《The Limbo Project》


 Chapter 1

    My name is Gray Midway, you can blame the evil scientists who raised me for their terrible naming sense. Anyway, It turns out that demons and angels can actually get along, but no one said they''d take responsibility when they got along a little too well. The American government owned me from the moment I was born. Politicians really do make deals with devils, angels too.


    I live in a secret facility called the Limbo project. Imagine Frankenstein''s laboratory, with a bigger budget and a lot more manpower. Lots of men and women in labcoats being protected by bigger men and women with guns. Protected from what? Little ol¡¯ me, that''s who. Your friendly neighborhood abomination, cloaked in grey and ready for action.


    My story starts like this, angels, demons, and all other manner of creature are real. They prey on humans without prejudice so when my parents had a kid that defied the taboos, the human government saw their chance to get a weapon to even the playing field. I wonder how much my parents got for me, hopefully at least a condo. Anyway, fast forward thirteen years later and we come to today, my birthday. I wanted to go somewhere special for today. Now that I''m in a helicopter thousands of feet above the Syrian desert, I wish I''d asked for a bike.


    Officer Mays sat across from me with a slice of chocolate cake in her lap and a look of grim determination on her face. She was one of the younger agents that had ever been sent with me on a mission and was probably new to this kind of stuff; a mousy looking woman with blonde hair shaved close to her head.


    I shrugged in the chains that had been used to secure me and said ¡°I don''t bite officer Mays. Not unless I''m ordered to anyway.¡± I let a thin sliver of power hang on my words to soothe her and she started to relax subconsciously. A heavy fist smashed my head against the metal plating behind me and I groaned as agent Sid rubbed his knuckles and said ¡°You know better than to use your powers on government personnel. Don''t test me, boy.¡± Agent Sid had been my primary caregiver over the last thirteen years and I often wondered if that title was some kind of a cruel joke. Agent Sid had made sure I knew exactly how much he hated his job everyday with a steady diet of beatings and punishments. His only effort to hide his contempt was a never-wavering smile that didn''t reach his eyes. I sometimes wondered if he was actually human, he looked to be in his early twenties, but he''d looked that way as long as I''d known him, the years seemed unable to phase him. Agent Sid gestured to officer Mays and said ¡°Feed the boy his cake.¡±


    Officer Mays looked at me with eyes that told me she was none too happy about me trying to influence her and I knew she probably wouldn''t volunteer for this kind of thing again. She gripped the bottom of my mask with the type of revulsion normally reserved for dead rodents and rolled it up just enough to uncover my mouth. She gasped in a combination of stunned horror and awe as my power began to flow free without the masks full restrictions. Agent Sid shook her from her stupor and said in a voice that brooked no argument ¡°Hurry it up.¡±


    Officer Mays seemed to harden herself against my presence and proceeded to the arduous task of feeding me birthday cake. When she was finished she wiped my mouth and rolled the mask back down. A part of me sobbed at losing that small bit of freedom from my fetters.


    I looked at agent Sid and asked ¡°So Agent Sid, what¡¯s the scoop on today¡¯s job?¡± His big fake smile got bigger and he said ¡°There¡¯s a city just west of here, Aleppo. We¡¯ll be dropping you just four miles out; your job is to infiltrate a small compound on its outskirts and rescue the youngest daughter of one of our VIP¡¯s. You will ensure her safety until you are extracted, as for how you deal with any resistance from the opposition, that will be left up to you. Questions?¡± I looked into that big fake smile and asked ¡°How will I know what the target looks like?¡±


    ¡°It will be the little white girl. She¡¯ll probably be cowering in a corner or something. I''m sure you¡¯ll figure it out.¡± I looked out the door and tried to get a feel for the landscape in the cold Syrian night when my next question came to mind ¡°So, you mentioned something about dropping me, that was a figure of speech, right?¡± Agent Sid just smiled at me and I gulped ¡°Can''t I have a parachute or something?¡± He pressed his foot against my chest and I started to fall to the side. I saw the ground far below and said ¡°At least take the chains off!¡± Officer Mays put her hands over her mouth in shock and Agent Sid let out a grunt of effort before launching me from the helicopter. I screamed in terror as I fell and my ears caught the words ¡°Try not to mess this up, Grey.¡±


    I yelled back ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill you one day, Agent Sid!¡± He probably heard it, Agent Sid has impeccable hearing.


    I turned in the air and looked at the ground, it was coming on pretty fast; I went over my options and realized there was only one. Crash as painlessly as possible.


    I thought about landing on my feet, but an image of my shins being forced through my chest cavity sent that idea away. My head was out of the question, so all that left were my arms that had been so graciously bound in front of me. I braced myself for impact and closed my eyes as I hit the hard packed earth, no soft sandy landing for ol¡¯ Gray.


    The sound of bones breaking and tearing through muscle was almost as vivid as the pain that wracked my body. I thrashed uncontrollably and my chains broke away with the force of my tortured spasms. Soon I just laid still to let my mixed angel and demon blood begin the arduous task of healing my battered body. My full body grey suit was a miracle of ancient magic and modern science. It repaired itself and fed on any bodily fluids that might have leaked from me in the crash. By the time I finished healing, there wasn''t even a smear of blood on my suit and to my chagrin I felt the magical seals inside it burn against my skin with renewed strength after the heavy feeding.


    I stood up and looked in the direction that Aleppo was supposed to be in and started jogging, the cool mountain air felt good in the night, and the rocky, sandy ground wasn¡¯t too hard to run on at this speed.


    The scenery passed by me in a blur of browns and greens as my supernaturally strengthened muscles carried me across the landscape. I stopped when I could see signs of the first buildings, Aleppo wasn¡¯t the most luxurious of cities, but to my eyes that had rarely seen outside the secured and sterile facility base, it was beautiful. The sprawling city, the people, so what if some of the buildings were bombed out and crumbling? You could get lost in there. There was a hopeful voice in my head that whispered ¡°You could run away, for a time.¡± I shut it up, there was no running. I couldn¡¯t escape and even if I could, they¡¯d just find me and make my life worse. Could it really be worse? I shuddered at the thought and looked out over the city. There weren¡¯t a lot of buildings on the outskirts of Aleppo, or at least not ones that would make a good hideout, I didn¡¯t have to look very hard, I just stopped looking when I found the armed guards standing in front of a squat and crumbling building.


    The guards were two well dressed men with submachine guns, they had matching sunglasses even though it was night, and long dark hair. I approached them slowly, they didn¡¯t react well to a strange kid appearing out of the dark of night. They pointed their guns at me and started yelling in a language that I had never heard, my angel mind quickly translated the words ¡°Get down on your knees or be shot.¡± I raised both of my hands and fell to my knees, the two guards cautiously came closer to me, one on the right and one on the left. The one on the right pulled a radio out of his pocket and pressed a button ¡°We have an intruder at the front.¡± There was a pause, then a rough voice said ¡°Deal with it quietly.¡± The man with the radio said ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± and put the radio back in his pocket.


    He pulled out a knife and reached down to grab me, I caught his wrist and wrenched his hand toward his friend on my left, the knife went deep into the guy''s gut. I stood up and forced the knife up with me, forcing him to disembowel his partner, I crushed the first man''s wrist as he tried to raise his gun and covered his mouth with my free hand to muffle his scream. I put my mouth next to his ear and whispered words that held a melody that promised warmth and safety ¡°It¡¯s okay, it will all be better when you wake up.¡± The words came out with a resonance like the sound of clear bell. I felt his body relax as he slumped to the ground in sleep. His partner was still alive, bleeding out and struggling with his innards, he whimpered as he watched his blood wet the earth. I broke his neck as a mercy and moved on. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The front door was just a huge slab of stone with no handles, I pushed and it slowly began to slide open. I fell to my knees as the door opened, the smell! The stench of blood and death was cloying, under it all was a dark, oily stench, like sour meat and fear, and brimstone. I tried to control myself as my angel mind struggled not to vomit and my demon mind called to find the source of the wonderful smell, to stop everything and join whatever was here in this place.


    I pulled myself up and walked through the poorly lit hallways. I passed abandoned rooms and walked down damp stairwells. Dried blood marred the walls and floors at irregular intervals. The smell only got stronger as I walked, as I neared its source. I poked my head around a corner and barely had time to pull back as a hail of bullets rushed by. I put my hand to my gut, three bullets had gone right through the stone and burrowed in. The wounds were already healing as the bullets were pushed out.


    Gunshot wounds always brought me back to when I was five. I had fallen and scraped my knee while training, I cried until one of the researchers came to check on me. I told the man with the clipboard and he nodded, he left the room and came back with Agent Sid. Agent Sid had pulled a 9mm from his holster and commenced to empty the clip into my chest, stomach, arms, and legs as I screamed. He just smiled and said ¡°Monsters don¡¯t get to feel pain, Gray. We haven¡¯t spent all this money for a weakling, get over it.¡±


    The firing stopped when I was no longer in sight and I sighed in disappointment, whatever happened to firing all your ammo uselessly into the wall. I waited for the suit to stitch itself up and took a deep breath and rushed around the corner. There were five gunmen, lined up and pulling the triggers, I fell forward until I was almost lying flat on the floor and used my toes and fingertips to propel myself down the hall. Bullets sailed just overhead as the gunmen panicked under an unexpected route of attack, I smashed my fist into the knee of the gunman farthest to the right and kicked off the wall as he fell, I spun on the ground and swept the feet out from under the next man and caught his weapon on his fall. The M16 was on a strap around his neck and I used the man¡¯s body weight to break his neck. I held his body in front of me and aimed under the dead man¡¯s right armpit using his gun to mow down the remaining gunmen in the small confines. It all happened in about three seconds. I used another gun to finish off the man with the broken knee before discarding the weapon and moving forward.


    There was a rickety wooden door further down the hall, the terrible smell was all-encompassing, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from taking a deep breath and basking in the stink, so much evil, to conquer, to destroy, to save. That was the thing about being half demon and half angel, no black and white, only Gray, I never really knew how I¡¯d react in these situations.


    I opened the wooden door and gazed into the large room beyond, a dark haired little girl with big blue eyes sat in the middle of the floor, she was playing with something, I walked into the room and stepped closer to see what she was holding, human hands. The little girl was playing with torn and bloody limbs, her pink dress was smeared in dark blood, her eyes looked empty and she didn¡¯t seem to take notice of me. For the first time, I noticed a short, almost boring man in a black suit standing just to the far side of the room. The man was average in every way, boring hair cut, boring face, he almost made me want to overlook him, except for the huge cloud of filth surrounding him, the smell of him had drawn me here, had spread all throughout the building. The man looked at me with a bored expression, but there was a smoldering fire behind his eyes. The smell of brimstone brought me a faint sense of longing. The brimstone confirmed it, a demon, an imp, based on the smell.


