by Paul Seiple
“You’re doing the best thing you can at the moment,” Don said.
“Really? I’ve lost count of the people who have died on my watch in the last two weeks. Tell me, how in the hell I’m doing the best I can?” Noah asked.
“You believe,” Mason said. “This isn’t something you can arrest.”
“I don’t know what I believe,” Noah said. “You’re telling me a ghost… I mean a… spirit… or whatever Aura is, pulled a shadow or a demon from Wayne Rusk who transferred it to his neighbor…”
“Darkness has one mission, Noah,” Don said. “And that’s spreading evil throughout the world. Its endgame is to remove all light from our lives. It thrives on despair.”
Noah ran his hand through his hair. He paced a few steps and planted his back against a wall again.
“Darkness is making its presence known in our world more every day. We have to stay vigilante. Which means we have to believe in things we never thought were believable,” Don said.
“It’s a lot,” Noah said.
“I understand, but trust what you hear. Trust what your eyes see,” Mason said.
“I need some fresh air,” Noah said.
Jaime waited until Noah left the room. “Maybe I should go with him.”
Mason opened another Peppermint Patty. “Give him time. No one accepts the supernatural immediately, isn’t that right, Kim?”
“Mason’s right. We can’t force this down Noah’s throat,” Kim said.
“I’ve seen demons. Old women have attacked me. And I still have a hard time believing these things exist,” Terrence said. “Noah will come around.”
Noah looked to the sky, squinted at the sun’s rays, and took a deep breath of fresh air. He paced the sidewalk. Kim watched him from just inside the door. When she was a detective, Kim did something similar to clear her mind. She knew not to interrupt.
“How in the hell am I going to explain this?” Noah said. “Chief will think I’m insane.”
Noah took a few more steps, but stopped when a blue compact car pulled to the curb. A woman with green streaks through her jet black hair stepped out. She was wearing a lime green cardigan over a KISS Alive II shirt. She helped another woman, who looked like she could be her older sister, out of the backseat.
Noah noticed the struggle and offered help.
“Hey, thanks. She’s having an allergic reaction to something. I’m Remi, and she’s Debbie.”
“I’m Noah.” He took Debbie’s hand and helped her from the car.
“Her vision’s blurry, and she’s light-headed,” Remi said. “Is this 213 Randleman?”
“Yeah, but there’s nothing really here. The building’s pretty empty,” Noah said.
The front door of the building swung open. “Debbie,” Kim said, running toward the car.
“Who is that?” Debbie asked.
“It’s Kim,” Remi said.
Debbie chuckled under her breath. “I should have recognized the voice.”
“What happened?” Kim asked.
“I met the elemental we’re dealing with,” Debbie said. “It’s pretty hateful.”
“How did this happen?” Mason asked, sitting a bottle of water in front of Debbie.
“The elemental was on the plane,” Debbie said.
“How was that possible? I thought the origin was here in Cleveland,” Mason said.
“I saw it when I was mentoring Sara Tate,” Remi said. “It projected itself at her house. It blocked me from contacting any of you. That’s why I sent Aura. Where is she? I can’t feel her?”
“She had to go back. Without your energy, she felt vulnerable,” Don said.
“If this elemental was on the plane, is it following Remi?” Noah asked. “Wait, is it here now?”
“No,” Debbie said. “It didn’t follow her. It was a projection to scare us away.”
“But you said it was on the plane,” Noah said.
“I also saw it project itself in Norma Tate, but it wasn’t a true possession,” Remi said. “She was fine after I removed it.”
“Unlike the people here,” Noah said.
“Right,” Remi said.
“It projected into a man on the plane,” Debbie said.
“Debbie went under and something happened,” Remi said.
“Went under?” Noah asked.
“Debbie can move inside people’s minds,” Remi said.
Noah shook his head.
“She’s a witch,” Terrence said.
“I can’t see you, Terrence, but I don’t like your tone,” Debbie said.
“She’s a good witch,” Terrence said.
