Graveyard Uprisings

by Jason Paul Rice

  She said, “Yes.”

  The mage closed his eyes and his lips started moving. He tapped his wand on the table three times and opened his eyelids. Suddenly, the pen in the server’s hand took on a mind of its own and jumped out of her hand. The writing device floated in front of her, and the people at the table appeared stunned.

  I wasn’t impressed. “You shouldn’t be wasting magic on stuff like that. It should only be used for noble purposes, not showing off to impress girls.”

  Felix defended himself, “Providing pleasure to a lovely woman is never a waste. I’m not using it for dark purposes, don’t worry about that, wizard.”

  He was already wearing on my last nerve. “It’s Mike, okay? I don’t go by wizard, and I don’t go around bragging about the special skills I have.”

  “It’s not bragging to talk about something you are proud of,” Satoku defended him and it appeared that it was going to be two against one. “I really think this city would be safest if you two put your differences aside and worked together.”

  Felix tucked his jade wand back under the table. “Wouldn’t be the worst idea considering I’m doing consulting work for your mom now.” He raised his chin toward me. “What do you think about the uprisings?”

  Son of a bitch. Even Satoku’s mother/my partner was going behind my back. “Not sure yet. Could be that vamps are using some sort of necromancy to bring the bodies up. Thought it could be a revenant, but it’s been buried too long for that.”

  He opined, “I’m starting to think it might be the Sendal Spirits.”

  “And why is that?” Sendal Spirits were extremely dangerous because they had been rejected by heaven and hell. Then the rejects combined with other rejected spirts and souls. You ended up with a super spirit that could do some serious damage.

  He bit his fingernail, making loud crunching sounds. “This doesn’t really have the feel of the Red Cavern. The Sendals are a powerful entity that could grab hold over a body and soul to make it undead. They could be raising an army of the undead.” He turned away from Satoku and spat out the fingernail remnants.

  The waitress dropped off my Coke. I bent the straw over the side and took a generous gulp. “What for, though?”

  He continued, “The same reason every country in the world has an army. Power. To grab it or hold onto it. Although, I don’t suspect this plan will be wrought out of self-defense. The spirits are ethereal and usually dwell betwixt two worlds so maybe they are looking for a permanent home.”

  This kid was making a good bit of sense. If the Dybbuk Boxes were any indication, the Sendal Spirits could be conspiring to take over the city. They were an unknown commodity because alone they don’t present much of a problem. There must have been a catalyst to bring them together.

  My mind flashed back to the Dark Artistry box I had opened, causing an emission of red gas.

  Satoku lay her head on Felix’s shoulder. “Let me out. I need to go to the bathroom.” She practically had to move him off the bench. He must’ve thought he was being cute.

  I put on my serious face. “Listen. I know what you are up to.”

  He looked down at his fingernails, debating which one to chomp on next. “Really. What am I up to? Because surely, I should know.”

  “I know what you are doing with her.”

  He took a drink of his Dr. Pepper, and I sensed nervousness coming from him. “Again. Enlighten me, oh wise one.”

  I warned him, “You really should watch your mouth around people that know much more magic than you do.”

  He chuckled, “I also know that the noble Mike Merlino would never use magic to settle a grudge with another white hat. However, you should worry that I don’t live under those same constraints. I can do whatever I want. No limits.”

  Go ahead. I’ll haul your sorry ass in front of the Celtic Gods and they will deal with you. “I’ve disobeyed the Gods before when I was pushed too far. You want to keep pushing.”

  Satoku came back and I smiled at her. She saw right through it. She said, “Holy testosterone in the air. You could cut it with a damn knife.”

  “Or wand,” Felix joked, and Satoku cracked up. I remained silent.

  “What do you want to do tonight, Satoku?” Felix smirked at me. Little punk.

  She said, “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

  He shrugged his shoulders, and Satoku looked at me. “What about you? What are you doing tonight?”

