by Drue M Scott
“But Devin,” Vevila paused trying not to cry as she took a deep breath. She knew she couldn’t physically shed tears nor could she breathe as flesh and bone humans do, but her soul wept just the same, and she did not want him to see the pain she felt. “Why do you want this? What has Stewart ever done to you? What have I ever done to you?”
Another pause gave Devin all the knowledge he needed. He knew his guest captive was becoming ripe with negative fearful energy, and it was exactly what he wanted – what he needed.
“What good does any of this do?” asked Vevila.
“GOOD! You skinny clueless bitch!” Devin shot up from the bench in a single flash of red light. “Good, dearest girl, I’ve no intentions of anything good. I want power. I want revenge!” His words were thick with hate and honesty. He would stop at nothing to achieve whatever outcome gave him the most power, regardless of the consequences to the universe. “I’ve not set this great game into motion for any other purpose than chaos, dear girl. And to prove to that bitch once and for all, I am not pathetic.” Sounding out the words rippled across Devin’s aura forcing a vibration Vevila could feel. “Once the universe descends into utter destructive pandemonium not even Kyna’s wispy spirit will be able to reconstitute from being shredded. She may be the strongest of us, but she is weak for love; it will cost her.” Returning to his frightful self, “Once all my pawns have played their roles their fate will be equal to yours.”
“And that is?” Knowing the answer, Vevila questioned hoping in some way she might be wrong.
“You already know that, my dear. Worry not, for I will help you forget your fear. I’ve no intention on allowing you to continue beyond this day with such knowledge as I have shared. Shred you, disperse you, not an ounce of your energy will be spared.” Running his long boney fingers through the outline of Vevila’s energy, Devin stole her memories of the conversation. “You need only remember I am goodness disheveled. I am the great deceiver. I am the devil.” His final words echoed into a faint hum as he vanished, leaving Vevila alone on the bench. She was precisely how he intended her to be: frightfully full of negative energy. He had scared her into confusion, and her life-force fluctuated erratically providing him an easy way to execute his plan.
The number of people in the park steadily increased, and yet, it appeared to Vevila as lonely as Mars: vast, empty, and devoid of life. There was only a faint recollection of fire and burning filtering through her thoughts and a great need to speak to Stewart, but how she had arrived in the park and what she was doing there escaped her knowledge. Single words and ideas floated around her recollections. Some lingered; others fluttered off as fast as they entered her mind. Somehow, she knew she was in danger, and in some odd way, she felt like she held knowledge of vital importance. All of it faded quickly with time as if waking from a nightmare and feeling the memory of it slip away with each breath. Would it all be gone or was it hibernating somewhere within her? Confusion heavily flustered her contemplations.
“The Devil,” her whispered words felt like a poison that would melt the world into oceans of blood and a sky of flames. “Stewart.” Screaming his name within her soul she hoped it would reach Idir. Unsure of all else, Vevila knew she desperately needed to converse with her mentor. The why, and for what purpose, eluded her, but somehow, she knew that he would help her figure it out. “Stewart!” Her energy pulsed his name into the air harder and more forcefully than she had intended. Something had changed within her. She felt fearful, and her energy, though high, reverberated with angst. Unable to hold her proliferating dark thoughts, she tried to calm her mind. Attempting to move it to a more whispered concern of introspection, a single phrase repeated underneath her understanding. It felt like it was the foundation holding all her other thoughts in a violent ball of confusion, “I am the great deceiver?”
“Vevila.” Stewart’s voice broke through suddenly startling her from her contemplations. She was uncertain when he had arrived, but he sat next to her on the bench. It was eerily similar. It was déjà vu, but yet, held something different within it at the same time. “You called out to me. Is everything okay?” Stewart’s caring and calm voice did nothing for comforting her energy.
Unsteady, Vevila’s life-force continued to rev up in fear and uncertainty. She was aware that she had called out to Stewart, but the knowledge of why was just out of reach. Dread washed over her and shook her soul. Realizing her thoughts had easily transferred to Stewart and she was sharing information telepathically, she quickly quelled her passing words. What had she been saying? Why did it appear he was not really paying attention anyway? Frustrated she turned her attention squarely upon her mentor and spoke audibly.
