chapter 9
After Dante left, I made my way back down to the Deli, only to find my sandwich had already been trashed. Slightly annoyed, I bought another one and savored every bite. As I ate, I considered everything that Dante had said, and tried to decide what I should do next. I felt pressured to do as Dante had asked, but at the same time I knew that in my current state I was no match for anything much stronger than a Girl Scout. I had only defeated the vampires with a lot of help, and I wasn't feeling too good about letting the Were's soul take over again.
Despite Dante’s opinion, nothing I had experienced the prior night had suggested that I would be able to regain control once I had passed it over. Add to that the fact that Josette had suckered me, and I was left feeling alone and powerless in the middle of a race to save mankind from being literally devoured by monsters. I had thought dying was the hard part. There was something funny in there somewhere, I was sure.
I took the amulet out of my pocket and took a closer look at it. To think that there was some vestige of the embodiment of God trapped in that crystal. It was heady stuff and it kept me captivated for a while, watching the smoky liquid ebb and flow inside its prison.
Power. That was the lock and key to all of this. Without power, I couldn't hope to carry through with my assignment. Dante was so certain I had power. He had said that Josette couldn't hope to defeat me in a flat out fight. Now that was comedy. The Demon Queen seemed to have the most power. Thinking about her ripping through the angels and the Templars to get to the Chalice made me shiver with trepidation. If I was going to survive, I would have to figure out what my power was, how much of it I had, and how best to utilize it. Did David go through this same mental exercise before he had to go out to face Goliath?
I left the deli and headed back to the Belmont. I stopped at my room to grab the seraphim sword and demonic dagger, and carried them to the roof. Once there, I dropped into the pose Josette had taught me hours earlier. I ran through the limited exercises she had shown me with abandon, trying to free myself from the bonds of humanity that I knew I was clinging onto. In the last twenty four hours I had seen and done things that I knew were impossible as part of a normal human existence, but normalcy had been left far behind, and now I was part of something that rose above mortality, that lorded over it in a sickly sweet dance with one too many partners. I was the odd man out, and I would have to earn my place in line.
When I slipped on an icy patch and landed on my ass, I gave up on the swordplay. Maybe this was how the angels handled conflict, but it just wasn't working for me. I was born in an age of weapons of mass destruction, missile toting drones, and frickin' laser beams. I needed my own approach.
Embarrassed and angry for having fallen, I cast my gaze to a large piece of the building's frieze that had crumbled at some point over the last century. I thought first about the rain making exercise, and then changed my focus from condensing water vapor, to expanding the air trapped inside the cement. I felt the now familiar tug in my mind, and watched the chunk of wall burst outward as no more than powder. Now that's what I was talking about!
I got a little bit punch drunk on my newfound ability to pulverize rock, and I spent the better part of an hour blasting small chunks of stone out of the roof of the Belmont. As time wore on, I could feel my concentration improving, my control improving. I still failed to get results three out of every ten tries, but it was progress, and I was happy with it. I felt alive, and strong! Better than I had ever felt before.
I picked up the sword again and charged toward the metal door to the stairwell, racing forward and focusing my will along the blade, making it sharper, stronger. I took a nasty hack, and laughed as the blade ripped through the door, shredding it almost in half. Intoxicated, I threw a fist at the top half, and watched as it knocked the weakened door off its hinges and over the edge of the rooftop. A moment later I heard it crash onto the empty alley below. Power. It was raw, unchained, and somewhat uneven, but it was there, and it was mine.
I left the rooftop in ruins before I retreated back to my room. I didn't know how much my display of rock-smashing would help me in a real fight, but if nothing else I felt a little bit less like a piece of meat dangling from a large hook. With any luck I'd at least be able to make myself look formidable, even if I couldn't seal the deal.
I stripped off my clothes and hopped into the shower. I didn’t need it to stay clean or smell fresh, but I had always found the feeling of the water and the small space of the stall helped me focus my thoughts, and I had a lot to think about. First, there was the matter of the Chalice. I needed to find it, but I had no idea where to look, or even where to begin looking.