  I didn’t want to sound like a loser, but she knew I didn’t have plans. “I actually have some work to do that might shed some light on these graveyard uprisings.”

  Felix interjected, “You can save your time, bro. I’ll have this all figured out before too long. Save your time and chillax. I’ll take care of this one.”

  I laughed. Not just because he used the word chillax. “We’ll see about that.”

  Satoku suggested, “Why don’t you two work together?”

  I said, “Maybe if he can check his attitude at the door I’ll let him in the building.”

  Felix fired back, “Maybe if he can stop acting like a prick. You know, when I was killing those demons, not just detaining them, none of them stood a chance.”

  My blood started to boil. “Yeah, well, when I was going one on one with the Jersey Devil, a demi-devil, I…”

  “Enough,” Satoku shouted, and looked at me. “Why are you doing this? I asked you to be civil.”

  You’ve got to be kidding me right now. “I tried. Why is it okay for him to boast about the insects, but I can’t say a word about anything?”

  She softened her tone, still angry, “He’s proud of something he did and talked about it. You were bragging only to mock him and make him feel inferior.”

  What the hell was going on here?

  Felix whispered to her, “Told you.”

  I’d had enough of this prick. “Told her what, you little pipsqueak? I could choke you out before you could even touch me with any magic.”

  Satoku yelled, “Stop it. This has been a disaster.” She turned to Felix. “You ready to go?”

  “Yep. It’s been real, wizard.” He flashed a sideways peace sign as he got up. Fucking hipsters.

  “Are you guys going to stiff me on the bill too?”

  Felix crumpled up a hundred-dollar bill and threw it on the table, leaving with my girlfriend, who didn’t even look back at me on the way out.

  Double Shit. This did not go how I wanted it to. If I hadn’t been worrying about the flat tire, I would have been much calmer.

  I paid the bill and decided to go home.

  I walked in the front door and Carolyn was sitting on the couch with Colossus. I couldn’t believe that my dog had warmed up to the vampire. I went to join them on the couch.

  Before my cheeks hit the cushion, Carolyn asked, “How was the date, lover boy?”

  I sank into the cushions. “Are you familiar with the Titanic, by chance? The real one or the movie, take your pick. This was much, much worse.”

  She put her hand over her mouth. “Oh no. What did you do?”

  I explained, “I didn’t do anything. I hope another stone man shows up tonight because I feel like destroying something. The kid is just an unlikable prick and she took his side the entire time. I pretty much just picked her up and put her in that doofus’s arms. Too bad he probably can’t even carry her.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow, you really hate this guy, huh?”

  I paused, figuring out how to best explain it. “I tried not to, but the little guy pushes my buttons. I need to somehow shove it to the side and concentrate on the uprisings. I can’t let this kid solve this case before I do. Hopefully Jonathan can tell me something worthwhile about those boxes.”

  She put her hand on my knee. “You need to be careful with him like I said. He’s well versed in telekinesis and he’ll be able to tell if you’re lying. You need to convince yourself that it isn’t a lie and you have no idea who or where I am.”

  I was honest. “You’re t
he first vampire I’ve ever befriended. It’s going to be hard to forget about you. I do need to be careful around him though. I understand that. What are you going to do while I’m gone?”

  “Maybe I’ll clean this dump up for you.” She giggled.

  “It’s not that bad.”

  “Sure, sure. I might hang out with Reg later. He’s always a good time.” She unleashed a devilish smile.

  “Just be careful.”

  “You mean use protection?” she joked.

  “No. But that’s always a good idea too. I mean be careful considering you have vamps from every clan looking for you. He can’t exactly just run away if something gets out of hand.” I leaned down and scratched under my dog’s chin.

  She slapped my cheek playfully. “Don’t you worry, little brother, I’ll take care of him. It’s cute that you two care about each other so much. You should hear the way he rambles on about you. I expected him to pull out some trophies after all the bragging he did about you.”

