by Nicky Graves
I stood in my spot as if my feet had grown into roots and bound me in place. I wanted to run. The closer they came, surrounding me, the more trapped I became. I couldn’t open my mouth to scream, but my mind cried for help. I could only watch Azrael as he glided closer and closer. The other robed figures followed him in his hunt.
As Azrael closed in on me, the inky black snakes wrapped around me as if they weren’t made of smoke, but of steel, binding me. Azrael inhaled a long, shuddering breath.
“Where is the life stone?” he asked, his voice so low and deep it vibrated fear through me.
“I don’t have it,” I said, my breath coming out in wisps as the snakes curled tighter around me, cutting off my air supply. I struggled to keep calm as my mind began to shut down from fear.
“Who has it?”
While I couldn’t see his face, I felt his pointed stare.
“I don’t know,” I quickly said.
It wasn’t that I was being brave. Far from it. It was that Lawson could have it or perhaps he had given it to Ranger. Or they could have given it to the Elder Council. How was I to know?
“You have three days to give me my stone or I will take you and your family to hell.”
“But I don’t have it,” I said, my body quivering from the exertion to focus and not spiral into a meltdown.
“Find it! I will not ask again. You have three days.”
He shifted, and without the snakes to keep me upright, I collapsed to the ground, still paralyzed under his spell. His blanks shifted right after him, leaving me helpless on the concrete.
Staring up at the gray sky as it rained down on me, I knew it was immaterial whether I had made a good or bad decision before. Now, I had to save my family.
“I’m fine,” I said to my mom, who hovered over me as I lay in bed. “Even the doctor said he can’t find anything wrong with me.”
She put her hand on my forehead and then paused a moment before taking it away. “But the school said you collapsed and were outside in the freezing rain for at least an hour before anyone found you. Why were you outside?”
“I needed a little air. I was feeling kind of funny. Maybe lunch didn’t agree with me.”
“I knew those school lunches weren’t any good. We’ll make homemade lunches from now on.”
“Sure,” I agreed to appease her. It was better than telling her the truth.
This was the time I wished I had my phone to call Lawson. Now that I had no access to him, I needed him. I was so desperate for help that I’d even take Boomer at this point. My family’s life was on the line for some stupid rock that I didn’t even want.
After the altercation with Azrael, while I had been lying on the concrete completely and utterly useless, I used that time to figure out a plan. Well, the first part of the hour was dedicated to panic. And then anger. But then I forced myself to be rational. And the rational side knew how to find a reaper. I just had to be patient, and eventually someone would die, thereby calling a reaper. However, knowing I had a seventy-two-hour timer ticking didn’t help with my patience.
For dinner, Mom brought soup to my room, like it would miraculously cure my problem. I ate it anyway. Mom’s soup was halfway decent. It was her casseroles that you had to watch out for.
Larue stopped by to check on me a short while after dinner.
“You okay?” Larue asked as she sat on my bed next to me.
“Yeah. Thanks.” I didn’t know what to tell her. Would she even believe me if I told her the truth? Probably not.
“The whole school was talking about you this afternoon.”
Great. That’s what I needed. More ammunition for Chloe.
“Dane says he hopes you get better,” she said with a smile.
I gave a nod.
“Don’t you care?” she asked.
“It was thoughtful of him,” I said. “But, I don’t really have time for him right now. I have a lot going on.”
“Like what?” she asked.
I wondered if I would ever be able to tell her the truth. What would her reaction be if I told her I had to find a life stone to save my family from hell?
If it was anything like when I talked to ghosts, her reaction wouldn’t be good. And I really didn’t want to drag her into this. It was bad enough that Azrael had threatened my family. I didn’t want Larue getting in the middle.
Her eyes narrowed as she studied me. “You could have just said you don’t like Dane. Why lie?”
“I’m not lying. And I don’t want to fight Chloe for Dane.” Even though she was the least of my worries.
Larue’s brows furrowed together, and I could tell she was trying to figure out what I was keeping from her.
If I couldn’t be honest with her, would our friendship survive?
The beginning of the end was arriving too soon.
The soup, which turned out to be an undelightful surprise rendition of my mom’s casserole, twisted in my stomach. Trying to ignore the feelings of the churning soup, I walked the streets of Cloverfield in hopes of feeling the reaper pull. So far, nothing. Obviously my hometown was proving too small for what I needed: a death and a way to contact Lawson.
I thought about taking Mom’s car to the city, but I also knew she’d hear either the garage door open or the squeal of her engine belts. So, instead of risking a conversation with her, I pulled out my phone and used an app to hire a car.
A few minutes later a car rolled to a stop next to me. Both the driver and the car matched the photo on the app.
“You’re not sick, are you?” the driver asked when I sat down in the car. “I don’t want any messes.”
“What?” I asked, confused.
“The destination you entered is the hospital. You still need to go there, right?”
“Oh, sorry. Yes, my uncle.” I had never lied much in the past. Never had a reason to. So it was fascinating to me that now these lies were dripping off my tongue as if second nature.
The truth was, if there were people dying, chances were good it would happen at an emergency room.
