The Revenge of Magic

by James Riley

  “I . . . where am I?” he asked, his head feeling like it was full of cotton. “Where’s my dad?”

  “You’re at George Washington University Hospital,” the woman said. She let go of him and moved to his side. “You were brought here when someone found you passed out over by the Einstein statue. You’re lucky to have escaped without a scratch.”

  “Where’s my father?” Fort asked, his panic growing. Images began filling his head, a woman carrying an older man down crumbling stairs, his father holding an older woman, a monstrous hand closing around him. . . .

  “We’ll find him,” the nurse said. “Everything’s chaos right now, and no one knows anything, but we’ll find him. I’m sure he made it out okay.”

  Fort slowly shook his head, his mouth dropping open. “No,” he whispered. “He didn’t.”

  The nurse frowned and sat down on the bed. “Can you give me your name, and his? He’s probably somewhere else in the hospital right now. We’ll get you two back together in no time.”

  In his mind, Fort saw his father being pulled down into the earth before something took him away, a voice in his head that forced him to run. But had there been a voice? A girl, screaming in his head? Or had he just heard someone shouting on the street, and he’d just run away in fear, leaving his father to . . . to be taken? He felt his eyes grow wet, and he had to dig his fingernails into his palms to keep from sobbing. “Fort,” he whispered so quietly the nurse had to lean in. “Forsythe Fitzgerald.”

  “That’s a bit unusual,” the nurse said, smiling gently at him. “Is it a family name?”

  Fort nodded. “It was my . . . my grandfather’s, my mother’s father. He’s not alive anymore.”

  “Was your mother there too, on the Mall?” the nurse asked.

  Fort shook his head again but didn’t say anything. The nurse waited for a moment, then stood back up. “And what’s your father’s name? I’ll go see if I can’t track him down.”

  The tears flowed down Fort’s face freely now. “John,” he said slowly. “J.D., sometimes.”

  “John or J.D. Fitzgerald,” the nurse repeated, jotting it down on a clipboard. “Got it. Now you get some rest, Forsythe. Nothing bad will happen to you here. Whatever it was that happened down at the Mall, it’s over now. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  The nurse smiled once more as she left. But the smile was a lie, just like everything else. Whatever had happened, nothing was going to be okay. Not anymore.

  For a while, Fort found himself alone, and every so often he would drift into sleep, only to wake up screaming from the memory of the creature, or his father yelling his name. After one of these outbursts, two police officers passing by his room glanced in to make sure he was okay, then sat down outside.

  “How’s the National Security Agency building doing?” one of them said.

  “One side of it is completely gone,” the other said. “Another of those creatures came up right out of the ground.”

  “What are those things? It’s like something out of Godzilla.”

  “Whatever they are, this was an attack. The National Mall and the NSA at the exact same time? This had to be planned.”

  “You think those monsters planned this? They can think for themselves?”

  “I don’t know. But what are the odds that they just happened to pick those two places in particular? Out of the whole country?”

  “Are you kidding? What are the odds that they even exist?”

  “I’m just saying, someone was making a point. I don’t know who, or how they did it, but we better find out soon. I was down there, at the Mall. The military was using rocket launchers against that thing, and the creature didn’t even flinch.”

  “Yes it did. It took off, went back into the ground.”

  “Not because of anything we did,” the second officer said. “It started coming out right in the middle of the Reflecting Pool, only it stopped and retreated all of a sudden. Something was controlling that one, same as the one at the NSA.”

  “If that’s true, we’re in huge trouble.”

  “Shh,” the nurse said, stepping back into Fort’s room. “There’s a child in here. Go talk somewhere else.”

  The two officers nodded, then stood up and walked away, though Fort could hear them continuing their conversation a little way down the hall. The nurse gently closed the door behind her, cutting off all outside noise, then approached the bed, looking like she dreaded sharing whatever she had come to say.

  “I haven’t located your father yet.” She sat down on the side of the bed and held Fort’s hand. “But it’s only a matter of time, I’m sure. I hate to ask, but do you remember where you saw him last? Do you . . . do you know what happened to him?”

  Fort bit his lip, his eyes filling with tears as he looked away.

  The nurse paused, then nodded. “I see. Do you have a way to get in touch with your mother?”

  Fort shook his head. “She . . . she died years ago. When I was born.”

  The nurse swallowed hard. “Oh, Forsythe, I’m so sorry. What about . . . do you have aunts or uncles, or someone—”

  “It took him,” Fort whispered. “It took him, down into the ground with it. When it left, like the policemen said. It took my father with it.” The tears rolled down his face, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to let the words out, to let the images free from his head so he didn’t have to keep seeing them. “I tried to save him, to follow.” The memory of the voice returned, and he grabbed ahold of it like he was drowning and it was a life preserver. “But something . . . something made me leave. I couldn’t help myself. It was like I wasn’t in control, couldn’t even move my own legs. I . . . I could watch, but couldn’t do anything!”

  “You were afraid,” the nurse said quietly, squeezing his hand. “Terrified, with good reason. Everyone was, including people much older than you. I’m not surprised you ran. I would have run too. Your father would have wanted you to.”

