Dying Light

by Kory M. Shrum

She steers the boat into the middle of the small canal and turns the motor on full blast. The little boat lurches forward, kicking up mist and wind in our hair.

  I don’t look away from the illuminated bank, waiting for the next monster to show his face.

  Chapter 22

  Jesse

  Caldwell steps from the bulbous head of The Needle and in a heartbeat, we’re outside a brick building in some godforsaken part of Chicago. Godforsaken because I’ve never seen a shadier, more depressing street. Most of the lights have been busted out, with the exception of one tangerine colored bulb that flickers about half a block up. In the spotlight below, a mangy cat licks its paw.

  “Where the hell are we?”

  “You don’t recognize it?” He spares me a glance. “I suppose your friends don’t tell you all their secrets.”

  “Don’t imply that you’re the god of truth.”

  He gestures with his wrapped hands toward the building directly in front of us, its front door busted in on its hinges. I peek inside and hear people talking. A closer look reveals a small huddle of bewildered tenants clustered together.

  “What’s going on?” I ask him. I don’t like the wide eyes of the woman holding a baby in her arms.

  “We’re too late,” he says and grabs on to me. The world disappears for a heartbeat, and we step into a room. The kitchen table is overturned and the bed has some crumpled sheets on it, as if someone had just woken up. With my head out the window, I see nothing on the ground below. Caldwell moves me again.

  “Hey—” Stop yanking me around. I’m about to say. I don’t get it all out.

  Now we are in the backyard, or whatever you want to call this. A stretch of grass runs from the back of the building to a canal, one of the many that no doubt connects to Lake Michigan.

  Caldwell is frowning at the ground. I turn away from the canal and come to stand beside him. He’s staring at a thick slick of something gooey.

  “Is that—?”

  “So he can even heal brain damage. Interesting.”

  “Oh god.” I search for the bodies of my friends, but I don’t see anything.

  “They’re not here,” he tells me. “But he’ll catch up to them sooner or later. We would’ve been here sooner if you hadn’t argued with me.”

  I snort. “Don’t you get enough blind followers from your congregation?” I frown. “Gloria must’ve brought them here thinking it was safe. Guess that means you know all of our supposedly secret places?”

  “Unless you have a sealed underground room without windows, doors, or cameras—you can be found.”

  “Assuming you killed everyone who knew about the room.” My breath billows white around my face in the icy air.

  He gives me a wicked smile.

  “Of course you had your builders killed.” I’m not even surprised. “So now what?”

  “We have to catch up to them before Jason does. Are you ready?”

  “Oh, you’re asking my permission to manhandle me now?”

  Caldwell looks away from me for a minute, his head cocked as if he’s listening to something. “The police are coming.”

  “How do you know?”

  He gives me a malicious grin and taps the side of his head. “I’m listening. Frances of 1212 Ducet street just saw a car creep past her house. They’re coming with no lights or sirens on. They must be canvassing for the gunman.”

  “How are we going to find them?” I ask, unwilling to take a step toward him yet.

  His fox grin grows wider. “Let me show you how useful I can be.”

  He steps toward me, his wrapped hands raised up like little crab claws. I have to admit that I’m surprised he wrapped his hands just to placate me. When he can use his mind-whatever to control people and has unlimited freedom with his teleporting thingy—I guess having your hands tied isn’t much of a sacrifice.

  I hold my hands up to stop him. “Stop looking so creepy or I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  The moment the words get out of my mouth, several colorless forms whip around the building.

  “Police. Hands up.”

  Caldwell grabs onto me and we disappear. There is a moment of darkness—no, darkness isn’t right. When I’m in a dark room and there’s simply no light, the room hasn’t disappeared. I can still see the furniture and belongings, and after a moment, their shapes begin to come into focus. Stepping between places with Caldwell was more like stepping into nothing than into a dark room. A heartbeat of void, and then we are on the Magnificent Mile, watching a single pair of skaters take a turn about the ice.

  “What time is it?” I ask, as a man lifts his female partner up into the air before placing her on her skates again.

  “Almost eleven.”

