Apocalypse Soldier (19 page)

He turned.
 

Doyle raised his weapon and aimed it at Talon. For a moment he faced the FBI agent. Doyle was barely able to stay on his feet and his hand shook, but even a wounded shooter could do damage with a spray of lead. To Talon’s surprise, Doyle lowered the weapon and said, “Go and send that fucker to hell where he belongs.”

Talon nodded, picked up an AK-47, and raced after Amon.
 

***

A hawk circled above the monastery as Talon emerged from the chapel. The white-hot sun greeted him, and for a moment he stumbled on the sandy terrain. Between his chewed-up shoulder and the holes in his hands, he’d lost a lot of blood. But his feet kept taking one step after another, driven forward by the thought of vengeance. There was no sign of Amon, almost as if the desert had swallowed him whole, but the trail of blood told a different story. It led him down the dirt road toward the cultists’ vehicles. Up ahead, an engine revved and the Hummer jumped into motion.
 

It didn’t get far. After less than a hundred feet, the Hummer veered off the road and slammed into a rocky outcropping. Smoke belched from the hood.
 

Looks like I’m not the only one who’s messed up.

Talon advanced carefully, not sure if Amon had a back-up firearm in the vehicle. As he drew closer, a hand reached out of the driver’s window and, sure enough, squeezed off a couple of rounds. The attack felt perfunctory and desperate. Each bullet missed him by a wide margin, kicking up the hard-packed ground. Amon’s aim was way off, which Talon hoped meant he must be succumbing to his wounds. He counted the shots, and once the magazine was empty, he continued his approach, AK-47 raised.
 

As he drew closer, his enemy became visible. Amon was slumped behind the wheel, covered with blood that had turned his shirt the color of his dyed skin. He breathed shallowly, his black eyes peering out at the desert landscape. What did the man who dreamt of being a demon see during his hour of defeat? Between the boiling heat and the barren wasteland, maybe he could pretend to already be gazing out at the searing plains of hell.

Hearing his approach, Amon tilted his head toward him. Compared to the monster he’d turned into briefly in the chapel, his old appearance felt pathetic and ridiculous in the bright sunlight, a cheap Halloween mask that failed to terrify. Above, a police helicopter circled, but Talon hoped Doyle had told them to not take a shot at him.

“I know you don’t fear hell,” Talon said, ”but I wonder what awaits someone who has failed his dark masters.”

Amon spat blood and said venomously, “I’ll say hello to your bitch when I get there.”

Talon raised the AK-47.

A heartbeat before he depressed the trigger, he recalled a quote from the Bible that he’d first heard when he was an altar boy, something that had always stuck with him:
If anyone kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.”
 

He took no little pleasure in pumping seven rounds into Amon.
 

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-E
IGHT

TALON FACED MICHELLE’S grave as sheets of rain poured from dark clouds. She’d been buried just south of San Francisco in Colam, a town famous for its many cemeteries, and the distinction of having more dead residents than living souls.
 

Talon lowered the wreath next to the tombstone and turned away. Today marked five months since his fiancée’s murder. He hoped that the death of one of her killers would bring her peace the way it had for him.
 

Rain pelted his face as he walked toward the waiting Tesla Model X parked near the gates of the cemetery. He got in and took a seat next to Casca, who was keeping himself busy with his iPad. The billionaire looked up from whatever text he’d been perusing. “It’s raining something fierce out here.”

“After Arizona, it’s a nice change of pace. So what are you reading?” Talon asked.

“Actually some fascinating research on RVPs.”

“RVPs?”

“Radio voice phenomena. Research into receiving the voices of the deceased over the air.”

“Sounds like perfect reading material while visiting a cemetery.”

Casca grinned. The Tesla began to move, the rain-soaked landscape of tombstones flashing past their windows.

“I just spoke with Father Cabrera, and it appears he’s doing better with each day. I’m surprised. Don’t Delta guys shoot to kill?”

“We do.”

With a shrug, Casca said, “Maybe it’s a miracle.”

