by Maggie Mundy
“Getting kidnapped was enough to push me over the edge, and now you want me to accept this?” She waved her hands around her head like she didn’t want to hear any more.
“It’s your choice what you accept. I can only tell you what I know.” Soren wanted to comfort her but had nothing to offer.
“Okay, I hate to admit it, but if this is happening, I need to know how to deal with it. You seem to be the only good guy at the moment. The police were not much help earlier. Virgil said he was going to attach a Demonic to me. He also said I was trying to contact an Angelic. What did he mean?”
“There are two main races on Homeworld, where the aliens live. On Earth, they’re known as Angelics and Demonics. The Midworlders are half breeds, and are the result of purebreds breeding with a lower race. Midworlders of either side keep the status quo here. Sometimes the two groups fight to get more of their kind attached.”
“I should be jumping out of this car, but for the first time in ages, things make sense. When they kidnapped me, I called out to my pixie, Guardian, whatever. I got you instead. Why are you helping me? Those guys are your friends, aren’t they?”
Friend. What the hell did the word mean? Did they even exist? “I live in the house, but the others are all different to me.”
“But you’re an alien, too. You still didn’t say why you helped me escape.”
He would tell the truth and be damned. “You said you saw me in a dream, and you were asking for help. I was sick recently, and you were in my dream. I thought I would die, and your face lured me back. I felt I owed you, Anne.”
She edged away from him and pressed against the door on the far side of the car “You know my name.”
“You reached out to me when I was in pain. You said your name was Anne then. Mine’s Soren.”
“I’m scared. What am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
Soren pulled up outside her home. She undid her seatbelt but didn’t get out. Instead, she drew her legs to her chest and rocked in the seat. Soren knew how to satisfy a woman sexually, but he didn’t know how to offer comfort. He was not the hero she needed. He had helped her escape, but to what? In truth, he’d just delayed the inevitable pain she would get from Cameron and his cohorts. The others would probably find her again. Tears fell down her cheeks. He touched her face with his hand. She didn’t pull away. He wiped the tear away with his thumb. Anne leaned toward him and pressed her head against his chest and cried. Gut-wrenching sobs.
Soren rubbed her hair and wrapped his other arm around her. As before, her touch calmed him. He wished he had the same effect upon her. Soon the tears stopped, and she moved away.
Anne peered at him. “You’re not coming with me, are you?”
Soren shook his head.
“I’ll go and collect my stuff.”
He sat in the car when she went inside. There was an old camper in the driveway, and Anne came out and threw her gear inside. Soren got out of the car and walked over. She turned back to him.
“Thank you.”
“It was the least I could do. I’ll try and send a message to the Angelics. The best thing for you to do is to hide until the Angelic Midworlders find you. I’ve not met one, but believe they will protect you from Cameron.”
“Are you going back?”
“Yes.” Did he have any choice?
“Why? I realize we don’t know each other, but you could come with me. Maybe the Angelics would take us both in.”
“There is a reason I’ve stayed. Sometimes a rage comes on me I can’t control. If I was out in the world, I might kill someone. I could even kill you. The Angelics won’t want someone like me. I don’t know what I am, but I reckon there’s a bit of Demonic in me. I need to go back to the Enclave to keep people safe from what I might do.”
Anne went to get in the van but stopped and hugged him. When their skin connected, he sensed her thoughts. She was scared, but he also sensed concern for him. Before she moved away, he saw a picture of where she was going. Soren hoped she would be safe there. For now, he had done what he could.
He watched as Anne drove off down the street and out of the city. He didn’t know this woman but missed her already. His life didn’t have room for emotional attachments. In the past, sex worked as a connection for a short time.
Soren drove up to Mount Lofty. He stood on the viewing area and gazed down on the city of Adelaide. It would be light soon, but the street lights still twinkled all the way out to the sea. He closed his eyes and sent out a message, but had no idea if it would reach anyone. If the Angelics could sense it came from someone like him, would they ignore it anyway? Anne needed someone better than him to save her.
Anne needs an Angelic Guardian to be attached to her immediately. Demonics searching for her. She needs help now. Save her.
He couldn’t risk sharing her destination in case the Demonics picked it up. For once in his life he hoped he had done enough.
He jumped back into his car and headed to the Enclave. He would get a beating, but Virgil wouldn’t risk killing him. Liliath wanted him too much.
Soren’s hands shook. The old familiar rage clawed at the edges of his brain. He believed if the darkness took over this time he would never make it back.
He drove toward the suburb of Belair. It had a railroad crossing. He parked the car and walked down the tracks away from the hotel.
His hands fisted in readiness as he stood on the tracks. The freight train from Melbourne would be coming through. It would all be over soon. At least he’d done one good deed before he died. He truly wished he could have helped Anne more. She seemed like a good person. Then again, she wouldn’t want to have some stranger with a death wish traveling with her. Plus, the darkness would be back soon. He might hurt her if it did. Yet another reason he could not survive in this world.
