Resurrection - Episode 1 (Lost Souls)

by Laurel O'Donnell

  Christian looked up and then down at the stair.

  “You hit a Changed with iron, with enough force, it disrupts them and forces them to use energy to re-form. My sword is made out of iron. That’s how I kept that Changed from sucking you dry. Every time they get disrupted, they lose some of their energy. They lose enough energy, they usually run away to come back and play another day.”

  “Did you ever hit one enough times where it got permanently disrupted and disappeared forever?”

  “No. They’re not that stupid.”

  Samantha guided him down the rest of the way, pointing out holes and broken stairs. They reached the bottom of the stairway. A hallway led straight before them, an opening immediately to their right and another one farther down on their left. Samantha sighed. She didn’t think she could maneuver through this maze of hallways anymore. And she didn’t really want to try. “This is the second section. It’s a maze. There are two ways to get through it. One, is to actually navigate through. The other…” She reached for his shoulder.

  Christian stepped back, his hands raised. “No more free falling.”

  Samantha smiled and he lowered his hands. “This is fazing. But since you’ve never seen the Crypt, and you don’t know how to faze, I’ll have to faze you over.”

  Christian’s lips thinned and he nodded slightly.

  Samantha laid her hand on his shoulder. She could feel the strength in his muscles. With training, he might actually be a good fighter.

  The room shifted, the metal walls wavered, and then suddenly they stood before a door. Samantha removed her hand from his shoulder. “That was fazing. You okay?”

  He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again and gave her a soft nod.

  “You’ll get used to it.” She motioned to the door. “This is the third obstacle.”

  “A door?”

  “An iron door. We can’t faze through iron.”

  “What, so iron is like your kryptonite or something?”

  “Yes, and no. It can disrupt us, like the Changed, yes. And we can’t move through it. But in small amounts it actually helps us build armor and we can use it as a weapon, or build things from ethereal energy if we infuse it with a touch of iron.”

  Beside the door was a rectangular black screen. Samantha put her palm over the screen, waited a moment, and then lowered her hand and stepped aside. “Place your hand there.”

  Christian summed up the rectangle with a sweeping glance. “What is it?”

  “To make sure you’re not Changed.”

  Christian put his hand over the rectangle with trepidation and winced.

  “There are sensors in the floor and cameras in the walls and ceiling. The system knows two people are here and two distinct hands have to pass over the sensor before the door will open.”

  Nearly timed perfectly with the end of her explanation, the door slid open. Samantha stepped through. The room was comfortably decorated with rich wooden end tables and paisley burgundy couches. Bookshelves filled to overflowing with different shapes and colors of books lined the two side walls.

  Samantha walked through the room, passing beneath an open archway. The second room had row upon row of books and a catwalk above, lined with even more books. A cherry wood desk sat against one wall, a laptop computer open. A man typed at the laptop; his dark hair fell over his face like a curtain as he leaned forward. Thick-rimmed glasses rested precariously on his nose.

  Two doors were built into the wall at the far end. Between them, two oversized chairs were filled by the large bodies of Luke and Brett. They were Daniels’ watchdogs. Luke was busy reading an old, leather bound book, the small book seeming tiny in his big hands. He was an ex-football jock, a front lineman of some sorts. Brett was gangly and dark-skinned. He used to be a cop or a fireman; Samantha never could remember which. Brett’s leg dangled over the arm of the chair and his darkly curled head was leaning back. Samantha would have thought Brett was sleeping, if she didn’t know him better, and if she didn’t know that sleep was a thing of their human past. She passed by them, muttering, “Boys.”

  Brett didn’t move.

  Luke grunted.

  Samantha walked to one of the wooden doors and looked back at Christian.

  “Damn,” he whispered in awe, looking up at the two-story ceiling.

  She shook her head and knocked gently before opening the door. She could have easily fazed through, but she might have lost Christian. As she entered, holding the door for Christian, an elderly man looked up from behind a large maple desk. He put down his pen and his face lit up when Christian entered. He stood. “Christian! Welcome. Welcome.”

  “Christian, this is Daniel,” Samantha introduced. “He’s a crotchety bastard at times, so don’t take him too seriously.”

  Daniel slanted Samantha an irritated frown.

  “He’ll be able to answer all of your questions.” She turned to leave the room.

  “Stay, Sam,” Daniel ordered.

  Samantha froze. She ground her teeth. Daniel knew full well she didn’t want to stay a second longer than she had to. She had fulfilled his request of watching out for Christian and bringing him in. “I’ve got other things to take care of.”

  “They can wait.”

  Outrage speared through her. He didn’t even know what they were and he was commanding her. Just like old times. She walked back to the desk, facing him. “Look, Daniel. I did as you asked. He’s here. I’ve got other things to do.”

  “We could use your help. Christian here could use your help. He needs training.”

  Samantha held up her hands. “No. I’m not taking on a freshie.”

  “Training?” Christian asked.

  “We need him. We need you to train him. You’re the best.”

