“It’s all right to be nervous, Jack. Regardless of their current status, those people were just as normal as you and I were at one point in time.”
I shrugged. “I suppose, but you’re not as normal as I am, and I’m not as normal as I once was.”
“It’s all relative, Jack. They’re good people, now and before. Besides, your hesitation now is unwarranted. You’ve already been through all of this. You’re now just reliving what has already occurred.”
As Wilson explained this, I rubbed the back of my neck until there was an audible crack. I tilted my head back to the right and it popped again. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Then are you ready to continue?” Wilson asked.
“Yeah, I suppose,” I said reluctantly. I picked up the coin and flipped it over in my hand.
Chapter 4.5
As Earhart continued to stare at me, I felt as if she was staring into my soul. I shifted my eyes to the Gandalf character, who I decided to coin Mr. Wizard. He was staring off into the distance and appeared deep in thought. As I continued to look around the circle of council members, each of the faces looked wise beyond their years. Each one held a certain level of confidence that was comforting, yet at the same time moderately intimidating.
“Thank you, all, for agreeing to grant us audience,” Hauser began. “We realize that your time is valuable, and we’re honored—”
“Let’s forgo all the formalities, Mr. Hauser,” said Earhart. “Tell us what you know.”
Mr. Hauser? Is that his last name? If that’s true, then what’s his first name? I wondered. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.
Hauser cleared his throat. “It appears that Enoch Gant has taken an interest in my latest protégé, Jack Duffy. He’s been visiting Mr. Duffy’s dreams on and off over the past few months. Then, in an unprecedented event, he arrived at the scene of Mr. Duffy’s latest collection assignment and siezed the souls before Jack had an opportunity to do so. From what Jack tells me, Enoch possesses a soul magnet.”
There were gasps from a number of the council members, while others in the gathering remained completely emotionless.
“Silence, silence,” said Earhart. “Mr. Hauser, is this just hearsay, or is this a witnessed event?”
Am I chopped liver? I thought. I’m sitting right here. Can’t you just ask me?
Careful, Jack. If I can hear you, they most likely can hear you as well, Hauser’s words echoed inside my mind.
“Yes, Amelia. Jack witnessed the soul acquisition from Enoch just hours ago. He described the collection chamber precisely: a small copper tube, three inches long. It’s unmistakable.”
“Granted, this is disturbing news about Mr. Gant, but I am not sure it warrants a knee-jerk reaction from the Sentinel,” King said.
“It’s not just Jack’s eyewitness that prompted this gathering,” Hauser said. “I’ve heard from a half a dozen other collectors in the past few months, relaying similar situations where Enoch has attempted to interfere. Fortunately, none of those have developed to the extent of Jack’s latest encounter.”
As a number of the council members broke off into smaller, individual conversations, Hauser and I sat in silence.
“There’s one more thing,” Hauser said, bringing the attention back to us. “Enoch has not only taken these two souls, but he’s also threatened our lives.”
“How so?” Earhart asked.
“Moments before he vanished, he threatened to kill Jack and me with a gun. This all took place just minutes after he shot and killed Jack’s two marks.”
A new round of shocked outbursts filled the room.
“Silence. Silence,” Earhart demanded. Turning back to Hauser, she asked, “Do you expect us to believe that Enoch Gant is capable of murder? To take the word of an inexperienced soul collector trainee?”
“I do,” Hauser said firmly. “If Jack tells me that’s what happened, I believe him completely. Regardless of Jack’s experience level, why would he lie about this? He has nothing to gain from it. Besides, it’s common knowledge that Enoch Gant has been actively pursued by me and by others in the council.”
As isolated conversations ensued, I watched Earhart and Mr. Wizard lean in toward one another, whispering discreetly into each other’s ear. After several moments, Earhart returned order to the gathering.
“Attention please. We’ve all known that Enoch Gant had the potential to be a loose cannon, and this recent incident is further proof of that. However, we feel that this may very well be an isolated incident, and maintaining the status quo is the prudent thing to do.”
What does she mean, status quo? I thought.
Not now, Jack, Hauser thought back.
“Amelia, I don’t think these are isolated incidents,” Hauser said. “Yes, this is the first physical interaction with him, but he’s been tampering with many soul collectors’ minds over the past several months.”
“Then enforcing the current sleep ordinance should alleviate that, Mr. Hauser. None of the soul collectors should be sleeping anyway. That was a directive handed down more than two years ago, but it continues to happen.”
“Sleep aversion is not the answer here,” Hauser said. “It’s just a stopgap. It’s clear that Enoch is getting more brazen by the day and who knows how far he’ll go—”
Earhart nodded her head. “I happen to agree, Mr. Hauser, but we can only react to what we know. And right now all we know for certain is that he’s invaded the dreams—”
“And so much more,” Hauser snapped. “He’s killed two living souls and threatened our lives.”
“He’s allegedly threatened your lives,” Earhart shot back. “I’ve just spoken with Mr. Whitman, who will begin working on a personal protection device. He believes that he should be able to create something that will protect the lives of all our soul collectors.”
“Well, that’s a start. But how long before this device can be ready?” Hauser asked, looking at Whitman.
