Page 61 of The Devil You Know
The date on the monitor was the day of the full moon. Seth had lost nearly four days of his life to Osborn’s illusions, although in the dream, it seemed like weeks. He tamped down the grief over losing his family for a second time and focused on the danger at hand.
Was Osborn planning to come back to the old hospital and choose one of us to be his victim for the ritual? Since I ruined his plan, who is he going to use instead? Officer Nelson? Evan?
Seth’s blood ran cold at the thought.I’ve got to stop him without giving Osborn a third choice—me.
He moved slowly and silently, canvassing the abandoned tunnel and landings for any additional weapons he could find. Yellowed newspapers and dried leaves piled in corners, and debris from the crumbling concrete arches littered the floor.
As he got closer, Seth heard a man’s voice. He realized that Osborn probably had some of his goons with him.Shit. It’s bad enough to try to stop Osborn—but I’m not up to a fight.
He wondered if Evan had been able to find the anchor. If Osborn was moving ahead with the ritual, either Evan hadn’t managed to destroy the item yet, or the witch disciple was desperate enough to risk doing the ritual without it.
Osborn had claimed the old control room for his sacrifice—clever, Seth thought, The tours would have little reason to venture inside, so any overlooked evidence of the witch’s activities were unlikely to be discovered.
He backed into a shadowed alcove as four bouncer-sized men emerged from the control room, jackets straining over muscles and shoulder holsters.
The subway had four possible entrances—five counting the secret door from the old hospital. The two stations for pedestrians and the entrance and exit for the trolley cars. The guards spread out, and Seth figured they were each taking an entrance.
If he had any chance of stopping the ritual, he had to size up the opposition. Seth waited until the men were out of sight, then he crossed the tracks, where he could move in the shadows. Since the electricity for the old trollies ran through an overhead wire, he didn’t have to worry about a third rail. Seth tried not to think about rats, roaches, and other things that might lurk in the filth.
The guards didn’t seem worried about interruptions. Seth had no idea where Evan and Joe were.It’s going to be one sorry rescue if it all comes down to me.
He came to the east platform first. The guard leaned against the wall, oblivious to the stains that water and time had left on the cracked white tile. He didn’t look up from his phone, thumbs flying, playing some sort of game. Seth moved noiselessly, staying in the darkest area against the far wall.
A man screamed in pain, and the sound echoed through the tunnel like something from a medieval dungeon. Seth shivered, praying that Evan wasn’t the victim of whatever Osborn was doing.
Evan and Joe might not get here in time to save that poor bastard, even if they figure out where to go. I’ve got to do something.
Distract. Disrupt. Disarm. Seth had been a sniper in the Army, and while he didn’t have his rifle, he hadn’t forgotten his training.
He gathered some of the old paper and leaves together, trying hard not to think about spiders. Then he lit a match and set the bundle on fire, quickly moving to hide just beyond the glow in the darkness.
“What the hell?” the man yelled, looking up from his phone as the flames leaped high. “Fuck!” He headed to stomp out the fire.
Seth slipped behind him and brought the wrench down hard, dropping the guard without a sound.
He used the guard’s belt to tie his wrists, knotted his shoestrings together, stuffed a dirty cloth in his mouth, then made certain that the fire was extinguished. Seth didn’t envy the guard’s headache when he woke.
One down—three and a witch to go.
Screams sounded again. Apparently, Osborn liked to toy with his victims. Torture hadn’t been part of the other witch disciples’ rituals, and several had drugged their sacrifices insensible. Seth pushed down his memories of nearly being offered up to Gremory’s ghost himself and how close a thing it had been when he’d saved Evan.
Can’t think about that now. I have a job to do. I’ll deal with it later.
Seth moved along the tracks, careful to keep low. The next guard stood sentry at the closed trolley entrance. This time, Seth sent an empty metal can tumbling and clattering. The guard looked up then went back to his game. A flick of Seth’s magic extended the can’s roll, and the guard finally came to investigate. Seth lunged, pulling the guard off-balance, and the wrench knocked him cold.
After trussing him up like the first guard, Seth moved on, refusing to acknowledge the vertigo and headache that made it hard to walk a straight line.
From the control room, screams alternated with ragged breaths, and then a broken voice begged, “Please…please, no more.”
Seth gritted his teeth, knowing he had to clear the guards before he could hope to intervene. Even then, going up against a full witch was suicide. He found a broken piece of rebar and welcomed having a second weapon.
If I were at my best and Osborn was as damaged as we’ve heard, I might get a lucky break. As it is, I’ve got a wrench, rebar, candles, and a bad attitude.
A combination of fire and a rattling worked to lure the third guard into a trap. But when Seth approached the west end of the tunnel, the fourth guard was missing, and the metal door was partially open.
10
EVAN
