Entanglement

by Drue M Scott

  ##

  Bursting through the door, Mathieu caught sight of a man straddling Mikale and pounding on the patient’s chest. Blood splashed from Mikale’s naked flesh as water from a drum being beaten in the rain. Though the room was silent of the cacophony outside its walls, chaos throughout the hospital still raged on as fire alarms sounded and random floors lost and regained power sporadically. Mathieu fleetingly puzzled at the silence of the room but dropped that course of questioning with the understanding that time was not on their side. Sooner rather than later, a nurse or doctor would be in to see the horrors happening in room 713. It was an eventuality he hoped could be avoided or diverted.

  “I don’t know you, but I will still kill you.” Devin spat as he leapt from the bed and confronted Mathieu. “You’ve interrupted something quite personal.” Rubbing his crotch as he morphed into a version of himself, he laughed.

  Mathieu swore he could see beneath the clothes and smeared blood as if the being before him was losing its grasp on the energy it stole. “From the looks of it, you can’t even maintain your own physical form.” Mathieu dodged Devin’s approach and circled around to the far side of Mikale’s bed. “I imagine you have barely enough to leave.” He shrugged as he placed his hands down upon Mikale’s wounds. Blood still flowed but not as freely as it had been. “If I were you, I’d choose to live to fight another day over dying here today.” Forcing some of his own energy into the injuries Devin had inflicted, Mathieu brought the bleeding to a halt. “And believe me, once Haley returns, and I’ve stabilized this poor soul, you will die; I don’t care whose soul you’re harboring.”

  “You underestimate my power, you lack real faith, I am the evil in this world, and it is your soul I will rape.” Devin moved as speedily towards Mathieu as his physical body would allow. “You should have stayed in whatever country you…”

  Running up from behind him before his words could be fully formed, Haley grasped Devin and pushed him away from Mikale and Mathieu. “Fuck You!”

  Startled and angry at the ease, with which he could be physically acted upon, Devin spun around to face his attacker. His face contorted with rage; he snarled before spitting in Haley’s direction. The whole room maintained its silence from the blaring sounds of the rest of the hospital. Mathieu still passed energy over to Mikale, and Haley stood between Devin and them. The back wall with a single window showed the pink sky of the rising sun and cast an eerie silhouette around Devin. Sergei, slowest of the group, fumbled through the door slamming it behind him. Now all of them were trapped in a single moment that would require more than any of them knew they would have to give. With his back turned towards the window and a half-turn towards Haley, Devin widened his stance. He knew of the soul’s present, she was the most likely to attack first. Sergei stood motionless as Vevila shuddered within him from shock at the sight of Mikale. Mathieu couldn’t move far from his patient with nearly half his own energy being transferred in order for Stewart to hold on and Mikale to not pass.

  “Didn’t I warn you?” Mathieu peered over to Devin, momentarily taking his attention from Mikale. “You should’ve left when you had the chance.”

  “I think you all over-estimate your ability to affect the outcome of this gathering.” Devin, grinding his neck to one side, grumbled. His voice held a hiss to it that reminded Haley of snakes. “What use have you for these people?” He gazed deeply into Haley’s eyes. “Weren’t you the one who not so long ago wanted to kill Johnathan? Actually,” Devin perked up his stance and widened his eyes, “how many men have you killed in hopes to gain revenge on him?” Smiling he bowed his head, “Why then do you care to save this one?” Pointing to Mikale, Devin’s voice abruptly dropped off.

  “That isn’t your concern.” Haley felt her own shame rush up and color her face. “Whom I wish to save and whom I wish to kill is none of your fucking business.” She snapped back angrily, resituating herself and broadening her shoulders.

  “Then I will kill you, too!” Leaping forward as he spoke, Devin grabbed Haley spinning her quickly into a headlock and backing himself against the window. Sergei moved in tight to them and maintained enough distance to be directly in line with Mathieu. “Protect him all you want. In the end, he will die the same as all of you.”

  “Fuck this!” Haley shouted slamming her head back and forcing her elbow downward and into Devin’s crotch. The fluid motion didn’t have much strength behind it, but it was enough to make contact with Devin’s sensitive parts. Cowering in pain, his grip lessened, and Haley broke free of him. “Today is not that day, motherfucker.” Pushing Devin back, Haley solidified her stance as he slammed against the window breaking it. The morning breeze rushed in.

