“Cole, Peters, stay with him. Rest of you, with me! This alley is a dead end. Keep your guns cocked, and whatever you do, be ready.”
Costello carefully crept into the alley then held a hand back to stop his men. Despite years of training, he nearly dropped his weapon. It took everything not to scream out when the thing in front of them slowly turned around.
The culprit was a woman, perhaps early twenties. Her clothes were torn to shreds and marred with dirt. Tangled and matted black hair fell messily over half of her face. What alarmed him more than the suspect’s state of being, however, was that he had to question whether or not she was human.
Her skin was a pale, sickly grey. Fingernails like claws reflected their flashlights into the web of shadows that surrounded them. A low growl escaped her throat, and she turned her head to look each of them in the eye.
Costello tried to keep his voice from cracking. “You! Get on the ground, put your hands on your head!” She made no indication that she heard him, but instead continued to pace back and forth, snarling and baring pointed teeth.
“If she takes one step closer, fire!” Costello yelled back to his men.
She whipped her head in his direction and positioned herself to lunge.
“On my signal!” Costello screamed, ready to drop his hand.
“I think that’s quite enough excitement for one night.”
The men screamed as shadows shot from the ground and coiled around their bodies. Gunshots blazed through the air, but there was no enemy in sight. They were soon encased in the blackness like statues. The man with the dreadlocks appeared in front of Costello, the only one still mobile.
The assailant flicked his wrist, and Costello watched in horror as his own shadow ripped from the ground. In seconds, the shadow had wrapped itself around its former host until Costello was pinned on his knees. The man squatted in front of him and lifted his chin so they were eye to eye.
“The suspect escaped,” the man said calmly. “He was 5’9, Caucasian, short blonde hair, about 220 lbs. You and your men chased him down what you believed to be a dead end, but there was another alley. He dropped a wallet with his driver’s license. You’ll recognize the fake ID easily enough as Randolph Penn, a serial killer who escaped police custody ten years ago. His apartment is on the east side of town. There will be evidence of his… diet throughout the home. You will take your men and arrest him. When I release you, everyone, including yourself, will forget what was seen in this alley.”
Costello’s eyes glazed, and if not for the bindings, he would have teetered over.
“Randolph Penn… Serial killer… East side…”
“Perfect! Now, you kids run along!” With a snap, the shadows returned to the ground and walls.
“The suspect fled, but he dropped this!” Costello yelled, holding up a wallet that had appeared in his hand. A small voice in the back of his mind demanded where he had gotten the wallet—or any of the information that was swimming freely in his head—but he shut it down. There was no time for second guessing. “He’s probably heading back to his apartment right now. Davidson, call for backup; we’ll try to cut him off!”
And with that, Costello and his team were gone, oblivious to the man and creature standing in their wake.
“Now, what are we going to do with you, beautiful?” The man turned his attention back to the girl. Shadows bound her hands and feet, chaining her to the ground as she bit and thrashed.
“Valerie Stevens?” he asked. He walked in a circle around her, though sure to stay out of reach. “You still in there?”
The only response was a series of savage growls. She lunged again and this time managed to nick his thumb.
“Well then…” The man raised his hand, and shadows moved across her mouth to form a muzzle. When he was positive she couldn’t bite, he gently pulled down the corner of her shirt and pressed a claw-like fingernail onto her chest. Directly beneath her right shoulder, he cut a “V” into the skin. The second he finished, it blazed with yellow flames. The wound healed and left the symbol as a permanent mark upon her flesh. The tension in her body released, and she collapsed to the ground. Chains no longer necessary, the man released the shadows and picked her up in one swoop. He nodded his head towards the ground and took two steps before sinking into the swirling darkness.
Interlude
The game had been played for centuries in the space between reality and the aether; the nothingness manifested for a purpose. A four-person chess set lay in the center of the darkness. Red, green, blue, and white marked each of the sides. While the beings that moved the pieces were new to this millennium, their spirits had existed since the fall of man. The three of them had been playing since their births, and their wins were almost evenly divided.
“A1 to B2.” The woman on the blue side moved her queen to take the green rook.
The man on the right, the red side, let out a low whistle before turning to the green player. “She’s got you on the ropes.”
“It matters not,” he replied, moving a pawn forward. “While the Fifth is plagued by a feeling of emptiness, yearning to fill this… famine in her soul, what has stricken her most is fear. That same disease will infect anyone she comes in contact with.”
“You two pay too much focus on the major pieces,” the first man said. “The common ones build the bedrock of the game itself.” He moved a red bishop forward and took one of the woman’s knights. “Three dead.”
“I’m only counting one,” she replied.
“Wait for it.”
“Ahh…” she said, looking beyond the board. “So there are.”
“What are your thoughts of the Fourth?” the red player asked. “It’s beyond any creature, even the Fifth. When it awakes, it will start wars and burn continents to ash.”
“Which will only put the general populace in a state of fear,” the second man muttered absentmindedly before moving a knight.
