by S Mays
The medium had painted a circle in the cut grass using some form of powder. She was attempting to drive several long poles down into the earth. Sam stepped in to assist her. She measured the distance of each rod from the other rods, then nodded in approval.
“My methods may seem strange to you, but they are very effective,” she explained. “I need to amplify my chi because it is not as strong as others’. That’s the purpose of the circle and rods. Instead of communicating with the spirits in the spirit realm, I’ll use a focusing crystal and death candle to bring them out of the spirit realm. After that, I will help guide them out of our plane and into the afterlife.”
“I ain’t ever seen a method like this,” Sam said.
“Yes, this is an old method taught to me by my grandmother. I find it to be faster than the traditional séance. It has the added benefit of illuminating the spirits so ordinary people can perceive them. By bringing them partially into our realm, it helps them grasp the fact that they are not among the living, making my job easier.”
“Do you sense the spirits yet?” Jessica asked.
“I do. There is definitely activity here. There’s something that worries me, though. They seem to be afraid of something. We should be careful. I’ll wait for it to get darker. The Candle and Crystal method works best the darker it is. If the light entering the crystal is too bright, it can drive the spirits away instead of luring them in.”
“That candle looks kinda like…” Sam said.
“Yes, it is human blood. The death candle has an ominous name, but for spirits it acts as a lure, a beacon of life which draws them in. The focusing crystal magnifies the life light given off by the candle.”
“Fascinating. I’ve never even read of tools like these before,” Jessica breathed, leaning in closer to observe the mystical objects.
“Vera, how much longer?” Lyle asked.
“I am about ready to begin.”
“Good. I said I wanted to be back home tonight, so let’s not waste time giving history lessons when we should be working, okay?”
“Boy needs a good ass-whipping,” Sam muttered. Jessica looked at him, hopeful. “No, I ain’t going to be the one who does it,” he said.
Maybe I’ll be the one, Jessica thought, remembering her humiliation.
“Please, step away from the circle. Your strong auras will disrupt my concentration and communication,” Vera said. Sam and Jessica stepped back several paces.
Vera sat in the middle of the circle between the four poles. In front of her was her large crystal, suspended by a thin silver chain running between two of the poles. She lined up the end of the red candle several inches behind it. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. Minutes ticked by with no activity. Jessica thought she could feel something in the air, although it could have been her imagination. Focusing, she attempted to shift her vision into the spirit realm as her grandfather had taught her. The world blurred slightly, but she was unable to make out anything. She was disappointed with her effort.
A small, wispy flame spontaneously arose from the candle, first as a tiny ember, then growing into a full yellow flame. Vera made no movement. The light from the candle traveled through the crystal and danced across the mound ahead of them like a very weak spotlight. The light changed into a red hue after passing through the crystal. Faint shadows formed against the mound, humanoid in shape. Jessica gasped. There was something unseen standing ahead of them.
“O spirits, reveal yourselves to me. Come into the light, spirits. You are welcome here. Let me guide you to safety,” said Vera. Three shapes coalesced into view. Glowing white-blue outlines stood in contrast to the darkness around them. The details were lost, but they were people.
“That’s – that’s somethin’ else,” Sam said, breathless. Without any latent chi abilities, he’d never been able to observe spirits without the assistance of the Order’s technology. Jessica had trained to be able to see spiritual beings by using her chi, but her powers were not developed enough.
“Spirits, come to me. I will help you. You have nothing to fear,” Vera said.
The three ethereal forms remained where they were, almost huddled together.
“Something is wrong,” Vera said. “They are afraid. Please move back, Sam and Jessica.”
The duo stepped back thirty feet, leaving Vera alone.
“No, there’s — there’s something else here. I sense an alien presence!” Vera shouted, opening her eyes to survey the area. Each team member quickly assumed a combat stance, attempting to identify the threat. There was nothing but darkness.
“I don’t see nothin’!” Sam shouted. “Is it a poltergeist or somethin’?”
