Cards of Death Box Set

by Tamara Geraeds

  Maël comes around the corner last. She still looks fragile somehow. I haven’t seen that in her before. The tree in the Shadow World must have really gotten to her.

  “Is he gone?” I ask her.

  She nods. “Charlie is following Paul again. We have Mr. Timson to ourselves.”

  “Great.” If only I knew what to do now. “Should we go in?”

  Before anyone can answer, there’s a noise coming from the kitchen, followed by shouting. “It should all be mine. And it will be. You just wait, George. You just wait.”

  I go back to the window and look inside. Mr. Timson is standing at the table, a large knife in his hand. His face is still frozen in a daze, but now there’s anger in his eyes. With large strides he walks towards a closet in the corner. He takes out some papers, studies them for a minute and grins like a maniac. “Oh yes, George. You’re going down. Soon the company will be all mine.”

  D’Maeo frowns. “Who is this George he’s talking about?”

  “Someone inside the company,” Vicky says. “Maybe his brother?”

  I take out my phone and open Google. While it’s loading I look around to make sure we’re still alone. Instantly I freeze.

  Vicky follows my gaze. “What’s wrong?” She’s backing away before she even finishes her question.

  Everyone turns. Two blue eyes are staring at us from a monstrous head. Vapor escapes from its mouth into the air as it huffs. It takes a step closer and we move backward as one. Its hooves step into view and I frown. There’s a chain around the left one.

  While I’m pondering what that means, the demon growls at us.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I say.

  “But we’re here to protect Mr. Timson,” Taylar argues.

  I gesture at the monster pulling at his chain. “I think he’s here for the same reason.”

  A door at the back of the house opens and Mr. Timson’s voice coos, “What’s wrong, Billy? What are you barking at?”

  I jump into the hedge again and emerge on the other side. We walk back to the car in silence.

  I fasten my seat belt and grip the steering wheel. “Barking? Does that mean what I think it does?”

  D’Maeo shifts in his seat. “He is under the influence of a spell. He thinks the demon is a dog.”

  “Why would someone do that? Why not just kill him?”

  Jeep has an anxious look on his face. “Can we think about that later, please?”

  “But what if that demon kills him?”

  He taps my leg furiously. “Just hit the gas.”

  “Why?”

  There’s a thud outside. Jeep is still tapping my leg, but I hardly notice it. A demon is standing in front of my car. It is different than the ones we’ve seen before. It has no neck and its head is as wide as its hulking body. It has a long row of icicles instead of teeth and dragon-like claws.

  My hand moves to the shifter without thinking, but it’s stuck. A loud whining and crunching make my teeth hurt. I hit the gas as hard as I can. The wheels spin. A shadow falls over the car as two more demons fall out of the sky. They hit the tarmac with a loud thud.

  “They came from Mr. Timson’s house,” D’Maeo says. “They must have been waiting in the trees.”

  “Why are they attacking us, while they left Charlie and Paul alone?”

  The truth hits me before anyone can answer. Could they be working with the demons? But if that is the case, then why was Charlie following Paul?

  Jeep squeezes my leg, hard. “Don’t lose focus now, Dante. We need you.”

  “Need me? I don’t have any powers.”

  “We’re all here for a reason.” D’Maeo takes out his sword. “You’ve got a good set of brains. Use them.” He steps out of the car without opening the door. The demons’ heads turn towards him.

  The rest of us follow in one motion. Since I’m the only one who needs to open the car door, all of the flashing blue eyes are now on me.

  Lightning tears up the sky, making me realize that dark clouds have been gathering rapidly in the last few minutes. It’s like night has fallen a couple of hours early.

  Jeep is talking to D’Maeo from the corner of his mouth. “Why did we get out of the car? Why didn’t we just drive away?”

  “Because we have a job to do.”

  “Somehow I doubt Mr. Timson needs our protection. And how do you propose we deal with three demons? One almost got us killed.”

  I agree with him, but I also know that D’Maeo is right. He usually is.

