Cole's Haunting Melody (The Gods' Executioner Series) (16 page)

“Addie?” I say as I reach out
and set my hand on her shoulder—her solid shoulder.

“Addie!” I joyfully
exclaim as she turns around and I discover that she has no face; her head is completely devoid of a mouth, nose, or eyes. I feel a few tears slip down my cheeks as I fall to my knees.

“
Haha poor mortal! Do you truly miss her that much?” the creature asks in a way that is unfathomable to me because of the lack of a mouth, as it transforms to a height of about five feet and loses its hair.

“Then allow me to reunite you both!”
the creature exclaims while pulling a knife from behind its back and tries to stab me in the chest.

The creature is perplexed by the lack of
stab-icity as it tries sticking me with the knife several more times. I look at its efforts as annoyance and anger take over; I tackle the creature to the ground as my helmet disengages.

“I’VE! BEEN TRYING! TO GET
OVER! THE DEATH! OF MY DAUGHTER! YOU FUCKING! ASSHOLE! YOU JUST! HAD TO! BRING HER! UP!” I shout, punching it in the face with each exclamation. The creature weakly reaches up and stabs at my neck, clipping my jugular.

“FUCK! YOUR!
KNIFE!” I yell, really leaning into my punches as blood splatters onto my cheek.

“COLE!
STOP!” Cheza shouts and pulls me off of the creature.

“
It tricked me into seeing Addie and then laughed in my face about it!” I angrily expound, flailing my leg out and kicking it in the ribs as Cheza drags me back.

“Did you ever stop to think that
it might’ve seen something that will help the investigation!?” Cheza asks.

“That’s
actually a smart idea…” I admit.

I
grab the creature by the leg, and drag it back to the crime scene.

“This thing might’ve seen something…
it also might be dead… totally not my fault.” I report. The detective looks furious, but Yui just looks at me with pity.

“Did this
noppera-bo trick you into seeing your dead girlfriend, or your dead daughter?” Yui gently asks.

“Daughter…
How did it even know about her?” I solemnly reply.

“
Noppera-bo use illusion magic that makes them appear to be the one person that their victim wants to see most; it didn’t actually know her.” Yui replies. I shake my head clear of any lingering thoughts and focus on the matter at hand.

“I was unable to find any casings, but I have determined
that the kitsune was hit with chlorotoxin infused bullets. Those specialized bullets are the exact ones that I’ve witnessed Templars using. Since they were shot out of MP7A1 submachine guns before, if the bullets in this kitsune are 4.6 x 30mm rounds, then we’ll know for sure since that caliber is exclusive to the Heckler & Koch MP7. The noppera-bo may be able to tell us how this kitusne was killed exactly, but I’m almost positive that the Templars are the organization behind it. Now, it’s just a matter of locating the organization.” I report.

“
Were the men that attacked me in the park also Templars?” Yui asks.

“Yeah, they were. I’m not too sure what to do now though because my analyst hasn’t been able to find anything on Templar activity in Japan.” I reply.

“I’ll work through some connections and I’ll call you if anything turns up.” Yui says.

“Alright, see you later
, Yui.” I respond before grabbing Cheza’s hand and touching my Haglaz rune.

“Cole, I think you should see a psychologist.” Cheza says as I walk into
Jason’s bathroom to rinse off my face and arm.

“I hardly think that’s necessary, Cheza.” I reply
while drying my face off.

“Cole, Addie’s death has
drastically affected you and sometimes I feel like you might be losing your grip on reality.” Cheza gently explains.

“Cheza, I understand that she’s dead and that it’s my fault. I’m not delusional about any part of it.” I
clarify with a rational tone.

“That’s exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about!” Cheza angrily exclaims as my phone starts ringing.

“This is Cole.” I answer as Cheza leaves the room in a huff.

“Mr. Treyfair, this is King Byron.” An oxford accent oozes over the speaker.

“Ah, Byron, what can I do for you?” I ask.

“We have a bachelor party to plan.” Byron reminds me.

“Shit… I’m actually in the middle of an investigation right now. Is it possible for you to plan it without me? I’ve never so much as been to a bachelor party so I doubt that I’d be much help anyway.” I reply.

“Of course; do you know how many will be coming?” Byron asks.

“Only four, I think.” I reply.

“Very well, I shall pl
an the bachelor party on my own then.” Byron states.

“Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience.” I respond.

“Don’t fret over it. Goodbye.” Byron replies and hangs up.

My vision suddenly blurs and the ground races toward my face. Small, chilly
, arms catch me and halt the floor’s advances.