“That’s better,” Debbie said.
“How did you go blind?” Mason asked.
“I’m not blind. I can see shapes. Our energies crossed and something went haywire. It’s getting better,” Debbie said.
Terrence glanced across the table. Kim looked visibly shaken. She stepped away from the group and left the room.
“Excuse me,” Terrence said. He followed Kim into the hall. “Are you OK?”
“What? Yeah. I’m just upset about Debbie,” Kim said.
“I’m sure there’s something she can do to get her sight back,” Terrence said.
“I know. It’s just different from what we’re used to, you know. I mean, if this could happen to Debbie, imagine what it could do to us. At least, as cops we knew what we were dealing with,” Kim said.
Terrence smiled.
“What?”
“Are we in invasion of the body snatchers? I’m the one who is supposed to have these concerns. You’re the paranormal pro,” Terrence said.
Kim returned the smile, but didn’t hide that it was forced. “Do you think we did the right thing by leaving the force?”
“It’s doesn’t matter now. We’re in this,” Terrence said. “Kim, are you seeing things again?”
“No. And honestly, I think that’s what is scaring the hell out of me. I have no idea what we’re up against this time,” Kim said.
“Welcome to my world. I never know what we’re up against until a demon tries to kill me,” Terrence said.
Don stuck his head into the hallway. “We’ve got a lead.”
Noah was standing in the room's corner on his phone. Jaime’s attention was fixed on a laptop. Remi and Debbie sat in silence, recovering from the plane ride. Mason was writing in a small notebook that he always kept in his shirt pocket. No one noticed when Kim and Terrence rejoined the group.
“Derek called with the potential origin on the elemental?” Don said.
“It looks promising,” Jaime said. “This Julian Paulsen guy is definitely into the dark arts. He identifies as a warlock.”
Kim took a seat beside Jaime, looked over her shoulder at Julian Paulsen’s Sloth social media page. Jaime scrolled through Julian’s feed. Most of the content was re-posts about necromancy and witchcraft. There wasn’t much original content other than the occasional review of a television show.
“So, why do we think this guy is the suspect?” Kim asked.
Jaime clicked on another tab and showed Kim the question Julian Chaos asked about conjuring the True Self.
“And how did we get to Julian Chaos, being Julian Paulsen?” Kim asked.
“We have a…” Mason paused, as if he was searching for the right words.
“We have a twelve-year-old kid who can find anything on the Internet,” Don said.
“Yeah, what he said,” Mason said.
“Lanky sent me an email with this post and a link from the avatar to Paulsen’s social media,” Jaime said. “It has to be this guy.”
Don tapped Terrence on the shoulder and motioned for him to come into the hallway.
“Is Kim OK?” Don asked.
“Yeah, of course,” Terrence said.
Don flashed a look that made Terrence think he didn’t believe him.
“Oh, you’re worried about the hallway conversation?” Terrence asked. “I was afraid that she was seeing thi
ngs that I couldn’t again.”
“And?” Don asked.
“She’s not. I think that’s what’s scaring her. Kim’s just as lost as we are with this one. Her super power isn’t working,” Terrence said.
“Talking about me, huh?” Kim said, stepping into the hallway. She stood between Terrence and Don.
“Not at all. I was just worried about you,” Don asked.
Kim smiled. “Well, you can ask me directly, you know?”
“My apologies,” Don said.
Kim’s smile widened. “I’m messing with you, Don. I think it’s sweet you’re worried about me. But I’m fine.”
Noah joined them in the hallway. “I don’t mean to interrupt this ghost hunting meeting, but I have an address for Paulsen.”
“Kim, you and Terrence go with Noah. I’ll stay here with Mason and keep an eye on Debbie,” Don said.
“Don’t forget about me,” Jaime said. She walked between Don and Noah toward the car.
Twenty-Eight
“Is it really a good idea to confront Paulsen without…” Noah cut his words without finishing his question.
“Without magic?” Jaime asked. “It’s not a bad word, Noah.”
