Arachna

Eric was light on his feet as he strode down the hallway, his cane clacking against the floor.

When he’d entered the building, he’d stifled a laugh at the security. Only one guard had been sitting in a chair near the entrance, and he’d been more interested in the newspaper he held than his surroundings. Malcolm’s name was in the headline.

Few people had been in the lobby. Eric had sauntered up to the receptionist, his cane tapping on the white marble floor, and claimed he was there for a meeting. When the man said the meeting was already taking place, Eric had slipped him a wad of cash along with the promise that he was fashionably late. The man had taken the money and told him where to go.

Eric had passed another guard on his way to the elevators and unclipped the keys from his belt. Eric likely wouldn’t need them, but he saw no harm in taking them—not to Eric, at least. He wished he could see the look on the guard’s face whenever he found out his keys were missing.

Even now, he chuckled at the thought.

Eric’s black trench coat didn’t scream businessman, but with the cloudy weather outside, he was certain nobody would ask questions. He’d wormed his way through the building, planting little surprises throughout should anything go wrong with his plan. Rain would come soon, and as if on cue, a low rumble of thunder threatened the city of Agni.

A terrible last resort, but an assemblage of sticks in suits weren’t going to say no to him—not if enough money and information was offered. He patted the case attached to the inside of his coat.

Eric gulped, a shock of nerves jolting him. He stopped in his tracks. It had been too long since he felt nervous about anything. The feeling was foreign to him now. His plan had to work. It had to. He could finally make up for what he’d done. He drowned his nerves as he’d learned to do years ago and continued on.

Bleached lights shone on the wooden door at the very end of the hallway. Muffled voices resonated from the other side, and as much as Eric tried to decipher them, he couldn’t make out what they were discussing. With the death of the two founders, however, he had a fair guess.

Eric cleared his throat, raised his fist, and tapped on the door. The voices stopped, and a middle-aged man opened the door, glowering at him.

“Can I help you?” the man asked, his voice coated in tired frustration.

“Oh, no,” Eric said, his face twisting in a smile as he waved the question away. “However, I do believe I can help you.”

The older man responded by closing the door—or trying to.

Eric stopped the door with his foot. The older man stared down at Eric’s boot then met his eyes.

Eric ignored the twinge of irritation that prickled his skin. His hand found a splinter as he shoved the door open, pushing the aging man to the ground with more force than he’d intended.

“Ow,” Eric said, plucking the splinter from his palm. When he surveyed the shocked faces of the aging men, he suppressed a laugh and let out a half-hearted apology. “I suppose I don’t know my own strength.” His laugh spilled out, and he stepped into the room. His skin crawled as he helped the man up and gave him a hard pat on the back. He made sure the older man met his eyes, and when his face turned a shade paler, Eric knew his message had come across.

Every head turned toward him. One man at the end of the oval conference table appeared younger than the rest, though the wrinkles under his eyes and the grays of his hair were distinct, even from where Eric stood. His eyes flashed with anger, but his smile said otherwise, as if he thought this was some elaborate office prank.

“Hello,” Eric said. Two men close to him flinched. The sight widened his smile. “Boy, do I have a proposition for you gentlemen.” He took the only empty chair.

The older man rubbed his sore back and groaned as he left the room.

Eric propped his feet onto the table and studied them all. Most looked uncomfortable, others scared, but the one at the other end of the table was composed. Eric peered at the middle-aged man from under his dark fedora then donned a face of embarrassment.

“Oh my.” Eric put a hand to his mouth. “I suppose it’s rude to have hats on indoors, eh?” He didn’t wait for a response before removing his hat and placing it gently on the table. It rested next to his feet.

“Okay,” the man across the table said, his hands folded in front of him, his face going cold. The face of a true businessman. “You’ve got my attention. And you’ve scared these honest men. I hope this ‘proposition’ is more enticing than your bizarre entrance.”

