Tod woke up the next morning. There was the sound of clattering coming from outside the door. He creaked it open to find Vincent, who’d already prepared an entire two-course breakfast.

  Tod burst out his door, “What are you doing, what about your ankle!?”

  “Eh, it didn’t hurt when I woke up. And for what I’m doing, I felt bad about leaving you guys yesterday, so I made breakfast!” Vincent said excitedly.

  Tod’s gaze pointed towards the dining table where Eiliesh was sat.

  “You saw his ankle last night, it was completely dislocated, this is just normal?” Tod asked Eiliesh.

  “Eh, I didn’t have to make my breakfast, who cares.”

  “Come my dear boy,” Vincent said in a joking voice, “Take a seat, by your dear ol’ pops.” He said while patting the chair next to him incredibly quickly.

  After they finished breakfast they readied for the mission, but as they got in the car Eiliesh remembered, “Wait, Vincent, drive up to the body from last night.”

  “What, why?”

  “It’s the same person me and Tod killed on our first day.”

  “Oh… shoot...” Vincent Said Dejectedly, “He wasn’t lying...”

  “Who wasn’t lying about what?” Tod asked.

  “Kane, about the zombies…”

  “Kane?! What do you mean?” Tod questioned.

  “He’s alive, I forgot to tell you, also they apparently become unkillable monsters after we kill them.”

  As they drove up to the body Eiliesh chimed in, “I dunno man, that seems pretty killed to me.”

  “Huh…” Vincent said before they continued off towards The Diamond Council branch they’d visited and also nearly destroyed on their first day. They unloaded the gear from the truck and continued inside.

  Vincent approached the counter again. “I got a call this morning, the portals are working again?”

  “And you are?” The receptionist asked

  “Still Vincent.”

  The receptionist picked up the phone and notified the other end of Vincent’s presence.

  “Take a seat there.” the receptionist said as he gestured towards a set of chairs.

  After a few minutes Vincent and his group was escorted down the hall back towards the wormhole room. Greeted by the same worker to put in the coordinates. There was a pause, “Oh, uh yeah, 35°42'14.7"N 139°33'27.8"E.” Vincent said to the worker, watching them put in the coordinates.

  “Hey Tod, this time we’re all going together.” Vincent said.

  “Yeah, I figured.” Tod responded slightly annoyed.

  “And I’m driving.”

  “Thanks, I get it.”

  They climbed into the Void Ship and the portal ahead began powering up. Tod took a seat in the passenger seat.

  “Hey buddy, why don’t you sit in the back, Eiliesh has had less accidents this close to the controls.” Vincent said.

  Tod sat up and shoved Vincent into the side window as he climbed into the back. With the portal fully powered up Vincent started up the ship and it began levitating. As soon as Vincent was given the go ahead, they were rocketing off towards Target Four. Suddenly Vincent’s phone rang. Vincent picked up while still twisting the ship through the wormhole.

  The Void King spoke on the other end, “Vincent?”

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “Target Four is still alive.”

  “You betcha.” Vincent said.

  “Well too bad you didn’t get the holder earlier, because they moved up the list to number ten.” The Void King said.

  “What? How?”

  “Don’t know man, I guess they got stronger. But yeah, that’s it.”

  The phone hung up and Vincent sat in silence for a moment.

  “So, you guys ready to get Target Ten?” Vincent said.

  “We’re going for Target Four?” Tod said confused.

  “Yeah, well our buddy graduated apparently and it’s too expensive to back out now.”

  The ship neared the end of the wormhole, all the colors spiraling into the center. Vincent blasted through into the sky of their destination. Vincent landed the ship on top of a grocery store.

  *Bing*

  Vincent’s phone was alerted.

  “Man, I am popular today!” Vincent said

  “You’ve arrived.” Is all the message said.

  “Well, someone is watching us already.” Vincent said

  “God, we just landed.” Eiliesh said annoyed.

  They climbed a ladder down from the grocery store and began towards the exact coordinates. They followed the tracker Vincent held into a forest.

  “Oh no, not again.” Eiliesh said.

  “Relax we still have a bit to go.” Vincent said.

  They continued through the forest until they reached a train track covered in thick vines, presumably abandoned. The coordinates were just up the tracks it seemed like, so they walked along the rails, certainly easier than through the shrubbery. They finally closed in on the coordinates, an abandoned, rundown train. The second Vincent stepped one foot into a train car he was met with another,

  *Bing*

  “Too slow.” Read the message.

