Another ten minutes of hiking brought him even deeper into the forest. He could tell he was getting closer now to his prey. The trees and bushes grew increasingly brown, their leaves withered and dying. Their very life force was being sucked out.
James halted and frowned. The dying vegetation wasn’t the only change. Since he’d entered the forest he’d heard bugs or animals, but now only the quiet moaning of the wind and the crunch of branches under his feet were the only noises.
“Yeah, bet you’re real close, aren’t you?” the bounty hunter murmured. He reached up and tapped the amulet resting underneath his shirt. He’d used a metal piece to separate it from his chest, and he wasn’t sure if he would need it.
James unholstered his .45 and held it with both hands. If even the insects were scared, the despair bug was damned close.
He continued moving deeper into the forest, hoping that Shay still had visual contact. The one wildcard in the situation was the despair bug’s ability to get into people’s heads. From what he’d read, it only worked on people who already had issues with depression or sadness. The mere possibility of the ability’s use kept the regular police away from the area, though.
“You’re not so tough, are you, asshole?” James shouted. “That’s why you have to hide and play mind games. Why don’t you just come out and fucking deal with me?”
A wave of vertigo struck James and he stopped, shaking his head and trying to regain his balance. The sensation vanished.
What the fuck was that?
“You shouldn’t have come here, James,” a man called.
The bounty hunter spun, gun raised. No monster or Japanese hiker stood in his line of fire, but instead an American priest in full vestments. It’d been years since he’d seen the man, but he still recognized the smiling face of Father Thomas.
“You’re not real,” James declared and shook his head again. The priest had died protecting him. That was what he remembered, but the more he thought about it the more confused he became.
“I’m very real, James, and I’m sorry. I failed you.”
“No, you... Fuck, this isn’t right.”
Father Thomas laughed. “My ward is a foul-mouthed thug who kills people for a living.” He laughed. “And then you inflict your grievous sins on Father McCartney. I wonder how he feels at night, having to help you cleanse your disgusting demon-tainted soul.”
Vertigo struck James again. “It’s...not...like that.”
The priest snorted. “It’s not? Aren’t you here to murder hundreds of people? How is it not like that?”
James rubbed his forehead, trying to focus. “You don’t understand. I’ve tried to get them to leave me alone, but they won’t fucking stop.”
“He who lives by the sword dies by the sword!” the priest thundered. “You make up these excuses, but you crave blood and violence, all the while using some demon amulet.” He pointed at James. “Your soul is already lost, you pathetic evil man.”
“That’s not how it works,” James argued. He rubbed his eyes and tried not to trip over his own feet.
Father Thomas didn’t seem to be standing in one place. He disappeared and reappeared every few seconds.
“This is just bullshit,” James said. “It’s all bullshit.”
“Bullshit? No, it’s the truth. Why do you think I kept that horrible thing from you? It whispers to you, doesn’t it? Whispers dark things in a language you don’t understand. Demon speech. Satan’s promise of power in exchange for a soul.”
“Fuck you, you piece of shit. You’re not real.”
Father Thomas sighed. “How long do you think you can last, James? How long before that demon corrupts you? It’s already corrupted your soul. Next it’ll take your mind and you’ll kill everyone you care about. Shay, Alison...they’ll all die at your hands, but there’s a way you can save them. There’s still a chance for you to protect the ones you care about.”
James blinked several times, trying to focus on the priest. The man seemed to have stopped teleporting and now stood about three yards away.
“Save them?” the bounty hunter mumbled.
“If you’re not around them to hurt them they’ll be safe, but we have to be certain you’ll never come back. That there won’t be a risk.” A sick smile covered the man’s face. “You know what you have to do, don’t you, James? Take that gun, put it in your mouth, and pull the trigger. Save those you love from your demon-tainted soul. Save the world from your demon-tainted soul. You’ve used something evil and it’s too late for you.”
