Greetings once again. It's been awhile since the last installment of the story here. I've had chapter 4 done for sometime, but there was a bit of a ruckus preventing me from submitting it to the Archives. You see, I was accused of plagiarizing large parts of "The Price and the Prize". I don't know who it was that laid the accusation. They didn't have honour enough to deal with me personally. I must thank them though. To be told that my work is at least good enough to be confused with that of published writers is a compliment. That's how I choose to see this at any rate. Regardless, they are wrong. The archivists at Nifty thus far see no merit in the accusation The story is once again in the Archives, and I am continuing now to post.
Again, this story is fictitious, imagined, false, not real. I do not know The members of *Nsync, nor do I pretend to know anything about them.
Again, my thanx go to Kat. I also thank Keenan and Jon, for Their interest and support. You two have read part one of this, but not part two.
Alright then, enjoy...
The Price and the Prize Chapter 4
I always knew it was true. I always knew that there were things out there, that things like this were real. Daemons, majik, all that. The other guys didn't believe me. I understand. They were raised not to believe. I was lucky. Grandma believed, even if noone else did. She taught me so much. Even when she died, when I was 10, there were times when I knew she was there. I used to sit outside and just watch the world go by, and sometimes she would be there too. Usually it was when things were the toughest, when money was the tightest, when food ran a little short. As the years went by I felt her less and less. I figured that meant I was doing okay and didn't need her as much. I wish she was here now. I suppose she is, in a way. All the things she taught me are stuck in my head. The last few hours I've been remembering things I hadn't thought of in years. Like the match thing from this morning. I'd continued to practice a lot of things I learned from her. Lighting a candle before a trip to see how it will burn for instance. Most people think that's a kind of prayer. I never bothered explaining that I'm just watching the flame. If it burns steady the trip will be easy. If it burns erratically the trip will be tough, and if it goes out... Then there's the thing with throwing salt over my shoulder if I spill it. Grandma always said that if you spill salt it means bad things are near, and you throw it over your shoulder to drive them away. See, salt cauterizes, it cleanses. That's why evil hates it so much. She never really explained why you throw it over your shoulder and not, say, straight ahead of you. I think it's because bad things tend to sneak up on you. I spilled salt yesterday morning on the bus. I guess this was just too bad to scare away with a little salt. I'll have to get more, a lot more.
I knew there was something wrong the other night. I never would have guessed that it had anything to do with demons, or daemons, whatever. I mean, Lance has had his moments in the past. Now that I know about the dreams he has it makes a lot more sense. I'd be pretty shook up to if I started having dreams that came true. Justin though, he always keeps it together pretty well. Sure he can get emotional sometimes, but he does his best to make everyone happy. Somehow he manages to do that and still make himself happy in the process. I've never quite figured out how he does it. He just has this way with people, this charisma. So when he went off on everyone at breakfast this morning... Man, I never thought I'd hear things like that coming from Justin's mouth. It really threw me for a loop. I know it wasn't Justin speaking. The thing that gets me is how the daemon knew what it knew. I'll have to ask Toby about that. I think that when the daemon possesses someone new it sort of reads their mind. That way it can pass for the person long enough to really get settled. Yah, that makes sense. I don't quite understand what went on between it and J.C. though. That whole "daddy" thing. I know J.C. and Justin are really close, and I have my suspicions about their relationship, but if they were gay or whatever I'd think they'd just tell us. We all handled Joey's news so well. Personally, it doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I'm not sexually attracted to men, but I can see how some people could be. I mean, some guys are just gorgeous, and looking in the bathroom mirror I see one of those gorgeous guys right now. Ooohh baby! Ego Check! Yes sir, ego checks out at 100%. Anyway...I better get back out there. The docs could be done with J.C. anytime and Joey and Toby could be back with food.
As I step back into the conference room I see Lance sitting, staring out the window. Poor guy. He hasn't got much sleep the last couple of nights. He's starting to look a little run down, then again I guess none of us are looking our cover boy best today. He turns quickly as I shut the door. "Sorry," I say, "Didn't mean to scare ya."
"Nah, That's okay. I'm just being jumpy."
"Can't say as I blame ya one bit." He turns to look back out the window. I hop up and sit on the table.
"Chris?," he says, still looking out the window.
"Yah Scoop?" There's a long pause.
"This is really happening, right?"
"Yah Scoop, it's really happening."
"You were right."
"About what?"
"About...things. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."
