Four Horsemen Read online

  “You are a danger!” Dean lunged at Liam with a knife and took a swipe at him.

  Liam grabbed Dean’s wrist and bent it until Dean dropped the weapon then punched him. Dean stumbled back from the blow but smiled. They circled each other with raised fists. I felt Liam push out his talent hoping to scare Dean so bad he couldn’t fight back.

  Dean smirked. “Nice try, but I have been trained to withstand fear, anger, and sickness. You can’t affect me that easily.” Dean shot out a fist which connected with Liam’s side.

  That was all Liam needed and soon they were rolling around trying to get the upper hand. I rolled my eyes. When Liam popped back up after hitting Dean in the face with his fist again, I jumped in between them. Dean didn’t care though. He swung out trying to connect with my stomach but thankfully Kaden had trained me well. I stepped to the side then grabbed Dean’s wrist as it missed its mark and pushed as much of my talent as I could without killing him.

  “Have you been trained against loss?” I learned there was more to Death then just sickness. There was loss which could break any being. So, while Dean may have been trained against feeling sick, I figured feeling the despair and ache of loss would work.

  I was right. Dean crumpled in on himself and cried out. Tears poured down his face and his other hand that was not held in mine clutched at his chest. I leaned down until I was near his ear and whispered. “This is what we feel every time you take one of us from each other. If you don’t want to feel this every day of your life after we take one of yours, I suggest you stop hunting us.”

  With that, I released his hand and left him to get his bearings. Liam trailed after me and grabbed my shaking hand to offer comfort. I squeezed his hand, accepting the comfort and led us to my next class. I knew Liam didn’t have a class until later, so he stayed with me until we reached the Engineering building where Kaden and Shawna waited. We quickly filled them in on the hunter’s actions and warned them to expect the last one to show up sometime. Liam waved to us and left leaving the rest of us to go into our next class.

  Seeing Peter up front next to our professor didn’t even faze me. He was introduced as a grad assistant, but I tuned the rest out. Kaden was fuming and Shawna looked frightened but otherwise we ignored him. The three professionals had wormed their way into our schedules, but we would just have to wait and see what the purpose was.

  As the days passed, we saw one or all of them everywhere we went rather than just in class. Whether it was at the cafeteria, a restaurant, the store, or around campus. They were stalking us, and it was creeping me the hell out. Thankfully the illness that had killed eight people stopped and no more bodies showed up with my symbol on their arm. I didn’t know what to think about that and no one ever showed themselves to claim credit for framing me, so I had to demote it on my things-to-worry-about list.

  It was a Thursday night when we decided to loosen up the tension by having another movie night. Shawna sat next to Kaden and Trevor on the couch like last time while Liam and I sat on the floor, with our backs against the legs of our roommates. The guys had warmed up to Shawna over the last couple of weeks and she had become like one of us. I was happy to see their acceptance of her because it was getting awkward how they would leave a room if she were in it. Now they included her in our meetings and camaraderie. Kaden had even started training her in self-defense.

  We were at the part in Harry Potter when Professor Quirrell runs into the dining hall shouting about a troll. As soon as the professor collapsed in the movie a loud shattering noise sounded behind us making me and Shawna scream. I am pretty sure I heard Trevor scream too but he would never admit it. Kaden paused the movie and we turned around to find our living room window destroyed and glass all over the carpet.

  “Be careful where you step,” Liam advised as he made his way to the broken window.

  I followed him and noticed a rock with a piece of paper rubber banded around it on the floor among the broken glass. I picked my way across the floor to retrieve it then slipped the piece of paper off the rock.

  “What is that?” Shawna asked, noticing my attention was on something other than glass.

  The guys looked over at Shawna’s words, so I read the note out loud. “Watch your backs.” I huffed in annoyance. “Really? This is just harassment now.”

  Liam looked pissed. He grabbed the rock from me and tossed it out of the broken window. “Kaden grab something to put over this, Trevor call a repair man, girls pick up the glass. Then we are all going to have a meeting. This shit needs to end now!”

  Kaden and Trevor rushed away to get their part done. Shawna and I grabbed the trash can and began picking up pieces of broken glass. When everyone was finished, we met at the kitchen table. I poured us all a glass of lemonade and fidgeted with my glass as we waited for someone to start the conversation. I knew they were going to say something like kill them and get rid of the bodies, but I really didn’t want to do that. However, the professional hunters were endangering and threatening us, so something needed to be done.

  “I am honestly surprised they didn’t do anything sooner,” Shawna stated, breaking the angry silence.

  Liam’s dark gaze landed on Shawna, making her squirm. “Do you know what they might do next?”

  Shawna shook her head. “I’ve never really been involved in Templar stuff, so I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

  We all sighed in disappointment.

  “Well, we need to figure out what they will do next otherwise one of us might get hurt next time,” Trevor said.

  “It’s not like we can ask them,” Kaden grumbles.

  I sat up straighter as an idea made its way into my mind. I tapped the glass of lemonade in my hand with my fingernail as I sorted through the idea then slapped the table once I got it causing their attention to land on me. “Maybe we can ask them.”

