All Things in the Shadows II

by B. D. Messick

  I look over at Kateri and she pulls two knives out of the bun on the back of her head. Her hair tumbles down, and she winks at me.

  “Yeah,” I say, reaching into my boots and retrieving two double-edged, curved blades with a handle in the center.

  Kateri smiles at me.

  “You really are my kind of girl,” she says, her eyes sparkling.

  “I’m sending Wren. She should be there in a few minutes,” Father says.

  “Okay.”

  “I’ve got them,” Evan says into my ear.

  “Location?”

  “One’s on the roof, the other…I’m not sure, but it’s close.”

  “All right. We’ll get the one on the roof first.”

  Kateri kicks off her shoes, and we sprint out of the room. I’m glad I wore boots tonight, and not high heels. We turn left as soon as we exit the gym, racing down the hall, dodging groups of kids and teachers. We burst through the front doors and race down the steps. I spin around and look up toward the roof.

  “See you there,” I say before stepping into the shadow of a telephone pole and streaming two stories up.

  I materialize on the roof, my weapons at the ready, but no one’s there. A second later, Kateri appears and as soon as she hits the ground, she’s running at me.

  “Watch out!” she screams.

  I spin around just in time to see a huge demon with blue skin and long, needle like fingers leap out of the darkness at me. I slip to the right and drop while slicing deep into its arm. Kateri fades again and reappears behind the beast, plunging her blades into the creature’s back. It roars and lashes out, its right arm slamming into her midsection, sending her flying across the roof.

  “Kateri!” I yell, and everything goes red all around me.

  I rush the demon, screaming as I slash and stab it repeatedly. Every move it makes, I react and counter-attack, my knives digging deep, severing tendons, cutting muscle and breaking bones. It stumbles back, reeling from my assault. I slice it across the belly; the blade cutting deep before plunging the other knife into its right leg and then ripping it out as blood sprays onto my dress and face. It drops down onto one knee while trying to retreat. I advance on the monster, spinning my knives with my wrists.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” I ask, snarling at the beast.

  Suddenly, something barrels into me from the side, knocking me to the ground, one of my knives skittering away across the roof. I flip onto my back and scramble to my feet, pain shooting from my ribs. A terrifying demon with massive stone-like fists roars before charging. I take a step back and trip over a pipe sticking up through the roof. I hear a pop as I twist my ankle and collapse. The beast leaps in the air directly at me. I roll to the left and it slams into the ground just inches away. Raising my knife, I stab its foot, but the blade just bounces off.

  “Oh, shit!”

  I roll away again as the monster moves toward me. From out of nowhere, Kateri appears directly in front of me, her dress torn and bloody. The demon barrels toward her, fists raised, ready to strike. She looks beaten down, leaning to the right, blood running down her arm as she lifts her knife. Suddenly, just inches from Kateri, the beast stops in its tracks, staring straight ahead, like its looking right through her and then it collapses, falling face down onto the roof. She dodges out of the way at the last second.

  Wren appears out of the shadows, striding across the roof, her hips swaying from side to side, a crossbow in her hand. That’s when I notice the two bolts sticking out of the back of the demon’s skull.

  “You two okay?” she asks as she walks past us.

  I nod and Kateri does the same as she makes her way over to me.

  “We’re okay,” she says.

  Wren gives us a nod and walks over to the other demon who is still trying to crawl away. She fires two bolts into its skull.

  “Ya know,” she says, turning to look at us. “If you’d told me how fun prom was, I might have come along.”

  I shake my head as Kateri helps me up. My ribs are burning, and my ankle feels broken as I struggle to stand, leaning heavily on her, while she leans against me at the same time.

  “Are you okay?” I ask her.

  “I’m all right,” she says, with a weak smile. “What about you?”

  “Same,” I reply, both of us lying to the other, but both of us aware that we’re doing it.

  “Okay. Let’s get you back home,” Wren says.

  She takes my hand, while I hold Kateri’s and we fade into one of many shadows crisscrossing the roof and stream back to the Factory. Wren guides us with a confidence that belays the short time that she’s been with us, linking off fire escapes, rooftops and the crossbars of telephone poles. We land in the parking lot, just feet from the Factory door. Jax is waiting for us. He takes charge of Kateri, while Wren helps me make our way inside. Jax touches his earpiece.

  “We need a trauma unit, main entrance, stat.”

  “Copy.”

  We move toward the elevators, shuffling slowly down the hall. Just before we reach the doors, they open and four Shayds in scrubs rush out, taking over from Jax and Wren. Less than two minutes later, we’re in the hospital, and the doctors and nurses are buzzing all around us, poking and prodding.

  “I’m gonna give you something, it’ll probably knock you out cold,” someone says as she slides a needle under my skin and almost immediately my lids feel heavy.

  “Good to have you back,” I hear Father say through a thick mental haze.

  I look up and his face comes into focus, his all blue eyes gazing down at me.

  “Kateri,” I mumble.

  “Right here,” she says, and I look over to the bed next to mine.

  I reach my hand out and she takes it, her arm heavily bandaged.

  “Are you really okay?” I ask.

  “Now I am. You?”