He’s right. I don’t even want to use the damned amulet. How many times have I asked myself what the price of using it is?
“Do it, James!” Father Thomas shouted. “Be a real man for once instead of a demon puppet. You think they’ll understand when you finally turn on them? You think you’ll be able to control yourself? You won’t. You made a mistake even telling Shay about the amulet. You know that in your heart. You know she’ll soon learn what a disgusting demon freak you are and leave you. Maybe she’ll try to kill you to stop you before it’s too late, but you’ll kill her first.” He sneered.
“Shut up.” Increasing vertigo made it hard for James to stand.
“Maybe the girl will be your first victim. She can see the truth, you know.”
That’s right, Alison can. “I told you to shut up. You’re not Father Thomas.”
“You think because she’s told you about your beautiful soul it’s true? She’s just scared. She’s hoping to gain enough magic at the school to save you, but it won’t be enough. You’ll kill her with your bare hands as that demon amulet screams in your mind.”
“Shut the fuck up!” James roared. He glared at the man, breathing ragged.
The priest clucked his tongue. “You already know what you have to do. Kill yourself before it’s too late.”
James’ phone buzzed and he shook his head, confused. A couple of seconds passed before he pulled it out of his pocket and looked down at the text.
Who are you yelling at? From what I can see, you’re shouting at nothing.
Hands shaking, James texted back.
Don’t worry about it. Just having a little discussion with my bounty.
The bounty hunter slipped his phone back into his pocket and narrowed his eyes at Father Thomas.
“How fucking dare you take his image,” the bounty hunter snarled. “Of all people! I will destroy you.”
“You’re a monster, James. A freak. Look at what you can do. Look at your face. Demon-tainted monster. You think you can have a family? You think a thing like you should even have a family?” Father Thomas laughed. “The only thing you should seek is oblivion.”
“How fucking dare you do this to all those people,” James yelled. “You piece-of-shit monster. You’ve been killing innocent people and feeding off them by driving them to suicide.”
“I’m not the monster, James. You are. There’s only one way out. One solution for a demon-tainted monster like yourself. If you want to save the ones you love, kill yourself. Do it. Do it!”
James whipped up his .45 and squeezed the trigger three times, but Father Thomas didn’t jerk back, fall down, bleed, or otherwise react. Instead, he faded slowly from sight and the lingering vertigo stopped.
“Nice try, fucker,” the bounty hunter shouted. “Now you’ve gone and made this personal. Very fucking personal. I’m gonna enjoy this.”
Chitters echoed all around James and he spun, gun raised. He spotted something twining around a tree trunk.
Six pairs of jointed legs were evenly spaced down its long segmented chitinous body. Fully extended, it would easily measure over ten feet. Massive mandibles jutted from its mouth. The alien horror was completed by something mundane but more disturbing by the juxtaposition: a triangle of large human eyes above the mandibles. All three stared at James.
The despair bug screeched and launched itself from the tree.
James leapt to the side to dodge the monster.
&nb
sp; “Die, you ugly son of a bitch.” He opened up with his pistol, its loud report echoing in the forest.
Each bullet that struck the carapace bounced off, not so much as scratching the creature. The bounty hunter emptied his entire clip as he backed away.
The despair bug let out another eerie hollow chitter and rounded on James, its mandibles snapping.
The bounty hunter grunted. “Guess that’s why you’re a level-five.”
James holstered his gun, yanked a throwing knife from underneath his coat, and threw it at the despair bug. It bounced off to no effect. He’d not hoped for much, but when dealing with magical creatures a man could never be sure what might work.
The despair bug charged again and James rolled to the side, narrowly missing impalement by one of its razor-sharp legs.
James pulled out another knife, this time a heavy saw-toothed blade. He rushed toward the still-turning bug and brought down the knife with as much force as he could manage.
If it were a man the bounty hunter could have easily shoved the knife clean through, but the carapace again deflected the blow like it was thick steel armor.
