by Jake Bible
“That’s how it’s been all night,” Travis said. “They keep popping up.”
“Great,” I said and made my way to my desk while trying not to bump one of the kids. Ghost frostbite was not what I wanted to deal with.
I sat down and opened a drawer. Inside was a single business card.
“Chase? What’s that?” Harper asked as she followed me.
“The last resort,” I said as I dialed the number on the card.
Harper read the name and punched me in the shoulder hard enough to knock me out of my chair.
“Are you fucking crazy?” she snarled at me.
“He owes me,” I said as someone picked up on the other end finally.
“Gene Generson,” the smooth voice answered. “Your wish is my command.”
“Gene? It’s”—
“Chase Lawter! Well, my stars and garters, it has been a long time. Are you ready for me to grant you that wish I owe you?”
“Yeah,” I said as I looked around the office. Five more ghost kids had arrived since I sat down to make the call. “I think I am.”
“Splendid. Simply splendid! Lay it on me, you wonderful hunk of a defiler you!”
“I don’t want to make the wish yet. I need some time to strategize. Is there any way you can come by the office?”
“Now?”
“Now.”
“Well, while I am known for being quite possibly the most congenial entity on all the planes, it is quite late, Chase.”
“You’re an idiot,” Harper snapped as she stuck a finger under my nose. “Gene will screw us faster than the One Guy did. The DEX won’t need to find a loophole to kill us. Gene will find the loophole for them.”
“He can’t,” I said as I covered the phone with my other hand. “We have an ironclad agreement.”
“There are no ironclad agreements with djinn!” Harper shouted.
“Oh, is that Harper?” Gene asked. “Put her on.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said.
“No, no, do it. Put her on. Please?”
I held out the phone.
“He wants to talk to you,” I said to Harper.
“No,” Harper replied.
“He said please,” I relayed.
“No!”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “Gene? Yeah, she won’t take the phone. Sorry, pal.”
“No worries, my good friend. No worries. Hold on.” I heard mumbling as he spoke to someone. There was an angry response then a loud sigh. “Okay. I’ll be at your office within the hour.”
“Thanks, Gene.”
“But before I head your way, I must insist you give me an idea as to what I may be looking at in the way of granting your wish.”
“You’re all powerful, Gene. What do you need a heads-up for?”
“Oh, thank you for the compliment. I do appreciate it. But, even we all powerful beings must prepare for the worst.”
“Sure, pal.”
I paused and looked at the rest of Black Box Inc. Sharon was fidgeting bad and dead skin was sloughing off her hands in ribbons. Lassa was staring up at the ceiling. Travis was watching the ghost children wreak havoc on our office. Harper was glaring at me so hard I thought her eyes would turn to stone.
“All right. Here it is,” I said. “Gene, I think I’m going to need you to retrieve me from the Dim.”
Silence.
“Gene? You there?”
“Yes, Chase, I am here,” Gene replied. “May I ask why you would need to enter the Dim? For the defiler of dimensions, I must say that sounds like a very bad idea.”
“I tucked away some blood ghasts there and might need to bring them back. I think by putting them there I pooped in the Dim, so to speak.”
More silence.
Finally, “I’ll be right over.”
The phone went dead.
“He’ll be right over,” I said as I set the phone down.
“Awesome,” Harper said then clapped her hands together. “Get off your asses, people. We need to make this office djinn proof and now!”
I rubbed my eyes, stood, and went to get some of the coffee Sharon had started brewing. And the bourbon. We were going to need bourbon.
It was going to be a long night.
The End
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About the Author
JAKE BIBLE, Bram Stoker Award-nominated novelist, short story writer, independent screenwriter, podcaster, and inventor of the Drabble Novel, has entertained thousands with his horror and sci/fi tales. He reaches audiences of all ages with his uncanny ability to write a wide range of characters and genres.
Jake is the author of a number of bestselling series: Z-Burbia series set in Asheville, NC; Salvage Merc One; the Apex Trilogy (DEAD MECH, The Americans, Metal and Ash); and the Mega series for Severed Press. His YA zombie novel Little Dead Man was a Bram Stoker Award-nominated teen horror novel.
His titles from Bell Bridge Books are: Stone Cold Bastards, Black Box Inc., and Blood Ghast Blues.
Sign up for his mailing list and get all the news, plus exclusive weekly readings, at jakebible.com. Join him on Twitter @jakebible and find him on Facebook.
