by Alexie Aaron
“PEEPs, this is Dieter. He is an attrpeur-âme. A catcher of souls,” Mia said. “Dieter, this is Stephen Murphy. He will be going with us.”
Dieter held his hand out and clasped Murphy’s in a solid handshake.
“How old are you?” Mike asked.
“How old do I look?” Dieter asked back.
“Twelve, fourteen at the most.”
Dieter bobbed his head and smiled confidently. “Thirteen.”
Mike wanted to ask the next question, but Burt put a cautionary hand on his arm. “Welcome, Dieter.”
“Thank you, sir.” He turned to Mia and asked, “What time of day was it when the portal last opened?”
“The shadow men arrived just before dusk,” Cid responded.
“Have they been back, sir?” Dieter asked Cid.
“Not according to our instrumentation.”
“You have cameras on the portal?” he asked enthusiastically.
“Yes. We have…” Cid began to list all the devices.
Dieter listened, and when Cid offered to show him the latest film they had captured, Mia could have sworn that the young man just barely held himself back from running into the room behind Cid.
“He’s really a thirteen-year-old boy,” Mia said. “A being caught between childhood and manhood.”
Ted looked down at his wife. “A being?”
“I’m not sure if he is human human, but he is sort of human.”
Mike shook his head. “You have a way with words, Cooper.”
“Thank you, Dupree.”
“Ted, I need to change. Will you watch the door for me?” Mia asked.
Ted smiled and followed after her.
Audrey gathered up Brian’s drawings and carefully contained them in a folder. She slid it into her briefcase so they wouldn’t be forgotten.
Burt started assembling all of his things. “I’ll start to take this stuff outside when we’re sure of our next course of action.” He picked up one of the sandwiches and opened it. He smiled. “Peanut butter and jelly, my favorite,” he announced.
Mia pulled Ted into the bathroom with her. They kissed long and hard. “I missed you so much,” Mia said.
Ted kissed her again before he pulled her sweater dress over her head.
“Whoa, we don’t have much time, Kato,” Mia warned.
“I just wanted to see this,” he said, caressing the tattoo over Mia’s heart.
“Maybe we don’t have to rush…”
Ted kissed Mia once more but drew back. “Later, when we have this behind us, I want to tell you all about the Dark Vault and the gargoyles.”
“I want to hear about them,” Mia said as she pulled on her vest. “Brian misses you. Ralph is spoiling him, but I can tell the way he keeps looking at the door that he wants to see you walk in.”
“Soon we can all go home. I brought something back for you.”
“From the Dark Vault?”
“Oh no, that’s not allowed. One of the keepers makes these,” Ted said and pulled a strange locket out of his pocket. “I thought you could put Quentin’s charm in it.”
“This is working out okay,” Mia said, lifting up the chain and velvet bag.
“Ah, but watch. May I?” Ted said, before opening the bag and removing the charm. “Watch,” he instructed.
Mia watched as he opened the oval case and set the charm inside. He next slipped the chain that held it over his head. The necklace disappeared.
“It’s gone,” she said.
Ted took her hand and guided it to his chest. Mia could feel the locket under her fingers. “How?”
“It’s cloaked. If Dr. Rose expects you to be bringing in the charm, he’ll not be able to see it.” Ted took the necklace off and the locket reappeared.
“Is it magic?” Mia asked as Ted put the necklace on her and pulled her long hair out of the chain.
“No, actually it’s science. A series of tiny mirrors and…”
Mia put her finger to his lips. She turned out the light. The necklace appeared.
Ted turned the light on and the locket disappeared again. His face showed his disappointment.
“The other dimension has no light, except for what was in the house. I still love it though.” She kissed him. “I may not have an ace up my sleeve, but I have the most loving husband a woman could ask for.”
Mia finished dressing, and the two of them entered the kitchen. Orion had arrived, and he and Dieter were getting acquainted. “You know, there is a boy named Mark Leighton… I’m thinking that you’d get along. He’s sighted too. He can see angels.”
Dieter picked up the uneaten half of his sandwich and ate it in two bites, nodding. “Give him my number.”
“Grandfather,” Mia said, hugging Orion. “Thank you for taking such good care of my husband.”
“This guy is your grandfather?” Dieter asked, looking at the transformed Mia. Gone was the small blond bombshell. Standing there was the warrior Roumain had told him about.
“He’s my grandfather from my father’s side of the family.”
“That’s cool. I just thought the little guy was younger that’s all.”
Mia pulled on the double scabbard, placing sword and shotgun snuggly inside before she hung the shield over them. “This time I don’t think we need to hide our intention,” she said to Dieter and Murphy. Mia tucked a knife in her boot. She looked over at the teen. “Do you have gear?”
Dieter walked around the table to where he deposited his backpack. He hefted it up and put it on.
Murphy moved over and helped the youngster adjust a strap that had twisted.
“Much obliged, sir.”
“Three dark shadows in the third floor hallway,” Cid announced.
“That’s our cue,” Mia said. She looked at Burt and said, “Better keep an eye on the hatch. If we’re there, Murph will signal you.”
