Death & Co.

by D. J. McCune

  ‘I can’t,’ Adam said miserably. ‘You have to go!’

  He had finally broken the young man’s patience. He leaped to his feet with startling speed, wriggling clear of his sleeping bag and Adam braced himself, half expecting a punch. ‘Get the hell out of here! Telling me I can’t stay here! You’re worse than the pigs!’

  Adam stared at him in desperation. He was making a mess of everything! The sharp stabbing pain pierced him again and he groaned and doubled over. He was running out of time.

  The homeless man dipped his head and peered at Adam. ‘Are you all right?’ His face was concerned. It touched Adam that in spite of everything the man in front of him still cared about other people, even if the whole world seemed to have abandoned him.

  He straightened up painfully. All he could do was try telling the truth. ‘I’m all right.’ He hesitated. ‘But you’re not going to be. Some men are going to come down here and hurt you. They’re going to kill you. That’s why I want you to go. Please – just go!’

  The young man’s eyes widened. To Adam’s amazement he swore and bent to grab his sleeping bag and rucksack. ‘Well, why the hell didn’t you just tell me that in the first place?!’

  Adam stared at him dumbfounded. It hadn’t occurred to him that it could be so simple. ‘I … I didn’t think you’d believe me.’

  The homeless man scowled. ‘There are plenty of nutters about. They got me once before.’ He turned to walk away and paused when Adam called him back. He looked at the money in Adam’s hand. ‘I told you, I don’t need your charity.’

  ‘It’s not charity,’ Adam muttered, thinking about his bedroom, his house, Elise’s dinners … ‘Just take it, will you?’

  The young man gave him a long, hard look, then shrugged and took the money. ‘Cheers.’

  Adam watched him disappear and slumped back against a bin, weak with relief. He kept thinking that saving people was going to get easier but people were so unpredictable! It was much easier working with souls. They were frightened and disorientated. They trusted Lumen enough to do what they were told. But while they were still alive … that was a different story.

  There was a sudden cacophony at the end of the alleyway. Girls shrieked out on Flip Street and a chorus of male voices jeered and mocked them. Adam cursed himself. The homeless man had gone but the gang didn’t know that. They were going to arrive and find him missing. Then they were going to find Adam. Somehow he didn’t think they were going to be happy to see him … Shuddering, he scuttled down towards the far end of the alley. It stank. What the hell was he going to tell Melissa? That he had fallen into a sewage pit on his way to get some money out?

  He only made it halfway down the alley. He had just crouched down behind some black bags when a group of men walked into the alleyway. Adam froze, wondering if they had seen him. They strode straight to the gap where the young man had been lying. The first one there cursed and kicked the big industrial bin. ‘He’s not there!’ The others muttered and swore. There were six of them in total and the smallest one spoke up. ‘I saw him earlier.’ He wandered down towards Adam’s hiding place but it was a half-hearted effort.

  The first man, obviously their leader, cursed again. ‘Yeah, well, he’s not there now.’ He hawked and spat on the cardboard bed the young man had so carefully assembled. ‘It’s his lucky night.’

  Adam breathed out slowly. If they left soon he wouldn’t stink too badly by the time he got back to Melissa … But to his dismay, instead of disappearing their leader produced a bottle of something and lit a cigarette.

  They stood talking in low voices, obviously not in any hurry. Adam sighed and settled back against the wall, still on his haunches. It felt like he had left Melissa an age ago but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes earlier. If they would just go he could get back to her before he blew it for good …

  At last, after what felt like a lifetime, they threw their cigarette butts down and swaggered back onto Flip Street. Adam made himself count to fifty before he dared to stand up. The alleyway was empty now and he breathed slowly through his mouth. Another save. One more would make a perfect hat trick. Sooner or later he was going to get better at this hero stuff. He couldn’t get any worse.

  He picked his way over the rubbish. It was harder to see now with the lights of Flip Street ahead of him. The homeless man’s cardboard bed gave him a pang. It was covered with spittle and cigarette butts. Somebody seemed to have used it as a toilet as well.

