Part 52 (1/2)

”Sleepy?” Pain said to the man. Danny saw him coming. He got to his knees.

Pain's fist struck him like a meteor. It flattened him on his back. Pain stooped and grabbed Danny's limp hand. The contact brought the man back to earth, and he resisted, but Pain yanked the arm towards him, straightening it out.

”Yer gonna hate this part,” Pain said, and plied back one of Danny's fingers, breaking the bone clean.

Danny yelped and instinctively tried to free his arm. Pain held on. Worse, Pain kicked him hard in his ribs again, taking the fight out of the big man. Danny went limp, but Pain shook his head. He did not want his playmate to go into shock. Not when it was his turn for fun. He twisted Danny's wrist in its joint, snapping it like a thick icicle. Danny grunted and bared his teeth.

”Hurt?” Pain asked evilly.

He heard the steps coming towards him.

Pain dropped the ruined arm and, with one hand, turned to catch a charging Crew by the throat. The stiff armed tackle stopped the American in his steps. Pain held him at arm's length for a moment, studying the man's frightening expression, and applied pressure.

Crew's eyes went wide. Both of his hands came up to try and free himself from the grip. He tried to apply thumb locks. He tried to kick out Pain's knees. He clawed.

Pain absorbed it all with a grin.

Crew's face became crimson, a whine escaped his lips and his vision began to darken.

”Hurts, doesn't it?” Pain asked with a savage grin.

Then, the Stickman stabbed the monster through the crotch.

Chapter 74.

The screams from outside distracted Tony for a moment, but Death did not let him focus on it. He grabbed the front of Tony's coat and pulled him close. ”Listen to me. They only have so long. He's playing with them. But you can save them if you kill me with that axe!”

Tony stared into Death's eyes, his mouth was open but no sound came out.

”Ever wonder why they choose you? Them?” Death almost yelled.

Tony could only stare. ”Because I don't hurt as much as others.”

”That's what she told you,” Death paused for a moment. ”The real reason you were chosen and why you found me so easy is because you're going to cross over, Tony. You're going to die. Soon. Everyone looking for me eventually finds me. The Cancer, Tony. Your mom isn't the only one who has it.”

Tony set his jaw. He was speechless.

”Yes!” Death nodded vigorously. ”If you seek Death you shall find him! But not now. Not with me like this. Pain's just gonna make people suffer everywhere. And he's gonna love every f.u.c.king second! But I can save them!”

Tony stared into Death's eyes. They could both hear the war going on outside. Tony heard the candy crack of bone. Roars of anger and agony. At the window, Fear looked on grimly and shook his head at the raw carnage being wrought.

”I can't kill you, man,” Tony whispered. ”It's not in me.”

”Not even for your mother? For yourself?”

Tony stared at the man beneath him, horror and revulsion in his face.

”It ain't easy, is it?” Death asked with a cruel smile. ”To take a life? Is it? Living with the guilt is h.e.l.l in itself. And all I get is the negative press. Y'know they made f.u.c.king movies of me being the bad guy? Now you know why I drink! Why I went on strike. It all got to me.”

”I can't,” Tony whimpered. ”Jesus, I can't.”

Death stared back and saw defeat in the man's eyes. He had hoped that being reminded of his mother would galvanize Tony into doing what had to be done. But for all of Tony's tough talk, Death could see that he was no killer. The thought was a sad one. He needed a killer now. His features hardened, and he nodded. He had begged and failed. He had tried being nice. In bringing up Tony's mother, he had tried for hate. It was time for extreme measures now.

”Lucy,” Death said.

Tony's brow crunched up in sudden, furious puzzlement. ”You leave her outta this!”

”Oh, Tony.” Lucy's exasperated voice.

The sound of it diffused his anger in a second. He looked up. She was standing on the threshold of the ruined doorway. Dawn was almost breaking, and the nearness of it allowed Tony to see her face.

”Do it,” Lucy said to him.

And ran into the growing light.

Chapter 75.

If only Ninja Bill could see him now, the Stickman thought. He came to with a bunch of broken ribs to see the tall, gla.s.s-of-dips.h.i.+t Pain holding Crew at arm's length and smiling. Stickman did not like c.o.c.ky smiles. Burr had a c.o.c.ky smile. Amazingly, Stickman realized he had managed to keep a hold of the combat knife. All right. Proper ting!

The Stickman got to his feet and ran as lightly as he could through the snow. He wanted to cut the man's throat at first, but this was personal now. The f.u.c.ker had some sort of regenerative power which he thought was totally unfair in the fight. No, Stickman thought as he closed the distance. The monster was completely absorbed with strangling the one called Crew. No, Stickman thought again, not the throat. The f.u.c.ker's neck was too high for him to stab anyway.

The Stickman decided to stab him through the b.a.l.l.s.

The sharp intake of breath was rewarding, and Pain dropped Crew in the snow. He grabbed at his jeans and the torrent of blackness exploding there. Blood soaked through denim, turning it dark. Pain stood shaking as if he were caught in some sort of paralyzing fit.

The Stickman was more than pleased with himself, and stabbed him in the b.a.l.l.s, again.

And again.

Pain's elbow smashed him just behind the ear. The Stickman dropped to the snow in a daze, but not out. For a brief moment in time, he felt glad.

The f.u.c.ker wasn't smiling anymore.

Holding his b.l.o.o.d.y crotch, Pain squeaked. He grimaced and bared his teeth, black eyes wide in absolute torture. He turned on Stickman. He drove his boot into the Stickman's face, feeling bone break. The blow flipped the Newfoundlander onto his back. Pain reached down and grabbed the man by the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es and crushed them in one fist. The shock that went through the Newfoundlander was mind ripping. He dry-heaved, his stomach spewing out gastric juice onto the snow, and then he went foetal. Pain towered over him. He meant to rip his ears off, but sensed movement from behind.

The Ent.i.ty turned and saw both Crew and Danny on their feet. He lunged at Danny, who was closest. Pain swept him up off his feet in a bear hug, his ma.s.sive arms going underneath Danny's arms. Baring teeth, the monster squeezed with a primal roar. Danny felt his ribs and back break. Bone shards pierced lungs and blood spouted from his mouth. The breath went out of him, and his arms fell lifelessly to his sides. Pain continued to squeeze, feeling bone s.h.i.+ft inside his prey like marbles inside a cloth sack, and then savagely threw the man to the ground.

He whirled on Crew.