Through the In Between, Hell Awaits

by Robert Essig

  “I’m Jenny,” said Dagana holding out her hand as if just meeting the handsome man standing before her. “And your name is?”

  Acronos thought for a moment. He wasn’t sure what he really looked like, though he could see the image in his mind, and later when he would look into a mirror he would be shocked at how exact his image was to what he envisioned. He took her hand. “I’m Zack.”

  They shook. “What do you do for a living, Zack?”

  He was lost for a moment, his eyes widening as he tried to think of an appropriate answer. “I . . . I eat people.” He smiled at his attempt to be witty. Suddenly his hunger for human flesh was strong and natural. When next faced with the challenge of devouring a human being, he would dig in without reserve.

  Jenny frowned. “I’m not kidding around here. You need to create a profile for yourself and you need to know it like you knew Rich when he was alive. It’s just easier that way, especially when you get sucked into conversation with someone. You want to do everything you can not to draw attention to yourself. We are powerful here on Earth, but that doesn’t mean that we can rampage. We are only here until we can gain control over the In Between. There we can be free and not have to live a façade, and once we control the In Between we will be able to use Earth as a herding ground, popping in when we like to snatch a bite. We won’t have to worry so much about fitting in.”

  The chilly air threatened to bite Zack’s face, but he was far too worked up to allow it that particular pleasure. At that moment, he felt as if the laws of nature no longer pertained to him, that hot and cold were merely adjectives, just words without meaning like so many other things that once served a purpose and were now obsolete.

  But that was the wrong way to think. It was thinking like that that would get Zack in trouble on Earth. One must have a sense of normalcy, of living by the laws of the land and blending in. It was imperative.

  But Zack was agitated and it showed. Jenny knew what to do before she taught him anything further.

  “Let’s eat,” said Jenny.

  Zack smiled with his new flesh. He looked truly maniacal.

  20

  After dinner, Austin and Audrey decided that there was little they could do to further their investigation. With no leads, they decided to run a few Internet searches, all of which led straight to nowhere. Austin was beginning to worry about the implications and consequences of his actions or lack thereof. Baz surely couldn’t expect him to find Dagana this soon, right? He was beginning to feel uneasy. There was no telling what Baz would think and how quickly he wanted answers. Austin had no idea if the man was reasonable, and he certainly had his doubts. That’s why he ordered his luggage to be moved to another room on the other side of the hotel. Paul was running the front desk again, however this time he was nothing but a gentleman.

  “And, Paul,” said Austin, “no one is to be allowed to my room without my personal consent. If anyone asks for me, you tell them that I’m not here. In fact, you can tell them that I headed south. To Mexico.” He added the last part as an afterthought. He figured if Baz asked for him he could throw the guy off and maybe be done with him. He knew it wouldn’t be as easy as that, but it wouldn’t hurt to try, and he would feel a hell of a lot safer in another room on the other side of the hotel.

  “Absolutely, sir,” said Paul. “You can count on me. I have already ordered that your luggage be transferred to suite ten oh-four. I think you’ll be very pleased with that room.”

  Austin nodded as he took the key card from the nervous hand of a man who still thought he was on the verge of losing his job to the heir of the hotel that employed him. It looked like he was being transferred to one of the suites on the top floor of the hotel. In all the years he’d been traveling the world and staying in the Wheeler hotels, he’d never been in one of the top floor suites. It was about time.

  Austin must have really had an effect on Paul, because his luggage was waiting for him by the time he and Audrey made it to his new room, though suite 1004 was anything but a “room.”

  Audrey’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. Not only was she amazed and impressed at the glitz and glamour of the room, but plain out happy to be there. It could have been his former room and she would have been just as happy. Unlike so many other women, she wouldn’t expect the best all the time, like this rendezvous was some kind of precursor for the rest of their lives together. What Austin saw in her eyes was sheer joy, something he hasn’t seen so much of lately, something that so many bar hogs lacked, particularly when they found out who he was and what he was worth. That’s one of the reasons he has been so secretive about his life. He liked Audrey and didn’t want his unusual lifestyle to herd her away.

  Now in one of the grandest suites in the hotel, he had to say something. He could see it in her eyes. She was beginning to wonder just who he was and where he got his money. Not that he’d been flaunting wads of twenties and buying Audrey up and down the strip, he wasn’t, and he didn’t carry that kind of cash on his person. Looking into his eyes, the questioning smile that played upon her lips was enough for Austin to fill her in. It wouldn’t make a difference anyway. The woman was with him after hearing tales of monsters and demons, what some would consider lunatic fantasies from a lunatic mind. Finding out he was heir to one of the top five hotel chains in the world was just another brick in his complicated wall.

  “Wow,” said Audrey as she opened the curtains to look down upon the lights of Hollywood. “Holy shit! You can see the Hollywood sign from here.”

  “It must be one hell of clear night to see the sign from anywhere. Guess the smog lifted.”

  “This is amazing.” There were those eyes again, asking questions of Austin. “Just who the hell are you, Mr. Austin.”

  “You mean Mr. Wheeler.”