  “No!” Fort said, his voice getting louder. “I didn’t just run. Everyone else did, but I stopped. I was trying to help. I couldn’t let him . . . I couldn’t just leave him there. But something was in my head and it made me leave! It was there, I know it was!”

  But even as he heard himself, he had to wonder if there really was a voice. With everything that had happened, how did he know it wasn’t just fear making him get away from the creature? What if he’d just made the voice up to justify leaving his father?

  The tears wouldn’t stop now, but he fell back against the bed, not sure what to even think anymore. The nurse sighed, then stood up and began fiddling with a needle and some tubes leading into Fort’s arm. “I understand, Forsythe. We all have that voice in our head telling us what to do. But you can’t blame yourself. You did the exact right thing, getting away. For now, just sleep, and we’ll find out what happened to your father in the meantime.”

  “You won’t find him,” Fort said as the room suddenly began to get fuzzy. “He’s gone . . . down into the earth . . . with the monster. . . .”

  “Don’t you worry about that creature, whatever it was,” the nurse said from what seemed like miles away. “There are people who will keep us safe. They’ll protect us from the bad things. You’ll see.”

  And then the room went dark, but even as he passed out, Fort knew she was lying.

  - FOUR -

  HE’S BEEN HOME FROM THE hospital for almost six months now,” Fort’s aunt Cora said, on the phone in the kitchen. “I can barely get him to eat. And now he’s been suspended from school for fighting, of all things! The other boy made some comment about Washington, pretended to be that . . . that creature, and Fort just went berserk. And then after, he said he barely even remembered doing it.”

  Fort ran his fingers over the brochure of the Gettysburg Address in various languages, the last thing his father had given him, then turned back to stare at the muted television in front of him, showing scenes of the destruction from the attacks six months ago.


  First, it panned over the headquarters of the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Maryland, a black-windowed office building that was now half rubble. One of the creatures apparently had ripped its way straight up through the middle of the building before it disappeared back into the ground. The entire facility was now abandoned, with armed guards surrounding it. A military helicopter even intercepted the press copter, forcing it away from the area.

  Then the news turned to D.C., where black domes covered the Lincoln Memorial and what was left of the National Mall, with soldiers guarding the perimeter. Beneath those domes was a massive hole that went, well, somewhere. The government wasn’t saying where, or how deep it was either.

  But somewhere down there, the creature had taken Fort’s father.

  “I don’t know what to do, Lin,” his aunt had continued. “I really don’t. I don’t think he even sleeps more than an hour or two at a time.”

  That was true. Every time Fort closed his eyes, he saw the creature emerging from its green circle of fire, coming straight for him while someone shouted in a low, guttural voice in some language he didn’t recognize. Whenever Fort tried to scream, it wasn’t even his voice. It was a girl’s voice, the same one every time.

  And then there were the reminders. Everything he saw made him think of his father. Several times a day, Fort found himself imagining his father joking about something, or paying him ridiculous compliments for no reason. Each time it happened, the pain and grief threatened to drown him, and—

  A pinch in his hand distracted him, and he looked down to find he’d clenched his fist around the brochure from the Lincoln Memorial, crumpling it. When had he done that? He carefully smoothed it out, then put it down and flipped channels over and over, not caring where he landed.

  “There’s this boarding school that offered to take him,” his aunt said, and Fort glanced in the direction of the kitchen. “The headmaster heard about how my brother-in-law . . . everything that happened. Said he had experience dealing with grief and trauma, so maybe he could help Fort. It sounds almost like some kind of military academy, though. And I don’t know if I can just send him away. I’m the only family he has now!”

  She was thinking about sending him away? That made sense. Fort nodded to himself, digging his nails down harder. After all, it was at least partly his fault that she had to take care of him to begin with. Cora was his mother’s much younger sister and had just graduated college. She’d been broke ever since, paying off her college while working as a waitress in spite of having a degree in computer science. His father’s life insurance had provided some money, but not enough, especially when Cora had to skip work to pick up Fort from school after his fight.

  First she’d lost her sister, Fort’s mother, and now he’d been thrown on her without any warning. And all because he’d run instead of helping his father carry the old woman down, get him off the stairs before—

  Fort squeezed his eyes closed and gritted his teeth, trying to force the memories out of his head. Not that it would change anything. His aunt would still have Fort to take care of, something she’d never asked for. All he was doing was making her life harder, just by being there.

  Fort turned back to the television to find he’d stopped on a press conference in the White House. Some man in a uniform with a massive number of medals and stripes was speaking, introducing the man next to him, another soldier. Fort frowned and turned the volume on.

  “—name is Colonel Charles,” the second man said, smiling grimly. “As General Matheson mentioned, I’ll be heading up the new joint agency based around these threats. The Thaumaturgic Defense Agency, or TDA, has already developed specialized deterrents against future attacks, based on the lack of response to traditional weaponry we witnessed in Washington.”

  Specialized deterrents? What did that mean? What could they possibly do to stop those things?

  “Do we know where those creatures came from, and what they wanted?” a reporter shouted.

