by A. J. Locke
The house was dark save for one lamp, and when I peeked into Ethan’s room, I saw that he was sound asleep. I gave Kyo a new energy rune, left him in the living room, and went to wash this very long day off me. I felt like I had done a week’s worth of activities in one day. When I came out, Kyo was on the couch watching television, as I knew he would be. I headed into the kitchen to fix myself something to eat. Late or not, I had skipped lunch and dinner, so there was no way I was going to bed on an empty stomach. I might end up snatching Luna and trying to gobble her up in my sleep. She was at my heels anticipating a taste of whatever I procured for myself. Now that Ethan was back, we had a well-stocked kitchen once again. Not only that, he had apparently cooked before heading out today. There was pasta and meat sauce, a quick but tasty meal. I munched on a granola bar while I waited for it to heat up. I also checked my phone for the first time in an eternity and saw that I had a couple missed calls from Micah, and one from Amy. I frowned. Why in the world was Amy calling me? Last time I saw her, she’d been looking haggard as she managed the front desk for a desolate Affairs of the Dead. She’d said her chances of landing a better job weren’t good, but if I were her, I’d choose to go on unemployment benefits rather than continue to work for Jacob McNabb. Well, whatever she was calling for I’d have to call her back tomorrow. If I remembered.
“Smells good,” Kyo said as I sat down next to him with my food. Luna started to do her begging dance at my feet, but I ignored her.
I threw a questioning look at Kyo, and he flashed a half smile.
“I can’t really smell it, of course,” he said. “But I imagine it would smell good.”
There was that wistful tone I’d come to recognize in his voice.
“Been a long time since you’ve had food, huh?”
“Been a long time since I’ve had anything,” he replied. “I know that the world around me is vibrant and beautiful in many ways, but it feels like I exist here within a bubble. As a ghost, I can’t experience things the way others can. Like when I am holding this remote or petting Luna. I know I am making contact, but I don’t feel it. It’s like I’m touching air. You need nerves in order to feel.” He sighed. “I can see the sun, but I can’t feel it. I can see food, see others enjoying it, but I don’t even remember what it’s like to take a drink of water. To do normal things like go out with friends, or spend the day working then come home and wrap myself up in bed and go to sleep. I don’t remember what it’s like to touch someone…truly touch them, in a meaningful way. What is it like to be in the embrace of a beautiful woman? I don’t recall…”
“Sounds like you’re trying to remember someone from your past. Had a special someone?”
“I had many someones,” he said with a rueful laugh. “I was not one to get tied down, but there wasn’t anyone I could say was my ‘special someone.’ Or if there was, I don’t remember her, which means she wasn’t special after all.”
“I guess,” I said. “You know, only recently, when Ethan was a ghost, did I realize how hard it is for a ghost to remain on this side for a prolonged period of time. In my line of work, I helped ghosts and they faded. But with Ethan, and now you, I’m seeing things differently. To be here but not really be a part of anything while the entire world moves around you…it must be so hard.”
“It is. Especially when all I’ve known for so long is utter and complete darkness. It’s so familiar to me I feel as though I need to return to it. It’s part of my being now, permanently. No matter how much sun shines down on me I will always know that for three centuries the darkness had my soul.”
“I can’t imagine what that’s like,” I said softly.
“No, but you can understand more than most. You were where I was. Briefly, but I’m willing to bet you’re the only person who has been revived who can say they remember being in the In Between.”
A shiver went through me. “Three centuries in the In Between. Fighting ghost monsters and avoiding ghosts that want to chomp you up. I can’t fathom that.”
“You grow used to it, but that doesn’t mean it gets easier. I’ve seen a lot of ghosts lose their minds and just give themselves to the ghost monster pits or to another ghost’s appetite. And I understood. Every time I saw a ghost do something like that, I understood.” He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling.
“The darkness calls to me; it is the light by which I see, the air I cannot breathe.” His voice was low and lyrical as he spoke. “I am trapped in the embrace of endless night, lost forever to a magic I cannot fight. So what can I do but surrender to temptation, let myself suffocate and forget there was any light…”
“There you go, waxing poetic again.” My tone was light, but his words had struck a chord within me. “Fancied yourself a poet when you weren’t tossing ghost monsters into pits?”
Kyo rolled his head toward me and flashed a smile, though it had a sad edge to it. “I had a love of poetry before I became a resident of the In Between,” he said. “And it only had time to grow, especially when I became acquainted with the ghosts of so many writers and poets.”
“Really? Like who?”
“Just about all of the famous ones from decades past,” Kyo said. “Twain, Dickinson, the Bronte sisters, Poe, Shakespeare, Keats…”
“Whoa, all of those ghosts are in the In Between?”
“Yeah,” he said. “You have to remember, they came from a time where the norm was to use necromancer circles on ghosts with unfinished business. And who could have unfinished business more than some creative type? That poem they needed to write, that manuscript they had to finish, that painting they were in the middle of. Lots of artists are there too. Van Gogh has forever been looking for his paintbrushes. And his ear.”