“Doesn’t feel so great being on the receiving end of this little trick
, now does it?” Cheza whispers as unconsciousness claims me.

…

I awaken to find myself handcuffed to Jason’s bed with four fuzzy handcuffs on each arm.

“I see that you are awake.” Sara says from the bedside; I see what’s going on.

“I told Cheza that I don’t need therapy…” I grumble absentmindedly.

“Cole, let’s just face it
; your mildly bipolar at best and Addie’s death has greatly exacerbated things.” Sara states.

“So I’m having hallucinations of my dead daughter…
big whoop! It’s just part of my grieving process! Why does nobody understand that?” I explain.

“Oh really…
and what grieving process is this? Hallucinations are certainly not part of the standard five step grieving process.” Sara replies.

“It’s the James Bond three step grieving process! Step one is revenge where you quell your rage in the blood of those responsible. Step two is hallucinations. Step three is guilt…
and probably alcohol or something.” I inform her.

“What about acceptance?”
Sara asks.

“What is there to accept, Sara
…? WHAT IS THERE TO ACCEPT ABOUT ANY OF THIS!? She was three years old… only three… she had thousands of possible futures ahead of her, but she was dead in every one that involved me… I was just too blind to see it… I should’ve turned her over to Carla the moment I found her, but I didn’t… and why didn’t I do it? Because I had some warped notion of becoming her father? Because I thought I could keep her safe? Or was it because I needed some form of atonement, or redemption, or just an excuse to keep living…? Any way you slice it, all I really did was add to my body count… I’m done here.” I state and start to strain the handcuffs binding my left arm.

“
REI! NATASHA!” Sara shouts.

Cheza and Natasha stride into the room wearing white nurse’s outfits that have red crosses on the caps. They walk over to me with smiles on their faces.

“Hellooooooo Nurse!” I exclaim.
3

They respond by zapping me with
Tasers.

“We’ll let you go when I say we’re done, Cole; not before then.” Sara explains.

“What do you guys want from me!?” I demand.

“We just want you to get better, Cole…
we want you to forgive yourself… you’re destroying yourself, and it pains me to see you like this.” Natasha quietly says with tears in her eyes.

“Tasha…”
I softly respond.

“You know you’re a cute little heartbreaker.
Foxy. You know you’re a sweet little lover maker. Foxy.”
My phone rings from
the bedside table.
4

“That’s Yui.” I announce.

“Seriously?” Cheza asks as she picks up my phone. “Hey Yui, Cole can’t come to the phone right now; he’s a little… tied up at the moment.”

“Okay, can you tell him that I was able to find some information on the Templars? A Tokyo Yakuza outfit has recently been equipped with
the weapons that Cole said were used by the Templars.” I hear Yui say.

Kill Bill
-esque fantasies begin dancing through my head: epic katana battles with breakdance fighting causing severed limbs, blood, and screaming.

“*Sigh* I’ll cut him free and we’ll meet you at the temple in a little while.” Cheza reluctantly
replies and hangs up.

“Don’t think that this is over, Cole.” Cheza
sternly says as she unlocks the cuffs.

“Come on
, Cheza; don’t be like that! This will be fun!” I exclaim, looking forward to my impending sword battle with Japanese gangsters.

…

Chapter 16
: Dream Crusher

[November 7th]

“Not one… Not a single one! There isn’t a single katana on any of them! Where is my epic swordfight!? This is bullshit!” I exclaim while looking through a pair of binoculars from a rooftop located half a mile away from the compound of the traditionally styled Japanese mansion.

The curved tile roof has been modified with a walkway that has a dozen soldiers with
MP7A1 submachine guns patrolling the perimeter of it. The covered wooden porch that borders the house has another dozen armed soldiers patrolling along it. There are another two dozen armed soldiers patrolling the walled perimeter and yard of the property. Guards occasionally come out of the Shoji doors on the side of the house to relieve the patrolling soldiers. One very noticeable thing stands out about all these soldiers: their red auras.

“I’m going to go talk to the
m and see if I can’t ask them to bring in some swords to fight me with.” I say as I stand up on the rooftop.

“You will do no such thing!” Cheza exclaims as she
grabs my left hand and pulls me back down. “We finally found these guys, so you are going to wait until we can confirm that the leader is there before you go all rampage on their asses.”

“Fine…
I’m going to have to scan the leader’s memories, but it would be suicidal to remain at the house and do it. Any suggestions, Yui?” I ask.

“Why not bring them back to this rooftop?” Yui suggests.

“Yeah, I suppose that will work.” I reply.

