Apocalypse game, p.23
Apocalypse Game, page 23
Alright, now’s a good a time as any.
Take the shots.
I lined up my sights, the red dot centered on thug one. But as I put pressure on the trigger, my sight started weaving all over.
My hands shook, and my heart was in my ears. Sand filled my mouth as I dry swallowed and tried to pull the trigger.
It was so easy when the target was a monster. But this was the first time I’d ever drawn down on a human.
Everything had gone right. I had the perfect angle. One pull of the trigger was all it would take.
But I couldn’t.
My body fought against me.
Damn it!
I couldn’t do it. Even though I had them dead to rights, I couldn’t commit murder.
Plan B it is, then. Fuck me and my soft heart. This is going to get us killed.
I stood, pointing my barrel at the two guards. They still hadn’t noticed anything, and I was only a few feet from them with my heart pounding when I spoke.
“Hey, you guys got a light?” I asked, and they jerked at my voice, turning and bringing their weapons to bear. “Go for your weapons, and I kill you,” I lied.
They froze and looked at the gun in my hands, and I tried to keep my face impassive, but one look at my black eyes and horns, and I knew I didn’t need to bluff them. My Demon Form was plenty intimidating on its own.
“Oh God! Don’t kill me!” one of them screeched and threw his weapon down and got on his knees in prayer while the other stared slack-jawed at the devil made manifest. “Wh─what do you want?”
“You to be quiet and not make a sound,” I said, and they shut up instantly.
I took their rifles and demanded they hand over any other weapons or ammo and lay face down on the roof. I unloaded both weapons and tossed them off the roof and held my fist up to let Finn and Adeline know it was safe to approach.
They both ran from the bushes and climbed up using the metal fence. I offered them both a hand and helped them up. Wasting no time, Finn pulled out two sets of zip ties and cuffed our prisoners, ripping shreds of their shirts and stuffing them in their mouths like suckling pigs.
“Nice job, you fucking moron!” Finn said, seething, looking like he wanted to slug me. “Next time you run off on your own, I’m taking a nail gun to your ass!”
Adeline brushed against my arm. “We’re a team, Kill. You can’t keep forgetting that to run off and put your life in danger. We need to work together.”
“It worked, didn’t it?”
“This time, but we’re your friends─”
“Are you? Because a week ago, you wanted to put a bullet in my head, and Finn was scared to death of me.”
Adeline smirked and then punched me. “That was a week ago, idiot. Lots happened since then.”
“Can we talk about this when we’re not in the middle of a quest?” Finn hissed and waved us over to him.
Adeline and I looked at each other and shared a small smile.
Maybe she’s right.
We went over to Finn while we discussed a plan of attack. We had two minutes before my Demon Form ended, so whatever we were going to do needed to happen quickly.
I sat back on the roof and was surprised by how thin the material was. It was nothing but cheap black shingles, and when I peeled one up, I found wood and pink insulation.
Shoddy construction. I may have a more challenging time with concrete and metal, but in my Demon Form, I could rip through this in seconds.
This gives me an idea.
“How about we go for a theatrical approach?”
“What do you mean?” Finn asked.
“How about you two sweep in from the entrance and get everyone’s attention? With your classes, you’re damn intimidating. Then, while all eyes are on you, I bust in through the roof. A little shock and awe and we use the confusion to subdue everyone?”
“Risky, foolish, with a high likelihood of going awry, but it sounds fun as hell. And I don’t have any better plan than three of us going in all at once. I’m game.”
Adeline smiled at the thought of the plan, and with no better options, they climbed down and went around to the entrance and got ready to go in.
With any luck, no one will have a hand on a weapon, and we can do this without bloodshed.
I listened intently for the signal, and when the door slammed against the wall, it was time to move. I knelt, poised over the center of the roof.
I started ripping apart the shingles and wood, and in no time at all, I was through. All sounds stopped from within until a single gunshot split the air. Half a dozen people had their hands in the air, and one man bled from a wound in his leg. He was on the floor, and his screams drowned out my digging.
They hadn’t noticed me, and they were so fixated on Finn and Adeline, no one spotted the sunlight on the ground or the silhouette of the horned demon.
I dropped through the hole and landed just shy of one of the men. The barrel of my gun was in his face, and I think he fell back because of the shock, rather than by my appearance, though everyone else noticed and gasped in terror. I sure as hell had the room's undivided attention.
“Make a move towards a weapon, and I kill everyone,” I growled, putting forced gruffness in my voice.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what the hell are you?”
“Your worst nightmare.”
The man, clearly a former soldier, in dirt and grease-stained fatigues, paled and started shaking.
The others were all male, all ex-soldiers who looked like they’d been living rough, and like the men above, they all needed a shower.
“Make a move, and you all die. Understand?” I turned back to Finn and Adeline.
Finn stood impassively in his Abyssal Armor, the shadows over his face forming a twisted smile, and Adeline sauntered behind him, holding her hands aloft. In her palms resided two crimson balls of fire, illuminating the darkened garage with hellfire.
With them at my back, I felt invincible and terrifying. “Hell yeah, guys. Now what to do with them?”
