by J. E. Taylor
I nodded.
“His name?”
“Chris Williams,” I said.
“And where are you from?”
“New Hampshire.” I couldn’t remember the name of the town the cottage was in, but I did remember the name of the town the airfield was in. “Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.”
“Do you know if he has insurance?”
“I really don’t know.” I shifted in the seat.
The technician checked his pockets. “He isn’t carrying a wallet.”
I bit my lower lip and shrugged like I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. But the weight of his wallet lay against my side along with one of the potion bombs in my pocket. Thankfully he hadn’t said anything about the gun tucked into the holder on my belt in the back. At least not yet.
He sat back and stared at me. “Are those knives real?” he asked and pointed to the sheaths on my thighs.
“Yes. I couldn’t pull Tomb Raider off without real blades,” I said and rolled my eyes.
“And your uncle didn’t have a problem with that?” He checked CJ’s pulse again.
“He wasn’t all that pleased,” I mumbled and tried to smile. “A lot of good they did against the wild dogs. I completely forgot I had them.”
He smiled. “Then how’d you get rid of the one that bit your shoulder?”
“I elbowed it in the ribs as hard as I could. I guess I spooked him, and then I ran towards the one attacking my uncle screaming like a wild child.”
He pressed his lips together to stop the smile, but it didn’t work. “I’m impressed. Running off wild dogs and cauterization skills. If you were a few years older, I would ask you out on a date.”
The heat that encompassed my face was born of pure embarrassment, and I didn’t know how to respond except to look at the floor and pray CJ would wake up and save me from this awkwardness.
The ambulance pulled to a stop in front of the emergency room, and we were shuffled inside. They tried to tell me to wait in the waiting room, and I influenced their minds to let me stay in the same room.
When the nurse shoved me paperwork allowing treatment, I glanced it over and then looked up at her.
“I’m not authorizing you to do anything beyond dressing his wounds and setting his broken arm.” I handed the clipboard back to her. “His wife will be here in a couple of hours. Unless you are telling me that he is in mortal danger, then I would prefer to wait for her.”
“The doctor won’t know unless we do a CT scan.” She shoved the forms back at me.
“Can I be in the room with him?” I asked with my pen poised over the paper.
“No.”
I put the pen back under the clip and handed her the board. “Then the answer is not until my aunt arrives. I am only relaying what my aunt requested.”
Her lips pressed together in aggravation.
“Dress his wounds and set his broken arm, and then she will take a look at him when she arrives.” I crossed my arms. “My aunt is a doctor,” I added. “Besides, I’m not eighteen. I can’t authorize care.”
Her gaze narrowed at me. “The doctor will be in to take a look at him soon.” She marched out of the room in a huff.
I lowered into the chair next to the bed and stared at CJ. Nothing came from his mind. I shifted uncomfortably.
I fished out his wallet, pulled out the wad of cash tucked inside, and zipped it into an interior pocket of my coat. I stuffed the wallet back and pulled out his phone, then sent a quick text to Valerie about when she would arrive.
The phone rang, and I answered it.
“We are less than ten minutes from landing and there is a car waiting, so a half hour at the latest. Is he okay?”
“Still unconscious and they wanted to do a bunch of tests. I didn’t sign the release for them to do a CT scan. Is that okay?”
“I’ll check him when I get there,” she said. “If my presence doesn’t wake him, then we will have to do some tests.”
The strain in her voice left me shivering with guilt. I should have seen this coming or been faster. I wiped my face, trying not to let this failure drag me down farther into despair, but I couldn’t help it. Every doubt magnified. Without CJ, I wasn’t sure I could do this, but I had to.
“You’ll be fine for another thirty minutes?”
“Yes, but when you get here, I need to go.”
“I’ll have the car wait for you and bring you over to the apartment where everyone else is going.”
“Okay. See you soon.” I disconnected the call.
