by JKMelby74
“How could I have missed that?”
“Easy, big guy. I told Tyler I’d assist him in receiving Morgan’s body when it arrives tomorrow. I’ll handle that and I’ll give the reins of the Jackal case over to you. Just so you know his old hideouts were a bust. I suggest you talk to the doctors at Kennison again. Push a little harder. I’m sure no one there wants to advertise the fact they let a total psychopath dance out their doors. Again.”
“Right.”
“Now, why don’t you go on home, or wherever it is you go at night? Nothing much we can do now.” Ivar then nodded and promptly left.
I sat down at my desk and turned to face the window. The sky was beginning to fade into dusk. It was quiet and still. A rare moment in my day when I could just sit and absorb the stillness of the world. The demon inside me was even silent, which didn’t happen often.
I was just about to be on my way home when there was a knock at the door. I checked my watch to make sure the time was right. Business hours were long over.
“We’re closed!” I called out. I could see a faint shape in the smoked glass on the door. It was still. “I said we’re closed! Come back tomorrow!” No movement. I bolted up and went to the door, pulled it open and felt my heart skip. I didn’t know what was standing in front of me. It was dressed in a large, ornate robe. The hood was pulled over its face but what little skin I could see appeared green. I looked down at the hands and they were green too with long tapered claws. Cracked and frayed.
“Jake Corba?” Its voice was low and raspy.
“Yes. We’re closed.” It raised its eyes to me. Piercing red. It brought its hands up and pulled the hood back a little. I could make its face out more clearly. If it had been human, there was little evidence of it. Its eyes were burning and its mouth was stretched into a demented smile, showing off two rows of impossibly sharp teeth.
“I have come to hire your services. I need you to bring something to me.”
“What?” It coughed weakly and locked its eyes on to me again.
“I want you to retrieve a body for me. I understand it will be arriving tomorrow.”
“Morgan Sanguine?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“I’ve already been hired for that job.”
“By who?”
“I’m not at liberty to release that information. I’m sorry. These offices are closed. Thanks for thinking of me. Good night.” I slammed the door shut. I turned away and let out a breath, and then I felt the door hit me square in the back. I fell forward and slid across the floor. I turned over and saw the figure walking in. I heard the rattling of chains.
“The Black Flame will not have her highness!” It hissed as it bared its claws. It tightened its fists and brought them down hard. The impact sent a surge toward me, splintering and cracking the floor as it approached. I rolled away as the hole in my floor ripped open. I looked up at the figure and it tore its robe off. It looked to be the same shade of green all over. The body was big and worked out. Large thick arms and legs. Chains clung to its body as if attached to his skin. I saw small flames flickering in the locks that held the chains on. Its eyes blazed brighter. It was like there was nothing inside of him other than some unholy fire. Red light filled the room and the creature lunged at me. We tumbled across the room, hitting the wall hard. Its body pressed against mine. I suddenly felt the sensation of hundreds of sharp stickers stabbing me in the shoulder all at once. I looked over and its mouth was locked onto me. I could see the blood spreading under my shirt. Fire was shooting up into my brain. I was losing feeling in the bitten arm and my other one was useless. I closed my eyes and with every last bit of strength, flung myself back. I pushed the creature down and landed on it. Its teeth released me. The feeling in my arm quickly returned and I dove for my desk and found my guns. I jumped up and blasted away at the monster. I hit it four times right in its chest but it didn’t so much as flinch.
“The Reborn will see Morgan risen!” It hissed at me. “If you do not aid us, you will perish!” It tossed my desk aside. I unloaded the last bit of ammo in my gun on it but with no effect. It lunged forward and pinned me against the wall again with its claws. I could smell the death on its breath.
Suddenly, I heard a crash of glass and the entire right side of my office caved in on the creature. I heard a roar from under all the other noises. When the dust finally settled, I looked up and saw a large, towering figure of a wolf beast standing over me with the creature in its claws. Its paws were large and heavy with claws that were sharp and glistening. The muzzle of the beast pinched back into a nasty snarl and its yellow eyes blazed with a primal rage. It coughed out a rapturous roar and swung the creature around, letting it fly across the room, hitting against the wall with an audible crunch. It fell into a lifeless heap on the floor and I dug myself out from under the rubble. The eyes of the wolf caught mine and suddenly it lurched back and forth. The fur was shedding in clumps and its proportions were shrinking. Before my very eyes, I saw the beast transform into its human form. Tyler Thorne.
Chapter 18
The Mission
Tyler stood before me, furless and wearing the tattered remains of his clothes. The Reborn creature was still lying dead on my floor.
“Thought so.” I looked Tyler up and down.
“What?”
“I could smell werewolf on you from the moment I saw you.”
“How?”
“Bud, I’ve been in this business a long time. Don’t think you’re the first werewolf I’ve ever met. You may want to think about a haircut though. That wild mane of yours was the first clue,” I said. “How did you manage to change? It’s not a full moon.”
“I’ve found ways to transform at will. I don’t do it a lot. Just when it’s an emergency.”
