by Ty Griffin
Tilley stopped at the door and looked at me seriously. “I think you are hiding something, Wesley. At the station, you said you thought Gabe was involved and sounded like you had some information to support that. And now … now you act like he’s some kind of goddamned hero.”
I held her eyes for a minute, willing sincerity into my expression. “I was wrong. Dead wrong. He saved us.”
“Hmm, maybe. Maybe not. I promise you though, I will find out the truth.” She never took her eyes off mine. I didn’t have a snappy comeback or intelligent rebuttal, so I just nodded at her. Then her face softened and she said, “I think you’ll be happy to hear, though, that we released Paul Sumter. His alibi held up for enough of the attacks, and I have a feeling we will get a match off the DNA from our John Doe.”
I nodded again. “Good. Thank you.”
Tilley nodded a curt goodbye and walked out the door.
An hour or so later, I was woken from a nap by the sound of the door opening. I looked up to see Gabe standing in the doorway. I smiled and nodded to the chair by my bed. “Come on in.”.
He took a seat next to me. He sat quietly for a few minutes, and I realized he was probably waiting for me to apologize. “Gabe … I accused you of some pretty terrible things … and after everything you’ve done for me …”
Gabe held up a silencing hand. “No, kid. Wait. I’ve had plenty of time to think through things this morning. I think I owe you an apology.”
“You?” I asked incredulously. “Gabe, I accused you of attacking women, of hurting Kayla. I thought you were that demon thing … but you saved us. After everything I accused you of, you saved us.”
He flicked his hand dismissively. “Yeah, but that’s the thing. I had the power to save you, and I knew what was going on. I didn’t know who it was specifically, but I knew … what was involved. I tried to mostly stay out of it, and the bit I did get involved in, I tried to hide.
“You told me you saw that spirit in the alley your first night, and I lied to you. I lied, which led to you trying to find answers on your own. I realize that if I had been you, I would have come to the same conclusion you did, considering the information you had.”
“But—” I tried to interject.
“No, kid. I should have told you the truth from the beginning. I knew this kind of thing could happen. Maybe not at this level, but … weird things happen around my bar. And have for a long time. I honestly just hoped you wouldn’t notice, but when you did, I should have told you the truth.”
“You mean, weird things like you being an angel?” I asked.
Gabe smiled sheepishly. “Only part time.”
“What does that mean?”
“I am not an angel, kid. I’m just a man …”
“A man possessed by an angel?” I prodded.
He sighed. “It’s not really possession. It’s more like a mantle. When I was younger, I met a man who offered me the chance to do some good, to make the world a better place. He told me he had the mantle of a powerful spirit on him, I guess what you would call an angel, yeah. He told me he and this angel worked together to fight against the evil things in the world. He told me he could teach me how to use the power, and when it was time he would pass the mantle down to me. I was young and idealistic and foolish and wanted to change the world, so I agreed.
“He became my mentor and taught me … well, he taught me a lot. Eventually he did pass the mantle down to me. And I’ve been trying to give it up pretty much ever since.”
“Trying to give it up? Why?” I asked, my curiosity in overdrive.
“It wasn’t like he had said.” Gabe looked down at me, pleading in his eyes, desperate for me to understand. I had the distinct impression he had been waiting a long time to share this with someone. “Oh, he didn’t lie exactly, but he didn’t tell me the whole truth.”
“What truth, Gabe?”
“It’s a war, kid. A vicious, ugly war. And it’s not like I have this great power inside me helping me just do great and noble things. There are spirits, powerful, dangerous, self-motivated spirits at war with each other. Sure, the one inside me might be on the better side of the war, but he wants to win, and like any soldier, he is wholly devoted to winning the war … regardless of casualties, innocent or not.”
“So, what? You have this angel inside you and you just don’t do anything with it?” I asked.
“Pretty much, yeah. I’ve come across a handful of spirits the last couple years and that old battle lust just kind of took over. But he mostly minds his own business now and just shows up when I call on him.”
An image of Veikr flashed through my mind, and I tried to quickly push it away. I remembered how terrifying Gabe’s angel had been, and the idea of that thing recognizing what was inside me and Gabe letting it loose—I swallowed hard and hoped Gabe could not see my nerves.
“Thanks for coming after us, Gabe,” I said finally.
He just nodded. “Eh, it’s hard to find decent help.”
“So I’ve still got a job?” I asked.
“Yeah, if you want it. I figure we will have some things to work out. Some boundaries to set. And I’m sure you will have a bunch of questions once you’ve had time to process, but if you want the job, it’s yours.”
“Even after everything I’ve done? Even after accusing you of being a rapist demon, attacking you, stealing your liquor, throwing up all over your floor, and disappearing from work for a whole day? “
“Yeah, that’s a bad look for you,” he conceded. “But you got into the whole mess by trying to help out a customer, Paul, right? And then went further trying to help Kayla, another customer, right?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said.
“Do you remember the one rule I gave you when I hired you?”
“Uh, yeah. ‘Do your best to take care of every person who walks in the door.’”
“Did you do your best?”
“Well, yeah. But, Gabe, I made a mess out of it. And in the end, I didn’t do anything. You did!” I exclaimed.
