by Amy Cross
“Just don't let it go to your head, okay?”
“The Devil had his chance,” he continues. “To think of the power he wields, and the way he managed to squander all his chances. He needs someone to control him, someone to direct his force so that it brings about real change. I shall be the one who harnesses his abilities and uses them properly. So many have hunted for his grave, so many have set out to capture him, but I will be the one who succeeds. After all these years, I will finally get the reward I deserve.”
“So you tracked him down and then you came to Rippon?”
“When the time was right, and once I had acquired the Shackle of San Shaheth, I experienced a vision. That vision showed me the precise location of the Devil's grave. It was the moment I had been waiting for, and so finally I brought Raven's Revivals to this pathetic little town.” With the shackle still in his hands, he makes his way toward Sam. “There were false starts along the way, diversions put in my way by previous gardeners, but finally I got here. I admit, I was aided by others who were also seeking the Devil's powers, but now that I'm here I see no reason to stick to any previous agreements. The Devil will be my slave and mine alone, and with his power I shall be able to gain dominion over anything I desire.”
“Huh,” Sam replies. “I was hoping for something interesting, but you're actually quite boring. Power, glory, all the usual stuff. You're not very imaginative, are you?”
“Keep talking like that,” he says with a faint smile, “and I might just decide to dispense with your services.” Stopping in front of her, he peers down as if he's trying to make a decision. “Perhaps my earlier warning wasn't enough. Perhaps I should have my ravens to fetch your son and bring him here to serve as a reminder of your -”
“No,” she says firmly.
“The more you protest -”
“I'll do anything,” she replies. “Kill me, torture me, whatever you want, just don't bring him into this. He's just a child.”
“You abandoned him.”
“I did what was best for his future.”
“By removing yourself from his life?” He smiles. “That doesn't make you sound like a very nice person, does it?”
Sam looks down at the floor as she realizes she can't argue with him.
“But you can't forget him, can you?” he continues. “You can't stop thinking about him.”
“Of course not. He's my son.”
“How often does he pop into your head? Every day?”
“Every second,” she replies, her voice trembling with emotion. “More. He's always with me. Everything I do is for him.”
“Weakness,” he continues. “Contemptible human frailty in all its tattered glory. You're finally showing the crack that runs through your soul, Ms. Marker. I don't even need to put a chain around your neck in order to control you. All I ever have to do is threaten that poor little child, and I can have you dancing to my tune. That's true, is it not?”
“I...” She pauses, but deep down she knows that he's right. Lowering her head, she looks at the floor and tries to come up with some other kind of plan. The problem, however, is that whatever she tries to do, she knows Raven can just threaten to hurt Henry and she'll instantly shrink back.
“Pathetic,” he adds finally. “Everyone has a weakness, you know. Something they'd die to protect, something for which they'd risk the fate of the entire world. If you were logical, Ms. Marker, you'd be willing to sacrifice Henry's life in order to save the rest of humanity. That would make sense, wouldn't it? The life of one child in exchange for a chance to save the lives of billions? You'd try to stop me instead of giving up like this.”
“I can't...” With tears in her eyes, she looks back up at him. “Promise me you won't ever hurt him,” she continues. “I'll help you find the Devil, I'll help you put that thing around his neck, I'll even -”
“You'll help me anyway,” Raven says firmly. “The power is all mine.”
As she's about to reply to him, Sam spots a hint of movement at the far end of the room. In the corner of her eye, she suddenly realizes she can see Anna slipping through the door with her finger against her mouth, as if to emphasize that she doesn't want to be spotted. It's a bizarre, almost unbelievable sight, but given her current predicament Sam figures that she has no other options. She figures that if Anna has shown up, it can only mean one thing: she has a plan.
“I...” Sam pauses as she forces herself to focus on Raven, desperate not to let him realize that she's noticed anything. “Why don't you sit down and tell me your whole strategy again, huh? I think I missed a few bits. Let's start with your childhood. When did you first start demanding that people had to kneel in front of you?”
