All Things in the Shadows II

by B. D. Messick

  “115.”

  “Yeah,” he responds, pressing the button on his radio.

  “Torino, Eve. Age eighteen. Five foot ten, 120, blue eyes, brown hair. Reported missing May 11, 2016.”

  While he’s listening, he looks into my eyes and I can see the shock on his face as he tries to comprehend what he’s seeing as the colors swirl about like a whirlpool.

  “What the hell?” he mutters to himself.

  Suddenly, the lights on his car flash and the siren screams. He spins around and drags me toward the vehicle. I spot Syrra climbing out of the driver’s seat and the car begins rolling down the street, the front door open.

  “Stay here!” he commands before releasing me and running after the car.

  Kateri comes running up and grabs my arm.

  “Come on!”

  We dart through the yard and scramble under the deck, pressing ourselves up against the house. Kateri grins at me.

  “I like that Syrra,” she says.

  “Me too,” I reply.

  “That was too close,” she says. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before more of them arrive.”

  I can see the trooper jogging back up the street, talking on his radio. I’m sure he’s calling in backup.

  “We have to go after Clay,” I say as we move to the edge of the deck shadow.

  There’s a dark line on the grass from the overhead powerlines, but there’s a gap of about twenty feet where I’ll be visible. Kateri takes my hand and gently squeezes my fingers and then gives me a little nod.

  We dart across the lawn and a few seconds later, we’re streaming along the ‘line-shadow,’ leaving the confused officer behind. We follow the roadway, slipping between the cars and trucks traveling alongside us.

  “Everyone meet at the Sheetz,” I say.

  “On it,” replies Syrra.

  “We’ll be there in a minute,” says Reeva in my earpiece.

  We stream over a huge six-lane highway and past a collection of small businesses and fast-food restaurants. It only takes about a minute to reach the convenience store / gas station. It’s crowded with customers, but we head behind the building, slipping between a few old wooden pallets and a chain-link fence. Syrra is already there, leaning against the building.

  “Thanks for getting me out of that,” I say to her.

  “Anytime. I can’t let them drag you off to jail. I don’t even know if they would allow conjugal visits,” she replies with a wink to Kateri.

  I shake my head and sigh. A second later, the others arrive, all of us crowding into the cramped space.

  “Jax. I need you to open a portal,” I say, looking past Reeva at him.

  “Sure. No problem.”

  Jax does his thing; moving his hands in what I can only assume is some sort of pre-determined pattern before taking a small step back. A moment later, the air crackles and a portal opens in front of us, the edges shimmering like water in sunshine.

  “Everyone stay together,” I say, looking at the others, before turning to Syrra. “Don’t do anything stupid. Some of them are friends.”

  “Hey…what does that mean?” she asks, frowning.

  “Don’t worry about it. She normally tells me that,” Kateri says.

  “Let’s go,” I say to everyone. “Hold on tight.”

  We all link hands and leap through the glowing hole. I keep my eyes closed this time, hoping that it’ll make the ride easier; it doesn’t…if anything, it makes it worse. I try to hold on to Kateri, but somewhere along the way, I feel her fingers slip out of mine. When my feet hit the ground, I stumble and fall face down, right onto my injured arm. A surge of pain rockets through my entire body and I promptly puke up my breakfast and lunch. Taking a deep breath, I struggle to my feet and look around. I’m in the parking lot of the Sheetz now, ghostly images of vehicles and people passing me by. There’s no sign of anyone else.

  My arm is hurting like a bitch and my head is still spinning, but I have to do something to find the others. I head over to the side of the building where Jax opened the portal, but no one’s there. From out of nowhere, a bright green and yellow demon with spikes lining its arms and legs rushes at me from the pumps. I pull my sword out just as the beast swings at me; its fist brimming with Wolverine-like razor blades. I drop and slip to the right, and the knives spark off the brick wall of the gas station. Swinging my sword, I strike him deep in the right leg. He roars in anger and retreats a few feet, nursing his injured limb.

  “Come on!” I scream, standing and spinning my sword while advancing.

  The demon glares at me. I can see the hate in its deep red eyes, but then for a split second, it focuses on something behind me.

  Oh shit.

  I turn slowly and look up into the face of a second demon, this one even scarier than the first. It grins at me with a mouthful of teeth that look like tiny snakes, each one armed with razor-sharp fangs. Its skin is scaly, like a reptile and it shimmers in the weird red sunlight. I start to raise my sword, but in a flash it has its claw around my neck and lifts me off the ground. I drop my blade as my hands move automatically for my throat.

  “You’re different,” it says in a weird but completely terrifying voice.

  “You’ve no idea,” I mutter between gasps for air.

  “I bet you die like all the others though.”

  It smiles at me, or I guess it smiles, it’s hard to tell with its bizarre snake-teeth. I try to kick it, but it’s holding me too far away. I can feel myself becoming weak as the claws around my neck slowly squeeze tighter and then something strange happens; the tip of a sword emerges from the beast’s mouth, the blade stopping just inches from my eye.

  The demon stares at me, a shocked expression on its face before it collapses to the ground. I fall on top of it, coughing and gasping for air.

