by Daniel Gage
I burst out into the alley behind the club at a dead run, and turned down the first fork I found. All I knew is that I had to get distance between myself and these men in red suits. I didn’t even stop to grab shoes or a jacket, and was running the back alleys of Vegas wearing stockings, a lingerie top, and a thong. Thankfully it was Vegas, so if needed I could at least blend in some, since I knew I wouldn’t be the only almost naked woman out there.
The alley was empty and littered with trash, and graffiti covered the walls. A few sharp cuts on the bottom of my feet told me I probably stepped on some broken glass. But I couldn’t think about that, not right now. All I could do was hope I didn’t leave a trail of blood. Thankfully, it was already dark out, and only the ambient glow of Las Vegas lit my path. They would probably really have to search for my bloody footprints.
I found a door that was slightly open, and I ducked inside. It wasn’t much, maybe a storage closet, but hopefully they wouldn’t think that I would stop running and pass it by. I backed up until I hit the wall. I slid down it, landing in a crouch. I heard yelling in the distance.
“Split up! She couldn’t have gone far!”
Guess they broke through the club patrons. I had thought it would take longer. Hell, I had hoped they would stop these lunatics from trying to shoot me with a freaking crossbow.
Who were these guys, and why were they after me? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before. No one from my old life knew I was here, and I had been so careful not to hurt anyone since I started my new life. I did what I could to calm my breathing and slow my heart back down. It was pounding too hard. I was afraid they might hear it if they walked by.
I heard footsteps take off in several directions, and one set gradually got nearer.
Here it was, the moment of truth. Would he pass me by, assuming that I would keep on running, instead of trying to hide? I wasn’t religious, but I prayed he kept going.
But prayers went unheard, or unanswered. The door was slowly pushed open, emitting an ominous creak. The silhouette of a man stood before me, but what caught my attention was the long knife he held in his hand.
“Ah, there you are. You’ve been such a challenge to find, it’s hard to believe we’ve finally caught you.”
The man that stood over me wasn’t the same one that fired the crossbow. This one was shorter, with light skin and hair. And his smile was different. Whereas the man that shot the crossbow at me had a grin that looked more like a smile of success, this man’s smile was malicious.
“You sure are a beautiful one… tell me, what are you willing to do to save your life?” He passed his weapon to his other hand, and reached down toward me with a gloved hand.
And I thought I was a monster.
At least I wasn’t going to feel the least bit bad about what I was going to do.
“Whatever it takes,” I said as I grabbed his forearm. I shot forward, wrapped my other hand around his head, and kissed him.
He resisted, but just for a moment. My hand made a fist in his hair, holding his mouth to mine. As scared as I had been, it was replaced by a rush of energy flowing into me. I felt stronger, more confident, like I could take on these men chasing me, and more beyond that. It had been so long since I even touched someone else, for a moment I completely forgot I was in danger.
Then the man collapsed at my feet, not moving. I had a fleeting thought that I should see if he was still alive. But then I remembered that he had wanted to kill me, and that he had more friends out there. I needed to run.
I did have the presence of mind to grab the blade he was holding.
As soon as I stepped out of the storage closet I heard a shout. Two of the men in red were down the alley. With the fresh rush of energy I had drained from their partner, I ran.
I ran hard.
“Get her!” one of the men shouted. A gun fired, followed by a ricochet.
Damn! Now they had guns, too! I needed cover.
Another shot rang out as I rounded a corner and came to a halt. Dead end. My eyes scanned the alleyway, and I spied a door towards the end. I ran to it only to find it locked. I jammed the long knife between the door and the frame, and pulled with everything I had. But instead of the door giving, the knife blade snapped off at the hilt.
This wasn’t good. Not good at all.
Was I really going to meet my end this way? I never meant to hurt anyone. I didn’t even know who, or what, I was. They say life isn’t fair, but this is sort of ridiculous. How did these men even know about me? Did they know what I was?
It didn’t look like I was going to find out.
The two men in red suits rounded the corner and slowed to a walk. Both of them held pistols, and kept their distance. They were clearly smarter than their friend.
“Well, we finally found her. She doesn’t look as tough as they made it sound,” one of them said.
