by Dima Zales
“What exactly is gonna happen with the ghost girl?” Michael asked, hovering over my shoulder as I typed.
“When a spirit sees the person or thing that caused them to stay behind, they’ll speak to it, and that’s what allows their final wish to be fulfilled. Afterwards, they just disappear into the next world and Gabriel comes to write their name in the Book of Penance.”
“Book of Penance?”
I pointed to the top of the fridge. Michael walked over and picked it up, flipping through to read the names written in black ink.
“Wow. You’ve helped this many in two years?”
“Don’t sound so impressed. I’ve still got to solve your case by midnight on Monday or I’m going to Hell, literally.”
He fell silent and then asked. “Do you always do that?”
I glanced at him, confused. “Do what?”
“Self-deprecate to push people away.” The bluntness of the comment rendered me speechless.
“Yes,” I murmured after a while. “I don’t always do it on purpose. It’s a bad habit I developed from being on my own for so long. Any other personal flaws you’d like to point out?”
“No. I figured we’d work on them one by one.”
I flipped open my notepad and began scribbling down directions to distract myself. “So what? Are you my therapist now?”
He sighed. “If only. I’d get so much cash working on your ruptured psyche.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “Ruptured psyche? Only a musician could come up with something so poetic instead of just saying I’m effed up in the head.”
Michael shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” I closed the notepad and drained the remainder of my coffee and scarfed down the bacon and toast.
“Let’s go.”
Ghosts are tricky bastards. They’re intangible but they don’t float through everything. I ended up getting Linda into the cab by instructing her to just hover above the seat or she’d sink right through it. Adult ghosts had better grasps on the concept of not going through everything. It was much harder to teach young ones. Needless to say, the cab driver had thought I was cuckoo for Coco Puffs for whispering incessantly to thin air. Michael had a fine time laughing at my plight. Jerk.
The good news was that we didn’t have to travel for too long. The church where the funeral was held was about fifteen minutes from where I lived. I groaned when I looked at the meter in the cab, but I’d live. I told our driver to sit tight for about ten minutes and ushered the two dead people out of the back.
When we arrived, the procession had already lined up for the bringing in of the body. I felt my throat tighten as I saw the tiny white coffin housing Linda’s body. The first time I had worked with a child’s ghost, I’d cried at least three times: when I met him, when I saw his parents, and when I saw him cross over. Now I only got choked up at the funeral. It had been a rough couple of years.
The cab had let us out across the parking lot from the front of the church so nobody could see us yet. Good. I knelt in front of Linda and mustered an encouraging smile.
“Do you remember what’s kept you here on Earth?”
Linda nodded, making her pigtails bob up and down. “I wanted to tell my Mommy something.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Mommy won’t answer you but she will feel your presence deep down. I want you to go inside and tell her whatever it is you need to tell her. I’ll wait for you out here.”
“Mmkay.” The little ghost headed towards the long throng of family and loved ones until she disappeared from sight inside the sanctuary. I let out a long breath.
Michael stood next to me with a concerned expression. “This isn’t your first time seeing a kid’s funeral, huh?”
I shook my head. He sighed. “That’s a damn shame. Y’know, as much as I bitch about being dead, I don’t really mind. The world will survive without guys like me. Kids like Linda, though…makes you wonder if there’s a greater purpose for stuff like this.”
A small snort escaped me. “Gabriel always tells me to have faith. It’s hard to do when you see little girls and little boys who have lost their lives. I can only imagine how her mother must feel. Maybe something like mine did.”
Michael opened his mouth but I just shook my head again. “Don’t say anything sympathetic or I’ll cry, and I am damn sure not messing up my makeup today.”
He closed it. “Hard ass.”
“I try.”
We spent the next five minutes or so in silence. I spotted Linda walking back towards the cab, looking the same as how she’d entered. So young. She seemed to understand that she wasn’t normal, but I didn’t know if she knew much beyond that.
I smiled at her again. “Did you tell her?”
“Yes. Thank you. What happens now?”
“Have you fulfilled your final wish?”
She looked up at me with her blue eyes. Something in them changed when I said those words. The childish air around her seemed to dissipate as she whispered, “Yes.”
“Then you have nothing to tie you to this world. Your Father is waiting for you, Linda Margaret Hamilton. Cross over and walk the Earth no more.”
A bright golden light surrounded her on all sides and she faded from view with a calm, peaceful expression. When the last speck of light disappeared, I knew she had gone to the next world.
“Wow,” Michael whispered. “Is that what it’ll be like for me?”
“Mm-hm.” I knocked on the glass to let the cab driver know I was getting back in the car. He gave me a confused look.
“What the hell was that all about? You didn’t even go in.”
I spared him a thin smile. “I didn’t need to. Drive back to my apartment, if you please.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Whatever you say, lady.”
We drove back into town until we reached my apartment. By then, the sun had already set and swallowed the city sky in a wave of navy. Not a bad day, all things considered. Especially if it was my last day with my soul free.