At that moment, Demon Form timed out, and I was back to my usual self as my little blue mana bar in the corner of my vision started slowly ticking back to full.
The deserters looked up, even more shocked than when I’d burst in from the ceiling. “He’s just a kid,” one of them said.
The tension in the air grew stiff, and the former soldiers glanced over at each other. I could guess what they were thinking, and I had to put a stop to any thoughts of rebellion.
I snapped my gun at the one who’d spoken. “Yeah, and this kid has a rifle trained on you, so I dare you to test me.”
They all froze, not moving.
“That’s what I thought.”
Finn produced even more zip ties and began tying them up and taking their weapons while Adeline and I supervised. In under two minutes, we’d tied everyone up. All of them had concealed pistols but hadn’t been brave enough to draw them.
The man with the bleeding leg was the only one left, but Adeline pressed her palm to the wound and seared it shut while I held his mouth shut. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air and made me want to gag, but I choked back my bile. He screamed and writhed, but within a second, it was over.
Adeline stood and wiped her palms on her jeans. “There, if he doesn’t bleed to death in an hour or so, he’ll heal up just fine.”
“Good.” I stepped back and stared at each man before I spoke. “I’m giving you all a choice. On behalf of Captain Reynolds, he offers to accept you back into the Army. You can agree to join, or you can die. Your choice.”
All at once, they shouted that they would join back gladly, and I smiled.
Easier than I thought.
Alright, time to haul their asses back and complete the quest.
Adeline used a few more ties to form a chain gang on the prisoners and tied their hands together, forming a long line of men. Finn went to look around the shop while I picked up and cataloged all the weapons the men had.
A good bunch of guns, but there really wasn’t a way for us to carry them all back unless we wanted to have the men carry them empty.
It bore considering, but as I was in the middle of unloading all of them. Finn walked up behind me.
“You need to see this,” he said, his voice heavy. Haunted.
I knew whatever it was, I wouldn’t like it, but I turned and followed him anyway.
He led me out of the garage, past the rows of broken-down cars, and into what I assumed used to be the office section. White painted walls. A cheap door sloppily painted the same shade as the walls and a dark tinted window. It blocked out what was in the room itself.
Finn canceled his Abyssal Armor and stood in the doorway. He turned back with a horrified expression on his face. Rage, disgust, and a slew of other emotions filled his eyes in rapid succession.
I walked past him, and each step amplified my discomfort. He moved out of the doorway and allowed me to enter.
The small room had once been an office, but it had been cleared of everything except for one thing.
A once white mattress lay on the floor and was gray, sweat and semen stains covered it, and it emitted a villainous odor that made my eyes water, but the mattress itself was nothing compared to the sight that would be seared into my brain until the day I died.
A young woman was lying on the mattress, naked and badly abused. Numerous dark bruises and cuts riddled her skin, some of which were fresh and bled freely. Her face was swollen and purple as if she’d been beaten repeatedly, and I couldn’t make out any discernible features other than her lank and greasy brown hair. Her hands were bound by chains on each wrist and bolted into the concrete wall, which didn’t even allow her to cover herself.
There were bloody bite marks around her breasts and thighs as if she’d been savaged by a wild animal.
I took all of this in mechanically, my mind absorbing the details almost clinically, like I was watching an incredible visceral horror movie rather than staring at a flesh and blood human being. I took it all in before a single thought struck me.
She’s my sister’s age.
And then I shattered.
I lost myself to a pit of anger so deep an ocean couldn’t fill it.
Pitch black rage consumed me as I stormed out of the room, and I didn’t even stop for a second to consider the cost of what I was about to do.
“Killian.” Adeline gasped as she saw the look on my face.
She hadn’t seen the room, hadn’t had to witness the horror that would never leave me, but she knew I was drowning, and she tried to save me.
Her hand was soft in mine, and she wrapped me in a hug so tight my ribs creaked. She pressed into me as if she could swallow some of the pain, but nothing could erase the sight of what I’d seen. I shrugged out of her embrace and pushed her aside.
The deserters were huddled together in a cluster in the center of the garage.
I raised my gun.
And this time, I didn’t hesitate.
I killed them.
I killed them all.
When my M4 clicked empty, I drew my Glock and went to the roof. I climbed the rusted ladder and was outside in a minute. As I stared into the eyes of the men I’d left tied up, their muffled shouts and terrified eyes pleaded with me.
I put two bullets in their heads.
Combat Results!
9 Killed (Human): 378 Exp!
Experience Boost (17.5%): 66 Exp!
Total Gain: 444 Exp!
AC Earned: 1,237!
Level Up!
Side Quest: Chop the Chop Shop Completed!
Reward: 724 Exp!
Experience Boost (17.5%): 127 Exp!
Total Gain: 851 Exp!
AC Earned: 300!
I waved the notifications away and climbed to the ground. I went around the front of the garage and leaned back against the brick wall and slid to the concrete. I stayed there for a long time, staring at my hands. There were several streaks of blood on them, bright red that I smudged and smeared as I tried to wipe it away, only to let it soak into my skin.
My entire body shook, and I tried to hold it in, but I couldn’t.