    The imp opened it¡¯s mouth revealing sharp, yellow teeth and it¡¯s voice was far deeper than it had any right to be as it said ¡°An abomination? How dare you enter the lair of your better? A disgusting half breed? Not possible and yet it is.¡± I didn¡¯t answer, I crouched low to the ground, on all fours to readily move in any direction, the imp licked his lips ¡°Disgusting, but your blood is strong, your flesh will give me great strength. The likes of you was never meant to exist, your whore mother has done you a wrong, but your father may thank me for killing his shame, the angels can be such hypocrites.¡± I felt my blood rush, I charged forward, the stone beneath my feet, cracking with the force, I closed the distance, and raised my fist to smash the imp¡¯s skull. It moved it¡¯s head with unnatural speed and I missed, the imp caught my leg and swung me. My upper body bent at an agonizing angle with the force of the swing and I hit the ceiling, ground, and wall in quick succession. I went through the wall and smashed into the ground in the next room, the imp still had my leg, it pulled me back and grabbed me by my head with one hand, lifting me into the air. It¡¯s breath was hot in my face, rotten eggs would''ve been an improvement to the reek. ¡°Pathetic, so young, so stupid, so weak. What is under the mask I wonder?¡± The imp began to pull my mask from my face, I grabbed it¡¯s wrist ¡°Don¡¯t touch.¡± It laughed in my face, black spittle flying ¡°You¡¯re in no position for demands, abomination.¡± It smacked my hand away and pulled off my mask, the imp stared at me for a second with recognition in it¡¯s eyes ¡°That face. There is no doubt of your parents. I will be made a Lord when I tell my masters of this.¡±


    I smiled as I felt the limiters inside the mask release their grip. I moved my tongue over razor sharp, and perfectly white teeth and licked my lips ¡°Imps really are stupid.¡± His face showed confusion, and then rage ¡°What was that, abomination!? The final defiance in your last moments?¡± He slammed my head into the ground and squeezed, I slapped his hand away with ease and planted my foot in his stomach, kicking him into the ceiling. Dude was dense, like kicking a boulder. He bounced off the ceiling in a shower of concrete and landed against a wall, gasping. I stood up and looked at the mask that the imp still held in his hand, pulsing yellow sigils covered the inside. The imp looked at the mask, I let him examine it, just to see the moment when he realized how many seals had been placed on the ¡°Abomination¡±. His gaze met mine and he made an audible gulp sound as I rushed at him, my eyes flashed and burned him with holy light as he struggled to his feet, he raised a weakened hand that I grabbed in my jaws. My teeth clamped down and I spun my whole body against his weight. Flesh tore and bone broke in a sticky crack, rancid black blood sprayed my face as I jumped back and began to feast on the prize in my mouth. I gagged as I tore into the meaty arm, taking huge bites, swallowing chunks in a frenzy, it burned on the way down, sickening yet intoxicating. My angel mind screamed in disgust as I relished the feeling of crushed bone between my teeth, but I was lost to the madness.


    I finished and felt the imp¡¯s power flow through me in a torrent of diseased power. I turned to see the imp trying to crawl away, a look of fear on it¡¯s borrowed human face. I fell upon the creature, battering it¡¯s one flailing arm away as it struggled against me, my gaze burned it¡¯s strength to cinders and slowly it lost it¡¯s will to struggle, even to scream. The next hour was a blank, as I fed on the body of the dead demon, retching and hating myself even as I ate, as I became stronger with its putrid flesh.


    When I finished, I stood, wiping the blood from my face with my arm and picking up the mask with contempt. I turned to the little girl, she had dropped the hands and was now staring at me with a look of joy and acceptance, like I was her savior. The faint swirl of light and shadow in her eyes told me she had been enthralled, turned into an unwilling worshipper of the Gray Midway fellowship by my unearthly power. Power that I still had no idea how to control and a downside of not having my mask. I walked for the exit without looking back, the girl would follow me, to the ends of the earth if I asked.


    I left the building and walked back in the direction I had come from, little girl in tow. After a long while I saw a helicopter in the distance, a spotlight shined down on a single man with a megaphone, Agent Sid. Agent Sid held the megaphone to his mouth ¡°Stop right there, Gray.¡± I stopped walking, I was still a good hundred meters from him. ¡°So, Gray. You got the girl, very good. Why is your mask off, little monster?¡± I spoke at normal volume, somehow Agent Sid would manage to hear me, impeccable hearing and all ¡°A demon took it off me.¡± There was a pause ¡°So put it back on. Now.¡± I took a step forward ¡°No.¡± Agent Sid¡¯s tone didn¡¯t change but there was a subtle menace in his voice ¡°What was that, monster? It sounded like you said no. Look at what you¡¯ve done to that little girl, you know how low the chances of recovery for an enthralling are, and at her age, maybe impossible. You don¡¯t care, little monster?¡± I took another step forward ¡°I said no.¡±


    There was a pause as Agent Sid said something into a radio on his chest, he raised his hand up in the air with five fingers spread ¡°Now Gray, I¡¯ve raised you better than this, let¡¯s not get violent.¡± I took another step forward ¡°I¡¯m done listening to you.¡± Agent Sid sighed as I broke into a full sprint. He closed his hand into a fist and gunfire exploded through the air. I rushed as I felt my body getting pincushioned with tranqs, dozens of them pelleting my legs, arms, and torso. The tranqs had been made for me and I could feel my body slowing down, feel my brain getting sluggish. The world lurched and twisted, it felt like I was moving in slow motion, I hit the ground just a couple feet from Agent Sid. He looked in my eyes as I reached for him. I let all my hate and rage boil to the surface, I felt hellfire and holy flame mingle as they flowed from my eyes, Agent Sid didn¡¯t even flinch, he just smiled and laughed as he put his 9mm to my forehead and pulled the trigger, the world became darkness.

 Chapter 2

    I opened my eyes and gazed through a grey film, I sighed, they had put the mask back on with its stupid restrictive sigils. I was chained up again, and sitting up on a bench in a military helicopter, Agent Sid sat across from me with his pistol aimed at my head ¡°Gray, it¡¯s nice of you to join us. Did you have a nice nap?¡± I stared in silence, there were soldiers filling all the free space in the helicopter, high powered rifles aimed at me. The little girl stood behind a wall of soldiers, she was struggling against them to get to me.


    We landed and I was pulled out of my seat and into the facilities front gates, soldiers and scientists milled about rushing to different assignments and studies, many of them having to do with me.


    This is my home, otherwise known as the Limbo project, the gates, the soldiers, the tanks, scientists and layers of security, all for me, to make sure they got the most out of their investment. I saw a soldier take the little girl away, kicking and screaming, they¡¯d try to rehabilitate her, to save her mind.


    In situations like this I was grateful for the mask, it blocked out the wave of emotion coming from the human staff. I hated to feel their suffering or happiness. Hated the way I couldn¡¯t stop myself from wanting to solve all their problems, or from wanting to make them worse.


    Agent Sid grabbed my arm and walked me down the dark hallways, flashing red lights, our only illumination as they announced the return of the prisoner. We stopped at a large steel door with a number pad, Agent Sid swiped his keycard through a scanner and pulled me through into a white room filled with more soldiers. One wall of the room was the glass wall of an aquarium, of course this glass was reinforced to be stronger than steel, and on the other side of the glass, a prison of near freezing water.


    In the center of the room was a single wooden table, a tall middle aged man with salt and pepper hair sat at the table with his legs crossed, he wore a white lab coat over a tan collar shirt and white pants. He had an angular face and black eyes; he smiled at me ¡°Gray! How was your thirteenth birthday?¡± He took my silence as an answer ¡°I see, I really hoped it would go well.¡± He looked at me with disappointment and I hated myself for feeling shame, for feeling like I let him down. Dr.Cabrera may have done a better job of pretending to care than most,but it would always be an act.


    Agent Sid smiled at Dr.Cabrera ¡°Let¡¯s get the little monster in containment, I¡¯ve got a report to write. Diego.¡± Dr.Cabrera nodded and stood up, we followed him into a room set off to the side and up a stairway, that ended right above the giant aquarium. There was nothing in the tank, only freezing water and dim underwater lights, as always, my chains seemed to feel more constricting at this moment. I could break them easily, but the base as a whole was less on edge when I had them on. I mentally prepared myself, then I stepped into the tank, sinking like a rock.


    I didn¡¯t have the panic that I¡¯ve heard most humans have in this situation, stronger supernatural beings can¡¯t be killed by just average mundane means like drowning, it takes a special weakness, or spelled materials. So yeah, I can¡¯t drown, but it¡¯s still incredibly cold and uncomfortable, the helplessness, knowing that I can¡¯t leave this tank without their permission, that they could just leave me here.


    I hit the bottom and laid there, I could see into the room from earlier, see the soldiers with their weapons. I lay facing them, knowing how much it creeped them out.


    I closed my eyes and drifted into sleep, I pushed away the cold, the cramps in my muscles and my situation and drifted.


    I didn''t go to a place of calm when I slept, I got to talk to myselves. Two different versions of me stared each other down, one represented an endless abyss of dark rage, despair, destruction, death, fire, and torment. The other was infinite beauty, calm and insurmountable peace, happiness, hope, of new life, and regrowth, of second chances.


    They¡¯re bodies shifted slightly when I entered, acknowledging my presence, but not letting their guards down. Whoever said opposites attract was completely out of their minds, unless they meant to get in stab range.


    Usually the two sides were equal, but now my demon side was clearly a little bigger than my angel side. It wasn¡¯t too much of a problem, my demon side is too shrewd to make a move without a much bigger advantage. I need to get my angel side bigger to make things even again, maybe I¡¯ll get a chance to help some old ladies cross the street or something? The bright side of this is that if my demon side ever does win out, the lab coats will get the weapon they¡¯ve always wanted and it will be coming for them. Starting with Agent Sid.


    I opened my eyes to the sound of a high pitched ringing. I gripped one of the built-in handholds as the draining water threatened to suck me away. The water emptied and the pull weakened until I lay on the floor of an empty chamber.