  “You okay?” I hear Syrra ask.

  I look up into her face and nod before pushing myself up. She takes my arm and helps me to my feet.

  “Thanks,” I say, looking around for my sword.

  “I’m guessing that wasn’t a friendly one,” she says. “Or that one.”

  She points to the body of the green and yellow demon and I nod in response.

  “Good guess. You seen my sword?”

  “Yeah, right here.”

  She holds out the weapon for me; the blade darkened with demon blood.

  “You’re one tough broad,” she says with a wry grin.

  “Not as tough as you think,” I reply, wincing as I stretch my back.

  As I take the sword in my left hand, my fingers and all the muscles in my arm suddenly cramp up. It’s sort of like how you get a leg spasm in the middle of the night, only ten times more intense. I drop to one knee as the pain courses up my arm and straight into my brain. I can’t open my hand. I can’t drop the sword, and I can’t get any words out as the pain is overwhelming everything. Syrra is standing in front of me and I can see the worry on her face. Finally, after what seems like minutes, my muscles relax and I can breathe again.

  “Jesus. What the hell was that?” she asks, helping me stand.

  “Old war wound,” I answer, slowly flexing my fingers.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Give me a minute.”

  She nods and takes a tiny step back while checking to see if there are any other demons in the area.

  “Hey. How did you see me, by the way?” I ask.

  “I didn’t. I saw the demon at first. It wasn’t until I got closer that I saw it was attacking you, which is kinda weird actually now that you mention it.”

  “That’s just the beginning of the weirdness,” I reply, slipping the sword into its scabbard. “First time we came here, the demons couldn’t see us, but we could see them.”

  “Well, that’s good.”

  “Yeah, well, the other problem is neither Reeva nor Kateri could see me until they got within a few feet.”

  “Which is why I couldn’t at first?”

  “Exactly, which a
lso means that they probably can’t see us right now.”

  “So, what do we do?”

  E ~ Kateri...where are you?

  When there’s no response, I scan the area before looking at Syrra.

  “We have to search around here first,” I finally answer.

  “Okay. I’ll check down that way and over to that old motel.”

  “Right. I’ll look up the hill and those businesses,” I say, pointing up toward a collection of small restaurants and other buildings.

  “Meet back here in twenty minutes?”

  “Sounds good.”

  I scramble through a hole in the old chain-link fence and walk back and forth in a line from the road to the end of the parking lots of the various little buildings scattered through the area. By the time I reach the top of the hill where a massive trucking hub of some sort dominates the landscape, my legs are aching and I’m starting to worry that perhaps the others didn’t make it through, or maybe something worse. I check my phone and head back down the hill. When I get back to the Sheetz, Syrra is already there, and she looks as worried as me.

  “I guess I don’t have to ask,” she says.

  “No.”

  “Where could they be?”

  “I don’t know,” I reply, looking around for a moment.

  “Where would you go if you were them?”

  “The Chapel,” I reply, looking off in the direction of downtown Pittsburgh.

  “What’s the Chapel?”

  “It’s the Rebel Base,” I reply, never expecting her to get the joke.

  “Well, lead the way, Leia,” she says with a wink.

  I chuckle and shake my head before reaching out and taking her hand.

  “Don’t let go this time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  As we’re streaming across the small neighborhoods and cities on our way downtown, Syrra holds my hand tightly. About halfway to our destination I begin to feel guilty about holding hers. I know we’re doing it as a practical matter since she doesn’t know the area, but every time she squeezes my fingers it stirs up those feelings again. Eventually, I spot the top of one of the museums that border the park in front of the Chapel. I link to it from the top of a ten-story apartment complex, landing a few feet from the edge of the roof.

  As soon as we touch down, I release Syrra’s hand and she gives me a nod of her head.

  “That was interesting,” she says as she walks alongside me.

  “What?”

  “Never streamed holding onto someone else,” she replies.

  I chuckle quietly.

  “Kateri and I have done it a couple of times.”

  “I liked it. It’s sort of like riding in the passenger seat.”

  “Yeah, sort of.”

  I don’t tell her how intimate it feels to me, and how awkward I felt doing it with her. We approach the end of the roof and kneel to look across the wooded park toward the Chapel.

  “Is that it?” she asks as she squats next to me.

  “That’s it,” I reply looking at the marble and stone church.

  “What are we waiting for?”

  “I just want to make sure of something,” I say.

  “Of what?”

  “That you’re not going to do anything stupid,” I reply, while scanning the area for any demons, friendly or not.

  “You said that earlier.”

  “I know.”

  “I won’t.”

  I look over at her.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” I repeat.

  “I said I won’t.”

  “Just making sure. Let’s go.”

  We simultaneously stream across the park, linking off the top of a food cart, landing a few yards from the basement steps of the chapel. I crouch down behind a tree, checking the area again before standing. I look over at Syrra and she shakes her head.

  “I know. Don’t do anything stupid,” she says.

  “Good girl.”

  We sprint across the open area between the tree and the Chapel, scrambling down the old stone stairs into the tiny alcove. Syrra studies the heavy wooden and iron door for a moment before turning to me.

  “Do we knock?”