"Hey, dude, it's cool. I know it looked funny, the stuff I did. I got used to being the joke of the group a long time ago." I really did. It didn't bother me. I'd already dealt with it through school and with my other friends.
"You were never a joke Chris." he says looking at me," I always respected you. I always will. And the thing I respect most about you is how you always seem to know what you want, and when you figure out what you want, you always know just what to do to get it. I get lost sometimes. When we first got together I got lost a lot. Whenever I did though, I'd just watch you, see how you handled it. The one thing I saw, every time, is that you believed in yourself. I also saw you do some strange things sometimes, but you believed in them to. I may have laughed at what you did, but I never laughed at you." Wow, Where'd that come from? I never knew Lance felt that way. Ahh man, I'm tearin' up here. Talk about being over emotional.
"Aww jeez, your gonna make me cry over here." I say smiling.
"I guess I better stop then." he says, returning the smile. There's a lull in the conversation.
"I'm not always sure about things." I say, looking past Lance out the window.
"The guy in the bar?"
"Yah."
"Toby said you did the right thing."
"Yah, well..."
"And...I think you did the right thing to." I look up and meet Lance's eyes. That means a lot. A whole lot. I know what I did was terrible. I don't know if maybe the guy deserved it or not, but it was terrible. I think I did the right thing. I think I did. When Toby agreed, that was cool, it eased my mind a little. I still felt sort of...wrong about it though. I mean, I just killed a man, badly. Coming from Lance, well, it means a lot.
"Thanks," I say. He smiles softly. The door opens behind me and I almost fall off the table in my rush to see who's coming in. I guess I'm just being jumpy to. Lance starts to laugh at me. It's J.C., arm bandaged, looking a little peaked. There's a woman behind him in a doctor's coat. She's pretty, maybe in her mid thirties, dark skinned, and very authoritative looking.
"Hey J.C.." Lance says, chuckling at me.
"Shuddup." I can't help but chuckle too. J.C.'s smiling. That's a good sign,"How ya doin' dude?"
"Been better." He says.
"Hmm-mmm," the doctor clears her throat,"Where is Lancelot?"
"He went to get some doughnuts." Lance says.
"Oh," she says,"Well...I suppose I'll have to wait for him then." She looks out into the hall and clutches a small black box to her chest. Must be something important.
"Doctor...?" I say.
"Baht, Dr. Baht." she says.
"Dr. Baht, how long have you known To...uh, Lancelot?"
"A year or so. I don't know him very well though."
"So," says J.C. as he sits down at the table,"How did you...did Lancelot help you with something?" Dr. Baht looks us over cautiously.
"I suppose you already know what sorts of things he does." She says, "I'll say this, everything I have, my son, my life, my sanity, everything, I owe to that man." Something in her eyes tells me there won't be any more discussion on the subject. That and the fact that she's still standing in the doorway like she really wants to be out of here. "I don't suppose any of you are medically trained are you?"
"I know C.P.R.." I say, raising my hand a little.
"Me too." says J.C..
"That's not quite what I was hoping for."she says, with resignation in her voice. I smell sugar...
"And what were you hoping for?" says Toby as he appears behind her carrying a box of doughnuts followed by Joey with some bags in hand and a lop-sided grin on his face. I've seen that grin before. That's Joey's 'I've got a secret' grin.
"I was hoping," Dr. Baht says,"For a doctor, or at least an RN."
"Sorry Doc, just me and a bunch of hack singers." Toby says with a big grin. We all groan and J.C. fakes a heart attack leaning back in his chair. Toby stops in the doorway by Dr. Baht. "Is that what I asked for?"
"Yes," she says, handing him the little black box. he balances the doughnuts and takes it from her gingerly,"There are explicit instructions in there. Follow them." She leans against the doorway still looking at the box in Toby's hands,"If anyone finds out about this..."
"I know," Toby says,"You loose your licensee."
"And very likely go to jail." she adds looking down the hall.
"I know." He says with a nod. Dr. Baht puts a hand on his shoulder and looks him in the eye.
"Good luck," she says, then looks at the rest of us,"To all of you." She turns and walks away saying,"You have fifteen minutes before we lock up."
"Well," Joey says,"I guess we should take this stuff out to the van then huh?" We all grab what little we carried in and head out of the clinic. Once we're outside I just have to ask.
"Toby, what's in the box?" He hands me the doughnuts and pulls the van keys from his pocket before answering.
"Morphine." he says, as he unlocks the van.
