Paradise Burns

by J. P. Sumner

  'I can't let you go in there. I'm sorry.'

  'What do you mean?' he shouted back, the panic clear in his voice. 'What are you doing?'

  'After everything they’ve done, I’m not interested in their assets or their secrets. I want them erased from history. It’s the very least Ketranovich deserves – his legacy to disappear in smoke and flames.'

  Realizing what I was going to do, he set off running toward me, his right arm outstretched in a futile attempt to reach for something he was nowhere near.

  'Adrian, no!'

  But he wasn’t going to stop me. No-one was. I thought of Clara, hoping she was still in the compound. Finally, I pictured Ketranovich, lying dead on the floor, beaten. And with that image in my mind, I squeezed the trigger.

  Back

  Back In Black

  OUTRO

  I was sat on a worn, brown leather stool, resting on the bar of a small little place in Colorado Springs. I was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, with my brown boots. My shoulder bag was by my feet, resting on the bar stool. In front of me, there was an ice cold bottle of Budweiser and a shot of whiskey.

  The bar wasn’t exactly busy, there were just small groups of two or three people dotted around the place. The bar had the obligatory pool table in the corner, with three low lights hanging above it. There was a jukebox attached to the back wall, next to where a door led you into the back where the restrooms were.

  I took a long drink of my beer. It had been over three weeks since I’d left Heaven’s Valley. I was in a hospital for three days, courtesy of GlobaTech. My knife wound didn’t cause any permanent damage. The blood I lost caused the most trouble, and it didn’t take long to recover from that. GlobaTech spared no expense on my medical treatment, which was nice of them. Robert Clark was pretty pissed at me for pressing the button and destroying Dark Rain’s military base though.

  Well, destroyed doesn’t sufficiently describe what happened to that compound. Every square inch was completely obliterated, and there was a crater left that was a quarter of a mile wide and about the same deep. I’d spoken to Josh when I got out of hospital and he said he saw the explosion via the satellite feed he was linked into. He said it was one of the most spectacular things he’d ever witnessed.

  I have no idea whether or not Clara was in there when it blew up. I know the bodies of Ketranovich and the two Salikovs were. Three out of four isn’t bad, I guess.

  Dark Rain has been reduced to dust and myth. Pellaggio is dead and buried. The uranium mine is now protected by the government, and despite recent events, I can now count one of the biggest military contractors in the country as an ally.

  Aside from the uncertainty around Clara, I’d say I’ve come out of that in a pretty good position.

  Since I’d left the hospital, I'd taken the first Greyhound bus out of Heaven’s Valley. I’d told Josh to leave me be for a week or two. I needed the rest and the peace and quiet. I’d made my way down through Phoenix before heading over to Colorado Springs, where I’ve been for the last four days. It’s a nice place. Been here almost a week and no-one’s tried to kill me.

  I got up and walked over to the jukebox and fed some change into it. As I was choosing some songs, my phone rang - it was Josh.

  ‘Hey,’ I said. ‘You alright?’

  ‘I’m doing fine, Boss,’ he said. ‘You all rested up?’

  ‘I’m getting there. Just enjoying the downtime to be honest. How’s things been with you?’

  ‘Not too bad. I've been speaking with Clark on and off since you left town. Figured it can’t hurt to keep in touch and maybe whore ourselves out to them every now and then?'

  I walked back to my stool and sat down, smiling.

  ‘No, I guess not.’

  ‘Other than that, I’ve got a few jobs which you can look at whenever you’re ready to get back to it.’

  ‘Maybe in a few days. Listen, has there been any...’ I stopped mid-sentence. ‘Never mind.’

  ‘Any sign of Clara?’ he offered.

  ‘Yeah. Anything at all?’

  ‘Nothing. But she’ll forever be on our own little Most Wanted list.’

  ‘You better believe it.’

  My music began playing in the background. I’d started off with something mellow.

  ‘Is that "Carry On, Wayward Son" by Kansas I can hear in the background?’ asked Josh.

  ‘Certainly is, my friend.’

  ‘Then I shall leave you to enjoy what I imagine to be a bottle of Bud and a shot of whiskey in peace.’

  I laughed.

  ‘There’s a lot to be said for predictability.’

  ‘Take care, Boss.’

  He hung up, leaving me to my bar stool, my drink and my music. I sat down, took another drink of my beer and signaled to the barman to open me another.

  I figured I’d have another couple here, head to a motel for some sleep and move on in the morning.

  After a few minutes, my second song came on. I went for something a little heavier with this one. "Cowboys From Hell" by Pantera. One of my favorites. It has one of the best introductions I’ve ever heard. I drank my whiskey as the first verse began.

  After a moment, a man appeared at the side of me and called the barman over. He was quite a tall, broad guy. He had an unkempt beard and long hair. He was wearing a red, checked shirt and jeans.

  ‘Hey, which asshole put this crap on the jukebox?’ he said to the barman.

  The barman looked very uneasy, and his eyes betrayed him by flicking over to me. The guy turned and looked at me.

  I didn’t bother looking at him.

  ‘This is a nice, peaceful bar, asshole. We don’t appreciate devil music blasting out disturbing folks,’ he said.

  I turned my head to look at him.

  ‘We?’

  He nodded to the corner of the bar. I looked over my right shoulder to his table, where I saw two more guys, of similar build and wearing similar clothes, stood up.

  I sighed. It was a loud, long sigh.

  I reached into my pocket, pulled out a twenty dollar bill and threw it onto the bar at the barman.

  'That's for the drinks,' I said, as I got off my stool. 'I might owe you some more in a minute for the damage.'

  I turned to face the guy in the red, checked shirt.

  My name is Adrian Hell.

  Welcome to my life.

  Coming Soon

  Book Two of the Adrian Hell Series, A Hunter’s Game,

  will be published in early 2014.

  Twelve months after the events in Heaven's Valley, Adrian finds himself in San Francisco, where a terrorist calling himself ‘The Shark’ is attacking the city. With no choice but to try and stop him, and one step behind the whole time, Adrian is racing against the clock to stop The Shark’s final devastating attack, which could have long-lasting consequences for us all.

  He's being forced to play... A Hunter's Game!

  Please contact Info@theelectronicbookcompany.com to be notified of the exact publication date of A Hunter’s Game and future books in The Adrian Hell Series of novels.

  A paperback edition of Paradise Burns is planned for early 2014

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