A Latent Dark by Martin Kee

Author:Martin Kee [Kee, Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fantasy, Horror
ISBN: 9781479172177
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2012-08-30T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

In Marley’s mind they were no longer people, just targets: Guard One and Guard Two. They stood quivering as the Reverend Summers stepped out the door.

He was furious, but not at the Reverend. Marley was furious with himself.

Poison. You really thought subtlety would work for a change. Idiot. It sure didn’t work last time.

Guard Two on the right fired almost as soon as the Reverend Summers exited the tavern, but the bullet only buzzed by Marley, already in motion. The bullet passed his cheek as he swung, sinking his ringed fist into the front of Guard One’s helmet. There was momentary resistance as the armor gave and snapped, followed by a meatier snap from within. He compressed the man’s face hard enough to dislodge an eye, shatter the nose, and crush the jaw. Guard One did something resembling a backwards somersault and landed under a table.

As he retracted his arm, he noticed two things: first, Guard Two was raising the rifle to fire again, and second, two more soldiers were entering in through the front door. Marley grinned at Guard Three and Four wolfishly as they stormed in.

Leaping over the bar and grabbing the barrel of the gun, Marley swung Guard Two into the entering soldiers. Guard Two screamed as Guard Three’s bayonet lodged in his back. The rifle flying free, spun in the air and Marley heard the sound of shattering glass.

Through the windows and past the guards, Marley saw the Reverend walking away. Outside and above, a ladder fell from the sky beneath an enormous shadow.

While Guards Two and Three tried to untangle themselves, Marley leaned past Guard Four’s barrel as it rose up, grabbing the man’s arm and twisting. At the same time, he spun to face the others. The man’s arm snapped and bent—a splitting branch. He finished Guard Four with an elbow to the chest, feeling a rib give.

Guard Two had pulled away from the bayonet and now staggered bent over, bleeding a pool onto the floor. Marley swept his leg under Guard Three before he could recover. The man fell backwards, but not before Marley grabbed his head in a lock as he fell. A wet pop, and the soldier’s neck was broken.

He had honestly been surprised to see Guard Two still alive and drawing his revolver, firing and nicking Marley in the shoulder. There was the smell of gunpowder and smoke, lots of smoke.

Marley pulled Guard Two toward him, throwing out his elbow to break the neck. It did. The armored man went limp to the floor and Marley coughed. Black smoke had gathered in the tavern, so thick he couldn’t see the rafters.

He stumbled out the door, exiting The Hungry Skunk for the last time.

*

Even now he could smell the smoke as it rose through the trees as the tavern burned.

For a man his size, Marley was surprisingly adept as he drifted unseen between the burnt-out hollows and scorched trees. Lassimir was a charcoal crescent in the middle of a lush green forest.

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