by Apryl Baker
The hallway is lit, but it seems to have some kind of shadow over it, like there’s something here sucking all the light out of it. Maybe it’s Kayla, I don’t know, or maybe it’s because my vision is blurring worse with every step I take. Either way, I don’t like it.
Kayla pauses at the end of the corridor. She tilts her head, listening to something only she can hear. When she looks back at me, she’s smiling. It’s not a nice smile. It’s one full of teeth and intent. I take a startled step backward and fall into someone.
A squeal leaves my lips, and I bounce forward and away from whatever thing is behind me. “Mattie, stop.”
Kane?
I turn my head to see the reaper who had been assigned to teach me. Kane’s still dressed in the same clothes he always is, t-shirt and jeans. He must have died in those clothes. His black hair is messy, like he just rolled out of bed. He’s cute for a reaper. Odd, I never noticed before. I’m not sure why I am now, while we’re both in danger from the little demonic kid.
“Why are you following that thing?”
“Because it wanted me to?”
“Would you jump off a bridge too, if it asked?” The derision that rolls off his tongue sets my temper on fire.
“No, I would not. It was either follow it or suffer through some serious pain.”
He snakes a glance at me. “Pain?”
“Worse than anything you can imagine.”
“I doubt that. I died of a brain tumor. Now, that is some pain.”
Kayla, growing frustrated, lets out another mind-numbing wail. Kane winces, and it’s enough to make me fall, the pain flashing through my head so fast I can’t get a grip on it. “Stop it!”
Kayla doesn’t shush, and I struggle to stand. There’s only one way she’ll stop, and that’s if I keep following her. Kane helps me to my feet, fussing that we should go back, but I can’t. I have to follow her.
She leads us around the bend and opens the door to the stairwell. Kane leads me toward it. At least I’m not alone. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I felt the reaper in you rise up and call out. Your abilities are growing at an alarming rate if I could hear your call for backup.”
“I did no such thing.” I didn’t, did I? Nope, I don’t recall any such thing.
“You might not have realized it, but you did. I heard you, as did several others. They’re here, watching, in case we need help.” He throws a furtive glance at the kid. “And we might need help subduing one of Deleriel’s creations.”
There are other reapers here? I glance around, but they’re not showing themselves. I shake my head then wince. I need to remember movement is bad when my head is aching like someone smashed it with a sledgehammer.
We follow her down three flights of stairs and into another empty hallway. Only it’s not empty, really. It’s full of construction equipment. CMC is adding a new pediatric wing to the hospital. Kayla’s led us to there. At this time of night, there’s no one around. We’re alone with her.
“I don’t think this is a good idea, Mattie,” Kane whispers.
“Me either.”
But we keep following her. She leads us down the hall and around the corner to where sheets of plastic cover the holes where the windows will go. They are flapping gently in the wind, adding to the eeriness of the hallway. The lighting down here is very dim, only a few lights flickering around us. The unearthly silence is deafening. Again, I wonder where the ghosts have fled to.
She enters the door in the middle of the hallway, and I start toward it, but Kane pulls me back. “Mattie, I think we should go back. Something is not right here.”
“Yeah, I know, but we have to see what she’s trying to show us.”
“What if it’s a trap? What if it’s more of those kids than we can handle?”
“You said you brought backup, so we should be fine.”
I start walking, and Kane is forced to continue since he’s holding me steady. The floor is tilted and the walls are going round and round. It’s making me sick to my stomach. I just hope I don’t hurl on Kane. It’s a distinct possibility, though.
The room in question is like any of the other ones down here, nothing special. It’s just framing. They haven’t even drywalled it yet. What makes this room unique is the little boy waiting for us. Deleriel’s first child. I remember him distinctly from before. He’s about seven or eight. His blond hair is stringy and matted with dried blood. Bruises cover him. His eyes, though, they are what keep your attention. He has no pupils. Instead, his entire eye is yellow. They are brimming with laughter tonight.
