by Lizzy Ford
“Your parents are influential within the Beltway.”
“Doesn’t mean they’re good parents,” she replied. “They both care more about appearances than substance.”
“I know they’re wealthy. I wondered why they hadn’t put up a reward or something for you,” he admitted.
“It doesn’t surprise me. I didn’t turn out the way they wanted.”
“Your new family likes you!”
She glared at him.
Eddy laughed. “Just sayin’. I found my home here. You might, too.”
Kaylee was quiet. She began to realize why she’d felt empty, and it wasn’t entirely because of Nathan.
She didn’t have a home. Not a real one, anyway. Her parents didn’t want her around unless there was some kind of photo opportunity requiring them to appear to be a happy, normal family. She’d felt at home with Nathan, until he murdered her. The career she’d chosen to please her father was over the moment her boss was killed and her office building blown up then swallowed by an abyss.
When this was over – assuming it ever ended – she had nowhere to go and no one waiting for her. The only benefit of this insane adventure: it gave her otherwise wasted life some sort of meaning, as terrifying as that meaning was.
“Uggghh!” she cried in exasperation. “I’m twenty seven, and I have nothing good to show for my life! I haven’t contributed to the world at all.”
“Give yourself some credit,” Eddy responded. “Right now, you’re the most important person on the planet.”
She hadn’t thought of her relevance in the grander scheme of things. He was right. She hadn’t succeeded or made a difference in the traditional sense but would either become the person who started the end of days or who somehow stopped it. What could be more significant than saving the world?
Destroying it.
“I don’t know if that helps or makes everything worse,” she said, confused. “You are so contradictory, Eddy. Do you smile when you kill people?”
“Hopefully you never have to find out,” he said.
Every once in a while, Kaylee knew without a doubt she wasn’t going to make it out of this alive.
She fell into silence, once again uncertain what to think about Eddy. She recalled him being present when she awoke, after Nathan stabbed her. The memory was fuzzy from pain medications and the shock of being dead. But she could have sworn he told her to hide the stones Amira had given her to protect.
Had this event actually happened? Or was it a pain med-fueled dream? She’d been afraid of asking him, in case she revealed the precious stones Eddy could use to help Shadowman and Bullet cause Armageddon.
They drove in silence for two hours, followed by the tour bus, away from the DC area and towards central Virginia. The terrain changed from city to rural, from farmland to trees, from flat to rolling and finally, near the West Virginia border, to the forest-covered Appalachia foothills.
Eddy’s car crawled up a winding road leading to the top of one small mountain. The tour bus passed them halfway up.
“Maybe you should ask Satan for a new car,” Kaylee murmured.
“That’s not how it works,” Eddy said.
She didn’t really want to know how it worked.
They reached a campground near the top of the mountain half an hour after the tour bus did. Eddy parked and she got out, spotting a bonfire towards the center of the campground. Eddy led her towards it, where the other cult members were roasting hotdogs and marshmallows in a scene of normalcy that left Kaylee feeling as if she had entered an alternate reality.
“We can have s’mores after,” Eddy said, following her gaze. “Bullet and a few others are waiting for us.”
Reassured to hear she’d be alive to eat s’mores after this demonstration, Kaylee trailed him down a narrow path towards a scenic view area, a cliff with a plaque explaining the significance of the spot and surrounded by a three-foot tall wooden fence.
No less than ten men and women waited, whispering, some of them snacking on hotdogs or fragrant s’mores that reminded Kaylee she hadn’t eaten chocolate in almost a month. The surgeon had placed her on a strict diet to help her recover faster.
“Wow,” she breathed, eyes on the valley that stretched from the bottom of the cliff to the horizon. Fog clung to the branches of trees far below, and a cold mountain breeze swept by her.
“We come here monthly for meetings,” Bullet said.
Kaylee faced him, arms crossed from the cold air as well as the chill she always experienced around him.
Tall and slender, Bullet’s look was always a little too direct, and he never blinked. His eyes were dark, his skin olive, his hair a high-and-tight. He was striking in appearance, a silver fox, though he appeared to be no more than forty.
But it was his air that left her both entranced and uncomfortable. Something about the man was mesmerizing, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him, even when her instincts were whispering for her to run away – quickly. If the security guards weren’t demons, this man probably was.
“That’s nice,” Kaylee said, realizing everyone was waiting for her to speak after the awkward length of silence.
“Thank you for agreeing to this demonstration,” Bullet added with a smile that made her knees weak. It didn’t reach his eyes, which left her feeling … scared. The ambivalence of her emotions did nothing to help.
“She’s a great sport,” Eddy said with a grin. He never left her side, even when they spoke to Bullet.
For once, Kaylee was truly happy her assigned assassin was with her. She had the sense she’d either fall into Bullet’s spell or end up murdered at his feet if she were alone with him. There didn’t seem to be a happy medium in what she went through in his presence.
“Many of my people have expressed their concerns about Shadowman’s silence,” Bullet continued. “We’re a democratic community. They voted for these ten members to be present to witness this demonstration.” He motioned to the group of men and women who had fallen quiet. They appeared generally curious, if apprehensive.
