Road Trip To Hell

Die By The Sword

Cover: A human skull perched atop an upright sword

"... Officer Gilbert's patrol car was safely nestled between a wall of thick bushes and one of the bridge's concrete supports.   The perfect spot, with the perfect predator's view.    He could see the road... but no one on the road could see him until it was too late.     Gilbert swiveled his dash-mounted radar unit to point toward the nonexistent oncoming traffic... leaned back in his seat... and promptly went to sleep.    It was about an hour before dawn; he still had a little while before the morning commute started.  But when it did, he'd be ready to ruin somebody's day.

Untold minutes later, the radar gun screeched and chirped like a fatally wounded bird.    Gilbert's eyes blinked open and he sat up in his seat, already reaching for the unit to silence the alert.     He checked the display.   It was flashing 145 in impossibly bright red numbers.     He checked the street-

vvvVVVVRRRRRROOM!

-two cars went by so fast their wind shook the bushes and rocked Gilbert's vehicle.   The first one was.... moving too fast to be recognizable in the dim pre-dawn light.    But the second was... moving even faster, rapidly overtaking the first.

Gilbert scratched his head, glanced at the radar unit, then looked down at the radio.   Then he peered down the street at the speeding shapes vanishing in the distance.

"Uhhhh..."  he glanced at his watch, then at the street again.   The cars were gone.    "Too early in the mornin',"  he said as he cleared the radar unit's memory.

"And too close to retirement."

He leaned back in the seat and went back to sleep.

"kay,"  said Ashley.  "It's been two hours... can I listen to something I wanna hear now?"    She reached for the radio...

"Touch that knob and I'll elbow you right through the passenger side window,"  said Jason.   He had both eyes locked on the rear of the speeding 3000GT in front of them.    Three feet in front of them.   The roar of the engines sounded like a turf battle between two ravenous lions.   Jason's radio was louder than both of them

"Well THANK you for threatening me with violence so early in the morning,"  Ashley snapped.

"You're welcome,"  said Jason.  "Any time."

"So explain to me again why, when we're supposed to be hiding out, we're driving down the road at 400 miles an hour?"

"It's a man thing."

"It's a stupid thing, that's what it is."

"Well you could be back in Rock Springs sharing a cell with Helga and a few of her closest friends."

"So instead I'm gonna end up in intensive care with multiple fractures an airbag shoved up my nose."

"This car doesn't have airbags."

"Oh.  Nice."

The convoy of two continued for the next few hours.... zooming through several small towns that Jason didn't know the name of... and moving in a direction that Jason wasn't all too sure about.   They avoided the interstate highway like the plague... too many angry commuters and bored cops looking for something to do.  Instead, they kept  to the back roads where all they had to worry about was the occasional tractor.   They landscape alternated between long stretches of farms and undeveloped woodland... beautiful scenery, even when passed at 130 mph.    As they raced on, the towns got smaller and smaller... the farms further and further apart... and the woods darker and more ominous despite the approach of midday.       Every once in a while they would pass a mailbox or two perched on the edge of a dirt road leading back into the trees.      Usually the only thing visible from the main road was an occasional flash of something that was not green or brown... a sliver of house showing through the dense woods.

"I wonder who lives back here,"  said Ashley.

"People who wanna be left the hell alone."

"Yeah..."   Ashley stared out the window, squinting at the glimpses of color she sometimes saw through the trees.   "You know,  I always wanted a big h-"

Suddenly,  Ashley gasped and jerked back in the seat, looking like she'd been struck by an invisible fist.

"Hey-"   Jason took his eyes off the road long enough to glance at her... but as he did, he caught sight of something through the trees.

He hit the brakes.   Tires squealed, and both he and Ashley were thrown forward into the firm grasp of their seat belts.   He kept the car from spinning as the car came to a halt in the middle of the road... right next to a large brick mailbox and a dirt path leading into the woods.     He couldn't see where the road lead, and he couldn't see what he'd glimpsed a second ago.    But there had been something there.

He and Ashley stared at each other.

"...bad-"  Ashley began

"-vibes."   Jason finished.

"Like looking through a peep-hole and seeing someone staring back at you.

"...Like a big flashing neon sign that says 'EVIL HERE!'   I can't believe I'm saying this, but we should probably check it out."    Jason backed the car up and turned onto the small dirt road.

"Shouldn't we wait for Sebastian?" said Ashley.

"Who?"

"Sebastian."

