by Jen L. Grey
“I will transport you like the first time.” He takes a step forward and reaches for my hand.
Crap, I can’t leave Charlie without an explanation. “Hold on, let me write a note.” I walk toward his dresser, hoping to find a pen and paper.
“For goodness sake.” Damien flips his hand over and produces pen and paper. “Just write it and let’s go.”
I grab it from him and jot down a note real fast.
Charlie, I’m off to reap the third soul. Damien said I had to go alone. Thanks for the food. I will call you soon.
Not sure what else to say, I place it on the dresser. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Damien grabs my hand, and before I can say anything else, the dark smoke is swirling around me and I’m falling.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Once again, I can’t tell up from down, and the smell of fire is overwhelming. I hate this method of teleportation and hope this is the last time I have to travel this way.
I see asphalt and spin so that my ass hits the ground instead of my face. I hit the ground so hard that I swear my whole spine vibrates from the impact. Ugh, I guess this is let’s see how many times I can get hurt in one day.
I stand, and the smell of popcorn is overwhelming. I glance around and there are several large dumpsters close by. He dropped me right behind the movie theater. At least, it’s super convenient. I just need to find George and get this over with.
The back door to the theater is open, and I can’t believe my luck with George walks out. His face is blank, and he’s holding a baseball bat in his hands. When he makes it about twenty yards from the door, he turns. “Bring him out.”
What the hell is going on? They can’t be playing baseball back here in the dark at this time of morning.
A loud groan echoes around the brick walls. Soon, a tall, bulky man is dragging another man out that is tied up with handcuffs.
The man who is captured has a black eye, is limping, and is pulling on the chains, trying to get back in the doors. “Please, don’t. I’ll make it right.”
“Oh, quit it and have some dignity,” the other man says as he pulls on the chains harder, making the man in handcuffs stumble.
There is a struggle for a few minutes, but soon, the man is brought in front of George.
My stomach turns. This can’t be good. However, there aren’t any other reapers around, so this man isn’t going to die tonight. He might just wish he did.
“You were supposed to have the money tonight, Bill.” George lifts the bat up, looking at him. “What happened?”
Bill flinches. “Well, I thought I would, but something came up.”
What an idiot. He owes these people money and can’t pay. I wish I was anywhere but here right now. I don’t want to watch this.
“Something, huh?” George holds the bat in one hand and holds his open palm up so he can catch it there. “That sounds like an excuse.”
“No, no, no.” Bill’s eyes widen. “Not at all. My brother was going to bring it to me, but he got stuck in traffic.”
“Really?” George turns his wrist so he can see his watch. “It’s two in the morning. He’s still stuck in traffic? Your cut off was eight last night.”
This guy is a moron. What did he expect to happen?
“Well, you see…” Bill’s lips tremble and he glances around. “I thought you’d understand his predicament. His wife and daughter are sick at home and he really needed to turn around. He said he’d bring it first thing in the morning.”
“Your brother, right?” George tilts his head, the lights reflecting off his face making the teardrop tattoos seem even more scary.
Bill bobs his head like a bobble doll. “Yeah, he’s reliable, too.”
I don’t know where this is going. Something bad is about to happen, and I’m stuck here having to watch it.
“Bring him out,” George yells and lifts the bat again.
“What?” Bill’s face turns white.
After a second, the door opens and another man comes out dragging someone.
The man being dragged is in pajama bottoms, and his hair is messy as if he was yanked out of bed. His eyes are wild, and his mouth drops when he sees his brother. “Bill?”
Oh, dear goodness. Why do I have to be here for this?
Bill claws at his face and then glances at George. “Why?”
“You aren’t taking our threats seriously.” George places the bat on his shoulder and heads toward Bill’s brother. “Funny fact, he,” he points at the brother, “isn’t married.”
“What’s going on here?” Bill’s brother is glancing from Bill to George. “Why did they grab me in the middle of the night?”
So, these are the type of people that Damien wanted me to reap. Maybe this isn’t a bad thing after all. Ridding the world of three less monsters.
Not meeting his brother’s eyes, Bill just stares at the ground.
“Oh, see.” George shakes his head. “That’s the problem.” He takes a few steps closer to the brother. “See, your brother owes us money and said you’re the one who’s going to pay, but you keep not showing up.”
“What?” he gasps.
“Yeah, so, since he isn’t catching on to how this works, we need to teach him a lesson through new methods.” George taps the bat on the ground.
“No, you wouldn’t.” Bill yanks against the handcuffs, but the man holds him in place.
George raises the bat up and then hits the brother hard in the belly.
He groans and falls to the ground, clutching his stomach.
“No, stop!” Bill screams and pulls at his hair. “I’ll get you the money, I swear.”
“I don’t believe you.” George pulls the bat back once more and nails his brother in the back. There is a sickening crunch that fills the air.
But he doesn’t stop and swings the bat back once more and nails him in the side.
“I have the money, okay.” Bill stands. “If you let him take me home, I’ll give it as soon as we get there.”
