by Dirk Patton
Anger and frustration were coursing through her when she whipped into the driveway and it threatened to boil over when she saw Matt backing his Porsche out of the garage. Screeching to a halt, she shut off the Range Rover and sat motionless for a moment, trying to calm herself.
Seeing her, Matt pulled back into the garage and got out. He was dressed to the nines in a several thousand-dollar suit and she pictured him sitting in his empty office, playing solitaire on his computer instead of finding a way to pay their bills. She snatched the door handle and stepped out as he stalked around the front of her vehicle with a storm cloud darkening his face.
“Glad to see you remember where you live, Katarina. Where the hell were you last night?”
“Working,” she snapped back. “Someone has to earn the money!”
His mouth fell open and his face turned bright red.
“Where were you? Who are you fucking?” he shouted.
“None of your goddamn business where I was,” she shouted back.
His face changed when he thought he’d scored a point.
“Who is it, Kat? Who were you with? And just look at you!” He waved at her soiled and wrinkled clothes then pointedly peered at her hair which was a mess from sleeping on Brody’s sofa. “Find some piece of trash to roll around with in the gutter? You sure look the part!”
Her eyes flashed as she stuck her face in his.
“You want to know the truth, Matthew? I wanted a real man, so I spent the night fucking your old boss. And let me tell you, I know why he’s a senior partner and you’re not!"
Matt’s face twisted into an ugly mask of rage and his hand shot out, slapping Katarina hard enough to cause her to stumble backwards. The impact sounded like a pistol shot. Stunned, she slowly raised her hand to a quickly spreading bright red splotch on her cheek.
“I can’t wait to divorce you!” she hissed.
She shoved him aside so she could pass and he reached out to grab her shoulder.
“Kat, wait. I’m sorry!”
Whirling, she batted his arm away and drew her weapon.
“You ever touch me again and I’ll kill you!” she screamed, eyes locked on his. “Leave! NOW!”
He stood immobile, staring at her in shock. She didn’t look away and didn’t lower the pistol. Taking a step back, he slowly raised his hands in surrender, then turned and dashed to his car. The Porsche started with a snarl of exhaust and he roared out of the driveway, leaving twin streaks of smoking rubber when he drove away from the house.
Tears were flowing down Katarina’s face. Breathing deeply, she holstered her weapon and slowly looked around. The Marines were outside the SUV, seemingly ready to have intervened if it had been necessary. She nodded at them and they got back in. Then she realized that half a dozen neighbors were standing in front of their homes, staring at her in fright. They quickly went back inside their homes when she looked at them.
Sixteen
After Katarina had gone into the house, she’d spent several minutes collecting herself. She’d been angry with Matt, had been for some time, but all of the fear and frustration had fueled her response to the confrontation. He’d never laid a hand on her before today, despite some very nasty fights as the truth of their financial situation came to light. Even so, she knew she’d stepped way over the line.
Emotionally drained, she forced herself to shower, put on makeup and get dressed. It had taken much longer than normal as she was moving in a daze and by the time she pulled into the FBI garage it was past mid-morning. The only thing that gave her even a small degree of comfort was the sight of Baldwin’s men parked a dozen spaces away, making sure she was safe.
When she walked into the office, Brody looked up over the edge of their cubicle. Something about his expression set her radar tingling, but before she had taken a dozen steps, Pettigrew’s door opened. He stepped partially through, eyes on her.
“Agent Daniels,” he called across the room. “In my office, please.”
He waited, unmoving, watching her approach. She risked a glance at Brody as she passed their desks, but he was looking intently at something on his computer.
“Come in and have a seat,” Pettigrew said.
He stepped aside so she could enter, then closed the door behind himself before moving to his desk. A sharp featured woman wearing FBI credentials was standing to the side of his desk and she watched Katarina closely as she sat down in a visitor’s chair.
“This is Agent Collins from OPR,” Pettigrew said, gesturing at the woman.
“What’s going on, sir?” Katarina asked, a lump of concern forming in her stomach. “Is this about our conversation yesterday?”
“Agent Daniels,” Collins said, drawing her attention. “This office received a most disturbing phone call this morning. From one of your neighbors.”
Katarina felt her face flush with embarrassment and her eyes flicked to her boss. She found no sympathy. Collins pulled a small, digital recorder from her pocket and made sure Katarina saw her turn it on. She spoke into it, noting the date, time, location and names of those present.
“Agent Daniels, please describe for us the incident that occurred between you and your husband this morning,” Collins said, placing the recorder on the edge of Pettigrew’s desk.
Katarina stared at her for a long moment, then took a breath and shook her head before looking directly at Pettigrew.
“I’m not making any statement without representation present, sir,” she said firmly.
Collins and Pettigrew traded a quick glance.
“That is your right, Agent Daniels. In that case, based on the video of the incident I have seen...”
“Video?” Katarina blurted.