The other aimed his pistol at me. “They never do. But she just killed Blake. So we’d best not take our chances.” He took the gun in both hands and cocked the hammer.
I slowly slid to the ground, trying to make myself as small a target as possible, and covered my face. I didn’t want to see it coming.
I just hoped it would be over quick. And it kind of was, just not in the way I thought.
I heard a large crack of wood breaking, a shot being fired, and the impact of a bullet that was nowhere near me.
I opened my eyes to see a man holding a broken two-by-four, standing over the still form of one of my assailants. Maybe I wasn’t going to die yet.
The second man brought his gun around to handle this new threat, but only got his arm grabbed by the newcomer.
And he was fast, too. Before the second man in the red suit could react, the newcomer struck with his other hand against the trapped gun arm, resulting in a sickening crack. The man in red screamed, but only for a moment. The newcomer hit him again, this time to the man’s throat. He fell to the ground, gasping for air. Then the new guy’s fist slammed into his face, knocking the man unconscious.
The man picked up both guns from the downed red suits. He ejected their magazines and checked each one before reloading the guns. He turned to me. “Do you know how to use one of these?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head.
He nodded, and then tucked one of the guns into his jacket. “Let’s get moving.”
I got up and started heading towards him, then stopped. “Wait a second… who are you? What’s going on?”
He paused as if he was about to answer me, but a gunshot spoke for him. He turned and fired at the remaining hunters, forcing them to take cover. “Come on, Kathryn! Move!”
I pondered for about half a second as to how he knew my name before I ran.
We zigzagged down alleyways, trying to gain distance between us and the men in red. My new mysterious friend stayed between me and my assailants, returning fire whenever he could. It seemed like more men in red suits were showing up, because every time I had the chance to look back, I could swear I saw more than the two that should have been left.
“We need to get out of here!” I shouted back at my newfound protector.
He didn’t reply. Instead I felt a strong hand grab my shoulder, pulling me towards a closed door. He smashed through by charging his shoulder into it, dragging me with him. There was a momentary rush of energy as his bare hand touched my exposed shoulder, but it passed as soon as he let go when we were in the room.
It was strong, too. I hadn’t felt energy like that, ever.
We continued to move, going from room to room, trying to get distance between us and the men in red suits. It started to get progressively noisier, which made complete sense once we busted though the last door.
We were in a casino. That could be good, or really bad.
It was one of the larger ones, but I couldn’t tell which one. We were near one of the more open areas in front of restaurants. Slot machines made noises in the distance, and music was barely heard over a speaker s
ystem.
As my friend started to make his way into the crowd, I reached out and grabbed his arm. “Hang on a sec!”
He looked over his shoulder. “Why? We need to get out of here.”
“Give me your jacket.”
He turned a bit more, and this time really looked at me, and what I was wearing. Or maybe what I wasn’t wearing.
“I don’t know… I kind of like what you’ve got on.”
I crossed my arms and glared at him. “I just got shot at with a crossbow, chased down an alley, shot at some more, all while mostly naked. Give me your jacket.”
Now that we stopped moving for a few seconds, I finally got a look at the man who saved my life.
He was tall, and wearing a black jacket and jeans over what looked to be a hospital gown. And despite looking exhausted, he was really handsome, like tall, dark, and dreamy handsome. It was probably the near death experience talking, but right now I was wishing more than ever that I could touch someone. Like him.
Focus Katie. I couldn’t think about that at this moment, people were still trying to kill me.
He grinned slightly and removed his jacket, then passed it to me. When he took it off, I again noticed the hospital gown he was wearing. That fact nagged at something in the back of my mind, but I wasn’t exactly thinking rationally right now. The jacket was big for me, but at least it might give our pursuers some pause if I looked a bit different.
“What’s your name?”
“Jacob.”
“Do you know what’s going on? And how do you know my name?”
He regarded the questions for a second before answering. “I’m a friend of your father.”
I felt my heart drop out of my chest. I hadn’t known my dad to have any friends. Probably because he passed away when I was so young, but still, no one ever came by even when it was just mom and me.
“How do you know my dad? He died so long ago.”
He started to speak, but a door slamming behind us snapped us back to the situation. More men in red suits were emerging from the door we just came through, led by the one with the crossbow. And he aimed it right at me, again.
