American Demon Hunters_An Urban Fantasy Supernatural Thriller

by J. Thorn

But the memory went beyond.

  The woman ceased to exist and then reappeared, like a draft that can’t quite extinguish a candle. She flickered and then reemerged. The name came to him without an explanation.

  Reversion.

  And in that moment, he knew what it was. The woman was on another plane of existence, one as real as his. Yet she was in a place that was different. The world of the reversion was winding down, coming undone, and she had no idea why or what to do while she was there. He felt the confusion in her head along with a glimmer of survival instinct. She would keep going, fighting through the unknown in an afterlife she didn’t know existed moments before. There would be others in this reversion and they would all be seeking redemption, trying to break free of a recursive cycle of death and rebirth.

  Although not all entered that world through the path of suicide, this woman did. She fell from a noose in a suicide forest where countless others had before her. Corey also felt the evil lurking in that world, the way he could feel it in this one. Whatever force granted absolution to those landing in the reversion also generated the evil that consumed it. And in the final moments of those collapsing worlds, entities would slip out and enter his world like a hidden, malignant cancer. Those entities would take many forms, but all of them coalesced, at one point or another, into a Gaki. A Preta.

  This was the single manifestation of evil spread across humanity from the beginning of time. Preta was the demon, vampire, ghost and devil. And those summoned by well-meaning citizens of Cleveland Heights would eventually become a Gaki.

  Corey shivered and as the memory faded, an image of his father’s face flashed in his mind. His father believed he found a mathematical way of stunting the de-evolution of a summoned soul into a Gaki.

  Corey was not so certain.

  When Corey opened his eyes and looked around the familiar room, he saw Dr. Singleton and Dr. Lisander standing next to his bed. They were both staring at him. Lisander clutched a tissue in one hand while Singleton held a clipboard pressed to his chest.

  “What did you remember, Corey?” Lisander asked. The question would have sounded ridiculous to the lay person, but she knew that was how non-local perception worked. “Tell us about the memory.”

  Singleton looked at Corey and the answer instantly popped into his head. In both of their heads. It wasn’t a voice, but more like an internal broadcast delivering the information. Corey’s skills were advancing as rapidly as the anniversary of his mother’s death.

  She killed herself, but she’s not dead.

  Lisander squinted and squatted down so her face was in line with Corey’s. He had his upper body propped up on his elbows.

  “Who? What do you mean?”

  The woman my dad asked to help him in the summoning. She couldn’t do it. She was worried about contaminating the world with whatever would come through the portal. My dad will be alone tomorrow unless I help him, Corey said to Lisander.

  “Unless you help him? Has he asked you to help him?” Lisander asked.

  Not with words.

  “I’m going to let your grandparents know everything is fine and we’ll be finishing up soon,” Singleton said.

  “I’ll stay with Corey.”

  Singleton left the room.

  “I think he knew he was not really part of our conversation,” Lisander said.

  Corey smiled and sat up. He hugged his knees.

  I wanted to make my own decisions. I wanted to be in charge. Now I think it totally sucks.

  Dr. Lisander smiled and tousled the boy’s shaggy, curly hair.

  “You’re officially a teenager. Congratulations.”

  Corey’s face turned red.

  What does that mean for tomorrow? What am I going to do?

  “I don’t know, hon. I honestly don’t know.”

  Chapter 43

  “I need to leave with Corey.”

  Fred sat on the couch next to Martha while Corey sat in the recliner across from them. Hank stood one step inside of the door, the snow melting and dripping from his shoulders onto the entryway floor. His face was long and pale with dark rings beneath his eyes and his shoulders slumped forward.

  “Come in and sit down.”

  Hank sighed but nodded at Martha. He slipped his coat off and tossed it over the back of a chair and walked to the middle of the living room. He remained standing.

  “I’m sorry about Lori. I know you and Michelle were good friends of hers.”

  Hank nodded at Fred but stood still and quiet.

