Bleed Away the Sky

by Brian Fatah Steele

  Elliot grabbed Audrey’s hand and they raced to the car. She could hear the lead man bellowing after them, but he was far too busy with the horde of whatever those things were to come after them. The car peeled out of the parking lot, leaving her kidnappers to their fight in the glow of the taillights.

  Beating on the steering wheel, Elliot finally began to lose his cool. “What the holy hell was all that?”

  “Inanis said there were people after me who wanted me to use my powers. They think it’s my duty to save the damn world.”

  “That guy didn’t seem too happy about the idea.”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  The man’s words ran through Audrey’s head. He’d called her a freak. She assumed it was because she was the Crimsonata. Just because she came from a magical bloodline, that didn’t make her that different, did it? Maybe some people thought it did. Great, bigots on one side, monsters on the other. On top of that, she didn’t like the idea that there was more than just the one of those creepy people in white.

  “What do we do now, Audrey?”

  Audrey didn’t know. She didn’t know how they had found them. Did they track Elliot’s credit card somehow or have some crazy ninja skills? Maybe they had some witch in a cage somewhere looking at a map. She had no idea what they were dealing with. At least Audrey was relatively sure that these people didn’t want to kill her. No, they just wanted to take choice away from her. Make her a slave.

  She wasn’t against discovering what her birthright was, what it meant to be the Crimsonata. But it would be by her choice, on her terms. No one would take that away from her, make her a puppet for their own mission. Honestly, a little more information is all she really wanted. The ability to make an informed decision.

  Reaching over, she squeezed Elliot’s hand. “Keep driving.”

  “To where?”

  “I don’t know, north.”

  She’d have him get a few hundred dollars in cash out of an ATM just to be safe and then they’d live off that for a while. For now she needed to think. They needed to be more proactive. She had an idea, but it wasn’t a good one. She hoped she could think of a better one before the sun came up.

  CHAPTER 26

  Binici poured out some extra cat food and stared down at the bowl. She had no idea how long she would be gone. Hopefully not more than a few days. She’d only packed clothes for four days at the most. Everything was rapidly becoming more chaotic by the minute.

  Going around the house, she checked all the windows to make sure they were closed and locked. There had never been any crime problems in her neighborhood, but she was a stickler about such things. Just as she was about unplugging her computer and a number of other appliances. It wasn’t that she had real fears, but Binici spent a lot of time worrying about What-If’s.

  It was strange, because she generally wasn’t an anxious woman. If anything, she just considered herself prepared. Contingency plans for contingency plans. Spontaneity was a dirty word, something reserved for children and imbeciles. Granted, it didn’t leave her much of an entertaining life, but Binici was perfectly fine with that. It was also why she was quite displeased with the current state of affairs.

  While affiliated with the Wall, she hadn’t truly logged any field time and she preferred it that way. She was an academic, her area of expertise was research. The plan never necessarily involved her dealing with Audrey Darrow directly, although she did see the wisdom in it. Honestly, she just wished she would’ve had more time to prepare.

  Faure really dropped the ball on this one. He threw this at her, with very little information, and now wasn’t answering his phone.

  Back at her desk, she was transferring most of her notes on the Crimsonata to her tablet. Granted, she had a majority of it memorized, but depending on the circumstances, Audrey might need to be reassured of her lineage. Of her importance. Binici could appreciate how overwhelming it might be to hear such grandiose tales.

  Her phone rang, and she snatched it up immediately. “Faure?”

  “What? No, but I’m looking for that shithole, too.”

  “Who’s this?”

  “My name is Hayden. I’m with the Wall. Faure gave me your number.”

  “Oh, of course. Did you get Audrey Darrow?”

  “No, she got away. That was, as we were attacked by a gang of disfigured people that didn’t want to die. Faces shorn of all features, finger bones sharpened to points, dressed in white rags.”

  “What?”

  “Exactly. I’ve never seen anything like them. Weren’t expecting them either. They severely injured one of my men and depleted my resources. Plus, like I said, we lost the Crimsonata. We had shit intel on this. Faure isn’t answering, so I called you.”

  Binici was stunned. “Well, I’ve certainly never heard of anything like you’re describing. Definitely not related to the Crimsonata lore, so it must be from external planes, sent here to kill her. You got caught in the crossfire, so to speak.”

  “So to speak?”

  “Listen, I’ve only spoken to Timothy once since this began, and that was briefly last night. He’s changed plans on both of us. He says the higher ups want me to approach Audrey and bring her in, in Ohio. I’m leaving for Cleveland here in twenty minutes.”

  Hayden sat quiet for a few moments. “The council approved the plan?”

  “That’s what I’m assuming. Timothy had everything set up at a location and…”

  “I’ll meet you in Cleveland,” he said, then hung up.

  Binici frowned at the phone and shook her head. She didn’t even get a chance to tell him about the safe house in Eldridge, Ohio. It was no matter, all would be dealt with later.

  She didn’t even get to sleep, instead getting everything ready through the night. She could always catch a few winks on the plane, flying from California to Ohio. She didn’t travel often, so she had sprung for a first-class ticket. A few vodkas and her earphones and she’d be snoozing.