  Samantha rested her hands on the desk and leaned forward. “I told you I’d watch him. I told you I’d bring him back. That’s it. I’m not training anyone.”

  “Samantha,” Daniel half begged, half warned.

  “I’m not.” She whirled and stalked toward the door.

  “Ben’s back.”

  Samantha froze, straightening.

  “He just got back today.”

  Damn it. Daniel still knew what buttons to press to control her. She turned to face the old man. “Where is he?”

  “Stay, Sam.”

  Samantha’s jaw tightened. “I’ll find him myself.” And she whirled, walking right through the door.

  ~~~

  Luke and Brett stood as Samantha exited Daniel’s office.

  Is that why they were waiting here? To stop her? They could try. “Where is he?”

  Luke stretched his hands out before him while Brett scratched his cheek. They were going to be of little help, siding with Daniel. She grit her teeth and fazed out of the room into the next. It would take time to find Ben without their help, but she could do it. She scanned the dusty beds; they were empty. She quickly fazed again.

  It was only a matter of finding which room he was in and the Crypt wasn’t that big.

  She fazed in on a group of men and one woman standing around a table, looking over a map. She couldn’t tell what it was a map of and she wasn’t interested. She knew all of them, but met the eyes of the leader, a slender man with a razor-thin moustache and goatee. “Where is he, Aiden?”

  Aiden lifted his head, a smile beginning to form on his lips. But when he met her eyes, the smile froze. “Hey, Sam. Last I saw him, he was in regen. You busy? You want in on --?”

  Regenerating? That meant he had been hurt. She fazed again to the regeneration room. The chairs were empty, the machines beside them still and soundless. She cursed quietly. Empty. She must have missed him.

  Where the devil was Ben?

  “Hello, Sammie.”

  She whirled. Ben stood near the door. His six foot four height dwarfed hers; his blue eyes stared at her with relief and muted happiness. His dark hair swept into his eyes. Damn, it was good to see him. She realized with a pang she had been worr
ied about her older brother. Even though she knew he could take care of himself, even though she knew he was more than capable of facing whatever came his way. He had been alone.

  She stood stoically before him. “You’re hurt?”

  “Not really. Had a run in with a Changed.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Pretty straightforward.” His gaze swept her with warmth that filled her soul. “You’re good?”

  Samantha shrugged. She had been anything but good for the past two months he had been gone. But she would never admit to him how much she missed him. “Daniel wanted me to bring back a freshie.”

  Ben scowled. “Why you?”

  She grimaced. “Apparently he wants me to train him.”

  Ben nodded in understanding. “He’s worried about you.”

  “There’s no reason to worry.” The old defense came naturally. She didn’t need anyone to worry about her. “I’m fine. I don’t need a partner.”

  “You’re one of the oldest. Hell, we both are. Cora was, too.”

  Samantha shook her head, pushing the thought of their little sister from her mind, pushing the twinge of guilt settling in her soul even farther away. “I’m not going to become one of them. I’m not changing.” That was especially true now that Ben was back. He would make sure.

  “Does this freshie have potential?”

  Samantha shrugged. “Possibly. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out.”

  “You should consider training him.”

  Samantha looked up at him, shocked. They both knew she didn’t need a partner when Ben was around. They looked out for each other. And then the realization struck her. “You didn’t find Cora.”

  Ben’s brow wrinkled and she saw agony flash in his eyes before he looked away. “No. It’s like… she just vanished.”

  “Ben –”

  He held up his hand. “Don’t. I’m going back to look for her. She has to be out there somewhere.”

  “I know what I saw. Her eyes were not like ours. She was angry.”

  “She’s family, Sam. I can’t just leave her out there. She’s a danger to us and to every other human out there.”

  Samantha straightened. “What are you going to do if you find her?”

  “I’m going to stop her.”

  They stared at each other. Stop her. “It takes centuries for them to acquire enough power to make the Jump. Are you going to follow her for centuries?”

  Ben nodded, his brows slanting over his blue eyes. “If that’s what it takes.”

  “And then what? Kill her? How can you be so cold? She is family,” Samantha hissed.

  “She’s not our sister anymore. She’s a Changed. She’s dangerous and –”

  Samantha shook her head. It was still the same old argument. The one they had two months ago before he left. “And you’re willing to do whatever you have to to stop her?”

  “Nothing can bring her back,” Ben said gently.

  She whirled away from him, her hands clenching to fists. “You don’t know that. There has to be something. We just haven’t found it yet. But instead of looking, you’re all ready to kill her.”

  Ben sighed. “She has to be stopped. And it’s better I do it than someone else.”

  She clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to keep the anger at bay. It was a dangerous emotion for them. One that could get hold of you and change you into something else, something evil. Anger was an emotion that could change you if left unchecked.

  “Sam.” Ben’s tone was carefully sympathetic. “Take the partner. I can see the struggle you’re having.”

  She didn’t reply, she couldn’t reply. Yes, she was struggling. Lately, the anger seemed to come so easily. She needed Ben to keep her rational, to keep her from changing. Cora had been the most level headed of all of them. How could she have changed? How could she have become a monster?

