The Devil's Breath by Gifune Greg F

Author:Gifune, Greg F. [Gifune, Greg F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: DarkFuse
Published: 2015-05-26T04:00:00+00:00

13

Down on the street, I could see the earliest hints of daylight breaking over the distant cityscape. Just barely on the right side of full-tilt panic, despite the heat and dripping sweat, I felt remarkably cold. An awful wave of paranoia latched on, strangling me with the steady, increasingly violent precision of a giant snake, its body slinking and swirling in the slowly morphing darkness with a beauty and finesse that seemed in direct conflict with its intentions. I wanted—needed—to feel alone just then, but didn’t. In fact, I felt anything but. Certain I was being watched, at my car, I stopped and searched the dark street, looking in one direction, and then the next. Nothing. No one.

A toppled metal trash can sounded from a nearby alley, the clang echoing along the empty street and ringing in the darkness. I looked toward the alley, saw something small and dark scurry off into the shadows.

A cat, I thought, just some stray cat or—or maybe a large rat.

I remained perfectly still, kept my breathing shallow, and listened.

In the distance, perhaps at the far end of that same alley, I heard what sounded like footfalls. Slow. Steady. Coming closer.

Staring at the mouth of the alley, I waited.

Something separated from the night to form the vague silhouette of a man standing there. The flare of a match hissed as he lit a cigarette, and for the briefest moment it revealed a jawline and the side of a man’s face. But before I could make out any detail, the flame was extinguished and a veil of gray smoke spiraled off into darkness.

From behind me came a soft suggestion of grotesque, backward prayers.

At the far end of the block stood a second silhouette, watching me from the corner. After a moment, it was joined by a third, and then a fourth. I looked back at the alley. Two others had joined the smoking man as well.

I jumped into the car, turned the ignition and pulled out, quickly but careful not to squeal the tires, as I didn’t want any potential witnesses seeing my car leaving the area. But once I got moving, I floored it.

The men at the mouth of the alley stepped back into darkness as I passed, and when I checked my rearview, just before turning at the top of the block, I saw the others had slipped back into hiding as well.

This is crazy, I thought. How the hell did they find me so quickly? How could they have possibly known I was here?

I made it to the highway without incident, so I dropped the window and let the warm air wash over me. My heart rate was back under control but I was still perspiring buckets and wired with nervous energy that was positively electric. There weren’t many cars on the road at this hour, but I kept an eye on all my mirrors nonetheless, watching to see if anyone was following me.

By the time I took the exit for Sunset, I

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