Free Occult Assassin 4: Soul Jacker by William Massa

anything like this before. Had the gangbangers left another victim up here to rot? Impossible. It would take months for a body to dissolve to this point, and the dwelling would reek of decay. Acid could have dissolved the body, but the bones would have been destroyed too. Something else had happened here.  
    Something far worse.
    He turned on his heels and fled the unit. His steady gait turned into a sprint as he surged toward the lift. He didn’t plan on using the elevator, but the entrance to the emergency staircase was located right next to it. He would make his way down the stairs and blast away any fool who dared to get in his way.  
    Terror coursed through his bones as he tore toward the lift, which seemed to be receding into the distance. His imagination was playing tricks with him. He bit his lips and reigned in the irrational thoughts cycling through his mind.
    Ten feet separated him from the elevator doors when the rotten stench hit him with all its might. And this time it was accompanied by movement.  
    A shape burst from the darkness around the corner near the elevator, a mere blur in the shadowy passage.  
    Alan stopped dead in his tracks. His brain attempted to process the living nightmare slithering toward him. Glistening wet flesh, a segmented body framed by whirling tentacles. Despite the monster’s size, it shot out at him, extending like a giant snake. As wet tentacles closed around him and a gaping maw of razor-sharp teeth found his warm flesh, he caught a glimpse of his dead teammates in the corridor and realized they’d been the lucky ones.  

C HAPTER T EN

    SAMIA AND HER savior surged into the dimly lit apartment. She did not know what might await them in the dark unit, but it couldn’t be worse than facing down more of the crazed killers in the fog. As the door fell shut behind them, she barely dared to breathe. Blood thrummed in her veins and her heart hammered frantically, her thoughts in turmoil.  
    A sound broke through her panic. Muffled footsteps tore down the adjoining hallway, but the mad horde rushed past the unit without pausing.
    Samia exhaled.  
    They’d found a momentary refuge.  
    She turned away from the door and searched the shadow-soaked apartment. The décor made Samia think of weekend visits to her grandparents. Under different circumstances, the old-fashioned furniture and flowered curtains might seem quaint and stuffy, but right now it was a welcome retreat from the nightmare raging beyond the unit’s walls.
    A shiver danced up her spine as the full horror of her situation sank in. Nothing made sense any longer. The raid on the building had gone horribly wrong, and Samia had no idea whether the rest of the officers were already dead or still being slaughtered. The thought filled her with helpless rage. She would’ve been just another casualty, too, if it hadn’t been for the swift actions of her mysterious savior.  
    She studied the man in question. His dark skin, facial hair, and clothing suggested he was just another local—but the hooded features and the way he’d handled himself told a different story. He’d taken out the attackers with laserlike focus, his movements calm and precise, like a deadly force of nature.  
    She meant to thank him for saving her life, but instead she asked, “Who are you?”
    Before the stranger could respond, a noise drew her attention to the shadowy figure who’d offered them sanctuary in his home. In the low light she recognized the frail form of an old man. A white beard stood out against the dark brown skin, and his eyes glimmered with a rebellious streak despite his weakened physical state. Questions burned in her mind, but the answers would have to wait a little longer. First order of business was calling for back-up. She palmed her mic, attempting to reach headquarters, but was greeted by the hiss and crackle of dead air. She was cut off from the outside world.
    Dammit!
    She switched channels and tried to contact the