by J. E. Taylor
I turned and glanced at the box stores behind me and did the same thing. The noise that filled my head made me cover my ears. Not only did thoughts accost me, but the living souls caressed me with warmth. I focused back on the black hole before me. Even in the Farm colony on Staten Island, I felt the ghosts’ energy.
The absence of anything pushed me forward, and I darted across the lawn towards the large brick building with EVAK and TOAST spray painted in white which stood out even in the semi-darkness.
I made it to the door tucked in the middle of the building with my heart pounding, and I leaned against it to catch my breath. Iron chains blocked the door, so I closed my eyes, concentrating on breaking the metal. The rattle and thump on the overgrown path followed. I opened my eyes and tried the doorknob, but it didn’t budge. Still holding the knob, I concentrated on unlocking it from the inside. The creaking of the lock turning was loud enough to set my nerves on edge.
I twisted and the door opened. Dust and decay wafted out with a hiss of air. I coughed and covered my mouth. I paused because I did not want to cross the threshold until the tickle in my nose abated. With a final sneeze, I stepped through the door and closed it behind me. Darkness enveloped me. I let the sparks on my fingers turn to a controlled flame, lighting a small area before me.
I moved slowly and took shallow breaths, but even so, the air left my mouth stale and dry, like it was trying to turn me into a relic like the building itself. I used the walls as a barrier between me and my back, always trying to make sure nothing could come from that direction. The floor creaked under my weight, and each step announced my presence whether I wanted it to or not.
I paused and pulled a blade into my free hand before I stepped out of the trashed lobby and into the long dark hallway that led into the belly of the building.
Nothing stirred. I kept to the side of the hallway, avoiding the middle that occasionally sagged, but even that didn’t stop the groaning of the boards under me. Leading with the knife, I shuffled halfway down, peeking in each room to see if it matched Gabriel’s description or showed any indication of similarity to what I saw on television.
It was darker than either, but it was nighttime, so no light but my flame penetrated the darkness. When I closed my hand, blackness engulfed me. The kind that made my heart drum in my chest and my saliva dry in my mouth. Dust tickled my nose and I stayed still in the dark, leaning against the wall.
I used my otherworldly senses and spread my essence throughout the building like I had on Staten Island, but I took my time. In my mind’s eye, I was actually walking from room to room starting on the top floor and moving downward until I happened upon my form standing like a frozen sentry.
Nothing sparked my senses. Not even spirits. The complete absence of anything, even a rodent, made me pause. I opened my eyes and unclenched my fist, letting the fire lick my fingers and light up the hallway.
I hadn’t gone down to the basement because the thought gave me a shiver. The stairwell was just a few steps away, on the other side of the drooping floor. I hurried across, trying to be light on my feet. The creak that ripped through the hallway claimed my breath. My foot sank, and I leaped the remainder of the way.
The floor where I had catapulted from crumbled away, leaving a small hole that seemed to grow with each lasting vibration. I escaped into the stairwell and nearly teetered off the landing into an abyss below. I grabbed the railing to steady myself. Of course, my fire went out. I stood still in the blackness with my breath coming in ragged pulls.
I tucked the knife away in the sheath and let my fingers spark into a flame. The entire building seemed to be shaking now. I was only a few hundred feet from the entrance, but when I looked back into the hallway, most of the floor had caved into the darkness below. Either way was going to be difficult.
I had no idea what was below, but at this point, I had ruled out this building, and now with the floor caving into the basement, I doubted Lucifer would put himself in such a precarious position.
Alex’s phone buzzed in my pocket, but I didn’t have the time to answer it. I had to make up my mind which way I was going to try to go before this building collapsed on me. I chose the hallway and jumped from edge to edge like Kylee and I had done across the quicksand.
I fell out the front door onto the grass and scrambled to my feet as the rumbling got louder. I ran towards the concrete building to the right side of the monstrous structure before the middle section dipped noticeably, tilting the side wings drastically enough so people would notice at first light. A plume of dust puffed out the door, but I was out of the debris zone by the time it cleared.
I stumbled and fell on the grass, trying to catch my breath. I sat up and stared at the building. That was just too convenient to be a coincidence. I was positive now that Lucifer was somewhere on this campus.
The phone buzzed again, and I pulled it out of my pocket, answering it with a swipe.
“Hello?” I said, still breathing heavily.
“F-Faith?”
“Mr. Ryan?”
“Y-yes. Th-they w-want me t-to s-stay overnight f-for observation.”
Hearing him struggle to speak broke my heart. It meant the hit on his head was worse than I had thought. “Is Valerie there?”
The phone shuffled.
“Faith, where are you?” she asked, concern flooding her voice.
“I’m fine,” I said, ignoring her question. “Your mojo didn’t fix him?”
She took a deep breath. “It will, but sometimes when it’s this serious, it takes time. The hit to his head triggered his stutter again, but it should be fine by morning. By the way, the cauterization job you did was fantastic. You sure you don’t want to go into the medical field?”
I laughed softly. “Yes, I’m sure.” I would be a disaster in an operating room.
“T-tell her to w-wait f-for me,” CJ said in the background.
