Paranormal After Dark

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “We have moved beyond such antiquated practices.”

  “Have we? Vampires, demons, even spirits still exist, though science denies them.”

  “Most scientists do because they have no substantial proof. Magic doesn’t always work for those who try.”

  “That’s because they don’t understand.”

  He smiled. “And that is the beauty of science. Once something is built, the common man doesn’t have to understand how the device works to use it.”

  I opened my mouth to respond but stopped, realizing I didn’t have an argument for that point. Summoning wasn’t the only part of magic that had to be exact; it applied to almost any of the five magical practices of talismans, symbols, rituals, incantations, and alchemy. The symbols, timetables, and pronunciations were complex, and one mistake meant either the magic wouldn’t work or that there would be dire consequences.

  “You use magical symbols with your gun,” I said.

  “You were correct about the demons and spirits,” Adrian said. “Until I can discover a scientific way to destroy them, I have to resort to less efficient methods.”

  “I’m sure your muse will give you an idea.”

  He sighed. “Once again, I mentioned the muse as a metaphor.”

  I shifted to my second sight. The colors dimmed to a dull gray, and the new equipment was replaced by that of a previous era. In place of the laptop was a typewriter. Certain time periods left an impression on the Eclipse, the spirit world. I turned my attention to Adrian and the colors blooming around him. Greens and yellows mixed with a small amount of red. He had a brilliant mind, but he still had a lingering anger. However, his emotions weren’t what I was looking for. It was the woman standing over his shoulder.

  She stood out amongst the gray haze of the spirit world. Her hair was in golden ringlets that flowed in a swirl design to the side of her head. A white toga hung on her athletic form and came to mid-thigh. Golden sandals adorned her feet, leaving her manicured toes open. She had an angular face, high cheekbones, and a pointed chin. Her lips moved, and Adrian’s fingers flew over the keyboard.

  “Right,” I said. “And that part about hearing a woman speak to you in your dreams?”

  “Lots of men dream that. Maybe I just need sex.” He arched his eyebrow. “Interested?”

  “Like I could ever compete with your robots. Maybe you should make yourself a woman.”

  “Perhaps. In any case, it is just a dream.”

  I sighed. One night, a couple of months ago, I’d gotten him to explain where he got his ideas. It took a bottle of alcohol. He rarely drank, but we were celebrating our victory over Ose and the destruction of the drug, so he’d made an exception. He described his muse as a vision from a dream. She’d been exactly like I’d just seen her, but the next day, he’d denied she was real.

  “How can you rely on my ability to see demons but deny that I can see your muse?” I asked.

  His eye twitched, and he stopped typing. “I’m not one of your emissaries. I don’t have any special abilities.”

  “Except for the ability to create things way beyond any current scientific advancement.”

  He smirked. “Intelligence is hardly a supernatural thing.”

  “Are you sure? Solomon was granted wisdom by an angel.”

  He snorted and continued to type. “Solomon is long dead, and most of his story borders on mythical.”

  “He was real, but that’s not the point. Spirits can grant intelligence.”

  “That’s not something I want.”

  “Why do you hate them so much?”

  He stopped and looked directly at me for the first time. “They come from the same place as demons.”

  “The Eclipse is vast. Not all spirits are like demons.”

  “Have you ever spoken to any of them? They could all be demons trying to fool you.”

  “I can tell the difference. I see them. I can see the taint demons leave on humans. Neither of your brothers nor you have that.”

  “That doesn’t mean they should be trusted,” Adrian said. “Eventually they will corrupt you.”

  I shook my head. I was getting nowhere again. I should’ve just been happy that Adrian finally accepted me as an asset and I was no longer a monster to him. I cleared my throat. “This isn’t why I came in here.”

  He turned back to the screen. “Why then?”

  “I need things to spy on this Acesco Company at their Expo tomorrow.”

  He stiffened and stopped typing. “Why Acesco?”

