Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #11 February 2015 | Page 54

Marqus gasped through his clenched throat, “I… I…
want to… live!”

“Don’t go anywhere,” he said to his unconscious prisoner. “I’ll be right back.”

“Very well,” Abdiel replied, allowing Marqus to fall to
the ground in a heap.

Crossing the room, Abdiel opened the door leading
into the hallway. He intended to walk to his vehicle located in a nearby alleyway to ensure the route was clear
before returning for his prey. He was eager to get this
mission over with, but that didn’t mean he was going
to rush. Abdiel shot a final glance back at Marqus. The
putrid pile of flesh and fat appeared so at peace as he
slept, his swollen stomach rising and falling with every
breath. It would be the last rest Marqus ever had.

“That’s all I needed to hear.”
Reaching into his pocket, Abdiel removed his multitool, a small black cylinder the size of a cigarette
lighter. By utilising a micro power cell to rearrange the
molecular composition of graphene, the tool could be
reconfigured into a variety of items: from a knife to a
master skeleton key. Marqus watched on with horrified
anticipation as Abdiel bent down toward him with the
device in hand. Abdiel placed one end of the cylinder against Marqus’ neck, prompting him to wince as
he tried to pull away. His efforts were futile. Abdiel
quickly removed the device again, leaving behind a
small circular patch. The Incapacitation Disk instantly
rendered Marqus unconscious. He would remain that
way as long as the patch stayed in contact with his skin.
As well as acting as an incapacitant, the biomechanical
disk administered a mild coagulant and healing enzyme intended to keep injured prisoners like Marqus
alive long enough for transport. Nonetheless, even
with the healing agent already at work, Abdiel rolled
Marqus onto his side, ensuring his broken ribs were
positioned closest to the floor. He didn’t want Marqus
to drown in his own blood, not while he was unconscious anyway.
Abdiel took note of the time as he placed his multi-tool
back into his pocket. It was already well after midnight.
In most human cities that meant the streets would be
mostly deserted. Reduk however was a city of sin, and
just like their animal counterparts, human predators
mainly ventured out at night. Abdiel peered out the
hotel window, the incessant rain continued despite the
thunder cell having moved on. He could only hope
that the downpour would have deterred some of the
human cockroaches from swarming onto the streets
tonight. The closest Void Gate was about an hour away,
in the commercial district on the other side of town.
If the streets were congested with human filth it could
easily add another hour to his trip.

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“Sleep tight,” Abdiel smirked to himself with restrained
satisfaction before stepping out into the hallway.
Abdiel locked the door behind him and faded into the
shadows as he made his sweep. He was a living ghost, a
predator of men and nothing could stop him now.
An hour later, Abdiel arrived at his destination, his
prey in tow. There was a momentary lull in the lashing rain as he stepped out of the van to roll up the
warehouse door. The air was thick with humidity and
distant flashes of lightning made the clouds above the
glittering city behind him glow. Jumping back in the
van, he drove inside the cavernous storage building,
stepping out again to close the door behind him.
Another job was almost over and for that Abdiel was
grateful.
He loathed being in the human Colonies, constantly
surrounded by all manner of filth, always on edge.
Still he hated it even more when he was undercover,
pretending to be one of the base creatures he hunted.
Befriending his targets, smiling and laughing at their
inane banter and sickening behaviour, it was always
difficult to sustain. However, despite the constant
struggle to rein in his seething contempt, he always
played his part convincingly and moments like this
made it all worthwhile. This was the only part of his
job he enjoyed, finally giving monsters what they truly
deserved. Seeing the fear in their eyes, the realisation
that there was no hope, he relished it. Mak [