“I was saying, do you believe in the devil?”
Chapter II
Melding
Something Strange Happened at the Park Today: part 1
Bright, vibrant blue filled the unseasonably warm, autumn day. Sporadic, white clouds made shapes in contrast to the beautiful, cobalt sky, which fascinated Jacob. Sitting motionless and mesmerized, he played with all the ideas of different figures he could create from the ever-shifting cumulus. He knew he was there for a reason, but that reason was, for at least that moment, the furthest thing from his mind. Devin had wanted him to do something, but the high from the married couple he finished off less than a day prior, or was it two, still muddled his thinking. Half-noticing people between his long gazes up, he fondly remembered how good it felt to be with Dannison; Gina was good too. Their energy was quite satisfying, though, he knew it would not sustain him for very much longer. Increasingly, the intervals for the need of the rush and boost to his life-force were growing shorter in duration between kills. There had been many already, but recently, the numbers were increasing with fewer days between them. Regardless of how many times he mentioned this to Devin, his teacher nonchalantly brushed it off as lust for sex more than a need for fractured souls. Jacob didn’t really believe him, but he wasn’t all that eager to push the issue, either.
“I believe we are in agreement when I say, floating off in thought is not what I have planned for you today.” Devin shimmered his existence into viewable form next to Jacob. Appearing as a business man in a blue suit with a bright red power tie, he rested his hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “Do you remember what your role is and when you are to join the fight?” He questioned squeezing down hard enough that Jacob flinched. A small amount of blue/green light emanated from the aggressive gesture. “I’ve no time to babysit you”
“I know what you want me to do.” Jacob snapped back pulling himself free of Devin’s grip. “I’d feel better about the whole thing if you would tell me more of what will happen though.” Jacob turned as he took two paces forward. Looking directly into Devin’s eyes, he reiterated. “I don’t like the idea of not knowing what will happen to me if I release this much energy at one time.” His gut churned at the thought of how much damage he was about to cause. “You say when I let go of all this raw friction-filled energy, it will disintegrate human flesh, fracturing many…” Jacob paused surveying the park filled with people enjoying the beautiful afternoon. “…at least a hundred and fifty souls, by my count.” Squarely placing his attention back on Devin, who was visibly losing his patience, “Why is it that I can’t just give you the energy, or you just take it from me, or for that matter… Why haven’t you been amassing it the same way that I have been?” His confusion was plain on his face. “How is it my flesh will not be burned away with all the others?”
“Enough!” Devin lunged forward with a balled fist and landed a right hook that sent Jacob to the ground swiftly. Instantly, as his fist made contact, Devin disappeared. To all those around Jacob, it appeared that he had lost his balance and fell hard to the carpet of deep green grass. “Do not further question me or I WILL take the energy from you. I guarantee it will not be a pleasant experience, and I doubt you have ever known pain in the way that I can exact it.” Raising Jacob to his feet with his energy, Devin continued. “I det
ailed your job quite explicitly and so help me god… no, fuck that, so help me, ME, if you don’t do as I have arranged, your suffering will be legendary.” Devin forced his anger to cover the fact he didn’t want to harness energy the same way he taught Jacob. It was dangerous. At any time, it could erupt and dissipate the entities present or fundamentally change the essence of the person collecting it. At its least invasive, it would taint the vessel that stored it. At its worst, though, it could melt matter regardless of its form or density.
“I was just curious,” Jacob quickly responded. “I will do as you have ordered.”
“And what exactly is it that you believe I have ordered?” Breaking his thoughts free of the vile idea he could lose himself to unpredictable energy, Devin snapped back.
“At your signal, I am to run to the middle of the park and release this stolen energy.”
“And…”
“And get the hell out of your way, so you can collect all the souls that don’t fracture before they return to Idir,” Jacob shrugged slightly. “Was there something more to it than that?”