As they continued to play, each getting the upper hand at some point, none could fully ignore the fourth side of the board. All the pieces lay untouched. The perfect alignment of the porcelain eerily marked the missing party; marked that she, or maybe it was a ‘he’ by now, had refused to play. The empty seat didn’t bother them, but rather created a sense of relief and gnawing anticipation. As they were all aware, when one of the white pieces finally moved, the real game would commence.
Part II:
A Smile Carved in Blood
As she opened herself to the nothing, the nothingness opened itself to her
Chapter 8
A flickering overhead lamp hung precariously over a rusted table. Its feeble offering of a dim glow barely dented the shadowed corners. Boxes of long-forgotten books lined the cracked cinderblock walls up to where the tiny wooden door hung on its hinges. Past the door, a steel stairwell wound up to the dramatically modern library above— a place that had long since forgotten the abandoned storage room. Yet, despite the musty smell and frill of cobwebs, the enclave managed to draw a trickle of weekly traffic.
Three sets of playing cards were laid out, multicolored chips piled by each one. Around the table sat three women in their twenties. Eyes darted in shared attempt to puncture the other’s poker face, but none had spoken in some time. As the hour passed, some piles of chips decreased while others’ only rose— Avia’s especially.
The downbeat crashed, and her fingers moved with the rhythm playing in her head. Card after card, she played the melody with a calm face and even breath. Her golden, olive-brown skin was without a drop of sweat, and her body slouched back with an air of unconcern that only came with particularly long winning streaks.
She slowly laid her hand on the table. The declaration had been no more than a whisper. It wasn’t until she sat back that the others realized the fate they had been delivered.
“That’s game,” Avia repeated. A winner’s grin plastered her face as she steeped in the cloud that rolled across her friends.
“Avia, not again!” Dann
a slammed her fist on the table.
“What did you expect?” Rachel asked. She sighed in defeat and pushed aside her blonde hair.
“Ladies, ladies, relax,” Avia teased, laughing as she dragged her chips in. “Rachel, you made a lovely attempt. Danna, you gotta work on your poker face. But hey, there’s always next time.”
“I’m not sure I want there to be a next time,” Rachel muttered under her breath.
A wicked smirk flashed across Avia’s face. “I won. If I recall our bet correctly, twenty bucks each.”
“You’re really going to hold us to that?!” Danna whined. Regardless, she reached into her purse and began counting ones.
“Hey, you should be thanking me that I offered the bet instead of chip values,” Avia argued. “If we’d done things that way, you guys would be owing me big time.”
“Yeah, yeah whatever,” Rachel mumbled, handing over the money.
“Can we leave now? It’s freezing down here.” Danna rubbed her arms, and even Avia had to admit it was cold. It had been sweltering that afternoon, so she hadn’t bothered with a jacket. Now that the game was over, however, she was fully aware they were in the basement of a building cranking enough AC for a second ice age.
Avia stood and began collecting her cards. “Thanks for the game—the money,” she added with a wink to Danna. “Gotta go over stuff for tomorrow’s lessons.”
“Excuse me?” Rachel challenged from across the table. Avia knew this would happen. It always did. She held back the exasperated sigh and instead coyly raised an eyebrow.
“You said you were going to the movies with us,” Rachael continued. “After bailing last time.”
“And the time before that,” Danna added with exasperation. “This is the first time we’ve seen you in three days!”
“I’m sorry guys, but I really have to get home. This last keyboard student asked to reschedule for the morning, and he’s a lot of work. If I go to the movies, then I’ll join you for drinks, and if I join you for drinks, I won’t get home until two a.m.” She enunciated each syllable on the last part. A lie, yes, but they seemed to buy it. It was easier than trying to explain how the elation of victory could vanish in seconds; how the small room now felt claustrophobic, and how her friends were now wardens fighting to keep her there.
“Whatever,” Danna laughed, stretching her back over the chair. “I’m starting to think that, outside of this room and when you come over, you might not really exist. Just a figment of our imagination or some kinda voodoo!” She waved her hands in the air like she was about to cast a spell.
“But seriously,” Rachel said, placing a hand on Avia’s shoulder. She flinched at the touch but rolled her shoulders to make the gesture natural. “You need to come out with us one of these nights. You’re hot, you’re fiery, you got that ‘exotic beauty’ going for you—where are your parents from again?”
“My mom’s Israeli, my dad was born in Chile,” Avia sighed with a knowing grin.
“Perfect!” Rachel beamed. “You don’t see that kind of combo just strolling down the street. You’re caliente, baby! You could get any guy you so much as glance at, on his knees, begging for your approval.”
“Um, I think you mean ‘mina’,” Avia said, laughing. She made her way to the door and gripped the knob. “And I’m too busy to date! But really, I promise, next time I’ll go out with you guys for sure.”
“Farewell, love!” they called as the door closed behind.
Finally.
Avia opened the double doors of the library and stepped into the warm, Tallahassee sun. She normally rushed to get off campus as quickly as possible, but today, the open sky soothed her. She put in her headphones and started her playlist, beginning with Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. She walked around the university for what could have been an hour, watching the different people. Couples were sprawled out under trees, romantically lost in each other’s eyes. Students zig-zagged their way through the sidewalks, trying to get to class on time. And of course, there was the men’s track team, which Avia found particularly humorous. They always ran their laps around the university shirtless, making sure to puff out their chests and speed up whenever they were passing a cute girl.
