The Adventures of Gravedigger (7 page)

Li beamed. “A big house like this, stocked with good
looking men? You’re going to have to throw me out!”

***

“So what’s the big secret?” Charity asked as Max
followed into her room. She stepped behind a changing screen and slid her dress
to the floor. Her Gravedigger uniform and weapons were waiting for her and she
began to change while Max took a second, obviously deciding how to approach the
subject.

“Have you heard of The Peregrine?”

Charity looked over the top of the screen. He was
looking away from her, obviously respecting her modesty by not staring at her
silhouette. “Is that you?”

“Well… yes. Josef knew that.”

Charity finished dressing in silence, stepping out
only after she’d pulled her mask on and adjusted her hood. “So you’re just as
crazy as I am, playing dress-up and fighting criminals.”

“Crazier, probably. I have visions of the future,
too.” He went on to describe what he’d seen of her own fate – of a wave of
gore-covered demons, of a powerful man dressed in black and of a sinister
presence, hiding above it all. “I think you’re going to need my help.”

“I’m the one who has three years to prove
herself,” she countered. “I don’t want you screwing that up.”

“You don’t redeem your soul by getting points for
killing the bad guys,” he answered. “You have to save lives… you have to become
a better person.”

“And kill bad guys.”

Max smiled softly. “Okay. And kill bad guys.”

Charity buckled her sword around her waist and
asked, “Josef never said anything to me about becoming a better person.”

“He wanted you to figure that out on your own,
just as he did. When I first met him, he was a zealot – he worked 24/7 to
accomplish his goals because that clock was always ticking inside his head. But
eventually, he started slowing down… enjoying life, making friends. And that’s
when he cleansed his soul.”

“So you’re going against what Josef would have
done by telling me this?”

“Yes. He and I were friends but we didn’t always
see eye-to-eye when it came to methods.”

Charity nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“But remember – you’re working
with
me,
you’re not the captain of this ship. Understand?”

Max shook his head, realizing that while Charity
might have heard his words, she hadn’t taken them to heart. She was still
concerned about getting the “credit” for Meeks’ kill. “Whatever you say,” he
agreed.

***

“I like your accent.”

Mitchell grinned, pouring himself a stiff drink.
He looked over at Li and was amused to see that she’d pulled open the neck of
her wrap, revealing more of her smooth throat. “Thank you, luv. Can I slip a
little of this into your tea? Might spice it up a bit.”

“Oh, please!” Li stood up and crossed the room.
Mitchell could smell her perfume, its pleasant peachy aroma causing him to
clear his throat. Li’s knowing smile widened as he poured some of the alcohol
into her tea. “Do you think I’m pretty?” she teased.

“I think you know just how pretty you are,”
Mitchell answered, enjoying the little game that was beginning between them.

“Are you going to ask me to dinner?”

“I’d say things are a bit busy at the moment,
wouldn’t you?”

“This won’t last forever.”

“I wish I shared your optimism. This Meeks fellow
killed my friend and I’m afraid he might kill Charity… and me… before it’s all
said and done.”

Li’s facial expression shifted and for the first
time since her breathless arrival, Mitchell saw that the young girl before him
had additional depth to her. She wasn’t just a party girl – there was a
strength to her that was surprisingly strong. She set her tea aside and placed
a palm against his chest. “Charity was shot and buried under the ground – and
she’s still here. And I can tell that your life hasn’t been all sunshine and
happiness. But you’re still here. And neither one of you is going to be killed
by a sleazy wannabe-warlock like Arthur Meeks.”

Mitchell put his hand over Li’s and for a long
moment the two of them stared into each other’s eyes. The moment was broken
when Gravedigger strode into the room.

If Gravedigger noticed that she’d interrupted
anything, she didn’t make mention of it. “Mitchell, is the car ready?”

“I filled up the tank earlier today – so we’re
good to go.” Mitchell’s eyes widened a bit as The Peregrine entered. He’d
wondered if Max was going to share his identity – and apparently he’d decided
to not only trust Charity but Li, as well.