“Wow. That makes sense, but how sad that they have to stay trapped in the In Between…”
“Some of them succumbed to the dismal existence,” Kyo said. “Some of them kept their writer’s spirit with them.”
“So you learned from some of the best.”
“You could say that.”
We lapsed into silence for a while. I continued to eat while Kyo sat with his head back and his eyes on the ceiling. Even though he kept up an easygoing disposition, I could see sadness within his eyes sometimes, and when he was serious like this or spewing poetry, there were deeper emotions that came to the surface. I couldn’t fathom three centuries in the In Between. It must have done a number on Kyo, but he had trained himself to lock those emotions down. Now, being back on this side in a world completely different from how he’d left it, it had to be an added burden to try to adjust, especially as a ghost who had to stay hidden most of the time. More and more I wanted to help him get his body back.
“I’m going to question Leena once she’s lucid enough to talk to me,” I said. “It would be great if she knew anything about where your body might be. Come to think of it, do you recall where you were when your ghost was pulled out of it?”
“Japan,” he replied. “By the time it happened to me, the dead warlocks had long been aware of what the dead witches were doing, but our numbers had dwindled so much the most we could do was hide and hope that some of the higher ranking warlocks would be able to figure something out. But the dead witches weren’t stupid; they started with the highest-ranking warlocks, so before long there weren’t many strong warlocks left. I had been living in Pennsylvania but went to Japan to stay with relatives who lived in the countryside in Kyoto. But they found me and took me to the Japanese Underground, which was centered in Tokyo. That’s where they did it, that’s the last place I saw my body.”
“So…do we need to hop on a plane?”
“If we do, it may not necessarily be to Japan,” he said. “Before our own capture, we remaining warlocks had tried to uncover the bodies of our brethren, as the dead witches knew we would, and so they never left the bodies in the same place very long. They were constantly moving. I don’t know if it has kept up through today, but for sure my body is no longer in the Japanese U
nderground.”
“Damn, those dead witches are thorough.”
“Yeah. And powerful, which is why they have thrived.” He sighed. “It doesn’t feel like this has really been my existence. To be living my life only to be thrown out of my body and sealed away in hell for so long. And now to be back here trying to uncover what was taken from me.”
“It must seem extremely surreal.”
“Very much so. Sometimes it feels like a dream. I’m around far past my lifespan, yet I am not alive. I feel like a shadow, a lonely wanderer walking a path that leads nowhere…”
I reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. “I’ll do my best to make sure your path leads you somewhere meaningful,” I said. “It’s been a long journey but I won’t see it end with you going back to the In Between.”
He gave me a half smile. “I believe in you, Selene. In your strength. On my darkest days it keeps me going.”
I returned the smile, then yawned. The late hour plus the food had made me even more tired. I got up and headed to the kitchen where I dumped my plate in the sink. I was too tired to even wash one plate and one fork.
“Goodnight, we’ll pick this up in the morning.”
Kyo had stretched out on the couch. Luna contemplated staying with him but ultimately came over to me.
“Sweet dreams, Selene.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The next morning I was up at the crack of eleven-thirty and got dressed to head to the PCC to meet with Tielle. It was even colder than yesterday, so I put on jeans, a sweater, and my favorite pair of combat boots. When I walked out into the living room, only Kyo was there. He was hovering on the sofa watching television, which Ethan must have left on for him. As soon as I gave Kyo an energy rune, he turned on one of Ethan’s video games. A first person shooter I think. If I wasn’t careful, it wouldn’t be long before I was fluent in nerd language. Ethan had left a covered plate of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast for me, along with a note that said he had gone out to the college campus with his parents again. I was glad he was more at ease going out and being around people despite the fact that the buzz surrounding him hadn’t died down yet.
“What are the plans for today?” Kyo asked as I wolfed down my breakfast.
“I’m going to the PCC to go over Leena’s case with Tielle. I’ll get an update on her and see when it might be possible to go talk to her. I don’t think Dr. Lane will have the results from examining the infant bones yet, but maybe he’ll call. Unless Tielle has another case for me, that’s all I have for today.”
“Until tonight,” Kyo said in a teasing tone. “Your oh-so-special-most-anticipated-date-night with Micah.”
“You really need to stop eavesdropping when I’m on the phone,” I muttered. But I was barely holding back a smile. I was really looking forward to a date with Micah.
“Oh you living beings and your romantic trysts,” Kyo said. His voice was its usual teasing tone, but after our conversation last night, I knew there would always be pain hidden beneath words like that. “Have fun, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Or maybe you should.” He turned away from the game to wiggle his eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes.
Once I finished up breakfast, I noticed Luna was doing her “I want to go outside” prance.
“Did Ethan take Luna for a walk before he left?”
“Nope, he fed her, but said he didn’t have time to walk her. I would have done it, but I was rune-less.”
“I’ll just let her out into the yard. I’m already monstrously late. Tielle wanted me to meet her at nine-thirty.”
Kyo gave a bark of laughter. “How have you managed to keep jobs, woman?”
“My winning personality. And cleavage. Kidding about the cleavage part.”
“I’ll bet,” Kyo said wryly.