  “Where are you two going?” Fred asked.

  “We need some time together. We need to figure things out.”

  Corey looked at the floor while his dad spoke.

  “Can we help?” Martha asked.

  “You’ve done more than any man could possibly expect. I’ll be forever grateful.”

  “You still have a choice,” Fred said.

  “No, I don’t. I respect you and I understand why you’d say that. I know Michelle was your daughter and I’m putting you in a difficult place, but I don’t have a choice. I have to do this for Corey. For Michelle. For all of us.”

  “What do you think, Corey?” Martha asked. “You can choose.”

  Corey looked up at his grandmother with tears in his eyes. He rose and stood next to his father.

  “You know you can stay here tonight. You don’t have to spend your last night together in a filthy motel,” Fred said.

  “It's going to be our last night alone,” Hank said. “Tomorrow night we’ll all be together again.”

  “No matter what your death maps and calculations say, that’s not going to happen,” Martha said. “It's not going to play out the way you think. We won’t stop you. Nobody can. But we’ve been at this longer than you. Fred and I know the risk and the odds. The Order wouldn’t exist if summonings worked the way you think yours will.”

  “That’s because they haven’t been done correctly. I’ve studied this stuff. I know what I’m doing,” Hank said.

  “Every person in this town who has attempted a summoning said the exact same thing. They all believe the bad stuff happens to other people, that they will be different. It's never been that way. If we could educate ourselves through the process, we wouldn’t need the Order and we certainly wouldn’t need hunters.”

  “I respect what you’re saying, Fred, but it doesn’t change how I feel about it. It doesn’t change what I think I have to do. Corey will decide what he’s going to do and if he’s with me, I’m positive we can bring Michelle back.”

  “We are too,” Martha said. “We’re certain you’ll summon her and that’s what we’re afraid of.”

  Hank nodded as Fred and Martha stood. He stepped forward and embraced his mother-in-law and then his father-in-law.

  “Thank you for everything. Michelle is going to be so appreciative of the way you’ve helped keep the family together this past year. She’s going to be so thrilled to see you again.”

  Hank put his arm around Corey and walked to the door, leaving Fred and Martha in a room empty of everything but tears.

  Chapter 44

  The Next Day

  Michelle’s Death Anniversary (December 9, 2014)

  Fred, Martha, George and Sonya were already inside the main room, beneath the largest observation dome in the Warner and Swasey Observatory. Twilight settled on northeast Ohio and the gray December haze filtered through the broken panels of the dome. The stink of stale beer and tobacco never left the room, in part because of the teenagers who continued to contribute to the detritus. A few renegade snowflakes flittered through the broken windows and the cold wind did battle with the candles positioned around the room.

  Two car doors slammed in the distance while the Order stood in silence. Hank stepped inside with Corey behind him. When he spoke, the natural reverberation hummed through the room like an electric guitar.

  “Where’s the rest of the Order?” he asked.

  “This is the inner core. If this group can’t ful
fill the duty, nobody can,” Singleton said.

  “Any activity coming from the portal?” Hank asked.

  “Not yet,” Lisander said. “Although once you draw Michelle’s death map, I’m sure Singleton will get a reading.”

  Dr. Singleton held up an electronic device as if to prove this was a scientific endeavor, not paranormal.

  “This is your last chance to let her rest in peace,” Martha said. “Once you draw the map, the portal will open and we will all be left to deal with whatever comes through it, good and bad.”

  “I understand,” Hank said.

  Corey stood next to his father while making eye contact with the other adults in the room. His gaze moved from Lisander to Singleton and then to his grandparents.

  “The candles are lit,” Fred said.

  Hank walked to the wall where all of the past summonings began. He saw the crudely drawn maps. Some were in chalk and others paint, but all where white and stood out in stark relief against the knotted pine paneling. He removed a hunk of chalk from his pocket and, like the math professor he was for so many years, gripped it and raised it to a black space on the wall. Hank had Michelle’s star chart seared into his memory. He would not need to glance at a copy or ask for help. Once he started the sketch he would be able to close his eyes and let his hand go. Hank put the edge of the chalk to the wall.