He nodded. He picked up the camera and started up the stairs. Mia turned and hugged Ted. “No matter what, I will come home to you,” she promised.
“I’m counting on it,” Ted said. “Dieter, Murphy, you take good care of her.”
“Yes, sir,” Dieter said.
Murphy just nodded.
The three left the kitchen.
Cid put a hand on Ted’s back. “She knows what she’s up against now. Murphy is supercharged, and the kid… well… he was sent by Roumain.”
“I’m not sure that makes me feel any better,” Ted admitted. He walked into the command post and put on the headset. He spoke to Mia softly as she climbed the stairs. He talked about all the things he had planned for Brian’s birthday and for their Christmas together.
Ted’s words calmed her. She wished that the com would work in the Thornrose dimension. Hearing Ted’s calm voice in her ear made her brave. There was nothing she couldn’t do with him at her side. Mia looked over at Dieter. He was young but carried himself well. He had two purposes: one, to determine if there were any souls in need, and if so, he would gather them. Then they would move with good speed out of Thornrose and into the world in which they lived. Mia would then cross the souls. If all went according to plan, they would be out by suppertime.
Burt stood to one side and filmed the shadow men as Mia, Murphy and Dieter walked by him.
Dieter stopped. He whispered something in Mia’s ear. She nodded, drawing her sword. The teen opened his pack and drew out what looked to be an empty mayonnaise jar. He opened the lid, and the three shadows quivered.
Dieter spoke to them in a language of clicks and clucks of his tongue. The leader tried running towards the end of the hall, but part of him was yanked backwards. An orb about the size of a quarter floated over to Dieter. He continued to speak to the light until it was sitting dormant in the bottom of the jar. He put on the lid and walked over and set the jar down by Burt. “Mr. Hicks, will you be so kind as to hold on to this for me?”
“I will keep it safe.”
“Thank you, sir.” Dieter walked over to the husk and looked
at Mia. “We will take this with us. It is a being without a soul. It has no business being here.”
“Yes, Dieter. What about the other two?”
“They aren’t real, no souls. They will show us the way.”
“Thank you.”
Murphy, who had pushed his hat back on his head in amazement, reseated his hat low on his head and followed the two shadows down the hall.
Dieter followed him. And finally, Mia with shield held and sword drawn moved into the portal.
Chapter Twenty-one
Once again, Mia faced the charcoal world. It hadn’t changed. She took her time letting her eyes and senses become acclimated to this dimension. There was such an eerie stillness here. Murphy laid the empty husk of the shadow man down. It took form and scurried away like an insect.
Dieter spotted something shiny on the ground. He picked up a coin and showed it to Mia.
“Burt’s coins. Maybe we should gather them and return them to him. He has to count his pennies these days.”
“It looks like a drawing. Why is it so dark?” Dieter asked, looking around.
Sensing the young man’s fear, Mia put her hand on his shoulder. He was a mighty soul-catcher, but he still was a thirteen-year-old boy. “Stay close.”
He put his hand on hers. “I only sense one soul so far, and we don’t want to bring it back with us.”
“Dr. Rose?”
“If it is he that thinks of himself as God. He hasn’t felt me reading his mind, but he is aware that we are here.”
“This is the part in the movie where I yell, ‘Get out of there!’ from the safety of my seat, but the teens continue to walk around,” Mia said. “They get picked off one by one.”
“Why are we staying then?” Dieter asked.
“I have this feeling that there are more souls, but they are being shrouded by this being, the self-professed god of this dimension.”
“He is powerful. Mr. Murphy, what do you think?” Dieter asked.
“Too early to tell. We must get closer to the abyss.”
“Are you scared?” Mia asked the boy.
“I don’t usually get scared, but the last mission that I was on terrified me.”
“Where?”
“I was sent to collect souls in Syria. I had to walk in alone. I worried I had not enough jars. I met other collectors along the way. Some younger than I, some older than I. Together, we faced the horrors and injustice there.”
“Were you successful?” Murphy asked.
“Yes. But I am still terrified. I looked into the eyes of men that weren’t men anymore.”
“Demons?” she asked.
“Demons have kinder eyes, Mia.”
“Why do you do this?” she asked.
“The same reason you do,” he answered. “I have a gift, and so I avail myself to those who need me. Also I have no home anymore. I’d rather stay busy then sit and lament in a shelter.”
“You can stay with us,” Mia said. “We have room. You need to have a childhood.”
Dieter stopped and looked at Mia. “You would open your home to a stranger?”
“Yes. I will have to warn you though; we live way out in the country, miles away from anyone else. But there is room if you want to stay with us. You could go to the local school. Try it out. I expect it will bore you but…”
“I will think on this. Right now, I am sensing another soul.” He turned and pointed to the group of people in the square. “It is a child. A girl, her name is Katherine. Such a big name for such a little girl,” he said, opening his jar. He started to click and cluck with his tongue.
A tiny light wove its way through the legs of the people. Once it had cleared the park, it danced as it moved towards them.
“I sense joy,” Mia said.
“Welcome, Katherine, I will help you find your way home,” Dieter said.