“Kid, I didn’t ask you to be successful. Just to do your best. It was ugly and clumsy, sure, but you did your best. And I’m not going to fire you for that.”
Hot tears burned my eyes. “Thanks.”
“Eh, don’t worry about it,” he said gruffly, obviously having reached his quota of sentiment for the day.
We talked for a while longer, filling each other in on the gaps we each had about what had been happening. He told me he had wandered Walshack Street at night trying to catch the attacker in the act and that the one night he did, the man had escaped. He told me he followed the victims to see what they had in common and discovered that the assailant had come back to taunt each of them after their initial assault. He said that when he saw how upset I had gotten, he realized Kayla must have been the latest victim, since she was the only person I was close to, and that she was likely going to be attacked again. He had Genevieve’s phone number and got Kayla’s address from her.
I told him about my and Kayla’s investigation, leaving out any mention of Veikr, having broken into his garage, and telling the cops my suspicions about him. I told him how I ran into Jessica after our fight, and she told me Kayla was in danger. And I told him what had happened once I got to her apartment, again leaving out any mention of my resident demon.
After a while we reached the point where, while we both still had a bunch of questions, we also had settled our most pressing curiosity and were willing to save the remainder for another time.
“Well,” Gabe said, slapping his hands against his knees as he stood. “I’ve been avoiding Officer Tilley and Lark all morning. I wanted to get my story straight with you before talking to them. I think I can work with what you gave them.”
“Gabe?” I asked before he reached the door. He stopped and turned back to me. “You can just ignore your spirit? He can’t force you to do anything or hurt you if you refuse to obey him?”
He ran his hand over his stubble of a beard an
d said, “Well, his kind tends to have a measure of respect for those who take up their mantle, so I don’t know if he could hurt me if he wanted to. But as far as I can tell, a spirit only has as much control over my body or mind as I allow it. I guess he could make it a fight, but ultimately, I would be the one to decide to take up the fight or give in to him. Why do you ask?”
“I’m just curious how it works, I guess.” I tried to sound casual.
“Hmm. Don’t get involved with them. It’s a dangerous, slippery slope,” he said, eyeing me cautiously.
“I won’t. I was just curious,” I said.
“Okay, call me when they release you. I’ll come pick you up.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded his goodbye and left, closing the door behind him.
By late afternoon my headache had subsided enough that I decided to risk standing up. I made a few disgraceful noises getting out of the bed before dragging the IV stand to the tiny bathroom to brush my teeth. I was carefully shuffling my way back to the bed when I noticed Kayla standing in the doorway, watching me.
I felt my face immediately turn bright red, and I quickly reached back to close the hospital gown behind me. “Uh, hey,” I said awkwardly.
She smiled her wry smile and said, “Hey.” Her black hair fluttered behind her in an invisible breeze, and for an instant I thought I saw a tiny, fluorescent-green thing shoot through her hair.
I stared at her awkwardly for a long moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, she broke the tension by saying, “You can’t walk to the bed without dragging the IV, but you can’t drag the IV without letting your ass hang out of the gown. So you’re kind of stuck there, aren’t you?”
I smiled ruefully. “Yeah, a little bit.”
She closed her eyes and covered them with her hand. “Go on. I won’t peek. But, you know, after last night I don’t think you need to feel awkward around me ever again.”
I grabbed the IV stand and shuffled the last few feet to my bed. I managed to climb back into the bed with fewer grunts and groans and pulled the sheet up over my legs. “Okay, I’m good. Come have a seat.”
She dropped her hand, smiled, and sat in the chair. “How are you feeling?”
At the same time, I said, “How are you?”
We both gave a soft chuckle, and I nodded for her to answer first.
“I’m all right,” she said. “At least, I think I am. Some bumps and bruises and a broken wrist.” She held up her arm to show off her new cast. “But nothing serious. The doctor said I just blacked out … basically a panic attack, I guess.”
“But, how are you?” I pushed.
Kayla shrugged. “Tired, mostly. While I was out I had … nightmares, I guess. I came to terrified. I’m still scared, to be honest. I haven’t been able to go back to sleep. I can’t even close my eyes without seeing him, you know?”
“I know,” I said. “I’m sorry, Kayla. I shouldn’t have left you alone. I should have gotten there sooner. Hell, he never would have gotten to you at all if I hadn’t drunk myself stupid.”
“Stop it!” she demanded. “Wesley, you saved my life. You literally risked your life for me. I can only remember bits and pieces of last night, but the things he did to you …” Her voice broke and tears streamed down her swollen cheeks. “I mean, look at you …” She trailed off in a sob.
I gestured to the sling holding my left arm. “What, this? I just found this thing. I’ve got a great idea for an insurance claim scam.”
She let out a sharp, startled giggle and playfully slapped my good arm. “You can’t say that out loud here! You really are a terrible criminal.” Her smile slowly faded into a look of concern. “How are you really?”
“Everything hurts,” I said flatly. “But by and large, I feel pretty damn lucky. I can’t believe we made it out alive.”
She nodded gravely. “Have you talked to Gabe?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. Bastard barely has a scratch. He offered me my job back too.”