Eric scratched the end of his nose. “What was it you said, my friend? ‘Honest’?” He couldn’t hide his chuckle. “What exactly do you mean by ‘honest’?” He removed his feet from the table. “Because selling cheap drugs to your clients for outrageous prices doesn’t sound like honest work to me. And don’t even get me started on the bribery and false advertising. But I suppose we shouldn’t dwell on that. Let’s discuss this secret project of yours.”

Eric gauged the reaction of every man in the room with a glance. All the nervous looks at each other confirmed his suspicions.

A laugh bubbled up to his throat, but he swallowed it. He had to be careful how he approached this. He was allowing himself to get too careless. Tone it down, asshat. This is a business meeting, not a performance. Remember who you’re doing this for.

A flash of light shone through the blinds covering the windows to his right, then a clap of thunder rumbled the walls.

“I don’t see where you could possibly have any proof of that. Our company is clean, through and through,” the man said, his hands no longer wrapped around each other but gripping the edge of the table.

“Of course,” Eric said, forcing a look of humility. “I apologize. It appears we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. A man likes to make an entrance, I’m sure you understand.”

“I can see that.”

“Let’s start over, shall we? What’s your name?” Eric asked.

“Caleb.”

“I’m Eric.” Eric smiled then straightened his posture and cleared his throat. “Now, Caleb, I have no doubt that your dealings are less than legal. Which is fine. I offer no judgement. But why don’t we both agree we’re playing in the same ballpark here?”

Caleb leaned forward. “What do you want?” His voice remained calm, though an inflection of anger shone through.

“I have an offer for you, one that will surely make you forget all about my crass entrance. Would you like to hear it?”

The fire in Caleb’s eyes dimmed, and behind the flames shone a sliver of curiosity. He narrowed his eyes. “Gentlemen, you can leave.”

Slowly, the older gentlemen stood, as if afraid moving too quickly would incite a fight.

As they left the room, Caleb called out, “And tell Jeremy to get the chopper ready.” He turned his attention back to Eric.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Eric gripped his cane just a little tighter, the cool metal grounding him. “So, Caleb… I happen to be an information dealer in your sister city, Arachna. I’m sure you’re familiar. It is where your most recent building has been erected.”

Caleb didn’t respond. Eric gritted his teeth at the silence. At the lack of reaction. His blade called to him, like a siren summoning a ship captain. He ignored it for now.

“Anyway,” Eric continued, “I believe my services could be beneficial to you in this crucial time in your company, what with expanding your business, scamming people with your medicines, and finishing this secret project. You’re going to get caught eventually. I can prevent that.”

“We haven’t been caught because we’re not doing anything wrong.”

“It’s alright, I won’t tell anyone. In fact, I’m offering the opposite.”

“Why don’t we cut to the chase?” Caleb said as he checked the clock on the wall. “Security is on the way. You have until they get here to make your point.”

Eric dropped his smile. Security, huh? He nearly snickered as he imagined Caleb pressing a secret button under the table. Oh well.

“Fine. Since I’m apparently on a time crunch now, I’ll do just that.” Eric removed the case from his coat, opened it, and slid it down the table. It stopped right in front of Caleb. “Cash is always nice, hmm? But that’s more of an apology for barging in here.” He allowed himself a laugh, which Caleb matched with a strained smile.

Caleb looked down at the money then back up at Eric.

“What I’m offering is information. Information on nearly anything you could ever want, primarily the dealings of your competitors. I could also sell some of your drugs to my financially challenged clientele. I could take a small percentage of the profits, all while increasing yours.”

“Why?” Caleb leaned on his hand as if he was bored. “Why would you break into my building and offer me this? What do you have to gain?”

“Money, mostly. Information, however, is my lifeblood. In the end, Arachna is my city, and that building of yours, standing proud and tall in the dead center of it, is something of a blight at the moment, no offense.”

Eric stood from the chair and walked to the large window, lifting the blinds to look out at the city—a brighter, happier city than Arachna, even with the pouring rain. A streak of lightning danced across the sky.

“Besides, I would love to know the secret project your company is working on.”