    A metal security door opened at the end of the room and Agent Sid walked in, he slid a plate across the floor to me. I rolled to my side and stopped the plate with my foot, it held a white gelatinous rectangle, the rectangle was shiny and wet. I grimaced ¡°Mmm, nutrient mold again, my favorite.¡± Agent Sid smiled and said ¡°I know, that''s why I keep telling them to serve it to you. It''s my job to look out for you, Gray. I''ve got today''s schedule, physical exam, Mental health, Educational courses, then isolation.¡±


    I looked at him in surprise as he came to lift up my mask. ¡°Isolation? What for?.¡± He chuckled ¡°You thought that little rebellion yesterday wouldn¡¯t go in my report? I¡¯m kind of disappointed really, Diego got put in charge of your isolation period. Eat your slop and let''s go.¡± That was good, Dr.Cabrera wasn¡¯t known for his cruel and inhumane punishments, I¡¯d probably just be forced to sit in the corner for a while. I looked back at the glass wall to make sure the soldiers in the other room had already left, then I leaned forward and Agent Sid uncovered my mouth. I had to lay against the floor to get the nutrient mold into my mouth with the chains on, it tasted as good as it sounded.


    After my meal I was taken to the physical research room, a state of the art gym. There were instruments, scales, numbers and keypads that would help the group of white lab-coated researchers standing off to the side with their clipboards get the most accurate results.


    Agent Sid stood against the wall with his hand on his holster while a blonde woman named Dr.Sarah got me situated. I laid down flat on a cold metal table, and stared at the ceiling while she stood behind a sleek control pad and pressed buttons, she looked at the other researchers and said ¡°We will now begin with the first test of physical strength.¡± Dr.Sarah looked at me ¡°Gray, raise your hands above you and spread your fingers as though you were holding up a great weight.¡± I did as she said and the moment my hands were in position, a huge metal box fell from the ceiling! I caught it and held it above me.


    I heard Dr.Sarah¡¯s voice ¡°I have started the test at a single ton of force as the subject has proven to be capable of handling such exertions, I will now increase the force.¡± The box grew significantly heavier and I gritted my teeth ¡°I have now increased the force to two tons, the subject shows very little signs of strain even though the exerted force has doubled in pressure so quickly. I will increase the force once more.¡± The box got heavier and my arms started to shake, my muscles felt like they were on fire, my breathing grew heavy, and I could feel my strength starting to wane as the box got closer and closer to my face ¡°It seems we have more or less reached the peak of the subjects strength at an impressive three tons, but there is room for improvement, rest assured.¡±


    The box suddenly rose and disappeared back into the ceiling with a sound of whirring gears. My arms fell to my sides like two rolls of gelatinous nutrient mold, I was allowed a couple of seconds of rest before the next test.


    I stood on a treadmill and Dr. Sarah prompted me to run and I started at a slow jog, the number on the speedometer started to rise and I matched it. I started to struggle at around the seventy miles per hour mark, but I held on for almost eight hours while the lab geeks watched me like robots.


    The rest of the day went on pretty much the same way, pushing me to my limits in different areas before moving on to the next test. Dodging machine gun fire in a room that echoed and amplified sounds, climbing a superheated rockwall with instant relocating handholds, and fighting my way through state-of-the-art battle drones was all par for the course. I jumped out of the turbine powered pool¡¯s thirty mile per hour currents and sprawled to the cold metal floor, Dr.Sarah stood over me with a clipboard ¡°That will be all today, take it away Agent Sid.¡±


    Mental health was Dr.Cabrera¡¯s idea, I just sat in a room and watched TV, unfortunately it was all family shows, the kind that constantly reminded me of the life I should have had. A mom and a dad, kids, a crazy uncle and crazier grandparents, friends, school. I¡¯d watch for hours and wonder if any of it was real, if there were people who really lived like this? It occurred to me that the little girl from yesterday had probably lived like this, well maybe she still could if she got better. Right now she was part of the Grey Love Club, other people who had seen my face and paid the price, but probably the only people who cared about me at all.


    Agent Sid sat nearby, staring with that permanent smile of his, his eyes never seemed to roam, never seemed to wander. Sometimes it was easier to be with Agent Sid than with anyone else in the facility. I knew where I stood with him, Dr.Cabrera¡¯s kindness was out of concern for his job, he just wanted to make sure I was stable enough to complete my missions, it wasn¡¯t real and it made it hurt so much more. Agent Sid truly hated me, he cared enough to hate me to my core, nothing fake about it, he just wanted to make sure my life was hell. I could survive in hell, suffering was nothing new, but false hope would kill me.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    After a couple of hours, the radio on Agent Sid¡¯s chest beeped, he put it to his ear and listened, then impossibly, his smile seemed to get wider. He put his radio back to his chest ¡°Well Grey, it seems Dr.Cabrera has had something come up and can¡¯t handle your isolation period, I will be taking over.¡± I felt my heart drop, no way was I going into an isolation with Agent Sid. He must have seen the look in my eyes ¡°Don¡¯t worry kiddo, that¡¯s not until after your fun in class, now let¡¯s get moving.¡± I clenched my fist and walked with Agent Sid to class, it was important a kid my age get his education after all.


    My classroom was actually pretty normal, normal classroom just like in the shows, except for the reinforced glass separating me from the teacher, and the subject: Supernatural beings, from the smallest pixie in Faerie to the highest demons in hell and even angels in heaven. Ms.Mackren had spent her entire life studying the supernatural and she was going to make sure I knew what she knew.


    Today¡¯s class was on the dangers of woodsprites, the lesson was boring, the room was warm, and Ms.Mackren had a piece of food stuck in her teeth the whole time. I never wanted it to end, I tried to stretch every second as long as possible but it wasn¡¯t enough. Agent Sid walked in with real joy in his eyes ¡°Isolation time!!!¡± He said it the way most people say ¡°Who wants ice cream!¡± or ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯re innocent!¡± I wanted with everything in my heart to jump from my seat and lunge at him, but I knew it would do nothing. I could kill Agent Sid, but then what? I couldn¡¯t fight my way out of this place, not without clearances. Besides, something about the way Agent Sid held himself around me said he thought he could take me. Maybe he wasn''t human after all.


    I left with my head slumped in dismay. Agent Sid placed me in a room that was completely dark, that was one similarity between him and Dr.Cabrera, and that was the last. I should be able to see in the dark perfectly but every time my eyes tried to adjust it was like they were covered by a black cloth. My head started to hurt and the more I tried to see, the worse it got.


    I stood still in complete darkness, no noise but the sound of my breathing for a long time. There was a loud crack and then a line of fiery pain ran across my stomach, before I could react there was another crack and my back exploded in an eye watering sting. I moved, but the crack kept coming, faster and harder. Hands, feet, legs, arms, back, chest, neck, face, stomach; over and over until my entire body was a ball of raw torment, until every second was filled with the sound of it. I felt skin tear and blood run from the wounds, I felt my bruises all over my body, each one screaming for attention, but being overpowered by new hurts.


    The wounds appeared faster than they healed, and each unbruised patch of skin became a battleground for more agony. I rolled on the floor, screaming until my throat was raw and could no longer make sound, and then I screamed again when my throat healed. I repeatedly bit my tongue in ragged spasms and got to feel it heal, I coughed up blood constantly as my throat tore and my tongue bled.


    Finally I rolled into a ball, willing the world away, retreating in on myself as best as I could and did something I hadn¡¯t done in years, not since I had learned how useless it was. I prayed to my father, I prayed that he would swoop down from the sky and save me from the bad people. I prayed and I hated myself for the weakness. I don¡¯t know how many hours I lay curled up praying as the rain of horror beat away at me, as the sound of cracking whips became the only sound I knew. Nothing, nothing, nothing! No one was coming to save me, not now, not ever. No one will ever save me. For the first time in a long time, I cried, I cried until my tears ran out.


    At some point the cracks stopped, the pain stopped coming and all that was left were my choking sobs. I lay there for a few minutes, trying desperately to regain my composure as I healed, the lights came on in the room and I heard footsteps approaching me. I looked up, it was Dr.Cabrera. His face and shirt were flecked with blood. In one hand he held a 9mm and in the other, an armful of clothes. He looked nervous.


    Dr.Cabrera dropped the clothes at my feet and said ¡°Gray, I''m getting you out of here.¡± I looked at him in disbelief ¡°Out? You mean like outside?¡± He nodded and I said ¡°What about Agent Sid?¡± He smiled a wolfish grin and said ¡°That bastard''s dead. Now stay still, we don''t have much time.¡± He put his hand over my face and whispered ¡°Alteramentum.¡± His hand suddenly started glowing and I tried to pull away, but he grabbed my head and wouldn¡¯t let go, his grip was like iron. My body suddenly seemed to stiffen up and I screamed as his fingers passed through my face like a ghost¡¯s might, I felt my teeth rattle like they¡¯d fall out. He was kneading my head like it was clay and I felt like my skull was going to explode as bone shifted subtly under my skin.


    He finally stopped and I slumped against him, Dr.Cabrera snatched my mask off before I could stop him. ¡°There, now you look human.¡± I stared at him, noting that he didn¡¯t seem to be turning into a Gray worshipper. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± He smiled and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder ¡°I¡¯m giving you a chance to be free, a new face. Now for the suit.¡± He held my shoulders and warmth spread through my body. Dr. Cabrera yelled ¡°Scardandum!¡± I pulled away as my body caught fire. My flesh burned and the suit fell from my body in a heap of rags.  My body was covered in scars that flashed yellow once and then the glow faded.


    I looked at Dr.Cabrera and he saw the anger in my eyes. He held up his hands in defense and said ¡°Woah there. I said I''d let you out, but I''m not just going to sick you on the masses. Those scars will bind your powers, but they''ll heal over time and give you a chance to get used to your new abilities.¡± I grabbed the clothes he''d dropped on the ground and got dressed when an alarm started to blare ¡°Guess they found Sid.¡± He turned and shot the keypad next to the door and said ¡°That should keep them out for awhile. Let''s get going.¡± I looked around the room, there were no other exits. Dr. Cabrera saw the panic on my face and said ¡°Don''t worry. I know what I''m doing.¡±


    He lead me over to a far wall and scanned it with his hands. He nodded in approval and then bit into his hand like a starving man with a steak. Before I could ask if he was okay he began to smear the wall with blood and chant in a language not meant for a human mouth. It was hellion, the language of demons. The stone wall began to fold and bend against itself until we stood before a heavy door made of dead wood. Dr.Cabrera opened the door and said ¡°Go through here it should take you to safety.¡± I looked down the long sloping tunnel behind the door with worry. ¡°How can you use demon magic and what''s this tunnel, where does it go?¡± There was angry shouting from behind us as the guards struggled with the broken keypad. Dr.Cabrera checked the clip of his pistol with his good hand and said ¡°This is called the Sinner''s Trail, a path to take you away from prying eyes.


