by Alexie Aaron
Burt took a quick picture of the offending piece of metal before walking out into the rain and over to Ted.
Mia saw them breach the large trees. There were dozens of Wanderers walking aimlessly, heads moving side to side with their sightless eyes. They didn't see her standing there, holding her rake to the side of her. She purposely was still. Her hope was to direct them away from the mill. If she could detour them a few yards, then there would be no need to mess with them.
Murphy had flattened himself on the ground. His hope was to get behind them and herd the unholy creatures with a few well-placed swipes of his axe.
Tom stood petrified. When Mia told him of the ghosts that moved just inside the changing weather fronts, he pictured two or three beings caught up in the wind. Not thirty zombie-like beings. He had chosen to position himself a few yards from where Ted was now lighting his fire. The thought was, if the Wanderers got that close, he would blow a hole in their wall of spiritual energy, and they would simply pass by without a fight.
Inside, Bilbo wiggled his ear, bothered by the numbness as he got to his feet.
Jane watched the bull examine the dressing she had placed to absorb the plasma that oozed through her expert stitching. "Bilbo, leave that there," she warned.
He smelled the acrid disinfectant and was about to pull the patch of gauze off when he sensed something else amiss. He turned, and behind Jane stood the trainer, his hook raised, ready to strike the caregiver. He trumpeted a warning which got Little Suzy to her feet. She looked around and saw no threat, but Bilbo was never wrong. She moved towards him.
Burt heard the elephant's warning but knew he had a mission he had to complete. He handed the piece of hook to Ted who placed it in the prepared tub he had lined with large river rocks, improving on Burt's design. Burt didn't have time to feel insulted. He needed to get back to Jane.
Mia ignored the drenching rain and stood her ground. She held on to her weapon as the first wanderer connected with the rusted, iron prongs. It looked down, puzzled why its progress had stopped. Several others moved over to find out what had stopped their brethren. Mia sidestepped, moving away from the mill as the small group of spirits reached out to touch the rake. She couldn't believe that this simple action was working.
She heard the first flare ignite, followed by Bilbo's trumpeting.
Bilbo had had enough of this man's long tenure of terror. He moved forward and wrapped his trunk around the trainer while using his shoulder to push through the large doors. He shook the trainer before he threw him to the ground and proceeded to use his weight to finish the job, while Little Suzy moved out into the rain unnoticed by him.
Mia turned for a brief moment to see what the commotion was about. She stared open-mouthed at the manic actions of the normally placid elephant. She saw the cow move around the back of the mill, heading for the water.
Jane called to him, but the bull would not be swayed from taking out years of torment on the now terrified spirit.
"Jane!" Burt called. "Little Suzy is heading towards the river."
Jane shook her head, having to choose between the bull elephant on a rampage or the frightened cow. She chose Little Suzy. She accepted the yellow rain poncho Burt tossed her, and together they followed the cow.
The noise caused the Wanderers to shift their focus, and instead of moving away from the mill, they moved towards it.
Tom was too close to Bilbo to use the shotgun. "Murphy!" he called, backing up, knowing soon the gray force would be upon them.
Murphy jumped to his feet and raised his axe to challenge the horde.
CRACK! CRACK!
"One crack, I'm here. Two, I have your back," Mia recited as she swung her rake. She connected with a wanderer and pushed him back into his fellows.
Murphy was surrounded. The curious creatures were attracted to the energy that emanated from him. The closer they got, the more energy they drained.
Murphy was fading fast but managed to raise his axe again and again and again.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
"Three cracks, three, come and save me!" Mia pushed back the Wanderers she was fighting, turned and ran to save her friend.
Bilbo stepped back and was angry to see the trainer still had form. He curled his trunk around his body. As he lifted the man, he saw the little woman that had saved him before in the near distance. She was being followed by some vile gray creatures. She was also running towards where a group had encircled something he couldn't quite see.
"Hang on, Murphy!" the woman called.
