Balance (The Divine, Book One)

by M. R. Forbes

  I spent the next couple of hours navigating the chain of clips from one to the next, my mind vaguely aware of what I was watching as it began to settle into a deeper state of rest. I wasn't sure I needed to sleep, but I closed my eyes anyway. At some point soon after, the iPad slipped from my hand and landed on the floor next to the bed.

  I woke up around eight thirty. Whether or not I needed to sleep, I felt so much better for having done so. My body felt recharged, renewed, and full of energy. My mind was clear, sharp, and focused. I had a plan, I knew what needed to be done, and I was feeling good about doing it. For the first time since I had died, or maybe even for the first time since my soul gained its first spark of life, I felt like I was in control.

  I hopped out of bed, grabbed the sword and dagger, and headed out the door. Punkmo was manning the front desk when I stepped purposefully past, his eyes bloodshot and droopy as he came down from his morning high. The look he gave me reminded me that I needed to disguise the sword. I glamoured it into an umbrella before anyone sober took notice.

  It was a long walk from the Belmont to Grand Central Station, so I moved at a brisk pace. As I walked, I paid extra attention to the world around me; to the smell of coffee, donuts, and fried foods permeating the morning air, to the sounds of cars driving by, people talking, high heels on cement, cellphones, car horns, sirens, beggars asking for change... Every noise was a musical note in my mind, and as I paid more attention to it I began to recognize the tune, and then to anticipate it. This was my world, and in my Awakened state I could understand it in a way that exposed every beauty it possessed, and appreciate it for every nuance. To the untrained it would have seemed chaotic and disorganized, but in it I was beginning to see the balance as much as I could innately feel it. It was so much more complex than just good versus evil. It was in and of everything, and it was incredible.

  Grand Central Station was a hub of activity, the famous main concourse thronged with people. They moved smoothly with and around one another, effortless in their negotiation of passage as they went about their daily lives. I spent a moment admiring the controlled chaos of the masses before heading straight for the lower concourse. I had told Oblitrix I would meet him near Track 104. He wouldn’t know who he was looking for, and neither would I by sight, but I was hoping I would be able to pick him out based on his body language. He was sure to be on edge, filled with nervous, anxious anticipation. His heart would be racing, his breathing shallow, and his palms sweaty and cold. As I navigated the lower concourse towards Track 104, I paid close attention to all of the people moving through the station, watching the vibration of their bodies, listening to their heartbeats.

  I found him sitting on a bench towards the outer fringe. His body was hunched forward, his head resting on his hands, his right foot tapping at a rabbit’s pace and his eyes darting back and forth to watch every person as they angled by. He was African-American, with a wide nose, small ears, and a chiseled jaw. He was wearing a black caddy hat, a heavy wool pea coat, black paratrooper pants and combat boots. He also had a black nylon messenger bag draped over his chest with a huge ‘O’ embroidered on the center.

  I stood behind him and watched for a minute, just to make sure I had my man. I also did a quick scan of the rest of the crowd to make sure neither of us had been followed. I was just about to go over and sit next to him when someone else from the crowd approached him. The new guy said something to him, and then Oblitrix stood up and held out his hand in greeting, a big smile growing on his face. So much for my private message.

  The newcomer wasn’t Divine, I was sure of it. That didn’t mean he was innocent though. I watched the two exchange a few more words before Oblitrix motioned to his messenger bag. I didn’t need to eavesdrop on the conversation to know what was being said. I didn’t even need to try to spot the bad guys when they started closing in.

  I looked around, taking note of how the crowded floor was thinning out as people subconsciously decided to take a different train, stop to grab a bite to eat, or otherwise move themselves away from the incoming demons. I avoided looking at them in hopes of staying off their radar for as long as possible. Instead, I started making my way past Oblitrix and the not-me, pretending that I was vacating the area.

  I was six feet away from them when my fake looked up and caught my eye. His expression changed immediately, from a warm friendliness to a fearful animosity. His eyes shifted to glance at the demons coming toward us, trying to judge his odds of survival. They weren’t good.

  I reached out and grabbed Oblitrix by the collar of his pea coat, pulling him backwards with enough force to get his neck out of the way as a serrated dagger flashed by. Without hesitation, I lunged forward and stabbed the man with my umbrella-sword. The feeling of the blade sinking into his flesh was both sickening and satisfying, but I didn’t have time to dwell on any of the emotions. I could feel the demons’ eyes on me now, recognizing me as Divine. There were four in total, approaching from each end of the concourse. Not vampires. I knew that much by the feeling of fear that started encroaching on my crumbling bravado. Whatever they were, they were higher up the ladder than I had been looking to scrap with.

  “What the?” It was all Oblitrix had managed to get out during the whole maneuver. I held him up to keep him from losing his feet, and then spun him to face me.

  “Oblitrix, I presume,” I said. “My name is Landon, and I need you to come with me right now or we’re both going to be demon food.”

  I didn’t give him a choice. The demons didn’t give me a choice. There was one direction they didn’t have covered, and that was down the steps into the train tunnels. I moved my grip to Oblitrix’s arm and yanked him along. It was a bad idea to be moving further away from daylight, but I didn’t see that I had a choice.