I attempted to dodge as he fired, but Jacob was faster. He grabbed me with both hands and pulled me out of the path of the bolt, which I heard slam into the wall.
We burst into a run through the crowd, Jacob holding my hand though the thick and too large jacket sleeve. Some more gunshots rang out, and the throng of people let out a collective scream and scattered for the nearest exit.
So much for ducking through the crowd. These red suits clearly had no hesitation in taking innocent lives if it meant they got to me.
We rounded a corner, only to come face to face with more red suits. Dammit, they had us surrounded. I had no idea how many of them there were, and no idea how we would escape this many.
But escaping this situation apparently hadn’t crossed Jacob’s mind. He drew his gun and aimed it at one of the men in red.
“Get down!” he shouted, firing off two rounds. They connected with the man’s chest, and he went down. The slide locked and Jacob dropped the gun, charging into the remaining red suits.
I had never seen someone move so fast. There were four men in red remaining, assuming the one with two bullets in his chest didn’t start moving again. But the four of them weren’t quick enough to hit him.
Jacob grabbed the nearest man by the face, using his momentum to lift the man off his feet and drive him head first into a poker table. The others completely forgot about me and turned to fire on Jacob. But he kept moving, and whenever they fired, it was too late to actually hit him.
He neared on his second target, darting to the outside to dodge a bullet before it was fired, then dove in, trapping the man’s arm. He grabbed the red suit’s gun with his free hand, twisting it from his grip as he pulled the man in front of him, using him as a shield. Shots were fired, Jacob’s shield took three in the torso, and Jacob’s shots took down yet another assailant.
The last one standing stood there, pulling the trigger on his gun, even though it was empty. As Jacob slowly aimed his gun at him, he panicked, dropping his empty weapon, and ran away screaming.
He turned back towards me. “Come on, let’s-“
He was interrupted by a twang of a crossbow, and a bolt struck his shoulder. The rest of the red suits had caught up.
Jacob let out a growl, and I swear for a second his eyes turned red. Blood was already coming out of the wound, but it didn’t seem to faze him. With his good arm he raised his gun, firing at the suits. They all took cover, except for the one with the crossbow. I really wish Jacob’s shots would have hit him.
Then Jacob staggered, his legs wobbling. He fell to one knee, dropping his gun.
I bolted in and grabbed his arm. “Come on, get up!”
He used me as support and stood. “I think there’s something on this arrow…”
I didn’t take the time to look back at the red suits. The gunshots told me where they were. Most of the shots missed, but when I heard Jacob grunt, I was certain he had been shot. I almost had to drag him to get him behind a support pillar.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” His eyes had glazed over, and his skin had paled. My jacket was sticky with his blood, which bled both from the bolt wound and a bullet hole in his back.
Despite that, he managed a smile. “Oh, I’ve had worse.” I think he attempted to laugh too, but it just came out as a cough.
I let out a surprised whimper as more gunshots landed near us. “I don’t think we’re getting out here… thanks for trying to save my life.” I managed a smile as I looked at him.
Instead of answering, he grabbed my arm, and started rolling up my sleeve to expose my hand.
I pulled away. “What are you doing?”
His head rolled to one side. “Kathryn… touch me.”
“Pervert!” I slapped him. Then I realized I don’t think that’s what he meant. Maybe I needed to meet more guys outside of the strip club.
But the slap seemed to knock some sense back into him, and some of the glaze left his eyes. “No, touch me with your hand… you can get us out of here.”
I looked at him quizzically. “Jacob, do you know what I am?”
He nodded.
If that was true, getting out of here alive just to find that out was worth it. I pulled up the sleeve and gently touched his cheek.
The rush was instant and intense. He gasped as energy, more energy than I had ever felt from someone, poured into me. I felt so awake, so strong, and so alive. Then something else followed: Knowledge; his knowledge, knowledge of combat. Techniques and maneuvers I didn’t know the names of embedded themselves in my brain and muscles. I had no idea I could do something like this with my curse!
Jacob reached up and pulled my hand away, panting for air, his eyes rolling in their sockets. Did I let it last too long? Was he going to die? But he looked back up at me, and managed a very weak smile.