“Hey Cole, a car just pulled up and most of the soldiers have
lined up in two rows leading to the house; I think the boss is finally back.” Natasha tells me while looking through the scope of her silenced M110 sniper rifle with a twenty round box magazine to my right. With her armored suit on, she isn’t too noticeable in the dead of night. I didn’t want to bring her along, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer and Cheza was on her side so I eventually caved.

“Two men and a woman are getting out of the car
and the men have positioned themselves on each side of the woman.” Natasha reports.

“The woman is most likely the boss.”
Yui comments.

“
One of the men has a sword, Cole.” Natasha says with a smirk.

“Sweet.
When they’re almost to the house, take your shots. I’ll run down there while they’re panicking and snatch the boss. See you guys in a bit!” I exclaim and jump over the edge of the roof, down to a deserted alley.

(Master, you will not be able to walk after a fall from this height)

What? I quickly touch my triskele as the ground comes rushing up to greet me. I port back to the rooftop, only to have both of my ankles snap like twigs.

“
FUCK! SHIT! DAMMIT! OUCH MOTHERFUCKER!” I yell and cough up some blood as the price for porting a distance less than a hundred meters.

(Porting does not change your body’s physics, Master. Next time, aim for a s
ofter target like snow or water… actually, you’d still be fucked… Next time, take a deep breath and port into space, or better yet, don’t jump off of anymore buildings)

“COLE!” the girls all shout and rush over to me.

“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!?” Cheza screams.

“I OBVIOUSLY THOUGHT I COULD MAKE IT!” I
shout back.

“
Why did you think that you would be fine after falling over one hundred feet?” Natasha asks.

“Well, Superman can leap tall buildings in a single bound
, which involves falling the height of a building, so why not me?” I ask, trying to keep my voice in check.

“Because Superman can fly.”
Natasha replies.

“Not in the original comics
. Fuuuuuuuuuuck!” I exhale in pain.

(Master, I am unable to attend to your injuries as they are)

“You don’t mean…”

(I’m afraid so)

“Fuck me sideways. Okay. Cheza, Natasha, I need you two to reset my ankles, preferably at the same time” I tell them and pull out my wallet in preparation.

“On three, okay Cheza?” Natasha says; Cheza nods in response and I place my wallet betwixt my teeth.
“One, two, three!” *Crack*

“
MMMMMMM!” I scream, muffled by leather.

“
So what do we do now?” Yui asks.

“Natasha, cover Cheza as she goes down and nabs the leader. Cheza, bring the leader back here and I’ll port all of us to
someplace more secure.” I plan.

“Fine…” Cheza pointedly replies
as she walks to the stairwell.

“Cole, can you come spot for me?” Natasha asks.

“Sure, just give me a sec.” I reply and painfully drag myself over to the edge of the roof as I feel my internal organs realigning.

“Cole? Can you see what I’m doing?” Cheza thinks as I get an image of her walking down the stairs. “Can you see what I’m doing here? It’s called using the stairs, like an intelligent person.”

“Yeah, yeah; just be careful, alright?” I reply.

“HA! That is the single most hypocritical thing you’ve ever said to me.” Cheza responds
as she walks down the street towards the compound.

Cheza approaches the
main entrance and the two soldiers standing guard go on alert. Natasha quickly drops both of them without alerting the other guards. Natasha starts taking out the soldiers on the walkway with precise headshots as Cheza enters the compound. The guards suddenly take notice of their missing/dead compatriots and floodlights illuminate the compound. A score of soldiers comes out of the house and engages Cheza as Natasha takes out the remaining soldiers on the walkway. Cheza sprints forward and quickly stabs one of the soldiers twice, freezing him. Cheza vaults over the frozen soldier and scissor cuts through the neck of the soldier behind him. A guard sweeps around behind her and begins firing at her; the bullets are unable to penetrate her suit, but that doesn’t make me any less worried.

“Tasha, Cheza needs help!” I think.

“I’m a bit busy keeping the other soldiers on the grounds from ganging up on her!” Natasha exclaims.

“Relax
, Cole; I’ve got this.” Cheza thinks. A large fog bank suddenly surrounds the compound.

“Cheza, what’s going on!
?” I ask.

“I’m simply utilizing the
sixty percent humidity in the air by super cooling it to create fog.” Cheza replies.

“And now I can’t see anything…” Natasha comments.

“Here, I can still see their auras.” I reply and Natasha hands the M110 over.