“Your uncle got something wrong with the old ticker or something else?” he asked.
“Not sure. They just brought him in.”
The rest of the ride was filled with idle chitchat. I was glad when it came to an end because my lies were beginning to compound. If there was a quiz, I’d fail.
The ride plus tip sucked up all of my money. Not only did I need to find a reaper to get a message to Lawson, but I would need them to shift me home as well. This plan had better work or I was doomed.
The driver dropped me off at the ER as directed. I followed the signs and found a waiting room. There were a few people sitting there, filling out forms. None of them looked as if they were going to die.
And then I saw a sign for intensive care. I followed the path and found yet another waiting room.
“Are you lost?”
I looked around to find a lady wearing scrubs with frolicking cats on them.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m looking for my grandma. She’s in intensive care.”
“Sorry, dear. Visiting hours are over,” she said. “Come back tomorrow.”
“But I’m leaving on a red-eye flight tonight,” I lied again. “This might be the last time I’ll ever see her.”
She frowned. “I’m very sorry, but I can’t break the rules. The other patients need their rest too.”
I retreated to the ER waiting room to come up with another not-so-brilliant plan.
It was then that I heard the wail of an ambulance as it neared the back-admittance doors. Which, of course, was a restricted section. Being a mere mortal with no ability to become invisible, I could not enter.
I wanted to scream my frustration, but then hospital staff would think there was something wrong with . . .
What if there was something wrong with me? They’d have to admit me . . . and then they’d call my mom.
Ugh.
With growing hostility about my hopeless predic
ament, I walked outside.
The air was growing colder. I shivered in my light coat.
Just as I was about to turn tail and hurry back inside, I felt the pull. It wasn’t coming from inside, but outside. In the darkened city. Great.
I was pretty sure I didn’t want to follow where my gut was telling me to go, but at the same time, the hospital was more of a hindrance.
The pressure in my stomach was growing to near-explosion levels, and with the dastardly soup already causing problems, I didn’t want to press my luck. I had to answer. Groaning through the pain, I hurried into the darkness.
I had second thoughts, even third and fourth thoughts, and when I reached a wretched-smelling alley, I really wanted to change my mind. But my stomach wouldn’t let me. I had to press farther into the alley. Fumbling for my old phone, I used it as a flashlight. The alley was what I had expected. Dirty, gross, and completely creepy.
But there was no one that I could see. I scanned the area, wondering if maybe what I was feeling was just my appendix about to rupture.
Someone groaned in the alley.
“Hello?” I called.
Another groan.
Hesitantly, I walked in farther. And there, beyond a metal garbage bin, was a person lying on the ground. I hurried over. From his clothes and appearance, he was definitely homeless.
“Sir,” I said, “are you okay?”
I heard a tsking sound behind me. “Of course he’s not okay. Dumb girl. Go home before you get hurt.”
I whipped around to find a guy leaning up against a wall in a shadowy corner. Had he been there all of this time or . . . did he shift here?
13
The man who had been leaning against the wall straightened when he saw me looking at him. Nervously, he ran his fingers through his hair. He looked at me as though he wasn’t sure if I had heard him. Was he a reaper?
After a moment of us both staring at each other, he shook his head as he leaned against the wall again. “She must be on drugs.”
“Do you always talk to yourself?” I asked.
“You can hear me?” he asked, straightening again.
“Yes, and your insults really help.”
“You can see me?” he asked as he moved to the side.
“Yes. You’re a reaper, right? I need to talk to Lawson. When you get done with this guy, I need a lift to the dead zone.”
“How do you know about the dead zone?”
“I’ve been there.”
“Impossible.”
“Impossible or not, I need to speak with Lawson. Or Ranger. Hell, I’ll even talk to Boomer if I have to.”
“Who are you?”
I didn’t want to tell him. If word hadn’t leaked out about a future girl reaper, I didn’t want to be the one to say it. “They know who I am.”
“Yeah, but I don’t.”
“I’m Riley. Will you help me, or do I have to find another reaper?”
“You’re not one of us. So how do you know about us?”
“I don’t have time to explain. You need to either bring me to Lawson or tell him to come here.”
“Well, there’s no way I can bring you to the dead zone. You’d die.”
“How do you think I know about the dead zone? I’ve already been there.”
He looked at me as if trying to figure out if I was telling the truth.
“There are silver pods there and doors to other realms,” I said. “There’s no sun, and it’s a bit depressing. But Lawson showed me a couple of pods that have parks and nature. It’s really quite amazing.”
“Lawson?” he questioned, giving me a once-over.
“Yes, Cuthbert Lawson Lovell.”
“Why would Lawson take you to the dead zone? How is it possible when you—” He then backed up a step as he cursed. “Are you a vampire?”
“No, I’m not a vampire.”
“Then how is it possible?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“Are you and he . . .”
“What?”
“Dating?”
“No.”
“I’m so confused,” he said.
“That makes two of us,” I said. “I still don’t know your name.”
“Gabe.”
Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. “It looks like your guy is ready,” I said, looking at the homeless man as he gazed down at himself.