  He felt a weary, pointless kind of anger and tried to feel happy again. He was going to go back to Melissa and eat some pizza. Maybe if he got brave enough he would even try and kiss her. He wished he’d brought some chewing gum … His foot struck something hard and it fell over and smashed on the ground.

  Adam winced and bent down. It was a vodka bottle and judging by the puddle on the ground it had been almost full. He frowned. The gang had forgotten to take it with them. They were going to miss it and when they came back they weren’t going to be very happy to find it broken. Definitely time to get out of there.

  He straightened up and hurried towards the street – just as a large, broad-shouldered silhouette ran round the corner, almost ploughing straight into him. Adam’s heart skipped a beat. It was one of the gang. He peered closer at the figure. There was something familiar about him … He stared and felt his mouth drop with shock – just as the other guy recognised him.

  He was looking at Michael Bulber.

  Chapter 10

  In any other circumstances, the Beast’s expression would have been comical. ‘You!’ He stared at Adam. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’

  Adam stood frozen for a moment, stunned at his bad luck. He realised his mouth was still hanging open and snapped it closed. ‘I … erm … I was here earlier. I dropped my wallet. Well, I thought I had but I found it! Lucky me, eh?’

  Michael Bulber stared at him. ‘Yeah, lucky you,’ he said slowly. ‘You know, I think you’re telling me lies.’ He looked down and noticed the broken bottle. ‘And you knocked over Baz’s vodka.’

  Adam put his hands in his jeans pockets and kept his voice casual. He tried to peer past Bulber but this close he seemed massive; big enough to block out most of the light from the street behind. In spite of himself he took a step back. ‘Yeah, sorry about the vodka. Look, I need to go.’ He moved his arm in a gesture of invitation and tried to smile. ‘It’s all yours.’

  The Beast’s eyes narrowed. ‘What are you doing in Flip Street? Didn’t think it was your kind of place.’ His face grew thoughtful. ‘Unless you’re not here on your own.’

  Adam resisted the urge to squirm. ‘Yeah I was supposed to be meeting a friend but … Well, something came up.’ He faked an enormous yawn. ‘Pretty crap but I think I’ll just go home now. You know, have an early night.’

  Bulber gave him a look of such total contempt that for a moment Adam thought he was home and dry. Unfortunately he had obviously inherited his brains from his mum rather than his dad and he held out one enormous paw, blocking Adam. His eyes narrowed still further, becoming slits. ‘Melissa used to like coming to Flip Street. But then you wouldn’t have been stupid enough to bring her out when I told you not to, would you?’

  Suddenly a red-hot rage filled Adam’s stomach. It was startling, like something had caught fire inside him. Who the hell did Michael Bulber think he was? What made him think he had the right to tell Adam who he could and couldn’t go out with? He felt a surge of recklessness. ‘Yeah, all right. You’ve solved the mystery, Einstein. I’m out with Melissa, not that it’s any of your business. I mean, you went out like – what? Twice? Three times? She was hardly the love of your life.’

  For such a big guy the Beast moved fast. His hand shot out, seized the front of Adam’s shirt and slammed him into the dustbin behind. Adam felt a terrible pressure on the front of his throat before the button popped off and the pressure eased. The Beast was staring at him with cold hatred. ‘You think you’re so smart, don’t you? You and y
our little friends, all in the library looking at porn or Bible stories or whatever it is you freaks do. But you’re all on your own here and this time nobody is going to save you. Not even my dad.’

  Still holding Adam’s shirt he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his mobile. He made a call, never taking his eyes off Adam’s face as he spoke. ‘I’ve got a present for you. Come back to the alley.’ Adam could hear a voice on the other end of the line protesting and the Beast’s face tightened with frustration but he kept his tone even. Obviously he was talking to the leader of their little gang. ‘I promise, you’re going to enjoy this.’

  He slid the phone back into his pocket and something pleased and vicious came into his expression. ‘I didn’t want us to get lonely so I thought I’d see if some of my other friends would come and join us. You’ll like them, I promise. I’ll ask them to play nicely but …’ He shrugged and grinned. ‘Sometimes they get a bit carried away.’

