Strange Days (Bill of the Dead Book 1)

by Rick Gualtieri

  Oh crap.

  “It’s time for us to return to The Source.”

  MINER SIXTY-NINER

  “Oh, is that all?” Ed asked, echoing what I’m sure most of us were thinking. “Because I was really hoping to be able to see that shit hole again one day.”

  “Trust me, I doubt any of us have rosy memories of that place.”

  “In that you are incorrect, my love,” Gan replied. “It is where Alexander was finally laid low. I consider that a most fond memory.”

  “You would.”

  “Much as I would like to put my faith in the Blessed One,” Vincent said, steering us back on track, “times have changed. Even if she is, as we hope, still our friend, there’s no telling what her allies may do. What if we hand over this spell and they turn on us?”

  “It would be a violation of parlay,” Christy said. Yeah, no shit there. “But you’re right. We should go into this assuming a worst case scenario.”

  “I may be able to assist with that,” Gan replied with a nod of her head. “Following the assault upon my facility in Damascus, I set my people to work excavating the collapsed section of tunnel. Upon last report, they are within reach of achieving their goal. I have a sizable force on standby for that eventuality.”

  Tom turned to face her. “Okay. So why not let them handle this shit instead?”

  “Because this is supposed to be a rescue mission, not a bloodbath, genius,” I pointed out.

  “You speak true, my love. And though I have already calculated the potential losses and deemed them acceptable...”

  “Of course you did.”

  “...I also realize doing so would cause you consternation. Therefore, I propose we follow our set course and utilize my people as a backup solution should we fail.”

  “A fuck you from beyond the grave,” Tom said. “I dig it. So what do we need to do to make this shit happen?”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Turned out the what was easy compared to the who and where.

  Our course of action required us to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Problem was, we didn’t know when that moment would be. We couldn’t afford to wait where we were much longer.

  Sadly, our options were pretty much limited to my place, which would put Dave back in close quarters with Gan, joy of joys. Given enough time I had little doubt he’d mouth off again, and I really didn’t care to get pummeled with another case of moisturizing cream.

  However, she offered an alternate suggestion that was quite possibly even nuttier.

  “We should return to the whore’s domicile and set up there.”

  “First of all, stop calling her that. Secondly, need I remind you her place is an active crime scene, much like this one?”

  “Yeah,” Ed replied. “You were right there with us.”

  “Ah, Progenitor,” Gan said, “I see you share my love’s youthful naivety, albeit in a less endearing fashion.”

  Tom chuckled. “Epic burn from the former half pint.”

  “Bite me, Slimer.” Ed turned to face Gan again. “Why her place? Don’t tell me you don’t have a penthouse apartment somewhere in the city.”

  “Several, as a matter of fact,” Gan replied. “However, I am aware of the witch’s base distrust of me. Neutral ground will likely cause far less consternation during a time that is best spent focused. Besides, I disagree. The whore’s abode may have suffered damage from our intruders, but it is not, as my love professes, an active crime scene.”

  I was about to argue when I realized she might be right. Had the cops been notified in any way, they’d have been swarming the place by the time we got there. But they hadn’t been. Coupled with the lack of neighbors and the overall fortified structure of the building...

  “I see you are putting two and two together, my darling. It stands to reason that the only ones aware anything there is amiss are us and Komak’s people. And I can see no reason for them to revisit her home, having already gotten what they came for.”

  Damn it all, but she had a point. We bantered back and forth a bit more, but with few options left to us, it was quickly, if reluctantly, agreed upon. In a way, I guess it was fitting that the place Sally had been abducted from would serve as the kick-off point for her rescue.

  As we prepared to move out, the conversation turned toward the obvious problem of Tina. Thankfully, not even Gan was insane enough to suggest we bring her along to Hell’s front porch. Walking thermonuclear weapon or not, she was still a small child.

  Sadly, we were short on babysitters. Tom’s parents were down in New Jersey, too far a drive to risk missing our window of opportunity ... and way too risky in case any vamps came knocking.

  What we needed was someone close by and knowledgeable enough to keep an eye out for Komak or Liz ... which meant a member of our already small circle.

  Christy and Kelly were must-haves on this expedition. No question there. Gan, too, both for her skills as well as the fact none of us were insane enough to entrust her with a goldfish much less Tina.

  Fortunately, Kelly stepped up to the plate with the perfect volunteer – her husband.

  Vincent wasn’t happy with the idea, mostly the part about letting his wife go into danger without him. But as an ex-Templar, pledged to protect the innocent, he couldn’t really claim he wasn’t qualified for the job.

  He accepted the task stoically, after a bit of browbeating on her part. However, he argued against waiting for us at Sally’s place, as it had already been breached once. Vincent instead suggested he and Tina remain mobile so as to decrease their chances of being tracked by Komak and his whack pack.

  Remembering the time I’d almost lost her in the Manhattan Mall – damn, kids could be quick when they wanted to be – I suggested perhaps two heads might be better than one for this job.

  Christy concurred, but before she could point out the obvious choice, I pulled her aside ... or as much as I could do without Tom hovering. “I know what you’re going to say.”

