EDITOR’S NOTE: This arc takes place before Ghost Rider #1

TWO-LANE HIGHWAY

Part V: Confrontations

By John Wick

Don’t open your eyes you wont like what you see
The devils of truth steal the souls of the free
Don’t open your eyes take it from me…
Nine Inch Nails

The factory was shrouded in darkness. The only light that found its way into the dilapidated building came from the broken windowpanes. The windows that remained intact were painted over with a thick black paint. Rats scurried across the rafters and roaches crawled up from the drainage pipes in search of food, a search that was usually futile. Tonight though, the vermin would have a feast they seldom were accustomed to.

“Stop… please stop…. PLEASE GOD MAKE IT STOP,” a voice screamed out in pain from somewhere deep in the darkness.

“Stop eh? That reminds me of a game show I once watched,” responded a voice.

A group of rats scurried closer to the door that was closed. When the factory had been open the room was actually the foreman’s office. It served a much sinister purpose tonight.

“Darling, I want you to pay extra close attention to what I’m doing. Trust me, you’re gonna love it!”

The face of Emma Blaze looked on the scene in terror and sadness. Tears streamed down her dirty face. The only thoughts she had were of her father. During the last several hours she had witnessed innocent men and women killed before her eyes, her brother’s murder, and her father turn into a flaming skull man. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes in the hopes that when they opened it would have all been a bad dream.

“Ah … ahh… ahhh… you know what happens when you close your eyes don’t you darling? You do remember right?”

Emma opened her eyes against her will remembering the pain that had been inflicted up on her the last time she tried to shut out the atrocities before her.

“That’s a good girl. Now pay attention.”

The man in the chair was covered in blood. Most of his wounds were superficial light lacerations just beneath the skin, however there were so many of them that every square inch of his body was stained crimson.

The single spotlight overhead shined down on the man causing him to sweat through the blood. Bound to the chair, he had little hope of escape. Emma looked at the man with a great sadness. She had seen so many people die tonight and she knew that very soon, she would see another.

“Please, I’ll pay you, I’ll do whatever you want!”

“Whatever I want eh? Did you ever stop to think that maybe what I want is this? Hmmm?”

More anguished cries filled the room as Blackheart began to systematically skin his captive’s arm from below the elbow to the wrist. Slivers of flesh fell to the floor and more blood dripped down to the ground.

“See darling, everyone bleeds… even your father. His knowledge of this will ensure that he comes looking for you. Can’t have his precious Princess all cut up like Mr. … what was your name again?”

The man tried to answer but Blackheart quickly backhanded him with his tail.

“That’s a rhetorical question. No one cares what your name is.”

“I might.” Came a stern female voice from the darkness.

“Angel, back so soon? What’s the matter? Couldn’t find a table to dance on?”

Angel looked at Blackheart filled with rage. She had agreed to do his bidding in order to save her life. Hell, she had even been allowed to exact revenge on the people who tried to kill her. But she had not signed up with the Demon to kidnap a little girl and torture an innocent man and she sure as hell hadn’t signed up to watch a man’s face blister over and turn into a flaming skull.

“Stop this! He’s done nothing wrong and neither has the girl just let them go.”

“You know… I have an idea… we’re going to play a little game…”

Two hours had passed. Two long hours on the dark highway had stretched on like an eternity. Enough time had passed that the immediate need for vengeance faded and Blaze reverted to his human form. He tried to keep his bike balanced on the slick road. But his mind was another matter.

Blackheart had been so close. He had him in his grasp and yet he escaped. Then there was the girl; Angel was her name… she seemed like an innocent. How had Blackheart corrupted her? Though he was loathe admitting it, in the short time he had spent with her in the bar John Blaze had begun to fall for her. It was going to be difficult convincing the Ghost Rider not to kill her.

The city began to pass into country once more. The sort of country where factories sometimes set up shop in order to keep a prying eye away from the public view and to allow a certain amount of discretion under the federal government’s nose. The trail led Blaze in this direction. The girl, Angela, had been bleeding and the drops of blood were still saturated with hellfire. If she continued to bleed he could find her. He just hoped that when he did it wouldn’t be too late.

“NoWammyNoWammyNoWammyNoWammy…STOP!”

Cries of insurmountable pain echoed in the warehouse. The rats began to smile.

“Come on now Angel, you know the rules… if you don’t do it I’m just going to be forced try to find the Wammy again.” Blackheart let out a sinister laugh and witnessed his creation.

Angel was poised above the bleeding man. His arm had been completely skinned and the blood had already stained the armrest of the chair pooling beneath it.

