No
heroics, please. Making me angry is very unwise, I assure you. Would
you like proof? Allow me.”
He turned and looked down
the aisle at Margaret. She whimpered as he caught her eyes and
squirmed against her bonds, desperately trying to escape. Chris stood
a few feet away in the aisle and he felt some slight compassion as he
watched her obvious terror.
“ This...thing
foolishly tried to curry my favor by acting precipitously, killing
your air crew. I did not request this action.” He tilted his
head slightly and narrowed his eyes. “Did I, you idiot?”
Margaret's whimpers became
louder and she thrashed violently in her seat.
“ Be silent,”
he said with disdain. “You disgust me.”
He looked around at the
others. Again his eyes passed over Chris with no interest at all and
his anger smoldered even stronger. But his fear rose as well, making
the breath catch in his throat.
The man looked at Natalie
again. “Do you know who I am, my dear?” he asked,
sounding genuinely curious. She might have been frozen in place, but
Natalie could still speak.
“ I don't know who
you are,” she snarled. “But I know what you are.”
“ What I am? Oh my,
how crude. Then tell me, child. What am I?”
“ You're one of the
Four Horsemen. You're a son of the Devil.”
At her answer, the man's
face went blank. And then he grimaced and his flint-like eyes glinted
with a red light.
“ The Devil. I loathe
that term. Be careful when you speak to me, little girl. Especially
about my beloved father.” He relaxed and smiled again. “But
full marks for the guess. It's very close to the truth. Did little
Gloriel give you the answer? If so, she's of slightly more
intelligence than I gave her credit for. How surprising.”
He turned his gaze back on
Margaret.
“ Yes, one of the
Four. Can you guess which one? Observe and I'll give you a hint.”
His face darkened and he
lowered his brows as he stared at the flight attendant. She had time
for one last whimper and then she screeched in agony.
Chris gasped in horror and
he stumbled back, falling into an empty seat. He watched Margaret's
face swell enormously and take on a greenish cast. And then black
spots appeared all over her skin, spots that rapidly expanded into
running sores, boils that leaked yellowish pus. The stench was
stomach-churning and Chris clapped a hand over his mouth and nose,
trying uselessly to block it out.
Margaret convulsed
massively one last time, and he actually heard bones snapping as she
twisted unnaturally in her death throes. And then she sagged in the
seat, her mouth gaping open, mucus dripping thickly on to her chest.
Natalie had turned her
head to watch and Chris saw her face become pale and she averted her
gaze as Margaret died. She looked back at the stranger.
“ Yes, I know who you
are now,” she said to the man. He smiled and raised an
inquiring eyebrow. “You're Pestilence, aren't you?”
“ Ah, very good.”
He clapped his hands lightly together. “Although I must say, I
gave you a rather large clue. But no matter. It is gratifying to be
recognized even so.” He glanced over his shoulder at the door
to the cockpit.
Chris had been so focused
on the man, and on the horrible death of Margaret, that he hadn't
paid any attention to the banging at the door as the judge and Chef
tried to break out. The stranger looked a bit irritated.
“ Honestly, how
impolite are some people?” He shrugged and turned back to stare
at Natalie. “Well, I'll deal with them soon enough. Now, seeing
that you've managed to figure out who I am, I am going to reward you,
my dear.” His voice was gentle.
“ I don't want
anything from you, demon,” she snapped at him.
Chris stood up slowly from
where he had fallen. He avoided looking at Margaret's body and he
tried to ignore the smell of decay that was wafting from her
direction, Instead he watched Natalie.
She was shaking, not from
fear obviously, but in a futile attempt to get loose of her
heroics, please. Making me angry is very unwise, I assure you. Would
you like proof? Allow me.”
He turned and looked down
the aisle at Margaret. She whimpered as he caught her eyes and
squirmed against her bonds, desperately trying to escape. Chris stood
a few feet away in the aisle and he felt some slight compassion as he
watched her obvious terror.
“ This...thing
foolishly tried to curry my favor by acting precipitously, killing
your air crew. I did not request this action.” He tilted his
head slightly and narrowed his eyes. “Did I, you idiot?”
Margaret's whimpers became
louder and she thrashed violently in her seat.
“ Be silent,”
he said with disdain. “You disgust me.”
He looked around at the
others. Again his eyes passed over Chris with no interest at all and
his anger smoldered even stronger. But his fear rose as well, making
the breath catch in his throat.
The man looked at Natalie
again. “Do you know who I am, my dear?” he asked,
sounding genuinely curious. She might have been frozen in place, but
Natalie could still speak.
“ I don't know who
you are,” she snarled. “But I know what you are.”
“ What I am? Oh my,
how crude. Then tell me, child. What am I?”
“ You're one of the
Four Horsemen. You're a son of the Devil.”
At her answer, the man's
face went blank. And then he grimaced and his flint-like eyes glinted
with a red light.
“ The Devil. I loathe
that term. Be careful when you speak to me, little girl. Especially
about my beloved father.” He relaxed and smiled again. “But
full marks for the guess. It's very close to the truth. Did little
Gloriel give you the answer? If so, she's of slightly more
intelligence than I gave her credit for. How surprising.”
He turned his gaze back on
Margaret.
“ Yes, one of the
Four. Can you guess which one? Observe and I'll give you a hint.”
His face darkened and he
lowered his brows as he stared at the flight attendant. She had time
for one last whimper and then she screeched in agony.
Chris gasped in horror and
he stumbled back, falling into an empty seat. He watched Margaret's
face swell enormously and take on a greenish cast. And then black
spots appeared all over her skin, spots that rapidly expanded into
running sores, boils that leaked yellowish pus. The stench was
stomach-churning and Chris clapped a hand over his mouth and nose,
trying uselessly to block it out.
Margaret convulsed
massively one last time, and he actually heard bones snapping as she
twisted unnaturally in her death throes. And then she sagged in the
seat, her mouth gaping open, mucus dripping thickly on to her chest.
Natalie had turned her
head to watch and Chris saw her face become pale and she averted her
gaze as Margaret died. She looked back at the stranger.
“ Yes, I know who you
are now,” she said to the man. He smiled and raised an
inquiring eyebrow. “You're Pestilence, aren't you?”
“ Ah, very good.”
He clapped his hands lightly together. “Although I must say, I
gave you a rather large clue. But no matter. It is gratifying to be
recognized even so.” He glanced over his shoulder at the door
to the cockpit.
Chris had been so focused
on the man, and on the horrible death of Margaret, that he hadn't
paid any attention to the banging at the door as the judge and Chef
tried to break out. The stranger looked a bit irritated.
“ Honestly, how
impolite are some people?” He shrugged and turned back to stare
at Natalie. “Well, I'll deal with them soon enough. Now, seeing
that you've managed to figure out who I am, I am going to reward you,
my dear.” His voice was gentle.
“ I don't want
anything from you, demon,” she snapped at him.
Chris stood up slowly from
where he had fallen. He avoided looking at Margaret's body and he
tried to ignore the smell of decay that was wafting from her
direction, Instead he watched Natalie.
She was shaking, not from
fear obviously, but in a futile attempt to get loose of her
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