  “You...”

  “Need to be there.”

  “For Sally?” she asked.

  “For all of you. Besides, the moment a pulse hits, I’ll be useless to help Tina and you know it.”

  “What about down there?”

  Touché. “True, but you can take care of yourself. If Vincent stops to help me...” I trailed off, allowing her to fill in the blanks.

  After a moment, she nodded. “You’re right, but then who?”

  “Fortunately, I think I know someone who might be right for the job.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “Not fucking happening,” Ed said. “I’m going.”

  “You make the most sense to watch Tina,” I told him.

  “No. I make the most sense to be down there. Need I remind you, I’m a vampire, whereas you’re not?”

  “Yeah, but you’re a shitty one,” Tom said with a smirk. “You totally got owned in that fight.”

  “He’s right,” I pointed out. “No offense, but you’re the weakest link on the vamp chain. Against an army of mages, you’ll last maybe a second longer than me.”

  “Okay, but that would be an extra second to...”

  “However,” I interrupted, “if they do manage to somehow track Vincent, it’ll likely be with a lot less people than will be down below. If things are normal, he can take point. But if one of those pulses is going on, you’ll have a much better shot than any of us at keeping our little Cat safe.”

  “Cheetara,” Tom corrected. “Get it right, dude.”

  “Bite me.”

  He hooked a thumb at Ed. “That’s his thing now.”

  Christy stepped in. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Bill’s right. Much as I’d appreciate the extra muscle where we’re going, we’ve got enough.” She threw a sidelong glance at Gan. “I’d feel much better if you were looking after my little girl instead.” That was probably enough to seal the deal, but she twisted the knife a bit to be sure. “Besides, she’ll be with her uncle. In case anyth
ing goes wrong, I know you’ll take good care of her.”

  Tom chuckled. “That means get her to her grandparents before any of your bad habits rub off.”

  Christy turned to him next. “Maybe you should stay here, too.”

  “What? No fucking way!”

  “There’s not much you can do down there, and Tina needs her...”

  “I disagree, witch,” Gan interrupted. “He could prove useful as both spy and distraction.”

  “Yeah, what she said,” Tom replied. “Besides, there’s no way I can be less useful than Bill.”

  “At least I can pick up a pencil.”

  Christy shook her head. “No. I want you to stay...”

  Gan held up a hand. “There is also the Jahabich to take into account.”

  “What?” Christy and I blurted simultaneously.

  “They are, of course, no more. But I’ve been thinking about the manner in which they were created. Even if The Source is only reopened a mere fraction, it stands to reason we might be able to recreate the process by which...”

  Christy’s eyes opened wide. “You want me to turn him into one of those mindless monstrosities?”

  “Hardly,” Gan replied. “With Ib gone, so, too, is the control she exerted over her creations. He would be of his own mind and, with The Source weakened, likely mitigated to whatever form he arose in.”

  I met Christy’s eyes and though I could see she didn’t want to admit it, she knew Gan potentially had a point.

  The Jahabich were shapeshifters, granite abominations reborn from the souls of the dead. But I’d seen them being made, and they always awoke in the form of their original bodies. If it still happened the same way, Tom would essentially be himself again, or close to it.

  Kelly joined us, an apologetic look on her face. “You have to admit, it’s a step up from being stuck as a ghost.”

  “Not to mention,” Tom added, “a fuckload better than being put to rest. What do you say, Bill? You in?”

  “I don’t know,” I replied, not wanting to play devil’s advocate. “On paper it sounds good, but let’s not forget it’s also kinda batshit.”

  “Really? Is it any crazier than bringing you along, Mr. Collapses the Second Magic is Turned Back On?”

  Goddamn it. He had a point there. I turned to Christy. “He’s right. If that happens, you need to leave me behind.”

  “Yeah, Bill’s used to being left in the...”

  “Enough.” Christy turned and walked over to the curio where Max Adventure had sat until recently.

  I knew she was warring with the logic of leaving the prism – pretty much a miniature fusion reactor – behind on the surface versus the hope of putting Tom in a better state than he was currently. It wasn’t quite Sophie’s Choice, but I can’t say I envied her the decision.

  When at last she turned back toward us, I could see her mind was made up. “I need to think about this some more.”

  Or maybe not.

  “Need I remind you that we don’t have the luxury of time.”

  Christy locked eyes with Gan. “No, just as I don’t need to remind you this is my decision.”

  Tom opened his mouth to say something, but Christy held up a hand. “The truth is, you’re all correct.”

  “We are?” I asked, probably with less conviction than I should have.

  “We don’t have the time to wait, but I still need to think this through.” She turned to Tom. “You can come along. As for you...” I assumed she was going to say she’d changed her mind about letting me go, but she surprised me. “There’s no way I would ever leave you behind.”

  “Oh, well, that’s good to...”

  “Besides, I think I have an idea that will keep you safe, as well as maybe give us all time to think things through.”