I
peer through the scope and start taking shots at the guards as I receive an image from Cheza in my closed left eye. She dodges around the soldiers and enters the compound. She sprints down the hall and throws a Shoji partition open, finding no one there so she moves on. The next door she throws open has the two men and the woman who exited the car earlier. One of the men draws his katana and meets Cheza halfway. Cheza parries the guard’s slash as the second bodyguard moves around to her side while bringing up an MP7A1.

Cheza slams her foot into
the ground and an ice spear erupts from the wall behind the second bodyguard, shooting through the back of his neck and out through his mouth. The katana wielding bodyguard reaches back with his left hand and pulls a Glock 22 .40 S&W pistol from his waistband; I’m surprised that he can even hold onto the sword at all when his hand is freezing. Taking a hand off his katana turns out to be the wrong move because now Cheza is able to catch the katana in the gap of a Synergistic blade and disarm him before bringing her other blade through the guard’s neck, which is what she does.

With the bodyguards
eliminated, Cheza rushes over to the boss, throws the lady over her shoulder, and runs out. The boss lady starts shouting as Cheza blows past the soldiers, causing everyone to start following Cheza while I provide covering fire until the M110 mag runs dry. Cheza runs back to the building, up the stairs, and onto the rooftop.

“We should probably go now.” Cheza ann
ounces over the screaming of the boss lady whilst slightly out of breath.

Natasha quickly packs up her shit and the girls all grab my arm as I touch my
Haglaz rune. When we port into Jason’s room, the boss is still screaming so I cover her mouth with my left hand and force my blood down her throat. She passes out a few second later.

“See you guys in a
little while.” I say before my eyes close.

****

I find myself floating in a dark space once again and I can honestly say that I’m getting sick of this shit.

(Master, I figured
that you would want to see this first hand)

“Alright
, let’s get this over with. What do you have?”

The world flashes white before showing me an image of the room in the mansion where Cheza found the boss lady. Standing in front of me/the boss lady is a
familiar looking man that is about a foot taller than the boss lady with white hair and grey-blue eyes. Jack Evari, wearing his signature all-black suit and maroon tie, starts speaking Japanese for a moment before the translation kicks in.

“
—will come on Wednesday. With the new enhancement, I want you to start hunting the kitsune. Killing a few of them should be enough to grab his attention. I’ll be in touch.” Jack Evari says and the scene fades out.

“Are there any more
like that?” I ask once I return to floating in the darkness.

(No, there aren’t any more memories with Jack
Evari)

“Well was that the entire memory? What about introductions or anything?”

(Yes, I found the lack of introductions to be odd as well. It’s almost as if this woman had her memories erased)

Who
in the fuck is Jack Evari?

****

I come to in Jason’s room to the sound of Yui, Cheza, and Natasha chatting on the couch.

“So then I sat down on his face while Natasha was doing her thing.” Cheza says.

“Okay! This conversation is over! How did you guys even get on that topic?” I inquire.

“Cole! Did you learn anything?” Cheza innocently
asks.

“I saw the face of the man behind it and he’s someone I sort of know.” I reply.

“Really? Who?” Yui asks.

“A man I only know by the name of Jack
Evari. He was giving orders to the head of the US Templars, but that’s all I know about him. I’ve scanned the only two people I know of that have met him, and I still don’t have any clue as to his whereabouts or even who he really is. Even Ryuji hasn’t been able to find anything on him…” I answer.

“So what do we do now?”
Yui questions.

“
We get on with our lives. That woman was directly responsible for the deaths for your sister and your friends so the murders will stop.” I tell her somewhat harshly.

Tears well up in
Yui’s eyes as she glares at me. I walk over and hoist the boss lady over my shoulder and grab Yui’s arm as I touch my Haglaz rune. I drop her and the boss lady off at the fox statue at the shrine in Kyoto before touching my Haglaz rune to port back, but nothing happens due to the time limitation.

“Sayonara
, Yui.” I give my final words of farewell and start walking away. I continue walking for a minute before touching my Haglaz and porting back to Jason’s room.

“Cole! What in the hell was that about!?” Cheza angrily demands.

“I was just separating her from my life so that she doesn’t end up dead because of me. Jack Evari obviously has some sort of vendetta against me and I’m the reason he wanted the kitsune killed in the first place; for what exactly? I’m not sure.” I respond.

After ordering the attack on Natasha
, and I’m pretty sure that he was referring to me when he said that killing a few kitsune would draw ‘him’ out, a vendetta seems likely.

“You still didn’t have to act like a dick
.” Cheza proclaims.

I don’t bother to say that being a dick was the only
way to have Yui avoid me permanently. Reyna barges into the room and thankfully interrupts us.

“We’re going dress shopping tomorrow!” Reyna announces.

Oh, boy!

…