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Easy way out. She shoved the shoulder straps down, and let her tits bobble free. That shut him up. It took him about thirty seconds to push her down on the bed, then one hand was up her skirt while the other was squeezing a tit crudely. She groaned like it was good, hoping Billy-Joe and the others got a fucking move on. Sometimes the shits waited and let the man fuck her. Watching the show through some sensor or peep hole, getting off on the scene and laughing quietly. They always claimed it looked less like a set-up if they came in afterwards. Ba
The man’s hand was tugging at her panties. Mouth all hot and slobbering over a nipple. Courtney tried not to grimace. Then she was shivering, as if the conditioning duct had suddenly dumped a shitload of ice into the air.
He gave out a single puzzled grunt, pulling his head back. They looked at each other for an instant, both equally bewildered. Then a white hand clamped over his gelled hair, yanking his head away from her. He yelled in shock and pain as he was pulled off her and flung over the room. His flabby body hit the opposite wall with a loud crash, and crumpled to the floor. A figure in a black robe was standing at the side of the bed, blank hood tipped down towards Courtney. She drew in a breath to shriek, knowing fucking well this wasn’t Billy-Joe or any of the others.
“Don’t,” the figure warned. The darkness inside the hood withered to reveal the face.
“Qui
“Long story. Tell you in a minute.” He turned and went over to the quivering man, grabbed his head and pulled back viciously. The man’s throat was exposed along its entire length, skin stretched tight.
“Qui
Qui
Courtney giggled at the feeble gurgling sounds the man was making. “You’ve changed.”
“So have you.”
“Yeah!” She cupped her tits and lifted them. “Grew these for a start. Good, aren’t they?”
“God’s Brother, Courtney, you are a total slut.”
She straightened a leg and dangled her shoe from one toe. “I like what I am, Qui
“You did listen to the sermons.”
“Sure did.”
“So how’s Ba
“Same, I guess.”
“Not for long. I’m back now.” He held out his hands, making simple gestures. The room began to change; the walls darkening, furniture turning to matt black cast iron. Manacles appeared on the metal railings at the head of the bed.
Courtney looked round wildly at the manifestations, and scrambled backwards over the crumpled duvet, cramming herself into a corner away from Qui
“Not me,” he said softly. “I possess. I am the one God’s Brother has chosen as his Messiah. This power the returning souls have depends on the force of their will. And nobody believes in themselves more than me. That’s how I regained control of my body, through the belief He gave me in myself. Now I’m stronger than a hundred of those snivelling lost dickheads.”
Courtney unfolded her legs and peered forward. “It is you, isn’t it. I mean, like really you. You’ve got your own body and everything.”
“You never were very quick, were you? But then, it was never your brain the sect wanted.”
“Were you in New York?” she asked in quiet admiration. “I saw all the fighting on the AV. The police killed skyscrapers full of people they were so scared.”
“I was there a while back. I was also in Paris, Bombay, and Joha
“I’m glad you did.” Courtney bounded off the bed, and flung her arms round him, licking from his ear to his mouth. “Welcome back.”
“You will follow me now, not Ba
“Yes.” She slid her tongue over the tacky blood congealing on his chin, tasting its salt.
“You will obey.”
“Of course.”
Qui
“I came back to Earth so I could bring down the Night,” he told them. “You’ll play a big part in that, and so will the possessed. I’m going to leave a nest of you in every arcology. But Edmonton is special for me, because Ba
“What you going to do to her?” Billy-Joe asked.
Qui
Billy-Joe’s mouth split into an oafish grin. “All right!”
Qui
She shrugged to the others, and kicked the man hard in the crotch. He shivered, eyes bugging before the lids began to flutter uncontrollably. An extra squirt of blood pumped out of the wound.
“And again,” Qui
Courtney did as she was told, watching in fascination as a soul (a real dead person!) took control of the wretched man. The wound closed up. He started hissing in consternation. Tiny rivulets of lightning slithered along the creases of his blood-soaked suit fabric.
“Give him something to drink,” Qui
Billy-Joe and Julie ransacked the cupboards for cans of soda, popping them and handing them down to the grateful possessed.
“It’ll take you a while to replace that much blood,” Qui
“Yes, Qui
The iron manacles snapped open loudly. Courtney took one look at them, and glanced back enquiringly at Qui
She wriggled out of her dress and bent over the bed, placing her wrists in the manacles. They hinged shut, and locked.
Ilex emerged above Avon, radiating profound satisfaction (and considerable hunger). Every Edenist within Trafalgar picked up the emotional emission, and smiled simultaneously at the results Auster was declaring. Lalwani immediately declassified the strike mission against the antimatter station, and the navy press office started relaying the information to the system’s news companies. Everything happened so fast that the First Admiral’s staff only just managed to officially brief Jeeta Anwar before the Presidential office staff received it off the communication net.