Perennial

by Potter, Ryan

  “I don’t. The knife does.”

  Walking down the hallway, I hear countless rats heckling us with their disgusting sounds, but I don’t actually see or feel any of the horrific animals. We travel maybe a hundred feet before coming across a pair of closed metal doors to our right. The darkness is nearly pitch-black, but a thin band of faint light shows in the narrow gap between the doors and the floor.

  William hasn’t said a word since asking me how I knew the way, so I reach back to make sure he’s still with me. He is.

  I place my palm on the door.

  “Ouch!” I yank my hand away and rub my sizzling palm against my thigh. “These doors are boiling.”

  “Listen to me, Alix,” William whispers, sounding scared and nervous. “You need to be very careful from this point forward. Do you understand me?”

  “What are you talking about?” He doesn’t answer. “Do you know this place?”

  “Yes,” he says. “I couldn’t tell you about it, but now I can because you’ve found it on your own. Be careful, okay?”

  “Is it the portal?” I ask. His nod confirms it. “Are you coming in?”

  “I have to.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ll see.” He stares at his feet. “Open the doors.”

  Something’s not right with William. I sense a strong wave of regret coming from him, but maybe I’m simply picking up on how devastated he is about Aruna.

  Despite the intense heat coming from behind the doors, Blade wants me to enter the room. When it comes down to it, I have to trust Blade, but it crosses my mind that Face originally had the knife, which means it’s possible Blade is leading me right where Face wants me.

  Face is everywhere.

  Perennial is all around you.

  Oh God. What if I’ve been Face’s puppet all along?

  After a few deep breaths, I pull open the double doors and enter a space the size of a high school classroom. The concrete floor is full of small, lighted candles. Hundreds of yellowish blue flames dance several inches above the floor like a swarm of nighttime summer insects. A dark, narrow path leads down the center of the room and ends at the rear wall.

  The doors close with two dull clicks. I turn to see William gazing over my shoulder.

  “This is where I’ve been staying, Alix. I’m so sorry, but it was part of the deal. Please believe me that I love you. I never knew Face would do that to Aruna, and I never knew about my…child.” His brilliant eyes widen with fear. “Here he comes.”

  I feel increased heat pounding against the back of my neck. When I turn around, a large circular section in the middle of the wall at the end of the path begins slowly moving in a clockwise direction. Blade retreats for the first time, forcing me to take a few steps backwards until I’m nearly pressing against William by the doors.

  The rotating circle is the size of a merry-go-round. It spins faster by the second, until it becomes a blur of bright red violently shaking the floor beneath us. The sound is awful, like having one hundred jet engines blasting in your ears, but what scares me most is that I have little power down here. I felt my abilities weakening in the tower, and my energy level has suddenly diminished to almost zero.

  At first I figure it’s the power of the active portal pounding me down to nothing, but then, as the bright red fades to the same disturbing shade I saw in the demonic eyes of the Heater and Crawler, a realization sends my terror levels skyrocketing: Face is everywhere and has been since this began. Face was the cat-beast Brawler in my living room. Face was the Heater in my bedroom. Face was the Crawler in my father’s office. And Face was the seven Arunas I just destroyed. It’s not that Face was too afraid to battle me on his own, as I originally thought. No. He’s been battling me on his own the entire time, shape-shifting and testing the extent of my abilities with each fight. Face knows my powers as well as I do, and I’ve been stupid enough to think I could simply waltz on down to Oval City and destroy a leader demon that’s been at this game far longer than I have.

  Orange fire bursts from the wide circle and nearly reaches my face. The flames quickly disappear. An eerie silence follows during which a tall, wide, hooded figure in a black robe emerges out of nowhere from the now blackened and charred circular hole in the wall. People can call him Face or any other name they want, but the only word that describes what I’m seeing and feeling is “evil.” Pure evil. I have no choice but to play his game. Face knows this. He can read my thoughts just as I can sometimes read his.

