Page 2 of Hades

He had an amazon Prime delivery coming tomorrow. Nah, dead jokes. There was a great rattling noise from his chest with a silent laugh he couldn’t emit, what with his guts spilling outside of his body. But still, he wasn’t ready to die. This shouldn’t have been his time. Why didn’t he leave town when he had the chance? Why let vengeance rule him?

Tired. Weary. His eyes fought to stay open.

Who is ready? At the end, when it’s your time, are you ever prepared? Debatable. Humans cling to life like babes on an overflowing tit. Hades, however, felt resigned.

Thirty-six years and life had ground him down until there wasn’t a flicker of anything in his body any more.

Resigned to live. Resigned to die. It was all the same noise at the end of the day and there was no more day to be had, he realized with a gurgle of pain.

The weight of the world began to recede, and he only wished he could enjoy a lungful of that clean, unconstrained mountain air one last time.

He assumed death would look different to the reality of it. Harps, fucking angels holding clipboards, a tour bus to see Elvis. A bright light. A table of welcoming cronuts. Maybe his old man at the end of a tunnel to meet him with a scorned, holy rant

All he saw was Hawk and Zara bracketed by the early morning Colorado sunlight beaming behind them, highlighting her blonde hair making it almost white. She was no angel. The devil’s emissary, she had tits and a tongue to sway any man from his demonic path ... or in his case, keep him right on that path. Look at her, so terrified, shaking in her skin.Sweet love. If he were capable, if he had the normal mind of a typical man, she would be a regret. Regret he could never break her. Regret he didn’t mould her into a monster in his own image, but no room for that now.

Only his stains on her would remain.

Of all Renegade Souls chumps, he would have laid good money that it was Rider who put him down. What had he always said about him, that guy was pure pussy, couldn’t even kill Hades right, had to send his right-hand dickhead to get the job done.

Hades tried to move his mouth with a smile directed at her and ended up splashing blood that bubbled out of his mouth, it trickled down his chin and splattered on his shirt that wasn’t even his shirt. He hated mess so that was going to annoy him.

Just as well he was about to check out, he supposed.

A demon with OCD. He’d counted the stabs, a straight twenty-one, some could say that was an odd thing to do, why not fight back? But the thing was, it was already too late, and the number annoyed him. Twenty-one.Twenty-one, he didn’t like that number, had Hawk done it on purpose? But how would he have known? A wicked coincidence. Twenty-one. If he had a knife he’d fucking stab himself once more and make it an even number to stop the roar in his brain.

Hawk; he knew something about that guy, but it was too late to say now, much too late, he’d take that secret to the grave, ah, well. Twenty-one stabs, the fucker didn’t deserve to know anyway.

He bled like a sieve draining lettuce. It coated and clung, stained and never let up, he felt his body growing weaker as it emptied of life force.

He’d known the minute he pursued the trail after naughty, little Zara, he was on borrowed time. He couldn’t let it go.Should havelet it go. He’d be much more alive now if he had.

She could run but sweet love, naughty, little fuck-toy, didn’t hide very well, it was pitifully easy to find her inserted under thatSoulspresident armpit like a frightened, damaged butterfly, wingless and trembling, she hadn’t even gone that far, stupid girl.I will always find you. Hadn’t he warned her, she couldn’t stand there on her skinny legs and act surprised. He didn’t give up his property easily … or at all.

Beasts hid, demons announce their arrival. He’d stated what would happen if she broke her leash. Disobedient girl.

Every demon has their time. Hades had wanted to take out as many of theSoulsas he possibly could. A bloodbath of hate to the men who had believed Hades was beneath them. Shame and hate stung inside his nostrils for the exclusion from their sanctuary long ago.

Wanting revenge in the ugliest, most painful way.

It was never enough to cause as much trouble as he could for theSouls, nah, Hades followed to twist the knife, he brought enemies into their territory, he hoped every waking moment RiderfuckingMarinos had was spent wondering just what Hades was up to. He’d chuckled a lot to himself over it, instigating a whole heap of mess by bringing in thebratvafor no other reason than he knew golden boy would hate the mafia edging into theSoulsterritory.

Pity then he couldn’t take even one out with him. That was gonna be a bad blemish on his personal record. The big bumbling idiot called Tiny didn’t bring joy to his heart at all when he’d smashed his skull in and left his dead body outside their gates. He’d dreamed he’d take theSoulsout one at a time, and listen to their pathetic pleading.

Whatever minutes he had left he’d taste remorse for not doing more in the time he’d had.

Oh, well.

No one said death was calm. Least of all for Hades who lay bleeding onto the ground besides a Seven-Eleven, blood and guts trailing out like he’d sprung a spring leak. A fucking convenience store, where’s the glory in that? Where was the war to end all wars?

That was always his assumption on how the end would come. It was inevitable, right? After all he’d amassed enemies more than most, scores of them, each with their own vendetta.

Kings took pride in their enemies.

Hate me, it fucking makes my dick hard.

He felt it coming, one wet breath after another, it crawled into his skin, dove down into his intestines, it burrowed into his blood, turning Hades colder, making breaths labored, his vision blinking out.

Destiny was coming for him and he couldn’t do a thing to stop it.

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