The Dark Souls (The Viral Superhero Series Book 1)

by Bryan Cohen

  Her laugh and walk were unmistakable. The girl he’d last seen at the bottom of a dirt grave was alive.

  How is this possible?

  Daly crouched low beside Grayson as the admin sorted hundreds of phone messages and emails.

  "What’s with the girl?"

  Grayson peeked up from his paperwork. "Oh, her? That's a great question. Maybe she’s become a pint-sized psychic just in time to help Sheriff Norris with the investigation. I wouldn't be surprised, given how weird things have been."

  The deputy’s pulse raced as he thought back to the first time he saw her. Erica sported a very fake ID at a club across town. He was the one who helped her get a much more legitimate license.

  He felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple. "Sheriff say where he found her?"

  Grayson raised an eyebrow. "With her reputation, she was probably in the bottom of a bottle of tequila. But kudos to her for still being alive."

  Daly continued to stare. "Yeah. Kudos."

  At first, Daly made sure things were hands-off between him and Erica. He bought her booze and helped her get out of jams before they got on her record. One night, she came over to his apartment and changed everything. He knew it was all her fault for forcing her way into his life.

  She made me do what I had to do.

  Daly was so out of it, he wasn’t sure how he got back to his desk. When Erica headed out, he turned his chair around and she walked right past him. Daly examined the exit as she left.

  If she’s alive, how am I not in cuffs?

  Assault. Endangering a minor. Plenty of other offenses came to mind, but Daly remained unchained as the sheriff’s shift ticked down to the end.

  "Daly? You got a minute?"

  He knew this was it. It had to be. But if so, he had no idea why the sheriff’s tone was so typical. Daly steadied his nerves and poked his head into his boss’ office.

  His voice shook. "Yes, Sheriff?"

  Norris didn’t look up from a case file. "Sit. Close the door."

  Daly wanted to run. His eyes darted to the building’s exit and back.

  Sheriff Norris glared at him over the top of the folder. "Would you close the damn door? Unless you’ve got somewhere more important to be?"

  "No, sir." Daly swallowed his nerves as he shut the door and sat.

  Norris handed him the case file. "Homicide a few hours back at the trauma center uptown. A man died, came back to life, strangled a nurse to death, and ran like hell. Notice anything interesting about the perp?"

  The deputy had expected his own case file, not a puzzle to solve. He ignored his fight or flight response and dug in. A familiar name stuck out.

  "This Stucky. Isn’t he related to—"

  "They’re brothers."

  Daly stared at the page. He didn’t give two craps about solving the case, but if someone had actually come back to life, maybe that would explain how Erica had survived their final encounter.

  "Strange stuff. Mind if I give Ted Finley a call about this?"

  "Be my guest, Deputy. I'm out for the day. Let me know if you find out anything interesting."

  The deputy stood up. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking." His blood pressure spiked. "Why was the girl here?"

  "She has insider knowledge of the diner case. You can't leave any stone unturned, deputy."

  Daly felt a massive weight lift off his shoulders. "Yes, sir."

  After the sheriff left, the deputy sat down at his desk with no intention of calling Ted Finley. He'd noticed something the sheriff hadn't on the report. Stucky's medical chart noted a strange tattoo on his right arm. It wasn't mentioned in the case report. Deputy Daly knew where he could find four similar tattoos just a couple of rooms away. He neglected to log his visit to the prisoner’s cell.

  "How does somebody come back from the dead?"

  Nigel had been lying down on the bench, but he rose slowly and looked the deputy right in the eyes.

  The thug’s grin was unsettling. "That's the first good question I've heard all day."

  The deputy watched Nigel as he walked toward the bars of the gate.

  Daly took a step forward. "You were going to kill those people and bring them all back, like your friend at the hospital."

  Nigel clapped his hands together three times. "I must commend you, Deputy. You're really thinking outside the box. Where are the comment cards? I'd like to recommend you for a promotion."

  The deputy smirked. "I don't think they'd trust you with the pencil."

  "A pity."

