Fallen

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Gavin

            The trail of sulfur had only led a tiny group of imps, mischievous pranksters that were more annoying than dangerous.  They hadn't even been worth the time I'd spent tracking them. Hell, I'd had more fun cleaning my nails than fighting them. I kicked the body of one of the fallen creatures, its corpse shattering into a puff of dust under the impact.

            "Man, these guys just get easier and easier," I said in disappointment. "I didn't even need Soulfire. That thing is gonna get dull if I don't use it more."

            "Couldn't agree more," Saul's voice said from the shadows. I turned and saw my informant stepping out from the darkness, flipping a coin in the air and trailing a ridiculous black cape along with his standard suit and top hat."Weapons tend to get nice and blunt if you don't sharpen them once in a while."

            "Saul," I greeted the rat warily. "I'm honored you'd take time out of your oh so busy schedule, but I didn't think you made house calls." 

            "I don't, but for the price you paid, I made an exception," he said with a gracious bow. "That and, as a favor to a fellow member of my race, I believe I owe it to you to provide a little more information than what I gave to you in the bar today."

            "Why do I have a bad feeling about this," I asked with an icy grip locking onto my spine. "What do you got for me?"

            "A murder," Saul said seriously. "Down in the old apartment building on Augustine just a block away from that church you and the dear Father are so proud of."

            "And this interests me, why?" I asked out of boredom. I'm sorry, but humans killing each other was nothing new.

            "The cause of death is quite strange," Saul said with a wicked grin. "Apparently, the victim ate himself to death."

            "What?" I asked, completely weirded out. That wasn't a usual pathway to the afterlife. "Isn't that a suicide?"

            "Nope. Apparently, he ate a lot willingly, and then somebody held him down and started shoving the food down his throat until his stomach ruptured and his throat got clogged up. Strange way to kill someone, don't you think."

            "Yeah, for sure," I said, tapping my chin thoughtfully. This all smelled fishy, my kind of fishy. "Thank you, Saul. I'll look into this."

            "Do or do not, it makes no difference to me," Saul replied with a smile, sweeping his hat out in front of him  in a fluid motion, disappearing as he did, his ridiculous hat vanishing last. I shook my head. Saul had always been one to lay on the theatrics, but this was a little thick. I pulled a phone from my pocket and made a call to one of the three numbers I kept plugged into the thing. The phone rang several times before I finally got an answer.

            "Go for Brant," a tired, deep voice said from the other end of the line. Why was everyone always tired? It was only midnight, after all.

            "Hey, Toby," I said with my characteristic cheer. "I wake you?"

            "What do you think, Gavin? This better be good."

            "It is. Or at least I hope it is. We got a guy who was murdered down on Augustine. Death by Twinkie."

            "Seriously?" I shrugged, even though I knew that he couldn't see it.

            "I have no idea, but the guy was killed with food. Somebody made him eat until he popped, and then kept shoving it down his hole. Sounds like something for us, don't you think?"