  “John says they may have a version of brimstone.”

  “How convenient.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Why would he tell me about it if it was him?”

  He shrugged and opened a desk drawer. “Because he wants you to fall for whatever game he’s running.”

  “Can you get me something or not?”

  “You’re probably not going to have time to set up room surveillance. You’ll want something that will bug a person. I can come up with something that can send short wave radio signals, but someone will have to be near with a receiver. What time?”

  “Around nine.”

  He nodded. “Meet me in the parking garage at seven.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “I said someone needed to receive. Who else is competent?”

  “So you’re going to sit in a van and listen in. Kind of creepy,” I said. “I will see you tomorrow then.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I count the time apart.”

  Chapter 8

  AROUND NINE, I left Adrian in his van in the garage of the Acesco building. John stood outside of the tall skyscraper with his hands in the pockets of his long coat. The wind ruffled his sandy blond hair, and he smiled at me when I approached.

  “How are you so tan for winter?” I asked.

  “It’s sunny in Florida.” His smile spread into a grin. He held up a set of laminated cards attached to a plastic clip. “Your credentials. You get to be my protégé.”

  “Sounds interesting,” I said. “What do I need to do?”

  “Look pretty.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What a job.”

  He pulled me through the double doors into a large lobby with vaulted ceilings. My high heels clicked against the black and gold marble floor as I followed John into the small crowd standing by leather chairs. Men in buttoned up shirts with sports jackets and women in power suits huddled together in abuzz of conversation.

  John turned to me. “So, how are you liking New York?”

  I wrinkled my nose, scanning the crowd. “It stinks, it’s loud, and there are so many people. Worst of all, I can’t see the stars.”

  He chuckled. “Too bad you can’t live in the middle of nowhere.”

  I sighed. “Unfortunately, nothing happens there.”

  A thin man with hollow cheeks moved closer to us and pushed his glasses up his nose.

  “Hey, Roda. Decided to lay off the small town crap?” He crossed his arms over his white buttoned shirt.

  John pulled off his coat and draped it over his shoulder. “I go where the story is, Aaron.”

  I let my gaze linger over John’s athletic body, admiring the way the tailored gray suit accentuated his broad shoulders. I cleared my throat and removed my jacket.

  Aaron glanced in my direction, and his lips curved in a leer. “And who is this?”

  “This is my new assistant, Gabby. She’s still learning the ropes.”

  “So nice to meet you, Gabby. I hope we become good friends.” He held his hand out to me.

  His palm was damp, and he rubbed the space between my index finger and thumb. I pushed back a shudder and smiled at him. His gaze roamed from the black skirt I wore to where my red vest was pulled tight against my breasts.

  “A pleasure,” I said.

  When Aaron held on longer than he needed, John cleared his throat. Aaron gave him a quick glance and released my hand.

  A smiling blonde woman approached the group. “We’re ready to
get started, if everyone would follow me into the Atalantia conference room.”

  Aaron looked at the moving crowd and gave me a quick glance. “Well, if this putz can’t help you, be sure to come to me.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

  Aaron hurried to be one of the first to enter the conference room. I rubbed my hand on my skirt and brushed my tongue over the roof of my mouth trying to rid myself of the sourness. John raised one of his eyebrows in a quick motion and mouthed a silent wow before he sauntered towards the conference room. I chuckled and followed behind him. A small stage stood in the back of the room with a podium in the center.

  I took a seat next to John in the middle of the room and scanned the conference area. The light green carpeting accented the honey wood panels lining the walls. Several reporters leaned over their chairs to chat with each other. A woman with red hair sat in one of the chairs behind the podium. Her skirt rode up her thigh as she sat with her legs crossed and talked with a man beside her. His face was narrow and ended in a pointed, reddish-blond goatee, which matched his combed back hair. His eyebrows were arched high in the middle, which gave him a wicked look.

