Beyond Tomorrow

by Leigh Vernon

  Humans were fickle creatures, Gianna thought. It was so evident that the girl was trying to flirt with him and as far as she could tell, he was going to lead her on.

  "Are you sure we could get away from this big a crowd? I mean, there's a lot of them everywhere." Sam's weak protest annoyed Gianna but she kept her gaze elsewhere.

  Lisa laughed this time around, and if she had not held herself back, Gianna would have been blown away by the beauty of her laughter. Sam seemed transfixed as he continued to gawk at the woman before him.

  "I think we should get out of here," he said to Lisa, who hooked her arm in his.

  Gianna signaled to his other bodyguards, and two of them followed him immediately.

  "I don't think I'll be in need of company," he told the men, who stayed back.

  Gianna scoffed again. He was so full of himself.

  When they did find a room, it was one beside Sam's huge library. Since they would have to go through the library to get to the room, Sam began to tell Lisa how old some of the books there were.

  "And the Book of the Seventh?" She asked suddenly.

  Sam stopped talking for a while. He studied the eyes squinted at him and realized they were filled with passion and inquisition, rather than what he was expecting.

  "The Book of the Seventh is locked up in a secret vault," he answered. "And the only person who can open that vault is the man standing right before you."

  "Hmm," Lisa said softly. "And if I was looking for a key to that vault, where would I find that?"

  Sam chuckled. "Right here," he said as he pointed to a key pendant on the chain he wore around his neck. "I have the key."

  Lisa kept the electric smile on her face. She had been warned off this mission by her best friend.

  "What if he finds out you're the one? You could get yourself killed!” Trace had warned her. "You don't have to do this."

  Lisa knew the girl was right. She was fighting for something she could never get, something that her father had tried to get, and it had gotten him killed during the civil war.

  "Are you okay?" Sam asked her.

  "Yes, I am. Why would you ask?"

  He crossed the room to the other side. "You seem a little lost there."

  Lisa sat on the bed slowly. "Maybe I am, or I'm just a little curious."

  "Curious about what?" He asked as he turned towards her.

  There was a look in his eyes that she couldn't explain. He looked sad for a split second, his green eyes hiding something beneath them; something painful.

  "You don't seem to remember people much, do you?" She asked.

  "What's this about?"

  She got to her feet. "When I mentioned you saving me during the war, I didn't tell you what happened afterwards."

  Sam's interest was piqued. "Well then, go ahead."

  "There's no need to bore you with the details, but my father died shortly after. You saved him from the car, only to kill him when you blasted some of the Powered with that big gun of yours. You didn’t know when you saved him then, but he was one of the resistance."

  Sam laughed softly. "Beats me, you know?"

  She went to the shelves and ran a hand through some of the books there. She liked the feeling of the rough pages on her finger; it reminded her of the roles she had played in getting things done out there. How Father Albert had always told her she was essential to everything they were doing. With them, she was safe and had a family. As it turned out, she was willing to take a shot if it came to protecting the interest of her family.

  "I would have said I'm sorry but given the circumstances at that point in time, there was little I could do. Your father ran with the wrong company and that got him killed, love. I hope you wouldn't make the same mistake," he said to her. He walked towards her and stood by one of the shelves. He could tell she was pretty nervous.

  "Why are you so indifferent?" She asked him.

  "What can I say?" He asked jokingly. "I must have stemmed from a very stubborn breed of humans."

  She didn't respond. Instead, she moved towards him seductively again. He continued to shake her off, trying to keep Gianna away from getting through to her. He could sense her energy behind the door as Lisa continued to pester him.

  "You know you shouldn't be doing this, don't you?"

  "The girl wants to die. It's unfair that I let her live her last moments without knowing what she had gotten herself into."

