by J. P. Rice
I screamed as I ran, “You can’t be lying to me if you want me to help you. And I guess the vampires do know people at AAA considering they showed up before them.” I was breathless from the short run. I didn’t do much cardiovascular.
Her nails retracted back to their original size. “I told you what you needed to hear so that we wouldn’t die. Why wouldn’t you be allowed to kill a vampire? Aren’t they considered evil in your little wizard school or whatever?”
I narrowed my eyes, and shook my head in disgust. “Don’t do that. This isn’t Harry Potter or something like that. This shit is real and you know it. I’m pretty much a lone wolf wizard. No pack for me. And to answer your question, no, not all vampires have been deemed to be demonic. I fully expect to be questioned by the Gods on this one.”
I started throwing up. It was a side-effect of the magic to keep me in check.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I can’t kill innocent people. I get sick if I do. If these guys were good people, I could get sick and die. It’s so I can’t just run around killing everyone and the Gods will know if I’m lying.” I explained.
“You shouldn’t be sick for too long then. Let’s just say, these two have a few bodies on their records. They were rotten vampires, which is saying a lot. Seems like a stupid rule.”
I stopped vomiting, and stood back up, slightly off balance. “I don’t make the rules, the Gods do. I just follow them.”
“Would they rather have you get killed? Those guys weren’t going to kill me because they needed to save me for Jonathan to inflict the punishment, but they were going to kill you. It was self-defense. Look away.” She kneeled over the body.
“Why?” Oh, because you are biting into his neck and sucking out his blood. Got it. My stomach had just returned to normal, and the slurping sounds made me want to throw up. I skedaddled over to the other body with my hands covering my ears.
Carolyn yelled, “I need you to burn the bodies.” She put her hand over her mouth, realizing she shouldn’t have said it that loud.
Roy and Rebecca were nowhere to be seen and I would hear their car long before they could see us.
“Don’t you need to drive a wooden stake through his heart? I thought they just dissolved after that?”
She tossed her head back and forth, wiping blood from her chin. “You can do that or just incinerate them into nothing. They aren’t dead yet, but they are wounded badly. Both methods work, but torching him should be easier since there aren’t any stakes that could do the job around here. Do it well or they will come back in a few years and they will be mighty pissed off at us.” She left me with one body and went to drink from the other dead vampire.
I burnt the first body into oblivion (hopefully) using the same technique that I had on the stone man. Then I focused on Carolyn and the body she was feeding on. I walked over, conjuring up more liquid fire to take care of the other body. Carolyn popped up from her meal.
“Back up.” I gestured with both hands.
Carolyn took a few steps back, wiping the blood from her lips. When she got to a safe distance, I projected the invisible fire onto the body, charring it instantly, and melting the snow and singeing the earth below in the process.
The AAA driver pulled into the driveway and I checked my watch again. 3:30.
“Turn your shirt inside out. It’s got too much blood on it,” I advised Carolyn.
That barely left enough time to get to the auto shop before it closed, but there was still a chance. The rookie tow-truck driver had problems getting my car on the rack and we barely made it to the auto body shop before four o’clock. I had to wait over an hour, but they honored the fact that I arrived before they closed. They slapped a new tire on it and I raced back to my house with Carolyn.
I unloaded the Dybbuk boxes and hid them in the attic. I texted Satoku to let her know that I was going to be late as I hastily cleaned myself up. My nose looked a bit off center from the T-bar and felt tender as I applied some moisturizer to my face.
As I went to leave, Colossus scurried up to me and scraped his body along my calf. I was torn. I didn’t want to leave my little buddy in the clutches of a vampire, but she just had a huge feeding. I couldn’t take him with me, and hoped that Carolyn would catch up on some sleep while I was gone. Besides, she just had an enormous meal.
I leaned down and petted his neck a couple of times. “Don’t worry, buddy. She’s not going to hurt you.”
Rushing out the door, I cruised down the street to the restaurant. I put the window down and despite the blast of winter wind in my face, my body was still overheating. My stomach still churned from the vampire murders earlier. What if they send five next time? Do they know who I am?
I shifted mental gears and wondered if the spirits from the Dybbuk Boxes had anything to do with these uprisings. I knew it had to be a powerful necromancer and an ancient demonic spirit seemed like a logical match.
Could the spirits from those dozen boxes cause this much trouble? I had to figure out the backstory on the boxes, but the vampire attack garnered more attention considering it was a direct threat to my life. With dinner minutes away, I thought about how to use it to my advantage.
I decided to play the game and be nice to Felix so I could glean some information out of him. It would also make Satoku happy, in turn, making me happy. I prepared my fake smile and tried to produce some artificial excitement as I pulled into the parking lot. This would be difficult.
Chapter 10
My leather jacket was making me sweat, so I unzipped it, got out of my car, threw the coat on the driver’s seat and went inside the restaurant.
I saw my dinner guests in a booth. Both sitting on the same side. I slid onto the bench seat across from them. “Sorry I’m late. It turned out to be a crazy job today. You look wonderful, by the way.” I stared at Satoku’s green eyes.
“Thanks. Been working out,” Felix said, and chuckled.