“You'll see it all as it plays out,” he replies. “The time for talking is over.”
“Even so,” she continues, “I'd love a heads up. Sorry, I wasn't concentrating earlier. I have this really bad habit of playing Tetris in my head whenever I'm supposed to be listening to people, it's fun for me but it can be really distracting.” She maintains eye contact with him as Anna moves out of sight. Although Sam would never usually rely on Anna, she figures that this time there must be some plan she hasn't noticed yet. “So what's the first thing you'll do with all this power?” she asks finally. “Come on, you must have thought of something.”
“There will be no limits,” he replies calmly.
“Everyone needs limits.”
“Infinite power will be mine,” he says with a faint smile. “What I want, I shall receive.”
“But there must be one thing you've dreamed about for years,” Sam continues. “Maybe... A harem full of beautiful women? Or men, if that's your thing. Or what about revenge on all those bullies who were mean to you at school? Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm getting the feeling you must have been bullied at school a lot... Were you still so intense back then, always going on about shackles and dark powers? I guess the other kids would have made fun of you for that, wouldn't they?”
“If I didn't know better,” Raven says firmly, “I'd almost think that you're trying to goad me into -”
Before he can finish, there's a sudden scream from nearby and Anna leaps onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist until finally she's forced herself into a piggyback position.
“What the hell?” Sam shouts out, getting to her feet.
Raven turns, trying to see the attacker on his back.
“I've got him!” Anna yells wildly, as if she can scarcely believe what's happening..
“What on earth is this nonsense?” Raven asks, clearly startled as he tries to pull Anna's arms free from his neck.
“What are you doing?” Sam asks.
“What does it look like I'm doing?” Anna hisses.
“Okay, but what next?”
“Next?” Anna replies, her eyes wide with panic. “There's no next. That's your job!”
“This was your plan?” Sam asks, watching as Raven stumbles across the room with Anna strapped to his back. “Jump on him from behind? I thought you had something lined up! I thought you'd at least come up with something clever!”
“I tried!” Anna shouts, as Raven continues his attempts to swat her away. “I failed! This seemed like it was better than nothing! Believe it or not - ” She gasps as Raven tries to swing her around. “Believe it or not, this was the cleverest thing I could think of!”
“Get off me immediately!” Raven shouts, turning and slamming Anna back into one of the support posts with such force that she almost loses her grip.
“What should I do now?” Anna calls out to Sam.
“I have no idea!”
“We have to smash something!”
“Smash what?”
“I don't know! Something he keeps close to him! It focuses the regeneration energy or something!”
“How do you know that?” Sam asks, hurrying over to the bench and looking for anything she might be able to use as a weapon. There are some pens and books, but nothin
g useful like a gun or a baseball bat.
“The Devil told me!” Anna yells.
“You've spoken to him?” Raven asks.
“We had a nice chat,” Anna tells him. “He really doesn't like you!”
“We'll see about that,” Raven continues, reaching up and grabbing Anna's arms before slowly pulling them free from around his neck. With one final burst of strength, he hauls her over his shoulder and slams her against the support post before holding her up in front of him. “Who the hell are you?” he sneers. “Why would a creature as powerful as the Devil even bother to waste words on your?”
“I'm your worst nightmare!” Anna sneers.
“Not so far,” Raven replies, crunching her against the post with such force that her shoulder is instantly cracked and she lets out a faint gasp of pain.
“This is the worst plan ever,” Sam mutters as she searches for something she can use against him. “It's not even a plan, it's just idiocy!”
“I will enjoy looking back on this moment,” Raven continues, holding Anna up as if he's taking a moment to admire her before he finishes her off for good. “When people ask me whether humanity made any last attempt to save itself, I will tell them about the two little fools who between them couldn't even come up with anything.” Slamming Anna against the wall, he puts his hands around her throat. “You're nothing,” he hisses. “I shall barely even enjoy killing you. There's no challenge whatsoever!”
