Chapter 34: The Thing That Wears Faces

"Zarek?"

He knew that voice.

For a second, he almost looked back toward the body in the armory. Then he remembered what he’d done to it and turned toward the corridor instead.

Something stood at the far end of the corridor.

Holy shit.

The man was enormous. His head nearly touched the ceiling, and his shoulders filled most of the passage. Thick arms hung almost to his knees, their oversized hands ending in crooked, clawlike fingers.

Pale skin stretched over a body that looked as though it had been forced into a shape it was never meant to hold.

But the face was unmistakable.

It was the bandaged man.

The bandaged man stared at him.

"Why?"

Zarek’s hand was already reaching into System Space when the creature’s expression twisted.

"WHY DID YOU KILL ME?!"

It came at him with a speed that didn’t make sense for something that size.

Zarek barely had time to raise the assault rifle before the monster was upon him. He squeezed the trigger, and gunfire thundered through the corridor.

Bullets tore into its chest, spraying blood across its shirt, yet the thing kept coming, screaming as if every hit only made it angrier.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"

"Fuck!"

Zarek backed away, firing another burst straight into its upper body. The monster barely flinched before swinging a massive arm at his head.

He threw himself aside.

The fist smashed into the wall with a crack that made his ears ring. Concrete fragments struck his cheek. Zarek barely noticed. He was too busy staring at the hole the thing had just made.

That would’ve crushed his skull.

The thought sent a cold shiver through him.

Then, somehow, he started grinning.

You’re fucking kidding me.

He’d spent years locked away with dangerous men and killed more than his share. None of them had ever hit like this.

He raised the rifle again.

The creature was already turning toward him, its dead man’s face contorted with an anger that looked horribly genuine.

"WHY WON’T YOU ANSWER ME?!"

More bullets tore into its torso. The thing screamed, stumbled, and slammed one hand against the opposite wall to keep itself upright.

For a moment, Zarek thought it might finally go down.

Then it looked at him again.

"YOU KILLED ME!"

It lunged, and Zarek had to abandon his aim to avoid being caught. Its fingers tore through his shirt as he twisted away. He nearly fell, caught himself against a doorway, and brought the rifle around again.

The rifle clicked empty.

"Shit!"

He reached for a fresh magazine, but the monster’s arm swept across the passage before he could reload. The blow caught him in the chest and hurled him into the wall.

Pain exploded through his ribs.

The rifle slipped from his hands. He hit the floor hard enough to knock the breath out of himself, and for a few seconds, all he could do was lie there, trying to remember how breathing worked.

The monster’s voice thundered above him.

"WHY DID YOU KILL ME?!"

Zarek rolled aside just before its fist smashed into the concrete where his head had been.

"All right, you ugly fuck!"

He hauled himself upright and pulled his steel sword from System Space. The rifle had torn into the thing’s flesh without stopping it. Maybe the blade would do better.

The creature swung again. Zarek ducked beneath its arm and cut across its side. The blade opened a deep wound, but the monster barely reacted. It turned on him so violently that he almost lost his footing.

He’d barely recovered when it struck him again.

Zarek stumbled backward, his shoulder screaming. He could hurt the thing, but he couldn’t make it stop, and every second he spent close to it gave the monster another chance to break him in half.

The creature grabbed him.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU?!"

"Get the fuck off!"

Zarek drove his elbow into its face. The grip loosened, and he wrenched himself free, landing awkwardly on his feet.

He slashed again, trying to buy himself enough space to breathe, but the creature followed without hesitation.

"WHY?! TELL ME WHY!"

Its voice cracked into something almost desperate.

That was the worst part. It wasn’t simply roaring like an animal. It sounded like a man who genuinely believed he’d been wronged, screaming at the person responsible.

Except Zarek had killed that man.

He had watched him die.

And now the bastard was standing in front of him, several times his size, trying to tear him apart.

A laugh escaped Zarek despite the pain. His ribs screamed every time he breathed, and his injured shoulder was becoming harder to move. He might actually die here.

But, God, what a fucking fight.

The creature caught him across the side and slammed him into the wall. His sword fell from his hand, clattering out of reach. Before he could get back up, a huge hand closed around his torso and lifted him off the floor.

His breath caught.

The grip tightened.

For the first time, the excitement couldn’t quite drown out the fear. He hammered his fist against the creature’s face, struggling to free himself, but it barely seemed to notice.

"WHY DID YOU KILL ME?!"

Zarek’s vision blurred. He tried to wrench one arm between its fingers, desperate for room to breathe.

Then the creature’s expression changed.

Its rage gave way to something almost pleading.

When it spoke again, the voice belonged to Cal.

"You were supposed to save me."

Zarek stopped struggling for half a second.

No.

He knew that voice, too.

"You were supposed to save me!"

The creature hurled him against the wall. Zarek hit the floor hard, his breath leaving him in a painful gasp. He tried to push himself up, but his arms trembled beneath his weight. His sword lay several feet away.

"You were supposed to save me!"

Cal’s face stared down at him from the monster’s enormous body.

Zarek reached for his sword.

The monster raised its fist.