  “They aren’t here apparently.” Vincent said.

  “So where are they?” Eiliesh asked.

  “Best bet is to just continue on the train tracks.”

  They continued down the tracks. They found a deer on the tracks; it was on its side. Vincent got closer and its head had a diamond shaped piercing through its skull. They kept following the tracks.

  *Bing*

  “Warmer.”

  They kept going until there was yet another,

  *Bing*

  “Stop moving, right now.”

  “They told me to stop moving.” Vincent said, turning to his group.

  “Turn seventy degrees left.” Another message said.

  “How are they even messaging you, we’re in the middle of a forest.” Tod asked.

  “No clue, but its our only lead.”

  They continued into the forest, following the directions the messages had given them. Until the happened upon a large, abandoned building, looking to be about four floors tall. Vines ran up and down it, every window was broken.

  *Bing*

  “Meet me on the third floor. Come alone. I want to talk. Leave the other two on the second floor.”

  Vincent showed the other two the message and they crept through the building. It had large garbage bags piled up in the corner, the only thing coating the floor was dead leaves. The population of leaves grew fewer as they walked up the stairs to the second floor.

  “You two wait here.”

  “But Vincent-” Tod said.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “I’ll be fine.” Vincent said unconfidently.

  “You don’t know that this is the highest target yet.” Eiliesh chimed in.

  “At the first sound of gunfire, you two head up.”

  Vincent began up the stairs. He was met with a hallway at the top. Only one door at the very end, as far away from the stairs as possible, was open. He approached and crept inside.

  A hoarse voice echoed through the darkness, “Close the door.”

  Vincent followed the instructions.

  “Lock it.”

  Vincent thought for a moment and twisted the deadbolt.

  “Are you armed.”

  Vincent gulped, “Yes sir.”

  “Good, sit.”

  Vincent slowly stepped towards where the voice was coming from, hoping a chair was hidden somewhere in the darkness. His leg tapped a wooden object, after feeling it a bit he took a seat.

  “Are you seated?”

  “Yes, I am. By the way, what with all this fanfare, who do you think you are?”

  “I am… The Immortal,” the voice spoke.

  “Ah, I get what’s going on here.”

  “Vincent, these weapons, are-”

  “A curse, an addiction, whatever, yeah I know,” Vincent said

  “VINCENT. LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT ME AND TELL ME YOU SEE ANYTHING LEFT.”

  A light flickered on, causing Vincent to shut his eyes, but upon then adjusting to the brightness he saw a human… what a human. The eyes were sunken in and dried out. The jaw was completely ripped off, along with a bruise along the entire left side of its neck. Vincent looked at them, concerned.

  After adjusting his mood, Vincent spoke up, “Yeah, no need for a name or anything, everyone with the weapons is the same, basically immortal. Only thing special about you is how ugly you are.”

  “Sit still please,” They spoke.

  The target keeper rose from their seat, holding a stick, the end of which was obscured by the table. They rounded the table and placed the tip of the spear on Vincent’s neck. He flung himself back, slamming his head into the ground.

  “What the hell are you doing,” Vincent asked.

  “Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.”

  They swung it and Vincent jumped back, it still slashed his shoulder. He was up against the wall. Target Ten approached and placed the spear up against Vincent’s neck. Vincent pulled out his gun and shot the stick of the spear. It splintered and flew up into the air. Target Ten caught it with their other hand and swung it around, slashing Vincent’s cheek. He breathed in as blood spurt out of the wound, it was outlined in the same blue slime from the axe. Target Ten kneeled down.

  “Vincent, you should’ve found business elsewhere.”

  They placed the tip of the now halved spear on Vincent’s chest. He pushed it into Vincent’s chest. It sunk in, hitting bone. The pushing continued and was followed by a swift cracking noise from inside Vincent, causing him to scream in pain. They continued pushing the blade into Vincent’s chest. Until it hit another bone. Another crack echoed through Vincent’s body. Until it stopped at the wall. They swiftly pulled out the blade from Vincent’s chest.

  The door slammed open and Eiliesh opened fire with the Tommy Gun at Target Ten. Each shot twisted the target holder’s body slightly until they crumpled to the ground.

  “Vincent, get over here,” Tod shouted.

