The Reaper

Chapter 5

The blaring of my phone alarm ruptured through my sleep addled brain, and I groaned while stretching forward to turn the ringer off. I pulled the screen closer to my face and noticed several missed calls and unanswered messages. I shook my head lightly and clicked on my text icon to scroll through. There were several panicked messages from Grace, a couple from Marx, and a concerning one from my contact. I clicked on the one from my contact first, and there was one simple word. 'Abort.'

I quickly sorted through the other messages, glancing through Grace's innumerable messages, all of which were saying to abort the mission. I checked the ones from Marx last, and hers were saying the same as the others, although with a far less panicked undertone. Instead of immediately listening, I decided to call Marx and ask her what was happening.

The phone rang once before it was picked up, and I could make out train station noises in the background.

"Where are you?" she asked without missing a beat.

"I'm currently sitting in my car somewhere between New York and Jersey. What's going on? Is Grace okay?"

She sighed heavily, "Grace is fine, although I'm not sure how you of all people have managed to deal with her all these years."

"She is an acquired taste, definitely, but I enjoy her company. Now what's going on, Marx?"

"We just got a tip in that you are being traced. That situation you were heading out to deal with was a decoy. The men that were tailing you were supposed to handle you well before you ever made it to your location," she stated simply.

"F*ck!" I swore loudly. "Is there anywhere we can bunker down for a few days while I sniff out Venza and his cronies?"

"The house I stayed in while forming Exodus should be relatively safe, but it's been a while since I was last there. A few of the others from Exodus may still be staying there. So, I'll have to call in and check."

"Okay. Let me know."

She hung up instantly, and I immediately called Grace. The phone didn't even make it through the first ring when she answered, "What the h*ll, Grimme? Where the f*ck are you?"

"I'm getting sh*t figured out. Don't worry. As soon as I have a safe spot for us to go, I'll meet you and Marx there," I said.

"Are you safe?" she whispered.

A small smile graced my lips, "yes, ma'am."

"Good."

"Now, I want you to do whatever Marx tells you to okay? Follow her, and you should be safe," I said quietly.

A soft beep came over the line, and I knew Marx was calling back, "Grace, be safe. I'll see you soon."

I quickly switched over to the next line, "What have you got, Marx?

"You're in luck, Grimme. The main house has room for us; however, some of my friends are still there. I managed to get ahold of one of them and warned them that we would be stopping in, but I have to warn you now. They aren't too happy with you showing back up."

"I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. I just want Grace safe. It's my fault she is being targeted anyway. I'll just stay long enough to help her get settled, then I'll scram."

A sigh escaped her lips, "You know you can set up there too. The only ones that would be even remotely irritated that you are there is Abraham and Taze. Besides, Taze would only be mad because her power doesn't work on you anymore."

I shuddered at the mention of his name and shook my head, "I'll be in and out. No worries."

"Come on, Grimme. Don't be like that. He hasn't heard from you in years. Then out of the blue, he finds out you are trying to hide out. You know how much he cares about you, but you disappearing for years then popping back up has hurt him."

"I think I'd rather deal with Hannah Grace and her powers than deal with his hurt feelings, Marx. Everybody involved was aware of our situationship," I said with irritation.

"Gonna have to face up to the music eventually, comrade."

I huffed angrily, "I'll meet you guys there."

I flung the phone into the passenger seat and clambered back to the front of the car.

F*ck! I can't catch a break. Nothing is simple anymore.

I angrily turned the key and flew out of the rest stop, cutting through traffic with ease. I checked the rear view and continued on my way, back in the direction I had been coming from.

After a few hours of backtracking, my phone started ringing again. I snatched it up, swiping the call button, "What?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is that how you speak to a superior, Grimme?" rumbled a deep voice.

I sucked in a deep breath, seething "Venza."

"That was very rude behavior you displayed with my men, Reaper. Very rude. Have I taught you nothing?" he asked.

"Virtually," I retorted.

He chuckled softly, "I granted you the gift of immunity, and you repay that kindness by running away and k*lling many of my men. How's that for gratitude."