"Who?"

Jason ignored the suggestion and drove slowly down the road.   Unfortunately, the Corvette's powerful engine wasn't suited for stealth... if there was anything there, it would know they were coming.

The road went on for a while before abruptly emptying up into a huge clearing dominated by one of the largest houses that Jason had ever seen.  It was a mansion... an honest-to-God mansion, with dozens of rooms and a tall brick wall surrounding the entire multi-acre property.   The lawn and shrubs were immaculate... not so much as a candy-wrapper or soda-can in sight.    The house itself rested on a small hill, hidden so well behind the brick wall and the trees that no one on the main road would ever have a clue as to what they were driving past.     The dirt road led up to a giant wrought-iron gate with the initials "HR" worked into the design.    There was a video camera perched on top of the gate, and a weatherproof code-panel set into the wall beside it.

Jason stopped in front of the gate and took a second to just stare at the house.

"Correction:"  he said.   "RICH people who wanna be left the hell alone."

"Something bad  happened here,"  said Ashley.

"Yeah.   And I bet it was one hell of a party."

Jason got out of the car and walked up to the gate.   The security camera was pointing off at an odd angle, and it didn't swivel around to follow him as he approached the code-panel.     The panel had a standard grid of numbers, as well as a speaker and a call-button.   Jason pushed the call button-

"Helllooo... ghostbusters, here.     Any demons in there?"

Silence.

"No?   Didn't think so."

Just then, Sebastian's 3000GT rolled up behind them.     He killed the engine and got out.

"What are we doing here?"  he demanded.  "You're supposed to be following-"

"There's something freaky in this house," said Ashley.

"And she don't mean the GOOD kinda freaky, either,"   Jason added.

Sebastian studied the mansion... running his eyes over it the way a boxer would size up an opponent before a prize-fight.

"I don't see anything,"  he said after a few seconds.

Ashley raised her hand.

"Psychic,"  she said.

"Evil magnet,"  said Jason, also raising his arm.     "What YOU got?"

"What does Donovan think?"

"He says to stop being such a candy-ass,"  Jason replied, not even listening to what Donovan was saying in his mind.

"We'll check it out,"   Sebastian said with a frown.

"Gee... I think we'd decided that BEFORE you showed up.     I don't think anybody's home, though, so we might  have to climb the w-"

Sebastian pulled a knife from... from somewhere Jason couldn't see... and jammed it into the control panel.   He pried the covering off and fiddled with the wires behind it-

<bzzzt>
<pop!>
cccrCRRREEEEEAK....

The iron gate started sliding open.

"I was gonna do that,"  said Jason.

"Then why didn't you?"   Sebastian said as he walked back to his car.

"I don't like him,"  said Jason.  "And, surprisingly, I like him even less as time goes by..."

They returned to the car and drove through the gates separating them from the massive estate.    A brick driveway wound its way through several gardens on its way to the courtyard in front of the house.

"People have been here recently,"  said Ashley.  "Look at the lawn.   People have to cut that every week.    The bushes are trimmed-"

"I don't suppose there's such a thing as gardener-demons, eh Donovan?"

"Actually, there's-"

"Good.   Because that'd be just plain silly."

"No, what I sensed was inside the house,"  said Ashley.  "Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"It was.... distant."

"I thought you said it was here."

"Here and somewhere else... It's hard to explain."

"So I noticed."

"But that part that IS here is inside.   Not out here.  We have to get inside."

"No problem.   We'll just have Kid Highlander back there kick the door down.   I'm sure he'll get a charge out of that."

They pulled into a cobblestone courtyard that served as a driveway.   Another brick road lead off to what could have been the garage if it wasn't the size of an apartment building.

"Here we are.   Let's do it."     Jason got out of the car and got ready for work... as did Sebastian.    Sebastian attached two scabbards to his belt and slid two razor-sharp swords into them.    Then he retrieved several knives from the glove compartment and stashed them in the various hidden pockets of his all-black outfit.   Jason, meanwhile, donned his brown trenchcoat with the built-in gun harnesses.   He dropped two .454 Casull revolvers into the harness and hid a .357 up each sleeve.    Then he stuffed a .45 semiautomatic into the waistband of his slacks and tossed his hat onto his head.

Ashley watched them, trying to decide whether to be amused or disturbed.

"Are you finished?"  she said.

"Not yet..."    Jason grabbed the edge of his trenchcoat and slung it around, causing the bottom of it to billow around him like a cape.   "NOW I'm finished."

