My second meeting with Ivana is at the same bar as our last meeting. She showed up late again and seemed to have been drinking prior to our meeting. Still, she greeted me with a warm hug, and then navigated to the cushioned bench opposite mine.
“I’m curious as to why you’re late?”
I had to get my drink on.
“You had to get your drink on before meeting with me?”
What can I say? I’m shy. Plus, I had to get permission to talk about the things we’re gonna talk about.
“I thought everyone already had permission to speak with me?”
We do. I just wanted to make sure Miriam was okay with it.
“Miriam?”
Yes. This is sort of her part of the story. I wanted to make sure she was okay with me talking about it.
“Was she?”
Yes.
“Okay then. So Jaxon, Dudley, and Nick, left you after the phone call from Mr. Hardin. Is that correct?”
Yes, that’s correct.
“Did you have any knowledge of their activities after they left?”
I found out everything later.
“Can you tell me what happened after they left?”
Miriam did her thing.
“Can you elaborate?”
Miriam was concerned about Skie. She wanted to see her. The staff wouldn’t let her. Miriam was very upset.
“I need to get past these idiots,” Miriam said. “I’m running out of time, and so is Skie.”
She kept repeating this over and over.
By the time we were finally allowed to see her, she’d been given her own private room on the fifth floor of the hospital. There were nurses in the room when we entered. They were checking Skie’s vital signs, and attaching various wires and tubes.
Poor Skie was so pale.
Miriam told the nurses to leave. As the last one passed me, she whispered in my ear.
“She’s not suffering,” The nurse said.
I started crying. I stood in the doorway and sobbed. Skie was my friend. She was the sweetest person I knew. She didn’t deserve to die.
Miriam went straight to her side the second the nurses were out of the room. She pulled these strange little instruments out of her purse and began looking into Skie’s ear. She felt her pulse. She used another sort of strange funnel thing to listen to her heart.
“Her soul is preparing to depart,” Miriam announced. “I need to work fast.”
In my mind, it was over. We had lost a member of our family that was never supposed to be in danger. I didn’t believe any of us would ever recover. I knew Jaxon wouldn’t. I worried about him terribly.
Miriam spent hours arranging candles around the room. She drew strange symbols on the two windows. She poured an ugly smelling powder by the doorway. She also began to draw more strange symbols on Skie’s body.
I kept staring at the red stained bandage above her heart.
When Miriam was done with her symbols and candles, she pulled a small bowl out of her purse. She put many different ingredients into the bowl. I couldn’t tell you what a single one of them was, but I do believe I saw a human finger. She eventually set the ingredients on fire. A harsh green smoke filled the room.
Miriam began to chant as the sun came up. She stood before Skie and mumbled the same strange words over and over. For some reason, the nurses never returned.
I guess it was right before dusk when Miriam finally came up for a breath. She looked tired, but she was still buzzing around the room with all the energy of a child.
She pulled out her strange instruments once again, and checked on Skie’s vitals. Finally, she found a seat, and sat back with a small smile.
“I did it,” Miriam said. “I bound her soul to this room. For a few moments there I almost lost her. I was lucky.”
“What are you saying?” I asked.
“As long as her body remains in this room,” Miriam answered. “Her soul will not be allowed to cross over.”
“What good does that do us?” I asked. “Will she wake up?”
“Only if her husband comes for her,” Miriam said. “It needs to be something huge in order for her soul to force its way back into her body. She needs Jaxon to walk through that door for her.”
“Is her body dead?” I asked.
“Not really,” Miriam answered, “but it’s not alive either. It’s sort of frozen in-between. Not really a big deal, especially with all those machines she’s attached to. We keep her body in this state, and we make sure she doesn’t leave this room. When Jaxon returns, all will be well.”
Obviously, I had my doubts. I wanted to believe things would turn out all right. Miriam had never been wrong before. It all just sounded a bit weird to me.
“I’m going to go and check on Georgie and Javie,” I told Miriam.
In response, Miriam reached back into her purse and pulled out a waxy looking blob. She grabbed my arm and drew a few symbols onto my skin.
“What’s that for?” I asked.
“That’s so you can find your way back,” Miriam answered.
I left the room and made my way to the nurse’s desk. I asked about my friends. They gave me directions to their room. It was one floor up. The clean air of the hospital was a relief after the strange smells coming from Miriam’s bowl.
I rode the elevator alone. I heard Javie and Georgie arguing the second the doors opened. I didn’t need to ask for further directions. I followed the sounds of bickering.
“What are you doing out of bed?” A nurse was asking Javie, who stood before her completely healed, and wearing only a towel.
“I’ve already told you like five times,” Javie answered. “For whatever reason, you seem to have a problem hearing me.”
“Get me to the shower,” Georgie interrupted.
“No,” the nurse answered. “You need to stay in bed. You’ve both been seriously injured…”
“I’m in pain, you daffy bitch!” Georgie screamed. “Get out of the way.”
I jumped in immediately.
“The water will heal them,” I said. “You need to let him go to the shower.”
“That’s ridiculous,” the nurse said.
“I know what it sounds like, but there are forces that can’t always be explained,” I continued. “Take a look at Javie. How bad was he when he arrived?”
“He could die if he leaves the bed,” the nurse said.
“He won’t,” I said. “He’ll start to heal as soon as he gets into the water.”
“I’m going to call security,” the nurse said when Javie and I went to Georgie, and began to lift him from the bed.
“I’m a Regulator,” Javie said angrily. “Your security team will be the least impressive thing I ever beat the shit out of.”
“Relax, Javie,” I said. “She doesn’t understand. She’s only trying to protect him.”
