“Shhh. Don’t worry Jen, everything’s all right now. Everyone’s okay,” interjected my mom.
Dave and I exchanged glances. Was Jen getting visions? I tabled that thought for a moment.
The paramedic grabbed Jen’s head and finished checking her eyes and the red, but healed, wound on her chest. The sight of it made me nauseous.
Why do I seem to get everyone around me shot?
Just a natural talent, I guess, replied Spring.
The paramedic shook her head. “Is she going to be alright?” I asked.
She glared at me. “Beside the torn shirt and coating of blood, the only thing I can find is low blood pressure and an elevated pulse—what are you people playing at?”
“What?”
“Do you expect me to believe that she got shot and healed up completely in a matter of hours?”
I shook my head, but my mother interceded. “Miss, I assure you that we are just as confused as you.”
The paramedic scowled at Jen and said, “You should be taken to the hospital for a closer examination.”
Jen nodded hesitantly.
“Thank you, miss. We’ll take care of her from here,” said my mom as the paramedic started packing up her stuff.
“Why don’t you come inside?” I asked Jen.
With eyebrow raised, Dave said, “Really? You think she’s going to take well to that scene?”
“Oh, right.” Jen was looking more confused than worried now. “Jen, maybe it’s better if you just stay here right now.”
She sought my eyes. “What happened, Finn?”
“There was an attack. A couple of guys with guns. My dad took care of them.”
“Oh...I think I saw it, Finn.” She had been traveling! Guilt crushed in.
Don’t you dare tell her what you did, Finn. You will have time to grovel later.
Instead of apologizing, I tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry about that now. You’re back...”
Jen’s expression clouded up with fear again. Her voice came out small. “I was watching the men and then suddenly there was a blinding pain, I lost my way.”
Dave gave Jen a hug. “Hey, forget about it,” he said. “What’s important is that you are here.”
“I...okay.” She sighed and seemed to deflate.
“We should talk about something else,” Dave laughed, and added, “...like how I rescued you!”
I rolled my eyes. “Dave, just let her be.”
“Go get your own distressed damsel, Finn. I’ve got this one covered.”
My mom said, “Jen, are you really alright? We should call your parents. They’re worried sick about you.”
Before Jen could answer, a muted buzz rang out from Dave’s pocket. He shimmied around and pulled out his phone and smiled.
“Hey! Look at that. Finn’s calling me...” He answered, “Hey Finn...” His face fell, and he soberly offered me the phone. “It’s for you.”
I eyed the phone as if it was poisonous, then took it. I walked around to the back of the ambulance leaving Jen with my Mom. Dave followed close behind and stood near as I answered.
“Hello?”
“Hey, kiddo! You forgot your phone,” said Uncle Mark.
Between a Rock and a Sucky Place
A wave of fear passed from my head to my toes, momentarily taking with it my ability to speak.
On the other end of the call, Mark didn’t seem to share that problem. “How’s everything down at the home front, Finn? I heard there was some trouble.” His voice carried nothing but good cheer.
Rage exploded in my head.
“You fucking bastard! We killed both your goons. I’m going to find you and I’m going to rip you out of my uncle’s head! I swear I’ll find a way to destroy you! If you hurt—”
“Somehow, I don’t think you will have that opportunity, young Finn. But, I’m relieved to hear that the cowardly and vile attack on your family failed.”
“You sent it!”
Mark’s familiar dry chuckle came over the phone. “Ah, yes. There is that.”
“If you—”
“If I wanted your family dead, rest assured, they would all be bloody corpses hanging from trees in your little love forest. A feast for the—”
“Shut up! I’ll kill you if you touch my family!”
He tisked at me like some comic-book villain. “You shouldn’t interrupt your elders, Finn. Don’t you want to know why I called? Yes or no, I’ll tell you anyway. I’m calling for the Caduceus. Can’t be any real surprise to you. I’ve always thought you were quite bright, and now I know firsthand.”
