by Barry Reese
And so now he was living in the German countryside, killing every now and again. He had no long-term plan but at some point he thought he’d return to America and take revenge on Gravedigger. Her victory over him was embarrassing.
The OFP had been in pursuit, of course. They saw him as a weapon they could use for their own purposes but he would never be shackled to anyone else, not ever again.
He’d found this shack and thought it fairly safe but the soldier had come tromping around about ten minutes ago and when he didn’t leave, Mr. Death had struck at him, dragging him inside and killing him.
More noise from outside suddenly made the villain freeze in place. Was the soldier part of a larger force that was now closing in on him? He crept to the door and peered out, a gasp escaping his skeletal mouth.
The thing that stood there was not quite a man, though its general shape was the same. Its body was a strange mixture of vegetation and flesh, the scent being like that of freshly mown lawn. It staggered towards the shed, a strange intelligence in its eyes.
Mr. Death recognized it instantly. He’d heard the stories about the creature and its escape from captivity. “Baron Eric Von Emmelmann?”
The monster paused, as if recognizing the name. It resumed its slow march towards Mr. Death, who emerged to greet him.
“It is you, isn’t it?” Mr. Death laughed merrily. “At this point, I think you’re less of a man and more of a Heap. I think that’s what we should call you, yes? The Heap.”
The Heap said nothing, though it watched Mr. Death closely. Something had led it here, to this odd little man and, though his slow-moving thoughts could not form the words necessary to describe it, he knew that this day would be one that would alter his unique existence forever10.
* * *
Max Davies opened the storm door and descended the wooden stairs into the room he and his wife had dubbed “The Peregrine’s Nest.” It contained his laboratory and spare equipment but even more importantly, it gave him a measure of privacy.
He’d just finished a nice meal with Evelyn, who had listened to all of his stories about the altered world with wide but believing eyes. She had learned to trust Max, no matter how crazy his stories sometimes got. In fact, she’d accompanied him on nocturnal excursions often enough that she’d seen many strange things firsthand.
Nonetheless, there was only so much that he could share with her. Some things were just so personal that it was difficult to express in words. He’d been haunted by visions of demons, Nazi-overrun countries, and the death of Lazarus Gray ever since he’d returned.
He laid The Knife of Elohim on the desk, remembering how he’d stabbed it into Lazarus. In retrospect, he’d thought of other things they could have done but in the heat of the moment, Gray’s plan had seemed to be the only thing that made sense.
The blade wasn’t glowing at the moment, which meant that no evil was nearby. Max turned away from it and set about making more of his specially modified bullets when he heard something that gave him pause. He looked over his shoulder to see that the blade was glowing softly. Even more disturbingly, he heard whispered words. At first he couldn’t make them out but then they became more distinct before fading out entirely:
It was worth it.
“Lazarus,” Max said. A smile spread across his face and he nodded in understanding. “You won’t be forgotten, my friend… I promise you that.11”
THE END
Notes
1 See “The God of Hate” from Lazarus Gray Volume One.
2 As depicted in The Adventures of Lazarus Gray Volume Five.
3 See The Adventures of Gravedigger Volume One for more on this.
4 As shown in The Adventures of Gravedigger Volume 2: The Silver Skull.
5 “The Making of a Hero,” Lazarus Gray Volume Two.
6 A reference to Abigail Winters, former member of Assistance Unlimited.
7 See Lazarus Gray Volume 5.
8 The adventures of Assistance Unlimited will continue in The Adventures of Lazarus Gray Volume 6: Assistance Unlimited.
9 Gravedigger will continue her quest for justice in The Adventures of Gravedigger Volume 3.
10 The story of Mr. Death and The Heap will continue soon.
11 The Peregrine appears next in “Abominations” in The Adventures of The Peregrine Volume One.
About the Author
Barry Reese has worked for a variety of publishers, including Pro Se Productions, Marvel Comics and Moonstone. He’s written classic characters like The Avenger and The Green Hornet but he’s best known for his original creations—The Peregrine, Lazarus Gray and Gravedigger. Married to artist Cari Reese, he has one son and far too many pets. If you’re interested in finding out more about his prolific writing career, check out www.barryreese.net
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GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG
by Barry Reese
Edited by David White and H. David Blalock
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Cover art by Chris Batista
Illustrations by Mitch Ballard
E-book design by Forrest Dylan Bryant
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