Beyond Tomorrow

by Leigh Vernon

  ---

  "Are you sure about this?" Sam asked.

  "Absolutely!" Gianna fired back.

  Sam began pacing his office. He should have taken care of that fool when he had the chance, but he didn't, and now he had a bad situation on his hands.

  "How long before the Ascension is complete?" He asked Gianna.

  She sighed before she answered him. "We still need a little more time. They haven't found the crypt yet."

  "Tell them to FIND IT!" Sam yelled into the phone, and banged it against the table. The phone smashed into tiny pieces.

  Gianna put her own phone in the car. She walked up to the dead body again and examined it. Something didn't feel right about the way it looked. If this was truly the bear, he shouldn't have been so easy to take down. Or was that a myth, what they said about him living for a thousand years?

  Chapter 7

  Justin sat beside an old woman on the train as it sped off towards Eastern Road. The cabin was filled to the brim which was ideal. If anyone was going to get to him, they'd have a difficult time getting through this many people. He sat back and closed his eyes. Images of that night kept replaying before his eyes. His sister, the knife, the man who had driven the knife through her… He checked the knife, turning the sides round so he could read the inscription on it.

  "I don't think you understand what is written there, do you?" The old woman beside him asked.

  Justin turned towards her. He seemed a little scared.

  "Oh, come on now. What can an old lady like myself do to you?"

  She stretched her hand out. "May I see that?"

  Justin placed the knife in her outstretched hand. He watched her read the inscription to herself.

  "It's old, very old. Some would say it's older than the sons of the Powered too, but I would say it's just about the same age as they are."

  She returned the knife to him and faced front, not bothering to look at him anymore. A man walked down and sat behind the two of them. Justin noticed him and kept the knife hidden. The old woman got down on the next stop and the man came to sit beside him.

  "One would think you didn't have the balls, but here you are," he said to Justin, who shifted backwards. "Don't worry. I can't hurt you here, at least not while you have that bastard inside of you," he said as he pointed to his chest.

  "Who are you?" Justin asked.

  "Allow me to show you," the man replied as he held his hand.

  Justin found himself in an old abandoned building. There were lots and lots of people gathered inside, but nobody took notice of the two men dressed strangely as they walked through the crowd. A little girl was about to fall and Justin tried to help her up, but his hands went through her instead. He looked back at the man beside him.

  "What is this place?" He asked, frightened.

  "This is where all the souls I have devoured go. Every single one of them."

  Justin became scared of what he was seeing. He tried to pull away from the man, but realized he kept hitting a wall.

  "Relax," the man said to him. "I didn't bring you here to save them all; I brought you here to save one of them." He pointed to a girl sitting at the far end of the building. She looked lost and frightened by what was happening around her. "Do you know who that is?" He asked.

  Justin felt himself propelled forward. In no time, he was standing before his sister.

  "What have you done to her?" He asked. "Why is she here?"

  "If you want to save her, bring the knife to an address I'll leave with you. Hurry up, Justin. She doesn't have much time left."

  Justin found himself back in the train. The man had left his side and there was a girl sitting beside him instead. She smiled at him as soon as their eyes met and raised her chocolate candy towards him.

  "Thanks, but I don't think I want any candy," Justin said to her.

  He discovered he was clutching hold of something - a piece of paper. He opened it and discovered it was an address. The train stopped and everyone began to get off. Justin waited a few more minutes before he got off too.

  ---

  "He's in Eastern Road. Find him and tear him apart!" Sam ordered the men who stood around him.

  Gianna placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is your fault, I know. But be assured that nothing can stand in our way."

  Sam looked up at her. "Go make sure nothing does."

  He turned his attention towards Mrs. Williams who was shuddering loudly, her teeth clenched together.

  "Now, where were we?" He asked cheerfully. "Yes! The library at the Drune town. You know, I've never been there and I hear it's quite a scene to behold. Books and articles and whatever you need, all arranged alphabetically in giant rows and columns."