  Daly could barely believe what he heard, but it was the only explanation for Erica’s survival.

  "How do you know the girl? You two talked like old friends in there."

  Nigel's grin grew wider. "She's not a girl. Nor is she a boy. She's much like you. A jail keeper for a broken system."

  "She was dead. You're saying she's someone else now?"

  Nigel was about to answer when the approaching sound of squealing rubber drew their attention.

  "I'm sorry, Deputy. I'd tell you more, but my ride is here."

  With a deafening crash, a massive truck slammed through the front doors of the building. The night shift employees drew their weapons while shielding their eyes from glass and debris. Daly’s heart pounded as he pulled out his own gun and watched Nigel and Tank rip the gate from their cell.

  Daly’s eyes bugged out of their sockets. "Stay back. Freeze!"

  Tank laughed. "I’ll freeze if you catch."

  With a grunt, the prisoner thrust the gate forward. It slammed hard into Daly, who fell square on his back. The heavy iron gate fell right on top of him, cracking a rib and trapping him beneath its weight. Breathing was nearly impossible in the position, but Daly managed to shout and struggle.

  Nigel leaned down over him. "Don’t you worry about the girl, Deputy. Won’t be long till she’s back in whatever hole she crawled out of. Now, if you’ll excuse me."

  Daly attempted to push the gate off without success as the prisoners walked right out of captivity. He couldn't see the gunfight taking place in the other room, but he could hear it. Just like he heard the groans of his co-workers as they were tossed across the room like rag dolls. The deputy was able to just get enough leverage to roll himself to one side. As he did, he saw Nigel and the other thugs get into the truck. He recognized the driver from his mug shot in the file folder. Stucky waved at the deputy as he backed the truck full of superhuman fugitives out of the precinct.

  20

  Ted watched the miraculous transformation of his living room into a television studio. Technicians snapped powerful lights into outlets that could barely handle the demand and two cameramen bickered over the best angle for the shot. A makeup artist applied a few dabs of concealer to Ted's face as he took it all in.

  The woman was casual and confident. "So, you can make things fly?"

  "Since yesterday."

  "You nervous?"

  Ted looked across the room as Rudy Bolger, the semi-famous news anchor, talked to a producer. Bolger had a habit of cropping up on viral videos where he made teen celebrities cry. Ted didn't mind showing his emotions, but he wasn't sure he wanted to do it on national TV.

  He gulped. "A little."

  "If it gets bad, just give the people what they want."

  Ted had no idea what she meant.

  "Thanks, I know exactly what you mean."

  She gave him a few more pats before moving on to Bolger's face. As he looked in the mirror, Dhiraj suddenly appeared like the devil on his shoulder.

  "I think she should have concealed more."

  Ted glared at his friend’s reflection. "I already look like a porcelain doll."

  "You look cherubic, Ted."

  Ted couldn’t believe his parents agreed to the puppet show, but Dhiraj had secured paperwork to keep the news vans off their lawn. The Finleys were more than willing to trade one evening of insanity for grass that might actually grow back some day. Ted wasn’t so sure if the trade of plant life for his publ
ic humiliation was a fair deal.

  He spun around in his chair. "Well, if you're my manager, do you have any tips for this interview?"

  Dhiraj whacked him on the shoulder. "Just give the people what they want."

  "Why does everybody keep saying that?"

  Before Dhiraj could answer, the tall, wide, and loud Rudy Bolger rumbled over.

  The anchor nearly squeezed Ted’s hand off. "I'm starstruck. I swear I watched your video a dozen times, and I still can't believe it."

  Ted withdrew his hand. "Great to meet you, Mr. Bolger."

  "Please. Call me, Rudy." He turned his appetite and attention to Dhiraj. "And this must be the ragin' subcontinental Asian himself."

  Bolger and Dhiraj performed some kind of handshake fist bump combo. Given Dhiraj's comfort with all things monetary and celebrity, Ted wished his friend was the one getting grilled instead of him.

  "It's a pleasure, Rudy." Dhiraj nudged the anchor like they were old pals. "Don't ride my best friend too hard out there."

