Cast In Blood: Revelations Series Book 1: (6 page)

K
evin walked
close to three blocks before hopping into the back of an outdated minivan. Another young man sat in the driver's seat, listening to gospel music. The man looked relaxed, but as soon as Kevin closed the sliding door, he gave an impatient sigh.

"Nothing, eh?"

Kevin sat but ignored his seatbelt. "A couple prospects."

The other man scoffed. "‘Prospect' don't mean nothing, and you know it. Unless you get 'em straight from the street, you ain't gonna see 'em again. Satan's got way too strong a pull in these parts."

"I choose to give people a little more credit."

"Then you choose to be a fool." The man looked around. "What the heck is keeping Naomi? Did you happen to see her out there?"

"Maybe she got lucky."

"Maybe."

Drew took a close astral look at the driver, not surprised to find he had a similar, yet much less pronounced, shadowy presence hanging over him.

Alongside them, traffic slowed, and the men both showed discomfort when they became boxed in by the gridlock.

Kevin stretched to look, frowning. "Must be an accident up ahead."

"One less lost soul to claim," muttered the driver.

A petite young woman with a darkness to her soul that rivaled Kevin's led an emaciated young man to the van. He paused when she opened the sliding door, but she was able to urge him inside before hopping into the front passenger seat.

The thin man had a dull aura, one that indicated either starvation or heavy drug abuse. Based on his appearance, this man suffered from both.

The driver started the engine and turned on the left-turn signal. He watched the slow-moving traffic continue to pass, no one offering him an "in." With a grumble, he made an aggressive move that would have led to a sideswipe had the car attempting to pass not stopped.

"Watch it, will you?" Naomi snapped.

The driver mumbled something under his breath.

"What is your problem today?"

He cut through the traffic, his hands tight on the wheel. "You don't find it just a little frustrating that, while Joseph and Father's other chosen few are working—
really
working—on saving mankind from itself, we're out here doing this?"

"This is important work." Kevin exchanged a quick glance with Naomi. "This is
the
most important work."

The junkie beside him looked even more unsure about his company. He glared at Naomi. "I think … I think I'm just gonna go."

"No, you don't want to do that." Naomi turned to face him. "Don't let this grouch change your mind. We've got food, a warm bed. At least get one good meal in you before you decide you don't want to stay."

"He gets this way whenever we don't beat rush hour," Kevin said. "Relax. You're in good hands."

The junkie sat back, but his muscles remained tense. The van crawled through the traffic, seemingly catching every red light. The driver visibly struggled to keep his cool, but he didn't say another word for the rest of the drive.

Drew followed the van to a church parking lot. Opposite the building was another large structure with a sign reading, CHILDREN OF LIGHT COMMONS. She continued to follow Kevin when he parted ways with the others and crossed to the church.

Drew looked all around, noting a strange smudge, one similar to the driver's, looming atop every soul on the property. For a phenomenon so prominent, she would've thought she'd have seen it before. Was there a new kind of creature in town—or was it perhaps some kind of parasite that had only begun to take hold in this realm?

The chapel's interior was well lit, candelabra and overhead fixtures fitted with artificial candles keeping the shadows in every corner at bay. With the help of some well-placed electric lights, the stained glass windows on either side continued to glow their sacred pictures despite the setting sun. Kevin hurried through the room, to a hallway leading to a set of offices.

He knocked on a closed door simply marked "Father."

"Busy," a man yelled through the door.

"Father, we succeeded in bringing home one more. Naomi and Joshua took him to the kitchen. Shall I assign him a job?"

"Hold on just a second." After a few moments of rustling, a young woman opened the door, wiping at her mouth. She looked up at Kevin, her eyes revealing a mesh of confusion and complacency, before quietly hurrying down the hall.

Another young woman passed by. Her aura had a strange spark to it, and despite the dull shadow that had sullied it, the emanation shone large and bright. Even more, it seemed to be in a state of constant flux. Like the shadowy smudges tainting every soul there, this woman's soul had an unfamiliar yet distinctly unique appearance. Whatever was going on, this girl was no "mundane," but she was also far from being a part of the darkness's source.

Drew considered following the creature as she left down the hall, but she quickly changed her mind when Kevin went into the office and she could see their "Father's" face.

The first thing she noticed was his striking blue eyes. The second was the mass of darkness that swam throughout and all around his thick, soupy aura. The darkness reached out to the shadow over Kevin's head. In turn, Kevin's massive, dark aura reached out to touch the pastor's, fortifying its murky stain before retreating to its source.

What the hell is going on here?

"Please have a seat."

Kevin sat.

Father sat back in his own chair, his fingers coming together as a steeple in front of his stern face. His eyes squinted a little and the darkness grew more active. Whatever he was contemplating, it wasn't good. Finally, he leaned forward and propped his elbows on the heavy wooden desk.