  I point at the skaters. “Can they be out here?”

  “They can do whatever they want,” Caldwell says and points at the empty box-office. No one is here to chase them away.

  “So where are they?” I don’t see Ally or Gloria or even Sasquatch anywhere on the illuminated streets stretching out around me.

  Caldwell turns left and heads north. I follow him, my breath huffing white around my head as I struggle to keep up. We scurry past a bank, a burrito place, and a coffee shop. A few blocks up, the canal comes into view. Caldwell stops on the bridge and leans over so he can peer beneath. I try to do the same but I’m too short.

  “There’s her boat.” Caldwell straightens and turns in all directions. He squints as if trying to see something far away, with his head slightly cocked as if also listening. Then a grin spreads across his face.

  “There.”

  I follow his finger. I don’t see anything through the herds of people walking from one destination to another. Some women are dressed in ridiculous heels and short skirts that are definitely giving them vaginal hypothermia. Whatever bar they’re heading to can’t possibly be worth it, right? I mean, I never wear that stuff, and I’ve never had a problem getting laid.

  “There,” Caldwell urges again, turning my chin slightly to the left.

  Now I see her. The red coat is a dead giveaway. Not to mention Sasquatch standing beside her.

  “Ally.” I call her name. She’s still talking to Sasquatch as they wait for the light to change and the crosswalk to illuminate. I cup my hands over my mouth. “Ally.”

  Someone screams and several people stagger back.

  I see Gloria’s gun go up, and I’m running.

  Caldwell slips his arm under mine mid-step. There’s a step of nothing, and then I’m almost right on top of them.

  “Ally,” I scream again. The shield goes up around her, knocking Sasquatch back a pace. Gloria’s face washes with relief when she sees me, her gun faltering for a second. Jason tackles her, slamming her into the ground. She cries out as the two of them connect with the pavement, knocking back a second time as they roll into Ally’s shield.

  “Get off of her.” I bend down and grab Jason’s head. I twist his hair in my hands and yank him backward off of Gloria. As soon as he realizes it’s me, he drops her and grabs onto my throat.

  He starts to squeeze and I see stars. I wrench myself out of his grip and expect for him to try again, but his body convulses and doubles over. My eyes follow the wires sticking out of his back to the black electroshock weapon held in Sasquatch’s hand.

  Caldwell is just standing to the side watching us, a huge grin on his face as if this is the best show ever.

  I throw my hands up. “I thought you said you were going to make yourself useful!”

  All eyes go from me to Caldwell. Ally, Nikki, and Gloria all take a step back from him, bumping into a few of the closest lookie-lous. I think he likes their fear. His grin certainly deepens.

  Jason slams into my midsection and knocks me off my feet. My head connects with the pavement and the world spins. For a moment, I see nothing but color, smeared and unrecognizable.

  Ally screams and I force the world into focus. Someone is pulling me to my feet, and I see Jason dragging
Ally away from Caldwell, using her as a shield, as if Caldwell gives a damn about saving her life. The sight of Ally being used against me, again, sends me into a rage.

  I power up without thinking. Blue flames erupt around me and the crowd screams. A few “holy shit”s and “what the fuck” exclamations ripple through the crowd. Jason shoves Ally down onto the street.

  “About time.” Jason launches himself at me.

  “Run.” I motion for Ally and everyone around me to take cover.

  Jason doesn’t stop coming. He sticks his arms right into the blue flame and his flesh ignites. I take a step back and punch him in the chest once, a poorly aimed strike. The second blow connects with his solar plexus and he stumbles back. The burns all along his body start to heal themselves.

  Jason grins. “I can do this all night.”

  “Well, I haven’t the time for that.” Caldwell shoves his taped hands into the blue flames and lets the fire burn off the bindings. He steps back, hands in flames and shakes off the remnants of tape.

  Ally and Gloria are hiding in the alcove of a Starbucks, using a concrete pillar as their shield. I put the shield around Ally again, realizing it must have faltered as my head bounced off the concrete.

  I prepare myself for Jason’s second attack.

