Chapter VIII - Daddy Issues

Chapter VIII

The door slammed loudly against the wall as my steel-toe booted foot rammed it with all the strengh I could muster. I ran in gun blazing in one hand as I dropped a flare into the darknened room.

The magnesium flare clad the room in a low red light. It didn't light up the room like the sun, but it was plenty enough for what I needed.

I swept the room with a gaze, looking slightly off the area I was scanning. Another of my dad's trick, peripheral vision is actually much better than the front to detect movement. Especially in poor lighting conditions.

Silence was all that came to my ears, complete unbearable silence. Nothing moved in the room. From my position, I could see the stairway down. And so, I went down, right after another road flare ofcourse.

The aged wooden stair creaked under my weight as I carefully went down. Altought I couldn't hear anything, I kept cover on the wall as I reached the basement. Just because they're monsters with claws don't mean they can't use a gun...

With a kick, the flare went into the next room, revealing a work table, shelves and what were probably embalming tools. It was still dead silent; no ushed breathing, no footsteps, only the flare that burned, shedding only a minor amount of crimson light around, that left plenty of place to hide out.

It was a trap. Any Idiot would figure it out. And Yet I had to walk right into it. You can't ambush someone who's expecting an attack.

I walked strait into the room, out of cover, trying as hard as I could to not just get killed strait away. It wasn't as easy as it might sound.

Ghastly screams and ear-spliting wails came out from all around me, as half a dozen silouette moved out of the shadow lunging at me with claws out.

Time slowed down, the horde of ragged skined, screaching, twisted abominations ran for me, I saw them cover inches by inches in slow motion as adrenaline flowed all across my body. We both moved fast, their preternatural speed against my regular joe's. In the second it took for them to reach me, I couldn't even move out of the way.

However, I could still act. Right as it jumped for my throat, the ghoul that once was an old gentleman by his look, met contact with me. Not With my fist, but the muzzel of the pistol I held in hand. As fast as It was, it couldn't change the dirrect in mid air. The cannon jammed right into his belly, an instant before it let out a murderous, firery roar.

Thick nearly black blood spewed out lazily from the entry wound. While it never came out, it safe to assume that it had ricochaied off it's skin and bone.

As good as that move might have been, five other of the ghouls tackled me down, sending me right into a metal storage shelf, right shoulder first. Karma really had a grudge against that part of me...

Two of them, a woman and a teenage looking kid, crushed me against the floor as another ripped the bloodied gun away from my grip. Strangely, none of them used their venom on me. Keeping their claws away from me...

I didn't have time to ponder why as the two teen and female should grabbed me and set me down on my knees, using one hand to keep me down, at the shoulder, the other claws at the ready less than half an inch away from my throat.

“Well... well... Look who we have here...” Came a rasping, inhuman voice.

As I raised my head slowly, my gaze met with one of the ghoul's. That one was different. He wasn't just sickly looking with claws and fangs, all over the visible part of his body, the skin was peeling off, giving a glimpse at what laid under, large dark muscle tissue. His face wasn't pretty either, sporting large entirely black eyes except for a tiny red pupil. The thing wore a long coat, similar to that of 1940's gentlement, a gray suit, covered with small splatter of blood. His claws and fangs were also differents, instead of elongated nails and sharp canines, he sported finger wide talons and a mouth full of knives.

“Anytime now...” I said to myself internally.

“I did not expect you of all people to walk in here.”

Me? how did he knew who I was? Until a week ago, I was a nobody working as a paper pusher in a pharmaceutics compagny...

“Do you know who I am Child?”

Even though I was curious, I didn't give him the dignity of an answear. Beside the girls would be there any second now...

“Answear me maggot!” He snarled.

His hand grabbed onto my shoulder and his claws sank into it. It wasn't time to fall unconscious...

That didn't happen, instead, all the muscle in my body crisped at one, into one massive body wide cramp acompagnied by a thunderstorm of agony. I couldn't stop it, I howled out in pain. Giving the man a tiny saddistic smile.

“That is a start.” He said calmly, like he was just sitting around and drinking coffee while reading a newspaper.

His claws thankfully retired from my shoulder, leaving a messy wound that would've hurt if not for the insane amount of adrenaline my body pumped.

“Who the fuck... are you?” I asked as I slowly, very slowly recovered from the claw's venom. It was in my interest to get the conversation rolling, just to buy some time.

“Don't you know?” He said, seemingly shocked by my ignorance. “You should know me well Ezekiel Black. It was your father wasn't it that slaughtered my children.”

“My father?”

“Aren't you here to finish the job he started but never could?”

“What job? My father was a paranoid lunatic! That believed the government were breeding mutants and working with lizard people!”

“True. A shame he never learned the truth. It would have made killing him more satisfying. Revenge I was denied I must say.”

“You must have the wrong guy, I'd have known if he did anything.”

“That is unlikely. There you are, Ezekiel Black, Son of Elijah Black and Miriam Ducreux. Your mother did remarkably well to conceal you.”

“What is it you want?”

“Revenge ofcourse. Elijah killed my progeny, it is only normal I so the same isn't it?”

“Is that why Will was turned?”

“Indeed. It was only luck my minion saw you enter the hospital with your friend. And as you stayed for several days, we had plenty of time to check your Identity and make plans.”

“You goddamn bastard! You should've just come after me.”

“And miss the delightful scene of you killing you best friend?” He laughed darkly yet not maniacally.

I sighed. I was really powerless. Were the girls aware of this plan? Could I really trust them? I mean... they had plenty of time to come in and do a murder spree.

“Enought.” I said lowly.

“Oh?”

“You've got me. Just end this damn monologue once and for all.”

“I have more instore for you than a quick death. Your father killed 12 child of mine. Not just pawns like these ones. But real children, free thinking Ghul. Killing you once would be injust for them. I've had something better in mind.

Make you one of us. A true ghul, you will resist I know. But once the hungers sets in, all trace of you humanity will slowly erode as you devour your prey.”

Come to think of it, horrible dismembering death didn't sound too bad.