by J. E. Taylor
“I told you he would come with some lame subterfuge,” Promethis bellowed from the far corner of the ledge. He stepped out of the shadows in his larger than life form, and turned his hateful stare in my direction.
I withered under it, fear lacing my throat like some vile poison I couldn’t swallow. I tried to speak, to refute his lies, but only a squeak of derision escaped my constricted chest. I took another step back and Lazarus’ grip tightened, holding me in place. My head snapped in his direction and I saw the hazy image of his glamour. His gaze was trained on something behind me and the crease between his eyebrows captured his angst.
I took a quick glance over my shoulder and my heart dropped to my feet. Terror encompassed me at the unending gorge less than a step behind me. The nightmare bloomed and I snapped my gaze back to the crowd and the clear malice radiating from them. This situation was a total loss and if we didn’t get the hell out of Dodge, I was sure I’d see where that never-ending pit went.
“Get me out of here Lazarus,” I whispered and hated the way my voice shook.
His grip tightened painfully on my wrist as the crowd of reapers stormed the ledge.
Don’t Fear the Reaper
Chapter 31
Vertigo and the sensation of falling gripped me and I squeezed my eyes shut.
The soles of my shoes slapped the floor, sending a painful vibration up through my body and I opened my eyes to my empty kitchen. My wrist throbbed and the knife pulsed in the case and without thinking, I pulled it from the sheath and spun.
A hooded being stood behind me, reaching for me in that threatening manner I was becoming accustom to and without hesitation, I plunged the blade into the center of its ribcage. The pain filled wail echoed off the kitchen walls and I twisted the blade, finishing off the diabolical beast.
The reaper exploded into a whirlwind of dust, but that didn’t override the shuffle behind me and I turned, already in fight mode with the knife brandished before me.
“Easy boy,” Lazarus whispered, his hands in front of him in innocent defense.
My muscles clenched, taut and ready to strike, but my mind recognized the friendly face giving the stand down order. It took a moment to register, but when it did, relief flooded through my veins, chilling me and turning my body into a wobbly pool of flesh. I lowered the knife and took an uncertain step toward the table, but my legs wouldn’t hold my weight. Lazarus caught me and helped me to a chair.
“Did I get him?” I asked, pointing the knife in the direction of the dissipating dust.
“No. That wasn’t Promethis.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry for putting you in danger. I honestly thought reasoning with them would work.”
I wanted to say I told you so, but when I opened my mouth, “You didn’t know,” came out. I offered him a smile that said I was just fine, no harm, no foul. “How are we going to stop what they have planned tomorrow?”
He shook his head and slumped in the chair, looking every bit a teenager instead of an ancient being. I offered a quiet sigh. Before I could speak, the rattle of keys interrupted my train of thought. I turned toward the hallway and my mother walked into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway with a frown on her lips.
I glanced back toward where I killed the reaper and understood her unhappy expression. A thin layer of dirt covered the island and the counters.
“What happened in here?”
I met her questioning stare. “I killed another reaper.”
Her gaze snapped to Lazarus. “You were supposed to watch after him,” she said, pointing in my direction. “Where were you when this happened?”
“It’s not his fault, Mom,” I said in response to her accusatory tone and when she turned her stark stare in my direction, I continued. “Besides, I’m the one with the knife and I’m the one they’re gunning for.”
“He’s the one assigned to protect you.”
I laughed. “What do you expect Lazarus to do?”
“I expect him to protect you.”
“Ma’am, I am doing my best,” Lazarus said. “If I had gotten here a few seconds earlier, I would have taken care of it, but your son seems to have a sixth sense when something isn’t right and a warrior’s split-second reactions that give him an advantage.”
“My son is only thirteen. He shouldn’t have to have warrior’s reactions. He should be out playing baseball or soccer or surfing with his friends, and not be the one responsible for stopping the apocalypse.” She threw her pocketbook on the table and stormed from the room.
Lazarus and I exchanged a glance and then I went after her. I found her face down on her bed and when I placed my hand on her shoulder, tremors from her silent sobs resonated in my fingertips. “Mom, everything is going to be fine,” I said, with a confidence I didn’t feel.
She lifted her tear stained face from the pillow and met my gaze. “You don’t know that.”
I shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed. “I promise I’ll be okay.” I almost laughed at the certainty in my tone and wondered if my mother would detect the lie.
I couldn’t promise anything except that if I failed, it wouldn’t matter.
Victory or death.
That’s about as strong a motivator as anything I’ve ever known and I stared into her deep brown eyes offering a smile. “Trust me.”
Don’t Fear the Reaper
Chapter 32
The thump of the basketball on the asphalt seemed to clear my mind and I took the jump shot, hitting nothing but net from the three-point line etched in the driveway. Lazarus caught the ball and passed it back to me. I wiped the sweat off my brow and set up for another shot but Lazarus blocked and I spun out of the way, ducking under his arm and taking another shot.