  “She’s my sister. too,” Ben said softly. “If there was a way…”

  Samantha shook her head. Then why did he want to kill her? She turned away from him. “When are you leaving?”

  Ben was silent for a long moment until she turned back to face him. Concern lined his brow. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, too.”

  Startled, Samantha realized that if she changed, Ben would probably be close behind her. She was keeping Ben sane as much as he was keeping her rational. Maybe that was why he had returned. She shook her head and forced a smile to her lips. “You always said that changing was the easy way out. Anger was an easy emotion to feel. Only the strong can resist its temptation.”

  Ben nodded in agreement.

  Samantha shrugged. “I’m stronger than you. So, I’m not changing before you.”

  Ben chuckled. “You think you’re stronger than me?”

  “Always have been.”

  “In your dreams.”

  Samantha grinned, but the grin faded quickly. The tension had started to dissolve around them, but she knew it would never totally be gone while their sister remained missing.

  Two

  “I’m sorry about that,” Daniel said, leaning back in his chair. He removed his glasses to rub his eyes. “Samantha has become increasingly volatile. I am worried about her. She is one of our oldest, you know.”

  Christian cocked his head. “How old is she?”

  Daniel stared at the ceiling. “Let’s see. About six hundred years old.”

  “Six hundred?!”

  Daniel nodded. “We’ve come a long way since then. Lived through a lot of things. If you’ll pardon the expression. Technology has really advanced, let me tell you.”

  “Six hundred?” Christian repeated, awed.

  Daniel chuckled softly. “We are not bound by the laws of humans.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I’ll try to answer them all.”

  So many questions ran through Christian’s mind he didn’t know where to start. He shook his head, still at a loss where to begin.

  “Then let me start at the beginning. When you die, when a human dies, they are supposed to pass on. To the next world or heaven or whatever it is.” He waved his hand in the air. “But what happened to us, to you, is that there was something binding us to this life. Whether it was a person –”

  “Aurora.”

  Daniel nodded. “Or unfinished business. When the door opens to the next life and you don’t accept the invitation, the door closes. For good. You don’t get a second invitation.”

  Christian recalled the woman on the sidewalk, the glowing woman who had appeared right after his accident. Could that have been his door?

  “Either way, you are bound to this world. This life. A lost Soul, as it were. Unable or unwilling to pass. Eventually, the task you were bound by is accomplished, or the person that bound you to this world gets old and passes.”

  Christian stared at Daniel with an uneasy realization. He had not considered that Aurora would grow old while he remained as he was. He had only been concerned about protecting her now.

  “Then the Soul is left alone. Wandering aimless, friendless, loveless, companionless. It’s enough to drive anyone mad. The change begins slowly. The Soul becomes more prone to anger. Less likely to listen to reason. Sometimes the change is quick, sometimes slow. The eyes are the final change. They turn black, cold, emotionless. It’s then that it is too late. The Soul is unsaveable. They have changed into vengeful, wrathful creatures. The Changed. You met one of them already.”

  Christian absently rubbed his chest, remembering the searing agony from the ghost girl. But his mind was not on the Changed, it was on his daughter. “Can they harm people? I mean real people? Humans.”

  Daniel nodded. “They can, but only the most foul, disturbed ones ever do. Humans are not their goal. We are. They drain our energy. The more energy they drain, the more powerful they become.”

  Christian began to pace, rubbing his forehead. It was a lot to take in. “Can’t they get energy from the human world? They should be swarming around power lines an
d nuclear reactors. Even microwaves.”

  Daniel chuckled. “They need a similar source of energy to drain from. It’s complicated. Doug has tried to explain it to me. Something to do with our matching energy types.” He shrugged. “We were all humans at one point.”

  Christian scowled, thinking about what Daniel said. “It sounds inevitable that any lost Soul will become a Changed.” That was a terrifying vision of his own future.

  “No. Not at all. That is why we insist that each Soul has a partner.”

  “Samantha doesn’t have a partner.”

  “She did. Her brother Ben was her partner. But they had a disagreement. She needs something to keep her distracted. Something new to spark her interest. She is a perfect fit with you, Christian. She could train you and –”

  “Train me to do what?”

  Daniel’s white eyebrows rose and he leaned forward, steepling his hands on the desk. “Christian, you don’t yet understand all the things you can do in your new form. We no longer have the restrictions humans have. Like fazing.” Suddenly, Daniel stood beside him.

  Christian jumped and cursed quietly. He hated that. That ghost woman – the Changed who attacked him at his house -- did that. Samantha did it. He nodded his reluctant agreement.

  “Stop thinking of yourself in human terms. You are no longer a human. You need to be trained. You have more abilities, more power, than you realize. You’re one of us, now.”

  Christian ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “I’m not leaving my daughter. I’m not leaving my home.”

  Daniel inclined his head and leaned his hip against the desk. “That is your decision, of course. We have no desire to force you to do something you don’t want to. However, out in the human world, you will be a target for the Changed. And you will only put your human in danger.”