Apocalypse Soldier by William Massa Read Free Book Online

paused.
    His fingers traced the webbed flesh of her scar.  
    Nicole swallowed hard. She’d hoped the beers and the living room’s low lighting might not make him pay attention to the scar that ran from her belly button all the way to her pubic area. She always dreaded these first encounters, the questions that would come up and the lies she’d have to counter them with.  
    “What happened?” was the standard opening salvo. Eight years ago, a demon claimed my soul and used my body as a scratching post . That’s what she wanted to shout in situations like this, but instead she would lie and say, “Car crash, banged me up pretty good.”
    Rob reacted differently than the others. His eyes gleamed with a strange sense of awe as he lovingly caressed her scar tissue. There was something almost reverential about the act that both turned her on and unnerved her.  
    “I have a scar too,” he said.
    “From the war?”
    Rob told her earlier that he’d served in Afghanistan. With a warm smile, he shook his head.
    “Let me show you.”  
    He unbuttoned his shirt. “I received this mark as a symbol of my devotion…”
    As he spoke, Nicole heard a muffled thump from inside Ashley’s bedroom and a strangled scream that turned into a pitiful whimper.  
    The warm smile on Paul’s face had vanished, his expression now etched with fanatical glee. “We’ve been looking for you, Nicole Roberts.”
    The use of her real last name — the name she lived with for seventeen years before legally changing it to Nicole Stivers — chilled her to the bone. After the incident eight years ago, she’d become a target of every wacko ghost hunter or religious zealot out there. Changing her name was her way of starting over and regaining ownership of her life. But the past had a way of catching up with you.  
    Rob finished unbuttoning his shirt. A scar in the form of an inverted cross ran from his collarbone all the way down to his belly button. Before Nicole could respond, Rob’s fist snaked out at her. The punch knocked her back into the couch. For a stunned beat, the room spun. The coppery flavor of blood filled her mouth and it propelled Nicole into action. Before Rob could strike her again, she rolled off the sofa, hit the living room carpet and feathered back to her feet.  
    As Rob lurched toward her, Nicole’s mind grew calm.  
    Eight years earlier a demon had violated her body and invaded her thoughts, nearly claiming her soul in the process. Her inability to defend herself had been the worst part of the ordeal. She swore to never be so helpless again, at least not against a flesh-and-blood opponent. She started taking self-defense classes and learned how to handle guns. Knowing Krav Maga was empowering, but a skilled male fighter wouldn’t just sit still and let her gouge out his eyes or kick him in the balls. A gun, on the other hand, was the ultimate equalizer in any fight, putting a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 250-pound assailant. Her preferred firearm was the Glock 19, a compact version of the 9mm Glock 17, the favored sidearm of law enforcement. It was designed to reduce the amount of recoil experienced by the shooter, and the grip was fully adjustable. An excellent gun for a female and it could easily be concealed.  
    She kept her Glock in the bedroom. Odds were good that Rob would catch up with her before she made it into the room and she’d fail to reach the weapon in time. How to slow him down? Struck with sudden inspiration, she snatched the vase from the end table and swung it at Rob with all her strength. The vase whipped across his face and snapped his head back. No sound escaped from his lips as he flew backward and slammed into the hardwood floor.  
    Ashley’s screams intensified.  
    Nicole had to help her friend. But first she needed her gun. Still a bit buzzed from the beers, Nicole stumbled into her room. Hands shaking from the fight, she reached the dresser, pulled out the bottom drawer