Sebastian picked the 'pick-proof' lock on the door in about fifteen seconds.   Despite the door's size and weight, it opened smoothly with but the slightest pressure... a testament to its well-oiled construction.     They entered a large open space that could have been a ballroom.   Directly across from them was a massive set of stairs leading up to the second level.

And between them and the stairs was a stench so horrible that they could almost SEE it.

"ugh!"   Ashley gagged and backed away.    "Oh, God..."

"Damn, Sebastian, what did you EAT!?"

Sebastian took a wiff... and then another.

"Death.    Recent.   Few weeks."

"You can tell that just by smelling, eh?"

"Yes.  And by looking at that corpse over there at the bottom of the stairs."

Oblivious to the smell, Sebastian entered the  mansion and headed for the stairs.    Resting just in front of them was a bundle of clothes and purifying flesh that was the source of the horrible scent.    The body's head had been split open... almost in half down the middle... by a single powerful blow.   There were other wounds as well:   deep gashes and cuts that had spilled their last drop of blood many days ago.

Jason and Ashley joined Sebastian at the stairs, and they looked down at the corpse of Herald Ransom."

"I think he's dead,"  said Jason.  "What do you think?"

"Swordfight,"  said Sebastian.

"You getting anything, Ashley?"

"Other than nauseous?    Yes... there's a presence.   Something... something angry.   And its connected to something else... that's what I felt from the road.   That connection."

"Connection to what?"

"I don't know.   Every time I try to probe it, I just get a sense of deep, deep evil.  Huge... like an ocean.   It doesn't even know we're here... and I'd like to keep it that way."

"The woman should wait in the car,"  said Sebastian.

"And the chauvinist asshole should keep his opinions to himself before I introduce my knee to his crotch."

"Hey now, let's not get personal,"   said Jason.

"Did you hear what he said!"

"We search,"  said Sebastian.  "Split up.   I'll start over here-"

"Split up?"  said Jason.     "Don't you ever watch horror movies?  NEVER split up.   Never go in the basement to investigate a strange nose... never check to see if the monster is really dead... and Never EVER split up-"

Sebastian had already walked away.   There were several closed doors leading to other parts of the mansion, and he was heading for one of them.

"Donovan, you need to do something about that boy."

"Or I will,"  added Ashley.

"He's merely treating our mission with the seriousness it deserves,"   Donovan replied.  "A much needed contrast to YOUR approach."

"Whatever.   Let's go check this room out.   Unless you wanna split up too."

"Not particularly,"  said Ashley.   "Just give me a warning before you start shooting things."

"Done."

ebastian stood in the doorway of a long, rectangular room.

It was filled with weapons.

Swords, shields and plate-armor mostly... but there were a few maces, halberds, and spears as well.   Empty suits of armor stood against the longer walls like an assembly of silent, ghostly knights.     Each suit was different... representing nearly every style, culture, and era.   Hanging on the wall near each suit were swords and other weapons from the same period.     It was a collection worthy of a museum.

Sebastian walked down the center of the room, eyes constantly moving from piece and from shadow to shadow.   Even while he studied the extensive collection of weaponry, he kept watch for anything that could be studying HIM.     He saw nothing out of the ordinary, except perhaps for the singular care and attention that had been given to the collection.   Nothing was out of place, and the weapons themselves were polished to perfection.   Metal armor gleamed like gold and sliver.     Someone had gone to great lengths to acquire and care for each piece... someone who knew a lot about history and weapons.     Sebastian stopped to examine a few of the more rare armor styles or esoteric weapons.    His hands never left his own swords, however, and he never kept his eyes fixed on anything for more than a few seconds at a time.

"Impressive,"  he said to himself.   Even without examining them closely, he could tell that most of the swords were genuine historical items... hundreds of years old.   There were a few replicas scattered about, but even these were so accurate that they would probably fool even an accomplished historian.

Not that Sebastian was interested in them only for their historical value.   Judging from the manner of death, the owner of the collection was also trained in its use.   Probably trained quite well.   The swordfight that killed him was an extended one.     There had been streaks of blood and bloody footprints in the hallway outside.  Those, and the type of wounds on the corpse indicated that the fight had gone on for some time... and lengthy fights usually required skill on the part of both combatants.      Sebastian examined each weapon for traces of recent use... or evidence that it had been removed from its display recently.     Some were hard to examine without touching them, but he did the best he could.   He knew better than to touch anything until he knew exactly what he was facing.