The tiny light moved into the jar and bobbed up and down. Mia closed her eyes and sent a thought to the child. The light seemed to pulse, and then it settled down.
“Katherine is very excited,” Dieter said.
“She told me that there are no more souls,” Mia said. “It’s time to go.”
“Wait. What about Dr. Rose?” Dieter said.
“I thought you said that we didn’t want to bring him back with us,” Mia asked.
“Yes, but we must give him the choice to leave here,” Dieter said. “The universe will decide what happens to him after.”
Mia felt ashamed. “You’re right. I’m not a judge. You see, Dieter, you have much to teach me.”
The teen smiled. “Where do we find Dr. Rose?”
“We left him in that house over there.” Murphy pointed. “Does he still think we think that he is Herbert Morrison?”
Dieter reached out with his mind. “No, he knows that you are aware of his deception.”
Mia sighed. “The direct way is the best.” Mia walked over to the front door of the house and banged on it.
The manservant opened it.
Mia quickly looked over at Dieter. He shook his head. “I would like to speak to Dr. Rose. Outside if possible.”
“I will convey your invitation,” the servant said and shut the door.
Mia walked off the porch. She took the tip of her sword and sliced a piece of wood off the rail. She took off her glove and placed it in her palm. She felt nothing. She dropped the wood, dusted off her hands, and reported, “The house is not real. None of this is, except for those husks over there and the monsters that are crawling in the pit, waiting for their time to feed.”
“Very perceptive,” Dr. Rose said from behind her.
Mia spun around. “Dr. Rose, sir, I would like to give you the opportunity to leave here, to be judged by your peers, and to spend eternity someplace other than here.”
“Why would I want to leave? Why would anyone want to leave? My babies love it here. They are safe from being hunted. Here, they can be what they were destined to be, and those who shunned them continue to pay for their neglect.”
“Katherine too?” Mia asked.
Dr. Rose frowned. “She was a mistake. She came to visit her grandmother with her parents. She wandered away. We found her little shoe in the cellar. That’s all we found of her.”
“How did she end up here?” Mia asked.
“The fire came, and Thorn pulled Thornrose into the dimension before we all burned. I didn’t know that the cannibals had taken her bones in with them.”
Mia’s stomach lurched.
“Pity not the child. She’s dead. As are all those playthings over there. They have been used to the point where they are truly just silhouettes of their former selves.” Dr. Rose looked beyond her and saw the farmer with the axe and a young man.
“Mia, how could you bring company without asking me?” Dr. Rose asked.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Rose, we won’t be staying. Do you know that Renee is gone?”
“Yes. I picked up on that when we last spoke.”
“What did you do to her?” Mia asked.
“I merely helped her to nurture her inner self, and she rewarded me with some amusing days of watching human nature. Will they or won’t they sleep together? Will the husband kill the lovers? I watched you and the farmer. Renee was not too far from the mark. The farmer is jealous of your lover. He will kill him. It is inevitable.”
“You know nothing about us,” Mia said firmly. “We were playing the roles Renee chose for us. She placed false histories in our minds. Where did her power come from?” Mia asked.
“Me.”
“How can a man, doctor if you will, have this kind of power?” she asked.
“Thorn. I don’t know how he did it, but he gave me the power to create all this. It used to be a flat space that went on and on and on. I dug a pit first, to keep the feeders away from me, and then the houses, to give the more temperate patients a place to live. It’s quite a nice little community.”
“Everyone was afraid of Renee. She came after Thorn had rebuilt t
he house. I think you call it Roustan Rose? My monsters didn’t fear anything until Renee started feeding on them. She took delight in sucking their souls out and digesting them as if they were a Sunday roast. Now that they sense she is gone, they are looking to go further afield.”
“We are going to make that impossible,” Mia said. “Would you like to help us?”
“No. I’d rather see my babies out there feeding, dragging their prey here. My community will grow, and soon it will be bigger than the city that this dimension lies within.”
“At least you’re honest,” Mia said.
Dr. Rose looked at her as if he was assessing her worth. “You could stay here with me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“A deal. You stay here, and I’ll keep my monsters from getting out and preying on the innocents of your world.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline. My path has already been chosen.”
“Why are you here then?”
“I am here to take the last soul back with me. I would have taken you too, but you have declined. I destroyed Renee and left the world in danger. If I have to kill each and every one of your babies to stop you, I will.”
Dr. Rose frowned. “I think I’ll have my babies kill you instead.”
Mia wanted to say, “Bring it on,” but she knew that bravado and being reckless could not only get her killed but Dieter too. Murphy depended on her being careful, and she would not let him down.
“I see this is a matter that I need to consult with my team about. Please excuse me,” she said.
“Take your time. I have all the time in the world because it is my world.”
Mia walked to Dieter. Keeping her back to the doctor, she pulled out the charm. “Place this in your hand. Tell it to take you to Quentin. When you get there, ask the man that answers the door, his name is Baxter, to bring you back to the mansion. Feel free to tell him what’s going on.”
Dieter nodded. He tucked the jar in his pack, and he put the charm in his bare hand and became a light. The light sped away.
“Mia, that was your way out,” Murphy said, alarmed.