  The woman whimpered softly.

  "You know what they say about the people there?" He asked. "That they are exceptionally brilliant. I'm sure you're as excited as I am about this, aren't you?"

  Someone knocked on the door.

  "Who is it?" Sam asked.

  "We found the crypt, sir," a voice answered from outside.

  "Excellent!" Sam replied. "Please, come in."

  The man opened the door and stepped in. He realized he was stepping into a puddle of blood and quickly moved aside. He walked gingerly towards Sam, his eyes taking in the scene behind the Mayor. Sam noticed and asked him to come nearer.

  "Do you know who this is?" He asked the man.

  "Mrs. Williams," he answered. "One of the rich people in West Michigan."

  Sam looked a little disappointed. "You don't know anything more?"

  The man looked away from him. "They said she's been missing for some time now."

  "And you know what?" Sam asked gleefully. "You’ve just found her!"

  The man didn't say anything on response. He avoided looking into Sam's eyes as they scared him.

  "Oh, sorry. I was a little excited there," Sam offered. "You did say you found the crypt, didn't you?"

  The man's the face brightened up. "Yes, we did."

  "And that other business?"

  "Taken care of, sir. Well taken care of."

  Sam turned to Mrs. Williams. "See? Another greedy soul like yours. Killed all the men who worked with him just so he could have… what was it I told you I'd give you again?" He turned back to the man.

  "You weren't specific, Mr. Mayor. You only said you'd give me everything I ever wanted." The man's eyes kept darting from Sam to the woman and back.

  Sam held him by the shoulder. "You're very correct, my friend. I said I would give you everything you ever wanted. How long have we known each other for?"

  The man seemed to like the direction of the conversation now. "Three weeks, sir. You saved me from jumping off that bridge and offered me work. You even helped me get an apartment."

  "But that wasn't enough for you, was it?" Sam asked. "You wanted more."

  The man felt something heavy enter into his heart and turn. He looked down and discovered that it was Sam who had plunged a knife into his heart. He looked back up, fear evident in his face as he went down slowly.

  "There's no need to be scared," Sam said to him. "It could have been worse, you know?"

  Just as the man hit the ground, Sam dug his nails into his eyes and watched as his soul rose up from him. He let it linger for a while, excited by how evil and strong it was.

  "You see?" he said as he turned towards Mrs. Williams, "this is what greedy souls look like. Bright and extremely volatile."

  With that, he drew the soul in and his eyes became a deep red. He smiled at Mrs. Williams before he walked out the room, leaving the dead body in front of her. The eyes were gone, and hollows appeared in the sockets.

  ---

  Eastern Road was nothing like West Michigan. Here, the poor filled the streets and alleys, and bowls and pans were outstretched as people went about. The crowd was much more than the city could afford and more people arrived to hole in every single day. The Mayor had written to other cities, demanding help from them but none had off
ered help, except the Mayor of West Michigan. In return for financial aid, Eastern Road allowed the Mayor to build a giant lab in the center of the city. There were lots of rumors about what went on each day inside the lab, but since no one ever came forward with enough evidence, they died naturally. The poor and those who didn't have any hope for a good life were always thronging towards the lab every day, desperate to get the free food that was offered. Others came from neighboring towns and cities, hoping to get something for their trouble.

  Stop standing and walk.

  "Walk where?" Justin asked loudly. "I've been walking all over the city since I got here, trying desperately to avoid the police by hiding amongst the beggars, eating their stupid food and you still want me to keep walking?!"

  Standing will do you no good. You need to find her.

  "Another Denzel? Is that it?"

  Yes, and you need to find her before they find you.

  "Isn't that just wonderful? Find another one to get me through a few more days before he - or she in this case - gets blasted off to smithereens and I have to continue walking around another damn city again!"

  A few people were walking towards Justin and when he shouted, they chose another direction quickly.

  "And guess what? People think I'm mad."