“Offered it back? Did you quit?”
“Oh god, yeah, I guess you wouldn’t know any about that.” I proceeded to tell her everything from the night. I, of course, embellished a bit of my part of the fight with Gabe and left out a lot of details about the fight with Achimasiz; she didn’t need to know all those details anyway. Her eyes got bigger as I shared, and I could tell that if she had not experienced the night as well, she would likely not have believed a word of it.
“Holy shit, Gabe is an angel?” she asked.
“That’s what I said!”
“Wait, what about Veikr? What did Gabe say about you being possessed by a demon?”
“I didn’t exactly mention it to him.”
“How did he help you carry me out of the warehouse without Gabe noticing?”
“Well,” I said sheepishly. “He didn’t. I mean he still helped me see until I got into the alley, and he might have helped with the pain some, but really he just kind of disappeared once Achimasiz started …”
“Started beating your ass?” she finished for me.
“Yeah.”
“You got me out of there on your own?” she asked. Then her eyes got really wide. “You tried to fight him, didn’t you? You challenged a demon without any supernatural help?”
I let out a small laugh. “You make it sound so heroic. It was pathetic. I got my ass handed to me and barely survived. If Gabe hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have had a chance.”
“But you tried!”
“So did you!” I exclaimed. “You punched him in the warehouse!”
“I did?” She said, her fingers covering her open mouth, as if she was shocked by her own actions. “I only remember bits and pieces.”
I nodded. “You did. You stood over me when I couldn’t stand up and punched the bastard in its chest. That’s how you broke your hand.”
Her eyes filled with tears. Her mouth turned up in a fierce little grin. “I did! I do remember that,” she said with pride. Having fought back meant something to her. It didn’t matter as much if she won or lost. It just mattered that she fought.
“You did,” I repeated. “You gave us just enough time for Gabe to show up.”
She nodded. “I do remember that now. And I remember seeing you … or seeing Veikr, really. Once that thing showed up, everything went completely dark and silent, except them. I could still see the two of them.”
“I thought as much,” I replied. “I don’t know how it works, to be honest. I guess maybe because they come from the same ballpark or something.”
“Veikr didn’t help you at the end?”
“No, but it’s not like …”
“Yeah, but Wesley, your deal! He broke your deal, so now you don’t have to let him tell you where to go!”
“Huh, yeah, I guess you’re right.” I considered it for a moment. “I don’t know if it would matter anyway, though. He hasn’t said a word since we left the warehouse.”
“Do you think he’s gone?” she asked.
“No. I can tell he’s still there. He just isn’t saying anything or trying to get me to do anything.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe he’s hurt. Or maybe he’s ashamed of breaking our deal. Or maybe he’s just coming up with a new strategy after revealing what a cowardly liar he is. Whatever it is, I don’t imagine it will stay that way. I have a feeling he’s got some unpleasant plans for me.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Just something I am going to have to fight if I want to keep control of myself. But according to Gabe, it’s a fight I can win if I’m willing to fight hard enough. I just hope I’m strong enough to win.”
“You told Gabe about him?” she asked in alarm.
“No. That dude is scary when he goes all angelic. There is no chance in hell I’m telling him about Veikr.”
“Interesting choice of words,” she said in the middle of a giant yawn.
“You need to get some r
est, Kayla.”
“I know. I tried before coming back here to see you. I can’t seem to relax when I close my eyes. You know?”
“Yeah, me too.” I tried to reposition myself on the bed and accidently let out a little gasp of pain.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Yeah, I think the painkillers are starting to wear off.”
Kayla slipped her hand into mine and gave it a little squeeze. “Did I say thank you yet?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Good.”
We both sat quietly for a few minutes. I looked down at her hand still holding mine and just enjoyed the feel of it. After a moment, I felt my eyes begin to get heavy. I looked over and saw Kayla’s head beginning to nod as well. I squeezed her hand and scooted over on the bed. She took the hint and climbed in beside me, careful to not bump my ribs. “Maybe I could sleep a little bit,” she said as she closed her eyes. “I do feel a little safer being looked after by my own guardian demon.”
I chuckled softly as my eyes began to close as well. “You’re a little weird, aren’t you?”
“God, I hope so.”
Epilogue
◆◆◆
Nothing moves quickly in a hospital unless it’s an emergency. It took another full day before the doctors released me. Gabe came and picked me up, as promised, and brought me back to the bar. He sent me straight upstairs and refused to let me work for several days.
I stayed in bed a good bit and made it through a couple books. I took hot baths religiously to soak my sore body and hung out at the bar when I was hungry or getting too claustrophobic. Kayla came and hung out when she wasn’t working. She, Gabe, and I didn’t talk much about what happened, but we did come up with a believable story we could tell when customers asked what happened to us.
By the fourth morning of being out of the hospital, I was feeling restless and begged Gabe to give me something to do. He pulled some cash out of the register and sent me to buy vegetables from the pickup truck farmer down the street. Grateful for the chance for sun and fresh air, I took the money and bolted for the door. It was the first time I had been outside the bar by myself since the fight, and I was surprised by how anxious I felt.