Chapter 9

Authors Note: I know I know long time no see, but I have been getting post about finishing this story so I will do it, here it is folk's chapter nine. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Darkness

I woke up to the smell of urine and blood. My vision was still blurry, but I could tell that I was in the bathroom of the abandoned subway station.

'Who brought me here, was it Jackie or the cops?'

My question was about to be answered when I heard footsteps coming towards me. I got up off the ground and grabbed my .38 from my ankle holster before hiding in the nearest stall.

The footsteps got close to the doorway and I saw the dark brooding figure that was Jackie Estacado.

"Jayden?" He called out.

"I'm over here." I called back. I stepped out of the stall and noticed he had some blood splattered on his cheeks. "What happened?"

"Cops, Shrote's boys." He explained. "They cornered us with floodlights and ambushed us. You got shot up pretty bad after throwing me downstairs, but not before you managed to destroy a light."

"Great, well at least we made it." I said optimistically. "You still got that case?"

"Yeah, over by that stall you were just in." I walked over to the stall and saw the clean metal briefcase sitting on the dirty floor. "Let's get the hell out of here."

We made our way through the station and I couldn't stop myself from tripping over the corpses. Jackie slaughtered every single cop down here. This thing was getting worse every day, hell every minute.

We needed to kill Eddie and Paulie soon or this darkness would take over Jackie. I felt like heavens light had shined down on us when we were back at the subway station. I couldn't wait to get my hands on that little bastard Shrote.

According to Jackie, Butcher would be meeting us at men's room in the station leading to the church. I took point, keeping my grip tight on the handle of my .38.

Anyone of these bastards could pull a knife on us and we would lose control and kill them all. I stepped into the men's room door and was greeted by Butcher.

"Well, you stirred up a hornets nest, Jackie, make no mistake." Butcher nervously chuckled before pointing at the case. "Your Uncle Paulie had big plans for that briefcase. I'd imagine they'll be calling any second now. But first, I'm gonna put a bomb in that suitcase."

"Okay." Jackie said.

"Sounds great, did you get those, *other items*, I requested?" I asked, Butcher nodded as Jackie set the case down on the floor and started working the bomb into the case. Jackie rigged the bomb and Butcher just chucked it inside as if it were a fricking ball. Jackie and I both glared at him, but he just shrugged before closing the case.

"I left your goodies in the trunk of a black parked sedan on the side of the church, more than enough weapons to throw Shrote a going away party."

"Thanks Butcher."

Butcher waved before heading out. I looked over at Jackie who was looking at his pager. He glanced up at me and I waited for him to tell me who was calling.

"Shrote, he is pissed about us taking his precious case." He chuckled before walking over to the nearby payphones.

"No shit, this thing has some hot items that can put every one of his partners behind bars or in the ground." He nodded before dialing the number.

I didn't even hear the phone ring before Shrote lit up the receiver with his colorful vocabulary. Jackie bartered with Shrote and he agreed to meet us at Trinity Church, money for the case. Jackie hung up and at perfect timing as the train to Canal Station arrived.

"You ready to do this?" Jackie asked.

"I am always ready." I said with a smug grin.

We both made our way into the car and took our seats as we prepared for our confrontation with Shrote.

(!)

I rushed over to the Sedan and knelt down by the back tire. I smiled and grabbed the keys off the tire and popped open the trunk, revealing an arsenal of weapons. Jackie and I loaded up on everything we could get our hands on.

I gave Jackie the SPAS-12, while I grab the AK-47. Jackie loads up on bullets for his .45's and I grab the Desert Eagles, holstering them at my hips. I look over at Jackie who's shouldering his shotgun. I give him nod and he nods back at me before closing the trunk and grabbing the briefcase off of the ground.

We walked through the cemetery and up the stairs to the church. I gripped my rifle tight before kicking open the doors. I aimed my gun around the corridors and didn't see a soul in sight. I waved for Jackie to follow me in and cringed when the Darkness entered with him.

"Why this place?" It grimaced. "Filthy church!"

"Get over it." Jackie grunted.

This church didn't have much light, other than the light shining down on the altar. We made it halfway in when we heard that sick fucks voice.

"Well, I see you both came alone." He said in a calm and casual tone. It was like he knew he was going to get out of this alive. He really had delusions of grandeur. "I'd knew you'd keep your word, Jackie-Boy. And I see you brought my stuff, just like you promised. Go ahead-put it on the altar. Nice and slow."

Jackie and I were both played the part of cautious before Jackie placed the case on the altar. I looked around the church and still didn't see anyone. I walked down the aisle, aiming my gun around the room.

"Where is our money, Eddie?" I gloated.

"Don't call me Eddie!" He shouted from the second floor. "That's what I love about you criminals. You can always be relied on to make the dumbest mistakes possible. Like they train you guys to be dipshits on command. Kendal! Turn off the lights!"

