Monsters and Invisible Men (Lost Souls Book 1)

by Amy Barrett

  In one motion he stood and tipped her off him. Abyzou found her feet in time and stood inches away.

  “You don’t need to be afraid of the monster and what it wants,” she said. The light from the candles illuminated her pale skin. She was glowing. Nick glared at her and did his best to calm his rampaging heart.

  “Its just part of you.” Abyzou retreated out the door, leaving those final words in her wake.

  Nick felt charged. He crashed his hands into the wall four times, but he still felt on edge. He paced up and down the room and roared like a beast. What kind of friend was he? She had forced him to leave Dan in hell and he was thinking of kissing her. He was allowing himself to imagine what it would feel like to be close to her. He wanted to feel sick when he thought of her, but he couldn’t lie to himself anymore. He wanted her no matter what he did, and he would always hate himself for it.

  Nick heard someone running up the stairs and Josh appeared in the room with a flushed face and wide blue eyes. “Whats wrong Nick? What happened?” He must have heard me shouting, Nick thought.

  It took a moment for Nick to calm down enough to speak to Josh. Eventually, he breathed slower and managed to speak. “Nothings wrong. I’m fine.”

  Josh wiped sweat from his eyebrows and then onto his jumper. “I thought you mighta seen a demon.”

  Nick was still working on keeping his breath steady, so his words were clipped. “Well we are all seeing more of a demon now, she won’t go away.”

  Josh nodded, his pale curls falling onto his forehead. “Your right of course but she isn’t so bad.”

  Nick scoffed. “Why would you say that? She is the worst of the lot.”

  Josh chewed on his thumb nail and looked down. “Yes, okay she is. But I don’t mind her as much cause she wears a mask.”

  “What do you mean a mask?”

  “We don’t see her real…horrible… scary hell face.” Josh took a minute. “Not like the others in hell.”

  Nick was frozen. He had always assumed that that was Abyzou’s face. Demons looked like humans as far as he knew. “What do demons look like then?”

  Josh tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at Nick. When Nick didn’t say anything, Josh explained. “They look awful, just like monsters. Like something out of a nightmare. I don’t know how I can really describe it.”

  The terror on the young wolf’s face was evidence that he wasn’t making this up. Nick looked at the door through which Abyzou had left. She was evil, there was no doubt about that. Yet some how, Nick found his vision of her softening a bit. She had never looked like a monster when he had seen her. Had she done this for him?

  Josh was trembling thinking about something which Nick had never seen. Some saviour I am, he thought. I haven’t even seen the monsters I am supposed the be saving them from.

  ***

  Ivan was not going to make the station a regular spot of his. Sure, the big mirror on the wall was nice. But the people on the way in were weird. For a start, they were all hand cuffed to chairs or giving their fingerprints, but they smiled like it was a holiday. Except for one girl Ivan noted on the way in who was crying and begging for the use of the phone.

  Secondly, many of the people who saw Ivan yelled abuse at him that he didn’t understand. He knew it was mean though because it usualy came along side some spittle.

  When Kershaw had given Ivan to another officer and warned him that Ivan was something called “a lively one” Ivan was marched to the room where he had found himself once before. This time he didn’t bother trying to get comfy and the officer with him cuffed him to a table leg.

  “Hey!” Ivan shook his hands and the cuffs rattled. “Mate this isn’t necessary really. I will be good. As good as Zerachiel.”

  The officer shook his head and strode to the door. “No idea who that is but I have been warned. Nice try though.”

  Ivan sighed. If he thought it was uncomfortable before, now he was bent slightly over in the awful chair with his hands attached to a table. He had never had such a cramped up back in his existence. The light flickered and went out. Ivan knew he had to move to get it back on as it had turned on in the first place when they had walked in.

  He started waving his head as vigorously as his current situation would allow. He resembled a pigeon when it walks, if the pigeon was on cocaine and cuffed to a metal table.

  Five minutes later and Kershaw and another rounder officer entered the room.

  “Thank you,” Ivan said when the lights came on.