"Morphine?" J.C. and Lance says together. Then Lance says,"You're not...?"
"No," chuckles Toby,"I'm not an addict."
"Well, that's, nice to know," says Lance,"But I was going to say, you aren't allowed to have that, are you? That's what Dr. Baht meant by loosing her license and going to jail didn't she?"
"Get over it Lance," Toby says turning to Lance,"I break the law, a lot. I know that's not what the good guys are supposed to do, but in this business all the rules change." Okay, Toby looks tired to me. And Lance looks pissed. I don't blame him, Toby's talking to him like he's a three year old.
"I know that," Lance says,"I just...Never mind!" Lance throws his hands up and climbs into the van sitting in the back.
"Oh! Now don't you...!" Toby shouts, pointing a finger into the van.
"Toby!" Joey says turning Toby to look at him,"Chill!" Toby looks surprised, but he does take a second, and a deep breath to cool down.
"I'm sorry," Toby says looking at Joey. Then, turning to Lance in the van,"I'm sorry Lance. I'm just, tired. We're all tired, I know, and hungry." He stops and takes another deep breath,"Justin's heading for Washington DC. He's already left. I don't know if we'll be able to find him, and I'm really afraid of what will happen if we don't. I still shouldn't have yelled."
"Hey," Joey says, patting Toby's back,"It's understandable."
"Yah," J.C. says,"You lost a friend just a few days ago because of this daemon thing and now you're afraid it might get away. It won't." He says that with so much conviction I almost believe he knows. "So how are we getting to DC?"
"We could fly," Lance says as he steps out of the van and gives Toby an apologetic look,"But, then we'd be on record. Management would know where we were. Driving could take hours though, and we could loose him completely by then."
"I don't have the money for a flight or I'd spring for it. And you're right about not leaving a trail, though I'm worried about more than just your management. It takes 4, maybe 5 hours to drive to DC from here by the way, which is why I'm so worried about loosing him."
"Never Fear, Chris is Here!" I say with an over done Dudly Do-right voice. I knew this would come in handy for more than secret shopping trips. I grab my wallet and pull out my "Where's Waldo" card. I got it a couple of years ago. It's a Platinum Visa under the name Waldo Werner. I've used it whenever I didn't want anyone to know I was getting something or going somewhere,"We fly, and noone will ever be the wiser."
"What's that?" Joey asks.
"It's my "where's Waldo" card." I say smiling and twirling it in my fingers.
"Oh man, you got it?!" Says Lance. I mentioned something about it to him when I seriously started thinking about getting one.
"Yah, a couple of years ago." I say.
"Ha! A secret identity, most excellent." Toby says. The guys are just standing there with stupid grins on their faces. I pull my cell phone and dial information.
"Shall we go to the hotel and get what we'll need for our little trip?" I say as I wait.
It's 7:18 p.m. and we're waiting at Norfolk International Airport for a 7:30 flight to Washington DC. I made the arrangements for our flight and we went to the hotel and grabbed a few things we thought we'd need. I got everything I could think of that might help with a little good luck. Some of the stuff I've carried around for years. I found myself wondering now which of it was actually helping and which was just taking up space. I shoved some clothes and everything else into my overnight bag and headed to the lobby to meet the others. Joey was the first one down. He always packs fast. Very efficient boy when he wants to be. Toby walked in about then. He said he didn't need to go to his place since he kept enough stuff in his car to be prepared in case he had to go somewhere on the spur of the moment. There's that boy scout thing again. Lance came down with his overnight bag in one hand and his Bible in the other. I guess he really meant what he said earlier about feeling like his dreams were a gift from God. Okay, I had to do a little mental jig to put the whole Lance as warrior of God into some semblance of a reasonable idea, but hey, I'm chasing a daemon here. We waited for a few extra minutes for J.C., joking about how he was probably making his bed. Honestly, the boy is fanatical about that. He cannot leave a bed he's slept in unmade. We can be 30 minutes late for a flight and he still has to make his bed before he'll leave the hotel room. When he finally did come down though, he had two bags with him. One was his, the other was Justin's. We all just sort of stopped for a sec as he walked up. J.C. just had this determined look on his face as he said,"He'll need clothes once we get him back." I don't have the heart to even think that he might be wrong. Even Toby didn't say anything to that. We just all nodded and picked up our own bags on the way out the door.
