The Seven: The Labyrinth, Book 1 by Brian Keene

Author:Brian Keene [Keene, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-10-26T05:00:00+00:00

13

Bloom opened his eyes and found himself standing in the room where he died, behind the man who shot him in the head. The rest of the Seven were there with him. The assassin stood with his back to them, unaware of their presence. He still wore tan cotton dockers and a Hawaiian print shirt. He stared down at Bloom’s body. Smoke still curled from the barrel of the assassin’s gun. Bloom’s rifle still lay next to his corpse.

Smiling, Bloom cleared his throat.

The gunman spun around, gasping. He started to raise the pistol, but before he could, LeHorn stepped forward and touched him lightly on the arm. The assassin froze.

“I used the Touch of Hatha,” LeHorn told the gunman. “Which is amazing, since I didn’t know how to do it until just now. I believe you used the same technique on my friend a few moments ago, right before you killed him, so you know that you won’t be able to move again until I will it. You can speak, but you can’t move.”

Still grinning, Bloom stepped forward, close enough to the killer that he could see the swollen blackhead’s in the man’s nose, and the hair in his ears, and smell the sour sweat pouring off of him. The gunman couldn’t move, but his eyes—his eyes said it all.

“You’re thinking that I’m dead,” Bloom told him. “You’re thinking that you just killed me. But you’re wrong. That body on the floor is someone else. You’ve never met me before. I’m something new.”

“Want me to pop him?” Tony asked. “Or do you want to do the honors?”

“No.” Bloom shook his head. “First, this son of a bitch is going to tell us everything he knows about what Kandara is up to.”

The gunman struggled. His arms and legs didn’t move, his body didn’t twitch or spasm, he didn’t tremble, his breathing didn’t even increase from the exertion—but he struggled all the same. Bloom saw it in the man’s eyes, and the sweat on his forehead.

“Don’t bother,” LeHorn repeated. “As I said, other than talking, you won’t be able to move until I will it again. And my willingness to do so depends on how well you answer my friend’s questions.”

Bloom stared into the assassin’s eyes. He saw anger there, but perhaps a twinge of fear, as well.

“Those Fedayeen assholes down in the street.” Bloom nodded toward the window. “They work for you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course, you know what I’m talking about, dickhead. You admitted as much before you shot me in the head a few seconds ago.”

“And yet...here you are.”

Although the occultist’s facial expressions were as paralyzed as the rest of him, Bloom detected a hint of smug curiosity in his voice.

“That’s right, bitch. Here I am.”

“A doppelgänger, perhaps? Or maybe you’re from another level?”

“I’m the one asking the questions.” Bloom turned to LeHorn. “Can he feel pain when he’s frozen like this?”

The farmer nodded. “I think so, yes.”

“Good.” Bloom turned back to their captive and slapped him across the face.

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