  Trevor and Kaden snorted in disbelief and Shawna shook her head sadly. Only Liam looked curious.

  “What is that pretty little head thinking?” Liam asked, causing a blush to burn my cheeks.

  I shook my head to rid myself of the fluttery feelings and focused on the problem. “Well, we could kidnap one of them and ask him what their plan is. They have been antagonizing us so we will only be giving them what they want. And if asking them about their plan doesn’t work then it will at least draw the others here so we can end it once and for all. We have weapons and booby traps set up.” I looked between the three guys waiting to see their reaction to my plan.

  The guys looked at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation.

  “You guys have booby traps?” Shawna asked wide eyed and looked around trying to see if she could spot any. I ignored her and kept my eyes on the guys.

  All three Horsemen turned to me at once with wide grins. “Let’s do it.”

  Chapter 20

  I figured Dean would be the easiest to kidnap. John was a professor, and Peter was a grad student so they would be noticeable if they went missing. We put our plan into motion the next day. I handed over the chloroform and a rag to Trevor since it was his job to use it on the Templar. He and Kaden stood outside the English building and would intercept Dean on the way out of class. It was Shawna’s duty to create a distraction and my job to be the look out when they carried Dean away.

  It sounded so simple when laid out, but I knew from movies and books that the best laid out plans always went wrong somewhere. I just hoped it worked long enough to get him to our house.

  Liam and I sat through class and watched Dean out of the corner of our eyes. The Templar sat there without a care in the world and it bugged me. How could he be so calm? Liam wanted to bring the note that the assailant threw through our window last night to shove in Dean’s face, but I talked him out of it. We had plenty of time later for that if our plan went accordingly.

  Once again, I had difficulty paying attention to the teacher. Man, I had become a terrible student but hopefully after today I would be able to focus on my studies again. There w
ere only a few more weeks until finals and I still needed to do my final projects. It felt like forever before the teacher finally called the end to class. Knowing Dean would wait for us to leave before he did, we had picked up on that habit earlier that week, we waited for the other students to trickle out so there would be less witnesses outside.

  Liam and I acted as if we were ignoring Dean and walked out together, holding hands and whispering to each other. Occasionally I threw in a small giggle as if he was flirting, but really, we were readying ourselves for what we had to do next. Outside, students shuffled in and out of the building as they all rushed to their next class. Liam and I glanced back to see if Dean was watching then sprinted to the side of the building. What I was betting on was that the hunters were keeping a close eye on us and that Dean would be curious as to why we deviated from our usual route. Honestly, I was banking on curiosity killing the cat, or in this case, the Templar.

  We rounded the corner and met Trevor and Kaden. As soon as they saw us, they soaked the rag with chloroform and put their backs against the wall. I almost squealed with glee when Dean rounded the corner not even a minute later. Liam immediately punched Dean which sent the Templar reeling back. Kaden wrapped his arms around him while Trevor pressed the rag against Dean’s nose and mouth. Dean struggled and kicked trying to get free, but they held him tight. I peeked around the corner to make sure we were not seen and saw Shawna’s distraction playing out.

  Fireworks exploded on the other side of the building and led down the walkway away from us. Students clapped and cheered and followed the line of fireworks to see more. I wanted to go see the sparks and exploding colors too but there were more pressing matters. I turned back to the guys and saw Trevor putting his hoodie on Dean then propping the Templar up between him and Kaden. Liam walked in front of them to hide the body with his tall frame. I fell to the back of the group to hide him from direct view although my frame would not cover him completely which is why Shawna fell into step beside me once we walked away from the English building. To anyone else it would look like a group of people walking by with their arms around each other. Maybe a little drunk.

  Thanks to the fireworks that continued its display we were able to get Dean away from the area and to our house with almost no one noticing. I saw a few people look our way curiously, but no one stopped us or looked too closely. I honestly expected someone to shout at us to stop or to call the police, but it was strangely easy to kidnap this Templar which made me concerned about the university’s security and safety of their students.

  Before we left that morning, we set up a chair with rope in the kitchen because it didn’t have any windows and had only one point of access. As soon as we got into the house, we placed Dean in the chair and tied him around the chest to the back of the chair then tied his hands and feet. I had to admit, rope was better than sheets. I glanced at Shawna wondering if this brought up memories of when I tied her to a chair. She didn’t meet my eyes so I couldn’t tell what she thought. Kaden searched him for weapons and pulled a couple of knives from his person. Now all we had to do was wait. A couple of us did our homework at the table to keep an eye on Dean while the others gathered weapons and planned for when the others arrived. I heard Dean’s phone buzz every so often and pulled it out of his pocket to see who was messaging him. John and Peter’s name appeared multiple times as they sent him texts. It was only a matter of time before they figured it out. I wondered if they had a tracking app on each other’s phones.

  I took a break from homework to make us all some lunch when I heard a groan come from the direction of the chair that Dean was tied to. I quickly called for the others. They arrived just as Dean looked around trying to figure out where he was and what happened. As soon as he saw us, he narrowed his eyes and started cursing. His eyes landed on Shawna last and he cursed even more and called her a traitor. I rolled my eyes and stepped in front of Shawna, blocking his view of her.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Dean spat when his cursing died down. “You know they’re going to come for me, right?”