  “He’s the father I never had and he’s a hell of a lot of fun to hang out with too. Not to mention, he likes Jameson. Speaking of which, would you like a drink?”

  “Sure, I’ll go for one.”

  I poured two drinks and ended up talking to Carolyn until after midnight. Then I got ready for my meeting with Jonathan.

  11

  My damaged car (luckily just some body damage) coasted to a stop at the entrance of the Purple House and the valet greeted me at his stand. “Are you Mike Merlino?”

  “Yes.”

  His hand dove into his front pants pocket, sending a ripple of shock down my spine. If I saw silver or black, I may have to fuck this valet up. The guy pulled out a purple cell phone, pressed a few buttons on the screen and put it against his ear. “Send them out.”

  Uh, send whom out? That didn’t sound like the welcoming party that I wanted to see. The valet walked over to my side of the car. “Jonathan said you would need help carrying something in.”

  I exhaled. A vampire and a gentleman. I was really starting to like Jonathan. I should temper that considering if he knew a certain secret, he would kill me without issue.

  Three vampires came out the front door and walked toward my car. It all made sense now after a slight heart attack. I opened the trunk, handed the boxes to the three men, and grabbed the last one. I closed the trunk and tossed the keys to the valet. The three carriers followed me inside the front door.

  I went to the reception desk and the same woman as the previous time was sitting in a black leather chair with her long legs on the desk.

  “I’m here to see Jonathan again. He’s expecting me.”

  She licked her lips. “Name please.”

  Come on Ms. Lady Bitch, I was basically here yesterday. “Mike Merlino.”

  She picked up the receiver and punched a few numbers into the phone. She twirled the cord and smiled with her eyes at me. “Hello, Mr. Rickleshaw. I have a Mike Merlino here to see you.” She hung up the phone and looked up at me. “He’ll be right out to greet you.”

  “Thank you,” I said, and wandered around the lobby area trying to get this box out of my hands. I could feel the dark energy pulses of heat coming from it, almost like a beating heart. The three vampire carriers stood against the wall as Jonathan came out, zipping up his black pants.

  Strange. I said, “Jonathan, great to see you again.” I heightened my mental faculties for this meeting. Jonathan was one of the most powerful vampires in Pittsburgh so I can’t let my guard down.

  He didn’t glance at me because he was fixated on the boxes. “Where did you say you got these?”

  Hmm. How much can I tell him? “Unfortunately, that gets filed under client detective privilege. No offense to you, but I won’t be getting many clients if I disclosed their personal information to vampires. No offense, again.” I tried to be delicate.

  He brushed some dirt off one of the boxes, and studied the object diligently. “When you are as old as I, one doesn’t get offended easily. Most times, that is. When it becomes personal, then we have a problem. Let’s get these into my office.”

  We carried them down the hall and set the boxes next to Jonathan’s desk. One of the vamps said, “Will there be anything else required, master?”

  “My friend here will take a glass of Jameson neat.” He turned to me for confirmation, and I nodded. He held the door. “And I’ll have my usual. Thank you.”

  The men gave a slight bow and vanished from the room. Jonathan closed the door and turned to me with a glow of excitement in his dark eyes. “Do you know what you have here?”

  I took an educated guess. “I’m pretty sure they are Dybbuk Boxes.”

  He chuckled, which triggered a short bout of coughing, then he gathered himself. “You’re damn right they’re Dybbuk Boxes. Some of the nicest ones I’ve ever seen. They appear to be eastern European. Polish if I’m not mistaken. These have a crossover appeal for people into the occult and collectors of finely crafted cases, cabinets and furniture in general. They are worth some real money. I have to admit, I expected you to bring by the usual run of the mill shit boxes, but these--these are impressive.” He spoke with passion and excitement.

  “When do you think they were made?”

