Page 100 - TheRedSon_PrintInterior_430pp_5.5x8.5_9-22-2019_v1

to loosen up, become a little less rigid, more bendable. So I
been busy takin’ out the load-bearing beams, ya know? The
jerk’s whose disbelief makes it hard for the roof to collapse,
so’s the whole thing can be torn down ta make room for a
completely new place, a better place. That’s overkill, I know,
but I like to make sure a thing’s done the right way. So here
I am, with the rest’a you, tryin’ ta be the last wolf standing.
And I mean ta be. Cuz their aint no way yer gonna stop this
house from comin’ down, big man!”
The Mad Mercenary had been up to more than merely
demonstrating his gymnastic ability when I’d thrown him
from me—he’d been collecting one of his fallen handguns.
Three bullets entered my belly. Not wishing to accommodate
a fourth, I whipped my sister across his throat.
The killer’s body fell to the floor, his head remaining
firmly in my grasp. I turned, eagerly expecting to see Janus
and Jack locked in their deadly contest. Jack was fully
present, but Janus—his head and both his faces—hung
pendulously from the Soul Carver’s clenched fist. Jack,
his pumpkin face aglow, raised his empty hand and waved
furiously. “Happy Halloween, Family Man!”
“Happy Halloween, Jack,” I responded with equal
sincerity. Halloween is, after all, my favorite holiday.
We searched each other, sinking our gazes into the other’s
soul, seeking out even the smallest of insights. I had yet
to determine if Jack intended to kill me, and so I used the
moments leading up to that discovery to reach down and
collect my fallen opponent’s kill list. Upon standing, Jack’s
face seemed to grow inhumanly large and comical. I realized
I was losing quite a bit of blood. I certainly couldn’t blame
Jack if he tried to take my life. I was clearly weakened, and
removing one more player from the game—in the proper
order or not—would certainly benefit him.
I was disappointed to learn that such a lean calculation
could find a place in Jack’s head—I’d hoped it was too full
of candy corn and nonsense to do anything other than spread
The Red Son | 103