“Well, he could die with all this protection,” Javie said. “Those sons-a-bitches operated on us, did you know that? Why didn’t they just leave us in the grass?”
“It was a cluster fuck,” I answered. “Everything went bad.”
We pulled Georgie from his bed to the shower stall. We positioned him so the water would pour directly upon his stitched-up wound.
“How is Skie?” Georgie asked.
My heart went out to him. He was barely conscious but I could see the worry in his face.
“We’ll talk later,” I answered.
“Answer me now!” Georgie shouted with a strength that shocked me.
I hesitated.
“How is she?” Javie asked.
“Not good,” I cried. “I think we lost her.”
“Aww no,” Georgie groaned. “No. No. No. No. No. I had one job. One fucking job, and I screwed it up. No. No. No. No. No. It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I should have protected her.”
He began to cry. His sobs shook his entire body. I knew it caused him pain. I saw it in his face. Still, he sobbed harder, and harder. Javie, confronted with his own grief, backed away from the shower, and dropped on top of the toilet with his face in his hands.
Georgie began to thrash in the stall. His stitches popped and his wound opened up. The blood began to flow once again. I tried to talk to him. I tried to calm him down. I turned on the water in an effort to heal up the damage he was causing himself. It didn’t work.
In order to calm him down, I ended up jumping on top of Georgie. The water poured onto my clothes as I held him close.
“You did your best,” I said. “It’s not your fault. Georgie, it’s not your fault. No one blames you.”
“I blame me,” Georgie said. “I blame me. Poor Skie, what are we going to do? What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I wish I knew, but I don’t. I wish I could do something but I can’t. I lost my friend, and I don’t know what to do!”
“Where is he?” Georgie asked in abrupt subject change.
“Out there, somewhere,” I answered. “He’s looking for the people responsible.”
“Dear God,” Georgie whispered before he passed out. “He’ll scorch the entire planet to find them.”
I agreed with him. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of Jaxon’s anger. I pitied anyone that got in his way. There was something scary in my friend’s eyes when he left the hospital. Many people were going to die before the rage in his heart would subside: if it ever subsided.
I left Georgie in Javie’s care. I wanted to see what Miriam was up to. I wanted to see something that would make me feel the world hadn’t stopped spinning. On the way back to the room, my cell phone rang. I answered it immediately in the hopes that it was Jaxon.
It wasn’t. It was Mr. Hardin. Apparently Miriam wasn’t answering her phone, so Mr. Hardin gave me a message. He said two words. I had no idea what they meant, but I was supposed to repeat them to Miriam.
Getting back to the room proved rather difficult for me: my vision began to blur the moment I entered the correct hallway, and I couldn’t quite find the right door. My memory also began to fail me, and for a brief moment, I actually forgot why I was in the hospital in the first place.
Finally, my hand found the latch to the door, and I entered the room. Miriam was quietly sleeping in a chair next to Skie’s bed. I touched her arm gently, and her eyes snapped open.
“Mr. Hardin just called me,” I said.
“He’s probably worried about Skie,” Miriam answered. “I bet the magic drained my phone battery. Did you tell him all would be well when Jaxon returns?”
“He didn’t ask about Skie,” I said. “He told me to tell you ‘Black Dawn.’ What does that mean?”
Miriam was suddenly on her feet.
“Oh dear,” Miriam said. “Has it gotten so bad so soon?”
“I don’t know what’s going on,” I said.
I was becoming frightened.
“The government has turned against us,” Miriam said. “Mr. Hardin has had to abandon his post, and he’s advising us to vanish.”
“What the Hell?” I asked. “Why would we need to go into hiding?”
“Because our lives are in danger,” Miriam said. “Go to the window and keep an eye out. I need to think. I need to make sure they don’t remove Skie’s body. If they take her away, it will all be lost.”
I was panicking. There’s no other way to say it. I took a post at the window, and I kept a look out while Miriam paced up and down the small room.
An hour later, the black SUVs pulled up in front of the hospital. There were four of them, and they were filled with men in black suits. I didn’t recognize any of them until the final man put his feet upon the pavement.
“Oh my God,” I said. “Miriam, I think they’re here.”
Miriam stopped dead in her tracks.
“What did you see?” She asked.
“Four black SUVs pulled into the parking lot,” I said.
“Did you see a bunch of men in black suits?” Miriam asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Those are the Men in Black,” Miriam said.
“Like the movie?” I asked.
“Hardly,” Miriam answered. “The Men in Black are assassins. Their job is to eliminate anyone that might reveal certain secrets the government would rather keep quiet. Mr. Hardin never uses them. He doesn’t approve of their methods.”
“Major Crass was with them,” I blurted out.
“We have very little time,” Miriam said. “Listen to me very carefully. I can keep you safe. I can get us both out of this, but I need you to follow my every command. Can you do that?”
I shook my head up and down.
Miriam jumped into action. She reached into her purse and came out with a thick piece of chalk.
“No matter what happens,” Miriam said as she began to draw a circle around me. “Do not leave this circle until I tell you it’s safe.”
“Okay,” I said.
“We need to flee,” Miriam continued. “We need to vanish until Mr. Hardin can sort things out, but before we do so, I need to make sure Skie will remain safe in my absence. In order to provide her with that sort of protection, I must summon something powerful enough to protect her.”
Miriam then threw the contents of her bowl onto the floor and began adding new ingredients. When she was finished, she drew a silver dagger from her purse and opened up her wrist. She allowed her blood to flow into the bowl.
“Miriam!” I shouted when I saw the amount of blood she was losing.
I was about to leave the circle. I was that worried about her.
