Lucifer waited outside the airport with his luggage until a silver-gray BMW 5 Series slowly pulled up in front of him.
The driver’s window lowered, revealing Captain Jack Hanstock smiling from behind the wheel.
“Lucifer, hop in.”
Lucifer nodded but walked toward the rear of the car instead.
“Mind opening the trunk?
I need to put my luggage away.”
Hanstock’s smile stiffened slightly.
“Just put it in the back seat.
No need to bother with the trunk.”
“My suitcase is filthy from traveling.
I’d rather not mess up your seats.”
Lucifer remained beside the trunk and waited.
After a brief hesitation, Hanstock finally pressed the release.
“Fine.
It’s a little messy back there.”
“No problem.”
Lucifer opened the trunk.
A bundled collection of women’s belongings sat in the middle, surrounded by charms, symbols, and other occult objects clearly meant to suppress spirits.
Found it.
Lucifer placed one hand near the bundle and silently transferred both it and his luggage into System Space.
After closing the trunk, he walked around and climbed into the passenger seat as though nothing unusual had happened.
“So,” Hanstock asked, “what do you feel like eating?”
The way he looked at Lucifer made him uncomfortable.
“Anything’s fine.
It’s my first time in Los Angeles.”
Hanstock seemed even more interested.
“You don’t have family here?”
“No.
I just graduated and figured I’d see if Los Angeles had better opportunities.”
Lucifer deliberately made himself sound like an inexperienced young man starting over in a new city.
Hanstock smiled.
“Oh, there are plenty of opportunities here.”
“Good to hear.”
The BMW pulled away from the airport.
Both men were smiling.
Neither smile was genuine.
Hanstock drove unusually slowly, allowing every approaching vehicle to pass whenever possible.
Lucifer noticed but said nothing, watching the road and waiting for an isolated stretch where nobody would interrupt them.
A few minutes later, there were no headlights ahead or behind them.
Hanstock finally became bolder.
His hand suddenly landed on Lucifer’s thigh.
Lucifer immediately pulled away and stared at him.
Hanstock grinned.
“You’ve got nice skin.
What do you use?”
Lucifer forced himself to stay calm.
“Nothing.
Just lucky genetics.”
“Very nice.”
Hanstock’s expression became increasingly predatory.
Lucifer felt his patience disappear.
Wasn’t this bastard supposed to be a serial killer who targeted women?
What the hell is wrong with him?
He glanced outside at the empty highway.
“Captain Hanstock, pull over for a minute.
I need to take a leak.”
Hanstock slowly brought the BMW onto the shoulder.
After looking around at the deserted road, he smiled in a way that made Lucifer’s skin crawl.
“This is certainly private enough.”
Lucifer immediately got out.
Hanstock followed.
He loosened his tie, removed his jacket, and started walking toward Lucifer while pulling his belt free.
Lucifer stood with his back turned, quietly considering his options.
Holy Seal of Justice?
No.
That might kill him too quickly.
The oak club?
Same problem.
He wanted Hanstock alive long enough for the four murdered women to settle their own score.
Behind him, the belt snapped sharply through the air.
Hanstock approached.
“What are you mumbling about?”
Lucifer stopped.
Then he slowly turned around.
“I was wondering how to make this hurt as much as possible.”
Hanstock’s smile vanished.
Lucifer activated Blessing of Might.
[Blessing of Might activated.]
[Strength +3.]
His base Strength of seven immediately rose to ten.
Lucifer stepped forward and drove his fist straight into Hanstock’s stomach.
THUD!
Hanstock’s eyes bulged.
He folded over and collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen while struggling to breathe.
Tears sprang from his eyes, and saliva ran from the corner of his mouth.
Lucifer shook his hand.
“Still hit harder than I expected.”
Then he kicked Hanstock in the same area.
BAM!
Hanstock rolled across the roadside.
“That one’s for putting your hands on me.”
By now, Hanstock was barely conscious.
He raised one trembling hand toward Lucifer as though begging him to stop.
Lucifer kicked it aside and crouched in front of him.
“So now you understand how to beg?”
Hanstock stared up fearfully.
Lucifer’s expression turned cold.
“When those women begged you to stop, did you listen?”
Hanstock’s eyes widened.
“You…
how do you know…?”
Lucifer smiled.
With a thought, the bundle from the trunk appeared in his hands.
Hanstock’s face went pale.
Lucifer opened it.
“Come out.
He’s all yours.”
A freezing wind swept across the roadside.
Four mutilated female spirits appeared around Hanstock, their faces twisted with hatred.
“No…” Hanstock whispered.
“No, please…”
Lucifer searched through the bundle and found a bloodstained hammer among the victims’ belongings.
He tossed it onto the pavement.
“You recognize this?”
The ghosts stared at the weapon and nodded.
“It was his.”
The four Vengeful Spirits surged toward Hanstock.
Their bodies vanished into his.
Hanstock suddenly stiffened.
His hand moved against his will and reached for the hammer.
“No!”
He tried desperately to resist, but the spirits controlling him were stronger.
His possessed arm lifted.
Then the hammer came down on his own leg.
CRACK!
“AAAH!”
Hanstock’s scream echoed across the empty highway.
Lucifer stood nearby and watched without interfering.
At this hour, the road was almost completely deserted.
The four spirits took turns controlling Hanstock, forcing him to endure the same cruelty he had once inflicted on them.
Every time he tried to resist, another ghost took control and continued.
His screams gradually weakened.
Eventually, Captain Jack Hanstock stopped moving.
He lay beside the road with his body broken and his face frozen in terror and resentment.
Lucifer looked toward the four women.
“Alright.
You got your revenge.”
The spirits slowly emerged from Hanstock’s corpse.
Lucifer dusted off his hands.
“Now we should deal with the purification we agreed on.”
Before the women could respond, black mist suddenly began leaking from Hanstock’s body.
Lucifer’s expression changed.
The darkness gathered above the corpse and gradually formed a human shape.
Jack Hanstock appeared again.
Only now his skin was deathly pale, his eyes were filled with hatred, and a freezing aura rolled from his spiritual body.
Lucifer stared at him.
Captain Jack Hanstock had died.
And immediately become a Vengeful Spirit.