Work Text
The man took his last sip at the beer in front of him. It wasn’t finished, but he’d be too dead to finish it in a few seconds. Upon a rooftop across the street, lay a woman dressed in black, her cheek lightly pressed against the stock of her sniper rifle, her eye carefully looking through the scope and adjusting her aim. Without further hesitation, she calmly squeezed the trigger, watching as the bullet penetrated the targets skull. As panic rose in the little bar, the woman then sat up on her knees, swiftly disassembling the rifle and tucking it into her black gym bag, whereas she put the fake bottom on top of it and put some gym clothes on top of the fake bottom. She was nothing but thorough. That’s how one survives in her line of work. Even though she always wore gloves when handling guns and bullets, eliminating the chance for fingerprints, the woman was still incredibly careful, making sure she picked up everything that could tie her to the scene. Making sure all was tidy, she then went down to the street via a fire ladder, and got into her black Dodge. She tucked the bag under the passenger seat and put her keys in the ignition making the car start with a lovely purr. The woman then proceeded to drive home safely, very careful not to draw attention. Before long, she stepped inside of her apartment building, unlocking the door labelled with E. Miller. She snorted as she read the nameplate. Eden Miller. At least that’s who society saw her as and thought she was. Eden Miller was long dead for her, going by either Eddie, or by night, Lucifer.
You see, dear reader, Eden lived in a pretty awful city, where no one were who they seemed. Eddie, codenamed Lucifer, was a hitman in this city. After a rough time serving the country and being deployed as a soldier in Iraq, she had enough. Sure, she was rescued, but some parts of her would never be the same.
Either way, back to the story.
Eden then walked through the door bearing the name of who she used to be, and locked it tightly behind her. Once a control freak always a control freak. With a sigh, she started to undress, immediately throwing the clothes into her washing machine, erasing all evidence that she had ever been on that roof. After that, like always, she went to the bedroom, safely hiding the gym bag with the rifle behind a fake wall inside her closet. Being careful meant a lot less hassle with everything. After making sure the possible traces were eliminated, Eddie went to the kitchen, putting her cheap pre-paid phone against her ear, first having dialled the number needed. ‘’Hello?’’ ‘’It’s done. You know where to drop the money. If I don’t get them, or there’s not the right amount in there, you know I will come after you. Are we clear?’’ ‘’Jeez, don’t be so harsh. We’re clear.’’ She hung up without further conversation. She may take that man's jobs, but it didn’t mean she liked him. Still, he was the only client around for the time being, so she didn’t have much choice. She had to take his jobs. Ironically though, the man was a cop. Hiring a hitman. Usually, the jobs were fairly simple though, mostly criminals that had slipped out of the law’s grasp. Not that it was a good law either way. Though, it didn’t bother Eddie. She got paid, and often times her connection made it easier to slip away when the law got too close. It was fair enough. After the phone call, Eden then proceeded to fetch her bottle of ink and a needle. Sitting down at the kitchen table, she then dipped the needle and carefully made a small line under the skin of her arm. A tally. It wasn’t the first one, and it wouldn’t be the last. Each line represented a victim fallen to her bullets. Some from Iraq, but most from home.
Something else you should know, dear reader, is the signature of Eden, or why she got the nickname Lucifer in the first hand. You see, she was not the only assassin in this wretched town. And they all had one specific signature on how they did their jobs. Eden? She carved a small devils trap into the tip of her bullets. She didn’t know what impact that small etching would have on her story, but it would change a lot.
