Council of Peacocks

by M Joseph Murphy

  David focused on the worn stone stairs as they descended. Something kept coercing him to look back. Echo stood there alone, arms outstretched, enveloped in flames again. Her hair churned and swirled slowly around her face, caught in turbulent, heavy wind. Dust devils sucked up sheets of paper and small clumps of fabric from the rubble, making strange sounds as they slid through the caves.

  Todd tried to look back but the movement upset his equilibrium. He stumbled and, if not for David’s support, would have tumbled down the rest of the steps.

  After that, he kept his eyes forward as they entered the foyer where they had first entered the underground world. Then they turned and watched Elaine help Jessica down the steps. The wind gathered strength. It howled now, an animal sound.

  “Go!” Elaine shouted. She waved with her free hand, motioning them toward one of the unblocked corridors. The floor was smooth and the lights down here were all intact; otherwise, David was sure they would have tripped.

  The hollowed-out passage was ten feet tall and thirty feet wide. They rushed down the corridor until they hit a doorway half-blocked by a giant stone wheel. One by one they crept through the small opening next to the wheel, not risking the time it would take to move the massive stone. Behind the slab of stone another rough-cut staircase crafted a spiral path down to a still-deeper level of the caves. When David and Todd reached the bottom, they barely stopped to look around before they each dropped to the ground. The others arrived seconds later.

  Jessica sank down next to them. “What do we do now?”

  “We wait for Echo,” Elaine said. She reloaded her handguns. “She can get us out of here.”

  There was another explosion, this one much louder than the last. The air flashed red and yellow. Jagged pieces of rock flew through the air. One shard hit David on his broken nose and he screamed. He fell, closed his eyes and waited for the sound of falling shrapnel to stop. When he opened his eyes again, he couldn’t see anything past the top of the staircase. The small opening was filled with dirt, small rocks and large fragments of the stone wheel.

  “Cave-in.” Todd’s voice was cold.

  Elaine crossed her arms and rubbed her biceps. As she brushed the dirt from her face, David heard her thoughts. ‘This isn’t supposed to be happening. Wisdom said it would be over by the time Echo brought me to the caves.’

  “What do you mean ‘this isn’t supposed to be happening?’” David asked. When he saw the look of outrage and shame play on Elaine’s face, he realized he’d read her thoughts. “What do you know?”

  Elaine grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “Stay out of my head!” Her voice was low and steeled.

  “Whoa.”

  Everyone turned to face Todd. He stood at the edge of a cliff a few feet away, his back to them. Jessica limped over to him. Within seconds, David followed her to see what Todd was talking about.

  “What the hell is this place?” Jessica asked.

  Todd shook his head.

  They stood on a ten-foot wide ledge that ran around the edge of a colossal cavern. Far below them, several hundred stone buildings formed a city. Despite no visible form of illumination, the entire city was well-lit and visible. It was hard to discern any real description of the buildings from this far up. They were several stories tall and strictly functional, void of unnecessary ornamentation. In between the buildings were roadways defined by light grey bricks. Above them, the ceiling rose until it disappeared into darkness, the top invisible to their eyes.

  “I know this place,” David said. “I had a sort of dream about it.”

  “This can’t be real,” Todd said. “Did Echo build this place?”

  Elaine shook her head. “I don’t think so. We have to look for a way down. We’re too open up here. Fish in a barrel. We have to hide until Echo or Wisdom can get to us.”

  “What if…?” David stopped when Elaine turned to stare him down. She lifted her chin, daring him to finish the thought. David opened his mouth but could not speak.

  “She’s not dead.” Jessica said.

  “Can you feel her?” Todd asked.

  Jessica looked back toward the cave-in at the top of the stairs. After a moment, she shook her head. “But I don’t always feel her.”

  “She’s hiding.” David looked at the top of the stairs now. His head buzzed as he tried to look past the stone. “I see what you’re saying, Jessica. You don’t think she is dead because you can’t see her in any way. If she was dead you would see some of her. The ghost of her.”