So now we're at the airport. We had dinner at one of the restaurants then made our way to the gate we'll be boarding from. All without being recognized. And people make fun of celebrities wearing ball caps as disguises. I lit the customary candle and it looks like the flight will be fine. That was awhile ago. Right now Joey's watching one of those pay for time TV's. J.C. is working on one of his poems I think, that's his poem notebook he's writing in anyway. Toby and Lance have claimed a bank of seats and are taking a nap before the flight. I'm reading a book Toby lent me about spirits. So far it's pretty cool. I recognize some of this stuff from what Grandma used to say. Some of it's sort of complicated though. I'm actually getting a little confused. I close the book and take off my glasses to rub my eyes. I'm tired. Today had definitely been stressful. Glancing at my watch I realize it's about time for them to announce boarding for our flight. "Hey guys," I say,"It's about that time. Let's wake up Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and get our stuff together."
"Yep, yep, yep, yep," Joey mutters standing and stretching as he moves toward Toby and Lance. I do a little stretching myself as I watch Joey lean over Toby, reach out, and flick his ear. Toby yelps and rolls off the seats. It wasn't nice, but I can't help laughing. It was Toby after all who said we needed humor. Toby just groans and rubs his ear as he realizes what happened. "I didn't mean to scare ya' that bad." Joey says trying unsuccessfully to keep from laughing,"Well Sleepin' Beauty's up, Now fer Snow White."
"Hey," says J.C. chuckling,"Didn't Sleeping Beauty get woke up with a kiss?"
"I do believe you are correct sir." I say.
"Indeed." says Toby from the floor. He's smiling. At least he knows how to take a joke. Lance is moving a little. I guess we woke him up.
"Yah," I say,"But it was a kiss from a handsome prince."
"Ey," says Joey,"I could be a handsome prince."
"No." Lance says softly, his eyes still closed.
"I could to." Says Joey, pretending to pout.
"I agree." Toby says. Oh, I'm getting a vibe here. Joey and Toby? Hmm.
"No," Lance says again, a little louder this time,"No!...Just...I, can't....Please!...No!...She...." He's Dreaming!
"He's dreaming." I say.
"He looks scared," Joey says,"I'm gonna wake him up."
"No!" Toby says standing up to stop Joey,"Let him finish." Lance is moving pretty bad now. The look on his face is like he's seeing something horrible. God I wish we could do something, but Toby's right. If He's having one of his special dreams again we need to know what it is.
"...Justin....No...Please!...Stop!....STOP!" Lance jerks straight up in the chairs. His eyes fly open, but I think he's still seeing the dream. He looks so scared, so desperate. He's sweating hard. All the colour's gone from his face, and I'll be damned if his eyes didn't just sparkle! He finally looks like he's seeing the real world again.
"Flight 473 to Washington DC now boarding at gate 6." A disembodied voice tells us. Joey steps up and grabs Lance in a hug. Lance acts like he's going to fight it for a second then just sags in Joey's arms like a rag doll and sobs. "Flight 473 to Washington DC now boarding at gate 6"
"That's us." J.C. says quietly.
"Come on Joe." I say helping him get Lance standing. He's still clinging to Joey, but he's slowed down on the crying. I just rub his back. What else can I do?
"I've got his bag." Toby says, and we make our way to the gate to board.
By the time we get to the gate Lance has calmed down enough to walk on his own. He' stopped crying, at least I think he has. He just keeps his eyes on the floor. Whatever it was he saw it's not gonna be good. Fuck. We go through the all to familiar motions of boarding. Some how we don't get recognized. Thank God, or whoever. We're seated pretty close together, and it doesn't look like there'll be too many people on the flight so it shouldn't be hard to talk. Unfortunately Lance doesn't look to into a debriefing right now. We're all anxious to know what it was he dreamed. Truthfully, I don't really know if I want to hear it. I mean, look how it's affecting Lance, but I'm pretty sure it'd be worse not knowing. Fasten our seat belts, look for the exits. We're in the air.
It's 9:00 p.m. and we're off the plane headed out of the airport in DC looking for the rental van I reserved. Nobody's said a word since we got on the plane in Virginia. I didn't want to be the one to start the conversation I know we're going to have, and nobody else has volunteered yet. Lance is looking better though. He spent most of the flight with his head in his hands. He didn't cry any more, infact, I think he might have been praying. The rest of us took turns sitting beside him just so he'd know someone was there, but nobody said a thing. I'm really wound up now. Tense. It's like Grandma used to say, I can feel the bad in my good bones. As we landed I looked out the window and just knew there was something bad out there in the dark. Looking at the others I can see that the day we've had is weighing on all of us. There's a drag to our steps. Especially Toby and Lance, but they've been dealing with this longer than the rest of us have. Somehow, as we step out of the airport into the chill night air I can't help but think that this is all going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
We make it to the van and get everything shoved in. We're all standing by the side door when Toby finally breaks the silence.