Oh, shit. He has your memories Finn, said Spring.
She was right. I tried to take a breath and get my anger under control.
“If you remember being me, then you know that isn’t going to happen,” I said. “Giving you the Caduceus would just let you go on a massive killing spree. It’s not going to happen.”
“Finn, you, more than anyone else, know what the hunger is like. It cannot be denied, so I’m going to kill a lot of people regardless of what you do. In fact, I’ve already been indulging myself. It’s not like it’s anything new for Mark before he became me. No, I simply want the Caduceus, so it’s no longer a threat to me.”
“And so you can just rip out people’s souls with a thought.”
“I can already do that Finn.”
I quailed at the thought. “Ha, that’s a lie! Remember, I know you as well as you know me.”
“I highly doubt that, kiddo. In fact, I have at my disposal several pieces of the One True Cross, the Tree of Life, or psionic resonators. Regardless of what you call them, they were all handily collected by Matt Smith from the Delacroix and their cousins. They give me sufficient power to rip away a soul with just a thought even without the Caduceus. On top of that, I have the rest of the spirit totems from the dig.”
“You can’t use those with each other.”
He chuckled. “I don’t need to, dear kiddo. I’ve given them to my most trusted men as backup.”
Crap. “You’re going to get caught,” I said.
“No, I highly doubt that. You see, besides the contacts I have nurtured with various government security agencies, I also have the network that Matt Smith put together. That man was a true fanatic. It would boggle your mind to discover the intricacy and the reach of the web he wove. Perhaps I can show it to you when you drop—”
Dave grabbed the phone from my hand, and before I could more than squeak an objection, he had it on speakerphone.
“...to me here... Hello? Are you still there or did I just lose you?”
“I’m still here.”
“Ah, you put me on speaker phone. Just as well since this chance I’m giving you intimately concerns your family and every friend in your phone book here...”
He paused briefly to give me a chance to speak, but the implications struck me dumb.
“Ah, I can tell you understand now. You really don’t have a choice in this. Don’t feel too bad, though. There are some silver linings to your little cloud of woe. I’m going to finish what Matt Smith started and take care of your Delacroix problem. First, I’ll make sure any survivors know you don’t have the Caduceus any longer, so you and yours will be safe. Then, I’m going to hunt down every so-called shard of the cross those self-important religious freaks have collected and take over their little hidden empire as well. You can re-enroll at the university and get on with your life. Trust me. It’ll be for the best. I know what a burden the Caduceus has been for you.”
I tried to crush the cold despair growing inside me. “And you’ll go off on your merry little way, murdering innocent people and feeding off their auras.”
“I know you are a bit of an agnostic, Finn, but don’t deceive yourself—I’m devouring their souls. The good news is that now that I have my pick, I plan on eating only the nastiest and least desirable sorts. No need to waste productive citizens. No innocents need to suffer. Consider me sort of a vampiric Batman.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” I said.
“Au contraire, kiddo. Think back to when you were me, or I was you... hmm...that brings out some interesting existential questions, doesn’t it? My thoughts never used to be this deep... But, back on task. I’ve never been presented with such a smorgasbord—a feast beyond a glutton’s wildest dream. I can afford to be picky. I’m still your Uncle Mark and though my priorities have shifted a wee bit, I would prefer to see you and your family thrive. I can do that. Think of me as the predator that culls the human herd of its worst parts. In the end, it will strengthen the race.”
“Dude, you’re monologuing,” interjected Dave. “That’s always when the hero escapes and kicks the super-villain’s ass.”
“Ha, you do have a quick wit, David, but don’t get too cocky. Neither you nor your family is untouchable. Be a good friend, and a better son, and make sure Finn sees reason.”
Dave glared at the phone in his hand.
My uncle resumed. “Now, let’s talk details. Finn, I want you to go to my home, and place the Caduceus on my kitchen table. I’ll send someone along to fetch it.”
“Why don’t you come meet me yourself?”
