by Keith Keffer
"Ah... Thanks," said Morgan. "I'll be sure to do that before I go out on any more early morning walks."
"You do that, young lady." He smiled and fished out his car keys. "Now that my good deed for the day is complete, I must be off. Do let Helen know we're all thinking about her."
Morgan nodded and waved as Mr McCalister walked back to his car. She waited until he pulled away before turning back to the SUV. Bob had climbed out from under the car and was sitting in the driver's seat. The red marks on his face had begun to fade and he was no longer missing a tooth. He had been right. With a little time, he'd be as good as new.
"Wow," he said. "That guy is weird."
"He's harmless," she said as she slipped off the backpack and dropped the tape inside of it. She waited for Bob to climb over to the passenger seat before dropping the pack next to him. "Inside."
"You're kidding, right? I mean you keep throwing more and more stuff in that pack, I'm likely to get crushed in there."
"You'll be fine, and besides that was too close. What if Mr. McCalister had seen you. I want you ready to duck out of sight at a moment's notice."
Bob sighed but nodded his head in agreement. "Fine. You are the Mistress of the Dark Arts after all, and I'm just your lowly servant. What does it matter if I'm comfortable or not as long as you get what you want."
"Bob! That's not fair. I'm just trying to keep us safe. Alright, just sit next to it so that you can get inside if you need to hide."
The little demon smiled at her. "I will."
She put the car into reverse and backed out of the lot. She waited until she had the car in drive before she glanced over at Bob.
"Alright," she said. "Spill it. What was that thing?"
"We call them Hunters," he said. "They track down rogue demons and drag them back to the underworld. That one was after me."
"By rogue do you mean summoned?"
Bob shook his head. "Nope. I mean ones that stepped out of line, did something they weren't supposed to do or ticked off someone higher up in the food chain."
"Well, why was it after you then?"
"I may have done all three things when I..." Bob paused for a few seconds. "Think of magic like an electrical current going through a power line. We want the power to go from the power plant to our television, but along its journey other houses on the route can also draw electricity from the same line. Well, with magic you have a dedicated line between you and the source. No one is supposed to be able to tap into your line and draw power from it. Except that I figured out a way to do exactly that. It wasn't much, but over time it added up."
"And?" said Morgan. "How did that lead to a Hunter being sent after you."
"I was researching summoning spells. They allow your kind to pull my kind back to the mortal world. If I could figure out how they worked, then I'd be able to escape. Something happened when you cast your spell. I was studying it, and then the next thing I knew I was in this body standing in your bedroom."
"So, that's not how you normally look?"
"No. I'd say I normally looked, well normal. Being summoned shapes you for the summoner. It's not permanent. Once I'm released I should return to my normal form."
"But if you were able to figure this out, why hasn't anyone else? Wouldn't demons be popping up all over the place if they could control a portal to the mortal world?"
"Some demons can, but it's not because they understand the magic. It's more like an innate ability. Demons have a fierce hierarchy. The higher you are in the pecking order, the more demonic and powerful you become, but the less human you'll be. I think that by the time a demon has the power to attempt something like this they are so tightly tied to the hierarchy that it doesn't occur to them to try."
"And you were still human enough to try."
"Yeah, but I wasn't ready. I don't know how I got sucked up by your spell or what happened to the demon you should have summoned."
Morgan stopped at an intersection and glanced over at Bob. The little demon was literally wringing his hands as he talked. He saw her and looked up with his big, black eyes.
A car horn pulled her attention back to the road, and she realized the light had changed colors. She bit at her lip as she drove forward. What had she gotten herself into? Summoning a demon wasn't the most rational thing to try, but she never expected it to turn out like this.
It would all be worth it when she brought Henry home. She stole a quick glance at Bob. There was nothing impressive about the little demon, but he did seem to know what he was doing. Once they found Henry, she'd release Bob, and then everything would go back to normal. Until then, he was her best hope of finding her cousin and putting this behind her.
