by Gina Shafer
“I know why you said it,” she says, and I’m stunned silent. She feels it too, whatever this is between us.
“I’m going to help with the movement.” She turns on her heel once more, and this time I let her keep walking until she disappears behind the warehouse.
It isn’t difficult to find Soren after Karina and I finish speaking outside. He’s pacing the arms room with Marcel, Xo, Ted, and another Sicarri I have yet to be introduced to. There are maps spread out on the table and weapons being handed out. I see Willow pacing behind Soren and I know that she’s geared up for another fight. Her unwavering loyalty to my son makes me realize how terrified I am to lose him, and how grateful I am that he has someone loyal, albeit a dog, watching his back.
I pull Soren to the side and speak quietly so only he can hear. “You know this probably isn’t a good idea considering what we just found out. It’s the middle of the night, we should just get some sleep before we make any decisions,” I plead with my son, hoping he’ll realize what a bad idea it is to go into battle when your head isn’t in the game.
“Dad, look. I know you’re worried, but I don’t want to think about all this right now. I can’t go back and change any of it, so what’s the point? The only thing I know for sure is that I can go out there and burn every shadow-walker responsible for Peter’s death. I’ve been planning movements against the shadow-walkers since I was a teenager; this is just like riding a bike to me, Dad. And anyway, Karina already found their hideout, and we’re heading out shortly… are you with me?” Soren lifts his boot to the chair next to him and begins to tie up the laces. He’s unconcerned with my answer because he already knows I’ll be joining him.
“You’re welcome for that, by the way… Finding those assholes took longer than I thought it would,” Karina says as she slams two small swords on the table. A shoulder sheath is already strapped to her back.
“You’re coming?” My brows furrow when I watch Karina whirl the swords around her sides, hearing the air break around the sharp blades. “I thought you were intel?” I ask, genuinely confused. Usually sections of the Sicarri don’t mix jobs.
“She is.” A short but extremely muscled man slithers next to Karina, and I know immediately I don’t like him. His black T-shirt is stretched tight over his arms, like he chose a smaller size for this exact reason. My muscles tighten when I watch his hand come up to adjust the strap on Karina’s sheath.
I don’t like feeling like this. Hell, I don’t even understand why I’m feeling like this when I just learned not two hours ago that my wife was a demon.
“I think I can speak for myself, Shae.” Karina smiles, but I can see the tightness in her lips. She doesn’t like to be spoken for. Noted.
“I started out as intel for the Sicarri until Marcel finally agreed to train me. Now I do both.” Her tone is precise, like nothing about this situation is out of the ordinary. I glimpse to Soren, but he isn’t interested in our conversation. He is staring intently at the map on the table in front of him. I’m worried his mind still isn’t in the right place for this ambush, but I wont let him go out there alone.
“Where are we going?” I ask, both confirming that I’ll be joining the mission, and in the hopes that it will bring him back from the dark place his mind is taking him. His eyes snap to mine, and his brows form a hard line for a moment before he turns back to the map.
“Karina found an abandoned house right here…” He points to a house near a farming crop in the middle of nowhere.
“There have been a few sightings of shadow-walkers from the other unburnt in the area and we think they are the ones that planned the attack on us.” Soren is deep in planning mode, and I try to stifle my worry for him by moving about the room. I’m in no position to tell him what to do, but when I watch him hovering over the table, it’s hard for me not to see the five-year-old I left behind. A five-year-old playing with guns and planning his next kill.
Talk about a total mind-fuck.
I clear my throat and move to the weapons lining the wall behind me. My eyes roam over the guns illuminated by the fluorescent backlight as I scoop up five magazines filled with my favorite rounds, tracer bullets… the ones that explode in fiery blaze and insure the demons I’ve shot won’t be coming back. I load my pistol with one, tossing the rest into a magazine holster and clip it onto my belt.