“Can you do me a favor before you go kick their asses?” he asked, his eyes half open.
The thought made me smile. “Of course.”
“Take this damn arrow out of my shoulder.”
I grabbed the bolt in one hand and braced the other against his chest. With his energy coursing through me, the arrow came out with ease. He did cringe a bit, though.
“Rest, Jacob. I’ll take care of this.”
I stood and let Jacob’s oversized jacket slide off of me. I then came around the support pillar, ready to take on the men in red suits that wanted me dead.
The world even looked different with Jacob’s energy and knowledge. First of all, everything felt a bit slower and calm. And I was aware of everything. I saw the six red suits that had taken cover. Two were to my left and behind some overturned tables. Three were two my right, taking aim at me from their cover of chairs. There was also the man with the crossbow, smiling at me through his sunglasses.
But I was also aware of the air, and how the ventilation sys
tem was affecting its flow. I was aware of the carpet under my feet, especially how it would affect my movement speed, traction, balance, and ability to turn on one foot. And I also knew what around me would make good cover, and what would work as a weapon.
I was also aware that I was again only wearing a lingerie top, thigh high stockings, and a thong.
These men were about to get the sexiest ass kicking of their lives.
I just might enjoy this.
I started with the two men to my left. I ran toward them not directly, but in a slight outside arc. They were shooting one handed and pulling their shots to the left, so my angle of approach gave me some added protection. As I neared I could tell they were expecting me to attack by leaping over their tables. Instead I slid into them feet first, knocking their tables back into them, sending them sprawling to their backs.
Then I jumped over their tables.
I landed on one of them knees first, and I felt something crack beneath me. The air expelled from his lungs in a rush, and part of me knew he was no longer a threat.
The other attempted to bring his gun around, but my hand shot out and grabbed his, and my other grabbed his exposed throat. His eyes went wide as I drained the life out of him, and I felt more charged than ever. When I let go, he collapsed to the ground, a smile on his face.
When we got out of here Jacob really needs to tell me what he knows about me. Someone smiling as I drain the life out of them is so damn creepy.
I risked a glance from behind my cover and saw the big one with the crossbow moving away to gain to distance, likely to reload. No matter, he wasn’t my next target. The three hiding behind chairs were. And I knew I would need something to be able to break their cover, otherwise they would have me dead to rights before I could close that distance.
I looked around, and then behind me. I saw what I needed. I grabbed one of the guns from the beaten suits and dashed for the wall. A few bullets whizzed by me as I reached the fire extinguisher hanging there. I grabbed it with one hand and hurled it into the air between me and my would-be executioners. And in one fluid motion I brought up the handgun and fired a single round at the flying red canister.
Now I’ve never even held a gun before, let alone fired one. I should have been intimidated. I shouldn’t have been prepared for the recoil. But with Jacob’s knowledge, it was if I’ve done it a million times.
The bullet pierced the fire extinguisher, and it exploded in a brilliant white cloud, covering the room in its mist.
I couldn’t have asked for a better distraction.
I wasted no time in sprinting forward to the three men, who I had a feeling were now trying to regroup. But they weren’t fast enough.
As soon as I saw the first one through the fog, I repeatedly pulled the trigger until the slide locked back. Most of my rounds hit center mass, and he dropped to the ground.
The next one was close by, and I could see him turning to face me. I dropped my empty gun and charged, reaching him before he finished and was able to attack. I drove my fist into his side, aiming for the lower ribs. I connected, and before he could retaliate, I kicked the side of his knee. It twisted in a very unnatural way with a disgusting crunch. I then finished with an elbow to the temple. He went down.
The third one gave up on the idea of shooting me and drew a short blade like the one my very first attacker had. He lunged at me, but with Jacob’s combat awareness I was ready for it. I sidestepped, grabbing his weapon hand and accelerated him into my knee. It struck him square in his mid-section, and the wind was knocked out of him with a loud, “Ooomph!”
He doubled over, but wasn’t out. I fixed that by kicking my heel to the side of his head.
All that was left was the grinning man and his crossbow.