That was her name for the being that smelled of fresh air and earth. The being that saved him before when he was in trouble! Bilbo charged towards the group, carrying the trainer in his raised trunk.
"How much longer?" Tom cried out, watching several Wanderers near the mill.
"I've got to get the fire hot enough. It takes a few minutes for the flares to burn at the temperature I need. This rain is not helping," Ted said, lighting another flare.
Tom quickly assessed the situation. The bull elephant was no longer near the mill. He was, instead, running towards where Mia was fighting off the evil gray ghosts that had surrounded Murphy. Tom raised the shotgun, ready to fire as soon as Bilbo was out of range.
Ted couldn't stare into the fire. The flares would blind him. He prayed that the metal was starting to melt. The contents of the laundry tub were hissing, and a few rocks exploded, sending pieces of stone upwards. Ted stepped back, bumping into Tom and sending him stumbling forward into the waiting hands of one of the Wanderers. Tom twisted, breaking the hold of the Wanderer who lost interest and continued to move forward.
Bilbo lowered his trunk and swung the trainer back and forth, unsettling the nearest gray men.
Mia hit the ground as Bilbo's swing returned in her direction. She watched as Harvey Batch, still holding on to his hook, screamed as he was being used as a bat. It was on an upward swing that Mia witnessed what she hoped all along would happen. Harvey Batch started to burn. Bilbo released his hold, and the ghost continued to burn as it sailed upwards.
Spectral ash fell unimpeded by the rain. Mia got to her feet, fueled by this turn of events, and started to pull the Wanderers, one by one, off of Murphy. By the time she reached the bottom of the pile, Murphy was as gray as the attackers. He had lost all his color. Instinct took over. Mia plastered her body to Murphy's, wrapping her arms around, and told him, "Take my energy. Take it now."
Murphy drew as much energy as he could without killing Mia. He felt her go limp. He managed to lift his head to see Ted and Tom running towards them. Tom was firing the shotgun at the groups of Wanderers reforming.
Ted tossed an energon cube on the ground near the fallen friend. Murphy reached out with his axe and connected just after Ted had scooped Mia up in his arms.
With much difficulty, Mia opened her eyes. Ted was looking down at her, his face full of fear.
"I can explain..." she said before she fainted.
Chapter Ten
Burt moved slowly towards where Little Suzy was cowering. She had backed herself up against the old paddlewheel. Her eyes were wild.
"She's having a flashback," Jane called through the rain. "She's seeing the massacre of her herd. It's a memory that haunts her. The gray people out there may just be ghosts, but to her, they are the people who slaughtered her family right in front of her."
Burt thought about how confident Mia was after taking care of Two Face Tony. Her nightmare was gone. It was time to do the same thing for Little Suzy.
"Come on and fight," Burt said to the small elephant, not knowing if she could understand him. "Let's save Bilbo and the others. You can do this."
Little Suzy studied the man in front of her. She recognized the name the big bull was called by the humans. She also recognized the tone this man was speaking in. She stepped out of the water and moved up and over the river bank.
Burt ran beside the elephant, encouraging her to fight.
Ted, holding his unconscious wife close to his c
hest, found himself surrounded by gray mist. He knew that, in Mia's eyes, this mist had form. He also felt the prods of the fingers that he could not see. He remembered Mia's account of the solid nature of the Wanderers and sensed that he and she were in trouble. Mia couldn't fight anymore, and Ted couldn't adequately see them to dodge their blows. He prayed for strength as the phantoms began to take out whatever misfortune they’d had in life out on his thin body.
Little Suzy charged toward the gray creatures, swinging her trunk as she'd seen Bilbo do. She knocked them off their feet with her first swing, and with her return swing, she made them disappear.
Burt watched her cut through the gray mist. Again and again. Bilbo turned and trumpeted. Together they worked through the mist until the only thing that remained was the rain.