  Colonel Charles stared down at the podium for a moment. “The origin of the monsters is still unknown. Certainly they’re nothing we’d seen previously. But leads have suggested a motivating factor behind the attacks. There seems to have been some outside force either controlling them fully, or setting them upon us. We have extensive investigations happening now, but you’ll forgive me if I can’t provide further information at this time. As soon as it’s appropriate, I’ll share everything I can.”

  “Was this a terrorist group, or the actions of another country?” a different reporter asked.

  “Will there be more attacks?” another shouted.

  Colonel Charles frowned. “The people of the United States should sleep soundly. We have no indication of any further attacks and are working day and night to prevent them from happening again.”

  “No indication? But you didn’t know about the first one, right?” the same reporter asked.

  “What do you mean, unknown origin?” yelled a second. “Where could they have come from?”

  “What kind of deterrents are you using? How do you know they’ll be of any greater use against the creatures if you don’t even know what they are?”

  “I’m afraid that’s all the time I have,” Colonel Charles said. “I’ll update with further information as the situation warrants.”

  He walked off to more reporters shouting out questions, and Fort muted the television again, not sure why he’d even bothered.

  Six months later, and they still wouldn’t say who’d done it, or why. Not to mention that all anyone could think about was if and when another attack was coming. Schools had started holding earthquake drills in case one of the creatures tunneled up nearby. The internet was filled with rumors and conspiracy theories about what the creatures were, where they’d come from, and why they’d attacked. But all anyone knew for sure was that there’d been no warning the first time, so they couldn’t expect any the next time.

  “Maybe, but you can’t live in fear, Fort,” his father would have said. “Because it’s not a place. Now Cape Fear, that’s a real region of North Carolina, so there, you can live.”

  “You shouldn’t watch that,” his aunt said from the doorway, making Fort jump, thankfully pulling him out of his daydream.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. “I know that anniversaries, like six months . . .” She trailed off.

  Fort nodded at her, just to show he heard. He’d quickly learned that when he didn’t respond, she just asked more questions. He clicked off the TV and slumped back against the couch, closing his eyes. Maybe she’d take that as a hint and leave him alone.

  At least then he wouldn’t be dragging her down too.

  “I’m going to order us pizza for dinner, okay?” she said, and he felt the couch shift as she sat down next to him. “Whatever you want. Let’s go nuts. I’m talking, like, three toppings.”

  He shrugged, not opening his eyes. Food didn’t taste like anything anymore, so it didn’t really matter what she ordered.

  “And after that, there’s someone I want you to talk to, okay?” she said. “He’s . . . well, he’s a doctor, but not like that therapist you didn’t like. He runs a boarding school, and he says he can help you. He heard about you from, you know, the news, and reached out to me. He said his school might be a good fit.”

  Fort opened his eyes and gave her another shrug, but this time forced the barest hint of a smile, not wanting her to feel bad about sending him away. At least then she could get on with her life.

  She hugged him gently and put her head on his. “I miss them too, so much. Your dad and your mom. I’m so sorry you didn’t have more time with your dad, or get to meet your mom. They were amazing people.”

  No. Fort pulled away, realizing he might be making her feel bad, but he just couldn’t . . . every time she brought up . . . no. He couldn’t listen to this, not now. He grabbed the Gettysburg Address brochure and stood up, heading for the kitchen. “I’m going to get a soda. Do you want anything?”

&
nbsp; She stared at him sadly. “No, I’m okay.”

  He nodded and left, passing right through the kitchen to Cora’s bedroom, where he turned on her little TV. More news, but it was covering the protests outside the U.S. Capitol, where thousands of people had gathered to demand military action on whichever country had caused the attacks. Assuming anyone even knew. Several of the signs had suggestions, and they only got more angry and bitter from there.

  He flipped through the channels, desperate to keep his mind occupied so he didn’t have to remember, until he landed on some cartoons, something he wouldn’t have to think about. Minutes passed slowly, but eventually he heard Cora call for the pizza, and later, answer the door for the delivery. His aunt had ordered pepperoni, which was fine, since she liked that, and he barely ate more than a slice these days anyway.

  “Fort, if you decide you don’t want to go to this boarding school, that’s okay,” his aunt said as she put plates down on the table for dinner. “It’s your choice. If you’d rather stay here with me, we’ll figure things out. Your dad left enough money for us to maybe find another school around here. Or maybe we can try a new therapist?”

  Fort didn’t respond. The previous therapist hadn’t gotten more than his name out of him, which he felt bad about. But the last thing in the world he was going to talk about was what happened in D.C., especially with a stranger.

  There was silence while they both ate, so Fort tried to keep it going by chewing through his slice as slowly as possible. It made her even sadder when he didn’t eat anything, so he always forced himself to eat at least a little. It also helped because it meant she wouldn’t try to ask him any questions.

  The doorbell rang as Cora was putting the rest of the pizza into the refrigerator. She gave Fort a nervous look, then left to go open the front door. From the other room, he heard the deep voice of a man introducing himself, and then, oddly, a girl’s voice as well. They moved into the kitchen, and Fort looked up, curiosity fighting its way through the haze in his brain.