  Kershaw watched him like he was a lab rat. She walked a slow circle around him, examining his every movement. Ivan didn’t think much of it. He had seen Zerachiel look at him like that loads before.

  Finished with her observing, Kershaw shook her head and sat down.

  “I dunno,” the round man said, “he doesn’t seem like a killer to me.”

  “He’s an odd one.” Kershaw agreed.

  Ivan sighed again. “Can I please sit up? My back is killing me.”

  Kershaw came over and crouched down to uncuff him. “The victim says you tried to save her.”

  Ivan rubbed his back and his wrists alternately. “Yep cause she is one of my mates. Not my best mate, that’s Zerachiel.” Ivan smiled.

  Kershaw rubbed her face. “Why do I keep finding you at the scene with stab victims?”

  “Well reapers are often around death.”

  Ivan’s statement silenced everyone in the room.

  “Right. Let’s call in Dora.” Kershaw said to the round guy. He nodded and yanked his ass out of the chair where it had become stuck.

  While he waited, Ivan hummed to himself. Kershaw was drumming her fingers on the table and glaring at him when Dora entered.

  She was a nice-looking woman with soft features and smiley eyes. Her lips were round and the kind that people got Botox to get. Her body was curvy, and her hips had bulges of squishy fat at the edges. Overall, she seemed welcoming with nothing offensive about her. She waddled into the room and smiled at Ivan as she made her way to the detectives’ side of the desk.

  “Hello Ivan, I am Dora. How are you feeling?” She gradually lowered herself into the chair. Kershaw looked between them and pushed her thin lips together.

  Dora’s smile did not fade but she spoke in a voice like stone. “Detective Kershaw, I need a minute with Ivan if you don’t mind.”

  Kershaw inhaled deeply and strode from the room, her heels clicking on the floor.

  Dora grinned at Ivan. The ever-present smile was weirding him out a bit.

  “How are you Ivan?” she asked again while knocking the pages in her hands on the table to be sure they were all sitting in line with eachother.

  “I have had better days but trust me I have had way worse ones.” Ivan stretched back in the seat. This woman may be a little creepy, but she hadn’t called him a killer yet.

  Dora smiled wider though it seemed impossible. “That’s good. Now,” She folded her hands before her and leaned a bit closer. “You told the emergency services that a demon attacked your friend.”

  “They didn’t believe me but if they saw him they would have no doubt that that ugly mug was a demon.”

  Dora nodded. “I believe you Ivan.”

  This didn’t sound like a believing voice to Ivan. He was a little ignorant, but he was by no means stupid.

  “Do ya mate?” Ivan leaned on the table too and his sudden change in manner seemed to alarm Dora because she sat back to get away from him.

  She turned her attention to the pages in her hands and started talking about what the demon looked like and suggesting these bizarre images. Ivan knew for sure that she had no idea what she was talking about.

  He stopped listening and instead stared at the light until he was seeing spots of colour. Then he would turn his head back to the room and follow the coloured spots around with his gaze.

  Dora stopped talking and watched him. “Are you listening to me Ivan?” she asked.

  Ivan tried to answer but he was
n’t fast enough. She was already up from the chair and clutching her right side. She wobbled about like a beach ball.

  Ivan thought nothing of it, but the officers came rushing in to try and help. Dora started screaming and collapsed to the floor. Ivan didn’t have to be a reaper to know this wasn’t going to end well. Through the confusion and shouting, he could swear he saw a blurry grey figure floating away from her and watching him.

  ***

  Nick had decided that with or without Ivan and Ciara they needed to attack and destroy the demons like they had planned. He didn’t agree to this collaboration so that he could play house with an angel and a demon. In order to bring this up with them he had had to go to the human’s apartment to find the two of them. After the whole battle with the wolf the angel wasn’t keen to stay in Nick’s hideout and even Abyzou could tell where she wasn’t wanted. Nick had tried to sneak out past the wolves, but he was caught. They were all worried and asked if he was okay.

