Steve collapsed and rolled along the roof. He curved his body and bent his leg up to examine the wound. Cain moved closer, the gun aimed carefully, his finger gently touching the trigger. He was ready to fire another shot if Steve tried anything else.

  "The hell's wrong with you, man?" asked Steve.

  "I don't know, maybe I just get a bit cross when some little shit who likes to stalk women sends me on a chase up six stories and across fucking buildings."

  "So this is about Tanya?" he asked. "What'd that lying bitch tell you?"

  Cain was now close enough, so he slammed the butt of the revolver against Steve's head.

  "Ow! That hurt!"

  "Good," said Cain.

  "She's a fucking demon, you lumberjack-looking jackass! And I mean that literally!"

  "You didn't seem to care about that when you were trying to bed her. It only mattered once she turned your ass down."

  "I didn't know before!"

  Cain looked down at Steve's leg and noticed the blood had stopped flowing. He made eye contact and raised a brow. "Looks like you've got something extra yourself. What are you?"

  Steve just smiled. Then he sprung to his feet and slammed his fist against the roof. It was such a rapid movement that Cain couldn't fire a shot in time. And when Steve's fist connected with the roof, it sent out a massive shockwave that threw Cain flying back.

  He landed on his side and rolled over a few times, his gun getting discarded during the ordeal. Just as Cain got on his knees to recover, Steve extended his arms out to the sides and then clapped his hands together. There was another shockwave and a burst of ear-shattering sound and a powerful wind gale.

  For a few brief moments, Cain just saw white as his ears were assaulted by a high-pitched ringing pitch. As the white faded, his vision was seeing double. He could see two blurry Steves walking close, but then noticing something and bending over. As Cain's vision came back into focus, merging the two fuzzy figures into a clear one, he realized that Steve had picked up his gun.

  Steve mouthed some words, but Cain's ears were still ringing. He repeated them and Cain caught the tail end of his question: "The hell is this thing?"

  "It's called a gun, genius."

  Steve shook his head. "Nah, I've seen guns. This is something different. What are all these symbols and shit on it?"

  "Hand it over and I'll show you how it works."

  "I got a better idea. Maybe I'll take it over to the Reverend instead and see what he says."

  "Reverend, huh?" asked Cain. "Is that why you got those fancy powers? Some sort of special kind of communion?"

  "Yeah, you might say that," said Steve. "You see, we're building an army. We're gonna take back our world from those freaks like Tanya. So maybe she'd better be nicer to me if she wants to keep breathing."

  Cain started to stand, but Steve pointed the gun at his head.

  "That's enough," he said. "You know, even with my new powers, that bullet hurt like a bitch. What was that, hollow point or something?"

  "Or something," said Cain. "I like that gun, and I'm not gonna stop at anything until I get it back."

  "You got any idea what it's like to be shot by one of those things?" asked Steve.

  Cain narrowed his eyes and just uttered one word: "Yes."

  "That so? Well, I bet you've never been shot in the head."

  Steve aimed and pulled the trigger. The bullet rocketed out of the barrel and Cain suddenly felt a stabbing pain in the center of his forehead. There was a wet, sticky feeling running down the bridge of his nose. He suddenly felt very weak and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the roof once more. Blood had started to drip from his nose and into his eye. He was still alive, albeit barely.

  The next thing he realized, he was being lifted up. Cain was moved, being bumped up and down as he was carried to a new place. And then, the hands he felt on his body were now gone. He could see the afternoon sky up above.

  There was a feeling of air rushing up from below. Cain's body turned over and he could briefly make out the roof of a car that was rapidly getting larger until...

  CRASH!

  21

  Maya had no idea what happened to Cain. Since he had no phone, he also had no way to get in touch with her. While she'd been monitoring the front of the building from a bus stop across the street, she had no view of the other entrance.

  It was just pure happenstance that she looked up right when she saw a figure jumping from one building to another. "Oh shit..." she muttered to herself before taking off in an attempt to follow.

