Part XLVII
It was a two bedroom, so I pulled the sheets of the bed and laid plastic across it. I took inventory and laid out all the equipment Bruce had sent. I liked the look of a bed full of guns. The crate contained seven pelican cases, each custom fitted to its contents. The first one I checked was the one labeled with a skull and cross bones. The skull had horns and really big teeth. The gun inside was creatively named The Reaper Weeper. It was designed to fire 2000 needles of frozen mercury a minute. It was good for killing, but bad for the environment. The case contained the gun and three magazines of Bruce's own design that contained liquid nitrogen vapor. You definitely needed goggles to use it, and in one of the smaller cases were the goggles; they were full spectrum and fully sealed. Bruce had fitted in a digital laser range finder and put it all in a snug steampunk looking package that included a snap on helmet and spooky looking fear inspiring respirator, all covered in hand tooled leather.
Another case held a back sheathe which housed pure silver samurai swords; these were his babies. They had been custom made by one of the last sword makers in Japan. They were folded steel, with thin layers of silver added between each fold. The finished sword was then electro-plated with a silver finish. If I lost or damaged these babies, I'd owe him more than a new eye. He'd also sent along an Australian range jacket waterproofed with a special oil infused with mistletoe, nightshade, wolfsbane, belladonna, and lavender. It smelled like the Old Man had drunk lavender water and then threw up, but it worked.
The nine mil's were standard, but the bullets were an herb mix Bruce called “Popuri of Death”. He dried and then ground everything down into powder and formed the bullets using high pressure. They hit, making the demon laugh at you until their face changed as the bullets started to dissolve; then they cried and either blew-up, melted, or smoked. I loved the look of confusion that interrupted their laughter.
He'd thrown in The Big Sleep, but I wasn't sure I was going to needed it as long as The Reaper Weeper didn't freeze up. There was also a small tear down blowgun with darts made from the bones of Saints. I didn't want to know which ones. The last case was a hodgepodge of little things that clipped to the mesh vest and straps. Pretty much everything but a Holy Hand Grenade, although Bruce had been trying for years to make a real one. The casing was easy, but he never quite figured out what would actually be in one. That's what you get trying to reproduce a Monty Python weapon that actually worked. Plus, as kitschy as the casing was, it was impractical. Crosses, as they were in the real world, were little more than decoration and meant nothing to the things I was going to fight.
I tried everything on for comfort and set the straps, locks, buttons and zippers. I looked at myself in the mirrored closet and thought I looked ridiculous. But I'd rather look stupid and stay alive then look stylish and die with a set of ten inch claws clipping my spine, or my eyes melting; some of them spit.
I grabbed some kit from the van and pulled out the few pots and pans the hotel provided. I set to making some sauce. Two hours later the room smelled like something had died in it. I opened the balcony doors and set the thermostat to FAN. While the room cleared out, I walked a few blocks away to a nice little place called Poplar Street Pub. They had a full bar and a number of beers on tap. Being Utah though, the taps were 3.2 % by volume, so I got a bottle of Squatters IPA and backed it with a jack.
The atmosphere was nice. It had three separate rooms and a back patio. While I waited for the alcohol to hit my system, I chatted with a few of the locals and the bartenders. A couple were Jack Mormons, but mostly it was tourists in for one convention or another. When they asked me what I did, I told them I was location scouting for a low budget film. I didn't know what I was getting in to, because before I left I had three business cards and four or five napkins full of names and numbers of people who needed work. Evidently film was dead here too.
I got the bison burger for the old man and got a club salad for myself. Back in the room, the Old Man clawed the bread off the burger and hissed at the lettuce until he decided it wouldn't move on its own. I reached down and picked it away so her could get at the meat. He fell asleep on my lap while I watched Leno die a horrible ten 0'clock time slot death. I fell asleep listening to Letterman talk about screwing his staff.
The next morning, I pulled out of the Residence Inn and drove toward the Wasatch mountains.
There's a bit of lost history about what Brigham Young did when he moved into the Wasatch Valley. Sure they had to endure the harsh winters, but they also had to deal with a brood of nightmares that lived beneath the mountains. The Mountain Meadows Massacre was a direct result of Young and his militia, along with his Native American allies, trying to purge the infestation. In retaliation, the demon brood possessed his men and made them turn their guns upon the Fancher-Baker emigrant wagon train. The media fury, trials and general outrage of this caused Young, the then Governor of the Utah territory, to make a secret pact. The Mormons could keep the valley, but the nightmares got the mountains. It's even rumored that the persistence of polygamy was necessary to provide enough children to both keep the population of Salt Lake City growing, while supplying enough surplus offspring to make the required sacrifices the pact called for.