    Your mother gave me this spell to get you out of here and she''s the only one who knows where it comes out.¡± at the look in my eyes he said ¡°Yes, I know your mother. No, I won''t tell you about her.¡± I walked through the door and looked back as I felt a sudden rush of fear escape him, he was afraid to die. ¡°Come with me.¡± He shook his head ¡°No, the door has to be sealed with my blood or else you''ll be followed.¡± I heard gunshots as the guards started to break down the door and I said ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± His eyes flashed red and he said ¡°I made some bad deals and it''s time to pay up.¡± He started to close the door himself when I didn''t move. ¡°Don''t stop moving on the Sinner''s Trail, you''re not the only one using it. And if you see your mother, tell her Diego has paid his debts.¡± The door shut and I heard gunshots and bullets fly, there was a voice like rocks grinding together with Dr.Cabrera¡¯s voice on it''s edges ¡°Come on friends, the train to hell has room for all of us.¡±


    I ran down the trail. It smelled of rot and mold, of fresh murder and lies sweet enough to turn the stomach. I ran as fast as I could, my legs burned as I struggled on the too soft earth. The tunnel changed its slope at random intervals, from a steady decline to a steep rise and then vice versa. It was cold, as I ran the temperature started to drop without any warning. A bone deep chill that tried to hold my muscles in place and freeze my veins. I kept running as the fatigue built up and the cold ate away at me. Ice crystals formed on my eyelashes and my face felt like it was frozen solid. My arms and legs lost all feeling in the cold and it got hard to keep them moving without falling flat onto my face.


    Soon I began to slow down as my strength gave out and I was about to stop for a moment despite the cold when I heard a rough growl behind me. I turned my head and caught a glimpse of hundreds of pale skinned creatures rushing along the walls of the tunnel after me. They were the size of wolves and crawled along the walls on all fours with their bellies close to the ground, their spindly legs propelled them after me. Milky white eyes gazed ahead unblinkingly, mindlessly. Wights. As I noticed them, the wights seemed to increase their pace and gain on me. I turned ahead and increased my speed with the comprehension that I had just become prey.


    The same slopes and soft ground that hindered me didn''t seem to affect the wights at all. The front runners of the horde began to catch up with me. A wight fell from the ceiling and landed lightly on my back. I felt claws tear through my skin before my fist shattered it''s skull and it fell away. Another wight landed in my path and I stomped on it''s chest, crushing it into the soft earth without losing too much speed. Claws and teeth nipped my heels and the back of my neck, long fingers tangled in my hair and only a quick reflexes saved me as I tore hands from wrists almost automatically. My breathing was ragged and I knew I wouldn''t last much longer, after that beating I was nearing the end of my reserves. The horde would overtake me and devour me like piranhas. Then I smelled something, car exhaust and garbage, old food, and urine. I pushed for a final burst of strength and broke away from the horde as a light came into view. I rushed toward it as the wights screamed shrilly at their escaping meal. I burst out into a dirty alleyway and turned my head as the door I''d come through faded into a brick wall.


    The alley walls were covered in graffiti, and the warm wind spread filth liberally. Some of the graffiti caught my eye and when I took a closer look at it, I saw that it was written in hellion. It read:


    Welcome to Chicago,


    Freedom isn''t given so easily, Gray. You''ll have to prove you''re worth the trouble. Live on your own and master yourself. I''ve put a bounty on your head to make sure you get plenty of practice as the supernatural world comes to claim the prize. Don''t shame your bloodline.


    Love, Mom.


    The message faded away after I''d finished reading. Figures, my mom''s a psycho. There was a broken mirror leaning against the wall, I yelped at the face that looked back at me. My skin was tan instead of ghostly pale and my short, wild hair had always been a snowy white, now it was raven black. My eyes had changed from their normal whitish blue to a light hazel and my teeth were...human. I kind of liked my fangs. My face had lost its inhuman perfection, I had freckles, and my lips were a little too thin. I was still good looking by human standards, but compared to before, I was a troll. Nice!


    I checked inside my shirt and took note of the hundreds of pale, scars all over my body. I grimaced, there weren''t going to be many pool parties in my future. I pushed that out of my mind and looked down the alley, toward the Chicago streets. There was so much to do now, I walked out of the alley and onto the busy Chicago sidewalk. People passed by me with only a couple of glances as I emerged from the dark alley. The sun shined on my face and the sounds of people talking and cars honking filled my ears. The smells of the city and the buildings full of people were like a dream. A funny feeling bubbled up in my chest and tears filled my eyes as I fell to my knees and started to laugh uncontrollably. People walked around me and stared and I didn''t care. I¡¯m free, today I''m free.

 Chapter 3

    I sat on the roof of a run down apartment complex with my newest captives and took a bite out of the hotdog I had found on a plate at a nearby diner, still warm.


    I looked down at the group of pixies in front of me, all tied up with the string of light I had used to catch them. I called it angel thread and it was one of the abilities that I had gained as my scars healed.


    I liked pixies, always so cheerful and airheaded, these ones were a little more bloodthirsty than usual, but still cute. The pixies were about four inches tall and had translucent wings that seemed to flow through a rainbow of colors in the sunlight.


    They all looked like really good-looking adults, with long flowing hair and fancy clothes like the ones I always saw in the expensive stores. There were four male pixies, three of them were huddled protectively around the single small female pixie while I tried to negotiate with their leader.


    The leader stared up at me defiantly ¡°We will tell you nothing foul creature!¡± He puffed his little chest out at me and I laughed. His face grew red with indignation ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± I managed to calm down and looked at him with a smile ¡°You¡¯re just so cute, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s like being threatened by a toy.¡± The other pixies gasped in shock, the leader struggled to break his bonds in rage with no success ¡°You sir, are a racist. I am not cute, I am a deadly assassin sent here to claim your head and bring it back to-¡± He cut himself off and glared at me ¡°I said I will tell you nothing and I meant it.¡±


    I took another bite of my hotdog and stared at him ¡°You¡¯re not the first ¡°assassins¡± to attack me. In the three months since I came to chicago I¡¯ve been attacked by dwarves, ghosts, vampires, and a couple of minor demons. I didn¡¯t let them live through the attempt, do you know why?¡±


    Sweat started to bead on his forehead and he said ¡°They had no honor?¡± I finished my hotdog and said ¡°Can assassins have honor? Seems like honor might get in the way of all the poisoning and backstabbing. No, it''s because I needed to send a message. Killing pixies doesn''t make much of a point. I don¡¯t want to kill you if I don''t have to, so instead I think we should make a deal. Let''s start with names. I''m Gray, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    The pixie said something quietly under his breath, I leaned closer ¡°What was that?¡± He said it again and I still couldn¡¯t hear ¡°Speak up man, it¡¯s just a name.¡± The other four pixies looked like they were struggling not to laugh when the leader pixie shouted ¡°My name is Picklefizz alright!¡± The pixies burst out laughing and I had to choke back my own laugh for a second ¡°Is that a¡­normal pixie name?¡± He glared at his friends and they went silent ¡°No, my parents were just real asshats.¡± It was nice to know I wasn¡¯t the only one with parent problems. Though, it would¡¯ve been nice if my parents had taken the time to name me. On second thought, maybe Gray Midway isn''t the worst name ever.


    ¡°Look Picklefizz, I need you to do something for me.¡± He licked his lips and said ¡°Like what? You big types don¡¯t usually need anything from the little guys.¡± I told him what I needed and Picklefizz''s jaw dropped  ¡°Are you crazy? Why would you want to meet with him?¡±


    I looked at him nonchalantly and  said ¡°I¡¯ve heard he knows things.¡± Picklefizz backed up a step ¡°Did you also hear he¡¯s crazy? He¡¯s a monster even by Faerie standards! I will not get involved in this madness!¡± I wrapped my hand around Picklefizz and shook him around. I put menace in my voice and said ¡°You came here to kill me, but I¡¯m letting you live. You¡¯ll do it because if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll eat the girl.¡± There was a collective high pitched pixie gasp and all the pixies began to struggle in their bonds.


    I dropped Picklefizz and let the angel thread dissipate, snatching the female Pixie from the air before she could get out of range. She struggled and bit my index finger, causing blood to well. The blood made a sizzling sound as it touched her and she screamed in pain. I used my shirt to wipe the blood off of her before it could do anything but cause some light burns ¡°Watch out little pixie, my blood¡¯s a little too strong for a lightweight.¡± I turned and smacked two of the pixies out of the sky as they charged me. Picklefizz floated above me with a teeny tiny sword held in his hands ¡°Let my sister go or be slain here and now!¡± I smirked at him and ran for the edge of the roof as I waved at him with my free hand ¡°Remember Pickle, find out where he is or I spend tonight picking wings from my teeth.¡±


    I jumped from the roof and fell the four stories to the alley below, careful not to crush my hostage as I stumbled over a sleeping bum and ran to get ready for school.


    The Pixie looked like a blonde supermodel with a bad sunburn because of my blood. She was trembling with fear in my hand and I started to feel bad. I made it back to my newest residence in an abandoned pizzeria, you could still smell the crust. I pulled out a plastic chair and set the pixie on the table in front of me. She looked between me and the door then said ¡°Are you really going to eat me?¡± I shrugged ¡°It depends on your brother.¡± She looked down at her shoes and said ¡°I¡¯m bell.¡±


    ¡°You mean as in Tinker?¡± She huffed and glared at me ¡°No, not as in Tinker, Bell as in Bellerana,¡± That was a shame, meeting Tinkerbell would''ve been kind of cool. ¡°Well Bell, are you going to play along and be a good hostage or am I going to have to tie you up again?¡± She was still glaring at me but she nodded ¡°I¡¯ll be a good pixie for now. So what are you going to do until my brother gets back to you?¡±


    I was worried about whether or not I¡¯d be able to go through my normal routine with Bell here. I had an idea and told it to her, she was not pleased but it was the only way.


    I waited outside of Belrose Junior high as the final bell rang and the kids were released. I saw my friends James and Baron walk out and waved to them. They noticed me and rushed over, James and Baron Morris were identical twins, both tall and gangly redheads cursed with a blizzard of freckles. They were also my only friends.


