Page 43 of Death Trap

Ignoring the pain in my head, I whipped around and punched the ugly bastard square in its misshapen face with all my strength. Its neck snapped back, broken, and it let go of its grip on my hair. But before I could congratulate myself, its limp head swung to the side, and it growled. Guess even a broken neck couldn’t slow these things down.

My knuckles stung from the hit, but as I prepared to strike it again, I noticed the white wispy glow around my closed fist.

The Halfling’s red-eyed gaze locked on the power building around my hand, and it let out a screech that sounded a bit fearful and taunting at the same time. With anger still whirling inside me, I wanted nothing more than to obliterate this asshole with my power. Consequences be damned.

Yeah, I knew the risks. If I used my light power, I could lose consciousness again or get a really, really bad migraine, but was it worth it right now?

Glancing around at Eli and Lisa, both struggling to fight off the Halflings surrounding them, I realized we were losing. Creatures attacked Eli from all angles, leaping on his back, and slicing his bare torso all over. They sank their fangs in wherever they could and tore off chunks of flesh. His celestial upgrades, like speed, agility, and accuracy with his weapon were no match for so many of them coming at him at once.

My lungs froze over at the sight of red blood bubbling up from the deep wounds. He was technically a spirit, right? Guardians and angels were still spirits. He shouldn’t be bleeding.

Lisa had blood cascading down a gash on her cheek, too, as she fought to keep two Halflings at a safe distance. Even firing a bullet into one of their heads—dead center of the forehead—as it crept a little too close.

But she was a spirit, too. There shouldn’t be blood.

It must have been because we were in Hell. It was the only thing I could think of.

Even more horrifying? There were more Halflings racing down the hall toward us. As if they had sensed the fight or smelled the blood and wanted a part in it.

I looked at my fist again. The eerie white glow encased it completely now, ready to help my friends no matter what the cost. I pulled back, pulling in the energy building in the center of my chest. It crackled and snapped behind my ribs, as if it were alive and wanting release.

If I could manage to unleash a blast like I had with Xaver or even like at Marla’s shop, then hopefully I could exterminate all of these fuckers at once.

I just needed to concentrate.

Sucking in a deep breath, I pulled every ounce of the buzzing power to the surface and focused on holding it in my closed fist. The Halfling I was facing was paralyzed with fear and continued to scream its terrible scream instead of running for cover.

I pulled my elbow back, bottling up the power for the sudden release, and then let my arm fly through the air toward the center of the creature’s bony chest.

But my hand never made contact with the thing. My fist stayed frozen just inches away from it, locked in place by some invisible force.

“What the fu…”

The Halfling was also paralyzed, stuck in its same position as if time had stopped.

Searching the hall, I found everyone the same way. Even Eli and Lisa and the creatures they were battling. All frozen in place. Unmoving.

“Hey, now. There’s no need for that.”

My head whipped toward the new voice. It was new to the situation but not new to my ears. I knew that sultry, devilish tone, and when I spotted the Greed demon suddenly standing beside Eli, my pulse skyrocketed.

Still dressed in the same possessed “skin” as when I’d first met him in front of Fairport’s cemetery, Monnie wore a red velvet suit and wide-brimmed hat this time. He even held a cane, reminding me of a pimp from the eighties. All he was missing was the cheetah print, and he’d fit right in to that motif.

He might look ridiculous in the getup, but I couldn’t forget that this wasn’t an ordinary man. He wasn’t an ordinary demon, either. This was Mammon. An original sin demon, one of the first Hell-dwellers ever created.

And from the way he had stopped my punch midair and somehow stopped everyone in the hallway beside me, that proved just how powerful he was. Laughing at his outfit would be a stupid move. And I knew quite a bit about stupid moves.

“Why don’t we put that thing away?” He nodded toward my hand, still hovering dangerously close to the Halfling’s sternum. “We don’t want any more casualties, do we?” His gaze moved to Eli and Lisa and then back to me, an obvious hint as to what he meant by that.

A threat.

When I pulled my fist back, the air made an odd sucking sound, as if I were breaking whatever magic had been holding it there. I extinguished the light power, too.

Monnie’s smile was slow and deliberate. “Jade.” He half sang my name. “It’s always so wonderful to see you. And in my territory this time.” He paused, his smile spreading to a full, all-teeth grin. Like a wolf’s. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

I had to be careful. That spoke for itself, I knew, but for whatever reason, it seemed like Monnie liked me. At least that was the feeling I had gotten after our first encounter. If it were true and he did, I could use that to my advantage to save Eli and Lisa, and maybe get us all the heck out of here in one piece.

“I’m here on business,” I decided on. I hadn’t revealed too much information, but it was enough to get the point across.

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