  Adam smiled sourly. ‘Yeah, I can imagine.’ He might have saved the homeless man but he hadn’t planned on becoming the target himself. Maybe he could provoke the Beast. Make him angry enough to make a slip-up … ‘If you’re the brains behind the operation I doubt you’ve got beyond playing with building blocks. Or maybe you’re not the brains behind it all. Maybe you’re just a follower. I didn’t have you down as the lapdog type.’

  The Beast laughed. ‘If I were standing where you’re standing I wouldn’t be so brave.’ His eyes were shining and his voice became tighter, full of intensity. ‘This isn’t school. There are no teachers. Your mummy and daddy aren’t going to come and save you.’

  Adam looked at him with a kind of wary disgust. ‘Guess it’s lucky that homeless guy wasn’t here.’

  The Beast’s eyes widened. ‘You heard us, didn’t you? And then you told the guy we were coming and he ran away. Fucking hell, they’re going to kill you. I mean like properly kill you.’ He shook his head and started laughing with a mixture of amazement and excitement.

  For the first time Adam felt a pang of real, honest fear. He was reminded almost painfully of the young soldier the night before. What was it with some people? It was like they were broken inside; like something was damaged or just missing. They didn’t have any brakes.

  He tried to make one last appeal. ‘You don’t have to do this. Just let me go before they get here.’

  The Beast stared at him incredulously. ‘You still don’t get this, you little prick. I’m not doing this for them. I’m doing this for me. I’m going to maim you and I’m going to laugh while I do it.’ He smiled broadly. ‘And then I’m going to tell Melissa what I did and how you cried and pissed yourself.’

  Adam laughed suddenly, not really knowing why. He could actually believe that the Beast would be thick enough to do that. ‘Yeah, she’ll really like that. You certainly know how to impress the ladies.’ He leaped back, just avoiding a meaty fist, almost falling over the broken bottle. He had to get out of here. There was no way he was going to take a beating from Michael Bulber. It was bad enough at home being cornered by an enraged Aron but at least he knew Aron wouldn’t actually kill him. With the Beast he wasn’t so sure.

  He darted forward, then leaped back once again, cursing silently as the Beast blocked him. He couldn’t escape onto Flip Street, which left him only the far end of the alley. He was pretty sure it was a dead end but maybe he had missed something – a ladder, some bins he could climb on, a flying carpet … He backed away a few paces, then turned and ran into the darkness. His fears were confirmed when the older boy laughed and didn’t follow. He obviously knew the layout. Sure enough, when Adam ran past his original hiding place and down to the far end of the alley he found himself facing a blank wall, way too high to climb over.

  He turned back towards the street and felt his heart sink. Shadows had appeared behind Michael Bulber. Reinforcements had arrived. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but he could tell from the Beast’s animated tone that he was telling them about Adam’s part in their earlier disappointment. A couple of them swore and started walking towards Adam but Bulber called out, ‘He was here tonight with my ex. Give me first go, lads, will you?’

  There was a chorus of jeering and catcalls but obviously the Beast had been granted his wish. He swaggered along the narrow alley, the gang following behind. Adam shrank back against the wall, pressing himself into the shadows. There was only one thing he could do to save himself but he knew it was utterly forbidden. On the other hand he also knew he was going to be seeing his own special Light tonight if he didn’t get out of here.

  His senses were hyper-alert. The Beast slowed, obviously wary that Adam had prepared himself in some way – that maybe he was hiding with a weapon, ready to leap out and do battle. The idea almost made Adam laugh aloud – he didn’t deserve that much credit. Bulber was moving closer. Adam could see his head in silhouette, moving from side to side like a predator’s, hunting in the darkness for his prey.

  He was running out of time. The Beast was just a couple of metres away and he paused, staring straight at the dark spot where Adam stood frozen. It was now or never. And just as the Beast surged forward Adam took a deep breath, clutched his keystone and stepped from the physical world into the Hinterland.

  Adam had a moment of total disorientation when Michael Bulber passed straight through where he had been standing in the physical world and smacked into the alley wall with a yelp. On instinct he leaped sideways, even though he knew Bulber couldn’t hurt him here in the Hinterland.

  ‘He’s … He’s not there.’ Michael Bulber was clutching his hand. He bent double, squinting into the darkness. ‘But he was here!’