  She didn't want to risk trying to enter any of the buildings to get to the roof. First, there was no guarantee of an easy rooftop access point. And second, the chances of losing track of them as she was running up several stories were too great.

  All Maya could do was try and monitor from the ground. The angle was far from ideal, though and she could only see them when they jumped across roofs. As expected, it wasn't long before she completely lost sight of them.

  "Dammit!" she cursed. Maya tried her best to find some sign of them again, but it was futile. Cain was very fast and if he had to give chase, then it stood to reason that Steve was no slouch in the speed department himself. They could have crossed over two blocks via rooftop in that time.

  Maya ran from building to building, arching her neck as best as she could to try and get another glimpse. She'd been so worried about the possibility of Jason's phone being tracked, she hadn't considered what would happen if they got separated. Stupid move on her part given that Cain had already disappeared on her once before.

  She had to have run at least a few blocks by the time all was said and done. Instead of just turning back, she ran down another block or so to try a different quadrant. No sign of them or anything that could be interpreted as remnants of their presence.

  Maya started to return, intending to circle back to her starting point. An ambulance sped past with its lights flashing and she didn't think anything of it at first. She eventually found a crowd of onlookers in the middle of the street and a police cordon. Maya tried to push through the crowd to get a glimpse of what was happening, but the only thing that was blocked off was a car with its roof caved in.

  "Get back! Get back! Show's over!" said one of the uniformed officers.

  "What happened?" Maya shouted, but her voice was drowned out by everyone else. If she could just get to one of the cops, she could use magic to influence them to tell her what the story was. But she wasn't about to get that chance.

  Maya sighed and left the crowd. A pair of onlookers were leaving, too. She overheard one of them say, "Surprised the guy wasn't liquefied."

  "Excuse me!" she called after them. They both turned. It was a man and a woman, who appeared to be college-aged. "Do you know what happened here?"

  The woman gave a nod. "Some dude committed suicide. Took a swan dive off the roof."

  "Or he was pushed," said the man. "I saw him fall, didn't look like he had jumped on his own."

  "How come they didn't see anybody come out of the building then?" asked the woman.

  "Did you see what the guy looked like?" asked Maya.

  "Not really, I was in shock at the whole thing. Cops showed up pretty fast and blocked the site off."

  "Try to remember. Was he a big guy? Bald?" asked Maya.

  The young man scratched behind his head. "I dunno, might've been big. Didn't get a look at his head, though."

  "What happened to him?"

  The couple exchanged confused glances and then turned their perplexed gaze back on Maya.

  "What do you mean?" asked the woman.

  Maya sighed, trying to think of a way to phrase it that wouldn't sound crazy. "Did he..." she paused, struggling to get the next words out, "...get up?"

  "...What?" asked the woman.

  "How...could he get up? Guy fell several stories and then pancaked a fucking car," said the man. "He's dead, lady."

  "I know...I mean..." She huffed. "I don't even know what I mean..."

  "They put him in one of those black bags, like on TV. Then they hauled him away in an ambulance."

  The ambulance! Maya chided herself for not picking up on that. If she'd tried to chase after it, maybe she could have found out where they took Cain, or at least gotten a general idea.

  "Thanks, I gotta go," she said and then left the confused couple to speculate on her sanity.

  As she walked, Maya took out her phone and called Sameera. She should have reported in earlier, but she got caught up in what they were doing. Now her team was missing and she was on her own without any idea of what to do next or where to go.

  The call connected and Sameera's soft voice came through the phone. "Hi, Maya. How's the case going?"

  "Not good," she said. "Sameera, I think I fucked this up."

  "Why do you say that?"

  Maya went on to relay the entire tale and update Sameera on everything that had happened. From Cain taking a prisoner to Dex's disappearance, the way they'd chased down leads, and ending with Cain's literal fall.

  "So now, Cain's body has been carted off somewhere and I have no idea where. And Dex is still missing, possibly captured. And all I can think is that none of this would've happened if I hadn't just listened to Cain and gone straight after that Lynch guy. At the very least, Cain would still be in my sights."