“No, that’s pretty much the gist of it. Though your hesitation just now has me concerned that you don’t understand what’s at stake here.” Moving to position himself side-by-side with Jacob, Devin reappeared and dropped his arm heavily around Jacob’s shoulders. “That woman believes she is god, and her infatuation with the puny soul who can’t find self-enlightenment or the other conscience who can’t find his spirit… well, she’s going to fuck up all the fun.” Kissing Jacob’s cheek, Devin laughed. “You are having fun, right?” He let go of his underling and squared them off shoulder-to-shoulder and face-to-face. “You like what I’ve taught you, do you not?” His breath felt hot against Jacob’s face. “I believe you do.” Setting his lips to Jacob’s, Devin kissed him hard sliding his tongue into his mouth. Holding their embrace, Devin transferred the smallest amount of energy over to Jacob as he glided his left hand down to gently brush up against his student’s private area. Believing he had made his point, Devin backed away slowly. Tracing Jacob’s lips with his tongue as he receded, Devin bit down just hard enough to draw a single bead of blood. “I trust you’ll follow through.” He knew well the consequence Jacob would pay for uninhibitedly allowing the mass of energy free, but he loved the idea it was one less loose end to tie off.
Nodding his agreement as his mentor walked away, Jacob lowered his body to a seated position on the grass. Sitting motionless for a moment, he ran all the scenarios in his mind and the inevitable outcomes of each. None of them ended with him still existing as a physical entity, at least. He knew he wasn’t smart enough to outwit Devin, at least not yet; he also knew he stood no chance against the godlike woman his teacher referred to. His options steadily dwindled. This isn’t even my fight. He contemplated momentarily before rising to his feet again. I’ve no skin in this game, so why should I be the one sacrificing for it. He further considered turning to face the exit of the park. Couldn’t I just walk away? Without realizing it, he had already begun moving towards that outcome. His thoughts continued to plague his overactive mind while his body seemed to have already made a decision. He thinks I am stupid enough to believe that a bomb of raw chaotic energy would decimate all living tissue near its radius but leave me fully intact? I may be a strung out junky eager for his next fix, but I am not a fucking idiot! Jacob turned back momentarily as if to double check that Devin was not following or watching him. His heart beat nearly out of his chest, and his palms were sweaty. He could hardly count the days, has it been months?, that Devin had tutored him in the ways of energy absorption and utilization. He was not ungrateful for being rescued from a life of heroin and certain death; he was also not about to forfeit his physical existence for a fight that he had no real investment in. If there was one lesson that he had most certainly learned from the devil in a black suit, it was that self-preservation came first, and acquisition of power came in close behind. I can hide myself. He deliberated the thought for several moments. I can run. I can cover my tracks. I can use my power to stay out of his line of sight or sensing. Reaching his conclusion with steadily increasing foot speed, Jacob set himself to the task of getting as far away from this park, this fight, and that devil as he possibly could. He figured there might be consequences, even more than he could readily grasp the understanding of, but he also knew that living to see another day meant that he could cross that bridge when he came to it. I’m not fucking crossing that bridge today.
The In-Between
“This is Idir.” Malachi patiently stated circling the two-bed hospital room. Its soft grey walls and stark white trim seemed impossibly clean for a working hospital. A single window, which allowed a warm glow from the sun to filter in through its sheer curtains, backlit Malachi, giving him an almost angelic appearance. “This is our paradigm, but it resides in Idir. We may call it the in-between, and we may have control over what is seen here and what is not, but ultimately, we are servants to the order of the universe.” Gliding closer to Levi, he smiled. His very being radiated love and tenderness, though Levi knew that his mentor was one of the most powerful entities to have ever existed. Both men were clothed in blue scrubs: perfectly pressed, beautifully tailored, and their names were embroidered on the right chest pocket. It wasn’t the only image they projected, but it was certainly the most frequent. At only 150 years, Levi was the newest life-force to accept the responsibility of being a transition guide. It was a highly rule-based duty to undertake, and though the moniker they had given themselves was a bit simplistic, it was considered an honor to serve the universe in such a way.
“So why these vision games?” Levi questioned. “Why do some come here and others not?”
“The complexity of your question is far easier to answer with the most rudimentary of explanations.” Malachi paused and turned to the sunlit window soaking in the glow.
