Since ive been building up a nice little fan base, i figured a Poll would be in order. If you all would be so kind, give a vote for the next chapter!
Jacobs body continued to writhe and shake on the table. The little girls candle suddenly snuffed itself out as the door was forcefully blown open. She quietly started to pray, as the body arched its back. Hands suddenly shot out at its side twisting and fingers dancing wildly. With one last whisper of wind, everything stopped. The little girl slowly and quietly stood up, creeping to the body's side and poking it gently in the arm. Without warning, the body sat up and slowly turned its head at the girl. She fell back with an inadvertent squeak, falling on her backside. The eyes snapped open, revealing pure white globes.
"Es-tu le prestidigitateur de la Loa?" it asked in a deep raspy voice.
(Are you the conjurer of the Loa?)
"I am," she whispered in a hushed voice.
" la vengeance viendra sur les ailes rapides," it replied, swinging its legs from the table and standing up.
(Vengeance will come on swift wings.)
It stood, stretching its arms and legs before stooping down to pickup Jacobs bow and quiver. As and after thought, it picked up Jacobs ruined pants, strapping them on and walking towards the door.
Jacob sat alone, in the cold blank darkness. He snapped his fingers, only for the sound to be muted before it was even made.
Where the hell am i? he thought to himself, standing up and looking around. He attempted to walk a few paces, finding himself able to move. He felt his legs moving but the cold empty darkness saturated the air around him was constant. Something shifted to his left, causing him to turn and face it. A handsomely dressed man in a red suit walked towards Jacob swinging a cane and whistling an unfamiliar tune. His eyes all but glowed in the darkness, standing out against his coal black skin. He kept twirling his cane as he moved closer, tossing it hand to hand with a flourish after so many steps.
"Well hello der boi!" he called in a loud, heavily accented deep voice.
Jacob tried to reply, mouth forming words yet no sound followed them.
"Ahh my apologies!" he said through a grin, snapping his fingers and causing Jacob to inhale sharply. the sounds finally came.
"Who are you? Jacob asked, breathing in quickly.
"Allow me ta introduuce myself!" he announced taking a step back and posing with his cane. "Ma names Baron Kriminal."
"Baron...Criminal?" Jacob asked raising his eyebrow skeptically.
"Thats Kriminal ma boi, with a K." he laughed sweeping his blood red top hat off his head and bowing.
"Where are we?" Jacob asked.
"Were in your mind, ma boi!" the Baron laughed. "Well your mind adjacent."
"What?" He asked confused.
"Don't you know what i am?" the baron chuckled after seeing jacob shake his head on the negative.
"I am the Loa of Murder," he continued, pronouncing the word like Law and twirling his top hat around. "And i've commandeered your body for a special purpose."
With a twirl of his hat and a wave of his cane, the darkness brightened beside them. Jacob could see his body moving as if he were standing beside it. His quiver was strapped across his chest, his tattered pants hung on his hips and his bow was in hand. The string was pulled back and an arrow already knocked, sighting in on an unsuspecting guards neck.
"Why are you doing this?" Jacob asked, turning his attention back to the Baron. "Why my body?"
"Three simple reasons," he laughed waving his cane and making a large leather armchair appear. "One, i love to murder, its what i do. Two, when de people pray for vengeance or retribution, i come a callin. Lastly, You possess a lil something special in you boi, that extra pizazz, that lil bit a flavor!"
"Something special?" Jacob asked, royally confused.
"Yesm. Something deep down in that funny thing you call ya soul. There's a lil fiiire down there burnin away." he drawled on, sucking on his fingers.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Go on admit it ma boi. You secretly need it, yearn for it." he continued, waving his cane at Jacob.
Jacob stood there, glaring at him in confusion.
"Ohh shush now, this is about to get good. Have a seat boi!." he cooed, summoning up a wooden stool and forcing jacob to sit down.