I tightened my hand into a fist, and Satoku said, “Thank you. I know you guys know each other, but...”
Felix cut her off, “Of course, I know Mike the wizard. Everybody knows this guy.” He extended a tiny hand that I grabbed and squeezed as I smiled.
He had a decent grip for a little guy. I stated unenthusiastically, “And everyone knows about the mage named Felix. Do you think it’s necessary to bring your wand to dinner?”
He pushed his lips out and nodded. “You never know what could happen in this city. I don’t have to tell you, right? I mean, when those demons came after me, I was glad to have it then.”
I threw some rain on his parade as I casually perused the menu. “You mean the insects.”
He tapped his wand on the seat and glared at me. “Yes, the insect demons that were almost as big as me.”
“That’s not really saying much,” I mumbled under my breath.
“What?” he asked, eyes narrowing in anger.
“Oh nothing.” I shook my head.
Many others in the magic circle of Pittsburgh were impressed with Felix’s battle against a bunch of supposed demon hunters in the form of beetles or cockroaches or something. I wasn’t impressed in the least. The only eyewitnesses had been his friends, but I didn’t trust them to tell the truth. I knew one thing, I had always sensed a strong level of magic in the mage.
Our server approached the table, introduced herself and asked me if I needed a beverage. I ordered a Coca Cola on the rocks. We all ordered our meals and handed her our menus.
As soon as the woman left, Satoku must’ve sensed the tension between us, and stepped in like a boxing referee. “You two be nice. What was your job about today, Mike?”
I opened my mouth to speak and realized that I couldn’t discuss it with Felix around. I didn’t need him blabbing to his mage friends about the case. “It actually turned out to probably be nothing. It was after I talked to the couple and was leaving their house that I got a flat tire and the craziness started.”
She questi
oned me, “What craziness? And did something happen to your nose?”
I nodded, embarrassed. “I guess it isn’t as crazy now that I think about it, but I was changing the tire and smacked myself in the nose with the T-bar.”
Felix burst out in laughter, causing other patrons to look over.
I stared at him, waiting for him to finish before I continued, “And then the spare ended up being flat and AAA took forever to get there. So I had to run around to get a new tire and everything.”
The mage slammed his glass of Dr. Pepper on the table. “Cool story, bro. Hey Satoku, watch this. See that server over there taking an order.” He pointed to a table in the middle of the dining room.
She said, “Yes.”
The mage closed his eyes and his lips started moving. He tapped his wand on the table three times and opened his eyelids. Suddenly, the pen in the server’s hand took on a mind of its own and jumped out of her hand. The writing device floated in front of her, and the people at the table appeared stunned.
I wasn’t impressed. “You shouldn’t be wasting magic on stuff like that. It should only be used for noble purposes, not showing off to impress girls.”
Felix defended himself, “Providing pleasure to a lovely woman is never a waste. I’m not using it for dark purposes, don’t worry about that, wizard.”
He was already wearing on my last nerve. “It’s Mike, okay? I don’t go by wizard, and I don’t go around bragging about the special skills I have.”
“It’s not bragging to talk about something you are proud of,” Satoku defended him and it appeared that it was going to be two against one. “I really think this city would be safest if you two put your differences aside and worked together.”
Felix tucked his jade wand back under the table. “Wouldn’t be the worst idea considering I’m doing consulting work for your mom now.” He raised his chin toward me. “What do you think about the uprisings?”
Son of a bitch. Even Satoku’s mother/my partner was going behind my back. “Not sure yet. Could be that vamps are using some sort of necromancy to bring the bodies up. Thought it could be a revenant, but it’s been buried too long for that.”
He opined, “I’m starting to think it might be the Sendal Spirits.”
“And why is that?” Sendal Spirits were extremely dangerous because they had been rejected by heaven and hell. Then the rejects combined with other rejected spirits and souls. You ended up with a super spirit that could do some serious damage.
He bit his fingernail, making loud crunching sounds. “This doesn’t really have the feel of the Red Cavern. The Sendals are a powerful entity that could grab hold over a body and soul to make it undead. They could be raising an army of the undead.” He turned away from Satoku and spat out the fingernail remnants.
The waitress dropped off my Coke. I bent the straw over the side and took a generous gulp. “What for, though?”
He continued, “The same reason every country in the world has an army. Power. To grab it or hold onto it. Although, I don’t suspect this plan will be wrought out of self-defense. The spirits are ethereal and usually dwell betwixt two worlds so maybe they are looking for a permanent home.”
This kid was making a good bit of sense. If the Dybbuk Boxes were any indication, the Sendal Spirits could be conspiring to take over the city. They were an unknown commodity because alone they don’t present much of a problem. There must have been a catalyst to bring them together.
My mind flashed back to the Dark Artistry box I had opened, causing an emission of red gas.
Satoku lay her head on Felix’s shoulder. “Let me out. I need to go to the bathroom.” She practically had to move him off the bench. He must’ve thought he was being cute.
I put on my serious face. “Listen. I know what you are up to.”
He looked down at his fingernails, debating which one to chomp on next. “Really. What am I up to? Because surely, I should know.”