“Everyone remain calm. I’ll check it out,” Lyle said, removing a pair of goggles from his duffel bag. “Maybe we’ll get to see some real action after all.” The bulky goggles were attached to a small computer and battery box. He slipped the headpiece on and flipped a switch on the large box. The goggle lenses lit up. Lyle methodically scanned the area. His chi abilities would allow him to see any spiritual activity, but using the goggles allowed him to see other wavelengths like infrared at the same time.
“I’ve got Vera’s three spooks. Nothing else yet. Wait. I saw a flicker of something over near that tree stump to your right, Theresa.”
Theresa spun to her right, leveling her rifle at the spot. She peered through the scope. “I’ve got nothing on my scans.”
“I’m telling you, there was something there. Sam — behind you!” Lyle warned.
Sam spun around, ready to fire his massive machine gun. There was nothing but darkness behind them. “Say, isn’t it a bit too dark?” he asked.
Jessica looked in the direction he had indicated. Looking up into the sky to judge the amount of starlight available, combined with the light from Vera’s candle, she realized what Sam had meant. The darkness was impenetrable. She flipped on the shoulder LED light on her suit, focusing the beam. Thirty feet away, it was as if the light stopped completely.
“What the hell is that?” Sam said, squinting.
An ominous face that mimicked Sam’s but twisted into an evil grimace appeared in the wall of darkness. The eyes opened, revealing glowing red slits. The mouth yawned, revealing long, sharp black teeth illuminated by an eerie source deep inside. The entity made no noise.
“A void wraith!” Lyle shouted, opening fire on the creature. The bullets hit the target but made no sound. They did not emerge from the other side of the paper-thin creature.
Jessica tried to recall her studies. Void wraiths were otherworldly beings, hailing from some unknown realm. They could only be harmed by light or chi-infused weapons, as they were not of our plane of existence. They attacked by imitating shadows, then absorbed their prey into an alternate pocket dimension. It took a moment after absorbing its victim for the void wraith to shunt the victim into its dimension. After that, there was no return. They could shift their bodies into various shapes and weapons such as spikes or tendrils.
“Theresa, you okay back there?” Sam shouted. Theresa’s rifle bursts rang out, indicating she was at least still alive.
“Screw it!” Sam said, hefting the large gun and leveling it at the wraith. When he squeezed the trigger, the gun unleashed fire upon the creature. Chum-chum-chum, the gun spat a barrage of shells as big as a man’s thumb at his target. Sam advanced, but his bullets also had no effect.
Jessica noticed the creature was retreating. She looked at the barrel of the gun, which flashed each time it fired. “Sam, turn on your light and keep firing. The light harms it!” she shouted over the deep thrums of his gun.
“Oh, yeah? Well, I got a drum of incendiary rounds in the van, and I bet the van’s light rack will make it real happy!” the big man shouted, smiling as his face was illuminated by each blast from his gun. The void wraith retreated as Sam moved toward the van.
Jessica then noticed Theresa being menaced by another of the creatures. There’s more than one! She looked back toward Lyle f
or guidance. The young man smiled, drawing his sword. He ran his hand down the blade, imbuing it with a portion of his energy. A shadowy tentacle from a third void wraith lashed out from the darkness. He jumped back, slicing it. The cut portion dissipated into nothing. He leapt and flipped, dodging the creature as it tried to grab him.
“You’re going to have to be faster than that!” he taunted, slicing another ropy tendril.
Jessica turned back toward Theresa. The young woman’s gun was being pulled into the second creature’s body. “Lyle! You’re supposed to be leading us!” Jessica shouted.
“I’ve got this under control. Shut up and go sit with Vera!” he shouted, back-flipping away from the attacking wraith.
Jessica rushed to Vera’s side. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m…I’m fine. These spirits have been trapped here for years, being slowly fed upon by these creatures. The wraiths are also capable of siphoning energy from the spirits, even if they can’t absorb them, since the spirits are not part of our plane of existence. The spirits are very weak. If we don’t help them pass right now…I’m not sure what will happen to them,” Vera said, sounding distressed.