  The only noise Vincent could make was short gasps. Tod rushed in and dragged Vincent away as Target Ten stood back up. It held the spear and charged its hand back, ready to throw it. Eiliesh fired a shot and blew off Target Ten’s hand. They shrieked as Tod finally finished dragging Vincent back. He grabbed a weapon he’d hidden in the car. A compact grenade launcher. Target Ten dashed towards Eiliesh, unphased by every bullet she fired. Tod aimed and fired. A grenade flew through the air and lodged in the target’s exposed throat hole.

  The target stopped moving. Tears began to run down their cheeks as they fell to their knees. Their head instantly exploded as their hands hit the ground. Pieces of their brain scattered, and the pieces of grenade lodged themselves in Eiliesh and Vincent’s bodies. Target Ten’s body crumbled to the floor, arms and legs spread out. Eiliesh put her hand over her abdomen, pierced by shrapnel from the grenade. She sat down with her legs up. Tod pulled out his phone and dialed emergency services.

  The ambulance arrived, carrying Vincent and Eiliesh to the hospital, with Tod behind in a police car. Several hours later Tod was called, Vincent was able to be visited.

  A doctor spoke up outside of Vincent’s room. “He had a corrosive material coating his wounds and he was impaled through the chest. After removing the corroding material, he began healing incredibly quickly though, he should be fine to talk to.”

  “You checked his ankle for damage?” Tod asked.

  “Yeah, no signs of any damage.”

  Tod entered the room.

  “Tod! How’s Eiliesh?”

  “Her lung was punctured, she’s in critical condition.”

  “Oh my god,” vincent said, he stood up, “Where is she.”

  “She’s in the operating room, sit back down, you need to rest.”

  Vincent took a seat back on his bed. Until a noise came from his bedside-table.

  *Bing*

  “Nice try,” read the message.

  “What? No, this isn’t possible, you guys killed him, right?” Vincent said.

  “Yes, we exploded his head… oh shoot.”

  “What?”

  “We didn’t grab the spear.” Tod said, shaken.

  “Does that even affect it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  *Bing*

  “You got the wrong guy,” Said the message.

  “No, how? He had the weapon,” Vincent said.

  The doctor stepped in, “It’s time for the patients to go to bed, you can sit in the waiting room if you want.”

  Tod exited the room; he sat on the benches. After an hour of waiting with no update about Eiliesh, he dozed off.

  At exactly three in the morning Vincent rose from his bed. He stepped past the other sleeping patients and opened the window. He dropped into the grass and shut the window. He bolted through the forest until he was far enough from the hospital. Vincent pulled out his phone, “Let’s get this sorted out, you know where I’ve been, meet me where I landed my ship.” Is the text Vincent procured, a blip sound pierced the silent forest as it successfully sent. Vincent began back towards the building; it was the only landmark he knew how to get back to the ship from.

  He climbed up the ladder on the wall of the grocery store. There was a figure already there. It wielded a spear, even though all Vincent could see was a silhouette, he still saw the diamond-shaped tip of the spear.

  “Drop it. Let’s do this. No weapons.” Vincent shouted

  The spear clattered to the ground.

  “This is the real you?” Vincent asked.

  The figure looked down.

  *Bing*

  “Yes.”

  Upon looking up from his phone the figure was already progressing towards him. Vincent started running, the target matched his pace. They stopped. Illuminated by moonlight. It was the same person he’d seen in the building.

  “You died.”

  “It was a physical projection in a false body.”

  The figure threw the first punch, a hook into Vincent's stomach. Vincent grabbed their arm, attempting to fling them downwards, he failed. They slammed their fist onto his back, sending him clattering to the floor. They jabbed their hand into Vincent’s stomach. He kicked them in the side, causing them to fumble sideways. Vincent rose to his feet.

  The Target met Vincent’s eyes yet again. They charged towards him and Vincent elbowed them in the neck. They fell to the side. Vincent took his chance and kicked them in the stomach. They rolled over and jumped up, they charged towards Vincent and gave him a hug.