“Plaaay?”
“What is that thing?” Kane’s whisper is even lower, and had he not been speaking right by my ear, I’d never have heard it.
“He’s the first of Deleriel’s children.”
Kane sucks in a breath. His body trembles, and I can almost smell his fear. Yup, right there with him. This kid is scary.
He runs over to us, and I flinch away from him. He holds out his hand to me. “Plaaay?”
When I start to take it, Kane snatches it back. “What are you doing?”
“Finding out what he wants.”
“Are you insane?”
“No, I’m not, Kane. I’m a living reaper. This is what I do, so let me do it.”
He glares hot enough to scorch leather, but he doesn’t argue.
I smile through my fear, determined to do this. “I’m Mattie.” He stares at me curiously. “What’s your name?”
“Daaavviiid.”
His voice is hoarse, drawn out. It’s more of a hissing noise than anything resembling speech, but I understand him.
“Hello, David. Will you let me help you?”
He sticks his hand out further. “Plaaayy?”
I take his hand, half expecting Kane to stop me, but he doesn’t. He’s giving off waves of trepidation, though.
The little boy’s hand is warm, not cold. All ghosts are cold, having lost everything that can give them the energy to generate heat. This kid, though, he’s toasty warm. His fingers curl around mine, and he tugs me forward. I stumble, but right myself.
“Very, very good, my son.”
My head whips up to see a figure in the corner. I hadn’t seen him there before, but the room is full of shadows. He steps closer, under the light, and lets his hood fall back. I suck in a breath, not expecting the man who is staring at me. He’s tall, with eyes the color of whiskey. Hair so blond, it’s almost white enhances the color of his eyes. He’s beautiful. That’s the only word that comes to mind.
“Hello, Deleriel.”
He smiles, and it’s as if the angels themselves have smiled down upon me. It sends shivers across my skin.
“Hello, child.” He moves closer, within a foot of me. “I was curious about you the day we met in the morgue. I caught your scent, and I knew who you were.”
“You don’t know anything about me.” Silas said he doesn’t know me. That I was protected, hidden.
“Oh, but I do, child, I do.” He reaches a hand down to stroke the top of David’s head. “My son likes you. Perhaps I shall let him play with you before we get down to business.”
“Business?”
His smile widens into something that’s not at all nice. “Yes, business. A deal was made, and I’m here to collect.”
Crap on toast, he does know who I am.
“I made no deal with you, Deleriel.”
“No, but your mother did. She promised you to me.”
“That deal is void.” I keep my voice steady, calm, even though I might pee my pants, I’m so terrified.
“Void?” He lets out a surprised laugh. “How do you come by that conclusion, child?”
“She promised me to you, yes, but I’m not a child anymore. She can’t consent to giving you my soul. It belongs to me. I’m the only one now who can give consent, and I’m not giving it to you.”
“Very good, Emma Rose.” He nods softly. “Silas has taught you well. Oh, yes, I knew h
e was hiding you. I have known from the day you were conceived. An inconvenience, and one I couldn’t prove he had anything to do with. But that day in the morgue, I tasted you. You’re a very distinct flavor. It was easy to find you after that. Ending up in this place of healing was fortunate. There are no wards or pesky guardians to deal with now. Just a lowly reaper who’s cowering in the corner. I sent Kayla to you, knowing you’d follow my precious daughter, thinking you could help her in some way, the same as you offered David. It is in your nature to help these lost creatures.”
“As it’s yours to harm them.”
“I saved them.”
“By hurting them, by feeding off their pain and misery? You call that saving them? I call it sadistic.”
His smile never falters, but the edge in his voice tells me I struck a nerve. “Watch your tongue, girl. You do not know of what you speak. My children, they adore me.”
“Is that what you want? To be worshipped? Is that why you fell from grace?”
