Life is for the Living

by S. C. Stokes

  Kasey did the only thing she could think of. Reaching into her jacket, she drew out her phone. She dialed the number and set it on speaker while she continued to examine the body.

  “Hey, hun, good to hear from you,” her mother said through the phone.

  “Hey, mom. It’s good to hear your voice,” Kasey answered as she opened Mina’s mouth to examine her teeth.

  “Are you alright, dear? You sound a little frazzled.”

  “I’m just having issues with a case at work. I thought I might get your help a little sooner this time, before things get out of hand.”

  “Out of hand, dear? What do you mean?” her mother asked.

  “We were hunting down a killer who proved particularly adept at avoiding our investigations. It turns out she was a witch, and she was able to change her appearance at will. Each time we got close, she would simply shapeshift into another person and disappear through our fingers.”

  “Change her appearance?” her mother asked, a note of concern evident in her voice.

  “Yes,” Kasey replied. “One moment, she’d be a young woman, the next a policeman or a waiter. It seems she could become anyone she wished. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “There is a reason for that, Kasey,” her mother said. “Using magic to assume another person’s identity is against our laws. That is why such magic isn’t taught in the Academy. The Arcane Council stamped out such practices more than a hundred years ago.”

  “What about Werewolves and other shifters?” Kasey asked.

  “That is an entirely different type of magic. They are simply two forms of the same being and they shift from one form to another. They do not use their abilities to assume another’s identity. You may have heard of the Faceless in your studies?”

  “The Faceless,” Kasey mused as she leaned against the steel counter top. “It’s not ringing any bells.”

  “The Faceless were a cabal of wizards that terrorized New York in the middle of the 18th century. They used their gifts to assume the identities of prominent crime lords and gang members here in the city. Wearing the faces of these criminals, they perpetrated acts of violence against their rivals. The Eastman Gang, the Bowery Boys, the Whyos, the infamous Five Points Gang, and the Forty Thieves all called New York their home. These normals were blissfully ignorant of the existence of magic and already engaged in an escalating turf war.

  “The Faceless set them against each other. Violence was everywhere, and the streets ran with blood. Innocent and criminal alike were swept up in the storm of death that flooded the city. The police were helpless in the face of such raw brutality and the Faceless used the opportunity to seize tremendous wealth from under the noses of the very organizations they set against each other. At the height of their power, the Faceless robbed three banks in a single week.

  “Fortunately, such success bred complacency and the Arcane Council uncovered their duplicity. The Faceless were executed for their deeds and the very act of assuming another’s identity or face was outlawed. It is a foolish witch or wizard that would so brazenly break that law,” her mother concluded.

  “Well, they aren’t afraid of dropping bodies, so I doubt they would hold much concern for the Council. Nor any other law, for that matter. Is there any chance some of the Faceless survived? These guys seem to follow their M.O.” she said, as she began pacing around the room.

  There was silence down the line for a few moments.

  “I doubt it, Kasey,” her mother said at last. “The Council was not gentle. The Faceless and all who harbored them were exterminated. The Council has no tolerance for such violence, particularly against normals. They made the price of being caught so high, they hoped no one would even consider returning to those times.”

  “Well, that doesn’t leave me with much to go on” Kasey answered.

  “You said she was a witch, right?” Jane asked. “Did she use her magic in front of you? Could you make out the language she used? If nothing else, that should give you a starting point.”

  Kasey walked back to the table and stared at the woman lying before her. “Well, she did shout something at me. I didn’t quite catch it. It sounded Asian, though. Maybe Chinese or Japanese. Could have been Korean. I don’t really know, to be honest. Her illusion does seem to be fading now, though. If I had to guess, her features and complexion certainly match those normally found in Eastern countries.”

  “Does she have any tattoos or tribal markings?” her mother asked. “The ritualists of the subcontinent often wear their tribal markings proudly. On the other hand, it is common for Chinese and Japanese wizards to tattoo themselves with the language of their ancestors. You know that there is great power in the ancient tongues. They believe even the written word brings power with it.”

  “I’ll take a look.”

  She began to search the body of the woman she had known as Skyler. Starting at the head, she drew back the woman’s hair and checked behind her ears and neck. Moving down, she checked her shoulders and arms. As she flipped her wrist over, she found a series of lines forming an ornate tattoo.

  “Found one!” Kasey shouted. “It’s on her wrist.”

  “Any idea what it means?” her mother asked.

  “None whatsoever,” Kasey admitted. “It’s complex. It certainly looks Japanese or Chinese to me.”

  “Grab a picture of it and run it through a translator on your phone. Let’s see what it says,” her mother suggested.

  “On it.”

  Kasey snatched her phone off the counter, then snapped a picture of Skyler’s wrist before running it through a search on her phone. Moments later, a series of articles and translations appeared on the screen.

  “That’s interesting,” Kasey said as she flipped through the results. “Apparently, it means Shinigami. It’s Japanese.”

  Her mother hesitated. “Did you say Shinigami?”

  “That’s what it says here on my phone. Why? Does that mean something to you mom?”

  “Y-yes,” Jane stammered. “Kasey. You need to destroy that body right now.”