  “Please, Hank,” Singleton said. “At least let me draw it for you so I can make sure the measurements are precise.”

  “I’m sorry,” Hank said, sketching Michelle’s death map on the wall.

  Singleton’s electronic meter flashed blue and then red. At the same time, a vibration cycled through the observatory. It sounded like the blades of a lawnmower thumping against tall weeds. The sound increased in intensity, synchronized with the red pulsing on Singleton’s meter. A pinpoint of light appeared on the wall opposite the door. It was pure white at first. The edges grew outward and turned into a dull silver, bathing the room in a weak glow that competed with the candles.

  Fred and Martha stood by, staring at the wall covered in old death maps. Some were faded and others were partially obscured by graffiti, but evidence of all past summonings was there, like a grotesque gallery of family photos. Hank’s hand moved, producing a scraping sound where the dusty chalk evolved into Michelle’s death map. Singleton held his device in the air while Lisander, Fred, Martha and Corey remained still and quiet.

  The portal expanded at the same rate as Hank’s sketch. It was the entire height and width of the wall. Singleton’s meter pulsed red as if it were a beacon for warning low-flying aircraft.

  “It’s opening. The summoned spirit is coming closer. If you abort now, you might be able to stop it,” Singleton said.

  Michelle’s death map was almost finished. Hank kept drawing. The light of the portal flickered and the thrumming vibrations ceased. The air in the room felt electrified and heavy. Martha grabbed for Corey’s hand while Fred and Sonya took a step closer to each other. Singleton’s feet were fixed to the floor, his instrument pointed at the expanding portal.

  “She’s coming,” Singleton said to Hank.

  Hank opened his eyes and saw his wife. Her red hair appeared black in the light of the portal, her bangs slicing down her forehead and over her ears. She wore the black dress from the funeral, the one she donned when they put her cold, dead body in the ground. Her chin was down and she raised her head, crossing the portal from the land of the dead to that of the living.

  Fred and Martha gasped while Corey stood as though paralyzed. Lisander took a step forward, while Singleton continued to monitor the readings coming through his device.

  Hank held out his hand, a wide grin splitting his face like an exaggerated Halloween mask. Michelle’s eyes met his and her mouth began to peak at the corners. But Michelle never formed a complete smile and she dropped the hand that was aiming to grasp Hank’s.

  Michelle looked around the room, seeing her parents and her son. She closed her eyes, squeezing tears from them both. And then she asked Hank a question, the last one he ever expected to hear from her.

  “Why did you do this?”

  Hank took a step forward, so close to her he could see the crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes. He saw the dimple on her chin and the birthmark on her right cheek near her ear.

  “Because I love you and we need you. We’re bringing you home, Michelle. You belong with the people who love you.”

  “Oh, Hank. Why? Why would you do this?”

  The question battered his ears like jabs from a heavyweight boxer. It was not the response he expected.

  “For Corey. I brought you back for Corey, so he can have a mom again.”

  Michelle shook her head and stood on the floor in front of Hank, now completely through the portal. Her corporeal form was part of this world. Corey took a step closer, But Michelle held out both hands and shook her head.

  “No. That would doom us all, sweetie. You are destined for greater things. I have seen it on the other side. Stay away from me. The world will need you to help prevent these portals from ever opening again. Your dad,” she said, talking about Hank like he wasn’t there, “he didn’t know what he was doing. He did this out of love, but that won’t change what happens in the end.”

  Lisander and Singleton remained quiet while Fred and Martha stepped closer.

  “Hi, hon,” Fred said to his resurrected daughter.

  “We’ve missed you,” Martha said.

  “Hi, Dad. Hi, Mom,” Michelle said. “I’m glad I’m getting the chance to tell you how much I love you. You were the best parents any kid could have.”