“That’s game.” I said and retrieved the ball, bouncing it into the garage before lying down in a shady spot on the side lawn. Big fluffy clouds drifted in lazy clumps in the sky, creating discernable patterns before breaking up again.
Lazarus sat next to me picking at the grass.
Neither of us spoke.
A shadow spread over us and I propped up on my elbows, meeting Julia’s gaze as she approached. I hadn’t seen her since she bolted from the house Friday night, and without a word, she stretched on the grass next to me and studied the clouds.
Silence prevailed and I relaxed back on the ground offering an arm for her to lie on and she moved closer, using my shoulder as a pillow. I’m sure I didn’t smell that great after an hour of one on one with Lazarus, but she didn’t seem to mind.
I sighed, content to watch the emerging patterns for the time being. There was still half a day left before sundown and I was hell bent on enjoying it. I still had no clue how I was going to stop the explosion tonight.
Explosion.
Explosion equals energy.
I shot up to a sitting position like a rocket taking off.
“Energy.” I glanced at Lazarus.
“What about it?”
I unclipped the knife and studied it before I met his gaze. “You said this absorbs energy.” I twirled the blade in my fingers.
“Yes, but...” He fell silent and I could see my thought process catching up in the morphing of his expression. But then his excitement became shadowed and dark. “I see where you’re going, son, but that is just as dangerous as standing in the middle of a lightning storm.”
I raised my eyebrow, challenging him.
Julia sat up and crossed her legs. “What are you proposing?”
“I stopped the reapers at the school by using the energy from a lightning strike against them,” I said. “I think I can do that again tonight.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Lazarus argued. “It will absorb the energy, but then it compounds and if you can’t hold onto it, the knife could unleash something ten times as powerful and then it won’t just be York wiped from the map.”
“I was able to make those reapers disappear along with the tornado and no one was hurt.”
“Yes, but be
ing struck by lightning and harnessing an explosion are two completely different things.”
“You were struck by lightning?” Julia interrupted and I nodded.
“I blocked it with the knife,” I said and focused back on Lazarus. “Do you have a better idea?”
“No, I don’t have a better idea, but I’m not sure you realize what directing that kind of energy will do.”
His cautious tone pricked my interest and I willed him to explain.
“You realize, when you direct that power toward the reapers, this time you won’t just be displacing them, like you did with the storm,” Lazarus said.
“So?”
“You will destroy any reaper in the area.”
I couldn’t care less about the reapers sent to destroy my town and I shrugged in response.
“Any reaper in the area,” he said again, enunciating each word.
Julia got it before I did and her hand flew to her open mouth, covering the gasp. I turned toward her and her wide-eyed gaze triggered the answer. I shot my gaze toward Lazarus.
“Any reaper?”
He nodded and I fell back on the ground, covering my face and cursing softly under my breath. “Is that why you don’t want me to try this?”
“No.”
I met his gaze. “Then why?”
“Because it could kill you, too.”
I huffed and stared back at the clouds. “This sucks.”
“Nick, please don’t do it,” Julia said.
I turned my head and stared at her tear-filled eyes. “I have to,” I whispered and took her hand in mine, bringing it to my lips and planting a kiss on her knuckles. “And I need you to stay home tonight, or better yet, see if your aunt can take you down to Portsmouth to the mall or a movie or something.”
She yanked her hand from mine and the tears evaporated into an angry glare. “If you think for one second I’m not going to be standing by your side, you are out of your mind.”
“Julia...”
“No Nick, I’m not staying home.” She crossed her arms and stuck out her chin in that adorably defiant way I loved, but right now, it just fueled the fire.
“I...”
“Actually,” Lazarus interrupted.
“Actually, what?” I wasn’t going to be railroaded by either of them.
“It might be safer for both Julia and your mother to be with you,” he said.
“No. You’re going to stay with them and keep them safe.”
“I can’t. If I so much as touch either of them, they’ll die.”
I had forgotten that little tidbit and slammed my fist into the ground in frustration. “So I not only have to sacrifice my friend, I now have to add worrying about my mother and girlfriend while I’m trying to save this town?”
“It appears so,” Lazarus said.
A whole host of inappropriate responses bubbled up, but I clamped my lips shut and stood, heading toward the ocean and the quiet calm of the sea. Julia caught up with me after a few strides.
“I need some time alone,” I said and she stopped matching my stride. I didn’t look back, instead I broke into a jog that turned into a sprint. Trying to outrun responsibility was a futile act and by the time I reached the shore, my chest burned with both exertion and the weight of what I had to do tonight.
I sat and untied my sneakers, ditching them near the high tide mark and walked to the water line halfway down the beach. The frigid spring water bit at my toes, numbing them on contact and I stepped further into the tide, relishing the burn of the cold against my bare ankles and calves. I stopped at my knees, letting the chill settle through me like a comforting blanket.
The line of boats had already begun to gather, heading one by one around The Nubble Lighthouse and out of sight. I was sure the barge holding the fireworks was already anchored at Short Sands beach and I wondered which one of the boats carried destruction as their copilot.
