Demon Hunters (31 page)

“I don’t really know. I guess. We’re just
suing whoever’s in charge. They aren’t very up front about some
things up there. I leave all those details to my lawyer.”

“Who is your lawyer?” Felix reached into his
coat and whipped out a small business card. No gold. Just a regular
paper card. The name Aldo Rex was spelled across the front in
raised letters. Nothing else.

“He was referred.”

“By whom?”

“I never got his name. A lot of guys up
there don’t use names. It’s creepy.”

“How do you get in touch with him? There’s
no number or address.”

“He just kind of shows up when I need to see
him. He says he can feel me through the card.”

“May I hold onto this? For the time
being?”

“Sure. That’s what I need you to do. Aldo
can help you get what you need.”

“What exactly am I getting?”

“Evidence, of course! I can’t win this thing
with my story alone. We need proof. We need Heaven,” Felix said.
“If we can locate Heaven and find who took it, we may be able to
win this thing.”

“Well, I’ll certainly do the best I
can.”

“Thank you, Mr. Corba. I had a feeling you’d
understand. By the way, as you saw from my pass, I’m going to need
this job finished in three days. Will that be a problem?”

“I really don’t know. Every case is
different, but I’ll do what I can to speed this along.”

“Good. Thank you. I’ll be in touch.” Felix
slid off his chair and hurried out the door. I felt Ivar’s eyes on
me.

“And you thought today was going to be
boring.”

I decided it was as a good a time as any to
get some air. Bertram wasn’t due at my office until later. I sent
Ivar out to do some research on any disturbances in Heaven. He knew
where to push. I decided to take a drive.

I was driving down a quiet street just off
of Santa Monica Boulevard when I suddenly didn’t feel so alone. I
looked over and saw a handsome looking man with striking brown hair
and a chiseled jaw. He was wearing a well-tailored suit that I
found mesmerizing. It seemed as though the threads were shimmering
with light naturally. He turned to me and flashed a million dollar
smile.

“Jake Corba? I am Aldo Rex.”

“Hi. I guess this thing does work.”

“Of course. I understand that one of my
clients made contact with you earlier today.”

“Felix. Yeah.” Aldo smiled and let out a
jovial chuckle.

“I’m afraid I must apologize for that. I
explained from the beginning to my clients that this case is very
delicate and any interference by them could do more harm than help.
How much did he tell you?”

“He just said when he went up to his final
reward; his pot of gold was already gone. He claimed Heaven was
missing. Maybe you could elaborate on that.”

“With pleasure. It would seem that my
clients were all duped. When the newly dead all met their ends and
their souls ascended to Heaven, there was no Heaven for them to
enter. It had vanished. Those of my clients who had already been
residing within were perplexed as to how they were displaced so
unceremoniously. The cleanup crew was there to transfer them and
process them through to a temporary living situation.
Unfortunately, the only place the wayward souls could be kept was
in Hell. That’s where our jurisdiction ends.”

“Seems your clients weren’t too happy with
that.”

“Their complaint isn’t with us. It’s with
whomever stole Heaven.”

“And who are you exactly? What are you? Some
kind of angel?”

“No, but I am of the Angelous. Beings divine
in nature. It is a choice for us all whether to become full-fledged
angels or not. Those who don’t, go on to fill other roles in the
afterworld. I chose the practice of divine law.”

“And who is your suit against? Felix seemed
a bit vague on that point.”

“The suit impacts the High Host committee.
They are responsible for the Heavenly populations and this matter
falls within their scope. They manage the security of Heaven and
clearly they dropped the ball. Wouldn’t you say?”

“I wasn’t aware Heaven would need security.
It’s Heaven.”

“Come now, Mr. Corba. You should know, as
well as anyone, things are never that cut and dry. There are many
enemies of Heaven and the Holy Body. Angels are, after all, some of
the fiercest warriors in the entire universe. There’s a reason for
that.”

“Do you have any theories?”

“Not as yet.”

“How does someone steal Heaven?”