  Martha turned and buried her face in Fred’s shoulder while he rubbed the back of his wife’s head.

  “We love you too, honey,” Fred said.

  Michelle smiled at Corey.

  “You need a haircut.”

  Corey returned the smile, but kept his distance.

  “I’ll talk to your dad about that.”

  Hank looked at his son and at his dead wife. He looked at the tops of his shoes and then back at her, unsure what to do next. He wanted to take her home, pamper her and tell her about all of the things they would now get to do as a family. He would explain how the drunk driver who killed her would not get to ruin their future any longer. But most of all, Hank wanted to tell her he loved her. Every day. For the rest of his life.

  “There isn’t much time left,” Michelle said, turning to Hank.

  “We have our entire life together,” he said.

  “No. We don’t. It's what my parents and these scientists have been trying to tell you. Nobody rides for free. This conversation we’re having, the one that’s going to end soon, this comes with a price and I’m sure you’re not ready to pay it.”

  Hank could already sense an edge creeping into Michelle’s voice. He saw it in her eyes as well. The words were coming from her mouth and he was sure they came from her spirit too. But something else was creeping out of her like a weed popping through the crack in a sidewalk.

  “Nobody ever thinks about what happens after a summoning. In all of your charts and data analysis, you’re not considering what I will have to do when the forces in my cells come forth and change me. You can’t control it, Hank. You can’t modify the metamorphosis. You’re going to find out the hard way what happens when you fuck with the portal, when you dick around with a Gaki. There’s a reason for the Order.”

  Hank stepped back from Michelle as her words changed in timbre and tone. He saw clumps of her hair fall out and her eyes darkened. Michelle’s skin went from a pasty white to a bluish-gray hue and her arms began to thin and extend. The funeral dress hung on her emaciating frame as her belly extended in a grotesque bulge. He remembered the last time that happened, when she was pregnant with Corey. Now it seemed like an abomination of the act of creation, a wicked deception of motherhood.

  “That’s all you get,” Michelle said.

  Michelle’s form continued to morph as she repeated the
words. She hissed, showing sharp, pointed teeth inside a crowded mouth. The smell of rotten eggs filled the room.

  Singleton brushed past Hank, holding his instrument up in front of Michelle and the portal. She hissed at him, the transformation to Gaki almost complete.

  “You want better readings, doctor?” Michelle asked.

  Singleton glanced at the LCD display and to the portal, back and forth.

  “A sacrifice in the name of science, right?”

  The Gaki reached out with a thin arm and grabbed Singleton by the shoulder. The move surprised the man, forcing him to drop his instrument. His face was now inches from the Gaki’s and the creature pulled him forward while lifting him into the air, until Singleton’s feet were no longer touching the ground. With a strength untapped and unexpected from the thin creature, the Gaki thrust the doctor higher, his feet now a foot off the ground. Singleton struggled to breathe as the Gaki had his hand around the doctor’s neck.

  “You’ll go down in history along with the other idiots foolish enough to think their calculations make a bit of difference in this world.”

  Singleton gasped and his legs kicked in the air striking nothing. The Gaki tossed Singleton through the portal. A brilliant, soundless flash erupted and his dark silhouette was burned on the wall for an instant before disappearing like the after-image on an old computer monitor. His weak scream faded and he was gone.

  Lisander stepped back, as did Fred and Martha. Corey had not moved and only Hank was within the creature’s reach.

  “Honey, don’t,” Hank said. “We can work this out.”

  The comment sounded ridiculous even to him, but at the same time, it seemed to be the only logical thing to say. His wife was pissed and he’d have to talk it out with her.

  Hank smiled, until the Gaki turned and looked at him. The demon’s face curled into a snarl and nothing but evil was buried in its eyes. Hank could sense the countless eons it spent robbing humans of their eternal rest. Gakis taunted them over hundreds of thousands of years, providing a glimmer of hope where none existed. And now Hank felt the regret of those who came before him.