“Let’s be serious here. I shall equip my courier with a shard of black power. He will be able to cause some trouble if you try to control or stop him. He won’t know anything about my location except the P.O. box where he will mail the shard, so don’t bother trying to force him. I’ve been at the spy game longer than you have even existed, kiddo, so don’t start feeling clever. Trust me, it will not work out well for you.”
A hollow heaviness weighed me down. “When do you want it?”
“I’m not in that big of a hurry. Let’s say tomorrow by noon. It’s already late, I’m feeling peckish, and I know how much you like to sleep in. Give my best to your parents.”
As usual for my uncle, he didn’t say goodbye. The phone beeped its lost connection. I just stood there watching Dave re-pocket his phone.
“Holy evil douche-bag Batman,” said Dave without much enthusiasm.
I had to agree.
“Since when was your uncle a spy?”
“He wasn’t,” I said hotly. “Wendigota’s just dicking with me.”
“Jerk,” he said. “This is why superheroes wear a mask.”
“Yep. And then there’s us.”
“Ha. So, what’s your ingenious plan for getting out of this? You gonna give Sauron his ring?”
Protecting Your Own
A long time later, I found myself in the family room trying to ignore the odor of death, which now permeated the entire first floor. The sight and the smell tried to pull me back into memories of death and bloodshed not so long past, but somehow Spring helped me stay functional.
The forensic guys had measured, photoed, and done what they do. The bodies were gone, but we had to call in a crime scene cleaner Detective Hunter had recommended. I never realized the victims of violence had to pay for the cleanup. That’s seriously messed up.
My brain and stomach were churning so much I barely noticed any of that activity. But, when the detective wanted to leave, I’d stopped her.
Now, she was sitting in our rocker, my dad and mom were on the couch, and my sister in bed. Jen had fallen asleep in our comfy chair, and David was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. I’d insisted he stay, but he was obviously poised to make a break for it if things got violent. My parents never struck me, but I wouldn’t blame them if they tossed me out the window after they heard what I had to say.
Hunter rubbed her face. “Please Finn, can we get on with whatever this is? I’m tired and dirty, and I want to go home.”
I’d walked up to a dozen ways to say this and nothing seemed adequate, but it wasn’t going to get any easier. I took a deep breath and jumped off the plank.
“Mom, Dad, Detective…”
Hunter interrupted. “Finn, I’m not on the clock here. Call me Vicky.”
I nodded numbly and continued. “Mom, Dave, Vicky, I haven’t told you everything about what’s been happening to me this summer. Please believe me that I was only trying to keep you from worrying about something you couldn’t change. I didn’t see how it would do anything but hurt you.” That got their attention and three sets of eyes bored into me.
“There is a...I mean when Erik...sometime things... Sorry, this is just hard.”
“Just start from the beginning, Finn, don’t worry about making it eloquent,” said my dad.
I looked at my feet—that was easier. “You guys know some of this. When we excavated the mound, we dug up a monster. The natives who killed it called it Wendigota. It was an evil spirit their medicine man trapped in the skull of its last victim. When we found the skeleton, it had been buried there for hundreds or thousands of years. Erik freed Wendigota when he vandalized the rock shop and broke the skull. The spirit possessed him. That’s what drove him crazy. That’s why he went on his killing spree.” There was no response but silence.
“You know I stopped Erik at Gregg’s funeral. With the help of the Caduceus, I pushed Wendigota out of him and nearly killed Erik in the process. I didn’t tell you that Erik came in and shot Dave before I could stop him—”
“David was shot?” My mom looked horrified.
“It’s okay, Mrs. M, it was just a flesh wound. I got better,” said David.
“I was trying to help heal Dave with the Caduceus when Wendigota returned and attacked me.”
I risked a glance up. Everyone was just staring at me. My mom still looked stricken, my dad looked gaunt and concerned, and Hunter looked... tired. Well, at least no one was throwing anything at me—or bleeding on me.