Angela had tried to argue with Blackheart and found that in doing so, pain she had never thought possible was inflicted upon her through every nerve ending she had. Blackheart was her new master now. And she had no doubt he could do far worse things to her if she fought him.

Resigned to her fate Angel positioned herself upon the bleeding man who began to slip out of consciousness.

“Can’t have you falling asleep now can we?” Blackheart laughed.

He walked over to the man and placed a vial under his nose causing the man to cough and wake up from his nearly unconscious state. The look of pain on his face was unmistakable.

Angel was hooked up to a machine that attached itself to her waist in the form of a metal belt. Disgusted as she was she knew that she had to do as she was told or she would suffer a fate far worse than the man beneath her.

Looking into his tear filled eyes she whispered “sorry” and placed the man inside of her. Every time she thrust down upon the bleeding man the machine she was attached to would randomly puncture him with several hypodermic needles. Some were filled with a mild acid. Others were filled with histamines causing what skin was left to turn even redder. Others were filled with a mixture of Blackheart’s own blood and nerve agents. The combination caused the man to look like a bleeding pulp.

Angel had stopped before, not able to look into his eyes, but she found that when she did Blackheart played the ‘Wammy’ game. She had watched as Blackheart had walked towards them and began his ‘NoWammy’ speech.

When he yelled out ‘STOP’ she suddenly felt like the whole universe had imploded into a central point and that point was inside her body. Every nerve ending screamed in pain and in horror she watched as thousands of tiny needle-like projections formed over the surface of her skin piercing the man everywhere she touched him. The worst part though, was that as soon as her skin pierced him the projections turned into little barbed hooks.

She tried to pull herself from him but it was like being two great bloody pieces of Velcro. Finally Blackheart had released his hold over her skin and she tore away with pieces of flesh and blood staining her body. She knew the only thing she could do to give the man any form of pleasure was to fuck him, even though it would eventually cause his death.

From the corner of her eye Angel could see Blackheart holding Emma’s face forcing her to watch. Though she couldn’t hear him she knew he was already beginning to corrupt the child’s mind.

This was the place. Blaze could sense Blackheart’s evil permeating the air. It had taken nearly three hours but if he was here then the trip was worth it.

Fatigue gripped John like a vise. His eyes burned like someone had sprinkled diamond dust into them and forced him to rub them. If he could somehow get Emma without being noticed he might be able to avoid turning into the Ghost Rider. John Blaze still remembered the look on his daughter’s face when she saw him turn into the Demon. It was a look he didn’t want to see again.

The dirt road winded through overgrown trees and shrubbery. Blaze had cut the engine to the bike out of earshot of the factory and walked it the half mile towards the entrance. It was old, abandoned, and looked like it should have been condemned.

‘Just the sort of place Blackheart would love,“ thought Blaze.

If there was any doubt to this being the right place it was soon removed. A piercing scream filled the night air and Blaze picked up his pace.

The huge metal door to the entrance was locked however; several windows were broken and allowed access to the building. Stealth was going to be John’s only ally this night. The air inside the huge facility was thick with dust and mold. Each footstep John took into the darkness caused clouds of dust to erupt. This place hadn’t been used in decades.

Suddenly John heard someone yell, “STOP!” and anguished cries male and female came from the east side of the building. Forgetting stealth, he ran as fast as he could towards the sound of the cries. His only hope was to contain the demon long enough to get his daughter to safety.

“Something’s wrong. Something is very amiss in the world right now.”

“If you say ‘I sense a disturbance in the force,’ I’m going to have to shoot you.”

“While that phrase is overused and a bit trite it’s not far from the truth. Every living being, every entity that has the ability to shift into this dimension has an innate power locked within it. Those who are trained in the mystic arts often sense this power. Though at times it can be difficult to detect. Lucas called it a ‘Force’ but the more correct term would be …”

“Look, I like you I really do, and I respect the fact that you have some mastery over the mystic arts… truly I do, but when you start talking like there’s some great life force out there or that each being has the ability to be sensed half a world away then I have to disagree. It makes me want to reconsider our arrangement. Let me recount it for you: I’m here to supply the artillery and the logistics, you’re there to locate the targets, keep us safe, and ensure our employers pay up. We’re mercenaries Drake, and that means we need to have an employer before we take on a mission.”

“You have much to learn young padawan. Sometimes the jobs we take shouldn’t be for money but rather a greater sense of good. You failed to notice that the jobs we take are always inherently good. If we must kill it is evil people we kill never the harbingers of light.”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. Seems to me there’s a bigger market for killing indiscriminately.”

