Chapter 18

The alarm woke us up with its abhorrent cacophony. Nellie grumbled sleepily and wiggled around, turning over and I jumped out of bed and quickly dressed. I left my lover still clad in nothing but my bedsheets.

I still had time before I went to work so grabbing a speedy breakfast I plopped onto my couch and began to think. Long ago on a planet called Earth I fell in love with the most beautiful woman ever fashioned. We were going to have an extravagant wedding and maybe some buns in the oven.

Neither of us had sex with the other. We were both waiting for the wedding night. But alas life didn't go that way. A war came, a very stupid war that was fought for a very stupid reason. Of course you know the rest.

Last night I copulated with a woman I'd fallen in love with on a place far from Earth. I had just consummated my affections for her just as I was going to have to head back to Earth. “Stupid, MacGaven! Now you're in it for the long haul.” I scolded myself.

The return to Earth would also mean the blowing of my cover unless they did some fudging like a bogus early release or commuted sentence. At least I had the option to return no matter how long it took.

Nellie had put on a lacey slip that she had packed. It looked good on her. Anything looked good on her. She walked over to me. I stood up and gave her a quick kiss. “I've got to go, Baby.”

“I know,” She said softly, “Can I come back tonight or should we wait for the weekend?”

“Come back tonight if you want,” I replied. “I'd like to rest my eyes on something besides computer parts.”

That night finally rolled around after much anticipation. While waiting for Nellie I tried several times to contact Delaney to let him know I would soon be out of his hair.

Zilch. He wasn't answering. Was he really that ticked off? I finally gave up. I wasn't about to kill my mood. I occupied myself with a thick,non-fiction hardback I purchased on my way home until the buzzer of my door announced Nellie's arrival.

She was wearing a white lace top that blurred the line dress and lingerie. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me for an eternity. I stared into her eyes and found worry. “Nellie, what's wrong?”

“I think someone was following me.”

“You're safe here.”

“I know.”

She made our evening meal and it was dined upon with great vigor. Afterwards we were simply enjoying each other's company. I could tell we'd be spending another night in bed together. No we couldn't. I couldn't. Was that the buzzer of my door?

Nellie separated her lips from mine and returned the straps of her dress to the tops of her shoulders. She uttered something I will not repeat. I answered the door and was not expecting to find Hardcase Delaney pointing a gun in my face while a small gaggle of soldiers stood behind him. He ordered them to wait outside and he shoved me inside as the door closed behind him.

He glared daggers at Nellie. “You little slut,” he growled at her. “I was hoping I was wrong but no you left me for Him!”

She was furious now. I was in shock. She spoke, “What of it? Why does it matter if I'm with him or some rando off of the street?

“Stupid whore! He's an investigator with the space force. He was probably banging you just to get information he could use to shut me down!”

She stared at me bemused and asked “You lied to me?”

“Did I? If a man pretends to be a conman and he's not does that not in fact make him a conman?

“He's right only up to a point. I was sent here to sniff out corruption. I did and the son of a gun is back on Earth. I have a contact I reported to. Not once did I mention the Warden here letting a cathouse operate untouched.

“I figured he had a good reason. I didn't know it was because he was dating you at the time.”

I turned to Delaney, “I promise you, Delaney she never mentioned it.”

“Enough of the bull crap!” He still had his piece aimed at me. This was a situation that would not be defused and was fixing to explode. “I'm sending you away, MacGaven.”

“Once you do, who's going to help you catch that serial killer of yours?”

“I don't know and I don't care.”

“Come on, Delaney. Put down your gun and let's talk about this. The boys back home are shipping me back Earthside next month.”

“No, Screw that! I'm arresting you, Tom MacGaven! It is the only option left to me since that pipe up your head didn't deter you!”

So that was him or a hired thug.

“On what charge?”

“Murder.”

It happened so fast it was surreal. He turned away from me and I heard five shots that made my ears ring. I looked over and saw Nellie's white dress had turned dark crimson. Her eyes showed no signs of life except a surprised look frozen on her face. At least she died instantly.

Delaney turned his attention back to me. His eyes blazed with hate, jealousy, and desperation. His desire to not lose his home,crappy though it was, had robbed him of logic and reason.