Polygamy only went out of style in the 1910 excommunication of polygamists from the church. Like the relationship of the knights Templar to the Catholic Church, the excommunication was a cover. The secret reason was that certain families had been chosen to provide the sacrifices solely, and the excommunication was enacted to distance the church from the secret pact. In 1917, as the First World War was beginning to take its final breath, the polygamist Knights of the Later Days went deep into the Wasatch mountains and fought what would be known as the War of Final Sacrifice. The brood never recovered, and at last count there are less than twelve demons still calling the Wasatch mountains home. I only needed to see one of them, but I was willing to finish the job the Mormons had started if I had to.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Part XLVI
Part XLVI
I mumbled under my breath as I passed through the doors to the hospital making myself unremarkable. It was past visiting hours and I needed to make sure Destiny wasn't getting any from things that shouldn't ever get a pass. I passed by the nurse on her way out of Destiny's room and she shuttered and looked around. I sat down in the chair and watched Destiny eat her Jell-o for dinner. It was magic to see her awake and responding, and I wasn't sure I wanted to reveal myself just yet.
She ate slowly, letting the Jell-o melt on her tongue. She stuck her spoon back in and paused. She looked around the room, then settled her gaze right on me. She smiled and took another bite. I stayed where I was. She got it, and that was all I needed.
She finished and put her spoon down and pushed the tray back and away from her. She leaned back and sighed, and patted the bed next to her. I hesitated, then joined her, not knowing what it must have been like to feel me but not see me as I slid in next to her. She turned on her side and we spooned like high school kids not sure what should happen next. She drifted off to sleep and I lay there feeling her breath and getting angry inside.
The window to her room was facing East, and the sun hit me like a pin prick on the back of my neck. I woke with a start and made sure I could still feel her and she was warm. I moved carefully away and sat back in the chair.
On the small side table next to the chair was a pad and a pen. I tore off a piece of paper and made a swan, it was the only piece of Origami I knew, but I'd practiced it a lot. I put it on the pillow next to her head and then laid my palm on her forehead. I consulted with Grandfather Lee, then mumbled under my breath and made her forget me. I locked all her memories so deep in her mind it'd be almost impossible for anyone to find them. If I made it out of this alive, maybe I'd come back with the key.
I paused at the door and felt my spine go rigid. I was done playing around. The Tall Man would pay. I was a hunter now, not a victim, and come hell or high water, I was going fuck him up so bad he'd wished he'd never met me. As my hand slipped off the door jam, I mumbled under my breath and sealed the room. I didn't take my hand off the wall until I reached the front door. Outside my nose began to bleed and Grandfather Lee complained that I was endangering myself by trying to lock down the whole hospital. I told him shut the fuck up.
Back at the hotel, I checked the laptop. It was finished. I was heading to Utah, and I was bringing death with me. The Old Man started to purr when I picked him up. He could feel the anger in me and it made him happy. I scratched him behind the ears and put him back down on the bed. I picked up my cell and called Bruce back.
I need a drop shipment.
I need a new eye.
What color do you want?
I want green.
Green it is.
Not hazel.
It'll be so green people will think it's fake.
I gave Bruce an address and a list of things I was going to need. I hung up and packed my gear. I picked up the Old Man and walked out of the W hotel. As I pushed through the front door, Steven Segal was walking in. I mumbled under my breath and heard him shit his pants. I smiled like the Cheshire cat and didn't break my stride. He was no Chuck Norris.
I pulled onto Wilshire, then dropped to Westwood. I turned right onto Santa Monica and onto the 405 and merged onto the 10 until I hit the 15 North. Grandfather Lee was mumbling low in my brain, keeping me focused. We had a plan, and on top of that I was done messing around. I was focused for the first time since the whole sorted affair had begun. I was out for blood. I was out for retribution, and I no longer cared who got in my way.
I made it to Vegas in record time and pulled into the Fed Ex where I'd had Bruce send my package. The package had to be moved to the van with a lorry. It filled up a quarter of the free space. The kid helping me get it in the van wasn't happy about it.
What they hell d'ya order?
A shit load of guns.
He laughed. It made me a little nervous he thought that was funny.
I laughed as I pulled out and hit the road, because there were guns in the box. Big magic guns, the kinds of things that look like props in a Sci-Fi film and put stupid amounts of hurt on things that shouldn't exist. I was carrying a box full of one-of-a-king Bruce specials, and I was going to use them in very imaginative ways, on very imaginative things.
I stopped in Salt Lake City five hours later and me and the Old Man grabbed a hotel room. I picked the Residence in in city center. We were going to be here for a bit and I needed a room large enough to work in. It had a full kitchen too, and I had things to cook.
I mumbled under my breath as I passed through the doors to the hospital making myself unremarkable. It was past visiting hours and I needed to make sure Destiny wasn't getting any from things that shouldn't ever get a pass. I passed by the nurse on her way out of Destiny's room and she shuttered and looked around. I sat down in the chair and watched Destiny eat her Jell-o for dinner. It was magic to see her awake and responding, and I wasn't sure I wanted to reveal myself just yet.
She ate slowly, letting the Jell-o melt on her tongue. She stuck her spoon back in and paused. She looked around the room, then settled her gaze right on me. She smiled and took another bite. I stayed where I was. She got it, and that was all I needed.