  And we already made our decision by getting out of the car.

  It looks like we all realize this at the same time, because in unison we take on a fighting stance. Maël sweeps back her robe and reaches for her staff. There’s a wary look in her eyes, but she is ready. I notice her dress is a smooth black and gold again. On the outside she has healed, but on the inside…?

  D’Maeo’s jaw is set. His arms are raised as if he’s about to start a karate match. Vicky’s hands are balled into fists, her gaze fixed on the monsters. Is she already trying to screw with their heads?

  Taylar is holding a sword and Jeep is making small motions with his hands while mumbling quietly. I hope he’s summoning another army of rats. Meanwhile, I am trying to look confident, pointing my athame at the demons. They haven’t moved. Their cold breaths, rising in white clouds from their wide mouths, float slowly in our direction. Their claws scrape the asphalt. Sharp scales cover their shoulders and legs, while the rest of their bodies is made of smooth ice that reflects the lightning.

  I urge my feet to move, but they refuse. Cold sweat drips from my face. I feel like I’ve stepped into a virtual reality game, where the overview shows the player the surroundings and zooms in on the scene before the fight to the death commences. If only I could fight as well as the characters in those games. If only I had the same amount of courage.

  One of the vapor clouds bumps against my head and a wave of cold paralyzes me. Tiny drops detach themselves from the cloud and jump onto me. They pierce my skin and a muffled scream escapes my lips. My whole body is stiff as a board. I force all my strength towards my vocal cords. It builds up while the drops stab me like cold needles. I push air through and finally I yell. The Shield is by my side in a millisecond. D’Maeo deflects the clouds with one mighty shove. They soar back to where they came from.

  Inch by inch the cold in my body recedes. The drops leave sore spots, but at least I can move again.

  I flex my fingers and crack my neck.

  The demons throw their heads backward in unison and wail. The sound is a mixture of ice cubes cracking and wolves howling.

  Goosebumps appear all over my body. My throat turns dry.

  Jeep slowly takes off his hat. “Get ready.”

  He moves his arm back and throws the black hat at the monsters like a boomerang.

  My muscles tighten. Without a word, I know we’ll jump them as soon as they’re distracted by the flying object. My fingers squeeze the knife and I take a deep breath.

  The hat follows a slight arc, quickly approaching the demon in the middle. The three of them just lower their heads and ignore it.

  “It’s not working,” I mutter under my breath.

  “Just wait for it.”

  The demons step forward, but before they can do anything, the middle one is hit by the hat. The brim slices part of its head right off and it topples to the ground. The other two let out a screeching howl and catapult themselves at us.

  I am so grateful that I’m not alone. Even now I’m not sure how the six of us will fight two demons the size of gorillas. But at least we have a chance.

  Rain is coming down harder and harder, while a bolt of lightning flashes through the sky every ten seconds. This weather is crazy – I’ve never seen so many thunderstorms in a week - but it gives me an idea.

  The demons split up. One goes straight for D’Maeo, Taylar and Maël, standing in the middle of the road. The other
pounces me, Jeep and Vicky, closer to my car.

  I wait for the monster to get within a couple of feet of where I’m standing. It opens its giant mouth at me, the icicle teeth glinting in the flashes of lightning.

  I leap forward, straight at the demon. Vicky’s “NO!” pierces the sky.

  Hungry eyes get closer and icy breath hits my cheek. A second before the jaw snaps closed around my head, I bend backward. My feet slide on the wet asphalt and my knee hits the demon in the crotch. It tumbles forward, right into my outstretched hand holding the athame. It gives an earsplitting shriek and lashes out with its claws. I pull out the knife and jam it into its throat. Cold saliva drips from its beak and burns into my face, but I don’t let go. Instead, I pull as hard as I can, ripping its throat apart completely. I roll away as freezing blood spills out of the wound.

  Jeep and Vicky are by my side and give the body a push. It hits Phoenix and dents the door. I flinch.

  Vicky kneels next to me and touches the burning spots on my face. “Does it hurt?”