"Alright Lance," He says,"Tell us." We all look at Lance and he takes a long, ragged breath. He doesn't look up as he begins to speak.
"I...I saw...He killed a girl." He takes another deep breath and continues, "The things he did...unng." Lance shakes his head like he's denying something. "I...I saw him do it, like I was part of it," He raises his hands and looks at them, turning them slowly,"It was like it was my hands doing it." He balls his hands into fists and drops them to his sides. Fresh tears run down his cheeks,"And Justin was there, crying, begging him to stop."
"Then Justin is still in there. He's still alive!" J.C. says. Lance nods his head and looks up. Whatever Lance saw in that dream, it's going to haunt him for the rest of his life. It's in his eyes.
"He's hanging on." He says.
"Then we have to find him now. How do we find him?" J.C. says, and all eyes turn to Toby.
"The Candle's our best bet I guess." He says.
"You Guess!?! What do you mean you guess!?!" J.C. Shouts.
"Listen!" Toby shouts back, pointing a finger at J.C.,"In case you haven't noticed I'm kinda doing this on my own since I'm the only one here who has any fucking clue how to deal with this shit!" J.C.'s gonna loose it, I can see it coming. "So until you know more than I do you can...
..."Then Justin is still in there. He's still alive!" J.C. says. Lance nods his head and looks up. Whatever Lance saw in that dream, it's going to haunt him for the rest of his life. It's in his eyes.
"He's hanging on." He says.
"Then we have to find him now. How do we find him?" J.C. says, and all eyes turn to Toby.
"The Candle's our best bet I guess." He says.
"You Guess!?! What do you mean you guess!?!" J.C. Shouts.
"Listen!" Toby shouts back, pointing a finger at J.C.,"In case you haven't noticed I'm kinda doing this on my own since I'm the only one here who has any fucking clue how to deal with this shit!" J.C.'s gonna loose it, I can see it coming. "So until you know more than I do you can...!"
"WhoaWhoaWhoa!" I say stepping between them and putting a hand on each man's chest."J.C.," I say, looking him in the eye,"We all want to save Justin, but we're not going to do it fighting with each other."
"And Toby," Joey says, stepping up and putting a hand on both of their shoulders,"We're lost and we're scared here. We ain't blamin' you. We know you're doin' everythin' ya can. Right J.C.?" J.C. Hangs his head and nods.
"Sorry Toby, I..."
"I'm...I understand, and I'm sorry too." Toby says softly.
"Okay guys," Lance says as he climbs into the van,"Since we've decided not to tear each other apart, we should probably start looking." I pat Toby on the shoulder and give J.C. a quick hug.
"Someone else should drive." Toby says,"I haven't been here in a long time, besides, it'll be easier if I can concentrate as we go. We could find him quicker and I think I can keep him from sensing us coming."
"I'll drive." J.C. says, and Toby tosses him the keys and climbs into the back seat of the van. The rest of us climb in and we pull out of the airport parking lot. Once again nobody is talking. We aren't even breathing hard. I hate the silence. I've never liked things too quiet. Usually I just hum or tap my fingers or something, anything to make a little noise. I guess this isn't the time for anything like that though. I definitely don't need to do anything to get on people's nerves at this point. We're all frustrated and tired, and I have the feeling a few of us are closer to falling apart then we want to admit. I am.
It's almost 11:00 now and we've been driving non-stop through the city for like two hours now. The only words spoken have been the simple directions we relay to J.C. as the candle flame points the way. All our attention is focused on the candle and the passing city. There are a lot of people out there. All of them going about their business. Movie theaters, restaurants, clubs, taxi cabs, people walking down the street on god only knows what errands. Everything's going on like nothing's wrong. Something is wrong though. My friend is possessed, and if Lance is right, he's out there, somewhere, killing people. Well, his body is anyway. Those people out there living their lives, they don't know that. They're completely oblivious. Ten to one they'd stay that way given the choice.