Jessica looked at Sam, who was being driven back by his opponent. The creature shot five sharp tendrils at Sam. One smashed Sam’s light. Three others missed, but one struck his shoulder. The armor held but was damaged.
“I ain’t so sure I can make it to the van!” he admitted, backing away.
Theresa’s gun was gone. She was holding the creature at bay with a flare from her belt, but it was already halfway burned. Lyle continued to taunt and slash at his opponent, oblivious to the severity of the situation.
“How much longer?” Jessica asked Vera.
“I am almost done. Just keep them busy for a few seconds more. That is all that I ask.”
“Let me know as soon as they have passed on,” Jessica said, eyeing Vera’s crystal.
The wraith attacking Lyle was now on the defensive. Theresa’s opponent suddenly vanished, slipping away into the surrounding shadows. “One’s on the loose!” she shouted.
Lyle stabbed deep into his wraith, pinning it to the ground. If not for the chi energy empowering the blade, it would have passed harmlessly into whatever dimension the creature led to. It flailed and wobbled, attempting to achieve a shape which would free it. It formed Lyle’s pained face on its surface. “Looks better on me,” Lyle said, leaning in close to regard the inky copy of his visage. In one swift motion, he ignited his flare directly into the creature. It jerked and spasmed, tendrils lashing everywhere, until it disappeared.
“I’m not sure why you guys aren’t done yet,” he said before falling into the earth. Theresa’s wraith had circled around him, intent on aiding its companion. Lyle’s body sank into the creature, down to his chest.
“Sam!” Jessica called out. She saw that Sam and Theresa had their hands full. She raced to Lyle, warily checking for more wraiths.
“About time. Pull me up,” he commanded, sounding annoyed.
“It’s your own fault for grandstanding. You risked everyone’s lives,” she said.
“Look, I’m the leader, not you. These things aren’t a real threat. If Sam and Theresa weren’t such idiots, we’d have cleaned them out by now. Now, pull me up, Jessica.”
The wraith lining the ground shot out warning spikes five feet long toward Jessica. The creatures seemed fairly intelligent. “Maybe I’ll just leave you there. You aren’t fit to lead a squad, and you’re a despicable person,” she said coldly.
“Look, you dumb bitch, I said pull me up! When I get out of this, I’m going to kick your ass again.”
Jessica looked over her shoulder. Sam and Theresa were managing. “How much longer, Vera?”
“About…twenty seconds,” the medium replied, overtaxed from her continued efforts.
Jessica turned back to Lyle. She moved a bit closer before squatting down just out of reach of the wraith. “Let me ask you: are you crapping your pants yet, Lyle?” Her lips curled into a wicked smirk.
“You bitch! You dumb cu —” Lyle shouted before sinking down into the blackness. Only one flailing arm remained visible. Jessica stared silently at the arm, wondering what Lyle was feeling while inside the wraith.
“Jessica! What’s going on over there?” Sam shouted.
His voice snapped her to attention and set her into motion. What had she been thinking? She dashed forward, dodging the tendrils, and grabbed the outstretched arm. She landed on the other side of the creature. Looking down, she gasped to see that all she was holding was half of Lyle’s arm, neatly severed below the elbow. Too much time had passed — the wraith had absorbed the rest of him.
Glancing at Sam, she felt her heart sink. Had he seen? At the last second, she managed to dodge a strike from the creature that had just killed Lyle. She jumped past it, moving back to Vera. The inky mass followed, Lyle’s imitated glowing face now adorning its center.
“I’m…done,” Vera said, swaying from exhaustion. “It took considerably more effort with these creatures menacing the area. The spirits were hard to lead.”
“I’m glad you succeeded,” Jessica said, snatching up the focusing crystal. “Sam, Theresa, over here!” she shouted. The two soldiers made their way over, barely holding off the second of the last two shadow wraiths.