  “I can’t just destroy it, Mom. She’s our only lead and she will be missed, you know. Bishop will expect autopsy results.”

  “The results won’t matter if she’s not alive to read them. Destroy the body and deal with the report later. Fake the results if you have to. You need that body gone as soon as humanly possible.”

  “What’s going on, Mom?” Kasey asked. Her heart began to race as her mother’s instructions sank in. Her mother was a formidable woman. Kasey had never heard her in such a state.

  “The Shinigami are a Japanese coven. Witches and wizards that dabble in the forbidden arts. Murder and the stealing of others’ identities are the least of their crimes.”

  “How much worse can it get?” Kasey asked.

  “Much,” her mother replied. “Translated literally, Shinigami means the ‘god of death’ or ‘death spirit.’ They are an ancient evil that has plagued Japan for so long that they have become a part of its folklore. They are believed to be supernatural spirits that invite humans toward death. If the people only knew the truth, it would terrify them. They are a cult of wizards who bring death wherever they go. They seek to harness the power unleashed when a soul and body split at the time of death. Their magic is necromancy in its most vile form. They have been responsible for the deaths of a truly incomprehensible number of people over the years.”

  “How have they not been caught?” Kasey asked. “Surely, the magical community would deal with them as they did the Faceless.”

  “They have never had the chance. The Shinigami are both careful and ruthless. If one is threatened, another is more than willing to unleash destruction on the community as reprisal. The Eastern Conclave have tried to apprehend them, several times. It always ends with a terrible toll in human lives. Now they do not even bother. The Shinigami are left to their own devices.”

  “Well, it seems they have brought themselves to New York,” Kasey replied. “I
saw a vision of them when I touched her body. There are at least four of them.”

  “And they are all here?” Jane asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kasey replied. “It was hard to tell. It looked like they were in a temple or shrine of some kind. The vision itself seemed recent, so I would say it took place here. They were planning the attack on the Met Gala. It can’t have been more than a week or two old, so it certainly seems like they are in New York.”

  “Then burn the body, Kasey. Get rid of it now!” Her voice echoed through the morgue.

  “I can’t. There is too much attention on me already,” Kasey replied.

  “When they come for their missing member—and they will—there will be bloodshed. The fact that you are in a police station will mean nothing to them. If they know she is dead, they will level the building and everyone in it, maybe entire the city block.”

  “Oh, come on,” Kasey protested. “The Council…”

  “The Council won’t be able to do a damn thing to stop them. The Shinigami don’t care about discovery. Their actions are so extreme, they have been deified in Japan. They fear no one and nothing. They bring down fires, floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis on those who oppose them. When the Shinigami retaliate, it’s not an eye for an eye. It’s an entire village, town, or city. Burn the body before they find you. Better they think she is missing than dead.”

  “Alright,” Kasey conceded. “I’ll take care of it now. I have to get it done before my boss gets back. One missing body is an accident. Two is going to be impossible to explain away.”

  “Ok, hun, be careful. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Kasey said. “See you then.”

  Hanging up, Kasey shook her head.

  Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

  The Shinigami hadn’t been reluctant about dropping bodies. They had already been directly responsible for dozens of deaths over the recent few days.

  Her mother’s warning about their retaliation looked more ominous with every passing moment.

  Kasey took action. Raising her hand over the table, she said, "Here we go again. Crebachu!”

  Power surged through her being and flew from her outstretched hand. An odd gurgling noise filled the morgue as Skyler’s body and the white plastic shroud it rested on began to shrink. In a matter of moments, the body had shrunk smaller than half a sandwich.

  Kasey scooped up the body and the miniature body bag and strode over to the medical incinerator.

  As she reached for the power button, she heard it.

  The unwelcome creak of a door being opened.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kasey stopped dead. She couldn’t even breath. I thought I locked that. Forcing herself to move, she looked over her shoulder, checking the morgue’s door. It was still shut.

  Oh, no.

  Turning, Kasey checked the only other door in the morgue—the one leading to Vida’s office.

  There in the now open doorway stood Vida, staring in slack-jawed amazement.

  “T-this isn’t what it looks like,” Kasey said, unable to move.

  Vida nodded slowly. “Oh, good, because it looks like you shrank that body like a 90’s movie and are about to destroy it in the incinerator.”

  He pointed to the machine behind Kasey.

  Kasey’s world was spiraling out of control. The last thing she needed was her magic being witnessed by a normal. The Arcane Council had already cleaned up after her once, and they had made it abundantly clear that a repeat of such circumstances would be met harshly.

  One problem at a time.

  “Well, Vida, perhaps its exactly what it looks like, then. I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

  Vida darted over to the incinerator and covered the button with both hands. “Hang on a minute. Setting aside how on earth you did that, we can’t just go destroying evidence. We’ll both be sacked.”

  Kasey’s right hand grasped the body firmly. Her left hand pointed straight at her boss. “How much of the phone call did you hear?”

  His eyes danced about guiltily as he stood in tight-lipped silence.

  “Vida.” Kasey prodded.

  “Most of it,” he answered. “Kind of hard not to, when it’s on speaker.”

