Evil Origins

  Chapter TWENTY EIGHT

  Renaud

  I could see their shadows on the other side of the door. Two street-tough young thugs that would charge right at me the minute that they realized I was free. The Crippler was staring at the ceiling with haunting, empty eyes. If only he realized that I had shared my hell with him and his was much worse I was sure his heart would stop. His body count was much higher and the agony he had brought to the world was so great that I couldn’t count them all, but they would in Hell. He would be forced to account for ever tear he caused and his punishment would dwarf mine.

  My one hand was still broken and deformed from my ordeal and even the air touching my skin made it burn. Holding my wrist, I tried to think of a healing word. I placed the image of a healthy hand deep in my mind. I whispered, “Sana,” and a loud pop followed as the bone and muscle started twisted and changing, sending a deep burning through my entire body. I clenched my teeth and forced out”Sana,” trying to force my body to obey with sheer force of will. The strength poured out of me and I fell to the floor trying not to scream out from the pain. The sound of laughter on the other side of the door was welcome, since it meant that they were oblivious to the fact that I wasn’t being tortured any more. I was gasping for air trying to remain strong long enough for the pain to fade. Not the pain from my hand healing, but the fire burning inside me from the amount of magic it took to do the process.

  It took too much time for me to drag my ass off the floor, but eventually I was able to stand on my own feet. I hadn't been able to use my magic for too many years and magic was like muscle. It's only strong when used and exercised regularly. My hand still felt stiff and awkward, but it would have to do. Completely healing it would drain my strength and I am certain that in the coming hours I would need all the strength that I could muster.

  I placed my hands firmly against the door, trying to make sure that I would be placing them exactly where the two guards were. They deserved to die, but I didn't want to carry that burden with me in this life or the next. I whispered, "Tetanus," and watched the door slowly begin to glow. It took a lot of concentration and effort to push it through the door and into their bodies. It probably wouldn't kill them, but it would knock them on their asses long enough for me to escape them. A heavy thudding sound followed as they fell to the floor. I opened the door slowly, hearing the rusted metal from the hinges scraped against each other.

  The hallway was dim and left way too many shadows for my liking, but there wasn't a hell of a lot that I could do about it now. Both men were kneeling, throwing up as the disease took over. By now their muscles and joints would be as stiff and weak asan eighty-year-old’s after a lifetime of struggles. I stepped out and ran towards the first man, grabbing him by the hair and driving my knee into his face. He flipped over, smashing into the floor and gasping for air as the blood flowed from his nose. The second man fell over without my assistance, which was well enough for me since I think I was going to need all the strength I had in me if I was going to save Jenny and Mike's heart in the process. As I ran by them I whispered, "Sana lente." It wouldn’t cure them, but it would delay the disease long enough for them to see a doctor.

  Stepping past them I made my way down the narrow corridor that had seen much better days. It wasn't just the dust clouds that filled the air like a swarm of angry bees, but the way the floor gave a little with each step I took, giving the sensation that it would crumble beneath my feet no matter how softly I tried to walk. I stopped placing my hands against the wall with the realization that the makeshift walls were in even worse shape than the floor. It was slow moving as I made my way towards the dim light hanging at the end of what felt like an endless tunnel as the remnants of some kind of fire lingered in the air. If the road to Hell was paved with good intentions, each step I took was the freeway that lead right to the heart of it.

  As I hit the end the lights became brighter and voices carried so clearly it was like I was part of the conversation.

  I slowly peered around the corner and saw arms swinging in the air as one of them bellowed, "What’s going on in there?" Before the baby-faced man wearing gold chains and leather even had a chance to answer firmly he was tossed against the metal door, making a thunderous booming sound. The smallest man looked awkward, keeping his hands behind his back as he bounced forward off the door like a ball being tossed against a wall. The brute smashing him around was too blind to realize that this guy was dangerous. He wasn't just taking the abuse, but waiting to strike like a rattlesnake and it looked like it would be just as fast and as deadly.

