Flames of Redemption

Flames licked the soffit that ran along the underside of the roof, long thin fingers slid upward and touched the outer edge of the shingles. Asphalt dripped as the shingles began to curl into themselves. The siding beneath the soffit turned the color of toasted marshmallows and began to peel away as sirens wailed out into the dim morning light. 

Standing side by side across the road, their arms crossed and their heads tilted in the same direction, Darian and Tess watched as the house was engulfed in flames. 

“Well that was unexpected.” 

Darian’s words were nearly lost as the supporting walls crumbled and the upstairs floor collapsed. Sparks shot skyward as the roof followed shortly thereafter. Dark smoke slipped through the cracked and broken windows in long tendrils, snaking its way toward the overcast sky. 

“Who knew it would explode like that?”

Tess commented as overhead the power lines began to spark as the heat reached them and melted the protective covering and a strong wind began to blow. Tess shifted her position to avoid the dripping mess, never taking her eyes from the flames. She lifted her scorched fingers to her lips and tapped them thoughtfully. 

“I bet Bill Nye would have known.” 

Darian lowered his arms and slipped his hands into the back pockets of his jeans as he tipped back on his heels and bent at the waist slightly to balance himself. His Converse tennis shoes were soot covered and splattered with a dark liquid. The bottoms of his jeans were torn and singed. 

“What is it with you and this Bill Nye guy?” 

“He was on television, so he must be smart, right?” 

With a roll of her eyes and a short snarl, Tess shook her head. “You know, literally, nothing. You know that?”

“Well if I don’t know nothing, how would I know that?”

Sharp teeth flashed in a snarky grin as the lights of a fire truck washed over them. Tess started to retort. Her finger pointed at Darian when she huffed and shook her head, deciding it wasn’t worth it. 

“Let’s just get out of here.” 

“I want to see what they say.” 

“It’s not worth it Darian. Remember what happened the last time?” 

“Nope. Nothing up here.” Darian tapped the side of his head to indicate how hollow it was. Tess thought it sounded hollow too. 

“Fine. But we’re not standing this close this time.” 

“Yippee!” 

Darian spun around and raced up the hill toward the peak. Tess watched him before heaving a sigh and following at a far more sedate pace. By the time she joined him, the fire truck had arrived and men and women in heavy uniforms were piling out. One ran around the side of the truck and unwound a heavy hose, dragging it to a nearby pond to suck water up. Others began to evaluate the burning structure before them. No one moved as the strong wind continued to blow. 

An ambulance and police car joined the fire truck, parking haphazardly in the long grasses of the ditch where Darian and Tess had once stood. The sight made Tess wince and, when she looked over at him, she believed Darian truly didn’t remember what happened the last time. With a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head, she started watching the scene below them once again.

The water from the hose began to fall on the flames through a broken window. Thick plumes of dark smoke began to rise into the air as another section of the roof collapsed in on itself. Darian watched with rapt attention, his eyes wide and his lips pulled back in a partial snarl. Beside him, Tess  leaned back with her arm resting on her upraised knee, watching in silence. 

Hours passed as the wind continued to whip up the fire. The water did little to fight against the strength of the wind but eventually the firefighters won. As water dripped from the remnants of the house, police officers cordoned off the area with caution tape while the firefighters entered the remains cautiously. A shout was heard as they came upon what Darian and Tess knew they’d find. 

“A body!”

“No one lived here, place has been abandoned for years.” 

“Well, that don’t stop squatters, do it?” 

“I suppose not.” The officer sounded annoyed more than remorseful. Paperwork that had to be done on a John or Jane Doe. He didn’t want to do the administrative work and Tess had a feeling he wished that he hadn’t drawn the short straw tonight. 

Beside her, Darian had crossed his legs and was gripping the ankles with both hands tightly, rocking back and forth in excitement. He had been waiting for them to find it, his prize. 

“Can we go now?” 

“Teeeeeessssss, they haven’t said what their thoughts were yet! This is better than a CSI episode!” 

“You really need to get out more often.” 

“Please?!” 

Tess didn’t want to look at him. She knew that he’d have that pouting, puppy-dog look on his face that she couldn’t refuse. No matter how hard she tried. Instead, she huffed and waved a hand at him. 

“Fine.”

“Yes! Thank you, thank you thank you!” Without warning, strong arms were wrapped around her upper body and she nearly fell sideways as he hugged her tightly. “You’re the best!”

“Ew, get off me, you weirdo!” 

Tess shoved him away and pushed herself to her feet, slipping her black fingers into her pockets as she watched the scene below. 

“Is it safe?” 

“Not yet.” 

The firefighters were bracing what was left of the walls. Water dripped all around them and soot rose up in the air. Tess tilted her head to the side, curious how the body didn’t end up buried beneath the collapsed flooring and roof. She supposed she would never fully understand how things happened. Each of their jobs had been riddled with holes and issues ever since she had been assigned to partner with Darian. 