“KEEP YOUR WORD,” Miriam shouted in a voice that wasn’t quite normal.
“Your wrist,” I said.
“Dark magic requires an offering,” Miriam said. “The one I call requires even more.”
“Okay,” I said. “I won’t leave the circle.”
Miriam nodded in my direction.
“Paper dolls with jagged edges,” Miriam shouted in the air. “Screaming girls, and bleeding boys. I call you forth, Sally. I call you from the darkness. I call you from the mist of your land. Paper dolls with jagged edges. Screaming girls, and bleeding boys. Send forth the one that cuts. Send forth the lover of blood and pain. I am Miriam. I am worthy of your attention.”
The room grew instantly cold. Dampness filled the air, and it chilled me to the bone. Miriam’s voice grew louder and louder.
“Paper dolls with jagged edges,” Miriam said. “Screaming girls, and bleeding boys. A cut, a slash, it’s all the same. I call you forth. I call by name. Sally Scissorcut, heed my call. I need you now. I am Miriam. I am worthy of your attention.”
I heard pounding but I couldn’t tell you from where it was coming. I even heard scratching from inside the walls. Both of these sounds became louder and louder. Miriam’s bowl erupted in a black flame. I jumped. Goosebumps spread across my arms, and I broke out in a cold sweat.
The noises got louder, and louder. I then began to hear moaning and screaming as well. The sounds were horrible, and they were coming from all around me. I put my hands over my ears in an attempt to keep them out of my head. It proved to be a futile attempt, and I collapsed upon my knees.
The horrible sounds stopped abruptly.
“Prepare yourself,” Miriam said.
The room was deathly quiet. I couldn’t even hear the normal sounds of a busy hospital in the background. The cold, however, remained.
Minutes ticked upon the clock. Still, I heard nothing. It was as if the world beyond the hospital room ceased to exist.
Finally, I heard the clicking sound of heels upon a tile floor.
It was coming from somewhere beyond the door to Skie’s room, and it was getting closer and closer.
“She’s coming,” Miriam whispered. “Do not leave the circle; she’ll kill you if you do.”
No problem there. I had no intentions of leaving the damn circle.
The clicking heels came to a sudden stop outside the room. I can’t tell you how frightened I was when I heard a knock upon our door.
“Don’t answer it,” I said.
Miriam ignored me and went to the door. She gently placed her hand upon the handle, and she slowly opened the door. The hallway was empty.
I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Then I noticed we were no longer alone in the room.
“Hello, Miriam,” a young woman said.
“Hello, Sally,” Miriam replied. “I need your help.”
Sally was drop dead gorgeous. I have no other words to describe her. She was that freakin’ hot. Her chestnut brown hair was long with a slight curl, and it fell out of her red leather bandanna past her shoulders. He eyes were a sultry dark color I couldn’t place. Her skin had a slight tan. She dressed in red leather heels, and slashed up red leather pants. Her red top revealed her soft arms, and the tops of her perfect breasts.
I was in love, but I wasn’t stupid enough to leave the circle. There was something cold about her, something dangerous. She radiated sexuality, but she also radiated something else: something dark.
“Do you now?” Sally asked. “The last time you asked for my help, you cursed me afterwards. I’m very angry with you, Miriam. I thought we were friends.”
“I have done wrong by you,” Miriam said. “I come to make amends. What would you have from me?”
Sally ignored her. Instead, she cast her gaze upon me.
“You have a friend with you,” Sally said as she walked towards me.
“Yes,” Miriam said. “She’s under my protection.”
“That doesn’t impress me, Miriam,” Sally said. “Come out of the circle, pretty girl. Let’s show Miriam a few new tricks.”
“Miriam,” I said. “What do I do?”
“Stay where you are,” Miriam answered. “She can’t hurt you.”
“Oh, but I could,” Sally said. “I could scratch right through that circle given enough time. Don’t you worry about that.”
“This isn’t what I want,” Miriam said. “I need your help.”
Sally finally turned and looked at her.
“Really?” Sally asked. “You come to me for help once again?”
“It isn’t for me,” Miriam said. “The girl on the bed needs your protection.”
Sally cast her hungry gaze towards Skie, as if she was just now noticing her for the first time.
“A sleeping beauty,” Sally said, and walked towards her.
I took a slight protective step forward inside the circle.
Sally’s head snapped immediately towards me.
“Do it,” Sally said. “Cross the circle.”
“Ivana!” Miriam shouted. “Control yourself.”
“You’re no fun, Miriam,” Sally pouted.
“I ask you to not harm the three of us,” Miriam said. “I beg for your protection.”
Sally approached the bed, and examined Skie.
“This one is dead,” Sally said. “Wait a minute. Did you anchor her soul to this room?”
“I did,” Miriam said. “I beg you to protect her body. Let no one take it away. Force them to care for her in my absence. Forbid them from ending her life.”
“You cast a very powerful spell,” Sally said. “I can sense it working all around me. What happened to her?”
“She was shot,” I answered.
“Was she?” Sally asked. “Let me see.”
She ran her hand down Skie’s face. She gently touched the tube going down her throat, and she slowly pulled the covers away from the bandage over her heart.
“Miriam,” I said. “Do something.”
“Quiet,” Miriam said.
Sally looked at me, and smiled sensually. Then she ripped the bandage away from Skie’s wound.
“Oh,” Sally said, “how ugly: a blemish on the skin of a sleeping beauty. Can I have her Miriam?”
“You may not,” Miriam said. “You can help her, though.”
“I don’t like the wound,” Sally said. “It’s way too ugly. A beautiful girl should be free of such ugliness.”