We're driving alongside a city park at the moment. We're getting close I think. Yesterday, when we used the candle, the closer we got the more frequently the flame moved. It's moving pretty steadily as we pass the park. Now it's pointing straight in.
"Guys," Lance says,"Look at the candle."
"Yeah," I say.
"He's in the park." Toby says. The park is nothing but dark patches of trees in the night. If he's in there he'll be hard to find. J.C. pulls the van to the curb, and starts to get out.
"Are you sure?" I ask, looking back at Toby. The candle is pointing right into the trees.
"Yes," He says, leaning up and blowing out the candle flame. J.C.'s already out of the car and heading into the park. The rest of us pile out and hurry to catch up to him. Just inside the trees there's a small clearing. We no sooner step into it then we hear clapping, slow and deliberate, followed by a voice.
"Bravo. It seems I drastically underestimated you Tobias." It's Justin, but I can't see him. With the sounds from the street still so close, and the way the night makes things seem so strange, I can't tell where he spoke from. I rea-lly don't like this. Not one little bit.
"I hope so," Toby answers as he steps to the fore of our little group. He's got his staff in hand. His left hand's in his pocket though. There's a movement in the shadows ahead of us. I still can't see anything but a silhouette, but the size is right. Then he speaks again and I'm sure it's him.
"That won't happen again. This time I'll just have to be done with you."
"More gun toting goons? Or maybe some more slack assed demonists?" Toby says, taking a small step closer to the shrouded figure. What's he got in his pocket?
"No no no, This time I'll deal with you all personally." And somehow, I can see that smile, even in the darkness, and a chill runs through me. "I'd love to chat some more, but I really must get going soon, so..." Something's wrong. Something's very wrong. I feel dizzy. I grab the necklace Toby gave me. He said it would help protect us. I squeeze it tightly. It's hot. As my senses slip I feel it get hotter, then it pops. From a distance I feel it explode in my hand. I feel tiny shards of crystal pierce my skin and come to rest in my palm. I know it happens, but it's like my mind is disconnected from my body. Like I'm under anesthesia. I have the feeling that something else is using my brain at the moment. Like something's in there shuffling things around. PAIN! Oh my God it HURTS! My mind spins. Flashes of memories. Accidents, cuts, falls. The time I broke my hand. The time I split my lip falling from that tree. The time I drank that stuff under the sink. Memories. Memories of pain, of hurt, of sickness. Everything that ever happened to make me cry out in agony. It's all happening again, right now. Right this second I fractured my wrist at football practice, I shattered a tooth falling from a swing, I have a fever so hot I could die. All of it, all the pain of a lifetime, it's all here. I can't think. I can't feel. There is nothing but PAIN!!
Grandma and me are walking to the store. It's a beautiful summer afternoon. I'm 7. We stop at the corner waiting for the light to change. I'm happy. I'm with my grandma, my favorite person in the world. On top of that, I have the certain knowledge that I will soon have ice cream. I see a car coming up the street. It's big, and black, and really shiny. It's a car they carry dead people in. I've seen them before. This one's different though. I don't know how. Grandma takes a hold of my head and turns me so I can't see the car. She's saying something I can't understand. It's in that other language she knows.
"Don't look child," she says, and holds me tightly,"Don't look." She's doing something funny with her hand. She's got her fingers bent and sort of crossed. The car passes and she bends down to look me in the eyes. "You see this?" she says, holding her hand so I can see it,"Do your fingers like this for me." I make my hand do the same thing she's doing with hers. It feels weird. Hands don't go that way usually. "Good, good," she says, ruffling my hair,"In that car was evil. Make your hand like this when you know evil is near and you will chase away it's power over you. And remember this child, evil has no power over the heart..."
