A Hunter's Blood: The Crimson Contracts

Drakx drove. He had no destination, he just drove. As the lights kept dancing from bumper to bumper, pushing him deeper into nothingness, he thought.

How could she own a Tangi-gram? They are highly classified devises still in development. Hell, only law enforcement intel and selected officials even know about them. She has something that’s not supposed to exist yet. Who is she, really?

Drakx mind raced. He kept remembering what she said.

“You never had me in your sights.”

He realized that he never actually did. After that whole surprise meeting with her, she wasn’t even there. She fooled him.

“She’s playing with me, but why?” he asked himself. “She must get a personal satisfaction from making me look like an idiot. What the hell was that ‘choice’ crap? ‘Walk away’... this delusional bitch thinks she’s in charge! Well, Sensus, you just made this personal. I’m going to enjoy Apping your ass,” he said to himself.

The other unwelcome thought kept prodding him. “You never had me in your sights.”

His GPS system announced his location.

You are now entering the Industrial Zone.

He had just been driving. He was farther out than he thought. Kilometers away from any inhabitants. The road he was on was just a service road for repair specialists to fix the machines of this district. Sentients didn’t live in this zone. It was way too toxic for organics. You stay longer than a day, and you would be contaminated with something. Drakx knew this. He kept driving.

This zone was his thinking spot. He knew no organic would pop up to bother him. He had to think. He finally stopped deep within the zone, and let the monotonous whir and clangs of the machines caress his mind.

He turned off his car. A very new, very fast, two seater, street rocket. He loved his car more than any of those lying little gold digging skanks that passed themselves off as “A good woman”. When you could pay for your Supermodel body, personality became more important than ever. You could wrap rotted meat in a solid platinum gift box. But in the end, it’s still rotted meat.

He changed the Virtu-tint on the windshield to a rain forest, and switched the music to a soothing ambient jazz.

He sat back, and closed his eyes. He let the music calm him from the crazy night he just had.

“I love this car,” he whispered to himself as he began to relax.

“What about me?” a silky voice came from nowhere.

Drakx quickly sat upright, and reached for his hand cannon. Sensus was sitting in the passenger seat. He bolted from the car and leveled his rifle at Sensus. Then he thought,

Tangi-gram! She’s here!

He began frantically looking around, and aiming at thin air.

He yelled into the night at nothing, knowing she was close enough to hear.

“Get that imitation outa my car, and show yourself!”

Sensus got out of the car, and leaned on the roof. She watched him aim at nothing.

“I’m right here,” she said.

He ignored her, believing the “real” her was hiding somewhere near.

She bent down to pick up a small rock. She threw it at the back of his head. As it connected, and bounced off of his skull, she said, “I’m standing right here! How did you ever catch anybody being this slow?”

He whipped around, leveling his rifle at her head once more.

“Tangi-grams can interact with the environment! They can throw anything the host can pick up!” he responded with his gun still on her.

“True, but...” she showed him a wrist. Smooth and creamy. She took her other hand and picked up a small, sharp rock. She slid it across her wrist. Red liquid began to trickle, and drip on the roof.

“Can a tangi-gram bleed?”

It was really her. He was very confused.

“How did you...” he was cut off by Sensus.

“How did I appear in your passenger seat? How did I even know where you were? How come you can never pinpoint my location? Ooh, I’m so intriguing to you, aren’t I?”

He lied to her. “You are just like any other fugitive, a contract. A damn reward. Don’t flatter yourself. To me, you’re just another day at work.”

“You’re terrible at this,” She quipped back. “Even if I wasn’t an empath, I could tell when you were lying. The answer to your questions is a DNAccident reaches puberty in their third year of life.”

Drakx was baffled at what she was saying. “Puberty?”

“Yes, puberty,” she continued. “The period when we gain our mature attributes. That is why I can do all of these things, and more.”

“I don’t care. I don’t need a DNAccident personality bio to App your ass! This time, you are clearly in my ‘sights’.

“Your bravado is really getting funny,” she giggled at him. “You can’t Erad me. I already know that. I won’t let you App me. As much as you’re fighting that, you know it’s true. Your best choice is to walk away. Seriously, don’t disappoint me, do it.