  Elaine sighed with relief. “You may come in useful after all, Mr. Ross. Come on. Let’s find a way down.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Josh Wilkinson was blind. With the lights out and no windows nearby, the hallway was utterly dark, like an underground cavern. He kept his right hand on the wall as they walked. His fingertips brushed over the smooth, cool surface to keep walking in a straight line. Twice already he’d tripped over dead bodies. The stench of blood and gunfire was putrid.

  Occasional bursts of gunfire broke the otherwise oppressive silence. Behind him, he heard two distinct sets of soft breathing: one slow and steady, the other quick and short. They comforted him, reminding him he wasn’t alone.

  “Does the security staff have nightvision?” Although he whispered, the words cut through the air like shards of glass.

  “No,” Garnet whispered. “They’re human.”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “I mean do they have nightvision goggles? Haven’t you ever seen a movie with the army in it?”

  “Oh.” Garnet’s voice seemed very close to his ear now. “Maybe. Believe it or not, this sort of thing doesn’t happen very often.”

  “What about you?” He swallowed; his throat seemed very thick and heavy. “Can you see in the dark?”

  “Sorry. I’m human, too. Same with Jared. However, I am starting to think you can see in the dark. Where are we going?”

  “I memorized the layout days ago. It’s a little trick my dad taught me.”

  His hand hit emptiness. He stopped and stretched his arm back until he found the wall again. It was slightly cooler than air temperature. Slowly, he dragged his fingertips forward until he found the edge of the wall. He caressed the sharp angle and folded his hand around the corner. No trim. That meant it was likely not just a door. With his left hand, he reached back until he touched warm fabric. He caught a whiff of sweet perfume.

  Garnet’s voice was barely a whisper. “Watch the hand.”

  “Sorry.” Blood rushed to Josh’s face as he blushed with embarrassment. “Stay close. Jared, you still there?”

  “Yes.” The voice was barely audible; the word said quickly, the final “s” clipped almost to nothing. “Hurry. It just killed another guard.”

  “Where are you going?” Garnet pressed close to his ear again. “This isn’t what Wisdom would have done.”

  “Wisdom isn’t here, though, is he?” Josh turned the corner and headed further into the heart of the building. He nearly stumbled when his fingers came upon something hard, cold and cylindrical. A fire extinguisher. He came to a sudden stop and lifted the extinguisher off the wall. Behind him he heard a grunt and a soft thud. It sounded like Jared had run into Garnet’s back.

  “What is it?” Garnet asked.

  “A weapon. Not much, but something. Jared, is it any closer to us now?”

  For a moment there was no answer. Then the voice slid through the darkness, a sound like the hissing of a snake. It took Josh several moments to realize it was Jared’s voice. “Yes. Much closer. It is not taking the stairs. I can feel it rising. It used to be below us but…”

  Josh tried to lick his lips but there was no moisture in his mouth. “Jared, how do you know it’s a demon?”

  “I read minds, remember? I can’t do much else, but Ms. Ryerson says I have potential. His mind is crazy. He’s thinking all this really gross stuff. Way worse than anything Wisdom thinks of.”

  “So that’s it? You can’t really tell if it’s
a demon, but it just sort of feels like one?”

  “Is there a difference?”

  Another flurry of gunshots reverberated through the hallway. Then there was a long period of silence. Suddenly their footsteps were as loud as drums.

  “Where are we going? Don’t make me ask again.”

  “The kitchen. It should be two floors down, right off the stairwell. We should be getting pretty close to the stairs if my memory's right.”

  “My, my, your memory is pretty good. The door is about twenty feet up on the left. How did you memorize the layout of this floor?”

  Josh laughed. “Like I said, part of the wonder of growing up with a father like mine. He taught me you never know when you have to run. First thing I do wherever I go is figure out how to leave. How do you know where the door is? I thought you couldn’t see in the dark?”

  “I can’t,” she said. She put her right hand against his side, just above his waistline. He felt her nails against his abdomen, felt the light pressure of her thumb against his back as she leaned forward into him. “I have a good memory, too.”

