Tainted Souls

by Alice J Black

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Is that a little bit of the green monster?” Delta asked.

  I whipped my head around to look at him. He was smiling, and my cheeks heated. I had been staring. Oops. I thought about lying, pretending I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.

  “Is it that obvious?” I asked.

  “Considering the way you shoot daggers at Summer when she comes within fifty paces, I’d say yes.”

  I groaned and buried my head in my hands. I thought I had been doing a good job of hiding my feelings.

  “Vaughn is a good guy, Ruby. He’s not blind either. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  The heat from my cheeks intensified. Before last night, I didn’t think he liked me, too. But that kiss. It had been the most amazing first kiss I could have asked for.

  “The only thing I would say is be careful. You’re both Hunters, which is a dangerous job. Working together can cloud judgement. If Sheila knew, I think she would split you guys up.”

  “Really?”

  Delta nodded, and I caught sight of the scar on his cheek, which had caused me to chase him from The Agency all that time ago.

  “Sheila is interested in The Agency working proficiently. A relationship won’t be to her taste, and I can guarantee she’ll partner you with someone else.”

  I bit my lip. The thought of working with someone other than Vaughn made me nervous. I trusted him with my life. I thought back to the kiss the night before and the distance he’d seemed to put between us today. Maybe, like me, he didn’t want to jeopardise our friendship. Maybe he liked Summer more than he cared to admit.

  “She might not have to if that girl has anything to do with it,” I said.

  Delta shook his head and smiled, then patted my knee. “She has nothing on you, Ruby. And Vaughn knows it.”

  I dropped my head. I wasn’t used to getting compliments. Especially not from the father of the guy I had a major thing for. Call it an ego boost, but as Delta’s words rattled around in my mind, I pictured Vaughn. I saw the way he looked at me sometimes. Even if I didn’t see him, I spoke to him every day, and I longed for those messages. And all this because of demons. When I first started seeing the shadows moving in the dark, I thought I was going crazy. When I finally came to the realisation that what I was seeing was real and more horrifying than my worst nightmare, I didn’t think I would ever see the world in a positive light again. Now I realised that without this, I never would’ve met Vaughn. Hunting had brought us together.

  “Can I ask you something?” I said.

  “Sure.” Delta nodded.

  “Why do you think this is all happening to me?”

  “What do you mean?” He hung his elbow across the back of the pew as he gave me his full attention.

  “All this.” I splayed my hands. “Since this all started, everything has happened so fast. From the Cursed to Sloth to Greed. I’ve been thrown in at the deep end, and I can’t figure out why. Hunting, The Agency, demons. None of it makes sense. I shouldn’t even be able to see demons, yet they’re constantly there. And it’s not just a handful of Cursed either.” I took a breath. “Why am I the only female Hunter? Why do I feel like they follow me around? I mean, this here is clearly something bigger than just a whole load of Cursed.”

  Delta took a deep breath. “Honestly, Ruby, I don’t know.”

  “I can’t help but feel that there’s a reason for it all, but I can’t find any answers. Nobody can explain why I can see demons when it’s a male hereditary trait. Sheila has blocked me at every angle. She won’t talk, but she keeps me close.”

  “I know how frustrating it must be. When I first found out I could see demons, my whole life went to shit. I thought I was mad. Almost got myself locked up in a hospital for a spell, but I didn’t because I had support and I had the answers. This must be hard for you, because so far we’ve come across no rational explanation. And I think what worries me is that since you discovered that you can see demons, it’s been more than just Cursed. It was a long time before I saw anything other than a shadow.”

  “And that’s what worries me. What if there’s more to come?”

  “Then we’ll figure it out.”

  “But I want to know why. Why me? I didn’t ask for this. Any of it.”

  “I think I might know where I can find answers.”

  “Where?” I sat forward.

  “The scriptures room.”

  “At The Agency?”

  Delta scrubbed his hand across his chin and nodded. “Yeah. I know someone who has access to it.”

  “Who?”