The fog was clearing, and I looked around. I didn’t see him, just heard the familiar twang of his crossbow. I immediately dropped to the floor and heard his bolt pierce right where I had been standing. I grabbed the blade held by my latest attacker, got back to my feet, and charged.
He was still grinning as he tossed his spent crossbow aside and raised his arms in a boxer’s stance.
“Come on little girl, let’s see what you’ve got.”
I snarled and sliced with the blade, but he was faster than his friends. He hopped back, just out of reach of the strike. I quickly countered, anticipating the counter attack, but it never came. He just avoided my strikes, never making an attempt to hit me.
I didn’t know if he was just seeing what I had, or if he was toying with me. Whatever it was, it was pissing me off.
I continued to slice and stab, but he was too quick. And after every one of my attacks I expected him to punch me, kick me, try and disarm me, anything. But still, he did nothing but side-step and dodge me.
After this went on for what felt like an eternity, he finally countered. And likely because he waited so long, when it came, it came as a surprise. I had thrust at his chest, but instead of avoiding the blade, he moved so it barely missed him. His arm came up and trapped my arm, stopping my momentum and preventing me from escaping. His other hand struck mine, sending the blade pin-wheeling out of my hand.
I still couldn’t pull away, and his knee shot up into my gut. I doubled over, expecting more strikes or worse, but he let go and I fell away.
I recovered, and brought my hands up in a defensive stance, ready for him to attack. Instead, he stood there, smiling.
“Come on,” I said, trying to buy myself a few more seconds to catch my breath. “You going to fight me, or just dance around all night?”
He laughed. “Please, you think a half-blood is any threat to me? It’s just been a long time since I’ve had any fun.”
Half-blood? What did that mean?
“Do you know what I am?”
He looked genuinely surprised. “You don’t… oh, this is even better!”
My breath had recovered, but I continued to feign difficulty getting air. “No idea… so if you’re going to kill me, won’t you at least tell me what I am?”
His smile returned. “My dear girl, you’re a half demon. Succubus, to be exact.”
“What the hell is a Succubus?”
“Youth these days, so uncultured… Haven’t you ever wondered why people love you so much without knowing you? Or how you can drain energy with a touch or look?”
“I can drain energy by looking at someone?”
He tapped his mirrored sunglasses. “I’m not just wearing these as a fashion statement.”
“So why are you trying to kill me? Because I’m this Succubus thing? I’ve never meant to hurt anyone!”
He laughed. “Oh, you poor girl… doesn’t know what she is, doesn’t know why she’s going to die.”
“Tell me!”
He shook his head, still smiling. “Enough talk.”
He shot forward, his fist aimed at my head. I barely had time to react, blocking his attack with my own arm and stepping back. He didn’t relent, and damn, he was fast. Like fast enough to give Jacob a run for his money. I kept my arms close as he would jab, then hook, then jab again.
But he was the one who kept pressing the attack, which forced me onto the defensive. He was just too fast, I couldn’t find an opening anywhere. So it was only a matter of time until one of his punches connected with my stomach, causing me to double over. And before the wind was finished rushing out of me, he followed up with an upper cut. The strike actually lifted me off my feet, and I hit the ground shoulder first.
As I pushed myself up on all fours, I noticed a metallic taste in my mouth. I spit it out, a good portion of it blood. No teeth, thankfully. Hopefully I just bit my lip. I wiped my lips and looked back at the man in red.
He was still smiling that same smile. God, how I would love to wipe that off his face, one pearly white tooth at a time. I hated it. I hated everything about this person. It wasn’t enough that he knew what I was, or that he wouldn’t tell me why they wanted me dead; or that instead of just ending this, he felt
me insignificant enough to toy with me.
No. I wasn’t going to let it end like that.
Instead of standing back up, I charged from the ground, catching him by surprise. I drove my shoulder into his waist, tackling him. He fell back, his arms shielding his face, his legs trying to wrap around me. It might’ve looked somewhat erotic, had I not been screaming at the top of my lungs.
I pummeled him with my fists, trying to get anything to connect. Unfortunately only his face was exposing skin, otherwise I’d try and drain him. But my strikes weren’t having any effect. He took each one in stride, blocking or deflecting them with his arms. And in maybe a half second lull in my barrage, he struck.