She finished and put her spoon down and pushed the tray back and away from her. She leaned back and sighed, and patted the bed next to her. I hesitated, then joined her, not knowing what it must have been like to feel me but not see me as I slid in next to her. She turned on her side and we spooned like high school kids not sure what should happen next. She drifted off to sleep and I lay there feeling her breath and getting angry inside.
The window to her room was facing East, and the sun hit me like a pin prick on the back of my neck. I woke with a start and made sure I could still feel her and she was warm. I moved carefully away and sat back in the chair.
On the small side table next to the chair was a pad and a pen. I tore off a piece of paper and made a swan, it was the only piece of Origami I knew, but I'd practiced it a lot. I put it on the pillow next to her head and then laid my palm on her forehead. I consulted with Grandfather Lee, then mumbled under my breath and made her forget me. I locked all her memories so deep in her mind it'd be almost impossible for anyone to find them. If I made it out of this alive, maybe I'd come back with the key.
I paused at the door and felt my spine go rigid. I was done playing around. The Tall Man would pay. I was a hunter now, not a victim, and come hell or high water, I was going fuck him up so bad he'd wished he'd never met me. As my hand slipped off the door jam, I mumbled under my breath and sealed the room. I didn't take my hand off the wall until I reached the front door. Outside my nose began to bleed and Grandfather Lee complained that I was endangering myself by trying to lock down the whole hospital. I told him shut the fuck up.
Back at the hotel, I checked the laptop. It was finished. I was heading to Utah, and I was bringing death with me. The Old Man started to purr when I picked him up. He could feel the anger in me and it made him happy. I scratched him behind the ears and put him back down on the bed. I picked up my cell and called Bruce back.
I need a drop shipment.
I need a new eye.
What color do you want?
I want green.
Green it is.
Not hazel.
It'll be so green people will think it's fake.
I gave Bruce an address and a list of things I was going to need. I hung up and packed my gear. I picked up the Old Man and walked out of the W hotel. As I pushed through the front door, Steven Segal was walking in. I mumbled under my breath and heard him shit his pants. I smiled like the Cheshire cat and didn't break my stride. He was no Chuck Norris.
I pulled onto Wilshire, then dropped to Westwood. I turned right onto Santa Monica and onto the 405 and merged onto the 10 until I hit the 15 North. Grandfather Lee was mumbling low in my brain, keeping me focused. We had a plan, and on top of that I was done messing around. I was focused for the first time since the whole sorted affair had begun. I was out for blood. I was out for retribution, and I no longer cared who got in my way.
I made it to Vegas in record time and pulled into the Fed Ex where I'd had Bruce send my package. The package had to be moved to the van with a lorry. It filled up a quarter of the free space. The kid helping me get it in the van wasn't happy about it.
What they hell d'ya order?
A shit load of guns.
He laughed. It made me a little nervous he thought that was funny.
I laughed as I pulled out and hit the road, because there were guns in the box. Big magic guns, the kinds of things that look like props in a Sci-Fi film and put stupid amounts of hurt on things that shouldn't exist. I was carrying a box full of one-of-a-king Bruce specials, and I was going to use them in very imaginative ways, on very imaginative things.
I stopped in Salt Lake City five hours later and me and the Old Man grabbed a hotel room. I picked the Residence in in city center. We were going to be here for a bit and I needed a room large enough to work in. It had a full kitchen too, and I had things to cook.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Part XLV
Part XLV
The nurse woke me and asked me to leave. Destiny was still in a coma. I stood up and felt my knees pop.
How long have I been here?
About nine hours. You spent the fist six mumbling something then you fell asleep.
I guess I was tired.
I left the room and went to the cafeteria. I got a coffee for myself and a chicken patty sandwich, which I took it to the old Man. He was a little pissy and panting when I got to the van, so I cranked it up and ran the AC on Hi. He jumped in the passenger seat and I tilted the vent so it hit him square in the face. He reached his head toward it and tried to rub it out of the dash.
I climbed in the back and lay down on the bed. I sipped my coffee and grabbed an errant WiFi signal from somewhere. I pulled up the mapping software. I rang Bruce on my cell phone.
You owe me an eye you slick bastard.
I'll try and work something out. I need a favor.
I'm in the office, so what is it?
There seems to be a pattern I'm not seeing. Some sort of order I'm supposed to find the reliquaries in and I don't know what it is.
What have you found so far?
I filled Bruce in. When I was done, I heard him tapping on keys.
You have Internet?
Weak, but yeah.
My cursor started moving without me doing a thing as Bruce hijacked the laptop.
I'm downloading some pattern recognition software onto your machine. It's something DARPA is working on.
I didn't even ask how he got it.
I'm putting in all the data points we've got, from your Uncle's location the reliquary pings to the GPS log from your trip. It will probably hate you for a bit. Look at the screen and I'm going to show you how to put in data points. Everything is relevant, tag them any way you like. It just needs the data, not the tags.
Forty minutes later I signed off with Bruce and started entering as many data points as I could. Everywhere I had ever seen or interacted with The Tall Man as well as everything I could remember. I called and e-mailed a few people as well. I input everything the way Bruce had told me. I ran the software and left the van to check on Destiny.