“Everyone has security cameras these days, Agent,” Collins said. “Would you care to see the video and comment on what it shows?”
“No,” Katarina said softly.
“Very well, Agent Daniels,” Pettigrew continued. “As I was saying, based on the video, I have serious concerns about your emotional stability. I understand, as you have personally relayed to me, that you are in the process of dissolving your marriage. However, that in no way excuses the conduct I witnessed. You had every right to defend yourself, especially after being struck.
“However, in my assessment, you exhibited reckless and unprofessional behavior by drawing your weapon. You did not appear to be in physical danger at that moment and the display of your service weapon was not in keeping with Bureau policy. Therefore, you are suspended from duty pending a full investigation and review by the Office of Professional Responsibility.”
Katarina was stunned. She’d known things weren’t good when she was called in to Pettigrew’s office, but she hadn’t expected to be suspended.
“Your weapon and credentials, please,” Collins said.
Katarina didn’t respond for several long seconds, then slowly got to her feet and placed the pistol and her ID case on Pettigrew’s desk.
“OPR will be in touch for an interview, Agent,” Collins said as she collected the items.
Pettigrew looked past her and gestured at someone outside his glass walled office. Katarina looked around at two agents standing immediately outside. Waiting.
“They will escort you to your vehicle, Agent Daniels.”
Numb, Katarina got to her feet and turned to leave but paused before opening the door. Part of her wanted to turn around and confess everything. To explain her situation. To make them understand. Then she looked past the waiting agents and saw Brody watching her intently.
“Was there something you wanted to say, Agent?” Collins asked.
After another beat, Katarina shook her head, opened the door and left the office.
“Any personal items you need?” one of the agents asked quietly.
Katarina shook her head again and moved past her cubicle without looking at Brody. Every eye in the room was on her and she kept her head up as she was escorted to the elevator. The agents rode to the parking garage with he
r, neither speaking, then followed her to her vehicle. Before she got in, the older of the two stepped close and looked at the still angry red mark on her face.
“That wasn’t a love tap,” he said quietly. “For what it’s worth, some asshole ever hits my daughter like that, I hope she blows his balls off. Hang in there, Agent.”
The men walked away and Katarina watched them get into the elevator. When the doors closed, she turned to the Range Rover, peering through the glass into the back seat before opening the door. Pausing in thought, she looked around for Baldwin’s men. They were still parked in the same slot. She walked over and the driver buzzed his window down as she approached.
“Everything okay, ma’am?”
“Fine. But I need a gun. You guys got a spare pistol I can borrow?”
He looked at her for a beat before opening the center console and removing one from a locked case.
“Sig nine mil,” he said, holding it out butt first. “Round already in the pipe.”
She took the weapon, checked it over with expert hands and slipped it into her empty holster. Thanking the man, she headed for her vehicle but turned back when he called. His arm was out the window, two loaded spare magazines in his hand. Katarina took them and gave the man a smile.
“I’m going home, now,” she said.
He nodded and started the SUV’s engine as she returned to the Range Rover and got behind the wheel.
Seventeen
Katarina’s stomach clenched when she triggered the opener, then she sighed in relief when Matt’s car wasn’t in the garage. Pulling in, she hit the button a second time and waited inside the Range Rover until the door was fully closed. Getting out, she went into the home. She was pouring a stiff drink when her phone rang.
“Hi, Brody.”
Phone pinched between her ear and shoulder, she clamped the bottle beneath her arm and, glass in hand went out onto the back porch to settle into a chair.
“Rumors are flying,” he said. “Where are you?”
She took a long drink of the vodka before answering.
“Just got home.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Come around back when you get here. I don’t feel like getting up for a while.”
She ended the call and dropped the phone on a small side table. Taking another drink, the smell of burning tobacco drifted across her.
“This is getting old,” she said without looking around.
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Zophiel said. “But there are more things you need to know.”
“I don’t care. I’m just going to sit here and drink for a while.”
“Did you understand what I showed you last night?”
She paused with the glass to her lips and slowly turned her head to the side. Zophiel was seated in the other patio chair, calmly puffing on his pipe.
“That was a dream.”
“If you insist,” he said with a smile.
“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you.”
He threw his head back and laughed.
“I’m sorry, my dear. I shall try to do better.”
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“Purgatory?”
“No. Here! My porch. Intruding on my pity party.”
“Is that what this is? Oh my! A party, and I didn’t bring a gift.”
Despite herself, Katarina couldn’t stop a snort of laughter.
“Look. I don’t know what all of this is or what you want from me or if I even believe anything I’ve seen and heard, but unless you want me to call those two Marines sitting out front to bounce your ass down the street, tell me what’s going on.”
“I’ve already told you many things,” he said, pausing to relight the pipe. “I’m here now to warn you that you’re in danger. One of them has found you.”
“Them?” she asked, cold fingers of concern running up her spine. “You mean the demons?”
He nodded.
