Living Proof (Tyler G Book 2)

by P. S. Power

  Then she pushed her way in, and sniffed.

  "Hey, can you set me up with a plate too? Those smell marvelous." She called it out, clearly speaking to Calley, even though she didn't raise her voice that much. It got the Bat girl to walk over, her face a tiny bit scared. She had a gun in her hand, which meant that it had been hidden in the kitchen someplace. It certainly didn't look like it could have fit in the back of her skirt.

  It should have been really tense, but Keeley just waved at her, smiling.

  "Calley Hale. Zack's mentioned you. He thinks you're cute. I can see it. Still, I'm just here to visit, so, we can fight if you want, but that seems further away from pancakes to me... Oh, eggs too?" She seemed hopeful, and the gun was pointed downward.

  "Are you here to hurt Ty? I won't let you. I mean, I can't stop you, but..." She seemed confused and frightened, but Keeley shook her head.

  "Nope. I wouldn't, even if I could. Which isn't impossible, but would be pretty hard to pull off. Really, he set me up for some work the other day, so I came to make sure I know the timing of things. Before you ask, yes, he worked me around, not the other way. Hopping to the word of the dead man. I'd complain about slipping, but he's pretty cool, don't you think?"

  The conversation seemed to be a bit strained, but the Bat girl sighed and moved back, like the Grater Demon couldn't have just lied.

  "How many eggs?"

  "What you have left? I'll leave some cash for them. Not that I'm offering to pay you for it. There's a subtle difference there. Neither of you is a Greater Demon. I just don't want you to dread me coming to visit. We should hang out. I'm really pretty nice, I hear."

  Tyler didn't know if that was true or not, so smiled at the girl. Her face was designed to manipulate men, he realized. He didn't feel it, even though he did when he looked over at Calley. His girlfriend. Logically he should have been very responsive to the new girl, being prettier and trying to use that against him, but he just didn't.

  "I wonder if it's about being a slave already?"

  The girl moved toward him and patted his arm, then winked at him.

  "I see. That's... Yes? I think you actually have programming to protect you from Greater Demons, which The Rotted put into play. Smart of her. Once you know what we are, you won't feel like that for us. Other than Zack... Which is darned specific, but I can see it. He's pretty much the only one of us you can trust. Not that you get a choice with Lucy."

  Calley seemed not to get it all, so he smiled at her.

  "I was wondering why I didn't feel any attraction to her. Good to know I'm not gay? Not that there's anything wrong with that." It was meant to be a joke, but no one even smiled at it. Probably because he was close enough that way.

  As if she was reading his mind, The Mistress of Souls just started talking about him.

  "You were raised by a Greater Demon, as both her slave and child. That means you're going to reflect her morals pretty solidly, I bet. The Rotted is insane, for one of us. That probably suggests that you won't be well balanced in some ways. In others you'll do better. Like being bi-sexual. Greater Demons just don't care about things like that, so it makes sense you wouldn't. I bet you don't care if you kill people either, do you?" She was saying it for Calley, who'd gone back to the other room.

  "Um... You know, I haven't really so far, but I do tend to avoid it. I find the idea of eating people really gross. And alluring, at the same time, which is sickening to me."

  "Exactly. A thing that Anne, your mom, put into place so you could pass as Human. She did a pretty good job, really. We should set the table." With that, it was clear that her input as far as his nature was over for the time being. It wasn't subtle, so he got it pretty clearly.

  The meal itself was nice, and they spoke of nothing all that important the whole time. After that, Keeley sent Calley off to bed, since the Bat girl had been up all night, and being a living being needed to sleep. Not that she got a lot, since she needed to be back at work at four. Even that was missing half a day for the girl.

  She yawned, stretched and shook her head a bit.

  "I can stay up. I don't want to leave you two alone." It was kind of blunt, but didn't sound mean. More like she didn't want to abandon her guest. Rather than thinking that Keeley would kidnap him, or take his head off and hide it so that he couldn't do anything.