Sometimes she wondered if things would be different if she actually took classes there. She started to muse over the idea but just as quickly banished the thought. Music was one of the only two things in life she cared about; the sheer thought of homework, papers, and studying blanched when compared to the simplicity of teaching kids piano, then leaving. She’d have more in common with Rachel, Danna, and the other students she’d met through them if she were to attend, but the strings attached would just tie a knot on another anxiety-ridden box. No matter how pretty the box was, it’d just leave her hollow.
Stupid.
She’d done it again. Right as she’d started to relax, it returned. The heavy melancholy that had long-since befriended her soul now pressed its heels into her chest. She wanted to collapse under its weight sink into the earth; to rot with the rest of the world. It was always like this. The world played in perfect harmony while she was a half-step up, and every breath was in a minor key.
She had turned down the planned evening with her friends in the hope that some space would help, but to no avail. The wave hit her like a truck. Her mood plummeted, and all she wanted now was to bury her face in a pillow and sleep for weeks. She hated feeling this way, but as the years went by, she grew used to the resting sadness. The time she spent alone was the world’s loss, not hers.
Avia cranked the volume as she cut through the soccer field, hoping to drown reality with the thundering orchestra of Mozart’s Andante. Increasing her steps, she kept her head down the entire four blocks home.
The glass doors to her building slid open, and Avia stepped into the lobby. The elevator opened within seconds of hitting UP, only to reveal a frantic mother and her crying infant.
Choking down a plethora of rude comments, Avia gave the socially required polite nod. She quickly hit the button for 19 then leaned against the railing, praying they wouldn’t be stopping every floor for more passengers.
Ding.
The door opened fifteen seconds later, and she nearly bolted down the hall. Another ten seconds, and she was unlocking her door. She tossed her bags onto the nearest chair and collapsed into the couch. She stared up to the high ceiling and a ghost of a smile crossed her lips. For someone supposedly living alone, her condo was really was quite nice. It was a graduation gift from parents; a Hail Mary to win her affection. She audibly scoffed at the thought of her mother, but her mind soon drifted to how needed a dip in the Jacuzzi was. Had she remembered to buy more candles last night? If not, the store was only—
“Rough day?” a familiar voice asked from above.
“Same as any other, I guess.” Avia glanced up to see a him sitting on top of a bookshelf. He seemed lost in thought, examining his fingers as his legs dangled absently.
“What are you doing up there, Cheshire?” she asked, not bothering to get up.
“I think I broke a nail. This spot had the best lighting for me to examine it better.”
“And you couldn’t hold your hand under a lamp because…”
“I only use natural lighting, you know this!” He gave a dismissive wave before gracefully jumping down. He walked over to the couch and lifted her feet so that he could sit, then placed them back across his lap.
“So, what have you done today?” Avia asked.
“Well, if you muusstt know,” he began, brushing black and blue hair out of his eyes, “I had quite the exhausting day. When you woke up this morning, I had to make the decision of whether or not I was going to campus with you. Then, when I decided not to, I went back to sleep. I woke up a few hours later, ate breakfast— you’re out of salmon now, by the way— watched TV, fell back asleep, and I woke up again mayyybe twenty minutes ago.”
Avia pulled off her hair tie and snapped it across the room. “How did you possibly manage to br
eak a nail during such vigorous physical activity?”
“I—I mean, your ever-so-charming visiting cousin—had to walk to the mailroom to sign for his new Converse,” he added. He lifted his feet up and flexed his toes in the sneakers.
She ignored the shoes. “Is that all?”
“Well…” He casually looked away and started to scratch the back of his neck, as he often did when he was nervous. “There may have been a fifteen minute portion of my day where I zoned out and was scratching the back of the couch—”
“Cheshire! I told you about that!”
“I know, I know, I just couldn’t help it. It’s a reflex.”
Avia had half a mind to yell at him, but turned to see him batting his eyes. She frowned. There was something about those eyes that always struck a soft spot. Maybe it was the air of magic in their teal color, or just how they fit in his freckled complexation. Either way, any irritation over the couch had already sizzled out. It would have be the same lecture she’d given countless times before. If he hadn’t gotten the message already he probably never would.
“Why is it that you can take a human body when you cross over, yet you can’t leave your cat…ness behind,” she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder.
“Maybe it’s the ears?” He pointed to the two cat ears that stuck up from his hair. “Hold on a second.” He pulled back and accusingly pointed a finger. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going out with friends tonight.”
“Wasn’t feeling up for it.”
A shadow crossed his face. “You never are. What was your excuse this time?”
“Do I need an excuse to lie on my own couch?” She forced a laugh. “Last I checked, you don’t pay rent. Don’t stress me about when I decide to come home to my condo, and catch you scratching up my couch.”
“Last I checked, you don’t pay rent either,” Cheshire countered.
Avia scowled, then stood up and walked to the balcony. “Haven’t you ever heard that old proverb, ‘curiosity killed the cat’?”
When We Were Still Human Page 8