He watched as his body pulled back the string, releasing an arrow and catching an unsuspecting minion clean through the neck. The arrow ripped through the flesh, blood spurting forth and the guard hitting the floor. Onward he went, catching two more guards coming around a corner. They shouted out in their foreign language, raising their weapons. Unfortunately for them, they moved too slow. Jacob watched as his body knocked two arrows, drawing back with blinding speed and ripping through each of their throats. The guards gargled around the sudden blockings in their windpipes, reaching up in surprise as their lifeblood oozed out around their hands. With audible thumps, they hit the ground, joining their comrade. A blaring alarm began to ring out, echoing around the corridor as Jacobs body moved forwards. Another guard seemingly came out of nowhere, tackling Jacobs body around the midsection and sending them both sprawling to the ground. Another guard came running up behind them, raising his rifle and preparing to pull the trigger. The two rolled on the ground for a second, before Jacobs body managed to gain the upper hand, putting the guard in a human shield position. The opposing guard muttered something under his breath before letting loose a storm of bullets. Jacobs body ducked behind the guard he held, bullets ripping apart the guards armoured vest and tearing into his body. He let go of the now corpse, knocking an arrow and catching the rifleman in the shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards. The guard let out a grunt of pain before the archer was on him, ripping the arrow out of his shoulder and slamming it sideways through his neck. The tip sliced through the carotid artery and added to the rain of blood. Two more guards rushed him, one on each side. The left knocked the bow from his hands as the right shoved him to the wall. Jacobs body let out a mercilessly loud laugh as it overpowered both guards easily, reaching out and pulling a tactical knife from the left's shoulder sheath and stabbing it up through the rights jaw. The guard on the lefts eyes widened in horror, fumbling backwards and falling over onto his back. Jacobs body leapt up, landing on the guards chest and sank the knife down again and again. Long strings of flowing blood were sent flying into the air every time the knife came up, leaving crimson lines of carnage across the walls. He sank the knife down one last time, leaving it stick up from the dead guards chest as he picked up his bow.
"Mmm," The Baron cooed, sucking his teeth greedily. "Now that was a tasty morsel, im ready for seconds. How bout you?"
Jacob sat silently in defiance, refusing to give into the Barons ploy.
"No?" The Baron asked, tisking at his silence. "Well open wide ma boi, here it come."
The Haitain turned towards the door to the preceding corridor, hearing the gunshots and the anguished cries of dying men. He signalled the two guards he had posted just inside the door and ordered them to check it out. While walking over to a switch on the wall and throwing it, illuminating the entire room.
"Ladies and Gentleman," he boomed, addressing the crowd on the balcony. "It seems we are having a small security issue, if you would be so kind, please exit the viewing area and proceed to your exits."
The crowd murmured with disappointment, slowly heading to where two guards were ushering them to a flight of stairs. One after the other, they began the ascent, clearing the upper balcony until there were only a handful of guards standing near the rails. On the Haitians order, they aimed their rifles at the entry door, laser dots speckling it.
"A security issue?" Sara laughed, spitting blood out of her mouth and dangling from her chains.
"Shut up," The Haitian hissed, slamming his fist into the side of Saras face again. Her head bobbed for a second before slumping down; he had knocked her unconscious.
Four more men swarmed into the room, posting up beside the haitian and adding their rifle targets to the dots on the door. More bullets fired outside the door, the noise getting closer after each shot before turning to silence The guards all looked at each other with sideways glances.
"Whatever come through that door," The haitian boomed, nodding to it. "I want you to riddle with holes."
The guards all murmured their acknowledgement before flipping off the safeties on their weapons. Something slammed against the door, making it shake and causing the guards to all step back slightly. They shook their heads and recovered, stepping back forwards, fingers eagerly resting on the trigger.
The door suddenly burst forth, metal and wood splintering and scattering everywhere. In the dust, a shadow was seen rushing forward and collapsing. The guards all sighted on the shadow, laser dots tracing its movement and releasing a massive storm of bullets. The shadow stumbled and fell, collapsing just a few feet away from where The Haitian stood.
"Hold your fire!" He yelled over the thunderous echo, waving his hand and trying to clear the dust collecting in the room. The guards complied, releasing their triggers and raising their rifles.