Suddenly, the dim lights shut off entirely before gunfire rained down on us from all directions. My armor instantly wrapped around my entire body and I open fired on the cops from the upper balconies.

I gunned down as many cops as I could while all Jackie had to do was open up a black hole and suck in most of the cops that were jumping down to the ground floor from the balcony. The hole closed and the cops were hacked to bits before flying across the church. My eyes widened at how easily Jackie had just killed all of them.

'Just how powerful was this thing?' I thought. 'How powerful was Jackie?'

In the commotion someone turned on a floodlight and shined it directly on us, neutralizing our powers. I opened fired everywhere I could, clipping a few cops before my gun went dry. I tossed my rifle aside and drew my Eagles and start firing at anything that moved.

The light was doing more than blinding me it was draining me of energy. My guns started to feel heavier in my hands before my grip loosened and dropped them entirely. My shoulder was soon struck by a bullet and I was knocked down to the ground. I soon saw Jackie fall next to me before my world turned black.

(!)

Voices, all I heard were non-coherent voices. I think it was the darkness, but I wasn't certain that it would sound so…crazy. It was almost like it was losing control. I thought Jackie was the puppet in all of this so why was it so afraid of him?

"WAKE UP!"

My head was killing me from the fight. I went to rub my temples but couldn't since my hands were restrained behind me. I looked up and was instantly blinded by one of those large flood lights. I looked down at my legs and saw my legs restrained to the legs of the chair I was currently occupying.

I looked over to my left to see Jackie in the same predicament. I started to pull at my restraint before feeling something smack the back of my head. I let out an angry hiss and look up to see that smug, fat grin of Eddie Shrote.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." He greeted. I rolled my eyes when he started cracking his knuckles. "But don't get used to it." Before either of us could get a word out, Shrote delivered a hook to the side of Jackie's face.

"Okay, now tell me…" Shrote grabbed the sides of Jackie's face, forcing him to look in Shrote's ugly mug. "Who helped you out on the hit at the Turkish Baths?"

"I did, Eddie." I snickered, knowing it would piss him off. I was right when he sent a punch to the center of my face. I felt my nose crack from the strike before the bastard grabbed the back of my head and pulled me close to his face.

"Don't. Call me. Eddie!" He snarled, I cringed when I felt him slobber on my cheek. His face broke out in a crooked smile when I glared at him. "Aw, what's the matter? Helpless without that screwy shit you two been pullin' in the darkness? Too light here, isn't it?"

"You're both mine now." Eddie gloated.

"I ain't telling you shit." Jackie said in a calm tone. He didn't even look at Eddie.

"You're already dead, asshole." I snickered. "You and that pig you work for."

"Well then, let's get creative." He smiled. "You don't have to talk, but Jackie does and he will after I have channeled all of my anger and frustration out on you." He pointed at me. Jackie tensed when he understood what Shrote's intentions were.

He was going to torture Jackie's friend right in front of in to find out who had betrayed Paulie. That would mean screwing over Butcher, Aunt Sarah and Jimmy "The Grape".

Fuck it, those people may be thugs, but they are my only true friends. So if I have to be this sick bastard's pin cushion until I make my move so be it.

Eddie pointed at the woman cop next to the dopey looking cop with the shotgun.

"Go get me that power-drill." He ordered. The cop nodded and walked over to a table near the back of the church.

"Sure thing, Eddie." I let out a light chuckle when Shrote's face broke out in a scowl.

"It ain't Eddie, you fucking moron! It's Captain Shrote!" He snapped. The cop cringed and started apologizing and calling him 'Captain Shrote'. Shrote turned his attention back at Jackie.

"Now I'm gonna tell you how this works. You tell me who helped you out on the hit at the Turkish Baths, you tell me who saw the briefcase, you play ball, an' you die first." He flicked Jackie in the forehead. "Otherwise, you get to watch another friend get a hole in his head."

"I am gonna kill you and Paulie for what you have done to Jenny." Jackie warned.

"Speaking of which, you made Paulie real nervous. That little turd is so paranoid I gotta keep him in a safe place until the heat dies down. Now say your prayers…"Holy Mary. Mother of God. Pray for us sinners now and at…"

"Ha! 'Mother of God.' That's a good one, boss." The dopey cop chuckled at his boss's sarcastic prayer. "I mean, considerin' the shipment we got comin' in…"

"Well, don't tell them, you stupid shit!" Shrote snapped.

"What's the difference" He shrugged. "Who's he gonna tell? Won't make any difference if he knows about the…" The dumbass final stopped yammering when Shrote narrowed his eyes at him. "You said we was gonna waste them."

"Oh yeah, we're gonna waste them." Shrote said manically as he started to slowly walk towards his goon. "And if you say one more word about Mother of God we're gonna waste you next!"

I couldn't tell if he was actually talking about Mary or the 'Shipment' at this point. The cop backed off while the other one brought him the drill. I watched Shrote pull the trigger a couple of times and my heart started racing when I heard the drill bit whirling.