I slipped my hand into my jacket and pulled out my own pistol and fired once. I tagged his shoulder and he flinched and swore. He traded hands with his pistol. “Thanks. Now I can use lethal force.”

I sighed. I was about to have to put him down like a rabid dog. He fired three shots in my direction. One grazed my left arm, another ripped through my right pectoral. The last one missed me. New plan. I did a face dive out of my apartment's sole window.

The move was unexpected and took Delany and his men by surprise. I began to make my getaway when I heard the Warden shouting to his men that they were authorized to use lethal force to take me down. I heard the shots and felt a bullet go through my leg.

They gave chase and at last they nearly had me cornered when a gigantic form lumbered out of the darkness and began coming toward them. Delaney knew what he was looking at and was a little too enthusiastic. “Sweet Mother Mary! Tonight I take care of two problems at once!

“Boys, our fugitive can wait, let's take out this other murdering trash first!”

The shadow killer was then illuminated in the light of Delaney's gunfire. The hulking figure bellowed and snatched up the Warden like he was a rag doll. I could hear the sickening sound of bones fragmenting as the killer squeezed Hardcase to death. “Light– urk-him u…”

Those gas mask wearing troopers did as they were bid and opened fire on the menace that dished out death for two years. I finally got a good look at him. I was stunned. It was Johnston! Somehow the cult had transformed their deceased founder into a titanic murder machine.

The abomination dropped the Warden. It was too late for him. Justice had been dealt in a macabre fashion. He lay broken. Blood seeped from his eyes,ears, and mouth. Two of the guards grabbed me and drug me forward. “Come on, fugitive. That thing left a trail of some kind. We're hunting it down & you're coming with us!”

I dropped the truth bomb about who I was and what I was doing here. They didn't believe me at first but they made a call to a member of the warden's inner circle. I don't know what was said but I could read the poor leader’s expression beneath his gas mask. “He's telling the truth, boys.”

“I'm not sure why the Warden had us huntin’ you down but I'm plumb sorry about it. Let's get you patched up!”

“No,” I said. “This can't wait, I know where the monster's lair is.”

We followed the glowing ooze to a dumpster in the alley of the cult’s temple. On a hunch I pushed on the dumpster which caused my bullet wounds to bleed out faster. There was a metallic sound and the dumpster slid aside along with a section of the wall. A hidden passage. Cliché but effective.

The green blood trail led inside and we followed it to a laboratory that would have made Victor Frankenstein orgasmic. Several cultists were there in lab coats and robes tending to the wounds of their false idol including the crazy old man. He looked at me. “Defilers! Infidels! Behold he whom you have wronged. Father Abraham’s avatar.”

The colossus that in life had been a scientist turned cult leader rose from his operating table. The old man continued his mad spewing of vile doctrine. “He's been seeking out a more holy vessel just as he foretold but none have been worthy so he destroys their shell to liberate their souls!”

Johnston approached the boisterous zealot. “No!” he cried out. I'm unworthy! I am not worthy!” so the old coot died a totally devout human pretzel.

The soldiers had seen enough. We all opened fire on the abomination. It flailed its arms and I was sent crashing into a stack of wooden crates with enough force to to splinter them. I spit out thick gobs of blood. I didn't need a medical professional to tell me I was busted up internally.

The resurrected Johnston wasn't fairing so well either he was pouring green blood from many bullet wounds but the mad science that birthed him had nearly made him a juggernaut. The cultists were either dead or had retreated. Most of the soldiers had gone out fighting. I ordered the remaining ones to retreat and call reinforcements. The whole cult was going down tonight. That left me alone with Jumbo.

He saw me and moved to finish me off. I struggled to raise my gun and I fired six shots into the one spot on his mammoth body the soldiers had not yet hit, his head.

Johnston fell to the concrete floor and I knew that he'd been returned at last to the grave. I picked myself up and limped out of the unholy place. I didn't have time to wait for the ultimate take down though after everything that had happened I would have loved to.

One of the guardsmen asked me,”Where are you going, Sir?”

“To a doctor, Soldier.”

Broken and bleeding I merged with the late night crowd. Maybe I'll make it to Dr. Magnus or maybe this place will live up to its name, Grifter's End.