I nibbled on my lip, turning over the plan in my head. I wish my dad was here. The thought came from deep down in my psyche and I clenched my jaws, shaking it from my mind. I couldn’t think about my father. Not now. Not with everything at stake.
If I survived this night, I’d figure out a way to get him away from Leviathan.
If.
A big, whopping if.
Doubt settled, blackening my mood as the sun dipped lower on the horizon. My last thought before I turned to head home drenched my skin with dread.
Can I really stop this?
Don’t Fear the Reaper
Chapter 33
I walked onto the green like a prisoner walking into the jail yard for the first time, lost and wary of the fact not one reaper was visible. My mother flanked me on the right, Julia on my left and Lazarus followed behind. I scanned the growing crowd with my hand resting on the hilt of the knife, waiting for the worst.
Night settled faster than it did in the height of the summer and we weaved our way to the boardwalk and the beach beyond. A ribbon barrier blocked off the beach from the gathering hoard and I glanced at the array of beach blankets and folding chairs littering the lawn in anticipation of the fireworks.
Low tide left a hefty stretch of beach before us and at least three football fields beyond the breaking waves sat the barge. I brought the binoculars to my eyes, scanning the two boats flanking the barge. An empty dinghy was tied to the right side of the barge and I wasn’t able to see the contents below the rim of the boat, especially with the pale grey cover snapped over the aft section.
Another boat sat anchored on the other side within reach of a small ladder. This one carried a small group of men tasked with lighting the display. I lowered the binoculars and turned toward Lazarus. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to save everyone, especially the people on the other side of the barge.” I handed him the binoculars.
He surveyed the sea and lowered the spyglasses, handing them back to me.
“Where are all the reapers?” I asked.
Lazarus turned and scanned the crowd and his mouth formed a frown. “They’re here but they’re all wearing glamours.”
I turned toward the crowd and my jaw dropped. I didn’t know who was who and my gaze shot to Lazarus. “How am I going to take them out if I don’t know whether someone’s a reaper or a person?”
Lazarus dropped his gaze to my hip. “Listen to the knife,” he said.
My heart banged against my chest and my palms broke out in sweat. Full panic mode took over and it was ugly. I sat down on the edge of the boardwalk and leaned over, dropping my head to my knees to stop the rushing roar that filled my head. I squeezed my eyes closed, ignoring both Julia and my mother as they tried to gain my attention.
Breathe.
The word whispered in my ear, the tone familiar and calming. It took me a moment to recognize the voice and I almost laughed. It was mine. My inner voice that always calms me before a game or a karate match and I listened, counting my breaths as I drew them in slowly and exhaled in the same manner.
The world stopped spinning and I turned my face toward my mother. “I’m okay. I just needed a minute,” I said and sat up, scanning the area again. “Let’s go over there, it’s in the shadows and we have the rocks at our backs so no one can sneak up behind us.”
“I don’t think they’ll let us go beyond the tape,” my mother said and I rolled my eyes and hopped to my feet. I walked the length of the walk, with them trailing behind me and when I reached the corner where the rock wall cast a shadow, I jumped down on the sand and turned, putting my hand out to help Julia and my mother follow suit.
Lazarus was next.
I pointed for the three of them to slide by the cone and settle in the corner of an alcove and I stood watch, backing up only when they had disappeared into the shadow.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The sharp words broke the quiet at this end of the beach and I turned, staring at a cop who stood with his arms crossed.
My hand dropped to the hilt of the knife and I offered a smile. “I�
�m sorry officer, but I think I dropped my iPod on the beach earlier today and I was just looking for it.”
He took a step closer and the knife started its warning vibration.
Something about using a cop as a glamour rubbed me wrong and I straightened my back and gripped the handle of my knife. He reacted by dropping his hand to the butt of his gun. Motion behind him caught my attention and I realized the officer wasn’t the danger, but the dark figure behind him was.
“Duck,” I snarled and actually felt the command escape in a rush of wind. The cop fell to his hands and knees and I launched the knife at the chest of the reaper, the blade pulsed with light and landed true, erasing the glamour and leaving a black cloak flailing in pain. The first note of the band drowned the wail of the reaper and I leapt over the crouching cop, grabbed the handle of the knife and twisted the blade into the reapers bony ribs.
After the dust devil settled, I turned toward the kneeling police officer, sheathing the knife and shrugging. “I’m sorry.”
His eyes kept jumping from the space behind me and back to me and I could see the confusion muddled with terror in his eyes. “What was that?”
I bit my lip, glancing toward the crowd and then looked at the ocean before bringing my gaze back to his. I had made the man duck, I felt the power leap from my chest and bend him to my will. It was a heady feeling and a responsibility I did not want.
“You never saw me or the reaper. Now move along,” I whispered, hoping there was still a little of the unwanted capability left.
Like a good soldier, he blinked and turned away, wandering back toward the crowd.
I stared after him and then backed into the shadows, feeling for the cold rocks and praying no one on this side of the realm or on the other side saw that little display of power.