    They stopped in front of me breathing hard, their gamer exercise regimen did not include cardio ¡°Hey Baron, James. How¡¯s things?¡± James caught his breath ¡°Dude, why are you holding that doll in your hand?¡± He pointed at Bell who was doing an excellent doll impression in my right hand ¡°Oh, this? I¡¯m holding it for my little sister.¡± Baron and James both smirked at me and then at each other, James shook his head slowly ¡°Look man, it¡¯s fine if you play with dolls, we won¡¯t tell a soul.¡± Baron had his arms crossed and was nodding his agreement. I sighed and said ¡°Yeah, because you have so many people to tell. Let me name them, Baron, James, and that really handsome and all around smart guy, Gray.¡±


    Baron laughed ¡°Smart guy is right. Wanna come over and play some video games? We never got to finish our game of Super Death Eating Alien Wranglers 3.¡± I smiled ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve got some time to burn.¡± We headed to their house and started playing video games and eating microwave pizza. I had spent most of my time trying to discreetly pass Bell pizza without letting Baron and James see her eating, and because of it James was killing me in alien wrangles.


    It was almost seven o¡¯clock when Picklefizz came flying in through an open window, and got a little too close to Baron who smacked him with a flyswatter without even looking away from the screen ¡°Hey Gray, could you get rid of that bug I just smacked? Damn dragonflies are always trying to get in here.¡±


    I rushed over with Bell and grabbed Picklefizz off the carpet. ¡°I¡¯ll go throw this away.¡± I rushed out of the room and sat Picklefizz on the floor in front of me ¡°Are you crazy or something? What if they had seen you?¡± The Pixie brushed a dead gnat off his shoulder ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. I swear I was moving too fast for them to notice me.¡± I smirked ¡°Never underestimate a gamer¡¯s reflexes. Did you find him?¡± He puffed out his chest in pride ¡°Of course I did, you¡¯ll find your man in The Rusty Joker nightclub, he practically lives there.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow in doubt. ¡°You''re sure of your source?¡± Picklefizz blustered ¡°Of course, I''m a professional. Now give me my sister.¡± I released Bell and she caught her brother in a bone crushing embrace ¡°I was so worried about you Pickle.¡± He returned her embrace and said ¡°I was worried about me too. Now let¡¯s blow this fudgesicle stand.¡± He and Bell started off and I waved at them ¡°Wait, I just realized I don''t know where the Rusty Joker is.¡± I caught a glimpse of Bell¡¯s hand raising a very rude gesture and heard Picklefizz yell ¡°Fuck off, I''m not a tour guide.¡± I told Baron and James that I had to go, I grabbed a bottle of grape soda from their emergency gaming supplies on my way out.


    If I didn''t know where the club was, I needed someone to help me find the Rusty Joker, I hadn''t really had a chance to check out the supernatural side of the city. Luckily, there''s always someone looking for me.


    I stood in an empty lot and waited for night to fall. The sun disappeared over the horizon and almost on queue, a gang of vampire teens appeared. They had me surrounded. Eight vampires and all but one looked like they''d just come from a very sophisticated ball. My classes about vampires always stressed one thing above all, beware of armani. Vampires in armani were generally older and therefore stronger. The only other vampires I''d fought so far had dressed in something closer to goth chic and hadn''t been all that impressive. I was interested to see the difference.


    A vampire whose suit looked a little more expensive smiled and said ¡°Have you taken leave of your sanity? I''d almost say you were waiting for us.¡±


    I sat down my bottle of grape soda and said ¡°I''m looking for a night on the town so I thought, who better than a vampire?¡±


    The leader shrugged ¡°Sorry boy, but you''re a bit young for the kind of places we go. Maybe once you can shave. Pity you''ll never live to see the day.¡±


    I smirked and said ¡°You don''t think this is kind of unfair? I''m just a kid after all.¡±


    The vampire laughed ¡°Right you are. You can fight our newest initiate. He''s young, but quite strong and we were thinking of raising him to the status of Elder. I suppose killing you will be as good a test as any.¡± He snapped his fingers and the vamp who wasn''t as spruced up as the rest stepped into the center. He wasn''t as tall as the others, only about my height. He wore a black hoodie with the words ¡°Blood money¡± embossed on the front and dark jeans.


    I looked at him and cracked my knuckles ¡°If I win, you guys show me around town.¡± The vamp in the hoodie said ¡°Deal.¡± He blurred forward and only my own super reflexes kept my head on my shoulders as I bent backwards out of the path of his clothesline. He was way faster than the other vampires I''d fought, unbelievably so. He had stopped and started to turn around when I turned my movement into a full on backflip. I kicked toward his head and he caught my foot in his hand, I brought my other foot down on his arm and he released the grip. We jumped apart and stared each other down.


    His hood had fallen off and I was surprised to see he looked about my age. He had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. The vamp grinned and spread his fingers out to show nails like claws. I looked down at my shoes and noticed blood trickling from a gash on the foot that he''d held. The other vamps started giving me hungry looks. I kicked my shoes off and watched his grin disappear as my foot healed. I said ¡°You¡¯re fast, but I don''t lose when it comes to healing.¡±


    He growled ¡°Then I''ll have to cut you apart faster.¡± He moved faster than my eyes could track and covered the space between us. His fist shot towards my face and I got my arms up in time, but the force of the blow shattered them. I went crashing through the circle of vamps and smashed heavily into the wall of a building across the street. Alright, he was way stronger than the other vampires I''d fought too. If all these old vampires fought like this, then I might have planned this wrong. The vamp jumped through the air and landed lightly in front of me. The bones in my arm healed just before I punched him in the face and his head snapped back. He recovered from the blow that had beheaded a troll just a week ago and it turned into an all out slugfest.


    We battered each other relentlessly, super healing working double time to keep both of us standing. I was in a bad position, he kept my back up against the wall and anytime I blocked a blow, he''d switch to his claws and cut through muscle and bone. My only advantage was that I healed a good deal faster than him, but my stamina couldn''t hold out forever. I let the claws of his right hand plant themselves in my shoulder and grabbed the offending limb. I squeezed and just as the bone broke, I whipped him through the air and right into the wall above me. He hit with a satisfying crunch and jerked his arm away from me. I spun away from the wall to see him crouching on all fours with his claws holding him steady. He climbed higher on the wall as if daring me to come after him.


    I dug my fingers into the brick and pulled myself up after him. My fingers and toes easily made foot and handholds in the brick as I climbed.We sized each other up, circling like two wolves. We were both in pretty bad shape. The vamp¡¯s wounds were clearly healing slower than at the start of the fight. I was breathing hard and my muscles shook from exertion. The vamp laughed ¡°Getting tired? That''s the thing about vampires, we never tire. Not as long as we maintain our diet.¡± He raised his hand and licked my blood from his claws. He wasn''t fooling me though. I grinned ¡°You''re starting to bruise though, this might be a little too much damage for your healing to handle.¡± He was smiling like a maniac and for the first time I realized, so was I. There was something new about being able to fight as hard as you could without holding back. Facing an equal.


    I rushed up the wall and we crashed into each other in midair, arms flailing faster than a human could see as our feet gripped the wall. I was starting to wear him down as the wounds I inflicted lasted longer and longer. I could feel victory coming into sight! I slid past a swipe aimed for my faced and hammered in a series of blows into his side that turned his ribs into a jigsaw puzzle. He reeled back in pain and kicked the wall where I was standing hard enough to shatter it. I lost my balance as my foothold disappeared and started to fall when a blazing pain shot through my stomach. I roared as spots formed in my eyes from agony.


    I was upside down, the vamp had put his hand all the way through my stomach and pinned me to the wall like an insect in a display case. I vomited blood and stomach acid onto his arm and smiled at how hard that would be to wash out of his jacket. The vamp put his face close to mine and said ¡°Now you can die for a good cause, my cause. Good fight chump.¡± I coughed up blood and asked ¡°Are those other guys as strong as you are?¡± The vamp twisted his arm in my gut and sneered with pride ¡°I¡¯m much stronger than those scrubs. I just need them to get into the high society.¡±


    I coughed and smiled ¡°Good.¡± My angel thread wrapped around his neck and he yelped as the light burned his skin. The sick smell of burnt flesh filled my nostrils as he struggled to use his free hand to tear the thread away. He yelled as his hand sizzled on the thread. I sent a pulse of power through the thread and there was a bright flash. The vamp¡¯s hand pulled out of my guts and we both fell to the ground. I landed on my knees next to the now unconscious and terribly scorched vampire. I let my angel thread fall away from the vamp and turned to his buddies who were all looking on in horror.


    I smiled as my stomach healed and said ¡°I win. Now a deal''s a deal unless anyone else wants to try me.¡± The lead vampire swiped his hand through the air ¡°You had an agreement with that whelp, we are bound by no such thing. You will die here.¡±


    I made angel threads sprout from my fingers and flow towards the vampires along the street. ¡°I can do this all day. Or maybe I should just kill your lackey here.¡±


    The vampires backed away and the leader shouted ¡°You will pay for this embarrassment. I will bathe in your blood. You may do what you please with that failure, I have no use for him!¡± The vampires turned and seemed to flicker away into the dark.


    I looked down at my fighting buddy, he was already healing the burns on his skin. I wrapped my thread around him, trying not to let them make too much contact with his skin. The vamp woke up and saw that his friends had all left, he didn''t look surprised. He looked up at me sullenly ¡°No hard feelings?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    I nodded ¡°Nah, I had fun. Just help me get into a place called the Rusty Joker and we''re cool.¡±


    ¡°Cool, but you''re gonna need some new digs if you wanna get into a place like the Rusty Joker. There''s a certain type of dress code.¡± I raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously ¡°So you won''t run if I let you go? You''ll really help me?¡± He smiled ¡°I''ve got nothing better to do, might as well hang with you. If the elders abandoned me then I''m basically shunned.¡±


    ¡°Well, now I feel kind of bad.¡±


    He snorted ¡°Don''t. I was using them and I won''t miss ¡¯em a bit. My name''s Cole.¡± I let the threads of light disappear and Cole stood up and stretched his limbs. I reached out my hand and shook his as he stretched. ¡°I''m Gray, the most wanted boy in the supernatural world.¡±


    Cole laughed ¡°Most wanted? Your bounty may be high, but Balthrog The Destroyer has got you beat by at least a couple kingdoms worth. That kid''s tearing his way across the realms of Niflheim, from what I''ve heard I''d hate to meet him in real life. Scary.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. I''m trying to get to the Rusty Joker before I get attacked again. Where are we going to get these clothes you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°Follow me. I''ll let you borrow some stuff from my crib.¡± He blurred off down the street and I followed behind him. We turned off the street and through out of the city. I glanced back as the city faded away and we passed into a thick forest. Eventually we came up on a trail and Cole sped up. A huge mansion came into view and Cole turned off the trail and back into the trees. I ran after him when a hand shot out and knocked me off my feet, another hand covered my mouth before I could yell out and I was pushed into the bushes. Cole was next to me with a finger over his lips to quiet me. He looked out over the bush and then back to me ¡°Alright, we gotta sneak in. Word won''t be out about my banishment yet, but nothing with a heartbeat is allowed on the premises unless it''s food.¡± I nodded ¡°What happens if we get caught?¡±


    ¡°We run, it shouldn''t be a problem though. Almost no one''s gonna be here at night. They¡¯ll all be hunting or partying.¡± Cole stood up and started running in the direction of the mansion, I followed him and we jumped over the fifteen foot rusted steel gate blocking the grounds.


