by David Gallie
‘I’m here to finish what I started at the beginning of this evening.’ I said bluntly. I was neither confident nor scared. I just wanted to get it over with.
‘I’m trying to save this man’s life. You coming in here covered in blood is going to cause all sorts of infections he may not heal from.’ The anger in the surgeons’ voice waned and gave way to an almost pleading tone.
‘Trust me. Infections are the least of his worries where he’s going.’
The surgeon, scalpel in hand, charged towards me as I made my way towards him. Once he was close enough I swung my right-hand around in an arch, my fist connecting hard with the man’s cheekbone.
There was the familiar sound of bone being broken as his head twisted all the way round beyond the point it was naturally capable of going while attached to his neck. As his body fell to the floor I continued onwards to the bedside of the soon to be late Jim Mancini, a one-time mob boss and soon to be ex-friend of the king of hell himself.
The remaining occupants of the room, well the ones who could still walk at least, looked at me with fear in their eyes before they glanced at each other and then decided that bolting for safety was better than trying to save this wretched old man’s life.
I allowed myself the few moments it took for the two female nurses and male doctor to jostle each other through the double doors. A few seconds later and I could hear the distinct sound of a woman screaming as they discovered the body of the guard out in the hallway.
Time is always a factor in any job that I do, but none more so than what I had to do tonight. If it had been any other job I would have made the effort to hide the guards body, that way it cut down on the amount of people who would be actively searching for me by the time I got out of the building.
Well, that was another time and probably soon to be another life. In the meantime, I had to at least try and see this thing through. I turned my attention back to the old man lying in the bed.
There was a silence in the air broken only by the occasional beep from the heart monitor. The surgeon had managed to cut a slab of skin neatly across the forehead of the soon-to-be dead man and he had folded it back over the targets eyes like a makeshift blindfold.
I could see the small hole left behind by the bullet that should have ended his life, and I could not but help wonder if the surgeon had managed to prise the mangled piece of lead from his skull before I made my way into the room.
I couldn’t see any kidney dishes containing human skin or other matter so I assumed it was still in there somewhere, probably rattling around in what was basically and empty shell if my new employer was to be believed.
I clenched my fist around the golden bullet as hard as I could, my fingernails digging deep into the soft flesh of my palm, which in a strange way helped to re-enforce that for now I was still very much alive.
Raising my hand above the comatose man’s head, I was about to bring it down hard on his exposed forehead like a hammer, but I stopped in mid-motion when the heart monitor suddenly started to beep more and more frequently as the old man’s heartbeat began to rise and rise.
He was waking up. Suddenly all the anticipation and fear from earlier that evening came washing back over me again as it had done when I first broke into Mancini’s apartment.
Even though he and his expensive lover had been laying sleeping I had been feeling even more unsettled than usual because of what I was about to do, and of course after my little deal brokering session with the horned one down below it all made sense why I had been feeling that way after all. I wasn’t here to take away the life of another human but a demon, something that I thought had never existed in any kind of reality.
‘You didn’t think I was going to let you take me back to him this easily did you?’ When Argatol spoke his voice was low and growling like a wild animal, but it also sounded old.
Old? No that was wrong, it sounded ancient. In a way, that made sense, since he and his master had been kicking around since the beginning of time.
From under the cover, he raised his right hand towards me, clasped in his fist was the butt of a gun I recognized all too well.
It was my own. Now I knew why it had not been on the front seat as I expected. When the two vehicles collided and Mr. Wannabe demon lord in the bed had been sent hurtling through my windshield he must have had enough time to reach out and grab it.
I may have the ability to punch like a God, well at least while the bullet was in my grip, but I was pretty certain my eternal life part of the deal had not been finalized yet. I was going to need to buy time while I thought of a way to get that gun from him.
‘This is pretty puny for a big shot hell beast like you.’ I said, staring straight at the barrel of my own revolver.
‘I have lived for countless centuries. I have conquered lands, men, and woman, alike. I am not the puny one.’ Said Argotal. I could sense his rising resentment of me already and I had not even struck a blow.
‘Yet here you are, lying in a hospital bed with a hole in your head. Doesn’t seem like something I would expect a demon such as you to have to go through.’ I was starting to feel more confident now, even though he was still holding the gun I felt like I was gaining ground on him.
I watched as he raised his free hand up towards the slab of skin that was once his forehead. He slowly peeled it back until it was lying flat against his skull once more, albeit it was going to need some stitching if he wanted it to ever stay in place.
Once the demon in an old man’s body could see again, his black eyes were staring straight at me, trying to probe my very soul for something, anything, that would break my armour and allow him to reduce me to a jabbering wreck before he finally put me out of my misery with my own gun.
‘It is a small indignity I must suffer to keep this pathetic shell.’
‘Yeah, I forgot you don’t have the same kind of power as your boss.’ It wasn’t until I spoke those words, that I realized one could actually hit a nerve with a demon. As it turns out they were rather sensitive creatures in their own way.
