by TJ Adams
I launched myself at the soul snatcher, but met air and fell flat on my face. The cackle came from behind. I looked over my shoulder to see the creature, head bobbing on the end of its impossibly thin neck, gums bared as it laughed.
“Oh yes, I do so like your spirit. Make sure you keep that for when the time comes.”
And with that the soul snatcher faded, so too did the gray, slowly replaced by the polished floor and white walls of the hospital corridor.
“Oh my god, are you all right.”
Disorientated for a few brief moments I didn’t respond. The nurse crouched beside me.
I smiled a sheepish smile. “Shoes laces. Should’ve listened to mom’s advice when I was smaller. I never pay attention to undone shoelaces.”
2
Aashrita was a big distraction to all. Since she was the first female to grace the Halls of Judgement it wasn’t surprising. The Host kept their wings tilted away from her as if they feared her touch would burn the tips of their feathers. Every time a soul went her way they chorused dismay.
The demons were distracted for another reason. I wasn’t sure exactly what they thought would come of their salacious smiles and winks. The Devil seemed content to let them flirt. It made no difference to him whether souls ended up with Aashrita or the Host as those souls were never destined for his pit. In that regard, I could understand the Host’s anger at allowing another that would weaken their claim when the Devil had no such competition for sinners.
So far the sorting had not gone as smooth as I’d hoped. While the Host maintained a semblance of decorum, I could tell one more soul to Aashrita was going to push them too far. They glared at the Devil with his growing band of souls, then at Aashrita with, what they no doubt perceived, souls they would’ve claimed had she not been present.
I rested my hand above the Book of Deeds for what I hoped would be the last time for this sorting, about to receive the information I needed to complete my task, when someone cleared their throat.
Everyone in the hall spun in the direction of the interruption. A striking dark-skinned man stood at the back of the Host. They reacted like he carried a disease that would strip their feathers from their wings and leave them skin and bone. The dark-skinned man made his way forward through the path the Host created in their haste to move away from him.
Aashrita reacted to the interloper by folded her arms across her chest and turning her head away like she was in a huff. All she needed to do was stamp her foot to embellish her foul mood.
I came around the podium and stepped to the edge of the dais. “I don’t think you should be here. But I’m more interested in knowing how you got into hall?”
The interloper favored Aashrita with a cheeky smile when she inched her head around to stare at him. She instantly turned away again.
“You welcomed Kali’s representative, Aashrita, to the Hall and with that my admittance was secured.”
Oh no, consequences, dear girl, and here they were. It was as I’d feared, the flood gates were up, now everyone supernatural who was someone would demand a place up here.
“How are you?”
He looked at Aashrita. “Perhaps you may answer for me.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“I gather you two are not on good terms.”
“On the contrary, I find Aashrita very appealing.”
Aashrita hmphed and looked away.
I sighed, feeling like I wanted to slap myself. “That must mean you are the yang to Aashrita’s yin. Or should I say the Devil as opposed to the Host.”
Aashrita found her tongue. “He is all things evil.” Said with passion.
The Devil stepped forward. “I think I hold that lofty place. You’ll have to make do with the scraps.”
The interloper laughed. I developed a headache. “This means that the souls divided to Aashrita are to be shared with you depending on the good and the sinners of that faith.”
The Devil’s smile dropped. “I think you’ve got that wrong.”
Now it was my turn to smile. “I think not. Sorry, but you don’t have the monopoly on the evildoers anymore.”
“He cannot stay. I will not share my space with him.” This time Aashrita did stamp her foot.
“If he goes, you have to as well. We are forced to keep the balance.” And why had I not thought of that before I allowed her in. But that was it, no more add-ins, regardless of how good their claim.
Aashrita hmphed again.
One of the Host stepped forward, looking way too smug for my liking. “It seems your good intentions had an unforeseen consequence.”
“Thank you for your enlightened observation. I think we all need to back into our corners and let me finish my job. After that everyone can retreat to lick their wounds…what’s your name?” I pointed at the interloper.
“Kali.”
He shortened the vowels in his pronunciation.
“As in-”
“Nothing like her.”
“Well, then. I suggest you find yourself some room away from Aashrita. And in case you don’t know the rules, argue with me and your ass is out in the cold.”
He inclined his head in acquiescence. What was it about the bad guys that made them easily trained.
While everyone rearranged themselves to make sure no one was encroaching on anyone else’s space, I resumed my place behind the dais. This had already taken up too much of my time. I wanted to get home and check my cell for a call from Matteo, not be bothered by the natural order of things.
Once again I hovered my hands above the Book of Deeds and received what I needed to sort the remaining souls. Luckily this lot were mostly an even split between heaven and hell, which meant neither the Host nor Satan would kick up a stink about what when their nemesis’ way.
Job done everyone shuffled off with their booty. Everyone except Ezekial, who lingered a little way from the dais. Now what would he be after?