  For a horrible moment he had to wonder if that was a thing that would work. Most people, if you cut their head off, would be dead. Being dead already, would that do anything to him? Or, and he was kind of worried that this was the truth, would he just sit there, unable to speak or move, but still being alive the whole time. It was a freaky idea that he didn't want to mention out loud, just in case it was real.

  Keeley started to clean up the remains of the food.

  "Don't worry. I won't be here long. I just need to work out a schedule with the boss here. Go ahead. He'll be fine, I promise."

  The Bat got out of the room then, looking back, and seeming like she didn't trust the Greater Demon in her kitchen. Still, Keeley was cleaning, and not complaining about it. Free labor was a good thing, after all.

  When they were alone, with Calley listening from her own room, no doubt, a thing that everyone knew, Keels sighed at him.

  "I get it, but it isn't needed. I really won't hurt you. Either of you. It would mean war with Zack and Anne. Possibly Darla, too. I don't think that your friend here understands just how protected she really is. Seriously, just having Troy Lopez come after me would be annoying enough to leave her alone." She sounded really serious, but smiled, not letting it come into her voice.

  Like it was a real thing, as far as Calley went, but for him, on his side, it was a joke. A complicated double message, meant to influence two separate people in different ways. That was probably why she got to be a Greater Demon, and he didn't. The idea should have made his head hurt.

  Touching his arm, she locked eyes with him.

  "So, what's the plan? We're heading out after you get off work tomorrow? Friday morning, I mean? It's a little slow off the mark, but we're just going to set up a shop and do some renovations? I can do that. You're really doing all right however?"

  It was a complex thing, so he nodded. She already knew all the answers after all.

  "That soul reading thing you all do is handy, isn't it?"

  "Ooohh. That's a good name for it. Soul reading. Mind if I use that? To answer your question, yes. It's incredibly useful. Also a pain in the rear, all the time. I mean, how well do you ever really want to know someone? Most people are kind of gross, if you examine them too closely. Sure, I know what your secret plans are, but also how often you pick your nose and eat it, as well as what you think about while masturbating. Not that I judge, but really, there's a lot of that I could do without. Not that you, personally are that bad. No nose work going on, for instance. Or handling yourself in freaky ways. Vacuum cleaner love is way more common than you would think."

  He could see that. All of it. In a way it was good to know. Not just how it worked, but that he wasn't all that horrible inside.

  No one wanted to be the worst person ever.

  "Can you meet me at two-thirty Friday morning at Hartley and Co.? Zack is supposed to take us to the Yoghurt World, so I don't have to be carried like a baby the whole way."

  That got a nod, and a touch that was probably not needed. There was a kiss, on the cheek, after that.

  "Sounds good. Efficient too, getting that part set up. It makes it seem like you're actually someone important. Not everyone could have pulled that off. I'll see you then."

  Then she left directly, using the front door.

  That left him kind of hanging, he realized. Not that anyone owed him constant entertainment, but he wasn't tired, and no computer had magically shown up in his room. That being the case, he thought about cleaning the house up. For about half a second. Then it occurred to him that a certain Bat girl might just be bothered by that kind of thing while she tried to nap. Even moving around coul
d be enough to do that.

  So, he changed into running clothes, and went out for a jog. He didn't push things, but covered a lot of ground. It didn't feel like anything, but it did let him think for a while. The steady thrum of his own feet against the pavement and cement of the sidewalk was calming. Normal, and a thing that he was so experienced with that it didn't require thought on his part.

  Leaving time to consider things.

  The thing there was that he didn't have anything he really needed to go over. It was a shock to him. Oh, someone was coming after the people around him, but he was probably safe enough that way. Even most of them were, really. Yes, things had taken place, but everyone he cared about was still alive.

  Unharmed even.