“What exactly is this demonstration?” Kaylee asked, puzzled.
“It’s simple.” Bullet took her arms and positioned her in front of the fencing at the edge of the bluff.
His touch was like ice. It penetrated her sweatshirt, as if she held a cold pack directly against her arms. She winced, surprised anyone’s hands could be that cold.
“You trust Eddy. I need you to trust me.”
Kaylee looked up at Bullet’s quiet voice. The sensations of both falling into him and needing to flee left her speechless. His eyes reminded her of Nathan’s; he seemed to peer straight into her soul. Except, where Nathan was warm, this man was cold. His body radiated no heat, and his smile was empty. The coldness of his touch crept through her arms, up her shoulders, into her chest and neck.
They weren’t going to kill her. This much she knew. Eddy had saved her life, because his people wanted Shadowman alive. If Shadowman lived, she had to as well.
Blinking out of the spell, Kaylee glanced past him at Eddy. Her assassin gave her a double thumbs up and a smile.
“Why?” she asked.
“It’s important for this ritual. If you trust me, so will Shadowman. I need you both to know I’m on your side. I don’t want him to retaliate,” Bullet explained.
I’ll never trust you. But she’d tell this man whatever he needed to hear if it kept her alive. “I can do that,” she lied.
“I need you to say the words. I trust you.”
“I … trust you,” Kaylee repeated.
“Great!” Bullet released her.
The chill left her body and she shivered.
The men and women appeared excited.
“Was that it?” she asked.
“Not quite,” Bullet answered.
The next moment happened too slow, and then too fast, for her to register exactly what happened. Bullet’s kick landed in the center of her body. The air was knocked from her chest, and Ka
ylee flew backwards over the edge of the cliff. The world almost stopped, and her heightened senses – fed by adrenaline – memorized every face, every expression. Bullet was thrilled, his people excited and cheering, and Eddy …
Eddy wasn’t smiling. It was the first time she’d witnessed the grave expression on his features. His jaw was clenched, and he appeared to be concentrating hard, though on what, she couldn’t know.
And they were all gone, and she was alone in the night, falling. Cold air rushed by her ears and a scream burned her throat. She fell down, down, down, helpless to stop her plummet towards the forest and ground below. Kaylee thrashed in midair, trying to grab at the occasional tree or bush growing out of the side of the cliff. She managed to twist so that her back was to the sky. The trees rushed closer by the breath. She couldn’t look away, couldn’t stop watching death as it charged towards her.
Four
Coldness stirred within the part of her that wasn’t hers. Shadowman was shifting.
Before Kaylee had time to dwell on why, she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her head, as if she could prevent herself from splattering all over the forest floor. Ice ripped through her. Suddenly, she stopped.
Kaylee waited for the impact, gasping, shaking from cold and fear. Had she hit the ground, died instantly and was now a ghost? She’d seen nothing but darkness the first time she died.
She opened one eye and then the other.
She hovered at the top of the trees, close enough for their tips to brush her body as they swayed in a breeze.
While she could not see him, she could feel him. Shadowman’s oppressive weight surrounded her, prevented them both from dying.
But he was weak. He was straining. The air around her trembled along with her body, a sign this test was taking what he had regained of his strength. In that moment, she didn’t question whether or not she should let him drop her, let her die.
“Tell me what to do,” she said hoarsely, not about to continue her fall if his strength gave out.
Grab … tree.
Kaylee wiped away the tears in her eyes and stretched down. Shadowman lowered her slowly before dropping her a good ten feet. She snatched at the branches and caught herself, halting her second fall. His grip around her slid away, to the point she barely felt it. He was too weak. She was on her own.
Kaylee swung one leg to the nearest branch below her then the second. Balancing herself with her death grip on the tree, she walked to the trunk and sank down onto the branch beneath her legs, arms wrapped around the tree.
Shaking, she sobbed. It wasn’t only Nathan who tried to kill her. At the back of her mind, she understood this demonstration was meant to draw out Shadowman – or kill her, if she lied about him being alive.
How bad was it that the very creature threatening the existence of everyone was the only one who wanted her alive?
When she was too cold and tired to cry more, she leaned her head against the trunk. “Can’t we just go somewhere? Away from everyone?” she whispered to the darkness clinging to her.
Purpose.
“Our purpose is to be killed!” she retorted. “Do you really think you will open a portal to Hell when the chances of surviving are getting worse by the day? Neither of us is strong enough to survive!”
Shadowman didn’t answer. She sensed he was … uncertain. What did it mean, if an archdemon with the power to bring about Armageddon didn’t know if he could keep them alive?
Then we become stronger.
“It’s not like you can flip a switch. You’re barely alive. I’m not sure how I lived through Nathan.”
No more demonstrations. I am displeased.
“No shit. So am I.”
His stifling presence all but vanished. He was at the peripheral again, where he had been since she was killed. His presence was replaced by the newfound sense of heaviness she’d experienced only since awakening after her death. It became hard to breathe, and she sagged, weighed down by something she couldn’t identify.
The spell passed after a moment.
