“I think you’re lying.” Enoch pulled back the hammer on his gun. I glanced at Penny, who was staring right at me. I was in quite the predicament. If I stood there any longer, there was a good chance that Enoch would actually pull the trigger. If I vanished, Penny would see, and I wasn’t sure how she would react.
On the count of three, Jack, I need you to jump right here to Penny, Hauser thought to me. At that same moment, I will jump up and tag Enoch. Nod if you understand.
I nodded then looked into Enoch’s eyes. “Okay, you got me. I do have a device and it’s in my pocket. Let me grab it.”
“Not so fast. I’ll get it myself,” Enoch said, reaching into my inside pocket. As he began to feel around, I heard Hauser’s thoughts.
Jump now!
A split second later I shoved Enoch backward and vanished. I appeared next to Penny at the same time Hauser appeared on the balcony, his injector at the ready. Unfortunately, Enoch was prepared. He fired his pistol right at Hauser, and they both vanished.
Chapter 12.5
When I appeared next to Penny in the café, she was still staring up at where I’d stood just seconds before. Her eyes were wide with shock at seeing me disappear. When she finally sensed my presence and turned to look at me, the shock turned to fear.
“What the hell are you?” she asked, recoiling from my presence.
“It’s going to be okay, Penny. I’m not here to hurt you,” I said, hoping to calm her reaction.
Suddenly Penny’s expressions changed again, fear being replaced with recognition. “Wait a minute. I know where I’ve seen you before. You were at the hospital,” she said.
I exhaled slowly as I sat across from her. “Yes, that’s right. I was there the day that you gave birth to your son,” I said.
“So are you magic or are you a ghost? I don’t even know what to think.”
“I can imagine the confusion that you’re experiencing right now, but if you’d give me a chance to explain—”
“How can you even begin to comprehend what I’m experiencing?” she snapped.
“Because, Penny, I’ve been in your exact same situation, and it wasn’t all that long ago.”
“Who are you?” Penny began to cry.
“My name really is Jack, but I am not who you think I am. I have been sent here to . . . to collect your soul. Just as I was sent to collect Calvin’s soul a few months ago.”
“What? Like a grim reaper?”
“No, what I do is more civilized than that. Once a person dies, whether through their own volition or by some natural or accidental occurrence, their soul is released. I capture that soul and cleanse it before it goes to another person,” I said. “The grim reaper mythology is such that they take your soul by force occasionally, and with malice regularly.”
“So I am going to die, then,” Penny said, more of statement than a question.
Before I could reply, Hauser reappeared. I looked him over and saw no signs of blood. Great, you weren’t shot. With a huge sigh of relief, I looked at him expectantly. Well?
He shook his head. “No dice. He was able to get away from me. But I think our mission is almost complete, and I’d expect Enoch to return sooner than later. How’s it going here?” he asked.
Well, the cat’s out of the bag, so to speak, I thought to Hauser. Penny saw me disappear from the balcony.
“Well that complicates things. What have you told her? And can she see me?”
“Penny, do you see anyone else with us right now?” I asked.
She glanced around our immediate vicinity, looking through Hauser. “What is it you want with me? Are you fucking with me?”
“No, not at all. I was just curious if you were aware of anything else out of the ordinary.”
“Beside you disappearing from the balcony up there and reappearing a split second later? No, everything is just peachy,” she said, her voice beginning to crack.
I sensed Penny’s frustration building and wanted to stop any overreaction before it occurred. “How much should I tell her?” I asked Hauser.
“In for a penny, in for a pound,” Hauser said with a chuckle.
“Penny, ever since you lost your son at childbirth, you’ve been depressed, isn’t that right?”
Penny nodded.
“And I gather from these depressed feelings that you’ve considered suicide?”
Again Penny nodded, her eyes widening with surprise.
“First, let me tell you that you should reconsider.”
“What are you doing, Jack?” Hauser asked. “The plan is nearly a success. Enoch is on task. We both know what the end game is going to be here. You’re just going to make it more difficult.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Am I sure, what?” asked Penny.
“Come on, Jack. Use your head. It’s obvious that she can’t see or hear our conversation. You’re now just mentally torturing her.”
I shook my head out of frustration. “I’m sorry, Penny, but there is another person here who you cannot see or hear, and he’s not happy with me right now.”
“That’s an understatement,” Hauser said.
“How can I believe anything that you’re saying? As far as I know, you’re just an old guy playing a mean trick on me, and none of this is real.”
“Be careful, Jack. You’re just going to make this that much more difficult when it comes time to—”
Relax, I have a plan, I thought to Hauser. If we’re going to end up taking her soul anyway, what does it matter what we tell her? And besides, if Enoch is going to continue to pursue her, wouldn’t it be better if she was prepared? And I think it’s also better that we remove her from the public eye.
I looked up at Hauser as he contemplated what I was saying. After a few moments, he nodded. “Okay, Jack. Proceed. Maybe you should take her to your cabin. At least that way we can control the outcome of the situation.”
“I’m sorry, Penny, but I was just having a brief conversation with my partner. If proof is what you’re looking for, I think I have a way to provide that.”