I hustled Luna to the backdoor so I could let her outside. I thought about leaving her and asking Kyo to bring her back inside, but the way he was absorbed in that game, it was likely that he would forget her out there. I opened the door and Luna prepared to launch herself out, but before she could take a single leap I bent down and snatched her back, staring with wide eyes at what she had just been about to run out into.
Birds. Dead birds. They were everywhere, all kinds: pigeons, brown birds, sparrows, even a crow or two. Their stiff corpses were scattered all around the yard. And there were squirrels and rats too. All dead, lying like a macabre taxidermy scene. Except these animals weren’t stuffed, and it wouldn’t be long before they became a rotting, maggot infested mess in my yard.
I stumbled back from the open door, clutching Luna, who was not happy about me dangling freedom only to take it away. I couldn’t stop staring at the scene before my eyes. I was confused and a little scared. This wasn’t the first time I found corpses in my small yard. It was a far cry from digging up a little girl’s body, but it was disturbing nevertheless.
I found my voice. “Kyo!”
There was no answering reply, but seconds later Kyo was at my side. He opened his mouth to speak, but I just pointed and he turned his head to take it in.
“What the fuck is going on?” I whispered. I had my face half buried in Luna’s fur. She was calmer now, and I needed the comfort. “Is something killing off animals? Some disease going around?” I held Luna tighter. I didn’t want to think about finding her corpse. I had already lost her and reanimated her once. That was enough.
Kyo said nothing, his face stoic. He slowly moved forward until he stood just outside the door.
“This was not done by any kind of disease,” he said, looking over his shoulder at me. When I looked into his eyes I felt as though he knew something I didn’t. Something I probably didn’t want to know.
“Then what did this?” I asked, swallowing past the dryness in my throat. Kyo turned back to the yard and shook his head.
“Darkness,” I heard him say. “This is a sign. Darkness has risen. Darkness is here.”
“What do you mean?” My voice was a shaky whisper. The tone of his voice made me more anxious than I would have felt over dead animals in my yard. I walked up to stand next to him.
“Look at the ground,” he said. That intense expression was still on his face. I looked out and saw what I had missed since the initial shock of seeing all those corpses had overwhelmed me. But beneath the corpses I saw that the ground, while it certainly hadn’t been luscious green grass since it was still winter, was definitely different than it should be. Where there should be icy, hard dirt, there was black, scorched ground. That had not been how my yard looked before these animals died in it. And now that I had calmed down a little, I picked up on a dark energy that filled my yard. It felt uncomfortable, like a thousand pins were sticking me all at once. I had never felt energy like this before. Not even from Magda.
“What the hell is this?” I was trembling, and it wasn’t because of the icy wind that was blowing against my face. Luna’s shivers were from the cold though, so I stepped back inside the house. Kyo came as well, closing the door behind him. I followed him back to the living room where he started pacing.
“Selene, there are entities that have been in the Afterlife for longer than you and I can fathom. They are the darkest dark. They are beyond ghosts who just suck up other ghosts for strength. I think these beings are where the human lore for demons comes from.”
“Demons,” I repeated. “You’re trying to tell me demons are real?”
“I’m trying to tell you that not everything on the other side fits neatly into the category of ‘ghost.’”
“You mentioned something like this before,” I said. “Some kind of hierarchy of power that exists in the In Between.”
“Yes,” Kyo said. “We referred to them as the Kage-Oni.”
“Kage-Oni?”
“Shadow Demons,” he said. “Everyone in the In Between pretty much has their own name for them, although it’s more or less some variation of ‘Shadow Demon’ in different languages. Some of my Japanese warlock brethren came up with Kage-Oni.�
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“Understood. So the…Kage-Oni…”
“Have been known throughout history to come over to this side and wreak havoc. Far more havoc than those crossover ghosts did. These beings aren’t driven by a thirst to complete their unfinished business or find other ghosts to eat. They are evolved far beyond that. All they care about is causing death and destruction.”
“Well this sounds peachy.” I sighed.
“I don’t know everything,” Kyo said. “But I do know that their calling card is blights such as the one in your backyard. And right after that comes death. For many. I don’t know which one of them is here, but none of them are good…”
“I’m so confused,” I said, shaking my head. I was sitting on the couch, still holding Luna. “Some ancient, dark being has crossed over here to cause trouble? And caused a bunch of animals to drop dead in my yard? Why?”
“I don’t know if you were targeted or if this was random,” Kyo said. “I am certain there will be more scenes like that popping up. It won’t only be here. Just know that this is not a good sign, Selene.”
“Trust me; I didn’t take a yard full of dead animals to be a good sign.”
“I’m serious. This is way beyond that.” He looked agitated.
“I get it, it’s bad, it’s unexplainable. But what the hell am I supposed to do?”
“Go about your day, go see Tielle. I’ll clean up the yard. Then I’ll go look around and see what else might be going on.”
“I’m supposed to just get up and go about my day like you didn’t just tell me darkness and death has risen in my yard?”
“It didn’t rise there,” Kyo said softly. “But it is here. And I have no idea how to stop it.”
* * *