She finished up the tattoo, and after cleaning up, she got dressed. Black t-shirt, black hoodie and black jeans. Inconspicuous enough. Now having pulled her boots on, she grabbed her black mask and a bomber jacket, leaving the apartment for the second time that night. Eddie then calmly drove the forty minutes out to the parking lot hidden deep in the forest, slipping on her mask just before parking. Again, it wouldn’t make any real difference if someone saw her face, but she’d rather avoid any hassle that could arise. She parked smoothly beside the old silver coloured Range Rover already parked on the small lot, then quickly sliding out of her car, but not before tucking a gun into the back of her trousers. She was not taking chances. The officer, too, stepped out from his car as she did. ‘’Hey Lucifer.’’ ‘’The cash.’’ He handed a dark blue sport bag over. She quickly went over the amount and found that it was not what they had agreed on. ‘’Where’s the other ten grand?’’ She hissed, grabbing the gun and turning the safety off, but still pointing it at the ground. ‘’We only said thirty, so that’s what’s there, Lucy.’’ ‘’We said forty, and you know that, very, very well.’’ She now raised the gun and pointed it against him. ‘’Hey, put that thing away! Jeez. We said thirty, Lucifer. That’s what you get.’’ It only took a second, then the officer lay on the ground, blood pooling around his head. His steely grey eyes were looking into nothingness while his body slowly turned cold. Still, Eddie paid him no mind. She’d turned her focus onto the old car the man had driven here in, and she was currently turning it upside down looking for the rest of the money, but without luck. When Eden got home, she was still very, very irritated. Not only was she now short on money, she’d had to kill her customer to make a statement. Which ultimately meant she’d have to find a new client. Which could be a hassle. The sun was now slowly rising outside her window, as she sat down for a quick meal. She really liked watching the sunset, and now it calmed her a bit. She was now looking forward to sleeping a bit, and then treating herself to something tomorrow, seeing as she had been paid (even if it wasn’t in full). In moments like these, life was pretty good.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Eddie woke up late that next morning, sleeping in properly and taking her time getting up. Usually she got up early, out of old military habit, but nights after working, she liked to stay a bit in bed. Treating herself once in a while.
With a steaming cup of coffee in her hand, she sat down in the couch, flicking the tv on with the remote, before tossing it beside her. Eddie took a sip from the cup in her hand, silently watching the news, and curling up under a blanket – just her sleepwear was a bit cold.
The news
were
currently, how convenient, reporting on the happenings of last night. First the man in the bar, later on the missing police officer. Well, he wasn’t really missing anymore since they’d found him, but there sure was some parts of him missing. (Like his soul, or parts of his brain.)
Other than the two murders, not much had been going on in the small town. None of Eddie’s ‘’colleagues’’ had been active last night.
Eddie’s attention shifted, though, when she heard her cell phone beep from within the bedroom. She proceeded to put the cup of coffee on the table by the sofa, then shrugging the blanket off and going to fetch the phone.
Her eyebrows raised when she saw what had set the phone off. A new job
offer
. Well, wasn’t that incredibly convenient. What did surprise her though, was not the job offer. It was who wanted it done. It turned out that not even the church in this town was non-corrupt. That’s just bizarre. Hadn’t Eddie had to kill her last contractor last night, she would’ve considered turning the offer down. Now though, she didn’t have a choice.
So,
she accepted it.
So, the following weeks were spent on trailing the new target. Learning his routines, who he was and the most important – how to most easily put a bullet in his temple.
It wasn’t long until Eddie found herself on top of an apartment complex, looking down through her scope, into a certain apartment. It was dark outside, providing the woman with much needed cover. Being spotted now would be a big fucking hassle.
For a long period of time, Eddie just lay on the roof watching her target. There was no way she could finish the job right now – the man was currently walking around his apartment talking on the phone. She couldn’t risk the person on the other end catching on what was going down, and possibly alerting the police before she had a chance to get away safely.
Tonight
was not the night she was getting caught.
Though, she could see why the church had hired her. This guy, well, he sure didn’t look holy. From what she could see, there were several satanic tattoos peeking out from under the sleeves of his t-shirt, the ink mingling with scars. Eddie wouldn’t admit it, but she found the man good-looking, the ink and the scars only enhancing that. Still, that wouldn’t stop her.
Finally, the man in the apartment hung up, chucking his phone onto the coffee table looking quite exasperated, and then sinking down into the couch himself. He slowly rubbed his face with both hands – and that’s when Eddie took her shot. She squeezed the trigger and felt the recoil of the rifle as the shot was fired, making its way towards the victim in the apartment.
Through her scope, she could watch how a small red dot had formed on the temple of the man, now laying limp in his couch, eyes staring into nothingness.
Refusing to feel anything at the sight, Eddie then decided it was time to pack things up. Having done the routine a million times before, it didn’t take long to disassemble the rifle and pack everything up.
Upon arriving home, Eddie completed her routine. Wash clothes. Hide Gun. Notify client. Tattoo.
The money was transferred without hassle in two days, and having filled her need for the month, Eddie could both save some money and afford to eat out a few times. But things took an unexpected twist one night, when Eddie was walking home from her favourite restaurant. Upon getting to the right floor of her building, she found her front door slightly ajar. Eddie, if anyone, doesn’t leave her door unlocked.
Always prepared, Eddie reached over to her left side, letting her hand in under the black bomber jacket and letting it grasp the cold metal there. Her trusty gun.
