Jun 21

Perdition Case Files: Code #0N3

Perdition Case Files PCF, Perdition Add Comment (1)

Just in case some rookie Downtown has to read this, I’ll let you know what’s going on. I’m Perdition. You might have heard of me. I’ve been into some dark stuff. Magical mostly. I’m kind of the knock-off version of the Antichrist. Half-demon, the son of Belial, one of the Lords of Hell. I was being groomed to take over the world, but I decided I wasn’t going to be used like that. The cult that was supposed to be ‘guiding’ me brought me here to New York from Merry Old England, and I cut loose. I killed my ‘bodyguards’, and went on the run. Spent the following few months fighting the cult, eventually the Boomers caught me.

I went to Alcatraz for a few months, until Hire-A-Hero saw the possibilities and worked out this deal. Instead of my back-to-back life sentences, I’m going to be working for these guys, fighting evil or whatever it is they do. Most of my salary goes to the government or something, to make up for my crimes. I don’t really know how it works; all I know is that I’m back in New York, instead of dropping the soap in front of Tarantula, which is definitely a good thing.

Part of the agreement says I have to produce a record of every job I work, for the police. Keeps track of what I’m doing I suppose. So here’s the latest.

It says here that I’m supposed to sum up what I knew going in, and why I chose this mission. The boss gave me about a dozen files to choose from. Unsolved cases, grisly murders, the usual crap he gives me. But this one stood out. In the past six months, over 200 people have gone missing in the city. People from all over, not just the usual hookers and druggies either. Almost all of them have turned up in dumpsters and the East River dead. Messy, deep wounds in their necks, looks like they bled out.

Now, a little girl has gone missing. Her rich parents called the cops, who put two-and-two together, figured this was linked, and the parents brought the case to Hire-A-Hero. They put it in my hands, and I took it.

Sounds like vampires, or at the very least, some sicko who I can take out all my pent up aggression on. Either way, it’s right up my alley.

So Hire-A-Hero gets me past the yellow tape, in some alleyway in the Bowery, a guy’s turned up in a dumpster, neck torn to shreds. I take one look at the body, the savage wounds, the look of pure terror on the guy’s face, and the severe lack of blood, and I know I’m right. It’s vampires.

So I look around the crime scene, and find about half a footprint next to the dumpster. There’s a little blood in the footprint, so I figure it was the attacker’s, or his minion. So I open my satchel and pull out some paper and a pencil, sketch a quick magic circle, and cast a location spell. Location spells are bloody useful, anything you want to find, it’s yours. So long as you’ve got something from the place you’re looking for, or the person you’re looking for, naturally. The spell I used showed me where the guy had been since he dumped the body, like it was in fast-forward. I knew where he was hiding out. I didn’t know who else was there, how many, or if the girl was there.

I’m just going to stop here for a second to clear one thing up. Vampires. They’re not like B-movie ham-actor ‘I Vant To Suck Your Blud!’ types. They’re not Anne Rice angst filled whingers. And for Pete’s sake, they Don’t. Fooking. SPARKLE!

Vampires are predators. They’re stronger than most humans. Almost as strong as me. They’re quicker too. Better senses. They’re better than humans in every possible way. They can’t go out in sunlight. They can’t be killed by anything short of decapitation. Driving something straight through their heart will immobilise them, but as soon as it’s taken out, they’ll be kicking again. And sunlight too. They’re not fond of fire either. They do have reflections. Garlic and holy water don’t do fook all.

So I followed the vampire’s trail to a block of flats up on Avenue B. Place is boarded up, looks like it hasn’t been lived in for months. But I knew that wasn’t true.

I thought about taking the stealthy route. Sneak in and get the drop on them. But I’m not that kind of bloke, am I?

I pulled my sword down off my back, and slice straight through the front door, and the planks of wood nailed across it. I walked into the entryway, and three big fooking vampires jumped me. I should have known better, but it was too late by then. I made short work of those fookers though. Kicked the first one’s head clear off its shoulders. The other two went down with one swing of my sword. I ran up the stairs, and into the first apartment, that was the last place I saw with my location spell.

Standing in what I assume would be the lounge room of the apartment, is about ten of the biggest meanest vampires I’ve ever seen. In the back corner, I see two more, both weedy little bastards. One of them must be the sire, the leader. The other, by the look of him, is a magician of some description. I fooking hate vampire mages.

The sire gives the order, and the bastards descend on me. There’s no way I can just fight my way out of this one. Lucky I’ve got other tricks up my sleeve. Magic works on two levels. There’s the spells regular magicians cast, with stones and circles and incantations. They take time, but they’re precise, focussed. Then there’re natural magics. Powerful, quick to summon, and full of raw energy. There aren’t many magicians in the world who can wield them. I’m one of them. I don’t have time to cast a real spell, so I reach into my demon half, summon the power from within. The building shakes. My dear old dad Belial is tied into the Earth element. Gives me a natural affinity for rocks and dirt and muck like that. So I pulled an earthquake out of my arse, and it throws the vampires off for a moment. Gives me time to execute a perfect triple-twist with a flourish. Or something like that. With my sword in my hand, that means about eight dead vampires on the ground. The last two thugs charge me, but they don’t stand a chance. That is, until the mage tosses a fireball into my face. The distraction is enough to give the thugs and edge, and they high-low me. I hit the deck hard, but I roll out. Sweep the legs out from under one, and use the momentum to pirouette back up to my feet. Slice the fooker’s head off and tackle the second, driving him through the wall. Was lucky enough to bust a wooden stud in the wall, and impale him straight through the heart. I turned back to the sire and the magician. The magician’s already got a shield of some description up. I just laughed at him and tore it down with raw magic. Sends him reeling. Doesn’t feel too good on my end either. Always takes a bit out of me. I slice his head clean off, leaving me face to face with the sire. I tell him to tell me where the girl is, and I’ll spare him. He tells me she’s stashed in the closet. I grin and skewer the bastard on my sword, leaving him pinned to the wall.

I open up the closet and find the girl sitting in there, huddled up. Something’s wrong, but I can’t place my finger on it. Then the bitch lunges at me and sends me tumbling. That’s when I realised they’d turned her. She was one of them. Before I can react, she crashes through the window, falling to the street below. I watch her escape into the darkness. I swear under my breath, as I return to the sire. I pull my sword out of him, and he comes to. Spouts some crap about coming back more powerful than ever. I laugh in his face, and knock his block off with one punch.

So that’s it. Mission failed. But I wiped out a den of vampires, which I call a win. I fooking hate vampires.