by J. M. Pierce
“I’m not sure,” replied Ashley.
Destin lifted his head and looked at his arms, noticing the reversed energy slowing as it moved towards his shoulder. He could feel the energy pulling from Ashley.
“I’m sorry!” he exclaimed as he jumped in the bed. “I don’t know how…”
“It’s fine,” assured Ashley as she rested a hand on his knee. “Apparently it’s what you needed.”
Destin wrinkled his nose. “What do you mean?”
Ashley looked at him with a smirk. “Well, buddy. I think you’ve got a glitch in your system.”
“I don’t understand.”
With a deep sigh, Ashley explained. “I think that when you use your powers, your body doesn’t regenerate the energy fast enough. When you do big things, like phase to the dead side—that takes a lot of energy.”
“It hurts,” he replied innocently while touching his chest.
Placing a hand on his cheek, Ashley tried to comfort him. “I’m sorry for that, but the good news is that I think your special gift will compensate for it.” Allowing her power to grow, she pointed to Destin’s arms as his light grew with it. “See,” she said. “Your body is using my energy to recharge.”
Destin watched with a youthful fascination as the lights raced faster and faster up his arm. He could feel his strength building with each pulse. He felt a new connection with Ashley and liked how the moment made him feel.
Reaching out to brush the hair from his forehead, Ashley smiled. “Pretty cool, huh?”
Destin smiled back and nodded.
“Are you serious?” asked Casper from the foot of the bed. “He could take it all if he wanted to!”
With her eyes focused on Destin, Ashley threw her right arm towards Casper and released a pulse that sent him flying through the wall and into the hallway. She watched as Destin’s face showed a glimmer of pleasure.
“That’s my boy,” she said lovingly without even realizing it. She glanced over her shoulder and looked through the hole in the wall, watching as Casper writhed on the ground in pain. “He’s lucky you took some of my juice, huh?” she asked, turning back to the boy with a smirk. “Now all we have to do is to get you to learn how to use your gift whenever you want to.”
Destin’s grin brightened the room.
****
Having stopped several times along the way, the most recent burst of energy helped Prim to pinpoint the twins’ location. They stood in a dark alley that was lined by overgrown bushes, each of them intertwined into a chain-link fence or topping over a wooden privacy fence. At the very end of the alley stood a yellowed street lamp, and he watched as a small dark figure, presumably a cat, sauntered through its illuminated radius.
“We are close?” asked Iku quietly.
Closing his eyes for focus, Prim felt the steady push from down the alley and to the right. “Yes,” he replied. “They are on this block a little ways down.”
“Should we call Lauren and Test?”
With a stern and concentrated grimace, Prim replied. “Not yet. I’d like to get a closer look first.”
Without a word, Iku nodded his head. Though he doubted the wisdom of Prim’s decision, he considered Prim the leader and he would follow. He waited for Prim to take the first step and then took his place to Prim’s right and just behind. With each house they passed, Iku began to feel the familiar push of the Reapers.
Coming to a severely overgrown bush, the two of them stopped.
“There are three,” said Iku.
With Iku’s words, Prim realized that he’d made a terrible mistake. If Iku could feel the twins, the twins could surely feel them. His error left them no choice. They had to act now.
****
Ashley turned on the faucet to pour Destin some water. She watched mindlessly as the cup filled, giggling to herself while thinking of Casper. As she’d passed him in the living room, he sat on the couch with his arms folded across his chest, pouting like a child. His red hair was flecked with sheetrock dust and his shirt was torn on his right shoulder. She pictured him in her mind, throwing a tantrum like a toddler being jealous of a new sibling. Suddenly, as if on cue, she heard his voice from the living room.
“Ashley.”
Though he wasn’t shouting, she could hear the urgency in his tone. Sensing that this wasn’t a tantrum, she dropped the cup into the sink and hurried into the living room.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Don’t you feel it?”
Confused, she looked around the room. “Feel what?”
“Jesus, turn off your glitter for the kid a second and pay attention,” he replied. “There are two Shadows behind the house.”
Initially flushed with irritation, she put it aside as she became aware of the push as well. “Maybe it’s just Destin,” she replied with artificial hope. Her comment was met with a scowl. She walked past Casper and into the hallway towards Destin’s room. The closer she got to Destin, the more she realized that her brother was right. They weren’t alone.
“Shit,” she whispered to herself as she entered the boy’s room. “Destin, get up. We’ve got to go.”
Destin was already sitting on the edge of his bed, looking much more bright-eyed than he had when she’d left to get him the water.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Gripping his arm, she pulled him to his feet. “We have unwanted guests.”
Destin’s heart rate shot through the roof as the adrenaline laced fear ran through his veins. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to get the hell out of here,” said Casper as he looked through the hole in the wall that his body had created a short time before.
Taking Destin’s hand into hers, Ashley took a step towards the doorway, but stopped as she saw Casper’s body standing rigid with his arms to his side. Before she could say a word, she felt her hand ripped from Destin’s. Her own arms were forced to her side and the crushing force wrapping around her body choked any chance of speech. She watched painfully as Iku stepped into view with his glowing right arm inches away from Casper.