Suddenly, Sally dug her hands into Skie’s skin around the bullet wound and ripped free a chunk of wet and bleeding flesh. She then threw the wet mess upon the floor, where it bubbled and steamed, and eventually turned to ash.
I screamed but both Miriam and Sally ignored me.
“That’s so much better,” Sally said as she looked at the flawless skin where the injury used to be.
“Will you help me?” Miriam asked.
“The cost will be high,” Sally purred as she stroked Skie’s hair.
“You can’t have the girl in the circle,” Miriam said.
“I don’t really want her,” Sally said. “She’s been had by too many.”
I wanted to argue. I really did. I mean, this creature was essentially calling me a whore, but on the flip side, her lack of interest was probably a good thing.
“Name your price then,” Miriam said.
“Two sacrifices a month,” Sally said. “For as long as my protection lasts.”
“Every full moon?” Miriam asked.
“I like the sound of that,” Sally said. “If you fail, I’ll leave her.”
“I understand,” Miriam said. “Ivana, you can now leave the circle.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
Sally looked at me and smiled.
“I’m sure,” Miriam said. “Our deal has been struck. Sally wants her offerings.”
I stepped away from the circle. Sally’s smile became a sneer. I was terrified of her. I knew what she could do to me. Don’t ask me how, but I knew she could rip me apart with very little effort. Sally knew what I was thinking. She enjoyed my fear.
“What are we going to do now?” I asked.
Sally evidently found our conversation boring. She turned her back to us and began softly stroking Skie’s hair.
“We need to leave,” Miriam answered. “Major Crass and the Men in Black are coming for us.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, motioning with my eyes towards Skie and Sally.
“She’s safe,” Miriam said. “Sally will protect her as long as I feed her sacrifices every month.”
“Oh, Miriam,” Sally interrupted. “Make sure those sacrifices are human.”
“I understand,” Miriam said.
“We’ll see,” Sally said with a wink in my direction.
There was a commotion coming from down the hallway. I heard a nurse scream out, and then I heard the sounds of rustling bodies.
“I’m going to pay in advance,” Miriam told a grinning Sally. “Ivana, you are under my protection. Despite what you see, you’ll have nothing to fear from me.”
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Why are they coming for us?”
I was worried about Georgie and Javie. I never expected I would be in danger.
“They are tying up all the loose ends,” Miriam said. “Now be strong and brave.”
Miriam stepped into the hallway.
I was alone with Sally.
I looked back towards her. I was hoping she’d offer some sort of help but she was gone. I was alone in the room with Skie’s body.
I went to the door. At the end of the hallway were four of the Men in Black. Miriam walked right towards them.
“This hallway is off limits to the likes of you,” Miriam said when she was about four feet away. “Turn back now and keep your lives.”
One of the men pulled a silenced pistol and shot her four times in the chest. Steam poured out of the wounds, and Miriam crumpled to the ground.
I screamed.
The men all looked in my direction.
“How could you?” I shouted. “She’s a harmless old lady!”
They didn’t seem to care. The four of them stepped over her corpse and made their way towards me. I was alone. I had lost another friend. I wasn’t a fighter. I wasn’t a warrior. I wasn’t much of anything. Yet, I was going to fight. I was going to protect Skie’s body.
I was going to die.
I stepped out into the hallway.
I scowled at the Men in Black. Miriam rose to her feet behind them. Well, it wasn’t quite Miriam, but it used to be Miriam. The figure that rose from the ground was different. The softness had left her. The warmth had vanished. The plumpness of her body was gone. She was dangerously thin. Her face had sharpened. Her nose had grown. Her grey hair had turned as black as coal, and more importantly, her skin had taken on a greenish hue.
She cackled out loud as she dusted herself off.
The Men in Black turned to face her.
Miriam stood before them, cackling.
Her shoulders were hunched, and her head hung low. Her clothes were loose on her body as if they were rags, but her eyes were alive with a fury I’d never seen before.
“Did you think it would be so easy?” Miriam asked in an unholy voice. “Did you think you could kill one of the twelve so easily?”
The Men in Black did not reply. Their faces remained impassive. Yet all of them had drawn their weapons. All of them began to fire on the witch. Yes, that is what she was. My sweet loving Miriam, had transformed herself into something different, and even though she frightened me, I screamed out when they tried to harm her.
I was wasting my worry meter.
The witch simply froze the bullets in the air with a wave of her hand. Then she took a mighty breath before doubling over forward. I heard a loud cracking sound come from her body, but she proved herself unharmed when she stood back up. Her throat inflated like a bullfrog’s. Except, unlike a natural creature, there was something moving and wriggling under her skin, I thought I was losing my mind. I backed up against the nearest wall and slid to my butt.
Then Miriam roared.
A million locusts flew out of her mouth. They swarmed the room. I could barely see through their tiny bodies, but I heard the screams. I knew what was happening. The bugs were devouring the Men in Black.
I fell to my side. I covered my face and head, but the locusts had no interest in me. Their attention was only upon the Men in Black.
A figure approached me through the cloud of bugs. A cold hand with fingers like tree branches grabbed me by the arm, and yanked me to my feet.
“Time to go,” the witch laughed as she pulled me behind her.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Down,” the witch answered. “Down, down, and down. I seek the place where the cold ones sleep their eternal slumber. An army against an army: so shall it be.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but I knew the four Men in Black were not alone. I had seen the amount of people that exited the SUVs. I had a pretty good idea where one army was coming from. I just didn’t know how Miriam was planning to raise up an army in our defense.
We were in an elevator when I finally managed to face my friend and look her in the eyes.
