Corinne’s eyes widened. “I’ve only heard of it. But if it’s half as powerful as they say—”
“Where is it?” Rohan asked.
“We must go deeper.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” Rohan asked.
“You don’t have much of a choice,” Strafford said, as they approached the ball of light. “The game is over. You’re fighting to the death now. You must kill Altemus’s physical body so that you may recall his spirit. But even that is not enough.”
“It seems nothing is.”
“He can be defeated, but the only way to truly know you’re done with him is to control his spirit, to enslave it in the body of a corpse. You must be his captor for all time.”
That was not the answer Rohan was expecting, but the gravity of it sunk in immediately.
“I can’t do that,” Rohan said.
“You are a necromancer. Trapping souls in corpses is what you do.”
“I’m not a necromancer!” Rohan shouted. His voice echoed throughout the gray world, and the noise took him aback.
“Like it or not, it’s the only way to contain him,” Strafford said. “This is not the world of the living, Rohan. Life here is not democratic. You must either control or be controlled. Your obligations, whether you like it or not, are eternal.”
Rohan raised an eyebrow. “Who controls you?”
Strafford chuckled as he reached a hand into the ball of light. “The real question is, do you have what it takes to be a controller?” He put his entire arm through the light as if testing it, then pulled out an orb and held it in front of Rohan. “Think of the body as a prison, the only kind capable of holding such a madman. You think Altemus wouldn't enslave you?”
“He would in a heartbeat,” Rohan said, defeated. “I don’t need reminding of that. But this… this….”
“This is fate.”
Strafford grabbed Rohan and plunged him into the ball of light. Everything went white, and in a flash, they appeared in a forest clearing. Corinne floated in behind them, a look of confusion plain in her eyes. Birds flew overhead into a violent gray sky that threatened rain. Ahead of them stretched a tall brick building with ten stories and yellow windows that gave off an ominous light. Its bricks were crumbling.
Rohan recognized the building. “The hospital. From… home. Why is it here? It’s not how I remember.”
“You’re referring to the state of general disrepair,” Strafford said, smiling. “What you see here is the true state of things. You’ve heard of the saying ‘so above, so below.’”
“He’s right, Rohan,” Corinne said.
Hermeticism. A strand of philosophy that had flourished in the world for hundreds of years. He and Senna had brought it up in their conversations, but Rohan had never bought into it.
“Hermetics were maniacs,” Rohan said.
“Incorrect maniacs at that,” Strafford said. “It was actually the other way around. So below, so above. Here, there are no layers of secrecy or misunderstanding. When you die and cross over, all is revealed to you. You look back on your life and see exactly where you went wrong, where the ‘briar patches’ were, so to speak. You see the true colors of the souls of the people around you. And in most cases, it’s happiness. But in the case of this hospital, well, you can see how Altemus influenced the place.”
Strafford started for the hospital, but Rohan hesitated.
“Nothing in here will hurt you,” Strafford said. “There’s someone you should see.”
Senna. The vision of her flashed into his mind and he stumbled after Strafford, nearly falling into the mud. He couldn’t catch up with the man fast enough. Corinne flew behind Rohan, keeping pace.
“Don’t be too alarmed,” Corinne said. “It looks ghastly here, and it sometimes is. But you can do this.”
“Thanks,” Rohan said.
They entered the hospital lobby, lit only by the clerestory windows above. Rohan looked around at the filth: papers everywhere, overturned chairs, and a broken desk. The dead, pale woman behind the reception desk stared at him with hollow eyes.
Screams wailed from the depths of the hospital, and the smell of death assaulted him, so much that he felt dead himself. He had only been in the afterlife for a short time, but already he was starting to forget what the world of the living felt like.
The dead woman behind the counter nodded. “Mr. Strafford.”
“We’re here to see her,” Strafford said.
The nurse grinned horribly, then pressed a button on the desk and a double door ahead slid open. The hallway, lined with doors to hospital rooms, extended and began to rearrange itself. Soon it was a staircase that seemed to stretch impossibly long.
They reached the top of the stairs and stopped at a red, cast iron door that looked more like a prison gate than the door to a hospital room.
Rohan’s heart fluttered.
This was it. Senna. They were finally going to be together.
This was the feeling he was supposed to feel on their wedding day. Like he was on a threshold. He would cross over and never be the same, and that was just fine with him. It was what he wanted.
Life forever with Senna.
If he met her now, would it tether him to the afterlife?
No matter. Once he crossed over, they would be together. Nothing would ever be the same.
Corinne shifted nervously.
Strafford took a golden key out of his pocket and inserted it into the lock. He swung the door open, and they walked into the same room that had held Senna back in the world of the living.
Even the lighting was the same. That sterile gray and green that Rohan swore made people sick instead of healing them.
A spicy smell wafted through the room, slightly stinging his nostrils.
The bed lay next to a small, square window that showed a thunderstorm starting as lightning shot out of a cloud.
A figure lay curled up in a ball under the white sheets. Rohan shared an excited look with Corinne.
Strafford approached the bed slowly, and Rohan followed. The figure moved under the sheets.
