by Alexie Aaron
“On my way. Here,” he said and handed the phone back to Brian.
“Brian, I want you to be a brave boy.”
“Yes. Can I talk to my dad?”
“He’s coming to be with you.”
“Really?” Brian’s voice perked up. “How?”
“Like Spider-Man.”
“What the fuzzy bunny?”
Mia saw Brian with the phone and ran over. “Who is it?”
“Uncle Cid says Dad is climbing the building like Spider-Man.”
Mia grabbed the phone. “He’s not…”
“He is. Mark’s heading over to anchor him. Now’s the time to say some prayers, Mia.”
“Already in process.” Mia hung up the phone and watched nervously for Ted’s arrival.
Ted attached the tri-spectrum glasses to the elastic band and put them on. He turned his hat, keeping the bill behind him. He ran the mechanics of what he was about to do over and over in his head while he waited for the plow wind to ease before he started climbing.
Ted saw the distortion caused by the approaching spirits. He started his climb and worked furiously. His arms burned, but he managed to get above the heads of the Wanderers, who moved through the wreckage ahead of the thunderstorm. He settled himself into a slower tempo, working the pulleys, and carefully placing his feet, taking into account that the building’s surface had just gone through a sandblasting by the two tornadoes.
He remembered Mia’s words, “The only beings I know that travel in lightning and storms are Wanderers, dark wizards and demons.” He calculated the ten most likely demons that would have an interest in trapping teens and came up with the species Virgin-diners. The knowledge that the prize would most likely be Brian, cemented Ted’s already firm resolve that he couldn’t let Mia face this demon alone.
Mark moved to the rope. Clench, who had just finished lowering the generator, asked him, “What are you doing up here?”
“We have someone climbing the exterior. He’s delivering something that can’t be brought in any other way.”
“It’s suicide.”
“Clench, how much do you know about ghosts and demons?”
“Between you and I, a bit too much. I spent a summer in the Himalayas,” he explained and asked, “Why?”
“While we were fixing a shelter, that mean girl, Carmen, was summoning ghosts and quite possibly a demon.”
“Why? Is it because I said she couldn’t use the phone until the injured were taken care of? What kind of selfish spoiled brat does that?”
“I’m not sure. All I know is that we’re in big trouble. We have twelve people here, but only one person who has ever successfully dealt with a demon.”
“Don’t tell me, you?”
“No, Mia. She says that Aosoth is coming, but before she gets here, twenty-one ghosts will attack us.”
“Please, could everyone move to the center of the shelter?” Dieter asked. “Step over the salt, don’t smudge it.”
“Is this a game?” Lena asked, amused. “Step on the salt line and you’re doing time?”
“Something like that. Please humor me, Miss Lena.”
“Since you asked so nicely, yes. Come on, guys. We can play along.”
Nev and Cliff, who were enchanted with Lena, followed her to the center where Brian waved his arms in a welcoming gesture. Lucy sat shivering next to the reclining Zip. Wes took one of the dry blankets and wrapped it around her. Don was just about to smudge the line when a specter of a man holding an axe appeared beside him shaking his head. The boy hopped over the lines and ended up cowering behind Brian.
Mia dug into her go bag and took stock of what she had. As far as ghosts, she had salt, but she doubted the impact considering the rain. The more rain that fell, the more there was a chance the floor would flood and wash away their protection. She could fight them inside the shelter, but the object was to keep them away from the humans. Her hand closed around an item she had forgotten about. Her lips twitched, remembering the fallout the last time she used it. She walked over to Brian and whispered something in his ear while pressing the item firmly in his hand. “I’m trusting you to take care of this,” she said.
“I can do this,” Brian said. “Don’t worry, my dad’s coming.”
Mia smiled. “Yes, he is.”
Ted tossed the heavy bag up and climbed over the edge after it. Clench and Mark steadied him. His arms and legs were a bit rubbery, but he managed to follow them down the big wall.
“I talked to your mom, and she had a lot to say. I recorded it,” Ted said and handed Mark the mini recorder. He turned to the tall man beside Mark and said, “I’m Ted Martin. You must be Clench.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Permission to come aboard?”
Clench laughed. “We could use all the help you can give us. Mark was telling me that you and your wife are part of PEEPs.”
“Dang, big mouth. Can I still come aboard?”
“You, Sir, are most welcomed. Where did you learn to climb like that?”
“It’s a long story that I’d be glad to share once we get them out of here.”
Mia watched as Ted made his way down the wall. She launched herself at her husband. Ted held on to her as she pushed her love and energy into his tired body.
“Whoa, you sure know how to greet a fella.”
“Who’s that?” Cliff asked Dieter.
“That’s my dad.”
Cliff looked at the tall dark Nigerian and over at the pale redheaded man and back again. “I guess you got your dad’s height.”
Dieter smiled. “They’re my foster parents, Cliff.”
“I gathered something along those lines. I was thinking adoption…”
“So are they, but they’re worried that they are too weird to be considered good parents.”
“Your dad just climbed a three-story building in the pouring rain to be with his family; I’d say that’s an excellent start.”