  "Okay, calm down and take a breath," said Sameera. "Do you want me to start with the obvious?"

  Maya nodded due to reflex, even though there was no way Sameera could see her. "Go ahead."

  "You're right, you did fuck up," said Sameera.

  Maya's shoulders dropped when she heard those words. It was deserved but didn't make it any easier to listen to. "I know."

  "The good news is that we're not completely lost," said Sameera. "Cain can't die, you know that."

  "Then why didn't he just get up after falling on the car?"

  "I don't know, maybe his body needs time to recover. But he's still alive...and if not, he will be soon."

  "So what do I do in the meantime, call up the Seattle medical examiner and ask if they've got any zombies in the morgue?"

  "Probably not the best use of your time. We know Cain will wake up and can handle himself. What I'm most worried about is what might happen to Dex, Kelryn, and any other supernaturals that might've been captured by these people."

  "That means Lynch is the only real option then, doesn't it?"

  "Absolutely," said Sameera. "Find Lynch and question him. Do whatever you have to do to get the information you need."

  "Okay, you're right. It's what I should've done from the start..."

  There was a pause on the other end and then finally, Sameera said in a stern voice, "Maya. Listen to me."

  Maya steeled her nerves to prepare for the worst.

  "This is the first case you're running on your own."

  "I know what you're gonna say, that maybe it was too soon--"

  There was a groan and then Sameera said, "Can I finish before you give your two cents?"

  Maya scrunched her eyes shut and said, "Right, sorry. Go ahead."

  "What I was going to say is that this was never going to be easy. Everyone makes mistakes. What matters isn't whether or not you make them, but how you bounce back. You're more than capable of doing this job, so stop being such a fucking perfectionist and just get it done."

  Maya sighed. "Okay, I will."

  "Now, are you sure you're okay on your own?" asked Sameera. "I'm a little strapped for bodies right now, but if you need the help, I can send you some backup as soon as someone's available."

  "No, that's okay. If we waste any more time, then it might end up being too late," said Maya. "I got this, I promise."

  "Now you sound like an operative. Get to it and call me if you run into any other setbacks."

  22

  His hands and clothes were soaked with the crimson, sticky liquid that poured freely out of the opening in his brother's skull. Cain knelt by Abel's body, the rock he used to strike the blow resting right where Cain dropped it after he attacked. It too was covered with gore. Skull fragments and bits of brain matter stained the pristine grass.

  "Abel...?"

  His brother didn't respond. Cain bent forward, bringing his head down to the grass so his face was level with his brother's. Abel's eyes were fixed in an open position, a mixture of confusion and fear obvious in that frozen expression.

  "You're staring right at me," said Cain. "I know you're awake."

  Again, no response.

  "ANSWER ME!"

  Cain's booming command echoed through the valley. He heard his voice reverberating back at him, but from his brother, there was only silence.

  "What's the matter?" asked Cain. "Why can't you speak? Is this some sort of game you're playing?"

  "This is no game, my son."

  Cain heard the new voice--soft but loud and authoritative. It seemed to come from every direction at once. He looked around, trying to find the source, and was quickly greeted by a brilliant light as if the sun had appeared in front of him. The brightness pained him, so Cain had to close his eyes and cover them with his hands.

  After a few moments, Cain parted two fingers and opened one eye to peer through them. He saw the angel with long, blond curls hovering towards him on pristine, white wings. But the angel's beautiful features were colored by a pained expression as he looked down upon Abel's petrified face.

  "Angel, what's happened to my brother?" asked Cain.

  The angel knelt beside Abel's body, inspecting the gaping head wound. He sighed and out of the corner of his eyes, he peered back at Cain.

  "What did you do?"

  "I...I hit him with the rock."

  The angel rose, stepping closer to Cain. "You did what?"