  “Justin.”

  My jaw dropped. “He can get us in there?”

  “We can try. I’ll speak to him.”

  “Thanks.”

  Delta was putting himself on the line for me, and I owed him big time. He had been on my side since the day I chased him down the alley. He had been the one to take me under his wing and let me know me that what I was seeing didn’t make me crazy. He was my dad’s friend and I knew he would always be there for me.

  A few minutes later, Luka arrived, laden with a bag and a cardboard tray full of cups. “I brought treats. Figured we needed sustenance.”

  I grabbed a coffee and hoped it would give me the energy I needed for the night ahead.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  It wasn’t long before Justin and Roan got back.

  Roan grinned like a Cheshire cat as he pressed a bunch of keys into Delta’s hand. “There you go, mate.”

  “You got them all cut?” Delta stared at them for a minute, before slipping them into his pocket.

  Justin shrugged. “No idea what we would need. Seemed like the sensible option.”

  “Good thinking,” Delta said.

  “Now we just have to get Tom’s keys back without him knowing they were missing,” Luka said.

  “Good luck with that,” I said. “Here he comes now.”

  The small man came striding through the hall, head swivelling. “Have any of you seen my keys?” he asked after reaching the front pews. He put his hand to his mouth when he paused and put all his weight onto one hip.

  “I found these earlier.” Roan held the bunch up.

  “That’s them!” Tom gushed as he hurried forward, then snatched the bunch from Roan’s hands. “I thought I’d lost them. Oh, boy would I have been in trouble. Thank you.”

  “No problem.” Roan beamed.

  “Rehearsals are almost finished for the night. We’ve managed another two run-throughs. I’ll send Vaughn through soon.”

  “I think he likes you, Roan,” Luka said.

  “That works in our favour.” Roan grinned. “He won’t suspect us now.”

  “Let’s hope not,” Luka said, “because when his community centre is ransacked tomorrow after we’ve manhandled whatever demon is hiding in this place, he’s not going to be in the best of moods.”

  “He’ll understand,” Delta said. “Especially when we tell him we’ve stopped the disappearances.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure he’ll get over it,” Luka said.

  Soon turned out to be ten minutes. Vaughn came through the doorway, filing along with the rest of the cast. Summer hung on his arm like a child. I gritted my teeth when I saw her reach for his hand, but he pulled away, then pointed at us and jogged across. He rolled his eyes when he saw me watching, and I smiled.

  “Ready, guys?” he asked. “I’m drained.”

  “Sure, come on.” Luka led the way, out into the evening. “It’s time to call it a night.”

  The sun was setting, so we still had a little bit of time, and who knew who long Tom would be in the building.

  “I say we head back to the Traveller’s Rest and get some food before we come back,” Delta said.

  “I was hoping you’d say that since I missed the delicious chilli that Pete made.” Vaughn grimaced.

  “Tell me,” Roan said as we ambled past the shops, “is the food here good?”

&nb
sp; Luka nodded and patted his stomach. “Mary-Anne is a top-notch cook. Just like Momma made.”

  “Good, ’cause I could eat a horse,” Roan said. “Makes me wish we could stay here instead of that other place down the road. Bea’s B&B, I think it’s called.”

  And it turned out he really could’ve eaten a horse. After polishing off a full dinner, he asked for seconds and then started on dessert. I thought Luka could put it away, but this guy was something else. Finally sated, he sat back and belched. I heard a few titters from the table behind me and caught the disgusted look of an older lady.

  “Okay, we need to talk about the plan for tonight,” Delta said.

  “I think we’d be better moving than talking,” Luka said. “It’s getting dark.”

  “Don’t worry about that.” Justin waved his hand.

  “I think we go in there and stick together,” Delta said. “We’ve searched the whole building, and the last place to look is the basement. We take all our gear and prepare ourselves for whatever we might find down there.”

  I shuddered. This was getting real. Our reinforcements were here and it was time to deal with the issue once and for all.