Mia helped carry the bag to the shelter. She looked inside while Ted went to Brian. “Little Dude!”
“Hi, Dad,” Brian said gruffly, trying not to cry.
“I know you had this all in hand, but I thought I’d hang around for a while. Is that okay?” he asked.
“Yes. You make Mommy…” He dropped his voice lower and said, “I mean Mom. You make her braver.”
“I do, don’t I?” Ted said. “Where’s your big brother? Ah, there he is. Dieter, may I have a word?”
Mia took the materials she needed and headed into the family bathroom. She didn’t want to chance running into Carmen or the other women while she was changing. Mom clothes were alright for grocery stores and picnics, but when Aosoth came a calling, a girl needed a little more. Mia pulled on her pants and smiled at the quick alterations Ted had made to them to allow for the weight change in her body. She pulled on the double scabbard and loaded her sword and Varden’s knife. She tossed Ted’s big hoodie over the scabbard, tying the sleeves around her neck. The hoodie fell like a cape behind her. Mia checked to make sure she could reach the weapons with ease. She loaded the sawed-off shotgun with rock salt and clicked one into the chamber.
Mia got on one knee and prayed, “I don’t know if you’re listening to me anymore, but I sure could use some help down here. May I, at the least, remember all that Sariel has taught me and the moves Ed has drilled into me. And please send someone with a softer heart to take Carmen into hand before I shake the shit out of her. Amen.”
Chapter Six
The storm raged overhead. Water poured off the tarps onto the uncovered end of the building. Clench walked over and cleared the drains and made a note to have someone do this every half an hour or the water would flood over the raised area of the observation lounge.
Jake watched the buildup of the clouds as the sun fell below the horizon. He then concentrated on the radar that gave him eyes in the dark. Cid grounded the truck as much as possible. He sent out an SOS to Orion to alert Father Santos and Angelo of the situation.
“You mean my granddaughter is facing Aosoth and her guard by herself?” Orion asked.
“That’s the information I received. Ted’s with her now. He climbed a three-story building to bring her sword to her. Murphy, evidently, can’t touch it.”
“Ted does give her confidence, and he’s an amazing tactician. It does ease my mind, some. Stephen is with her. So that’s two against a demon and twenty-one spirits hyped up on electricity.”
“You said electricity?”
“They travel in lightning bolts, according to lore. Aosoth hasn’t bothered with this world in several millennia. I wonder what brought her out in the open. She’s normally adored by Neo-Nazi Satanists. She’s a dark female force in the pantheon of the Order of the Nine Angels in the UK.”
“Why here? Don’t we have enough problems? Now we’re importing demons,” Cid said, shaking his head. “Got any information I can use to help?”
“Do you still have those little lens worms?”
“Opticals? Yes, I believe we have five on board,” Cid said, getting up and looking in the box labeled “Glasses.”
“Can you use them to reflect light like this?” Orion quickly held up a drawing.
“Yes, I’ll have Ted talk me through the conversion.”
Ted put his hand on one ear as he listened to Cid. He walked away from the group and rattled off some instructions. He was so focused that he didn’t see what was in front of him. At one point, he was drawing something out in the condensation on the refrigerator door. He stopped and closed his eyes, and it wasn’t until the rain had washed his face did he open them. “Cid, instead of being reflectors, let’s use them to…”
Lena ran the generator in order to start the grill. She began frying the hamburgers that had defrosted when the electricity went out. Clench followed his nose to the kitchen.
“I thought I may as well cook these instead of tossing them,” she told him.
“Let me. You must be exhausted,” Clench said.
“No, I like to be busy. It keeps my mind off that creepy girl in the cellar. There’s something not right about her.”
“In my opinion, she’s just been spoiled by money and ignored by her parents. I’ve seen this kind of attitude in a few of my climbing students. Once you give them your undivided attention, most of them seem to soften,” Clench related.
“She would need more than that. She’s hateful.”
“After this is over, maybe the two of us could reach out to her?”
“Clench is a good name for you. You don’t want to let go of anyone,” Lena said.
Mia walked out of the bathroom. She checked all the dark corners of the building before she made her way over to Brian. “Do you have to use the bathroom?” she whispered.
“Mark took me to the big boys’ bathroom.”
“Good.”
“The floor was sticky.”
“Sometimes big boys miss too,” Mia whispered.
“You have your fighting clothes on.”
“Yes I do. I may be overreacting, but I have a bad feeling here,” Mia said, putting her fist to her stomach.
“Me too. Uncle Mike gets sick.”
“Yes he does. Some people have a hard time, and instead of the gift being a warning, as it is to us, it incapacitates them.”
“In cap… in… Oh I give up.”
“It disables them,” Mia said gently. “You must be tired.”
“I slept, but I had bad dreams. I dreamed that there are men who are trapped under this rock. They want out!”
“There are men under here?” Mia asked.
“Yes, the ones that you read about.”
“The miners. You mean they are still under here?” Mia asked.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Do you think they would be mad if Mommy talked to them, or Murphy maybe?”
