***
Warning:This chapter contains strong language, graphic violence, and mentions of sexual violence.This is a work of fiction. Reader discretion is advised.
***
Two men were staring at each other, you could hear the wind screaming, adding tension. A completely disfigured corpse was lying on the ground. One of the two men was covered in blood, trembling at the sight of the other who was standing in the doorway. The second was calm, dressed in a long trench coat. The lower part of his face was masked by a simple cloth, and a fairly classic black hat was on his head, casting a shadow over the top of his face. In one hand he held an oil lamp, the other a revolver. The revolver pointed at nothing.
Elliot was stunned, barely out of his fight with the other guy. Look who's here; his assassin in flesh and blood. Elliot didn't know whether to complain or laugh, frankly was this situation manageable for him? Surely not… So he chose the second option.
In a desperate voice with a hint of mockery, Elliot said:
"Ah... ahaha! Took you long enough, you could've helped me while you were at it, right? Huh? Happy now? I killed some poor guy who had nothing to do with our story. I get it, I fucked up with some high-placed people..."
It was unsettling because the assassin still hadn't moved or spoken, his lamp casting a shadow over the masked man. It was a pretty sinister situation; your future killer is there in front of you, watching you, but doing nothing. Enough to lose your mind...
"Hey look at the state I'm in... I'm kneeling in a puddle of blood next to my murder. You've got a gun, asshole! You think I'm gonna charge?! Ahahah... FUCK NO!!! Come on, blow my brains out already, asshole!"
The man stepped forward.
"I'm surpr—"
"YOU! IT'S YOU, ISN'T IT?! The guy! The one who gave me the info for the article! IT'S YOU!"
Elliot, who heard the assassin's voice for the first time, cut him off abruptly.
'I recognize that voice! It's him, for sure...'
"Why did you give me that information then? huh?! If it was just to kill me in the end!"
At the end of his sentence, he spat on the ground. It was pathetic... He had prepared to end his days here but now here he was, whining about his fate because of a simple voice...
The man continued what he was saying:
"I'm surprised, really surprised, Elliot. You know?"
"WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW!!!"
"Hey calm down, I'm congratulating you, seriously, when she told me how your little fight went down, I was surprised. I didn't think you were that tough."
The man's voice was calm, composed, it was sincere congratulations. Which pissed Elliot off even more.
"What the fuck are you talking about?! It just happened, who the hell told you that?!"
"He's just as nuts as that other drunk hobo! They're all fucking crazy here!"
"No need to panic, you two were meant to meet anyway... To kill each other, of course."
The man pointed at the corpse after his statement.
"Huh? What?"
'Fuck, he's completely ignoring me. That's not an answer, now I have even more questions!'
Who was the person who had told him about his fight? The bum? Ridiculous, it was a man! The assassin only said enough to understand but at the same time understand nothing. Some information was missing.
A few steps away from Elliot, the assassin bent slowly to get to his level. Taking the dead man's arm like it was a toy, the masked man then looked at Elliot.
"Wow! You're really a savage, huh. What a massacre! You really made this mess with just a broken bottle?!"
'This is my chance!'
Seeing the assassin in that position, Elliot thought he could try something. He lunged at the man like a rabid dog, but the assassin was not the squatter... Elliot might claim he could take on a drunk man with poor physical condition, but not someone trained to fight.
The assassin saw him coming even before Elliot decided to charge. Let's just say it was obvious. Wanting to spice things up, he let go of his lamp and flung it at Elliot.
Elliot tried to change direction but it was too late. The lamp smashed directly into his right abdomen. A small flame started to spread on his clothes. He immediately tried to put out the budding flame by slapping himself frantically without even noticing that the fire was already burning the floor. As usual, fire's greed sought to devour the squatter's corpse too.
"Wow, you even have a knack for covering up your crimes! Bravo!"
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Leaving the assassin's mockery aside, he focused on the fire. The fire was the imminent threat, not the man in front of him. Alas, his attempts were in vain, the fire was spreading at his feet too.
'Piece of shit!'
"ARGHHH!"
"HELP ME FUCK I'M ON FIRE! ARGHHH!!! YOU ASSHOLE!"
The assassin, watching the journalist kill himself, hesitated a few seconds before speaking:
"Edna Blaze, she's the one who sent me."
"ARGHHH! HELP! PLEASE HELP!!!!! SAVE ME!"
In a few moments, the fire had quadrupled in size, gaining territory little by little. The air was becoming scarcer, the fire, relentless in its greed. The smell of burning quickly mixed with the burning squatter corpse. An unbearable stench, a horrific mix of burnt fat, scorched beard, and rancid odor.