The sight of Iku was like something out of a nightmare for Destin. As the strange looking man turned to look into the room, an intense panic overtook him. The sensation of weightlessness gripped him by the mid-section and, without hesitation, he raised his arms toward the stranger. Remembering Ashley’s words, “We are never more powerful than when we are angry”, Destin looked to Ashley whose eyes were bulging in their sockets and turned his fear into anger. He turned his attention back to the strange man with the strange eye in the doorway and watched as the lights began to race up his arms. He felt the sense of weightlessness increase as he took a step closer and watched as the intruder’s power began to flicker. Just as he was about to take another step forward, he felt a surge of energy enter him from behind.
Releasing his pull on the man in the doorway, Destin quickly turned to see another man standing at the headboard of his bed with one arm reaching to Ashley and the other aimed at him.
“I don’t want to hurt you, boy!”
Destin heard the second intruder’s words, and they did little more than to stoke his fury. “You can’t hurt me!” he shouted back. “But I’m going to hurt you!”
Raising his hands to the man, Destin gritted his teeth and walked quickly towards him. The man threw a pulse, and Destin watched the man’s face stretch in shock at the sight of his body swallowing the energy.
The immense amount of power being discharged in the room shook the foundation of the house as Prim stood frozen in fear. He could feel his power draining and couldn’t understand what was happening. He looked over the boy to Iku who had regained his grip on Casper. He could feel his hold on Ashley slipping and knew that, in a matter of seconds, he would be overwhelmed by the Reapers.
Looking back to Iku, he shouted at the top of his lungs. “Go! Get out of here!” He watched as Iku shook his head and threw a pulse with his free hand at the boy. Yet again, the
energy disappeared within the child. “You can’t stop him. Get out!”
Before he could blink, the white flash of light signaled that Iku had phased. Prim’s only hope was to follow him. Summoning what little energy he had left, he tried to phase. He watched as his view of the room switched to a hazy static for a moment, only to return to the living the next instant. Defeated, he dropped his arms to his sides and watched as both Ashley and Casper gathered behind the boy who had begun to lower his arms.
He glared into each of their eyes and then focused on the boy. “They are not your friends,” he said winded and weak.
Placing a hand on Destin’s shoulder, Ashley replied. “We’re not friends. We’re family.”
Prim watched in horror as the boy stepped back into Ashley’s embrace. Before he could say another word, a blinding light enveloped him and then all went black.
Chapter 26
The light began to filter into Prim’s eyes as he gasped for air. Instinctively, he shot to his feet and promptly fell over sideways to the ground. Dizzy and confused, he lashed out from his knees, trying to ignite his inner power, only to find it to be weak to the point of absence.
“Stop struggling, my friend. I’m here,” shouted Iku.
The sound of his companion’s voice was shrill in his ears, and he quickly spun to see the blurred outline of Iku. His eyes continued their attempt to focus as Iku stepped forward and helped him to his feet.
“What happened?” asked Prim groggily while rubbing the eyes with the back of his hands.
Releasing his grip on Prim, Iku replied. “I came back for you. I had to wait until the little one released you; otherwise I fear I would have been caught in his grasp as well.”
Prim lowered his hands and blink forcefully as his vision began to clear. He spun slowly, looking in all directions, and saw that they were standing in the middle of what looked to be an abandoned factory. “Where are we?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. I didn’t take the time to look at signs. I was too worried about getting you out of the dead side.”
Prim watched as a subtle smirk appeared on Iku’s face. “And for that I am eternally grateful,” he said with a nod. Rubbing his hands with his face to clear the last of the cobwebs, he glanced around the building once more. “Was that the same kid you saw them with before?”
“Yes,” replied Iku. “He looks older, but he is the same.”
Raising his arms over his head, Prim arched his back and let out a guttural moan. “Damn, I’m exhausted,” he said as he dropped his arms limply to his sides. “Have you ever seen anything like that kid? Anyone that does what he can do?”
Shaking his head, Iku replied. “No. I’ve never heard of anything like him before.”
Though his mind was clear, Prim’s body felt as weak as a newborn kitten. “I know he was taking our power from us, but how?”
Iku folded his arms across his chest. “Isn’t that how you defeated me?”
Prim’s heart skipped a beat, remembering the spirits that had drained Ikuhabe of his power in Kansas City. “Yeah,” he nodded. “But that was different. It was an army of spirits that kept you drained.”
Raising his brow, Iku replied. “Is it so different? If a Shadow can walk among the living and the dead, would it not stand to reason that one of us might be given one of death’s advantages?”
Prim squinted his eyes, shooting a skeptical look at Iku. “Nah, what are the odds?”
With a huff, Iku replied. “What are the odds that any one of us are alive? Why are there so few of us among so many that are born every day?”
Shaking his head from side to side, Prim recognized Iku’s logic. “Guess you’ve got a point.”
“In truth, none of it matters. What does matter is that we have squandered our chance.”
With each breath, Prim’s strength grew. He knew Iku was right and it was his fault. With regret rocking his psyche, he looked for an exit. “How about we slip out of here and figure out where we are?” he asked. “We need to get back to New Mexico.”