    The mansion was run down and collapsing in a couple of places, dead grass and weeds ruled the huge lawn. Cole veered toward the left as we sprinted across the lawn, he held up a hand to tell me to wait and circled toward the back. I stopped once I''d entered the shadow of the mansion and pressed myself against the wall. I slid along the wall and looked in the direction Cole had gone.


    There was a big basement door hanging wide open with a group of vamp kids only a little younger than me hanging nearby. I quickly moved back to my hiding spot and listened. They were talking about Cole and the elders from earlier. I heard a girl''s voice say ¡°What do you guys think happened with Cole¡¯s test? He didn''t look very happy.¡± A boy''s voice replied ¡°I''d like to hear he failed if only to see him put in his place. That bastard hasn''t been alive even three centuries and he thinks he''s hot shit just because he''s a little stronger than normal. I hope Elder Richard tore him a new one.¡±


    Another boy piped up and said ¡°So what will you do if Cole does become an elder? You''ll have to do what he says.¡±


    The first boy sounded outraged when he said ¡°Like hell. I''d challenge the bastard long before I gave him the time of day! Can you believe it, Cole an Elder?¡± Suddenly Cole''s voice popped into the conversation ¡°Oh, yeah? Challenge accepted runt.¡± The first boy''s voice lost its strength ¡°I was just telling the gang here how excited I was for you. We uh- can''t wait to hear the good news.¡± Cole snorted ¡°I''m sure.¡± The girl''s voice asked ¡°Hey Cole, what''s with all the clothes? Going to a party?¡± Cole paused for a second and said ¡°Something like that. Keep up the watch. When you see the Elders, be sure to tell them you helped me to the best of your ability. They''ll reward you.¡±


    The kids all shouted their thanks and then Cole came rushing around the corner with an armful of clothes. I went rushing after him. I got alongside him and said ¡°If you''re shunned, won''t they get in trouble for helping you?¡±


    He smiled ¡°Definitely.¡± And we laughed maniacally as we headed back for the city.


    We arrived in front of the Rusty Joker after getting dressed and doing an okay job at getting some of the blood off of us, though Cole assured me that whatever was left would make us look more badass. As long as no one found out it was our own blood. Cole wore a red jacket over a black T-shirt with the words ¡°There''s someone in my refrigerator.¡±. He wore black designer jeans with a silver chain and heavy black boots. I wore a grey shirt with a cartoon vampire drinking blood from a can with a picture of prince Albert. I found some black jeans that came with a pretty cool silver chain and upside down cross hanging from the pocket. I''d also managed to squeeze into a pair of blood red sneakers, my feet were a little bigger than Cole''s.


    There was a line out front and a big bouncer watching the door and passing people through. I looked at Cole ¡°I don''t think we''re going to be able to get in. Neither of us looks like we''re on the right side of puberty for this place.¡± Cole put his hand on my shoulder to reassure me ¡°No worries. This place cards people like us. Just show the bouncer your crazy and he''ll let you in.¡±


    I looked at him ¡°My crazy?¡± Cole laughed and said ¡°Watch this.¡± He cut in line and when he got up to the front the bouncer just sniffed at him. Then Cole flashed his fangs and the whites of his eyes turned crimson. The bouncer nodded and Cole walked right in. I hopped in line and waited till I got to the front. The bouncer raised an eyebrow featuring me to get on with it. I showed him my angel threads and he rolled his eyes ¡°That''s not going to cut it. Any normies can get some third rate gypsy to make them a little light spell. The only humans in here are food so unless you got something else to prove you''re a super, get lost.¡± I clenched my fist and said ¡°If that''s not good enough, how about this?¡± I smashed my hand against the wall and cracks sprouted and ran along the brick until the whole wall was webbed. The other people in line behind me were laughing and shouting in surprise. The bouncer whistled, impressed ¡°Go right in.¡±


    Cole was waiting nearby with a smile on his face ¡°We''re in, now who was it you were trying to meet?¡±


    I told him and his smile vanished ¡°If you were looking to die, there are better ways to do it. Saner ways, less horrifying ways.¡±


    ¡°This isn''t a suicide mission. I just need something very specific and he''s the best there is. Now turn that frown upside down and help me find my mark.¡± The Rusty joker looked humble from the outside, but on the inside the party was turned to eleven. Witches used their wands to make strobe lights while wraiths breathed fog onto the dance floor from the rafters. The servers were all humans stolen from different time periods where hopefully no one was missing them. People were taking drinks from the servers trays and occasionally from the servers themselves.


    Cole and I pushed our way passed to gyrating ghouls and Cole pointed me toward the VIP area in the back. I instantly spotted the person I''d been searching for sitting on a leather couch talking to himself and laughing. The Harlequin.


    His face was frozen like a mask, every muscle pulled taut to form his mouth into an eternal smile. His eyes were large and unblinking. Yellow irises with green slitted pupils stared at me from across the room. His hair was a wild mass of braided red and blue locks. He wore a black trenchcoat over a red shirt with a purple tie and yellow pants. His boots were bright orange and he had on green leather gloves.


    I cringed at the horrible clash of colors, but the anger that appeared in his gaze froze me.  His voice traveled across the room to me like a whisper and when he talked, his lips would move just a bit and instead of teeth or a tongue, there was only darkness ¡°You see something funny, kid.¡± It wasn''t a question. Something about his voice seemed to try to force a laugh past my lips even though I knew it could mean death. I stayed silent. The anger disappeared and he laughed ¡°I''m just fooling, kid. You and your little friend, come with me.¡± The Harlequin stood up and a curtain appeared on the wall behind him. He gestured for us to follow and then disappeared through the curtains. I followed after him, with Cole trailing reluctantly behind me.


    We walked through the curtains and came out into a sealed stone room with skylight letting in the moon''s glow. The Harlequin sat at a table in the middle of the room and asked  ¡°Now why would a little guy like you wanna make a deal with the Harlequin?¡± I let out a breath ¡°I¡¯m Gray Midway and I need you to hide me.¡± His eyebrows danced ¡°I know who you are and that''s why what you''re asking is a bit of a tall order, kid.¡± he studied his gloved hands thoughtfully ¡°Your presence is broadcasting to half the supernatural world and everyone tuned in on the channel wants a piece. So I guess my question is who are you hiding from exactly?¡±


    ¡°Um, Everyone?¡±


    His smile grew inhumanly wide and I caught a brief glimpse of that dark abyss within. He said ¡°Now we have a bit of a problem. You see, I''m very good at what I do. I can hide the dead from the reaper and trick gods out of divinity, but there ain''t a whole lot of people who can do that. If someone like you just disappears, I''m on a very short list of people who can make it happen. That means I''m going to have some big names on my doorstep.¡± I started to get worried he was backing out ¡°What kind of names?¡±


    ¡°The kind that drop whole civilizations on a whim. The kind that have a lot of free time to think of punishments for those who cross them.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you won''t do it?¡±


    ¡°I''m saying there will be a price. Tell me kid, can you pay my fee?¡± I nodded ¡°My blood, right?¡± Cole who had been standing quietly subdued beside me said ¡°Wait dude, your blood smells really good and all, like weirdly intoxicating, but I don''t think something like that''s going to be enough for this kind of thing.¡± He gave The Harlequin a suspicious glare and said ¡°I''ve heard things.¡± The Harlequin laughed to both of our horror and said to Cole ¡°I''m so glad my reputation precedes me, but actually a single cup of blood will do just fine. It''s not everyday I make a deal with a nephilim, them being so rare and all.¡± I looked at the Harlequin and asked ¡°What''s a nephilim?¡± He scratched at one of his dreads and said ¡°Angel and human half-breed, though I guess you only partially fit that description. They don''t usually live very long, not with all the poachers.¡±


    I bit my lip ¡°That''s why I''m here, now do we have a deal.¡± The Harlequin''s eyes lit up, the green glowing bright as he said ¡°Let''s make a deal.¡± He laid down a wicked dagger and a hammer on the table across from each other. He stood silent, while I thought about how to word my request ¡°I, Gray Midway charge you, the Harlequin to hide my presence from those who seek me out in exchange for one cup of my blood.¡± The Harlequin nodded ¡°Grey Midway, in exchange for one cup of your blood, I shall hide you for as long as is within my power. Is this acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Harlequin grinned in approval ¡°Make your choice kid, by blood or bone this deal will be sealed.¡± I knew better than to make a blood deal with someone so shady and reached for the hammer, my hand touched the head of the hammer and I pulled back as my palm was split open in a spray of blood. The Harlequin laughed ¡°Things are not always what they seem, our deal is made.¡± He picked the hammer up and licked the blood off ¡°A unique vintage, I¡¯ll come back tomorrow to hide you.¡± He started to walk away, I held my wrist out and said ¡°Wait. What about the cup of blood?¡± he said ¡°I¡¯ll claim it in my own time.¡± and faded through the stone wall. I heard a weird slurping sound and turned around to see Cole greedily licking my blood off the table. He noticed me watching and stopped with an awkward chuckle ¡°Sorry, this stuff is kind of addictive.¡± I cautioned him ¡°Watch out. My blood can have some pretty adverse effects on lower races.¡± He snorted ¡°Lower races? Actually, what exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°Part demon, part angel. Vampires are a lower race, sorry bro.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s racist and adverse effects my ass! I''m fine.¡±


    ¡°So far. Now let''s get out of here.¡± We walked back through the curtain and walked into an empty club. Light filtered through one of the windows into a spot in the middle of the floor. Cole cursed ¡°That room must''ve had faster time. It''s already morning!¡±


    Cole began to hyperventilate and tug on his collar as he stared at the puddle of light in the middle of the room. I grabbed his shoulders and tried to calm him down ¡°Look, it''s okay. You can just stay here until the sun goes back down. It''s plenty dark in here.¡± He looked at all the areas untouched by light and seemed to calm down ¡°You''re right, you''re right. I''ll just stay here for the day.¡± I started to walk away and he caught my shoulder ¡°I''m uh, kind of homeless. Any chance you know a place I can crash?¡± I smiled ¡°Yeah, man. You can room with me for a bit. All the windows are tinted at the pizzeria and there''s even a basement.¡± Cole nodded thankfully and let go. I left the nightclub after promising to come back and meet up before the club reopened and went dumpster diving for lunch.