Brian thought a moment. Mia watched his facial expressions. She wanted a painting of each of them; he was so cute when he was thinking.
“Uncle Murphy should talk to them.”
“Murphy!” Mia called.
Murphy materialized in front of her. “Brian says you need to talk to the trapped miners under this rock. Maybe they could be of some help,” Mia suggested.
A wide smile formed on Stephen Murphy’s face before he disappeared.
“Brian, you are going to be just like your dad, a genius,” Mia pronounced.
It was Brian’s turn to smile widely.
Mia reached out and caught the back of Ted’s shirt before he walked out into the rain. “Whoa, Mr. Magoo, you need a minder.”
Ted blinked twice and focused in on Mia. “I was running through the instructions that I gave Cid again. I think it’s going to work.”
“What is going to work?”
“You’ll see. It was sort of your grandfather’s idea.”
“Is he here?”
“No, he’s in Greece, but he is going to contact Father Santos and Angelo.”
“They can’t possibly get here in time.”
“I know. But you have us.”
“Yes. Aosoth is going to take one look at us and hightail it to whereever she came from. Damn, I can’t remember where she hangs.”
“I’m surprised you know her name.”
“Burt and I worked all summer on those books of Wyatt’s. I’m glad something sunk in.”
“Pretty tough when you spent all summer with your head in the toilet bowl.”
“Yes, I lead such a glamorous life. This kid is a tough one.”
“You were sick when you carried Brian,” Ted reminded her.
“But not for this long. If it wasn’t for Doctor Walters and Judy telling me everything is as it should be, I’d be worried.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t try for a dozen,” Ted said, hugging her.
“Your dad is going to be disappointed.”
“He’ll get over it. Speaking of my father, he’s consented to write a letter assuring the judge that, if anything happens to you and I, he and Mom would be welcoming Dieter into his family.”
“Judge Roumain asked for this?” Mia asked, confused.
“No, the family court judge in charge of Dieter’s adoption. We need this to be legal and not Gerald-Shemed.”
“Interesting verb.”
“Alan assures me that everything is going to be fine, but I went through all the scenarios, and this was the only area I think we need to be covered by. We have that he was brought legally into this country to be adopted on our side. There are, however, some who would like him sent back.”
“In that case, I’ll call Roumain. He promised us.”
“Mia, we’ll make it work. Don’t bring in the big gun too soon,” Ted pleaded.
“You’re right. Negotiation before battle, and ironically, I’m handing the shotgun to you. If any of Aosoth’s guard breaks through the salt circles, you’re to shoot first and ask questions later.”
Dieter was washing out a large mayonnaise jar he spotted in the recycling bin. He asked Lena if he could have it. She said he could have all of them if he wanted. Dieter chose one with the tightest fitting lid.
“Mama’s boy doing dishes,” Don said, poking him in the back.
Dieter set his jar down on the drainboard and turned around. “What is your problem with me?”
“You don’t belong here.”
“Why?”
“Because of what you are.”
“An attrpeur-âme? How is this a problem?” Dieter asked.
“What does that mean?”
“Attrpeur-âme means a catcher of souls.”
“Is that voodoo?”
“Where do you think I’m from?” Dieter asked. “I don’t practice voodoo. You have to get your behind in a chair and start studying geography before you shoot your mouth off again.”
“He thinks I’m from Mexico,” Lena called over.
“Where are you from?” Dieter asked.
“Chicago, moved out here after junior high.”
/> Don mumbled something derogatory under his breath and walked away.
“Doesn’t that rile you up?” Lena asked.
“I’m learning to look at the big picture, and my big picture doesn’t include fights with small-minded men.”
“Well said.”
The rumble of an approaching thunderstorm increased the tension of the group. Clench worried that they should go back down into the cellar, even if there was a chance of water flooding the place. Mia worried about what was coming with the storm. Ted analyzed the effects of lightning hitting the building. “It must have been grounded when they refinished it. Did they lose part of it when the tornado took off the roof?”
Mia stopped walking. “Ted, they’re coming.”
Ted picked up the satellite phone and alerted Cid.
The first lightning strike caused the group to jump. A lone figure in a black cloak stood at the uncovered end of the building, staring at the twelve people on the ground floor. It rushed at the teens and was shocked as it bounced off the salt barrier. It circled the people, looking for a way in.
Twin lightning bolts hit inside the walls. Clench’s ears rang from the thunderous sound, followed by Lucy screaming. Wes got up, walked over to the girl, and encouraged her to come closer to the center of the circles.
More spirits appeared, also garbed in black robes. They pressed in but were not able, with their combined strength, to break the barrier.
“You’re all going to pay!” Carmen said from the doorway to the cellar. She walked over and, with her foot, swept away a line of salt.
One of the ghosts entered the first ring. Mia stepped into its pathway, tossing a salt star into the cowl of the hood.
The spirit shrieked and withered. It had no choice but to stumble backwards until it reached the opening. Mia tossed another star into the cowl. The figure fell down, withering before disappearing. Mia pulled out a box of kosher salt and relined the outer circle.
