Soul Trade

by Tracy Sharp

She hoped he had.

  She prayed he had.

  Her mouth went dry and her skin crawled with need in response to the possibility that the powder was still somewhere she might find it. By accident.

  Toby glanced at her hands, then at her face. “You okay?”

  She looked down to find her hands wringing each other in her lap. “Yeah. Just a bad moment.”

  “It’ll pass. Just give it time.”

  Robyn bit her bottom lip. Resentment and gratitude fought against each other inside her. He was putting up with her, helping her. She had to remind herself that he did know about addiction. About craving something so badly you wanted to jump out of your skin. It’ll pass in a moment? He must know that a moment can feel like an eternity when you feel like you are dying.

  Almost wishing you were.

  “Thanks,” she said. “Some ibuprofen would be good.”

  “Okay,” he said. “You got it.” He looked at May in the rearview mirror. “Hey squirt, what’s your favorite song?”

  “Uuuum. ‘Jingle Bells’.”

  “Awesome. Would you care to grace us with your rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’, and Robyn and I will chime in with you?”

  “’Kay!”

  With that, May belted out her surprisingly beautiful version of “Jingle Bells”, her voice high and clear under the bright spring sunshine.

  Robyn hated to ruin the song with her own off-key singing, but Toby rubbed a rough hand over hers to mask the slithering feeling under her skin. He sang quietly enough to be able to hear May over his own baritone voice.

  Robyn took a breath and jumped in, and within minutes, the slithering feeling had faded, and she actually felt happy in that moment.

  Chapter 12

  They came to a rest stop just as Robyn’s pounding headache grew to just short of blinding. Gunmetal-grey clouds seemed to gather all at once, and she flipped her visor down and kept her sunglasses on even as the sky darkened and rain drizzled down on the windshield. Any light at all felt like acid to her eyes. She let her head drop against the headrest and closed her eyes. Even grimacing made her want to whimper.

  Toby patted her arm. “We’re here. Do you want me to just get you some painkillers? Or do you want to come in?”

  “I’ll stay,” she managed. She wanted to scream, but aside from scaring May, screaming would probably just serve to hurt her head all the more.

  “Can I come?” May asked. “I like stores!”

  “Sure, peanut.”

  “That’s a good idea. I can’t keep watch over her right now. Keep her really close, Toby, okay?”

  “You know I will. Don’t worry.”

  “Take that maniac with you, would you?”

  “No can do,” Toby’s voice said, seeming to float through her. “The maniac stays to watch over you. You’re not exactly in fighting condition.”

  Robyn sighed. “True. Okay. The maniac stays.”

  “Be back in a few.” Robyn could hear the worry in his voice.

  She was a tad concerned too. She’d never had migraines before. Of course, she’d never been chased by the devil’s collectors to be dragged back to the dead land, either.

  Through waves of pain, she heard Toby and Zed exchange a few words. Then boot steps coming toward the car. Zed’s army boots.

  “Hey, little birdie?” His voice sounded slightly amused.

  She wanted to tell him to fuck off. What the hell?

  “Fuck off.” Her own voice made her head scream. Sounded like sirens going off.

  “I have painkillers. I promise you’ll feel better. Better than that useless shit that Toby’s getting you.”

  “Will it knock me out?”

  “Would that be so bad? We’ll keep watch. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “It’s not me I’m concerned with.”

  “I know.” A pause. The sound of pills knocking around in plastic. “Here. Take one of these.”

  Robyn opened her mouth. If this continued, she would be praying for one of those creepy bastards to come and take her anyway.

  The pill was on her tongue.

  “Crunch it up. It’ll work faster.”

  She mashed the pill with her teeth. Grimaced. “Ugh.”

  “I know. But it works. Here’s some of your water.”

  She lifted her head and opened her mouth. She tried to peer at him between slitted lids. He was nothing but a blurry figure. She accepted the water and took a few good pulls off the bottle. “Christ. I think I’ve got something.”

  “I know what you’ve got.”

  “Flu or something.”

  “You’re jonesing.” His voice sounded like an echo.