“You’re a brazen one,” Caleb said.

Eric didn’t even look his way, but he held his thumb over the switch to release his blade.

“I might be willing to consider your deal… You said you were an information dealer?”

Eric turned around to answer then tensed as four guards rushed into the room, pistols pointed at him. Yelling ensued as the men ordered Eric onto the floor.

“I’m about to answer this nice man, fellas,” Eric responded calmly.

Two of the men inched closer. A few steps farther, and they would have to meet his blade. He had to be quick. He couldn’t afford to ruin this deal after gaining Caleb’s interest.

“Yes, I am an information dealer. I can tell you nearly anything and everything that happens in Arachna, past, present, and sometimes future. That being said, I’m sure you can understand that having Landreau Corp in my city and not knowing much about it is frustrating.” Eric darted his eyes at a guard that was too close for comfort. His finger twitched. If he took so much as one step closer, Eric would have to do something.

But Caleb held a hand up, halting the guards in their place and granting Eric no small amount of relief. “So you know about the murders in Arachna? Malcolm and Daniel Landreau?”

Murders? How did he know they were murdered? Eric clenched his cane tighter and cleared his throat. He had no other choice than to play along.

“I do, indeed. Our news stations would have us believe they were accidents, but my information says otherwise. I offer my sincerest sympathies.”

“They were my brothers,” Caleb said, his voice catching.

Eric choked on his sharp intake of air. A flash of lightning masked his shocked expression. He wiped it away before Caleb noticed, his heart skipping a beat. A third Landreau brother? Since when? Why didn’t I know about this?

“Brothers?” Eric asked before he could stop himself. “I thought there were only two Landreau brothers.”

“Only one, now,” Caleb said. “Malcolm never did drugs, and the police claim his body went missing from the morgue. Daniel left this city without a word to me, only to die in a gas explosion? It’s too coincidental. I want the culprit found.”

Caleb’s appearance shifted. No longer was he unreadable. At this moment, he was just a man with two tragic losses weighing him down. A man burning with rage and sadness. The window of opportunity opened, and Eric dove in without a second thought.

“Easy,” Eric said. “I can find the culprit and bring them to you. Or, if you prefer, I can kill the bastard myself—whatever your pick. In exchange for all I offer, I want to be a part of your company. That means a percentage of your profit and access to information. For example, oh, I don’t know…” Eric rubbed his chin. “Perhaps a secret drug that’s shrouded in mystery. Oh, I’m just dying to know, Caleb.”

Eric scratched his nose, and the guard closest to him twitched. If this went south, he would go down first. Eric’s finger rested on the release for his blade. Even now, as Caleb seemed to be mulling it over, Eric planned his route to the fire escape should his contingency become necessary.

“What concerns me about this deal is your desire to access classified information. A percentage of profits is negotiable if your services prove useful. But I’ll offer you this, Eric. You bring me the person who murdered my brothers, alive, and I’ll give you all the information you want about the new drug we’re creating… only this drug. If the murderer is unharmed and I get my chance at revenge, I may even allow you to see it for yourself. If you continue to prove trustworthy, then I’ll allow you more and more information as you gain trust within this company.” Caleb spoke with anticipation. He wanted to know who killed his brothers. He wanted to wrap his hand around that person’s throat and squeeze until they went still.

Eric’s head spun. He was so close he could taste it. “That sounds fair enough.”

Caleb’s posture relaxed. “Then it seems we’re in agreement.” Something like realization crossed his face, a look similar to Lance’s when he’d agreed to join Eric’s organization.

The guards lowered their weapons.

“Tell me, Eric, when can you have the murderer brought here?”

Eric kept his smile and straightened his posture. Every movement was important here. “It takes time to find someone guilty of crimes of this caliber. I have a long list of connections in my city, but you have to understand that I cannot simply produce a murderer as easily as a cup of coffee.”

Caleb nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”

Eric looked out the window to the city of Agni. The rain was picking up, the steady rhythm of the droplets hitting the window like hundreds of small drums. Lightning flashed again, and a clap of thunder followed.