Destiny was still critical, so I touched the EKG and mumbled under my breath so it'd PING me if she coded or if she improved. Back in the van I checked the laptop and it was still crunching and thinking. I pulled out of the hospital lot and got me and The Old Man a nice room at the W hotel on Wilshire. We deserved something nice. The Old Man jumped on top of the air conditioner and I went down to the bar to Star Gaze. Hell, if I was going to be in LA, I might as well make some stories.
The bar was quiet, but I could feel the souls being taken. Not really, but the smiles on some of the girls were guarded as they talked to older men in suit coats, with their shirts open as though chest hair had made a come back. One of them caught my eye and gave me a bored sad look, then returned her attention to the obvious exec who still thought sun glasses were cool after the sun went down. I ordered a scotch and sat at the bar with all ears open. I mumbled under my breath and listened to all the conversations in the bar. It was simple trick, but one I really trusted. You could hear a mouse running across the floor if you wanted, instead all I heard was desperate sighs as people got up to go to the bathroom. LA was a cesspool. The air was full of regret, I was pretty sure it wasn't all mine.
At the end of the bar some kid was pounding away on his laptop while arguing with someone on his fancy bluetooth ear piece.
I don't care if she blows you, unless she loses fifteen pounds, I'm not even going to return her call.
I didn't like the cut of his jib, so I mumbled under my breath.
He screamed and grabbed at his ear, ripping the earpiece off. The high pitch scream coming from it could be heard as it sailed across the room and smashed against the wall from the force of his throw. He slapped his laptop shut and stormed out, telling the bartender to bill his room. It was much quieter now.
I ordered another drink and took a look around the room again. It was nowhere near as interesting or as exciting as I thought it might be. The only difference between here and a bar in a Holiday Inn was the décor here cost more than a Holiday Inn and almost everyone in here was rich but me.
I finished my drink and walked back to the elevators. The doors opened and I was staring at Neil Young. He smiled and looked forward. I stepped in and then stood like a kid needing to take a pee. I realized I was hoping on both feet, giddy as a schoolgirl. I settled down, and when the doors opened again he stepped off and I kicked myself for not saying Hi. I finally understood what the meant by star struck.
The old man was hungry when I got back so I ordered room service. I got him steak tartar just to blow his mind and got myself the club. No matter what hotel you’re staying in, if they have room service, the club is rarely disappointing.
I dabbled some potion on the tartar and The Old Man purred all the way through it.
I started to drift off to sleep, but then the spell I'd laid on Destiny's monitor pinged. Her heart rate was up and looking good. I bid The Old Man goodnight and headed back into the parking lot. I pulled out and headed back toward the hospital.
The nurse woke me and asked me to leave. Destiny was still in a coma. I stood up and felt my knees pop.
How long have I been here?
About nine hours. You spent the fist six mumbling something then you fell asleep.
I guess I was tired.
I left the room and went to the cafeteria. I got a coffee for myself and a chicken patty sandwich, which I took it to the old Man. He was a little pissy and panting when I got to the van, so I cranked it up and ran the AC on Hi. He jumped in the passenger seat and I tilted the vent so it hit him square in the face. He reached his head toward it and tried to rub it out of the dash.
I climbed in the back and lay down on the bed. I sipped my coffee and grabbed an errant WiFi signal from somewhere. I pulled up the mapping software. I rang Bruce on my cell phone.
You owe me an eye you slick bastard.
I'll try and work something out. I need a favor.
I'm in the office, so what is it?
There seems to be a pattern I'm not seeing. Some sort of order I'm supposed to find the reliquaries in and I don't know what it is.
What have you found so far?
I filled Bruce in. When I was done, I heard him tapping on keys.
You have Internet?
Weak, but yeah.
My cursor started moving without me doing a thing as Bruce hijacked the laptop.
I'm downloading some pattern recognition software onto your machine. It's something DARPA is working on.
I didn't even ask how he got it.
I'm putting in all the data points we've got, from your Uncle's location the reliquary pings to the GPS log from your trip. It will probably hate you for a bit. Look at the screen and I'm going to show you how to put in data points. Everything is relevant, tag them any way you like. It just needs the data, not the tags.
Forty minutes later I signed off with Bruce and started entering as many data points as I could. Everywhere I had ever seen or interacted with The Tall Man as well as everything I could remember. I called and e-mailed a few people as well. I input everything the way Bruce had told me. I ran the software and left the van to check on Destiny.
Destiny was still critical, so I touched the EKG and mumbled under my breath so it'd PING me if she coded or if she improved. Back in the van I checked the laptop and it was still crunching and thinking. I pulled out of the hospital lot and got me and The Old Man a nice room at the W hotel on Wilshire. We deserved something nice. The Old Man jumped on top of the air conditioner and I went down to the bar to Star Gaze. Hell, if I was going to be in LA, I might as well make some stories.