  “Heroin addiction.”

  “You traded one addiction for another, girl. Toby mentioned the magic dust.”

  “Great.” Then it occurred to her that Zed might know where the magic dust was. “Did he flush it?”

  “He wanted to. I talked him out of it. I think we should study it. I have friends who could take a closer look at it.”

  He had all kinds of friends. What a friendly guy.

  “Zed. Do you have it?” She could hear the pleading in her voice, and it made her want to crawl deep inside of herself.

  “I cannot tell a lie. I do.”

  She didn’t say anything for a moment. Did he want her to beg?

  “If the painkiller doesn’t work, and we need you to be on your game fast, I’ll give you a snort. Okay?”

  “I need to be on my game now, Zed.”

  “Try the painkiller first. It’s pretty strong shit. Got it after my hernia operation. Nice stuff.”

  “What is it?”

  “Oxycodone. Extra leaded.”

  Bombs went off in Robyn’s head.

  “What the hell?” Zed said.

  Screams. May. Toby shouting. More bombs. Tires screeching.

  Robyn sat up, opened her eyes. She couldn’t see. Everything was blurred. Warped. She leaned forward, fell out of the truck onto her hands and knees. “May.” She tried to scream May’s name but it came out as a whispered croak.

  “They’ve got her,” Zed said, the three words stumbling into each other. “They’ve got her.”

  “Give me the powder.”

  He said nothing, but Robyn felt his eyes on her. “Give it to me, Zed.”

  More bombs. It was gunfire.

  “Okay,” he said. “Breathe in deeply through your nose.”

  This might be a bad idea. That creepy guy will come at me again. Robyn felt his hand over her nose. Right now, I don’t care. It makes the pain go away. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

  She took a deep breath. The powder tingled as it travelled up her nasal passages. Fireworks went off in her head. A dark figure turned toward her, started walking. Running.

  Giant wings beat all around her. White wings moving so fast she could barely see them.

  “Holy shit!”

  A gunshot so close it tore Robyn back onto the pavement. She could see clearly now. A giant, white owl spattered in red.

  “No.”

  “It was attacking you. I had to shoot it.”

  “You fucking idiot.”

  Zed looked at her as if she were crazy. “Are you kidding me? I should’ve just let it attack you?”

  “It wasn’t attacking me, you moron. It was saving me.”

  Robyn laid her hands on the chest of the huge bird. Its eyes blinked at her. Looked into her, as if it knew her.

  “I’m so sorry.” She laid her hands on the feathered breast, over the wound. Blood seeped between her fingers.

  “It’s too late,” Zed said, pacing in small circles, looking down at the bird every few seconds. “It’s going down.”

  She’d brought the dog back. She could bring the owl back.

  But not until it dies.

  You’re holding it here by touching it. Let it go. Robyn removed her hands. She spoke to the owl in low tones. “Let go. I’ll be right here.”

  The owl’
s strange gaze stayed on her face for a long moment, quick little breaths coming in and out of its beak. “The bird is dying, Robyn. I’m sorry, but it’s dying. There’s nothing you can do for it now.”

  “Shut up.” She kept her eyes on the owl. After a long moment the bird trembled, and the light went out of its eyes.

  “They took her. She was right behind me. I only took my eyes off her for a second.” Toby paused. “What the hell? We’ve got to go, Robyn.”

  “Go!” Robyn screamed at him. Her pain was gone and she could see clearly again.

  “They’ve got her.” His voice was panicked.

  “Go, Toby. I’ll be right behind you. Don’t let them get away.” She turned to glare at him, but he was already slamming her door shut.

  She closed her eyes, felt a humming move through her fingers. She concentrated on healing the bird. Come back. Come back. You can’t die. Not for the likes of me.

  Everything stopped. Sound, movement. The air seemed to be sucked away into some unseen vacuum. Time stopped, hung on the end of that last moment. Then, slightly, movement beneath her hand as the chest rose suddenly. Wings moved, feathers ruffled.

  Robyn opened her eyes. She almost sobbed in relief.