“And you’re not going to conjure anything by just saying the word,” Terrence said. “Believe me, I’ve looked into that.”
Kim stared out the window as cars passed by. She still wasn’t comfortable being in the dark when it came to this latest threat. From what little she knew about the True Self, it was extremely dangerous and didn’t present itself as a ghost child or a seven-foot tall demon with the head of a vulture. This was invisible, like a virus. There wasn’t much a defense against it. A red Mustang passed by nearly clipping the back end of Noah’s sedan. She could be infected, Kim thought, glancing at the back of the head of the driver.
“Let’s say this True Self is real. We probably should have someone with us who would know what to do if Paulsen is the host,” Noah said.
“Debbie is vulnerable right now,” Kim said. “She’s a powerful witch. Darkness would sense weakness in her and attack. Remi needs to stay with Debbie for her protection. If Darkness does sniff out Debbie’s vulnerability, it will come for her.”
“You talk about this Darkness like it’s a crime organization or something,” Noah said.
“It’s definitely something,” Terrence said.
“We’re still learning about it,” Kim said. “But I’d say you’re in the ballpark, only Darkness is shaking down people for their souls.”
“And you knew about this?” Noah asked Jaime.
“I know there are things not of this world in this world. I try not to dig deeper unless it involves me,” Jaime said.
“Shouldn’t Don have come with us?” Noah asked.
“Don isn’t magical,” Terrence said.
Jaime cut him a glare.
“No offense, but I’ve seen Debbie pull a demon from someone. Don lost his hand in a fire,” Terrence said. “He’s a great man though.”
Jaime smiled and turned back to Noah. “Yeah, it’s probably better that Dad stayed back.”
Don and Mason will put together a plan to take down the True Self,” Kim said. “We just have to make sure we quarantine Paulsen if he is the host.”
“Again, shouldn’t we have supernatural back-up?” Noah asked.
A tingling, almost electrical sensation raced up Kim’s left leg between her jeans and skin like a crawling spider. She jumped.
“Are you OK?” Terrence asked.
Kim didn’t answer. The sensation grew stronger. Aura appeared and winked at Kim.
Kim chuckled. “We have back-up.”
“You’re seeing something, aren’t you?” Terrence said.
“Not something. Someone,” Kim said.
“OK, what’s going on?” Noah asked.
“Aura’s with us,” Kim said.
“Why can’t I see her?” Terrence asked. “I saw her…”
Aura appeared to Terrence. She waved.
“I can’t see her,” Noah said.
“You called her a ghost,” Kim said. “She’s not over that.”
Jaime tapped Noah’s arm. “Turn here. It’s those white apartments.”
Patches of green weeds looked like a Dalmatian’s spots against the dead grass. Fast food wrappers and empty beer cans lined the sidewalk on the way to a slate gray front porch. In places, the paint had chipped away to reveal rotten wood. The soffit had matching decay. The building was segmented into four apartments, two on the ground floor and two upstairs.
“Paulsen is in 3b, I’m guessing that’s upstairs,” Jaime said, looking at her phone.
An old woman startled the group as they stepped onto the porch. She sat in a red rocking chair. A patch of silvery hair, held a shiny tone like a spider web, rested on top of the woman’s head. Her eyes were slightly sunken in and the wrinkles in her cheeks resembled cracks through drought-ridden land.
Terrence waved and said hello. The woman continued to rock. Chips of red paint flaked onto the porch.
“We don’t need whatever you’re selling,” she said.
Jaime’s eyes shifted to the woman’s arms. The True Self was invisible, but it left a calling card on its victims… black lines on the arms. The flesh on the woman’s arms was saggy and almost translucent, but there were no black marks.
“We’re not here to sell anything, Ma’am,” Noah said. He flashed his badge. "We’re looking for Julian Paulsen.”
The badge did not faze the woman. She kept rocking. “He ain’t here.”
“Does he live in 3b?” Kim asked.
