B008M2IEII EBOK Page 15

I concealed the pistol in my jacket pocket.

  “Get a permit to carry so you don’t have to deal with that crap if something does happen. You sure this guy is after you? I mean really sure, like you are going to wind up on an empty-street-somewhere-wadded-up-in-a-ball sure?”

  “No doubt in my mind. He will be back. He said as much, it’s just a matter of when and where.”

  “What did he look like, sound like? Tell me anything you can remember.”

  “He dresses extremely well, everything pressed and clean. Black dress shoes with a mirror shine to them. He had a very mild English accent that was difficult to place. Now that I think about it, he could be faking the accent. The guy is certifiably insane.”

  Mike made a few notes on a small flip notebook, “Let me talk to my partner and see what we can do. He called your cell? You’re sure it was him and not some punk messing with you?”

  “Yes. Not one single shadow of a doubt in my mind that it was the same guy.”

  “Ok. I can try and get a tap with your permission, maybe pull the records just to see. I’m not going to find anything that will look bad for you, will I?”

  “Nope. Other than text messages and calls home I don’t really talk to anyone.”

  “OK, good. Next time he calls, we can get a location at the very least and find out who the hell he is. It’s probably a disposable phone but at least it will be something, location or maybe a credit card tied to the account. At least then we can get some location data to work with.”

  “If you think it will help.”

  “This will get big, Adam. I hope you are up for this.”

  “You and me both. I really do appreciate this. I wasn’t sure where to turn and not sound like some kind of a nut.”

  “What are friends for Adam?”

  ~2~

  The weight of the gun in my pocket as I drive home is very distracting. I find little comfort in the weapon and can’t imagine ever having a situation where it would serve me. To me it feels crass and violent not to mention would do nothing for me when it comes to defense. I am fighting an enemy that can reach out from miles away, what good would a gun be in that situation? If he got close enough for me to hit him with a pistol he could strip away my Darkness, my life, before I could even pull the trigger! The weapon is nothing more than added weight, something I would use to keep paper from blowing away, nothing more.

  The house looks quiet as I pull into the circle and kill the engine. I sit and feel the weight of the gun, I’m not even sure where to put it. I won’t carry it and Erica would really want to know why I felt the need to have a gun. As I step out of the car, I notice an unnatural stillness to the air around me. The hair on the back of my neck begins to stand on end. I can’t see them but I can sense the tendrils of Darkness dancing around me.

  With a familiar tone my cell phone rings, again the caller ID lists it as private and a chill runs down my spine. I set the call to ignore and put the phone back in my pocket. Instantly a wave of Darkness slams into me like a truck and I am thrown to the ground in a cry of pain as ice-cold lances pierce me. He is close. Very close. Waves of his vile shadow roll around me as he bathes me in his own abilities. How is he able to move around so freely?

  The phone rings again and this time I answer it between gasps of breath. His crisp dry voice speaks before I can utter a single word.

  “That is a much more appropriate response, Adam, thank you. Please do not make me wait again. That was extremely rude of you and behavior like that simply cannot be tolerated. I was just beginning to like you, Adam, but I see you still need to learn to respect your superiors. Don’t make me punish you again.”

  I am gasping for air as his Darkness pushes down on me, “What do you want this time, asshole.”

  Another wave slams me down. Instead of fighting it, I feel something ‘turn’ in my Darkness and I allow the attack so simply pass through me. I can’t explain what I just did and don’t know how to do it again. I feel the waves of force flow around me and I am able to stand. The anger is beginning to replace the initial flash of fear. I begin to push out in all directions, expanding, searching.

  “Oh my, Adam. Aren’t you just the crafty one? You are learning so fast but it is such a broad field to master and you have such precious little time remaining to explore your craft. Anyway, enough of the small talk, I really do find it quite boring and in the grand scheme of things a waste of my time. Tell me Adam, what exactly do you hope to accomplish by bringing the police into this?”

  “Stop you if they do their job right.”

  “Now that really is a funny one, Adam,” he laughs lightly, it isn’t a pleasant laugh. “Perhaps you have already forgotten what happened to the last officer of the law that got in my way? They are all merely play-things to me but if you feel the need to throw more of them at me it could get very messy. I would hate to see your friend Michael get, oh what’s the word I want to use, erased? Close but not quite what I am looking for.”

  I have pushed out past our home, Erica is safe inside working on her laptop and all the nearby homes are empty of all but family pets.

  “You leave my friends out of this you piece of crap! This is between you and me!”

  Another wave washes over as he tries again to push me. I reach out further but touch no one accept Erica. He is close, I know it.

  “Why did you have to kill that cop? Guy was just doing his damn job.” I am truly angry now; he is invading my home, my castle of solitude. It is the one place in the world that I should be safe.

  “He was in the way. I shot him by the way, very gruesome and barbaric if you ask me, I abhor violence of that manner. I didn’t want to strip him of his soul though, I have plans that need to be kept and he would have upset the balance I so carefully crafted. I have standards that I need to uphold you know. There are procedures that must be followed, rigid plans that require incredible attention to detail and I just didn’t want to upset those. I’m sure someone in your line of work can understand how important planning can be.”