Kaylee stayed where she was, not trusting herself to climb down the tall tree in her shaken position. Shadowman didn’t have the strength to save them a second time.
But … did she want him to? Should she end this mess now, while she had the chance?
Shadowman’s presence became stronger. Was her inability to commit suicide fully her decision and cowardice, or influenced by the demon connected to her soul? Because saving the world was definitely the best cause she’d ever find!
Guilt trickled into her, the same she felt whenever she questioned whether or not she should put some effort into trying to escape.
Exhausted, Kaylee closed her eyes. If she was silent and still, would Bullet and his people assume she died and leave her alone? Would she finally have a drop of luck in her life?
“Kaylee!” Eddy’s shout came from below.
Kaylee winced. She wasn’t at all surprised that the assassin who appeared to read her mind at times also knew she was alive after the fall.
A spotlight illuminated the trees near her. If Bullet was not fully from this world, as she suspected, was Eddy also of supernatural origin? Was that how he knew where to look? When she was thinking about running? That she was thinking of Nathan? If he weren’t homicidal, and a demon worshipper, she would believe him to be a guardian angel.
“I’m here!” she called at last as the spotlight shifted nearer.
The light turned to her. She closed her eyes, blinded, and held up her hand.
Eddy let out a triumphant whoop. “Can you make it down?” he shouted.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I’m kinda … freaked out.”
“Stay there. I’ll come to you!”
What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just end this?
Frustrated by her weakness, Kaylee waited for the Satanists to save her.
The branches rustled beneath her and minutes later, Eddy reached the branch directly below her.
“Great to see you!” he said with a grin. “Put this on.” He tossed her a harness attached to a climbing rope.
Kaylee reluctantly maneuvered into the harness. “Done.”
“Come on down!” He held out his hand. “It’s secured. If I drop you, the others will lower you down.”
Kaylee stretched towards him. Eddy caught her as she lost her balance and fell off her branch.
Eddy carefully moved to the next branch down and then waited for her. They moved down the tree trunk foot by foot, branch by branch, until they reached the ground, where Bullet and his ten witnesses waited.
Kaylee now had two men on her shit list who had tried to murder her. The moment Eddy freed her from the harness, she spun to face Bullet. If anything, his presence was even colder, his eyes somehow darker.
“You pissed him off,” she informed him icily. Her body continued to tremble. “Shadowman isn’t happy with you.”
“I apologize,” Bullet said with a bow of his head. “We had to know for certain he survived. I hope he understands.”
He waited for her response, and the people behind him appeared anxious as well.
To her surprise, the cult leader was sincere for the first time since she had met him. The scary man in front of her feared the demon connected to her.
“He’s weak,” she said. “Your test took what strength he had. I don’t know what he feels or thinks right now, but he needs more time to heal.”
Bullet relaxed, as did those behind him, as if they had expected the archdemon to condemn them all.
“I respect that,” Bullet said. “We all saw him save you. We know he’s alive. You will both have more time to rest.”
The ten people behind him nodded and exchanged looks of excitement, if not all out euphoria.
“Eddy, she needs rest. Return to our base,” Bullet said and began walking away. “We’re having a party.”
“Sure, boss.” Eddy slid his hand around her arm, as if suspecting she was about to collapse.<
br />
Kaylee sagged against him, hating herself more for being the source of happiness for an entire cult bent on destroying the world.
She walked with Eddy to the car parked at a second campsite, this one located at the base of the bluff. She all but fell into the passenger’s seat and sagged.
Eddy climbed into the driver’s seat. “I saved you a s’more,” he said.
Kaylee glanced at him then at the tinfoil square he held out. She accepted it. This night, after being thrown off a cliff, nothing could faze her.
Eddy started the car and began the long trip back to the underground bunker. “For the record, I didn’t doubt you,” he said.
Beyond the point of being able to think straight, Kaylee opened her treat and nibbled on it. “I should’ve just ended it,” she whispered, distraught.
“We all saw him save you,” Eddy replied. “We would’ve brought you back again if you committed suicide.”
“With fewer fingers, no doubt.”
“You’re starting to understand. That’s good.”
Kaylee lowered her s’more and fought the urge to cry. Drawing a deep breath, she wiped her tears away and forced herself to focus on her food. When she finished, she rested against the headrest and dozed.
Eddy’s loud curse awoke her, and she opened her eyes groggily. He stopped the car and pulled over onto the side of the road. They were on the two-lane, paved road near the bunker.
Smoke filled the sky above the forest.
Eddy climbed out of the car and stood in front of it, staring in the direction of the bunker. Finally, he pulled out his phone and made a quick call before returning to the car.
“New plan,” he said with a tight smile. “We’re heading to an alternate site.”
“Someone found the bunker.” Kaylee frowned. “How?”
“I don’t know, but the boss isn’t happy about it. That’s our headquarters. We have other sites. They aren’t as nice.”
“Who did it?”
“I imagine 3G. They’re desperate to find you.”
Kaylee shook her head. The alleged good guys wanted her dead. “Didn’t you meet with their leader at the safe house?” she asked, recalling the tense meeting with Zyra that occurred before her death.