Rohan’s heart beat even faster.
Strafford reached his hand out toward the sheets and pulled them back.
A thin, pale woman lay on the bed. Her teeth were yellowed, her eyes sunken into their sockets, and her blonde hair was falling out. She whimpered at the sight of Strafford and fell off the bed in fear.
“Don’t—don’t hurt me!” the woman cried.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Strafford said. “I brought you company.”
The woman looked at Rohan searchingly.
“Something’s not right here,” Corinne said, voice shaky.
Rohan’s eyes widened. “That’s not Senna.”
“Of course not,” Strafford said. “Rohan, meet Anne Altemus.”
Chapter 14: Anne Altemus
Anne Altemus put her hands in front of her face and said, “Go away.”
“But where’s Senna?” Rohan asked.
Strafford shrugged. “If I knew, I would tell you.”
“I thought we were going to see Senna this whole time.”
“I never said that.”
“What else aren’t you saying?”
They stared at each other for a long time. Strafford then gestured to Anne.
“This, Rohan, is a gift. Altemus is here for his wife. You now have her. This is your opportunity to defeat him.”
“Where is my husband!” Anne screamed.
Strafford held out his hand, and Anne flew back and struck the wall. She looked up at Rohan and murmured, “Help me,” before turning to cower in the corner with her face buried in her knees.
Strafford clucked his tongue. “Don’t bother with her. Her soul is every bit as warped as Altemus’s, if not worse.”
Thunder shook the room and Strafford looked around cautiously. “Follow me.”
A door appeared on the other side of the room and Strafford opened it. When they went through, they
stepped onto the roof of the hospital. Rohan looked back at the hospital room and then the roof, wondering at the transition.
Above, the clouds let down rain. A vicious swirl gathered over the building. Lightning flashed, leaving only two bloodshot eyes visible in the afterglow.
Rohan recognized those eyes.
“About time you showed up,” he said.
“Give her to me,” Altemus said through the clouds. “At last, I’ve found my Anne. If you do not stand down, I will destroy you.”
“You don’t recognize me, old friend?” Strafford asked quietly.
“I don’t care about you, Strafford. Step aside and give me my wife.”
“Her looks become her in the afterlife. Hard to imagine what your soul will look like.”
Lightning flashed again, and Altemus descended from the clouds on a ray of sunshine. He touched down on the roof with a bloody knife in one hand.
“Fitting that I would have to go through you to get to Anne,” Altemus said.
Strafford held out his hand and shot lightning at Altemus, but Altemus reflected it at Rohan.
Strafford shoved Rohan aside, absorbing the blow. When Rohan recovered, Strafford was lying on the ground, wheezing.
“But first,” Altemus said, placing one foot on Strafford’s chest. “You must be dealt with, and my Anne returned to me.”
Rohan charged, but Altemus raised his hands and lightning filled the sky. Corinne was at his side, rushing towards him to attack, when the next blow came. It hit Corinne, and she flew back and off of the roof.
Rohan turned to go after her, when thunder exploded overhead and the building shook.
With a massive crash, the roof collapsed and Altemus, Rohan, and Strafford plummeted into the hospital. Bricks and broken glass fell around Rohan, and everything slowed down as he spun through the air.
He hit the ground with a thud. Time sped up again and he shielded his face while the remnants of the roof fell all around him.
A ringing struck his ears and the world spun. Rohan dug his way out of the rubble, only to find himself in darkness—even the opening above seemed to have been covered by a dark shroud. They were in Anne’s hospital room. They hadn’t fallen far, though it felt like it.
“Strafford?” Rohan shouted. “Corinne?
A low groan sounded from nearby. Rohan had to pull a pile of bricks aside before he found Strafford, his body broken atop the rubble.
“Where is he?” Rohan asked, his voice cracking. “How do I stop him?”
“I….” Strafford’s body flickered out, then returned, like a light bulb about to die. “I can’t help you. You must... do whatever you can. Altemus will do everything to be with his wife, even if it means conquering the world of the living with an army of the dead. It’s the only way he can ensure no one will ever separate them again.”
“That’s insane!” Rohan said.
“That’s Altemus….” Strafford began to fade, the floor beneath him visible through his translucent body. “Go. Find him.”
Strafford faded, and was gone.
Rohan slammed his fist into the floor and stood, glancing around to orient himself. He had to find Corinne, to make sure she was okay. Soon he heard a low weeping. He followed it, and turned a corner to see an image that surprised him.
Altemus was sitting on the bed. He held Anne in his arms and wept. “What have they done to you?”
Anne wailed. Her skin glowed where Altemus held her.
“You’ll never leave my side again,” Altemus said, stroking her hair.
“That’s a promise you can’t keep,” Rohan said.
Altemus’s sorrow transformed into hatred.
“Frank, who is this man, and why does he wish to separate us?” Anne asked.
“He’s evil,” Altemus said. He lay Anne down gently on the bed, and then faced Rohan. “It’s as simple as that.”
“Send him away,” Anne’s spirit said as she rose to float beside Altemus. “I’ll see the world destroyed before we’re separated again.”
