We had arrived here after a long journey by wagon and then on foot, the compass had disappeared, but what was here? Well. It looked like an abandoned industrial complex, or at least dormant for the moment.

People could be killed and disappear at any time and in any place. Of course. No one knew that better than I did.

But this place seemed especially appropriate for something like this.

Again, no one knew better than me, at least among those present. I had sent a few to sleep with the fishes in places like this. I'd also tortured some poor bastards, sticking their heads in the water while grabbing them by the legs.

Am I proud of it? Of course not, but you know. Orders and money. Especially the latter.

I'm not proud of it, but you'll never see me ashamed of doing what it takes to survive. But well, let's get down to business.

“Okay, it's disappearance means it's here,” I said. “But where?”

“We'll find it. Don't make that face.” I wondered what kind of face I had made. “If we get in trouble, I can fight. I can protect you both.”

Lucia didn't look capable of that.

Not because she was a woman, obviously, but because of her physique. But this was a world of magic and fantasy. She didn't need to have toned muscles to beat someone up. Plague was proof of that too, though her tentacles and monstrous strength had little magical about them, just inhuman.

Speaking of her.

“I don't need protection.” I figured she'd say that. Maybe I should be worried that I was beginning to understand the mind of an inhuman creature, but I had other priorities.

Like my soul.

Which was right here, somewhere. Finally.

“I know.” That, however, I hadn't expected. Nor Lucia's laugh, as if she'd told a joke. “I noticed it when you grabbed me. I thought you were going to break my wrist.”

Good thing she'd interpreted that differently, instead of following the trail to the truth, or I'd be screwed. More accurately, we'd both be screwed, but I didn't much care for Plague. How could I, when she'd admitted she'd gladly stab me in the back from the start?

“So?”

“Nothing. I'll do what I can to help, however I can. That's all.”

Lucia was another story, even though it had only been a couple of hours at most since I'd met her. She really was too good, an endangered species. Yes, yes, I know I say that a lot, but it's worth emphasizing.

If she had become a nun it was because she believed in what she was selling, and that's not too common either, in my experience.

I really hoped this little nun didn't come out too bad for getting involved in my disastrous life or the guilt was going to eat away at me for a long time. Maybe for the rest of my life. I could be a criminal, a murderer and many other things.

But not an asshole.

I was used to breaking the legs of people who had dug themselves into the same hole I had. People who deserved what I deserved. Not innocent people. I had never hurt a child. I had hurt women, but it was hard to stick to your principles when they were trying to fill you with bullet holes.

We kept moving through the compound, the three of us together, close together, instead of splitting up to cover more ground or some other stupid horror movie idea. Then there was a loud noise.

I didn't even know what it was, but I gasped.

“Fuck!” And I blurted that out.

I realized what I had said and looked sideways at Lucia, waiting for her to react as was to be expected for a nun who had heard a child use words he shouldn't have.

“What's the matter? I may not like that sort of language, but it's a natural reaction when people are on edge.”

Oh.

Was it really possible to be this nice to the core? Hell, there had to be something fishy going on here. That's what I thought and what anyone over the age of ten would think, I thought.

Let me get ahead of the course of events again.

It was just that I was rotten inside, unable to trust the kindness of anyone but my family, but that was no cat in the bag. It was more than obvious.

We got as far as a warehouse.

As soon as we opened it, we found trouble. It looked like a vampire was drinking someone, biting deep into their neck. I could see his victim's face perfectly from here.

His head hung back, he was pale and his eyes were staring into nothingness.

He wasn't dead. Not yet. But it looked as if he was, as if the bite itself had plunged him into a stupor. Creepy as fuck.

Was this what we were looking for? I was having a hard time thinking that not only was my soul hanging around, but that this thing was hunting.

That is, that the two things were in no way related.

This had to be the creature that had stolen my soul. That was what I wanted to believe and what I sensed, because I didn't believe in coincidences.

I could also see the vampire, or whatever it was, well. It was covered with a cloak.

I could also see the vampire, or whatever it was, well. It was covered in a black hooded cloak, like the reapers I had encountered so far or Death, but it was visible.

Good.

“Let him go,” Lucia said, tensely, taking a step forward. To stand in front of us, that is, between us and the vampire. Kind, courageous, bodacious, what in God's name didn't she have?

Ahem.

I supposed it made sense, after all. That this thing was the one who had stolen my soul. Vampires were basically immortal, right? That they were literally against Death and his minions wasn't a big leap or hard to believe.

The vampire obeyed. The sound of that poor bastard's head hitting the ground sounded loud, but it didn't seem very likely he could be saved anyways.

I would bet that the only chance of getting him help in time had passed when that thing left him almost empty.

He looked at us. No, he looked at me, specifically.

He recognized me. I knew before he confirmed it.

“Ah, it's you. Congratulations on managing to find me.” Another pretentious bastard openly mocking me. Speaking of which, I hoped the masked one had been torn to shreds by Death.

It was just what he deserved and the most likely thing.

Seriously, call Death himself, on purpose? There were easier ways to commit suicide.