He found no blood on the weapons and no recent trauma to the metal.   He continued to search, and was approaching the far end of the room when he felt a chill run down his spine.

Sebastian froze.    He didn't move for a long time.    He listened.   Looked out of the corners of his eyes.  Waited.

The chill came again.... as if a freezing wind had just blown past him.

Moving slowly and cautiously, Sebastian crept forward... eyes darting from place to place... footsteps as silent as a cat's.   He passed the last suit of armor and stood before the room's final treasure.

A sword... massive and beautiful.  It was mounted on a polished oak pedestal, resting in a pair of metal holders that looked like clawed hands grasping the hilt.   There was no scabbard or other covering... just the bare metal gleaming in the room's bright light.   The weapon looked ancient, and yet there wasn't a single mark on it.    No dents.   No rust.  No stains or burrs.   It looked as new as the day it was made.   There was an inscription running down the length of the blade... a row of tiny symbols from a language that Sebastian only knew of from Donovan's old books.

Those symbols made everything clear.

Sebastian nodded to himself as he realized just what had happened.   He started to go and fetch the others... but he stopped himself.

He had a better idea.

"here's blood everywhere,"  said Ashley as she and Jason entered Ransom's office.   The room looked more like a small library than an office, but had a huge desk a computer that marked it as a place were at least SOME work was done.   There was a chair and other furniture, too... but most of it had been knocked over or smashed.    Blood ran up and down the carpet in a wide trail that led into the office... around the desk... and then back out into the hallway.    The fight didn't begin or end here, but it had visited this room at least once during its course.

"Yeah... you tend to bleed a lot when somebody's attacking you with a sword.    I'm gonna check out this computer..."

Jason retrieved the chair... checked to make sure he wasn't about to sit down in a pool of blood... and then planted himself in front of the desk.   He turned the computer on.

"What do you expect to find in there?"  said Ashley.   "Think the killer left a confession in email?"

"That's the thing about computers," said Jason.  "People who have them, tend to use them.    There's no telling WHAT'S in here until we look around.   Sebastian can search his way, and I'll search mine.  I bet I'll find something before he does."

"Oh."

"But you're the psychic, why can't you just-"

"Because there's a unknown presence here and I can't risk opening myself up."

"Suuuure,"  said Jason.  "Very convenient."

"Shut up."    While the computer booted up, Ashley looked around at the bookshelves.    Most were books on weapons, or history... mostly medieval... or swordfighting.   There were other things on the shelves as well.     Ashley picked up an small, decorative Chinese puzzle box and started playing with it.   It wouldn't open, but it make some strange clicks when she ran her fingers over it in certain ways..

"AHEM!"   Jason cleared his throat.

"What?"  said Ashley.

"You never saw the movie 'Hellraiser', did you?"

"No-"

"Put the box down before I shoot it AND you.  Twice."

Ashley shrugged and put the box back where she got it.

"Hey look,"  Jason pointed at the computer screen.    "It wants a password.     How nice."

"Can you hack it?"

"Hack?  Me?  Naaah... what's that over there?"   Jason pointed to something across the room.     Ashley looked, but didn't see anything.   When she looked back down at the computer Jason had bypassed the password and was going through the files on the hard drive.

"How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Get in?"

"Get in what?

"The computer!"

"Oh, that?   Skill."

Jason found large database file entitled 'Collection'.   He opened it, and it prompted him for another password.

"Probably his porno collection,"  Jason mused as he bypassed it.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"  said Ashley.

"You're one to talk."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey, I'M not the one that was drooling over sword-boy when he first showed up."

"I was not!"

"Yes you were.   Until you discovered his utter lack of personality, you were a half a degree away from melting all over him."

"Was not!"

"You think he's cute, don't you."

"No!"

"Yes, you do."

"Well... not any more.   Not since he opened his mouth."

"Yeah, that's what I thought.   Okay, we're in."

The 'Collection' file was a database of weapons and armor of nearly every type imaginable.    Each entry had several pictures, as well as a price, a date/place of acquisition, an account of item's history, and several fields for miscellaneous notes.

"Five Thousand Dollars for a SWORD!"  Jason gasped.

"He must have gotten a good deal,"  said Donovan.

"Sheeeee.... if I had five thousand dollars, the last thing I'm thinking about buying is a piece of sharp metal.   Some of this armor costs more than I made in a year!"