  “Yeah. Ankle hurts though, ribs too.”

  “Kyle says you have three broken ribs, one of which they had to force back into place. As far as your ankle is concerned, it’s a severe sprain, so you’re on bedrest for a few days,” Father says. “Kateri is about the same, but just two ribs.”

  “And forty-five stitches,” she says, nodding toward her bandaged arm.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Where is she?”

  “Up near North Huntingdon,” Kateri replies.

  I pull my sword and we both turn right and run to the edge of the roof, throwing ourselves into a thin telephone pole shadow. As soon as we’re on the move, I risk thinking about something other than streaming. It’s been a week since prom, and even though we’re still recovering, we’re both on duty. Everyone has returned from Minneapolis and New York and things have been busy. While there hasn’t been another bombing, the number of demon attacks has increased five-fold.

  E ~ What’s going on?

  K ~ She went out with Clay to investigate an incursion, and then two more occurred in the same area.

  E ~ Is she okay?

  K ~ Don’t know. She signaled for help and then went silent.

  E ~ Jesus.

  I land on the roof of a red SUV parked along the side of the road and then launch myself up to the top of a three-story apartment building. As soon as I touch down, I run across the gravel-covered roof, the stones crunching under my boots. Suddenly, a girl steps out from behind an air-conditioning unit carrying suntan lotion, towel and a tablet. She screams, and I nearly collide with her, and then I realize I’m not faded. I stumble, but quickly regain my footing. I look back momentarily and she’s staring at me, her mouth hanging open. I throw myself off the edge of the building, vanishing into the shadows below.

  I’m sure she screamed again, but I’m too far away now. Besides, my heart is pounding so hard in my chest that I can’t hear anything else anyway.

  K ~ How far?

  E ~ Almost there, at least according to the last ping off her phone.

  I’m linking from rooftop to rooftop in a long line of fast food a
nd other small businesses paralleling a busy four-lane roadway. I can’t see Kateri, but I can feel she’s close, and her thoughts are as dark as my own. I land on top of a Taco Bell to get my bearings, and as I’m looking around, I spot them. Wren and two demons are battling in the parking lot of a Walgreen’s just across the highway.

  E ~ Where are you?

  I stream across the road, using the power line shadows, landing a few feet from Wren and her attackers.

  K ~ Right behind you!

  Suddenly, Kateri materializes out of the air and slams directly into one of the demons, knocking it back a few feet. Wren looks over at me, and I can see the relief on her face, along with a fresh laceration on her right cheek. Her left arm is slashed, and blood is dripping onto the pavement. I charge into the battle, raising my bow and firing two bolts in quick succession. The first strikes home, burying the barbed point deep into the closer demon’s scale covered left arm. It looks at me and roars, bits of spittle flying through the air. Wren takes advantage of the distraction and swings her sword up and to the right, catching the beast in the jaw and sending the monster sprawling onto the ground.

  The clang of metal against metal draws our attention, and Wren spins to the right and flings two knives towards Kateri and her adversary. The blades plunge deep into the beast and it stands still for a moment before collapsing onto the pavement.

  “Watch out!” I yell as I grab Wren’s arm and pull out of the way of a passing car.

  “Thanks,” she says with a grim smile.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  “I’m okay.”

  She reaches up and touches her cheek and then looks at her blood-stained fingers.

  “It doesn’t hurt…much.”

  “What were you doing out here alone?” Kateri asks.

  “I wasn’t out here alone. Clay was with me.”

  “Well, where the hell is he?” I ask.

  “He went after one of the demons that was trying to escape.”

  “And he left you here to deal with two of them?” Kateri asks, clearly annoyed.

  She doesn’t answer right away and then she drops to one knee. I crouch down next to her, slipping my arm behind her back. Immediately, I feel something wet. I lift her jacket, and blood drips onto the ground, forming into a pool immediately. There’s a deep gash in her side, likely from a blade.

  “Dammit, Wren. You’re hurt!”

  “I told you, it’s not that bad,” she says, before suddenly collapsing into my arms.

  “Kateri. We have to get her back to the Factory. Now!”

  “You take her. I’m going to find Clay. He could be in trouble,” she says, frowning at me.

  “And then what?”

  “Then I’ll save him…and then kick his ass for leaving Wren alone,” she says.

  “All right. Be careful.”

  “I will,” she answers, grinning at me.

  I watch as she turns and runs toward the building and fades out of sight when she reaches the shadow that it casts on the parking lot. I sigh and look at Wren. Her eyes open slowly, and she looks up at me.

  “I have to tell you something,” she says, her voice wavering.

  “Tell me later. Just hold on.”

  I lift her and walk carefully over to the thin dark strips cast by the overhead power lines. I’ve never tried to stream while carrying someone, but there’s a first time for everyone.

  Right?

  “What do you mean, he was gone?” Father asks, leaning on his desk.

  “Just what we said. He wasn’t there when we arrived. She was fighting two demons,” I reply.

  Father looks at Kateri.

  “And you still didn’t find him?”

  “No. I searched the entire area. I even had Evan try to ping his phone, but nothing,” she replies, glancing over at me.