“I know what you are doing with her.”
He took a drink of his Dr. Pepper, and I sensed nervousness coming from him. “Again. Enlighten me, oh wise one.”
I warned him, “You really should watch your mouth around people that know much more magic than you do.”
He chuckled, “I also know that the noble Mike Merlino would never use magic to settle a grudge with another white hat. However, you should worry that I don’t live under those same constraints. I can do whatever I want. No limits.”
Go ahead. I’ll haul your sorry ass in front of the Celtic Gods and they will deal with you. “I’ve disobeyed the Gods before when I was pushed too far. You want to keep pushing.”
Satoku came back and I smiled at her. She saw right through it. She said, “Holy testosterone in the air. You could cut it with a damn knife.”
“Or wand,” Felix joked, and Satoku cracked up. I remained silent.
“What do you want to do tonight, Satoku?” Felix smirked at me. Little punk.
She said, “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”
He shrugged his shoulders, and Satoku looked at me. “What about you? What are you doing tonight?”
I didn’t want to sound like a loser, but she knew I didn’t have plans. “I actually have some work to do that might shed some light on these graveyard uprisings.”
Felix interjected, “You can save your time, bro. I’ll have this all figured out before too long. Save your time and chillax. I’ll take care of this one.”
I laughed. Not just because he used the word chillax. “We’ll see about that.”
Satoku suggested, “Why don’t you two work together?”
I said, “Maybe if he can check his attitude at the door I’ll let him in the building.”
Felix fired back, “Maybe if he can stop acting like a prick. You know, when I was killing those demons, not just detaining them, none of them stood a chance.”
My blood started to boil. “Yeah, well, when I was going one on one with the Jersey Devil, a demi-devil, I...”
“Enough,” Satoku shouted, and looked at me. “Why are you doing this? I asked you to be civil.”
You’ve got to be kidding me right now. “I tried. Why is it okay for him to boast about the insects, but I can’t say a word about anything?”
She softened her tone, still angry, “He’s proud of something he did and talked about it. You were bragging only to mock him and make him feel inferior.”
What the hell was going on here?
Felix whispered to her, “Told you.”
I’d had enough of this prick. “Told her what, you little pipsqueak? I could choke you out before you could even touch me with any magic.”
Satoku yelled, “Stop it. This has been a disaster.” She turned to Felix. “You ready to go?”
“Yep. It’s been real, wizard.” He flashed a sideways peace sign as he got up. Fucking hipsters.
“Are you guys going to stiff me on the bill too?”
Felix crumpled up a hundred-dollar bill and threw it on the table, leaving with my girlfriend, who didn’t even look back at me on the way out.
Double Shit. This did not go how I wanted it to. If I hadn’t been worrying about the flat tire, I would have been much calmer.
I paid the bill and decided to go home.
I walked in the front door and Carolyn was sitting on the couch with Colossus. I couldn’t believe that my dog had warmed up to the vampire. I went to join them on the couch.
Before my cheeks hit the cushion, Carolyn asked, “How was the date, lover boy?”
I sank into the cushions. “Are you familiar with the Titanic, by chance? The real one or the movie, take your pick. This was much, much worse.”
She put her hand over her mouth. “Oh no. What did you do?”
I explained, “I didn’t do anything. I hope another stone man shows up tonight because I feel like destroying something. The kid is just an unlikable prick and she took his side the entire time. I pretty much just picked her up and put her in that doofus’s
arms. Too bad he probably can’t even carry her.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow, you really hate this guy, huh?”
I paused, figuring out how to best explain it. “I tried not to, but the little guy pushes my buttons. I need to somehow shove it to the side and concentrate on the uprisings. I can’t let this kid solve this case before I do. Hopefully Jonathan can tell me something worthwhile about those boxes.”
She put her hand on my knee. “You need to be careful with him like I said. He’s well versed in telepathy and he’ll be able to tell if you’re lying. You need to convince yourself that it isn’t a lie and you have no idea who or where I am.”
I was honest. “You’re the first vampire I’ve ever befriended. It’s going to be hard to forget about you. I do need to be careful around him though. I understand that. What are you going to do while I’m gone?”
“Maybe I’ll clean this dump up for you.” She giggled.
“It’s not that bad.”
“Sure, sure. I might hang out with Reg later. He’s always a good time.” She unleashed a devilish smile.
“Just be careful.”
“You mean use protection?” she joked.
“No. But that’s always a good idea too. I mean be careful considering you have vamps from every clan looking for you. He can’t exactly just run away if something gets out of hand.” I leaned down and scratched under my dog’s chin.
She slapped my cheek playfully. “Don’t you worry, little brother, I’ll take care of him. It’s cute that you two care about each other so much. You should hear the way he rambles on about you. I expected him to pull out some trophies after all the bragging he did about you.”
“He’s the father I never had and he’s a hell of a lot of fun to hang out with too. Not to mention, he likes Jameson. Speaking of which, would you like a drink?”
“Sure, I’ll go for one.”
I poured two drinks and ended up talking to Carolyn until after midnight. Then I got ready for my meeting with Jonathan.