  Mathieu knew what was about to happen and screamed. “No, wait.” His eyes dilated and air escaped his lungs with anticipatory dread.

  “Fucking Hell!” Haley exclaimed running to Devin. Leaping onto him with a force he could not counter, the two fell out the window.

  Throwing the door open as Haley and Devin fell out the window, Katahniesha stumbled in dumbfounded. She had seen some crazy shit in her life, but what transpired before her in that moment was something she had never imagined possible in a million years of possibilities. She wanted to scream, or question, or chastise, but nothing made it past her own surprise. The entire room felt surreal. Sergei moved to the window, Mathieu began to scream, and Mikale’s heart ceased to beat. Katahniesha quizzically gazed at the blueish white light that radiated from where Mathieu’s hands touched her patient’s body.

  “Quickly!” Mathieu gestured his head to Katahniesha, “His heart has stopped.”

  Chapter VII

  The End?

  Too Hell

  Quiet emptiness surrounded Malachi and Levi. The two sat motionless suspended in a warm white glow that radiated with energy. A subtle pulsing of the light rippled away from them slowly. Both men were formless but present in a shape that mimicked their chosen projections. They were vapors on a warm breeze held in place by will alone.

  “The longer you are here, the more skill you will gain.” Malachi softly spoke to Levi’s being. It was sound in that it moved the air in waves, but it wasn’t verbal language. “Realizing we, at our simplest form, are energy, releases us from the constraints of physically based rules.” Drawing his own energy in closer, the vapors surrounding Malachi became more formed, outlining the figure of a handsome man. “When you’ve mastered the skill of presenting yourself in whatever manner you choose, the transition from one to another will be as instinctual as blinking once was.” Fully forming himself into one of his more favored forms, Malachi smiled. His dark blue scrubs, coming into focus, melted in reverse covering the soft pale skin he projected having. Each moment filled out his form more thoroughly. Dirty blonde hair cropped tight to the sides of his head and left longer on the top appeared perfectly well placed and yet not fussed over. His well-structured face and strong jaw-line perfectly complimented his two-day scruff and accentuated his welcoming demeanor.

  “I understand the basis of what you say, but the idea that I am not the me I remember causes me struggle.” Levi began to shift his own entity into the man he had always known himself to be as he spoke. “But if we are only energy temporarily bound in physical form and moved when that body fails, why are some, like you, able to remain in Idir and not automatically sent to be re-placed?” Intentionally leaving the reference to himself out of the question, he motioned his hands through what would be hair as it began to appear from his smoky form. “Why was I given the opportunity to stay?”

  “Like me, another being chose you. Once you have achieved self-actualization, you are given the chance to remain unbound by the physical world.” Water beneath them and clouds above them began to appear. “I favored you in a way that made you my obvious choice.”

  “Choice?” Levi questioned, noticing the environment around him coming into focus and form.

  “I’ve achieved what I was meant to achieve here, and I wish to explore fur
ther reaches of the universe.” Malachi, reaching over and touching Levi’s cheek, drew the attention of the other man. “I chose you to replace me.”

  “Thank you?” The questioning statement fell from Levi’s lips as he turned his gaze squarely to the small grass-lined creek that had become fully realized while Malachi spoke. Its sparkling water and beyond perfect beauty temporarily mesmerized him. Snow-capped mountains and a lemon yellow sun filled the horizon behind them. Bright green grass and colorful river rocks stood in contrast to the blue sky and crystal clear water. It all was like a perfectly replicated memory from his childhood. It was never a real place, but one he had created in his imagination when he meditated. “You know this place?”

  “I do,” Malachi replied softly. “I know a great deal about you.”

  Confusion shifted Levi’s expressions. “I am not sure I understand.”

  “It is my duty to know all those who pass here,” Malachi leaned in as he spoke kissing Levi softly. “It is the best and easiest way to ensure that you transition souls from one life to their next as comfortably as possible.” With his lingering presence and lips pressed gently to Levi’s, Malachi shared his energy. You’ve been here before.