  "The story goes where the story goes, man." Bolger licked his lips. "You about ready for this thing?"

  No. Of course not.

  "You've got it, Mr.–I mean, Rudy."

  Bolger slapped him on the back and walked him over to two elevated plastic chairs. As Ted took his place, he was surprised just how bright the lights were. He squinted as Bolger and his producer exchanged words through an earpiece. His leg began to bounce.

  Everyone from school is going to see this. That means Natalie. And Erica.

  A voice Ted didn’t recognize started counting down from 10.

  "Remember, Ted." Bolger grinned wide. "Just relax."

  It astounded Ted how much the phrase "just relax" caused him to do the exact opposite. Before he knew it, the countdown had come to an end.

  "I'm Rudy Bolger and I'm here with the world's first superhero, Ted Finley. Ted, thanks for talking with us today."

  Ted froze for a second. He coughed into the mic and then remembered he could speak. "Great having you. I mean, thanks for the chat."

  Bolger smiled. "I've got some questions here for you, Ted, but first I wanted you to answer the questions the internet is asking."

  Ted squinted. "Okay."

  Bolger shuffled his notecards and moved one to the front. "@Smellthelove said, 'That super guy's got to be an alien, right? He ain't no human.' Are you an alien, Ted?"

  Ted slumped forward.

  Really, that's what you're going to lead with?

  "I'm human. Born and raised here in Treasure. No alien escape pod in the backyard or anything like that."

  Bolger furrowed his brow. "A very specific answer there, but we'll move on. @TV4Life asked, 'Ted ate some radioactive pancakes or something. Am I right?' Is TV4Life right, Ted?"

  Ted couldn't help but laugh. "No, Rudy. TV4Life isn't right."

  Bolger cleared his throat. "A super serum? A bite from a werewolf zombie? Did you stumble upon an ancient cursed book and read the inscription on page one?"

  Ted considered pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Rudy, the real question isn't how I got these powers. Because I don't know. It happened so suddenly. The real question is why."

  "If that's the question, Ted, then why did you get these powers?"

  Ted drew an absolute blank. After all, it was the question he’d been asking himself since it happened. With the cameras rolling, he improvised as best he could.

  "Someone or something knew that the thugs were about to start killing people in the diner." He took a deep breath. "For whatever reason, they thought I would be able to stop it. So they gave me powers."

  "About those powers." Bolger stared deep into Ted’s eyes. "There is a contingent that thinks you hired the thugs, set up a bunch of wires and tricked the world like the special effects team of a summer blockbuster movie. What do you say to those people?"

  Ted smiled. Now he finally knew what Dhiraj and the makeup artist meant. Ted pointed at the base of Bolger's chair and lifted his finger upward. The portly man began to float inch-by-inch into the air. The look on the anchor’s face was priceless. Ted hoped the segment wouldn't be cut, given the expletive Bolger uttered when he started to hover. After a few seconds, Ted let the man and his chair down gently and made an effort to not burst out laughing.

  Bolger wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was unsettling. I'm convinced, Ted. Please never do that again. I have one last question. If you're the one the powers chose in the diner, why'd they pick you over all the other people in there? Why not other diner hero, Sandra Patton? Why not a cook or a grown adult?"

  Ted wasn’t sure how, but relaxation had finally found him. "That's actually three questions, Rudy, but I get the gist. I may never know why the powers picked me, but I think they meant for me to help people."

  Bolger looked right into the camera lens. "You're off to a good start, Ted."

  As the two of them got their mics removed, Bolger shook Ted’s hand.

  "That little stunt almost made me piss myself."

  "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

  "Anything that makes good television during my interviews is a good thing."

  It took about an hour for the news crew to pack up and leave. Bolger signed an autograph for both of Ted's parents and exchanged cell phone numbers with Dhiraj. The interview was set to air later that night. Dhiraj flipped through the emails on his phone while Ted approached sleep on the edge of the couch.

  "You know, I've turned down hundreds of interview requests for you. Lots of other requests, too."