  Her mouth dropped into an oval; eyes wide and as beautiful as ever. Now they looked more green than blue.

  “You mean you’re . . . the Mr. Wheeler. This is your . . . ”

  “Not quite. My father is the Mr. Wheeler. I’m just a vagabond who always has a place to stay.”

  Now her wide-eyed shock turned into a look of misunderstanding.

  “I’m the heir of the Wheeler hotel chain, but it wasn’t really what I wanted to do with my life. My father and I fought about it for years before I was old enough to move out of the house. Finally, we came to a mutual understanding, mostly because I’m his only child. I travel the globe, and in turn, I am granted a room at any Wheeler hotel in the world. On top of that, I have a bank account that I use whenever I need some cash. I try not to rely on it, though. I suppose I’m a trust fund brat, but I hate to think about it that way.”

  Audrey took in the room once again. “So you live in suites like this one every night?”

  “No. In fact, this is the first time I’ve stayed in one of the suites. When I arrived here with that parasite in my neck I really made an impression on Paul, the desk clerk. I normally stay in one of the smaller rooms.”

  Audrey’s stare was unwavering. Her lips tried to form a smile, but she was far too dazed to properly articulate herself.

  “You are quite an extraordinary man, aren’t you?”

  Austin shook his head. “Not really. I travel, therefore I am. That’s about all I know. I grew up in a household of money and jet setting parents. It wasn’t real. All my life I’ve been searching for something real, something I can believe in.”

  Austin opened the mini bar fridge and pulled out several airliner bottles of vodka. He drank too much.

  “Care for a drink?”

  Audrey nodded. “Sure.”

  Austin poured two vodka tonics like a pro. He’d had quite a few of them in his life in hotel rooms around the world. He handed a drink to Audrey.

  “So, you’re basically searching the world to find out who you are?” she asked.

  “Yes and no. At first I was, but I’ve made a life out of it and I know no other way. Part of the deal I have with my father is that I have to r
eturn home and settle down so I can take over the family business.”

  “How can you take over a family business that you have no real idea how to run?”

  “Search me. But my father seems to think it’ll work out all right.” Austin drained his drink noticing that Audrey had only drunk half of hers. Damn, I drink too much! He poured himself another.

  “Father knows best.”

  Austin grunted. “I guess I’ll find that out when he decides to retire.”

  Audrey sat on a plush comforter that covered the California king bed. She looked to the ceiling and was only mildly surprised to find that there was a large mirror featuring herself staring back at her. Outside of the movies, she’d never seen a mirror on a ceiling like that before.

  “I imagine you’ve seen a lot,” she said.

  “Yes.” Austin sat on the bed next to her. “I’ve been to almost every country in the world. Some people fall in love with a culture or a place, but I keep moving. In all that time I think I’ve realized that America is my true home, but I can’t seem to settle anywhere for too long. Back in San Diego, I was getting to a pretty low point. A lot of drinking and clubbing, which isn’t really me. Just looking for a new kind of kick I guess. Then I came across that scene in the alley I told you about. I was pretty well plastered. Got kicked out of a taxi, I think. It didn’t seem real, what I saw in that alley. Even now it doesn’t, but it was. Then I saw the movement on the body like some kind of degenerating bug. I knew it couldn’t be such a thing, so I had to have a look.”

  Austin shook his head and sighed.

  “But I told you all about that. The parasite seemed to give me reason in a time when reason seemed to be slipping away, and then I met you. I had a lot on my mind when we met, but there was something about you that I couldn’t get out of my head.”

  Austin had been looking down into his clasped hands. He now looked Audrey in the eyes.

  “You’re beautiful. Your eyes trap me in their brilliance. But not only that; you’re smart too, and seem very comfortable in your skin, which is something most people aren’t. You know who you are and you’re confident. I like that. You said that your father thought you would come to Hollywood and turn into a drug-addicted whore, but you proved him wrong. Not because you were trying to prove him wrong, but because that’s not you. You’re strong, you persevere.”

  “Thank you. Life hasn’t been easy since I left home, but I always find a way to survive.”

  “Yes. And now you’ve gotten yourself mixed up with me and my craziness. I know it doesn’t seem dangerous; my search for Dagana, but it will be eventually. I’ve thought about running away from it, but I have a feeling Baz will find me wherever I go.”

  “I like being mixed up in your craziness.”

  Austin chuckled. “So far you do.”

  Audrey set her drink on the nightstand. There was but a sip left amongst several melted ice cubes. Austin took the final gulp from his second drink and placed the empty glass on the nightstand as well.

  They looked into one another’s eyes the way lovers do. Emotions running on high, alcohol softening inhibitions, they drank each other up, both knowing damn well what the next step was but either of them just too caught up to make the next move.

  “No matter what happens,” said Austin, “we have tonight.”

  He brought his lips to hers and they kissed softly, tenderly. His fingers scaled the smooth of her arm on their way to her back. Her hands did likewise and their soft kisses developed into something more passionate, mouths opening into kisses that threatened to become sloppy.