The woman slowed her rocking. The wood underneath the chair squeaked. “He ain’t here.”
Jaime inspected the woman’s left arm again to make sure she hadn’t missed the marks. Nothing.
A door to the left of Noah opened. A man stepped out onto the porch. He was about two inches taller than Terrence. That put him at about six-five. He was frail, like a recently planted tree. Stringy gray hair flapped over his shiny, balding head.
“Are these jerks bothering you, Martha?” The man pointed to a NO SOLICITING sign.
“We’re not solicitors, sir,” Terrence said. “We’re looking for Julian Paulsen.”
“He ain’t here,” the man said.
“Yeah, we’ve heard that before," Kim said.
“Listen, little lady, that type of sass ain’t needed around here,” the man said.
“Little lady?” Kim asked.
The thin man took a step toward Kim. Noah stood between them.
“Let’s calm down. This doesn’t need to get out of control,” Noah said. “Are they infected?”
The man wore a flannel shirt cuffed at the wrist, making it impossible to see if he had the mark.
“She doesn’t have marks. I can’t tell with him,” Jaime said. “Don’t let him touch you.”
Seconds after Jaime got the words out, the man put his hand on Noah’s chest and pushed him through the double doors leading to steps to the upstairs apartments. Noah’s heel caught the molding between the porch and the foyer. He fell back, hitting his head on the bottom step.
“Noah,” Jaime said.
Terrence moved toward the man.
“Don’t touch him,” Kim said.
A silver blur flashed by Kim. The old woman had leaped from the rocking chair and wrapped her arms around Terrence. They tumbled down the stairs to the sidewalk. Martha landed on top of Terrence. She pinned him to the concrete.
“You’re a nice specimen of a man,” Martha said. Her voice was now deep and raspy. She opened her mouth. Warm stench slapped Terrence’s face. A forked-tongue slithered between Martha’s lips.
Terrence pushed against the old woman, but she had otherworldly strength. He turned his head. A splash of thick, sticky liquid stung his cheek. He flashed an eye at Martha. She was drooling on him.
Kim headed for the stairs. The tall man blocked her way.
“Looks like it’s just you
and me, little lady.”
“And me,” Aura said.
She stepped between Kim and the man as he reached for Kim. The flesh on his wrist bubbled. He pulled back. Aura morphed from human shape to a small ball of energy and entered the man through his nostril. He swatted at his face and fell back against the wall before dropping to his knees.
“I need a man like you to make me feel young again,” Martha said as she tried to restrain Terrence’s wrists.
Kim didn’t think about coming in contact with the True Self. Terrence needed her. She dove from the porch onto Martha, knocking her off Terrence. Kim and Martha rolled over the yard. Kim managed to put her knees in Martha’s chest and gain separation. Terrence got to his feet, but dropped back down at the sound of a gunshot.
Martha clutched her chest and fell back. Noah stood on the porch with his revolver still locked on Martha. The tall man squealed. His flesh pulled away from his body like particles of dust.
Jaime grabbed Noah and pulled him into the yard. She inspected his arm for the mark. Nothing yet. “Let me hold the gun,” she said, taking it from Noah.
“You OK?” Noah asked Terrence.
Terrence wiped Martha’s spittle from his face. He gagged. “I think so. You?”
Noah rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah.”
“Look,” Jaime said, pointing to the porch.
The tall man was now a three-foot hairy creature with a long, wrinkled nose. It sat silent against the wall, but its hands were shackled with what looked to be glowing blue ropes.
“What is that?” Noah asked.
The creature stole everyone’s attention from Martha. Her flesh dispersed like dust also, leaving another hairy creature on the ground.
“Same thing as Martha,” Jaime said.
Noah jumped back when he saw the creature.
“Is it dead?” Terrence asked.
“I sure as hell hope so,” Noah said.
A ball of green energy appeared next to the creature on the porch. It took human form. Aura started down the steps.
“They’re imps,” Aura said. “Something probably conjured them as a distraction.”