  "I was angry! I worked so hard and yet, you chose his offering over mine! And the next thing I knew...the rock was in my hand...and...and..."

  Cain's head fell.

  "Is that why he won't respond? Is Abel just angry at me?"

  "He's not angry, he's dead."

  "Dead?" asked Cain, raising a single brow. "What's 'dead'?"

  The angel narrowed his eyes. "The opposite of living. When a person is dead, that means they're gone forever. Never to return."

  "No, that can't be true!" cried Cain. "He's my brother, you must bring him back!"

  "There is no power in Heaven or on Earth that can restore your brother's life. When something is dead, then that is a permanent change. It cannot return to life."

  "No, that's not true!"

  Cain dropped down by his brother's body, trying futilely to collect the bits of blood and gore that covered the grass. He attempted to shove them into the open wound.

  "You'll be okay, Abel. I can fix this!"

  "Enough!" The angel gave a wave of his hand and Cain was thrown from his brother's side. "There is no undoing the act of murder."

  "But...I don't understand..." Cain stood back up. "How do you have so much power and yet you can't bring my brother back?"

  "Because you must live with the consequences of your actions, Cain." The angel pointed an accusatory finger. "Your brother is dead by your hand. You killed him!"

  "No!" shouted Cain. "I didn't know what I was doing!"

  "From this day forth, you shall forever wander the Earth as a marked man. Everything that walks the planet will know of Cain, the first murderer."

  The angel's blue eyes burned with a strong intensity. Cain felt a pain in his chest. Started as an ache, but quickly strengthened. His skin burned and he fell to his knees. The smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils. There was a scream in the valley--Cain was in so much pain, he didn't even realize it was his own voice.

  What was happening? His nails clawed at his shirt, desperately tearing it open to see what was the cause of the pain. Cain saw some foreign mark on his chest. He touched it, but the strange feature seared his fingertips.

  Cain looked to the angel for help. He begged for relief, but the angel stood still as a statue, his finger still pointed in his outstretched hand, his eyes still burning with that same intensity as before.

  The pain suddenly stopped and Cain collapsed on the grass, right beside his brother's remains. When he looked up, he saw the angel hovering above him now.

  "You have introduced the sin of murder to humanity, and that sin shall continue to fester in the hearts of your fellow man, like a cancer," said the angel. "Your penance shall be to never know peace. While your brother, your parents, and everyone in your tribe shall one day know paradise, the gates of Heaven shall now and forevermore remain closed to you. You will be an outcast among men, for you are no longer one of them. And that brand will remain with you until the end of time, a reminder to all of your transgression."

  "You can't do this to me!" shouted Cain. "I didn't know what I was doing!"

  "What's done is done. Now live with the guilt you've brought upon your head."

  "But what about forgiveness? How can I atone for my sin?"

  The angel just gave a smirk. "Heaven has no mercy for you, Cain. So it is written, so shall it ever be."

  The angel's wings started to glow brightly and he wrapped himself in them. In a flash of light, the angel was gone.

  Cain knelt by his brother's side once more. He took the lifeless body, cradling it in his arms, and started to weep. If only he hadn't allowed his anger to get the better of him, Abel would still be alive and they would still be brothers.

  There were voices. The other members of his tribe were coming. Cain whispered a final goodbye to his brother and then gently laid the body back on the ground. And then, he started to run.

  His home was gone, his tribe was lost, and he was a marked man. Just as the angel had decreed.

  The snap of the latex gloves closing around his wrists was a familiar one to Kyle Chapman. He'd been a medical examiner for the city for the past five years and in that time, he'd seen a lot of strange cases. The cadaver that lay on his gurney didn't seem like one of those--at least not on the surface.

  Kyle checked the name on the report and then clicked record on his recorder. "Subject is a John Doe. Caucasian, age undetermined but appears around mid- to late thirties. Either jumped or was thrown from a six-story building and landed on the roof of a parked car. Unknown at this time if death occurred before or after the fall, though the bullet entry wound on the forehead suggests before."

 

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