"Skip to the recent acquisitions,"  said Donovan.

Two keystrokes later, Jason was looking at the recent purchases.   The last one was dated four weeks ago.

"Another sword,"  said Jason.  "And check this out... it was ONLY twenty-grand.   That's it... I'm hacking this guy's bank account-"

"Wait,"  said Donovan.  "That picture..."

"What picture?"   There were several pictures of the sword on the screen.

"That one."

"You're invisible, Donovan... pointing at it won't help."

"He wants this one,"  Ashley pointed to a close-up of the sword's blade.  "The one with the symbols."

Jason clicked on the picture... it enlarged to take up the entire screen.   There was a line of symbols running down the blade's length.

"Mean anything to you?"  said Jason.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't.   This item shouldn't be in his possession... and it is most definitely what killed him."

"Let's see what dead-guy knows about it.   Not you, Donovan... the other dead guy...."     Jason pulled up the notes on the sword.

"Blade of Versili... also known as 'The Butcher' and 'The Drinker of Souls.'    Confirmed authentic, mint condition.   Forged circa 1250AD for Count Versili as a gift for his son, a renowned duelist and swordsman.   After the son's death by poison, blade was believed lost until it was discovered ten years later in the effects of Lord Besthram, a gentleman who had died under mysterious circumstance.    Sword was sold-"

"The story is very much the same from then,"  said Donovan.  "Someone dies... the sword vanishes... turns up again... someone ELSE dies."

"Wash, rinse, repeat."  said Ashley.

"That mean this thing is cursed?"

"Presumably haunted by the son of Count Versili.    Whoever claims the blade, dies by it.   Other than that, the details are rather sketchy.   Its been out of circulation for a while."

"I guess we should find this thing before it vanishes into somebody else's collection."

"Maybe Sebastian's found it,"  said Ashley.

"He'd have come to us if he had,"  said Donovan.

"You sure?"

"Positive.   I think its more important we found out how this man got it."

"Why is that such a big deal?"

"Because he isn't supposed to have it.  No one is supposed to have it.   This item is one of several hundred that the Court collected back in-"

"Whoa... back up.   Court?"

"At one time, those with the Gifts banded together into a brotherhood-"

"Supernatural special-ops?"

"In a way."

"Cool.   What happened to 'em?"

"Slaughtered."

"Ouch."

"One of the many things they achieved was the removal of certain... objects... that the forces of darkness had unleashed on mankind.  All were cursed, possessed, or imbued with some kind of dark power.  When the plot was discovered, the Court of Knights scoured the globe and gathered up as many of the items as they could find.   They hid them away in a place known only to them, and they took the secret of the location to their graves.   This sword was part of that collection.   The fact that this man has it means that-"

"Somebody found the box of cursed goodies and is holding one HELL of a garage sale."

"Indeed."

"Well..."   Jason tapped a few more keys.   "Says here that the sword came from a place called-"

"Do you feel that?"  said Ashley.   She was looking around as if she'd heard something, but there were no unusual sounds in the room.

"Feel what?"

"Something's changed,"  she said.  "Something's not right...."

he symbols pulsed and grew warm beneath his fingers as he stroked the blade.   At the same time, the room became icy cold.   His breath came in white clouds as he invoked the curse.

There arose a sound like the moaning of a million damned souls... A deep roar joined the moans, and quickly overcame them as it came closer, approaching from all directions at once.

Sebastian stepped back, and the cursed blade rose from its pedestal as if clutched by unseen hands.   A darkness converged on the hilt and took form around it... a hand... an arm... a chest... a human form that was human in form only.    The thing was the color of rot and decay, and its only features were two glowing eyes and the sunken, empty hole that was its mouth.

"WHAT FOOL CHALLENGES,"   it hissed.

With a flourish, Sebastian drew one blade and assumed a fighting stance.

"I, Sebastian Wilde, doth claim this blade and challenge its owner by right of combat,"  he said sternly.

"THEN DIE."

The Opponent's blade came for him as quick as lightning... and with all the force of a thunderclap.  Striking hard and fast, It obviously expected the insolent youth to be overcome by surprise alone.   It was wrong.

The ghost's blade cut air, and nothing more.  Sebastian dodged to the left, slashing at the Opponent's exposed side as he avoided its blade.  The Opponent slid out of the way at the last instant, twisting and lashing out with another strike.   It met Sebastian's blade... a powerful block for a powerful blow... but the swords had barely kissed before the boy's weapon danced away... and then came back in a furious string of lunges, parries and slashes.