Come on, you could at least fucking bleed for me?
The despair bug whipped up the back of its segmented body, sending James smashing into a nearby tree trunk.
James grunted and pushed himself off the tree, his back aching. He grabbed the fallen knife.
The despair bug’s three eyes remained focused on him. The creature didn’t charge him, but instead screeched loudly.
That your native version of talking shit? Fuck you.
James let out a quiet grunt as an idea occurred to him. He roared and charged the despair bug and the monster launched itself at him, but at the last second the bounty hunter spun to the side to avoid the pincer grasp of the mandibles.
With both hands he again brought down his knife, but this time right into the top eye of the creature. The blade sank to the hilt into the creature’s head and it thrashed, knocking James to the side.
Blue ichor spewed from the wound, and the despair bug continued whipping back and forth. James pulled out another knife and shoved it deep into another eye, and the thrashing intensified.
James locked his legs around what passed for the head and yanked out his .45, and reloaded it, all the while being bucked by the monster as if he were participating in the world’s most horrific rodeo.
The bounty hunter shoved the barrel into the remaining eye and kept pulling the trigger until the despair bug collapsed to the ground. It continued to twitch for a good half-minute before it finally stopped moving.
James hopped off the dead monster and looked down at his ichor-stained coat and pants. “Yeah, that’s fucking disgusting.”
Connor loved going after marks he respected. Frying some poor sucker who wouldn’t have a chance against him was for pussies. Sure, he’d take the money, but he loved the idea of taking down someone who might have a ghost of a chance.
He wasn’t sure how much he had believed in Brownstone before, but seeing the bounty hunter lay waste to the strange monster made Connor a fan. The assassin almost regretted having to turn the man over to the Harriken.
Sorry I have to take you down, Brownstone. If it wasn’t for the money I’d take you out for a beer, because that was badass.
The assassin fished his wand out and raised it. He estimated the distance at about sixty yards, which normally wouldn’t have been an issue.
Too many bloody trees. I’ll need to get closer.
Connor hated being in the creepy-ass forest, but once he’d realized where Brownstone was going he’d figured it’d be the perfect opportunity to take the man down.
Just my luck I’ll probably run into a ghost who’ll kill my ass before I can get to Brownstone.
A shadow passed over him from behind. Connor’s heart rate kicked up and he spun, wand at the ready. Agony shot through his wrist as a blade pierced it and he hissed in pain as he tried to go for his gun with his left hand.
The knife was pulled out of his wrist and was in his other arm in flash. His attacker shoved a knee into his stomach and Connor collapsed to the ground.
Through the haze of pain and adrenaline, Connor realized his attacker wasn’t a ghost but a beautiful dark-haired woman.
“Wait... Are you some sort of Japanese ghost who takes the appearance of a sexy woman?”
“No, idiot. I’m all too alive.”
Fuck. Of all the people to take me out, it has to be a bloody hot babe? Damn it. Or, fuck, did that bitch Hisa decide to remove some of the competition?
The woman put a knife to his throat.
“Which one are you?” the woman asked, her voice low.
The woman’s accent was American, which meant she wasn’t Hisa in disguise.
“I’m just a tourist,” Connor said, wincing in pain. “I got lost. You have to believe me.”
“A tourist carrying around a wand?”
“Wizards go on vacation too, you know.”
The woman chuckled and pressed the knife lightly against this throat, drawing blood. “I’m gonna ask again, and if you don’t tell me the truth I will kill you. Which assassin are you?”
The woman was obviously a pro. Maybe he could deal with the situation a different way.
“Connor Malley. Come on, you don’t have to do this. What’s this about? You mad ‘cause the Harriken didn’t hire you to take out Brownstone?” He hissed in pain. With the adrenaline starting to fade, the burning in his wrist and arm dominated his attention.
The woman’s face twitched. “I’m asking the fucking questions here. You’re some sort of electrical wizard, right?”