  “A bit.” I nod meaningfully at my car. “That hurts more.”

  She shakes her head and holds out her hand. “Come on, let’s help the others.”

  I put my hand in hers and let her pull me up. For a moment, I am swaying on my feet. Everything around me is suddenly blurry.

  Jeep has already moved on, but Vicky’s eyes are fixed on me. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not sure.” My words come out slurred and barely audible to me. The world gets darker with every second, and it’s not because of the weather. My knees give in and I reach out for support.

  Vicky’s arms around me are the last thing I feel.

  CHAPTER 23

  The whole Shield is bent over me when I open my eyes. My face burns. I raise my hand and caress the aching spots. “Ouch.”

  The ghosts back up a bit.

  Vicky holds out her hand to me. “How do you feel?”

  I let her pull me up. I’m amazed at how strong she is, especially for a ghost. I look at my hand shining through hers, and shiver. “How can you be so solid, but still transparent?”

  She furrows her brow. “That’s not an answer.”

  “Right. I feel… okay. A bit dizzy, and my face hurts, but I’ll get over it. So, how can you be so solid, but still transparent?”

  She laughs and my stomach flips, in a pleasant way. I let go of her hand before I do something stupid again.

  Vicky is searching for words, so D’Maeo answers my question. “It’s probably because we’re part of a Shield. I’ve met many other ghosts, but none of them were as solid as us.”

  “Cool.”

  I turn my attention to Jeep, who is wiping dirt off his hat. “Why didn’t you use that neat trick with the hat earlier?”

  He places it back on his head, taking a few seconds to put it just right. “I didn’t get a chance before now. And it’s useless in the Shadow World.”

  I bite my lip. “Right. Well, it’s awesome. Please use it again.”

  He nods with a wide grin.

  We walk back to Mr. Timson’s house. My legs are still wobbly. I have to keep my eyes on them, order them to support my weight and keep moving. Vicky doesn’t leave my side for a second and D’Maeo keeps shooting me worried glances over his shoulder.

  I want to reassure them, but can’t manage more than a faint smile.

  We’ve almost reached the front door when a growl reaches my ears. I come to a sudden halt. “Wait, what about the demon with the chain?”

  Jeep tips his hat. “Don’t worry, it’s tied up.” He rolls up his sleeves. “But I could always give him something to do.”

  He turns to face the side of the house and makes slow upward motions with his hands, while muttering under his breath. Along the hedge the ground moves. It spits dirt into the air, until cat and dog skeletons crawl out of the holes. Their bones crack and click as they stretch their furless legs and backs.

  “Go get him,” Jeep whispers and they run off.

  Growls, barks, hisses and thuds rise up from the backyard. Jeep turns back to us and waves his hand towards the front door. “Let’s go.”

  They let me go first, since I’m the one who has to knock.

  My legs protest when I climb the porch steps and I have to grab one of the columns to steady myself. Vicky calls my name again, but she sounds far away. I feel like I’m transported out of my body. Everything gets blurry and silent again, but this time it’s different. I don’t fade away into blackness. Instead, I get a clear view of a man slamming the door of his car and walking towards Mr. Timson’s door with large strides. His dark eyebrows almost hide his eyes and his fists are drained of color.

  I want to step aside, but he walks right through me. He bangs his fist on the door so hard it cracks the wood. “Geoffrey! Open up!”

  It takes a while for footsteps to come closer, and the breathing of the man outside gets heavier with every second.

  Finally the door swings open. Now that they’re both here, I see the resemblance. They have the same protruding chin and dark eyes. Only George’s aren’t hidden behind glasses and his hair is still mostly black. They are both short and a bit stout.

  “George,” Mr. Timson says. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

  George steps forward and drives Mr. Timson back with a stabbing finger in his chest. “I bet. You probably thought I would be in jail by now, huh?”

  Mr. Timson just grins. “What can I say, George. You had it coming.”