"Immunity!" I screeched, "I was your f*cking science experiment. An unwilling science experiment!"

"But look what you gained from it! You were already a skilled assassin like your mother and aunts! The gift we gave you elevated you to a godlike status! Anyone would be thrilled to be in your place!" he thundered back.

I barked out a laugh, already tired of this game, "Let's not pretend you called to berate me for my ungrateful attitude, you f*ck! What the h*ll do you actually want from me?"

"We want you to come back home. We are your family, you know. There's no one else in this world that can understand you and your unique skillset like we can," he whispered.

"Why now? I've been gone for over a decade. Who's pushing for this because I know it's not you, Venza."

"Let's just say the man that is so eagerly awaiting your return has a personal interest in meeting you in person, and I can say with some confidence that if this meeting doesn't happen soon, he has no issues borrowing your new doctor. What was her name again? Grace?"

"Leave her the f**k out of this, Venza," I growled, "she isn't part of this."

"Oh, but she is!" he called with glee, "don't you know we've been following her career for several years now. We knew you were behind her application into the CIA. She's the reason we found you, but don't worry, it wasn't because she blabbed."

"Ho--"

"You have rats, pet," he stated simply. "My boss has extended an invitation, and he isn't too great with accepting no for an answer. You have two weeks to decide. We'll be in touch. Until then, enjoy the next surprise."

The call immediately cut out, and I threw the phone out of frustration.

My brain reeled as I tried to come to grips with my current predicament.

I seethe in silence as I traveled back through New Jersey, and as I merged onto the I-87 N/NY-17 N exit toward New York Thruway/ Albany, the traffic grew thick. I slowed the car down to a crawl as I fought to see around the vehicles in front of me.

Snick. Snick.

The side mirror on the driver's side shattered, and I swiveled around searching for the culprit. The buzzing sound of bullets flying nearby caused me to flinch, and I ducked down quickly. Without missing a beat, I reached over into the passenger side floorboard and grabbed my weapon bag. I pulled it over to me and slowly opened the car door. I stayed low and eased out onto the highway.

All around screams echoed, and several hundred pedestrian bodies started flooding back in my direction. I bobbed and weaved through the throng of screaming innocents, trying to make my way past the blockade.

F*ck! F*ck! I'm going to kill you slowly, Venza. You dirty son of a b*tch!

The gunshots danced through the thickened crowd. Several people fell to the ground, taken without even making a sound. I ground my teeth and kept pushing forward, my head on a swivel.

Snick.

A searing pain blossomed through my bicep, and I looked down to see a fresh bullet wound. I whipped around in the direction of the shot and quickly let off two rounds. The sound of dead weight hitting the ground tickled my eardrums. I continued moving slowly through the mess of abandoned cars, pausing only to check around corners. Glass was being shattered everywhere as I fought to avoid the bullets that were being aimed at my head.

I saw several men in Kevlar and black masks pushing through the screaming crowd ahead. They shot indiscriminately as they moved forward as a unit. I pulled my pistol from the waistband of my jeans and crept forward. I raised up from behind a small sedan quickly and fired off three shots, all hitting their targets, before dropping back low again.

Rapid fire rained down on my car as I waited for a lull. I peeked through the ruined window and saw four men moving off to the left side of the road, trying to curtain me in and wall me off from that side. I eased around the front of the car on my hands and knees before dropping into a belly crawl. The four guys ahead were blocked from the knees up by a large truck, but I had a clear view of all their legs as they slowly moved. I reached back and grabbed another gun, pulling it forward to set up my shot.

I inhaled slowly, then pulled the trigger. Rapid fire broke through their shins and feet, and screams echoes all around us. When they crashed to the ground, I continued to fire, peppering hot lead through all four. The echoes died down, and all I could hear was soft gurgling. I scrambled up and took off, darting around cars left and right. As I continued on foot, I went to reach for my phone, patting the pocket, "F*ck! Left the d*mn thing in the car!"