“Now, that is interesting.” George turns and walks over to him. “If you don’t give him the money as soon as you reach the door, I will finish off your brother. Do you understand?”
Bill’s eyes flicker to his brother and then back to George. “Yes, I do.”
For a moment, there is silence until George throws the bat on the ground. “Take him home now before I change my mind.”
The man drags Bill off and they head back inside the theater.
I’ve never seen anything like that before and hope I never have to again. That was brutal. Maybe my parents aren’t that bad after all.
When the other two are out of sight, George turns to the man that had dragged out the brother. “Get him inside and clean him up. I don’t think we’ll have a problem with Bill any longer.”
“Yes, sir.” The guy bends down and carries the injured guy into the building.
All right, I guess now is the time to do my job before he goes back inside. I move out of my hiding place and try to be silent as I walk up behind him.
When I’m a few steps away, he turns. “Who are you?”
Uhh… I have no clue what to say here. “Damien sent me.”
His face lights up. “Oh, is it my time finally?”
What? Why does he look so happy? “I’m not sure what you mean.”
He takes a step closer. “He said when I was worthy, someone would come to take me home. I’ve never felt like I belonged in this skin and dream of something bigger.”
Is this guy for real? He wants me to kill him. “Well, uh, yeah, he sent me here just for that.” I mean, he did, but maybe I’m not doing the right thing after all. Did Damien promise him to be become a demon or something? I hate that I can’t ask questions.
“Do you just touch me?” He reaches for my hands. “Is that how this works?”
Okay. I can’t do this. He doesn’t know what he’s asking for, and I don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle. “You know what, I think I
need to go.”
As if on cue, gray smoke swirls beside me and Damien appears a few feet away. “What are you doing?”
“I forgot I had to get something.” I bite my lip and look past him.
He takes a step closer to me and stares down at me. “Don’t do something stupid. Do you know how close you are? What would your parents think or do if you can’t get this crystal? What about Charlie? Who would protect Becca?”
Shit, he’s right. I’ve got to do this. “Fine.” What’s one more demon in the world anyway? He’s already pretty much one in human form.
He disappears from sight.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes like the time before. I picture the black magic inside me that feels foreign and reach toward it, swiping it forward like before. It begins thrumming inside me, and I open my eyes to look for George.
George has a smile on his face as he watches my every move. I reach out and touch him, letting the suction pull his soul from his body. The coldness creeps in, and soon, the soul has passed through me and on to his afterlife. As soon as his essence leaves my body, I lean over and throw up.
When I empty my stomach, I stand up and visualize the crystal. The crystal is there, once again clear with brown magic rolling inside. When I pull back, it’s not black for once, but the scene isn’t familiar. I keep pulling back, but then it hits me. It’s not on Earth. How the hell am I supposed to get there?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Not sure how else to get home, I pick up the phone and call my dad. He picks up on the second ring. “Christina, where the hell are you?”
Yeah, no “how are you?” No time to dwell on that. “I’m in the next city over. Can you come get me?”
“Why are you there?” He huffs. “We are almost out of time and you’re on foolish adventures?”
“I’ve located the crystal.” Take that. I figured it out all on my own without you and Mom.
“You did what?” His tone is full of disbelief.
“My magic is unblocked.” I guess I need to talk slow for his ease of understanding. “I know know where the crystal is.”
“Okay, that’s great.” He covers the phone and the comes back after a moment. “Where exactly are you? Mom and I will pick you up and then we’ll head straight to the council.”
Of course, we will, but for once, I’m okay with that. “I’m outside the movie theater. I’ll be out front waiting on you.”
“Got it.” The garage door is opening in the background. “We are getting in the car now.” He then hangs up.
Bye. Love you, too. Sigh. Oh, well.
I need to figure out how I’m going to explain how my tracking works to my parents. When I find things, I just know where they are. The only reason I pull back on the image is to help tell others how to find it. So, the crystal is located on Bramble, which is in another realm. I don’t know much about the realm, except it’s very dry and has several large suns. It’s like a desert and not many who travel there return. It doesn’t sound very promising.
However, my problem isn’t surviving right now. It’s just getting there. I don’t know any way of getting there. It’s just another piece to an ever-growing puzzle. Maybe I should just throw in the towel after all.
I head around the side of the building toward the front. At least, I’m done reaping people for tonight. My magic isn’t thrilled with me and is chilling my body from the inside out.
There are a few bench seats out front, so I sit down on one underneath a street light. It’s super late, and there are only a handful of people out and about. I’m sure they are all part of George’s crew. Granted, one will be getting a promotion soon. Now, that is a disturbing thought.
After a short while, some headlights turn down on the street. I bet this is my parents. The vehicle pulls up to me, and my dad rolls down his window. “Come on. We’re in a hurry.”
Not needing any additional encouragement, I open the back door and get in. As soon as my door is shut, the car takes off.
Mother turns toward me and grins. “You did it?”