  George brings his hand to his back pocket and whips out a large kitchen knife. Mr. Timson has retreated so far, his back is pushed against the dining room table. He looks a lot less smug than a minute ago.

  His brother lifts the knife to his throat. “All my life I protected you. I included you when Mom pushed you away. I made sure we became partners in Dad’s business. I was always there for you. And after all of that, you ruined me.”

  Anger flashes across Mr. Timson’s face. “Who are you kidding, brother? You were always the favorite kid. You got everything you wanted, including the house. I was the one who had to work my ass off to survive. I never saw you lift a finger. You deserve what’s coming to you.”

  George pushes the knife against Mr. Timson’s throat until a drop of blood wells up. “You’ve gone too far, Geoffrey. Mary left me because of what you did. I can’t lose the company and go to jail, too. It has to end here.” And without another word, he drives the knife through his brother’s flesh.

  The body slides to the floor in slow motion. Tears glint on George’s cheeks. He shakes his head sadly and turns. While I stare at the person on the floor I was supposed to save, the murderer searches the house for something. When he returns, he has a laptop under his arm. He sits down at the table, ignoring the corpse, and starts clicking the mouse rapidly, his eyes moving vigorously across the screen.

  Before I can even think about what he’s doing, I am standing beside him. He still doesn’t notice me. Am I dead, like Mr. Timson? Did a demon attack me from behind, ending my life with one stroke? Is the Shield continuing the fight without me?

  I shake my head to get rid of the frightening thoughts and focus on the flashing words and numbers on the screen. What is George Timson doing?

  I watch him delete emails and files and access bank accounts. Is this about fraud? Is he trying to cover up his actions?

  He answers my question a minute later.

  “My own brother, framing me. I can’t believe it.” He wipes his nose, while the tears start streaming again. “Why couldn’t you see that I loved you, Geoffrey? That I wanted you to have the world?” He hides his face in his hands and sobs. “Oh God, what did I do?”

  Before I can read anything on the screen, the room fades. It feels like I’m floating, and then I’m back on the porch, clinging to the column.

  “What’s wrong?” Vicky asks. “Dante! Answer me!” Her brow is creased with worry. She must have been talking to me f
or a while.

  I stroke my forehead and close my eyes for a second. “Give me a minute.”

  One by one I move my fingers. I pat my arms and chest and sigh with relief. “I’m back. I’m still alive.”

  Jeep rests his hand on my shoulder. “Maybe you should sit down.”

  Maël bends towards me with narrowed eyes. “I think he had a vision.”

  Vicky’s head spins from Maël back to me. “You have the power of premonition?”

  I give her a blank look. “Uh…”

  Maël pokes me with her staff. “Just tell us what you saw.”

  I summarize what happened.

  “I’m guessing you didn’t see any of that?” I conclude.

  Vicky fidgets with her hair. “No, just you collapsing.”

  A smile creeps onto my face. “So I can see the future?”

  Jeep waves his hand in front of my face. “Yes, great. Can we concentrate on the mission now and rejoice about your power later? We have a world to save.”

  I blink and stand up straight. “Right. Good point.”

  “So his plan is to frame his brother for fraud. George will go to jail and Geoffrey will be the sole owner of Timson and Sons.”

  I nod. “But things turn out a bit different.”

  “We should go to his brother and make sure he never gets here.”

  I gasp. “What are you saying? That we should kill him?”

  He shrugs. “Maybe.”

  “We are not going to kill people.” D’Maeo steps between us. “There are other options.”

  Jeep crosses his arms. “Like what?”

  “Like talking to them.” I take a step towards the front door and raise my hand to knock. Sometimes it’s better to just follow your instincts and not overthink it. But as soon as my skin touches the wood, an electric pulse shoots through me and I’m catapulted backward. I land hard on the grass near the street. “What the…?”

  I can’t finish my outcry, because Vicky is pulling me along the pavement. I stumble to get a footing and swallow a curse when I lean on my left ankle.

  We arrive at my car panting. Or rather, we all arrive, but I am the only one out of breath. One of the perks of being a ghost.