  “Let me go man,” he cried as I pulled him.

  My grip was iron as we started descending, the demons quickly gaining ground. It was my fault he had come here, so I was responsible for him. I wasn’t about to let him die without a fight.

  “Trust me,” I said. “You don’t want me to let go.”

  He trusted me when they burst onto the stairs. They had shed their human skins for their natural forms. At least seven feet tall, with furry humanoid bodies and long, powerful limbs that ended in sharp claws. They reminded me of werewolves, but their heads didn’t look canine at all. I could hear them growling and shrieking. I could hear their claws scraping along the cement. We needed to move faster, or they needed to move slower.

  I focused my will on a couple of nearby garbage cans, sending them flying towards the monsters. They danced aside without slowing, the effort not preventing them from gaining ground.

  “Down the tunnel,” I told Oblitrix, letting go of his arm. “Keep running, don’t look back. If a train comes, get out of the way.”

  He was too scared to argue. I let him go and turned to face the oncoming demons. There was no way I could take on all of them at once. I wasn’t even sure if I could survive against just one. There was no time left to think, just react.

  I held the blessed sword in front of me the way I had seen in the videos, trying to focus myself on the task at hand. I painted a picture of calm control as I watched the demons approach unabated, eight pairs of claws ready to rip me apart. I could hear Oblitrix hop down onto the sunken tracks behind me. I could hear his messenger bag slapping against his body while he ran.

  The lead demon lunged forward, its body propelled toward me like an ugly rocket. I fought my flight reflex and held my ground, trying to keep my mind relaxed so that my subconscious sense of self-preservation could guide me. Time slowed down for me then, and I had a clear view of the oncoming demon. I could see the vector of its body towards mine, the angle of its limbs as it brought its claws to bear. I could smell the pheromones it was pushing off to enhance my sense of fear. I could taste the sickly sulfurous air that surrounded it, leaving a burnt iron residue on my tongue.

  I saw its left arm flex and begin a movement inte
nded to sever my head from my torso. I stood firm and stabbed forward with the sword, catching the demon under its collarbone. I combined its momentum with my own to deflect it away from me, sending it tumbling off the platform and onto the tracks. I could only hope that the wound was enough to be fatal.

  The other three demons came in together, only a fraction of a second behind the first. Their howls were deafening as they sensed the kill. I put up the sword again, but I may as well have been holding a toothpick. I managed to block the first two attacks through either fast reflexes or dumb luck, but first one strike slipped through my defenses, and then another. Pain blossomed throughout my abdomen as their claws ripped flesh from bone and tore into my innards. I didn’t know how much damage I could take, but with no way to stop the assault I had to assume they would just keep clawing until I stopped moving.

  I dropped to the ground, my eyes losing focus as I struggled to put up some kind of a fight. In desperation I tried reaching out for the power of the Great Were, but even it had deserted me. For all my desire to fight for mankind, I was the guy throwing rocks at tanks.

  I knew the demons were mangling my body. I could feel their claws digging into my flesh like it was just another piece of meat. I could hear their satisfied growls while they tore me apart, their bloodlust in full control. My vision was blurring, and I was starting to feel really warm. I didn’t know what would happen to me or where I was going, but at least I knew I wouldn’t be in any more pain. I welcomed the warmth with open arms, beckoning the end.

  I was vaguely aware of the deafening pops that followed. I wouldn’t have known anything had happened at all if the rending pain hadn’t ceased, replaced with the warm, wet, stinky feeling of thick demon blood splattering down onto me and mixing with my own. My vision had fled, but I could hear the shrieks of pain as more pops followed. I tried to move, to get to my feet, but I had no feeling in my legs. I didn’t even know if I still had legs. I could hear someone running up towards me, their breathing heavy.

  “I don’t know what’s going on here, man,” Oblitrix said between breaths. “But this is seriously crazy.”

  “You don’t even know the half of it,” I tried to say.

  My mouth must have been in rough shape, because it came out as little more than a mumbled gurgle. Bullets, I realized. He had shot them. I needed to heal fast, or we were both screwed. I focused my will inward, forcing the impossible to happen even faster. My vision returned in a blink, and I could see Oblitrix leaning over me, a sheen of sweat on his forehead, a Desert Eagle in his hand, aimed in the direction of the demons.

  I opened and closed my mouth to see that it was working, clenched and unclenched my fists and toes. He watched me with disgusted, frightened fascination.

  “Those bullets aren’t going to keep them down long,” I said, jumping to my feet. I was surprised to see the demons still on the ground, hunched over on hands and knees.

  “Silver,” Oblitrix said. “I’ve been doing some digging since I made that video, figured I ought to come prepared. I wasn’t expecting this. You looked like a mincemeat pie thirty seconds ago.”

  “I have a good health plan,” I replied, bending down and picking up my sword.

  I could see the silver had slowed them, but it wasn’t going to stop them. I didn’t waste any time, walking over to the first and bringing my blade down on its neck.

  Sensing their fate, the remaining two demons reared up. I took a step back to defend myself, but needn’t have bothered. Two more loud pops, two more silver bullet holes, and they were back on the ground. I stabbed both of them through the back, this time taking pleasure in the killing strokes. I began to turn to face Oblitrix when I noticed the black cloud forming around them.