I had no intention of going to the apartment. I still had one more place on the list, and while I waited, I researched Hudson River State Hospital using CJ’s phone. It looked like the place where my worst nightmares could come to life. It seemed even worse than Willard Asylum had been. I shivered and took notes on the address and places nearby because I did not want to be recognized by anyone, much less a cab driver dropping me off at the door of a place that ended up being torched.
Chapter 11
Valerie stepped into the room a half an hour later as the nurse was taking CJ’s vitals. “How is my husband?” she asked crossing and taking his hand.
The nurse narrowed her gaze at Valerie and then glanced at CJ, studying him closer. Her eyes widened.
“His name isn’t Chris Williams, is it?” she said softly. She had already recognized them. Valerie had been on television almost as much as CJ, and her presence made all the wheels in the nurse’s mind click.
“He is Chris Williams,” I said and pushed my influence on the nurse harder than I intended.
The nurse stumbled back a step, and Valerie glared a warning at me.
“How is he?” she asked again, and the nurse blinked and glanced at her chart.
“His right ulna and radius are fractured, and a chunk of flesh was torn out of his forearm. As you can see, we have a partial splint to immobilize his arm so the open wound can be addressed.” She waved at CJ still out on the bed.
“What about the bandage on his head?”
The nurse looked at me. “Your niece cauterized his head wound in the field. I’ll go get the doctor.” She turned and left the room.
Valerie waited until the nurse was out of sight and then leaned over and pressed a kiss on CJ’s forehead. The familiar light danced over him, and his jaw tightened, showing the first sign of a reaction since he fell.
I took that as my cue and handed CJ’s wallet and phone over to Valerie. “I took the cash in his wallet in case I needed a cab.” I pulled it out and offered it to her.
She waved my hand away. “Keep it. The car is waiting out front for you. We’ll see you back at the apartment once we are released,” she said softly as she watched for motion in the door.
I glanced back at CJ before I stepped out of the room. Color had returned to his cheeks, but I would bet that if they removed the bandage on his head, the burn mark would still be there. Valerie’s healing power didn’t penetrate injuries that my fire caused, just like her powers didn’t heal me. It seemed my fire-born abilities and their results couldn’t be wiped away with pure angel magic.
I turned and headed out of the emergency room bay doors. The town car sat idling in a parking space, and I crossed to it. The driver opened the back door for me and waved me inside.
“Instead of taking me to the apartment, can you take me to Marist College in Poughkeepsie?” I asked.
“Mrs. Ryan had strict instructions...” he started.
“Take me to Poughkeepsie,” I said softly and pushed with my mind.
“As you wish,” he said with a smile as he helped me in the vehicle and closed the door behind me.
Two hours later, the driver pulled into the college campus and stopped in the parking lot, his headlights illuminating a small piece of it.
I pulled out a fifty from the cash in my pocket and handed it to him. “Thank you. When you get back, you can let the Ryans know where you dropped me.” I stepped out of the car and waited until it
pulled out of sight before I started to walk towards the Home Depot sign I had seen before we pulled into the campus. The grounds of Hudson River State Hospital were beyond the massive construction store, and if it were too close, I couldn’t see this being a place that Lucifer would camp out in.
As I crossed the street and took to the narrow sidewalk, the hair on my arms rose and my skin itched. I knew I should find a hotel room and rest for the night, but I wanted to do some reconnaissance on the layout of the state hospital campus before I went barreling in.
The closer I got to the nearest building, the more my chest tightened. I crouched behind an overgrown bush and looked between three structures closest to the Home Depot parking lot. A high-rise building, a smaller building next to the high-rise, and a concrete monstrosity.
According to the research I had done at the hospital, there was much more to this asylum than just these three buildings, but they were the first of the sprawling campus and the closest to civilization.
The wind shifted, and all I could smell was wet, burnt wood and death. I covered my mouth, and again second-guessed my wisdom of being here alone.