The door swung inward, treating me to the sight of Gabriel in my kitchen filling out the Book of Penance. As always, he was dressed in an immaculate, expensive suit and looked out of place in my crummy living conditions. I walked in and shut the door behind Michael, addressing the angel.
“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to show up in jeans one day. You’re making me feel like such a bum with those fancy threads.”
Gabriel smiled and looked up. “Sorry. I’ll try to remember next—”
He stopped in mid-sentence and I swear to God, all the blood rushed out of his face. It took me a second to realize he was staring at the poltergeist behind me.
“Michael?”
“Gabriel?”
My jaw dropped. I stepped back, looking between them to find completely stunned expressions on both their faces. It took me a moment to form a coherent sentence.
“Wait, wait, wait a damn minute. You two know each other?”
Michael ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “Yes. No. Shit, I don’t know. When you said his name, I didn’t notice but now that I’ve seen his face, it all clicked.”
I turned on Gabriel. “Why do you know who he is?”
“Jordan, this is no mere ghost. This is the soul of Michael the archangel, Commander of God’s Army in Heaven,” Gabriel explained in an awestruck voice. He took a cautionary step forward.
“Brother, do you realize how long you’ve been gone?”
I pressed my fingers to my temples and massaged them, trying to keep up. “Alright. One of you had better start explaining something or my brain is going to explode.”
Gabriel spared me a sympathetic look. “Very well. Two years ago, the Spear of Longinus—that which pierced the side of the Son and killed him—was discovered and brought into this city for an auction. Father knew what a dangerous weapon it is and therefore sent Michael to retrieve it so it would not fall into the hands of evil. The night of the auction, Michael di
sappeared.”
“How could he disappear? Shouldn’t one of you have been able to find him?”
The blond archangel shook his head. “No, Jordan, you don’t understand. When I say he disappeared, I mean from existence.”
I stared at him. “What do you mean from existence?”
“Before you brought him in here, I had no recollection of the archangel Michael. When I saw his face, everything came back to me at once, like some sort of shockwave. This is the work of something powerful, something that was able to bend reality so that history did not hold a record of Michael. It was only broken now that I’ve seen him with my own eyes.”
I raked my fingers through my hair, sinking into the chair by the table. “But what the hell could do something like this? Make everyone in Heaven and Earth forget that Michael even existed?”
“I suppose we’ll find out when we recover the Spear. In theory, it may have been the cause of all this because it holds so much power.”
“You said you didn’t want the Spear to fall into the hands of evil. Is there anyone specific you’re talking about?” I asked.
Gabriel’s pale eyes narrowed. “Satan has long coveted the Spear. It’s been lost since the death and rebirth of Christ. Mankind has no idea the sort of might that rests inside that accursed object. There’s no telling what the Fallen One could do if he got his filthy hands on it.”
“Well, apparently he did because I’m dead. I’ve been this way since Thursday night.”
Gabriel shook his head. “You’re not dead. Angels cannot die. Your soul has been displaced. Despite whatever happened, your body was not destroyed. You were sent in a special body that allowed you to use all your powers rather than just some of them, like the one I am inhabiting.”
I turned my head to look up at Michael. “Is any more of this coming back to you?”
He nodded. “I’m starting to remember my life before this happened. Not much, but it’s there. I remember the auction and winning the Spear. I was leaving with it to report back to Heaven when someone attacked me. I hit my head pretty hard when I fell. I woke up in a hospital and couldn’t remember anything. Since I couldn’t remember I was an angel, I never used any of my powers or tried to contact Gabriel.”
“Yes. Apparently, you believed you were human and therefore your soul didn’t give off the aura of an angel, making it impossible for us to notice you,” Gabriel said.
I frowned as another question came to mind. “Why didn’t God tell you where he was? He’s omniscient, right?”
“Father will not directly interact on Earth. He feels that humanity and the angels will reach harmony if we face our problems without His help. Aside from His orders, He will not act if it interferes with human lives.”
The urge to frown was enormous. “I don’t mean to blaspheme, but that’s pretty messed up, Gabe.”
He spared me a small smile. “I would like to agree, but I don’t want to be disavowed of my rank.”
That almost made me feel better. “Can you remember who attacked you and stole the Spear?”
Michael shook his head. “Not exactly. It was night. I couldn’t see well. All I can say is that it was a man dressed in black.”
Something clicked in my mind. “Did he have dark hair?”
“I think so.”
“Michael, you mentioned a strange dark-haired man when we were walking yesterday. Maybe he’s the guy that stole the Spear. Maybe he’s the guy who kicked you out of your body. Gabriel, is that possible?”
“Yes. However, I am not entirely sure of why a demon would want an angel’s body. They can’t kill him. It’s virtually indestructible. I get the feeling there is a larger scheme in the works. If that demon saw the two of you yesterday, then he has surely been trailing you and knows where this apartment is.”
Fear climbed up my throat and made my mouth dry. “What should we do?”
“Don’t panic,” he assured me in a kind voice, causing a relaxing sensation to fill my body until I could breathe normally again. Gabriel strode over to the door and muttered something in another language under his breath, tracing his fingertips over the wood in the shape of the cross. He did it to all four sides of the door and to each of the windows in the apartment.
