Contractor (42 page)

"I haven’t killed anyone!" Daniel

shouted. "It was the only way to save my

little brother from the Vorid! I had no choice!

The only thing I’ve fought are extractors!"

"…how…" Rachel’s eyes glazed over.

"…how could you be that…?"

"Rachel, listen to me!"

"See, Daniel?" Jack shrugged his

oversized shoulders. "They’re all the same.

Stupid, idiotic whores. She doesn’t care

about your feelings. She’s never cared. You

told me she said she’d trust you, and look

what’s happened. It comes out, and she’s

your enemy without a second thought." Jack

looked at him. "They’re all like that. Right

down to my own mother."

"Shut up! Rachel is -"

"What?!" Jack demanded. "Someone

who loves you?! Fucking fat lot of shit that’s

doing right now!"

Daniel looked back at Rachel. She was

on the ground, slowly crawling backwards.

Her eyes were still in that same wide,

sightless state. She was horrified. Terrified

of him.

"Rachel," Daniel said. He raised his

hands, palms out. "Rachel. Just listen to me."

"I…I don’t…" She was shivering. "I…"

"She’s a magician!" Jack said. "It’s her sworn duty to seal you in Hell! That’s the

punishment for getting caught as a contractor,

Daniel! You get sent to Hell, forever!" He

went quiet. "It’s a real place. Demons,

they’re all real. They’ll condemn you to that

for eternity. All because you wanted to save

your family, right? Honestly, you’re nobler

than I am. I didn’t need a reason besides

getting stronger." Jack stretched out his hand.

"We’re in this together. If we work as a

team, we can take them. All of them."

Daniel’s hands were shaking. He

clenched them to stop it. "It doesn’t have to

be like that."

"Why do you think there weren’t any

magicians to help you when you needed it?"

Jack said. "I learned a lot while I’ve been a

contractor. There’s a whole race of them,

living underground, hidden from normal

humans. You know why they’re in the big

cities? It’s sure as hell not because they feel

generous. It’s because they’re protecting

themselves, or the people they’ve classified

as important. They don’t give a damn about

you or me. They don’t give a shit about your

little brother.

"And that’s why you had to take it,

right?" Jack leaned close. Daniel could only

stare back at him. "Xik gave you an offer,

and there was no one else to help. You had

to change. You did what you had to do. But

that’s the thing. We have changed, and now

the magicians are afraid of us. They’re

scared to death we’ll become so strong they

can’t handle us anymore—that we’ll

displace them off their thrones. That’s why

they’re hunting us down."

Daniel remembered the magicians in

Cleveland. He remembered the sword, ready

to cut his head off. He remembered the young

girl that wanted him dead after he saved her

life. Jack wasn’t lying about that.

"Why do you think Eleanor’s been

treating us like ants?" Jack asked. "It’s

because she sees us as ants. She thinks she’s

better than us. They all think like that, like

they’re the cream of humanity. Hoarding all

their power, keeping it for themselves.

They’re richest and most successful families

in the world, ruling from the shadows.

They’re all hypocrites." Jack raised a fist.

"You’re a smart guy, Daniel. Smarter than

me. So you already know. She’s a magician.

We can’t let her go."

Daniel swallowed. He looked over.

Rachel was huddled up against the tree near

the bench. It looked like she was trying to get

her golems together.

Jack sighed. "You can’t do it. I knew I

had to do something after we argued. I

figured you were really starting to fall in

love with her. That’s why I’m here." He

marched towards the shell-shocked Rachel.

"I’ll take care of it. Go back to the room.

We’ll get everything straight in a bit."

Jack’s head shifted back to that of an

ape as he stomped toward Rachel. She’d

pieced together three golems. They rushed

Jack from different angles.

The grey shine of his fur flared where

the golems made contact. The earthen statues

faltered. They weren’t as fast. They didn’t

work together. Jack brushed them aside

easily. This time, when they crumbled, they

stayed that way.

Rachel was breathing as if she’d run a

marathon. She pushed her hands together and

closed her eyes. One of the golems tried to

gather itself together, but it was sluggish

compared to the first time. Jack smashed it

down with a foot.

"Today is when we start taking our

world back from the magicians," Jack said.

"Today is the start of the revolution against

thousands of years of subjugation." He

leaned over Rachel. "You’d send us all to

Hell just so you can keep your hold on

power. You’re disgusting. But don’t worry.

I’ll put your soul to better use than you can."

A tiny whimper escaped Rachel’s

mouth.

Daniel’s punch caught Jack in the side of

the head. Jack toppled sideways into the

reeds near the water. Daniel grabbed

Rachel’s shoulders. "Rachel. Rachel!"

"…you’re a vampire." She shoved his

arms away and started pushing away on her

hands and feet. "Stay away from me! Stay

away!"

"Rachel, I love you!" She stopped.

Daniel shouted it as loud as he could. "I’d

never hurt anyone to get stronger! I had to

protect my brother! It was the only choice I

had!" He looked up. "Please. I love you so

much. Please trust me. Please."

Rachel’s eyes flicked around. "…I

don’t…"

He grabbed her shoulders and looked

her in the eyes. "Rachel. You love me. You

know who I am. That’s always been me. I

don’t want to lose you. You said you’d have

faith in me. Please. Just hear me out."

She swallowed. Tears stained her

cheeks. "Ok."

Jack roared out of the bushes. "Daniel,

that’s the last time I’m taking a punch from

you! She has to die!"

"Shut up!" Daniel screamed. "You’re a

murderer! You’re no better than what you

claim they are! Rachel is the kindest, most

loving person I’ve ever met. I know she has

to be doing everything she can to protect

people, because I know her, and I love her.