"I've decided to keep newcomers off the food line for the time being. Feed him and offer him a bed in the dorm. In a few days, give him a shift mopping floors and scrubbing toilets. Remind him that idle hands are the Devil's playground."

Kevin nodded. "Yes, Father."

"I'll need you in the dorms, too."

"But Father—"

"We've got a lot coming up, and everyone is going to get quite a bit busier in the days to come. I need you to do your part, help keep everyone in their place. I can trust you to do that, can't I?"

"Of course, Father."

Even through the buffer between them—the physical distance bridged through by Drew's astral tether—the scent of deception flooded the room. There was something Kevin wasn't telling the man, and Drew could only presume it had to do with the darkness.

Father stood, made his way around the desk, then gave Kevin a pat on the back before leading him to the door.

Kevin took the hint that it was time to take his leave. When he passed Father, moving within a foot of the man, the darkness became so strong Drew had to fight the urge to pull away.

Another man turned the corner at the end of the hall, and—much like Kevin's—the darkness embodied his entire aura. This time, it was even more profound, tendrils reaching out, writhing, like the arms of an octopus. They reminded her of the psychic threads she'd used when she was actively feeding, and something about the sight filled her with an overwhelming sense of dread. A young woman passed him, and the psychic tendrils reached for her aura, penetrating its outer layers and darkening the smudge looming over her head. She didn't seem to notice. He paused when he spotted Drew. The strange man's eyes met Drew's astral ones, and his lips curled into a curious smile.

There were numerous types of
others
. Drew had seen angels, fey, goblins, warlocks, and more. Hell, her pimp was a demon. Still, nothing had ever caught her attention, and instilled as much fear in her, as this one did. He charged toward her, his tendrils shooting ahead of him, and she pulled herself from the hallway before their auras could meet.

In an instant, their connection broke and she sat staring across the fast food dining room. Whatever she'd encountered at the church, it was the most evil entity she'd ever come across. Even more, she had a feeling that, as saturated as Father's soul was, he'd merely been tainted by a larger source—and that man in the hallway had been practically dripping with it. Whether he was the cause or just another vessel, he was a force to be reckoned with. Something terrible was infecting these people, something too great for her to ignore.

She wasn't sure what she could do to stop it, but she knew she needed to do something.

"
U
gh
. You there! Can't you get me some clean silverware? I dig the whole greasy spoon thing you got going on here, but you
do
know the spoons aren't actually meant to be greasy, right?" Polly didn't care for mess; she felt that people should be clean about whatever it was they were doing.

Even when she was torturing victims in Hell, she tried to have another prisoner nearby to clean up the blood and effluence before it got too thick and gory. It had the added bonus of cowing the next victim in line, which made her job far easier.

"Okay, demon. You were right about Hershel. I don't know how you knew, but he actually did the things you showed me in that vision." Lenny sat across from Polly and leveled her with a gaze rife with reluctant respect.

"I knew because his soul is bound to Hell. It belongs to us. I can see the seal of Hell on it, and therefore I can see everything he has ever done. Obviously, I'm no saint." Polly grinned broadly at her own joke and continued, "But I can't stand to see anyone hurting kids. I know, as a demon, this appears to make me look weak. The truth is this: Kids who have had a rough life—filled with these sorts of bastards—lose small bits of their souls. It makes them less attractive to both Heaven
and
Hell, and they're left to drift through the afterlife just as they did in life. I hate seeing that shit." The waitress came and set down Polly's burger, fries, and chocolate shake. Polly nodded her thanks and grabbed the bottle of ketchup.

"You want anything, hon?" The waitress licked the tip of her pencil and waited for Lenny to order.

"Go ahead, I'm buying," Polly said as she nodded at the shifter.

"I suppose I'll take the pancakes. Blueberry, please. Oh, and a side of bacon."

"Good choice. And to drink?" The waitress licked the tip of her pencil again as if it needed the moisture in order to write.

"Pepsi, please?"

"Is Coke okay?"

"It'll do, thanks."

"I'll put your order in, should be up in fifteen minutes. Did you want me to keep yours warm?" she asked Polly.

"No." Polly squinted at the name tag. "Thanks, Susan, but I think I'll just eat mine while she waits."

"Oh, uh, okay then. Is there anything else I can getcha?"

"No, thank you." Polly turned her attention to her burger. It was thick, juicy, and absolutely divine.

"Welcome, ma'am." Susan turned and headed for the order window quicker than she normally would have. The demon watched and grinned.

"So, are you going to just sit there and act like a diva or are you going to talk to me about Father and what is going on, aside from the obvious?"

"Patience is a virtue, shifter." Polly took another bite of her burger.

"Will you stop with all the shifter crap? I have a name and I would appreciate it if you would use it."

"Oh-ho! Look at you growing your fangs. Cute." Polly let some hellfire flash through her eyes and the shifter settled down some.