I was pretty sure that the demon Reyzl would have the intel I needed, but there was no way I was in any shape to confront a major power like that. I doubted I ever would be. Moving stuff around for a few seconds was a parlor trick compared to what I imagined a major demon was capable of.
No, I needed to start at the bottom, to find the lowest rung on the ladder that might be able to point me in the right direction, and to stay near the bottom of the barrel for as long as I could. Surprise was my only real advantage right now. I had used it to the fullest against the Great Were, and I needed to do the same here. I closed my eyes and let the water run down my body, listening to the sound of it as it dripped off my limbs and landed on the chipped and scratched porcelain below.
My second problem was a little more complicated. Josette. She would be back to see me at some point, I was sure of it. Whether it would be as a teacher or as an inquisitor, I just had no idea. She confused me in so many ways. She could be sweet, impulsive, playful, and light, and within an instant serious, introspective, and frightening.
She was good, and the goodness was beautiful. She had a sensitivity and empathy that I admired, and from the moment she had connected her soul to mine I had felt a bond to her that I couldn’t understand or explain. I wanted to be her ally, her friend, her... I didn’t know. I had thought that could have been possible, despite our differences in opinion. She seemed both open to it and against it at the same time. She had agreed to teach me even though it was against her laws. Then she had used my trust to try to wring information out of me. Information I didn’t have.
What would I do when she returned? I could call her on her deception, and she would not be able to lie to me. That didn’t mean she would be honest. I was learning the difference, and just knowing that there was one sucked. My other alternative was to say nothing, pretend I didn’t know, and see what she did next. She hadn’t gotten anything out of me, so maybe she would try again. If I were ready the next time I could catch her at it, but wouldn’t I just end up right back where I was now? Either way my shot at friendship was lost, and that sucked too.
I turned off the flow of water and pushed all of the moisture off my body with a thought. I was getting pretty good at small pushes. As far as Josette was concerned, I would make a game-time decision based on whatever emotions bubbled up the next time I saw her. There was enough dishonesty going around to deny the truth from myself too. With respect to the Chalice, I had an idea on that one. It was a long shot, but long was better than none.
I finished dressing, altering my clothes into a simple black cotton collared shirt and a pair of destroyed blue jeans. Slipping back into the bedroom, I grabbed my iPad, hopped on the bed, tapped into the browser, and made my way back to SamChan. I may not be a Collector like Mr. Ross, but I did have at least one source to depend on for this type of otherwise insane information.
I found the thread from the guy with the vampire video on the third page. It had been posted a couple of days ago, and he swore up and down in his post that it was legit, that he had stumbled across two vamps fighting each other in an alley as he was heading home from work that night.
I recognized his screen name, ‘Oblitrix’. He had been on the Chan for years, working different hacking schemes for groups like Anonymous. There were a couple of replies on his thread, and they were filled with derision and jokes about random drug testing and drug-free workplaces. I spent some time staring at the screen before I hit the personal message button. I needed to get a line on someone who might have info about the Chalice, and vampires fit my decision to stick to the bottom of the power ladder to a tee. Oblitrix knew where to find them, or at least had a general idea where they might be found. I briefly thought about tracking Rebecca down on Liberty Island, but I couldn’t come up with any sane reason why she would help me with this. So, I started typing.
O - GCT, 104 11 21 0900
The message was short and cryptic, but I knew Oblitrix would be there. Getting a PM from a dead guy’s account would be irresistible to a guy like him. With that taken care of, there was little else to do but wait until morning. I had about sixteen hours before the meeting, and I needed to take advantage of every minute. I propped myself up against the back of the bed and ran through the rain exercise three or four dozen times. False starts were one thing in this environment. Failure in a tight spot could mean my end.