He chuckles. “Fell from grace? You watch too much television, child. I wanted more than I could gain in my position in Heaven. I’ve been quietly amassing power since I followed the Morning Star. Soon, I’ll be ready to set up my own shop here on Earth. All I need is your soul to complete my arsenal. Then no one will be able to stop me.”
“You can’t have my soul, Deleriel. I will never give it to you. You can take me, you can torture me, you can do whatever you want, but you will not make me give up my soul.”
“Even if I have something you want?” His voice turns cunning, reminding me so much of Silas.
“You don’t have anything I could want.”
“Oh, but I do, Emma Rose, I do.” He steps forward and places his hand on my forehead. An image of Mary, alone in a room made of stone, floats into my line of sight. She looks scared. “You see, child? I do have something you want.”
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?” He chuckles. “I will give you twenty-four hours to determine if I am lying. When I return, I will trade you her soul for yours.”
Panic engulfs me, and I stumble backward, falling on my butt. Deleriel looms over me, smiling like a Cheshire cat. “It wouldn’t do to have you die before you can give me your soul, now, would it?” He leans down and places a hand on my head. Warmth spreads like liquid fire through my entire body as healing energy floods every part of me.
Only it’s not just healing energy I feel. I see so many things, I see a place foreign to me, beautiful and glorious. I see rolling hills flooded with bodies, broken and twisted wings a testament to the slaughter that took place. I see figures looming, whispering, judging. I see a dark and dangerous place, full of pain and death. Rage. I can taste rage and greed on my tongue. I see everything Deleriel was, is, and will be. I see it all.
The door in my mind opens, and I see him. I see past the mask he wears to the person beneath, the person he hides from everyone, even himself. I see the pain, the need for acceptance, the grief at losing everything he loved. I pity him, in a way.
When Deleriel pulls his hand away and looks down at me, he takes a startled step back. “What is this blasphemy?”
I sit up and rub my arms, feeling heat suffuse my body. It chases away the cold as I get to my feet. The pain is gone, and so is the dizziness.
“Mattie!”
Dan and Eli are both shouting my name. Deleriel looks toward the door. “I will return in twenty-four hours, and you will explain this blasphemy to me when I take your soul.”
He disappears just as the two of them burst through the open doorway. They look around, wild-eyed, before their gazes settle on me. Dan speaks first. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Better than fine.” I crack my neck to dispel some of the stiffness. “But Mary’s not.”
“Mary?”
“Deleriel has Mary.”
“How do you know that?” Eli keeps glancing to the spot Kane is standing in, silently watching, his eyes wide and worried.
“He showed me.”
“Wait, he was here?” Eli asked. “No wonder my Spidey senses went all nuclear. Do you even realize the danger you were in?”
“I had backup.”
“Backup?” Eli glances around again. “I don’t see anyone else here.”
“The reaper is here.” Dan nods to Kane, who nods back.
“You can see the reaper?” Eli looks so confused. “Why can’t I?”
“Because he’s not bound to a living reaper the way you are, Daniel.” Kane finally comes out of his daze and walks over to stand by us. “Eli will never be able to see me.”
Dan repeats what Kane said, and Eli frowns, clearly not pleased. “That makes no sense. I’m bound to her too.”
“Yes,” Kane agrees. “He is, but he’s her Guardian Angel. He can’t see what you do, Mattie, but Daniel can because the angel bound his soul to yours. You shared your abilities with him, in a way. You remember the angel told you if he died, so did you, and vice versa? That is why Dan’s been having nosebleeds and headaches. He’s experiencing your symptoms to a certain degree. Not as bad, but had you died tonight, he would have too.”
“I was going to die?” Really die?
“Had Deleriel not healed you, yes. Your body couldn’t handle becoming a full-fledged reaper as it’s trying to. We are working on a solution to this, but until we do, I can’t promise you won’t get sick again.”
“Die?” Eli’s face pales. “You’re okay now?”
“I’m fine, but none of this is important. He has Mary!” Why are they not understanding how bad this is?
