by Bryan Cohen
Chapter 42
Erica was surprised the banner held her weight as long as it did. When the truck came to a complete stop, she let herself drop down into the truck bed. She knelt down and peered in through the back window. Sheriff Norris smiled back.
"Good timing," Erica said. "Now we have to go."
The sheriff nodded and motioned her to get inside. As Erica hopped down, she kicked up dust from a pile of debris. The former entrance to the school was now a lot wider. Erica looked outside and saw news vans and police cars everywhere. She bet the sheriff's rescue made for good TV.
"Erica?" Jennifer called out from across the room.
Erica's friend coughed through the dust cloud and walked over. Erica could tell she was favoring her arm, though the shock of the last 30 minutes might be dulling some of the pain.
"Is it over?" she asked.
Erica looked at the man she'd been fighting. Stucky was likely still alive, but the injuries he'd sustained from the truck would keep him out of commission for the rest of the day.
"Not yet," Erica said. "I need to go with your dad to save Ted."
Jennifer had yet to realize who was driving the truck. Erica could tell she did not expect to see her father bringing down the hammer.
"Dad?" Jennifer brushed past Erica to the driver's side window. "How'd you know we were here?"
Sheriff Norris rolled down his window.
"Hey honey. Erica, are you ready to go?"
Jennifer shot her friend an angry look.
"You did something to him, didn't you? He's been acting strange. You put him under a spell or something."
Erica wanted to tell Jennifer there were more important things in play, but she imagined nobody liked to see their father's brain messed with. The dazed look on Sheriff Norris' face didn't help matters.
"I can explain later–"
"Hey, is everybody alive?" Dhiraj asked, likewise coughing through the dust.
He walked with a bit of a limp, but he looked otherwise unharmed.
"We're alive," Erica said. "But I need to go save Ted."
Erica walked over to the passenger side door. Jennifer went around the other way and blocked Erica's entrance.
"We're coming with you," Jennifer said. "Get in the car, Dhiraj. Erica has some explaining to do."
Erica didn't like the idea of Jennifer being mad at her. She'd already rubbed Ted the wrong way by avoiding the truth, and now her former inhabitant's most loyal friend looked more stern than ever. She knew that bringing Jennifer and Dhiraj along would put them in danger, but perhaps she could mend their friendship and give herself some much-needed backup at the same time.
"Fine, pile in. Let's get out of here!"
Erica took shotgun while Dhiraj and Jennifer moved into the back. The look on Jennifer's face was somewhat familiar. She used to give the old Erica a hard time when she'd talked about breaking the law. This may have been the most intense look Erica had ever seen. The truck backed out of the newly created garage door, and Erica watched as the sheriff's men entered, cuffing Stucky and looking for additional perpetrators. She wondered if Sandra would still be gift-wrapped in the gym for them.
"Where am I going?" Sheriff Norris stared straight ahead.
"I don't like that tone of his voice, Erica," Jennifer said.
"He kind of sounds like a GPS," Dhiraj said. "Recalculating."
Jennifer gave Dhiraj a similarly displeased look, and he backed down immediately.
"I'll fix him later," Erica said. "For now, have there been any reports of vandalism away from the school?"
The sheriff looked straight ahead as he spoke.
"A few downed mailboxes and stop signs on the other side of town."
Erica knew Ted would come through.
"We need to get there now!"
The sheriff turned on the siren, sped around a gathering of reporters and students, and started blazing a path down the road. It had been a while since Erica had been in a vehicle moving that fast. She'd missed it.
"Tell us what the hell is going on." Jennifer crossed her arms.
Erica considered the best way to tell the tale.
"Erica is a protector spirit from another dimension, here to help Ted stop the bad guys from killing people and possessing their bodies," Dhiraj said.
Erica could tell this wasn't exactly the answer Jennifer was expecting.
"Erica?"
"He actually put that pretty well."
Jennifer attempted to sort things out as they passed by the first downed mailbox. The sheriff drove in the direction the items had fallen, taking turns where it was indicated.
"So, Faraday was possessed by an evil spirit?" Jennifer asked. "That's why he was trying to kill me?"
"I'm afraid so," Erica said. "The Faraday you knew is dead. He's been replaced."
"And what about my dad?"
Sheriff Norris remained silent in the driver seat, now going upwards of 90 miles per hour.
"That's different. He's still alive and himself. I sort of implanted some things in your dad's brain, like a way to find me if I'm in trouble."
Jennifer's mouth was agape.
"You brainwashed my dad! Not cool!"
Dhiraj cleared his throat.
"Catfight."
Jennifer and Erica gave the same look to Dhiraj at the same time. He shrunk from the confrontation. Erica turned her focus back to Jennifer.
"I didn't brainwash him. He'll be fine."
The truck skidded to a stop in an area of town Erica vaguely recalled. It was the gravel path to the woods.
"Where am I driving?" the sheriff said.
"He sounds like my phone, Erica," Jennifer said. "I don't like that my dad sounds like an app."
Erica ignored her friend and looked around.
"Drive to the woods. There's nothing else out here."
The sheriff burned rubber and the truck went flying down the gravel path. Even if they split up, the woods were big enough that it'd be easy to hide Ted and open the portal before the four of them could find Nigel and his crew. They needed specific directions.
"Sheriff, you know the woods pretty well, right? That's where you found my body."
The wheels turned slowly for Sheriff Norris.
"She was dead?" Jennifer whispered to Dhiraj.
He nodded.
"I'm not sure where he'd be, Erica," the sheriff said.
A beep on the radio signaled an incoming message.
"This is Hank up in the copter. My instruments are non-responsive. I'm stuck in the air above the caves."
Erica had been angry at first when she'd seen the face of the boy she was supposed to protect. She realized now that his resemblance to her first love wasn't the reason they chose him. The light souls had picked Ted because of his mind. Now it was up to her to keep him and his brain safe.
"We need to get to the caves and fast," Erica said. "Hurry!"
As the truck reached the fence, it plowed through with ease. In less than five minutes, they'd be at the mouth of the cave.
"What happens if we don't get to him in time?" Jennifer asked.
"Everybody dies," Dhiraj said.
Jennifer stopped glowering for the first time since the truck ride began.
"Come on, Ted," Erica said under her breath. "Be alive."