  Backing away from his mentor, Levi cocked his head to one side quizzically. “I passed many times, but this place was always in my…”

  “In your dreams?” Malachi softly spoke. “Yes, it has always been your comfort.” Smiling as he guided Levi’s attention outward with a pointing hand, Malachi continued, “use this as your center and you will gain the strength, knowledge, and skill to assist those whom you have been given charge over.”

  “How will I know?”

  “We are all tasked, if we choose to accept the responsibility, with a designated number of souls to watch over.” Each word Malachi spoke faded their surroundings. “The universe will always find balance; we simply oversee the process and assist those that need guidance.”

  “Like Aveen?” Levi watched all around them as the environment returned to warm white light. “He needed your gentle encouragement to accept what had happened to him and Brad.”

  “He may have remained partially in Idir and partially in the world for many years had we not stepped in and delicately influenced his passing. We are gifted with energy as old as the first star to shine in the emptiness that once was. We can shift reality to our will, and yet, we must never use it to impact either side of the equation.” The seriousness of Malachi’s tone rose in unison with a shifting in the comforting white light. “There are some who have power equal to us, but it has been acquired. Ours is eternal.” Flashes of old memories spanning hundreds of years began to fill the white void around them. “You were identified, just as I was, billions of years ago as a source of eternal life-force. Never yielding, never fading, always present.” Both men watched as Levi’s many lives played in random order all around them. “Your time on the earthly plane was a honing of skills, a waiting room for you to be ready for the burden of immense power.”

  “What if I was not ready?”

  “Then you would remain.”

  “Many times, you were given the opportunity to stay. You were tested and…”

  Stopping abruptly Malachi’s entire being became rigid and unmoving. Sparks of blue light twinkled in his eyes, but there was no expression on his face. The whole of everything around them dropped to black. Levi could see Malachi but only barely.

  “I must leave you for a moment. Do not follow.” With his last words echoing throughout Idir, Malachi vanished. The pulse of energy vibrated through Levi dissipating his form.

  Quickly reconstituting himself in the manner he most liked, Levi shouted. “What’s happened?!”

  ##

  Knowing this was her only chance to rid the room of the malice and hate Devin wrought, Haley took the only opportunity she saw available and tackled Devin, thrusting him, and herself, out the window. Each passing moment felt like an hour as they fell. She could see the shards of glass they had knocked free glistening in the rising sun’s rays. The ground beneath them moved ever closer and yet still seemed to be so far away. The people below were frozen in horror with outstretched arms and open hands over mouths. She had no way of knowing if her snap decision was the best choice, but there was no changing it now; time could not be reversed. In the long, slow moments of falling, her mentor’s words finally made sense to her. She had for so long sought retribution for her death, for so many years wasted the gift of longevity, and now, she could plainly see what that type of hatred could do. Devin’s anger and hate came from somewhere. Was he once innocent? He was sick, twisted, and worsening by the day, but the hate he felt for Mikale was not hate for the man, it was hate for the being. Purity of essence disgusted him. Why? Haley knew there was something more to his story than just hate; revenge had turned rancid all that was in him. Weakening so rapidly the air seemed to choke her, Haley realized her life-force had been all but completely drained. The living statues below turned their eyes from the coming conclusion. The ground approached quicker. She could feel the air that blew her hair back behind her in flowing ripples of auburn threads stinging her face. No moment had ever, nor would it ever, feel so slow and yet happen so fast. Turning her eyes to the evil man who clung to her leeching her energy into his own, Haley understood the full cost she would have to pay for her actions. Devin smiled.

  “Wrong choice.” With his shark-tooth grin and cocky smirk, Devin disappeared. Having stolen most of Haley’s energy, he had strength enough to leave, but she was too weak to change the inevitable. His exit stunned the onlookers who were either brave enough to face the coming consequences or were mesmerized as if watching a train wreck.

  I have come to the end. Haley accepted her fate. I’ve no fear in passing. Serenity took hold of her soul as the ground halted her fall. Each splintering of bone and rupture of organ sent spasms of pain through her; her senses fell numb. The taste of blood overwhelmed and sickened her gut; she faded. Darkness collected her up and whisked her to Idir. Gasps from the bystanders rang out at the sight and sound of her body crashing down hard upon the concrete. Then silence.