CH 8 - Nothing but Hot Air
Aunt Helen's hospital room was a faded shade of blue that was probably intended to be soothing or maybe just easier to clean than a white wall. A whiteboard under the wall mounted television listed the names of the on-call nurse and doctor. Someone had drawn a smiley face near the bottom. Along the windowsill sat flowers, cards and balloons from well-wishers. They had started arriving yesterday afternoon, almost as soon as Helen's friends and neighbors learned she was in the hospital.
There hadn't been any visitors though. Most people didn't know what to say or how to act around her since Henry went missing. Sympathy cards were a lot less awkward, and it kept them away from the press. Although in this case, press consisted of one reporting currently sitting in the waiting room. Her name was Alisha Stone, and she worked for channel 6 news out of Stagshead, about 40 miles east of Whitebridge.
It was the closest thing the town had to a local news station, and when Henry first disappeared Alisha showed up. She was with one of the news anchors, and they had a cameraman in tow. It seemed like everyone wanted to talk to the reporter in the hope that it would help find Henry. That was before the story aired suggesting that the police were mishandling the search by not focusing on the family. They even included a piece on Morgan's parents as evidence that Aunt Helen and Morgan had lead troubled lives.
Needless to say, the story didn't go over well with the citizens of Whitebridge, and for a few days the town was crawling with media looking for the dark secret of Whitebridge. Most of them left just as quickly. Little boys getting lost just weren't enough to keep the ratings up, and it wasn't like anyone was willing to talk to the media. Alisha's team had seen to that when they ran that story. After all of the reports and camera crews left, Alisha was the only one to remain.
One of the nurses spotted Morgan as soon as she entered the hospital and got her past the reporter without having to dodge any pesky questions. Morgan hoped she'd be as lucky on the way out. Bob was sitting in the bottom of her backpack, and getting stopped by a reporter while carrying a concealed demon sounded like a really bad idea.
Morgan tried not to think of how many really bad ideas she has had recently. They would all be worth it when she brought Henry home.
Aunt Helen squeezed Morgan's hand. "You're a million miles away."
Morgan gently returned the squeeze. Aunt Helen wasn't scheduled for surgery on her leg until Monday and they had given her something to help make her comfortable. Morgan wasn't sure how comfortable it made her aunt, but it certainly made her tired. Aunt Helen was awake now, but her eyes were heavy, and it wouldn't be long before she fell back to sleep.
It reminded Morgan how little sleep she had gotten the night before.
"Just tired," said Morgan.
"We're all tired, honey. Once we find Henry, we'll take a few days and just sleep." Aunt Helen let out a sigh. Her words were slurred, and each one seemed to be a struggle. "I wish I could join the search today, but I'm here until the pins are set. You're my eyes and ears. Where are they searching today?"
Morgan hesitated. The decision to end the search parties had been made after Aunt Helen was admitted to the hospital, and she didn't know. Not yet anyway. Everyone else was probably waiting for Morgan to tell her, and Morgan wasn't ready to crush her aunt's h
opes. And it wasn't exactly lying. Morgan and Bob would be continuing the search even if no one else was.
"The library," said Morgan.
"Chief Grundy is going back there? That doesn't make any sense?" Aunt Helen's eyes were completely closed now. Her words coming even slower.
"Ah... It's not Chief Grundy. There's a specialist in these kinds of cases," said Morgan. "He thinks we might have missed something. I'll be working with him while the police continue their investigation."
Aunt Helen opened her eyes. Not much, but enough to see Morgan. "Is he from the FBI? The Chief said that an expert was coming to help. That would be the FBI wouldn't it."
That was the rumor Morgan heard too. Morgan hadn't seen this new agent, but he was probably the reason the Whitebridge police changed the focus of their search.
"I can't tell you what agency he is with. I just know he's here to help." There was no way that Morgan was going to tell her aunt that her "expert" was a pint-sized demon.
"I'm glad you're helping him." Aunt Helen's eyes closed once more. "You'll tell me everything when you come back."