Maybe the Angelic Midworlders really did exist. He had heard the others talk of them but had never seen one. Maybe they cared about humanity around them and not someone like him. One thing he knew for certain, Cameron and his people didn’t.
The train screeched along the tracks in the distance. The rumbling vibration moved up his legs until his whole body shook. He smiled. He was sorry if his death caused the driver sorrow, but he couldn’t see any other way out of this pain. The lights of the train broke through the early-morning darkness. For the first time in the last seven years, he heaved a sigh, knowing peace.
The train was almost on top of him as he shut his eyes. He opened his arms wide and waited for the impact. The train never made contact as someone grabbed him under his armpits and lifted him up.
“No,” Soren yelled.
Virgil lifted him into the sky. The giant of a man whispered in his ears, “You’re in a heap of trouble, my friend. I’m going to enjoy watching you get the crap beaten out of you.”
Soren twisted in Virgil’s arms, hoping he could fall to his death. Wings flapping, Cameron hovered before him. Soren couldn’t avoid the punch aimed at his face. The pain reverberated through his head, but he still fought to break free. One punch after another came to his chest, abdomen, and head.
Cameron would hurt him but stay short of killing. Another punch came to Soren’s head. This time it brought darkness and oblivion.
Chapter 4
To the Outback
Anne gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white and her fingers ached. She took one hand off the wheel and held it up before her face. Her fingers trembled. Her brain kept trying to make some sense of everything. But she just felt more confused.
She drove on for four more hours, but she knew she would need gas soon. Plus, her bladder would burst if she didn’t empty it. The van was set up for camping, and she could get some more provisions along the way. What she really needed was time to think this through
. She needed a plan, but how do you come up with a plan to beat or escape these guys?
Twenty minutes later, the car was full of gas and enough food to last at least a week. By then, she might have sorted this mess out or been able to make contact with the good Midworlders Soren had mentioned. As she drove up the highway, the scenery became more desolate with only the odd farmhouse here and there.
Anne couldn’t get Soren out of her mind. What the hell did he mean by saying she’d called to him? But could it be true? He had come to her rescue. She thought for sure he would accompany her, though she wasn’t sure it would have been a good or bad thing.
He was tall and good-looking with hair shaved close to his head. Anne could picture him as a model on the cover of a magazine, except for his eyes and the pain they showed. His muscles were toned and he stood over six feet, she guessed. She could use someone who would do well in a fight right now. His connection to Virgil and the others meant it would probably turn out bad for both of them.
The van swerved to the other side of the road. Anne straightened and shook her head. She needed to stop and take a break before she killed herself. She wanted to get to her destination, but at this rate, she would crash before she got there. There was a picnic break area up ahead. Anne drove in and parked under some trees for shade.
She stretched her legs and arms then grabbed a drink from the icebox. Tiredness wafted over her as she yawned. She just needed a nap and she set her phone for thirty minutes. Back in the van, her eyelids grew heavy as soon as she lay down.
The vivid dreaming was back again. This time she found herself standing beside a train track. She squinted to make out any details in the darkness surrounding her. Her eyes got used to the gloom and she could see someone standing on the line. A whistle from the train echoed through the air. She turned to see the light coming toward her. She moved closer to the person on the track. She needed to help him.
Anne watched Soren smile as he stared ahead. Then he closed his eyes and spread out his arms in what appeared to be acceptance of his fate. Anne wanted to call out, but she couldn’t make a sound in her dream world.
The train was almost upon them when Virgil descended from the sky. Huge wings flapped, and she could feel the air on her face. He grabbed Soren and lifted him into the darkness above. Soren screamed. Another man with wings appeared and thumped Soren on the head. Soren struggled to break loose from the man’s grip. More punches came, and everything went black as Soren slumped in Virgil's arms and passed out.
Anne woke with a start and sat up. Her whole body, cold and clammy. It had all been so real. The phone started to alarm. Her hands were shaking so much she almost dropped it. Had that really happened? Was Soren trying to kill himself? If the dream had happened, then it meant the flying men could be real as well.
Anne rubbed her temples to relieve the ache. It didn’t work and she still felt like a tight band encircled her head. She grabbed a couple of painkillers from her purse and gulped them down with some water. She would drive on and get to her favorite spot. The land always grounded her, and she could meditate and clear her head.
Two hours later, Anne relaxed a little bit as she entered the Flinders Ranges. She turned off of the main road and down a dirt track. It would take her to the base of the Bluff. Normally, there was no one out there, but today she saw two buses parked in a paddock and tents with lots of people around. A large banner read ‘Jesus loves you.’ She’d heard Christian camps often came up to the wilderness to get closer to God. Anne smiled as she wondered what the group would make of the flying men in her dreams. If Jesus did exist, he wouldn’t have anything to do with those guys.
She wasn’t religious and liked to leave people to their beliefs. As long as they didn’t bother her or hurt others, she was happy. Some of the people waved to her as she drove past. It was still another fifteen minutes to her destination, so she most likely wouldn’t even hear them singing. Anne just wanted the sounds of the land around her.