He smiled at me like we were old friends, but I was still hesitant as to how friendly I wanted us to be. He was interested in Mora, not something I was willing to encourage.
After defeating the jinn, Mora had dumped Reg’s stuff in the corridor and changed the locks. Kiara did her happy dance until I told her an angel was sniffing around, and Mora was too starry-eyed and giddy to see reason. Granted Ezekial had saved her life and for that reason I’d kept my mouth shut about his not-so secret visits to see her. But I was worried, as was Kiara, who urged me to have words with Mora. How can you tell a mortal girl-granted she had super-duper supernatural powers, but mortal nonetheless-that she was not to mess with angels? There was no way she would listen to me. In the end I told Kiara to choose between Reg and Ezekial. She wafted away with a scowl.
“If this has anything to do with Mora, then the answer is no?”
“It has everything to do with Mora and I think you would like to know.”
“Okay, you got me. What is it?”
“She’s planning on leaving.”
“Leaving? Going where? Why?” He had my ears all right.
“She wants to go jinn hunting. Says her talent is wasted hanging around here.”
You put out one fire, only to start another. But Mora was right. She was a jinn hunter. I was going to gag thinking this, but it was her duty, or destiny, to remove jinn from this world.
“Kiara’s not going to be impressed. She’s going to blame me.”
“This is a noble calling.”
“I doubt Kiara will see it like that.”
“You needn’t worry for Mora’s safety. She has learned much since her encounter with the jinn dressed as Amanda. Her power has grown. She masters it well. And I will keep an eye on her.”
“The latter is what I’m most afraid of.”
Besides, it wasn’t like it would be hard for Kiara or me to see her. It was so easy to ride the supernatural highway to anywhere.
“When is she planning on leaving?”
“Not before she sees you.”
He backed away with a bow then disappeared.
For a brief moment I contemplated remaining here in solitude for a while longer before I returned to earth. But it was probably best not to develop habits like that.
One last look around, then I returned to my lounge room.
3
Mom was given a room in the morning. She groggily awoke when they moved her then went back to sleep. I’d sent dad home with orders to shower, eat and get some sleep himself. Since mom was out of intensive care and her heart rate stabilized, he relented but told me I should take some of my advice and do the same. Problem was dad didn’t know the truth. For the next five days I was not going to sleep.
I would never let the soul snatcher take the twenty-one grams for her soul, but he was right in saying it would kill her to lose me too. What the hell could I do? How do you go up against something you couldn’t even see?
I wanted to wake mom up and see how she was doing. This was the first day in the five days of my remaining life, and I wanted to see if the soul snatcher had completed his promise and taken the first four grams. I would know by the paleness in her complexion, or perhaps she would seem less vital; although waking from a heart attack was not going to make her feel too good to start with. I wouldn’t wake her. Instead I sat in the uncomfortable seat dad had vacated and stared at the slow rise and fall of her chest.
Unable to look at her gaunt face any longer, I sat forward and hid my face in my palms. Hopelessness was not a feeling familiar to me. I’d always devised escape plans, smoothed over the bad, mounted the obstacles and flipped failures into successes. I didn’t look back and when I fell on my knees I got back up. Head buried in hands, I waited in a room that stunk of sterility and death for one of the most important people in my world to show signs of life, I could be excused for feeling like there was no end to this nightmare, like I was being pulled under by the weight of my heart.
I wanted to yell the question why. Why Trinity, why mom, why me? I was balancing on the edge of the abyss of despair. Asking the why question was the best way to hasten the disintegrating support under my feet and tip me into that black pit. For once I wanted to crumble; remaining strong was too much to ask.
With the room silent as a mortuary the chime from my cell made me jump. Bounty. I gave myself a few seconds to straighten out before I answered.
“Hey.”
“How’re you going? Sorry I didn’t wait for your call, but…sorry. I hope I haven’t caught you at an inconvenient time.”
“I’m glad you called. I sent dad home to eat and rest, so I’m on my own at the moment. Mom’s doing okay. She’s out of the worst and the doctors say she’ll be fine with a few diet modifications and some deep relaxation techniques.”
“Are you going to be all right?”
“Sure, why do you ask?”
“You don’t sound like it to me.”
“Dealing with stuff.”
“Stuff that can be shared or stuff better dealt with alone?”
“I’m going to need to think on that answer.”
How much longer can I cope keeping everything to myself? But what could Bounty do to help? And speaking of the bargain would reveal to her the reality of what I was. Which was what exactly? More likely something she should never know if she was to remain safe and sane.
“I understand. But you do know that keeping secrets tight is the quickest way to depression or vice.”
I could hear the gentle humor in her voice. My being like this unnerved her. This was Bounty wanting to lighten the tone of our conversation, encourage a smile on my face that would ripple through into my voice and, hopefully, further into my heart. She knew the other part of me, the strong part, the part I knew best about myself. Being like this was unfamiliar and I didn’t know how to handle it. Pushing it aside and striving forward, my usual modus operandi, was not an option because there was only a terrible end to my solution.