“Miriam,” I said. “I’m scared. What are we doing?”
The witch laughed.
“We’re killing them all,” she answered. “Every single one of them. We accept no traitors in this business. We bury our dead. We fight the fight. We continue the war, but we will never suffer a traitor. I mean to set an example.”
“What about Javie and Georgie,” I asked. “They are in danger. They need us.”
“They are touched by the Guardian’s power,” Miriam said. “Mere mortals cannot hope to survive an encounter with those that are touched by the Guardian’s power. They will be fine. Your friends have no idea what they are truly capable of doing. It’s about time they found out. Meanwhile, we will see about earning the respect of our enemies.”
“You’re scaring me,” I said. “Miriam, you’re really scaring me.”
Finally, I saw a flicker of humanity in her green hued face.
“Forgive me, my dear,” Miriam said. “I used the darkest of magic, and have merely revealed my true nature. As frightening as my appearance may have become, I am old and out of practice. Saving Skie took too much out of me. I’m tired. I need help. Just pray that I am strong enough to control what I unleash.”
I was quiet after her explanation. I had nothing left to say. I was along for the ride. In truth, I was merely a human girl, surrounded by terrifying things I really didn’t understand.
The elevator stopped.
We were in the basement. Miriam dragged me down yet another hallway. I noticed for the first time that her fingernails had turned black. Her head, with its shaggy mane of black hair darted left and right as she searched for what she was looking for.
Finally, she found it.
“Ah,” Miriam said. “Here we are.”
She dragged me into the morgue. The fluorescent lights began to flicker as soon as she entered. The walls were covered in sickly green tiles. The floor was a grey concrete with drain holes spaced every ten feet or so. I could see the stainless steel doors of a walk-in freezer at the far end, but I paid it no attention. No, my attention was focused on what filled the large, cold room. Tables upon tables upon tables, and on top of each rectangular slab, rested a body from the awards banquet. I wished they had been covered with sheets like the movies always depicted, but they weren’t. I recognized many of the faces.
“Did we lose so many?” I asked.
“Save your tears, Ivana,” Miriam said. “The dead are at rest. The shells are empty.”
“What about Skie?” I asked. “We left her.”
“Skie is the safest person in the world right now,” Miriam cackled. “Your fears are misplaced.”
“Who was that girl you summoned?” I demanded. “Was she a…demon?”
“Sally Scissorcut is close enough to a demon but not quite,” Miriam answered. “She has the power of a demon. Yet, she isn’t necessarily evil.”
“Could have fooled me,” I said.
“That wasn’t evil, child,” Miriam said. “That was simply Sally being angry with me.”
“Why is she angry with you?” I asked.
Miriam stopped looking at all the many bodies in the room and stared at me.
“You ask difficult questions,” Miriam said. “You’ll hate me if I answer.”
“Do it anyway,” I said bravely.
“I was a young girl once,” Miriam said. “If you can believe it. My abilities were just beginning to develop. In a moment of great despair after my grandmother died, I accidentally called upon an entity: a very powerful entity. Instead of killing me outright, this entity took pity on me. She became my friend. She taught me how to use my abilities.”
“How did you get your abilities?” I asked.
“I am descended from a long line of powerful witches,” Miriam said. “Gypsies are full of witches but none of them were nearly as powerful as I was: none of them had been taught by Sally. I quickly surpassed my mother and grandmother. I brought down fortune on my entire family. I was loved. I was admired. I had Sally to thank for all of it.”
“Okay,” I said.
“She was my friend,” Miriam said. “I confided in her. I loved her. As I grew into a young woman, she was there for me. On my wedding day, I felt her watching over me. When my first child was born, I named her Sally. I was happy. I was truly happy. I loved my daughter. She was beautiful. She was vibrant. She was the sweetest little girl; she never had a bad thing to say about anyone.”
“Did Sally hurt your daughter?” I asked.
“Of course not,” Miriam answered. “But youth doesn’t last forever. My daughter eventually grew into a young woman. She was very beautiful. You remind me of her a little bit. So does Skie. Skie has her beauty. You have her attitude.”
“What happened to her?” I asked.
“A traveling caravan came to visit our village one summer,” Miriam said. “They weren’t familiar to my clan, but people of gypsy ancestry tend to welcome others of their kind. My daughter was old enough to venture out on her own. One night she met a boy from this traveling caravan. I thought nothing of it. She was a good girl. I didn’t have to worry about her. She wanted to go to the lake with him, and I granted her request immediately. Sally appeared before me the moment she left. Sally was angry. She didn’t trust the boy. There was a foul air about him in her opinion.”
Things were beginning to fall into place. I didn’t like what I was hearing, but regardless of that, I needed to hear it.
“What happened when she went to the lake with the boy?” I asked.
“He raped her,” Miriam answered. “After that, he slit her throat. When my daughter never came home, I searched for her. When I couldn’t find her, I called upon Sally. Sally found her immediately. She brought my daughter’s lifeless body to me. I flew into a rage. The plates and glasses in my cottage flew from the shelves and shattered against the floor in my anger.”
“You had a right to be angry,” I said.
“It wasn’t only anger,” Miriam said. “I wanted revenge. Sally stood before me as I made my way to the door. She asked what I planned on doing. I told her that I planned on killing the one responsible. Sally had another idea. Instead of taking my revenge out upon the one responsible, she advised me to take my revenge out upon the entire family. Let all of them suffer. Sally could show me how to do it.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“What did you do Miriam?” I asked.