  It had been almost ten years since Audrey had actually met Emily Binici. Binici wondered if the young woman would even remember her. She had been such a quiet girl. Intelligent but distant. Binici kept track of her over the years, always looking for some sign of… well, the professor wasn’t entirely sure what. That Audrey had discovered her path as the Crimsonata, yes, but how to determine the truth of that, Binici had no real idea. That the barriers were still breaking down only confirmed that Audrey had yet to flow.

  Sometimes she teased herself, toyed with the idea of what life would’ve been like if she had adopted Audrey. She could’ve shown the girl her destiny and saved everyone this pain, saved the world this heartache. She’d never found anyone she gave a damn about enough to marry, and a kid had never been something she wanted, but maybe Audrey. She knew it was a fantasy, but it was something she thought about when she was feeling melancholy.

  When forced to admit it, Audrey was the closest thing she had to family. She had been secretly watching the girl grow up since she was fifteen. She could’ve intervened, could’ve done more, but she hadn’t. There was no reason Audrey should remember her, she hadn’t made her presence known. Audrey was just more research.

  Binici rolled her suitcase out to the car and put it in the trunk. Backing out of the garage, she went through the mental checklist of all the things that needed turned off, closed, unplugged, and removed. Feeling confident that the house would be safe while she was gone, she turned out of her driveway and down the road. Deciding to be positive about the whole trip, she powered up her stereo and put on The Beatles.

  Singing along, she tried not to think about the next few days and what they would hold for Audrey.

  CHAPTER 27

  He could feel it, the will of the Ovessa all around him.

  Parking his car, Faure stepped out and looked around. It looked like any other small American town, sans people. It was completely deserted, or so it appeared to him. He saw a car driving in, but he hadn’t really been paying attention either. Now that
he was, the stillness struck him.

  The Ovessa throbbed elsewhere in the town, close, beckoning to him. Faure began to walk, letting the sensation lead. He wasn’t terribly worried, his Most Holy had chosen him.

  Passing by a small sandwich shop, he noticed blood splattered on the inside of the window. He paused to glance inside and saw a body on the floor. A young woman lay crumpled in a heap, her throat slashed. The knife was still clutched in her hand. He thought he could see feet sticking out from behind the counter. With a shrug, he kept going.

  Another block, and Faure began to rethink leaving his car behind. It seemed a good idea at the time. Everything was moment by moment now. Honestly, when he considered it, he was surprised he had the presence of mind to navigate the car this far. He was manic, reactionary, but it felt good.

  He had travelled through half another block when the shot rang out. He didn’t duck or run, but simply stood still. The bullet had struck the ground a few feet away from him. He craned his head around to peer at the small parking lot where it logically would have come from. After a minute of waiting, he held up his hands in a submissive gesture and began walking again. He made it about four steps before a trio of people rushed around the cars toward him.

  Faure examined them with something close to pity. An elderly man in a frayed shirt and paint-spotted jeans, a teen boy in a basketball jersey, and a little girl no more than ten. The old man kept the gun trained on him as they crossed the street. All three looked exhausted.

  “Who are you, what are you doing here?” asked the old man.

  “My name is Timothy Faure, and I’m going for a walk.”

  “He’s one of them, Tony,” said the boy.

  “One of what?” asked Faure.

  “Don’t you know what’s going on here?” asked Tony, the old man.

  “I just got to Eldridge,” said Faure. “I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch. But he wasn’t there and there’s no one around. Hell, my cell’s battery died, too.”

  “Phones won’t work anyhow, not since they got here.”

  “What are you talking about?” Faure asked, playing it out.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Well, will you stop pointing that at me? Especially with the trigger mechanism loose, that thing could go off at any time,” said Faure.

  Faure had no idea what he was talking about, making the nonsense up. But he had a suspicion that Tony didn’t know anything about guns either, given the ridiculous cowboy stance he was using. Sure enough, he turned the gun in his hand to look at the trigger. Faure reached out and snatched the gun right out of the old man’s hands.

  “Wait…” Tony began.

  “No,” said Faure before shooting him in the face.

  The old man fell dead to the sidewalk, the little girl ran off screaming back through the parking lot. The boy scrambled backwards, his eyes darting back and forth between Faure and Tony’s body.

  “Feel free to run. The Ovessa will claim you eventually.”

  The boy ran.

  Tucking the gun in his waistband, Faure carried on down the road. Here and there he saw a curtain drawn back, or a shadow move, but he was left alone. Perhaps the remaining citizens of Eldridge saw what had transpired, most likely they just didn’t care. The town was imploding, and they knew their demise was imminent. Those who had been unable to escape the pull of power had found a place to cower and hide out until the end, to wait until the lure of that power was too great and they gave in. Because all would eventually give in.

  Finally, after walking a handful of blocks, he saw it. It had once been a magnificent motel, decades ago. Its decay only served to make it a more majestic seat for the Ovessa. Up the stone steps, he tried the great double doors, but found them locked. Walking around the side of the building, he found a service entrance. Whispers slid to him as the door opened. Pausing, he listened as the sounds ran over him, entrancing him.