"Everything," said Morgan as she watched her Aunt fall asleep. She remained at her side, holding her hand for a few more minutes, wishing she could tell her Aunt everything. Not now though. Later, when Henry was safe, and Helen was back home. Then Morgan could tell her aunt everything.
Movement from the bag at her feet caught her attention. Bob had sat quietly since crawling into the pack. He now slid open the zipper and peeked out.
"She's asleep?" he asked.
Morgan nodded.
Bob stuck his arm out of the pack and handed Morgan her phone. "I made a list of things that we need for later. Is there is a hardware store nearby?"
Morgan nodded as she took the phone. She smiled at the first item in the list - a bigger backpack. Some of the other items reminded her of the things that she saw in the spellbook. There was salt for protection, nails to bind a spirit, spray paint and markers to draw symbols and candles to focus the power. There were also more mundane things too, like rope, matches, a pocket knife, bottles of water, a flashlight and a first aid kit.
Handing the phone back to Bob, she picked up her pack. Bob dropped down inside without a word of complaint. He left the zipper open so that he could look around while remaining out of sight.
It was time to go. Morgan paused at the doorway to take one more look at her aunt. She looked peaceful. Morgan hoped it would last, but she knew it was only a side effect of the drugs the doctor was giving her. Before the drugs wore off, Morgan would have to bring Henry home. Aunt Helen was counting on her.
First, Morgan needed to get out of the hospital. Stepping out of the room and into the hallway, she turned toward the elevator and spotted Alisha Stone talking to a uniformed officer. They were standing right in front of the elevator, blocking the doors to it. Morgan spun in mid step, doing a one-eighty toward the stairs at the opposite end of the corridor.
"Miss Star." The reporter's voice was loud in the hallway. "Miss Star. Please, can I have just a minute?"
Morgan didn't look back to acknowledge she heard the reporter, although she did pick up her pace. There was no way she was giving that hack even a second of her time. She risked a glance in Alisha's direction as she pushed open the stairwell door. The reporter was still at the elevator. The police officer stood in front of her, his arms spread, blocking the corridor. The reporter wasn't getting past him.
The officer running interference twisted his neck to look over his shoulder as Morgan ducked into the stairwell. She was halfway down to the next floor before the door above her clicked closed, and she didn't slow her pace until she reached the ground floor and was almost to the main doors to the hospital.
Parked in a reserved spot across the street was a Whitebridge police car. The local patrol cars all looked the same. They were all black four door sedans with a gold stripe along the door. A silver shield with the letters WPD were in the middle of the front door. There was no big three-digit number stenciled on the side to identify the vehicle, but Morgan still knew whose car it was.
Officer Jimmy Bond had winked at her just before she started down the stairs as he blocked Alisha from following her. She was positive his car hadn't been there when she arrived at the hospital. Was it just a coincidence that he showed up here now? Nope. She didn't believe that. He knew she was coming here. He even tried to offer her a ride this morning.
"Damn it," she muttered just loud enough for Bob to hear her from his hiding place in the backpack. "We're being followed." She hurried to her car and dropped the pack onto the passenger seat before climbing in and slamming the door shut. "I can't have him trailing after me when we go get Henry."
Bob crawled out of the backpack. He looked a little queasy from the rush down the stairs and across the parking lot. Traveling by backpack wasn't exactly smooth. Every hurried step sent him bouncing inside the pack. At least his time in hiding had given his body a chance to recuperate from the fight with the Hunter. His leg had fully recovered, and the red marks across his face had faded considerably. They were barely noticeable, and in another hour there would be no sign of them.
The little demon took a deep breath. "We definitely need to find a better way for me to travel." He held up his hand and pinched his thumb and index together with just a tiny gap between them. "I was this close to tossing my cookies all over your backpack. Trust me. You do not want to have to clean up demon vomit. The smell alone will bring tears to your eyes."
