The severity of the situation was apparent as soon as the trio arrived at the house. The front door hung from one hinge and all of the windows were smashed in. Scorch marks decorated the lawn and several of Rapture's beloved snakes lay dead. A crash from within the house and Skulduggery walked over, Valkyrie and Fletcher trailing behind. "Rapture!" He shouted upon reaching the door, but it was Baron Stattlich who stumbled into view.
"You are too late, detective." A grin from the Baron, whose mask had been knocked from his jaw. His skin was sickly pale, a slightly glassy film covering his eyes. "She will be whole once again and I shall die in peace, knowing zat My Lady will grant a second life to her faithful follower."
"Don't count on it." Skulduggery muttered, splaying his palm wide. Stattlich went hurtling back, crashing straight through the kitchen door, and Skulduggery looked around.
"Rapture! Where are you?"
A gurgling cough from upstairs. "H-here...!"
Skulduggery started to climb the stairs, one arm still wrapped around his sternum. When Valkyrie made to help, he batted her hand away. "I'm fine."
Rapture's library-cum-armoury was in ruins, books torn and pages scattered, weapon racks smashed up and weapons cracked or splintered. A ridiculous amount of blood decorated one wall and Rapture lay on the floor before it. Her chest was a bloody mess, several ribs clearly broken and sticking through the skin. Upon seeing Skulduggery emerge at the top of the stairs, Rapture smiled weakly, holding out one shaky hand to him. "You took your time." She wheezed, coughing blood all over herself.
"Quiet, Rapture." Skulduggery chided "You'll be fine in a minute."
"Huh. This seems kinda familiar." Another cough from Rapture and a blood-stained grin. "Now I tell you what a terrible liar you are and then you start babbling nonsense to keep my mind off it."
Valkyrie reached the top of the stairs and immediately her eyes widened. "Rapture!" She ran over and dropped down next to the black-haired sorcerer, blood soaking into her trousers. "She's not healing! Shouldn't she be healing?" She asked Skulduggery rather frantically, hands hovering over Rapture's wound, not knowing what to do.
Skulduggery regarded her injured form for several long seconds and then seemed to notice Mjolnir, which was half-buried in a pile of blood coated books. "Valkyrie." He said in a low, urgent voice and Valkyrie snapped her head up, eyes wide. "I need you to go into the kitchen and retrieve the first aid kit. It's in one of the cupboards."
Valkyrie nodded a little shakily and got up, dashing for the stairs.
"Fletcher, you go with her." Skulduggery ordered. "And if Stattlich misbehaves, drop him from a very, very tall building."
"You got it." Fletcher agreed, tearing his eyes away from the pool of blood that Rapture was lying in and following after Valkyrie.
Holding onto the banister for support, Skulduggery made his way over to the far end of the room. Rapture was pawing at her coat pocket, trying to retrieve something in particular, but each movement seemed to cause her a great deal of pain. "Hey, would you mind?" She gurgled a laugh, wincing slightly.
Skulduggery dropped down next to her heavily, the hand that wasn't clutching at his broken ribs making for Rapture's coat pocket. He reached inside and pulled out a slightly bloody packet of cigarettes. Flipping the lid open, he held the packet out to her.
"Ah. Thanks." Rapture grinned, slipping a cancer stick from the card and balancing it between her lips. Skulduggery dropped the packet and clicked his fingers, sparking a flame. Rapture lit her cigarette on the gently flickering fire.
"Mm. Much better." She hummed weakly, taking a long drag and breathing the smoke from her nostrils. Eyes twinkling she glanced over at Skulduggery, who still hadn't said a word. "Did you beat up Stattlich?"
Skulduggery nodded once and Rapture's grin widened. "Well before you kill him, tell that Nazi bastard he can kiss my all-powerful Auschwitz. There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that me or the other one is giving him a second life." A pause when Skulduggery didn't answer. "...You know I'm going to die, right? I guess that's why you sent Valkyrie and Fletcher downstairs, out of the way." Another puff on the cigarette and a slight shrug. "Mjolnir was powerful enough to sever my connection with this body. All that's left is for it to die." Rapture spluttered a laugh. "It's ironic. After surviving everything that I did, only to die here in the security of my own damn home. Ha ha."
Skulduggery extinguished the flame in his hand and placed that hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine." He said quietly.
"You know, you really are a terrible liar." Rapture grinned, clutching his hand with one of her own, gazing up at him with intense emerald eyes.
"Got it!" Valkyrie declared, reappearing at the top of the stairs with the medi-kit just as Rapture's hand slipped to the floor, her eyes becoming dull and the cigarette going limp between her lips.
She died with a smile on her face.
Skulduggery gently removed the hand from his broken ribs and placed it over Rapture's own. "I know." He whispered, head dipped.
"I've got the..." Valkyrie muttered, shuffling over to Skulduggery and Rapture, noticing her glassy, sightless gaze for the first time. "Is she..?" She placed the medi-kit on the broken desk, her eyes tearing up. Fletcher arrived a moment later, spotted Valkyrie crying and ran over.
"What is it? What-" And then he seemed to notice how still Rapture was. "...Oh."
Valkyrie turned to face him, started sobbing into his chest, and Fletcher wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "It's OK. I'm here. I've got you." He muttered in a soothing manner, rubbing her back.
Skulduggery still clutched at Rapture's lifeless hand, his grip becoming tighter with each second that passed. After a few minutes he jumped to his feet and, saying not a word, tore down the stairs. Upon reaching the kitchen he found Stattlich lying in a heap, his face broken and bloody but still grinning. "I take it from the murderous aura emanating from you zat our mutual friend did not survive?" Remaining silent, Skulduggery strode over to him, both hands coming up to grip Stattlich by the front of his uniform. "Worry not!" The ex-Nazi laughed a little psychotically. "She will ascend and become something more powerful than God himself!"
When Skulduggery still didn't answer Stattlich tilted his head to the side. "Ah. I see. You are worried zat your Sarah will not emerge as the dominant personality." Another crazed chuckle and a shrug. "She was weak-minded anyway, I see zat now. Not worthy of such power."
Skulduggery moved one hand to his throat, squeezing tightly. "Her name is Rapture." He told Stattlich, voice devoid of any emotion. "And I'm sending you to hell on her behalf."
The Baron choked out a laugh. "But My Lady will grant me a second life for serving her all these years! Killing me now means nothing."
"Oh, but it does." Skulduggery whispered darkly, grip tightening. "Because I have complete faith in Rapture. She's stronger than you think." A pause. "And I wonder. Have you even met the other one? Because she doesn't exactly strike me as the type to dish out favours to anyone, much less a snivelling worm like you."
The conviction in Skulduggery's voice made Stattlich a little nervous. He stared up at the skeleton detective, seriously regretting some of his life choices as the grip around his throat tightened.
"Wait-!" He choked, eyes wide as the life was strangled from him by those cold, bony fingers. But Skulduggery's grip inched ever tighter, and with one final and sudden movement he snapped the Baron's neck.