  “Are you completely insane?”

  He continued as if I hadn’t said anything. I continue my ever broadening search.

  “I find it very fascinating to finally see what the Police think the story is. They are so slow to react that it is almost comical, like some sort of early silent movie with the constable chasing the criminal in white and black stripes,” he let out a quiet laugh, “I’m sorry, I digress, back to the topic at hand. Your friend won’t be able to secure a wiretap on your phone for several days if you are thinking about that right now. I will give them credit where credit is due though, they actually do have some things right. I was simply amazed that they have been able to put together a few of the pieces. I do always take twelve. The thirteenth is always a fellow Sear, although they can be difficult to find sometimes. As far as my historical record goes, they are completely wrong about how many there have been. They underestimate the power of someone such as myself. Adam, would you be surprised to know I have been doing this for forty-nine years? There are some fringe benefits that come with powers, ageing very slowly is one I’m sure you have since become aware of.”

  Pushing out further. I am nearly three blocks away when I find him. To anyone watching I looked as if I was just staring at the ground, but in my Darkness I was flowing over my entire neighborhood. Focusing on every cloud of black-mercury I find. I keep my tendrils at a larger than normal distance as I feel out his location and try to place where in the neighborhood he is.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me at all,” I force myself to breath out the words heavily. “It wouldn’t surprise me to know the first thing you did out of the womb was kill everyone in the delivery room.”

  “Oh, I wasn’t that good, at first. It took some time to build the skills needed to effectively snuff out a soul. I was a tireless worker though, very dedicated to my burgeoning skill set. I have stolen the life of seven hundred and fifty-one people. It is quite an incredible record if you ask me. It certainl
y dwarfs the accomplishments of nearly every other competitor, wouldn’t you agree? It clearly puts me in a league of my own I think. There simply hasn’t been another of my caliber.”

  “How can you do this people? How can you hurt them as if it is nothing? These people have done nothing to deserve this.”

  “I don’t understand why someone such as yourself can’t understand the simple reality of it all. We are gods among men, Adam. You, of all people should know this fact. People are merely play things to us, the gods of this world,” he pauses for several seconds as he thinks, “Yes, I think it is appropriate to use the plural there. People like us. People like you and I see the world as it is, these mindless drones around us are nothing but fodder to me. I might add that soul stealing is quite addictive too. I have nearly completed this city and I am quite excited. I have two more to kill then you will be number thirteen! Isn’t that exciting?”

  I can see his core Darkness now. Rolling with anger and hatred. Thick linings of red roll and blend with the chaotic flares of brown. Curls of red smeared waves of black-mercury flow around like an angry sea. His liquid-onyx boils like a horrific storm of hatred.

  “In case you are wondering, Adam, your neighbor Ben here was number ten. It looks as if he passed away in his sleep. I am truly saddened that I won’t get credit for this one but I do so get tired of the entire disposal process. I find them quite filthy once I have consumed their life force, they also tend to be on the heavy side.” He sighs as if he is troubled, “I can’t always leave a gift for the local police to ponder but I do so love to when it is convenient. I think you can understand the importance of taking pride in one’s work.”

  He has lowered his guard. He still thinks I am just another Sear without the talent or skill to fight back. He is wrong and I now know it. With a flash of anger, I lash out. I push out hard with the Darkness and slam him with everything I can muster. The phone slips from his hand as he gasps for air. I have physically thrown him to the ground. I can feel my strength and skill has grown. As he tries to stand, I push again. He is ready this time and he allows much of the energy to flow through and around him.”

  I hear the sound of him picking his phone up off the ground. He coughs several times before speaking, “Adam, I am impressed. You have learned far faster than any Sear I have ever consumed. I can certainly appreciate a challenge but let me show you what you are truly up against.”

  A force slams me to the ground hard enough to blow the windows in on the Jetta. The car alarm begins to sound as the glass showers down around the parking circle. The cell phone lays several feet in front of me where it landed. I am better prepared for the second attack and let it wash around me. It takes all of my concentration to keep my protection up but even then I feel as if I have been bounced off the hood of a semitruck. I sense a pause on his side as he begins to prepare for another attack. With an angry growl, I push out again. This time I hold him. I lock him in place although I do not know how long I can keep this up. I am tiring far faster than he is. He is locked in a barrier of black-mercury but already he is exerting pressure as he tries to free himself.

  I crawl on bloodied knees and pick up the phone, the screen is unusable but I can hear his heavy breathing as he fights me on the other side.

  “I won’t let you take me that easy, not now, not ever.”

  “I could use a challenge. This hold is quite original. I was going to say—,” he abruptly stopped talking and paused for a moment. I heard the front door open as Erica stepped out to see what the noise was.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Oh this is simply too good to be true! This changes all of my plans now doesn’t it?”

  I attempted to push again as his Darkness reached out for Erica, but there was nothing there. I was fading fast and it took everything I had to try to hold him at bay. The thin tendrils of his Darkness flowed around Erica and I saw the flash of fear in her eyes. She knew I was locked in battle and that she had just become an unwilling participant. I was disgusted by the fact that he was flowing around her, through her. Disgusted wasn’t the right word for it, I was infuriated. I felt a wave of rage boiling to the surface that made me wonder what I was truly capable of doing.

