Geist shrugged and continued setting up the rifle, a safe distance back from the window pane that the black protrusion of the barrel wouldn’t be noticed from below.
“Who-” he said, and then the window cracked and a bullet impacted in the wall beside his head. He was on the ground in an instant, diving to pull Ellie down as well and rolling out of view of the window.
“He’s seen us,” he gasped to her. He risked a peep out at the crowd. They were none the wiser. The sharp crack of the glass had obviously been buried under the noise of the crowd. Small caliber bullet, went through clean as a whistle. You had to admire the craftsmanship…
Month: Mar 2022
A Twisted Game of Cat and Cat: Chapter Two
The message came through the laptop with a bright sound like a bell: /IT’SREADY/. The plans. Geist never went through official channels for anything unless he had to, and this was no different. Luckily for him, he knew a guy in the records office. He slid the laptop into his bag, slipped his sunglasses onto his face, and left the hotel into the dullest weather he had ever seen in his life when it wasn’t actually raining. It was as if the sky had turned to asphalt. He folded up the sunglasses and stuffed them into his pocket, feeling naked without them…
A Twisted Game of Cat and Cat: Chapter One
The name of the dead man was Maximilian Bradley. Not that he knew he was dead yet. The blinking green name stood out on the black screen like a neon sign over a dive bar. Underneath it was a number with too many zeroes at the end of it. Geist had heard of Bradley, of course. Who hadn’t? He sipped the honey-coloured liquor from his glass and contemplated. This was a chance to make history. Of course, if his name showed up anywhere in the history books it would be curtains for him.
The Deadman’s Finger: Chapter Four
Matches snapped beneath Hawks as he fell like a cat with a lead weight on its back. Luckily the floor was also formed of dank earth which cushioned his fall. He got up, briefly wondered if the fall hadn’t rendered him blind, then grabbed the tails of his overcoat which were hanging in front of his face and flipped them back over his head. There was a faint, acrid smell in the air which he couldn’t identify, and an iron-y taste settled on his tongue. He stumbled about in the darkness, bashing his shin on something metal that bounced away. Cursing, he ceased his explorations and allowed his eyes to become acclimated to the darkness. He wished he had been more careful with the matches…
The Deadman’s Finger: Chapter Three
The first thing the book called for was a straight knife. A margin-note by Laroux indicated that “bread knife is right out”. Hawks opened his second desk-drawer on the left side and removed a short, very sharp knife from a plate of dinner that he was keeping in there for later. It looked like it would do, although it was substantially less vicious than the knife illustrated in the book…
The Deadman’s Finger: Chapter Two
Hawks vaulted the fence easily and touched feet to slab in the backyard. Most of it was concreted over, save for a stretch at the far end that had been torn up and left as bare dirt. The door this side had enough space, so he squared up to it and then kicked just to the right of the handle, smashing the lock and sending a jarring jolt up his leg in retaliation. Limping inside, Hawks saw filthy bootprints criss-crossing the kitchen which he now entered into. His moment of respite would soon be over, and he grabbed a kitchen knife from the block. It sat easily in his hand; he had fought with many kinds of blade in his short life, but knife-fighting would always be his home turf…
The Deadman’s Finger: Chapter One
Hawks bent down and studied the lifeless rictus of his former friend as dispassionately as a coroner. Then his gaze went down to Cousins’ neck, which was bruised black with long, clawlike stripes from some assailant’s fingers.
“Crushed his windpipe totally,” said McCall. “He was dead before he even fell. Ain’t it a thing?” He pulled a cigarette from a pack and put it between his lips, but Hawks snatched it before he could light it. He tucked the coffin nail into his breast pocket and wrinkled his nose.
The Black Gateway: Chapter Four
“These friends of yours sound very interesting,” Apollo said. “I’m almost excited to meet them. I’m sure they’ll make better company than you and your attack dogs.”
“Don’t be so flippant, Miss Ridley. I’m sure you will find that I – and my attack dogs – will take on more positive qualities in your memory. Rest assured our friends are very excited to meet you.” He leaned in close, so that Apollo could hear the uncanny sussuration of his breath escaping via means unknown…
The Black Gateway: Chapter Three
It was midnight. Mina trained her spyglass on the roof opposite. The wooden trapdoor opened and a figure in a dark cloak came up the ladder. This was all normal enough. The tall figure was completely anonymous in the dark shadows. Mina wrapped her own cloak about her and opened the shutter of the window, perching on the sill for a second before leaping into open space…
The Write Stuff 