Now armed, she carefully pushed the door open enough to pass through, with her foot. At this point, her military training was taking over, and much like a one-man swat team, she searched through the apartment, finding nothing – until she entered the living room.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Bedroom was empty. So was the kitchen. Systematically I went through the house until I went into the living room and found what I was looking for. The intruder.
Tall guy in his late 30ies, a little too much tummy. Ice cold eyes, staring right at me. No. Right -Through- me. I pointed my gun towards him, but he looked like he couldn’t care less. ''Who are you and how did you get in here?''He looked at me, a little amused. ''I'd just like an explanation Ellie.''He- He knew my real name. What the actual fuck... No one. Knew. And then I truly mean no one. ''Who are you?''''Well you shot me a few days ago, I’d like to know why.''''I shot you? That’s impossible.''''Oh? Why is that?''''I don’t miss.'' ''Oh, you really didn’t. I had to lay on that floor for quite a while before my friends found me. You see, that little devils trap on your bullets? Caused a lot of pain for me.''Then I recognized him. Martin Persner. I felt horrified. ''You’re dead. I saw you die. I killed you.'' ''Well had I been human, yes. Thing is, I’m not. So now, could you tell me why? Are you a member of the church?''''I would be a terrible businessman if I revealed my clients.''I raised the gun that had slowly sunk down with my arms, lining up with his head. ''I can’t leave any loose ends. Sorry.''And I took a shot at him. Somehow, he managed to dodge the bullet and before I knew it, I was pinned against the wall. But he wasn’t anywhere near me. He remained on the other side of the room, still seated in my couch. But I could’ve sworn I had hands around my neck pressing me against the wall. ''I dislike when people shoot at me. Especially with devils’ trap bullets.''He was so fucking calm... How? What even was this…? ''Now, would you kindly give me the name of your client, so we can be done here?'' I don’t know why really, but I kept my mouth shut. ''Tell me Ellie. Or I’ll make it far more uncomfortable.''''I’ve been tortured before. It doesn’t scare me.''''By humans maybe. But technically I’m the son of Lucifer. And Alastair taught me how to torture. He’s the best. Also the first de-''''I know who fucking Alastair is. And they’re only tales. As same as Lucifer and Lilith and all the other fucking demons. And he’s definitely not got a son called Martin.'' ''Hm, fan of the lore, huh? And my name isn’t Martin. It’s just an alias. I have many names, but you can call me Omega.'' ''Well, Omega. You can go fuck off.'' He was closer to me now and I spit in his face. He wiped it off with the sleeve of his hoodie, and looked at me with despise. ''Your choice.''He merely lifted his finger, and I felt as if my internal organs were about to all explode at the same time. As if he read my thoughts, he said;''They are Ellie. Slowly. And even if you die, I will bring you back over and over and torture you, until you tell me who ordered it. Okay? Not really worth it, hm?'' I was completely terrified by now.''How can I trust you won’t kill me afterwards either way...?'' My voice was cracking, and the fear shone through more than I intended. ''Because it’s not in my interest to kill you. You may be a murderer, but the people you kill are mostly bad, and Dad is satisfied cause you give us souls. Enough?'''' It’s the Catholic Church just down the street'' I whimpered, admitting to myself that I was absolutely terrified. ''That wasn’t so hard, hm?'' I simply nodded. Gently he let me down and I sank down into a little ball against the wall. ‘’We might reach out to you in the future.’’Once again, I nodded, and then he left.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I spent the next week locked in my apartment, drawing devils’ traps all over and securing the house in million other ways. I admit I was truly terrified. That feeling of my body slowly bursting didn’t leave my head. It stuck in my brain and refused to leave. After one and a half week I finally dared to place my foot outside the door. Or… I really didn’t have a choice to be honest, I had to go out to get food. I was constantly watching over my shoulder the hour I was out shopping. Luckily, I didn’t see that demon anywhere. I went out of the store with the food I just bought, walking towards my car. I loaded the bags into the trunk, and then I went and sat down in the driver’s seat. ‘’Hello, Ellie.’’My blood froze to ice. He was sitting right beside me. Why hadn’t I made traps in the car? Fuck…‘’What are you doing here?’’I couldn’t deny I was truly terrified.‘’You can relax. All we need is a favour.’’ I avoided even looking at him. I was simply staring at the steering wheel in front of me. ‘’A favour…?’’