  Caldwell doesn’t let him get that far. With his hands free of the tape, he grabs Jason and disappears.

  “Hey,” I yell. “Hey.”

  My fire pulses and the few remaining people around me run screaming.

  That jerk. I should’ve known his goal was to get ahold of Jason and kill him for his power. I should’ve known he wanted it all for himself. What an idiot I am—

  Something slams into the pavement ten feet in front of me. Caldwell appears beside the sack of meat, looking down at the busted mess that was Jason.

  I look up and then down at the body again. I turn to Caldwell. “You threw him off a building?”

  “Heal that.” Caldwell tugs at the bottom of his suit jacket. When Caldwell sees me staring, he starts to laugh like he’s just made a joke. It’s infectious. Before I know it, I’m giggling too. That is, until I see Ally giving me the most horrified look, like she just caught me bludgeoning baby seals or something.

  “Go on,” Caldwell encourages me, his smile still bright. “If you scatter his brains, he can’t regenerate. Just smear them all over the concrete.”

  I blink several times, search for the right thing to say. “Uh, that’s a sweet offer, but I don’t really have any interest in plunging my fingers into someone’s mushy brains. Thanks.”

  “It’s how you’ll absorb his power.” Caldwell kneels down and points at the split skullcap. “You have to be the one to finish him. Go on.”

  I take a step toward Jason’s body. It’s completely busted. It’s not murder if he can’t heal, right? And I’m not the one who threw him off the building. Mega healing powers would be pretty great.

  “Hurry,” Caldwell urges me as I step closer.

  “Jesse, what are you doing?”

  “Isn’t this what you wanted? You said you want me to be invincible.”

  “Not here.” She looks around the crowded street. “Not like this. Everyone can see you. This is going to be all over the news.”

  “Oh, right.” Caldwell snaps his fingers.

  I suck in a breath, waiting for his power to disable us. Ally should be okay. She’s in the shield, but Gloria and I are completely exposed.

  He cocks his head and snaps his fingers again. “As in, I have an idea? Eureka?”

  I’m not comforted.

  “To be clear, I will take care of the crowd.” Caldwell turns toward the mass of people. Several step back, except for one woman who actually looks a little closer at Caldwell’s face.

  Her face alights with recognition. “Are you Timothy Caldwell? You are, aren’t you? I’ve been to one of your shows.”

  “No.” Caldwell meets her eyes. “In fact, you’ve never seen me before. Go home and feed your cat, Dorothy.”

  The woman blinks, shakes her head. Without another glance, Dorothy shuffles past us toward the subway, on her way home to feed her cat, presumably.

  I meet Caldwell’s gaze. “You can’t mind wipe everyone.”

  He bristles at this, tugging the end of his suit jacket. “Ye of little faith.”

  Concentration overtakes his face. He turns toward the crowd and the emergency crews on the outer edge of the cluster.

  A strange feeling washes over me. A sort of buzz that presses on the inside of my skull, like my head might pop off. I stick a finger in my ear and it doesn’t help. I feel like my ears need to pop, but holding my nose doesn’t help.

  Something happens to the crowd. Everyone has stopped moving. A general shuffling or bewilderment has prevailed amidst the chaos. Now, people are standing around zombiefied. The atmosphere changes again. People begin to blink and shuffle away. Several people step around Jason’s body as if it isn’t there—and not in an oh-my-god-a-busted-body kind of way. It’s more like a hobo-sleeping-in-the-street kind of way.

  “Wait, what?” I watch the crowd disperse. “What’s happening?”

  “Nikki,” Ally yells. “Nikki, stop.”

  I turn to see Nikki walking away from us. She has her shoulder bag lifted high, and she’s walking away from us like she can’t hear Ally.

  Ally turns wide fearful eyes on me. “Stop her.”

  I try not to smile, but I can’t help it. Sending Nikki away is a fantastic trick. Why shouldn’t she walk to the end of the Earth and never come back?

  I giggle and catch Caldwell smiling at me. That sobers me up.

