“Repeat after me,” his host said. “Darkness, take my hand and give me the power to destroy whoever stands in my way.”
“Darkness, take my hand and give me the power to destroy whoever stands in my way.”
“And rule the world as I see fit.”
“And rule the world as I see fit.”
“This is my destiny, forever and ever.”
Peter choked on the words. This was not his destiny, and never had been. He’d been brought here against his will, just like his parents and their little friends.
“You tricked me. And my parents,” he whispered.
“Yes, I did. Now, say it or die a thousand deaths!” his host thundered.
“This is my destiny, forever and ever.”
“Very good. You are now one of us.”
The wicked one’s snakelike fingers ran up Peter’s forearm, and sank their deadly fangs into his flesh. As their poison entered his body, Peter’s head felt like it might explode.
He screamed.
His world changed again. He was back inside the theater wrestling with Wolfe. He had survived his encounter with the wicked one. But he had paid a terrible price.
Wolfe still had his hands around his throat. Peter pried back the dead man’s fingers, breaking each of them with a sickening snap. Making a fist, he struck Wolfe squarely in the jaw. The blow resonated, and sent the dead man staggering backward.
“Way to go,” Snoop called out.
“Yeah, Peter,” his girlfriend exclaimed.
Peter nearly told his friends to shut up. They’d been nothing but trouble lately, and the thought of getting rid of them ran through his mind. He’d break their bodies like sticks and toss them in the river, and no one would suspect a thing. Just thinking about it filled him with euphoria. Get rid of them, a voice inside his head said.
What on earth was he thinking? He loved Liza, and Snoop was his closest friend. Yet the thought of killing them would not go away.
“Peter, he’s getting away!” Liza exclaimed.
Wolfe had grabbed the knapsack and was walking stiff-legged across the stage. If he got outside and released the nerve agent, half the city would perish.
“Let him,” he heard himself say.
“What did you say?” Liza asked.
“I said let him.”
His girlfriend pulled herself off the floor and rushed toward him. “Why are you talking like that? What’s come over you?”
“Do I sound different to you?” Peter asked.
“Yes. Your voice has changed. And your eyes look weird.”
“How do I sound?”
“You sound evil, Peter, and it’s scaring the crap out of me.”
Milly’s words again rang in his ears. Being good or evil was a choice. It sounded easy, only the evil had kidnapped his soul, and would not release it.
“Maybe I am evil,” he replied.
He expected her to run away. Instead, his girlfriend wrapped her arms around his waist and gazed longingly into his eyes. “No, you’re not. You’re the most wonderful boy I’ve ever met. Now, please do this for me.”
“Why should I,” he heard himself say.
“Because I love you, that’s why.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
He read her thoughts. Despite the nightmare he’d put her through, Liza still loved him. It was the only thing he’d ever wanted, and he pushed the demon back into the farthest reaches of his soul. It was like pushing a boulder, and took all his strength.
“I’ll do anything for you,” he said.
“Good. Then stop him.”
“Hey! He’s going up to the roof,” Snoop called out.
The wooden stairway that led to the roof was located beside the stage. Snoop was chasing Wolfe up the creaky steps by the time they reached him. Soon the three of them were standing on the theater’s flat roof with its view of the gloomy Hudson.
“There he is,” Snoop said.
Wolfe stood on the other side of the roof next to the building’s ventilation system. He’d removed the bomblet from the knapsack, and held it above the system’s powerful fans. If the nerve agent touched the fans, it would be distributed into the air, and spread across the city.
“Stay here,” Peter said.
“Be careful,” Liza said.
Peter sprinted across the roof. He needed a distraction, something to take Wolfe’s mind off his deadly mission. Garrison had said that they’d found a girlfriend’s snapshot in Wolfe’s wallet. What was her name? Rona. No, it was Rita.
“Don’t you want to see Rita?” Peter shouted.
Wolfe’s head turned slightly, his face filled with pain. It was the first expression he’d shown. Even the dead know love, Peter thought.
Peter kept coming toward him. “Don’t you?”
The pain in Wolfe’s eyes grew more intense.
“I can take you to her,” Peter said.
“She’s here?” Wolfe asked.
“She’s downstairs waiting for you.”
“That’s a lie.”
“She’s in a limo by the curb. Take a look if you don’t believe me.”
The temptation was too great. Wolfe moved away from the fans, and glanced over the side of the building. Peter seized the opportunity and ripped the bomblet from his grasp. He tossed the deadly device through the air to Snoop.
“Catch!” Peter said.
“You’re not funny,” Snoop said.
Wolfe spun around, and they began to fight. The images of Madame Marie and Reggie flashed through Peter’s mind, and the demon inside of him reared its ugly head. He grabbed Wolfe by the throat, and lifted him clean off the ground. He shook the dead man, and broke every bone in Wolfe’s body that wasn’t already broken. The dead man’s teeth flew out of his mouth, and his shoes fell off his feet. His head spun from side to side like a rag doll.
Peter gazed into the dead man’s eyes. The elders of the Order had been jostled out of their chairs. Their masks had come off, exposing their faces. The elder in the middle had a twisted nose and crooked teeth. He’d finally found his parents’ killers.
“I have a score to settle with you,” Peter said.
He gave another violent shake, causing the walls around the elders to collapse. They screamed for mercy, something they’d never given to their victims. By the time the dust had settled, they were lying motionless in a heap.
It was over. Peter let Wolfe slip from his fingers. Then, he summoned all his strength, and forced the demon back into its hiding place. He could deal with this, he told himself. It was just going to take some getting used to.
He crossed the roof to where Liza and Snoop stood. His girlfriend had buried her face in her hands, unable to watch. Snoop shook his head in disbelief.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Peter said.
Liza lowered her hands. “Are we safe? Is the city safe?”
“Yes, we’re safe.”
Tears ran down her face. She’d witnessed a side of him that no one was supposed to see. Without a word, she turned her back, and slipped into the stairwell.
“Liza, wait.”
“No, Peter. No,” he heard her say.
Snoop edged up beside him, clutching the bomblet to his chest.
“Remind me to never piss you off,” his assistant said.
59
“Hey, superman. You okay?”
Peter sat on the edge of the ventilator system, getting soaked by the rain. An hour had passed since he’d shaken the evil spirit out of Wolfe, enough time for the FBI to take away the nerve agent and the dead man’s body. The numbness had still not worn off.
Garrison sat down beside him, and handed him a Coke. The tension was gone from the FBI agent’s face, and he looked like a new man. “You look like you could use this.”
Peter took a long swallow. “Thanks.”
“You should come inside. It’s cold and damp up here.”
Peter did not reply. There were events in a person’s life that changed everything. This was one of them, and he needed to be alone for a while to sort things out in his head.