“What’re ya goin’ to do?” Sam asked. Sweat had drenched his hair and face. Prolonged combat was not his forte. If he couldn’t smash it or shoot it in the first few moments, it was going to be a tough battle.
“This,” Jessica said, igniting her own emergency flare. She held the focusing crystal high above her head before slamming the blinding red flare against it. The light from the crystal exploded forth like a lighthouse, instantly vaporizing the wraith that had chased Jessica. She whipped around and did the same to the one that Theresa and Sam had been fighting.
“Holy crap, those things were a pain. Almost lost my foot!” Sam said, pointing at his lower leg. His boot was missing. “That was some quick thinkin’, Jess!” he said, appearing impressed.
“Yeah, I’m impressed, too,” Theresa said, smiling. “It would have been nice if Lyle had taken control of the situation instead of playing about. Where is Lyle, anyway? Did he run off after another one of them?”
“He…didn’t make it,” Jessica said, turning away.
Sam regarded her silently for a moment before putting his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Jess. You did all you could.”
She exhaled. He hadn’t seen.
CHAPTER SIX
“What the hell happened?” Jessica’s father shouted over the telephone. Sam held the earpiece away. Jessica winced. Bilford puffed his pipe at the end of the large kitchen table.
“Well, Lyle was grandstandin’ and got himself killed. Jessica pulled our bacon out of the fire,” Sam said, winking at Jessica.
“Jessica? Jessica is twelve! You are saying a group of trained Order agents needed a twelve-year-old to save them?”
“Well, I don’t know about ‘save.’ More like, helped out. We were doin’ pretty good on our own —” Sam explained before being cut off.
“Sam, I am unable to leave until tomorrow. I don’t want anyone else out on any missions until then. Let the other branches handle it. This is a disaster,” Jessica heard her father say before the line went dead.
“Well, that went better than I was expectin’,” Sam said, hanging up the phone.
“A young man is dead, and our facility will now have no Stalkers, meaning we are going to lose funding. I don’t know how you can say that, Sam,” Bilford said.
“Well, Jake didn’t say he was going to kick my ass, so that’s better than expected,” Sam admitted.
“I’m sorry, Grandfather,” Jessica said.
“Sorry? Whatever for? You did an excellent job. If not for you, Vera wouldn’t have been able to save those spirits, or someone else might have been harmed or killed,” Bilford said, smiling.
She return
ed his smile. Yes, but if not for my actions, no one would have died.
“I’m not feeling well,” she said, rising from the table.
“Were you injured? Do you need anything?” Bilford asked, sounding alarmed.
“No, it’s just…what happened. I think I need to be alone for a bit,” she replied, leaving the kitchen.
She walked to her room, which was at the end of the hall. The old wood floors creaked. She ran her fingers along the old wood table, pausing to look up at the photo of her parents. They look so young in that photo. It was her favorite picture of them. What would her mother think of what she had done? She continued to her room.
She flipped the corner lamp on using the light switch by the door, then flopped onto her bed, exhausted. She rolled over onto her back and closed her eyes. Lyle’s face embedded in the void wraith’s shadowy form flashed into her mind, full of rage and fear. She had killed him. No, I let him die. He died from his own arrogance.
She jumped at the knock at her door. “May I enter?” Bilford asked.
“I — yes,” she said. There was no point in fighting it. He was going to hover over her until he was sure she was okay. Her grandfather entered, gently shutting the door behind himself. He sat on the edge of the bed and waited.
“It’s not easy, is it?” he said.
“What?”
“Seeing a person die. You are far too young to witness something like that, my girl. I’m sorry it happened. How do you feel?”
She thought about it for a moment. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling. Guilty, yes, but she could not muster much sorrow for Lyle. In fact, she was trying to force any feelings of pain or sadness to the surface, but nothing emerged. She couldn’t tell her grandfather that, though.
“Scared and sad, I guess. It was terrifying. The training sessions don’t prepare you for reality. I was only a few feet from him when he died. I couldn’t get to him in time,” she lied.