The bar was quiet, but I could feel the souls being taken. Not really, but the smiles on some of the girls were guarded as they talked to older men in suit coats, with their shirts open as though chest hair had made a come back. One of them caught my eye and gave me a bored sad look, then returned her attention to the obvious exec who still thought sun glasses were cool after the sun went down. I ordered a scotch and sat at the bar with all ears open. I mumbled under my breath and listened to all the conversations in the bar. It was simple trick, but one I really trusted. You could hear a mouse running across the floor if you wanted, instead all I heard was desperate sighs as people got up to go to the bathroom. LA was a cesspool. The air was full of regret, I was pretty sure it wasn't all mine.
At the end of the bar some kid was pounding away on his laptop while arguing with someone on his fancy bluetooth ear piece.
I don't care if she blows you, unless she loses fifteen pounds, I'm not even going to return her call.
I didn't like the cut of his jib, so I mumbled under my breath.
He screamed and grabbed at his ear, ripping the earpiece off. The high pitch scream coming from it could be heard as it sailed across the room and smashed against the wall from the force of his throw. He slapped his laptop shut and stormed out, telling the bartender to bill his room. It was much quieter now.
I ordered another drink and took a look around the room again. It was nowhere near as interesting or as exciting as I thought it might be. The only difference between here and a bar in a Holiday Inn was the décor here cost more than a Holiday Inn and almost everyone in here was rich but me.
I finished my drink and walked back to the elevators. The doors opened and I was staring at Neil Young. He smiled and looked forward. I stepped in and then stood like a kid needing to take a pee. I realized I was hoping on both feet, giddy as a schoolgirl. I settled down, and when the doors opened again he stepped off and I kicked myself for not saying Hi. I finally understood what the meant by star struck.
The old man was hungry when I got back so I ordered room service. I got him steak tartar just to blow his mind and got myself the club. No matter what hotel you’re staying in, if they have room service, the club is rarely disappointing.
I dabbled some potion on the tartar and The Old Man purred all the way through it.
I started to drift off to sleep, but then the spell I'd laid on Destiny's monitor pinged. Her heart rate was up and looking good. I bid The Old Man goodnight and headed back into the parking lot. I pulled out and headed back toward the hospital.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Part XLIV
Part XLIV
I had to move fast. I was pretty sure that The Tall Man had set some sort of signal on the Hex so he'd know when Destiny was dead. So, I had to let her die, but not make it permanent. I wasn't sure I could pull it off, but Grandfather Lee seemed sure. I knew the spell, but he knew an older more powerful version, assuming my Mandarin was up to snuff. With Grandfather Lee whispering in my ear, I stepped into the circle.
The nullification symbol would undo anything I tried, so I wrapped my arms around Destiny and lifted her up off the floor as I mumbled Mandarin under my breath and planted a kiss on her lips. I then inhaled and drew her life force into me. It'd combine with mine if I held onto it too long. I dropped her back to the floor, and I felt the signal run through the circle and fly away to The Tall Man. The field kept her upright and I counted to ten while I got slammed in the brain with her entire life. I counted down to ten using the old Stephen King “My Pretty Pony” routine.
I got to eight and broke the circle with my foot, by scraping away some of the marks. I pulled her out, and dropped her to the sofa. I took a deep breath, and then exhaled her life force back into her. I didn't know whether it would work or not, because the energy it required drained me and I passed out.
I woke to the smell of bacon, but that was a memory ghost. It soon transformed into something burning, and as I drug my eyes open, I realized it was the nullification mark still smoldering. That was never coming out of the floor. Destiny wasn't awake, but I could see that she was breathing. Watching her chest rise and fall took a great burden off of me. I got up, and felt severely dehydrated.
I went to the sofa and put my hand on her forehead just to make sure she was warm. She was. I went to the kitchen and poured two glasses of water. I kicked more of the circle out of the way as I walked back through the living room, and dumped a bit of my glass on the floor where is hissed and cooled the mark. Grandfather Lee was excited that it had worked, and I had to yell at him in my head to get him to shut up. He was giving me a headache, and me yelling didn't help. I put a glass on the side table next to Destiny and sat in a chair across from the sofa, drank my water and watched her chest rise and fall.
I stepped out while she was sleeping and returned the bowling ball to the van just so it didn't attract too many Death Runners. There were probably more in Venice than in all of Tennessee. You'd think the ocean would be a deterrent, but it was pretty fixed. You could walk right out and see the tides coming at you. Few people ever slipped on the beach and got dragged into the ocean. Slipping on the bank of a river was another thing entirely.
The Old Man was asleep and simply rolled on his back exposing his stomach as I put the bowling ball back in the drawer at the foot of the bed. I reached out and petted him. He purred, and then bit me. I knocked out a can of tuna and some potion before I shut him back in. I wanted to be there when destiny woke up.
Climbing the stairs back to her place I smelled burning wood, and when I looked down I saw shoe prints burned into the steps. I ran the rest of the way up and found the door open. Two prints, smoldered at the stoop. I burst in, Destiny was still on the sofa, but she wasn't breathing. I was pissed, but didn't have time to think. I dropped her to the floor and started CPR. The painter's shirt was wet from where she'd lost bladder control. I lifted her head back, swept my fingers through her mouth to get her tongue out of the way, blew four times, dialed 911, and put the phone on speaker and started the four Hundred compressions. CPR had changed over the years, but I tried to make sure I was up to specs. You never know with magic, she's a fickle mistress.