  He had made it to the first landing when he saw them, dozens of them. Marked in honor of the Ovessa, stripped down to the barest of flesh. Free from the identifying marks of humanity, cleansed of their personality, they wore the adornments of their class distinction. The Invocated. Faure was awed at the beauty they represented, the truth and purity.

  The Invocated stared at him but made no aggressive moves. They parted as he passed, the razor-tip finger bones still at their sides. For a time he merely walked among them, soaking in their glory. Their skin had a mucous-like substance thinly coating most of its surface, parts of the flesh greying and mottled. They had been reborn as a superior species, thought Faure.

  The room led to an antechamber, which in turn led to a massive lounge. Here, even more of the Invocated loitered about as did other creatures far beyond Faure’s imagination. Monstrosities that looked like three legged hairless apes removed whimpering humans from shackles on the wall. Giant, slavering mouths drooled all over their charges as they were carried like infants across the room. Most had long ago lost their sanity and didn’t even notice. They were slapped down onto a table of beating, living meat, six such tables lined up in a row and taking up most of the lounge floor. There, giant spider-things saw to the esoteric surgeries that created the new breed of earthlings. They sliced and pasted, grew and molded. A light opened above one nearly rebirthed member of the Invocated, and Faure rushed forward, only to be denied the radiance.

  “A would-be mote in the Ovessa’s light,” came a voice.

  Faure looked past the activity on the meat tables and saw two thrones, and the figures sitting in them. The memories came rushing back to him of that all too-brief time he had touched his Most Holy. He knew the Ovessa had its Voice here on earth, but he hadn’t thought it was so literal. He hadn’t expected avatars.

  He stepped past the creatures who ignored him as easily as did the Invocated. Peering up at the two, he examined them, and they smiled down at him. Clad only in black robes, currently thrown back, they were composed of what appeared to be an amalgamation of bone, gristle, tooth, talon, tendon, and ligament. Red eyes burned in black sockets and liquid hair spilled over their shoulders, black as ink and always flowing.

  “Everything is biomechanical,” whispered Faure.

  “Bleat louder, little meat.”

  “This is all bioengineered at the will of the Ovessa. I understand now. Oh, the Most Holy is indeed great!”

  “Interesting. I am the Sigh, and this is the Spittle. The Ovessa sought to try contact through the barrier and it would seem to have worked.”

  Faure fell to his knees. “I beg you, let me bask in the Ovessa’s light once more!”

  “No,” said the Spittle with a smile. “You do not deserve such an honor.”

  Faure scrambled toward them on his hands and knees. “But, but… oh, but I have tricked the Crimsonata into coming here so that you can kill her! She’ll be here soon.”

  The Sigh glanced at her beloved. “That could be very beneficial. Besides, I see no reason to waste the first successful cross-barrier Sympathectomy.”

  “This human is unique,” said the Spittle. “Let us make him so.”

  CHAPTER 28

  They had been driving all night and were in Kentucky. Audrey wasn’t entirely sure how they ended up going back west, but they had. It didn’t matter. They had switched out who was driving at one point, the other sleeping. Now they were just heading north. For some reason, in her head, that just felt right. She had taken the last exit a hundred miles back that put them on this route and she hoped Elliot wouldn’t be pissed.

  She had spent a lot of time thinking. Thinking about her life up until now, the way things could have been different, and how things were going to have to play out from here. As crazy as her mother was, Audrey really wished she hadn’t died. She had carried all that bitterness and resentment for a long time, but there it was. She had never really wanted her mom to die, she felt abandoned. She was even more conflicted now, knowing that her mom had driven her dad away because of her Crimsonata beliefs.
>
  The thing was, that was then and this was now. She was playing Murder by Death softly through the stereo while Elliot snoozed next her, driving aimlessly across America, on the run. This had to stop. It would be one thing if it was only her, but she couldn’t do this to Elliot. She knew full well he’d stay with her no matter how bad it got.

  She had an idea, although she had no idea if it would work. A rest stop was coming up on her right and she veered off towards it. Fortunately, there weren’t many people here. A few trucks and a handful of cars. Pulling down to the end, she parked, hoping not to wake Elliot.

  No such luck.

  “Hey,” he said groggily. “You need to switch?”

  “No, just stay here.”

  “What?”

  Audrey got out of the car and marched over toward a picnic table. It stood next to a large oak tree and gave her some amount of cover. She hoped it was enough. People would probably still notice, though.

  “Inanis!” she called out. “Inanis, can you hear me? God damn it, I need to talk to you! Inanis! Inanis!”

  She could feel the air splitting behind her and spun. He stood there in his suit and red rose, looking perturbed.

  “Not really how this works, Audrey. I’m not your fucking guardian angel.”

  “You were the other night.”

  “I have my own stakes in this. So what do you want?”

  “We were attacked. Well, it’s complicated. We were attacked by those people who want to kidnap me as the Crimsonata and then those people were attacked by the creatures with the fucked-up faces.”