Chapter 5 When Monsters Meet
Cressida's POV
The light hits me like a physical force.
I throw myself sideways, crashing into Rico's coffee table. The blast misses me by inches, scorching the wall where I was standing. The smell of burned paint fills the apartment.
"Don't move," the stranger says. His voice is calm, but his mismatched eyes one green, one gold glow with that same terrible light.
I grip my knife tighter. "Who are you?"
"Someone who stops people like you before they become what you're turning into." He steps into the apartment, and I feel something radiating off him. Power. Different from mine, but just as real.
Rico whimpers in the corner, forgotten.
"I'm helping people," I say. My heart hammers against my ribs. "This man is a criminal. A murderer. I'm making him pay for what he did."
"That's what they all say at first." The stranger tilts his head, studying me. "How long ago did you make the deal? A week? Two?"
My blood goes cold. "What deal?"
"Don't lie. I can see the marks on you. The corruption spreading from your heart." He raises his hand again, light gathering in his palm. "I've killed twenty-three devil-contracted humans. You'll be number twenty-four."
The word "devil" makes my stomach drop. Sable. He means Sable.
"I didn't know what he was," I say quickly. "I just wanted to help people. To protect them."
"They all want to help at first." His eyes are sad now, which somehow makes everything worse. "Then the hunger starts. Then you stop caring about helping and start caring about hurting. I've seen it happen too many times."
"I'm not like that!"
"Not yet. But you will be." He takes another step closer. "I'm sorry. Truly. But I can't let you reach full transformation. You'll kill innocents. Children. Everyone."
The light in his hand grows brighter.
I have maybe three seconds before he attacks.
I do the only thing I can think of I grab Rico by his collar and yank him in front of me as a shield.
"Wait!" Rico screams. "Don't shoot! I didn't do anything!"
The stranger hesitates. Just for a moment.
I throw Rico at him and run.
I crash through the apartment window in an explosion of glass. Three stories up. I should break every bone in my body.
Instead, I land in a crouch on the pavement below, barely feeling the impact. My new body absorbs the shock like it's nothing.
I hear shouting above me. The stranger, cursing.
I run.
The Rust Quarter is a maze of alleys and abandoned buildings. I duck through gaps, jump fences, move faster than I ever could before. My lungs don't burn. My legs don't tire.
But I can feel him behind me. Chasing.
I risk a glance back and see him drop from the third-story window just like I did, landing perfectly. His eyes glow in the darkness.
"You can't run forever!" he calls.
I prove him wrong by running faster.
I lose him somewhere near the old factories. I hide in the shadows behind a dumpster, pressing my hand over my mouth to muffle my breathing.
Footsteps echo in the alley. Slow, methodical, searching.
"I know you're scared," the stranger says. His voice is closer than I expected. "I know you think you're doing the right thing. But the power inside you is a poison. It's changing you. Soon, you won't be able to control it."
I stay perfectly still.
"My name is Thaddeus," he continues. "I hunt monsters. But I used to be like you desperate, powerless, angry at the world. Then something offered me a deal too. Power in exchange for becoming a weapon. I took it, and now I have to kill people like you before they destroy everything."
His footsteps stop right next to my hiding spot.
"Come out. I'll make it quick. Painless. You won't suffer."
My hand tightens on my knife. If he finds me, I'll have to fight. I'll probably die.
But then his phone rings.
Thaddeus answers it, voice sharp. "What? ... When? ... I'm in the middle of something. ... Fine. Twenty minutes."
The footsteps retreat. "I have to go," he calls out to the darkness. "But I'll find you again. And next time, I won't hesitate."
I wait until I can't hear him anymore. Then I wait another ten minutes.
Finally, I crawl out from behind the dumpster.
My whole body shakes. Not from fear from adrenaline. From the thrill of almost dying and surviving.
I should go home. Hide. Figure out what to do about Thaddeus and his terrible glowing eyes.
Instead, I think about Rico.
He's probably still in his apartment, crying about his bleeding arm. Calling his gang friends. Getting ready to hurt more people.
I didn't finish what I started.
The darkness inside me growls, hungry and frustrated.
"No," I whisper to myself. "Not tonight. I need to be smart. I need to "
My phone buzzes.
A text from an unknown number: "Did you enjoy meeting your hunter? He's killed 23 people like you. You're next on his list. Unless you become strong enough to stop him first. Finish what you started with Rico. Prove you're a survivor, not prey. S"
Sable.
The devil is watching. Somehow, he saw everything.
I stare at the message, torn between terror and rage.
Another text appears: "Oh, and Cressida? Thaddeus is bound to a celestial entity. They hunt devil-contracted humans together. You're not just fighting a man. You're fighting an angel. Sleep well."
My hands go numb.
An angel is trying to kill me.
I look down at my knife, then at the black veins creeping up my arm. In the dim light, they pulse like they're alive.
What am I becoming?
What have I already become?
A sound echoes from the street sirens. Police, probably heading to Rico's apartment. Someone must have heard the fight.
I melt back into the shadows and start the long walk home.
My reflection catches in a puddle as I pass.
Just for a second, I see black eyes and too many teeth staring back at me.
I blink, and I'm normal again.
But the image stays burned in my mind.
Monster or hero?
Hunter or prey?
I don't know anymore.
All I know is that tomorrow night, I'm going back to finish what I started.
And if Thaddeus tries to stop me, I'll fight him too.
I have to.
Because the darkness inside me is getting hungrier.
And it won't let me stop.