  Do you trust me?

  "No! But I want you out of my head."

  Good. Walk back to the alley you were coming from and show the knife to a girl in orange rags. She'll tell you where to go.

  "Am I a joke to you?" Justin asked with frustration. "Do you realize how stupid I look right now?"

  No, but I know you'll be dead in a few minutes if you don't get out of here.

  "Goodness!" Justin muttered as he walked back the way he had come from.

  He stayed off the major roads and police vehicles that patrolled the street, taking care to avoid as many other suspicious looking people as possible. When he got back to the alley, it was empty except for a girl in orange rags like he had been told. He walked towards her and showed her the knife. She took it, bit the handle, and handed it back to him.

  "Trust me, I hate fake products too," he said to her.

  She began walking towards the back of the alley and told him to come along. They went through a couple of doors till they arrived at one. She opened it and asked him to step inside. Once he was in, she locked it from within and kept walking. He followed her quickly, noticing that they were walking on a road and not inside a building. After a while, she stopped walking and pointed to another door. He walked towards it and it opened. When he got in, he realized he was in another part of town. There was a car parked in front of him, and he moved towards it.

  "You can come in or you can keep staring at it like a goat," a female voice said to him from behind.

  He moved back and assumed a stance. "Who are you?" He asked.

  She looked at him funny. "You don't know?"

  He shook his head.

  "Then you're really as dumb as you look. Come on, hop in."

  As soon as he got in, she put the car in reverse and drove out, nearly catching an incoming vehicle by the tail. Justin stared blankly at her for a while before he steeled himself.

  "I think you should use the seatbelt instead," she said to him.

  "Who are you?" Justin asked, even as he used the seatbelt.

  The woman sighed. "Let me see. We met at a bar where Big Snow was about to kill you. You escaped because I allowed you to. We visited the Druns and got ambushed by Big Snow's men, and then we went back to West Michigan where I got shot in the head. At least, it went something like that."

  "No way!" Justin blurted out. "I watched you die!"

  "You watched a man died. His name was Denzel Cage."

  "How is all of this even possible?"

  She turned towards him for a while. "You have a sister that was killed by someone who used," she snatched the knife from him, "this."

  "Holy moly! It's really you," Justin said with eyes wide open. "It really is you."

  "Hello to you too, and that wasn't me. I only used him to get you out of the city."

  Justin watched as buildings went past them in blurs. The city looked better as they got farther and farther away, but it still stank of death.

  "He found you, didn't he?" She asked him.

  "What?" Justin asked.

  "He found you. He showed you where he kept her."

  Justin looked away from her. He didn't want to talk about his sister for now; he didn't want to talk about her ever.

  "Anyways, I'm taking you to see the others of our kind. At least you'll be safe there."

  "Do you have a name or do I need to call you Denzel Cage with blonde hair?" Justin asked sarcastically. "Your hair does look blonde," he added, when she gave him a mean look.

  She looked at him and laughed. "My name is Sarah, just Sarah. And whether you like it or not, you and I have a lot more to do than what you think."

  Justin flashed a dry smile. "These things we're going to be doing, does it involve what I'm thinking of right now?"

  She swerved the car to the left and back. Justin hit his head against the car window.

  "What the hell was that for?" He asked her angrily.

  She didn't answer. Instead, she glanced at the mirror in front of her and kept driving, stepping on the accelerator as she did. Justin looked back and discovered they were being followed by two black vans. The windows were tinted, but he could have sworn he saw someone who looked like the woman he had seen earlier, the one who had heard when Shay talked with him.

  "Oh my God! We're going to die!" He said loudly.

  "Shut up and brace yourself. We're not doing to die - at least, not yet," Sarah answered him as she swerved again.