“Cool. Were you following me?”
“No. I was following him,” Tyler said as he pointed over towards the dead Hell creature on my floor. “The Reborn paid us a visit shortly after you left. We fought them off and they retreated. I managed to follow this one all over town. I was hoping he’d lead me to their hideout. It would seem they know what we’re up to already.”
“The supernatural community is a small one. It’s hard to keep a secret around here.” I turned back around to our visitor, but there was nothing in the spot where he had once been lying but a puddle of blood and burn marks. I looked out the giant hole that was acting as my window and I saw several dark figures racing down the street.
“They never travel alone,” Tyler’s eyes were intent on the fleeing figures. “I’m surprised they didn’t all come up here to tear you apart.”
“What can I say? I’m a lucky guy.”
Tyler assured me a member of the Black Flame would be nearby at all times when I demanded that he let me go home. I couldn’t sleep in my office, as there were now only three walls to it.
I got in my car and after a few tries, it finally burst to life. I chugged through the meanest streets Hollywood had to offer to the rundown apartment building I had settled in. The outside wasn’t much to look at. Cracked paint. Dead front lawn. Bars on all the windows. My car struggled to a small space right in front and died as I lifted my foot off the brake pedal.
I got out and trudged up the walk towards the front door. I could hear the televisions blaring from behind my neighbors’ doors. The ever present aroma of Indian food and expired kitty litter hung in the air. I walked up the stairs and soon found myself staring at my door. I pushed the key in and swung the door open. It was dark inside, which was a good start, as I really wasn’t looking forward to any company.
I flipped on a light and flopped down on my sofa and let the stress of the day leave me. For as many times as I’ve dealt with supernatural forces it still managed to rattle me up. Feeling claws digging into your body can really put you off your game.
I tried to sort through the vast amount of information I had been exposed to. As I did, I absentmindedly followed a small spider as it crawled up the wall a
nd disappeared into a dark shadow in the corner of my ceiling. I got up and walked over to the only clean window and looked out onto the street. No sign of life. Human or otherwise. I turned to the kitchen and flipped the light on. Nothing on the counters. Appliances looked clean and untouched except for the slight dust build-up. I pulled the fridge open and all I could see was half a six-pack of beer, a bag of brown salad, half a loaf of bread and some lunchmeat that looked to be mere days from becoming a living organism. I grabbed a beer and shut the door. My first sip was interrupted by a knock at my door. I said a quiet thank you that it was a knock. I opened the door and saw Ivar standing before me.
“Hey, man.”
“I just saw the office. What happened?” I stepped aside and motioned for him to enter.
“We had some visitors.”
“The office has been completely destroyed.”
“The Reborn.” Ivar’s eyes found me and I was surprised to see the shock in his eyes.
“You made contact with The Reborn?”
“They seem to be interested in Morgan’s body as well.”
“This complicates things. The Reborn are a vicious order.”
“We’ll pick up Morgan’s body and then they’re the Black Flame’s problem.” I was a little surprised at how natural it was beginning to sound even in my own head.
“Do you know what they intend to do with Morgan’s body once they have it?”
“Sure. They plan to take the body and burn her to a crisp. End of crisis.”
“Not really. Morgan is no mere witch. Disposing of her as they hope to do will require much more than mere flame.”
“We really haven’t hammered out all the details. I’m just giving you the broad strokes here.”
“This is what I’ve been experiencing. There is a great and terrible power lingering just beyond the horizon.”
“Why do you always have to talk like that? I’m feeling good, relaxing with a beer and you have to waltz in here talking about great power and evil. We have a client. We pick up the corpse-sicle and get paid. Can’t you be happy about that?” I could tell he was still worried, and I didn’t blame him. On paper everything seemed pretty basic, but groups like the Black Flame rarely ever made things simple. With Jackal on the loose and the body of a powerful sorceress floating around, I was beginning to get an ominous feeling in my gut as well.
Chapter 19
The Deal
I met up with Tyler at seven in the evening just outside the airport. He was camped out in a white van a few blocks away from the main entrance. He jumped out and handed me a folder.
“This is all the information you need: Your new name, your license number and all the paperwork that they’ll be asking for. Memorize it.”
“In less than an hour?”
“We can’t afford a slip up here, Corba. I’ll do most of the talking, but if I need you to back me up, you have to know this stuff. The Washington police think a research company is taking the corpse for examination. We need to talk the talk.”
Tyler then went back into the van and pulled out two sets of white uniforms. We both slipped them on and got into the van. He revved it up and drove on toward the airport. He turned off the main road down a more deserted lane that ran up around the perimeter of the complex. It looked to be the route most industrial vehicles took to make pickups. There were a few security gates to pass through. They checked our paperwork and passed us through. We finally came to a stop at a large entrance.
“Get out here and wait for me. I need to park this thing.”
“Right.” I jumped out and Tyler sped off to a nearby parking structure. There was no one nearby except for a few security guards who were wandering around. Every once in a while, they would look up at me and give me the ‘security eye’. I looked around nervously and still saw no sign of Tyler. I turned and saw a small path that led to some restrooms. I decided then was as good a time as any to freshen up.