‘’Nothing you haven’t done before. We just need someone dead.’’‘’I… I need cash for that…’’ Jeez, I sounded ridiculous. I wasn’t even speaking properly. It sounded more like a squeal.‘’Mh, we’re not paying you.’’‘’Then how am I supposed to live? I need to pay for food and housing and…’’‘’We know you got a huge amount from the church. You’ll be able to last with those.’’He had a point, but still… Then he handed me a note and vanished into thin air. My heart was still racing, and I have never driven so fast home. I just grabbed my bags with food and rushed up to my apartment. There, surrounded by all the sigils and traps, I felt safe again. Then I realized I hadn’t looked at the note he gave me. I pulled it out of my back pocket and unfolded it. There was a name and an address, but I didn’t know who the person was at all. ~So, terrified of what would happen if I didn’t do as I was told, I began observing this target. After a couple of weeks, I felt I knew him well enough, so I went to a nearby high up place and began assembling my rifle. And he just had to pop up. Omega. Martin. Whatever. That bloody creature. ‘’Wow, nice to meet you too, creature.’’ ‘’Could you not read my mind thank you?’’ He only shrugged it off. ‘’Lets go.’’‘’What? I just ca-‘’ ‘’Now. Hurry up.’’Rather confused I packed my shit up and went with him. He took enormous steps with those long legs, and I had to walk at a frisk pace to keep up with him. We arrived at my car and he turned around looking at me.‘’Keys.’’ ‘’Excuse you? You’re not touching her.’’ ‘’Her?’’ He looked confused.‘’My car. You’re not touching her.’’‘’Oh jeez…’’ He rolled his eyes and went over to the passenger seat.He got to give me directions and after a good hour we parked outside a rough old warehouse. ‘’Now what?’’He left the car without an answer and I simply followed him, but I tucked a gun in the pack of my trousers before I got out as well and followed him. No way I trusted that bastard. By the time I had joined him, he had unlocked the door and we both went in. I was on my guard, and Omega called out.‘’Alpha?’’ A slender guy with a blonde beard came towards us. He was wearing a snapback and dark shirt. ‘’What took you so long?’’And they both looked at me. And I don’t know what language it was, but they started a rapid conversation in what sounded like Russian. I tried to follow but it was completely impossible. Then I noticed that this Alpha was armed. In his hand he held a gun, and a rather powerful one. My mind started building up an escape plan. I did have bullets with the traps in them… That’d give me enough time to escape… But then what? Omega woke me from my trance by roughly grabbing my upper arm and urging me to start walking. I ripped my arm out of his grip.‘’I can walk on my own, bitch.’’ The slender man chuckled. ‘’Feisty one, hm?’’‘’Oh, if you only knew.’’Omega replied. The three of us walked further in to the warehouse, Alpha leading the way and Omega looming over me from behind. ‘’I know you’re not human but...’’ fuck, why was I talking?‘’But?’’ ‘’What are you?’’Alpha chuckled once more, and Omega simply answered.‘’Ghouls.’’I stopped dead in my tracks and pulled my gun. ‘’Those eat people. I’m not going to follow you one more step, bitches.’’I was pointing my gun straight at the back of Alphas head waiting for a reaction. The only reaction I got was cold steel in my own neck. Of course, Omega kept a gun too... ‘’Drop it Ellie.’’ ‘’Why have you brought me here?’’ ‘’Not to eat you if that’s what you think. Now drop the gun.’’I raised both hands in the air and let the weapon fall to the ground. And I laced together my hands behind my head. Alpha picked the gun up, and Omega was still pressing his to my neck. We kept walking down the corridor and made it to a small room. ‘’We’re having a meeting tomorrow, and since you can’t be trusted, you’ll need to stay here.’’They shoved me into a little cell and locked the door. Only thing in that small room was an old mattress… I was not amused.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I felt the chains around my wrists and ankles. And I saw the blowtorch. I was squirming to free myself, but I already knew it was a lost cause. One of them stuffed fabric in my mouth and tied a gag around my head, keeping the fabric in my mouth. They all had big grins on their faces. They enjoyed this.
One of the other men picked up the blowtorch and lit it. I knew the procedure. What I didn’t was why. Why were they torturing me? Sure, I was the enemy but… They wanted no information.The flames met my back and I screamed. I screamed, and screamed, and screamed…
Then I woke up.I was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. I had been lying in the middle of the concrete floor, and my back hurt. I got up and stretched. Then I lit the tiny candle in the corner. It gave some comfort… I sat down with the back against the wall and rested my head in my hands.