  “Wha-”

  Vincent confusion was quickly cleared up when he felt a cold pain in his back. He headbutted them and they fell back, holding their spear. They ran towards him with it, and he grabbed below the blade and twisted it out of their hand. He threw it off the edge. It was like a switch flipped in the target’s head. It jumped at Vincent, plunging its fists onto Vincent’s chest repeatedly. He lifted up his hands and grabbed them by the sides of their head. A swift twist of his arms and the body collapsed on him. He shoved it off and brushed himself off. The head began twisting back around. Vincent leaned down, placing his hands on the side of their head yet again. He twisted it backwards and began pulling it towards him. He pulled until the head unlogged from the body like a doll. He placed it on the ground and raised his foot above it, planting his foot directly into the skull.

  He stepped out of the caved-in head and looked around. He noticed the spear Target Ten dropped at the beginning. He stumbled towards it and noticed it was a fake, as he suspected. He walked over to Target Ten’s headless body and grabbed the spear.

  * * *

  Vincent arrived back at the hospital and woke Tod.

  “D-dad?”

  “Did you just call me dad?” Vincent asked astonished.

  “What happened to your clothes?”

  “I… went shopping, come outside with me, I got something.”

  They went outside and Vincent pulled the Diamond tip of the spear out of his pocket.

  “How...? How did you?”

  “Not important.”

  “Yeah, it is, what’s going on. You’re doing these crazy feats, healing in record time, what’s going on?”

  “Tod, I got the target, that’s what’s important,” Vincent said, trying to brush it off.

  “Tell me.”

  “I’m not from where I told you I was.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m technically not from a planet, I spawned in like a… heaven… version of purgatory…? It’s hard to explain. Point is, I’m durable, that’s it.”

  “OH MY GOD, THERE HE IS!” Shouted a police officer.

  “Oh crap…” Vincent said.

  The officers that were looking for Vincent helped him back inside the hospital. After the sun rose a doctor came out.

  “Eiliesh is going to be fine, we’re going to have to keep her here for a few days though,” said the doctor, “meanwhile, these detectives want to have a word with you concerning what happened.”

  * * *

  Kane stepped into the Diamond Council branch. “Where is it,” He asked an assistant.

  “Over here, sir.”

  They led him through a few corridors and then he saw in the observation room. Target Three, missing her arms.

  “Where are her arms?” Kane asked.

  “They’re most likely still on the ship that chopped them off,” the assistant answered.

  “What…? Never mind, Can I inspect?”

  “No need sir, we’ve already scanned everything.”

  “Is it dead?”

  “It wasn’t.”

  “What killed it?”

  “After the one-week period without having its weapon, it keeled over.”

  “So, is that how we kill them?” Kane asked.

  “It’s the only way that we’ve discovered. It’s comparable to a parasite.”

  Kane’s phone started vibrating, he picked it up, he was getting a call from 'Unkn0wn number'.

  “Excuse me I need to take this.”

  “Did you see what Vincent did?” Spoke the voice on the other end.

  “No, I can’t say that I have,” Kane said in an overly cheery voice.

  “I can’t fight him, not after seeing that.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s arrangeable!” Said Kane, in the same cheery voice.

  “Get somewhere you can talk.”

  Kane excused himself to his office.

  “What did he do this time?” Kane asked.

  “He twisted their head off with his bare hands.”

  “So, you’re just going to wuss out of all our precise and specific planning?”

  “I don-” The voice on the other end was cut off.

  “Shoot him, that’s all you need to do, its not that hard. Man up. Get it done,” Kane said in a stern tone.

  “You don’t get it, if I die, all my people will be without a leader.”

  “I couldn’t care less. Grow a pair,” Kane said before hanging up the line.

  Kane sat in his chair, alone with his thoughts. Until a knocking came from the door.

  “Enter.”

  A random worker walked through the door and sat down in front of Kane’s desk.

  “What is your business here?” Kane asked.

  “Sir, I have a complaint, and I don’t think I’m safe reporting this as HR.”

  “Okay… Shoot.”

  “This person is relatively high in the order of power.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “You killed my dog,” said the worker

  “Excuse me?”

  “You did it just to send a message, didn’t you?”

  “Leave my office,” Kane ordered.

  “You paid a man to shoot my dog.”

  “Emerald Council?”

  “You self-righteous asshole, you’ll get what you deserve.” He said as he swung a sword out of his holster.

  It sliced along Kane’s neck, up to his forehead. Kane jumped back in his chair and pressed a red button under his desk with his foot. A turret shot the worker in the stomach, and they dropped the sword. Kane picked up the man’s sword. Turned it on the man and plunged it into his heart.

  “Scum.” Kane said as the light faded from the man’s eyes.