by Simone Pond
Eli escorted me to the courtyard. He peered down to the sidewalk at the drones of people flocking in our direction.
“There’s something wrong with their eyes. They’re glazed over. Like they’re hypnotized.”
The sound of footsteps scuffing across the pavement grew louder.
I turned to Eli and told him, “Pike moved to Plan B. He’s shepherding the people to city hall today. Before the bomb squad gets here. Go wait behind the clock tower.”
“I’m not leaving your side,” he argued.
“Listen to me. Wait behind the clock tower. Don’t look at anyone. Especially Pike! I know what’s going on. How he’s controlling everyone. Your grandmother told me to face him eye-to-eye. He’s using some sort of mesmerization power with his eyes. Go protect yourself. I’ll direct your lightning when it’s time. Got it?”
“What about you?”
“I’m blind, remember? Also, I’m impervious to the Spirit Handlers. When we were at the coffee shop, one of them tried to make contact, but it couldn’t touch me.”
Eli stared at me a moment, then glanced over my shoulder at the herd of people scuffling along the sidewalks.
“I hope I don’t hit you with any lightning,” he said.
“Have faith. And keep your eyes closed!” I hugged him, then pushed him toward the clock tower.
I waited for Pike in the courtyard as people began to fan around me, making their way toward city hall. In the distance, a flock of slithery black Spirit Handlers made a slow approach, searching for bodies to inhabit. People to infect with their darkness. More and more evil Spirit Handlers came forth like hills of tar rolling toward us. The courtyard flooded with people, and the evil spirits began to swoop down into the crowd. I didn’t want to call for Eli yet. But I didn’t want these innocent people to be infected by evil.
From behind city hall, a chorus of howls sounded.
“Vago!” I shouted.
Vago and his pack came galloping into the courtyard, their spirits bursting kaleidoscopes so bright I had to glance away. They leapt into the air, biting and gnawing at the Spirit Handlers. Screeches volleyed about as each evil spirit evaporated into a puff of black steam.
I remained in my position in the middle of the courtyard while Vago and his pack shredded through the Spirit Handlers. A low buzzing sound rumbled from the highway and the horrible noise torpedoed as a train of motorcycles thundered down the main street toward city hall. The Sons of Cain. Hundreds.
The motorcycles roared into the courtyard right past me. The demon thugs jumped off their bikes and began attacking the people and the dogs. I couldn’t see what was happening but it sounded like clubs and crowbars thudding against bodies and bones. Full-blown melee. Vago’s blue spirit flew across the air and smashed into the clock tower. It was time.
“Eli!” I shouted.
He came around the clock tower, keeping his eyes closed, and lifted his hands to the heavens. Lightning flashed across the sky. He called it down. Streaks hailed to earth like broken arms. I concentrated on each bolt, directing the powerful electrical charges at the evil spirits and the Sons of Cain. The dog shifters growled as they regained the advantage, shredding more of the demon bikers and evil spirits with their frenetically vicious jaws and teeth.
Eli leaned back against the clock tower, gasping. He was tapped out.
From across the courtyard a shadow approached. Pike. Next to him, a pale flicker of pinkish lavender faded in and out. Aunt Ruthie. It was time to face Pike eye-to-eye.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Sibyl
Pike stood before me and though I could only see the shadow of the beast, I sensed evil flooding through his core and emanating from his body. He reeked of death. The energy around him oppressed the air with a darkness that was pure evil. By his side, Aunt Ruthie was holding onto a fragment of life; she released a soft whimper.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
Pike’s shadow lifted my aunt’s dwindling pink spirit and flung her hard across the courtyard so the sound of her body smacking against the concrete thudded in my chest. My insides dropped.
In my softball days, I went up against many heavy hitters at bat. Some I didn’t think I could strike out or even walk to first base. But their subtle intimidation tactics never forced me down from the mound. And now, nor would Pike. My concentration on him was so intense, the noise of the surrounding fracas was muffled out. It was just me and Pike.
“You won’t win this war.” His voice reverberated.
“This is your last chance, Pike. Surrender now and release these people, and we’ll help you break free from the evil bondage you’re in.”
He snickered. “Blind and naive … I’m the one who’s free. And now I’m going to free you!”
Faster than I could’ve anticipated, he grabbed my face, digging his fingers into my cheeks. His strength had come as a shock, and I wasn’t prepared for the bone-locking sensation it would create. Closer and closer, he inched his shadowy face toward mine. He was trying to mesmerize me with his powers. But he couldn’t. I kept my gaze on him with my eyes wide open. I also smiled just to be extra annoying. My own intimidation tactic. His fingers pinched tighter into my cheeks, but I fought through the pain just to force that smile. When he finally realized his power of mesmerization had zero effect, he shoved me away. I toppled backward and my skull slammed against the cement. I couldn’t move. The pain pummeled my brain with iron fists.
Pike laughed.
I rolled to my side and looked toward the clock tower. Eli stood waiting for my signal. I gave him a half-assed thumbs-up, hoping and praying he had recharged—or whatever it was he needed to do—to call down more lightning. A faint grin appeared through the strained look of exhaustion, and Eli lifted his hands to the heavens. The sky rumbled and clamored. He dropped to his knees and stretched as far as his arms could go. A loud roll of thunder poured overhead as though the sky was cracking open. Down came a blast of white light like a furious missile straight toward the courtyard. I concentrated on the speeding bolt, making sure it was aimed directly at Pike, who was still laughing. The lightning sliced right through his shadow body, obliterating the fiend in a burst of black smoke.
Eli continued calling down more lightning, taking out the remaining evil Spirit Handlers and the Sons of Cain cult members who hadn’t already started their motorcycles and raced off. He no longer needed my help directing his aim.