  Ted yawned. "What kind of requests?"

  "Science fiction conventions, speaking engagements, photo solicitations."

  Ted raised an eyebrow at the last item on the list. "I don't even want to know, do I?"

  Dhiraj shook his head. "Maybe setting up a public email for your site wasn't the best idea, in retrospect."

  Ted motioned for Dhiraj to hand over the phone. "If this is my email account, can I at least look it over once?"

  Dhiraj passed it over and took out an identical phone from his other pocket so he could keep swiping.

  Ted groaned and glanced at his account. "There are over 10,000 unread emails in here. When did you set up this account?"

  "Yesterday."

  Ted grimaced and scrolled through. One email caught his eye and he clicked on it.

  The subject read, "when it opens" and the text had just one line, "everything will be lost."

  Ted’s mind immediately went to his nightmare. The portal opened and seemed to turn Erica and his friends against him. He could still feel Erica’s boot on his neck.

  Just a coincidence, I’m sure. Ted’s stomach twisted. Nightmares don’t come true. Do they?

  21

  The phone woke Jennifer in the wee hours of the morning. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she limped into the hallway to see her father looking frantic on the phone.

  "They did what?! No, no press. Keep this quiet until we know more."

  When did he start keeping secrets?

  "Everything OK, Dad?"

  He jumped, letting the phone drop to the floor. "Oh. Hey, honey. Nothing you need to worry yourself over."

  Sheriff Norris shuffled into his bedroom. "I’m just going to go in for a few hours. You’ll be OK for breakfast?"

  Her cloudiness of sleep was gone. "Sure." She leaned on the side of his doorway. "Dad, do you think Erica is going to be alright?"

  The sheriff looked up from his shoelaces. He still seemed more guarded than usual. "Trust me, she’s more than capable of handling herself these days."

  She glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

  Her father stood up. "I’m sorry, but I have to go." He kissed her forehead. "I’ll text you later."

  Jennifer watched him scamper down the stairs and slam the front door behind him. "Bye."

  With sleep out of the question, she pulled out her phone and scanned through her texts for the twentieth time.

&nb
sp; Winny: Did you see the vid with Ted + the Giant?

  Jennifer: I did. Nat would kill you if you called her that to her face.

  Winny: It’s a term of endearment. 3 guesses who got her all hot and bothered.

  Jennifer: No way. Did Erica say anything?

  Winny: She didn’t have to.

  After her exchange with Winny sent her into a mini panic attack, she sent a barrage of texts to Erica. All of them went unanswered. Since looking through her messages again did nothing to calm her nerves, she opted to start her morning workout early.

  It was still dark when she got to the gym and hopped on the treadmill. She put in her earbuds and tried to clear her mind.

  We still don’t know where Erica was for the last month. It had to be awful to deserve an apology. And for my dad to lie about it.

  Jennifer turned up the volume.

  Now if she hooks up with Ted, she’ll be national news. And Natalie. Well, Natalie will–

  A tap on her shoulder pulled her from the music. Jennifer’s eyes widened as she saw Natalie Dorn on the machine next to her.

  Jennifer removed an earbud. "Hey. Sorry, pump-up mix."

  Natalie almost smiled. "Mind if I join you?"

  "Go for it."

  Natalie turned her machine up to the same level. "Ever been in a viral video?"

  Jennifer kept her eyes locked forward. "Really sucks that someone taped that. It’s an invasion of personal privacy."

  "I suppose you know why I was pissed."

  Jennifer’s jaw clenched. "I haven’t talked to her since yesterday morning."

  Natalie upped her treadmill a few clicks. "Jen, what was Erica doing before she skipped town?"

  "Why do you want to know?"

  Sweat dripped down Natalie’s forehead. "Your cousin is dumb as a post and all Beth cares about is breaking the school dress code. You’re the one who looks out for her, right?"

  Jennifer slowed her machine to a walk and Natalie did the same. "Just because I’m scared of you doesn’t mean I’m going to rat out my friend. Not that I know anything that would help."