“You’re so very precise, Hauser. How long did it take you to calculate every action and setting? I feel so very much like a marionette,” I said sarcastically.
“Just get the coffee, bub. I’ll wait here.”
Feeling more comfortable with public interactions by the minute, I bought my coffee and sat at the table with my back to the door. “Okay. Am I sitting properly? Should I cross my leg? Or should I sit here with my head on the table?”
“That’s enough, smart-ass. Just sit and wait. You should also take the lid off of your coffee,” Hauser said.
I removed the lid and took a small sip of the steaming liquid. It had been quite some time since I’d had any caffeine whatsoever, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I could practically feel the liquid adrenaline pulsing into my veins.
As the minutes passed, I continued to take small sips of the coffee. Hauser stood next to me, scanning the bookstore, looking for Penny’s arrival.
“Okay, you’re on champ.”
I instinctively straightened my posture and adjusted the collar of my shirt.
“Now, when I tell you, I want you to spill your coffee.”
“Just pour it out, or do I—”
“Just knock the damn thing over,” Hauser snapped. “Now.”
I swung my arm to the side, tipping the nearly full coffee cup over. The liquid quickly spread across the table and dripped into my lap.
“Holy shit,” I exclaimed. “That’s fucking hot.”
“Well if you weren’t such a klutz, you’d stop spilling liquid all over yourself,” Penny said, standing next to me.
I sprang from my chair and reflexively swiped the steaming liquid off my pants. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what just came over me. I went to look at my watch and just knocked my coffee cup right on over.”
“Are you going to be all right, or do you need me to call somebody to take care of those burns?” Penny asked.
“I think I’ll be okay. It doesn’t hurt too bad . . . but if you have a couple of napkins, that might help with this mess.”
Penny walked up to the counter and returned with a handful of small cocktail napkins to dab up the remaining coffee from the table.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’m actually kind of surprised that you’d even talk to me again.”
“Yeah, about that. I’m sorry I stormed off. You probably understand. I’m an emotional mess most of the time, and that day was not particularly good for me,” Penny said.
As I finished cleaning up the spilled coffee, I retook my seat and motioned for Penny to join me. “That’s understandable, Penny. I remember experiencing days just like that after my wife . . . you know.”
Penny accepted the offer to join me and smiled discreetly. “So, do you live around here or are you stalking me?” she asked.
“Neither. I collect books. It’s a crazy, expensive addiction. A friend of mine told me about this place, and I figured I couldn’t pass it up.”
Penny smiled again and looked at me with a strange, sideways glance. “You know, it’s funny. I know you said that you’ve been to the community center before, but I just . . . I don’t know. I think we’ve seen each other someplace else. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
Panicked, I said, “That doesn’t surprise me. I’m told that I have a very recognizable face. You would not believe how often people tell me that they remember seeing me from someplace else.”
“Nice cover, Jack,” Hauser said. “Now, change the subject before she thinks about it more. Buy her a cup of coffee.”
“I’m sorry, where are my manners? Can I get you something? Maybe a cup of coffee . . . that’s not spilled all over my lap?” I asked.
Penny giggled. “That would be great, thanks. House coffee with cream, please.”
I excused myself and bought two more coffees quickly. I sat down again, and we both sipped awkwardly at our hot drinks.
“So, Penny, seeing as I was here first, I think it’s you that is stalking me,” I said teasingly.
“Don’t you wish, perv,” Penny said dryly. “Actually, I live nearby and coming here takes my mind off of . . . things.”
“This place certainly is wonderful,” I said. “What with the vast book selection in all genres.”
Penny nodded. “Yeah, there’s that. But then when I get to the family and parenting section, I usually lose it.”
“Yikes, I’m sorry. Change of subject?” I asked.
“No, it’s all right. Like we said the other day, it’s sometimes good to talk about things.”
“Okay then, tell me about yourself.”
“What do you want to know? Am I single? Do I enjoy long walks on the beach? Do I like the sound of rain?” she said sarcastically.
“No, nothing like that. Tell me about your family, about your parents. Do you have sisters or brothers?”
“I had a brother, but he died a few years ago,” Penny said, her voice dropping. “I don’t know my real parents. I’ve been in foster homes for as long as I can remember,” she said, her mood dropping even further.
Well, crap, I thought.
“Have you tried to track down your real parents?” I asked.
“I tried several months ago, right after I got pregnant. But it was a lost cause. Nobody had any paperwork on how I even entered the foster care system.”
“I really don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but I’m sorry, Penny.”
“It’s all right. It’s not your fault. I just seem to have been dealt an unlucky hand in life, or so it seems sometimes.”
“Can I ask about the father of your child? Is he around?”
“Ha, funny story,” Penny said sardonically. “The father of my child was my very last foster father.”
“Holy hell, Jack. Change the subject quick,” Hauser said.
Ignoring Hauser momentarily, I pushed further. “I’m curious. Did you still live with your foster parents when that happened?”