"What the hell is that?"

"Quite apt. It's hellfire."

"Doesn't that shit burn?"

"That ‘shit' is running through my veins constantly. And no, it doesn't burn me, but I can use it to burn others."

"What, like Superman's laser vision?"

"Not exactly, but we'll go with that if it makes you happy. Now, let's talk Demas." Polly settled back in the booth, one long arm stretched out along the back of her plush seat. Her phone rang, and she spat out a curse and grabbed it. Seeing the number, she turned to Lenny, "I have to take this. Be right back." Then she rose and walked to the other side of the empty diner.

"Lucy, what's going on? I just got the shifter to agree to help us with Demas."

"We may have to put Demas on the back burner for a while. I need you for something bigger than that little bastard."

"What's going on?" Polly felt a surge of worry. Something hadn't been right in Hell for months, and she had let Lucy know. She'd been kept out of the loop on what was being done about it, though, and that bothered her some.

"We've got a third player in the soul game."

"What? Are you fucking with me?"

"No. I talked with the other side and we aren't the only ones missing souls. Both Charon and Peter have confirmed that souls are not reaching either Hell or Heaven in quite the numbers they should."

"Heaven, too? Fuck."

"My words exactly, dear. I need you to meet up with your contacts and go over the details. I want you on this now. Demas is an annoyance, I grant you that, but this is a catastrophe waiting to happen."

"Will do. What do you think is going on?"

"I have no clue. I've never seen anything like this."

In shock, Polly's fingers trembled as she spoke, "Never?"

"Apollyon?" Lucy sounded nervous. It made Polly uncomfortable.

"Yes?"

"Be careful. Whoever is behind this has some real power, and I would hate to lose you, old friend."

"You be careful, too. If you get uncomfortable, don't hesitate to call me. I'll pop on home and stay by your side."

"I'm already uncomfortable. The loss of souls is weakening me somewhat. Don't ever relay that or I will rip open your belly and feast on your innards."

"Lucy, you know me better than that by now. Besides, you don't even like innards."

"True, but the threat stands."

"Yes, Mistress," Polly said to a dead line. Lucifer had already hung up and the phone was silent against Polly's ear
. Fuck, this is big
. She then headed back to the table to deal with Lenny.

"Okay, kid, I'm cutting you loose. The hunt for Demas is back-burnered. More pressing matters, I'm afraid."

"No, wait! You can't come in here, tear my whole world apart, and then expect me to just go back to it like nothing is wrong." Lenny scowled at the woman who'd changed everything.

"Shifter, I can do whatever the hell I want."

"No, you can't. You can't just play with people's lives."

"Hey, I saved you, you ungrateful brat. Your dear Father was about to use you like a cheap whore. The way I figure it, I did you a service here."

"Oh, yeah, thanks. Thanks so much for blowing up my entire life and leaving me back on the streets again with nowhere to go."

"Go back to your flock and play hero to the little ones. Keep them out of your saintly molester's hands. We may still need to hunt down Demas. And, let's be honest here, you knew I wasn't taking you away from there immediately. I mean that's why you wore someone else's face to escape tonight, isn't it?"

Lenny gasped. "You saw that? How could you see?"

"I can see your soul, child. No matter what face and body you wear, your soul will always look the same to me."

"That's just creepy."

Polly smiled. "Perhaps it is. Now, I tell you what, go back to the flock and see what you can find out about Demas and whatever else the false prophet is hiding. If you need me, call me."

"What, like just say your name and you'll show up?"

"No, like call me on my cellphone," Polly said, smiling. She reached out to hand Lenny a card and her smile faded as she changed her mind and pulled the card back, putting it in her breast pocket. "Of course you can always just call my name, too. That's probably a far better plan since cell reception is pretty shitty down in Hell, and I assume the charlatan in charge doesn't allow you a phone."

"No, I don't have a cell," Lenny said with just a hint of embarrassment.

"No matter, I'm not big on cell phones myself. Metaphysical communication is far cheaper, at least until the phone companies figure out how to harness it. Now, Lenny, if you do call out my name because you need me, I
will
show up. I may be a demon, but I never break my word, and I give you my word that I'll do my best to help you." Apollyon hadn't much cared about humans, but this one had some spark to her that caused her to feel a begrudging … something. It was a feeling almost like respect. She had to admit it took balls to stand up to a demon.

"Thanks," Lenny said halfheartedly. She looked down at her plate and added, "Oh, and thanks for the pancakes."

Polly nodded, turned, and left the diner while Lenny settled back in the booth, determined to eat her dinner. It was actually something the shifter was looking forward to and it seemed that it would probably be the only thing to look forward to for some time. Lenny sighed. She knew one thing for sure, and that was how the pancakes she'd ordered would be a far better dinner than those awful peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the ladies would be making back at the church.