“You see him?” Gabe questioned.
“Yes, and please don’t strand me here. I have no way to get home unless I call my mom. Please don’t make me go through that. I need to speak with Lawson.”
Gabe walked over to the man and placed his hand on the transition’s shoulder. “I’ll let Lawson know where you are.”
“Thanks.”
Now I just had to wait here alone in a dark alley. Nothing scary about this at all.
I turned off the flashlight on my phone and waited in the darkness. I figured I’d attract less attention that way, but the creep factor was through the roof. I had only stood there for a few minutes when I heard footsteps.
“Are you hiding?” a voice asked. At first I thought it was Lawson, but the voice wasn’t quite right. It was too smooth and silky. Lawson was rougher and matter-of-fact. This new voice was a low timber that seeped through my skin and made me want to hide. “Aren’t you a treat,” he said.
I flipped on my phone light. A man in a black leather jacket stood barely ten feet away from me. He squeezed his eyes closed from the sudden bright light.
He had dark-brown hair that fell in subtle waves to his collar, a decent nose, and a hard jawline. Half of the student population at my school would probably drool over him.
But they weren’t alone in a dark alley like I was. Fear spiked through me as he ordered, “Turn it off.”
I backed away toward the sidewalk, but in an instant he caught my arm, drawing me closer as he inhaled. Eyes that had once been brown turned a glittery red.
Glittery red was not normal. I tried to suppress the panic that surged through me and set my hands shaking. Steadying myself as much as possible, I flashed the light in his eyes, but he only laughed. “You only get one try with that.”
I yanked my arm, trying to wrench free from his grasp, but he was much stronger than I was. I couldn’t escape. My only hope was that Lawson was on his way.
His lips parted slightly as if he was going to say something, but then he stopped. He quickly turned, his back now to me.
“Come to claim another one of my meals, reaper?” the man said.
“Reduced to picking up your meals in gutters, I see,” Lawson said from the entrance of the alley.
“I found the most delicious treat in here,” Red-eyes said.
“Vance, get the hell out of my way or I’ll drive a stake through your heart like I should have done years ago. She’s not your snack. She’s a reaper.”
Vance turned to me, eyeing me. “Reapers are only men.” He scanned me as if trying to find a reaper badge. “No, she’s not one of you. Your blood smells rancid. She’s like honey.” He lifted his fingers to trace the vein running along my neck. “So sweet.”
Vance grinned, his teeth now prominently displaying that he was most certainly a vampire.
I stepped wide of Vance, scooting my way to Lawson. “Is this happening? Is he a vampire?”
Lawson grabbed me and pulled me behind him as he asked me, “What in the hell are you doing out here anyway?”
“Trying to find you,” I answered. “No one was dying at home.”
“And you thought coming to Chicago and lurking in alleyways was the best way to find me?”
“Of course not,” I said. “I tried the hospital first, but the pull brought me here. But I’m willing to leave now.”
Even though I had Lawson to block me, Vance was still a little too close for comfort.
Lawson must have noticed my discomfort. “We’ll talk about this somewhere else.” He looked at Vance. “If I see you again, I will ma
ke good on my vow. Don’t think this is over.”
Lawson shifted us to the studio. He let go of me and paced to the window.
I clutched my stomach as a wave of relief and fear stirred it up. “So, that was a vampire.” I really didn’t need him to confirm what I already knew. I was just hoping maybe he’d deny it for the sake of my sanity.
“Tell me what the hell you’re up to,” Lawson demanded. His direct glare speared me. “If you say trying to get yourself killed, I can think of better ways than with a blood-sucking vampire.”
“I know of a better way too. He’s called Azrael. And he came to visit me at school along with twelve of his men, which I assume were his blanks.”
That seemed to take the edge off his glare. “Azrael came to your school?”
“Yes, and he somehow paralyzed me with his smoke snakes. He said he wants the life stone back in three days or he’ll kill my family.”
“When was this?”
“Earlier today. Lunchtime.”
“I need to speak to the Supreme Elder. Stay here.”
Before I could respond, he was gone.
I looked out the window, but it was still dark outside. Curiosity made me wonder if Lawson’s studio was in Chicago or somewhere else. The streetlamps down below didn’t help much, other than to tell me I was four floors up.
There were two doors in the studio. One opposite of the windows and one to the side of me. The side door yielded a tiny bathroom that didn’t look like it had been updated since the invention of plumbing. The back door led to a hallway, but before I could take a step out, Lawson returned with the Supreme Elder.
“Did you bring the life stone?” I asked, trying not to shy away from the Supreme Elder’s direct gaze. There was something unnerving about him, but I couldn’t figure out what. With his black robe and mid-length beard, he looked like the majority of the elders.
“I have it,” the Supreme Elder said. “But we’re not giving it to Azrael.”
“But my family,” I said.
The Supreme Elder gave a nod. “I know your family is important to you, but there is a lot at stake here. More than two lives. You understand that, right?”
“Yes. He can wipe out thousands at a time,” I muttered, remembering what I had been told.