  The black hood conceals his actual face. His chin lowers toward his chest, Face inhaling and exhaling deeply, each rattling breath sounding like rocks slamming together inside his lungs. The smell of rotten flesh fills the air as he interlinks his gloved hands in front of his chest.

  “Hello, Alix,” he says in the same low, gravelly voice he used before shape-shifting into the Crawler—a voice that will never fail to turn my skin to gooseflesh. “Nice to see you still have my knife. And you’ve learned to use it quite well. In fact, you’ve proven yourself worthy of keeping it…under the right conditions, of course.”

  Blade continues pressing back at me, wanting me to get out of here. Even the knife is terrified of Face.

  “If it’s your knife,” I say, trying but failing to sound confident, “then why is my name on it?”

  “Ah, you deciphered the cuneiform.” He takes a few loud, troubling breaths. Each exhale sends a wave of garbage fumes my way. “Alix, you know I can do anything I want to you down here, don’t you?” I feel him reading me. “Good,” he continues. “You do realize that. So the question is, why are you still alive? Think about it. Why didn’t I simply finish choking you to death in your little Perennial mom dream last night? And why am I letting you live right now as opposed to breaking open your skull and sucking your brain right out of it?”

  “Shut up, Face,” William says from behind me. “She doesn’t deserve that, and you know it.”

  “Indeed,” Face says. “Perhaps you’re right, William. By the way, how’s Aruna?” His sinister laugh prickles my skin. “Look, I did you a favor, my boy. Can you imagine that poor, pathetic girl ever being a mother to anything?” He laughs again. “Get over here, you foolish idiot. I’m about through with you and our so-called deal.”

  I turn sideways to allow William to pass. He gives me a desperate look and offers me his hand as he approaches. It’s nothing more than a brief, gentle squeeze, but the word cloud it delivers convinces me that no matter what happens, William really does love me, and he was somehow double-crossed by Face.

  I glare at William, feigning anger and saying, “You told me you made a deal with Fire to be with me. You never said the deal was with Face.”

  “Alix, he’s been lying to you for days,” Face says, laughing. “William led you to me. That was my requirement for letting him cross over without Vagabond knowing. Think about it. Would you have ever come to Oval City without William?” He shakes his head. “No. He’s been with you every step of the way. You let a ghost seduce you, and now here you are, powerless in my arena and about to give me what I want.”

  There’s a silence during which I read his thoughts and realize how trapped I actually am.

  “You want either me or the knife,” I say, trying to suppress a growing and genuine rage. “You want me to join Fire as a warrior and use the knife against Light. That’s why you’ve allowed me to live up until now. I’ve passed every one of your tests and never gave up the knife when you asked for it as the Brawler and the Crawler. I have no clue how the weapon came into your possession, but I’m committed to the knife because it was made for me. I’m even strong enough to fight off your precious little Perennial high.” I force a smile. “That one surprised you, I know. So what it comes down to now is that if I refuse to join Fire but try to keep the knife, you’ll kill me with ease. But you’ll let me walk away if I simply give up the knife, knowing that Vagabond and Light will have nothing to do with me if I voluntarily surrender the weapon to you.” I pause. �
�You’ve planned well, Face. It’s a win-win situation for you.”

  “Precisely,” he says, all business now. “But first, aren’t you curious to know what William wanted as part of the crossing-over deal, because I assure you it had nothing to do with loving you.” He pauses. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is your little heart breaking for the first time, Alix? That’s so sad.” He places a gloved hand on William’s shoulder. “Tell her the truth for once, idiot.”

  It’s at this point that Face’s massive size truly hits me. The demon is twice as wide as William and at least a foot taller. William looks like an elementary school student standing next to a large father wearing an all-too-real Halloween costume.

  “I’m sorry, Alix,” William says. “Face is right. He let me cross over only if I agreed to lead you to him on his own Fire ground.”

  “And what did he promise you in return?” I ask.

  William closes his eyes and tries to message me, but I feel Face block it.

