Path to Darkness

You suppose you weren't as smart as you thought, though. If you were then you wouldn't be dying now would you? You wonder what you're dying of... Poison? Blood loss? Internal bleeding? Vital organ damage? Most likely a little of all of them.

You never did like cops all that much. Even when you weren't on the run, back when you were a PI. They've always pissed you off. Always taking credit for someone else's case. It's ironic, then, that you end up cornered by two of them. You could have sworn that you've been here before, a life-time ago. "Drop the weapon and put your hands where we can see them!" So bossy. Such false bravado. You can see their guns shaking. You drop your knife and gun, put your hands on your head, and slowly turn to face them. You smile, and you can see the terror in their eyes. Ever since you were tortured via Glasgow smile, yours has had a rather different effect on people. You take a step forward. "Don't move!" One of them says. You keep walking. "Now boys, you're dealing with a serial killer that's been rampaging for over a decade here. What makes you think I'll back down now? What makes you think that I can't kill you with my own two hands? Human bones in this day and age are rather fragile, wouldn't you say?" You're less than a step away from them. Maybe you should spare them, now is the time for escape and not having fun. But then if you let them live, then the cops will have a witnesses description of you. Although... You have been rather bored of outwitting them so easily. After all, poker looses it's fun when you always have all the cards. Your smile grows bigger and you begin to laugh slightly. You lean in close to them. "Remember my face, oh honorable policemen. For you will be seeing it much more from now on." You whisper to them. Then you laugh. You laugh like you never have before. Yes, you weren't the smartest of your kind. Soon after you had escaped, you made the stupidest decision of your life. You walked into a bank, looked straight into the camera, and started killing people. You crouched behind the counter as they fired. You clutched your lightly wounded arm and laughed again. Finally! Now this is fun! How will you get out of this one? Or maybe you won't! You laugh harder at this thought. Oh now that would be fun. The bullets stop. The phone near you rings. You answer, it would be impolite not to. "Come out and release the hostages." Ooh, so demanding today. "I don't have any hostages. All of the ones I had are dead now. Besides, if I just gave myself over to you it would be far too anticlimactic. But don't think you can gas me, the vaults in here are air tight." A pause. He's probably consulting with someone. You're about to hang up when he starts talking again. "So then what would be "climactic" enough to end this with." You laugh. You think you startled him. "What indeed! How about this; surprise me. Out smart me. Do something I've never seen done before. Catch me. If you can!" You laugh again and hang up. You dive into the elevator when you hear people coming inside. You press the down button, down to the basement, and then climb out the top and up the cables. It's harder than you thought it would be. But once you get about ten floors up you manage to get out without falling to your death. Now, time to fall to your death. You walk through the deserted floor and look for a good spot to jump. You're nothing if not diligent, so after searching everywhere you pick a spot and smash the window. It was such a nice desk too. Oh well. You take a running start and jump. You had never done this before, so you didn't know how much force you'd been to clear the gap and not break the other window. Luckily you manage it. It's cracked but not broken. Once you reach the ledge, you smash it the rest of the way. You jump down and hope the multiple cloth canopies are enough to break your fall. There are only so many times and idiot can be a genius. You weren't caught. Not then. Later, the local syndicate decided that they didn't like you. Needless to say, you lost that game.

"I'm fairly certain that you'll have to tell me before I answer." You rasp. He smiles. "It's very simple really. Become my slave, and immortal. Or don't, and die." He says. You cock your head to the side with a slight frown. "Is that all? How disappointing. I was hoping for something a tad better. In that case, leave and let me enjoy my last killing." He's frowning now. "I think you misunderstood. You will live forever, with power beyond that of your wildest dreams." He says. You smile now. "The price. What was it exactly?" You ask. "You will be my slave, and do everything I tell you without question or hesitation." He says, still frowning. "In that case, your wish is my command. Master." He smiles. Then you're standing. Theres no more blood. You laugh. You don't know who he is. Or how he could bestow such a gift on you. But you know one thing: you're going to do anything he tells you to do. So naturally, the very first thing you do is rip out his vocal chords. Then you proceed to thank him and then kill him.

You don't care that you probably just killed a god. Nor do you care that both the syndicate and the national government think you're dead. All you care about is the fact that you're still alive, and unhindered. You can't wait to get to work again. You laugh.