“Leave her alone!” Sam shouts.
“If you come any closer,” Raven tells her, “I'll send my ravens to scratch Henry's eyes out.”
“But...” Sam pauses.
“It's okay,” Anna gasps. “I...” Struggling to speak as Raven tightens his grip on her throat, she looks down at his thick, heavy-set hands and spots the ring on his forefinger, nestling just along from his hairy knuckle.
“Let her go!” Sam says firmly, stepping closer.
“Didn't you hear me?” Raven continues. “My ravens can be at your child's bedside with an hour, and I'm sure he'll know deep down that his deadbeat mother is somehow responsible.”
Stopping, Sam tries to work out what to do.
“In fact,” Raven adds, “I think perhaps the time has come for me to turn these threats into reality. You both tire me, and I need no further distractions.”
As the words leave his lips, hundreds of ravens burst up from the floor, as if they've been sleeping beneath the surface all this time. Flying chaotically around the room, they start to attack Sam with their beaks and claws, driving her back and forcing her to take refuge under one of the benches. She tries her best to cover her face, but the birds are scratching at her furiously.
“When they've finished with you,” Raven says with a smile, “I'll send them after Henry. You've finally worn out my patience, Ms. Marker.”
“Do you know what I used to be?” Anna gasps.
“Be?” he replies, raising an eyebrow.
“I was a zombie,” she continues, barely able to get the words out as he grips her throat. “I was rotting and all my bits were falling off. And I tried really hard not to be a zombie, I thought it was the worst thing in the world, but I guess maybe it's too late now, and...” She tries to take a deep breath, but her airway is almost sealed shut. “Do you know what zombies... do... best?”
“Let me guess,” he replies with a smile. “You're going to eat my brain?”
“Not... your brain,” she hisses. “Just... your... finger...”
With that, before he has a chance to react, she tilts her head down and bites as hard as she can on his forefinger, driving her teeth through the knuckle and ignoring the flood of warm blood until, finally, she pulls back and rips the finger – complete with the ring Raven has been wearing – away from his hand.
Instantly, Raven lets go of her neck and staggers back, as blood sprays from his severed finger. As Anna drops to the floor, she spits the finger out into the palm of her hand and sees the ring.
“Something he keeps close to him at all times,” she whispers, remembering the Devil's words from earlier. “Please please please let this be it!”
“Give me that!” Raven shouts, lunging at her.
“Sam!” she shouts, throwing the finger across the room. “Destroy it!”
Raven turns just in time to see Sam scurrying out from under the bench. She manages to grab the finger and slip the ring off, even as the ravens continue to peck at her from all angles. Some of the birds even seem to be trying to get hold of the ring, but Sam manages to keep it away from them.
“Give me that immediately!” Raven shouts, hurrying toward her. “You have no idea what -”
“You're pretty old, aren't you?” Sam shouts at him. “Older than you look! You've been hunting for the Devil's tomb for a hell of a long time.”
“Stop!”
“Please God,” Sam mutters, setting the ring down on the ground as she takes a deep breath. “Please, let this work.”
Before Raven can reach her, she slams her heel down against the ring, shattering it as she grinds it into the dust. She watches Raven as he takes a few more steps forward, and then suddenly he stops and lets out a gasp of pain. Right in front of Sam's eyes, he starts aging, as if the held-back years are piling onto him at a furious pace. His skin becomes worn and tight, and starts clinging to his bones like stretched leather, and his eyes sink back into his head. Within just a few seconds, he has already been completely mummified, and finally he tilts his head slightly with a sickening creak, lets out one final breath of dust, and then falls forward. His skull cracks open as it hits the ground, revealing nothing inside but more dust.
Seconds later, all the ravens turn to ash, with the pieces drifting down to the floor like some kind of strange, ethereal snow-fall.
