Feathered Friend

Chapter 8

~ NY Loose – Spit

My victim was still walking. He was laughing along with two of his goons and probably bragging about something he'd done from their reactions. Something evil? Something that a bunch of killers would find amusing... As they were speaking in Russian, I didn't understand what they were saying. My only conscious thought in that moment was vengeance and the memory of his face. The face of a killer, a murderer, one of the men who had tortured me to the point of death and then slammed home the final blade.

Looking down on him from above it was easy to see why he might be a big deal in his lowlife circles. He was a big guy, over six feet tall and well-muscled. His clothing bragging of a blatant disregard for the appearance of wealth. Instead, he chose to wear his affluence in the ink covering his skin. It peeked out from the bottom of his sleeves, crept like ivy up the side of his neck and spiralled in a final flutter of small droplets under his eye.

Not only did he have the regular pen ink of someone who was a regular in the prison system, he also sported Bratva tattoos indicating rank and kills. The other two men showed deference to him and when a street walker approached he sent them on ahead so he could ply her wares. Good for me, not so good for him.

While he was thus distracted I dropped down from the fire escape my bird had led me to, my perch if you will. I landed directly behind him.

The hooker was allowing him to feel her up, her head was tilted to the side so he had access to her throat and he was nuzzling her while his hands explored her attributes. I had no desire to watch him get his rocks off so I stepped in closer as they progressed towards more depraved behavior. I flicked her ear as she sucked his, startling her. When she looked up and saw my face she made a soft 'Eep' noise and then turned tail and ran as I smiled menacingly at her.

"What the fuck?" Shiv said as lust turned to disappointment. He turned as his sense of self-preservation finally kicked in and repeated himself as he saw my face.

"Oh, not this time Asshole." I said with bared teeth. "This time you're getting fucked."

"Who the fuck are you supposed to be...Clownface?" He asked still not comprehending that his time was done.

The bleak nature of my intention echoed in the stark colors of the night and the black and white mask of my face. Everything seemed to slow down and become monochromatic in those few moments between thought and action.

His hesitation as he tried to remember my painted face was his downfall.

My fist slammed into his face and though the height and weight difference between us was considerable, I could feel the force of my righteous anger transfer from my hand to his skin. He staggered backwards and put a disbelieving hand to his injury before he took a good look at me, his opponent.

An automatic taunt came to his mouth as he said amusedly, "Nice hit for a little Bit. That all you got Deathwish?" I just gave him the universal 'Bring It' hand gesture and stood stock still as his fist collided massively with my chin. He expected me to go down. But all I did was crack my jaw and smile. His disbelief at the negligible impact his strike had made was palpable, waves of incredulity came from him as he prepared to punch me again. His second made as little impact as the first.

My resultant taunt, "That all you got Big Man?" had him puffing out his chest belligerently and my smirk was the last straw.

He shook his head and drew out a knife from a modified shoulder holster and waved it menacingly. Then he added, "You're dead."

"I'm already there you Moron. Don't you remember why you're about to die?" I asked as he laughed off my question, sure of his own skill.

"You... kill me?" He said and smiled. He shook his head, "You'll never even land another blow Deadman."

I smiled at his assurance, misplaced though it might be and rushed him, eager to end him.

He raised his arm to swing the knife and surprise blossomed on his face as my arm appeared lightning fast and blocked his blow. My body kept moving and I easily disarmed him while moving swiftly past his defences, to his back. I spun, turning in mid-air with a flourish of my coat and landed directly behind him. "What?" He uttered as he found himself empty handed and facing the wrong direction.

He turned, moving fast for a large man, but by the time he was facing me again, I brandished his own weapon at him. I was moderately surprised by his speed, but he took in my ready stance, frowned and reassessed me before drawing another blade.

"This time you won't surprise me." He uttered and rushed towards me again.

I bared my teeth in answer... they appeared vibrant and white in the light from the lone streetlight that dimly lit the alley. My blackened lips pulled back in an imitation of a smile as I met him with a clash of steel upon steel in the middle of the alley. He grunted as my full weight forced him back a step. I didn't have time to be surprised, all I could feel was the bird's supernatural force adding itself to my rage and the resulting energy transfer between my blade and his was enormous. Taking advantage of his surprise, I twisted my blade sideways and felt it shift against his. His eyes opened with incredulity as the forward motion I made drove the point through his clothing and skin, and then finally into his chest.

He looked down with astonishment at the knife which pierced his breast and then grimaced in anger as he tried to force his own weapon into me. His final movement sluggish even to my eyes, I blocked his weakened thrust with my forearm, placed my dominant hand on the handle of my borrowed weapon and using my other hand to steady my strike, thrust the finely honed blade home, deep into his chest cavity.

The bird cawed in the night and it was as if I could see the steel piercing his lung and the blood welling around the wound, as with his next breath, it chased the air out of his mouth and founted into the space around his face.

His expression finally changed to one of understanding as he realized he was going to die, then refusal as he rejected that inevitable future. "No..." He said weakly railing against his fate. But Fate wasn't interested.

I stepped in closer, pushing him backwards against the grimy alley wall as the strength in his legs failed him and he needed support to stand. "How?" He asked, finally wanting to know why he was about to die and how someone literally half his size had defeated him.

"You don't remember? A year ago. A hotel room. A loving couple just married... You killed them." I reminded him.

"A hotel... Yeah, the fags. So? What do you care?" He managed as more blood poured out of his mouth.

"Look closer Shiv." I said moving my face into the small amount of light in front of his face. His eyes opened wider as he finally recognized me from that night. "But, you're dead." He managed as his strength failed completely and he fell to the asphalt at my feet.

"So are you." I said with finality as the light left his eyes and his soul was torn screaming from his cooling body by my Crow.

I saw the bird carrying it towards the horizon; only it was no horizon like I'd ever seen. Ink black clouds raged around a menacing maw lacking anything resembling light, and I knew it was the gateway to Hell itself. I nodded, knowing that was my own fate once I was done with my vengeance. But I hoped before it was all over I'd have the chance to see Scott again.

I looked once more at the body at my feet and saw that the blood pooling around the slumped dead man was shaped like a bird with its wings outstretched. Recognizing that same symbol from the first scene of my retribution, I watched as the Crow flew back to me from the rapidly disappearing vision of the void.

It cawed at me once more, landing next to me on the iron railing of the fire escape briefly in acknowledgement before disappearing into the night once more. And I knew I was its creature as much as I belonged to whatever God of Vengeance had brought me back from that same void. Whatever else I might be, it seemed appropriate given the circumstances.

"Cool." I said approvingly and walked deep into the night. Waiting for the return of my winged friend and directions to my next victim.