As Dante had suggested, overexertion left me weary. I had continued my practice non-stop for almost three hours, alternating between making it rain and sending objects flying through the room. By the time my splitting headache and dead tired body demanded that I call it a night, I figured I was getting a ninety percent success rate on my efforts. During one attempt I had even managed to keep the sword, the dagger, and my socks rotating above the bed for about twelve seconds. Not too bad for a newbie.
My mind was too tired to focus, too frenetic to sleep. Restless, I picked up the iPad and made my way over to YouTube. In my tired, restless boredom, I decided to check out some videos on sword fighting and martial arts. My own ability thus far had proven to be pathetic at best, and at the very least maybe I could learn to not be a greater threat to myself than my opponent.
I spent the next couple of hours navigating the chain of clips from one to the next, my mind vaguely aware of what I was watching as it began to settle into a deeper state of rest. I wasn't sure I needed to sleep, but I closed my eyes anyway. At some point soon after, the iPad slipped from my hand and landed on the floor next to the bed.
I woke up around eight thirty. Whether or not I needed to sleep, I felt so much better for having done so. My body felt recharged, renewed, and full of energy. My mind was clear, sharp, and focused. I had a plan, I knew what needed to be done, and I was feeling good about doing it. For the first time since I had died, or maybe even for the first time since my soul gained its first spark of life, I felt like I was in control.
I hopped out of bed, grabbed the sword and dagger, and headed out the door. Punkmo was manning the front desk when I stepped purposefully past, his eyes bloodshot and droopy as he came down from his morning high. The look he gave me reminded me that I needed to disguise the sword. I glamoured it into an umbrella before anyone sober took notice.
It was a long walk from the Belmont to Grand Central Station, so I moved at a brisk pace. As I walked, I paid extra attention to the world around me; to the smell of coffee, donuts, and fried foods permeating the morning air, to the sounds of cars driving by, people talking, high heels on cement, cellphones, car horns, sirens, beggars asking for change... Every noise was a musical note in my mind, and as I paid more attention to it I began to recognize the tune, and then to anticipate it. This was my world, and in my Awakened state I could understand it in a way that exposed every beauty it possessed, and appreciate it for every nuance. To the untrained it would have seemed chaotic and disorganized, but in it I was beginning to see the balance as much as I could innately feel it. It was so much more complex than just good versus evil. It was in and of everything, and it was incredible.
Grand Central Station was a hub of activity, the famous main concourse thronged with people. They moved smoothly with and around one another, effortless in their negotiation of passage as they went about their daily lives. I spent a moment admiring the controlled chaos of the masses before heading straight for the lower concourse. I had told Oblitrix I would meet him near Track 104. He wouldn’t know who he was looking for, and neither would I by sight, but I was hoping I would be able to pick him out based on his body language. He was sure to be on edge, filled with nervous, anxious anticipation. His heart would be racing, his breathing shallow, and his palms sweaty and cold. As I navigated the lower concourse towards Track 104, I paid close attention to all of the people moving through the station, watching the vibration of their bodies, listening to their heartbeats.
I found him sitting on a bench towards the outer fringe. His body was hunched forward, his head resting on his hands, his right foot tapping at a rabbit’s pace and his eyes darting back and forth to watch every person as they angled by. He was African-American, with a wide nose, small ears, and a chiseled jaw. He was wearing a black caddy hat, a heavy wool pea coat, black paratrooper pants and combat boots. He also had a black nylon messenger bag draped over his chest with a huge ‘O’ embroidered on the center.
I stood behind him and watched for a minute, just to make sure I had my man. I also did a quick scan of the rest of the crowd to make sure neither of us had been followed. I was just about to go over and sit next to him when someone else from the crowd approached him. The new guy said something to him, and then Oblitrix stood up and held out his hand in greeting, a big smile growing on his face. So much for my private message.
The newcomer wasn’t Divine, I was sure of it. That didn’t mean he was innocent though. I watched the two exchange a few more words before Oblitrix motioned to his messenger bag. I didn’t need to eavesdrop on the conversation to know what was being said. I didn’t even need to try to spot the bad guys when they started closing in.