    I found some pretty good grub behind a buffet and used napkins to get last night''s fashion blood off before I headed to school. I spent the day playing video games with Baron and James. James was explaining to me the benefits of using a type 2 plasma gun over the modified type 3 laser pistol for my character chart ¡°You see Grey, the plasma gun has a longer recharge rate but is a much more lethal weapon than the laser pistol. The type 2 boasts higher accuracy overall even with the slower fire rate and travel speed. Baron, you agree right?¡± Baron looked over from his laptop ¡°I don''t know, the laser pistol has a better penetration rate on armored targets and if accuracy is a problem then a scope and grip change can do wonders.¡±


    James groaned ¡°I''m surrounded by idiots. Look, the chances of your target surviving a plasma shot are basically zer-¡± James stopped talking and fell to his side with a loud yawn. Baron was similarly slumped over at his laptop. I jumped to my feet and crouched low to the ground, letting my senses check for threats. No smell, no sound, not even a feel for whatever had just put my friends to sleep. I blinked and suddenly the world started to tilt, I fell to the floor and started to sink into the hardwood boards. I couldn''t move, it was like quicksand! I held my breath and closed my eyes as I went under, when I opened my eyes I was lying on the floor of the pizzeria. The Harlequin stood above me drinking the grape soda I''d left ¡°Time to play hide and seek, I never lose.¡± I stumbled to my feet, my brain felt like it had just been trapped in a pinball machine and the world was still trying to tilt. Just as I was feeling better, the ceiling seemed to pull in on itself and shake. I moved out of the way as Cole came crashing down with a terrified yell. He landed on his hands and knees and quickly scanned the room, his eyes lit up when he saw me and quickly darkened when they landed on the Harlequin.


    He glared at the Harlequin and said ¡°Next time you want to kidnap me, please don''t.¡± The Harlequin didn''t reply and looked at me ¡°I brought you here because this place is yours. It will give me a better link. I brought your friend because I quite like him.¡± He rubbed his gloved hands against the wall and smiled. Cole shivered and took a step closer to me. I asked ¡°So, what''re you going to do?¡± The Harlequin snapped his fingers and the room fell into darkness. I put my defenses up on instinct and I felt Cole going on alert behind me.


    A spotlight landed on the Harlequin and I looked up but couldn''t find the light¡¯s source. The Harlequin had moved a little further away and I noted that the room shouldn''t have been big enough for him to gain that much space between us. The Harlequin''s head bobbed drunkenly and it was like the room bobbed too. I took a step back unconsciously and tightened my jaw as the room began to shift more violently. I began to hear a melody just on the edges of my senses, like a soft wave lapping at the banks of a beach. I felt my mind going hazy, it was like some kind of hypnosis and my consciousness was slowly seeping away. Suddenly the gentle melody swelled into a violent flood and filled my mind almost as though it had been waiting for me to drop my guard. I felt intense nausea and could barely keep my balance. Silver fog had formed at his feet and was rising higher, beginning to block the Harlequin from view.


    I couldn''t move my body, I was trapped in the moment, a prisoner to this monstrous song and dance. Soon the fog covered him completely and the music began to rise to a volume so absolutely explosive that I thought I might cease to exist and be blown to nothing on the soundwaves. I managed to look down and catch a glimpse of myself, the silver fog was flowing from me like windblown clouds. I felt like I was losing my mind.


    My soul screamed in horror at the unimaginably violent assault and I felt both my angel and demon halves revolt, energy flooded my body and I felt like a bomb was about to go off. My muscles tensed as if they could hold back the explosion through sheer strength alone and my body was racked with pain. Just as I felt the end coming I screamed and suddenly the music was gone. It was like a switch being flipped, the energy in my body vanished and I fell to the floor like a bag of jello. The lights came back and I struggled to rise. My body hadn''t actually been hurt, my mind was still reeling.


    I looked back to where the Harlequin had danced and saw a different figure. A young boy with hair like snow and icy blue eyes, skin that looked like it had never seen the sun and a mouth full of sharp teeth that would make a shark jealous. A face that couldn''t simply be described as handsome or even beautiful. That face was more like a work of art than something natural, it was meant to tempt and trap, but it was also meant to soothe and save. It was my face, my real face.


    The person who looked like me smiled and I saw Cole kneel with something like Gray worship in his eyes, humans wanted to serve me and I guess vampires were no different. Still human on some level. The other me spoke and it was in the Harlequin''s voice. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    I looked him over impressed ¡°It¡¯s accurate, but why do you look like me?¡±


    He said ¡°I''m going to be your stunt double. I can''t just make you disappear completely, that would be too inconspicuous. I''m copying your supernatural signal and amplifying it so that no one will be able to hear you over me. If you''re a radio station, I''m the internet, a new tv show and your favorite movie rolled into one, everyone will be too busy looking at me to notice you.¡±


    It sounded like a fine idea, but there was a problem ¡°So you''re going to run away as me forever?¡±


    He laughed ¡°I''ll run away as long as I can, as part of the deal. I suggest you get that bounty off your head soon.¡±


    I looked at him ¡°How''d you know about the bounty on me?¡±


    His gaze darkened and he said ¡°Don''t insult me, I knew about it the moment you came to meet me. Find the person who placed the bounty and get them to take it down, or kill them. No prize means the hunters will stop. Doesn''t mean you won''t always have people chasing you. Not everyone''s in it for the money.¡±


    ¡°My mom placed the bounty on me, I definitely can''t kill her. Besides, she''s a demon.  How am I supposed to find her?¡±


    The Harlequin walked to the door of the pizzeria and said ¡°Why don''t you sin? I''m sure a demon will be near. By the way, if you want a demon to take interest, you''ll have to do more than steal an old lady''s purse.¡± Then he was gone in a blur of motion.

 Chapter 4

    Cole woke from his stupor and stood back up. He looked after the Harlequin with an expression I couldn''t identify and asked ¡°That form he took, that''s supposed to be you?¡±


    I answered ¡°That''s what I look like under my glamour. A watered down version, but yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why did it affect me like that?¡±


    I shrugged ¡°Genetics?¡±


    ¡°Which means?¡±


    ¡°I''m part angel, maybe it''s got something to do with that?¡±


    His eyes grew distant and he said ¡°No, I''ve met angels before. This is something else. Something wrong.¡± I wanted to ask how he''d met an angel, but his expression said he''d rather not go into detail. Instead, I was thinking about what I needed to do next.


    It looked like finding my mother was going to be the next step, but it wasn''t like I was going to be able to look her up on the internet. At least not without a name. Cole said ¡°So, we going after your mother now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, unless I wanna keep fighting bounty hunters till someone finally kills me.¡±


    Cole sniffed ¡°So your own mother put a bounty on you and you don''t even know her name? Then how do we get any real information on her?¡±


    That was something I wasn''t sure about either. The Harlequin had said to try sinning if I wanted to attract a demon, but I''m still off balance ever since I ate that imp. I''ve been avoiding sleep just so I won''t see how far I''ve slipped. I answered Cole''s question ¡°We need to find a demon, but we can''t do it by sinning.¡±


    Cole raised eyebrow ¡°Why not, most fun things are a sin?¡±


    I sighed ¡°Because we''re going to have to do something really bad and I don''t want to hurt anybody I don''t have to.¡±


    Cole snorted and threw up his hands ¡°Then how else are we supposed to find a demon, Craigslist?¡±


    ¡°Craig¡¯s what? No, I know a guy who might be useful if we can make him owe us one.¡± I laughed evilly and Cole joined in because no one can resist a good evil laugh.


    I watched from a dark alley as the group of pixies tore into a bag of leftover donuts from a nearby bakery with envy. They''d taken those donuts from one of my favorite dumpster diving spots and my stomach growled angrily.


    I had to hold myself back, food later, for now there was the plan. A hooded figure jumped from the rooftops and landed among the pixies, sprinkles and jelly went flying everywhere. The figure swung its arms and legs in large and exaggerated swipes like a monster attacking a city and the pixies were the planes. The pixies threw toothpicks that stuck in the attacker¡¯s skin and waved their swords at him to no effect.


    Picklefizz slashed his tiny sword angrily at the attacker and a custard filled donut fell prey to his prowess. Custard covered the attacker I heard Cole''s anger filled voice ¡°This shirt is designer!¡± I ran in before the violence could escalate and grabbed Cole by the collar of his shirt. I lifted him up and shouted ¡°Leave these kind pixies alone you fiend.¡± Cole groaned piteously and shouted ¡°Woe is me, I am defeated by this worthy and true hero. Curses!¡± Our acting skills were terrible but it''s not like my training came with a theater class.


    I held Cole above my head and took a hard step forward. Cole''s eyes widened with panic and he said ¡°Woah, woah. Just hold on a sec- auugh!¡± I hurled him a couple of blocks away and trusted his healing and supernatural reflexes to protect him. I heard Picklefizz say ¡°Thank you kind sir, I am in your debt oh crap, it''s you.¡±


    I waved nonchalantly ¡°It''s good to see you too pickle.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. I already gave the oath! Damn you.¡± I smiled at the stamping pixie as his sister and the other pixies tried to calm him down.


    ¡°Hello Pickle, I need a favor and seeing as you''re in my debt¡­¡±


    Poor Picklefizz looked like he was going to have an aneurysm, but he was one of the few of my attackers that I hadn''t killed and therefore my best source of information.