“I have blessed all the entrances to this apartment. Demons cannot enter a place that has been blessed by an angel. No matter what happens, you will be safe here.” He touched the side of my face. I felt a little better.
“However, I would advise you not to leave until we’re able to find out what this demon wants with Michael’s body and where it is—”
“I can’t stay holed up in this apartment, Gabriel,” I insisted. “I have work tomorrow.”
His face took on a more stern edge. “Jordan, I do not want to place your life in danger.”
“I won’t be in danger. I’ll go to work and come straight back. You don’t have to treat me like a child. I’ve managed to stay alive this long, haven’t I?”
He stared me down for a long moment before sighing and reaching into his pocket. “I am beginning to wonder if stubbornness is a specifically human trait.”
Michael smirked a little. “Nope, that’s just Jordan.”
“Hey, back off—!”
“Hush,” Gabriel said, growing impatient with our bickering. He held up a black rosary and three vials of what appeared to be water.
I stared at him in confusion as he handed them to me. “I’m not Catholic, you know.”
“I know, but these will protect you should a demon choose to attack. The cross hurts their skin and makes them vulnerable to injury. The holy water will as well. Carry these on your person every time you leave this apartment. I will be waiting for you when you return tomorrow. I have a few sources to check so I must depart for the night.”
He glanced at Michael. “I am relieved you’ve been found, brother. Watch over her until I return. Stay vigilant.”
“I will.”
With that, he left. Silence folded around us for a moment or two, then I filled it.
“Well, that wasn’t weird.”
“Tell me about it,” Michael said, slumping into the chair across from me. “This is so bizarre. I’m starting to remember who I was before this happened. I was so different from how I am now.”
“How so?”
He winced. “Well, for one I didn’t much care for humanity. I had spent so much time in Heaven that you all seemed like sheep to me: blind and dumb without guidance.”
“I can’t really fault you for that. We’re not very smart or good-natured at times. What can you remember about your life when you thought you were human?”
Michael tilted his head a little, trying to remember. It was sort of a cute look. I immediately brushed the thought away. “I spent the first year trying to build a life out of pretty much nothing. I didn’t know who I was or why no one knew me. One of the first things that got me back on track was music. I remember hearing an old man on a park bench play his guitar, so I decided to learn how to play. When I got good, I performed at local clubs until my band mates found me and we started the Throwaway Angels. Obvious symbolism aside, it was the most fun I’d had since the incident.”
He glanced at me with a sly smile. “Aside from meeting you, of course.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re an archangel. You’re not allowed to flirt with me anymore. Especially since I’m apparently a blind, dumb sheep girl.”
Michael pouted, watching me rise from the chair to go put away the holy objects Gabriel had given me. “You’re going to hold that over my head forever, aren’t you?”
“Yup. Now come on. I want to hear more stories.”
“You’re inviting me into your bedroom? What was it you said about flirting?”
“One more smart ass comment and I’ll have Gabriel ban you from my apartment.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
7
By the time I rolled out of bed the next morning, I hated myself. Michael’s human and angelic life had
been so interesting that I didn’t kick him out of my room until well into morning. I had a seven-hour shift today that started at eight AM sharp. Yippee-skippy.
Michael tried to give me a serious speech about being careful, but I assured him I would be fine and that he didn’t need to follow me there or back from work. I’d considered bringing the gun, but according to Gabriel, it wouldn’t help since demons couldn’t be eliminated by anything other than holy items. I wished I thought of asking him to bless the gun or the bullets before he left. Wondered if that would have worked. I decided to ask him when I got home.
The workday crawled by because my mind was so preoccupied with Michael and the Spear of Longinus. Something else nagged at the back of my mind, but it just wouldn’t come to me. Figures.
Finally, my shift ended and I headed onto the street with an unnatural awareness of everyone who passed by me. A dark-haired man. Right. Because that was extremely specific and helpful.
Something scampered past my ankles—too big to be some kind of rodent. I stumbled, staring down in shock as I recognized the sleek black fur and familiar gold eyes. Michael’s cat, Bast.
“Hey, you,” I cooed, stooping to reach for her. “How the hell’d you get out of the apartment? You’d better come with me.”
As if understanding my words, the cat mewled in protest and scampered down the alleyway to my left. Groaning, I broke into a jog and tried to catch up. The cat darted around a corner to the right and I followed, calling after it.
“Oh, c’mon! My place’s not that bad!”
I rounded the corner, hopped over a few trashcans, and squeezed my way past a large dumpster. No sign of the cat. I went to the alley on my right, bending down to look behind the trashcans at the dead end.
“Bast? Where’d you go?”
A voice spoke directly into my left ear. “Looking for someone, my dear?”
A cold shock went up my spine. I whirled around, fists raised, only to stand there stupefied by the sight before me. There stood a Japanese man in a black tuxedo and matching gloves, smiling at me. It was the man from my nightmare. I hadn’t even remembered it until I saw that pale face of his again.