  Reaching the window in time to see Devin disappear and Haley’s body smash against the concrete below, Sergei and Vevila both screamed an unnatural cry of anger and loss. They had not known Haley, but the loss was no less shocking. Her energy was gone.

  Reestablishing Mikale’s IV and wheeling over the crash cart, Katahniesha’s head spun in a million different directions. She couldn’t reconcile what she had seen with what she thought to be reality. This man needs your help. Save that shit for later, Kat. “Move!” Pushing Mathieu from the bedside, she charged the defibrillator and sent silent prayers out that it would work. Her heart sunk at the knowledge the nice young girl she had only just met was surely dead on the concrete seven stories below, but she powered on. The readout blinked: 175. I need 300 goddamnit! Time felt like it was working against her. All of her cries for help and demands for a doctor were unanswered, and the two remaining men in the room scared her. Another blink of light: 250. A muted beep struggled to be heard over the commotion that filtered in through the open door and broken window. Sirens blaring and people screaming did nothing to calm her nerves. The readout blinked: 300. Clear. “Clear!” Her hoarse voice, breaking under the stress of the moment, filled the room.

  Turning in horror to see Katahniesha about to shock Mikale, and by extension Stewart, Sergei by means of Vevila’s panic, shouted. “WAIT!”

  It was too late. The sudden jolt of Mikale’s body and the subsequent scream he let out rattled the bed. Leaping back and dropping the paddles, Katahniesha screamed in fright. Mathieu leapt forward placing his hands on Mikale’s shoulders and pressed him firmly to the bed. Sergei moved to grasp Katahniesha. In mid-movement, the calamity suddenly froze. No one moved as the drops of water from sprinklers hovered in the air, and the blue/white sparks from Mathieu attempting to share energy with Mikale were slow motion lightning bolts suspended in mid-strike. />
  “What in the name of all the gods is happening here?” Malachi surveyed the room in shock. Over the millennia, during which he had been ferrying souls in Idir, he had never seen such a scene of complete disarray. Peering at Mathieu, his heart sank. “I thought I taught you better, my friend.” Circling his right hand around his head in three circles, Malachi whispered words beneath his breath. Each word as old as the universe and unintelligible to human ears floated like smoke from his lips. It was not magic or witchcraft, but a balancing mantra he used to center his own essence and pull from it large sums of power. Altering the physical world required a great deal of channeling one’s energy. It was a daunting task made more difficult by the sorrow he felt seeing Mathieu. The alarms halted, the sprinklers ceased to spew water, the broken window mended, and the room dried. Time did not move in reverse, but to the naked eye it would have appeared as such. Pacing the room slowly, Malachi began to weep. “Mattie,” between his tears, Malachi lifted the energy that held Mathieu in place, “what have you done?”

  “This reflects far worse on me than it is,” Mathieu said, quickly leaving Mikale’s side and falling into Malachi’s arms, he embraced the heavenly man as an old friend. “Have you no idea what is going on here?”

  “Clearly, I do not.” Malachi gently set an arm’s length distance between them. “I may have power that appears omniscient, but my knowledge of events extends to that which I see and experience not to the whole universe.” Malachi furrowed his brow. “I taught you how to harness your energy and use your power for the benefit of not going insane over Aiden. I did not expect you to use it to deliberately flaunt it in front of earthbound beings and…” Pausing as he gazed upon Mikale, Malachi sighed. “There is more going on here than it seems.”

  “I was trying to tell…”

  “Shhh,” Malachi placed his finger to Mathieu’s lips. “A moment please.” Replacing his finger with his own soft lips, Malachi kissed Mathieu gently. “A human that lays dying with another soul sharing the space, another human with energy not of his own harbored, a human nurse…” Taking an unnecessary breath and exhaling deeply as he approached Katahniesha, Malachi smiled, “whose energy is of her own but stronger than she knows, and you.” Turning back to Mathieu, he smiled a half-hearted grin of acceptance but disappointment. “You are mixed up in this how?”