I looked around, taking note of how the crowded floor was thinning out as people subconsciously decided to take a different train, stop to grab a bite to eat, or otherwise move themselves away from the incoming demons. I avoided looking at them in hopes of staying off their radar for as long as possible. Instead, I started making my way past Oblitrix and the not-me, pretending that I was vacating the area.
I was six feet away from them when my fake looked up and caught my eye. His expression changed immediately, from a warm friendliness to a fearful animosity. His eyes shifted to glance at the demons coming toward us, trying to judge his odds of survival. They weren’t good.
I reached out and grabbed Oblitrix by the collar of his pea coat, pulling him backwards with enough force to get his neck out of the way as a serrated dagger flashed by. Without hesitation, I lunged forward and stabbed the man with my umbrella-sword. The feeling of the blade sinking into his flesh was both sickening and satisfying, but I didn’t have time to dwell on any of the emotions. I could feel the demons’ eyes on me now, recognizing me as Divine. There were four in total, approaching from each end of the concourse. Not vampires. I knew that much by the feeling of fear that started encroaching on my crumbling bravado. Whatever they were, they were higher up the ladder than I had been looking to scrap with.
“What the?” It was all Oblitrix had managed to get out during the whole maneuver. I held him up to keep him from losing his feet, and then spun him to face me.
“Oblitrix, I presume,” I said. “My name is Landon, and I need you to come with me right now or we’re both going to be demon food.”
I didn’t give him a choice. The demons didn’t give me a choice. There was one direction they didn’t have covered, and that was down the steps into the train tunnels. I moved my grip to Oblitrix’s arm and yanked him along. It was a bad idea to be moving further away from daylight, but I didn’t see that I had a choice.
“Let me go man,” he cried as I pulled him.
My grip was iron as we started descending, the demons quickly gaining ground. It was my fault he had come here, so I was responsible for him. I wasn’t about to let him die without a fight.
“Trust me,” I said. “You don’t want me to let go.”
He trusted me when they burst onto the stairs. They had shed their human skins for their natural forms. At least seven feet tall, with furry humanoid bodies and long, powerful limbs that ended in sharp claws. They reminded me of werewolves, but their heads didn’t look canine at all. I could hear them growling and shrieking. I could hear their claws scraping along the cement. We needed to move faster, or they needed to move slower.
I focused my will on a couple of nearby garbage cans, sending them flying towards the monsters. They danced aside without slowing, the effort not preventing them from gaining ground.
“Down the tunnel,” I told Oblitrix, letting go of his arm. “Keep running, don’t look back. If a train comes, get out of the way.”
He was too scared to argue. I let him go and turned to face the oncoming demons. There was no way I could take on all of them at once. I wasn’t even sure if I could survive against just one. There was no time left to think, just react.
I held the blessed sword in front of me the way I had seen in the videos, trying to focus myself on the task at hand. I painted a picture of calm control as I watched the demons approach unabated, eight pairs of claws ready to rip me apart. I could hear Oblitrix hop down onto the sunken tracks behind me. I could hear his messenger bag slapping against his body while he ran.
The lead demon lunged forward, its body propelled toward me like an ugly rocket. I fought my flight reflex and held my ground, trying to keep my mind relaxed so that my subconscious sense of self-preservation could guide me. Time slowed down for me then, and I had a clear view of the oncoming demon. I could see the vector of its body towards mine, the angle of its limbs as it brought its claws to bear. I could smell the pheromones it was pushing off to enhance my sense of fear. I could taste the sickly sulfurous air that surrounded it, leaving a burnt iron residue on my tongue.
I saw its left arm flex and begin a movement intended to sever my head from my torso. I stood firm and stabbed forward with the sword, catching the demon under its collarbone. I combined its momentum with my own to deflect it away from me, sending it tumbling off the platform and onto the tracks. I could only hope that the wound was enough to be fatal.
