World of Darkness - Demon - The Fallen 02 by The Seven Deadlies

Author:The Seven Deadlies
Format: epub
Published: 2013-05-27T16:00:00+00:00

Hasmed, Knight of the Hated Lash—known variously as Zoth-Tocatil and Harvey Ciullo and Mr. Fortune—sat in a New Jersey McDonald’s nursing a cup of coffee and waiting.

Down the block was a nondescript apartment building, and in the basement was a man named Joey Maddox. It would surprise no one that Joey's nickname was "Mad Dog. ’’ No one, that is, who knew that Joey was mobbed up.

Mad Dog was part of Rock's crew, which was part of Jonathan "Johnny Bronco” Vuoto's crime family. Except, Johnny Bronco was dead, and Rock was dead, and Joey Maddox was taking orders from Steel Pete Petrucci.

Steel Pete was running Vuoto's mob pretty much by default. The only other crew chief who might have challenged him was Sal Macellaio, but he'd bailed, and even Sal's own soldati didn't know where he'd gone. Half of them had beat feet themselves. The others had grudgingly signed up with Pete, even though he treated them like goddamn pissboys and had about as much brainpower as Macellaio kept in his jock. (At least, that was what they muttered to each other as Pete sent them on the most dangerous jobs. They whispered that Pete was dumb, and Sal was smart, and Pete had stayed, and Sal had run, and what did that tell ya? )

Steel Pete was at war with Rico from Atlantic City, and Hasmed/ Harvey/ Mr. Fortune was taking Pete's army apart piece by piece.

Today's piece was Mad Dog.

Hasmed and Maddox had jobbed together one time-shooting up some of Rico’s people in a cemetery, ironically enough. They’d met just that once, but it was enough for Hasmed. They’d exchanged names and shaken hands, and now Hasmed could find Maddox anywhere in the universe, anywhere between Heaven and Hell.

Hasmed was waiting for Joey to nod off. When he knew Maddox was asleep, he paid up and went down the street. He loitered in front of the apartment and waited for someone to go in or come out. Eventually, someone did, and that someone didn’t notice Hasmed because he didn’t want to be noticed.

Inside, he went to Maddox’s door and opened it with a lockpick gun, thoughtfully provided by Rico Pudoto.

Hasmed woke Maddox with a jolt from a stun gun (also a Pudoto gift) and then, while Joey's muscles were unresponsive, he tied him to the bed and gagged him and explained things to him. When Joey understood that Hasmed was a demon, that he'd come from Hell and that his intentions were purely malevolent, the bedclothes got soiled with Joey’s sweat and urine. Hasmed took that as a good sign and soiled them again over the next half-hour, this time with blood.

Hasmed dedicated the murder to his lord, Vodantu.

When he was finished, he changed back into human form and left, making sure to leave no fingerprints.

For some reason, he had a headache.

* * *

The Reaper of Souls sat in a borrowed car, frowning and watching.

He was on the campus of a community college in Oswego, Illinois. It was a windy, snowy day, so anyone outside was walking with a purpose.

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