“I guess the regenerative energy was keeping him alive,” Sam replies, staring at Raven's bones. “The ring was focusing it all, but now it's destroyed so the effects have been undone. I was right. He was much older than he seemed and...”
She pauses, before looking over at Anna. At first she can't see her friend, but then finally she spots a figure slumped against the floor. It takes a moment before she realizes what she's seeing, as a slow sense of horror climbs up through her body.
“Anna!” she shouts, racing across the room and dropping to her knees.
Slowly, her body now old and rotten, Anna turns to look up at her.
“What happened?” Sam asks. “Come on, no, you can't do this!”
“It was the regenerative energy that stopped me being a zombie,” Anna whispers hoarsely, barely able to get the words out from her dry mouth. “Raven brought it to town and... Now the energy's gone and... I... I'm back to how I was... Worse than I was... Even all the make-up in the world isn't... enough to cover this up... If you get a chance, tell Scott I'm sorry...”
She tries to reach a hand up toward Sam, but most of her skin has rotted away now and her bare bones are starting to crumble. It's as if she's falling apart.
“No way,” Sam replies, gently taking Anna's fragile, rotten corpse into her arms. “We're going to find a way to fix you. If there's one thing that's become clear over the last few days, it's that things can be fixed! I'll sew you back together, or I'll find some other body parts from somewhere, or...” She pauses as she realizes that all these ideas are fruitless, that there's truly nothing she can do to help her friend.
“I...” Anna stares at her, but her eyes are already shriveling into the back of her sockets. “Dark... It was... going to happen anyway. I'm just glad I managed to... do something useful... before I left...” She lets out a gasp of pain. “Not bad for... an assistant... huh? Just promise me you'll... bury me in the cemetery... and the legs and arms have to be buried in Ruth Havershot's grave... They're hers anyway...”
“I need you,” Sam tells her. “You can't go. I need you around. I'm sorry if I didn't let you see that before, but I can't do this alone, I can't do it without you! I still have to find the Devil!”
&
nbsp; “That shouldn't be too hard,” Anna whispers. “He's pretty... noticeable. Anyway, I think he's... going to be looking for you soon... Finding him won't be the problem. Getting rid of him again... might...”
“Listen to me,” Sam says firmly, with tears running down her cheeks. “Whatever happens, I'm going to find a way to get you back. You can't just rot and fall apart on me, do you hear? After everything we've been through, I can't just let you go like this! Please find some way to stay!”
“Without me...” Anna replies, “how would you have... stopped... Raven?”
“I don't know,” Sam tells her. “I don't know if I could have. He was using Henry against me. No matter what I tried to do, he would have just threatened Henry and... He was right. It's my biggest weakness.”
“Cool, that's... At least I was useful and... Don't forget the one time I... saved your ass and...” Anna pauses, before finally her jaw falls off and cracks as it hits the ground. Her head tilts back and one by one her bones start to come loose, falling out of Sam's arms.
“No!” Sam shouts, trying desperately to hold the body together even though it's too late. “Anna! You have to stay!”
Finally she's left all alone on the floor of the tent, holding nothing more than a section of Anna's spine with the pelvis still attached. With no idea what to do next or where to go, she stays in place with tears flowing freely now. After a few minutes, even the last remaining piece of Anna's skeleton starts to crumble away, until there's nothing left of her at all in Sam's arms.
Just dust.
Seven
Two weeks later
“Good night, Mr. Hollister,” Sam says as she swings the gate shut. “See you again tomorrow.”
“You must think I'm a foolish old man,” he replies, turning and smiling at her from the other side of the bars. “It's just that since Elizabeth died, I just don't have very much to do with my time except come here and tend to her grave.”
“I don't think you're foolish,” she tells him. “I think...” Checking her watch, she sees that it's already quarter past eight, which means she's running behind time. “I think it's sweet,” she adds with a faint smile. “When you miss someone, you have to mark their passing somehow. Just because people are gone, we can still think about them.”