  A man stuck his head out from one of the cars behind them and brought out a big gun. He tried to steady himself as the car sped on. Sarah saw it and braked hard, allowing both cars to speed past her before she turned off the road and into another dirt road. Justin held on like his life depended on it, which was the absolute truth. Sarah checked the mirror again; the others were still not back. She turned to Justin who seemed shocked and afraid at the same time.

  "Are you scared?" She asked him.

  He shot her a look. "Of course I'm scared! You're driving like a maniac!"

  "Good," she told him absentmindedly. "I need you to be scared."

  "Why? What are you talking about?"

  She turned at a crossroad and kept going at full speed. Despite how rocky the land seemed to be, she was a very good driver. She eased the car into gear again as she turned at another crossroad. Justin was awed by the way she was doing this effortlessly. By the time she turned the third time, they were back on the expressway.

  "How did you do that?" Justin asked, bewildered.

  She looked at him. "Do what?"

  "You know, the twists and turns and all that stuff you just did."

  "Oh, that? I learnt it from someone. He's dead now."

  Justin kept his mouth shut. He watched the large expanse of road that lay before them as the car gathered more speed. Suddenly, they were slowing down.

  "What? Why are we slowing down?" He asked.

  Sarah didn't answer. She kept looking up through the windscreen and Justin was forced to do same. A helicopter was hovering over them, large hooks dangling down as it did.

  "Grab the hook on your own side and drag it inside," Sarah said to him.

  Justin nodded and did as he was told. Sarah steadied the car and grabbed the hook as soon as it got to her own side as well. She gave it to him and he attached the two together. Slowly, their car began to lift off the ground. Justin had surprise written all over his face; he had watched this being done in movies but never had he thought he would experience something of the nature.

  "Crap!" Sarah shouted suddenly.

  Justin followed her gaze and realized the cars were back behind them.

  "I thought we lost them," Justin said.

  "Yeah, and they found us again. Now shut
up and keep your head down," she told him.

  He did as he was told, and she also followed suit. In a matter of seconds, gunshots echoed through the air as the men behind them opened fire. The car swayed dangerously, and the steering turned. Sarah grabbed the steering quickly and got them back on track. She glanced up at the helicopter. They were firing at it as well, and the pilot was having trouble with lifting them. She looks down at Justin who kept shouting as the bullets zinged past him. There was only one way for them to survive this. Quickly, she unhooked the car and stepped on the gas. The cars behind her followed suit and the helicopter rose up just in time to avoid an RPG. When they were back on the road, she braked hard and allowed the cars past them.

  "Come on!" She shouted as she raised her hand and fire surged from it. She blasted one of the cars off the road and drove nearer to the second one.

  Justin saw what she was doing and raised his head up. "Get me closer to them," he said to her.

  "Does it not look like I'm trying?" She fired back at him.

  Still, she edged the car closer until they were bumper to bumper with their assailants. The driver tried to swerve off but Sarah followed immediately. He tried again and same thing happened. Sarah hit him as he tried to steady himself. Justin swung his hand at their tires and two gave out. The car screeched for a while before it tumbled off the road. Sarah stepped hard on the accelerator and rammed into them, sending the car flying over a ridge. Justin stared at her like she was crazy.

  "Now, that is how to kill some really foolish people!" She shouted at him.

  He remained still, unable to say anything.

  "What's the matter?" She asked him. "You look like you just soiled yourself?"

  He looked at her, shock still evident on his face. "We could have gone over the ridge with them," he said slowly.

  "No, we couldn't," she replied as she hit the dashboard hard. "This baby was built for anything!"

  Justin didn't say anything further. He sat back as she eased the car into reverse and got back to the expressway. Justin looked back and saw a woman standing in the middle of the road.

  "Oh my God!" He shouted. "There she is! There she is!"

  Sarah checked the mirrors and saw what he was talking about. She revved up the car and left it in reverse. The woman saw what was about to happen and began to limp off the road quickly. Sarah laughed; the car would get her no matter how fast she limped, but they had better things to do. The woman could wait for all she cared. She eased the car back into gear and drove off.