The Emergency team arrived and took over. They had a heart beat five minutes later with a few shocks from a portable defibrillator, and a couple of ccs of epi. They rolled her out and drove off, leaving me behind. I wasn't a friend or family. I closed the door to her apartment on the way out and mumbled under my breath, sealing the door, so I'd know if anyone came calling. I went back to the van, curled up on the bed. The Old Man jumped up and curled up next to me. I could feel his purrs vibrating through me, and it lulled me into sleep.
I woke four hours later, rested enough to go to the Hospital and see what had happened. I could have gone with her, but I would have just gotten in the way. They'd taken her to Santa Monica Hospital. The receptionist was nice, and I found out she was on support but unresponsive. They had good brain waves, but she, was for all intents and purposes, in a coma.
I mumbled under my breath and shrouded myself in a little spell that made me appear so non-threatening to people that I was invisible. I went to Destiny's room and sat holding her hand until a nurse walked in.
You can't be here.
Sure I can.
Family only.
I looked her directly in the eyes and lied. It was a bit of a glamour, and she let me stay. It only worked on her, but she'd just come on shift, so I had a few more hours I could hang out. Grandfather Lee whispered healing spell into my brain and I mumbled them out and transferred them physically through the connection we now had while holding hands. I wasn't going to let her die. Even if it was the last thing I did.
I had to move fast. I was pretty sure that The Tall Man had set some sort of signal on the Hex so he'd know when Destiny was dead. So, I had to let her die, but not make it permanent. I wasn't sure I could pull it off, but Grandfather Lee seemed sure. I knew the spell, but he knew an older more powerful version, assuming my Mandarin was up to snuff. With Grandfather Lee whispering in my ear, I stepped into the circle.
The nullification symbol would undo anything I tried, so I wrapped my arms around Destiny and lifted her up off the floor as I mumbled Mandarin under my breath and planted a kiss on her lips. I then inhaled and drew her life force into me. It'd combine with mine if I held onto it too long. I dropped her back to the floor, and I felt the signal run through the circle and fly away to The Tall Man. The field kept her upright and I counted to ten while I got slammed in the brain with her entire life. I counted down to ten using the old Stephen King “My Pretty Pony” routine.
I got to eight and broke the circle with my foot, by scraping away some of the marks. I pulled her out, and dropped her to the sofa. I took a deep breath, and then exhaled her life force back into her. I didn't know whether it would work or not, because the energy it required drained me and I passed out.
I woke to the smell of bacon, but that was a memory ghost. It soon transformed into something burning, and as I drug my eyes open, I realized it was the nullification mark still smoldering. That was never coming out of the floor. Destiny wasn't awake, but I could see that she was breathing. Watching her chest rise and fall took a great burden off of me. I got up, and felt severely dehydrated.
I went to the sofa and put my hand on her forehead just to make sure she was warm. She was. I went to the kitchen and poured two glasses of water. I kicked more of the circle out of the way as I walked back through the living room, and dumped a bit of my glass on the floor where is hissed and cooled the mark. Grandfather Lee was excited that it had worked, and I had to yell at him in my head to get him to shut up. He was giving me a headache, and me yelling didn't help. I put a glass on the side table next to Destiny and sat in a chair across from the sofa, drank my water and watched her chest rise and fall.
I stepped out while she was sleeping and returned the bowling ball to the van just so it didn't attract too many Death Runners. There were probably more in Venice than in all of Tennessee. You'd think the ocean would be a deterrent, but it was pretty fixed. You could walk right out and see the tides coming at you. Few people ever slipped on the beach and got dragged into the ocean. Slipping on the bank of a river was another thing entirely.
The Old Man was asleep and simply rolled on his back exposing his stomach as I put the bowling ball back in the drawer at the foot of the bed. I reached out and petted him. He purred, and then bit me. I knocked out a can of tuna and some potion before I shut him back in. I wanted to be there when destiny woke up.
Climbing the stairs back to her place I smelled burning wood, and when I looked down I saw shoe prints burned into the steps. I ran the rest of the way up and found the door open. Two prints, smoldered at the stoop. I burst in, Destiny was still on the sofa, but she wasn't breathing. I was pissed, but didn't have time to think. I dropped her to the floor and started CPR. The painter's shirt was wet from where she'd lost bladder control. I lifted her head back, swept my fingers through her mouth to get her tongue out of the way, blew four times, dialed 911, and put the phone on speaker and started the four Hundred compressions. CPR had changed over the years, but I tried to make sure I was up to specs. You never know with magic, she's a fickle mistress.
The Emergency team arrived and took over. They had a heart beat five minutes later with a few shocks from a portable defibrillator, and a couple of ccs of epi. They rolled her out and drove off, leaving me behind. I wasn't a friend or family. I closed the door to her apartment on the way out and mumbled under my breath, sealing the door, so I'd know if anyone came calling. I went back to the van, curled up on the bed. The Old Man jumped up and curled up next to me. I could feel his purrs vibrating through me, and it lulled me into sleep.