Movement out of the corner of my eye pulled my attention towards the concrete building. A rat scurried across a patch of whitened concrete and into a hole in the wall. I suppressed a shiver and looked back at the large building. It was too close to civilization. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I couldn’t read any of the buildings here so I pushed my mind farther, but I couldn’t sense anything in the space except an ominous cloud that wouldn’t allow me to penetrate it.
I turned and glanced at the box stores behind me and did the same thing. The noise that filled my head made me cover my ears. Not only did thoughts accost me, but the living souls caressed me with warmth. I focused back on the black hole before me. Even in the Farm colony on Staten Island, I felt the ghosts’ energy.
The absence of anything pushed me forward, and I darted across the lawn towards the large brick building with EVAK and TOAST spray painted in white which stood out even in the semi-darkness.
I made it to the door tucked in the middle of the building with my heart pounding, and I leaned against it to catch my breath. Iron chains blocked the door, so I closed my eyes, concentrating on breaking the metal. The rattle and thump on the overgrown path followed. I opened my eyes and tried the doorknob, but it didn’t budge. Still holding the knob, I concentrated on unlocking it from the inside. The creaking of the lock turning was loud enough to set my nerves on edge.
I twisted and the door opened. Dust and decay wafted out with a hiss of air. I coughed and covered my mouth. I paused because I did not want to cross the threshold until the tickle in my nose abated. With a final sneeze, I stepped through the door and closed it behind me. Darkness enveloped me. I let the sparks on my fingers turn to a controlled flame, lighting a small area before me.
I moved slowly and took shallow breaths, but even so, the air left my mouth stale and dry, like it was trying to turn me into a relic like the building itself. I used the walls as a barrier between me and my back, always trying to make sure nothing could come from that direction. The floor creaked under my weight, and each step announced my presence whether I wanted it to or not.
I paused and pulled a blade into my free hand before I stepped out of the trashed lobby and into the long dark hallway that led into the belly of the building.
Nothing stirred. I kept to the side of the hallway, avoiding the middle that occasionally sagged, but even that didn’t stop the groaning of the boards under me. Leading with the knife, I shuffled halfway down, peeking in each room to see if it matched Gabriel’s description or showed any indication of similarity to what I saw on television.
It was darker than either, but it was nighttime, so no light but my flame penetrated the darkness. When I closed my hand, blackness engulfed me. The kind that made my heart drum in my chest and my saliva dry in my mouth. Dust tickled my nose and I stayed still in the dark, leaning against the wall.
I used my otherworldly senses and spread my essence throughout the building like I had on Staten Island, but I took my time. In my mind’s eye, I was actually walking from room to room starting on the top floor and moving downward until I happened upon my form standing like a frozen sentry.
Nothing sparked my senses. Not even spirits. The complete absence of anything, even a rodent, made me pause. I opened my eyes and unclenched my fist, letting the fire lick my fingers and light up the hallway.
I hadn’t gone down to the basement because the thought gave me a shiver. The stairwell was just a few steps away, on the other side of the drooping floor. I hurried across, trying to be light on my feet. The creak that ripped through the hallway claimed my breath. My foot sank, and I leaped the remainder of the way.
The floor where I had catapulted from crumbled away, leaving a small hole that seemed to grow with each lasting vibration. I escaped into the stairwell and nearly teetered off the landing into an abyss below. I grabbed the railing to steady myself. Of course, my fire went out. I stood still in the blackness with my breath coming in ragged pulls.
I tucked the knife away in the sheath and let my fingers spark into a flame. The entire building seemed to be shaking now. I was only a few hundred feet from the entrance, but when I looked back into the hallway, most of the floor had caved into the darkness below. Either way was going to be difficult.
I had no idea what was below, but at this point, I had ruled out this building, and now with the floor caving into the basement, I doubted Lucifer would put himself in such a precarious position.
Alex’s phone buzzed in my pocket, but I didn’t have the time to answer it. I had to make up my mind which way I was going to try to go before this building collapsed on me. I chose the hallway and jumped from edge to edge like Kylee and I had done across the quicksand.
