Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole Page A

fragments. She focused on the hard drive, destroying it beyond easy recovery.
    “Now your phone,” she said, reaching out to him.
    “So you can smash it?”
    “Yes,” she said. “We don’t have much time. Give it to me.”
    “Not without some answers,” he argued. “What the hell is going on?”
    “I already told you,” she replied. “They will be coming for you. They might already be on the way”
    “ Who is after me?” he asked. “And why? What changed?”
    “We don’t have time—”
    “Who was that guy in the alley?” Haatim interrupted. He didn’t really want to know the answer, but he couldn’t stop himself from speaking. “The one with the torn throat and missing eye? He looked like he was…he was…?”
    “He was what?”
    Haatim couldn’t bring himself to say ‘ dead’ . The guy couldn’t have been dead. That was just ridiculous.
    “Just a costume. He was wearing it to try and scare you so you would hesitate and he could grab you.”
    “I don’t believe you. Tell me what’s really going on.”
    “Haatim, we really don’t have time for this.”
    “I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me what the hell is going on. No more lies.”
    She sighed. “No more lies?”
    Haatim stared at her.
    “Fine,” she said. “You pissed off an organization called the Ninth Circle.”
    “The what?”
    “The Ninth Circle,” she reiterated. “They have been hunting me for years and generally causing problems in the world. It’s mostly comprised of psychopaths and demon worshippers, but a few members are lesser demons living in human hosts and corpses.”
    Haatim coughed. “Corpses?”
    She ignored him. “They run an underground black market ring of slaves and guns, and they have been trying to get to me because I have been crippling their organization for years. I have sent dozens of them back to hell and George was just my latest target.”
    She finished speaking and looked at him, pursing her lips.
    Haatim continued staring. “Uh . . . what?”
    “See? Doesn’t “the guy was just wearing a costume” sound so much better now?”
    “But that’s ridiculous,” Haatim said, shaking his head. He forced himself to laugh. “You want me to believe that demons can control dead bodies?”
    “I don’t care what you believe ,” she said. “You just asked me not to lie.”
    “Demons aren’t real.”
    “For someone who writes about religious unity across the world and the complete love and forgiveness of God, you sure seem close-minded about the supernatural.”
    “I don’t believe in God,” he replied. “Not anymore.”
    Abigail fell silent. “Then what was all that stuff you wrote on your blog?” she asked finally.
    “That was before…” he trailed off.
    “All right then. Do you believe in guys carrying guns who want to shoot you?”
    “What do they want with me? And why are you helping me?”
    “Because the fate they have in mind for you is far worse than just death,” she answered.
    “What do you mean?”
    “It isn’t important,” she said. “Just know that I won’t let them hurt you if you do exactly what I say.”
    “OK,” he said. “OK, fine. I’ll trust you for now.”
    “Good. But we need to leave right now.”
    The lights flickered.
    Abigail was up in a flash, looking around. “Damn it all.”
    “What was that?”
    “It means we’re too late,” she said. “We’ve been here too long. They are here.”
    Haatim felt a shiver run down his spine. “They are here?”
***
    She didn’t get the chance to reply. A crash suddenly overwhelmed Haatim’s senses. He tried to react and duck behind the counter, but he wasn’t quite quick enough. The front door blew in, scattering fragments of wood in all directions. Haatim felt a burning sensation on his arm as he crouched.
    The first explosion was followed by a series of echoing gunshots. Some came from the hallway, and others barked from only a few meters away. They were loud, a lot louder than he