Death Angel

2. The Gentlemen’s Club-2

My mind began to churn… if an inanimate object could become invisible, then a dead person had to be considered as one of those stiff objects. I looked in both directions of the hall. No sign of anyone coming. I leaned over the smelly creature, not touching the blood that enwreathed him. God, he reeked!

I took a second to relax and I spoke a soft flow of words, “Let this object hide from sight, veiled behind the light, where it might go unnoticed passing through the night.” I repeated the same spell on the blood that had grown cold and still and the broken door.

After I finished all three objects, the Nephilim, the blood, and the door, there were no visible signs of a disturbance. The wooden door looked as it had before. An illusion. Though, it wasn’t forever. Any minute someone could walk down this hall and stumble over the giant's body or try to open the door, my illusion would be discovered. I planned to be gone by then. With any luck, I hoped the spell would last long enough for me to find Jeffery and Dom and blow this joint.

I hurried along down the hall, listening at each door. I softly whispered out Dom and Jeffery’s name but no one answered. I remembered the doors were soundproof. I dropped to my knees looking under the door for a shadow, any movement at all. But I came up empty-handed. Desperation was starting to get under my skin.

I turned the corner and entered a spacious lobby. I paused for a second recovering my shock, raking my gaze over the room. One thing f’sure... money didn’t buy class.

The room reeked of cigars and s*x. Glowing Candles flickered heavily in the swirl of gray smoke. It had man-cave stamped all over it. Deep Mahogany wood, crystal chandeliers, and topless women wore nothing but a thong while parading trays of flutes filled to the brim with what looked like champagne.

Adorned with their black mask, the men hid their faces. A nice feature to their costume or lack of. I continued to walk through the establishment. Each room looked like the next, men smoking cigars and taking liberties with the women. The men didn’t seem to care if others watched.

Depraved much?

I made a point to look the other way. Not a sideshow I particularly wanted to watch. Why would any woman subject herself to such degradation? Did they do this for food or a position among the elite? Whatever their reason might be, I hoped it was worth it. I’d rather die than let any one of these disgusting pigs put their paws on me. I reckoned the women might not have a choice. Perhaps they were like me. Captured and held captive against their will.

When I entered another open room, one girl caught my eye. She stood out among the rest with long, blonde hair, glistening in the candlelight. The way she carried her shoulders seemed familiar to me. Then she glanced at me and I gawked. I knew this girl… it was Gina! Holy s**t! She was a prostitute! Gina didn’t have the cleanest rep in school, but I knew she had too much pride to stoop this low. Now I had to somehow get these girls out of here. That wasn’t going to be easy. They were mostly naked and if I counted correctly, there had to be at least twenty girls. Guards were standing at every exit too. Crap!

I had to get Gina’s attention. The last thing I wanted was to stir the nest. I casually walked up, hiding my face, and whispered in her ear. “Come with me.” I tried deepening my voice like a man. I did a pathetic job at it too. Luckily, only she could hear me.

She replied as if she was reciting lines from a bad play. “Yes. Shall I invite any of the other girls, sir?”

Damn! Had The Family turned her into Robo-chick? “No. Just you,” I whispered curtly. I started for another room and she followed behind me. The girl’s movements reminded me of someone under a trance. Though her cheeks were not hollow like the street people, she carried that same empty stare as they held.

I hoped she snapped out of it. I wasn’t sure how I’d manage to get her out safely. I reckoned I’d figure it out as I go. Not a soundproof plan but it would have to do. Rescuing one girl was tough but twenty would be impossible without reinforcement. And where I saw it, I was the only reinforcement left. Boy, us girls were screwed.

I found an empty room down a long narrow hall. I quickly ushered her inside and shut the door. Strangely, she went straight for the bed and began to tug off her thong. Gross! I sprinted to her side, “No, no! I didn’t call you in here for that! Put your… that cloth back on.” I lowered my eyes, totally grossed out.

“Have I disappointed you?” She stared at me blank-faced.

“You are not disappointing me. I’m a friend.” I pulled off my hoodie and mask, hoping I’d jarred her memory.

Her eyes orbed in sheer fear and she started to scream. I lunged, slapping my hand across her mouth to muffle her protest. “Shush! I’m here to help you.” I waited a moment to let it sink in her thick skull. “If I take my hand away are you going to scream?”

She shook her head no, but her eyes remained glossed with fright. I had to talk to her and I had to trust that she trusted me even in her state of mind. I eased my hand off and she stood there quiet but trembling. I pulled my cape off and wrapped it around her, sitting back down on the bed. Gina sat there staring off into space. What had these devils done to this girl? It wouldn’t be hard to guess that the other women were in the same state of fog.