“Yeah. Listen, we can work together. Harriken didn’t do an open call, but you can work with me and still make some money.” He sucked in a breath and tried to ignore the pain. “We take down Brownstone, and I’ll split the money with you. Fifty-fifty, right down the middle. Sounds fair, right? Hell, sixty-forty.”
If the bitch would just get off him he could down a healing potion and end his pain.
“There’re three more, though, right? Three more assassins? Hisa, Sabine Haas, and Trevor Moses?”
“You’re well-informed. Come on, we can do this together.”
“Where are the others?”
Connor had to admire the woman’s instincts. Her gaze never left him, not for a moment.
“We’re doing this individually, but we had an agreement about the order.” Connor took several deep breaths. “Who are you?”
Fuck this hurts.
“My name is Shay Carson. I’ll probably meet you someday in hell. No hard feelings.” She slit his throat.
James finished taking pictures of the downed despair bug with his phone and uploaded them. He waited for a few minutes for confirmation that the pictures would be acceptable proof of the kill. Dragging some ten-foot long weird-ass monster out of the middle of the forest was about the last thing he wanted to do.
Fuck, I don’t even want to carry that thing’s head. And the smell. Damn!
His phone buzzed.
Photographic evidence received and confirmed. Please stop by any Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Station for your reward.
They followed with a smiling emoji face wearing a police hat.
His phone buzzed again.
Hey, get over here. I’ve got a present for you.
James looked around until he spotted Shay waving through the trees. He made his way through the forest toward her, and once he spotted the body he picked up the pace.
“See?” Shay exclaimed. “It was a good plan. This is...was, Assassin Number Two. Meet Connor Malley. Before he joined his victims, he kindly informed me that the assassins aren’t going to attack you together. That’s gonna make this shit easy. We can pick them off one by one.”
James grunted. “Guess that’s good news.”
Shay sniffed. “Geeze, Brownstone. I think that’s the worst shit I’ve smelled in a while. And what was all that yelling about ea
rlier?”
The bounty hunter looked away. “The thing got into my head a little. They don’t call it a ‘despair bug’ because it’s funny.”
“You okay?”
Fuck. No. Maybe it’s time I actually trusted her for real.
“Yeah.” James rubbed the back of his neck. “When it was fucking with me, it made me think about some stuff about the amulet. Some stuff I haven’t told you yet.”
Shay narrowed her eyes as she wiped off her bloody knife on Connor’s body. “What?”
Maybe I am a freak or a monster, but I need to go forward with this shit and find out the truth.
“The amulet,” James began. “When I wear it, it whispers in my mind.”
Shay shrugged. “Okay, what does it whisper?”
James stared at the woman. He’d been expecting her to be shocked or disturbed or at least a little surprised, but instead it was like she already knew what he was going to say.
“I don’t understand the language,” James said. “I don’t even know if it’s a real language or if that’s just how it sounds in my head.”
“Pay more attention. Concentrate. Maybe you can grab some sort of clue that’ll help me.” Shay stepped toward him and tapped his chest where the amulet lay underneath his shirt. “We can figure this shit out, Brownstone. We just need to collect more evidence.”
“Do you have any leads?”
An uncertain look descended over the tomb raider’s face. “I’m still doing a lot of research. I’ll let you know when I have anything.” She blew out a breath. “For now, let’s get the fuck out of this forest.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Shay turned to leave and James fell in behind her. He was happy to have taken down the monster, but he couldn’t help but feel she was hiding something from him.
Fuck that noise. That’s just the despair bug’s after-effects. Shay’s killed more than a few times to help me, so the least I can do is believe in her.
James glanced over his shoulder at the deceased Connor Malley. “Worried about anyone finding his body?”
Shay held up a gloved hand. “No prints, and once they run his DNA and realize who he is I think they’ll stop looking, especially given where we are.”
Bring The Pain_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Page 14