“I cursed the family,” Miriam said. “I cursed them with the most powerful curse Sally could teach me. It was a curse so horrible, it has claimed thousands upon thousands of lives. It was a curse that I have regretted ever since. Once it started…once the first zombie rose up and spread its vileness, I tried to stop it. Yet, this type of curse cannot be stopped. I begged Sally to put an end to it but she refused. She wanted the boy’s entire family to suffer. She loved my daughter. She loved her so much that even when I cursed her name, even when I cast her away from me, she would not reverse the curse.”
“You were the one that started everything weren’t you?” I asked. “You created the curse that took over El Paso.”
“Clara,” Miriam said. “That’s her name. She is a descendant of the family I cursed. Her pain is because of me. The people of El Paso have suffered because I cast a curse I couldn’t control. In the end, it was a Guardian that came and put an end to things. It was a Guardian that righted my wrongs. Ever since then, I have aided the Guardians.”
“How sad,” I said as I watched the tears fall from Miriam’s eyes.
“I lost my husband,” Miriam said. “I lost everyone I loved in that initial outbreak. I never spoke to Sally again until today.”
“I’m sorry,” I said stupidly. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but what the Hell are we doing here?”
“My dear,” Miriam said as she stroked my chin with her black nails. “I’m about to make the very same mistake once again. Let’s just hope I’ve learned a few things.”
Miriam began to cackle.
I backed away from her as fast as I could. I was afraid. I have no shame in admitting my fear. I never try to be tough. If something scares the crap out of me, I have no problems admitting it, and Miriam was scaring the crap out of me.
She started chanting. She started waving her arms around. Her voice was shrill, and horrible to hear. From pockets in her clothes she drew powders that she flung on the many victims from Jaxon’s banquet party. She slashed her wrist again. A drop of blood was placed upon the foreheads of seven corpses.
Then Miriam looked at me.
“Hold my hand,” she said. “If you let go, they will eat you.”
Despite my fear, I ran forward and grasped her cold hand. The seven corpses began to shake on their slabs. They began to twist and moan.
I started to cry.
“Miriam,” I said. “What have you done?”
“Fear not, child,” Miriam laughed. “I have better control now.”
The zombies rose off their cold metal slabs. Their steps were shaky at first but they soon grew accustomed to their new condition. Immediately, they focused on Miriam and me. I panicked. I tried to run but Miriam held me fast.
“Heed my words, girl,” Miriam shouted. “Heed my commands.”
I stayed where I was. The zombies approached. They looked us over. They smelled us from toe to head but Miriam didn’t move an inch. I cried when the zombie closest to me began to smell my neck. I cringed but Miriam held onto me.
“I called you forth for a reason,” Miriam shouted. “I called you forth to strike down my enemies. Go now and do your duty.”
The dead obeyed.
They ran out of the room. Miriam and I followed them. The elevator doors opened at the end of the hallway. Six of the Men in Black stepped forth, and the shamblers fell upon them instantly.
Miriam watched as the dead devoured the living. She smiled when they were finished.
“Let’s go collect Georgie and Javie,” Miriam said.
She then led me to the elevator. The zombies came with us. I can’t even begin to tell how it felt to be trapped in an elevator with seven naked living corpses. I was terrified. If it wasn’t for the steel-like grasp of Miriam’s black nailed hand, I’m sure I would have freaked out and been devoured.
I could feel their eyes upon me. I could feel their hunger. Miriam’s control over them was tenuous at best. I could see the beads of sweat on her brow from the strain.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“You will most certainly know if I’m not,” the witch smiled.
The ride seemed to last an eternity. When the elevator doors finally opened, my salvation wasn’t waiting beyond. The hallway had turned into a warzone. I immediately saw the bodies of several nurses, and many Men in Black.
I made an effort to run to my friends. Miriam nearly yanked my arm out of the socket.
“What did I tell you?” Miriam asked.
“But Javie and Georgie…” I started.
“They are Regulators,” Miriam said. “Perhaps you are incapable of understanding what that means.”
The smell of blood excited the zombies. They charged out of the elevators. They ran down the hallway and rounded the corner. I heard the shrieks of the Men in Black, but that didn’t stop me from pulling Miriam behind me as I ran to Javie and Georgie’s room.
When I came to the doorway, I had to step over corpses.
“Javie,” I called out. “Don’t shoot. It’s Ivana and Miriam.”
“Get in,” Georgie said. “Get in and get down. These fuckers are trying to kill us.”
“They’re the Men in Black,” I said.
“Like in the movie?” Georgie asked.
“Do I need to answer that?” I asked.
“Why are they trying to kill us?” Javie interrupted.
By this time, I had stepped into the room. I saw seven bodies. The boys had been busy. They were using firearms stolen from the corpses at their feet. This, by the way, is one of the many mental images I’ll never get out of my head. In a million years, I could never picture Javie and Georgie capable of such violence. It was a shock to see what they could unleash. It was a shock to see the blood on their hands.
The world around me had certainly changed. Out of the entire group, those two were the least likely to ever hurt anyone. The Guardian power had made them all killers.
“It’s a long story,” I answered. “Miriam will explain everything later. Right now, we need to get out of here.”
The moans of the dead began to echo up and down the hallway outside the room.
“Oh fuck me,” Georgie said. “Are those zombies? Has there been an outbreak here?”
“Get behind us,” Javie ordered. “Where’s Miriam?”
“This is Miriam,” I said.
Javie did a double take. I saw his mouth working as he attempted to figure out why her appearance had so drastically changed.
“We won’t be cowering in a corner, boy,” Miriam laughed. “Now is the time to flee. Our allies will soon become our enemies.”
“You need to trust us,” I added. “Don’t let go of my hand. No matter what, don’t let go of my hand.
