Part 5 (1/2)

Her target had long dark hair, vibrant blue eyes, and an att.i.tude like her father. Ilida also sensed she was older. Angry Man felt young to her. This was confusing by far.

The incandescent light stood in front of her. Only another powerful psychic could do that. Was Angry Man's family that formidable?

Juliana?

And you are the fas.h.i.+on police?

Ilida forgot that when someone communicated to her telepathically they saw, depending on their mood, an idealized or negative image of her.

Your father is looking for you.

So why did he ask you to find me?

He didn't. I volunteered.

Lights twirled and boogied pa.s.sed them. Ilida floated on air. Her telepathic projection unaffected by gravity.

He's so suffocating.

She can do the diva thing well.

He cares about you. Ilida grabbed the young woman's arm. You have to leave and go to him. Ilida began floating away, but Juliana yanked her back.

No way, lady. I don't know you.

I'm...I'm helping him. I think you're in trouble.

Trouble is my middle name. So take your uninspiring sweat suited self out of the club. Tell Daddy I'm not a child anymore and stay out of my head!

Ilida clutched her head forgetting that she was out of her body. Juliana's telepathic voice was strong and high pitched. From Juliana, a bolt of focused psionic energy hit Ilida in the head-a force blast meant to keep her out.

She groaned. Ilida disliked screamers. She ran away from Juliana and her screaming inner voice. She had to find Angry Man now. Talk about dysfunctional family. His outranked hers.

Something evil and foul raced up her spine.

From the sky, the stench of fish caught me. ”Drop me here.”

Alec let go of my hand. I landed on a roof, then I flipped as gravity pulled me down then fell on Hermes' shoulders, crossed my ankles around his neck and squeezed. His shoulders loosened. I then flipped back forcing him to arch his spine unnaturally. A crackling sound gave me instant satisfaction. He fell, hitting his head. I released him as I flipped away.

Alec took care of the blonde.

Hermes' hips stood up; his torso twisted about. His vertebrae cracked and I imagined realigned. He stood tall and straight now. I unsheathed my sword.

Hermes kicked it out of my hand. It went flying. I lunged for it. But not before Hermes' foot collided with my head. I slumped to my knees, but kept myself from falling down. My vision blurred. I saw him take an object out of his pocket. I staggered to my feet, ran straight for him.

Ilida's attention now centered on the man who staggered to his feet. He ran but not well. He managed to run right through her telepathic projection form. The other man, who reeked of fish, entered the club. She spied something s.h.i.+ny out of the corner of her eye.

The injured man-somehow she got the impression of him being injured-pushed the fish-smelling man down. An object went flying into the club. Ilida ran for the object.

Juliana? resounded in her head. With startling clarity, she knew it was him.

In a blast that would've deafened her corporal ears, the club blew out and up, fell around her in flames and cinders. Bodies that danced with life just minutes ago now lay scattered on the dance floor in burned charred reminders of life.

Maniacal laughter from the fish-smelling man. Her telepathic friend lifted the smelly man up. Smelly Man rammed his head against her friend. The pain leaped from the front of her head to the back, almost blinding her with its force. He stumbled back. Then he plunged his hand in the smelly man's stomach. Dark wetness saturated his sweater.

A salty, sweet aroma burned her nose. It made the pain in her head pound more.

Smelly Man went down screaming.

Ilida floated to the ruined building.

A man with charred skin stumbled out of the club holding a body. Fur covered half his body. Fur? Like a- No. His hair, or what was left of it, she could see, was short, wavy, and black like her friend's. His eyes were dark and hollow with anger and grief.

She got a whiff of him as he ran past her. He smelled like burnt flesh, mother Earth, and animal.

”Juliana?” She turned to that familiar voice now choked with grief. It was him. Everything within her told her it was him.

His lanky, st.u.r.dy frame walked with hurried grace to the burned man holding Juliana's body. She felt his hopelessness and his racing thoughts. His body temperature plummeted as his grief rose. She felt all of him and frantically tried to disengage. But she couldn't break away, as if his pain held her captive. Muscles convulsed in his chest. He threatened to go into shock. Though brokenhearted and shaking, he held himself upright.

She watched the scene before her in slow motion. The charred man still held Juliana's body in his arms. Tears rolled down his face as he handed the body to him. Another man held his shoulders as they sank down to the blackened pavement. Her telepathic companion pulled his head back and let out a scream that reverberated through her telepathic projection form.

She had to get back-leave the scene of pain to mourn privately. As before, the City floated pa.s.sed her in shades of gray until she recognized her surroundings.

Ilida opened her eyes, seeing her apartment, grateful to be back and away from the horror. However, the images wouldn't leave her. Juliana's burned body limp and lifeless cradled in that burned man's arms. Her stomach rebelled. Clutching her skull once more she said to Ca.s.sandra, ”Her name was Juliana, and I'm about to throw up.” Ilida ran to the bathroom, shut the door, lifted the toilet lid...

I located my sword while Hermes writhed on the floor behind me. I gutted his stomach, side, and back-staking major organs. He'll recover fast. I know I have nothing to lose so if I die while killing him... that's life.

I feel empty s.p.a.ce were my child's spirit should reside. This is one last act of love I will do for her.

Hermes tried to slither away. In the Bus.h.i.+do Code of Honor, one never lets his enemies suffer. I could do no less than end his suffering as mine began. I plunged my sword into his throat feeling and hearing the cracking of bone, the wet cutting sound of tendons ripping apart.

The images of the two of them holding me down, splitting me in half, my c.o.c.k spurting c.u.m, brown blood streaming down my a.s.s and legs came quick and unbidden...

Hermes' blood spurted, coating my face, boots, and legs. He gurgled trying to speak. Fas.h.i.+oning my sword into a lever I moved it to the left. His vocal cords split, esophagus collapsed. I bent down holding the sword steady and stared into his eyes draining of that evil spark. ”I'll see you in h.e.l.l, b.i.t.c.h!”