  Just as Gianna let go, Lisa's hand closed in around Sam's neck until she was choking him. He didn't fight her; he didn't do anything. She tried to hide her surprise at this, but she didn't have the opportunity to. He got out of his reverie and brushed her aside sharply. Either by sheer luck or some other form of circumstance, he slipped and lost his balance. Lisa quickly balled up a pillowcase she had torn off and wound it round his neck. He struggled for a while, fear evidently written all over his face. She dragged him towards the bedpost and leaned against it, applying more pressure against his neck so that he couldn't reach her. She made the chokehold harder and harder till his eyes were bloodshot and his face pale. She held on for dear life, probably thinking he might regain his composure if she let him breathe. Eventually, she felt him spill over the edge as he slowly closed his eyes.

  "You idiot!" She spat at him as she moved away from him, dragging the pillowcase with her. She snatched the key off his neck and threw the pillowcase back at him. Glancing back at the body one last time, she walked out of the room.

  The large hall was as packed as she had left it. It seemed the Governor wasn't going to allow any of his guests leave till they were unable to stand upright anymore. As she walked past the gathering of bodies jammed together in the large hall, her hand brushed against one of Sam's bodyguards. She smiled at the mean woman, who smiled back at her. Lisa felt odd that the other woman didn't ask her what had happened between herself and the Mayor, but she shrugged it off and continued to walk till she was out of the hall. She looked round before she walked to a dark spot in the parking lot.

  "I have it. I have the key!" She said into her comms, excitedly.

  "Are you positive?" A voice asked her. There was a hint of enthusiasm in the voice as well.

  "Of course, I am. Where are you?"

  "Right behind you," the voice answered.

  Lisa turned to see an unmarked car flash its headlights twice. She walked towards it and knocked. The door opened and she got in.

  "That was absolutely brilliant!" Her partner screamed at her as she got into the van.

  Lisa brushed the compliment aside. "I thought you said we couldn't pull this off."

  "Must be the rum. Too much rum and my head feels like a bag of potatoes."

  Despite herself, Lisa laughed out loudly.

  "What's next?" The other girl asked.

  Lisa fondled the key in her hand. "We have to find the book."

  "Strombol niasa venus ramen," the other woman chanted.

  "What the...? What are you doing, Shantel?" Lisa asked.

  "You know, they say that you can use spells to get anything you want, even if you don't know where they are."

  Lisa caught the mischief in her partner's eyes. "Very funny."

  There was an awkward silence in the can for a minute.

  "What did you do with him?" Shantel asked.

  "Strangled him while I talked to him," Lisa replied with a chuckle.

  "That's new," the other woman replied absentmindedly, "I didn't picture you for someone who had the strength to pull that kind of stunt. But who am I to judge?"

  Lisa's eyes were trained on the Mayor's mansion. Surely, someone must have noticed he was dead by now. Why was it so quiet?

  "Because he isn't dead."

  "Of course, he is. I made sure of that myself," Lisa replied before she caught herself. "Wait a minute. You can read thoughts or something?"

  "No. But I can make you suffer for what you did."

  Before her eyes, Lisa watched as Shantel turned into the Mayor's chief bodyguard. Her body wen
t taut before her.

  "Who are you?! Where's Shantel?"

  Gianna smiled brightly at the girl before her. "Humans. So very predictable."

  Lisa didn't say anything in return. She tried to open the door, but it remained shut. She couldn't remember ever locking the door when she got into the van.

  "You know what makes a man afraid?" Gianna asked. "You know why men can't beat their fears no matter how hard they try?"

  Lisa remained silent.

  Gianna turned to look at her. "It's because you think you have it all figured out from the beginning. You scheme and think and assume things are going to go the way you planned them, but you always make mistakes. All the time, you make mistakes. And these mistakes, they make you realize that you're not brave enough - that you're not strong enough to pull through with the useless plans you made. Reality and fantasy are two very different things, love."

  "Who are you? What do you want?" Lisa asked.

  "From you, in your mortal form, nothing," Gianna replied. "But your soul…your soul is a very beautiful one and despite the fact that I really hate you -trust me, I do- I want your soul."

