think you’ll be doing anything quickly for a while Priest,” said Vain, unlocking the door and half-carrying the other man inside.
Sebastian awoke with the noise of the door and looked alarmed at the sight of Priest. Quickly recovering, he helped Vain carry him to the mattress.
“Who did this to you Priest?” demanded Vain once they had lain him down. Sebastian moved away and watched Priest with an odd look upon his face, saying nothing.
“Em... peth,” he gasped. “He tricked me. Made me think the Avun-Riah was in danger….”
Vain’s senses began to prickle. “How did you get free?” he asked urgently.
“Don’t... know. Too... much pain.”
Vain’s instincts suddenly screamed at him to flee. “Priest, how did you find me?”
“Read... it. When I... first... met you.” Priest’s voice cracked as he tried to force out the words.
A trap!
“We have to go.” Vain hustled Sebastian, moving to the hidden panel, rapidly loading weapons into a large black bag. The boy nodded and moved to help Priest.
“Leave him!” snapped Vain. “We can’t get away if we have to carry dead meat as well!”
Sebastian moved to argue, but Priest stopped him. “Must go... Avun-Riah. Must... survive. Your task…is more important…than me.”
“I won’t let you die! We can all go together!” cried Sebastian.
“No, the Dark Man is... right,” panted Priest. “I can... delay them... here.”
Sebastian moved to argue further, but Vain grabbed him roughly by the arm and lifted him to his feet. “You heard him, let’s go!”
“Vain...,” breathed Priest. The Dark Man glanced down at the dying man. “Take Avun-Riah to... Rome. Saint Peter’s... basilica. Father... Armadeuso will help you.”
“Rome eh?” Vain contemplated the dying man before removing a sawn-off, double-barreled shotgun from the bag and passing it to Priest. “Good luck black man.”
Vain half-dragged the crying boy away from the door, escaping down the staircase just as the ancient elevator doors opened in the hall. A tall man dressed completely in white slid from the elevator and made his way to the Dark Man’s apartment.
Walking through the open doorway, the tall man smiled menacingly at the dying man.
“Well Priest, it seems you were no use to me after all. I’m afraid I won’t be able to let you die now.”
Priest peered up from the mattress and managed a thin smile of his own, “I wish I could say the same for you, Empeth.”
He fired two blasts from the shotgun hidden beneath the blanket. The first hurtled by Empeth’s face and into the ceiling of the apartment, but the second ripped straight into his stomach, knocking him back against the wall.
Priest’s smile grew a little wider, but dropped altogether when he heard Empeth’s laughter. The man drew himself back up to his full height and laughed even louder, so much so that tears began to roll down his angular face.
“My goodness, Priest,” said Empeth with sickly sweetness, brushing the smoldering threads around the small holes in his white shirt. “I really thought you knew better than that by now.”
Empeth pounced with the speed of a jaguar onto the helpless Priest, and the black man’s screams echoed through the walls of the apartment and out into the night sky.
* * * *
Vain and Sebastian encountered two men moving up the stairs towards them. Without hesitation Vain drew one of his pistols and dispatched them both, not even breaking stride. He bypassed the street level exit, continuing to the complex’s basement garage. Throwing aside a large tarpaulin, he revealed a jet-black Ferrari; its gleaming paintwork and low, aerodynamic features throwing a stark contrast against the musty garage.
“Get in,” he commanded Sebastian and the boy obliged without comment, too stunned by the car’s appearance to speak.
Vain noticed the expression on the boy’s face. “It belonged to a drug dealer I met once and I took it when I left. He didn’t
Sebastian awoke with the noise of the door and looked alarmed at the sight of Priest. Quickly recovering, he helped Vain carry him to the mattress.
“Who did this to you Priest?” demanded Vain once they had lain him down. Sebastian moved away and watched Priest with an odd look upon his face, saying nothing.
“Em... peth,” he gasped. “He tricked me. Made me think the Avun-Riah was in danger….”
Vain’s senses began to prickle. “How did you get free?” he asked urgently.
“Don’t... know. Too... much pain.”
Vain’s instincts suddenly screamed at him to flee. “Priest, how did you find me?”
“Read... it. When I... first... met you.” Priest’s voice cracked as he tried to force out the words.
A trap!
“We have to go.” Vain hustled Sebastian, moving to the hidden panel, rapidly loading weapons into a large black bag. The boy nodded and moved to help Priest.
“Leave him!” snapped Vain. “We can’t get away if we have to carry dead meat as well!”
Sebastian moved to argue, but Priest stopped him. “Must go... Avun-Riah. Must... survive. Your task…is more important…than me.”
“I won’t let you die! We can all go together!” cried Sebastian.
“No, the Dark Man is... right,” panted Priest. “I can... delay them... here.”
Sebastian moved to argue further, but Vain grabbed him roughly by the arm and lifted him to his feet. “You heard him, let’s go!”
“Vain...,” breathed Priest. The Dark Man glanced down at the dying man. “Take Avun-Riah to... Rome. Saint Peter’s... basilica. Father... Armadeuso will help you.”
“Rome eh?” Vain contemplated the dying man before removing a sawn-off, double-barreled shotgun from the bag and passing it to Priest. “Good luck black man.”
Vain half-dragged the crying boy away from the door, escaping down the staircase just as the ancient elevator doors opened in the hall. A tall man dressed completely in white slid from the elevator and made his way to the Dark Man’s apartment.
Walking through the open doorway, the tall man smiled menacingly at the dying man.
“Well Priest, it seems you were no use to me after all. I’m afraid I won’t be able to let you die now.”
Priest peered up from the mattress and managed a thin smile of his own, “I wish I could say the same for you, Empeth.”
He fired two blasts from the shotgun hidden beneath the blanket. The first hurtled by Empeth’s face and into the ceiling of the apartment, but the second ripped straight into his stomach, knocking him back against the wall.
Priest’s smile grew a little wider, but dropped altogether when he heard Empeth’s laughter. The man drew himself back up to his full height and laughed even louder, so much so that tears began to roll down his angular face.
“My goodness, Priest,” said Empeth with sickly sweetness, brushing the smoldering threads around the small holes in his white shirt. “I really thought you knew better than that by now.”
Empeth pounced with the speed of a jaguar onto the helpless Priest, and the black man’s screams echoed through the walls of the apartment and out into the night sky.
* * * *
Vain and Sebastian encountered two men moving up the stairs towards them. Without hesitation Vain drew one of his pistols and dispatched them both, not even breaking stride. He bypassed the street level exit, continuing to the complex’s basement garage. Throwing aside a large tarpaulin, he revealed a jet-black Ferrari; its gleaming paintwork and low, aerodynamic features throwing a stark contrast against the musty garage.
“Get in,” he commanded Sebastian and the boy obliged without comment, too stunned by the car’s appearance to speak.
Vain noticed the expression on the boy’s face. “It belonged to a drug dealer I met once and I took it when I left. He didn’t
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