The haitain signalled two of his guards forwards, commanding them to reveal their target. They crept forward slowly, rifles aimed directly at the shadow. As the dust cleared, they could see it was one of their comrades, flipping the body over to confirm. Strapped to the mans chest, were a row of small green metallic orbs with yellow writing on them. M67 Fragmentation Grenade shown up at them in bright yellow lettering, as the movement from the body caused their levers to fly off with a slight ping. The guards eyes widened in horror as they tried to dive out of the way. Shrapnel and chunks of the downed body went flying in all directions, sending up a cloud of dust and red mist. The shockwave from the explosion rattled the remaining guards as they fumbled around to shield their eyes. Through the dust and red mist, several arrows whistled, hitting their marks with a sickening squelch. Down went four guards, three more fell back injured with arrows sticking out of their armor. Another shadow darted into the room, ducking behind the ramshackle generator.
"What are you waiting for? Shoot him!" The Haitian boomed, waving his arms at Jacobs body.
The guards seemed to snap to their senses, each unloading a torrent of bullets through the dust in his direction. Rounds ricocheted off the generator sending sparks and bits flying all around as The Baron controlled Jacobs body to wait. One of the minions stopped firing, his weapon giving out the tell tale clicks of being empty. A grin came to Jacobs face, mirroring the exact one the Baron sported. Knocking an arrow and leaning carefully around the shredded generator, he sighted on the minion as he reloaded. The arrow whistled through the air before it came to a stop, embedded in the minions chest. Blood slowly flowed out as the man collapsed to the floor. Jacobs body bolted out from behind the generator as the remaining men standing fumbled to reload their empty weapons. The closest one to the generator didn't even make it to where his next magazine sat in his harness before Jacobs body was on him, knocking him to the ground and stabbing him through the eye with a fresh arrow. Blood poured from the socket as the man let out a shrill scream of terror, being silenced with a slash across the neck. Jacob watched as his body targeted the next man, leaving one in between himself and his target. He let the arrow fly, hitting its mark in the man's adam's apple before he shot forward and kicked the legs out of the man before him. Both men fell slowly, Jacobs body working with blinding speed to dispatch them both in the most painful of ways. He reached up, ripping the arrow from the second mans chest and stabbing the closest in the temple with it. Blood spilled from the man's chest, following Jacobs movement and joining the spray from the first man's head. He ripped the arrow back out and brought it back down again, shattering the shaft. The last two men had successfully reloaded and were raising their rifles when he turned. He spun around, loading an arrow and letting fly. It found its mark in a mans shoulder, causing him to spin around and unleash his freshly loaded rifle on his comrade. The targeted man pulled his own trigger in his death moment, barrel rotating and waving around the room. The gun clicked empty as its owner lay still on the floor. Jacobs body walked up to the injured man, pulling the arrow free. The man tried to backpedal as he lay there, begging for his life. An evil smirk passed Jacobs face as he slowly loaded the arrow onto his bow string, pulling back and slamming the arrow into the man's heart. He jerked from the force of impact, silently dying. Jacobs body jerkily straightened up, turning to face The Haitian.
"Mmmm mmm," The Baron cooed, standing up theatrically. "Now my boi, wasnt that delicious?"
He turned to Jacob, looking at him expectantly.
"Ya know it's rude to not answer someone," The Baron taunted, twitching his fingers and making Jacob choke.
"What do you want from me?" Jacob managed to gasp out.
"Well an answer for starters," He chortled menacingly. "After that, i want you to admit you enjoyed the show. Embrace that fire in ya guts."
Jacob glared at him in silence till The Baron lifted his fingers again, readying to make him talk.
"I enjoyed it…" Jacob whispered, hanging his head in shame.
"What was that?" He called, holding a hand to his ear in a condescending gesture.
"I enjoyed it." Jacob repeated, louder this time. "They deserved to die."
"Oh really?" The Baron laughed. "And whys dat?"
"They stood by as that bastard tortured me, tortured Sara." Jacob growled, balling up his fists and looking up at him.
"Yesm, they did." The Baron confirmed, grinning from ear to ear. "And dey've tortured, raped, maimed and decimated towns for their organization. Ordinarily, id have absolutely no quarrel with them, dey're my kinda folks. But when it comes to children, especially the children with families who pray to the rest of us Loa, i come a callin."
"They done this to children?" Jacob asked, outraged.
"Scores on scores," He confirmed again, stretching his hands out wide. "Including the little girl who arranged our little meeting."
Jacob stood up and swore deeply, muttering something under his breath.
"Come now ma boi," The Baron chuckled. "Speak up."