  The giant didn't just push him aside, but snagged hold of his shoulder and tossed him forward like a bear throwing its cub into the water. He scraped the floor, bouncing towards me as they stepped towards the door flipping through keys on a key ring. That had to be the room where they were keeping Jenny. I wasn't certain as every door in the place looked the same, but something told me that she was a high-end prisoner and not just one of the common working girls that seemed to always be chattering and giggling. I am not sure how long they kept me in that little cubbyhole of a room, but there is one thing I did learn. Hell could easily be just me and a room full of giggling girls and they wouldn't need to cut me up. I would gladly poke out my ears then listen to that for an eternity.

  I heard the snapping of ribs before my mind registered the pain of it as my body smashed into the paper-thin walls. Through the corner of my watering eyes I saw the baseball bat swinging straight at my head with enough force to kill most men. Luckily, in such a cramped space his swing wasn't dead on and he managed to connect with the back of my head and not smash my skull in. I was not exactly sure if lucky was the best term since it didn't kill me, but it felt like somebody had stabbed me with a hot iron and it kept on burning.

  "How tough are you now, you bastard?” he screamed as he swung again. I was turning as the bat came at me and managed to grab hold of it with my hand. It took all my strength and concentration to keep hold of it, but I refused to give him an inch of ground.

  Driving my knee into his midsection I snarled, "Tough enough," as he crumbled over trying to catch his breath. I can't say I regret what happened next, only that the rage inside me was stronger the fear of what new burdens his death might cause me. I lifted my foot as high as I could, catching him right in the throat. His eyes went large and hazy as a loud gargling sound burst out. With the bat firmly in hand I side-swiped and brought it down with all the force I had in me. His whole body dropped to the floor and the blood oozed out of the back of his head.

  Three loud bangs echoed from around the corner along with the cries and groans that come with it. I leapt out and saw both thugs dropping to their knees as the smallest one emptied three more slugs into them. I had always thought that gunshots would send a spray of blood flying out at the gunman as the bullets drilled into the flesh, but that's not what happened. It looked like little streams of red water flowing from their chests. The biggest one wasn’t going down without a fight, though. Even as the life was draining from his body he struggled to keep the revolver in his trembling hands.

  The handsome one with the boyish face screamed, “No!” as a bullet burst through the back of his head. I watched the splatter of bone and brain matter fly towards me as he collapsed onto the floor.

  “You,” the giant muttered, his body still rocking forward as he tried to aim for me with those immense trembling hands. He was struggling to get onto his feet and he seemed like he would fall at any moment, but I couldn’t chance it. Men, like animals, become extremely dangerous when they are injured. They were unpredictable and lashed out viciously until they’d either strike you down or were struck down themselves.

  He was measuring me and even with those shaking hands I was aware that he had me in his sights.

  Holding my hands out I calmly whispered, “Listen friend, you don’t want to do this,” but he looked like he wanted to take me down with him. He kept his gun pointed on me with a look o
f desperation in his eyes. “Please, put the gun down so we can discuss this like men. I can save you.”

  “No, you can’t,” he said as he pulled the trigger, sending a bullet striking the wall beside me.

  He was struggling to get in a second shot and I knew what I had to do. His first shot landed so close to me that I could hear the fast air from the bullet skimming beside my head. I dropped to one knee as he pulled the trigger. The bullet came inches from my head, but not close enough to end this battle. I held out me hand and whispered, “Mortalitas,” watching his eyes glaze over. This was the only thing I could do to protect myself. Like a magnet, I pulled the strength and life force from his body. I wasn’t pretty, but it was the only charitable thing I could do. Like streams of electrified air, what little life he had inside himself floated straight to me. Slowly, his body began to dry out and shrink like a raisin as his strength became mine. His body fell to the ground smashing into dust. This type of magic hadn’t been used for centuries. Not by me or any other man, as a matter of fact. Not since the last days of the Aswang had it been used. Back then, warlocks disguised themselves as vampire-like beasts and fed on the living. These mad wizards stopped being human and lived off the life force of the living. That lead to a hundred war that almost wiped my kind off the face the earth. These days were known as the blood wars.

  Stealing life from a dying man, no matter how corrupt he might be gives you a little added strength but it doesn't make you stronger. My mother used to explain the morals of magic to us as children. It was an unwritten law that our father passed on to her and that she painstakingly drilled into us. I wasn't proud of my actions, but there wasn't any real shame in it. Either way, as I made my way towards the metal door the corridor seemed darker for some reason or maybe it was that my soul had been stained just a little bit more.