Jane ran up and hugged Burt. "You don't realize what you've done, you magnificent man you!" She planted a large kiss on Burt's lips, surprising him before she ran over to try to encourage the two heroes to come in out of the rain.
The light was back. Mia squinted and tried to put her hand over her eyes, but her arms wouldn't move. She heard the flapping of wings and twisted away, fearing Angelo had come for her. Instead of his strong hands upon her body, she felt a brush of lips near her ear whispering, "Come, sister of the light, come home..."
"Please, no. I have so much to do. I can't leave Ted and Brian. They are my reason for existing. Let me live," she pleaded.
Ted staggered into the mill carrying Mia. His body was bruised, but his mind was still working, supercharged by the need to get help for his wife. One of the volunteers took Mia from him and laid her on a cot. Experienced hands, more used to animals than humans but still capable, moved over her body.
"Sir, she's sound. No broken bones. Her breathing is a bit shallow, and her heartbeat is very erratic."
"That's my fault," Murphy said behind them.
The volunteer was shocked to see the axe-carrying farmer and backed away.
Ted shook his head. "No, Mia knew what she was doing," he said, trying to comfort Murphy and himself.
"May I?" Murphy asked, leaning over Mia.
"Please, help her if you can."
Murphy put his hand through her chest and reached around her heart. His fingers fell into the grooves where they had been before. He gently squeezed and released her heart until it was beating strong.
Mia's eyes popped open. She took one look at Murphy with his hand in her chest and said, "Do you mind? Honestly, a girl can't take a nap without being molested."
Murphy took his time pulling his hand out of her. Part of him wanted to chastise her, the other part wanted something way out of bounds. "Bad Mia."
Ted's mind recorded what just happened, but he wouldn't allow himself to dwell on it. Mia was back and gazing up at him. "Like I said, I can explain. You see..."
"I was ceasing to be," Murphy interrupted. "Mia gave me her energy. I took too much."
"I don't know what to think?" Ted said half joking. "I arrive to see my wife laying on top of you, Murphy."
"Bad Ted," Murphy said and disappeared.
"Seems to me we've been here before," Mia said. "You carrying me out of trouble once old Murphy jumpstarts my heart. You two are the strangest pair of superheroes I know." She tried to rise, but her chest was on fire. Every displaced muscle hurt.
"Lay back," Ted encouraged.
Mia reached up and stroked his face with her hand. Suddenly, tears spilled out of her eyes.
"Oh, Mia, don't cry. I'm not mad. I know you had to save Murphy. I'll try not to be so jealous," he pleaded.
"No, Ted, listen. The light was back, and with it was the angel. He said, 'Come, sister of the light. Come home.' I felt the pull but..."
"You said you couldn't leave me and Brian and that we were your reason for existing," Ted said.
"How?"
"You were talking to someone, and I was eavesdropping. My mother always said you never know what you'll pick up listening to others’ conversations."
Tom let the flares burn until they had melted through the tub, and he watched as the hot metal oozed out and moved along the ground, sticking to the stones as the cold rain cooled it. Tom shoveled dirt and wet manure into the tub until he was convinced that no heat remained. He turned around to see Murphy moving self-assuredly around the outside of the mill.
"What have you been up to?" he asked, seeing the satisfied look on the ghost's face.
"A bit of redemption," Murphy said. "I'm going home."
"I'll let them know. It has been a hell of a day."
Murphy nodded and disappeared.
Jane was talking on her satellite phone while Burt finished loading his gear into his car. "Artie, I think Little Suzy is healthy enough to move. How soon... that soon? Okay, I'll rally the troops."
"Time to leave?" Burt asked.
"I guess so. The quicker we get those two to the sanctuary, the better they will acclimate," she replied. Jane took a deep breath and faced him. "Burt, I'd like to speak my mind plainly if I may?"
"Fine with me."
"I'm going to be taking a teaching position at Northwestern in the fall. They are interested in me teaching my theories of large animals and our changing environment."
"Sounds like a very interesting course to take."
