the darkness that was coalescing around them. Clearer than he’d ever seen it. Was it getting stronger?
Emmanuel spoke beside him, as if answering his thoughts. “You’ve sobered up. That gives you a little more control. Use it.”
Use it? Use what?
The men stepped closer, their animosity increasing as the energy swirled around them. “Looks like he’s too stupid to talk. I was hoping for more of a challenge, but maybe quick and dirty is better. Be home in time to watch my shows.”
What was it? He barely heard the kids posturing as he studied the shadows around him. It wasn’t a djab . This close he could sense the difference. That was a relief, he supposed, though the only one he could find in the situation.
Sooty darkness that was more absence of light than form. It was also less focused, less sentient, than the spirit he’d been taken over by, but no less threatening.
It appeared to gravitate toward the most confrontational men in the group like a plant reaching for the sun. But was it influencing those emotions, causing them, or just drawn to them?
He knew the instant it noticed him. Like a predator sensing it was being watched, it stilled and seemed to turn in his direction.
Maybe that bastard, Father Leon, was right, and evil recognized him as one of its own. That familiar tension, the heaviness he’d come to associate with the shadows, settled around him as the darkness drew closer. It wanted to control him. To take him over.
Emmanuel’s voice, sounding far away, was urgent. “Focus, Gabriel. Use it; don’t let it use you. Shit, you aren’t ready for this.”
A haze covered his eyes and he felt his upper lip curl in an ugly sneer. “Fuck you. I can handle these punks with my eyes closed. If you don’t have anything constructive to say, just shut the hell up.”
The chorus of disbelieving voices made Gabriel realize he’d spoken aloud. They thought he was talking to them.
“Great.”
The largest of the five shook his head, and Gabriel noticed the shadows tangling like razor-sharp vines around this thug in particular. He could feel them around his own body, too, seeping into his flesh, creeping through his veins like a dark, sizzling poison.
The group’s leader held out his hands, bringing Gabriel’s attention back to him. “See? Some people just don’t know how this game works. Now I have to let the boys take turns bouncing your head off the sidewalk. But only after I get mine.”
The first punch came quick and knocked him to his knees. What the hell? He did a quick internal inventory. Nothing was broken. This time.
It was a damn shame he wasn’t drinking anymore. The fights he’d been getting into for the past year hurt a lot less when he’d been drinking.
While the men laughed around him, he looked up at Emmanuel. “I assume you’ll be no fucking help at all, will you?”
Emmanuel winced, but shook his head. “Not this time. I’m sorry, Gabe. I wish I could knock that bastard out for you, but I’m not supposed to interfere unless your life is in danger. I can tell you this isn’t a possession. What you’re seeing isn’t out of their control or yours. You have more power here than you know.”
“Yeah. That’s readily apparent.” He stumbled to his feet, the weight of the strange darkness heavy around him and the power of that last punch making his limbs leaden and sluggish.
Use it? Even if he could find a way to use this whatever-it-was to his advantage, he wouldn’t want to. If he did, he’d be no better than these angry punks. No better than the djab who’d stalked his sister, the piously pugilistic Father Leon, or any of the other priests who’d taken delight in punishing him for his sins. He would be beyond redemption.
A part of him was afraid that was a foregone conclusion regardless.
“You want some more?” The leader posed for his cheering friends and flexed. “I can do this all night.”
Before Gabriel could brace himself, the next punch split his
Emmanuel spoke beside him, as if answering his thoughts. “You’ve sobered up. That gives you a little more control. Use it.”
Use it? Use what?
The men stepped closer, their animosity increasing as the energy swirled around them. “Looks like he’s too stupid to talk. I was hoping for more of a challenge, but maybe quick and dirty is better. Be home in time to watch my shows.”
What was it? He barely heard the kids posturing as he studied the shadows around him. It wasn’t a djab . This close he could sense the difference. That was a relief, he supposed, though the only one he could find in the situation.
Sooty darkness that was more absence of light than form. It was also less focused, less sentient, than the spirit he’d been taken over by, but no less threatening.
It appeared to gravitate toward the most confrontational men in the group like a plant reaching for the sun. But was it influencing those emotions, causing them, or just drawn to them?
He knew the instant it noticed him. Like a predator sensing it was being watched, it stilled and seemed to turn in his direction.
Maybe that bastard, Father Leon, was right, and evil recognized him as one of its own. That familiar tension, the heaviness he’d come to associate with the shadows, settled around him as the darkness drew closer. It wanted to control him. To take him over.
Emmanuel’s voice, sounding far away, was urgent. “Focus, Gabriel. Use it; don’t let it use you. Shit, you aren’t ready for this.”
A haze covered his eyes and he felt his upper lip curl in an ugly sneer. “Fuck you. I can handle these punks with my eyes closed. If you don’t have anything constructive to say, just shut the hell up.”
The chorus of disbelieving voices made Gabriel realize he’d spoken aloud. They thought he was talking to them.
“Great.”
The largest of the five shook his head, and Gabriel noticed the shadows tangling like razor-sharp vines around this thug in particular. He could feel them around his own body, too, seeping into his flesh, creeping through his veins like a dark, sizzling poison.
The group’s leader held out his hands, bringing Gabriel’s attention back to him. “See? Some people just don’t know how this game works. Now I have to let the boys take turns bouncing your head off the sidewalk. But only after I get mine.”
The first punch came quick and knocked him to his knees. What the hell? He did a quick internal inventory. Nothing was broken. This time.
It was a damn shame he wasn’t drinking anymore. The fights he’d been getting into for the past year hurt a lot less when he’d been drinking.
While the men laughed around him, he looked up at Emmanuel. “I assume you’ll be no fucking help at all, will you?”
Emmanuel winced, but shook his head. “Not this time. I’m sorry, Gabe. I wish I could knock that bastard out for you, but I’m not supposed to interfere unless your life is in danger. I can tell you this isn’t a possession. What you’re seeing isn’t out of their control or yours. You have more power here than you know.”
“Yeah. That’s readily apparent.” He stumbled to his feet, the weight of the strange darkness heavy around him and the power of that last punch making his limbs leaden and sluggish.
Use it? Even if he could find a way to use this whatever-it-was to his advantage, he wouldn’t want to. If he did, he’d be no better than these angry punks. No better than the djab who’d stalked his sister, the piously pugilistic Father Leon, or any of the other priests who’d taken delight in punishing him for his sins. He would be beyond redemption.
A part of him was afraid that was a foregone conclusion regardless.
“You want some more?” The leader posed for his cheering friends and flexed. “I can do this all night.”
Before Gabriel could brace himself, the next punch split his
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