  I was almost at the door when loud stomping charged right at me, growing louder and more violent. Turning, I saw a small skinny figure coming towards me, his fist clenched around a knife and prepared to attack. His smile faded as he realized that the element of surprise was no longer in his favor. He didn’t slow his charge, though. Pride insisted that he keep fighting, even though one look at him would tell anyone that he was living in the shadow of what he was raised to be, not what he wanted to be. Within six feet he leapt through the air at me, screaming and cursing as his weight forced him forward like a projectile.

  I held out my hand and whispered, "Duratus," and watched his body stop in place. That's when the fear kicked in, but with the exception of his mind he was frozen. I knew how to stop his attack, but stopping time completely was beyond me. He looked vulnerable, almost childlike. He pleaded for mercy, even though I didn’t think he would show me any if our roles were reversed.

  "I won't kill you today, but I would strongly suggest that you rethink your life choices." I said. It was one of the few advantages of being human. There are always choices, but the true irony was that most people never thought of the consequences. Lowering my hand, I said "Somnus," and his body fell to the floor. I didn't want to carry his death on my shoulders, even if it meant I was facing this battle weakened.

  I walked to the door and pushed on it, expecting it to open. It didn’t budge and I couldn't find any key that fit.

  "Jenny, are you in there?" I called, but if she heard me she wasn't in the mood or the shape to answer. I smashed on the door and the only thing that happened was a loose hollow rattle. "Jenny open the door!" I said as I getting trying. I heard a female's cries of pain and then the panic sent in. "Jenny let me in," I demanded before deciding that it was time to break through the door. Slamming my hand against the cold steel I shouted, "Reserare," and the lock broke as I pushed the door open.

  I wasn’t sure what I expected, only that all I saw was a bloodstained girl hovering over Jenny with chains wrapped around her hand and tears in her eyes. I almost set her a blaze thinking that she was like me. A monster that shouldn't be walking amongst the living.

  "Help her,” she whispered.

  I stepped closer and saw Jenny’s eyes begin to fade like a candle before it ran out of wick. I had always thought of each breath bringing life to people, but seeing the blood pumping for Jenny’s chest I realized it was pushing her closer to death. The young woman was trying to stop the bleeding with her hands, but for all the good it was doing she might as well have been trying to stop the rain from coming through a screen door. Jenny’s eyes were pleading for me to help her and I guess a better man might have felt remorse over seeing her life fading away, but I was torn. Knowing what was right and actually doing it wasn’t always the same.

  The young woman snapped, “Aren’t you going to help her? You must do it. You are her guardian. Her hero!” It was sickening to see hope in her eyes like I was there to save the world when I all I truly wanted to do was finish my affairs while I still had enough time to do it. Damn you Mike, I thought. Damn you. If he didn’t love her I could be finished with this whole thing.

  “Move, girl,” I ordered as I knelt beside her. She felt cool to the touch and even though I knew that she was struggling for each breath, her heart was pounding and I knew that she was seconds away from dying. Part of me just wanted to walk away from her and the whole thing, but I was committed. Sometimes, no matter what you want do to you must follow through until the very end.

  The girl was still staring at me looking for answers, even though I knew she wouldn’t like them when she heard them. I whispered, "Somnus" and watched her eyes fall closed. I reached out and caught her as she tipped over, headed for the ground. She felt so light and soft as I caught her in my arms. I was tempted to reach out and run my fingers through her hair, thinking about how silky it must feel. I hated being touched, but the temptation to reach out and touch her was strong.

  It must have been taken all the strength she had in her, but somehow Jenny reached out to me. Not like lover, but like a naughty child looking for forgiveness. It was a sweet gesture, even if my heart had no forgiveness to give anymore. Once maybe, but people do a lot of things that they normally wouldn’t do when they are on the brink of death. I should have let her die as saving her would cost me dearly, but I couldn’t just walk away. Not now, at least.

  “Don’t move,” I said as I got to my feet. Not that I thought she would go very far, but it seemed like the thing to say. “I’ll be right back,” I said as I made my way towards the door. That this was going to cost me was a certain, but I doubted that she was worth the sacrifice or the price that I was about to pay for what I was going to do. To save her life I would need to take another’s. It wasn’t the only price I would be forced to pay.