Vivisepulture by Wayne Andy; Simmons Tony; Remic Neal; Ballantyne Stan; Asher Colin; Nicholls Steven; Harvey Gary; Savile Adrian; McMahon Guy N.; Tchaikovsky Smith Read Free Book Online Page B

flesh not abating.
    ‘That would be us.’
    Blaklok turned at the new voice, expecting someone sinister, expecting someone arch and evil both of manner and visage.
    What he saw made him cease his fell conjurations and frown in confusion.
    ‘Who the fuck are you?’ he said to the diminutive, middle-aged woman standing right in front him. Behind her he could see other figures as plain and inoffensive as she was. Some clearly wore the rags of the penurious, others looked old and frail. Hardly a pernicious gathering of base criminality.
    ‘Who we are isn’t important. Why we hired these men is more the point. Arkell and his ilk have taken from us, taken things that cannot be replaced, and we will have our avengement.’
    ‘Oh, I get it,’ Blaklok replied, fast losing patience. ‘Arkell fired you, or swindled you, or didn’t give you that pay rise you wanted and now you’ve decided you want to make him suffer. Well look around, love. Don’t you think this is a bit excessive? Arkell’s business partners are in fucking pieces.’
    ‘We are not his employees, and these butchered animals,’ she gestured to the disembodied corpses, ‘were not his business associates, though they were all part of the same club.’
    ‘What, bridge club? Some gentleman’s club?’
    ‘Arkell and his associates have certain appetites .Their succour is the children off the streets, children that no one would think to miss. Their money and influence has made them untouchable. But not any more.’
    ‘What do you mean children off–’
    Suddenly Blaklok realised what the woman was trying to tell him.
    ‘ Our children, the spawn of the poor, the urchins no one thought anyone gave a damn about. But we do. We all do. Arkell and his ilk inflicted horrors on them, used them like chattel, like whores and slaves, until they needed them no more and discarded them like human waste. It could not be allowed to stand. Justice is all we wanted.’
    Blaklok regarded the crowd that had gathered behind the woman. They didn’t look like they had a collective pot to piss in but they’d managed to scrape enough money together to hire two assassins from out of town. That must have cost everything they had.
    ‘So what now?’ Blaklok asked, glancing back at Milo and Krane as they stood sheepishly in one corner, clearly terrified.
    ‘Now we need the final monster to be defeated. But this is all we have to offer.’ She held out her palm, showing Blakok was lay upon it. ‘Will you take it, Thaddeus Blaklok? Will you avenge our children for us?’
    ‘Aye, all right. That’ll do I suppose,’ Blaklok replied.
     
    Clarence Arkell sat behind his desk as Blaklok entered. He was clearly not a man used to being kept waiting. 
    ‘Well? Is it done?’
    Blaklok simply stood and stared.
    ‘What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Have you earned the money I’ve paid you or not?’
    Blaklok reached into his great coat and took out a pile of crumpled bills, throwing them on the desk in front of him. ‘I had a better offer,’ he said.
    ‘Better offer? What the hell are you talking about, better offer?’
    ‘I’ve found out the real reason those two bowler hatted twats wanted you dead.’
    He let that hang there for a minute, watching Arkell’s response. The fat man went from an expression of innocence to stupefaction to denial in less time than it took to waggle piss from a cock.
    ‘Well, what the fuck do you care? Why should it matter to you, you’re just a thug for hire. A nutter from the streets.’ It was clear Arkell didn’t know him at all. 
    ‘They offered me money to do you. Obviously they didn’t have much left after hiring those two useless cunts from out of town, but I accepted anyway.’ Blaklok reached into his pocket and took out two copper pennies. ‘To be honest, I’d have done it for free.’ He moved forward, his brow furrowing, his hands tightening into fists.
    ‘Now look here,’ said Arkell, rising unsteadily to his feet, his