The sun continued to rise and a white, nondescript van turned onto the road in the distance. Tess watched it as it trundled down the pot-hole marked road toward the black skeleton of the house. It rolled to a stop behind the firetruck. A man in a t-shirt and jeans stepped out of the driver’s side while a woman in similar clothes exited the passenger side. The woman moved to speak with the officer while the man went to the back of the van and opened the doors. 

“What do we have?” 

“House fire, one casualty. Male, Caucasian from what we can tell. Badly burned.” 

“Expected. Mike and I will take it from here. Is the structure stable enough for us to enter?” 

A firefighter walked up to her, pulling their helmet off to reveal the features of a sweat-streaked and exhausted woman with her hair cropped short. “It’s as stable as we can get it. I’ll have a couple of guys in there with you to make sure it stays that way. But be quick.” 

With a deft nod, the woman turned to find her companion beside her. She accepted the case that he offered her and strode into the building with a confidence that Tess admired. Once they disappeared inside, Tess turned to Darian to find him standing with a slightly maniacal grin on his face. 

“All those humans wandering around down there. What fun.” 

“They are not our targets.” 

“They could be.” 

Tess looked away from Darian. She considered the scene below them, people milling about as they did their jobs. She used to be one of them, doing a job that she loved and wanted to keep doing, no matter the danger. 

“No, we stay here or we leave.” 

Darian pouted and whined. “You’re no fun anymore, Tessy. Ever since you made that stupid contract with that cop.” 

“I have goals, Darian.” 

“So do I.”

“What are you planning?” 

“We could end this here and now. No more cat and mouse games.” 

“No. You know the deal. We cannot break the contract.” Tess snarled the words, her eyes narrowed and an inner light blazing in their dark depths. 

“Contracts cannot bind us.” Darian hissed back, his fangs growing slightly as he turned back toward the remains of the house. 

Dangerous, he’s becoming too dangerous. Too deranged. A sinking feeling settled in Tess’s dark heart as she considered her former friend. His dark eyes were shifting to a red, swirling galaxies of death deep in the orbs of what used to be his eyes. They said the eyes were the windows to the soul. If that were true, then Darian’s soul was darkness and despair. A vacuum. 

Forcing her emotional response downward, Tess turned and shoved her fist into Darian’s stomach, feeling the tendons, muscles, blood vessels, and bones shattered  as her razor sharp claw-like fingers passed through them with ease. The tips slipped out his back as blood spurted from his mouth, oozing down his chin toward the dark grass at their feet. 

“Yes, they do and I plan upon completing this one.” 

She stepped back, pulling her fingers free and allowing him to fall to the earth, gasping for air. Tess turned back to watch the scene below her. Black blood dripped down her long fingers and a cool breeze blew upward bringing the smell of charred wood and flesh with it. 

“I’m ready to end this miserable existence. Once and for all.”

The woman in white exited the building. Her face lit by the pulsating red lights of the fire engine and ambulance. Blue-gray eyes rose upward toward the crest of the hill where Tess stood. For seconds, they looked at one another, acknowledged one another, then it was over and the woman broke eye contact, walking back to her van. 

Tess turned, reached down and gripped the shoulder of her late partner’s jacket, and dragged him along as she disappeared into the darkness that surrounded them. 

*        *        *

The television screen glowed as a talking head appeared before a screen denoting the local television station’s call sign. Tess tapped the mute button on the remote as the image of the man from the house she had burned down appeared on the screen beside the nondescript man. She shoved her black hair behind her right ear as she leaned back on the moth-eaten couch and listened to the report. 

“...investigation is complete and the identity of the victim has been released. David Mallory, aged 68. Mr. Mallory was recently released from a mental health facility after being treated for severe psychological issues linked with his pedophilia case three years ago. Reports say that he died from multiple stab wounds to the abdomen and lower body. The coroner is releasing the body today.” 

A slow smile crept onto Tess’s face as she looked at the image of the man she had ended alongside Darian. At the thought of Darian, the smile disappeared and she sighed, rubbing her eyes. 

With a click, the television went dark and Tess tossed the remote onto the nearby bed before pushing herself to her feet and wandering over to the window overlooking the parking lot of the hotel. Men, women, and children walked to and from their cars, chatting about nonsensical things. All of them went about their lives as though nothing bad could ever happen to them. Tess knew they were wrong but didn’t care. 

She wished she could be like them. Unaware. 

A soft knock drew her away from the window and she watched as an envelope slipped beneath the door before the sound of footsteps slowly diminished. With a few quick strides, she reached the envelope and ripped it open, pulling out the instructions for her next target. Number 15. Only 20 more to go after this one. 

The smile slipped back onto her dark red lips as she stared at the image in her hands. Soon, very soon.