  So, all he needed to do for that was make sure he did his part. That being the case, he decided that what he really needed to focus on was getting laid more often. Oh, sure, he'd been with three women in the last three weeks, which was the entirety of his sexual history, and really looking up given that factor. Still, he was eighteen, living away from home and kind of in a polyamorous relationship. For him to not take that chance to experience things would be stupid.

  That being the case, he wondered who he should ask out next. Also, when he was going to get the time for it. No one really came to mind, so after a few hours of running around, he went back home, showered quickly and dressed for work. Then, even though it was way too early for that kind of thing, he went to the mall. This time though, Ty headed to the other end of the place. Where the Mage embassy was.

  He still was supposed to try and find some more workers for the place. When he went in, Vivian was busy cleaning, her blocky form not holding still at any point.

  "Hey Viv. Need help?" It was sad, but he was so bored that sweeping a candle shop was better than what he had been doing, which wasn't much.

  "Mr. Gartner? I suppose... What do you want to do? I was going to check the inventory..." It was leading, but a thing to do, and neither of them had a real clue how to do it, so it was pretty funny, by the time they were done. The counting was monotonous, but not hard really. The place just wasn't that big, so it was mainly done by the time Lisa came out of the back, near six.

  "Tyler? I didn't know you were coming in. Did Eve send you?"

  "Nope. I'm just fun that way. I got bored. Don't worry, you can pay me for it. Trade something." Given the Eve centric conversations and what she'd suggested that payment be, he shrugged. "Spells, or something? I need to learn about what you Mages can do really. Just for my other job."

  Rather than act like he was going to hold her down and have his way with her in exchange for inventory, which he'd kind of feared would be her reaction, she smiled.

  "We can do that. I have some books that might help. At my place. I can bring them in tomorrow?"

  "Thanks! I need to get going now. Order night. Part one. I think we get more help this week, so that part is cool. Anyway, I'm still trying to find people for you. I had been going to suggest Will, but he sort of helped kidnap me this morning. I hate that, as a rule. Plus, I try not to suggest that evil people be given jobs with my friends."

  Vivian made a face, and looked down at the front counter, which she'd moved behind.

  "So, you don't think I'm evil? Good to know."

  He smiled at her.

  "Of course you aren't. I didn't think Will was. Maybe he isn't. I just kind of expected him not to help the same people that caused problems before. He might just be locked in place, mentally, and not be able to see the right way to go yet. I don't know. I should probably talk to him, and see what the hell is going on there. I guess if he isn't that bad, I can suggest him to you? If nothing else you two can beat him up if he gives me anymore problems." That was fair.

  Though, really it wasn't. Vivian would be able to kill the man without even trying, and while Lisa was kind of thin, Will probably couldn't bring himself to hit her back, so it wouldn't be a good thing that way either. Funny though, and given he wasn't that pleased with the Human guy he was willing to have it done for him.

  On the other hand, talking to people was one of the first things to do, if you wanted to fix problems. Given that it was part of his job, he sighed, and wondered how to set that up. Not just with Will, but all of those people that had tried to hurt his friends.

  Calley was right there. Feminists didn't generally go around attacking people with bombs and guns. Not that he knew of. Oh, a few probably did, but was that what they were looking at here? Then again, most problems that hate groups had were probably just the actions of a few. It only took one man in a white sheet to get a whole group labeled as a hate organization.

  Should feminists get a free ride that way?

  More to the real point, should he, Tyler, make a big effort to reach out to the people that had attacked him. It didn't seem fair, since it was probably going to be a bit like an African American having to face down the Aryan Nation. Except for the part where everyone in the world would think that a black guy doing that was badass and hard as nails, and he'd be looked at as being mean.

  That was enough to get him to back away from the topic, actually. It was simply true that he, being male, wasn't going to be allowed to fix things, since the people that had attacked him were going to be seen as women first. Not criminals.

  A man that had stabbed him, or tried to kidnap him, or even better done the same to a woman, would be seen for what they had done first and foremost. Ty was willing to bet that the women that had tried to kidnap him would be treated as a joke. Even the cops had kind of thought that. Even while admitting that had he fought for his freedom, he'd be going off to jail, at least for the day. Given that, why should he even bother to try?