“Only a precious few hold the knowledge to
perform such an act. A fact I’m hoping will help narrow your
search. You see this goes beyond this class action suit. The fact
that Heaven is missing is a catastrophe of immeasurable
proportions,” Aldo’s tone became rather dark. “You see, Heaven was
a chief processing source of life energy, or souls as you mortals
refer to it. Life energy is sort of like the oil in the universal
machine. If the oil can’t move, then the rest of the machine rusts
up and shuts down. Right now, we’re fine, but soon the gears, such
as they are, will begin to grind and everything is going to fall
down upon itself. Heaven needs to be there to allow souls to pass
from one plane to the next, or else...”

“Yeah. I’m starting to get the picture. You
don’t seem too worried about all this.”

“That’s because I’m not. It’s out there. We
just have to find it and get it back.”

“Felix said you could help me.”

“I can. I can lead you to the dimensional
pocket that leads into Heaven. I believe you’ll find something of
use there.”

“Okay. Where do I go?”

“You’re already there.” I looked forward and
the quiet, tree lined street I had been driving on was gone and I
was in the middle of an endless dark void. I pushed on the brakes
and the car halted quickly. I switched on the headlights, but there
was nothing to see. Just more vast darkness.

“What is this?”

“This is where Heaven once stood. This is
the absence of creation.” Aldo said as he got out of the car. I
opened my door and stepped out. It looked like I was floating above
an inky void. I set my foot down and it was as though I was
standing on solid Earth. I walked around a bit. The demon in me was
eerily silent.

“This is where Heaven was?” I asked. “How
did you get us here?”

“Many people believe Heaven is some kingdom
in the sky. Ridiculous, really. It’s a dimension just like your
world and as most people know, all dimensions exist in the same
space, just at different frequencies. Heaven is not above you nor
is Hell below you. They are both kind of on either side of you. We
of the Angelous can control the vibrations between your world and
ours, allowing us to travel back and forth at will. This is an art
your people have yet to develop. The demon inside you is still
because the elements that would have it thrashing against you now
are no longer present,” I looked back at Aldo and before I could
say a word, he gave me an assuring look. “Yes, Jake. I know. For
beings such as myself, the curse you bear on your soul is as
obvious as a badge on your chest.”

“I’m still not seeing how Heaven could be
taken.”

“Most mortals cannot grasp the true physics
of Heaven. The physical form of Heaven can be as big as a thousand
kingdoms, or as small as a box of candy. It is a boundless,
borderless dimension that, with the proper knowledge, could be
spirited away as easily as a candy bar.”

“Hell of a design flaw, huh?”

“Indeed.” I looked around and tried to
figure out what, if anything, I was supposed to be seeing. There
were no clues. There was no evidence.

“I’m not seeing anything here.” I
confessed.

“Are you sure? Is there nothing here that
could be useful in tracking down who is responsible?”

“There’s really nothing here at all.
Everything is gone, including any evidence. If there was any here
to begin with.” I continued walking around with no direction. I
tried to keep the car in sight at all times, as it was the only
monument by which I could discern my position. It looked like it
would be all too easy to get lost in the eternal void. There was
nothing but blackness for as far as I could see. Endless night all
around.

As I walked, I began to see things. It was
like trace wisps of light were springing up all around me and
formed distinctive shapes. Nothing solid or too telling, but rough
sketches in the air. I could see some odd lines that seemed to
indicate a row of pillars and a few others that seemed to form into
a makeshift staircase. I could feel something in my heart. It was
like light was beginning to pour out of it and into my blood.
Before I realized it, I was sweating like a pig. I turned to Aldo,
but then I fell to my knees. He rushed over and helped me up.

“Jake! Are you all right?”

“Yeah. I actually am.”

“What are you feeling?”

“Warm. I mean, it’s getting hot, but right
now, warm. A deep warmth from inside. Like it’s coming out of my
blood.”

“Do you see anything?”

“Just shapes. Light. Things out of nowhere.
I see gold light threading around the air. I see...” I said, but
just as something began to focus in my eyes, I felt a sharp pain
shoot through my stomach and up into my brain. I felt like my eyes
were going to explode out of my skull. I fell to the ground and
just like that, I blacked out.