The Opponent backed away... surprised at the young one's skill.   Surprised, but not overwhelmed.  It easily blocked everything that the whelp threw at it, then surged forward with Its own assault.   A high slash roared toward Sebastian's head.   Sebastian ducked, as he was intended to.   The Opponent's blade reversed direction in the blink of an eye, coming back around in a low slash to the legs.

Sebastian leapt over the speeding blade and twisted in mid-air

*WHUMP*

His roundhouse kick would have broken a normal man's jaw, but the Opponent shrugged off the blow with hardly a grunt.  It was like kicking a sandbag.

Sebastian hit the floor and crouched down, sweeping his leg across the Opponent's limbs in an attempt to trip It up.   The ghost's lower limbs became intangible for a second, allowing the kick to pass through them even as it brought its weapon down in a mighty chop.

*CLANG*

It met Sebastian's up thrusting blade.   Sebastian threw himself to one side, narrowing avoiding the Opponent's now-solid foot as it came for his ribs.  He jumped to his feet, already turning and slashing-

Sparks flew as the blades bit into each other.

Both fighters reversed their momentum... spinning in opposite directions and striking again-

*CLANG!*

This time, the Opponent moved quicker.  A follow-up strike sought Sebastian's gut, but the boy spun out of range at the last instant... then suddenly lunged in to impale the Opponent.  The ghost blocked.  The boy kicked at the ghost's sword-hand, but the Opponent deflected the kick with Its arm, then made an upward slash with Its sword.   Sebastian spun away from the blade and brought his elbow to the back of the ghost's head.

What should have been the crunching of bone or the snapping of cartilage was only a dull thump that did no damage.   The Opponent thrust made a backward thrust that almost caught Sebastian, but the boy was too quick.   His spin didn't stop with the elbow-strike... he continued around, drawing his other sword as he came up on the ghost's other side.  He chopped with one blade while slashing with the other.   The Opponent blocked the first, then leapt to the side... an instant too slow.  The boy's second blade bit deep into its neck, opening a deep gash that wept thick, black smoke instead of blood.

The Opponent roared in both pain and anger; the glow of Its eyes became a fierce, flickering red.

It charged.   The Opponent's massive blade carved dizzying arcs in the air as it bore down on the motionless Sebastian.   The boy watched it come... studying it... trying to discern whether the clumsy charge was true anger or a ruse to confuse him.   At the last second, the boy thrust himself into the ghost's path, deflecting the Opponent's blade with one sword while striking with the other.

The ghost's hand came out of nowhere and grabbed Sebastian's wrist with a grip like a vice.   Sebastian threw himself forward into the Opponent... forcing the flat of his captured blade to lay across the creature's face-

ttssSSSSSS!!!

The ghost's flesh bubbled and hissed under the touch of the blessed metal.

"ARRGH!"

The creature released Sebastian, shoving him violently away and then charging after him.   Sebastian let it come, then threw himself to one side and brought both blades into play.   The ghost was ready.   It danced through the storm of attacks and struck hard with a surprise thrust that Sebastian barely blocked in time.

The echoing ring of metal-on-metal had not even begun to fade when the ghost threw its weight forward and knocked the boy off balance.  Sebastian backpeddaled, blocking the steady stream of attacks as he tried to distance himself from the Opponent.   But then he reversed direction and dodged past the ghost... blocking and slashing as he came around on the other side of It and pressed IT back with his own assault.... which is apparently just what it wanted.   The Opponent leapt backward, snatched a sword from the wall, and hurled the blade at Sebastian.   The weapon twirled end-over-end in a perfectly straight line toward Sebastian's chest.    Sebastian twisted and swung-

"YAH!"

*CLANK!*

He swatted the weapon out of the air and then snarled at the beast that had dared throw it at him.

The Opponent grabbed another of the antique weapons and charged again.  Sebastian rushed to meet It.   They raced past each other, striking three...four...five times in the instant that they were in range of each other's weapons.    Their swords met only air and metal, so they turned around and did it again.   This time, they met and stayed... attacking each other with escalating fury.  Sebastian's swords were like the blades of a machine... each moving independently of the other, seeking target after target in an unending onslaught.   A lesser opponent would have quickly fallen, but the ghost not only held Its own, but It responded with slashes and lunges that grew quicker and more powerful with each passing second.    The two combatants circled each other several times, with nothing but the constant clashing of metal between them.     They fought back and forth down the aisle of weapons, each fighter yielding ground quickly when he had to, but reclaiming it just as quickly when the tide of battle turned...

eanwhile, back in the soundproof library...

