed, once again, into the dark mist with the gaping mouth. He hissed, “You thought to stall me, when in fact, it was I who was just waiting for the right time.” Gone was the deep raspy voice. In its place, was the hissing sound of the demon.

  Trevor recognized some of the women filing into the concrete room. He should have, because Jock had been hammering the images of their faces into their memories for the past several months. They were some of the missing women, but they looked dazed and disoriented. There were big, hulking, very non-descript men in the mix. Trevor didn’t know how many in all, he just kept his gun trained on them, as they surrounded him and Rissa.

  “I’m done playing,” Bune hissed. “They’re all here so no one detains us any longer. Including you, Trevor Snow. They have been told to attack, if you so much as flinch in my direction.” The demon’s voice grated over Trevor. “Not that you could hurt the likes of me with your puny human weapon.”

  The mist hung over Rissa. She screamed, arching off the bed. Trevor could see blood beginning to run down the sides of her distended stomach—streaming rivers of red pooling into puddles on the once-stark-white sheets.

  Rissa opened her eyes, hazed with pain. Looking at Trevor, she whispered, “Please don’t hurt the women. They don’t know what they’re doing. I think they’re drugged.” Her voice was raw and raspy from screaming in pain.

  The thought of her going through this, made Trevor want to put hands on Bune even more. Rissa, the kindest-hearted person he knew, who not only was being ripped apart and had to be in sheer agony, was thinking of strangers she didn’t even know. The women who were surrounding them looked as if they wanted nothing more than to eviscerate both of them. Rissa wanted him to save them. Hell, he didn’t even know how he was going to save her, let alone get these women out of harm’s way.

  “Hold her down.” Bune’s voice boomed through the room. “I have to use all my powers to retrieve the child, and I don’t need him interfering.”

  Several pairs of hands, both female and male, reached out and grabbed Rissa, pushing her down into the mattress. She must have passed out again, or no longer had the will to fight, because she didn’t try to move away from them.

  As Bune started the demonic ritual again, the lights flickered. Trevor looked around, trying to figure out if anyone else noticed, and to scope out who the hell was going to be the first asshole to get his face smashed in. No one seemed to bat an eye at the electrical malfunction. However, he did see a big fucker at the foot of Rissa’s bed, holding her down with a sadistic gleam in his eye. That would be the one. He’d put his fist all the way through his face and out the back of his head. However, right now, he kept one arm around Rissa and the other on the gun under her pillow.

  Total darkness hit. No more flickering lights—everything just went black. Trevor heard Bune hiss, and there was some shuffling of feet. He felt a warm breeze on the back of his neck and the air suddenly smelled of ozone, like it was about to rain. Could … could he smell a wet dog?

  In the darkness, Trevor heard Bune sigh, and say, “It would seem we have company.”

  The lights blazed back on with a buzz and whirring sound. Sure as shit, several of the Light Alien
s stood at his back. The Spirit Wolves, in their wolf form, blocked the door, and the Vampires hung in the shadows.

  “Fucking thank you,” Trevor said, with relief he felt all the way to his bones.

  Bune laughed. “They can’t save her. Or you. Hell, they can’t even save themselves. I am untouchable.”

  “Who the fuck would want to touch you? You are one ugly motherfucker,” Cosmo bit out.

  That caused the demon to scream in fury. Trevor thought he felt the building shake. Then, the demon seemed to rein in his temper.

  “I want them all dead. Painfully … slowly … dead,” Bune said in a very calm and controlled voice.

  The women stayed with their hands glued to Rissa, still forcing her down into the mattress. The dazed look in their eyes was the telltale sign that no one was home. The men, on the other hand, were all aggression—they seethed with violence.

  “Draco, did you put a lock down on the room, so no humans inadvertently walk in on this massacre?” Titus asked the big redhead.

  “It’s done.”

  “Good.” Athena smiled that sexy, evil grin she had.

  No sooner did the words fall from her lips, then the room began to fill with evil-looking creatures. They came out of nowhere and were only about three feet tall, but they were fucking scary. Their mouths gaped open with row upon row of sharp, jagged teeth, saliva dripping from their open mouths.

  They were gray, the color akin to rotten flesh. With red slanted eyes, their hair looked like thick black dreadlocks, but they were moving and had yellow eyes. Trevor realized they weren’t dreads at all, but were actually snakes. They whipped around, trying to bite with what Trevor could only assume was a lethal dose of poison. The creatures looked as if they had long black fingers, too long for their hands. Then he noticed the fingers were actually thick black talons on each digit. They didn’t wear any clothes, so Trevor could tell right away which ones were male and which were female. Their different parts were swinging this way and that. The sight could definitely make someone lose their focus.