  Erica staggered back against the wall slightly as she tried to move away from the invisible touch. I could see the disgust, the fear, the violation, written in her Darkness.

  “It appears that a congratulation is in order, Adam. I did not know she was with child. Have I mentioned age means nothing to me? I already knew who twelve and thirteen would be and it seems that I now have number eleven also. Children are like, hmm, what is a good analogy? A fine glass of wine maybe? In this case an appetizer before the main dish.”

  Blood was flowing heavily from my eyes and ears as I prepared myself, “I will only tell you this one time, you filthy piece of garbage, you will leave my family alone!” I slammed down with every ounce of anger driven force I could find. The windows of Ben’s house exploded outward as I smashed my energy down on Mr. Black over and over. I wanted to crush him from the world. The street lights in front of the wrecked house exploded in a shower of sparks and glass. I felt him weaken as he tried to fend off my angry blows. I crashed down on him without mercy as I desperately tried to snuff out his life energy. I hit him several more times but each attack was feebler than the last. I was exhausted. I reached out once more and felt him fade briefly before the blackness overcame me. I had won this fight but I hadn’t beaten him entirely. Next time, he would be ready for me. I dropped to my hands and knees as fresh blood started flowing from my ears and nose. Light faded down a long tunnel and I faded with it. I fought as hard as I could but the darkness claimed me. I ceased to exist.

  ~3~

  The first thing I become aware of is a swirling light and a very loud ringing in my ears. The light is far too bright even with my eyes closed. A shadow passes over my face and the brightness is muted.

  Erica is kneeling on the pavement and she blocks out the sun with her hand. My head rests comfortably in her lap while she uses a warm towel to clean the blood from my face and head. My entire body is aching. I feel as if I attempted to move the world. The pain is like every fiber of my body was stressed just before the point of snapping and rapidly released over and over. I try to push out to find Mr. Black but find I can’t go further than directly around me without feeling a wave of nausea and incredible vertigo.

  “What happened to you Adam? You scared me half to death. What was that? I felt it all around me. It was like what you did to me, but evil, violating. Please tell me that wasn’t you.”

  Wearily I replied, “No, that wasn’t me. I guess you could say I got in a fight and you walked into it at a really bad time. Not a normal fight though.” I tried to sit up then thought better of it and simply turned onto my side. “So you know what I can do for the most part, right? You kind of know how it works and all?”

  She nodded yes, “I think so, but after what I just saw and felt I’m not sure I know anything anymore.”

  “Well there are apparently other people that can do the same thing but not all of them are nice. In this case the man is certifiably insane and kills people for sport and pleasure. Lots of people.”

  “So why did he come after you all of a sudden? Did he think you were some kind of threat?”

  “He found me not too long ago at the store. He looks for people like me to kill. This man moves from town to town taking the souls of innocent people. People like me are the cherry on top for him. He calls me a Sear.”

  “Someone is trying to kill you? We have to go to the police, Adam!”

  “And tell them what? That the Darkness that surrounds all living beings is an energy construct I can both see and control, and, oh yeah, there is another guy out there that kills people with it. I wonder what hospital they would lock me up in.”

  She was silent for several moments, “So what do we do, just sit back and wait for him to destroy you? I felt him touch me, it was horrible, he is horrible
!”

  “I talked with Mike about it earlier today, I think that’s one reason this Mr. Black is so angry. I’m the first one who has effectively fought back. As far as that goes, I think there is a damn good chance I hurt him worse than I hurt myself. He was at Ben’s house. I’m pretty sure Ben is dead. I couldn’t sense him at the house.”

  “Ben is dead? You were fighting this man at Ben’s house? You can fight people three blocks away? How is that even possible?”

  “I fought him at Ben’s house from here, yes. To be honest I think I could go quite a bit more distant but my attacks get weaker the further I am stretched.” I looked at her destroyed Jetta. Every single piece of glass on car was turned to dust. Even the tips of the door locks that had been made out of some sort of blue glass had been turned to dust. “I have a feeling his house looks similar to your car, or maybe worse.”

  In the distance I could hear several sirens coming toward our community from the fire station just outside of town.

  “OK, maybe a lot worse.”

  I struggled to stand and wound up bent over while I waited for the wave of dizziness to pass.

  “That’s probably the police and fire department coming. Listen, we need to go down to his house. I am too exhausted to push out and find out how badly I hurt Mr. Black from here but if he is still there and weak I need to get him now. I can take him out once and for all. If he is there and as injured as I am, maybe we can get him arrested or something. I don’t know.”

  “I’ll grab the keys to the truck. I’m guessing there is a good chance my Jetta will never run again.”

  ~4~

  By the time we drove past Ben’s split entry home, there were three fire trucks and several patrol cars arrayed in front of the home. As we watched, two officers closed the door on the back of the ambulance and it drove down the street. It did not have any lights or sirens on.

  “Park the truck over there, I need to get as close to the house as possible or I won’t be able to do this without passing out.”