  “I’m fine,” he told them, “just need some air and time to think.”

  They had said they wanted to go with him. That they didn’t trust the world with his precious being and needed to be sure that he was safe.

  Nick had had this situation before. He was sixteen and had been told that tomorrow when the sun rose, they would go and fight the demons. He needed to stay home till then, so he was fit and able to fight. They needed him if they were going to reclaim their lives. Nick would use his power to make them all change and together they would tear apart the demons and rid them from the earth forever. It all sounded very noble but not to Nick.

  He was sitting in his room with his knees pulled up to his chest. Dan had been over during the day but sent home within the hour as it was time for the saviour to prepare for the upcoming battle. Nick felt sick. On a few occasions he had run as quietly as he could to the bathroom and silently gagged into the toilet. Nothing had happened and each time he considered sticking his fingers down his throat just to feel better. His stomach churned and grumbled. It sounded as nervous as he felt. He looked over and the digital clock said it was half three in the morning. It was winter, so it was still dark and cold. Outside a dog barked nonstop and Nick wanted to yell at it. He needed to be angry at something. He was helpless to stop the coming battle but everytime he imagined leading the wolves to war, he started to cry.

  Within the hour he had made his decision. The wolves could not send themselves to die in his army if there was no saviour. He started packing his things. Bounding off his bed the first thing he grabbed was his wallet.

  He knew he would need that wherever he went. Next was the flask that Dan had bought him for his birthday this year. It had “brother” engraved on it and was silver. It was the only thing he had been gifted that year that wasn’t a weapon other than the jumper his mother had made, which he also took.

  Next, he gathered three hoodies and one of his weights. He would need warmth and a weapon.

  After a few more things to keep him occupied, he could see nothing else which he needed. He tightly fastened his shoes to his feet and bundled himself up in his coat.

  At his bedroom door he hesitated. Everything in the room seemed to be precious and he considered trying to bring more. The door was heavy as he pulled it shut. It stuck a few times on the carpet, as if asking him if he was sure he wanted to do this. With one final show of strength he managed to get it to close.

  He wasn’t heard as he slipped from the house. No one peeped out of a second story window and yelled for him to come back. His sister didn’t stir from her room to ask him where he was going. Not even the dog paid much attention. He only lifted his head, moaned once and let it fall again. Nick felt tears prick at his eyes when his leg brushed against the plush dog bed beside the door.

  It wasn’t something he was very attached to, but it hit him like a million sad songs. He gathered the keys up and let himself out. This was it, he thought, no more saving the world or anything like that. He could be normal. He forced away the thoughts of what he was giving up for this normality.

  The night was freezing, and Nick wished he had brought more layers. Tears were icecaps on his face, but it wasn’t long before their flow slowed down. He made it out of the estate and onto the main road. It stretched far away, the end of it a stranger to him. It seemed a long way. He squinted and the end got no clearer. He stood on his tiptoes and tried again. Still it seemed lightyears away and blurred onto the horizon.

  Concluding that it was in fact a long way he decided to go back for Dan. He knew Dan would come with him; he had always said he would if Nick decided to run away. Although this would mean listening to Dan say how he was right about running away the whole time. Nick could live with that.

  He crept back into the estate like a burglar. Ducking behind every wheelie bin and wall as if the whole of the neighbourhood would be out looking for him. When he got to Dan’s house he crept over to Dan’s window. The house was a two story one, but the family did not use the second floor since Dan accidentally turned into a wolf up there one full moon and they couldn’t afford to repair the damage. After that Dan shared a room with his little brother and the oldest sister was in the living room. Nick crept up to the window that should have led into the dining room. His own reflection was gawking back at him. There was black under his eyes from lack of sleep and he had bad acne brought on by stress.

  He thought about yelling but that would alert everyone. He would have to knock. Dan’s brother may wake up but that was a risk he had to take.

  Curling his fist tight he knocked lightly. After a moment of silence Nick couldn’t wait any longer. He rapped again; this time louder. The light came on in a blink. He heard some movement and Dan utter “Shut the fuck up.”