It took it took a bit more convincing than that, but eventually Javie grabbed my hand and Georgie grabbed his. We left the room. As soon as we entered the hallway, three zombies rushed us.
Georgie raised his gun. Miriam told him to be still. The zombies smelled all of us but Miriam. Then they passed us by. We slowly continued on our way. Several corpses began following us. Georgie kept his weapon in a ready position. I gripped Javie’s hand tighter.
“Don’t let go,” I said. “If you do they’ll kill you.”
Javie nodded that he understood. Yet, I could tell he’d rather rely on a weapon than holding my hand. At the elevator, the dead crowded around us. Miriam allowed five of them to enter.
“How are you doing this?” Georgie asked.
“Magic,” Miriam answered.
“What about all the innocent people that get in their way?” Georgie asked.
“They will be fine if I can retain control,” Miriam answered. “They are currently only attracted to those near me, and those threatening me.”
“What happens if you lose control?” Javie asked. “How bad will it be?”
“How bad was El Paso?” Miriam countered.
As we rode the elevator to the first floor, Miriam began to sweat profusely. Her chest also began to bulge and shudder. A large lump began growing underneath her ribcage. It looked as if she were about to explode. I could hear her bones pop in an effort to make room for it.
I tried to talk to her. I tried to ask her if she was okay, but she ignored my questions and began to chant quietly under her breath.
The elevator doors opened once again.
The world erupted around us. Gunshots blazed from all corners of the room. Georgie returned fire. The zombies ran out to devour our attackers.
Miriam strode forward without a care in the world. A bullet hit my wrist. My hand was knocked away from Miriam’s grasp. I had lost her protection but I still had the Regulators.
I cried out, and clutched my bleeding wrist. Javie took a position over me. He returned fire on the Men in Black, but they were everywhere, and they had been waiting for us. The only reason we weren’t already dead were the zombies. Our attackers weren’t expecting to be charged by the living dead.
“Zombie,” Georgie shouted to Javie.
Javie immediately spun around and put a bullet hole in the head of the shambler headed our way.
“Looks like we’re back on the menu,” Javie announced.
After long moments of scrambling for cover, I noticed the zombies were multiplying. In addition to attacking us, I also saw several groups of newly risen, half-eaten corpses, bearing down on our attackers.
Javie and Georgie eventually dragged me behind a heavy, over-turned table. I could see the exit to the building. It was so close, but it might as well have been miles away with all the bullets flying towards us.
I realized we were in the lobby. I could see the corpses of the dead security team. I could also see that they weren’t re-animating. The reception desk was covered in blood. I knew almost nothing about the Men in Black, but I knew I hated them. They killed innocent people.
I looked for Miriam. She was standing in the middle of the room. The bulge in her chest had gotten even bigger. It had also begun to press against the bottom of her throat. I was hoping she was building up another swarm of locusts, but something told me I was wrong.
A bullet hit her shoulder. She was twisted violently to the left from the impact. Another hit her in the stomach. She bent over, and then she leapt to the ceiling. With her back pressed against the tiled panels, she began to rapidly crawl towards the men shooting her.
Once she was above them, she dropped from the ceiling and landed in the middle of their group. I saw her flashing claws. I saw streaks of blood fly into the air. The group was dead before they could even scream.
Miriam leapt to the ceiling once again. She began her disjointed crawl to the next group of men barring our way to the exit. I didn’t want to watch but I couldn’t help myself.
I felt something pulling on my leg.
A zombie had grabbed a hold of my ankle. He was attempting to pull me closer so he could bite into my calf. I screamed out and began to kick my legs. I couldn’t break free. Javie and Georgie had no idea I was being attacked. They were concentrating on shooting down our enemies, both living and dead.
“Georgie!” I screamed. “Georgie!”
Suddenly, a bare foot connected with the zombie’s head, and it released its grip. Georgie then proceeded to stomp down on its head until the skull was mush beneath his feet.
“I’m sorry. I need to ask a question.”
Feel free.
“Why wasn’t Georgie wearing any shoes?”
Oh, I’m sorry. I should have told you. Both Georgie and Javie were wearing their hospital gowns. Their clothes had been cut off of them when they first got to the hospital. Their butts were bare to the entire world.
“You stay next to me,” Georgie said as he killed another shambler that had gotten too close.
I had lost track of Miriam, but I could hear screams coming from the other side of the room. My world was on fire. I had flashbacks of the banquet hall. I had already lost Skie. Who was I going to lose next?
Suddenly, everything became quiet.
I could hear Miriam cackling, but I couldn’t see her. Through the large wall of front windows, I saw a running form. For a moment, I worried that it was a zombie, but it was Major Crass. He had survived.
I crawled to the window, and I watched as he ran across the parking lot. More SUVs were pouring in to greet him.
“We need to go!” I shouted. “Reinforcements are arriving now!”
“Alive or dead?” Javie asked.
“Alive,” I said.
I turned around. Miriam was standing behind me. The look in her eyes was frightening. She had killed many human beings, and she seemed to be enjoying herself. She offered me her bloody hand. For a moment I hesitated. Then I took it, and she pulled me up.
I could see corpses attempting to rise to their feet through all the gunfire smoke and clutter of broken chairs and tables. It looked as if the newly fallen had begun to turn.
Miriam held a hand up to us as she watched the dead find their feet. She went to them with open arms, as the three of us stared on in shock.
“Come to me, my children,” Miriam said. “Don’t be shy. Open your eyes, and gather around. I shall lead you to food. I shall stop the hunger in your bellies.”
Behind us, a small army of men gathered outside the windows and door. They were getting ready to storm the lobby. I even saw the smug look on Major Crass’s face as he shouted out orders.