The other three demons came in together, only a fraction of a second behind the first. Their howls were deafening as they sensed the kill. I put up the sword again, but I may as well have been holding a toothpick. I managed to block the first two attacks through either fast reflexes or dumb luck, but first one strike slipped through my defenses, and then another. Pain blossomed throughout my abdomen as their claws ripped flesh from bone and tore into my innards. I didn’t know how much damage I could take, but with no way to stop the assault I had to assume they would just keep clawing until I stopped moving.
I dropped to the ground, my eyes losing focus as I struggled to put up some kind of a fight. In desperation I tried reaching out for the power of the Great Were, but even it had deserted me. For all my desire to fight for mankind, I was the guy throwing rocks at tanks.
I knew the demons were mangling my body. I could feel their claws digging into my flesh like it was just another piece of meat. I could hear their satisfied growls while they tore me apart, their bloodlust in full control. My vision was blurring, and I was starting to feel really warm. I didn’t know what would happen to me or where I was going, but at least I knew I wouldn’t be in any more pain. I welcomed the warmth with open arms, beckoning the end.
I was vaguely aware of the deafening pops that followed. I wouldn’t have known anything had happened at all if the rending pain hadn’t ceased, replaced with the warm, wet, stinky feeling of thick demon blood splattering down onto me and mixing with my own. My vision had fled, but I could hear the shrieks of pain as more pops followed. I tried to move, to get to my feet, but I had no feeling in my legs. I didn’t even know if I still had legs. I could hear someone running up towards me, their breathing heavy.
“I don’t know what’s going on here, man,” Oblitrix said between breaths. “But this is seriously crazy.”
“You don’t even know the half of it,” I tried to say.
My mouth must have been in rough shape, because it came out as little more than a mumbled gurgle. Bullets, I realized. He had shot them. I needed to heal fast, or we were both screwed. I focused my will inward, forcing the impossible to happen even faster. My vision returned in a blink, and I could see Oblitrix leaning over me, a sheen of sweat on his forehead, a Desert Eagle in his hand, aimed in the direction of the demons.
I opened and closed my mouth to see that it was working, clenched and unclenched my fists and toes. He watched me with disgusted, frightened fascination.
“Those bullets aren’t going to keep them down long,” I said, jumping to my feet. I was surprised to see the demons still on the ground, hunched over on hands and knees.
“Silver,” Oblitrix said. “I’ve been doing some digging since I made that video, figured I ought to come prepared. I wasn’t expecting this. You looked like a mincemeat pie thirty seconds ago.”
“I have a good health plan,” I replied, bending down and picking up my sword.
I could see the silver had slowed them, but it wasn’t going to stop them. I didn’t waste any time, walking over to the first and bringing my blade down on its neck.
Sensing their fate, the remaining two demons reared up. I took a step back to defend myself, but needn’t have bothered. Two more loud pops, two more silver bullet holes, and they were back on the ground. I stabbed both of them through the back, this time taking pleasure in the killing strokes. I began to turn to face Oblitrix when I noticed the black cloud forming around them.
“What the hell is that?” Oblitrix asked.
Their souls, I knew, but I didn’t tell him. Josette had never told me how to keep them away, and now I could feel the darkness trying to find its way into my body. The cloud began swirling around me, rising up towards my face as its vortex increased velocity. I tried to close my mouth to it, but the black cloud began slipping into my nose and sliding down into me. I dropped to my knees and closed my eyes, focusing inward again to find the encroaching mass of demonic energy. It was going to overtake me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
“No,” I said.
I was quiet and calm while I focused my will against the cloud as I hard as I knew how. I felt the tug and the feedback of the command blasting against my mind, imploding at the same time it exploded. The black cloud vaporized instantly, leaving me standing there shaking from the pushback. The pressure was so tight around my head that I thought it would burst, my vision went dark again, and I passed out.