“You ready?” Soren asks just as I finish loading myself up with bullets. I nod to him, hoping he doesn’t see past the shield I have firmly in place on my face. He’s a grown-up. I have to understand that if we’re going to have any sort of relationship.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” Karina says as she slides her blades into her sheath. I love the sound they make when they reach the hilt. A raw tapping, metal upon metal. It ignites my adrenaline for the fight to come.
“Let’s go,” Marcel shouts over everyone, making his way toward the door, barking out commands as he goes. “Soren, I want you and your dad to ride with me. Karina, you’re coming with us too. Shae, you’re in the next vehicle with Xo and Ted.” The entire group nods their heads in agreement, though Shae doesn’t look quite so happy that he won’t be riding with Karina. Willow barks out a loud yelp at Marcel and he turns his back to look at her. “Willow, you’re with Soren.” He sighs as he leaves the room. Willow huffs out a puff of air and follows, any trace of attitude quickly dying on her face as she walks past the men to follow Soren.
I realize I’m the last one standing in the empty room before a battle, again, and I quickly jump forward to follow everyone else. When I reach the black SUV, I feel unease drift over me in long waves. It’s odd to be back, so quickly, after a battle with the shadow-walkers. When I climb in the vehicle, I look to everyone’s faces but see no trace of the unease I feel.
I am relieved when I look over and find that this is not the same vehicle from earlier, where Peter’s body bled out onto the carpet. Soren is in the front seat next to Marcel, who is driving again. Karina is next to me, while Willow is lying on the seat between us. We drive for what seems like hours, and I find myself becoming more and more tired. The adrenaline coursing through my veins has been burning so long that my energy is depleted. As soon as my eyes flutter closed, Soren speaks.
“We’re almost there, about two minutes out,” he announces, to no one in particular. This fuels the fire burning deep within me once more and I ache to itch the scratch demanding to be recognized. Karina notices my anxiousness and smirks from the corner of her mouth. I watch as she pulls the swords from her back and begins rubbing a rag that’s been drenched in some sort of liquid that has a similar smell to gasoline. I hear Willow’s low growl and I turn my head to look at Soren. When his eyes make contact with mine, I see the same itch he’s craving to scratch. We are prepared for blood and fire. We are primed to kill.
Marcel brings us to a rolling stop about half a mile down from where the demons are supposedly hiding out. The street is black, eerie. I hear crickets in the bushes to my right as we make our way behind the abandoned farmland and come to stop at the back of the house. We crouch down behind an old tractor for a moment to reconvene.
“There are two on the top story, Soren, check the window,” Marcel whispers, and Soren aims his rifle at the glass.
“I see them. Should I fire?” he asks, and I see his finger squeeze ever so slightly on the trigger.
“Not yet, Soren, you’ll give us away.” I place my hand on his shoulder, hoping to pass along any calm energy I have left. I see him nod slightly, but he doesn’t take his eye off his scope, watching the shadow-walkers.
“Two on the left, by the garden fence,” Karina adds in a hushed tone, and our eyes flick to the spot next to the house where a flower garden once grew. By the side fence is a giant propane tank with rust covering most of it.
“That makes five, there’s got to be more.” Ted growls. “Where the hell are they?”
“There’s got to be at least thirty in the small living room,” I blurt out quietly.
“
How do you know that?” Xo asks with his brows set heavy in a frown.
“Look at the mirror in the hallway.” As the words leave my lips, I see the realization dawn of everyone’s face. Through the sliding door in the back I can clearly see a hall and at the end of that hall there is a mirror that faces into another room. Shining back are dozens of blackened bodies, unmoving and packed together.
As if time were moving in slow motion, I see every shadow-walker we have identified turn and face the tractor we are using for cover.
“They see us,” Soren says, his finger still tight on the trigger.