The philanthropist turned vigilante wore a long
coat over his suit and tie but it was the mask on his face that really caught
the eye. It was affixed domino-style over his eyes, extending over the bridge
of his nose, where it ended in a bird-like beak. “We should park down the block
from Meeks’ apartment, just in case he’s got someone on lookout.”

Mitchell gave him a deadpan smile. “Max, I’m not a
rookie at this.”

“Sorry – I’m used to working alone.”

Gravedigger glanced over at him. “Well, this time
you’re working as a sidekick.”

The Peregrine started to argue that point, not
liking the slight she was giving him. Then he realized that she was tweaking
him and he offered a salute instead. “Whatever you say, mon capitan.”

Arthur Meeks worked quickly. Mr. Black was not
present but he couldn’t wait any longer. The little chink had seen him clearly
enough and she’d probably gone to the police by now. Given his druthers, Meeks
would have fled this location but it would have been too difficult under the
current conditions. Better to just press on and hope for the best, he mused.

A large pentagram covered the floor of his
apartment, drawn in equal parts chalk and salt. In the very center of the
occult symbol lay Goldstein’s ring, the ancient urn and a slaughtered cat. The
feline’s entrails had been pulled from its gut and spread out in a carefully
arranged display.

Meeks wore a finely tailored black suit and a
small porcelain mask. He didn’t want to greet his new masters as a mere human –
he wanted to be Thanatos, bringer of death!

With an almost sexual excitement coursing through
him, Thanatos retrieved the cracked leather-bound Necronomicon. He had marked
the pages that he needed and had virtually memorized the dead language that he
was about to speak. He set the book open on a pedestal near the slaughtered cat
and stood next to it, taking several deep breaths to steady his nerves.

This was it, he realized. The moment that he’d
dreamed of for so very long. Even as a child, he’d craved the ability to
dominate those around him. At first, he used his money and personality to do so
but eventually it wasn’t enough… he’d turned to black magic, hoping to find the
key that would turn things from mere games to deadly seriousness. He didn’t
just want to order people around… he wanted to control them body and soul.

Mr. Black had offered him the keys to the world…
and all it would take was unleashing demonic forces upon the rest of humanity.
It was a fair price, in Arthur’s eyes.

Thanatos closed his eyes, his fingers running
across the pages. He began reciting the words, looking at them only when he
encountered a particularly difficult passage. With his other hand, he
rhythmically knocked against his stomach.

“Enoch illesium C’thulhu! Enoch illesium
Shub-Niggurath! Planititan onseetus k’rash!”

The words spilled from his mouth like blood oozing
from a wound. Each of them was accompanied by a hard punch of his fist. The
blows were strong enough that they would leave terrible bruising… but he felt
no pain. His mind was alive with the promised power of the ancients.

He was nearing the end of the ceremony when he
heard the whining of space ripping in half. Just in front of him, a hole was
forming, small in diameter but growing with each passing second. Energy flooded
from this portal, passing through his skin and charging him. A tentacle,
dripping with black slime, appeared, touching the edges of the portal. The
unholy beasts within the other dimension were aching to be free and Thanatos
heard their whisperings melding with his own. He was chanting with the denizens
of another realm and the spell gained power with their aid.

His skin darkened and became harder than normal.
His lungs burned as his nostrils flared, inhaling the scent of the damned. His
tongue swelled to the point of nearly bursting and his penis was so hard that
it ached.

On and on his words flew. He was moments away from
amazing power… moments away from condemning the world to a living hell.

***

Gravedigger ran up the steps to Meeks’ apartment.
Her ears were ringing with the horrible, inhuman chanting that was beginning to
echo off the walls. She and The Peregrine had scarcely vacated Mitchell’s car
when strange lights had begun to emanate from their quarry’s apartment.

“Are we too late?” she had asked as they burst
into the building.

Max’s silence had spurred her on to greater
efforts. He had a grim expression on his face and she knew that his fears
mirrored her own – if Meeks gained his power and unleashed those demons… then
nothing they could do would be enough to save Sovereign City and the rest of
the world from torment.