PAIN!!! It's everywhere! I don't know where one part of me ends and another starts. All of me is pain! Evil...Take It's Power Away...Make My Fingers Do It!...I Can't Feel My Fingers!! WAIT! Tiny pin pricks, Tiny pin pricks of light. Cool against the pain. A shape...A Hand...MY HAND! I concentrate for all I'm worth. I make my fingers find the form Grandma showed all those years ago. I feel it! Raise my hand...and the world is back. I'm on my knees in the grass. The last sensations of pain run through my body, but I feel better. I feel the coolness of the night air, the dew seeping through my corduroys. I taste blood in my mouth. I must have bitten my tongue. I hear crys of pain, whimpering, screams...and laughter. I look at my hand. It's still locked in the protective gesture, and trickles of blood slip between my fingers and down from my palm. It hurts a little. Praise whatever gods or spirits there are, and Thank You, Thank You Grandma. It only hurts a little! I fight my way to my feet. The others are lying helplessly on the ground writhing in agony. Justin, the daemon, is laughing. He's standing in front of Toby, not really paying attention to the rest of us. Toby's down too. He's not screaming like the rest though. He's chanting and rocking back and forth on his knees, his arms wrapped around himself, his staff a few feet away. I, however, am up. I am SO pissed! But I can't do shit against this guy. Toby's the one who can fight him, and Toby's out of it.I gotta do something! I gotta do something! I do the only thing I can think to do at the moment. I step between Toby and Justin. I am a fucking idiot. I hold my hand out and stare Justin right in the eye. BIG mistake. He has no eyes! Where his eyes should be there are pools of absolute darkness. There's nothing. Oh God, Oh Fuck! This is what Lance saw in his dreams. No Fucking wonder he was so scared!
Justin, the daemon, takes a step back. Just a little one, maybe it's not quite a stepat all really. It might be more appropriate to say he leaned back some...HELL! One way or another he just backed up! He just backed the fuck up, from ME! Anger runs through me. This is the fucker that caused all this shit. He better damn well back the fuck up, 'cause I'm fuckin' pissed. "Tha's Right! Back up BITCH!" Did I just say that out loud?
"Well, well, a baby witch," he says with a nasty, nasty grin. I focus on his grin to keep my mind off those eyes. I can be angry at that sarcastic, freaky ass grin. I can only be afraid of his eyes. "What a nice little trick. That's all it is though, a parlor trick." If this were a movie, or a story even, I'd say something smart ass and witty. It's not. I can't do anything but hold myself together and pray that the cavalry rides in. "Alas, you force my hand. I hadn't wanted to use this much energy on you. I suppose I'll just have to feed again before the night is through." He chuckles to himself as he raises his hands a little, palms towards the ground. I look from him to my right hand, still extended before me, and back. Somehow, I don't think hand signs and shattered crystals are going to stop what's coming. He opens his mouth and sounds come out. No words. It's no language, and there is more than one voice. Suddenly, something grabs my left hand from behind. Oh ShiT! Before I can say that, there's a feeling, like smoke running up my arm. It starts in my hand and reaches my shoulder in a heart beat. Then it spreads down my chest and up into my head. For the second time tonight I loose coherent sensation. I'm caught up in the river of energy flowing through me. It pulses. It throbs like the heart of a lovernext to mine. I see Justin smile as he turns his palms up. The ground on either side of him explodes, dirt and dead leaves flying through the air in a whirling cloud. I feel the pulse within me quicken then stop for an instant. For that split second I am perfectly at peace. It's like the whole world has stop to take a breath. Then the energy moves, like a snake striking it's prey. It rushes through me, through my right arm, into my hand and out. I can't stop my fingers from flying open as the energy hits. The shards of crystal in my hand seem to ignite within my skin and light spins in the air around my hand for the briefest moment, then lances outward. The smile on Justin face disappears a millisecond before the light hits him square in the chest. He screams as he's lifted off the ground and thrown back. Then the energy is gone. I feel a little numb in it's wake. No time for that now though. Two whorls of air, leaves and dirt are right in front of me, ten feet tall and coming at me.
"Run." says Toby from right behind me, scaring what little shit is left in me right on out. I spin on him. He's got his sword out and at the ready. For a second he looks like he should be in a Conan movie or something. Then my mind catches up with my stomach which has already started for the van, and I run. I see the others standing as I turn. They look pretty damn confused.
"Run!" I shout,"Get to the van!" I hear a yell from behind me and spin around. I see Justin running into the trees holding his chest and Toby being lifted off the ground by one of the whirlwind things.
"TOBY!" Joey shouts. He tries to run to where the thing has Toby, but Lance and I catch hold of him and drag him, kicking and screaming, towards the van. Over my shoulder I see Toby flip helplessly in the air, once, twice, then he swings out with his sword. There's a howl, literally the wind on a cold, dark night, and he is thrown to the ground. He hits and rolls, holding onto his sword. He stops a few feet away from us and struggles to his knees. Joey breaks away and reaches for him, but Toby looks up and sticks out a hand to hold him back.
"Get to the car!" Toby shouts over the wind,"I'll hold them off!
"No!" Joey shouts back, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him to his feet. Toby knocks Joey's hands away, grabs him by the back of the head and kisses him hard and fast.
