Page 100 of Death Wish

Black tar spurted from the wound, and the creature collapsed.

Holy Water. Cole had doused the knife in it.

Standing, I twisted the weapon in my hand. Not a gun, but it would work just fine. Now I was ready.

“Bring the reaper to me.” Xaver’s voice boomed over all other noise. “Kill the rest.”

About a dozen pair of eyes whirled on me. Some Halflings even let out a deafening squeal before charging me like a stampede of angry bulls.

Fear commanded my feet to run, but my muscles clenched in protest, pinning me in place. As the Halflings closed the distance, I could smell the stench of decay and sulfur wafting on the breeze.

Claws reached out to grab me. I swiped out with my blade.

A bright light shot between us, making the creatures skid to a halt. I blinked. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was the orb I had seen before—a solid ball of white light, the one that had collided with me and saved me from the pit.

It zoomed back and forth, creating a barrier in front of the Halflings. A few of them reached out, curious, but the moment their skin came in contact with the mystical glow, the creatures disintegrated. Poof. Gone. Just like when blasted with the light from my demon-blasting power from my fingertips.

I stared at the white light, dumbfounded. “What are you?” Not a spirit, that was for sure. I knew spirits. This was something else. And it had saved me. Twice.

Of course, the thing didn’t answer me. I hadn’t expected it to. But I was grateful for its interference.

I awkwardly waved a thank you to it and spun around. To my horror, Cole, Wyatt, and Sean were now battling hand to hand with the other group of half-demons. The old man was using his shotgun as a bat, smashing the creatures in the head if they got too close, while Sean was shooting off his handgun like a pro.

An unseen force slammed into me from the side, claws latching into my collarbone. A Halfling and I jetted backwards onto the folding table, and the thing collapsed under our sudden weight. Everything prepared for the summoning went flying, and the bowl of blood spilled all over us, soaking my shirt and pants and coating the demon’s face in dark red. Pain spiked up my spine and throughout my chest where its nails dug in deep.

Before I could even think to retaliate, the Halfling let out a piercing wail and jumped off me. Its grayish skin blackened as if it had been sprayed with Holy Water and began peeling off the bone, reminding me of wax melting down the sides of a candle.

The creature ripped at its flesh, pulling it off in chunks, and screaming.

Like my blood was burning him.

That wasn’t normal. Was my blood acidic to these demons? It sure seemed that way. Maybe it had something to do with the light power I now wielded.

Whatever it was, I’d take it.

I scrambled up to see another beast rushing toward me. I kicked out, and the sole of my boot met the bend of its knee. There was a terrible popping sound before it collapsed, clasping its leg and squealing like a distressed pig. Taking the opportunity, I gripped the knife and stabbed it into the Halfling’s chest, where the heart ought to be. It wiggled in agony, black goo bubbling out of the wound, before slumping into an unmovable heap. Dead.

I glanced over my shoulder to see the one that had snuck up on me and had been affected by my blood was nothing more than a puddle of tar in the soil.

Yuck! Had my blood really done that?

I shivered. What was I?

Movement whizzed past my right. Another half-demon determined to take me to Hell. I twisted last minute, spinning my blade at the same time and catching the monster across the stomach. The sharpness sliced through the skin and muscle with such ease, it wasn’t until its rancid insides started spilling out that it realized what had happened.

I took a second to catch my breath and scan the scene before me.

The yard was littered with bodies, all Halflings, and I praised our luck. There were still many more creatures to fight, and they were relentless, doing everything and anything they could to get to Wyatt or Sean or me.

A sudden blaze of fire lit up the darkness, painting the yard in a brilliant orange and yellow. When I turned, I found Cole throwing blasts of fire toward the enemy, taking out groups of them at a time and pushing many of them back into their hole. His laughter rang in my ears. It sounded haunted, maniacal, and very unlike him.

My chest tightened, remembering the last time Cole was forced to use his fire ability while fighting the half-demons, and the demonic twist I had seen in his face. If he kept tapping into that dark part of him, he would lose himself completely. Become one of these disgusting creatures that dwelled in Hell and followed full-blooded demons for the rest of eternity.

He continued to trudge forward, the fire shooting from his palms like a human flamethrower and forcing the Halflings back into the crater where they had come from. The scorching heat slapped against my cheeks and face, making me step back.

“Cole! No!”

His head whipped toward me, and the flame extinguished. But it wasn’t Cole I saw looking back at me. The eerie red eyes and over-stretched smile told me he had gone too far this time.

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