  He walked forwards twenty feet, then started edging to the left. He kept his left arm outstretched and wriggled his fingers like tentacles searching for the wall on the other side of the hall. When they found the solid cool surface, he released his breath. ‘Didn’t realize I was holding it in,’ he thought.

  Garnet still had a hand on his side. He swallowed again. His heart beat loudly in his ears, making it hard to concentrate on the other sounds around him. He heard another burst of gunshots and a strange little twist of sound he thought was a scream.

  ‘If I can hear the screams, that means it's closer.’ His fingers brushed a small bump of wood followed by a number of sharp corners bending backwards. A doorframe. “Okay, this part will be anything but fun. Just try not to fall.”

  He opened the door to the stairwell and a million scary movies flashed through his head. Only stupid people took the stairs when a monster approached. ‘Let’s hope I’m wrong about that.’ He reached out through the darkness searching for the handrail. His fingers touched nothing but air.

  Then…

  “I’ve got the handrail,” he said. He heard Jared sigh. He also heard a snap like someone cracking their knuckles. Step by step they went down the stairs. With no carpet to dampen sounds, each footstep rumbled like distant thunder. Josh looked all around him, desperate for some sign of light, but found nothing. When they hit the first landing Garnet gave a little yelp of surprise.

  “One more floor to go,’ he said. Now both sets of breathing behind him were short and fast. He found it hard to breathe, himself. It was not until they reached the door on the next landing that he realized how afraid he was that they would never make it out of the stairwell.

  “We’re here.”

  He opened the door to even more darkness. This floor reeked of sulfur and fresh blood. He walked along the left-hand wall until he hit an edge. He traced his fingertips around the curve of the doorframe until his knuckles hit the sharp corner of the door. If someone had closed the door at that moment his fingers would have been snapped off. The thought made him jerk his hand back. He reached out with the palm of his hand, felt the flat surface of the door and used it to guide him forward. When his fingers hit empty air again, he bent his hand around the outer edge of the door until he held it in his grasp.

  “Hurry in here. I’ll close the door.” Two sets of footsteps passed by him. The only breathing he heard came from within the kitchen instead of the hallway. He used his right hand to turn the doorknob all the way to the right. Then he pressed the door closed and released the doorknob. It closed without a sound.

  “Now what?”

  “Find the silverware. Knives, forks, spoons, anything.”

  “You think a knife will stop this thing? The guards have guns.”

  Josh sighed. “You have trust issues, don’t you? Just find the silverware first.”

  The hand left his side. Footsteps moved slowly away from him.

  “Is it safe to turn on a light?” Jared’s voice was so soft it was barely audible.

  “What do you mean, turn on the lights? The power is still out.”

  “Not that kind of light. Garnet, do your thing.”

  “Do I have to?” Her voice was no longer throaty or soft. It came through the darkness flat and icy. “Fine. Whatever.”

  Josh turned away as a flash of orange light appeared. After the long period in the dark, it was painful. He put the fire extinguisher down and rubbed his eyes with the balls of his palms until the pain subsided. He blinked several times more before being able to look back at the light. Flames danced around a square chopping block. Now it was just fuel for the fire.

  “Couldn’t you have done that before?” Halfway through the sentence, he remembered he was supposed to be whispering and lowered his voice.

  “And what would I have set on fire, Josh? The carpet? Even now, it will be a miracle if we don’t set off the fire alarms. Luckily, the counter’s metal or we could end up setting the whole building on fire.”

  Now that there was a little light, Josh could look around the room. It felt sterile. Like the countertop, the cabinets, fridge and stoves were all stainless steel. He left the fire extinguisher by the door and rummaged through the drawers. It did not take him long to find what he was looking for.

  “Got them.” He grabbed handfuls of silverware. “Jared, help me out. Grab those butter knives and follow me.”

  “What are you doing?” Garnet ran her right hand under a stream of water in the sink. She hissed in pain as steam rose up from her hand where it contacted the water.