‘He’s not my boss.’ Spat Argatol. There was no mistaking the venom in his voice now. ‘I’m the one who feeds him the souls that give him his very power and I get nothing but scraps from his table.’
‘Ah, you’re the jealous type. I always thought it was Death who handled the grunt work of getting souls from this world to the next.’ I couldn’t help but smile, even though I knew I was only stoking the flames of his anger.
‘Death is nothing but a nomad soul, unwelcome and unwanted by any of the Gods.’
‘Seriously? I thought his job would probably be the one most of your kind wouldn’t mind having a shot at. At least he does something productive with his day other than taking drugs and screwing prostitutes.’
‘I am not ashamed of enjoying human pleasures, especially the greatest one of all. The one that makes me feel…how would you say…warm and fuzzy inside.’
There was a teasing in his voice, the venom had gone and now he was the one who had focused in on something. This was bad considering I was the one standing without a gun.
‘Well, it obviously isn’t love considering the trail of bodies you have left behind over the years.’
‘Your right and each of those life’s I have taken have been a great pleasure for me. Far greater than any drug-induced euphoria or sexual contact which is why I’m going to enjoy this…’
The room resonated with the clash of gunfire and then my own scream as the hot lead tore into my right cheek. The pain was unlike anything I had experienced and what made it worse was the fact that it seemed to slow as it tore apart my flesh, and not slow like the way a normal bullet would lose its velocity after hitting so many obstacles in its path.
No, something was making the bullet come to a stop and it did, buried deep in the soft flesh of my cheek, and just before it would shred the bone which came after it.
Suddenly the hot lead was racing back towards its point of origin even faster than
it had come towards me. Argatol let out a gargled scream as the bullet smashed through his right hand, I could see a couple of his fingers float through the air and land somewhere near the doors.
I had no idea how it could have happened but I was not letting the situation slip by, and as soon as I heard my gun clatter to the floor I was dropping to my knees soon after it.
A large chunk of my right cheek hung loosely from my face like a curtain hanging on by only one hook, and I could feel the cool air brushing against my teeth. I reached out with both hands, well one hand and a fist, trying to locate the missing weapon.
Eventually, after a few seconds of searching, I was able to find the cold butt of the gun and clasp it tight in my grip. Now I really did have the upper hand and it was time to bring this deal to a close.
Well, that had been the plan until I heard Argatol climbing out of the bed. By the time I was in a position to get to my feet I felt something hard hit me on the back of the head, and then the beeping from the heart monitor stopped.
The world swam before my eyes as the force of the blow knocked me further down onto the floor. While I was trying to regain clear sight I was vaguely aware of Argatol rushing towards the rooms’ only exit, blood gushing from the stump of his hand.
Slowly, far more slowly than I would have liked, I tried to get back up and to my feet. It took a few moments and I had to use the metal footer of the bed to steady myself, but I eventually got there and despite the incessant ticking of that inner clock, I was pleased to see that I had managed to retain the golden bullet, which was turning out to be the most essential thing I needed.
The doors leading in and out of the room where swinging rapidly on their hinges which meant Argatol already had a head start on me. But as I found sure footing once again I charged after him out into the hallway.
Although I wasn’t looking for it, I did note that the body of the guard had been cleared out of the way, probably by the hospital technicians no doubt. There was no police or other signs of authority trying to figure out what had happened to the poor hulk, but I suspected that my employer had something to do with that.
What hadn’t been cleared out was the pool of blood left behind by the corpse and I could see the stark red prints of bare feet leading through it and round the corner. The wanted demon was making his way to the outside world.
Mustering all the energy I had left, I ran in the same direction, secretly hoping that the magic bullet in my hand would be able to give me that extra boost. Unfortunately, it did not give me super-human speed, but I was able to make good enough time that when I rounded the corner I could see the old dragon just a few feet away from the receptionist area.
Another few feet beyond that lay the entrance to the hospital and freedom into the world that would make a mockery of me if I even dared to recant what had happened to me that night.
Desperation began to creep in again as I continued to give chase. There was simply no way I was going to catch Argatol unless some god-like creature was able to magic up a pair of rockets strapped to my shoes, which by the way were not designed to be chasing demons with.
Then an idea popped into my head and I glanced down at the hand holding the bullet. It was literally a long shot, but since I was now officially out of options it seemed perfectly viable considering everything else that had happened.
Argotal was just a foot or less away from the corridor entrance which would give way to the waiting area and the doors leading to the ambulance bay and his freedom.
Now was the only chance I had.
As small rivulets of sweat cascaded down my forehead and dripped from my chin, I raised my right arm, as if I was going to pitch a baseball. With every ounce of strength, I could find, I threw the bullet at the running demon.
To my surprise, the bullet raced through the air at lightning speed, just as fast as if it had been fired from any gun. I prayed my aim was good enough to at least slow the harbinger of death from reaching the ambulance bay. How I was going to stop him if I couldn’t regain the bullet was something I would have to deal with as it happened.
Argatol let out and enraged scream as the bullet thumped into the back of his head. Even though the beads of sweat dripping into my eyes made my vision blurred, I could see blood and bone fragments splatter in all directions.