  “Then you know this has to go,” she answered, reaching around Vida to jam the body into the incinerator’s waiting compartment, before closing the vessel’s lid.

  “Wait!” he protested, covering the incinerator’s power button with one hand.

  “Nope.” She grabbed his hand and drove it down into the power button.

  The incinerator whirred to life. Skyler, or what was left of her, would soon be ashes.

  Hopefully it will be enough.

  “I’m beginning to get the feeling you have done this before,” Vida stated as he backed away from Kasey.

  She paused. “Was that a statement or a question?”

  He rested his hand on the steel counter top as he leaned against it. “Statement. The other day, I walked in on you using the incinerator. You said you were just torching the clothes you were in when you found Lincoln, but I never did find Collins body. Just a pile of ashes with an abnormally high proportion of human DNA. We don’t have Collins DNA on file but what’s the chance that it will match the sample the hospital took when he was shot?”

  If I deny it, he’ll start digging again and I can’t have that. If I admit it, then what?

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Vida concluded. “Care to explain why?”

  “I don’t have time for this, Vida,” Kasey said as she pointed to the incinerator. “She still has partners out there killing people.”

  “The Shinigami?” Vida asked. “Seems like your friend was pretty freaked out about them.”

  Kasey shook her head. "That wasn't my friend. That was my mother."

  "Oh, really?" he asked. "She seemed nice. Except for the part where she told you to burn our evidence. You know, we could both lose our jobs over this, right? Worse yet, we could go to jail."

  "It would have been worse if we hadn't!" Kasey put her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "You spent all morning complaining about all these bodies we have to process. This is what the Shinigami do. They kill people. If we don't stop them, more people are going to die, many more people."

  He nodded as if he were trying to digest the information. "Your mother was talking about earthquakes and tsunamis. How do these Shinigami cause those? Those are natural disasters. You can't just make an earthquake happen."

  "Well, I'm sure until two minutes ago, you didn't think you could just shrink a body, either?" Kasey replied.

  His mouth opened slowly as he pondered the point. "Come to think of it, how did you do that? I've never seen anything like it. Do you have some type of shrink ray? Are you even a medical examiner? Or are you really some sort of secret government spy?"

  "Don't be ridiculous, Vida. I'm not a spy," she said. She knew he wouldn't have believed that for a minute if she had tried to go with it.

  "Then tell me what's going on, Kasey, or I swear when Bishop shows up demanding answers I'm going to throw you right under the bus. I need this job. I can't afford to get fired."

  Kasey groaned. "I can't tell you, Vida. First of all, you'd never believe me. Second, if I do, I can't guarantee you'll be safe. Third, if you told a living soul, I would have to kill you myself."

  "Very funny. You're going have to do better than that if I’m going to be fired, I at least want to know why.”

  Kasey couldn’t afford to spend hours trying to convince him. She still needed answers for Bishop.

  Seeing is believing.

  Kasey raised her hand until her outstretched palm lay between her and Vida.

  "Pel Tan," she declared, invoking the ancient Welsh incantation.

  A sphere of fire materialized over her outstretched palm. It shimmered and coalesced in the air between them for a moment before she snapped her hand shut. The flames disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.
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  She looked at Vida. His face had turned white, his eyes were wide, and his mouth dangled open as he struggled for words.

  "What the hell was that?" he asked.

  Kasey sighed. Oh, I hope the ADI isn't watching now.

  "That was magic. I'm a witch, and I'm telling you, if you breathe a word of this to anyone, you'll spend the rest of your life in a padded cell or worse."

  His eyes bored into her. "Come on, Kasey, you almost had me there. Magic. I'm sure if magic was real, I would know about it

  "You're in denial. I get it, but I really don't have time to argue with you right now. We have an entire organization devoted to ensuring that normal people do not discover our existence. As a normal, you tend not to respond too well to the thought of witches and wizards among you."

  "If that's true, why tell me?" He turned away from her.

  She reached for his arm to reassure him. "You saw me shrink a body to nothing and toss it in the incinerator. I'm sure you would have figured the rest out soon enough. This way at least I can stop you from getting yourself in any trouble."

  He faced her. "Trouble, how so?"

  "You remember those two men in suits that showed up last week? The ones you thought were trying to deport you?"

  "The ones that turned out to be internal affairs?" Vida asked.

  "Yeah, those ones. They weren't from internal affairs. They were wizards from the ADI. The Anti Discovery Initiative. It's their job to make sure normals like you, don't ever find out about us."

  "Normals?" Vida asked. "Sounds a little offensive, doesn't it?"

  "You're an Indian man with a British accent in Manhattan. I'm sure you've been called worse."

  "True," he admitted. "Still doesn't explain why they were here." He pulled up a stool and sat down.

  "Well, one of the reasons they were here was you," she replied. "You know that hair sample you sent to the FBI?"

  "Yeah, I couldn't find a match in any of our databases. I was trying to find out what sort of dog it came from."

  "Well, it wasn't a dog, Vida. That's why they intercepted the sample. They came here to make sure we didn't do anything else that would raise suspicion."