  The blonde woman stepped up the podium. “Welcome. You all have the privilege of learning about our new innovative product. Now, I’d like to introduce to the mastermind behind it, Raina Benson.”

  The redhead stood and approached the podium to the sound of applause. A smile spread across her mauve lips. I narrowed my eyes and concentrated until a soft pop echoed in the back of my head. My peripheral vision blurred with a rainbow of colors. They pressed on me. I focused on the figures on the stage. Raina’s hair and her blue suit faded away and was replaced by a shadow. Her features disappeared into a dark gray. A red glow emanated from the creature’s eyes as she scanned the audience. No life pulsed in that aura. I swallowed as my throat became dry and a chill ran up my spine. Somehow, vampires had gotten a hold of brimstone. Adrian’s sudden interest in this company made more sense.

  “. . . Percent of Americans live with obesity . . .” Raina’s speech drifted through.

  The man behind her shifted in his seat, but it wasn’t actually a man anymore. His true face was one half comedy mask and one half tragedy mask. Two thin, long horns sprouted from behind the mask. A green light shone from the two eyeholes. His body was bright red and a thin whip-like tail moved behind his chair. Unlike the woman, life flowed through the body he wore. Well, the demon explained how a vampire had gotten their clammy hands on the brimstone.

  “Our innovative new product boosts metabolism to amazing speeds . . .” Raina continued.

  I closed my eyes and let my sight return to normal. As a dull ache settled behind them, I flexed my fingers, resisting the urge to rub my forehead. A television screen showed a smiling woman playing with a small child. They faded away to white and blue letter spun into existence forming the word “Synergy”.

  “Synergy stimulates the brain, suppresses hunger, and gives you that boost of energy . . .” Raina raised her hand to the screen. “We hope to have Synergy released to the public within a year. I’m ready to take any questions.”

  The audience stood in a rush and the room became almost deafening with the barrage of questions. Aaron stood in front, his face filled with eagerness. Even John held his pen up, trying to gain Raina’s attention. I left him to it and pushed my way to the aisle where I waited in the back with my arms crossed.

  After twenty more minutes of questions, Raina ended the conference. She let the blonde take over while she and the demon walked down the aisle. I slipped out the door, pulled a small spray can Adrian had given me from my purse, and got into ambush position. The door swung open and hit me in the shoulder. Perfect. I gave a small cry, stumbled into Raina, and pressed down on the nozzle, squirting the contents onto her skirt. Adrian’s nanites were now on her and ready to send transmit to him. I stepped back with my eyes wide.

  “I-I’m so sorry,” I stuttered.

  She glared at me and shouldered past me to the door. The demon paused, grabbing my arm to steady me. I gulped back the bile that rose in my throat at his touch and tried to put on a look of chagrin. He tilted his head at me and a slow smile spread across his face. He raised my hand, my fingers still curled around the small can.

  “And what do we have here?” the demon asked.

  Chapter 9

  THE DEMON RAISED an eyebrow, waiting for a response from me. I blinked at him, putting on my best confused look on.

  “My perfume?” I asked.

  “You spray perfume on in front of a door?” he asked.

  “No.” I drug the syllable out. “I was putting it away when said door rammed into me by your boss. You should probably hurry after her. She seemed busy.”

  “Hmm, I’m sure I can catch up. Tell me, what is the scent?”

  The door in debate swung open again. I stepped back to prevent getting hit and pulled my arm away, resisting the urge to rub where his hand had been. John stepped out with a searching look on his face. His face brightened when he saw me.

  “There you are,” he said. “I was wondering where you disappeared to.”

  He straightened up and cleared his throat when he saw the demon. “Forgive my assistant. Was she bothering you?”

  The demon smiled. “We were just having a discussion about odd grooming habits.”

  John raised an eyebrow at me and glanced back at the demon. “Okay. Well, if you have a minute, can I ask you a few questions, Mr . . . ?”

  “George Neumann,” the demon said. “I can answer one question, so make it good.”