All around me the sparkle and flicker of spirits came back to life. Pike’s mesmerization spell over the town had vanished. Those who had entered city hall came outside. The entire area glowed like a fireworks show on the 4th of July.
Voices mumbled in confusion. Why were they gathered in the courtyard in front of city hall? Why were there dead bodies covered in blood strewn about? What was happening?! I heard the sound of police officers—the ones on our side—rushing into the courtyard to assist the bewildered residents.
The battle was over. And I needed to find Aunt Ruthie and Vago. I hoped Eli could use his power of resuscitation to bring them back from whatever physical traumas they had suffered.
Standing up, I swayed with dizzy nausea as I staggered over to the clock tower. Far off, something made a God-awful, otherworldly shriek. The wail scorched a path down my ear canals. I turned to see an enormous fiery spirit looming in the distance. I’d seen the same demon before … The night of the accident. I’d never forget its scaly skin and wings of fire. The creature’s eyes blazed with flames of crimson, and it released one last screech before it flew away into the blackness.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Vago
A charge shot through my body, jolting me up to all fours.
Woof! Woof!
Sibyl knelt next to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and hugging me so tightly I couldn’t breathe. “Good to have you back, buddy!”
I doused her face with a bunch of sloppy licks until she pulled away, wiping her swollen cheeks with the backs of her hands.
“Okay, okay,” she said, laughing.
Aunt Ruthie’s wilted body was propped up against the base of the clock tower. Eli had resuscitated both of us, only she hadn’t fully recovered. Maybe it was more difficult bringing back a human? Still more questions for our journey ahead …
Sibyl sat next to her aunt and clasped her hand. “Ambulance is on the way.”
Aunt Ruthie’s head dropped onto Sibyl’s shoulder, but a slight grin of relief appeared underneath the shroud of agony. Pike must’ve done a number on her. Where was Pike? Where was my pack? The residents were parading around the courtyard in baffled oblivion, trying to figure out what had gone down, so I assumed Pike was out of the picture. I wagged my tail, scoping the area.
Woof!
“Yeah, it’s over,” Sibyl said.
More tail wagging.
“Pike’s gone. Eli blew him to bits. Your pack ran off as soon as the Sons of Cain drove off. What was left of the assholes.”
Eli looked down at Sibyl and me. “I’m gonna see if I can revive anyone who got hit hard. Maybe I can bring back a few people … Looks like we only lost a handful, which is better than the whole town.”
Sibyl said, “Make sure nobody sees you, though. We don’t want them to know about, well, you know …”
He grinned, giving her a wink. “Way ahead of you. If anyone asks, I’m pre-med, which happens to be true.”
She smiled. “Smart one, you are.”
I joined Sibyl’s side and licked Aunt Ruthie’s hand.
“She’ll be okay. But she needs to get to the hospital.”
The crowd began to disperse, and through a clearing I spotted Officer Hochberger policing the area with a couple of federal officers. I nudged Sibyl’s arm and motioned in their direction, hoping she’d pick up on his spirit, but she was too concerned about Aunt Ruthie.
Woof!
“Go check it out,” she said.
I trotted over, sticking close to Hochberger’s heels so I could hear the conversation.
“And you and your men arrived at the scene just as the gang of motorcycles was driving off?” asked the more seasoned, gray-haired fed to Hochberger’s right.
“What was left of the gang. As you can see, a lot of them didn’t make it,” Hochberger said.
“Was Pike with them?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t found his body among the dead, so I’m assuming he skipped town with the rest of the thugs,” Hochberger explained.
“I can’t wrap my head around what he did to get all these people gathered in one place. Nobody seems to have an explanation. It’s remarkable,” the fed marveled. “And nobody knows the cause of this horrific bloodbath—I’m assuming animals of some sort. But the burnt bodies. Not a clue.”
The younger, more junior fed let out a hearty laugh. “We’re gonna have to call in one of our more specialized units …”
Hochberger cleared his throat and continued pointing to sections of city hall where he had found incendiaries hidden.
The lead fed stopped walking, stood in front of Hochberger, and reached out to shake his hand. “You did well, Officer. Bomb squad’s on the way. Tell your men to clear out the rest of the residents. Make sure the injured get to the hospital.”
The younger fed shook his head as he looked around at the carnage of torn-up and fried-to-a-crisp Sons of Cain members scattered through the courtyard. “Quite a mess.”
The two feds stalked off, and Hochberger glanced down at his heels. “You and your friends gonna tell me what the hell’s going on, Vago?”
Woof!
The scream of ambulances approached city hall. I darted back over to the clock tower. Eli had returned from reviving the others and was holding Sibyl’s hand as the paramedics rushed over and placed Aunt Ruthie on a stretcher.
“You coming, Sibyl?” asked one of the paramedics.
“Yeah. Eli, will you take Vago and meet me there?”
“No problem,” he said.
Woof!
“I’ll see you in five minutes, buddy.” She leaned down, bringing Eli with her, and whispered to both of us, “We have a lot to talk about. We might’ve stopped this attack, but I saw something, guys. Something beyond evil. Your grandmother was right, this is just the beginning …”
***
Author’s Note
Look for Beyond Sight Coastview Prophecies Book 2!
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BY SIMONE POND
Coastview Prophecies – Urban Fantasy
Hidden Sight Book 1
Beyond Sight Book 2
Sign mailing list or visit simonepond.com for additional installments
Armor of Magic Series – Urban Fantasy
Sacred Light Book 1
Rising Light Book 2
Edge of Light Book 3
Swarmed – Dystopian
The New Agenda Series – Dystopian
The City Center Book 1
The Mainframe Book 2
The Torrent Book 3
The New Agenda Prequel
Voices of the Apocalypse: Short Story Collection