  Then William opens his eyes and says, “I hate Vagabond, Alix. You know that. He thinks he’s better than everybody and everything.” He clears his throat. “Vagabond has used me as a pawn to test your abilities. I’m nothing but a dead, weak drug addict to him. All I wanted was some sort of active role in finding my killer, but he wouldn’t allow it. My murder is nothing more than an opportunity for him. He doesn’t care who killed me. He just wants to know if you can figure it out and get rid of Perennial, Oval City, and a demon as powerful as Face.”

  “I’ll ask again, William,” I say, maintaining a hateful glare. “What did Face promise you in return?”

  “He promised me…” He clears his throat again. “Face promised me that if I led you to him, he would accept me into the Army of Fire as a demon soldier so that I could help with its goal of destroying Vagabond. That’s how much I hate Vagabond, Alix. He had no right to use me like this.” William looks away, unable to hold my gaze. “Face never mentioned anything about killing my baby two years ago and making Aruna kill herself today, though. I would have never made the deal if I had known those things.”

  “No,” I say, lowering my head and shaking it slowly. “There’s just no way, William.” I look up and meet his guilty eyes. “You don’t understand. Deep down Vagabond wants to help you find peace. Besides, nobody can destroy Vagabond, just like nobody can destroy Face. Don’t you at least understand that much about Fire and Light?”

  “Oh come now, Alix,” Face says. “If William was stupid enough to make a deal with a demon, what makes you think he can possibly even begin to understand Fire and Light?” His deafening laughter fills me with dread. “I have to go soon, my dear. Have you made your decision yet?”

  “Just one more question for William,” I say, staring hard at the beautiful ghost I refuse to give up on. “You knew Face murdered Mr. Watkins, and deep down you suspected Face murdered you because of the love you and Aruna shared at the time. So, William, how could you possibly make a deal with the demon who murdered you and Marc Watkins?”

  Face unleashes his loudest laugh yet, his huge body hunching forward and shaking.

  “Oh, Alix,” Face says. “You might be smart, but I’m afraid you’ve missed some important things along the way. Marc Watkins created something I wanted and needed in order to possess as many souls as possible, so I did what I had to do to get full control of Perennial. I ordered his death because he turned into a weak, paranoid snitch, but I didn’t do the deed. And yes, I did cause Aruna’s miscarriage two years ago, but Aruna made her own decision to jump from the tower today. I guess I might have driven her to it in some ways, but it’s not like I pushed her off or anything.” He laughs. “Most importantly, I assure you I had absolutely nothing to do with William’s murder. William Weed was my top dealer in Oval City for a long time.”

  “Top dealer?” I say, now genuinely furious at William. “You said you were addicted to Perennial and got clean. You never told you me you were the top dealer. Why, William?”

  He has no answer. All William can do is look at me with those guilty eyes and then stare at the ground.

  “You see,” Face says. “More lies. But I respected William for getting clean. In fact, you and him are the only two people I’m aware of who have beaten Perennial after experiencing it. It never crossed my mind to eliminate William. The Perennial addiction and possession business stayed brisk after he left, and I knew he would never turn against me. He was too afraid of me to ever do anything that stupid.” He pauses and finally raises his head, but I still can’t see his face. “Somebody else killed William, Alix. It wasn’t me. You have my word.”

  He’s telling the truth. Despite all the evil he’s committed over the years, Face is telling the truth, I realize.

  Baffled, I shake my head and say, “If you merely ordered the hit on Mr. Watkins and had nothing to do with William’s murder, then who’s responsible for their deaths?”

  Face groans as if he’s frustrated with me. Then he says, “The same person.”

  “Who?”

  I feel Face reading me. He knows the strength of my Light and that I’ll never join Fire, even if it means dying in this hellish dungeon at the age of seventeen. I’m sickened by the next message he sends me—to the point that I actually consider dropping the knife and walking out. I can’t do that, of course, not when Vagabond, London, William (even with his lies), and Mom are counting on me.