  Without warning the leader of his gang came up behind him and punched him hard in the face. The Beast staggered backwards and hit his head on the wall, sliding to the ground in a graceless heap. The gang leader stepped towards him, his voice a low growl. ‘Do you think you’re funny? Are you trying to be funny?’

  Michael Bulber looked like a man who had just seen a ghost. He was fighting to get his breath back. ‘He was here! I just saw him! I don’t know where he we—’

  ‘Shut up!’ the gang leader roared. Even in the darkness Adam could see the spittle flecking his chin and the fury in his eyes. ‘Thought you would have a bit of a laugh, did you?’ He kicked Bulber in the stomach and the Beast doubled up on the ground completely winded.

  Adam felt a twinge of fear and guilt. He tried to tell himself that Bulber had been just about to use him as a human punchbag but even so, he didn’t especially want to see the idiot being killed.

  Still in the Hinterland he ran back to Flip Street and hid behind the first bin in the alley. He took a deep breath and pushed back through into the physical world. As quietly as he could he crept to the corner and when he was almost out of the alley he deepened his voice and shouted, ‘Oi, lads, watch it, the pigs are coming!’

  As soon as he said it he stepped back into the Hinterland and ran to check Michael Bulber’s fate. The gang leader gave him a final kick for good measure and muttered, ‘Someone else’s lucky night. Don’t play little jokes on me, Mikey. Broken my funny bone once too often, know what I mean?’

  The gang followed him sheep-like out of the alley leaving the Beast lying on the filthy concrete. He tried to stand and gave a whimper. Clutching his side he pulled himself up the wall and staggered to his feet. Adam felt another twinge of remorse – until he reminded himself that he had almost been the one beaten up.

  Adam expected the Beast to follow his ‘friends’ back onto Flip Street but Bulber had other plans. It was very dark but he began to grope his way along the alley walls, searching for Adam. ‘Where are you, you little shit? I know you’re here!’ Adam held his breath, even in the safety of the Hinterland. The Beast was standing right beside him, feeling his way along, his hands passing through Adam’s torso; or where his torso would have been if he had been in the physical world. It was disconcerting.

  ‘You were here!’ Bulber hissed but
now there was an edge of fear in his voice. Finally, he blinked and shook his head, as if trying to clear it. He turned and stumbled after his friends.

  Adam breathed a sigh of relief. At last! Now he had to find Melissa and get ready for some serious grovelling. He sped across the road, still in the Hinterland, running through people and cars until he spotted the pizza place. There were too many people around to simply appear so he had to run to the end of the lane and into an empty doorway before he could step back into the physical world.

  He resisted the impulse to dash straight into the cafe. Instead he gave his clothes a dubious sniff and scraped something slimy off his shoe. Finally he took a deep breath and walked into the cafe, trying to look cool and apologetic at the same time.

  It was a small, shabby kind of place with rickety tables and mismatched chairs – but the smell was out of this world. The air was rich with dough, oregano, and garlic and the three men behind the counter were having a passionate argument in Italian. He was pretty sure they were talking about AC Milan.

  Melissa was sitting alone at a table in the back corner. She had an empty plate in front of her and another to one side holding a slice of pepperoni pizza. When she looked up her face was tense and unhappy.

  ‘I’m really sorry,’ Adam blurted out, hating himself for the easy way lies began to trip off his tongue. ‘First cashpoint was empty, then the second one had a big queue, then I got lost …’ He tailed off.

  Melissa didn’t seem to have noticed his absence. She was frowning at her mobile. ‘My aunt called me five times when I was in Petrograd but now she’s not answering.’ Her nose wrinkled. ‘What’s that smell?’

  Adam felt his cheeks burn. ‘Erm … Probably the drains. Old sewers round here, you know?’

  Melissa nodded but she seemed distracted. At that moment her mobile rang and she pounced on it. ‘Hello! I’ve been trying to ring you back!’

  Adam could tell straight away that something was wrong. Her face paled and her hand flew to her mouth. When she ended the call she sat staring into space for a moment, shell-shocked. Adam hesitated, wondering if he should put his hand over hers. He settled for poking her arm. ‘Is everything OK?’