When I woke up, Aldo was driving the car. We
were back on Earth and it appeared we were heading to my
office.

“Where am I?”

“Oh. You’re up.”

“Was I out long?”

“Not too long. A couple weeks.”

“Weeks!” I barked and shot up in my seat. I
looked to the clock in the dash.

“Relax. You collapsed in the void. Those two
weeks passed between seconds here.”

“Right. Time.”

“I sometimes forget how hung up you mortals
are on time. Did you sense anything else while you were out?”

“There was something. A kind of familiar
buzzing in the back of my head.”

“And what does that buzzing indicate?”

“Demonic residue. Someone, or something,
dark and evil took Heaven.” I said.

“That much I think we can safely assume. We
need to figure out who.”

“That’s going to take time. I’ll see what I
can dig up.”

“Please do. I’ll be in touch soon.” Aldo
easily slid my car into a space in front of my building.

“I’m sure you will.” I heard Aldo open his
door but as I stepped out, I saw that he had already faded away
into thin air. I held his card in my hand and a surge of energy ran
through me. I tucked it away in my pocket and went on back up to my
office.

As I walked in, I noticed Ivar had not
returned. I took that as a good sign. I went to my desk and just as
I was about to sit, there was knock at the door. I walked over and
pulled it open to see a man about my height with a gray moustache
and one of the worst hairpieces I had ever seen in my life.

“Jake Corba?”

“Yes.”

“I’m William Bertram. We spoke earlier?”

“Yes, of course. Come in.” I led Bertram to
my desk. He sat down quickly and locked his knees together tightly.
He kept his back ramrod straight and his eyes focused forward.
There was a small folder tucked under his arm. “I brought the
papers you required.” He said as he slid the folder to me. I opened
it up and everything seemed to be in order. Copies of Gwen’s
driver’s license and social security card along with a consent form
for the check.

“It all looks in order. This could take a
couple of days, but once I get the information, I’ll be in
touch.”

“That’s fine. I know it may seem a bit over
cautious, but you can’t be too careful these days.”

“I agree. It’s important you know who you’ve
got working for you,” I said. “You checked her real estate license,
correct?”

“All of that was in order. I just need to
make sure she’s a solid person. After all, my sales force is
representing me out there and I can’t afford bad representation.”
He said with a slight giggle in his throat. I took that to mean he
intended his statement to be funny.

“Who can?” I said with a forced smile.

“Now what exactly will you be doing?”

“Detective stuff.”

“I know, but what exactly is the process?
I’m always fascinated with the nuts and bolts of these kinds of
things.”

“Well, I’ll just plug Ms. Thorne’s
information into the usual databases and,” I began but there was a
loud knock at the door that broke the mood. I couldn’t see who it
was, but whoever it was; they were blocking the entire window of
the door. “Here. I just need you to sign this paper before I get
started.” I said as I slid Bertram the work contract. Bertram took
it and began scanning through the document. While he did that, I
dashed for the door. I pulled it open a crack and peeked outside.
There was a woman standing before me. She was pretty and oddly tall
with long, flowing ribbons of silk wrapped loosely around her body.
Her hair was gold and flowing and by far the most unusual traits
she possessed were two large wings protruding from her back.

“Jake Corba?” Her voice was light yet
booming at the same time with an otherworldly echo beneath it.

“Yes. Who are you?”

“I am known as Hither. I have come to you on
an urgent matter.”

“Look, I’m kind of with a client now. Could
you come back later?”

“This is a matter of the greatest
importance. It cannot wait!” I was sure her visit had something to
do with the misplacement of Heaven. By the wings, it was clear she
was an angel or some other divine being and I knew she wouldn’t be
going anywhere soon.

“Fine. Just tuck those things in and act
mortal. Please!”

“Very well.” She said and just like that,
her wings scrunched together and disappeared behind her back. I
opened the door to her and she walked in gracefully. Bertram stood
quickly and seemed to be quite awestruck by Hither. I ran back to
my desk and tried to win back Bertram’s attention.