"I don't feel nothing,"   said Jason.  "But let's check out anyway."

He grabbed a piece of paper from the desk and made a note of something on the computer screen.   Then he shut the computer off.

"Let's go find Sebastian and grab this cursed sword."

They left the library and were headed toward the stairs when suddenly-

WHAM!

-a door flew open on the other side of the room.

Jason had a gun in each hand before his conscious mind even registered that anything had happened.   He turned toward the noise just as some... THING... stormed into the room.   It was big.   It was ugly.   It had no face.  And it was fighting Sebastian.   The sound of metal banging against metal filled the mansion as Sebastian forced the creature out of the collection room and into the main hall.   The thing fought like a force of nature... unleashing slashes powerful enough to fell trees while still moving like the wind.     Sebastian matched It blow for blow, using his defensive maneuvers to position himself for his own attacks.   By the time each attack was blocked, he had already planned the next two moves.  The Opponent was yielding ground for now, but that changed when they emerged into the larger space.   Then the ghost redoubled its assault, seeming to dodge in several directions at once and attack like a storm.  Both of Its blades lashed out at Sebastian in strike after strike.   Sebastian weathered the onslaught with seeming ease... blocking, dodging, and attacking all at the same furious instant.

"Don't just stand there!"  said Ashley.  "SHOOT it!"

"...uhhh..."

"Help him!"

"I don't think he needs any help.   Unless you were talking about the monster."

The Opponent made a double strike... two blades slashing at different angles.   Sebastian leaned back as the tip of one blade came within an inch of his nose, then twisted to the side as the second cut a strip of cloth from his sleeve.   He turned his twist into a spin and brought both blades around in a strike identical to the one the ghost had used.   But his blades changed direction in mid-slash... sailing past the Opponent's blocks and carving deep furrows across the ghost's midsection.

"AAARRRRRRR!"  the creature hissed.   It slashed at Sebastian's throat.   The boy ducked, the ghost kicked-

Sebastian leaned back sharply away from the attack... and into a back-flip.   He landed on his feet, already blocking-

CLANG!

Then counter-attacking-

KA-CLANG!

Then spinning away-

WHOOSH!

Only to rush back in for another assault-

CLANK!

"Man..., he's amazing..."  said Ashley.

"You're drooling."

"...am not..."

"Made you look, though."

"Shut up."

-CLANG-

-WHOOSH-

-CLANK!

"Donovan, I thought you said the kid didn't have the mojo."

"If you mean the Affinity... no, he doesn't."

"Then how's he doing all that?"

"Because he's good."

-CLANG!-

Sebastian lunged away from a slash that would have cleaved his skull in two.   An awkward, but effective thrust of his own weapon sliced the Opponent's wrist.  Were It a human, Its tendons would have been severed and Its arm made useless.   But It wasn't, so the wound was harmless.   Sebastian tried to follow it with another attack, but the Opponent blocked his downward slash with one sword while slashing at his midsection with the other.  The boy blocked... blocked again... then spun and made a reverse thrust.

"AAAAAaaa!"

His last attack nicked the ghost's side.  He quickly turned and made a powerful slash-

CLANG!

-and jumped to one side as the Opponent's other blade nicked his ear.   Sebastian struck out at the exposed hand, but just missed it as the Opponent backed away.

"rrRRAAH!"

This time, it was Sebastian that charged.   The ghost made a double-block, and then a double-thrust, with one blade going for Sebastian's chest and the other for the abdomen.   A block-spin-slash kept the boy from certain doom, but it positioned him just right for-

WHAM!

The Opponent drove the pommel of Its sword down onto Sebastian's shoulder... right onto the wound the boy had hidden under his shirt.

"UNGH!"

Pain shot down the boy's arm and the sword toppled from his hand.     Sensing the weakness, the ghost pressed its attacks with renewed fury.  Sebastian abandoned the dropped weapon and backed away... then charged.  He blocked with his remaining sword while snatching a knife from his belt and driving it into the Opponent's already-damaged wrist.   Blessed metal ate away at the ghost's flesh like acid, and with a twist and a yank, both knife AND hand came away.

"YAAAARRRRGH!"