I felt the wind off a bullet as it carved a path over the skin of my cheek, and I dropped to the ground hissing. I lurched forward and peered around the SUV I was behind and saw a group of twenty armed people. The highway looked relatively clear behind them, so I knew I was almost home free.

"May as well show yourself!" shouted a man. "You're injured and alone. No shame in admitting defeat!"

I breathed heavily as I peeked out at them again, wracking my brain for an escape plan, "Come on, Grimme. Don't be a p***y!"

Closing my eyes, I fought to slow my breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

As my heart rate decreased, the swirling ocean of energy inside my chest burst forth, spinning like an angry vortex. As it grew steadily larger, I could feel my facial features contorting and changing. I fought to remain conscious through the change as I looked down at my shaking hands and watched the bones break and elongate, jagged claws bursting through my fingertips.

The minutes passed slowly, like cold molasses from an upended jar. I hadn't shifted this far in decades, and the process was painful and unhurried because of that. The voice from the man drifted through the air toward me, but it was muffled while my body broke and mended itself.

I shrugged off the remaining pain and raised up to my full height. A series of gasps reached my ears as the strangers took in my appearance. I flashed forward in seconds, a dark mist enveloping the group as I slipped between bodies. My claws flashed out and slipped through the leader's flesh like a knife in soft butter. The sound of the skin tearing almost too light to hear over the cacophony of noise dancing around us. I wrenched my hand up and sliced all the way through the chest cavity, obliterating bone as I moved.

Before his body could even touch the ground, I was on the next guy like a fly on sh*t. The dance continued just like that as I slipped around and around. Body after body dropping. The mist lazily enveloped our group as I moved from target to target. Their fear clogging my nose as I moved.

Staring into the eyes of each person I ran through, I could almost watch as their individual visions played through their minds. They never even saw me as I sl*ughtered them.

As the last body thumped to the ground, I collapsed beside it breathing heavily, almost wheezing. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, the bones in my body shifting around and resetting. I groaned as I fought to sit up on my knees, bl**d dripping down my arm and face. I used the fender of a nearby car to drag myself into a standing position and looked around. The screaming crowd had disappeared and silence laid like a heavy blanket on the scene before me.

Hazy smoke drifted along the road. The metallic scent of blood clogged my nose and gagged me. Bodies littered the highway between cars.

A thump in the back knocked me forward, pain lancing through me, and I fell forward hard, cracking my face into the asphalt. I struggled to flip over, but a sharp kick landed on my ribs. I cried out and tried to scramble away, but another swift kick landed and flipped me over. A boot graced my vision causing my head to fly back, and I groaned and rolled to get my legs under me, spitting bl**d onto the ground.

The next kick I noticed, and I lunged forward, pulling my assailant down with me. We grappled endlessly, swapping blows. I managed a dizzying smash across his temple, and the momentary pause was enough for me to pull a knife off his hip and drive it between his ribs. His eyes bugged out, and I ripped the knife out before repeatedly sinking it back into his body rapidly.

I rolled off of him and staggered upward again, stumbling as I moved away, "Ugh, Grace is gonna kill me."

I lurched forward and clambered into a maroon SUV and twisted the key to start it.

"I'll just have it taken care of after I get to the house," I said to myself.

******

The drive back to Rhinebeck took forever, but all of the houses in the town were beautiful. Stunning Victorian architecture lined the streets, and it felt like stepping back in time. As I drove closer to the house, the trees grew bigger and more space started to appear between homes. It took another 45 minutes to reach the end of the cul de sac, but as I crested the small hill, a large Victorian house set right onto a small hillock came into view.

I released a sigh of relief and sped up the driveway. As I went to shut off the car, a few people walked out onto the covered wrap-around porch. Marx was standing in front of everyone, and as I floundered to get out of the car, falling from my seat toward the ground, a strong set of arms grabbed my shoulders and yanked me up.

The sun was just starting to set behind him and the light created a bright halo about his head and shoulders.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was just saved by a burning angel," I mumbled before darkness claimed me.