  Lisa's eyes widened in fear. She had heard of the soul eaters before, but never did she dream that she would be targeted by one of them someday in her life.

  "And oh, the Book of the Seventh." Gianna smiled at her as she cut her leather wear. Lisa could see that she was covered in tattoos, all of them in dark and sad colors. There were so many things written all over her that Lisa found it hard to concentrate.

  "That's right - I am the Book of the Seventh," Gianna told her. "And he," she pointed to a figure standing by the balcony of the hall, "he is the one who will bring death to your kind."

  Lisa saw him wave at her from where he was standing. She couldn't stop herself from gasping.

  "Yeah, you killed him. He doesn't know how to die, does he?" Gianna continued to taunt her. "But you, my dear, are human and you shall die."

  ---

  A drunk man staggered through the streets, yelling loudly at the top of his lungs about some monster coming to get everyone in the dead of the night. He passed a group of boys who spent little time tossing him here and there before they finally let him go. He picked himself up and kept going, yelling louder than before. He fell into an alley and remained on the floor for a while. Then, he suddenly jerked himself up, going into a fit as he did. Before long, he collapsed and died. Another man, riding his bicycle through the alley, noticed him and tried to help. He checked his pulse and realized the man was dead. He checked his phone; a man lay dead in the middle of the alley where he had just passed, and he definitely needed to call the police.

  "Darn it! No signal," he said out loud. Realizing there was no one else in the alley with them, he decided to continue on his way. After all, he wasn't responsible for the drunk man's death. Something kept telling him to check the dead man's pocket, and when he did, he found an old compass in it. He checked it and kept it for himself.

  "Finders keepers," he muttered.

  He was about to mount the bicycle again when something gnawed at him from within. He stopped, choked in his own spittle and passed out.

  Chapter 3

  Justin walked into the bar on the other side of the city. He had been traveling for days now and he could do with a hot bath and some good meal. But first, he needed a drink.

  The bar was overcrowded, heaps of bodies pressing against each other. Voices were trying to shout over the loud music that blared continuously from large speakers, which were mounted everywhere. Justin sat on one of the stools by the bar and signaled towards the bartender.

  "Whiskey," he said.

  The other man nodded. Justin turned to look round the bar. There were three pool tables, each one keeping the men busy. Tables and chairs were littered everywhere, like someone had tried to allocate each piece of furniture to a patron. Despite that, a lot of the men preferred to stand rather than sit. The air was thick with cigarette smoke and liquor. Justin nearly cringed at the sight of so many people.

  You've never seen such a large crowd or what?

  Justin didn't answer. Ever since the soul had possessed his body, he was forced to deal with the occasional questions and unwarranted remarks.

  We don't have much time. You need to find him now.

  "And why do you think I'm here, you ungrateful whatever you are?" Justin choked out loudly.

  A hush fell upon the room. There was a man seated right beside him, and Justin had turned to him as he cursed out loudly.

  "Sorry, man. Wasn't referring to you," he said and turned round. He downed the whiskey in one gulp and asked the bartender to pour him another glass.

  "No one, not even my own self, calls me that," the man said to him menacingly.

  Justin turned back to him. "Save it, man. I said I wasn't referring to you. What else do you want me to say?"

  Two of the men left where they were standing and walked to Justin's side. Each one had a scary look on his face.

  "Do you know who I am?" The man asked Justin.

  He downed the strong drink again before he replied. "No, and I don't care to be honest. Back off unless you want your back to the ground, dead."

  A few men murmured amongst themselves. One or two of them coughed. The bartender poured Justin's drink again.

  "Stop pouring his drink!" The man bellowed.

  "Sorry, Big Snow, but I gotta make some money." The bartender's snide remark only made the man angrier.

  Justin knew who he was. Everyone knew who Big Snow was. It was a whole lot of trouble to cross him.

  The one to your right first.