Penny stared at me skeptically. “All right. If you are who you say you are, why can’t you show me your imaginary friend here?”
“Well, you’ll see him sooner or later, that I can guarantee. But how about for starters, I take you on a little trip?”
“What, like in a car or on a bus? A plane or a train?” she asked, sounding like a Dr. Seuss book.
“Not at all. I have the ability to travel from place to place instantly. You obviously saw me disappear from upstairs and reappear down here. What if I were able to take you to a different place in the same fashion? Would you be willing to give it a try?”
Surprising both Hauser and me, Penny nodded her head vehemently.
“I hope to hell that you know what you’re doing, Jack,” Hauser said.
Chapter 13.5
We landed in the middle of my cabin. First Penny and me, then a few moments later, Hauser popped in next to the fireplace.
“Holy shit! What a mind fuck,” Penny stated emphatically. Then she slowly began to walk around the rustic cabin.
“Penny, how do you feel? Are you dizzy? Do you feel like you might be ill?” I asked.
“No, not at all. I actually feel pretty good, considering.”
“That’s good. My first experience was . . .” I looked at Hauser, my eyebrow twisting up questioningly. Why is it that she is able to transport on her first try without feeling the side effects?
“I don’t know, champ. Some people just react differently to the experience. Some of the collectors in the past have been affected much the same way that you have, while others have only experienced only light cases of dizziness. Looks like Penny here is a natural when it comes to travel in the afterlife.”
“Was what?” Penny asked, settling down on the lumpy couch.
I grinned at Hauser’s last comment before answering Penny. “Much to the chagrin of my partner here, I threw up a little on my first tri
p.”
“Get out!” Penny said, more vibrant than I’d ever seen her before.
“So, anyway, this is my . . . home? Right now we’re deep in the woods of upstate New York. Is that enough proof for you?” I asked.
“It’s a start. Assuming that this really is where you say it is and not some kind of a mind trick that you’re playing on me,” Penny said, far less skeptical than she had been at the bookstore. “Let’s say I believe you. How does this all work? You’re here to take my soul?”
“That’s pretty much it,” I said. “That is, assuming that you follow through with your suicidal thoughts.”
“Watch it, Jack,” Hauser said. “Her soul is still in play. As long as Enoch is on our trail, I think it best that we don’t detract her too much.”
“Well, I’m not gonna lie. After losing Calvin, I’ve pretty much given up on everything.”
“I’m no shrink, but I am probably the perfect person to talk to about this.”
“Why, because your wife killed herself?”
Hearing Penny talk so casually about suicide made my heart ache. “No, that was . . . kind of a fib. I needed to talk to you, get to know you. You see, I took my own life about six months ago.”
“What? You lied to me?” Penny said, her anger causing her complexion to turn amber.
“Stop right now, Jack. Do not tell her anything about Enoch. She doesn’t need to know about our plan,” Hauser said.
“I, um, wanted to talk to you about it to make sure that is really what you wanted to do. Personally, I’ve regretted it every day since.”
“Then if you’re dead, how are you even talking to me?” she asked.
“Wait, slow down a minute. We can talk more about me later. I would like to talk about you and your own personal reasons.”
“Whatever, man. You’re the one that brought yourself up,” Penny said, rolling her eyes just like a teenager. “Like I said, it was real rough after Calvin died. I’ve already told you about my foster parents and all of that. I’m just so alone and I feel worthless to the world. That’s it. There’s nothing more to say.”
“Okay, good, Jack,” Hauser said. “Her influx dot is flashing a little faster than before. Try and keep her mind in that phase.”
Penny sprang from the couch and spun around toward the fireplace. “Who the hell are you?” she asked, staring right at Hauser.
“Never mind him, Penny. He’s just my—”
“Hi, there. My name is Hauser. I’m Jack’s trainer in the afterlife. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Hauser said, cutting me off.
“You two are really fucking with my mind right now,” Penny said, lowering herself back down onto the edge of the couch.
“I know what you’re going through, Penny. I really do. But regardless of what Hauser says, just because you’re lonely and you’ve had a loss in your life is no reason at all to kill yourself. You are a vibrant young woman, and trust me when I tell you this, you will make friends. You will mean something,” I said with as much passion as I could muster.
Wow, that was quite poetic, Jack, Hauser thought to me. One thing I’ve learned in all the years of being a soul collector: It’s always the broken souls that are trying fix others. But in this case, I suggest you tread lightly.
Before I had a chance to respond, I suddenly heard a slow, deliberate clap echo from the kitchen. I whipped my head around to see Enoch leaning against the countertop.
“How the hell did you find us?” I asked, standing up between him and Penny. A moment later, Hauser stepped in beside me.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know this was a private party. Besides, do you think Hauser is the only guy in the afterlife that gets a bag of tricks all for himself?” Enoch held open his blue blazer, displaying a number of gadgets hooked to the inside of his jacket. I instantly recognized the soul magnet, along with his own pocket watch and rosary.
Shit, Hauser, I thought. What do we do now?
“Don’t worry, Jack,” Enoch said. “This will all be over momentarily. Then you can go on with your own miserable afterlife. I just need you two to step aside.”