“No, I thought they were actually good people all along. I’d been living on my own for a few years by then, but I still stayed in contact with them. Having dinner with them occasionally, holidays and weekends and such. Then something changed. Theodore, my foster father, just snapped one day and forced himself on me, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.”
“Oh, Penny. Did you report him to the police?”
“No. He told me if I said anything he would hunt me down and kill me.”
My blood began to boil with each additional detail Penny told me, thinking about the injustices of collecting the good souls while assholes like Theodore continued to live.
“You know, the police could have protected you,” I said, walking gingerly through the conversation, remembering how volatile her personality was from our last meeting.
“Yeah, I know that now, but back then I was pretty scared. Now I don’t really care what happens to my life.”
“Penny, all life is precious. You’re a very special young woman, and you have a lot to offer this world.”
“Is that your expert opinion? After what? Having a few brief conversations with me?” she asked angrily.
Drastically wanting to lighten the mood, I felt a joke here would help. “I don’t know, Penny. If you weren’t here, who would help me every time I spilled something on myself?”
Penny gave me a ghost of a smile. “I don’t know; I think you’d manage okay.”
I leaned back and looked around the coffee shop as I tried to think of another humorous anecdote, when Hauser spoke up.
“Look up now, Jack. Enoch is standing at the second-floor balcony!”
“I see him,” I said, raising my sight, focusing on Enoch’s face just as Hauser spoke.
“I’m sorry, what?” Penny said. “You see who?”
Crap, I thought. “I, um, was just visualizing myself spilling my next hot beverage,” I said.
“Excuse yourself, Jack. We need to move on this, and I mean now,” Hauser said as he disappeared from my
side.
Suddenly, my vision blurred. The entire room faded in and out of darkness. An uncontrollable whirling sensation overcame me, and I felt as if the room was about to turn on its side. Just as panic was about to take over, all of my senses returned just as quickly as they’d begun to skew.
“I’m sorry, Penny, but I need to go the men’s room and check my . . . legs. I may have actually burned myself with that coffee spill,” I said, standing and walking toward the back of the bookstore until I was out of sight. The moment I was clear I vanished from the main floor and reappeared on the second floor right next to Enoch Gant.
Chapter 11
I dropped my coin into my lap and was brought back to the present. Wilson was staring at me expectantly.
“Why did you stop?” he asked. “Is there something wrong?”
“No, I just . . . wanted to see if that dizziness was part of the flash back or if it might somehow be connected with my injury,” I said as I caressed the tender mass on the back of my head.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Jack. I didn’t experience any unsteadiness from my point of view. Can you explain it?” Wilson said, worry lines spreading across his face. He leaned forward.
“I don’t know. It felt kind of like when we travel and everything blacks out. But it was different somehow. It almost felt as if I’d had too much to drink and was about to pass out.”
Wilson leaned back in his chair and seemed to contemplate something as I explained the account. “I suppose it might be a carryover from the effects of caffeine on your system.”
“But you said you didn’t notice it from your point of view. Aren’t you seeing things as I am? I’ve only used the coin a few times since getting it from you.”
“You’re partly correct, Jack. I am seeing what you see, but not to the full extent. Because these are your memories and feelings, not everything translates the same way to me,” Wilson said. “It’s either that or your head trauma is causing interference somehow. Do you feel dizzy right now?”
I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I stood and walked around for a few moments. “No, I feel surprisingly well. My headache is even gone,” I said, delighted.
“Just to be safe, I think we should give your mind a short break before going back in. Just try and remember where you were when you left.”
I nodded and retook my seat. “I was standing next to Enoch on the balcony.”
“Precisely.”
I continued to breathe in the fresh mile-high air as a number of thoughts crossed my mind. “Tell me, Wilson. Do you have any regrets?”
“Such as?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Like do you wish you had just died back then? Do you wish that you would have just passed on becoming a soul collector altogether?”
“I think there was an immediate sense of regret early on. But the longer I did the job, the easier everything became,” Wilson said, looking at me suspiciously. “No lasting regrets.”
“I see,” I said, as I formulated my next question. I didn’t want to let out anything that might jeopardize my own personal agenda on Penny’s collection. “Wilson, can you . . . hear my thoughts while you’re experiencing my memories with me?”
“I don’t follow what you mean,” Wilson said, a quizzical look crossing his face.
“I mean, can you hear my internal thinking? When I think words to Hauser, I assume that those are in my own head.”
“No, no. Those are not just your own. I can hear all of your conversations just as clear as if you were speaking them out loud.”
“What about my personal thoughts? Can you hear those as well?” I asked, hoping to maintain at least a sliver of my deeper plan.
“You mean inconsequential thinking? Can you give me an example?” Wilson asked.
“For instance, when I had a sip of the coffee, I thought about the nutty, burnt flavor, and how much I missed drinking it every morning,” I said, hoping to steer the conversation in a safe direction.
“No, I’m sorry Jack, but I did not get any of that from your shared memories. Needless to say, it appears you are still privy to your own thoughts. Either that or you’ve learned to control your thoughts more efficiently since your training with the Sentinel.”