  “I’m reaching, that’s what I’m doing.” He placed the forks and spoons in front of the door. “This thing, demon or not, can probably see in the dark. Otherwise he wouldn’t have cut the power. Since none of us can, this should help us know where he is in the dark. If he walks through that door, he’ll have to cross over the silverware to get to us. The silverware will make noise and – voila! - homemade radar. Even if he tries to sneak around it, we’ll still hear something. That’s right, Jared, put them just like that.”

  Garnet looked over at the block of fire, bared her teeth like she was hissing and shook her head. “This is sooo not what Wisdom would have done. It’s not going to be that easy for me to set him on fire, you know?”

  As Josh stood, his back cracked loudly. “I wasn’t thinking of you burning him, Garnet. I didn’t know you could do that. My plan is a little different. I learned a few things from my dad about fighting dirty. I know a few things about death.”

  ***

  “I’m serious, Josh,” Tommy drew his knees up and hugged them close to his chest. “They’re real, and if you don’t get away from the closet they’re going to get you first.”

  He stood beside the closet door while Tommy Delonki sat up in bed behind him. Tommy wore his Star Wars pajamas, the ones with C-3PO and R2-D2. He was only 12, but he was starting getting grey hairs. Josh watched as Tommy pulled the blankets up to his chest. He looked cold, shivering against the headboard even though it was mid-July and the temperature was well into the 80’s.

  Josh, also 12, felt goosebumps rise on his bare chest. He wore plaid Joe Boxer pajama bottoms. His mother had bought them for him the last time they'd gone to New York – a business trip for his father. He didn’t understand why a mechanic needed to go on business trips at all. He thought they just fixed cars. Father said it was something about getting products. He could tell by the way his mother looked on the flight there and back she didn’t believe him, either.

  “Maybe,” he said. Sweat trickled down armpits that had yet to grow any hair. “Or maybe I’ll get them first.”

  ***

  “What is it?” Garnet moved away from the fire and placed her hands on his cheeks. They felt very warm – even the one that was damp from being run under the tap.

  Josh shook his head and looked down at himself. Somehow he had ended up on the f
loor. He pushed Garnet’s hands away and got to his feet.

  “It’s nothing. I just remembered something. Let’s find the plates. We can put them on the floor, too.”

  ***

  On the 13th floor of a building in London, a thing of darkness walked. Wherever it walked, it stole the light. The name of this darkness was Paeder Ferris. He was dressed in a black leather jumpsuit with yellow trim along the collar and cuffs. It matched his motorcycle parked two streets over.

  As he walked by the window, he caught his reflection in a wall of glass. Since he was a teenager, people had said he looked a little like Robert Redford. His hair was strawberry-blond and he had a well-chiseled face with freckles and deep blue eyes. He couldn’t see the resemblance. When he looked at his reflection, all he saw was the same lines and curves as his brothers.

  His brothers.

  He turned away from the window and spat on the floor. The carpet and the cement underneath bubbled under his saliva.

  Before entering the building, he had reached into the shadows and sent a blast of Discord throughout the high-rise. The anti-energy consumed all electricity and the light was gone. It hurt to expend that amount of power but he knew it was worth it. Nothing made humans more irrational than what they could not see. If they could see it, name it, it gave them a sense of power over it. In the dark, they had no power.

  From behind a reception desk, two security guards shot at Paeder Ferris. Bullets bounced off his skin and ricocheted off the painted walls. Before his transformation, bullets would have killed him easily. Now he was one step closer to Eyeness. He was much harder to kill.

  He leapt ten feet forward and slammed his fist into the head of the nearest guard. He hit him so hard across the chin his neck snapped back, broken instantly. Even as the body fell, Paeder grabbed the second man by the throat and lifted him off the ground. He held him there until he heard bones snap.

  The guard’s legs still twitched, but he was dead. Paeder sensed the life leaking out like air from a tire with a slow leak. When the legs stopped twitching, he dropped the corpse. He brought his hand up to his nose and smiled. He could smell the sweat and cologne of the dead man, but that was not what excited him. It was the scent of death.