“Well,” Caleb said, “I suppose you should be going.” He stood and extended his hand. “Thank you for your time.” He stood patiently as Eric walked over to him.

“First,” Eric said when they came face to face, “do we have a deal?”

Caleb met Eric’s eyes. “Deal.”

Eric grinned and took his hand. A small rumble of thunder vibrated the windows. Eric opened his mouth to thank him for his time, but Caleb’s grip tightened on his hand. Uncomfortable, at first, then painful. Eric ignored it and tried to speak again, but Caleb’s other hand wrapped around his throat.

Caleb stood and squeezed Eric’s neck then slammed him down on the table. The wood cracked beneath Eric’s weight, and pain tore through his back.

Eric’s cane slipped out of his hand. He clawed at Caleb’s face, his eyes, anything. Fear settled in, then horror. He couldn’t escape. His legs kicked and kicked at Caleb’s body, but the man didn’t flinch. Pressure built in his head, and his thoughts ran wild with nothing but his brain shouting at him to do something before his neck snapped. If he were to let himself be killed now, it would all be for nothing. Caleb shoved him farther into the broken table. Splinters dug into Eric’s back.

Eric stopped reaching for Caleb’s face and instead reached for his tie. He scrambled for it and pulled. His lungs screamed and moaned for him to fill them with air, and his chest ached and contracted. His body writhed, every bone, muscle, nerve, telling him to just breathe.

Breathe.

Suddenly, Caleb released his grip on Eric’s neck. He pinned him down, shoving him farther into the splinters.

Eric gasped for air. His head ached. His back ached. Hell, everything ached.

Sweet air, Eric thought. Sweet, sweet air.

Caleb leaned down to Eric’s ear. “Murderer!” Caleb spat. “How dare you come in here and pretend like you didn’t kill my brothers!” His voice cracked. “I can’t believe you had the gall to come into my building, threaten my people.” His voice cracked again, but it sounded odd, almost… distorted.

Eric continued gasping, filling his body with much-needed air. He tried to speak, but he couldn’t. Bile rose in his throat, and his stomach turned. The guards were surely still in the room, watching his life flicker out beneath the hands of their boss. That they could all see him like this sent a wave of rage crashing through him.

“I will ensure that you disappear off the face of the earth, and our company will continue to prosper. And since you mentioned Arachna, I may just do a bit of investigating, and I’ll have every single person that aided you murdered in the street. But unlike you, I’ll do a better job of covering my tracks.”

“Wh-” Eric tried to speak, his voice hoarse. “Who snitched?”

Caleb gave a deep, throaty laugh. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Eric looked Caleb in the eyes. They were dark purple, almost glowing purple. The veins in his arms and neck bulged and glowed, matching his eyes in color. Eric looked up at the guards, all just standing there, waiting patiently for Caleb to finish his business.

“You know what?” Caleb said, grabbing Eric’s neck once more. “I won’t tell you a thing about our project.”

Eric felt pressure on his neck once again, slower this time. Caleb was savoring it.

“But I think I’ll show you instead. Give you one little glimpse of what you want before I crush you into ash.” Caleb’s veins and eyes glowed brighter, and he slammed Eric into the table again. More splinters, like needles, pierced his back.

Eric kicked off his boot then his sock.

Caleb didn’t seem to notice. Eric used his free hand to lazily push on Caleb, to make it seem like he was giving up, like he wasn’t trying to grab his cane between his toes. When he had the cane in the grasp of his other hand, he danced his fingers along the body until he found the small latch. He fumbled with it, then the latch came loose. The cold steel of the blade touched Eric’s finger, and he unsheathed it.

Then he plunged it into Caleb’s neck.

Caleb’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened in shock. Eric gasped for air once more as Caleb’s grip loosened. Purple blood sputtered out of his neck and onto Eric. A sweet smell filled the room. Sickeningly sweet, like honey. His stomach turned again.