"I want to do it," He growled louder, eyes full of rage.
"Come on," The Baron urged. "Say de words."
"I want to kill them, i want to control it. You say i've got a fire in me, let me show you the inferno."
"Yes!" The Baron crowd, raising both his hands and his cane up in the air. "Finally ma boi! Let's put you in de driver's seat!"
With a wave of his cane, the darkened viewing room started to rumble and twist. Jacobs vision went blurry or a second, watching the Baron wave his cane in a circle. He stumbled forward slightly, having to adjust his eyes to the familiar surroundings of the massacre he was just a spectator to. Looking around, he affirmed he was in control, flexing his fingers and testing his own motions.
I wouldn't lie to ya, ma boi, he heard the Baron speak in his head. Unleash the inferno.
Jacob looked up, seeing The Haitian slowly backing away from him. He took a few steps forwards, making the bald man shuffle his feet and trip over one of the mutilated bodies. Down the Haitian went, calling out as he hit the ground. Jacob found himself grinning as he approached the man, grabbing him from the front of his shirt and swinging his bow hand as hard as he could at his head. It took two punches to knock the man out, but the crimson stain on Jacobs knuckles gave him satisfaction. He grabbed the man's pant leg, dragging his unconscious body to where he had been hanging just hours before. With a bit of effort, he managed to string the body up on the restraints, making sure they were secure. He walked around the room, pulling what arrows he could salvage from the bodies before standing in front of the Haitian. He pulled an arrow from his quiver, knocking it and drawing back. After a second, he let loose. The arrow sank into The Haitians flesh, waking him up to the roar of pain and screaming. His head bobbed from right to left, trying to shake off the grogginess.
"So the torturer becomes the victim," Jacob spat bitterly, knocking a second arrow.
The Haitian blinked, weakly rattling the chains as he tried to move. Jacob took aim at the mans leg, letting the arrow fly. With a resounding crack and an erratic scream of pain from The Haitian, the arrow struck bone and severed the man's achilles tendon. The man wimperd, leg thrashing about and causing blood to spurt from the wound. A haunting smile crept to Jacobs face as he knocked a second arrow and aimed for the opposite leg. The explosive sound of bone breaking echoed again accompanied by another scream of pain. Jacob continued on, unleashing arrow after arrow into the man's limbs, drawing a circle of pain around The Haitians body as he went, spearing each hand before moving back down to add an arrow into each of the man's thighs and so on.
When he came down to his last arrow, he hesitated. The Haitian hung secured on the metal X, slowly creating a pool of blood at its base. He barely moved, his breath barely making a sound.
Finish him, The Baron urged in Jacobs mind. Kill him like he killed you.
Jacob raised his bow, knocking the final arrow and aiming for where the man's heart should be.
Kill him! The Baron screamed, voice booming inside Jacobs mind.
"Please…" The Haitian whispered, barely making his voice audible. "Please help me…"
"Like you helped me?" Jacob shot back, pulling the string to his cheek. "Like you helped Sara?"
"I wasn't talking to you, boy." The Haitian groaned, barely moving his head.
Kill him already! The Barons voice screamed again inside Jacobs mind, making it feel like his head was going to explode.
Jacob released the string, the arrow seemingly flying in slow motion as it launched forwards and floated in midair for a few seconds. Jacob watched as it slowly pierced the Haitians chest, a small stream of blood dripping down his ruined shirt. The Haitian lifted his head, eyes widening for half a second before closing for good.
Well my boi, The Baron chortled. My work here is done.
Jacob felt a sudden pressure on his chest before a startling breeze blew through the room. He felt like a giant weight had been lifted off his body, causing him to stumble down to his knees. No longer could he hear or feel the Barons presence in him. He looked down at his hands, both covered in blood before looking around the room. Suddenly he felt great remorse, seeing the mutilated corpses. The stench of clotting blood began to rise to his nostrils.
I did this, he thought to himself silently, a sudden ringing starting to creep to his ears.
He let go of his bow, the sound of it clattering to the ground overcome by the ringing in his ears. Horror began to soak into his mind, the haunting actions beginning to reply in his mind as if he were watching them happen again. He turned his head and looked around the room, stopping when he saw Sara hanging from the opposite torturing platform, fully awake and looking at him in horror.