“Fuck me,” Georgie said. “This is bad.”
“Man,” Javie said. “I wish Jaxon was here.”
Inside the lobby, the dead continued to rise. They massed behind Miriam in an army of their own.
I heard Major Crass shout out the order to enter the lobby.
Miriam spun around and smiled at him through the glass. Then she clapped her hands together, and the glass windows exploded in a storm of cutting pain for the rushing Men in Black.
Immediately behind the flying glass were the dead. A rushing, hungry, gang of them, and Major Crass once again found himself in danger.
“Let’s move,” Georgie shouted.
All of us, Miriam included, ran for our lives into the parking lot. Once we hit pavement, we veered to the right, in the direction of the emergency entrance. An ambulance was waiting there. We got inside; the keys were in the ignition. Georgie got behind the wheel, and peeled out of the parking lot as Javie bandaged up my wrist.
A block away from the hospital, Miriam began to convulse.
“Miriam!” I shouted. “Miriam!”
I tried to hold her down. I tried to prevent her from hurting herself. Her convulsions were so violent, I found myself thrown away from her. Javie helped me lay her down on the floor of the ambulance, but it didn’t seem to help. Neither of us could hold her down.
“What do we do?” I asked.
“No clue,” Javie said.
Miriam went still. I was worried that we had lost her. Perhaps she had pushed herself too far, used too much magic.
Georgie drove on through the woods. I could tell we were gaining altitude, but I had no idea where we were. I held her close as Georgie drove us away from danger.
Javie tried to check her pulse.
Miriam sat upright.
The lump in her chest had grown horribly and pushed against her throat.
“Stop the car,” Miriam choked out.
Georgie immediately pulled over to the side of the winding road. Miriam got out of the rear of the vehicle and walked across the street. There was a clearing on the hillside. From the clearing we could see the front of the hospital. Gunshots and screams echoed towards us across the night sky.
Miriam watched the chaos unfold calmly.
“Have we started another outbreak?” I asked.
“No,” Miriam answered. “It will all be over soon.”
Then she doubled over in pain. I heard the sound of retching coming from deep inside her. It was an ugly sound, a gagging, choking, cough that wouldn’t end. Each retch was louder. It was inhuman. I covered my ears but couldn’t block out those horrible noises.
“Stop,” I cried out. “Miriam, please: stop!”
Eventually, she did. She stopped making her horrible noises; she stood up straight once again. For a brief moment, the two of us locked eyes, and then she turned back towards the hospital, and roared.
If I thought the gagging and choking noises were loud, they had nothing on her roar. The roar was horrible. It sounded like some gigantic beast of war was bellowing over its territory.
I once again had no idea what was going on.
Black smoke violently burst from her mouth. It expelled itself into the sky and formed an ugly cloud of sharp edges and frightening shapes I had never seen before. The smoke poured from her mouth until the lump in Miriam’s throat shrunk away.
By that time, the cloud was immense. I watched as it moved away from us toward the hospital.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I’m ending it,” Miriam answered.
“That cloud?” I asked. “It will stop the zombies?”
“Indeed it will,” Miriam said. “I’m very sorry to have frightened you, my dear. I used the darkest magic to save our lives. It seldom looks pretty. Please forgive me. I had no choice.”
“Why can’t you do the same thing to El Paso?” I asked.
“I’ve tried many times,” Miriam answered. “Over the years, that particular curse has grown in strength. There is no stopping it, and there is no cure for the ones that are cursed.”
We saw a car approaching the hospital. It was easy to spot. It was the only thing headed in that direction. The vehicle halted right before the parking lot.
“We need to warn people,” I said. “They could get killed.”
The cloud meanwhile had settled itself over the hospital. Black drops of tar like rain began to fall, and when the drops hit the ground they instantly turned into a dark vapor.
“No need,” Miriam said. “It’s already over.”
Indeed, I could no longer see the vague outlines of violence in the distance. I could no longer hear the screams of the dead and suffering.
The driver of the lone car finally got out. Georgie recognized him instantly.
“That’s Father Monarez,” Georgie said. “What’s he doing there?”
“He’s probably worried about everyone,” I said.
“I don’t think so,” Georgie said. “He’s carrying his chainsaw. I’m going to call him.”
I didn’t argue. I just handed him my cell phone. Georgie had excellent eyesight. All I saw was a small blob. There was no reason for Father Monarez to endanger himself. Miriam had the situation under control; despite the fact that she was scaring the shit out of me, I still had faith in her. Georgie would be able to send the Father home, and keep him from getting involved in our mess.
Father Monarez didn’t seem very cooperative when he picked up the phone. From what I could follow of the conversation, he was asking about our location so he could meet up with us.
Georgie gave him directions. To be honest, I really didn’t know the man that well. I know he had fought alongside the Regulators. Then again, so have a lot of people. Anyway, the boys trusted him. They saw him as a warrior: a bit nerdy, but still a warrior.
We dozed around the ambulance after that. Each of us was tired. The evening had certainly taken its toll, but we woke up instantly as we saw the approaching headlights. Father Monarez pulled his car up behind our ambulance. He was out the door and running towards us almost before the vehicle came to a stop.
“I spoke with Mr. Hardin,” Father Monarez said. “I’m aware of the situation. I’m supposed to get the lot of you into hiding.”
“You realize the Government is trying to kill us?” I asked.
“The Government may have turned on you my dear,” Father Monarez smiled, “but the church has not. We will protect you. We will keep you safe until everything gets sorted out. First however, we must go to the local airport. The rest of your team is in danger.”