“You needing a coffee? I could swing by with a triple shot…that’s if I’m not going to be in the way.”
“Sounds great.”
That wasn’t me just saying it to be polite. The idea of sharing some time with Bounty soothed an ache in my heart.
I put my phone back in my pocket when mom stirred. I was up and by the bed as her eyes flickered open.
Her face looked gaunt and pale, but when she smiled up at me I felt hope that the soul snatcher had delayed his first taking. Perhaps four grams were too small an amount to notice any changes.
“You look tired, sweetheart.” She ran the back of her hand down my cheek.
“Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”
“I hope you haven’t been here all night.”
“Not all night. Dad’s not long left himself.”
She smiled and shook her head. “My boys, you shouldn’t worry. You’re both strong enough to last without me.”
Umm…what? “Good thing that’s not something we have to think about at the moment.”
She patted my hand that lay on the bed beside her. “You were always the strong one between the two of you. You inherited that trait from your father.”
Not good that Trinity was on her mind at this time.
“I’d say you were also to blame.” I wasn’t going to encourage any conversation about Trinity so skipped any mention of her.
“I feel like I’ve let you down.” She said.
I sat on the bed and grabbed her hand, held it between both of mine. “Now you’re talking nonsense. Who was the one always there to patch the scratches, wipe the tears and bandage the sprains? Do you remember when I was in second grade and being bullied by that fourth grader? You marched over to his house and told his mom to keep him in line or you wouldn’t be responsible for the consequences.”
She chuckled. “That’s right, I’d forgotten that.”
“I never did. That day you became a hero in my eyes.”
She sighed. “You were such a little thing. And now look at you.”
The smile lasted seconds longer before it dropped away. “If only that was all it took to make everything all right again.”
Jesus, why did I have to bring that story up? There were plenty of others I could’ve rehashed.
“We used to go looking under the bed and in the cupboard with a flashlight, remember? Just so I would go to sleep. And it was you that weaned me off my nightlight.”
“It was so easy when you were young.”
Why couldn’t I say the right words?
“Our challenges were greater when we grew, but luckily enough we grew with them. It wasn’t necessary for you to make everything right.”
“Wasn’t it?” She looked away, and I wanted to kick myself.
“The biggest problem with being a parent is that the job never ends. You never grow out of the need to slay every dragon for your children, even when they don’t want your help.”
It was like walking on thin ice. My conversation with the soul snatcher stifled my thoughts. I was too afraid to say anything in case it led our conversation to Trinity, which I’d managed to do again and again so far. I’d done a smashing job of making her happy and grateful to still be alive. Or maybe this was the result of mom missing the first four grams from her soul.
I’d never been lost for words in mom’s company, and felt indebted to the nurse who bounced through the door, a beaming smile on her face.
“Mrs Renshaw, great to see you awake and looking good. Is this your son?”
We shook hands. “Matteo.”
She glanced at my ring finger before letting my hand go and grabbed mom’s chart. “How are we feeling this morning?”
“A little tired.” Mom said.
“That’s understandable. You’ll get plenty of rest in here.”
“How much longer will I be in hospital?”
“We’ll let t
he doctor decide that.”
“Think of this as a holiday. At least here you don’t have to put up with dad’s snoring, or complaining.”
They both laughed, probably because they recognized it as a poor attempt on my behalf to ease mom’s anxiousness to leave.
The nurse replaced the med chart and moved up to mom’s side. “You up for a shower in a little while?”
“Maybe tomorrow.”
The nurse flashed a beaming smile at me. “Sure. I’ll leave you two alone.”
Once the nurse departed I was about to pull the chair closer to mom when her phone rang. Handing it over from the bedside table I saw dad’s name on the home screen.
“I’ll go find you a proper coffee while you talk to dad.”
She smiled and waved me on.
I walked the hall with caution, ready to be ripped from this world into the void at any moment. Stupid really, the soul snatcher had said his piece. He had little need to see me again. Approaching a corridor, I felt the sudden urge to peer around it slowly in case the gangly creature waited at the end. To prove how foolish I was being I increased my pace and rounded the corner like a commuter late for his train and collided with Bounty. The coffee cups she held ended up squashed between us and unfortunately the contents spilled down her top. For a brief moment my eyes followed the coffee down the valley between her breasts. They became locked on her cleavage…cleavage, I’d never seen Bounty’s cleavage. She didn’t normally wear tops that dipped low enough to show such enticing flesh.
“God, sorry.” I should be searching for something to help clean the mess. Instead I was marbleized to the spot. Bounty looked down her front, which gave me the opportunity to continue my teenage gawking without her realizing I was leering at her. When she looked up I snapped my eyes from the inviting dip of her creamy skin to her face. Maybe not quick enough, but she would hopefully think I was assessing the damage.