Nothing in the room was real, by earthbound rules, and so the act puzzled Levi, but he patiently waited for his friend to continue.
“Love,” Malachi smiled as the word passed his lips.
Hesitating in the silence that followed, Levi pondered the single word reply. Unable to reconcile his need for a more detailed response with what Malachi had said, he spoke up. “But how does love play a part in such a complex system delicately balanced between positive and negative energy?” Taking a deep breath, he tilted his head to one side. “Surely, there is more to the equation than love.”
“Is there?” Malachi flatly rejoined. “Why did you take a deep breath just now? As energy, do you believe that you still need to breathe?” Turning back to face Levi, Malachi smiled. “Did I, in reality, just enjoy the warmth of the sun’s radiation?” Stepping closer, Malachi pinched the collar of his clean blue scrubs and lifted upward enough to reveal the waist line of his bottoms. Between his shirt and pants, there was nothing: no torso, just empty space. The wall behind him was visible as Malachi was invisible beneath the cotton clothing. “We are what we project ourselves to be. I may choose to be the man before you, now…” Malachi instantly transformed into an Aboriginal woman clothed in a long flowing white sheer gown. The material was only dense enough to obscure her naked form beneath it. Her eyes were dark with just enough sparks in them to appear mildly surreal. Her flawless skin, dark as the night, was a stark contrast to the lightness of her dress. “I could be any number of images, but that depends heavily upon what I choose and what you choose.”
“I’m not sure I understand.” Levi, unable to contain his awe, reached out to touch the dress billowing from Malachi’s newly chosen form. It waved in a breeze that was not present and appeared fluid in motion. Before he could make contact with it though, Malachi disappeared.
“When we are confined to our shells, we must see through human eyes, touch through human skin, taste, smell, and suffer through human flesh. But as energy, are we not free from those bindings?”
“Yes, but…”
“But?” Malachi reappeared behind Levi whi
spering upon his neck. The colorless dress he still wore rolled upwards engulfing Levi from either side.
Feeling the warmth of Malachi’s breath, Levi flinched. His partial startle caused his friend to smile. “But what does love have to do with all of that?” Levi posed the question intentionally dropping his shoulders and attempting to appear unphased.
“It is simple,” Malachi continued returning to what Levi would consider to be his normal form standing at a normal distance. Pacing slowly, he rounded his companion leisurely. Malachi’s movements had always been deliberate and graceful. His well-formed physique was easily apparent beneath whatever clothes he chose to adorn his body, but the blue scrubs, somehow, drew more attention to the size of his muscles. “Love, just as hate, adds to the power of life-energy. One is negative, the other positive.” Gesturing to take a seat with him, Malachi floated effortlessly over to the hospital bed closest to the window. The elegance, with which he moved, was an inspiration to Levi. Earthbound entities might have considered the movements to be feminine, but with such strength as Malachi had, the strength that he was, such confining characteristics could never fully convey the reality of it. “Fear disrupts the flow of energy,” he continued, “When a vessel has reached its end time on the corporeal plane, its energy decides when and where it will enter the process of returning.” As Levi sat next to Malachi, his mentor placed his hand gently on his knee. Levi took notice because it was very much like gravity-based movements. A skill he hoped he too could master in time. “Look no further than Aveen and Brad.” Turning his head to look softly upon the bed in which they sat as if a person was still in it, Malachi sighed. It wasn’t an exhausted sigh, or at least Levi felt like it wasn’t. Instead, it emphasized his point. The sigh was not real, the environment was not real, but Aveen had believed it to be so; Malachi had delicately convinced Aveen’s entity that what he saw and felt was reality. “They both died a rather jolting death,” Malachi tilted his head in a distinctly quizzical manner, “would you not agree?” Thinking back to the manner in which Aveen had passed, falling from such a height while desperately, and lovingly, holding onto his dearest Brad, Levi nodded his head in accord. “Yet, they did not fracture.” Turning his gaze to Levi, Malachi’s face was soft and beautiful but distinctly strong with traditional markers of masculinity.