This was not going to be a fun night for me.

Shrote started walking towards me.

"Now then…You may feel a little discomfort." He snickered before holding the drill closer to my face, but he stopped inches from my face and started tugging at the cord. He let out a frustrated growl before storming off to the plug.

"Fuck…Shite…Goddammit! Why'dya plug it in all the way over there?" He started going on spouting gibberish.

"You should invest in a battery powered drill. They are only twenty-dollars more." I joked trying to lighten the mood and pretend that I am not about to get fucked up like a child's science project.

Shrote plugged it into a column near Jackie and me. I started to get nervous again when Shrote started taunting me with his drill.

"Now…Where were we?" He asked rhetorically. "Oh yeah…"

"Jayden, don't scream!" Jackie shouted.

The bit sunk into the left corner of my nose and I bit my teeth as hard as I could to stop myself from screaming. This lasted for a moment before the drill jammed on Shrote. He let out another shout before ripping the drill out of my face.

"Chinese piece of shit." He shouted, throwing the drill on the floor. My head was spinning from the drilling to my face but for some reason I couldn't understand I just started laughing.

"You couldn't even buy an American drill?" I chuckled. Shrote hadn't said anything and just picked up the drill and took it back to the table, possibly trying to fix it.

"Jayden, are you okay?" Jackie whispered.

"No, I'm not." I grunted. "If you got any ideas lay them out, I don't know how much more of that shit I can take."

"Hey," I looked over at the female cop who called me and let out a loud cure when she smacked me in my swollen, drilled cheek. "Shut your mouth, punk. You said enough bullshit for one night. Heh, the boss probably enjoyed that more than he thought he would. He really hates you."

"Feeling…" I panted. "Feeling…good."

"Ugh, he's getting a stiffy off of this shit." The other cop choked out.

"Eww." The bitch cringed.

No, it was the darkness. The bitch cop didn't realize she was blocking the light, shadowing me in darkness.

"Jackie…" I whispered while the cop stepped out of the way of the light.

"I know, listen." He shifted over to me. "The second that light gets blocked out, you use that armor of yours, got it."

"Got it." I nodded. Jackie looked over at the cops. "Hey, why don't you come over here? The light's getting in my eyes." Jackie chuckled. I smiled when the dumbass actually stepped into the light.

I quickly activated my armor to protect myself from whatever harm that Jackie had plan on preforming on the cops. I jumped when the dark spike shot out from behind Jackie and struck the briefcase next to Shrote.

"No! Stupid puppet!" The Darkness shouted.

The explosives went off and sent us both flying across the church. The last thing I remember seeing before hitting the wall and passing out was Shrote getting caught in the explosion.

I awoke to smoldering wreckage and the smell of smoke. The whole damn church was on fire. I looked around and couldn't find Jackie anywhere, but I had a feeling this is what he wanted. I stood up from the ground and started to stagger out towards the door when I heard a faint groaning a few feet away from me.

It was Shrote, or what was left of him. His legs were gone along with his right arm while his left only had his pointer finger and pinky left. Hell his flesh had been completely burned off. He didn't even look like the miserable bastard anymore. He looked up at me and let out another painful groan.

Seeing him like this almost made me feel sorry for him, almost.

"Well, I guess I could do whatever I want seeing how you are Kentucky Fried and I hold demonic powers." I taunted while summoning my armor again. I pointed my clawed hands at the now dying Shrote. "I could rip you to pieces like I promised, or maybe I should start poking holes in your head like you did me. I should do that, but Jenny doesn't like that kind of garbage and I know she wouldn't want me to succumb to this thing desires. So, swift it is."

I looked over next to Shrote and saw a cross on the ground with the bottom piece broken in half. I grabbed the top end and held it like a sword before positioning the broken tip over his burnt chest.

"Goodbye, Eddie."

I impaled the cross through his chest and listened to him gurgle out his last breath. After a minute his body went completely limp and I removed the cross from his chest. I turned around and stepped out of the church without looking back.

There was just one more thing left to do.

Still in my armor I made my way to the new grave stone over the fresh mound of dirt. Jenny's tombstone still had some flowers and a candle lit at the base. I set the cross down on top of her grave before kneeling down next to her.

"I got him Jenny, and Paulie is next." I whispered, placing my dark claw on the stone. "I'm sorry that this happened to me and Jackie. We should have turned our backs on Paulie a long time ago."

I stood up and just stood at her grave for a few minutes. I heard a sharp gasp and turned to see a couple of girls with bouquets of flowers which were now on the ground in a mess. I recognized those girls from the diner, they worked with Jenny.

They ran way at the sight of me and I couldn't really blame them. I was no longer a scared kid, I was a blood thirsty monster and the darkness knew it.

I could hear Jenny tell me that I wasn't, but if that was true then the darkness would have never selected me to be its minion.