I woke four hours later, rested enough to go to the Hospital and see what had happened. I could have gone with her, but I would have just gotten in the way. They'd taken her to Santa Monica Hospital. The receptionist was nice, and I found out she was on support but unresponsive. They had good brain waves, but she, was for all intents and purposes, in a coma.
I mumbled under my breath and shrouded myself in a little spell that made me appear so non-threatening to people that I was invisible. I went to Destiny's room and sat holding her hand until a nurse walked in.
You can't be here.
Sure I can.
Family only.
I looked her directly in the eyes and lied. It was a bit of a glamour, and she let me stay. It only worked on her, but she'd just come on shift, so I had a few more hours I could hang out. Grandfather Lee whispered healing spell into my brain and I mumbled them out and transferred them physically through the connection we now had while holding hands. I wasn't going to let her die. Even if it was the last thing I did.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Part XLIII
Pat XLIII
Grandfather Lee chattered in my ear the whole way. It eventually became white noise that settled deep into me and became the rhythm for the drive. Truth is he kept me awake and I was able to make superior time. By the time I pulled into the beach lot off Rose, the sun was overhead and I was arguing with him in Mandarin. I didn't think about it anymore. I finally knew what he was saying, He was a smart man, and as I climbed the stairs to Destiny's apartment we'd figured out a solution to my problem.
I smiled as I knocked on Destiny's door. I was excited, and I didn't know how to hide it. She opened the door wearing her painter's shirt and my grin almost ripped my face in half. She placed her finger on my lips and I didn't say a word. She led me through the place and sat me down on her bed. I hadn't slept in two days. As she pushed me back onto the bed and straddled me, I looked up into her eyes and fell asleep.
I woke to the smell of bacon cooking. She'd turned the tables on me. I was still dehydrated from the drive so the first order of business was a glass of orange juice and a glass of tomato juice. I followed it with her smiling face and some whole wheat pancakes, bacon and maple syrup. She'd laid out breakfast like the last supper. It looked like she must have spent two hours just coring and cutting up fruit.
After breakfast we had coffee and retired to the balcony again. I was getting a serious case of deja vu. We hadn't spoken a word since I'd passed out the night before. She took a sip, then broke the silence.
I can't believe you fell asleep on me.
Let's be clear, I fell asleep under you.
She smiled, and I tried to think of what to say next other than, “I'm sorry.”
Either way, it was very anticlimactic.
Not for me, I slept like a baby. I guess it all depends on what you were looking for a climax to. Me it was a two day drive without any sleep. By the way, I didn't meet a dwarf.
You will.
Looking forward to it.
She took another sip of coffee.
You wanna try again?
Won't it be a bit odd, with me going to be killing you and all?
I don't know, might be exciting.
She was right, it kind of was, well at least when it wasn't really disturbing.
While she slept, me and Grandfather Lee conversed silently in Mandarin and laid out our plan. Truth was he wasn't too bad a guy. Although he pissed me off a few times during my and Destiny's tussle. I guess it'd been a while since he'd had that type of experience.
I slipped out of bed while she slept and prepared the living room. I moved all of the furniture to the side and drew some nasty and not so nasty symbols in circle. It'd bind her, and if I did it right protect her at the same time. The last thing I did was place my hand palm down at the center of the circle. I mumbled under my breath and burned the symbol on my hand into the hardwood floor. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but it was the only way I could think of to transfer it. I turned the tattoo into a branding iron. I was going to be wearing it for a while now. It would scar over soon, with the help from the salve Grandfather Lee had made me whip up.
I sat in a chair with a fresh cup of coffee and waited for Destiny to rise. While I waited I made a fist over and over to make sure the scar didn't set my hand in a way I couldn't use it.
A half hour later she walked into the living room rubbing her eyes. She stopped when she saw the circle. I stood up out of the chair. She smiled a sad smile at me and without even flinching she stepped into the center.
What now?
Well, you’re going to fell a prick.
Is that all?
No, after the prick, you'll feel like you’re on fire, and then hopefully before it gets too bad you'll pass out. Don't worry though, you won't fall. You'll be in stasis within the circle.
How will I die?
Slowly.
She pulled herself up straight and gave me a look of determination. She was still just dressed in her painter's shirt, and there was something almost too vulnerable about that, but I think she knew this.
I had a great time Aubrey.
Me too. I pulled out my pocket knife and cut open my finger just enough to draw blood. I mumbled under my breath, activating the nullification symbol, then I drew the last symbol on the floor sealing the circle. Destiny screamed. I stood firm, clenching my teeth. I started to breath heavy as she went limp, but stayed standing.