“Why? Why would they want to find me?”
“They don’t know about you. This was just an unfortunate series of events that resulted in you crossing paths with evil.”
Katarina stared at him then downed the rest of the vodka in the glass. When she reached for the bottle to pour more, Zophiel touched her hand lightly with his index finger. Instantly, the world around her changed.
She was still in her back yard, but as if looking through a projected image she could see two other worlds. One was the idyllic forest she’d twice visited, the other a ravaged city on fire with thousands of the creatures crawling through the rubble like locusts. Gasping, she looked around frantically. The glass slipped through her fingers and shattered on the paving stones.
“Focus on the dimension you want to see,” Zophiel said gently. “Force your mind to ignore the others.”
Slowly, the other two worlds began to fade. As her backyard came back into sharper clarity, Katarina sighed in relief. Heaven and the abyss were suddenly prominent again.
“Make it stop!” Katarina cried as she watched a pack of the creatures moving towards her.
“Only you can do that, my dear. Focus.”
Frightened, Katarina did as he said, concentrating until all she saw was her own yard. Leaping to her feet, she whirled on Zophiel.
“What did you do to me?”
“I awakened you,” he said as if that explained everything.
She looked at her hand where he’d touched her, unconsciously rubbing it.
“What does that mean? Awakened?”
“It means your eyes are open now, my dear. You can see the world for what it is. And you can see them.”
“I could already see them,” she said, anger turning to confusion. “You even told me I could and warned me not to let them realize.”
“Because I showed them to you. But that’s not good enough for what is to come. You must be able to see the enemy. In its true form, and when it has possessed a human and displaced the rightful soul.”
“I don’t understand,” Katarina said, slowly taking a seat on the edge of her chair.
“Come with me,” Zophiel said, holding his hand out.
After a moment, Katarina hesitantly grasped it. Instantly, they were transported to a small village with a single dirt road and a handful of shacks constructed from discarded cardboard.
“Where are we?” Katarina asked, looking around.
“Where is unimportant,” Zophiel said. “Watching and learning is.”
A woman’s scream snapped her head around and she pulled away from Zophiel. Running hard for a tiny shack at the edge of the village, Katarina drew her weapon when she heard the scream again. Bursting into the single room, she aimed at the naked man on top of a struggling woman.
“Get off her!” she shouted.
His head came up and she gasped in horror. She could see through his skin. Beneath was one of the demons, its burning red eyes locking onto her as the man got to his feet. For a moment, they stared at each other, then the man leapt. He made no sound, but she could hear the bellow of the beast inside and see the mouth open wide to reveal the hideous teeth.
Katarina pulled the trigger several times, backing up with each shot. Bloody holes bloomed on the man’s torso and he slowed to a stop. The demon screamed louder, trying to break free of the human body, seemingly to attack her. The man sank to his knees as blood appeared around his mouth.
“The body will die, but the evil will live.”
Katarina jumped when Zophiel spoke from behind her. The demon was now in a frenzy, desperate to reach freedom. The man fell sideways to sprawl on the shack’s dirt floor. More blood was coming from his mouth and his lungs began a death rattle. He only had seconds to live.
“Why won’t it die?” Katarina asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the horrible beast.
“If the host dies, evil is released to seek out another. It must be killed while inhabiting a human.”
“But... how? I shot him five times. He’s going to die any second.”
“The only way to kill them is to destroy the host’s brain,” Zophiel said.
Katarina was no longer looking at the creature nor the man it had possessed. She was staring at Zophiel with her mouth open in shock. Stepping back, she raised her weapon until it was pointed at him.
“Oh, my God!” she gasped. “You’re The Reaper!”
Zophiel faced her and smiled as he nodded.
“Yes, that’s what I’ve been called.”
Eighteen
As suddenly as they’d left, they were back on the porch. Both were seated and Katarina’s weapon was holstered. Zophiel was looking at her as he puffed on his pipe. Scrambling to her feet, she drew her weapon and pointed it at him as she backed away.
“You’re under arrest!” she said in a commanding voice.
“If that is what you wish, my dear,” he said, calmly extending his wrists as if inviting her to slap on a pair of cuffs. “But, please tell me what evidence will be used to charge me?”
She stared open-mouthed until he finally lowered his hands.
“Please sit down, Katarina. You cannot arrest me, and even if you could, no human prison could hold me.”
“No... human? What are you?”
“I am simply me.”
He waved his hand and she was back in the chair, the weapon once again in its holster. She looked around frantically for a moment before turning to face him.
“This...”
“Can’t be real?” he asked when she didn’t continue. “It is, and you know it is. You’ve seen it with your own eyes. But, more importantly, you can feel it. Can’t you?”
After a long moment, Katarina slowly nodded.
“They will keep coming, Katarina. They will eventually find the right host, or combination of hosts, and when they do, they will set this world ablaze. All that can be done is to seek them out and destroy them.”