“Perhaps there is, but every business arrangement today needs an angle. We need a theme. Ours is to kill the bad guys. We take care of the jobs the super heroes don’t want to dirty their hands with. Besides if I am correct the disturbance I sense is about to increase our business dramatically. You also assumed incorrectly. While it is possible on a rare occasion to sense something half a world away, this disturbance is only over the next hill. I think its time I call in that favor you owe me.”

“Fine. But as soon as this pro bono job is over its back to business as usual got it?”

The sorcerer rose from the ground and waved his hand over the fire. Instantly it went out with a thin wisp of white smoke trailing into the air. Looking down into the darkness the sorcerer smiled and under his breath muttered the words, “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war…”

The stairway was old and rusty. It took all the stealth John Blaze had to navigate it without making a sound. The screaming had stopped but he didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. He was a man possessed of one quest of one solitary purpose, to save his daughter. He would even sacrifice himself to spare her from whatever atrocities Blackheart had planned.

The doorway to the office was broken down and looked as though years of decay had set itself upon it. The room was completely dark and though he desperately wanted to create some light he knew that in doing so his position would be compromised. That’s when he tripped on something and fell to the floor.

Luckily he made little noise in the fall. Carefully he reached towards his feet trying to find the object he had tripped on. His hands finally felt something wet as he pulled it closer to his face he felt fingertips. ‘God!’ he thought, ‘This is someone’s arm!’ Blaze could feel the hellfire beginning to stir behind his eyes but he concentrated pushing it back. If he could hold on a little longer He was sure he would find his daughter.

The plan was working perfectly. Blaze had followed the blood trail left by Angel. In his current state he was set on only one goal and that state of mind is dangerous, because it would blind him to the other possibilities around him.

Blackheart was aware of Blaze’s presence before he ever reached the factory. Its not every day the spirit of vengeance walks the earth again and the raw power that emanated from him was easy to detect.

From his vantage point on the rafters Blackheart watched Blaze climb the stairs and trip over the arm. It took all his self-control to hold in his laughter. Just a few more steps and he’d find the body, which was sure to release the Ghost Rider. As long as the Spirit of vengeance was in control Blaze would have little hope of rescuing his daughter.

Blackheart knew that Ghost Rider’s thirst for vengeance would cloud all including the rescuing of Emma. As long as this cycle continued the game of cat and mouse would as well. Hungrily Blackheart rubbed his hands together soon it would be time to battle again… soon…

Blaze had managed to right himself and was steadily walking forward slower this time than before. After a few steps he nearly fell over as he walked into what felt like a heavy chair. He reached out to steady himself and his hand came in contact with something slick and thick. Blaze knew by the smell that the body beneath him was dead. The demon within him knew that the blood was from an innocent…

“You sure this is the place, Comanche?”

“Yes the presence of mystical energy is strong here. Something from beyond the veil has crossed into our realm. Something powerful.”

“Well, mystic power or not, my M4 Carbine defiantly puts the odds in our favor.”

The sorcerer shook his head slowly. “People and guns… they’re useless if the person behind the trigger loses control of their mind.”

“Well that’s what I have you for Comanche… that’s what I have you for.”

Blaze tried hard to hold the demon back. But the presence of so much fresh innocent blood sent him reeling like a shark in a feeding frenzy.

The flesh began to separate down the middle of his face and peel back revealing the muscle beneath. Before he could let out a scream his entire body erupted in hellfire and the Ghost Rider was released once more.

From the rafters Blackheart jumped down behind Ghost Rider. He pulled out a long knife and jabbed it deep into the leather-clad demon’s back laughing maniacally. A dark red light erupted from the wound causing the Ghost Rider to let out a cry of pain. Before he could turn around though, Blackheart had retreated once more to the rafters.

“Show yourself Demon! You will taste my wrath. Vengeance will be mine and the pain you have inflicted will be felt tenfold!”

Ghost Rider reached behind pulling the blade from his back the wound let loose a gush of hellfire and blood. The lights suddenly went on and ahead of him in a chair sat John’s daughter, Emma, and a half dressed woman, the Ghost Rider knew as Angel, who stood over her.

A voice began to call out from the rafters, “If you take one wrong step I’ll have them both killed. Oh sure you care for the girl but did you know that not so long ago Angel wasn’t much different? She was the biggest innocent of all. I’ve given her the chance to exact vengeance. To become what you should have always been.”

“A puppet? Is that what you think of my destiny?” The hellfire began to glow brighter around Ghost Rider’s head.

“Please… Zarathos… or don’t you remember your name yet? You’ve always been more than a puppet. Back in Hell I even used you as my pet on a few occasions… but I’m sure you don’t remember that do you?”

The demon dropped from the rafters next to the girl and the half naked Angel. With a long clawed hand he reached out and gripped Angel’s bare breast causing five deep punctures that let loose a torrent of blood.