I mumbled under my breath again and stuck my scarred hand into the circle and closed my fist as though wrapping it around a piece of cloth. I ripped my hand back out and a sheet of energy came with it. I planted my feet and brought my other hand up and rolled the “cloth” around and finally into a ball, where it stabilized. I went to her front door and opened it. The bowling ball bag was still where I had left it. I unzipped it and shoved my hand in. I felt the bowling ball suck the energy right off me. It felt like having acid poured on my hand, but the burn died quick. I zipped the bag back up and this time I carried it with me into the apartment.
Destiny was still upright, protected but close to death. The only thing keeping her alive was the nullifying symbol. The Tall Man had created a kill switch that would kill her when the piece of my Uncle's soul was removed. By temporarily putting the kibosh on his hex I'd bought time, but that was it.
Grandfather Lee chattered in my ear the whole way. It eventually became white noise that settled deep into me and became the rhythm for the drive. Truth is he kept me awake and I was able to make superior time. By the time I pulled into the beach lot off Rose, the sun was overhead and I was arguing with him in Mandarin. I didn't think about it anymore. I finally knew what he was saying, He was a smart man, and as I climbed the stairs to Destiny's apartment we'd figured out a solution to my problem.
I smiled as I knocked on Destiny's door. I was excited, and I didn't know how to hide it. She opened the door wearing her painter's shirt and my grin almost ripped my face in half. She placed her finger on my lips and I didn't say a word. She led me through the place and sat me down on her bed. I hadn't slept in two days. As she pushed me back onto the bed and straddled me, I looked up into her eyes and fell asleep.
I woke to the smell of bacon cooking. She'd turned the tables on me. I was still dehydrated from the drive so the first order of business was a glass of orange juice and a glass of tomato juice. I followed it with her smiling face and some whole wheat pancakes, bacon and maple syrup. She'd laid out breakfast like the last supper. It looked like she must have spent two hours just coring and cutting up fruit.
After breakfast we had coffee and retired to the balcony again. I was getting a serious case of deja vu. We hadn't spoken a word since I'd passed out the night before. She took a sip, then broke the silence.
I can't believe you fell asleep on me.
Let's be clear, I fell asleep under you.
She smiled, and I tried to think of what to say next other than, “I'm sorry.”
Either way, it was very anticlimactic.
Not for me, I slept like a baby. I guess it all depends on what you were looking for a climax to. Me it was a two day drive without any sleep. By the way, I didn't meet a dwarf.
You will.
Looking forward to it.
She took another sip of coffee.
You wanna try again?
Won't it be a bit odd, with me going to be killing you and all?
I don't know, might be exciting.
She was right, it kind of was, well at least when it wasn't really disturbing.
While she slept, me and Grandfather Lee conversed silently in Mandarin and laid out our plan. Truth was he wasn't too bad a guy. Although he pissed me off a few times during my and Destiny's tussle. I guess it'd been a while since he'd had that type of experience.
I slipped out of bed while she slept and prepared the living room. I moved all of the furniture to the side and drew some nasty and not so nasty symbols in circle. It'd bind her, and if I did it right protect her at the same time. The last thing I did was place my hand palm down at the center of the circle. I mumbled under my breath and burned the symbol on my hand into the hardwood floor. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but it was the only way I could think of to transfer it. I turned the tattoo into a branding iron. I was going to be wearing it for a while now. It would scar over soon, with the help from the salve Grandfather Lee had made me whip up.
I sat in a chair with a fresh cup of coffee and waited for Destiny to rise. While I waited I made a fist over and over to make sure the scar didn't set my hand in a way I couldn't use it.
A half hour later she walked into the living room rubbing her eyes. She stopped when she saw the circle. I stood up out of the chair. She smiled a sad smile at me and without even flinching she stepped into the center.
What now?
Well, you’re going to fell a prick.
Is that all?
No, after the prick, you'll feel like you’re on fire, and then hopefully before it gets too bad you'll pass out. Don't worry though, you won't fall. You'll be in stasis within the circle.
How will I die?
Slowly.
She pulled herself up straight and gave me a look of determination. She was still just dressed in her painter's shirt, and there was something almost too vulnerable about that, but I think she knew this.
I had a great time Aubrey.
Me too. I pulled out my pocket knife and cut open my finger just enough to draw blood. I mumbled under my breath, activating the nullification symbol, then I drew the last symbol on the floor sealing the circle. Destiny screamed. I stood firm, clenching my teeth. I started to breath heavy as she went limp, but stayed standing.
I mumbled under my breath again and stuck my scarred hand into the circle and closed my fist as though wrapping it around a piece of cloth. I ripped my hand back out and a sheet of energy came with it. I planted my feet and brought my other hand up and rolled the “cloth” around and finally into a ball, where it stabilized. I went to her front door and opened it. The bowling ball bag was still where I had left it. I unzipped it and shoved my hand in. I felt the bowling ball suck the energy right off me. It felt like having acid poured on my hand, but the burn died quick. I zipped the bag back up and this time I carried it with me into the apartment.
Destiny was still upright, protected but close to death. The only thing keeping her alive was the nullifying symbol. The Tall Man had created a kill switch that would kill her when the piece of my Uncle's soul was removed. By temporarily putting the kibosh on his hex I'd bought time, but that was it.
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