  Despite the fear buried in my bone marrow, I would tough it out.

  When we got to the community centre, evening had given way to night, and as I stared at the place, I saw shadows moving. A mass of writhing dark souls trying to get into the old building. I shuddered as we moved past them. Every one of us was ready, dressed in black. I left my bag at the inn and stuffed my cargo pants and utility belt with the gear I needed. The holster around my hips held my pistol and rock salt. I hoped I wouldn’t need either. Roan and Justin wore head torches. Delta, Luka, and Vaughn stood in a row, staring at the building like it was an enemy ready to be thwarted. Whatever was inside was about to face the grim destruction of The Agency Hunters.

  “Guys,” I whispered. “Have you seen them?”

  “Yeah,” Justin replied.

  “We can’t do this.” I shook my head. “We can’t go through that.”

  “I seriously hope you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve.” Delta said, his voice gravely.

  “Not my sleeve, exactly,” Justin said. “Watch this.”

  Justin pulled something from his belt and held it in his right hand. With his left, he pulled at it, and I heard a metallic clink as a pin hit the floor. Then Justin cocked his arm and hurled the ball. It flew through the air, crossed the roundabout, bounced once, twice, and then the street exploded in white light. I shielded my eyes and stumbled backwards. When I opened my eyes, all I saw was flickering light, and it took a while for anything else to come into focus.

  Vaughn was hunched over, staring at me. I lowered my arm and looked at the centre. The explosion was beginning to fade, and what I saw in the aftermath was nothing short of a miracle. Sparks continued to fly from the grenade. The shadows around the front of the building dispersed as they were shot with beams of fluorescent light. And there it was—our path to the entrance.

  “Go!” Delta yelled.

  Luka and Delta surged forward. I raced across the road. Vaughn was on my right, and I heard footsteps behind me. Up ahead, I saw Delta’s silhouette, his form black against the last of the fading light from the explosion. He was at the door. I reached the arch of the doorway and stopped. My breath came out in ragged bursts, and as I stood there while Delta fumbled to find the right key, I searched the pavement behind us. The explosion had killed the Cursed in our path, but that wouldn’t be the end of it. More would come. More would always come.

  “Hurry, Dad.” Vaughn looked at me before surveying the space behind us.

  “Try that one,” Luka suggested.

  I turned and saw them both hunched over the lock. Luka held his torch up as Delta tried the keys. Behind us, the darkness began to swell, pushing past the barrier of light and engulfing it as if it had never existed. I saw movement. The Cursed scuttled across the ground like creatures from the depths of hell. They were back and they were coming for us.

  “Dad.” Vaughn turned his back to the doorway and grabbed his torch.

  I did the same. Just then, I heard the snap of the lock. The door swung inward, with a creak. Delta and Luka dived inside. Vaughn grabbed my arm, spun me, and pushed me ahead of him. Then I heard the last two following until we were all inside the foyer and the door had been shut.

  “Here.” Delta passed the keys backwards. “Lock it back up, but let’s keep the keys. Never know what we’ll come across.”

  Roan locked the door, then pocketed the bunch.

  I heard the Cursed as they swarmed and scratched at the door, cutting off our escape. They were stuck outside, and we were trapped inside.

  “You okay?” Vaughn asked. He placed his hand on my lower back.

  I felt the heat radiate through to my skin, and his eyes sparkled in the dim light of the building.

  “A bit of warning would’ve been nice,” Delta said.

  “You know how Justin is with his gadgets,” Roan said. “Loves to keep them secret for the wow factor.”

  “Sorry, guys,” Justin said. “But it got us in, right?”

  “What was that thing, anyway?” I asked.

  “Light grenade,” Justin replied. “Great for big groups of demons. Particularly Cursed.”

  “Enough,” Delta said. “We’re in now. It’s time to put this to bed.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The group fell silent. The door shuddered in its frame under the weight of so many Cursed. Just as I was about to grab my salt, Justin grabbed his own and placed a line across the bottom edge of the doorway. Even if they broke it down, they wouldn’t be able to get in.