I walked in and discovered it to be as empty as outside. I walked up to one of the sinks and turned on the water.
“Hi, Jake.” I spun around and there was Jackal standing in the corner. He looked different. His black hair was slicked back tight. His face was calm. His eyes were fixed on me thoughtfully and a small smile graced his slightly fuzzy lips. He had his arms crossed behind his back and his clothes were more stylish than normal.
“Jackal.”
“It’s so nice to see you again. I’m sure you’ve been busy looking for me.”
“We’ve been sniffing around. Where’ve you been?”
“You are here with the Black Flame, aren’t you?”
“How do you know about that?”
“I know why you’re here. That’s all that matters.”
“What is it to you?”
“I’m here to stop you. The Reborn are very interested in taking Morgan’s body and they’ve asked me to help them.”
“You’re working with The Reborn?”
“Who do you think wrote my ticket out of the nut house? At first, I was a little resistant, but when I realized the power they held I couldn’t say no.” He took a step forward.
“You’re here alone?”
“Yes.”
“You’re going to stop me all by yourself? You’ve never beaten me in your life.”
“I don’t intend on fighting you, Jake.”
“This is getting better and better. How are you going to stop me then?”
“I’m not going to stop you, exactly. You see, what’s going to happen is you will take Morgan’s body and bring her to me.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“What will the Black Flame do when they get Morgan? Destroy her, right?”
“I believe that’s the plan.”
“And with her, any hope of lifting the curse you have lived under for all these years.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Morgan is the one who placed the curse upon your family originally. The curse that has left you in the state you are in, and as such, she holds your salvation. With her body, it would be possible to purge the curse.”
“What do you know about it?”
“More than you think. The Reborn hold many secrets and I have learned quite a bit since they welcomed me into their fold. Morgan is your only hope of being normal and all you have to do is hand her over to me.”
“And I’m supposed to trust you? Once upon a time another Warlock said he could save me, but his ‘cure’ wound up nearly killing me.”
“Your uncle. I know. I’ve heard the story. The only difference this time is this is for real. With Morgan’s power, I really can set you free. I can release the demon and absolve the curse.”
“I could ask The Black Flame to do that.”
“You could, but it would be pointless. They believe Morgan’s very energy spreads evil. They want her destroyed. Besides, they don’t have the knowledge to perform such a feat. I do. I’m the only one who can free you now, Jake,” Jackal turned to one of the mirrors on the wall and ran his fingers along his hair and then crooked his eyes back toward me. “We’re very much alike.”
“We have nothing in common.”
“We’re both mortals who’ve been sucked into this world of demons and monsters. We both wield powers.”
“First, I didn’t choose this for myself. You did, and second, you are a psychopath!”
“You’re not exactly the picture of mental health yourself. My point is we have always been two sides of the same coin. I think we should start trusting each other more. Trust me to cure you. Let The Reborn have Morgan’s body. I know it’s what you want,” I turned toward the door and started away. “I won’t be here.” I looked over at him. “You were going to call security, weren’t you? I just want to let you know that I won’t be here by the time they arrive. I came here only to offer you this chance. All you have to do is make sure my friends receive Morgan’s body. You do that and I can heal you. Think about it. No more demons. No more wei
rdness. You can go on from here and lead a normal life. You can look at me with those stone eyes all you want. I know that’s what you want and I know you believe me. Think about it. You have about twenty minutes to decide your life. No pressure.”
I walked out, cursing Jackal but I knew he was right. He would be gone by the time I rounded up any security guards. I saw Tyler approaching with a gurney.
“Okay. Follow me. Don’t say anything and look like you belong.” He said as he passed me. I followed him in.
As we walked down the corridor, Jackal’s words rang in my head. There was a grain of truth in his words. Morgan was the one who cursed my family, and by that logic, she could be the only hope I had of purging the beast within me and breaking the family curse once and for all. It could be a once in a lifetime chance that would be forever lost if her body was destroyed.
“These are the terminals private charters use to deliver large deliveries, such as bodies. It’s not as busy in the evening as it is during the day, so keep your eyes peeled. There really shouldn’t be too much traffic around here right now, and if there is, it could be The Reborn.” I nodded carelessly as my thoughts swirled through my mind.
We approached the gate where the body was going to be delivered. Two security guards flanked the doorway. I hung back while Tyler handed over a thick pack of papers. They went through them and soon we were allowed to proceed. I looked over at Tyler and he glanced back at me. I could see the sweat on his forehead but his eyes communicated nothing but confidence.
We walked out onto the tarmac toward the plane with our cargo. We rolled up to it and another small army of security guards greeted us. Tyler flashed more papers at them and soon a large metal box, the size of a coffin, was brought out from the plane. They loaded it onto the gurney. It was large and heavy. There was a small device installed on the side that looked to be some kind of thermostat. Tyler engaged in a little small talk while I made sure the box stayed steady on the gurney, which turned out to be woefully too small to carry the load.