“Her… I consider a puppet. She’s only been used to lure you here. But this…”

Blackheart reached his other clawed hand under Emma’s tear stained face placing a razor sharp talon above the carotid artery.

“Her I consider a Princess. If I cannot have a Prince to rule by my side, then a Princess will do just as well. And this Dog…”

Blackheart pushed his fingers deeper into the breast of Angel causing her to wince in pain and let out a scream.

“This Dog will be our pet. You on the other hand, I’ve unfortunately lost the ability to see you in any plan I have for the future. I suppose when the future I have planned calls for a firestorm one Blaze is as good as another!”

Ghost Rider considered using his shotgun but the chance that the blast might accidentally hit the child was too great. Instead he quickly let fly his chain, which whizzed through the air and connected with Blackheart’s leg.

Hellfire traveled its length and began to consume the outer flesh of the demon. To the horror of the Ghost Rider the hellfire traveled through Blackheart’s other arm and began to burn Angel through her breast. The fire traveled simultaneously to his other arm and began to burn the child, causing him to recoil the chain.

“I’m one step ahead of you Demon, I’ve thought of everything. I just wanted to let you know the fate of the Blaze child. She will be mine and we will rule in the kingdom of mortals.”

Blackheart turned slightly and a blast from behind him shot directly into the Ghost Rider sending jolts of electricity into the Demon. The Ghost Rider dropped to the ground and Blackheart finally released his hold on his captives. In doing so their trance was released and both started to sob uncontrollably.

Standing above Ghost Rider, Blackheart laughed and looked down at the spirit of vengeance.

“I’m going to let you sit there juiced up until this place runs out of power. Maybe after you’ve fried for a bit you’ll be more compliant. Forced compliance is always the best.”

Through pained breaths Ghost Rider managed to speak, “when this power is gone Demon, I will hunt you down and send you back to The Pit myself.”

“Well Zarathos those are big words from someone on their knees!”

Blackheart gave a solid kick to the mid section of Ghost Rider and turned away. Ghost Rider watched through upturned eyes as he saw Blackheart grab Angel and the child. Very quickly the Demon was forcing them towards the exit on the other side of the room.

Just then… the lights went out.

“Time to run!” cried out Blackheart.

The sudden loss in power caused the electricity to stop flowing into Ghost Rider. With one gloved hand he reached to his chest and pulled the wires from his body. Blackheart had already exited the office but Ghost rider knew there was really only one exit from the factory. Quickly he ran through the broken door he had entered through.

That’s when a bolt of mystical energy slammed into him and a volley of Carbine slugs ripped through the air in his direction.

NEXT: The corruption of Angel and Emma continues… The mercenaries try to figure out what they’ve got themselves into… and the Spirit of Vengeance is none too happy about their interference…

Pencil of Vengeance

It’s been a crazy time in life, but then again can’t we all say that? For a while now I’ve been blocked a bit on Ghost Rider but have found the Muse to get me writing again. I can honestly say that the issue you have just read is what I consider to be among my favorite of the one’s I have written so far. I hope the same can be said for you.

On that note, I am looking forward to bringing you the next installment… if things keep going this way creatively it will hopefully be sooner than you, or even I, think.

Enough about this issue, there were a few comments received on the last one and I’d like to address them.

When the last issue came out Chris Munn had mentioned to me his approval of the X-Files quote at the beginning of the issue. I can honestly say that it was a miracle I even found that quote. I had been trying to find a good X-files quote to use with no luck, when an episode just happened to come on from season one aptly named “Fire”. While listening to the FBI agent talk his line shinned like a match in a gasoline station (pardon the analogy) but it was well worth putting in there.

I don’t know how other writers feel about it but I have always believed it was important, at least for my works, to include a quote at the beginning of my stories. Whether it’s for some need to share a possible theme with the reader or an inside joke with myself or a close friend it helps make the story more personal to me and in a way I believe acts as a sort of signature.

A few people have told me that Ghost Rider on more than one occasion has caused them to react with a heartfelt “What the Hell?” and I am pleased to have elicited that reaction. It is my hope that I will always find a way to shock the reader in a good way. Shocking just to shock is a waste… but to further the story and make the terror and horror more real… well that’s just what it’s all about.

A story of a man possessed by a demon hunting one infinitely worse than himself… could there be anything more terrifying? Okay… maybe if they forced me to sit through a Christina Aguilera concert but lets hope it never comes to that.

Well, I’ve rambled on long enough. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this issue, or any of the others that have come before it.

Until the next issue, I wish you all deadly dreams and tons of fright.

– John Wick
4/7/03