Chapter 3

His left eye contained a bottomless ocean of flames; with it, he had seen the end and now, even as he trekked the desert before the birth of time, he knew he would see it again.

Confetti, Frank Sinatra, hope, love — it was all there. New York City, Times Square, the ball had just dropped, and Jesse Treiv watched with a smile from the roof of a building overlooking it all. The joy in people's hearts here, that’s what she came to see; Jesse loved New Year's. The day of a new beginning, one she sorely needed.

She had just turned 20 this past year, she had just been welcomed as a seer. Ken had found her, brought her in, taught her how to use the gifts she had, and now, he was gone. Her soul ached, and she wasn’t alone; she could see it in the others as well when they found out. Poor George, the old man had been the one to call the meeting, pass on the news. He was strong for them, but Jessie saw it, his cane shook, just a little, when he was trying to find the words, when everyone else was jabbering because Ken and Jacob hadn’t shown up yet.

Jessie jumped up and shook herself off. “New Year…” she whispered and looked back down at the crowd in celebration. She felt her spirit rise, just before the hair on the back of her neck did. Jessie slowly turned to look, taking in every detail she could see until she found it, a few miles away, three souls were walking slowly through the city alone, they were ground zero for a miasma of evil following through the city.

She began making her way to them, rooftop to rooftop, when she noticed the air around her was getting denser, hair across her body began to react to a buildup of static. Jessie stopped, and the cloud moved past her before a tall man erupted into existence and scattered it. Scott Turner, Seer of the Messenger, now stood in front of her.

“Good morning Miss Treiv, happy new year!” His accent was thick, like he’d been plucked out of some TV skit about Georgia. “Sorry for the rough landing, you were in such a hurry I didn’t want you to slam into me.” She was looking right through him. “Is there something wrong, ma’am?” Scott turned to look the way she was, and then held out his hand. “I see.” He somewhat mumbled. “Why don’t we go pay our friends a visit?”

Jessie took his hand and was suddenly on the ledge of a much shorter building, looking down at an alleyway with three hooded men in it. Scott looked at her and nodded, then put his hands in his pockets, and stepped off the side. He descended slowly and landed silently behind the trio, Jessie closed her eyes and faded into the night, and Scott spoke.

“Excuse me, gentlemen, could I trouble y’all to answer me a question or two?” The man in the middle turned; Scott didn’t recoil, that would be rude, but he wanted to. The scars were deep and numerous; his right eye was green, mostly normal, but the other was dead gray and it locked onto him just as tightly as the other, only, there was nothing behind it. Scott forced himself not to focus on the individual features and look at the face as a whole. Then he saw it, right when the snake spoke in gravel-ese.

“Sure thing, Scottie.” Jacob smiled. “I do love our talks.” Scott stepped back and held out a hand; a massive black revolver flashed into his grip, “Pain,” etched into the side of its barrel in gold. “Mind telling me what it is you think you’re doing here, Kergin?” The other two men turned to face Scott, and he could have passed out.

Three, Scott was looking at three Jacob Kergins, equally scared, duplicate eyes. Scott watched in what must have been visible horror as their dead, grey eyes shifted into the Soul Sight. The first Jacob began to laugh hysterically. Scott hardened himself, washed himself of expression, his blue eyes rippled. He felt their intentions break upon his own like a truck hitting a wall. They felt it too, the two Jacobs on the side tensed, and the one in the middle stopped laughing, just in time for the 500 magnum pill to excise his head from his body.

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As the body fell away, Scott held out his left hand and Pain's sister, "Fear," flashed into existence. Scott directed the twins at his remaining adversaries, but they were gone. He felt a wave of intent at his back and spun to find one of them had reappeared behind him some distance away. "Neat trick." He mumbled as he exploded to the serpent's position. Gravel seemingly stuck in the air from his passage he placed both barrels against his opponent's chest, "How's mine?" Scott fired, the rounds slammed into the wall behind where the serpent that now stood on the air above where he had just been. Scott took aim again when he was suddenly grabbed from behind; he fought to shake himself free as the flying snake came back down in front of him.

Jacob reared back and slammed his fist into Scott's ribs, the shot was powerful but not unbearable, until Jacob hit that spot again, and again. Scott's mind raced for a solution as his ribs began to crack under the force and Pain slipped from his grip. Sensing an opportunity, Scott slipped his foot behind his captor's, and as Jacob reared back for his umpteenth hit Scott flipped halfway around, sweeping the Jacob holding him up with him, and stopping midair as that next hit finally found a new target somewhere in his enemy's back. The hold loosened, so Scott grabbed his grabber and used the rest of his flip to fling him at his tormenter.

Scott knelt down to scoop Pain from the pavement, and catch his breath, before he looked up to find one Jacob peeling himself off a wall, and the other slightly struggling to find his footing, missing his head. Scott's eyes must have looked like dinner plates, his hesitation long enough for the Jacob with his head still attached to recover enough to look at him, and the headless one began moving towards him. Scott aimed Pain at the monster's chest, and the round found its knee instead. The serpent slammed into the ground as its nearly severed leg swung out from underneath it.

Realizing the shake in his hands from pain and shock, Scott shook himself off and took aim again as the freak fought its way up on its hands. This time, he left a perfect half-inch hole dead center of its chest, and it flopped back down, its soul completely gone. The next Jacob charged Scott from his spot at the wall, Scott fired again, the bullet tore through the serpent's left shoulder. Scott pulled the trigger again, but the hammer fell on a fired round; the dull thud was the loudest sound Scott had ever heard. He didn't have time to bring Fear to bear as Jacob towered over his still kneeling form, a right hand ready to come down like crashing thunder. Then he stopped dead, blood flowed from the center of

his chest, and Jesse materialized between them, her rapier from under her veil stuck through Jacob's chest. Scott gasped a thanks, Jesse barely heard him; she'd saved him, but her game was just beginning.

Feeling intent on her right, she ducked just in time to feel the air rush over her head as the final, invisible Jacob struck out at her. She stepped back as a second swing cleaved at where she had been standing. Jesse stepped away from Scott to create some room to breathe, but Jacob's intent vanished from the air. She waited, began to focus, sound flowed back in. Scott's labored breathing, the sound of traffic in the distance, police sirens getting closer. She willed herself to drown it out, to find her target again.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, evil intent hit her like a wave. More than she thought possible. It was everywhere; air caught in her throat, she was staring into a miasma of pitch-black. She abandoned her soul-sight, the weight of the intent vanished, she could breathe again, but now she might as well have been blind.

Her moment of respite a mistake she realized she'd have to pay for when an invisible hand grabbed her sword arm at the wrist. She heard Jacob speak. "This hardly seems fair, Miss Treiv; we didn't bring any weapons. Could I trouble you to borrow yours?" He began to twist her wrist as he used it to lift her from the ground. Her sword clattered to the ground, his fist slammed into her stomach, and he dropped her in a pile to the pavement.

Jacob lifted the blade from the ground and addressed them again. "I really wish you kids would stop breaking my things, these are not easy to find nor—" He was cut off when a giant revolver slammed into his face, the blow shattered his invisibility, and as Pain fell to the ground Fear roared in its wake. A hole in its chest, the soulless Jacob crumpled at his knees.

Scott dragged the headless Jacob over to Jesse. Helping her up before retrieving their weapons, he tossed the headless one onto his shoulder, put his foot on the one on the ground, and held out his hand. "Would you like me to take you home, Miss Treiv?" She failed to stifle a laugh, worked up her terrible impression of a southern accent, and replied, "If you would be so kind."