“Calm down, Hilda. Mary was just with us. We were over at Burger King. Caleb took her home, and I brought Dan back over here. You were passed out cold, so we went to grab some food. We even brought you back a double bacon cheeseburger and fries.”
I ignore my stomach for once. “Call right now and make sure.”
Dan pulls out his phone and calls his brother. It’s a few rings before Caleb picks up. “Hey, Dan. Everything okay?”
“I don’t know. Is Mary with you?”
“No, I dropped her off about half an hour or so ago. Why?”
“You have to go back to the house and make sure she’s there,” I blurt out. “Please, Caleb.”
“What’s going on?”
“Mattie thinks Deleriel took Mary.” Dan doesn’t sound like he believes me either.
“Have you called her?”
“No, but I will as soon as I hang up. Talk soon.” Dan disconnects the call then pulls Mary’s number up in his contacts, only this time the call goes straight to voicemail.
“Call the house phone.” Mary knows to pay attention to the landline. It’s the number her mother’s work would call if they need to reach her. When Dan dials the number, it goes straight to voicemail as well.
“She’s not there.” Kane’s somber voice interrupts us all. “I had one of our reapers go check. She’s not at the house. There are signs of a struggle.”
“See?” I screech. “I told you Deleriel has her.
Eli’s phone rings and he pulls it out. “Mom?” He swipes his finger across the screen to answer it. “Hey, Mom.”
“Eli, is your brother with you?”
There is no mistaking the panic in her voice.
“No, Caleb is on his way to Mary’s…”
“No, not Caleb, Benny.”
“Benny?” Eli frowns. “No, I haven’t seen him since this morning. What’s going on, Mom?”
“I can’t find your brother anywhere. I’ve searched the entire house, and Ava is out searching the block, but we can’t find him, Eli.”
Dan and I share a glance. No. They wouldn’t dare take the child of an FBI agent who’s already hunting them down.
Dan reaches for the phone, and Eli hands it over, dumbstruck, paralyzed with a fear so deep, I’m not sure how to help him.
“Heather? This is Dan. Call the police right now. Eli and I will be there shortly. Don’t make any other calls before you dial
9-1-1. Do you understand?” He listens for a minute then nods, hanging up. “Mattie, we need to get you back to your room so I can drop Eli off at home then find out what’s going on with Mary.”
He leaves me to follow along behind them as he grips Eli by the arm and leads him out of the room and back toward the stairwell.
My mind is a flurry of activities. Deleriel has Mary and Benny? That poor kid. I like him. I can’t even imagine what Dan and Eli must be thinking.
Once back in our room, Dan calls Mr. Malone, and I try to comfort Eli, but he’s inconsolable.
“What are we going to do?” He paces back and forth. “What are they doing to him right now? Oh, God, what’s happening to my little brother?”
“Calm down, Eli. We’ll find him.”
“Will we?” he shouts. “We haven’t found any of the other kids, and you know what their bodies looked like. What if…?”
“No.” I stop him before he can go any further. “We will find him. I swear.”
“You can’t promise that, Mattie. You just can’t.”
But I can. “Silas!”
It takes only seconds for the demon to appear. It’s as if he was waiting on my call.
“Hello, my darling girl.”
“I need your help.”
“And what will you give me for it?”
“Anything you want.”
With his smile, my fate is sealed.
The End of Book 4
What do you think the missing piece of Mattie's heritage is? Tweet your response to me @AprylBaker using the hashtag #mattieis.
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About the Author
So who am I? Well, I'm the crazy girl with an imagination that never shuts up. I LOVE scary movies. My friends laugh at me when I scare myself watching them and tell me to stop watching them, but who doesn't love to get scared? I grew up in a small town nestled in the southern mountains of West Virginia where I spent days roaming around in the woods, climbing trees, and causing general mayhem. Nights I would stay up reading Nancy Drew by flashlight under the covers until my parents yelled at me to go to sleep.