“Sorry, old friend, but that’s not going to happen,” Hauser said.
Suddenly Penny squeezed herself between Hauser and me and stepped forward. “You three guys are really freaking me out. Who are you?” she asked Enoch.
Enoch smiled but didn’t say anything. He slipped his right hand into the left inside jacket pocket and withdrew a sawed-off shotgun—the same shotgun that he’d used in my dream with Noah Clayton. He raised the barrel up and pointed it directly at her head. “I’m here to do what neither of these two clowns have the balls to do.”
Faster than I’ve ever seen a person move before, Hauser charged Enoch, dislodging the gun from his hand, causing it to fly across the room and clatter beneath the couch.
“Jack. Go, now. Take Penny to your last safe place,” Hauser said as he whipped out his injector pen and thrust it toward Enoch.
I turned toward Penny, but before I could grasp her arm, she bolted out the door. Shocked at her sudden self-preservation response, I stumbled after her. As I reached the cabin door, I glanced back just as Enoch kicked Hauser in the shin, forcing him to drop the Epipen to the floor. It clambered across the floor and disappeared beneath the couch, right next to Enoch’s shotgun.
Chapter 14.5
As I burst through the door and headed toward the wooded surroundings, I caught a glimpse of Penny charging onto the trail that led toward the lake. Knowing the exact path, I disappeared from the porch and reappeared several yards into the woods, just on the edge of the trail, and waited. Within moments, Penny came into view, panting heavily. I stepped on the trail, startling her to a halt.
“Penny, stop. Let me get you out of here. Let me take you someplace safe.”
“Who is that lunatic? And why was he trying to kill me?”
“In a minute. Let’s just get out of here.” I reached out and gripped her arm firmly before vanishing.
Seconds later, we appeared at my old park bench in the city.
“I know you’re not gonna want to hear this, but I need to leave you here,” I said.
“Wait. You gotta tell me something. Anything. I mean, I just don’t know what to think about any of this,” Penny said as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Hey, hey,” I said, easing her down onto the bench. “That man, the man in the strange blue suit, is your mythical grim reaper. His name is not important, but let’s just say that he’s not exactly right in the mind.”
Penny brought her hands to her face and massaged her cheeks. “I, uh, I’m scared, Jack. First you tell me that you’re here to collect my soul. Strangely, I was okay with that. Then you really prove to me that you are who you say you are by magically taking me someplace that I’ve never been. All the while, you’re telling me that killing myself is not an option. I just don’t know what to believe. Tell me, Jack, what does all this mean? I just need something. I need the truth.”
“I have to say, none of this has gone as I’d anticipated. For that I am sorry,” I said. “The truth. I became a soul collector shortly after I tried to kill myself. Since that time I’ve found a way to help certain people continue living instead of collecting their souls. Enoch, the man in the blue suit, somehow—and for some unknown demented reason—has taken it upon himself to start killing the souls that I’m trying to save. I wanted to save your soul in order to capture Enoch.”
“You son of a bitch. You . . . you used me as bait?”
I nodded slowly, feeling Penny’s piercing eyes upon me. “I am sorry, Penny. I really did want to save your soul. But my superiors agreed that capturing Enoch was a priority, and when I suggested this plan—”
“This was all your harebrained idea?”
I nodded again. “With any luck, Hauser has Enoch tagged as we speak.”
“Then what? Are you still going to take my soul? What if I don’t want to kill myself after all?”
“Penny, that�
�s wonderful to hear. I’ll do everything in my power to save you, but right now I have to go.”
“So, what? Do I just sit here and wait?” Penny asked.
“Yes. I don’t think Enoch knows about this place, and this park doesn’t get a lot of visitors. You should be safe here until I return.”
I stood to leave, but Penny launched herself from the bench and hugged me tightly. “Please. Don’t go. I’m so scared,” she said, trembling in my arms.
“I promise, Penny. I’ll be right back. I just need to go help Hauser for a bit,” I said, patting her back. “The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back. Then we’ll figure out how you can be saved.”
Penny released her hug and slunk back to the bench. “Please hurry.”
Strangely, I landed back in the forest, right where Penny and I had left just moments before, and not at all where I’d thought—at the cabin. Frustrated at the confusion, I ran toward my cabin. Just as I broke through the canopy, I heard the first of several gunshots, firing in quick succession.
I ran faster. As I leaped onto the porch of the cabin, I saw the silhouettes of two men struggling just inside the window. Then a blinding flash of light shot out through the windows, followed by a blast so strong my body flew backward through the air a dozen yards.
My cabin exploded into flames, burning timbers flying in all directions. My body and soul stopped suddenly as my head cracked on a boulder protruding from the ground. I tried to stand, to save Hauser, but my vision blurred and darkness fell upon me.
Chapter 15
I removed the coin from my hand and slipped it into my pocket. When I looked up at Wilson’s troubled eyes, fear and confusion danced freely in the blue-grey of his irises.
“I . . . I just don’t know what to say,” Wilson said. “I had no idea Enoch was so dangerous.”
The Borrowed Souls: A Novel Page 31