I nodded, thankful that not everything was being shared with Wilson. I wasn’t entirely ready to disclose my personal feelings regarding the afterlife, so I was relieved that I didn’t have to explain anything further.
“All right, then. Let’s get back to this,” I said, picking up the coin and flipping it in my hand.
Chapter 11.5
I stood to the right and slightly behind Enoch. I waited a few moments, trying to figure out the best way to administer the injection before he could jump. As I replayed our plan in my mind, Enoch suddenly turned to face me.
“So you think you can track me?”
Crap, I thought.
“And you think that the Sentinel would actually just sit back and do nothing?” I asked.
“No. Quite the opposite. I fully expected the Sentinel to react, but what surprises me is that they sent you, all on your own. You are alone, aren’t you?” Enoch asked as he looked around our immediate vicinity.
“Yes, it’s just me, and you’d be a fool to underestimate my capabilities,” I said, thankful that I hadn’t betrayed any more of our plan.
“Well? Give me everything you’ve got,” Enoch said, holding his hands in the air, tempting me to try and apprehend him.
I gripped the injector in the palm of my hand, but hesitated. “No, not quite yet,” I said. “I’d like to know why first. Why are you doing all of this?”
Enoch dropped his hands into his pockets and swayed, casually shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Why am I taking your souls? Or why am I focusing on you?”
“Both.”
“They sort of go hand in hand, wouldn’t you say? You are the newest soul collector that the Sentinel has, and you are weak, man. You’re an easy target for me, and it gives me the ability to take the souls that you’re sent to collect without resistance. How does that make you feel? Does that upset you?”
Don’t let him get in your head, Jack, Hauser thought to me. Keep him talking and I’ll try and sneak up behind him.
“No, it doesn’t. Honestly, I have far thicker skin than you might imagine. As well as a stronger passion for life salvation than you will ever have.”
“Ah, so there it is. You are in the Sentinel on false pretenses. Do they know that you’re reluctant to take all the souls that you’ve been tasked with?”
“They do. That is a benefit—”
“Cut the crap, Jack. I’d imagine that the Sentinel is quite disappointed in you. Tell me, was it Wilson that picked you out, or was it somebody else higher up the chain?”
I could feel my anger building, and it boggled my mind that Enoch knew more about me than I did. “That doesn’t really matter here, now does it? I’m here, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.” I caught a slight movement over Enoch’s shoulder as Hauser, popping in and out of reality, got closer and closer to Enoch.
I smiled, ignoring the verbal jabs. “All I know is, you should just move on and forget about interfering with my current collection.”
“Where’s the fun in that, Jack? I’ve been following along with you and Penny, and she seems just about prime for the picking.”
“I said back the hell off! Seriously, can’t you just go fetch your own souls? Why just prey on the ones I’m supposed to collect?”
“If you must know, I’ve been able to take a random person’s soul many times, but somehow I’ve lost the ability to do so. Something happened to me some time ago that only permits me to take the soul from someone that the Sentinel has already deemed close to the end of their fate. I can’t actually kill anyone anymore, and I have to say, it’s quite disheartening.”
Relieved at hearing this, I took a step closer.
“Back off, Jack. I said that I could no longer k
ill, but that only applies to those that are fated to continue living. You, on the other hand, are fair game. I could kill you right now and take your soul without breaking a sweat.”
I froze. Was he telling the truth? I contemplated asking Hauser through my thoughts, but did not want to give Enoch any more knowledge of our plan. I held my hands up in the air and took two steps back. “All right, all right. If you have the ability to kill me and take my soul, why haven’t you done it already?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Enoch asked. “It’s because you are my pipeline. Your weak mind is all I need to continue my personal agenda. And neither you,” Enoch paused, “or Hauser, who is making his way up behind me now, can do a thing to stop me.”
Before I could ask more about his personal agenda, Hauser materialized right behind Enoch. But as he raised his hand with the auto injector, Enoch vanished then reappeared on the balcony just across the way.
“You two think you’re so sly. Did you think I’d actually let you mark me somehow with whatever that device is? And truly, Hauser, I would’ve expected more from you.”
Hauser vanished and reappeared on the far balcony, right next to Enoch. A moment later I followed. Unfortunately, as I reappeared, Enoch vanished again, followed by Hauser. I stood and looked around the second floor of the bookstore before I noticed Enoch standing right behind Penny.
“Penny!” I shouted.
She looked up at me quizzically, but did not say anything. Hauser appeared next to Enoch and reached out with the injector pen, but he narrowly missed his mark as Enoch vanished once again, reappearing right next to me.
“Well, Jack, it appears that you’ve been holding out on me. It looks like you have a new ability, and I want it. Whatever it is that the Sentinel has given you, I suggest you hand it over,” Enoch said, pulling out a gun and pointing it at my chest.
“Sorry, Enoch, but whatever they’ve done to give me this temporary life interaction, it’s nothing that I have and can hold. It’s something that they control from above, and there’s no way for you to get it,” I said smugly.
The Borrowed Souls: A Novel Page 30