  “Jesse. Help me.” Ally screams again. She’s pushing both her hands against Nikki’s chest, but she won’t stop trying to walk to the subway entrance.

  “Can you stop her?” I ask Caldwell.

  He arches an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want me to?”

  I consider this, but another yelp from Ally and I concede. “God, yes. Okay.”

  Nikki stops trying to push through Ally and descend the subway stairs. She blinks at all of us for several heartbeats and her eyes focus on Ally. “What happened?”

  “He’s healing.” Caldwell nudges me, bringing my attention back to the mess at my feet. “You don’t have much time.”

  Gloria steps out of her dim corner in the Starbucks alcove. ““Don’t do it, Jesse. It will change you.”

  I arch an eyebrow. “In a good way? Like teeth whitening or a dye job?”

  “No,” Gloria says.

  “Don’t frighten her, Jackson.” The malice returns to Caldwell’s voice. The fun is over. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t I? I was with you when you took Henry Chaplain’s gift.”

  Caldwell’s eyes narrow on mine. “This is your last chance. You can’t expect me to throw a man off a building for you every day.”

  “Really? You seem to like this sort of thing.”

  Caldwell grabs my arm and wrenches me forward. “Just scoop out his brains with your hands, and it’ll all be over. No more worrying about him hunting your friends. You’ll be indestructible, and you can use your shield to protect Alice. It’s perfect.”

  It sounds perfect.

  Ally’s face is a mixture of fear and worry. “It’s too good to be true. There must be a catch.”

  Caldwell shoves me down onto Jason’s body.

  My hands shoot out to protect myself from the fall and I connect with something warm and mushy. My hands are in Jason’s skull. Ugh. My gag reflex is activated and I’m about to puke. I stand up and come away with a fistful of Jason’s brains.

  Oh shit—

  It’s all I manage to comprehend before white fire erupts in my eyes. I’m convinced I’m being boiled alive by my own firebomb somehow, but this seems like a strong reaction to touching some brains. Super gross, but not spontaneous combustion worthy.

  I can’t stop screaming. I fall, a moment of weightlessness overtakes me bef
ore I connect with, presumably, the concrete. At least it feels like rough concrete as I grope for anything to grab on to. But I can’t open my eyes. I can’t see anything or feel anything but the white hot pain ripping me in two.

  Chapter 23

  Ally

  Jesse pulls herself away from Jason’s body and they erupt in blue fire. Jason’s corpse disintegrates immediately, but Jesse just burns.

  In color and intensity, the flames are similar to Jesse’s firebombs, yet this blue is more pure, white almost, and not tinged with the red of her initial start-up. Blisters spring up along the side of her hands and face, running up her body as she screams. She tries to stand and collapses. She howls in pain, clutching her head and wailing.

  I search the ground for anything to throw on her, a piece of cloth or heavy blanket that might put out the fire. I tear off my coat and jolt forward to wrap Jesse in it, but Nikki grabs hold of me.

  “Hey—” I try to wrench free of her. “Let go.”

  “You’ll burn before you ever get close to her,” Nikki says, tightening her grip. I try to wrench myself free. “Look. Look.”

  I crane my head around to see what she’s talking about. A thin sheen of gas, a cloud about a foot in diameter is burning the atmosphere around her. Caldwell’s pants catch fire and he steps back, patting at the fabric. The sidewalk is charred black in a radius beneath Jesse.

  “I can’t let her burn,” I scream.

  “She’ll heal.” Nikki insists. “You won’t.”

  “What did you do?” I yell at Caldwell, finding a target for my anger. His smug smile and wide expectant eyes incite me more. I move toward him, but Nikki’s hold on me tightens.

  Finally, the blue fire flickers, dies down, and Jesse’s screams cease. She hits the ground hard and doesn’t move again.

  “No.” Gloria jumps forward from her place in the alcove.

  Caldwell grabs hold of Jesse’s head, exposing her long neck for the blade he’s pulled from somewhere.

  Gloria shoves her gun into his temple, placing one hand on his shoulder. He can’t teleport unless he wants to take Gloria with him, and he can’t move unless he wants a bullet to the brain.