Hell's Rayne (Book 1)

Chapter 11

The Void spat me out into an empty field – recently harvested and covered in the stubby ends of wheat stalks – right behind an overgrown hedgerow; twisted with brambles and bindweed. All I carried with me was a small shoulder bag, Jesse's case-file was tucked inside along with some money to see me through this case. I'd need to set myself up a 'base of operations', as it were, which would mean renting a room or a house somewhere. Though, given what little I'd learned about the village I was headed to, it might not be quite such a simple task. In the cities, vacant flats with a landlord who'll take cash were ten a penny but not so much in these villages where community was everything and newcomers were the topic of great interest, or suspicion.

There was nothing else in my bag, the nifty little enchantment on my wardrobe back in Hell made for extremely light travelling; certainly an advantage when we had no idea how long a job might last for.

The hour was still fairly early. The sun peaked through a thin veil of cloud with the promise of a bright and warm summer's day to come; though the faint, pale light couldn't quite rid the unpleasant chill that I felt in the air. I shivered, stifling a yawn as I tugged my leather jacket closer and hugged it to my body. What I wouldn't give to still be home, tucked up in my warm, comfortable bed and surrounded by all the comforts of Hell.

Lucifer hadn't been kidding when he'd said he wanted me gone first thing. Malick had come knocking outside of my room what felt like mere moments after my head had hit the pillow. I'd managed a quick shower, threw on the first clothes I could find – they just so happened to be dark blue jeans, a red sleeveless T-shirt with a black and white flannel shirt slung over the top for added warmth; layers were the key. I was well overdressed by human standards for the heat of the day, especially with the jacket on top of it all, but, when you're used to the heat from Hell, the heat from the Sun is nothing in comparison.

There hadn't been any time to find Lucas before I'd left either. I had wanted to wish him luck, or something of the sort, for his trial. Wondering about the outcome was going to niggle at the back of my mind until I could get back home and discover his fate for myself. All in all I felt distracted, decidedly unprepared and completely exhausted.

Ideally, what I really wanted to do was find myself a room for rent somewhere and sleep the rest of the day away. But, as far as this case was concerned, that was not a priority. As with every new job we worked, first goal was always to locate your target and find out how best to get close to them in the most non-intrusive way possible. The truly hideous lack of information that the slim file had provided me with, however, left me with very few ideas of where to begin.

I picked my way through the scrubby field, searching for a way out through the hedgerow and onto the road I could spy through the branches. That would be at good start at least. Only one little tidbit of information proved to be of any help in coming up with my initial plan for the day. Jesse worked as a bricklayer, I just had to hope that there was building work of some sort going on in the village where he was currently employed. Though even that task, it seemed, would not be unlike searching for a needle in a haystack. Besides, if he was working anywhere away from the village I would be right back to square one. Unfortunately, I had nowhere better to start, so, time for a little reconnaissance it was.

The village had to be one of the tiniest that I'd ever been sent to. It was a true, quaint little chocolate box place; nestled down in a wide sweeping valley and surrounded on all sides by brown, dry fields, winding hedgerows and narrow B roads. At least being small it wouldn't take too long to canvass the entire place.

Finally out of the field, I made my way down the gently sloping road towards the cluster of buildings at the bottom of the hill.

It was a pleasant walk, despite the chill in the air, and the scenery proved to be surprisingly pleasing. They say that all country villages have their own dark, hidden secrets, but at least they are hidden. Unlike so many of the inner city settings I often worked, with their dank streets, pollution, and gang violence, the rural settings, somehow, always managed to keep an idyllic veneer on their surface. It was peaceful, charming even, and I couldn't help but feel extremely out of place.