Shadowhunter in the Apocalypse

Five sets of eyes locked on him, they had no weapons except for the boss who could make one, but they did have their claws and fangs, and they were very happy to use them.

Three shots whispered into the silence. Nothing like gunfire, no echo, no thunder. Just the quiet kiss of death.

The first man's eyes rolled white as a hole blossomed in his forehead. The second jerked back with a neat puncture through his heart, blood darkening his shirt in silence. The third slumped before he even realized what had happened.

Three bodies hit the ground almost together, thuds muffled by the hum of the ship.

Reed chuckled low in his throat, a sound that had no warmth. "You thought this was going to be a fist fight? Where you rush me, screaming, and we crash bodies like savages? How stupid can you be?"

He leveled the Shadow gun at the leader's head.

"Now get on the fucking ground."

The remaining hybrid to the left didn't hesitate. He dropped so fast his knees cracked on the floor. Reed tilted his head slightly, mocking approval.

"Smart choice."

He shifted his gaze back to the boss. The vampire hybrid's lips curled but he broke a second later. "Fine." He lowered himself slowly, posture stiff.

Reed moved his wrist once, smooth as water. Four quick shots lanced out, faster than blinking. Each found a limb, punching through bone and muscle with surgical precision. The boss screamed as his knees and arms collapsed under him, his body crashing to the floor in a twisted heap.

"I did what you fucking asked you bastard!"

Reed stalked forward, each step measured. When he reached him, he placed one boot square on the hybrid's head and pressed. Hard. The floor groaned with the force. The man's teeth scraped against steel.

"I don't like being challenged," Reed said quietly,"Next time I ask you to do something, you leave you posturing and pride for someone who gives a damn."

He shifted his weight, moving the boot to the man's throat. Pressure tightened, cutting air. The hybrid clawed at his leg, but the grip only weakened as seconds passed. Reed watched emotionlessly until his eyes rolled back, until the fight drained out, and he fell unconscious.

The other one had started trembling where he knelt. Reed didn't even look when he lashed out with a swift kick to the side of his head. The body toppled and went slack and out cold.

Silence.

Reed straightened, the gun melting back into nothing. His veil tilted slightly as he scanned the room, then the ship beyond. He reached out with his shadow sense, pulling the threads of darkness into his awareness. Corridors. Deck. Engine. Holding cells. Nothing stirred. No heartbeats outside the ones fainting and drugged. No danger lurking.

The ship was his.

The mission was complete.