One

One sunny Friday in October of 2009, Debbie flew into San Antonio. It was near the third anniversary of her introductory hit in Maine. The location for the contract she had accepted was for the rural area near Eagle Pass, located on the Rio Grande, right on the border with Mexico. Debbie had killed 12 people in the last three years and was looking forward to a change of scene. ‘Enough with these back alley takeouts’ she thought. ‘I’ll enjoy spending some quality country time.’

For the past year she’d been living in New York City, and trying to develop her skills as a graphic artist. She liked how she earned her living, but there is considerably less room for artistic expression in being a contract killer. (more…)

Each stroke of the razor sent a black tousle to the mound of hair on the floorboards, through which rodents as tame as house cats scampered and gambolled. Besides the scraping of the blade, the breathing of the barber, the only other sound was the squeaking of valves on the oil lamps as a boy killed their flame. A hooded lantern hung above the barber’s head throwing grotesque shadows across the shop – a twisted demon with a great sword that hacked the scalp of a squatting aberration.

‘Beard as well, d’you say?’

‘Aye,’ said Nameless, his voice sounding distant and guttural.

The shadow demon hesitated, its sword held aloft for the killing blow. (more…)

Chapter Four

Mote in the Mind’s Eye

Each of the four guests reacted differently to the exotic reflective surface of the mirror. It was not silvered, but had an ebony blackness behind the glassy surface. All around the frame of the triptych object was a mottled surface that at first looked like random patterns of bumps and whirls but on closer examination proved to be myriad figures writing in what appeared to be hideous torment.

As the quartet stared at the mirror those figures seemed to come to life and wriggle across the frame as if alive.

“It’s hideous,” Wendy managed.

“It’s the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever seen—” Jasper said.

“It’s an abomination,” Cody gasped. He managed to turn his gaze from his own reflection to look at the image of Brewster cast in the mirror beyond his own. “How could you allow this thing in the same home that Cynthia lived in?”

The millionaire stepped aside so his reflection was out of the range of the mirror’s ebon surface. (more…)