“Oh fuck this…” Shae yells, and in an instant he is charging across the grass, aiming his shotgun at the demons who meet him at the door. It doesn’t take long for the rest of us to follow. Karina is first, and I watch as her swords light up into flames before she races across the backyard. I am momentarily stunned at how beautiful she is in the firelight. She moves, swinging her swords like she may as well be twirling feathers. Xo, Ted, and Marcel are after Karina, shooting their fiery bullets into the crowd of burnt bodies. Marcel is the slowest of the group, but he makes up for his speed with his sheer power. Soren is next, but he doesn’t charge. He creeps slowly toward the house, firing off perfectly calculated shots as he moves. I find myself in the back of the group once more, and I reach down to grab my dagger with my free hand before I sprint to catch up with the others.
The first shadow-walker charges at me with his sharp fingers outstretched, hoping to dig into my skin. I put a bullet in its shoulder, watching as the right side of his body bursts into flames. One comes up from behind me, but I duck down and slice my dagger across its legs. When I stand, I fire a round into its open, shrieking mouth. We fight our way into the house, and the sound of bullets firing echoes through the walls. I pause for a spilt second, looking around the room. I see shadow-walkers—so many shadow-walkers—and I immediately know this was a mistake. We should have never come here.
Then, I have an idea. A bat-shit fucking crazy idea.
“Soren, get everyone out of this house in twenty seconds. Do you hear me? Twenty seconds. No more, no less.” I make my way through the shadow-walkers, slicing and firing bullets as I go.
“Wait, why, Dad… Where are you going?” Soren shoots a shadow-walker between the eyes and calls out to me, but I’m already almost out the door.
“Count, Soren,” I yell back without turning my head. I run out of the house, remembering the large propane tank I saw near the garden. There are two shadow-walkers there, no doubt waiting for our backup to show up so they can take them out. Not today, fuckers, it’s just me.
Five seconds.
They weren’t expecting this, I can tell by their faces, twisted with confusion but ready to fight.
Eight Seconds.
I gain on them, but they are standing their ground. They want me to come to them… to fight on their terms.
Twelve Seconds.
I’m almost out of time. I’m still walking across the dirt; the shadow-walkers are poised for a fight. One of them smiles, a sinister, inhuman smile. He thinks he has the upper hand.
Sixteen seconds.
The two shadow-walkers launch at me, but I’m too quick. I plunge my dagger into the first one’s neck as the other one wraps its fingers around my arm. My elbow flies up to knock the shadow-walker in the face, and they both lie on the ground. I pull the trigger on my pistol twice and watch as the bullets pierce through their burnt skin and explode their faces into fire and light.
Twenty seconds. I’m out of time.
I see Soren and the Sicarri come running through the door with the demons close behind.
“Run!” I yell to the group. I want to get as far away from this explosion as possible. I spin, pulling out the zippo from my pocket, flipping the spark wheel and tossing it into the grass just beneath the huge propane tank on the side of the house. I turn and run as fast as I can. When I’m far enough away, I jump to the ground and twist, shooting three bullets into the tank, and then move my arm to shield my face as the space around it erupts into flames. The explosion takes the shadow-walkers and the house with it.
I jog over to the group, checking to see if everyone made it out okay. Karina is wiping a white towel over the blades of her swords, effectively killing the flames. She sheaths them and looks to me, her eyes running over my body with a concerned look on her face. Was she worried about me?
“How did you come up with that one, Dad?” Soren asks, sounding mildly impressed. He’s sitting around the group as they gather themselves after the fight. I realize it’s over and I feel myself release the tension in my muscles since I tossed that zippo.
“Cormac… he did the same thing once.” My mood plummets as I remember my friend. Now just a meat-suit for the demon Lincoln to feast on his fire from within. I look back to the blazing house, my eyes following the roaring flames licking up toward the sky. I see movement out of the corner of my eye, coming from the sliding glass door of the house, and it makes me curious. I walk closer, thinking it’s just a shadow-walker burning alive, but I see…
No way. It can’t be.
Vara?
A woman with long red hair stares back at me through the blaze, but I’m not close enough to see her face. The heat makes it impossible for me to go any closer, but the woman remains unburnt. Though I can’t make out her features, I can clearly see the look of terror on her face. Her lips mouth, “Help me,” and I’m running toward the heat before I even know what I’m doing. I hear Soren shout from behind me, but his words are distorted. My foot crashes against the door, finding a weak spot, and the glass crumbles beneath me. Flames reach out and burn my neck, the searing pain numbed by the woman standing in front of me.