I’ll never work with you. I can’t believe I

ever considered you a friend. You’re out of

your goddamn mind!"

There was silence. Jack held his head in

his hands. He started laughing. Daniel and

Rachel both flinched away from the sound. It

was the bizarre cackle of someone that found

the wrong thing funny.

Jack sighed and settled himself. "…

you’re just saying that because of her. She’s

manipulating you. If I kill her, we can be

friends again." He started forward. "It’s ok.

I’ll do it for you. Just go back to the dorm."

Daniel lifted Rachel into his arms and

sped away.

In a flash, he sprinted across the streets,

through the squares, and back to campus. He

ran through the parking garage up to the

rooftop landing of the stairwell. He set her

down and dug out the box with his

equipment.

"…fast," Rachel said. "What…what are

you doing?"

"Armor." He strapped the plates onto his

legs. "Jack’s strong. This will help me take a

hit, just in case."

"You’re going back?!"

"He’s out of control. I don’t know what

happened to him, but…I have to end this

before he hurts anyone else." He finished

belting on his pads.

Rachel seemed to be shaking off the

shock. "Daniel—you don’t understand what

you are. What you’ve done. You can’t kill

him. That would just make things worse."

"If that’s what it takes, that’s what it

takes." He stood and walked over to her. Her

skin was still flushed. "Are you ok?"

"…it’ll pass with food and rest."

He shut his eyes. "I’m sorry. After this,

we don’t have to…" Daniel let his arms fall.

"I knew what I was doing when I made the

contract. I knew the consequences. I’m not

innocent. I want you to understand, but I

won’t hold onto you if you don’t -"

"I’ll believe in you," Rachel said. She

took his hand. "I’ll hear what you have to

say. So don’t talk about leaving me behind

after you tell me you love me, asshole."

"…yes ma’am."

"He’s too dangerous to fight alone. I can

inform Eleanor."

Daniel snapped on his helmet. He

grabbed his mace. "I can beat him."

"You don’t know that for sure. I’m not a

bodyguard because I misjudge threats."

"I have to do this myself. He should be

tired from fighting you. I don’t want more

people involved." Daniel stopped at the edge

of the roof. "…was he telling the truth about

Hell?"

"Yes," Rachel said. "A vampiric

enchantment is the most forbidden form of

magic there is."

"…so I’ve heard." Daniel nodded to

himself. "Then I’m sure. I’d rather end it here

and now than condemn him to that."

"His magic shields him," she said. "It’s part of his transformation—that fur is imbued

with it."

"What are you thinking?"

"You can’t take him head on. Bait him.

When he lets his guard down, hit him in a

vulnerable spot with everything you have."

"See you soon," Daniel said. He jumped

from the roof of the parking garage.

Daniel scryed out the park. Jack was

slowly heading south, not even bothering to

conceal his presence. Daniel sprinted down

the sidewalks and leapt into the thickets.

He reached Jack near another clearing.

He crept up on him from the bushes, but

didn’t hide himself. Jack turned. "I can sense

you there. Come out."

Daniel pushed the reeds aside and

stepped forward. "Leave Boston," he said.

"Go home. I’ll tell Rachel you were too

strong and I had to run. Just don’t kill anyone

else."

"No." Jack straightened to his full height

and unfurled his arms. "I’m not going to turn

tail while that bitch has her claws in you. At

best, they’ll use you. At worst…I’d rather

you die than live in Hell."

"We love each other," Daniel said. "She won’t betray me."

"You think you can trust a woman?"

"What is it with you and women?!"

"Everything!" Jack screamed.

The single word hung in the air. Daniel

set his feet. "I’m not backing down," Daniel said. "I’ll kill you if I have to."

"You don’t have the guts."

Daniel dashed under his leg and swatted

him on the thigh with his mace. Jack turned,

but Daniel was already gone. He flitted

around the hulking monster, stabbing and

jabbing at his flanks while Jack swiped at

him. Daniel’s hits were light, but Jack was

always too slow. He roared in frustration

every time Daniel blinked in front of him.

Daniel stopped at the edge of the

clearing. Jack charged him. Daniel slipped

back into the thick reeds that bordered the

pond. Jack tumbled in after him—exactly as

Daniel hoped he would.

Daniel’s strikes increased in frequency,

but Jack’s arms were slowing. As the fight

became a contest of endurance, his fight

against Rachel was starting to show. Daniel

scored a hit across his chest, then another on

his shoulder, both drawing blood. Jack

swatted, and spun, and roared, but he

couldn’t track Daniel inside the reeds.

Jack realized his mistake. He covered

his face with his arms and ran forward to

escape the undergrowth.

Blinding himself was a fatal mistake.

Daniel charged everything he had into

the tip of his mace, sacrificing speed for pure

power. He flew at Jack’s exposed back.

The mace crushed through the silver

mane. Daniel felt the blow shudder up his

arms as steel struck the back of Jack’s head.

His former friend dropped like a stone, half

his body in the rushes, half laid out in the

clearing. Blood dripped from the mace.

Daniel raised his weapon for the final blow.

It was now or never.

His hands shook. His grip slipped on the

shaft. He worked his fingers on the handle. It

was hot under his hands.

He had to protect Rachel. He had to

protect himself. He had to kill his friend.

Jack.

Nervous, nerdy Jack. Jack that just

wanted to change. Wanted it too badly.

"Dan…?" Jack shifted. His oversized

hand pawed at the dirt. "…you…you

wouldn’t really…"

"You gotta leave, man," Daniel

whispered.

"See…didn’t have the…guts…"

"Jack." Daniel let the end of his mace

drop to the grass. "No more killing. Don’t

use your powers. Go home."

Jack’s eyes were only half-focused. His