  “No. We go in,” I reply, taking her hand and walking through the door, pulling her after me.

  When we emerge on the other side, she stumbles slightly and then looks back at the door. She touches the smooth wood surface, running her fingers along the seams.

  “How the hell did—” she starts to ask before turning slowly and staring at all the faces staring back at her. Of the twenty or so demons crowded into the space, all but a few turn back to their work, but a couple of them move closer, their red, yellow, or green eyes glowing in the dimly lit room.

  I can feel Syrra tense up, and her hand moves to the pommel of her sword. I squeeze her fingers.

  “Remember what I said,” I whisper.

  She nods and swallows hard.

  “Eve!” a voice bellows from behind the wall of demons.

  A moment later, Dray pushes his way through the crowd, a huge smile on his face. He looks at the others, and without a word spoken, the rest of the demons return to their tasks. I can feel Syrra’s fear as she stands just behind me.

  “You brought a friend,” he says, tilting his head to the side and trying to look around me at her.

  “Yeah,” I reply. “Have you seen Reeva or Kateri?”

  “Of course. They’re here.”

  I let out a breath and sigh quietly.

  “And Jax?”

  “Yeah, him too,” Dray says, shaking his head and smirking at me.

  “Can you take us to them?”

  “Of course, but first, introduce me,” he says, still looking at Syrra.

  “Oh, sorry. Dray…Syrra. Syrra…Dray.”

  He bows slowly, bending at the waist.

  “Welcome,” he says quietly, extending his hand.

  She hesitates for a moment, glancing at me for a second before placing her much smaller hand in his.

  “Thank you,” she says, shaking his huge clawed hand.

  “The pleasure is mine. Now. Follow me.”

  He turns on his heel and heads deeper into the basement headquarters. As with all our previous visits, the other demons we pass by either give us friendly nods, or completely ignore us. I recognize the path we’re taking through the maze of corridors, small rooms and darkened corners. As we’re passing through the Infirmary, I notice that almost all the beds are filled. I hope the injuries are not the result of Shayd-Demon conflicts.

  “Hey,” someone calls out to us.

  We turn and Dr. Alixa is striding toward us. She smiles, but I can see the concern on her face.

  “Dr. Alixa,” I say, offering my hand.

  “It’s just Alixa,” she says gently. “How’s the arm?”

  “It’s fine.”

  I glance over at Syrra. She’s frowning, but she says nothing to out my lie.

  “No pain, discomfort or seizures?”

  “No. Nothing like…I mean, maybe a little pain now and then, but it’s nothing.”

  “Uh, huh,” she says, tilting her head to the side.

  “Really. It’s fine.”

  “If you say so. I would like to check you out before you leave.”

  “If we have time,” I say…or rather lie.

  Alixa looks at Syrra and something passes between them, but neither says anything.

  “Okay. Well, try to make the time.”

  “All right.”

  We start moving again, with Dray a few steps out in front. Syrra brushes her hand against mine and I look over at her.

  “Why didn’t you tell her?” she asks.

  “It’s not that bad.”

  Syrra shakes her head.

  “From what I saw, it could hardly be worse.”

  I sigh and growl under my breath.

  “Do not tell Kateri, okay?”

  “Why not, if it’s really nothing?”

  “Just d
on’t tell her, okay?”

  “Fine,” she grumbles. “If you promise me you’ll tell her.”

  “I will…eventually.”

  “Damn, you’re stubborn,” she says, grinning and shaking her head.

  “You’ve no idea.”

  “Eve!” Kateri shouts as she rushes at me the second we walk into Kyuki’s office.

  We embrace, and she buries her face in my shoulder. I squeeze her tight, my arms wrapped around her like a vice.

  K ~ My God. I was so worried.

  E ~ Me too.

  After a few seconds, we both step back, although Kateri takes my hand and refuses to release it. Reeva and Jax are standing by the desk, looking over a collection of images on some sort of tablet. Kyuki walks over, striding across the floor in that incredibly sensual way she has of moving, and extends her slender hand. I take it, squeezing firmly but not too hard.

  “Glad to see that you are well,” she says.

  “Thank you. Thank you for taking in our friends,” I reply.

  “We’re all in this together, are we not? Besides, they are our friends too.”

  “Yes,” I respond, nodding. “Oh, before I forget, I brought you this.”

  I reach into my pocket and retrieve one of the walkie-talkie units and hand it to her. She takes it gently in her slender fingers.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a way for us to talk across the barrier, between the Solas and the Abyss,” I reply.

  “And it works?”

  “It should. We haven’t tested it yet.”

  “Well, thank you. Hopefully, we’ll be able to check their usefulness soon. I also see you brought someone new as well,” she says, looking at Syrra.

  “Yes. This is Syrra.”

  I watch as Kyuki sweeps her with her eyes, from head to toe. I’m sure that she’s reading her thoughts as well, but I keep that to myself.

  “It is my honor to meet you,” Kyuki says, offering her hand.

  Syrra hesitates for a moment, before she returns the gesture and the two shake while studying each other.

  “The honor is mine,” she replies.

  Kyuki gives her a little nod and then turns her attention back to me.