“Vara?” I yell, wiping the sweat from my face. But she doesn’t answer.
“Dad! What the hell are you doing?” I hear Soren come up behind me, and I turn to look at him.
“It’s your mother, Soren!” I turn to point at the women standing in the middle of the fire, but she has disappeared.
Marcel wraps his arms around my upper chest and drags me back, safe from the heat and flames.
“There isn’t anyone there, Elijah…” Marcel speaks into my ear, still dragging me.
I’m going fucking crazy.
Pain.
Searing pain is all I have felt for the past hour, radiating from my neck down to my left shoulder. The flames from the house must have been closer than I had realized when I…
The same scene has run through my mind over and over again since we left that house burning in the middle of nowhere. I could have sworn I saw Vara standing in the middle of the flames. I can still see her there, but when I turned away… she was gone.
“You’re going to need to have that looked at, Elijah.” Karina’s voice breaks through my thoughts, reminding me of my pain. She shifts closer to me and bends down to get a closer look at my shoulder.
“I’ll be fine,” I tell her and wince when I lift the remnants of my shirt off my scorched body to take in the damage. My skin is wrinkled and blistered, revealing raw, oozing skin underneath, and surrounded by black soot stains.
“Here…” Karina says, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the long corridor leading to the barracks rooms. She opens a door, revealing what I assume to be her room. It’s stiff and cold; the only pop of color is the small violet pillow placed lightly between slate grey bedding. “Lay down here… I’ll take a look at it.” She grabs the pillow and tosses it into the black rocking chair to the left and shoves me down onto the bed. It’s soft and comfortable and I relax, until I feel Karina pull at my clothing once again. My skin is so raw and irritated that even a feather-light touch feels like jagged razor blades tearing into my skin.
“Ahh…” I wince again.
How could I be so stupid? To let myself get hurt over Vara… no, over a vision that wasn’t even real. I’ve got to get a grip. I watch Karina’s face as she peels and cuts away the fabric around the burn, her
mouth set in a thin line, concentration clear on the task in front of her. I watch as her eyes roam quickly over the blisters. Her lips begin to move ever so slightly. Is she talking to herself?
“What are you saying?” I ask. I am truly curious, but my attempt to strike up conversation is mainly because I hope it will distract me from the excruciating pain in my left shoulder.
“If you must know, I’m singing,” she replies curtly and quickly returns back to her whispering.
“What song?” I inquire, eager for every morsel of information she chooses to provide me.
“A song my grandmother used to sing when she taught me how to heal. Now stay still so I can clean this up.” She nudges my chest back down. I didn’t even realize I had started to move closer to her.
“Why are you so angry with me?” I ask, and I hold my breath as I wait for the answer.
“I don’t trust demons,” she says plainly as she wipes a balm across my blistered skin. It hurts… holy hell it hurts, but I don’t show her that. I hold in the scream begging to roar from my lips and continue with the conversation instead. When Karina leans over me, peering deeply into my wound, I notice something shiny on her chest. At first I think it is a small scar lining the swell of her breast, but when I look closer at the faint pink skin, I realize that it’s a mark where her skin stretched as she grew. Inexplicably, I yearn to reach out and touch it, to feel the small indentation underneath my fingerprints.
“But I’m not a demon, I’ve been a Sicarri all my life,” I argue, remembering her accusation.
“Ah, but you have demon blood running through your veins. Which makes you like them… part demon.” She pauses over my blistered skin, studying. After learning what Vara did, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was looking for demon skin underneath the oozing red wound. She reaches for a bottle of ointment in the small caddy of medical supplies she pulled from underneath her bed.
I’m extremely bothered by her distrust, which surprises me. I have magic within me, we all do. But under no circumstances would I ever use it enough to become one of them. Not after everything I’ve seen.