  “Ping whose phone?” I hear Clay’s voice from behind us.

  In a flash, Kateri is up and slams him against the wall, her forearm pressed into his neck.

  “Where the fuck were you?” she demands.

  “Kateri!”

  She looks back at Father and then back at Clay, leaning in close.

  “Just be happy that was my arm, and not my knife,” she whispers to him.

  He pushes her away, his expression unreadable, his thoughts buried deep down inside. Kateri walks to the other side of the room and leans against the wall, glaring at him.

  “Clay. Where were you? Wren sent out a distress call and Kateri and Eve had to help rescue her from two demons,” Father says, frowning.

  “I’m sorry. I went after a third one that was trying to escape. I thought she could handle it until I got back,” he answers. “Is she okay?”

  “Like you care,” Kateri mutters from the other side of the room.

  Father looks at Kateri and she lowers her head.

  “She’s unconscious, but the doc says she’ll be okay. You know better than to do something like that. Wren may be capable, but she’s still young,” he says.

  “It won’t happen again,” Clay replies.

  “Make sure it doesn’t.”

  I keep my eyes on Clay the entire time, but I still can’t read anything in his thoughts or his expression.

  “I’m going to go check on her,” he says.

  “The hell you are,” Kateri says, moving toward him. “You stay away from her!”

  I step between them and put my hands up to prevent anyone from doing anything stupid.

  “She’s resting, Clay.” Kateri glares at me, but I turn back to him. “Let her get a little stronger first.”

  “I just want to see her,” he replies.

  “Ask the doctors first, okay?”

  “Okay,” he whispers before turning to head down the stairs.

  “Why did you do that?” Kateri demands, the anger in her voice palpable.

  “He made a mistake.”

  “Yeah, we’ve all made mistakes, but not ones that almost got someone killed,” she shoots back.

  “Wren can handle herself. If she tells him to go fuck-off, that’s her business.”

  I look over at Father and he gives me a small nod of approval. Kateri sighs and runs her hand over her face before looking at me.

  “Sorry,” she says. “I think I overreacted.”

  “It’s okay. You’re looking out for Wren. Don’t apologize for that,” Father says, a warm and understanding smile on his face.

  “Come on, we should get some rest before tomorrow,” I say to Kateri.

  She nods and reaches out, taking my hand in hers. She squeezes my fingers gently.

  “Make sure you come and see me before you set out in the morning,” Father says.

  “We will,” we reply in unison, prompting a chuckle from him.

  As soon as we step out of his office, Evan is waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. He looks worried, which worries me.

  “What’s up?” I ask.

  “Can I talk to you guys?” he asks, looking around the room. “In private?”

  “Sure.”

  I look at Kateri and she shrugs her shoulders. Evan walks over to his desk and grabs his laptop and heads toward a door I’d never noticed.

  “It’s the server room,” he says as he keys a code into the pad and then presses his hand against the screen.

  The sound of locks quietly opening is followed by the hiss of the door. We slip inside, and Evan waits nervously for the door to close behind us. The locks engage again, and he seems to relax. The room is warm, and the drone of fans struggling to keep the dozens of servers cool fills the air.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “Um…I wanted to show you something,” he says as he sets his laptop on a small desk just to the right of the door.

  His tone and attitude are starting to seriously worry me, and I can tell that Kateri is unsettled by his behavior as well.

  “You know how Wren had me show everyone the rifts opening when there weren’t any demons found?” he asks.


  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I’ve been keeping up on it, you know, logging all new events and checking on them during the day.”

  “Okay…that sounds like a good idea,” I reply.

  “Anyway, earlier today when you had me ping Clay’s phone, something else happened.”

  “What?” I ask, feeling a rise in my heart rate.

  Evan turns back to the computer and punches a few keys and a line of dots slowly appear, overlaid on a map of the North Huntingdon area.

  “Here are Clay’s pings,” he says.

  “Yeah. He said he was chasing a demon,” Kateri says.

  Evan nods and then presses two more keys and three bright red dots appear, one a few blocks from the Walgreens and the other two about three blocks further on.

  “These are the rifts that opened while I was searching for Clay’s phone.”

  “And?”

  “Look at the sequence.”

  He pulls up menu and selects a couple of options and the screen clears before reappearing. The dots representing Clay’s location pop-up one at a time, along with a timestamp.

  “You can see he’s moving here,” Evan says, sliding his finger along the line of dots. “When the first rift appears, Clay’s location doesn’t change for a few moments, as if he’s standing right in front of it, and then he moves again.”

  “I still don’t get it,” I say, looking over at Kateri.

  She looks as confused as I am.

  “Wait,” Evan says. “Just watch.”

  Clay’s trail continues and then stops. He doesn’t move for more than a minute and then a rift appears exactly where he is. For the longest time, nothing happens.

  “Let me speed this up,” he says, as he hits a few keys.

  Finally, the second rift appears very close to the first and a moment later, Clay moves again.

  “Do you see?” he asks.

  “Not really.”

  “The time stamps show that the first of the two opened at 4:14 and the second one at 5:30. I dispatched units to all three rifts, there was no evidence of a demon at any of them, but also, no sign of Clay either.”