The squatter's body, once just skinned, now was melting under the incandescent heat, almost fusing with the floor. His poorly shaved beard twisted, his blood fizzed in places creating crusts.
"Edna?! BUT SHE'S DEAD...ARGH! 13 YEARS AGO! HUFF!! HUFF!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK FOR A 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL! ARGHH!!!"
The assassin didn't hear his last complaints; sensing the danger, he was already gone.
In the room, Elliot lived his final moments in hell, burned alive. His last thoughts were marked by confusion. One word: 'Why?'.
***
Thomas Blake, 38 years old, was watching an abandoned house burn under blazing flames. Lowering his mask, he pulled a cigar box from his pocket. Using the flames of the fire, he lit a cigar.
"Honestly, Elliot, you outdid yourself." He said, smiling.
The cigar tasted good.
"You know Edna, I'm not convinced... Was he really as bad as you claim? He was 10 years old too, right?"
Thomas sighed.
"Well, not my business... You happy now?! The pedo who raped you and your fake boyfriend are both dead."
Near Thomas, a few meters away, a small orb emitting a faint red glow floated. It was a spirit, that's how Thomas referred to these things… There were several types of spirits; yellow, blue, red, etc. Thomas called the red ones 'vengeful spirits' because they stayed on Earth hoping for vengeance. Vengeful spirits generally can't lie about anything concerning their revenge. His questioning was, in truth, a useless formality.
"Thank you, Thomas, I will leave now." Said a childish voice.
"Hey! Show me the way to my car first! I'm lost too, you know!"
"Ahahah! Your sense of direction is really terrible Thomas, you kept losing Elliot's trail."
It's true that orientation isn't Thomas's strong point but what does it matter when a spirit accompanies you. The spirit will track for him. It's a team effort, right? The spirit gives the info, Thomas executes!
Thomas looked at the spirit wide-eyed!
"Hey, you're not gonna leave me lost here?!"
"Maybe? Ahaha!"
Thomas immediately tried to grab the orb but it disappeared at the last second, reappearing behind him.
"Ah…! Ahahaha! You won't catch me!"
"You!"
The joy in the spirit's voice showed the gratitude Edna had for Thomas. Spirits are simple, purely emotional, and humans who can see spirits are so rare that she didn't even know they existed before meeting Thomas. Even Thomas didn't know any others besides himself.
Six years ago, they had met, Thomas had just had his daughter. As a young father, he was immediately interested in Edna's story. Thoughts like 'What if it had been my daughter?' crossed his mind. That's how he accepted Edna's revenge quest.
Thomas had experience in the field of killing since he had been forced to join a criminal organization at age 20. Although today he was less active, being the director of a weapons factory and married. His 20 years of experience as a hitman made him more than capable for this mission.
Thomas had since begun the descent into hell for the fat bastard and Elliot. The fat bastard was simple, he was already human trash. It was enough to make him even more pathetic, to a point where even among society's filth, he was seen as a stain.
But for Elliot it was more complicated… Despite everything, he worked hard, he was really a young man full of ambition. With a bit of subtle harassment, Thomas managed to bury Elliot under debt. Crushed by debts, government information became a glimmer of hope.
Shortly after Elliot's articles came out in the open, a bounty was placed on his head. Thomas gladly accepted. Honestly, even though he wanted to help Edna, his expertise isn't free! That's why he played so much with the squatter and Elliot… Money.
***
Edna finally agreed to accompany Thomas one last time, showing him the way to his car.
The forest was still the same and it was good to breathe there. It was nice to know his family was waiting for him. Julia, his daughter, is now 6 years old, a sweetheart. She had started horse riding a year ago. She was talented and loved animals.
As discussed with his wife, tomorrow after work he would go pick up a puppy as a gift for his daughter. She had earned it; top of her class! Enough to make a proud dad.
Thomas and Edna saw a beautiful Cadillac V-16 at the exit of the forest.
"What do you think is up there?"
"Who knows?"
"You're dead and you don't even know it?"
"Spirits don't wonder about the future but about the past..."
After a short silence, Edna asked timidly:
"When I'm gone, what will you do?"
Drawing a bit more on his cigar, Thomas smiled.
"I'm gonna get a puppy for Julia."
"I'm sure Julia will be happy! Th-thank you Thomas! Thank you for everything!"
"Yeah, take care up there..."
Soon after, the red glow of the orb started to pulse. At first it was faint, then it accelerated until it reached hundreds of pulses per minute. With a 'Pop!' the orb shattered. Reddish sparks flew into the sky, creating a magnificent display of color.
"Goodbye Edna, happy to have met you..." He said, turning back toward his car.