  Dan’s shadow was cast over the closed blinds. The sudden darkness was a shock and Nick couldn’t focus for a second. Then the blinds were yanked up and Nick was face to face with his best friend. Dan’s brown hair was standing on end and his eyes were only half open. He yawned and rubbed his face before squinting at Nick. After a minute of consideration, he smiled widely and popped the window open. “Hey asshole, hows it goin?”

  Nick snorted and shoved at Dan’s shoulder through the window. “Never mind piss off.”

  Dan chuckled and leaned out of the window. “You are always so nice to me man.”

  Nick shook his head; he didn’t have time for messing around. “You coming out?” He wasn’t sure how to bring up the idea of running away and he would prefer to have the conversation with Dan outside, where people were less likely to hear them.

  “It’s the middle of the night, you crazy bastard.” Dan tried to close the window.

  Nick stuck in a hand and stopped it. “I am running away.”

  He didn’t mean to spit it out like cyanide, but there was no going back now. He held his breath as he watched Dan think about it. He knew that Dan would not tell anyone that he was running whether he was coming with him or not. But he was deadly nervous that Dan would say he was going to stay. He didn’t know if he would be okay if he ran alone.

  A million things passed over Dan’s face before he spoke again. Nick couldn’t decipher every emotion that played out there.

  “Right give me a minute and I will meet you in the alley by the house.”

  Nick moved around the house and melted into the dark of the alley way. He pretended that the puffs of his air that he could see in the cold were fire and he was a dragon. If asked, he would swear he was up to nothing but at least it passed the time.

  After twenty minutes Nick was considering going in to look for Dan when his friend rounded the corner. He had blue gloves and a pink scarf on.

  He caught Nick looking at the scarf. “Its my sisters. I couldn’t find my own in a hurry.”

  Nick shrugged and smiled. “Whatever man. I am not gonna judge.”

  Dan punched his shoulder then shoved him out of the alley and into the street. “Yea you better not. Its your fault I am out here.”

  Nick stop
ped in his tracks and looked gravely at Dan for a moment. More passed between them from that look than most people would get from a whole conversation. Nick didn’t want to take him away from his life here, but he could tell from the look in Dan’s eyes that he wanted to go with him. They had been friends for so long that Nick would have felt weird letting Dan take a risk this big on his own and he knew that Dan felt the same.

  “Oh christ. Come on man before I feel inclined to write you a soppy song.” Dan walked past Nick and soon Nick had to jog to catch up with him. The two of them walked beside one another and whispered. Nick couldn’t recall what they had talked about now.

  They weren’t walking long before a figure appeared before them. The man had stridden out into the middle of the street and cast an angular shadow by the coat he wore.

  His face was brought into the light as he moved towards the boys. His skin was pale and the most shocking thing about him was the rotting and pealing of that very skin. Around his nose and impossibly dark brown eyes, skin flaked away and fell in discoloured pieces. He had this grin that made Nick feel like bugs were under his skin.

  The black-haired stranger got closer. They could make out the glint of his teeth and the cracks in his lips. Nick didn’t know why but he ran. There was something about this odd individual that made his stomach turn and his limbs shake. He had always trusted his instincts. Dan was not far behind. They bolted down the estate like they had never run before. There was laughter from behind them.

  Nick and Dan reached the edge of the road with Dan’s house on it. They made for the door of the house without conferring. Nick’s breathing was starting to burn, and his sides stung but he had to keep running. His legs shook with the effort when they suddenly stopped. At the door to the house was an individual who gave Nick the same uneasy feeling as the man on the street. They were not rotting like the last one, but Nick still wanted to run away, and he didn’t recognize their face. He knew everyone who lived in the neighbourhood.

  This one also smiled, and she reached for the boys. Dan dashed to the side and ducked under her arm. At the same time, Nick had decided to fight. He puffed out his chest and made ready to turn into the monster. Dan yanked him away before she could grab him. Nick huffed out a breath in surprise. A breeze from her hand whipped his face.