“Tell him to get some rest. I’ll be careful,” I said, not really answering him. I disconnected the call before he could get into my head. I had no intention of waiting. Not when I knew Lucifer was here, and I was pretty sure he knew someone had breached one of the buildings.
If anyone else had gone into that building besides me… I shivered at the thought of them falling through the floor and having the building partially implode on them.
I tucked the phone into my pocket and climbed to my feet. The light from the Home Depot parking lot cast long shadows over the land between me and the concrete building. I was out in the open, so I bolted to the nearest tree and leaned against it as my heart pounded at my stupidity.
Despite the adrenaline still surging in my veins, the aches and pains of the day were starting to rear their heads. My shoulder throbbed in time with my heartbeat and my legs ached from being in a car for so long. I was glad I was on my feet.
I took a moment to assess the building I was heading for. The geometric pattern of it struck me as odd, but it was concrete, so unless Lucifer had it wired with explosives, it would probably be the safest building here. The door hung on the frame in the entry, and it swayed any time the wind blew, creaking and in need of some oil to stop the grating sound.
I scanned the rest of the area and then zeroed my focus on the door. Before I reached the count of three in my head, I was bolting across the open field. Thankfully, I was wearing black. At least my clothes blended in with the night.
I maneuvered around the door without touching it and squared myself with my back to the open air. I stepped as lightly as I could. The floor was solid and didn’t announce my presence as I made my way across the graffiti-decorated entry.
Shadows filled the area, but at least I could see in the semi-darkness thanks to the lighting filtering in from the parking lot across the barren field. The farther in I got, the more the light faded, and dusty decay filtered into my nose, causing me to itch before I sneezed.
Unfortunately, I’d never been able to sneeze quietly, so when three escaped in quick succession, the
echo filled the concrete chambers bouncing against the walls until it returned to me like a mountain yodel.
Whatever element of surprise I had was surely killed.
Still, I moved forward with flames licking my fingers for light. When I stepped beyond the weirdly placed walls and into the main hall, I stopped. That familiar itch centered between my shoulders. I imagined my deadly barrier surrounding me, and I stepped forward, more sure of myself now that I had my protection up.
Something leaped from the dark. I didn’t have time to react. It hit me with the force of a car, sending me flying into the hard wall. My barrier hadn’t worked, but my fire certainly did. I sent a plume in the direction it came. An inhuman shriek of pain filled the air, and I caught a glimpse of a large entity moving out of my sight. A moment later, the door banged on its hinge.
I had hurt whatever it was pretty badly from the scent of burnt flesh hanging on the air, but I didn’t know if it was a fatal blow or not.
I counted to ten to get my nerves settled, then continued crossing the open space to the sets of doors on the other side. I made it halfway across when four shadows surrounded me. I grabbed the knives and let the flames engulf them. I hoped the metal wouldn’t melt, but a flaming knife was much more intimidating than just a blade. The shadows paused, but then they charged forward.
I spun with my arms wide and let an arc of angel fire loose. The shadows burst into ash hanging on the air like a fog that choked me. I coughed and stumbled through what was left of the dead.
I reached for the door and was tackled. My injured shoulder hit the ground hard. Hard enough to rip a yelp out of me and send one of my knives bouncing over the hard ground. I tried to use the other one, but whatever had tackled me had its full weight crushing down on me. He knocked the knife away easily.
A fist landed a punch on my side, knocking the breath out of me. I tried to roll, but he wouldn’t let me.
“We’ve got you now.” His growling voice snarled in my ear.
“That’s what you think,” I muttered and mentally pushed. Nothing happened. I kicked my foot and miraculously hit the magic spot between the bastard’s legs.
He “oofed.”
I was able to roll enough to send a blast of fire at him that threw him into the wall, where he crumpled to the ground before exploding to dust.
I struggled to my feet and crossed to where my knives had gone, then sheathed one them with shaking hands. I obviously needed my hands free in case there was another attack.
“Six down…” I muttered to myself and took a deep breath. It seemed only my fire powers were consistent, and I glanced around at the building again, thankful that it was concrete and not wood.
My side ached where I had been punched. I closed my eyes, mentally searching my immediate surroundings. Nothing came through. I snarled low. Now I was sure Lucifer was on the grounds somewhere, and I wondered if he was the one who was stopping me from using the Ryans’ powers and not my own epic failure.
I let flame lick my fingers and took a deep breath before stepping through the darkened doorway. I didn’t even make it over the threshold when something grabbed my wrist and swung me around into the wall hard enough to knock my breath from my lungs.
Another hand gripped my free wrist and raised both hands over my head. Weight pressed against me with enough force to nearly crush my ribs.
“You’re a feisty one,” he growled in my ear.
I wiggled my hands to the right angle and let them ignite with the same kind of fire I used to cauterize CJ’s wounds.
The pressure holding me to the wall released with a hiss, and I was tossed farther into the room. A yelp ripped from my mouth when my hip connected with the concrete.
The shuffle of more than two feet catapulted my pulse into overdrive. I clenched my fists, dousing the flame and plunging the room into absolute black. I crouched low and listened as I attempted another force field.