"I don't know any other way to say this… I'm not versed in the social graces of the Midwestern United States. I'd like to see you if you're interested. I mean, I would like to date you," she clarified.
"I'd like that," he said honestly. "I may have to work around some investigations..."
"Oh, I realize you have a job, an important one. I may be pedantic and too literal, but I am a patient woman."
Burt walked up and asked, "So, you mind if I kiss you?"
"Oh please, go ahead," Jane said.
Ted carried Mia piggyback past the kissing pair. He couldn't resist saying, "Get a room, Hicks. What kind of example are you setting?"
Burt lifted a finger at the tech and proceeded to kiss Jane again.
~
"Why does the man talk in freckin riddles," Audrey bewailed. "Why can he tell me what to do? Hell, if cookbooks gave you riddles instead of clear directions, we'd all be dead."
Cid drove on through the pouring rain, listening to Audrey complain about Father Alessandro. "You know, Audrey, you could have insisted on clearer answers."
"Oh no, you shouldn't be rude to a priest, Cid. That's not done."
"Okay, but I sense the man was trying to get you to treat him like a human being."
"I can't because he's not."
"Do you ever listen to yourself?" Cid asked.
Audrey pursed her lips and thought a moment. "I guess that last bit was asinine."
"Your language too. Miss Audrey, take this in the spirit in which it is given, the more Mia cleans up her language, the more yours goes to hell."
"Really? I didn't notice," she said honestly. "At least I didn't say hell in front of a priest."
Cid laughed. "Well, no one's perfect."
Cid's phone buzzed. He handed it to Audrey. "See who it is?"
"It's Ted."
Before he could ask her to, she answered.
"Cid's phone, Audrey speaking. Cid's driving so I'm going to put you on speaker."
"Thanks, Audrey," Ted said. "Cid, how long before you're going to be back?"
"I have to drop off Audrey first. Why?"
"Mia's had a spell, and I don't want to leave her, but I need to pick up Brian."
"Anything serious?" Audrey asked.
"Do you remember me telling you about Murphy starting Mia's heart?"
"Yes."
"He had to do it again. Mia says her chest feels like a full-grown elephant sat on it. Which could have happened considering there were elephants involved."
Cid and Audrey looked at each other.
"Ted, could I be of some help? Cid can drive directly home, and I'll take the PEEPs van back later," Audrey offered.
"Oh would
you? I would owe you a big favor. If someone was with Mia and Brian, I could figure out how to get Jake out of Mia's phone and back into the computer safely."
Again Cid and Audrey glanced at each other. Audrey mouthed what the fuck but would deny it later.
~
Murphy walked with Maggie along the hillside. She was damp from the rain-soaked wildflowers she was nosing in when she went after a rabbit. Most of the lingering clouds were moving quickly across the night sky. Stars flashed from time to time. The day had been a hard one. Mia's sacrifice kept him from wandering across the plains until he was sucked into the abyss. He could feel her love for him as she opened herself up for him to take on her energy. He was so caught up in feeling her love that he took too much energy from her.
Murphy tried not to think of this as a missed opportunity. Sure, he could have let Mia die, and then she'd be his. But part of him knew that Mia would not want to stick around after death, even if it meant that she could watch over her young son. The light would come for her, and she would leave with only a backward glance. Would she miss him? He knew he would miss her. That was why he once again helped Mia to fight off death. If this was the only way he could have her, then he would bear it. The alternative was to lose her forever.
"Maggie, don't you fall in love. I've fallen in love thrice. The first one I had to give up, the second one killed me, and the third one refused me."
Maggie barked, wagging her tail.
"Yes, I know you love me. I'm quite easy to love. No handsomer ghost in these here parts, girl."
Murphy heard the sound of Cid's truck moving up the drive. He was curious where the tall man had been all day. He decided to let Maggie have another go at the rabbit that she would never catch before heading back to the farmhouse and the humans who meant so much to him.