I fell to my knees and screamed. I screamed in rage and misery for the girl inside, for my family that I didn’t know if I’d ever see again, and finally, I screamed for the piece of my humanity that I’d lost.
At some point, my voice tore, and I just knelt there, staring at my crimson-stained hands as if to force the blood on them to make sense to my fractured psyche.
But it didn’t. It couldn’t.
Eventually, I stood, took a deep breath, and steeled myself.
I didn’t want to go back in there, didn’t want to witness what they had done.
Or what I had done.
But I didn’t have a choice. I wasn’t going to leave her chained up for another second.
I went back in to find a small ocean of blood pooling on the floor and Finn and Adeline leaning against the walls with misery and pain in their eyes.
They looked at me with such pitying gazes that my heart broke all over again, but I couldn’t stop and think, couldn’t slow down for a second, or I’d never get back up again. I ignored them and went into the room.
The woman hadn’t moved an inch, and if not for the rising and falling of her chest, I would have thought her dead. Her wounds had healed, but she was weak, her breathing labored. Without a mental command or a thought, Demon Form activated, and my mana bar plummeted. I walked over and tore the chains binding her wrists.
I picked her up as gingerly as I could. She settled into my arms and groaned.
“No…no more,” she pleaded with a hoarse voice.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you. No one will ever hurt you again,” I said before my voice choked and my raw throat burned.
I took her in my arms and carried her out of the building, only stopping long enough to grab a spare T-shirt to cover her. I didn’t put her down, so Finn covered her as best he could, and we all left without saying a word.
“It’s too far back to the base, but there’s a cabin not far from here that we can stay at,” I said and didn’t bother waiting before setting a strong pace and heading into the countryside.
The nameless woman was thin from lack of food, and with my added Strength, it was like she weighed nothing at all. As if she could float away at any minute.
I held her tighter as we walked. After five minutes, Demon Form faded, and the weightless girl suddenly pressed heavier against me. My stride stumbled, but I squared my shoulders and gritted my teeth as a burning ache settled into my back and arms.
Though I was glad for the pain, it gave me something to focus on while I walked. I was consumed with keeping her safe and comfortable in my arms, and the burning ache kept me distracted from thinking about what I’d done.
Half an hour later and the cabin came into sight.
It was an actual wooden cabin that Omar’s dad had built when we were all little kids. It wasn’t large, but it was cozy and clean, with a walnut stain on the wood and charcoal shingles. The gravel that led up the driveway was new, and all of it was pristine gray, and it crunched loudly as we walked up.
There was a spare key hidden in the eaves. It was a small piece of leftover wood glued on that was just wide enough to hold the key, and it blended in so well that you’d never see it unless you knew it was there. I told Finn about it, and he unlocked the door, and I went and set the girl on the couch. Trying not to move her as much as possible.
As soon as she was out of my hands, I dropped to the ground as my arms went numb. I rested for just a second, but the girl was filthy and weak from the abuse. So as soon as I caught my breath, I found some soap and washrags in the cabinet under the sink and heated some water on the stove.
I gave her some vitamins and sleeping medicine and hoped it would help. I left her in Adeline’s capable hands to clean her as Finn and I checked over the perimeter to make sure we were alone.
It was well past noon by the time we were done, and I was utterly exhausted.
Adeline came in with some clean clothes Sarah must have left at some point, but they looked like they might fit her well enough. I gave them some privacy while Adeline dressed the girl and went outside.
The best part of the cabin was the view. From the front porch, the house overlooked a large pond just across the road. It was private property, but Omar’s dad was friends with the owner, and he allowed us to use it whenever we wanted.
A wooden dock stretched a good bit out to the lake. And it seemed as good a spot as any to sit and have a mental breakdown.
I walked down to the lake and dropped all my gear in a neat pile by the sycamore tree next to the dock. The leaves fell off and into the lake, but I didn’t plan to go swimming in the icy water.
I took off my shoes, sat back on the dock, settled in, and broke down entirely.
Chapter 17- Truth and Reconciliation
The air chilled me to the bone and only grew colder as early afternoon turned into evening. I sat huddled into myself on the dock and tried to come to terms with what I’d done.
What I had to do.
I’d slaughtered them with no hesitation. My rage clouded everything and made it so easy in the moment. A slight pull of the trigger was all it took to end the lives of over half a dozen men.
Men? No. They weren’t men. They were monsters, worse than anything Callisto could hope to summon.
I may have been the Demon Lord, but I wasn’t evil.
They were. And they deserved to die.
That was the problem, though. I knew they needed to die, and a part of me enjoyed playing executioner.
Can I reconcile the part of me that relished in their deaths? Can I still call myself human?
I’d enjoyed killing them for what they’d done, and I was horrified at myself because of it.
I wanted to keep my humanity intact through this, but that was a naïve child’s pipe dream.
My hands were always going to end up bloody. I just didn’t want to accept it.
This world wasn’t so kind anymore, and even if it had only been a few days since it started for me, it felt like a lifetime.
It took less than a week for me to spill human blood. I carved a piece of myself out to do it too. What am I going to look like in a month? In a year? Who am I going to be when this is all over with?