  He debated the question for a moment as he wrestled with his pony tail. “These are nice and old. Late seventeenth, early eighteenth century. Top of the line craftsmanship too. I can have my crew clean all the dirt from these and they will look amazing. Two questions. Was this all of them, and were the doors open when you found them?” He finally pulled the ponytail holder out of his hair, unleashing wild Jonathan. He took on a creepier, more sinister look, and I thought it was aimed purposefully at intimidation.

  “They were all open. This is four out of a dozen. The family said they were going to burn the rest of them.”

  He immediately questioned me, “Did they burn them yet?”

  “I don’t know.” A rush of air came from behind me and I peered over my shoulder at the same drink girl with rich, dark skin and barely a shirt and skirt to cover her appealing package. She shook her hips past me and served the elder first. Probably smart on her part.

  She dropped Jonathan’s thick, red “drink” off and curtsied. Her wide welcoming eyes almost sucked me in as she extended her arm. I grabbed the drink. “Thank you.”

  She turned around and shoved her ass out. “Will you require anything else, master?”

  “That’ll be all,” the elder vamp responded, and she shook her way through the door.

  “Like her? Join us and she’s yours whenever you desire. Most of the others are even better than her, by the way,” he tempted me.

  I’m not going to lie, I could understand why people would want to become a vampire. Jonathan put an attractive offer on the table full of fringe benefits.

  Jonathan took a big gulp of his beverage and smiled at me. “Back to the boxes. You should check. You could earn a lot more money from more boxes. Also, we can re-trap the spirits that have escaped. The only way to get them back inside is to keep the boxes intact.”

  That wasn’t good. “I could make a phone call.”

  “By all means, please do.” Jonathan pressed a button on his desk and a flat screen computer monitor rose slowly from the desk. He put in a pair of earbuds as I searched for the number.

  I called the couple and found out they had already burned all the remaining boxes. Judging by the grimacing looks on Jonathan’s face, he was eavesdropping on my call. The vampire had a passion for antiques.

  I made it official. “No luck. They’re gone.”

  He nodded with a clenched jaw. “Too bad. If any spirits escaped those boxes, they are free to play now. I’ll find out some information on these and then we can take them to market. What do you think?”

  “Sounds good to me.” My new vampire friends were much cooler than Felix.

  “Great. I’ve helped you with a problem. Are you helping me with my problem?” He leaned his head forward, ha
ir covering one side of his face.

  I convinced myself of the lie. Believe it. Believe it. “No word yet. Can you give me any more clues as to where she might be?”

  “I cannot, but she is still around.” He used his middle finger to sweep his hair behind his ear. The elder stared at me with his menacing eyes probing me.

  My heart pounded as he stared at me. I swallowed a mouthful of Jameson but my throat was still dry. I didn’t like lying to an elder vamp. It felt like someone had sprinkled itching powder over my entire body. He’s lived about five-hundred and eighty years longer than I have and I’m a bad liar.

  “So she’s been spotted?” I looked down at my drink as I waited for him to answer.

  He knocked on his desk four times. “Somewhat. A few of our clan left today to track her down and never returned. I can only suspect they ran into her.”

  I needed to throw him off the scent. “Pardon my ignorance, but I thought vampires couldn’t function during the day.”

  He slid back into his enormous chair that rivaled a throne. “It’s a myth. We are creatures of the night, but functioning during daylight is necessary at times. The advantage is flipped. If you and I were to battle during the day, it would be to your advantage. However, if we dueled during the dark hours, I would hope your life insurance was in order.” He didn’t laugh, chuckle or giggle as I hoped. He said it in a matter-of-fact way, implying that he could squash me like a bug.

  I tried not to let it rattle me. “If they are all vamps…”

  He cut me off, leaning forward in his chair and raising his voice, “Vamp. Pires. Not vamps. Never vamps.”

  That made my hands sweat some more. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that was a pejorative term.”

  He asked, “Would you like to be called a hum?”

  “What?”

  “I get sick of saying the full word human so I will just call you a hum. That is the equivalent. Doesn’t it sound stupid?” He set his elbows on the gold armrests.