She parked the van and set up camp. By the time she cooked her meal, the sun would be going down. The nights could get cold out here, even if the days were warm. Anne sat down on her exercise mat and closed her eyes so she could clear her mind.
It didn’t work. All she could see before her was Soren screaming in pain.
Chapter 5
Finding Anne
Soren didn’t want to open his eyes. His head would hurt even more if he stared at the bright lights. His hearing still worked and the words he could hear were not reassuring.
Virgil spoke and the giant of a man seemed pissed off. Soren didn’t care. If this big shot’s machismo looked less than perfect because of him then so be it.
Soren steeled himself, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. Bad move. Virgil’s fist connected. Soren’s jaw didn’t feel attached to his face anymore. He probably would never smile again. The punches kept coming. He tasted blood and not for the first time this day. It wasn’t new for his fellow housemates to beat him up. Sometimes he felt like the punching bag for them all to practice on. He supposed Liliath didn’t care because he was always healed by the time he got back to her.
Virgil’s fist hit with such force Soren closed his eyes, waiting for the end. Instead, he found himself hovering above his own body. Virgil still kept hitting him. This was fucking weird. Like watching a movie. If he got back in his body, it would hurt so much. Then again, the pain he understood and could cope with.
Virgil stopped punching, grinned, and sauntered away.
Soren wanted to ram a hot poker up the prick’s ass. It just wasn’t possible right this moment. Soren felt himself sucked back into his own body. He wanted to stay awake, but then the pain hit and he knew he would not hold out. He thought back to just before the train hit and could remember Anne standing beside him on the tracks. Hopefully, she would be far away by now.
He still wasn’t sure how Anne fitted in to all this. One thing he knew about Midworlders. None of them liked to lose something considered useful. He lay on the floor as his body started to heal. To move now would just cause more discomfort.
“Do we know the whereabouts of the woman?” Cameron asked.
Soren decided to play dead and see if he could find out what his boss was planning.
“Not so far,” Virgil said. “The guys went back to her aunt’s house, but there was no sign of her. The camper van was gone so we assume she headed off somewhere. From what we know of her she’d no other family.” Virgil kicked Soren in the leg as he walked past him.
Cameron coughed and then spoke. “It’s lucky I hadn’t mentioned her to Liliath. I’ll let Soren heal and take him over again in a few days. Keep searching for any clues about the women. Liliath could possibly use the female for the transfer, if Soren isn’t compatible anymore.”
Soren would not let Liliath anywhere near Anne if he could help it. No one should have to go through the agony he did.
“What I don’t get, Boss, is why we can’t pick up this female’s signature. The fact she doesn’t have a Guardian means she should be lighting up the sky like a beacon. We were literally on top her before we could tell she didn’t have one. If one of our men hadn’t been at her aunt's funeral, we wouldn’t have picked her up at all.
“Go back to the house and check again,” Cameron ordered.
The two men stood and left the basement, slamming the door behind them.
Soren was glad to be left alone. He closed his eyes, wishing his body to heal faster. For once he had a reason to get out of here alive and well now. He would not let Anne down.
A few hours passed, and the pain in his body lessened. He gritted his teeth and sat up. The door opened and one of the Midworlders walked in. He shook his head at Soren in what appeared to be disgust.
“You need to eat or drink. The boss wants you alive. Fuck knows why.” He grabbed Soren, pulling
him up and hauling him towards the stairs.
Each movement sent a new agony through Soren’s body, but he would not give up. Anne might be in danger. When they got to the kitchen, some of the other members of the Enclave were eating. The thought of food turned Soren’s stomach, but he would try. He would need his strength if he could get away.
Virgil walked in and threw a photo album down on the table. He then walked across the room. Soren waited for another punch to be thrown. Instead, Virgil got up so close Soren could smell his sickly sweet breath.
“I don’t give a shit what Liliath thinks of you. You ever hit me again, and I swear I’ll find a way to kill you. Maybe if I cut your head off you might find it difficult to stick it back on.”
Virgil walked over, poured himself a coffee, and sat down to peruse the album. Soren grabbed a Coke from the fridge and glanced over Virgil’s shoulder at the pictures as he passed by. He saw a photograph of a younger Anne, probably in her teens. Her hair back then was completely blonde, but she wasn’t smiling. It made him wonder if her life had been as painful as his but in a different way.
The picture looked like somewhere in the outback of Australia with its red rock. Another woman stood next to Anne in the picture, and Soren guessed it was her aunt. Anne said she was going bush. It wouldn’t take long for Virgil to work out where.
Virgil and another Midworlder followed him to his room and locked him in. Soren sat on his bed and closed his eyes. When the two of them first escaped, Anne had let him make contact with her mind and showed him where she lived. He needed to search what else he might have gleaned from her memories. Pictures appeared in his mind, flicking one to the other as if he were watching a movie.
Soren recognized Anne’s aunt’s house. He sniffed and could smell smoke, the odor so strong he opened his eyes to see if the room was ablaze. Only darkness surrounded him.