  The giant bird blinked at her, moved up onto its talons, and fluttered its wings as if making sure they still worked.

  “You’re fine. Now go,” Robyn whispered. “Help May.”

  The powerful wings moved, and within a second the bird was flying away into the sky.

  Robyn looked up at Zed.

  His eyes were filled with awe. “Holy mother of Christ. You just brought it back from the dead.”

  “Yeah. It’s a skill I’ve acquired of late.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, open amazement on his face. “Mighty handy one to have.”

  “Maybe.” She stood, watching the owl fly over the roof of the rest stop and disappear into a wooded area beyond the highway. “I think it can help May."

  Her headache was gone. She felt renewed. Strong. Like she could kick some serious ass. “I feel better. Let’s go get May.”

  Chapter 13

  The owl had flown out of sight. They kept looking for it, seeming to drive forever. Toby called after a while to let them know that he hadn’t found May and those who had taken her. He sounded defeated and pissed off. Robyn felt the same way.

  “If I hadn’t brought the owl back, we might’ve been able to stay on their tail.”

  “Ah, but you couldn’t not bring that owl back. Besides, you said you thought it could help May. Maybe that’s what it’s doing, but it couldn’t wait for our slow asses to keep up. Don’t worry. We’ll get her back. She’ll be fine.”

  Robyn let out a long breath. She hoped Zed was right. She felt that May was okay. Felt it deep in her bones. A knowing. Like she knew the sun would set and then rise again the next day.

  They stopped to use the restrooms at a rest stop and buy drinks. Robyn felt dehydrated, but still energetic. She wondered how much more of the magic powder Zed had.

  “So what’s going to happen now?” Robyn sipped her bottled water.

  “We’re going to meet up with Toby when he chooses a hotel to stay in.”

  Robyn’s heart sank. Staying in a hotel. Turning in, without May. A lump formed in her throat. A sense of urgency had settled into her chest. They were running out of time. “She needs us, Zed. They don’t care about her. I feel like we’ve got a window of time to find her, but that window will close soon.”

  Zed nodded. “I think you’re right. I’ve seen a lot of scumbags in my time. Those two are real scumbags. Leaving a kid alone in a fleabag hotel so they could go drinking. Those kinds of people piss me off. And I use the term people loosely.” He was quiet for a moment, his sharp eyes veiling over as he saw something in his mind’s eye. “Reminds me of my own parents.”

  “I’m sorry.” And she was. It explained a lot about Zed.

  “Agh.” He waved a hand. “I’m not looking for pity. Just telling it as it is. If they hadn’t been such assholes, I wouldn’t be here helping you now, would I?”

  Robyn smiled. “Yeah. That’s true. I’m glad you are, you know? Here.”

  He grinned back at her. “Had nothing better to do.”

  They climbed back into Zed’s truck and headed back onto the highway.

  Robyn’s heart was heavy in her chest. She stared out the window without seeing what was outside, going over and over the last few days. She wondered if the reason she came back from the dead was to save May from her useless mother and her sociopathic boyfriend. There had to be a reason. That one was as good as any.

  A shape moved across the edges of Robyn’s vision, making her look up to the sky. The owl’s huge wings flapped above them.

  “Holy shit,” Zed breathed. “It’s that owl.”

  “Stay with it,” Robyn said, watching the giant bird through the windshield.

  Zed followed the bird for a few miles. A long stretch of nothing but cornfields. Robyn hoped and prayed that May was okay. As far as her mother was concerned, they’d kidnapped her. So there would be no reason to take it out on May. Would there?

  “Well what do we have here?” Zed’s voice was amused but tight beside her.

  Her thoughts came to a screeching halt. She turned to face forward, excitement suddenly jolting through her.

  The owl flew over an older-model Camaro emerging from a side road, then flew onto the branch of a spruce sitting just off the road. Silver and shining in the midafternoon light, the Camaro parked in the center of the lane. Spider grinned out the open window, his face looking like the skull from a pirate flag. The guy definitely didn’t look right in the head.