The sheer velocity of the bullet had merged with the running velocity of the demon which meant Argatol was still moving forward even though I suspected it was not out of his own free will.
I heard the homeless guy sitting three rows back in the waiting area cry out in alarm as Argatol crashed headlong into him and before they both went sprawling to the floor.
Breathless I slowed my pace to a quick walk. I glanced over at the reception desk expecting to see the old nurse cowering in fear, but to my surprise she was still sitting there, small specks of bright red blood dashed across her brilliant white uniform.
There was no time to wonder why she hadn’t reacted to the whole incident, my one, and only thought was making sure that I had finally got my target.
When I cautiously reached the fallen man and demon, I noticed that the old homeless guy had been knocked out cold, a brand new bruise beginning to show on top of his head.
Mancini, or Argatol as he was really known, showed no signs of breathing at all. But if he was a creature of the undead then that didn’t really count for much. I was going to have to double check.
Remaining cautious I reached down, grabbed the shoulder of the wrinkled and abused body the demon had been using as a host, and slowly pulled him over so he was laying on his back.
The bullet had really done a number on him. Where his pompous and arrogant face had once been was nothing more than a gaping black hole from which the inner matter of his skull continued to ooze out into the waiting area.
Next to him lay the small piece of shaped gold which had caused all the damage. After realizing just how powerful it was, I quickly scooped it up and stuck it into my pocket.Somewhere in the back of mind, there was a small voice of reason which suggested that I should maintain ownership of it until a later date when it could become useful again.
As I was starting to straighten myself up again, my attention was still on the gaping wound where old Mancini’s face had been when I felt an ice cold blast sweep through the waiting area.
Following the wind, there was a very unsettling sensation of time slowing down to a full stop. It was as if the universe had decided to play dead and everything around me was suddenly no more real than a dream a child may have.
‘You’re ten seconds late, Samuel.’
I turned towards the direction of the voice and saw Satan sitting in the exact same spot where the old nurse had been only a few moments ago. He was still draped in his fine white suit with black shirt and crimson red tie.
‘Well, it is my first time hunting a demon.’ I said, pointing down at the fallen Argatol.
As my gaze followed the path of my own finger I was rather stunned to watch as the dead demons body began to turn to ash and blow away in an unseen and unfelt wind.
Then just to compound my astonishment I turned to watch the dark one walk through the solid, Formica-topped reception desk like it was made of nothing but the same air which I breathed.
‘If you had been ten minutes late then that would be a problem we would have to resolve, ten seconds, on the other hand, is not something I would get upset about.’ His voice was calm, but there was something there, woven between the words he spoke like an unseen thread holding them together.
Was it anger? Rage? Disappointment? I wasn’t sure, but there was definitely something his horny dark one was not happy about. Maybe it was the fact that I had just killed his one-time best friend.
‘Does the deal still stand?’ I was hesitant to ask but figured there was no point in beating around the bush.
‘Only if you accept the amendments I have chosen to make to it.’ The tone of his voice suggested that there would be no bartering but I found m
yself very curious as to what his changes to the deal would be.
‘Well, you’ve got me by the balls. What amendments do you have in mind?’
‘You managed to kill a demon whose only competitor to the throne of hell is me. Do you realize the gravity of that Samuel?’
I must say that after all the chaos of the night I was finding it hard to believe in anything other than self-preservation. And all things being said and done, I knew fine well that the devil was not the kind of guy you took to be one hundred percent honest. For every truth he told there was probably ninety percent lie to it, and so I decided to humour him.
‘I’d like to stay out of hell for as long as possible, so if you think I’d try and take your throne you can forget it. I’m not that dumb.’
‘Oh, I know just how smart you are Samuel. And that is why I am still willing to grant you eternal life, but only on the condition that you remain loyal to me. If I require you to perform a certain task for me then I expected you to do it without hesitation or I will strip you of everything and feed your soul to the bottom feeders of hell.’
It sounded very much like Satan wanted me to be his bitch, and on the thought of facing countless years in untold agony, I decided it was best that I played the part. At least until there was a way to get away from him.
‘Okay, and what about Lisa?’ This was the most important aspect of the deal to me. By anyone’s standards, I was scum. I took life in exchange for money, but Lisa had been pure, at least in the way that a brutally hedonistic world could breed such a woman. ‘You said as part of the original deal you would grant her passage to heaven.’
‘I know exactly what I said Samuel, but you were ten seconds late. Any other soul who dared to waste that much of my time would be in the slaughter rooms right now…However, to maintain some semblance of respect I will grant her asylum from the torture she endures, but she will not go to heaven, Samuel. Not until I’m certain of your loyalty to me.’
It actually came as no surprise that he would backtrack on his deal. In fact, to be honest, I was pretty sure the whole deal thing had been nothing but a clever rouse to get me to do what he wanted in the first place. My only consolation in the whole thing was that he was at least going to grant her asylum away from the pain and anguish she was suffering which raised another question