Sebastian kicked the severed hand and its weapon aside while slashing again with the knife, but the Opponent battered him across the shoulder with Its still-smoking stump.   It was like being hit by a falling tree.   Sebastian lurched forward, and the ghost caught him with an up-thrust knee to the chin.    The room spun, but so did Sebastian.    In the blink of an eye he was away, with the ghost's one remaining blade slicing the air where once was.   The boy ran for the front door, with the Opponent in roaring pursuit.  The boy tossed his sword away, throwing it up into the air.

"Oh, I like this strategy,"  said Jason.  "Take one good hit and haul ass.   Real nice.  I guess it's up to me..."  Jason eased the hammers back on his revolvers.

"Not yet,"  said Donovan.  "Watch and learn..."

Sebastian veered away from the door and hit the wall.., with one foot.   With a powerful thrust he flipped backwards over the Opponent, snatched his sword out of the air, twisted around and  hit the floor with blade in hand.  Then, without hesitation, he ripped the ghost open from skull to lower-back with one tremendous slash.

The Opponent's mouth gaped open obscenely as it turned around... black smoke and filth pouring from the grievous wound down its back.  The boy had almost sliced it in half.   Its eyes pulsed... then flickered like candles in a stiff breeze.   It stood motionless... Its sword held limply in one hand... as if unable to accept that it had been defeated, or even comprehend how it had happened.

It gave a long, low hiss... a sound that ended when Sebastian sliced off its head with one sweep of his sword.

-CHUNK!-

The Opponent's head flew across the room, hit the floor, and rolled until coming to rest at Jason's feet.  It's flickering eyes peered up into the twin barrels of Jason's revolvers.    And beyond the gun-sights was Jason's face.

"Hi there,"  said Jason.  He glanced at Sebastian, and then down at the head, then he smiled.

"Dere can be only vun!"  he said with a Christopher Lambert/Highlander accent as pulled both triggers.

BLAM!

The head exploded... not into chunks of flesh, but into a fine spray of dust, ash, and smoke.   Across the room, the Opponent's body did likewise... vanishing into a cloud of ash that quickly dissipated, leaving nothing but an ancient, rusty sword.   The blade fell to the ground and broke into pieces.

Sebastian prodded one of the larger chunks with his boot.   A few specks of rust flew off, but the sword was otherwise inert.

"Is somebody gonna clue me in as to what the hell just happened?"  said Jason.

"I would think that'd be obvious,"  Sebastian replied as he slid his sword back into its scabbard.  "I just did your job for you."   Sebastian retrieved his other sword from the floor and sheathed it as well.

"You let that thing out on purpose, didn't you?"

"Of course I did.  It wanted to fight me, and I wanted to kill it.   Neither could happen as long as it was trapped inside that sword."

"But was DANGEROUS!"  said Ashley.

"Not for me.  It was only a ghost."

"I beg your pardon,"  said Donovan.

"Weren't you paying attention to me!   It was just a ghost... but it as a ghost connected to a greater power!   Something evil!"

"Now that connection is severed,"  said Sebastian.

"EXACTLY!   And whatever it was connected to probably NOTICED!"

"Good."

"See..."  said Jason.  "I KNEW I shoulda shot him.  I knew it!   I thought we were supposed to be a team!"  said Jason.   "How does you running around by yourself releasing demons and drawing a big BULLSEYE on our heads make us a team?"

"It is how things are done,"  said Sebastian.   "We fight evil wherever we encounter it.  Sometimes it comes to us, and other times we must draw it out... strike at its extremities to get its attention."

"Ohh, I think we've got its attention, now,"  said Ashley.   "Whatever it is, it knows we were here."

"You think so?"  said Jason.

"Would YOU notice if somebody plucked out one of YOUR eyes?"

"So its probably pissed, huh?"

Ashley shrugged.

"Great.   Wonderful.   That ought to make the rest of this trip a whole LOT of fun.   Thanks Sebastian... we can all relax now that we don't have to worry about the element of surprise any more."

"What are you talking about?"  said Sebastian.

"That thing you just pissed off..."  Jason said as he dug something out of his pocket.  He unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to Sebastian.  "This is its address.  And thanks to you, it already knows we're on the way."

Sebastian looked at the address on the paper.

"Well... I guess we'd better not keep it waiting."

[To Be Continued]

Next Issue:  Road Trip To Hell, Part Two: Little Shop of Horrors

copyright 2005 by Dark Icon Entertainment