  John held out a small recorder. “Why has Acesco decided to begin a new weight loss line? Aren’t there enough on the market?”

  Neumann smiled. “Why, we want to change the world, of course.”

  He gave me a small wave and turned away, walking through the lobby.

  “Thanks,” I murmured.

  “No problem,” John said. “So, what now?”

  “Now’s our chance to learn anything interesting. Hopefully, before he starts telling Ms. Benson to strip,” I said. “Come on.”

  We kept several people between us and the demon, watching as he stopped at the elevators and stepped in when the doors opened. With John behind me, I headed for the stairwell on the side of the wall. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and rushed down the steps. When I reached the parking level, I let out the breath I’d been holding. A moment later, John came up behind me.

  “Why down here?” he asked.

  I walked to the black van and pulled open the passenger door. Adrian glanced my direction with one hand on the large set of headphones he wore as I slid in. He turned the dial on the van’s radio to his left. John leaned over my lap with one hand on the head rest.

  “Did it work?” I asked.

  Adrian looked at me like I was a fool. “Of course.”

  “So, how are the rest of us going to listen?”

  Adrian looked at John. “Get in.”

  I squeezed into the space between the seats and pulled my skirt as it rode up. John climbed into my vacated spot, shutting the door behind him. Adrian pulled the cord of the headphones from the rest of the radio, and the soft crackle of static filled the van.

  “This had better work, Faust.” Raina’s voice drifted from the speakers. She spoke in short clipped syllables.

  “Weren’t you one of the testers?” a pleasant male tenor asked. “Didn’t your humans taste as delicious as promised?”

  A muscle twitched in Adrian’s jaw as he stared hard at the radio. John looked at me with eyebrows pulled together, but I just shook my head and mouthed the word vampires.

  “The subjects did show an improvement in taste,” Raina said.

  “Then it works. All you have to do is sell it to the cattle,” Faust said.

  “I have yet to see this susceptibility to suggestion you spoke of.”

  Faust’s quick laugh rang through the van. “Trust me. They’ll be like putty in your
hands.”

  “They had better. Mr. Durnovo doesn’t stand for betrayal, even from your kind.”

  Adrian stiffened.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Faust said. “However, we need to tread carefully. There was a demon hunter at you little conference.”

  “Oh? Was she sniffing you out?” Raina’s laugh was high and cold. “I’d say that’s a problem you need to handle.”

  “Maybe, but she’s been known to associate with a certain family of vampire hunters.”

  There was a long pause.

  “I’m not too concerned. We have dealt with hunters in the past. We can squash these as well,” Raina said.

  “I have another meeting. Shall I see you later this afternoon?” Faust asked.

  There was a shuffling of paper. “Don’t keep me waiting. I want to go over the numbers of the latest group.”

  “Of course not.” Faust’s laugh was cut off by the thud of a closing door.

  Adrian switched off the radio and leaned back in his seat, staring at the concrete wall through the windshield.

  “So what was that about?” John asked.

  “I’m betting Faust is the demon I saw at the press conference. It sounds like he’s sold this Synergy to these vampires.” I kept my gaze on Adrian, looking for any hint of acknowledgement.

  “We have to get back to the office,” he said. “I want to go over this recording again.”

  John looked between us. “I guess that’s my cue to get lost then.”

  “Wait,” I said as he pushed the door open.

  I climbed out after him and moved from the van. He smiled at me and brushed his thumb across my cheek. “I get the feeling he doesn’t like me.”

  I shrugged. “Adrian prefers machines. He only tolerates people. Do you know anything about this Faust?”

  He shook his head. “And by your question, I guess you don’t, either.”

  “I know about the legend. I watched Goethe’s play when it was released.”

  “So, research session at my hotel? Or is this something you want to do with the Van Helsings?”

  The van backed out of its parking space. Adrian stared at us, tapping his fingers on the wheel.