  That night was, thankfully, very quiet. In fact the next one was as well. The books came in, and everyone showed up to work, including the Alede, who after making sure they had enough energy to keep going, actually turned people away. More or less. They weren't perfect about it, but it was so much better than normal that Tyler nearly wanted to cry, seeing them try that hard.

  Kait was leading them to it, and there was a bit of peer pressure being used to get it done. Possibly with disapproving looks from the curly headed woman. It worked though, and each night they were able to get everything done between ten and midnight. In fact, he was able to get the whole place looking clean and straight by two in the morning, when he got off work on the second day.

  Zack, being what he was, knew that he was on tap to get everyone into place, and had made a point of going to check things out for them. Just to look for attacks or ambush first. Eve was already there, having left the day before, but had waited for him to get there before getting on with her own tasks.

  At two-twenty Keeley rolled through the door, holding a suitcase in her left hand and wearing a back pack. It was rugged looking, and seemed kind of like it would be good for camping. Her clothing had that kind of feeling to it too. That was a good point.

  Tyler had just kind of assumed that he'd be working full time, so he'd packed a few changes of clothing, and some toiletries. Zack never seemed to sleep, but Tyler didn't know that he didn't. Maybe the other Greater Demon was different, or had other plans. She waved at him with her free hand, and smiled at Zack warmly.

  "Line Walker. Clerk." It was a joke, after a fashion, but the woman looked at him when she said it.

  So he answered the same way.

  "Mistress of Souls. I think we have a few minutes. I'm excited, aren't you? Constant work, in a strange place... It seems thrilling, doesn't it?" He faked a bit of excitement, and got the same in return.

  "It does! There will be singing, dancing... Cleaning, and making treats. It will be awesome. Like a sleepover, with no sleeping."

  Of course.

  Zack smiled at the byplay, and gestured toward the owl room door.

  "Let's leave through here. I'll go through first again, and if it's safe come back for you both. Not that I think there will be a problem. Not with Eve on the other side."


  It really wasn't, it seemed, since once in the other room Zack walked into the node, or at least the center of the room where there was a circle inlaid into the floor. There were strange sigils or writing all the way around the outer edge of the thing. The Line Walker vanished, then came back about ten seconds later.

  "All clear. Who's first?"

  Keeley walked forward, as the node started to glow. It was a soft purple color, and Zack spoke softly to her first, as she approached.

  "Don't fight it. I'll do the work."

  Then he made a face as she went into the light. After a second he made a disgruntled noise.

  "Aaand she fought it. I hate transferring demons. Greater ones anyway. It never comes up with Lesser Demons. Now there are some people that do their own work. It won't be a problem for you. You'll come out in front of the right place."

  Tyler nodded, holding his little bag, his old school knapsack, in his right hand. The trip was instant, and didn't feel like anything. He'd been worried about that, he realized. On a deep level he was kind of panicked, since it was moving so far away from where he was used to.

  It didn't really feel that different. The place he came out was just a mall, and while it did look a little strange, it was pretty normal seeming. Closed down it seemed, being night time, but the Yoghurt World was lit up.

  Inside there were four people already.

  Eve was one of them, and she was hugging Keeley, so he walked in too. It seemed like the right thing to do, given he was being paid for it.

  The two men there stared at him though, fangs coming out with audible pops, at least for one of them. The pale man on the right came for him instantly, his eyes solid red in color. That was always a great sign, when dealing with the dead.

  Chapter eleven

  Luckily, Tyler didn't feel pain, or the crunching sound his spine made when he was picked up and carried into the metal support near the front door would have probably stunned him. The injury was bad enough that his legs weren't working, which was interesting, after a fashion. Before that moment he hadn't realized for certain that he needed a spine to keep moving. To hold him upright, well, that part just made sense. Everyone needed that, if magic wasn't going to do the trick for them somehow.