I fell out the front door onto the grass and scrambled to my feet as the rumbling got louder. I ran towards the concrete building to the right side of the monstrous structure before the middle section dipped noticeably, tilting the side wings drastically enough so people would notice at first light. A plume of dust puffed out the door, but I was out of the debris zone by the time it cleared.
I stumbled and fell on the grass, trying to catch my breath. I sat up and stared at the building. That was just too convenient to be a coincidence. I was positive now that Lucifer was somewhere on this campus.
The phone buzzed again, and I pulled it out of my pocket, answering it with a swipe.
“Hello?” I said, still breathing heavily.
“F-Faith?”
“Mr. Ryan?”
“Y-yes. Th-they w-want me t-to s-stay overnight f-for observation.”
Hearing him struggle to speak broke my heart. It meant the hit on his head was worse than I had thought. “Is Valerie there?”
The phone shuffled.
“Faith, where are you?” she asked, concern flooding her voice.
“I’m fine,” I said, ignoring her question. “Your mojo didn’t fix him?”
She took a deep breath. “It will, but sometimes when it’s this serious, it takes time. The hit to his head triggered his stutter again, but it should be fine by morning. By the way, the cauterization job you did was fantastic. You sure you don’t want to go into the medical field?”
I laughed softly. “Yes, I’m sure.” I would be a disaster in an operating room.
“T-tell her to w-wait f-for me,” CJ said in the background.
“Tell him to get some rest. I’ll be careful,” I said, not really answering him. I disconnected the call before he could get into my head. I had no intention of waiting. Not when I knew Lucifer was here, and I was pretty sure he knew someone had breached one of the buildings.
If anyone else had gone into that building besides me... I shivered at the thought of them falling through the floor and having the building partially implode on them.
I tucked the phone into my pocket and climbed to my feet. The light from the Home D
epot parking lot cast long shadows over the land between me and the concrete building. I was out in the open, so I bolted to the nearest tree and leaned against it as my heart pounded at my stupidity.
Despite the adrenaline still surging in my veins, the aches and pains of the day were starting to rear their heads. My shoulder throbbed in time with my heartbeat and my legs ached from being in a car for so long. I was glad I was on my feet.
I took a moment to assess the building I was heading for. The geometric pattern of it struck me as odd, but it was concrete, so unless Lucifer had it wired with explosives, it would probably be the safest building here. The door hung on the frame in the entry, and it swayed any time the wind blew, creaking and in need of some oil to stop the grating sound.
I scanned the rest of the area and then zeroed my focus on the door. Before I reached the count of three in my head, I was bolting across the open field. Thankfully, I was wearing black. At least my clothes blended in with the night.
I maneuvered around the door without touching it and squared myself with my back to the open air. I stepped as lightly as I could. The floor was solid and didn’t announce my presence as I made my way across the graffiti-decorated entry.
Shadows filled the area, but at least I could see in the semi-darkness thanks to the lighting filtering in from the parking lot across the barren field. The farther in I got, the more the light faded, and dusty decay filtered into my nose, causing me to itch before I sneezed.
Unfortunately, I’d never been able to sneeze quietly, so when three escaped in quick succession, the echo filled the concrete chambers bouncing against the walls until it returned to me like a mountain yodel.
Whatever element of surprise I had was surely killed.
Still, I moved forward with flames licking my fingers for light. When I stepped beyond the weirdly placed walls and into the main hall, I stopped. That familiar itch centered between my shoulders. I imagined my deadly barrier surrounding me, and I stepped forward, more sure of myself now that I had my protection up.
Something leaped from the dark. I didn’t have time to react. It hit me with the force of a car, sending me flying into the hard wall. My barrier hadn’t worked, but my fire certainly did. I sent a plume in the direction it came. An inhuman shriek of pain filled the air, and I caught a glimpse of a large entity moving out of my sight. A moment later, the door banged on its hinge.