    Picklefizz jerked his arms free from his pixie possie and spit on the ground at my feet and said with a voice full of sarcasm ¡°How could I possibly refuse after taking your aid? Ask away.¡± I nodded my head in appreciation and said ¡°Take me to hell.¡± Picklefizz¡¯s face went stony ¡°You really don''t mess around when you want something, do you? Can''t you be like other kids and ask for candy or sweet dreams?¡±


    ¡°Maybe one day.¡±


    ¡°Well, you''ve wasted your time. I only know of one doorway to hell and you can''t get to it. It''s in Faerie.¡±


    Cole came striding over and stood next to me. His clothes were covered in donut filling and he had applied a layer of sunblock to his skin so thickly that he almost looked like a wax figure. He laid an arm on my shoulder and asked ¡°So, they gonna help us or what?¡±


    Picklefizz looked from me to Cole and a look of horror and disgust crossed his face ¡°You tricked me?! You planned this and tricked me into giving my word.¡±


    A part of me did feel shame at using Picklefizz like this, but it is what it is. I don¡¯t have a lot of options. I looked at cole ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to show up for this part, why do we even bother to plan?¡±


    He snorted ¡°Oh really so I guessed I missed the part of the plan where you toss me into next week.¡±


    ¡°Well if I had, you might still be walking back instead of making me look like a jerk.¡± Picklefizz had drawn his sword and was glaring at me ¡°On second thought, I believe I have a way to get you to hell right now and it¡¯s free, that should clear my debt right up!¡± I held up my hands defensively ¡°Calm down, what¡¯s a little trick between friends?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my friend!¡±


    ¡°Look, rules are rules. You can¡¯t kill me anyway and you owe me a favor, whether I got the favor fairly or not doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Picklefizz frowned ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anyway, I¡¯m not taking you to Faerie. It¡¯s not allowed.¡±


    Cole asked ¡°Why not? I know for a fact that the Fae are always abducting humans and taking them to Faerie to play your twisted little games.¡±


    Picklefizz''s rubbed his eyebrows ¡°Don''t you get it. No one cares if a couple hundred humans go missing, they breed like vermin and live short lives. Not good for much more than a game or two anyway. Honestly, even a vampire wouldn''t be a problem. The problem is this one.¡± He pointed to me and I said ¡°What problem?¡±


    Picklefizz''s said ¡°You are a walking political nightmare. I don''t quite recognize your smell but you''re some kind of bastard of the Christian faith if I ever saw one and that is not the type of game any old pixie plays. The Fae stay out of the war between Heaven and Hell.¡±


    ¡°Well what about when you guys came looking to claim the bounty on my head?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°You¡¯re worth like three kingdoms. That''s a lot of dough.¡± One of the other pixies chose just that moment to drop an overripe jelly donut on Cole''s head. He yelled and chased after the pixie as it''s friends dive-bombed him with pastry. I raised an eyebrow at Picklefizz and he shrugged as if to say ¡°What can you do?¡±


    I was getting frustrated, this was starting to seem like a dead end, then something popped into my head. I said to Picklefizz ¡°You said the Fae stay away from anything to do with the Christian faith, so why is there a gate to hell in Faerie?¡±


    ¡°It''s just an opening that appeared a couple millennia ago. Not like anyone would ever use it. Faerie is a paradise and no one in their right mind wants to go to hell.¡±


    I looked at him in surprise ¡°You''re telling me a random gateway to hell just opened up and none of the High Fae tried to close it?¡±


    ¡°Some of them did try, but the Lord of the hunt sent them packing. He keeps the gate around in case any poor unsuspecting demon wanders through and into his hunting grounds.¡±


    ¡°The Lord of the hunt?¡±


    ¡°High Fae, very scary, very unpleasant. So you¡¯d best give up because even if I did take you to Faerie, which will not happen without very extenuating circumstances! You''d still have to get past him.¡±


    I smiled ¡°So all you''re saying is that we need some extenuating circumstances. No problem, my middle name is extenuating circumstances.¡±


    Picklefizz groaned ¡°It''s like you really only hear what you want to.¡± On that note I took a subtly defensive stance. The sound of boots hitting pavement had entered my range of hearing only a couple of seconds ago and was still over a block away. I guessed about forty or so attacker''s and the uniform sound of special forces military leather told me it could only be my good friends from the Limbo Project. A part of me untensed when I couldn''t hear the telltale sound of Agent Sid''s high quality Italian leather shoes. That same part happily reminded itself that Agent Sid was dead. Thanks Dr.Cabrera.


    Cole was shrugging off the pixies and taking his own stance. I called to him ¡°Watch out, these guys are tough. They helped raise me after all.¡±


    Cole laughed ¡°I fought in both world wars. I''m not scared of a couple of overpaid nannies.¡±


    ¡°You were in the World Wars? Which side?¡±


    He shrugged ¡°Does it matter? They all bleed red.¡±


    ¡°Just watch out, these guys might be overpaid, but they''re no ordinary nannies. They use tranqs strong enough to knock me out.¡±


    The Limbo project special forces came around the corner in a wave of black and white army fatigues. They held specially engineered assault rifles loaded with the special tranqs that would send even someone with my metabolism to dream land.


    Cole whistled, impressed at the quick and machine movements of the unit. They were spaced out to minimize friendly fire and casualties while maximizing the area they could fill with darts. I smirked at Picklefizz ¡°How are these circumstances?¡±


    Picklefizz threw up a bunch of hand signals and the happy go lucky pixies jumped into formation. The pixies blasted off down an alley just as the soldiers pulled the triggers on their weapons and me and Cole were right behind them.


    Darts peppered the air and it took all we had to avoid them. We were moving at supernatural speed just to keep up with the pixies beating wings. I risked turning my head and spotted the special unit following close behind us on something like rocket propelled skates. They chased us down alleys and through side streets, riding along walls and rooftops while barely losing any of their accuracy.


    Darts started to hit Cole and me as we pushed ourselves to run faster and more erratically. The Pixies zoomed through the rain of darts expertly and seemed almost undaunted by the situation. A group of six soldiers managed to catch up to us. There were two on either side of me and two just behind Cole.


    A man on my right raised his gun and said ¡°Can''t wait to put you back in your cage.¡± I ducked under his first shot and jumped at him, smashing my knee into his chest just hard enough to make him lose his balance. He lost control of his skates and hit the ground face first with a crack. Three darts hit me in the back and I yelled angrily and turned to see Cole riding on the shoulders of one of his assailants who was firing crazily in an attempt to shake him off. Cole yelled ¡°Sorry bout that.¡± and wrestled the gun from his opponent before jumping away and leaving the guy to smash into a wall with a shriek.


    The man and woman on my left fired at me in short bursts and I took six darts to my side as I tried to ram them both. I knocked the man off his skates and he went flying toward the woman. She jumped over him and ducked low on the ground to dodge a jab I''d aimed for her temple. She swept my leg and I wrapped my arm around her neck and sent us both tumbling at almost seventy miles per hour. She went limp on impact as we smashed into the ground in a jumble of limbs and Cole managed to grab my leg and tug me free of her corpse in mid stride. He fired his newly acquired gun and managed to catch the last two of our closest attackers in their necks. They practically fell asleep standing and managed to cause a kind of backlog as their friends tried to navigate around them.


    My legs suddenly felt like dead weights and I leaned on Cole who easily took on my weight and kept pace. I used my left hand and started to shoot strands of angel threads at the walls we passed and was satisfied to hear lots of screaming and loud thumps as my angel threads did their work. We turned a corner and watched in horror as the pixies led us into a dead end. The alley just ended with a big brick wall and an old Disney world poster.


    The pixies suddenly sped up and just when I thought I was about to witness some kind of horrible suicidal crash, they disappeared into the poster. Cole and I never even broke stride, we just put on a final burst of speed and jumped head first into the poster.


    We crashed down on soft dirt just as the pixies were tearing down the poster to stop any followers. Picklefizz shouted sarcastically ¡°Oh yay, you made it. I knew you could do it.¡± I pushed myself off the ground along with Cole and said ¡°Of course, running away and chasing were big parts of my training.¡± I looked around and started to pull darts out of my arms, back, and legs gingerly.


    I wondered why Cole seemed unaffected by the darts when he looked as much like a porcupine as me, but he just shrugged his jacket off along with the darts embedded in it. I decided that next time, I''d have to get my own jacket. Being prepared is essential.


    We were standing on the main road of a place that looked kind of like if a city had been grown from seeds. Trees like skyscrapers rose from the ground, covered in rainbow colored moss and dustings of some glittery dust that smelled like honeysuckle.


    Tiny animals stood outside some trees, selling odd looking wares and shouting obscenities about the products anyone else had to offer. Picklefizz started walking down the road and we followed cautiously. He made hand signals and his pixie fighter squadron flew off into the loud city streets.


    We passed a large goose in overalls that was selling golden eggs. It held an egg out to us and said in a smoker''s rough voice ¡°You kids looking for a good time? One of these yolks and you''ll be a couple of party animals. Only two favors, it''s a steal at this price.¡± Cole reached out towards the egg and Picklefizz said ¡°Eat that egg and you''ll wake up as a turkey on some giant''s dinner table.¡± Cole pulled his hand back and hissed angrily at the goose. The goose chuckled nervously and said ¡°Hey, somebody''s gotta feed the greedy.¡±


    All around us were smiling faces and laughter as trolls, dwarves, elves, and other strange creatures I couldn''t even name on sight frolicked. They talked and bartered and drank, dancing whimsically to a song it seemed only they heard. We''d just gotten here and already, Faerie made my skin crawl. There was some kind of odd undertone to the way everyone spoke and moved, something predatory.


    We continued on and Picklefizz told us about the wonderful world of Faerie. ¡°Here we are, the greatest realm of all and home of the Fae. Please keep all hands and feet inside the ride at all times, no telling what kind of appendage you''ll pull back if you lose track.¡±


    I asked ¡°We''re here, so why don''t we skip the tour and you take us to that gate we were talking about?¡± Picklefizz looked offended, he said ¡°Skip the tour!? Do you have any idea what you''re saying? You''ve just walked into a place many have only dreamed about and you want to just rush on through?¡± Something moved in the corner of my vision and I struck out defensively before I could think. My fingertips stopped just short of the neck of a small boy with pointed ears and glossy hazel eyes. The little kid didn''t even look threatened, he just raised a wet rag and said in an almost sinister tone ¡°Shoe shine?¡± He smiled and I was reminded of an angler fish reeling in prey with its light. I said no thank you and was relieved when the boy just ran away to be lost in the crowd.


    To answer Picklefizz''s question, I said ¡°I think I might be afraid.¡± Cole nodded ¡°This place stinks. It''s too sweet.¡± Picklefizz scoffed ¡°And the putrid smell of pollution and hot trash on Earth was better? Everyone loves sweet!¡± Cole said ¡°Earth smells honest. This smell is too sweet, like poison.¡± Cole''s words made me realize why Faerie got under my skin so much. It was a lie. This place might look pretty, but it''s just camouflage. ¡°Picklefizz, how do we get to the gate?¡±


    ¡°I already told you, the gate is overseen by the Lord of the hunt. You can''t just go to it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, how do we find this ¡°Lord of the hunt¡± guy? Is there like a map or a riddle to solve?¡±


    Picklefizz chuckled ¡°Faerie doesn¡¯t work like that, there are no cut and clear directions to get anywhere and even if there were. You don''t find the high Fae. You are summoned by them, into their territory on their terms.¡± We walked for a little longer and I asked ¡°So, how does one go about getting summoned by a high Fae?¡± Just as I asked the question, the ground opened up below me and Cole as a man''s voice boomed in my head ¡°Trespassing is always a good place to start.¡±