I hastily dropped my gaze and continued. “What I didn’t tell anyone is that Wendigota possessed me. It turned me into a killer who fed on people’s souls. I was overwhelmed by its hunger for them. It’s like there’s a black hole inside Wendigota itself.” I paused for a second to consider my next words.
“Everyone in the room suddenly looked like a snack, and I planned to feed on them all. The only thing that stopped me was Spring and my friends. They led me to Shady Oaks, where I planned to feed on every single patient...” I choked past a dry catch in my throat. “Daniel and Holly met me there. They stood up to me. They relied on my love of them to stop Wendigota. I... I... killed Daniel. I couldn’t stop it. I just ripped his soul out of his body, and he died right in front of me...” Tears were now flowing freely down my face and the constriction in my throat made it impossible for me to continue. I took a couple of ragged breaths.
My mother choked out her own sob, got up from the couch, and fled the room.
I’d betrayed her. Instead of a son, she had a murderer living in her home.
My god, Finn, get over yourself. Even I know she’s crying for you—for what you went through. I spent most of my life as a tree, and even I can see that.
Shut up, Spring!
Asshole, she said as she retreated.
Annoying as it was, her mental interruption and subsequent guilt for snapping at her had dispelled some of the intensity of the memory I’d been reliving. It allowed me to finish.
“While I was busy eating Daniel’s soul, Spring and Gregg managed to free me enough to escape the monster’s control. I was able to stuff it into a cage in my mind.”
“Finn—” said my dad in a quiet voice.
I held out my hand to stop him. “Just let me get through this, please. Anyway, I kept Wendigota locked up inside of me with the power from the Caduceus. It was okay until a friend of Uncle Mark’s, Matt Smith, captured Colette and I.”
From there I told them what had happened while we were prisoners. I told them about our escape and then finally told them about Uncle Mark’s ultimatum. I finished my story and waited for the storm.
“Finn, how did Gregg help you if he was dead?” asked Victoria. Nothing got past that woman.
“Well, I got to his side too late to save him, but I was able to keep a small bi
t of his soul inside me. Il Saia told me his soul would regenerate, and we might get some of Gregg back.”
Dad and Hunter looked at me in shocked silence. The silence ruled for a few moments before my dad spoke. I cringed in anticipation.
“Finn, it’s going to take me some time to digest all this, but let me tell you one thing I know already—you were wrong. You were wrong to keep this from your mother and me. You didn’t have to bear this by yourself. If you had shared this as it happened, we would have been there to help you carry this...burden, this unnecessary guilt.”
This just made me feel more guilty.
“Yep, you’re a moron,” said David from the doorway. “It’s incredible how twisted up you got this. Finn, you’re a fucking hero. The only thing any of us did was to try to keep that monster distracted until you could toss it off. You did! Now it’s free again because some twit mad scientist and a bunch of religious freaks want to control the world? You can’t possibly be held responsible for that! No-one ever told us the world was this fucked up.”
See? Even David agrees with me.
Quiet!
I looked up and over at David, angry at his condescension and his language. Whatever I was going to say to him came out stillborn. My mother stood behind David looking at me with huge red-rimmed eyes. That did it. I broke down crying again, and then she was there. She held me and stroked my hair while whispering her love.
After a few moments Dave said, “My god, Finn, are you twelve? Man up, stop with the crying and start planning.”
I pulled back from my mom and turned on Dave. His familiar self-satisfied grin stopped me. As usual, his over-the-top inappropriate comments were just what I needed.
“Asshole.”
“Hey, sometimes they’re a pain, but everyone needs an asshole.”
I struggled to hold onto my scowl. Damn him.
Maybe I just need to be more crude, crass, and reprehensible for you to pay attention to me?
No, please don’t, Spring. I’m sorry.
“Finn,” said Hunter behind me. “Are you planning on giving Mark the Caduceus?”
The Templar's Legacy (Ancient Enemy) Page 20