"Start the car!" he shouts,"I'll be right behind you!" Then he turns to face advancing whirl winds. Joey stands there for a second then turns and runs. Lance and I dothe same.
We get to the van to find the doors already open, the engine roaring, and J.C. behind the wheel. "Get in quick!" he shouts. We do, then we turn to look for Toby. He's running full tilt toward us. One of the whirlwinds is right on his ass and he looks like he knows it. He's maybe ten feet away when the thing rears up behind him.
"LOOK OUT!!!" we all scream. Toby spins on his heels lashing out with his sword. Light from somewhere flashes off the blade and in that flash I see the thing at the heart of the spinning wind. Wings and arms stick out in all directions, and there are teeth and eyes where there should never be. Then it meets Mr. sword, and the thing is gone. Toby continues his spin and falls, slamming his head into the van step. He goes down hard, dropping his sword and reflexively curling up, holding his head for the pain. The second wind thing is coming up fast. Joey shouts wordlessly and jumps out of the van. He grabs Toby and throws him in. Lance and I do our best to catch him. Then we're moving. A quick glance tells me Joey's in the van, and that Toby's bleeding. Joey manages to get the side door shut and we all hold on for dear life as J.C. speed through the streets of DC. Toby'sconscious. Thank God! Or whoever.
"Ouch," Toby says, as Lance presses a cloth he found somewhere to the back of his head,"That's gonna leave a mark."
"Shit. I thought fer sure you were dead man." Joey says in relief. Toby just smiles lightly.
"Not yet, but I am a little dizzy. I think I may have a concussion."
"No doubt!" Joey says, smiling back at him.
"And you probably need stitches." Lance says. We've slowed down almost to the speed limit now. No sign of the wind things, or Justin.
"Well that didn't go well." says J.C.
"Nope." Toby agrees.
"Soo...What now?" asks Lance,"Other than medical treatment."
"We need rest." Toby says.
"Rest." J.C. says
"Sorry J.C., but we do," Toby says,"I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't handle another encounter like that one, not yet."
"I know you're right," J.C. says, resignation in his voice,"I'm just so scared we'll loose him."
"We all are." Lance says, reaching up and patting J.C. on the shoulder.
"What...exactly, happened back there? What did he do to us?" Joey asks.
"I don't even pretend to understand it completely, but It seems he made us remember..." There's silence for a moment as, I guess, we all reflect on just what we did remember. "I have a question though Chris. Just how did it not affect you?"
"It didn't get you?" Joey asks in amazement.
"It did, at first. Then I, remembered something my Grandma taught me a long time ago." Everybody's looking at me like I'm supposed to go on. Even J.C.'s looking at me in the rear-view. So I go on,"It's a hand sign, to break the power of evil." I hold up my hand to show them, and it hurts,"Owww."
"Oh man, you're bleeding." says Lance.
"Oh, the crystal you gave me Toby? It sort of exploded."
"Exploded?" Toby says.
"Yah, when Justin..."
"The Daemon." J.C. cuts in.
"Yah, the daemon, when it started doing it's thing I grabbed the crystal ‘causeyou said it would help protect us. That's when it exploded, and the pieces are still all stuck in my hand. It cool though. I think it helped me break the daemons spell. That and what my Grandma taught me. So I was okay, but the rest of you guys were still screwed. Ihoped I could help you out," I said looking at Toby,"By getting between you and...Hey! You're the one that grabbed me! What the fuck was that energy shit?"
"Oh! Sorry, I felt the thing loose concentration for a second. I didn't know what was happening, then I saw you standing in front of me, and I sensed it's power being stopped at you hand. I had no clue how you got there or what you were doing, but I thought, 'Now or Never', and I took advantage of the crack you'd already made in his armour. I hope I didn't hurt you."
"No, that was just fucking wicked. You've got to show how to do that."
"Well, that sort of thing, the light show I mean. It doesn't happen very often to me." Toby says.
"Umm, guys?" J.C. says from the driver's seat,"Am I taking us somewhere particular here?"
"Oh, Umm, yah," Says Toby,"There's a church, St. Katrina's. Let me get up front and I can show you how to get there." J.C. pulls off to the side of the street and stops so we can get rearranged.
"One more question Chris," Toby says with a chuckle as he gets situated in the front passenger's seat,"Just who the hell was this Grandmother of yours?" Thanks again Grandma, wherever you are.
End Chapter 4