Caleb’s body crumpled to the floor unceremoniously. Shouting ensued, and gunfire filled the room. Eric rolled over the side of the table, grabbing the case lying next to him. Money scattered all over the floor, and bullets whizzed past him.

Eric tore out the bottom of the case and grabbed the small device within, flipping open the plastic cover and pressing the button. An eerie roar rumbled beneath him, much worse than any clap of thunder. An explosion—several explosions.

Eric sighed as the building shook. A sigh of disappointment and relief. He looked from under the table at the guards losing their balance.

“A bit above your pay grade, don’t you think, boys?” Eric asked, trying to raise his hoarse voice above the shouting. “That was the sound of three bombs going off. If you don’t get out now, you’ll die.”

The men didn’t move, didn’t speak. Eric put his sock and boot back on and crawled out from under the table, peeking at them over the splintered wood.

Each of the guards matched Caleb’s glowing purple veins and eyes. They looked dead… until they took aim and shot their pistols. Eric ducked as gunfire rang out. Bullets perforated the window closest to him. Then he heard clicking.

They were out of ammo.

Eric laughed and stood.

Almost in sync, they dropped their guns and drew batons. Eric groaned and put a hand to his pounding head. He leaned down and ripped the blade from Caleb’s neck, frowning in disgust at the purple blood coating it. At the flip of a small switch in the middle of his cane, a scythe flicked out from the bottom and shone with a murderous gleam.

The guards moved gracefully and swiftly, like animals.

Like predators.

One jumped on the table and leapt at Eric.

Eric shoved both blades into the guard’s chest as he landed on him, his already-aching back creaking and screaming. He shoved the corpse off and rolled to his feet, catching his breath and wincing through the pain. One guard was standing in front of him. The other two rounded the table to position themselves behind him.

Eric backed toward the wall, waiting for them to strike. The two flanking him swung their batons. Eric slipped between them and planted his blade into one’s neck, leaving it there. He ducked under the swing of the next guard and spun, slicing his scythe across his throat. Blood splattered against the window.

The final guard swatted the scythe out of Eric’s hand. Eric blocked the next strike of the man’s baton, grabbed his arm, and swung him into the perforated window. It cracked from the weight. Before the guard could regain his composure, Eric’s foot connected with his chest and shoved him through the glass. His body shattered the window, and he plummeted to the concrete below.

Out of breath, needles of pain piercing down his spine, Eric picked his scythe off the ground and pulled his dagger out of the neck of the guard. He wiped the blades against the man’s clothes until most of the purple was gone.

“What just happened?” Eric asked no one, sheathing his blades and rubbing his sore neck. He coughed. Even swallowing sent a shock of pain down his throat. Rain blew in from the broken window, and the cold air sent a chill down his aching back. It ached even more as he tried to walk. He needed to get out of there before anymore guards came. The bombs would serve as a good distraction at best. That gave him time, but not much if the rest of the guards were glowing like that. Smoke flooded the hallway. Eric shoved his questions to the back of his mind, at least for now. He stepped out of the room and kept low to avoid breathing in the smoke. As he rounded the corner of the hallway, a groan emanated from the meeting room.

Eric turned slowly, his jaw dropping when Caleb appeared in the doorway, his neck wound still open and gushing purple blood.

“ERIC!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, his body covered in purple blood. His veins glowed even brighter.

Fear surged through Eric, and his hand went to his throat, the soreness not yet dissipated.

“I’ll kill you for this!”

“Can you do it after I get out of here?” Eric yelled back, trying to keep his voice steady. The door leading to the stairway was to his right.

Caleb chuckled, and three guards appeared in the doorway.

The same three Eric had just killed.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Eric groaned and ran to the door. He swung it open then froze.

Even more guards, all with glowing purple veins and eyes, were bounding up the stairs with pistols in their hands. He saw no way to run past them. Unless… The smoke thickened, and beads of sweat slid down his face.

The only way out was up.