“Do you have my soul?”

It had to be him. Because it couldn't be a coincidence that he was here and because he had recognized me, a thing in a world where I hadn't existed until a couple of days ago shouldn't be able to recognize me. It could only be him. But I felt the need to ask anyway.

“Right here. Come and get it, if you think you can. Or want to.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Confirmed. I frowned, bracing myself for the inevitable fight.

I called the swords into my hands, and the weapons I had picked up to this one now floated around me, spectral, almost transparent, waiting to be fired like bullets.

It wouldn't be the final battle, even if I beat him here. I also had to deal with the bastards who had threatened my sister. Extinguish every last one of them, to eliminate the possibility of them getting their hands on her.

But I was itching to cross this off the list. It was already Wednesday, god!

“What the fuck do you mean by that?”

He probably wouldn't have explained shit to me anyway, but Plague didn't give him time. Two and a half days waiting was having the patience of a saint for her species. She couldn't take it anymore.

She lunged for the thing.

All that mattered was that it had what Plague had been anticipating for so long. That the time had finally come. She didn't bring out the tentacles, revealing herself to Lucia, I was surprised she still cared about that for some reason.

But, still, it was too easy.

That thing caught her in midair, spun her around like a spinning top, and tossed her around like he was handling a child's toy.

Plague crashed into a pile of crates, knocking that little tower down, and fell among the crates and the cloud of dust that rose up. Not defeated, not by a long shot. Not yet.

But you could tell she was surprised, that he'd shaken her confidence, if only a little.

“And you've gathered some interesting friends.” The creature licked the remaining blood from the corners of its mouth, none of which was his own. An unconscious gesture, but one that I could tell he enjoyed very much. He was a creepy bastard without trying. “A nun and... I don't know what this is, but not human, that's for sure.”

Shit, he'd had to say it, of course. At least now Lucia only knew “Miss Elizabeth” wasn't human, not a Plague, though I doubted she'd be comfortable with any kind of inhuman being.

Maybe I could manage to get out of this when this was all over, assuming Plague didn't go off the deep end, or be forced to reveal her true form. But, well.

If I couldn't in the end, it was clear who my most valuable ally was right now.

Lucia was the only one who was truly on my side. Plague just wanted to eat.

“I guess I should congratulate you. I didn't expect you to interfere with my plans...”

“Shut up!”

In spite of everything, it seemed that Lucia wasn't going to turn her back on me. And why should she? Even if she believed the vampire's words, surely she had immediately assumed that Plague had tricked me, rather than that she was the one being tricked.

If that thing had been there when I died, however it had been, then it must have seen that I was no child, but it hadn't revealed it yet. As for the weapons, perhaps she believed I was a privileged child who had studied magic from a very young age.

Lucia jumped; it was as if she hit a ball that had come towards her playing basketball.

But on impact (in nothing but air) what flew out of the palm of her hands were flames. The docile and peaceful-looking nun knew magic and didn't mess around. Not for healing, although it was possible, she was capable of that, but magic to make her enemies burn alive.

Damn.

But I got another surprise right away. The vampire raised a gloved hand, where it received the attack. The flames dissipated to nothing. Just like that. Just like that, for the second time.

“But you're a fighter. I'll give you that.”

I wish it had stopped there.

The vampire struck back. Just by moving one hand to the left, he threw her at least ten meters in that direction without even touching her.

She was neither dead nor out cold, but it still made me take a step back. And be thankful I didn't have a neck that guy could break.

“Are you scared?” The worst thing is that I couldn't deny it. But it doesn't matter. No matter if I was scared or the bravest person in the world, there was no turning back and no other way. I had to defeat him and take back my soul, my life. It was that simple. “I'll make sure you can't interfere with my plans. I will correct my mistakes.”

To this abomination of nature, I was nothing more than a mess I had left behind when I had clumsily cleaned up the scene of the crime.

I grinned from ear to ear. Fierce, brutal.

“You're not the only one who's tried to correct me. No one has had any luck.”

Then, like a hammer in my head, my voice echoing: It's my mission. Life took many turns, but some things didn't change.

I ran after that creature with everything I had, reaching a considerable speed even though my legs were now so short. But the clash didn't happen.

Our weapons didn't clash violently. I came to a halt with the same abruptness with which I had shot out from the starting point.

That was because the vampire had torn his neck with his own claws. And when I say claws, I mean nails so long that they were practically real claws.

The vampire had stopped as well. Naturally it would be difficult to take even one step with such a serious wound.

The blood was coming out so quickly and violently that it reminded me of water being spat out by a sprinkler. The macabre image turned my stomach. I don't know what exactly made me think of that, but the fact was that the flow of blood was unnatural.

“What the fuck?” I swallowed.

Of course, it was a big mistake.

Even if there was no trick to it, I should have rushed to finish the job the lunatic had started. But of course, it did have a trick.

He hadn't come this far, stealing my soul and making enemies of those working behind the curtain, only to commit suicide now. By dying he would do nothing more than put himself in the hands of those enemies, after all.