Drakx began his App procedure, completely ignoring her.

“Sensus, you are being Apprehended. Turn around, and extend your hands towards me.”

“No, I won’t give you anything,” she said defiantly. “Get it through your thick skull, this will not happen.”

Drakx had finally had all that he could take.

“TURN THE FUCK AROUND, AND GIVE ME YOUR FUCKING HANDS!!!” he screamed at her, thinking that if he could Erad this bitch, it would have been over already.

Sensus stepped back a few centimeters. She was surprised at his outburst. She wanted to push him just a little bit farther.

Almost there... she thought. Then she asked, “What are you going to do Hunter? Slap me?”

Drakx holstered his rifle, and walked towards her. He grabbed her right wrist with his left hand.

He looked at her face. She seemed like she didn’t believe that he would do it.

“You want it bitch,” he growled at her. “You got it!”

He reached across his body, and backhanded her with force. Her cheek rippled with the stinging blast that violated her.

Drakx had a very satisfied look on his face. He wanted to do that since he saw her in the bar. He still had a grip on her arm, and said, “Now give me your other arm before I smack you again!”

Sensus held her cheek in her hand. She transformed from the smart-alecky, insult flinging, calm woman. She became much darker, much more sinister. The slap was the switch he should have never flipped.

Drakx never saw this change in her. He was busy enjoying the satisfaction of what he thought was control.

In a darkly evil tone, Sensus slowly said, “You haven’t the slightest idea what your barbaric arrogance has rained down on you, little human.”

“Shut the hell up, and give me your other arm!” he spit at her, ignoring her again. He reached for her other arm. Very bad mistake.

He felt an impact as if hit by a lightning bolt. His chest exploded in scalding pain. He was airborne. His fingers and toes had a tingling numbness as if asleep. He hit the ground with an air stealing slam. He lay on his back twitching, and fighting off the disorienting urge to vomit.

He couldn’t move. He landed on the other side of the car. He saw Sensus walk towards him. He smelled his burned flesh, and saw her. Her hand was smoldering red, with small electrical bolts racing across it.

She stood over him with a searing hot gaze of insanity. He finally saw the change. That... change.

“It is time for you to answer for your non-remorseful slaying of my brothers. Understand this, Hunter. You really never had a choice. This was inevitable. Whatever you would have said or done was irrelevant. This was always your fate.”

Drakx felt blood trickling from his nose. It drained into his mouth. It tasted like salty syrup. He was trying to keep consciousness.

“There are other special attributes I have developed other than empathy, and electricity,” she began to reveal. “I can control physiology at the molecular level. It might sound a little confusing to you in your state, but trust that it’s a very vital attribute for what’s about to happen to you.”

He was wondering if she was being cryptic on purpose. She quickly answered that thought.

“I want my brothers back, you murdering primate! You’re about to feel your own cruelty. I can E.L.C.A.R.R.”

Drakx’ lungs froze. His heart skipped. If she could E.L.C.A.R.R., he was dead. At first he didn’t want to believe it, but a minute ago he wouldn’t have believed she could have knocked him over his car either. He knew he was done, but he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.

“W-w-w-well...pick y-y-y-your...favorite ... Y-y-ou can...only b-b-b-bring b-b-back...one...” he struggled past his lips.

“Funny you didn’t think I planned this to perfection,” she taunted. “Once I bring back my ‘favorite’, I believe I’ll bring back the rest. I can re-animate and use your body as a transfer station. I know it’s too confusing for your small mind to wrap itself around, so I’ll say it simply, for the stupid.” she kneeled by his head, and leaned close to his ear, and said with more angst and hatred than he had ever heard. “I’m bringing back all six of my brothers, and you will die seven times. You are going to feel every death vividly, I guarantee it. The seventh death is a gift to me. Since it’s the last, it will be the worst.”

She stood up, and walked two meters away. He knew this was not a joke. He was about to die. Not once, but seven times! More death and pain than anyone should be allowed to endure.

“I don’t care if you’re ready,” she said as she turned towards him. “This will most defiantly hurt.”

Maybe I should have let them go with a warning? He thought as he braced himself for his fate. Drakx felt searing heat. His skin felt as if it were bubbling. Pain was way too gentle a word for what he was feeling.