Eric dashed up the stairs just as the guards spotted him. Gunshots rang out, echoing throughout the stairway. Eric’s ears rang as he flew up the stairs, unable to stay low as he ran, the smoke filling his lungs and the sweat stinging his eyes. More gunshots sounded. Heat ran along his skin where the bullets narrowly missed.

He came to a closed door. He tried to push it open, but the door refused to budge. Eric ran a hand through his hair, breathless. The guards were closing in.

The keys.

Eric fumbled for the keys he’d stolen from the guard at the front.

He tried the first key.

Nothing.

He swore and tried the second one.

Nothing.

He tried the third one, the sound of footsteps encroaching upon him.

Please be the right one, he thought as the lock turned and the door swung open. Smoke billowed from the stairwell. Eric crawled away from it to breathe in the fresh air, coughing and sputtering as he looked around. Rain poured down on him, and he swiped his wet hair out of his face.

Caleb’s voice rang out from the stairs as the sound of footsteps closed in. “Don’t let him get to the chopper!”

Eric shut the door, locked it, then threw the keys over the side of the building. With a smile, he showed the door his middle finger then looked at the chopper awaiting him. Horror painted the pilot’s face. The rotors were already beginning to whirl.

Eric didn’t give the pilot the opportunity to snap out of his paralysis and rushed to the chopper, forcing the door open and pointing his cane blade at his neck. “If you want to live, you get us out of here.”

The pilot shook his head as if snapping out of a trance then looked down at the blade as if just now noticing it.

Eric had no time. He’d kill the pilot and try to fly it himself if it meant getting away from whatever freak show he’d just encountered.

When the pilot nodded, Eric removed the blade from its threatening position and sheathed it, taking a seat as the pilot prepared the chopper for takeoff. His fingers were a flurry of button presses and switch flipping.

Eric’s heart pounded, and he shivered as his rain-soaked clothes clung to his back. None of this made any sense, but he wouldn’t bother trying to figure it out, not yet. Instead, he focused on the door and how it shook as the men tried to force it open. At this point, he nearly expected Caleb to phase through it with some other newfound power. He had no plan for how to kill whoever slithered out of there, but he apparently didn’t need one as the helicopter rose. The pilot put on his helmet, and his fearful eyes disappeared behind the visor. His exposed neck showed no purple veins. Still, Eric kept an eye on it. If it so much as flashed purple, the man would die instantly.

Even if they were in the air.

The pilot’s hands shook, as if he could feel Eric’s stare burning into the back of his head.

He needs to calm down if he’s going to get us out of here.

Eric glanced at the pilot’s nametag. “So, Jeremy, is it?”

“Uh… yes, sir,” Jeremy said, his voice shaking.

The helicopter rose off the ground and began its journey away from Landreau Corp. A flash of purple shone on the other side of the door, visible even where Eric was, and then it flew off its hinges. Seconds later, bullets hit the chopper’s hull as Caleb stepped out onto the rooftop.

Eric laughed when Caleb took out a knife.

He stopped laughing when Caleb slit his wrists.

Caleb gathered the blood in his hands, and before Eric could even cock his head to the side, a large purple orb of blood floated above Caleb’s palm.

The orb shot from Caleb’s hands, headed for the chopper.

Jeremy tried to swerve out of the way, but the orb still crashed into the tail rotor. At first, it seemed to do nothing other than leave a stain.

Then it started to glow.

The chopper shook as an explosion destroyed the rotor.

Jeremy swore and screamed as the chopper spun toward the trees outside of the city. He guarded his head with his arms, for all the good that would do.

Eric gripped his seat and yelled, “It was nice knowing you, Jeremy!” He laughed as the pilot’s screams worsened, refusing to allow the fear of death to haunt him. If he was going out, it would be with a smile on his face. The helicopter spun mercilessly as it plummeted to the ground. The city and the trees melded together in a blur of gray and green. And then nothing but green.

This had to be it. All that work for nothing.

He was going to die.

I hope you’re going to be okay, Lance.