Mike’s hand traced down Scott’s arm, causing goose pimples. The two lay in bed after a goodly bout of lovemaking, and Scott was drifting off to sleep. Mike smiled, and moved to settle against Scott, when his phone rang with the Batman theme.
Mike groaned. What the hell did Sonny want? He debated letting it go to voice mail, but instead he sighed and reached over the bed for his pants. Reeling them up, he dug out the phone from his front pocket. “Yessir.”
“Grim, we got a problem here.”
~~~~~~
Mike and Scott stepped out of the wall of the amphitheater. Luckily, no one and nothing was going on around them. Mike reinforced the rune he scratched on the upper part of the wall and looked around to see if anyone noticed. Scott watched him.
“Sonny gave me his address,” he said. “You heal Starcrowe. I’m going to find this son of a bitch.”
Scott said, “You really should take backup.”
Mike almost snarled, “Nobody fucks with my kids.”
“Take someone.”
“I got this.”
Scott gave him a look, but Mike ignored it. He was Grimaulkin now, a master mage, and he’d be damned if he was going to let the bastard win. Mike gave Scott the address, and he flew to it.
Meanwhile Grim went to the warehouse that Echoe had told him what happened. “Zombies.” Grim grinned, and raised his arms, commanding the bits of flesh left to coalesce into his own zombies. He summoned shadows. He summoned a demon, and a fallen angel. Then, he went in.
The place smelled of rotting flesh, and as he walked, he saw more bits and pieces of zombies left behind. Again, he called them together, creating more walking dead.
By the time he entered a room, he saw the black man with the top hat with his own army standing at the other end of the room.
“So,” said the black man, and he grinned, his teeth white against his dark skin. “What you be doin’ here, mage.”
“Oh,” said Grim, turning to face the man. “REVENGE!”
The demon screamed, the angel cried out, the shadows ran forward, and the battle ensued.
~~~~~
Sirens had been going off for the last twenty minutes, heading eastward. Sonny heard the doorbell, opened the door and stepped back. The man who stood in the doorway looked like he had been through a fire in a morgue. He was covered with soot and ashes, his blond hair streaked with gray, his clothes dusty, cut up, and bloody. He carried a bundle in his left hand.
“How is he?” asked Grim, stepping inside. Dust flew up from him at every step he took.
Scott came into the room. “Mike?”
“I’m fine. How is he?”
“He’s resting. I did what I could.” Scott motioned to the bundle Grim carried.
Grim let go of part of the bundle, and let what was inside drop to the floor. It rolled awkwardly toward Scott’s foot, the head stopping with its face sideways toward a window. Grim let go of the rest of the bundle and let it drop to the floor – it was the man’s coat. Aries and Power Shift, both out of costume, came into the room, and saw the raggedly cut head on the floor. Power Shift ran, his hand over his mouth; Aries backed up and briskly walked. Sonny did nothing, but looked at Grim.
“Mind if I crash here tonight,” said Grim, already heading into the other room. “Not all this blood is his.”
Scott put a hand on Grim’s arm. “Let me – ”
“Take care of Damon,” Grim said, shaking his head. “I just need some rest.”
Grim sat on the impeccable leather couch without asking permission, and lay his head back. “Just a little rest.” He took two deep breaths, and was out.