Death Angel

Chapter 12: Hell Hole (Part 2)

There was something mildly amusing about my propensity for getting myself in trouble. Not that I made a habit of doing that in my past life. Perhaps when I was younger and no longer had my father’s guidance, but even back then, I had proven myself to be a quick learner. 

I had the gift. Dad had said that many times. I possessed the instinct. I usually knew how to act in a business situation and that this was the one thing that was critical for running a company. Many times, especially in a delicate business situation, one had to make a judgment call without having all the variables in place.

For instance,I knew, almost right away, that going into the Old Absinthe House was a mistake. My instincts told me I was probably walking into a trap. Part of me wanted to alert Death to it, but I weighed that against the possibility that I might lose the scent and decided this was far more important.

My eyes grew accustomed to the darkness. I saw the red glowing eyes, heard the heavy, raspy breathing. I knew what it was that I faced. This wasn’t exactly a demon from Hell like Azazel was, but it might very well have been. Back when I faced off against the demon, I had Death’s wisdom at my side. It was a unfortunate that I no longer had that to fall back on.

This situation was more like the ones I faced when I lost Dad. It was just me against the world.  

My mind raced. I knew it was only a matter of time before the first attack would come. I knew the creatures weren’t very intelligent. Still, that mattered little in this situation. Backed into a corner, any dangerous animal would react the same way. It would react out of instinct, and attack. I wasn’t sure how long it had been since the Class D Vampires had fed. 

I noticed movement from the corner of my eye. An enterprising Class-D had decided to take the risk of finding out what I was capable of.

Okay, then, time to send a message.

“Activate,” I said, releasing the power behind my scythe. My scythe grew to full size in an instant. The Class-D barely even had an opportunity to realize what hit it. Next thing I knew, I had properly decapitated the poor thing. It’s head rolled on the floor, a fair warning to the remaining vampires. 

Ok, fifty more to go by my count.

There were angry screeches all around me. “Guess that establishes me as a threat, now doesn’t it?” I said aloud. “Now, who wants to be next?”

I knew I was treading into dangerous territory, but I needed a show of force; to demonstrate to these vampires that I was also a threat. 

Predator, not prey.

My scythe began to glow, and I seized the opportunity. My scythe hadn’t reaped a soul since that very first encounter and I wasn’t about to let such an easy opportunity get past me. I saw the Class-D’s soul begin to release in the dim light. I swung my scythe to retrieve it. I felt a powerful rush as I absorbed the power of the soul. 

Death was right, this got easier as time went by. I was hoping against hope that the Class-D’s were as stupid as I believed them to be. If they were incapable of working together as a team, I stood a much higher chance of getting myself out of this mess.

The Class-D’s kept their distance, unsure of the threat that now faced them.

I had become acutely aware of an odd stench in my surroundings. It was a foul, putrid odor. I forced myself to concentrate on my situation. 

Analyze, Vanessa, analyze.

My dad had taught me critical thinking from an early age. “Determine the outcome you want, Vanessa. First and foremost is the outcome. If the decision you make doesn’t line up with the outcome, you don’t make that decision.”