“I’m done playing nice,” Rohan said.
Altemus's knife lay nearby, lodged into a broken rafter. In a flash, Rohan grabbed it and threw it, but Altemus dodged and it lodged into the wall inches from Anne’s face.
She screamed and Altemus roared in anger. He lifted his hands and shot lightning.
Rohan rolled out of the way, then grabbed a nearby chair and threw it at Altemus, hitting him in the head. Rohan charged and slammed Altemus to the ground, then punched him several times in the face.
“Stop it!” Anne cried. “Leave him alone!”
In a moment of exhaustion, Rohan fell back, panting. Anne ran to Altemus, cradling him, both of them locked in a true moment of love. This image of helplessness caught Rohan by surprise, and he just sat there, watching.
Then before he could react, Altemus grabbed Anne and flung her at Rohan. With a wild scream, Anne surged into Rohan’s body. As Anne inhabited him, he welled up with sorrow, fear and hatred. He struggled to gain control of his arms, for she had them within her control
Anne's voice sounded in his head. “You will die for what you’ve done to me.”
Unknown memories flashed through his head. He caught glimpses of a beach with the stormy Atlantic raging. A home, sumptuous and rustic. Smells of lavender. Sea foam. Crab cakes.
Screams. Children playing. A phone ringing.
He saw life through Anne’s eyes.
And then he remembered what Ahmed had told him. He remembered his training.
He focused, directing his attention back at Altemus, just in time to dodge a steel pipe aimed at his head. Ducking, he imagined invisible hands reaching into himself and grabbing Anne. He flung the woman back at her husband, and she entered Altemus. The old man’s body glowed with red and black energy as Anne invaded him. Looks of pain and joy crossed his face at the same time, before he composed himself and grinned at Rohan.
“You’ve been practicing, after all,” Altemus said. “I didn’t think you would actually be one of us.”
“I’m not,” Rohan said. “But I’ll do anything to beat you.”
Altemus leaped at Rohan with superhuman speed. Being inhabited by Anne made him more powerful, and he flashed in and out of view as he raced toward him. He wrapped his hands around Rohan’s neck and began to squeeze.
“Goodbye, Rohan,” Altemus said, his voice deep, his eyes murderous.
Rohan beat the old man’s arms, but the spiritual power was too strong.
A flickering light from above caught Rohan’s attention, and he thought for a moment it was an angel coming to take him away. But then he saw Corinne descending from the sky.
“Corinne!” he tried to shout, but Altemus was crushing his windpipe.
Instead, Rohan closed his eyes, focused on her, and channeled her energy and all the energy of the spirits he could sense below him in the hospital.
There was a flash of light and warmth, and Rohan felt his throat return to normal. He watched as Altemus stumbled back with a look of confusion, Anne out of his body again, half kneeling in exhaustion.
Rohan charged at Altemus but, before he could attack, Altemus took Anne in his arms and disappeared in a flash of lightning.
“No!” Rohan shouted, spinning, searching the sky for any sight of them. “We had them!” He turned to Corinne in frustration, then froze—she had collapsed to her knees, face in her hands. “Corinne, what is it?”
“The memories,” she said, rocking. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. “They’re returning, a flood of them all at once. It was him, that night…. I remember, Altemus. A knife. The car accident was only a distraction. He told us we were nobodies, so our lives didn’t matter. I was the last one, and… Oh GOD!” She clutched her mouth, eyes wide with terror, staring at the roof. “I remember the warmth of my own blood as it left my neck, then the cold, and flopping down beside my son’s body… He didn’t have to kill my son. My husband and I would have been enough.”
<
br /> “I… I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. You’re yet another list of casualties tied to Altemus’s soul.”
“The ritual didn’t work then, and we have to make sure it doesn’t work this time. We must stop that animal.”
A banging sounded from the rubble surrounding them.
“We have to stop him,” she repeated. “Before he hurts anyone else.”
More loud banging, and then the rubble broke open. Rand red, glowing spirits spewed forth, some floating, others stumbling like undead corpses.
“Get back!” Rohan shouted, standing in front of Corinne.
He lifted his hands to shelter her, to fight, but the spirits swept over them like a swarm of hornets. They were burning him, striking him, surrounding him. It was too much. He did everything he could, absorbing their energy and throwing it back at them, but it wasn’t enough.
Then he realized that they weren’t attacking him.
It was a river of spirits, and they were caught in the middle of it.
Corinne put up a fight beside him, throwing one corpse aside and then squaring off with a floating spirit to knock it back. She shouted, “He must be controlling them Altemus must be creating this river with his powers! If you can somehow latch on, we may be able to follow the river to its source—Altemus!”
“It’s worth a shot!”
Rohan dropped to his knees, eyes closed, and concentrated. A wave of energy swept over them all, pulling at Rohan and Corinne so that they were swept up into the sky.
Then a flash of red light, and darkness.
Chapter 15: The Great Descent
When the darkness faded, Rohan looked around with terror. This was like nowhere he’d ever been, but was exactly as he imagined hell. Jagged rocks glowed red, and as far as the eye could see—more rocks, followed by pure darkness.
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