  “Counting on it,” Liam said, and Dean’s eyes widened as he realized our plan. Liam held up the note that crashed through our window last night. “You went too far with this. We don’t take well to threats.”

  Dean scrunched his eyebrows at it then at each of us. “We didn’t do that. We are not so juvenile.”

  “Says the person harassing us by stalking us,” Trevor grumbled.

  Dean gave us a smug smile. “Oh, trust me, if we wanted to threaten you it would have been much worse than a note.”

  Liam raised his fist and punched Dean causing his head to spin to the side and blood to spatter from his mouth.

  “Liam!” I admonished.

  Liam only rolled his eyes. “They will be here eventually, there is no need talking to him.” Then he walked away followed by Kaden and Shawna.

  Trevor and I stayed in the kitchen to watch him. I continued with my sandwich making while Trevor munched on carrots. I really wanted to ask Dean about how he got involved with the Templars and what their plans were for us. I doubted Dean would tell us about their plans, seeing as he was a “professional”, so I just stayed quiet.

  Apparently, Dean didn’t have the same desire for silence. “You guys are making a mistake. They will kill you. I will too when I am free.”

  Trevor and I continued our silence. We were not too concerned. With my booby traps, our fighting skills, and our powers there was no way three Templars could survive.

  “You deserve to be brought down for what you have done.”

  That got my attention. I marched over to stand in front of Dean with a sandwich in one hand. “And what do you think it is we’ve done?”

  “You in particular should die a most gruesome death for spreading a disease and killing innocents. As for the others, it is only a matter of time before they start something too.” Dean stared at me with hatred and disgust shining in his eyes.

  I gaped at him and looked over his head to give Trevor an is this guy serious look. I looked back to Dean when Trevor shrugged.

  “For a professional, you are really stupid,” I said and bit into my sandwich. Anger boiled underneath my skin, but I stood there proud for keeping my voice calm.

  Dean’s hate filled eyes and frown faltered for a second then he shook his head in disbelief. “We all know it was you, spreading your pestilence and trying to start the apocalypse.”

  I stared at him for a second then started laughing. Deep howling laughter that I couldn’t stop if I tried and tears made their way down my cheeks. Trevor chuckled a bit at the table, but I didn’t know if he found Dean’s statement humorous too or if he was reacting to my mirth.

  When my laughter finally subsided and I caught my breath, I waved a hand in the air and said, with laughter still in my voice, “Whew, that was a good one. I haven’t laughed like that in a long time. Thanks.” I took a large bite of my sandwich.

  Dean’s expression was more puzzled than angry now, although there were still hints of that in his eyes. I didn’t wait for him to ask about the laughter.

  “Dean, I would never, ever, hurt someone on purpose, especially with pestilence. And there is no way I would start the apocalypse. I love this world too much. The other guys wouldn’t either. We all just want to be left alone. It is you guys who keep starting things by attacking us and triggering our defense mechanisms.”

  In a way I was telling the truth. I doubted the guys’ talents worked like defense mechanisms, but my pestilence talent triggered when I was attacked and felt defenseless. I had come a long way in controlling it, but I couldn’t help it if I was only defending myself.

  Dean snorted. “You’re lying.”

  I shrugged showing him I didn’t care about his opinion. “Just think about this. When has a victim of the Horseman Death or Pestilence been marked by a scythe symbol? And if we were the terrible beings you think us to be, then why are you still alive?”

  I didn’t wait
to hear his words. I walked away to the living room, needing to get away from the Templar before I slapped him with the sandwich I held. His words bothered me, and I hated that anyone would think so terribly of me. I was not a monster, but they obviously deemed me one just because I happened to be Death. I never chose this life, and the guys were born into it. It sucked that the stories made us out to be evil. I just wanted to graduate college and become an engineer. Forget the apocalypse. I was starting to think the-near-end-of-the-world moments in the past were caused by Templars messing with things they shouldn’t. The worst part was the Templars thought they were doing the right thing. It was their holy mission to destroy the bringers of the apocalypse. Well they should destroy themselves then. I angrily bit into my sandwich, attempting to take out my frustrations on the food.

  Trevor called us all to the kitchen a couple hours later where he held Dean’s phone up in the air. It buzzed continuously indicating a call rather than a text. Liam stepped forward and grabbed the phone, answering it then putting it on speaker. I glanced at Dean wondering what he would do. Was he going to warn them away? Call for help? I doubted he would show that kind of weakness, so my guess was the former one.

  “Dean, you missed check in,” John’s voice said through the phone.

  Liam stared at Dean, daring him to say something as he answered, “That’s unfortunate. Maybe you should do something about it.”

  Dean stayed quiet but eyed Liam carefully.

  A moment of pause then, “Who is this?” John asked.

  “Guess. You have 24 hours.” Then Liam hung up and smiled. “Well that should motivate them.” The other guys chuckled but Dean shook his head.

  “You’re making a mis-” Dean started to say.

  I waved his words away and interrupted, “Bla, bla, bla. We’ve already done this routine.” I turned to the guys. “Let’s get ready.”