I couldn’t bare these dreams again… This… All this had brought Iraq back… The door swung open with a complaining noise, and in the doorway stood Omega. I could tell he was newly woken. ‘’What in the seven hells are you up to, woman?!’’ I remained in my crawled-up position, I didn’t care he was here. ‘’Ellie…?’’ ‘’Go away. I want to be alone.’’ ‘’You had a bad dream.’’‘’Get out of my head.’’‘’You were a soldier?’’‘’I said. Get. Out.’’‘’You can talk to me y’know’’ ‘’I’d rather not.’’‘’Because?’’‘’None of these things would have surfaced if you didn’t lock me in a tiny cell from the start!’’ ‘’Could you stop screaming? I did it because you were ready to shoot us. You would’ve done the same.’’‘’Wow, thanks for the apology, asshole.’’‘’Hm. So, fire is your weak spot then?’’‘’Could you just please leave? I don’t want to talk about this.’’‘’Technically you don’t need to talk- ‘’‘’Oh my god just shut up! Would you like it if I brought up all of your scars, huh?’’Finally, he shut up. Thank the lord. I don’t even registered moving, but I was now standing inches away from him, angrily looking at his stupid face.
He silently moved away and closed the door in my face. I heard him lock it once more and I went back to my little corner with the candle. ‘’Well, Hello darkness my old friend. Looks like we meet again.’’
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Omega I was awoken once more by noise from the direction of the cell. That goddamned woman was driving me nuts. Could she never just be calm and quiet?Then I realized that the sounds were more likely coming from a fight. And not with herself this time. I got up from my bed and grabbed my gun. Rushing out, I got outside just as a black van sped away. Shit! Without even checking I just knew that Ellie was gone. ~Before I even had a chance to react, someone had slipped a black bag over my head and pinned me down to the floor. I was cuffed and dragged out through the door and into what I guessed was a van. I was dumped on the floor, and no one talked for a long time. We went for quite some time, before they stopped the van. I was roughly pulled out and dragged a bit further, then shoved into a chair and re-cuffed. Finally, someone took the bag off. I blinked against the sharp light, but when my eyes got used to it, I was met by three men in masks. Well, two in masks. The last person had just painted his face. The other two wore silver masks over their faces. The one with skull paint on his face stepped forward, towards me. ‘’You sure this is her?’’ One of the masked ones hummed from the corner. ‘’Then you know what to do. Do whatever is necessary.’’And with that, he left the room. The taller, masked, one went to my right side, that I only now notice there stood a table. And what was on it sent shivers down my spine. Freshly sharpened surgical steel instruments. Torture instruments. Fuck. Even though he had all those shining knives and other stuff, he went to the edge of the table and picked up a big black cube, and two cords. Fuck. Car battery? Electric shocks were awaiting…‘’What do you want?’’Both looked at me, and the one not fixing the battery spoke up.‘’Intel.’’‘’On?’’‘’Let’s start easy. What do you know of The Puppet Master?’’ ‘’…the what?’’Two cables touched my neck, and I felt the electricity shoot through my body. I jerked, and swore pretty damn loudly, but the two masked men didn’t care.‘’The Puppet Master. Tell us what you know.’’‘’I don’t know who- ‘’Another shock. This time with more intensity. After that one I was left trembling on the chair, my heart galloping fast enough to win a race. ‘’Tell us Ellie.’’ ‘’I swear, I don- ‘’The cords met my skin again. The intensity kept going up, and I was shaking like an aspen leaf in the autumn winds by now. I felt weak. ‘’What intel did Alpha and Omega share with you?’’‘’I… They didn’t…’’The shocks kept on coming. They were unbearable by now. If I had gotten that intel, I would’ve given it. But I didn’t. ‘’Man, I sw-swear! They just… grabbed me and locked me up…’’I got another shock for that. I felt like I was going to pass out any second now. Finally, he removed the cables from my skin and stepped back. My heart was still racing but it had also started skipping beats. My vision was blackening around the edges. Both the men went behind my back, and soon I felt something wrapped around my arm and finger. Small beeps. They were checking my heart rate. ‘’Her heart will stop if we keep going. Let’s take a break.’’ They tidied the room up and left me there. The heart monitor remained, with its small beeps. I was breathing heavily, trying to remain conscious, but it proved difficult. I passed out.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They seemed to have give up on getting any intel from me by now. So now I was simply sitting here, waiting for my death.And the day came. I had already come to terms with it. They walked me out of the small cell, and out of the house entirely. I was led into the van I probably came here in.They drove for over an hour if I estimated it correctly. I was led out, finding myself in a deep forest. ‘’You have any last wish?’’ ‘’Only that I get shot under the chin. In honour of my sister.’’ How could I be so calm?! I was about to die! But I didn’t even feel a little panicked. I was so calm. I knew I’d be with Sky again. I’d get to meet my sister again. My beloved Sky…They led me to the edge of the road and I felt the cold barrel of a gun pressing under my chin.