His fist shot into my stomach. Again, I should have expected it, but he drew me into a pattern, and then quickly disrupted it to his advantage. I doubled over, then his leg shot up, and the tables were instantly reversed. I was suddenly flat on my back, with him straddling me. I attempted to react, but his massive fist struck my jaw, and I was seeing stars.
My vision was blurred, but the sound of a knife being drawn was unmistakable.
“Not bad, little Succubus… you almost gave me a challenge. But now playtime is over.”
I could see his blurry form arc back, preparing to drive that knife through me.
God damn it! Just after I find out what I am. That was the first step into controlling this, to figuring out how to deal with this curse. And now… now I wasn’t even going to get a chance to take that step.
A rapid succession of gunshots interrupted my train of thought. Bullets struck the grinning man in the chest, and he fell back, blood spraying everywhere. I turned my head and saw Jacob, leaning against the support pillar he had been resting behind, holding a gun. It must’ve been the one he stashed in the jacket he gave me. I had completely forgotten about it, but thankfully, he hadn’t.
I just might get that chance to figure out what I am after all.
Jacob tossed the gun aside and attempting to step away from the pillar, and despite his glazed over eyes and drunken knees, he managed to find his balance.
As I got to my feet, I heard a roar behind me, unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. It made the entire room shake, and I almost lost my footing. I turned and saw the grinning man standing there, holes in his chest, black blood oozing out of them. His sunglasses were gone, revealing crimson eyes. His tan skin had begun to peel away, exposing red flesh beneath. And I couldn’t be sure, but he looked bigger, both in mass and height.
But the horns growing out of his head was probably the creepiest part.
“JAAAACOOOB!!” he bellowed. “I’m going to send you back to Hell for this!”
I backpedaled, getting out of his line of sight. He didn’t care about me for the time being, and it gave me half a second to ponder what he just said. How did he know Jacob? And send him back to Hell?
Jacob stumbled toward him, and he now held one of the blades used by the fallen red suits. He wasn’t going to stand a chance against the grinning… thing? I wasn’t sure what he was, now.
“You were always second rate to me, Hanson. Come finish this, if you think you can.”
The grinning thing Jacob called Hanson let out another roar, and charged.
I thought he was fast before, but now, he was a blur. I’ve seen National Geographic specials where they show cheetahs chasing their prey, but this Hanson thing would have left those cats in his wake.
And Jacob was barely able to stand. He was going to be torn apart.
A part of me screamed inside, wanting to look away. I didn’t want to watch, but I was frozen.
Hanson closed the gap in what seemed like less than a second, and Jacob never moved until the very last moment. He pivoted out of Hanson’s path, and I saw his arms move too, but couldn’t tell what happened. Hanson’s momentum carried him well past Jacob, and he crashed into the ground.
Hanson just laid there motionless, more of his black blood pouring out of him. What did Jacob do?
Jacob turned and looked at his fallen opponent. He saw he wasn’t moving, and then fell to one knee. Whatever drug was on the crossbow bolt was clearly still in his system, but he didn’t seem to have gotten hit by Hanson.
It was then I noticed he wasn’t holding the blade anymore. Instead it was now sticking out of Hanson’s neck.
Wow. I knew Jacob was fast, but Hanson seemed so much faster, especially when he started to change his form. And Jacob was clearly not at his peak, but he had killed this thing with almost no effort.
Just who were these men, and what sort of world was I just drawn in to?
“Kathryn, are you okay?”
I was bruised, and my jaw was going to ache for a few days. “I’ll be okay. You?”
He didn’t answer, but I could see that the hole the arrow had left and a bullet wound in his back were still bleeding. And who knows what sort of poison was on that arrow. He was going to need a hospital, and fast.
“We need to go,” he said, trying to stand.
I dashed over to him, helping him as best I could, without making skin to skin contact. “You need help. A hospital.”
“No… I’ll be okay, I just need time.”
I had no idea what that meant. “You’re delirious. You need medical attention.”
He shook his head. “Kathryn, there will be more of them. Now that they’ve found you, they’re not going to let up.”
More red suits? Just how many were there?
I sighed. “Fine. Let’s get out of here. Then we get you help.”