Whitman did not reply, but just stared at Hauser.
After a long moment of silence, Earhart spoke. “I believe that will conclude our meeting today. Mr. Hauser, I trust that you will relay the council directive, expressing the urgent nature of foregoing sleep to all active soul collectors?”
“Yes, Ms. Earhart—”
“What? That’s it?” I blurted. “I think you’re missing an incredible opportunity here!”
“What exactly do you mean, Mr. Duffy?” Steve Jobs asked impatiently.
“It’s my understanding that none of you know where Enoch is. From what Hauser tells me, he cannot be traced because he no longer possesses a soul box, am I correct?” I said.
A number of council members around the room nodded their heads, a look of irritation on each of their faces.
“He’s obviously honed in on me,” I said. “Isn’t there some way that we can possibly trap him?”
“I don’t think one chance meeting with you would necessarily qualify for him honing in on you,” Jobs snapped.
“That may be, but he has invaded my dreams on virtually every collection that I’ve been assigned. I’m not sure if that’s a regular occurrence or not, but I think that you all should be taking advantage of that somehow. Can’t Mr. Wizard there create some kind of a device that can capture him next time he comes at me, or interferes with my next collection?” I asked.
“What makes you think that Enoch will attempt to interfere with your next collection?” Earhart asked, cutting off Jobs in the meantime.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve tried to save the last several souls that I’ve been sent to collect. Quite successfully I might add,” I said, ignoring the gasping outbursts from the council. “And I believe that my doing so has somehow triggered something in Enoch’s mind, driving him to come and physically interact with me.”
The council once again dispersed into individual discussions of shock and surprise at hearing my recent soul collection activities.
“And what gives you the r
ight to save souls?” Churchill demanded. “Explain yourself!”
Be careful, Jack, Hauser thought to me. The high council here does not know everything that has occurred down there.
Terror filled my mind as visions of poking an angry bear filled my mind. A moment later I released my coin.
Chapter 5
I leaned back in my chair and looked at Wilson, who had a disapproving look on his face. I momentarily shifted my gaze elsewhere.
“So, obviously, none of this is new to you,” I said.
“No, Jack. If I was present in your memories, I have already experienced this. However, we’re not reliving these memories for my benefit but for yours. You need to figure out where you’ve been to discover where you’re going.”
“Where exactly am I going?” I asked.
“In due time. There is much to be reviewed prior to you learning about your ultimate destination,” Wilson said, continuing to hold my deviating gaze.
I nodded. “I suppose you’re right.” I said. “Tell me, Wilson, why isn’t the Sentinel taking the situation with Enoch Gant more seriously?”
“Trust me, Jack, they are. What you’ve experienced in open council may not show that, but you can take my word for it. Mr. Gant is a high priority.”
“All right. You’ve not steered me wrong so far. It’s just so . . .”
“Political? There is far more going on behind the curtains of the Sentinel. Between Walt Whitman and Amelia Earhart—”
“That’s who that is? That’s Walt Whitman?”
Wilson smiled. “Not at all what you expected, right?”
“Not in the least. And what is up between him and Hauser? The tension between them seemed pretty severe.”
“Walt and Hauser have a strained history, which dates back to Walt’s father’s death back in 1855. Hauser was there to collect the soul, and somehow, Walt was able to witness the collection.”
I leaned forward, my interest brimming about the famous poet. “How was that possible?”
“It’s never been positively determined, but it was assumed that Walt was possibly depressed at that point in his life and was considering suicide. He was an emotional mess, having just published Leaves of Grass a few days before his father’s death.”
“I get that Walt was probably upset at the time, witnessing a strange man taking his father’s soul, but hasn’t he forgiven Hauser for it by now?”
“Oh, he has. It’s actually Hauser that has held the grudge after all this time. That’s how Walt tells it, at least. If you ask me, I think the both of them are being quite childish about the whole ordeal,” Wilson said, wiping his brow with his sleeve.
I nodded as the latest information about Hauser sunk in. His psyche was deeper than I had ever imagined.
“I couldn’t ask while in the council, so I’ll ask you now: What exactly were you thinking when you tried to save those souls?” Wilson asked.
Here it comes. Go ahead and give me the same verbal reprimand that Hauser did.
“Don’t get me wrong, Jack. What you did is neither here nor there. I’m just curious what inspired you to try and change the life direction of those souls. I want to know . . . for myself.”
“Are you telling me that you’ve never altered fate, not even once? You’ve collected every single soul that was assigned to you?” I asked. “How’d you do it so . . . so absentmindedly, when there were so many good people—great people—dying for no good reason?”
It was Wilson’s turn to avert his eyes. “Jack, I’ve never been a rule breaker. Yes, I’ve thought about making a change a time or two but I just couldn’t follow through with it. I didn’t find it appropriate in the least.”
“Well, I think that’s what makes you and me different. I understand your stance on the rules. In my past life, I was the proverbial brownnoser at work. In corporate America, it’s a form of survival. If you don’t follow along and do as you’re told, you are promptly eliminated and replaced with a yes-man,” I said. “Since taking over for you, a bit of clarity has come over me and I’ve realized that changes can and, right or not, should be made. I respect your decision to have followed the rules for so long, but it’s not my approach.”