Soon. It all went black. I was gone.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
With a gasp I opened my eyes and sat up. ‘’N-no! NO! What have you done?!’’ Two confused ghouls looked at me, trying to figure out why I was yelling. Cold tears trailed down my cheeks as I got off the table I was sitting on. ‘’W-Why did you...?’’ I walked up to Omega and straight up punched him in the face. I was finally realizing that I was back in this shitty fucking world, and boy, Omega was going to hear what I thought about that. After hitting Omega several times, Alpha came and grabbed me from behind, dragging me away from my victim. Omega dried off his split lip with an already bloody towel he held in his hand. ‘’Calm down, Ellie. We did you a fucking favour!’’ Alpha spoke up from behind me. ‘’A favour?! I’d rather stay dead!’’ ‘’I mean... technically you still are...’’ I ripped free from Alpha’s grip so I could face him. ‘’What did you just say?’’ ‘’I uh... I’ll let Omega explain...’’ I turned back to Omega, who tossed the bloody towel on the floor and sighed heavily. ‘’Okay, Ellie, please don’t freak ou-’’ ‘’I already am! Just spit it out!’’ ‘’You’re a ghoul. We had to turn you.’’ I stared at him in disbelief. Did they just...? Holy shit. I looked down at my hands, noticing a triangle in the palm of my hand. Staring at it, I saw how it started to glow in a soft orange, slowly growing stronger until it almost blinded me. When I finally dared to look at it again, a small flame was resting in my hand. With my free hand I covered my mouth, still staring at the small dancing fire inside my hand. But... It didn’t burn me...? ‘’H-How...?’’ ‘’All ghouls have an element. Yours is fire. So is Alpha’s.’’ I looked up at Omega, then to Alpha, who sparked a small flame in his hand to show me what we shared. I sat back down at the table, shocked to say the least. Closing my hand, the flame died and I then rested both hands in my lap. ‘’Why’d you do it...?’’ ‘’We believed you wanted to live, Ellie...’’ ‘’I was happy. I was heaven with my sister and... And you took that from me.’’ ‘’You have a sister...?’’ I nodded, the flashbacks of her murder running through my head. Those people who tortured me... They shot her. She was always the feisty one of us, me being the grounded one. Seems like I became more and more like Skylar when she passed. Omega hummed in front of me. ‘’Shit Ellie... We’re sorry...’’ ‘’Would you just please stop looking at my memories already?’’ ‘’Sorry...’’ ‘’I just... If I'm so fucking terrified of fire, why did I end up being fire...?’’ This time Alpha spoke up. ‘’You were forged in fire. It made you who you are today.’’ ‘’O-oh... I guess that makes sense...’’ I looked down at my hands again, trying to sort out the memories in my head. That’s when the thought popped up. The questions. I raised my head again, looking at the two ghouls. ‘’Can I ask you something?’’ ‘’Mhm, shoot.’’ ‘’Who is The Puppet Master...?’’ They both looked at each other with a look I couldn’t decipher, then Omega took a deep breath. ‘’The Puppet Master... He’s...’’
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
‘’The Puppet Master… He’s…’’But before Omega could continue, a sharp pain set my head afire. It grew from mildly annoying until it made my entire head feel like it was exploding. By now, I was kneeling on the cold concrete floor. I held my left hand up to my forehead, and let out a yelp when I found something incredibly pointy… When I looked at my hand again, it was tinted with blood.‘’W-what is this…?’’Omega too, had sunk down onto the floor and was gently embracing me in his arms.‘’You’re turning… Relax and breathe. Your horns are growing out.’’I was about to ask even more questions but was stopped from doing so when the fiery pain spread along my spine. After that the heat seemed to take over my entire body. I wouldn’t admit it if someone asked me, but Omegas embrace calmed me a lot. He gently stroked my back, and it soothed the pain somewhat. I was pushing back into his embrace, feeling like some sort of rabid dog.