  Alix, regardless of what happens here tonight, I will always be everywhere. As long as you work for Light, I will see to it that you and I do battle often, and you don’t have the strength, courage, or abilities to defend yourself against the kind of pain I can and will inflict upon. I will be your top demon, Alix Keener. I’ll be watching everything you do. I’ll track you like a hellhound day and night until you can’t take it anymore and finally give up from agony and exhaustion. You can’t handle me forever, Alix. Nobody can.

  “That all may be true,” I say, choking back fear. “But I need to know who killed William and Mr. Watkins.” I swallow hard. “I’m not leaving here until I know.”

  “Then let the games begin,” Face says, followed by a round of hacking laughter. “Give me the knife, and I’ll give you the killer’s name.” He extends a long, glove-covered hand toward me. “The knife, please.”

  Blade pushes back against me with extreme force and nearly knocks me off balance. William is looking at me again and desperately trying to message me, but Face is too strong and easily blocks everything.

  “How do I know I can trust you?” I say, considering the offer. “After all, look what you’ve done to William. You obviously have no plans of making him a Fire warrior.”

  “That’s because William’s an idiot,” he says, growing impatient now. “You’re not. I respect you, Alix. Therefore, you have my word. Give me the knife and I’ll tell you who killed William and Marc Watkins. Then you can walk out of here unharmed and run to your big bad cop daddy.”

  “Okay,” I say, wanting to trust Face and at least catch a killer. In the end, that’s why I decide to surrender the knife. Even if Vagabond denies me acceptance as a demon slayer for Light and a member of the Group, I’ll still catch a killer and help bring closure to the friends and family of William and Mr. Watkins.

  “Here’s the knife, Face,” I say, bringing Blade up from my side in an underhand motion, ready to toss the weapon. “Catch.”

  That’s when William spits out “Alix, no! It’s a trick!”

  “Idiot!” Face yells. He snaps a finger and turns his hooded head as a thick purple cloud of dust—Perennial—surrounds William and knocks him unconscious to the floor.

  At the same time, the word cloud William sent me when we last touched returns:

  DEMONS FEAR LOVE. I’M NOT PERFECT, BUT I LOVE YOU, ALIX. USE THE LOVE.

  Face screams with rage as I message him the word cloud while simultaneously putting all my strength into my right hand and releasing Blade in one swift and powerful motion. Distracted by the word cloud, Face wraps his hands ar
ound the sides of his hood as if he has a headache and never sees the brilliant silver knife rocketing toward his head.

  Blade enters Face’s left eye with the speed of a missile. The velocity of the blow jolts Face’s head backwards, causing his hood to fall off. When he brings his head up, I get a momentary view of his actual face and understand why he’s always concealed it. Behind the fountain of yellow demon ooze exploding from his left eye socket, I see a blood-red face and a hideously deformed, hairless head full of leaking blisters and grotesque purple lumps. His right eye is a dull shade of red that grows dimmer by the second, like an old light bulb about to burn out. His pre-Fire heat builds, and I watch in horror as his awful red head begins melting like candle wax.

  Between his angry screams, he manages to speak two final sentences: “Perennial is all around you, Alix. It always has been.”

  Blade rockets out of Face’s destroyed eye, reversing its original path and landing securely in my right hand. White light suddenly explodes in my head and drops me to one knee. I see an image of the four Oval City towers burning uncontrollably and know the entire complex is about to explode. When I open my eyes, Face is stumbling toward the back wall, and William still lies motionless on the ground.

  That’s when the room begins shaking like there’s a violent earthquake.

  “William!” I stand and launch myself toward him. I smother him with my body as Face explodes into an orange, red, and blue fireball that flares brilliantly throughout the room before disappearing into the back wall. And through it all, Face manages to send me a final message—one that is so terrifyingly unbelievable, all I can do is scream as the entire Oval City complex begins to self-destruct.

  Chapter 35

  I’m kneeling beside William and shaking him, but he won’t respond. He’s lying on his side. The candles have all gone out, leaving us in a dark room trembling with great force. I’m not sure how much of Face’s Perennial cloud William inhaled, but the thought that he’s overdosed fills my mind.