Morgan was barely listening to Bob. Instead, she leaned over him to rummage through the glove compartment. It took her only a few seconds to find what she was looking for, a multi-tool still in the original fake leather case. It was one of those pliers, knife, screwdriver folding things that her dad always kept in the car in case of an emergency. This probably wasn't what he had in mind, but it should work perfectly for what she planned to do.
In his best Mr. Spock impersonation, Bob raised an eyebrow on one eye. Considering how bushy his eyebrows were, it looked like a caterpillar was crawling up his face. "What are you doing?"
She slid the tool out of the case and pried open the knife blade. It was stiff to move, but otherwise the knife seemed in good shape. The blade was sharp and rust free.
"I'm going to poke a couple of holes in his tires so that he can't follow us."
Morgan opened the driver's side door and had one foot on the pavement of the parking lot when Bob grabbed her right wrist and pulled her back. For a little guy, he had a firm grip, but he probably only weighed twenty pounds. Still Morgan didn't jerk away from him. "What?" she asked.
"You can't do that," he said. "We're right outside the hospital. There have to be cameras all over the place. If you start slicing tires, everyone will know who did it. I don't know if he is really following you or not, but if you are spotted vandalizing his car you can bet he won't be the only one looking for you. Somehow I doubt we'll get adjoining cells when they lock you up."
"What do you suggest then," asked Morgan. "We can't just have him showing up where ever we are."
"We could just leave," said Bob. "It's not like he is here now to follow us, and this time he doesn't know where you are going."
Morgan bit her lip. Something didn't feel right about Officer Jimmy. It gave her the creeps not knowing what, but she wanted to trust her instincts. She remembered being told that having that skin crawling feeling was just her body reacting to something her conscious mind hadn't picked up on yet. A few weeks ago, she might have shrugged it off, but not today, with a demon sitting next to her in the front seat of her car. Yeah, today seemed like a good day to keep an open mind and to follow her gut.
Risky or not, she didn't want him following her anymore. "It's worth the risk," she said. "I'll be subtle. No one will notice." She started to slide out of her seat when she saw movement near the sliding door at the entrance to the hospital. Someone in uniform was standing on the other side of the glass door. The reflection on the
glass was horrible, making it impossible to clearly see his face. It could be Officer Jimmy. The officer's build seemed right.
She pulled her foot back in the car like she had stepped on something hot and slammed the door closed. "Crap," she said. "It's too late. He's watching us."
Bob stood up on his seat and peeked over the edge of the window. "He's just standing there. That's more than a little creepy."
"Yeah, right," said Morgan folding the knife and dropping it in the cup holder between the front seats. "There's no way I'm slicing his tires while he's watching. We'll have to figure out another way to lose him."
The little demon smiled, showing off his crooked teeth. "Moda, slicing the tires was never a good idea. You are still thinking like a regular person. Get over it. You stopped being regular when you found that book and decided to summon me. You're a witch now. It's time to own that."
"What do you expect me to do? Go out there and paint a circle around his car so that I can banish it. I'm sure no one will notice that."
"Magic isn't just rituals. There are enchantments and," Bob paused. "Never mind. We'll talk about that later. For now, just trust me and take my hand."
She didn't hesitate. It was too late to start worrying about things like trust. Bob was right. She summoned him, and it was time she owned that.
"That's good," said Bob. "Now, focus on the car tires. You wanted to slice the tires. Imagine what that would have been like. Picture it in your head. Visualize the knife stabbing into the side of the tire and the air rushing out as soon as you pull the blade free."
Morgan leaned forward in her seat, staring at the police car. She squinted her eyes against the glare of the sun. The muscles in her neck stood out. After about thirty seconds she gave up. "Nothing's happening," she said. "I don't know what I'm doing."
"Listen," said Bob. "Nobody knows what they are doing until they do it. You can do this. Magic is part of you. That book of yours is like a road map. You can use it to follow someone else, and it will help you get there faster, but someone had to blaze that trail the first time. They went through the same thing that you are going through right now, except they didn't give up. You want to rescue your cousin? This is how you do it."