Even with the panic slowly filling my cells, I couldn’t muster up the same energy that I had on the island with Kylee. Nothing buzzed in the air to signify success. I pressed my lips together and concentrated.
Is Lucifer in here? Is he watching this slow torture?
Noise came from my right. I shot a plume of flame in that direction, lighting up the entire room and missing my mark by a couple of yards. My stomach plummeted at the six demons surrounding me. Six armed demons with feral grins that nearly let my bladder loose.
I had nowhere to run either. The only exit was the door I had come in, and there were three demons blocking my escape. I closed my hand again, and spots flared in my vision.
I stood and put my arms out, splaying my fingers and sending jets of fire in both directions, hoping I would hit at least two. My aim was off, and I only succeeded in torching one before the business end of a whip lashed around one of my forearms.
I screamed at the sting. The yank that followed nearly tore my arm from the socket. I fell. But this time I had a lead on where the whipping demon was. One blast took him out. I rolled away, grabbing the whip and pulling it towards me so no one got the same idea.
The others had moved closer. With only four, I wasn’t sure just blasting haphazardly would work, but that was my only option. My hand knocked the knife hilt on my thigh as I turned clockwise.
I bit my lip and pulled one out, listening closely. I launched the blade towards the nearest shuffle and was rewarded with a groan. I opened my palm in the same direction and unsheathed the second knife.
I blasted the demon trying to remove the knife from his thigh and shot the knife at the closest one to him. Unfortunately, that one dodged the blade, but he wasn’t able to dodge my flame.
I didn’t have time to turn before I was tackled by the last two demons. The fool who stepped on my wrist to try to pin it obviously didn’t understand physics. My aim was dead on, and he went up like an old dried-out Christmas tree.
The one lying on top of me went to slap something on my wrist, his lips peeled back in a growl that promised all sorts of pain. But he wasn’t fast enough to stop my initial blast before metal encased my wrist.
His dust choked me, and I coughed and rolled onto my hands and knees. I waited, mentally counting my attackers in my head. I thought that made a dozen demons, but I was so disoriented in the dark that I couldn’t be sure. My hands wouldn’t spark and the spit in my mouth dried as I tried to pry the metal off my wrist.
A chain attached to the cuff scraped the ground, and I yanked at it, pulling link after link until I reached the other end holding a similar cuff to the one clamped on my wrist. Relief flooded through me. I wasn’t attached to anything.
I needed to get out of here and wait for CJ. I could not do this on my own. Not with whatever this thing was on my wrist. I turned around, searching the dark until I could make out the door. I took a step toward the change in light, and something hard connected with the side of my head. Stars transitioned to blackness so thick, I could hardly breathe.
Chapter 12
The first thing I became aware of was that every inch of my body ached. The second was the foulest smell I’d ever encountered. Worse than the subways and worse than anything I ran across in hell, including the slaughter yard.
I couldn’t turn my head away from the stench, and my arms and legs wouldn’t work to turn me so I could run.
Blinking, I tried to reconcile what my eyes were seeing through the limp strands of my red hair. I gagged and tried to curl up against the cramping. Bloated bodies lay on the concrete a few feet from where I stood, and a couple of bodies were chained to the wall, each form in various stages of decay.
I attempted to flip my hair out of my face, and that’s when my gaze landed on him.
He smiled at me, and my heart melted. Damn my father for using Alex’s smile against me. Grace knelt next to him in shackles, the necklace holding Alex’s soul hanging from her neck. She looked every bit as insane as Gabriel had said she was. It wasn’t a surprise to me. I couldn’t envision spending
twenty minutes with Lucifer, never mind close to six months.
She straightened so I could see her fully. The protrusion of her belly made my throat close against a thin stream of vomit.
I looked away, and my eyes caught what held me in place. My wrists were chained, each to an opposite wall, and shackles held my legs in place. At least I was still wearing my boots, which meant he probably hadn’t done a full search of the weapons I had at my disposal.
I closed my eyes, searching the shackles with my mind, trying to feel it out like CJ had taught me. When my silent command to release echoed in my mind, nothing happened. I opened my eyes and yanked. Again nothing.
These were the same type of cuffs that the demon had secured on my wrist. Hot panic pulsed in my temple.
He looked on with a bemused smile and his hands clasped before him.
I struggled, yanking at both my wrists and my ankles. The panic mounted at my inability to break free. The power coiled inside, but I couldn’t release it.
“Sigils.” He nodded towards my wrist bonds. “I had them specially forged to keep you from tapping your power. They would work on CJ Ryan as well if he dared show his face.”
“You son of a bitch,” I breathed. The curse felt dirty in my mouth.
I glanced down at my legs. None of the weapons I’d had when I stepped onto the asylum grounds were still attached.
“Looking for these?” he asked as he stood and dropped the knives I’d had attached around my legs. And then he crossed, reached around me, and pulled out the gun I’d had tucked in the back of my pants.
Just his close proximity and his arms around me sent my heart into overdrive. Both attraction and revulsion brewed in my blood. He undid the clip and tossed it away. Next, he raised the ninja stars that had been on my belt before he shot them into the bodies hanging from the wall.