Gravedigger drew her sword and stood outside the
door to the villain’s apartment. She took a step back and then raised her foot,
slamming it into the barricade. On the second kick, the wood began to splinter
and she was able to hack away at it with her weapon.

By the time she and The Peregrine entered the
apartment, wind was whipping all around them, sending every loose piece of
paper into the air. She squinted against the bright light emanating from the
portal, momentarily taken aback by the inhuman limbs reaching through.

And then her eyes focused on Meeks, in his full
guise as Thanatos. He looked bigger than she’d expected, his suit barely
containing his bulk. A mask hid his face but the skin surrounding it was dark
and crispy-looking, as if he were being cooked alive.

“You focus on Meeks,” The Peregrine shouted in her
ear. “I’ll close that portal!”

Gravedigger gave a quick nod and approached
Thanatos. His head whipped towards her and she could tell from his body
language, that he was furious at the interruption. He continued chanting as he
raised both hands and channeled eldritch energy in her direction. Gravedigger
dove to the floor, avoiding the blasts, which tore a hole in the plaster behind
her. She slashed out with her sword, slashing at Meeks’ closest leg. The impact
of her blade against his flesh reminded her of chopping wood – his skin was
incredibly dense.

Yanking her blade free of him, Gravedigger
scrambled to her feet just in time to take a powerful fist to her left
shoulder. Pain flared throughout her arm and the tingling in her fingertips
worried her – she wasn’t sure the limb would be effective for the rest of the
fight.

Responding by raising her right arm and firing her
crossbow bolt, Gravedigger was pleased to see the point of her weapon bury
itself in Meeks’ eye. Blood and gore shot forth from the wound and Thanatos
ceased his chanting, though it seemed to be carried on by the creatures within
the portal.

Thanatos hissed, reaching up to grip the bolt with
both hands. He yanked it free, emitting a roar as he did so.

“You can’t kill me!” he shouted. “I am Death! I am
the Destroyer of Worlds! I am Thanatos!”

Gravedigger laughed aloud, a sound that seemed to
surprise her just as much as it did her opponent. The tone was mocking, rising
up deep from her soul. It was the laughter of not just Charity Grace but of all
the Gravediggers whose skills she possessed – they had heard many claim
ultimate power and in the end, they had all ended up in the grave.

Gravedigger swept her sword through the air, her
one good arm driving it towards Meeks with all the supernatural strength she
now owned. The blade sliced deep into the villain’s neck, encountered stiff
resistance, and then finally carried through.

Thanatos’ head flew into the air, bouncing off the
wall. It landed at Gravedigger’s feet.

A loud noise, like the rushing of an oncoming
flood, caused Gravedigger to turn towards the portal.

The Peregrine was there, stabbing at a set of
tentacles that were wrapped around his body. His weapon was a dagger that
glowed a bright golden color, its surface adorned by ancient runes. From Max’s
lips were bubbling a series of words that seemed foreign to Charity’s ears –
but it was clear that they were somehow forcing the portal to shrink in size.

He turned his head and shouted, “Get out of here!
When this portal closes, the energy that’s been released is going to blow this
place apart!”

Gravedigger watched in horror as the tentacles
suddenly raised Max high into the air. The portal was sealing itself back up,
as time and space fought to restore the natural order of things. But the
pressure that was suddenly being placed on Max’s body was going to kill him –
his quick screams told Charity that.

Rather than flee as he’d said, she rushed towards
the maelstrom, sword raised above her head. She brought it down against the
largest of the tentacles, slicing it in two. Max hit the ground hard, grunting
in pain.

Gravedigger stood in front of the portal, weapons
at the ready… and then the hole shrank so quickly that it vanished from sight.
Just as Max had warned, the occult energies that had filled the apartment were
now running wild.

There was a bright flash of light, followed by a
boom that could be heard and felt throughout all of Sovereign.

And then there was nothing, save for silence… and a
huge gaping hole in the ground where once there had been an apartment building.