Wilson nodded but continued to avoid eye contact. “Wait a minute, come to think of it, I haven’t collected every soul that was sent for. I didn’t collect your soul,” Wilson said excitedly.
“But weren’t you allowed to let me keep mine?” I asked.
Wilson smiled. “Yes, that’s right. You were destined to enter the afterlife with your soul intact.”
“Hmm. That brings up another question: Was I recruited or was this your idea to let me continue on in the afterlife?”
“Well, it was a little bit of both. After sixty years, I really was tiring of my duties. But as for you, yes, you were a targeted interest.”
“Was it because of my work history?” I asked.
“No, not entirely. Although that did have a part to play in your recruitment. They were more interested in the fact that you had no living family members to speak of. Both of your parents had passed on years ago and you were an only child. Aunts and uncles?” Wilson asked.
I shook my head. “No. I think there might have been some distant relatives that I’d never met, but none within the state.”
“You see, the Sentinel targets people that have no reason to make life-altering changes for their loved ones. Fate already had it that Cyndi was going to die within days of your own death. She would have been a deal breaker if she would have lived on. But because her accident and injuries were so severe, there was really no way for her to continue on. You were an easy pick as my replacement.”
Thinking back to Cyndi’s terrible fall down the stairwell made me shudder. Until Wilson brought up that horrific accident, I had been doing a decent job forgetting it. But now sorrow began to set in all over again.
“That’s all water under the bridge, Jack. You can’t go back and save her now. I think you’ve been procrastinating long enough. Let’s flip the coin and catch up to where you are now.”
I nodded my head in agreement and turned the coin over.
Chapter 5.5
Suddenly Hauser stood and moved to the center of the circle. He slowly walked around, looking each of the council members in the face.
“Before we jump to any disciplinary conclusions, I think what Jack says has a lot of merit.”
“Proceed,” Earhart said.
“Perhaps trying to capture Enoch the next time he shows up is aiming a bit too high. Perhaps approaching this from a different angle might be more appropriate. If Walt can create something, some kind of marker that we can tag Enoch with the next time he comes around, perhaps we might then be able to track him back to where he hides out.”
As Hauser continued his slow, concentric path at the center of the gathering, I noticed a number of the council members begin to nod their heads. When I glanced at Whitman, he was looking right back at me. He smiled briefly. Nervously, I returned his smile and refocused my attention on Hauser.
“Despite Jack’s indiscretions with his duties, I think we should encourage him to save yet another soul. I think we should give him a new soul box and allow him to once again try and change fate,” Hauser said, holding a hand up to the oncoming challenges from the various council members. “We allow Jack to continue the farce long enough to coax Enoch to him. I’ll be there throughout the entire process. Either he or I should be able to attach whatever Walt can come up with to Enoch’s body. Once he’s been tagged, our battle is half over.”
Hauser retook his seat and we both looked around the gathering. The temperament had certainly changed and I was very thankful for Hauser’s interference.
You’re welcome, buddy. You owe me one.
The gathering room filled with murmurs of the possibilities of potentially apprehending Enoch. Hauser and I sat silently as the council discussed all aspects of the proposal. After nearly an hour of planning and negotiating, Earhart spoke.
“It is the ruling of the council that Jack Duffy will maintain his soul collection abilities for the time being. There will, however, be a full review of his work history upon the completion of his next soul collection. In addition, Jack will be given an additional ability to aid him with this task. Do you accept these conditions, Mr. Duffy?”
“I do,” I said without hesitation. “But what additional abilities could you possibly give me that I don’t already possess?”
“You will be given the ability to converse with the living. For all intents and purposes, you will be a living, breathing person. You will be able to be seen and heard by everyone around you. We feel that this enhancement, albeit temporary, will give you the edge you may need to help achieve your goal.”
“And you feel this way because . . .” I urged for more information.
“Because, Mr. Duffy, the next soul that will be assigned to you will be for Miss Penelope Rose,” Earhart said. “Because of your previous interactions with her, we feel that having the ability to be seen and heard by everyone should improve the likelihood of achieving your objective without raising too much suspicion.”
My God, not Penelope. Hasn’t that woman suffered enough, losing her own son?
Careful, Jack, Hauser thought to me.
“Yes, Miss Rose will attempt suicide. And it seems to be an unavoidable fate. But with your own personal history on the matter,” Earhart said, “you might be able to convince her otherwise.”
My head began to spin as comprehension set in. I tried not to think about the ramifications of the plan until we were away from the Sentinel, but I failed miserably. Having the chance to right the wrongs that I’d done to myself was more than I could ever ask for. I was beyond excited to get started immediately.
“Mr. Duffy,” Earhart said, “do keep in mind that this is only a luring tactic. If you and Mr. Hauser are successful, Miss Rose’s soul will still be collected, as originally foretold. You have to think that saving her soul is the ultimate goal, in the off chance that Enoch is invading your thoughts. But do realize that in the end her collection shall be made.”
The Borrowed Souls: A Novel Page 27