A large portion of the spilled blood solidified in the blink of an eye, transforming into a scythe. It might not be a practical weapon, but it was intimidating, it sent a clear message.

I should have taken advantage of that space, that moment of vulnerability, to end this.

Unfortunately, I had wasted my time by getting surprised. I swore it wouldn't happen again, but nothing could change the fact that I had wasted a great opportunity. And that I might never have one like that again.

I resumed the charge and this time we did collide. Our weapons and our bodies too, almost.

I fired the ghostly weapons floating around me. Some hit the vampire and cut him, but didn't inflict serious wounds. What counted as a serious wound in the first place, when he had cut his neck seconds ago and the wound had already closed?

If his weapon was blood, it could be said that I was helping him by wounding him.

“You really are nothing but a child, meddling in things you don't understand.”

Decapitation, I decided. That was how vampires were killed, wasn't it? Decapitation or a stake through the heart or both, but I didn't have any stakes or time to make one.

“Don't give me that bullshit. You have trespassed on my soul. This is nothing more than what you've brought on yourself.”

We both threw our arms back at the same time, attacked, our weapons clashing again. Steel against solidified blood. Still, it didn't sound like my blades hit something hard, it sounded like I'd plunged them into a pool of blood.

Grotesque. The whole thing was disgusting and unfair.

“And what did you bring on yourself, coming here with only three people, when you're so weak?”

You left me no time to waste. I thought about saying that or something like that, but I bit my tongue, aware that it would sound like a weak response. Like a child protesting.

We both seemed to think the best defense was a good offense. We didn't move an inch from the spot, and the only way we dodged blows was by smashing our weapon into each other's before they could reach us.

A continuous exchange of blows, which for the moment didn't end but which I was clearly losing.

Not just because I was weaker, although I was, but because I was shorter. That was perhaps the most important thing. The difference in height. For it was a hole in my defenses that I couldn't cover no matter how hard I tried.

The exchange of blows ended, though to be fair, later than I had thought. One of my swords went flying after colliding with the scythe, so hard that it hurt, and I stared at the empty hand like an imbecile.

Only for a millisecond, though.

I dropped to the ground on my knees, dodging the scythe that would have 'slashed' my throat. I wasn't sure if it could kill me or the equivalent for someone who was already dead, but I wasn't going to risk it either.

Like a shark smelling blood in the water, the vampire started attacking twice as fast and violently as soon as it saw my weakness. Soon I could only defend with the only sword I had left, and not too well.

Each strike made my whole body tremble. With each strike I was convinced that I would lose this sword as well, a belief that sooner or later would come true. It was only a matter of time.

The bastard was smiling. A wide smile to the point where his fangs were visible, gleaming white, except for the blood that still stained them, of course. He must have been itching to sink those fangs into my neck.

Not to suck blood, which there wasn't any, but to rip it out. I swallowed, suddenly as frightened as I should have been from the start, at the thought of that.

And at the thought of the fact that I couldn't win.

That he was right. I'd brought on myself...

The vampire burned. Lucia had attacked again, but this time he hadn't noticed until it was too late to dispel the flames. He whirled, screaming, holding his hands to his head. Nothing but a dark silhouette amidst the inferno of flames.

Would that do anything to my soul? I should have thought about that, but in reality, I just felt a wild satisfaction in watching him burn.

He ran to the side, throwing himself against a wall, consciously or unconsciously. Could one even make a conscious decision in so much pain?

The vampire was strong. The wall filled with cracks from the impact alone.

Plague jumped on top of him and grabbed him by the shoulders. Seeing her intervene only now was when I realized how long the exchange of blows had actually lasted.

The flames, ever ravenous, spread to Plague's body, but she didn't seem to mind. She should, even if it was just a 'suit' she was wearing over her real body, but she didn't seem to.

Then she simply slammed him against the same wall and finished what the bastard had started.

The job of opening a hole in the wall and taking them to the other side.

If throwing himself against the wall had been a conscious decision, then he must have been looking for water. The complex was surrounded by the city on one side and the sea on the other, the harbor was nearby. He wouldn't have found it difficult. But now he was trapped. At last, at last, at last.

I couldn't even finish the sentence, but it kept repeating in my head. At last, at last, at last. Heart pounding, I move closer to the hole in the wall, I had to kill her before she could devour my soul and spoil all my efforts.

I saw them.

Through the cloud of dust and falling debris, I saw Plague's back open and tentacles flailing. It was hungry.

“It can't be...” Lucia's voice low behind me, still on the ground.

Oh yes.

Not only had she revealed herself to Lucia, but it was broad daylight. Anyone passing by on the street would see her. And those things, those drone-like devices....

Fuck, this was going to turn into a big mess, involving even the people of the city, from which it would be hard for anyone to come out of it well.

Except for me.

All I needed was to get my hands on my soul. As long as I could do that, I would get out of this one intact. No prison could hold me. Not for long.

The rest would be to give my all to save my sister from the sons of bitches who had manipulated this situation.

From the beings who worked behind the curtain.

This was only the first step, but at least when I had my soul I could move more freely. And I would have all the time I needed to put an end to this.