  Justin hated when he did that, but he was always right. The man to his left stuck out blindly and Justin flung himself backwards. The man's punch hit Big Snow right across the face, breaking his nose instantly.

  "That was a pretty nasty one," Justin quipped as he got up from where he had fallen. Some of the men began to move towards the wall. "Come on, people. I don't want to fight anyone."

  "But you will, and I'll gut you, nice and easy," the other man answered as he removed the gloves he had on.

  Justin smiled. He knew it would come to this. "Is he the one?" He asked the soul.

  No. He's here though, I can sense him.

  "Alright then. Let's dance," Justin said to the man before him.

  The man didn't reply. He cracked his knuckles instead and raised both hands. Two blasts followed each other, sizzling electric waves as they shot past Justin. He didn't move from his spot, seemingly guarded by an invisible barrier.

  "Looks like you're not the only one with powers," he said to the man, who stood rooted to a spot, too shocked to utter any words in return. "Now, are we going to kill each other or will someone actually be kind enough to point me to where I can find Denzel Cage?"

  "Who's asking?" A voice replied.

  That's him.

  Justin traced the loud voice to a man seated at one corner of the bar. His hair covered his face but Justin knew all too well that he was as human as the rest of them were.

  "My name's Justin. No surname, please," he added when the others stared at him.

  "Hello, Justin," Denzel replied. "Do you need me to find you a girl who can treat you nicely?"

  "That wouldn't be a bad idea, you know," Justin fired back. "But I'm not here for entertainment - I've had enough of that as it is - or be killed. I just want to talk."

  The man drank heavily from the cup before him. "Yeah, right. And I married the Pope."

  There was a chorus of loud laughter.

  He's good. Finally, someone who can shut you up.

  "Laugh all you want, but know this. I didn't choose this! I was there on my own, trying to make it through life like a man should, when this thing attacked me and crept into my body. I keep hearing his voices every now and then and you want to know what he tells me all the time?"

  "Find Denzel Cage," the other man answered.

  "That's right. He keeps telling me I need to find yo
u or some nonsense about the end of the world."

  That wasn't necessary.

  Denzel got up from his seat and walked towards Justin. "I've heard gibberish like this before; something stupid about liberating earth from an unseen darkness that would sweep everyone away. Trust me, I have."

  Justin clapped him by the shoulder. "Good. That means we can go now."

  "It means you should get out of here and never come back."

  Justin paused. This was going to be harder than he thought.

  "I'm pretty sure you can just run into him like you ran into me, yeah?" He asked the soul.

  It doesn't work that way, Justin. If it was that easy, I wouldn't tell you to come all the way here.

  "What would you have me do, then? Lasso him and drag him with me?” Justin yelled out in frustration.

  The others looked at him funny. They gave him more space.

  "Are you okay, buddy?" Denzel asked him.

  "I am not okay! I'm in serious trouble and you're the only one that can help me!"

  Denzel laughed. "Of course, I know. And I can hear him talking to you too."

  Justin's face clouded up in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

  Denzel sighed. "The soul you carry around, his name is Shay. He was my brother."

  Justin slapped himself in the forehead. "What the...? What are you saying?"

  Hi, Shay. We shouldn't be doing this and you know it.

  Justin nearly ran mad from hearing Denzel talk from inside him. "Oh no, I'm not carrying another soul around."

  Denzel laughed loudly. "Calm yourself - I don't need to creep inside you and make you do my dirty work. He's about the only one who can do that. The only other person is why he brought you here."

  "Well, I'm glad you had your little family reunion," Big Snow butted in. "But I'm not sure anyone is leaving here alive."

  Denzel dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a box. He opened it and two ant-like things flew out. They buzzed around a little before heading straight into Big Snow's eyes. The others watched in shock as they bore holes into his head and came out the other side. By the time they were done, Denzel and Justin were already out the bar. Justin wanted to steal one of the cars in the park, but Denzel grabbed him and pushed him towards a big truck instead.