Angel's Touch

Rico Barnes hadn't expected much from life when he left the military after nearly two decades of service. Leaving the service was a necessity, but having a business was an afterthought. The quiet hum of a suburban HVAC business had seemed like the perfect antidote to the chaos he'd left behind. The memories of blood-soaked battlefields and missions gone awry still lingered, but they were muted now-buried under the hum of air conditioning units and the buzz of office phones. In the concrete maze of New York City, he had learned to fade into the background, keeping to himself.

At present, he was on his way back from a business meeting that went rather smoothly. He got the contract to maintain one of the city's leading cold storage facilities. That was a huge chunk of financial increase to his thriving business. HVAC business was vast and profitable in the city, undeterred by the many similar businesses. He somehow got the contract, beating two other competitors. Quality service speaks for itself.

Rico thought about his loveless life, he misses his last girlfriend, Priya. She was an amazing woman with extraordinary business acumen, he left her because of the talk of marriage. He takes a quick glance at the beautiful Black-haired woman seated a few seats across from him; she reminds him of Priya. She looked important and middle-aged also serious with two men in black suit beside her, everything about them screamed bodyguard. Rico did not mind that she's older than him; she is just the type of woman he goes for.

"Maybe she's not married, or she's divorced," he thought to himself.

Rico was surprised that he picked interesting in her giving that since his last breakup he has hardly given the slightest consideration to dating.

"Not the best time, maybe when the train stopped," he was thinking within himself. Walking up to her on the train is a lame way of getting her contact. Looking at how she composed herself and the bodyguard beside her will make approaching her for her number awkward.

As the train sped through its track back to Brooklyn, Rico tried to push aside those thoughts. He had just wrapped up a good deal with a new client, and the most important thing on his mind is to treat himself to a juicy steak and cold beer once he gets home. His employees will get a nice bonus; they deserve it.

The scream of commotion and a low growl shattered the calm of the ride. A sudden, piercing sound tore through the train, followed by the unmistakable stench of something unnatural. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he turned toward the source of the commotion. At first, he thought it was just a fight between humans that escalated into something bloody-people could get crazy these days for no particular reason, especially in the rush hour madness. But when he saw the claws, long and dripping with something thick and black, scared people looking for where to hide.

Two men-monstrous-looking-stood in the aisle, their faces a grotesque mix of human and something far more monstrous, like werewolf. They moved with unnerving speed, slashing at anyone who stood in their way; it looked as if they were heading towards someone or something. The train car was in chaos, people screaming, trying to scramble away from the attackers, but it was no use. One of the men swiped at a woman, and Rico watched, frozen for a second, as her body crumpled into the corner, blood pooling on the floor.

In a moment of survival, the body always goes back to default mode, fight or flight. Instinct kicked in; the years of combat training, the reflexes honed over countless operations, were still there. Rico didn't think-he acted. He lunged at the nearest attacker as it charged toward the opposite direction, grabbing the arm that was raised to strike another victim. With a swift motion, he twisted, pulling the creature off balance and sending it crashing to the floor. But the second creature was already on him, claws extended, aimed for his throat.

For a moment, time seemed to slow down as Rico reached for the knife strapped to his waist; for some reason, he chose to go out with his Ka-bar knife and not his gun. He barely registered the pain in his side as the blade sunk into the creature's abdomen. It shrieked, a high-pitched sound that rattled his teeth, before crumbling into a heap at his feet. The fallen monster was dazed, wondering what just happened. The knife soaked in the monster blood glint in silver but Rico did not noticed.

The first attacker was back on his feet now, and Rico barely had time to react. A swipe of claws caught his shoulder, raking through his jacket and cutting deep into his skin. He retaliated instinctively, using the knife to slice across the creature's throat. It gurgled, the life draining from it before it slumped to the floor, lifeless. Again the blood-soaked knife he was holding glinted a silver light as the light faded from the eyes of the downed monster.

Rico's head spun. He had just killed two monsters, people who can turn to monsters. He wasn't sure which. But one thing was clear: they were not ordinary people. The two corpses lying there were nothing like the monsters that attacked people before. They're now back in human form, although dead.

In the aftermath of the chaos, Rico finds a place to hide away from the center of the train car, his heart racing, chest heaving. The other passengers were frozen, their faces pale, some of them crying. The air was thick with the smell of blood, and the oppressive feeling of something far darker than human lingered in the atmosphere. While most onlookers would have brought their phones out to take a video for their internet community, most of them were terrified looking at the dead monster that will probably haunt their dreams for days to come. When he checked his phone, the WiFi was not working; Rico took a look at the CCTV camera, but it showed no indication of working too. Someone probably disabled it to avoid any recording of the attack. This points to a group that is not just amateurs but smart enough to take out the WiFi and CCTV. Another important thing is there is a particular target they were here for. Who could that be?

Before he could process what had just happened, he noticed her-the beautiful woman from before, standing near the door, her eyes locked on him. She hadn't screamed, like the rest; two men holding guns stood before her. She was watching him with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine. She wasn't just a witness; "Does she know something about this?"

As the train screeched to a halt and emergency passengers flooded out, Beth made her way toward him, noting her approach. Rico slipped into the crowd of frantic passengers.

He made his time well mixing with the people who could not wait to get out of the bloody mess. Rico has no interest in hanging around till the police come; thankfully, the CCTV is disabled, and he might not get any visitation from them.

What a day it has been, Rico thought.