  But then, neither was Zed. Thank God. And he was sitting right there beside her.

  May’s small hands pounded on the back window. Her face was a mask of terror. Muffled cries floated out at Robyn, breaking her heart into a billion pieces.

  “Oh, God.”

  “Keep your head. He’s trying to terrorize us. Get you off balance.” Zed spoke between gritted teeth. “Then he can knock you down.” He gave Spider a smirk.

  “Where is her mother?” Robyn said. “I don’t see her.”

  “I don’t either. It doesn’t matter right now.”

  “Like hell it doesn’t. He can do anything to May without her mother there.”

  “He can do anything to her with her there. You haven’t figured that out? She’s not exactly mother-of-the-year material.” Zed sat still for a long moment, watching Spider, who just kept on grinning.

  “Christ. He seems like he’s on something.”

  “Most likely is,” Zed murmured. “That’s neither here nor there. He’s a psycho no matter what.”

  Robyn’s nerves buzzed. She wanted to jump out of her skin. “What is he doing?”

  Spider’s death grin widened. He produced a switchblade and waved it around, then pointed it back at May, his smile wide now.

  May’s scream cut the air and went right through Robyn.

  “That’s it. I’ve had enough of his shit.” She swung the door open and jumped out of the truck. The black boots she’d borrowed from Toby’s dead wife made dull thuds on the pavement.

  “Jesus Christ,” she heard Zed mutter under his breath, then the sound of his door opening.

  “Hey,” Robyn said, barely hearing herself speak above the roar of blood in her ears. “You like scaring little girls?”

  “Yeah. I like eating them too. They’re great with tortillas.” His voice was a gravelly croak, as if it were coming from the voice box of a dead man.

  Well, that’s about right, Robyn thought, because he is a dead man if he doesn’t let May go. Maybe even if he does. He’ll never leave her alone.

  “I bet you’d be nice with rippled chips. Maybe a little dip.” His voice floated out at her through his open window.

  “What the hell? Tortillas? Rippled chips? You’re barely a level above drooling idiot, aren’t you?” She pulled the .45 from
where it rested between the small of her back and the waistband of her jeans. “I’ll give you something to eat, you pathetic freak.” She pointed the gun at his head as she approached the car.

  He blinked, but his smile didn’t falter.

  “Get out of the car,” Robyn said, her teeth gritted. “Now, or I’ll knock your teeth out before I blow your head off.”

  “Aw. Only because you asked so pretty.” From here she could see that his teeth had the rotted look achieved only by frequent meth use.

  “Right. Get out.” She glanced at the back of the car, where May sat stiffly, sniffling, her little shoulders shaking with the last of her shuddering sobs.

  Spider opened his door and climbed out.

  “Step away from the car. Over there.” Robyn pointed at the lane where oncoming traffic should be moving down the highway. There was no one.

  Spider giggled. “You want me to get run over? Fat chance.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Move away from the car.”

  Spider stepped away, walking slowly backward, a little bounce in his step.

  Robyn realized with a kind of mounting horror that he was actually dancing.

  Zed whistled low. “There are places for guys like you, cockroach.”

  Spider scowled. “It’s Spider, asshole.”

  “You wish. Spiders are cool. You’re nothing but a scurrying, little roach.”

  “Fuck you,” Spider spat out. Foamy spit flew onto his chin, staying on his goatee.

  “What’s with the leather pants and vest?” Robyn said, laughing a little. “Why don’t guys like you ever realize that you look like the lost members of the Village People?”

  That angered him. She’d insulted his masculinity. He glared at her. “Laugh it up, bitch. You won’t be laughing for long.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Zed, get May. Put her in the truck.” Robyn’s hands were trembling on the gun. It wasn’t fear making her shake, but white-hot rage. Her finger itched to pull back on the trigger. It’s not like anyone would miss him.

  Zed walked toward the truck. “Hey, sweetheart. I bet you thought we weren’t coming, right?”

  May’s eyes were wide and pleading.

  Robyn frowned. A warning skittered up her spine. “Zed.”