  It happened so fast that neither of them knew what was happening, though they weren’t strangers to the often times clumsy dance that was making love for the first time. It was always different with a new person, especially one you don’t know all that well yet have developed feelings for. Audrey was stunning and beautiful, but Austin’s attachment to her was far deeper than that. His kisses and soft caresses were more tender and carefully placed than the grunts and rigidity of a one night stand. And he felt that passion reciprocated, which only drove him further into her warm embrace.

  That night they made love with the bright lights of Hollywood shining in from the picture window. Neither of them looked to the ceiling at the absurd mirror strategically placed there, for their passion for one another was true even if their time together has been short lived.

  But things have a way of changing, and the dark recesses of night would bring something that could take such a blissful night and fill it with regret.

  21

  Jenny and Zack took his car (technically stolen, though Rich wasn’t around to report it!) and left the cabin, headed for the next cabin or house that had either a car in the driveway or a light on, which was as good as a dinner bell to them. They were famished after Rich’s becoming.

  “We’ll stay for the night in the next house we come across. Tomorrow we’ll head east.”

  “What’s east.”

  “They’re on our tail. We have to shake them. I haven’t been east in a while.”

  Zack looked from the silent road to Jenny. “You’re tribe?”

  “Not my tribe. I disavowed them. You are now my tribe, and we will grow as we head east. Eventually there will be a showdown. We’ll make butter out of the other sentinels and be able to leave the Earth and rule the In Between. I’ll be damned if I’m going to live like this forever.”

  Zack, new to his becoming, didn’t understand Jenny’s obsession with ruling the In Between. As far as he saw and could understand, it was one hell of a bland, dangerous place, and he sure didn’t want to live there. Being powerful on Earth was more than he could have asked for, and he intended to benefit from his newfound power.

  They drove through the mountains passing a cabin here and a structure there, none of which looked promising. There was only a brief moment of silence before Jenny spoke again.

  “I can sense them. Baz in particular. He’s close. You need to learn how to use your senses. I think that’s the most important thing you will learn from your becoming—at least for now. If you cannot sense them coming, they will sneak up on you, and they will make you wish you could die. They will use you to get to me, and if they don’t succeed, I will make you wish for death.”

  Zack looked at her with reasonably grave eyes. He wasn’t sure if her threats were valid, and the way he felt now he thought nothing outside of the In Between could harm him.

  “You should practice now, Zack.”

  He gripped the wheel tighter then sighed. “How?”

  “You need to develop the ability to look into the In Between at any given moment. Even now as you’re driving. If you can peek into the other realm at will, you will begin to listen to the rhythm of the ethers between the realms. That’s where you can detect the sentinels, where you can feel the ripples and waves they make as they travel from here to there. If you feel nothing, you’re in a safe place.”

  After another short pause Zack said, “What do you sense right now?”

  “They’re close, but not too close. I don’t think they know how to read the ethers. If they did they would have found me by now.”

  The car slowed. “How about this one?” said Zack. “Lights are on in there.”

  He was referring to a cabin, probably a rental, that had lights on and a car parked in front. It was clear that people were inside, and they would do nicely as a late night snack.

  “This’ll do fine. Pull in next to their car. Follow my lead. We’ll knock on the door and make like we ran out of gas or something.”

  “You got it.”

  Zack pulled the car into the driveway and next to the SUV that was parked there. By the looks of the kayak strapped to the top of the vehicle, the people were vacationing. They would make for great victims. Vacationers were oblivious, as if nothing bad could happen while briefly escaping from their everyday lives in the city or suburbs.

  They stepped out of the car and into the cold night. The bite in
the air made Zack feel alive. Jenny wanted him to look to the In Between and feel out the ethers, but he was hungry not only for the taste of flesh, but for the kill as well, the very act of decimating human life. How was he supposed to focus with that kind of itching hunger?

  At the door, Jenny pressed the doorbell. They could hear the chimes faintly from within the house.

  They waited for a moment that lingered uncomfortably without answer.

  “Maybe they’re asleep,” said Zack.

  “With the lights on?”

  Zack shrugged. Jenny pressed the doorbell again.

  Still no answer, but they could hear something inside. It sounded like rustling, or even someone trying to be quiet and avoid whoever was at the door. That could be due to the time of night or the fact that these people were on vacation and didn’t feel like entertaining whoever was knocking.

  “We’re getting in one way or the other,” said Jenny. “I just thought we try the easy way.”

  This time Zack knocked with more gusto than Jenny, not that she couldn’t knock with gusto. She could knock the fucking door off its hinges if she wanted to.

  There was a shuffling of the blinds hanging over the window next to the door. Neither Jenny nor Zack saw the face that clumsily peeped at them. The metallic click of the lock’s tumblers issued twice, and then a third time, each lock making its own distinct sound. The door opened. On the other side was a queer looking man dressed in a flannel jacket with no shirt beneath and a wrinkled pair of Levis. He was sweating pretty bad, his hair all mussed up and sticking to his forehead.

  Night sweats? Exercise? Something was wrong with this man. His frazzled expression was that of someone who was trying to hide something. He had a terrible poker face.

  “Hi, I’m Jenny and this is my husband Zack. We’ve run out of gas and were wondering if we could use your phone to call a tow truck.”