Too bad their approval doesn’t mean as much right now as it would have three days ago. “Yeah, sure did.”
“Good.” She turns back around. “The council is ready to meet. We’re heading straight there.”
I didn’t expect anything less. “Okay, sounds good.”
It’s funny because I’d think my parents would want to know how I managed to get my magic unblocked, but the rest of the car ride is in complete silence.
All too soon, we pull up at the council manor. I’ve always hated this place, but it’s increased tenfold the past two days. I get out of the car and follow my parents to the door.
As always, the door opens as soon as we arrive. The butler ushers us in the house and down the usual corridors. Once we’re in the council room, we find the room vacant as it normally is.
Guess things are back to normal. We are to wait on them instead of the other way around.
Mom walks over to me and begins running her fingers through my hair. She pulls knots out of my hair, hurting me.
I take a step back. “Ouch.”
“Oh, stop.” She takes a step closer to me, doing it again. “You look like you’ve been run through the wringer. I’m just trying to make you look a little more presentable.”
“I have been through the wringer.” They don’t have a clue what I’ve been through, but worse, they don’t seem to care. “It took a lot to be able to find it.”
“That’s what us Malones do.” Dad lifts his chin. “We do whatever it takes to succeed.”
Just shoot me now.
The elder door opens.
Mom flinches back and straightens.
Soon, the younger couple walks in, the lady dressed in dark purple and the man in a dark suit with a matching tie. The older couple soon follows, but the eldest is dressed in white. They take their set on the elevated platform and look down at me.
The older lady stands, a smirk gracing her face. “Were you able to locate the crystal?”
My uncomfortable power inside me begins lurching toward her, almost as if it wants to be part of her. Gross, but it makes sense. I get the same kind of icky feeling around her as I do from what’s inside me.
“Christina.” A warning laces my dad’s voice.
Ugh, focus. “Yes, I found the crystal.”
The older woman raises an eyebrow in surprise.
The younger couple glances at each other.
Did they not expect me to figure it out? Or were they hoping I wouldn’t? I don’t want to say anything and instead wait to see how they react. They always are in control, but right now, I have some of it for once.
“So?” The older man clears his throat. “Where is it?”
“Well, that’s the thing.” I close my eyes and rub the section of my forehead between my eyes. “It’s in Bramble.”
“How could you know that?” The younger elder lady’s mouth drops open.
“It’s how my magic works.” How do I explain something I don’t even understand? “I just know. I just need to figure out how to get it and bring it back here.”
“Well, then, I guess you better get to it.” The oldest man stands. “We will give you two more days to track it down, but that’s it.”
Thanks for the offer of help. I can tell they’re invested in me succeeding. Seriously.
“Oh, thank you, sir.” Mom shakes her head and places her hand on her chest. “You’re so gracious.”
Gracious my ass. How the hell am I supposed to get to another dimension? I don’t even think demons can traverse realms without going through Hell. So, not even Damien is going to be able to help me with this one.
“You are dismissed.” The older lady motions to the door.
I have to choke back my laughter. If that wasn’t a slap in my mom’s face, I’m not sure what else would be.
A butler opens the door, and soon, we are outside, getting in our car. The ride home is in silence, which is w
hat I need. I have to figure out another freaking problem. Maybe, one day, I might be able to lie down and just relax for an hour or two.
When we walk into the house, I head straight up the stairs.
“Hey, aren’t you hungry?” Dad pauses in the foyer.
“No. I just need to lie down and think for a minute.” I keep moving, not wanting to talk any more. I keep thinking I’m getting closer to figuring this whole mess out when another problem just as big as the last pops up again. What if I run out of luck?
The door to my room is open, so I walk in and shut it. I haven’t had a shower since who knows when, so I grab a clean pair of jeans and a tank top and head into the bathroom. I turn on the water and let it warm while I grab a towel.
When I step under the hot water, it releases tension from muscles I didn’t even realize I had. I wash my hair with my rose petal shampoo and soap my body, needing to get clean from all I’ve witnessed the past few days. I stand there just a few moments longer, enjoying the warmth before stepping out and drying off.
Soon, I’m dressed with my hair brushed and walk back into my bedroom. The smell of brimstone hits my nose.
“Feel better?” The deep tenor voice that has become familiar comes from behind me.
I spin around and take a deep breath. “Holy crap, you scared me.”
He’s sitting on my bed and has a photo album sprawled open on his lap. There are some pictures of Beth and me in his hands. “Just checking on how things went. I know our deal is done but just wanted to make sure it went okay.”
That’s strange. Demons aren’t known for their caring ways. Something seems a little suspect. “Well, it went okay, I guess. I have to figure out how to get to the crystal.”
“Why is that?” He holds up a picture of Beth and me at the pool when we were eight.
“It’s in another dimension.” I go and sit on the bed, making sure there are several feet between us. “You don’t know how to realm jump do you?”
He lays down the picture and turns to me. “You know what? I might have a solution for you.”