“Are you strong enough to make your way in the spirit realm??” asked Iku.
“Not yet,” replied Prim as he took a step away. “But give me a strong cup of coffee and about an hour and I think I’ll be good to go.”
The two Shadows walked towards a door with a broken exit sign that hung crooked over top of it. Prim took the handle into his hand, but before opening it and allowing the night air to rush in, he paused. Without turning to his companion, he spoke with every ounce of sincerity that his tired body would allow. “Thanks again, Iku. Thanks for coming back for me.” He turned to the man of whom he owed his life and saw a toothy grin appear. He realized that Iku had been right before while sitting in the diner, only now he understood. The dead eye would no longer be the first thing he noticed about the man—it would be the fact that he was with a true ally.
****
The seconds passed like hours and the hours passed like days. Test, Cliff, Alyssa, and Aiden all sat on the living room floor playing spoons while Lauren sat curled up on the end of the couch.
She pretended to watch them play, but couldn’t keep from staring at the little red headed boy that sat in Alyssa’s lap. She tried to imagine it being her sitting on the floor with a little one of her own. She found herself smiling for the first time in what felt like days. As usually happened, it seemed, it wouldn’t last.
She found herself worrying about a great many things. She worried about what kind of world she would bring her child in to. How could she keep her child safe when she and Prim were constantly in harm’s way? She thought back to her own childhood. Though it had been so long ago—in a different time and place—the reality was that the world was a much more difficult place to manage than it was then. She thought of her father and the hatred she continued to feel towards him. She steeped herself with the resolve that she would be a better parent to her child than hers had been to her…but would Prim?
She knew she had to tell him. With Alyssa figuring out her secret, it couldn’t be long before others noticed. She placed her hand on her stomach and felt the bulge. It felt larger now than it did only minutes before, even though it wasn’t. She felt anxious to even stand from the couch. Images flashed through her mind of her standing with an exaggeratedly large baby belly and everyone in the room gasping.
Suddenly, her heart jumped as she heard her name. Quickly pulling her knees to her chest as far as her little one would allow, she stretched her shirt over them and looked down to Alyssa.
“Lauren?”
With a glazed look, Lauren replied. “Huh?”
“Do you want to play with us?” asked Alyssa.
The fear of the thought of standing vanished and the fear of actually standing took over. “No, no,” she replied as she waved her away. “I’m fine. You guys go ahead. I’m having fun watching.”
With the comment, Test looked over his shoulder and gave her a funny look. Before he could say anything, Cliff spoke while slapping the deck of cards on the floor in front of him.
“Your deal, boy.”
Test turned and saw the stern look from the old man, and quickly abandoned the question that had been teetering on his tongue.
The look on Test’s face caused yet another surge of panic through Lauren. “Does he know?” she thought to herself. “Did that little brat tell him? No, she couldn’t have. He would have said something by now if she had.”
Her anxiety disappeared when she heard the front door open, and forgetting the fear of her belly being noticed, she jumped from the couch and ran past the others. Before she could even get to the doorway, Prim entered into view. Without a word, she threw herself into his arms and sobbed.
Prim felt the warmth in her embrace and found comfort in her arms. Pulling back, he placed his hands on her wet cheeks and kissed her tenderly. As he looked into her eyes, he wiped the tears from under them with his thumbs and then kissed her once more.
“I was worried,” said Lauren, res
ting her head on his shoulder and squeezing him tightly once again. She exhaled deeply as Prim rested a hand on the back of her head and began to stroke her hair softly.
“I’m fine,” he replied. With a pause for concern, he asked, “Are you okay?” He felt the pressure of her head on his shoulder as she nodded.
“I am now.”
Prim looked up and saw the four others sitting on the floor with a deck of cards and three spoons. His eyes locked on Test who looked as though he were about ready to burst at the seams to ask a question.
“We’ve got a problem,” said Prim calmly while continuing to caress Lauren’s hair. He felt her lessen her hold on him.
“What?” she asked.
Pulling away from her embrace, Prim took her hand into his and led her to the couch. He sat on the far end and guided her to the center. Iku followed silently behind and sat on her other side.
“I…,” began Prim. He pursed his lips and looked blankly at the wall to his left. “I messed up.”
Test climbed to his feet and sat in the chair opposite the couch. “What happened?”
“I got too close,” replied Prim.
“We,” interjected Iku. “You are not alone in fault.”
Before Prim could refute Iku’s comment, Cliff spoke from the floor. “You found them then?”
Lowering his head, Prim replied with a shameful sarcasm. “Yeah, we found them.”
“And the boy?” asked the old man.
Prim looked to his right, past Lauren, and met eyes with Ikuhabe before returning to Cliff. “He’s with them, and he’s already more powerful than we could have ever imagined.”
Seeing that he was beating himself up, Lauren took Prim’s hand into hers and gave it a squeeze. He looked to her as he continued.
“We found their house and walked up behind in the alley. When Iku said he could feel them—that was when I realized my mistake. I didn’t want to risk losing them so I quickly came up with a plan to take them on.”
“What?” exclaimed Lauren as she sat up straight and released Prim’s hand. “You did what? What the hell were you thinking?”