  “What the hell is that?” Oblitrix asked.

  Their souls, I knew, but I didn’t tell him. Josette had never told me how to keep them away, and now I could feel the darkness trying to find its way into my body. The cloud began swirling around me, rising up towards my face as its vortex increased velocity. I tried to close my mouth to it, but the black cloud began slipping into my nose and sliding down into me. I dropped to my knees and closed my eyes, focusing inward again to find the encroaching mass of demonic energy. It was going to overtake me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  “No,” I said.

  I was quiet and calm while I focused my will against the cloud as I hard as I knew how. I felt the tug and the feedback of the command blasting against my mind, imploding at the same time it exploded. The black cloud vaporized instantly, leaving me standing there shaking from the pushback. The pressure was so tight around my head that I thought it would burst, my vision went dark again, and I passed out.

  Chapter 10

  In the dream, I was back at the Statue of Liberty, standing on the small walkway that encircled the torch. I wasn’t alone. His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail, his eyes covered by a pair of aviator shades. His expression was smug.

  “Where were you two minutes ago?” I asked him. “I could have used you.”

  “You mean I could have used you,” he replied. He smiled, revealing a mouth full of razor pointed teeth. “Sorry man, but I won’t kill my own kind.”

  The whole thing was weird. I knew I was dreaming, or hallucinating, or something. It felt real enough. The air was cold and crisp, the wind whistling through the metal structure of the Statue. I could even hear tourists clanging up and down the steps nearby. At the same time, there was this otherness to it. Something was just off. I couldn’t place it, but I could feel it. That, and the fact that the Great Were I had killed was here, laughing at me.

  “I don’t suppose you know what this is?” I asked him.

  He seemed pretty comfortable with the situation. I felt surprisingly comfortable with him. I knew he couldn’t harm me here.

  “I can’t believe you killed me and captured my soul,” he said with a sigh. “This is you. Your subconscious, your REM state, whatever the hell you want to call it. Divine spend hundreds of years trying to get to this place. You don’t even know what it is.”

  He started laughing again, louder and stronger.

  “Why?” I asked.

  He stopped laughing and looked at me. “What do you mean why?”

  “Why do Divine spend years trying to get into their subconscious?” I repeated. It doesn’t seem that great in here, present company included.”

  “Man, you don’t know anything. This is the source of all of your power.” He waved his hand around at the world. “You trapped me here with it, even though you had no idea what you were doing. I was trying to take your body for my own. You fought like crap, got me because I was too busy ogling that little white honey. I thought it would be easy. Let me just say, you’re a blast to hang out with though. Those two girls were smokin’. And that angel... A little young for me, and her face is nothing to write home about, but damn she knew what to do with that sword of hers.”

  He was baiting me, and I knew it. With a thought, I pushed him back against the railing, shoving him back until he was teetering over it.

  “I know what you’re doing,” I said.

  He laughed again. “Do you? Look around, Landon. Look at the scope of your power. You have the whole world at your disposal. I’m trying to help you realize your true potential. We could have Reyzl licking your feet within an hour.”

  I hesitated. Just long enough for him to catch my weakness and seize on it.

  “How many times have you been beaten up already?” he asked. “Aren’t you getting sick of it? You have the power, and I know how to use it. We can co-exist, and you can have anything you desire.” His face turned to a perverted sneer. “Like that angel of yours. Sexy little thing like that, I bet she knows quite a few tricks after seven hundred years.”

  I’d had enough. My moment of weakness was replaced with pure anger. I gave the equivalent of a flick with my mind, and the Great Were went flying off the torch. I watched him fall, getting no satisfaction when h
is body slammed into the ground below and dissolved.

  His words reverberated through me. The whole world at my disposal. There was a seductiveness to the thought. Wasn’t that the idea? If the demon couldn’t overpower me physically, he was going to try to do it mentally. The fact that I was affected by his words at all was proof that no matter the scope of my power, I was only as strong as my will. I remembered Dante’s last words to me. ‘Survive and fight’. It was simple, straightforward, and easy to remember. Somehow I had been surviving. It was time to start fighting. I turned towards the torch, where the Great Were was perched once more.

  “Ulnyx,” I called. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at hearing his name. “I’ll see you around.”

  I flipped him the bird, and woke myself up.

  Chapter 11

  I hadn’t expected to find myself lying in a hospital bed. I wasn’t even really human! There was nothing any doctor could do to help me. There was no one to help me except myself.

  Oblitrix was sitting in a chair next to me, his feet up on the bed I was lying in, an iPad resting on his thighs. He didn’t even notice that I was awake. I felt a draft, and grimaced. They had changed me into one of those lousy robes, and stuck an IV into my arm. I grabbed it and pulled it out, then morphed the robe into something more suitable. That got his attention.

  “Hey man, you’re awake,” he said, dropping his feet and standing up.

  “I’ve got to get out of here,” I told him, tossing aside the blankets and sliding out of the bed.

  He put his arms up to block me. “Hold on man, you can’t just waltz out of here like that.”