Infernal Affairs by Jes Battis Read Free Book Online Page B

face. It opened its mouth to scream something at me, but I kept moving. I used all of my momentum to drive the blade straight down, through its chest.
    It choked, lunging for me. But Rashid kept the Stryker saw on its face, and the blade whined as it continued to shear through the muscle tissue. I pushed downward with all of my strength. I heard a sucking noise, and then a crunch, as the blade passed through the demon’s rib cage.
    Demonic anatomy could be idiosyncratic, so I was relieved that I’d chosen the right angle. Blood welled up within the wound, running down the surface of the blade. I wrapped both of my hands around the hilt for leverage. The demon howled something at me, possibly in its native language.
    “Sorry,” I grunted. “I don’t speak asshole.”
    Then I pushed down on the hilt with all of my might, using it as a fulcrum, which drove the blade upward in an arc. I felt it meet resistance as it passed through clusters of organs, some of which probably had no human equivalents. I gave the hilt one last push for good measure.
    I was smart enough to shield my face, but hot blood still spattered my arms and chest, making my skin crawl. I was going to have to take six showers to get rid of the demonic funk. Maybe I’d bathe in tomato juice as well, just to be sure.
    The demon kept screaming something, but its throat was ruined, so it all came out as a bubbling hiss. Blood seeped from its open mouth.
    Miles had regained his footing now. He was rubbing his throat, but seemed fine. I grabbed his arm.
    “Get the time bomb from Derrick’s pocket. Now.”
    He nodded, then ran over to where Derrick was lying. I was impressed by his level of professional detachment. He didn’t even look twice at the body of his lover, unconscious on the floor. He rifled through his pockets, found the globe, and returned to my side.
    “Now what?”
    Still gripping the athame with both hands, I gave it a sharp tug. The blade slid out of the demon’s body. More blood came with it. I knew I should have worn a slicker.
    I took the time bomb from him.
    “Run. Grab Derrick and drag him out of the blast radius.”
    I kept a feverish grip on the globe as I turned and ran. I didn’t allow myself to look back. I prayed that it would take the demon a few more seconds to regenerate, especially with the considerable damage that I’d done to its body.
    My legs were shaking as I reached Lucian’s side. He reached out to steady me. I must have had a truly insane look on my face, because he grabbed me lightly by the shoulders, looking into my eyes.
    “What do you want me to do?” he asked.
    “Just be ready to run,” I told him. I looked up. The demon had taken a step forward, but it was still bleeding heavily. The front of its chest was slowly coming back together, the tendrils of flesh reknitting themselves with astonishing speed.
    Dr. Rashid was kneeling beside Derrick’s body, checking his vitals. The three of them had moved to a safe distance.
    I looked at the time bomb one last time. It really did look just like a snow globe. But I trusted Linus.
    I hurled it at the ground in front of the demon.
    The glass shattered. White light enveloped the demon’s form, and I felt a tremor pass through the air. Everything seemed to go a shade darker. The demon’s writhing movements slowed, then ceased altogether.
    It was frozen.
    I stared at the cone of white light that was bathing the demon. Drops of blood hovered motionless within it, frozen in perfect meniscus. The demon’s mouth remained open. Its eyes blazed.
    Something exploded behind me.
    I turned and saw the remnants of the door to the autopsy suite, now scattered in charred bits across the ground. Selena emerged through the ruined doorway, accompanied by two OSI agents dressed in protective gear.
    “You’re late,” I told her. “You missed everything.”
    My bravado was already crumbling, though. I couldn’t take my eyes off Derrick’s still form. Selena saw the direction of