Omega
He could literally feel the bones shift under her skin. All ghouls remembered their turning, but Omega believed that going through it was worse than anyone could imagine. Not everyone made it through. He’d seen his fair share of humans dying before it had barely started. Ellie was special though. He had felt it the first time they met face to face. He just couldn’t pinpoint what it was. She was just very, very special.And then, just like that, Omega got his answers. As the triangle in her hand started to glow, her other hand seemed enveloped in a black mist. With a shaky hand, he grabbed hers and turned her palm towards him.The Quintessence mark was etched in it.Never had Omega even heard of a ghoul which had two elements.‘’Is that…?’’Alpha had spoken across the room, and Omega nodded. How it had happened, neither one of the two ghouls knew, but they did know that this was impossible, not even something that was supposed to happen. Ellie, now in the final stages of turning was barely hanging on to her consciousness, looked at Omegas face.‘’What’s wrong…?’’Omega simply hushed her and kept stroking her upper back gently. A few moments later, Ellie passed out. But she was out of danger, she had made it through the transformation. Omega gently carried her upstairs in the house they were currently occupying, placing her in a soft bed. Then he went back downstairs to Alpha, both of the ghouls wearing a worried face.‘’What are we supposed to do Alpha? Our cloaking spells won’t cover up a ghoul with two elements… Everyone will sense it. Including Papa…’’‘’Hold on… I think I have an idea.’’
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
With Ellie out cold, Omega set to his plan. Or, well... The plan was a phone call. Omega wasn’t sure that the other end would be picked up, but now it was, followed by an agitated voice. ‘’What on earth are you and Alpha up to? I can sense fire and aether all the way here!’’ ‘’Yeah, um, we need to meet. You wouldn’t believe me if I just told you.’’ The receiver of the phone call seemed to pause as if to take in Omegas words and tone. With a sigh, the voice answered. ‘’Fine, come here. I’ll be waiting.’’ The voice hung up, and Omega put the cheap pre-paid phone back into his pocket. He gave Alpha a look, and then picked Ellie up. The three of them made their way down and as Ellies car was the only one they had available at the moment, they had to take it. Omega somehow managed to find the car key in Ellies pocket without dropping her, and after unlocking the car, Alpha opened the back door and they put down Ellie carefully across the back seat. The black mist and the orange glow were still enveloping her hands. Omega, after adjusting the seat from almost being at the furthest to the front that it could, to the very back, got in the driver's seat, while Alpha simply slid into the passenger seat. The car started with a lovely purr as it would always do, not that they knew. Ellie seemed to somehow get calmed from the engine sounds, although she was still out. Omega then pulled out of the street, driving towards their destination. Alpha knocked two times on the large dark door. It swung open to reveal a slender man in a dark suit, a plague mask adorning his face. Neither Alpha nor the man with the mask said anything, both of them disappeared inside. Omega followed them with Ellie in his arms. They all walked into a spacious office, and Omega set Ellie down in one of the armed chairs in front of the large wooden desk. He himself sat down in the other one. Alpha was standing with the masked man, the two of them exchanging low murmurs, a language not of this world. The floor was creaking as another set of feet entered the room. The man masked as a plague doctor left quietly. Omega got up to meet who they had come to see. Although the light was dim inside the office, the spikes on the man's mask seemed to be shining. He stopped in the doorway with a confused look underneath the fetish mask adorning his face. ‘’I sense both your elements... But they are not you.’’ Omega nodded to the chair that was facing towards the desk, and therefore had its back towards the group. ‘’Mercury... You need to get The Puppet Master.’’ ‘’I don’t simply get him, you know that. He possesses me whenever he feel like it. Now show me what’s going on.’’ The man in the spiked mask went around the chair, coming face to face with Ellie. His leather clad hands took hold of hers and looked at them, and then to the ghouls. ‘’What in the seven hells have you done? A ghoul with two-’’ Suddenly, the front door of the small house burst open with such force that it ricocheted off the adjacent wall. In through the doorway and then into the office marched four men in silver masks and a fifth with a skull painted face. Papa. While everyone was trying to comprehend just exactly what was going on, Ellie had woken up and were now groggily standing beside Mercury, who looked ready to catch her at any moment if she fell. She looked around the room, taking in all the faces and slowly rubbing her face with her hands, which luckily had stopped glowing. Papa and his crew looked surprised at first, to see the woman they shot to death only a few days ago. But then he put on a poisonous smirk and started to walk towards her. Of course, Ellie had not forgotten who had been torturing her and ultimately killed her, and he was not hard to recognize. Not with those mismatched eyes and manners. Papa spoke up, but even though he was looking right at Ellie, he addressed the rest of the room. ‘’I have come to collect my new ghoul. She will be a very... pleasant... addition to the church.’’ ‘’You’re not touching her...!’’ Omegas protest sounded like a growl, but with a tiny flick of Papas hand, Omega was enough to send flying through the air, then loudly hitting the wall, just to fall to the floor with a pained groan. ‘’Do I need to remind you, Omega, that you lost most of your powers when you left the church. You’re in no condition to fight me, or any of my ghouls.’’ Omega was trying to get up, but it was proving to be more difficult than he expected. His body didn’t obey. Alpha, being the rash and fiery creature he was, charged Papa after Omega was hurt, determined to bring the undead pope down. His attempt too, was futile. After getting the same treatment, the two ghouls were now floored on each side of the room, giant craters left in the walls. Mercury, stood beside Ellie, seemed nervous. Anxious. Suddenly, a booming voice filled the room, enough to make anyone shiver of fear. ‘’Papa Emeritus the third! How dare you come here and act like this? Did no one ever teach you proper manners?’’ The man who had been Mercury just a moment ago seemed to have grown in length, and Mercury seemed no longer to be there. His broad shoulders and almost royal posture were enough to make the silver masked men take one or two steps back. But not Papa. Papa only smirked wider. ‘’Puppet Master. I was wondering when I would finally meet you.’’ With disgust in his eyes, Puppet Master looked at Papa. Only then did Ellie realize that the man now had one red eye. Not as in albino, but as a red light. Like a robot. But there was nothing robotic about the man. ‘’Well, here I am Papa. Now I would suggest you leave.’’ ‘’You give me my ghouls and I will.’’ ‘’The ones you just flung into walls, or the one that you so kindly tortured? Or maybe both?’’ The sarcasm in Puppet Masters voice was enough to poison an elephant. Papa and Puppet Master were currently standing face to face, staring each other down. ‘’All three of them belong to me. Now get out of my way.’’ ‘’Their chains broke the moment they stepped out of that church, and the third? You never bound her. To me, right now, Papa, you’re behaving like a three-year-old in a toy store throwing a tantrum over not getting all the toys. You already have plenty of them.’’ With a scrunched-up face, Papa seemed utterly offended. He was not used getting talked down to. With a dark look, he summoned some kind of dark sphere in his hand, then unleashing it onto The Puppet Master. The look on Papas face as the sphere leaved the man unharmed was priceless. At least if you asked Omega and Alpha who had finally gotten to their feet. The two of them knew very, very well that Papa had just tried to kill The Master. The spell used was highly lethal. But Puppet Master merely shrugged it off. ‘’Now - leave. Before I take the matter into my own hands.’’ But something in Papa had snapped. Never before had he been bested in this way. He promptly threw another dark sphere at Puppet Master, but only to find that it wouldn’t work the second time around either. In his rage, Papa created two of the orbs, one in each hand, and proceeded to point them towards Alpha and Omega. Both the ghouls got a look of distress in their eyes, knowing very well they might die. ‘’You choose, Puppet Master. Which one lives and which one is passed on to Purgatory for all eternity?’’ As Papa let out a laugh worthy of The Joker, Batmans enemy, something happened no one would ever have guessed. Having almost been forgotten about where she stood, Ellie lost control over her new blood. In a shape of what could only be described as a morph between Gollum from Lord of the Rings, and a rabid dog, she leaped, past the Puppet Master, and straight towards Papa. With a heavy thud they both hit the ground, Ellie on top of Papa. What followed wasn’t a pretty sight. Sharp ghoul teeth tore through skin, flesh and arteries, ripping out bones as they went. No one dared interrupt the blood bath in front of them, not even the four silver masked ghouls brought by Papa to be his body guards. With a high-pitched scream, that eventually turned into a silent gargle, Papa was no more. The feral beast standing above him didn’t stop as the light faded from his eyes. The sharp teeth kept desecrating the pope, mauling his and torso beyond recognition. After what felt like an eternity, the floor was filled with blood, but at least the beast seemed to slow down. With tired, heavy steps, the hound like creature walked towards the dark red sofa stationed in one of the corners behind the desk, leaving the mauled body where it lay. The creature climbed onto the couch and lay down, seemingly going to sleep after the ordeal. Still, no one dared to move. They all thought that kind of shapeshifting in ghouls were a legend...