Talon had never believed in miracles, but neither had he put much credence in monsters and demons. In a world where the forces of darkness could walk among us, why couldn’t a miracle or two be possible?

Casca extricated a familiar item from his suit jacket. The Sumerian pentagram amulet. “Oh, before I forget. Cabrera was nice enough to have the brotherhood return the amulet.” He handed it to Talon.

After killing Amon, Talon had not returned to the chapel. He’d felt confident that Nicole was in control of her situation and knew that medical help was on the way. If he hung around, he’d risk being arrested. He didn’t plan on spending his remaining days in a jail cell while the forces of darkness waged their shadow war. He was needed in the field.
 

As he took off on the Ducati, the police helicopter hovering above the chapel didn’t follow him. Doyle’s gratitude for having saved his life twice in the same day must’ve outweighed his professional curiosity. Perhaps their paths would cross again in the future, maybe this time as allies.

“You got to be better about not leaving these items behind, Sergeant. Magical weapons don’t grow on trees.”

“You’re never going to let me forget about the demon slayer blade, are you now? You try fighting a demonic cyborg with explosives going off all around you and see if you remember to pull the knife out of the bad guy.”

Casca smiled. “My spies, who include a certain Detective Serrone, assure me it’s safe in some SFPD evidence locker. I’m working on getting it back.”
 

“Good to hear. How is Nicole doing?” Talon asked.

“She has decided to remain at the monastery for now,” Casca said. “To continue to learn about the darkness inside her. To become better at controlling it.”

“Did Cabrera try to exorcise her demon?’

“They did, but it isn’t working. When Nicole tapped into the entity’s power, it permanently fused with her. Every day she faces a new battle with the creature, a never-ending struggle over who will be in control. But she is also able to harness the demon’s abilities.”

Talon considered this.
 

“For now she’s found a way to conquer her darkness. I’ll be monitoring her progress.”

“Keep me updated.”

Casca arched an eyebrow. “How about you? How are you feeling?”

“Like shit. I might have to take you up on that offer for some R&R days.”

Casca was both surprised and pleased by his request.

“I think they’re well deserved and long overdue. I still have Autumn’s number if you feel like spending some time in LA.”

“Actually, I was thinking of visiting an old military buddy in New York City.”

Talon smiled. A trip to Queens would be a good way to reconnect with his former life even if it was only for a short period.

The ghostly cemetery receded and for a moment, death seemed far away. Talon knew all too well that the moment of peace wouldn’t last, but he’d enjoy the momentary lull until the fight began again.

They’d won another battle, but the war against the darkness would go on.

Maybe the apocalypse was coming.
 

But it wasn’t going to be today.

THE END

MARK TALON RETURNS IN BOOK 3: SPIRIT BREAKER OUT NOW!

The former Delta Force Operator must confront an evil psychic and the terrifying forces of the afterlife in his most heart-pounding adventure yet.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

William Massa is a screenwriter (
Return to House on Haunted Hil
l) and script consultant. He has lived in New York, Florida, Europe and now calls Los Angeles his home. William writes horror, science fiction and dark fantasy. Directing a movie one day is on William’s bucket list. More books are on the way.

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EDITING

Erin Elizabeth Long

COVER ART/CREDITS

Cover design by Jun Ares & William Massa

AVAILABLE NOW FOR $0.99!

After a decade spent fighting the enemy abroad and keeping his country safe, Delta Force Operator MARK TALON is ready to settle down with the love of his life. But Talon’s world crumbles when his fiancée becomes the victim of a terrifying cult.
 

In the wake of his terrible loss, Talon dedicates himself to a new mission – hunting down evil occultists across the globe and stopping them before they can unleash the forces of darkness upon an unsuspecting world.
 

In ICE SHADOWS, Talon must head to Norway to stop Rezok, a Black Metal musician who plans on using an ancient Norse ritual to trigger a frozen cataclysm.

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OCCULT ASSASSIN #2.5: ICE SHADOWS (A NOVELLA)