  INTO THE BELLY OF THE BEAST

  Christy had once used the energy of the prism to power a self-sustaining glamour for Tom. Now, working with Kelly, they raced to jury-rig something similar for me while Gan summoned her limo driver to take us to our next and hopefully not final stop.

  The idea was simple enough. They fashioned a charm necklace, utilizing the stored energy that was keeping Tom visible – causing him to fizzle out early. But that was fine. It would probably be easier anyway to step outside without a fucking ghost following us.

  Besides, he’d be back once the next ley line was tapped. When that happened, the charm, which was now tethered to the prism, would power up, too. It contained, in essence, a watered-down version of that time dilation spell she’d used earlier – both witches having contributed a drop of blood to seal the deal, so to speak.

  The hope was, Christy explained, that it would be depowered enough for barely any discernable change between my time and the rest of the world, maybe a half second delay or so, but I’d be out of sync just enough to keep from being knocked on my ass.

  I swear, magic really was like riding a bicycle for her. A little bit of practice and she was ready for the Tour de France.

  While that bit of sorcery was afoot, Ed and Vincent packed some snacks and discussed their plans for the day. The only issue was a car, as both mine and Christy’s had been left behind in our race to get over here.

  Gan, however, in a rare show of comradery, stepped up, offering the limo that would once again ferry us all. Considering her foresight – or paranoia – in having the interior etched with anti-scrying wards, it was perfect.

  Now all they had to do was keep one little girl safe and entertained enough to not conjure fireballs in public.

  All in all, I wasn’t sure which of us had the more daunting task.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “Why can’t I come with you?” Tina asked, looking up from where she’d been playing with the limo’s satellite radio system. “I can help.”

  “I know you can, honey,” Christy said, struggling to keep the tears from falling, “but I need someone to take care of Mr. Vincent and your uncle Ed. Can you do that?”

  “Can I play with the TV, too?”

  Christy smiled. “You can play with whatever buttons you want to, honey.”

  Before Gan could comment, Tina turned serious. “Are those bad people going to come back?”

  “They might,” her mother said. “That’s why I need you to be big and brave.”

  “But what about you, Mommy?”

  Christy leaned down and kissed the top of her head, the tears falling freely now. “Don’t worry about me. Besides, your daddy and uncle Bill will both be there.”

  I was glad she didn’t say we were coming along to protect her, since the opposite was likely true. Tina might’ve been young, but she wasn’t stupid.

  She cast a doubtful glance at her mom then turned toward me. “You promise to keep her safe?”

  I leaned forward in my seat toward her. “Cross my heart. Nothing will get past me.”

  “But ... what if there are monsters?”

  “Monsters? Hah. I’m not afraid of them.” Okay, just a bit of a lie.

  “No?”

  “Nope. Because I used to be a monster, too ... except scarier.”

  She giggled as I made a face. “You’re not scary.”

  Ed laughed from his spot in the cavernous limo interior. “That’s exactly what the other monsters used to say.”

  “Bite me, dickhead.”

  Tina stared at me tight-lipped. “Ooh. You said a...”

  “Yeah, I know. I’ll write you a check when we get back.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Gan’s driver once again made ridiculously good time, navigating the city streets back to Sally’s place like a pro. But therein lay another problem – sending my friends with a driver whose loyalties didn’t lie with them.

  But Gan was generous there, too. Once we arrived, she spoke to him for less than a minute. When she turned back with the keys, he was already walking away. Hopefully it wasn’t to commit seppuku on her orders, but I figured it was best to not ask.

  We took our sweet time saying our goodby
es to Tina and her designated guardians, most of us teary-eyed by the time they pulled away and disappeared around the corner. Then we headed in to get ready.

  Sally’s apartment had more than enough room for what we needed. After we cased the floor and determined it empty, Christy and Kelly got to work on a sending circle, prepping it so it could shunt us where we needed to go the moment the power came back on again, whenever that might be.

  While that was going on, I used the time to rearrange Sally’s upended furniture so we could at least be comfortable while we waited.

  And wait we did. Several long hours of tedium passed, with not much to do except avoid Gan and sneak some of the shitty health food Sally kept stocked in her refrigerator.

  I was just contemplating giving up and grilling myself a tofu burger when I almost jumped out of my skin.

  “Could you maybe warn me next time before draining my batteries?” Tom complained, appearing right next to me. Though his bitching was no surprise, his reappearance was, as well as his cadence. It was off, lower pitched than normal as if he was speaking in slow motion.

  My heart skipped a beat as a wave of tiredness washed over me, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. I glanced down as he continued to whine and saw a dim shimmer of light from the charm around my neck. The magic was back, but Christy’s spell was working to keep it at bay.

  There was no time to waste.

  I grabbed Sheila’s sword from where I’d left it on the couch, then shouldered the backpack lying next to it, one of Tina’s. Yeah, it was a bit embarrassing to be heading into the unknown with Paw Patrol emblazoned on me, but I figured it was safer than stuffing Max Adventure into my belt alongside the blade that had blown it up the last time we’d been down there.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Christy watching me, concern etched on her face. Not wishing to distract her from our objective, I threw her an overly-enthusiastic thumbs up. “Let’s do this.”