  “This way.” Delta led us around the darkened centre.

  I skirted around a pew as I followed Vaughn and saw the black doorway that led to the big hall where rehearsals took place. My gaze shot past it when I saw Delta moving towards the kiosk. I took a deep breath as I followed the beam of his torch, which lit up the plastic seating area. Luka was close beside him. Vaughn was on my right, and Justin and Roan were close behind me, swiping their lights in every direction. I soon came up behind Delta and paused as he waited at the hatch to the kitchen. The torch beam illuminated the kitchen in small patches. The café was silent, and I knew Pete wasn’t there, but it still didn’t bring me the comfort I was hoping for.

  Delta reached down, unhooked the bolt on the inside of the half-door, then pushed it open and strode into the kitchen. Luka followed. A few seconds later, I heard a click and then the overhead lights blinked to life. Relief flooded through me, but it didn’t last long once I realised the light had created a beacon. Now anyone could find us. At the back of the stage, I saw shadows nesting in the middle of the curtains.

  “Ruby?” Vaughn roused me.

  I forced my gaze away from the darkness and stared into his eyes.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I nodded and steeled myself, then followed Luka as he moved further into the kitchen. As I reached the bottom of the kitchen, right by the enormous silver storage cupboard, I saw Delta crouching down beside it. Luka opened the hatch door. It led down into a darkness so thick it seemed like we would disappear if we dared to cross the boundary.

  A breeze whipped around me, and as I bent down, I realised it had come from beneath the ground. I shuddered, and my stomach clenched. It felt like I might throw up. I straightened, taking a deep breath, and stepped back from the hatch.

  “Ruby?” Vaughn said.

  I was panting. “I’m okay. I just…I can feel something down there. It’s dark. Pulsating. I…I don’t want to go in.”

  “You can stay here,” Vaughn said.

  I shook my head. “No way. I’m coming. I’m not staying here alone.”

  “I’ll stay with you.” Vaughn placed his hand on my shoulder.

  I shook my head. “I’m a Hunter. I’m coming.”

  “Who goes first?” Luka looked at me.

  I knew I would never
be forced to make the first move, but it made sense. I could fit down that hole with no problem and light it up for the others coming down. The trouble was, going down there left my legs feeling like jelly. The thought of baring myself to whatever could be lurking in the darkness terrified me.

  “I’ll go,” I said.

  Vaughn snapped his head towards me. “But—”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  I slid onto my backside, trying not to think about Pete walking all over that floor. I peered down through the hatch but could only see darkness. I held my torch out and saw a ladder that led into the depths of the basement. With a deep breath, I pushed my legs over the side until my knees perched on the ledge and my feet dangled in the dark, lost to my vision. Another gust of frigid air rushed up to greet me, a putrid smell carried on the blast.

  I wrinkled my nose, leaning back to get a breath of clear air. “What’s that smell?”

  Delta’s gaze met mine as he crouched beside me. “I don’t know, but it’s not nice.”

  As I stared at the darkness that swallowed my legs, panic began to rock in my gut. I was close to freaking out, and if I didn’t move now, I wouldn’t. I sucked in a breath. I swung my body around until I was facing forward. The tops of my thighs pressed against the ledge as my feet searched for a ladder rung. I dangled there as I continued to search while fighting the surging anxiety in my stomach. Then my foot hit something hard and slipped. I pushed it forward again, and I found it. The rung.

  With both feet planted, I took another deep breath and then a step down. I lowered my torso into the darkness until only my head and shoulders remained above ground. I felt strong arms grasping my wrists as I searched for the third rung down. When I looked up, I saw that Delta had one arm and Vaughn the other. I slowly loosened their grip and fumbled to take hold of the ladder. I finally grasped it and moved below ground. The light coming from above was all I had to go on. The hatch became smaller and smaller, the square of light fading the deeper I climbed. I refused to look up, scared that everyone had disappeared and been replaced by demons.