Then my eyes dropped to her wrist. The ink! Gina was under some sort of mind control through that ink. Then I remembered the people in the food line. Gina had the same void look. I knew it! Son of a mother f*****g b***h! I ran my fingers through my hair wanting to pull it out. I wasn’t angry I was enraged! I had to stop this barbarity.

I sat on the bed next to Gina. I took her inked hand into mine. I’d never seen one of these up close. I gently ran my fingers over it. Nothing by sight seemed unusual. But the Illuminists were masters of deception. My senses were high on alert. Those tainted numbers 6.6.6. swam in black magick. The implant’s purpose was poisonous.

I lifted my gaze to Gina’s dull eyes. She sat there on the edge of the bed staring blankly. Creepy as hell. “Gina, I’m going to try a little experiment. I want to help you feel better. Will you let me do that for you?”

“Yes, I want to feel better. Shall I lie down on my stomach?”

Ugh! “What? No!” I sucked in a bristled breath, “Just hold still. This might hurt.”

“Okay,” she said, flat with no emotion.

I placed my right hand over the ink and held her hand firmly with my left. I could feel its vibration under her skin. I closed my eyes. I exerted as much essence that I could muster up. I needed the heat to penetrate below the skin, underneath the ink. The numbers had a strong resistance. I pushed through its fortress and kept focusing on the ink and that damn device that vibrated under the skin. My hand began to glow and the warmth intensified. Then it got uncomfortable.

Hot steam began curling to the surface and the smell of burning skin attacked my nostrils. I hated doing this to her. Strangely, she didn’t flinch or show any signs of agony. Though, if I managed to draw the implant out from under her skin, she might come alive hurling a lamp at me. Pain was good, though. It meant she was still alive. And hopefully back to her old self, fully aware of her surroundings.

After a few moments, I began to see the ink fade. I felt the tiny metal device wiggle underneath my palm. That sucker was coming out even if I had to go in after it, I swore under my breath.

The implant moved similar to a worm, inching its way to the surface. Soon the ink would completely disappear and the implant would be clear of her skin. A pair of tweezers would’ve come in handy right now.

Finally, the implant peeked above the surface of the skin. I gave it a good tug but it tried to resist. I didn’t let go and after a good grip and tug, the device slid out into my hand.

I’d forgotten about zombie Gina. She perked up and started screaming. Swiftly, I stamped my hand across her mouth as I pressed my finger to my lips. She settled down, but her eyes were wild with terror. “Gina, it’s me, Stevie! I’m trying to help you. I’m going to get you out of here. Okay?”

Gina nodded her head sharply. A deep glint of mistrust gleamed in her eyes. The poor girl was in shock.

“Do you remember me?”

“Yes,” she barely whispered.

“Good girl!” I smiled, “Do you know where you are?”

Her face twisted. “I’m not sure. Everything’s a blur.” Tears swelled in her eyes.

“You’ve been under a trance by a device like this.” I picked up the tiny implant off the floor. It wiggled in my palm as if it was looking to nest. Eerie had a whole new meaning as I watched the small metal jump like a flea. I extended my palm to Gina. “This is what I removed from you.”

She leaned forward but jumped back when it leaped at her. It was as though it knew her. Chills grated against my spine. “Get it away from me!” she shrieked as fright flickered in her brown eyes.

“Don’t worry. It can’t hurt you anymore.” I grabbed it up and closed my palm tightly. I wanted to take it and have it analyzed but I feared if I got caught with it, who knows, one of those bastards might use it on me. I quickly dove for the bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. I watched and made sure it flushed. I couldn’t have that little bugger floating to the top for someone to see.

When I returned to Gina, she was curled up next to the headboard on the bed. I sat down on the edge. I wanted to comfort her, “I can take the pain away. May I have your hand again?” I reached out baring my palm.

Gina snapped out of her muffled dilemma as she hauled off and slugged me across my face. “You b***h!” she hissed. “Don’t touch me!” She clasped her injured hand and scooted to the other side of the bed.

I rubbed my face but remained calm. I understood her reaction. I spoke in a whisper, “I get why you don’t trust me. But you’re out of options. I’m your only hope of getting out of here. Do you know what happened to you?”

She shook her head no, holding her bleeding wrist. Her whole body shivered and her face, tight with fear. I felt stifled like a ton of bricks toppled upon my chest. I wanted to help her, but unless I get her to trust me, the chances of us escaping this vile place were slim. And time wasn’t on our side. Sooner or later, the Regulators were going to start looking for their missing pal, and I had no idea how long that spell would last. I spoke up, “Gina, you’ve been hypnotized with an implant.” I bit my bottom lip, pausing. “Did they ink you in the food line?”