The Demon Pool (17 page)

The shrill screech of a smoke alarm shattered Jim’s
sleep. His eyes popped open a second before the tank at the back of the house
exploded. The force of the blast blew off the front door and picked up the
overstuffed chair, with Jim in it, and propelled them both through the opening.
The chair landed on its back in the front yard with Jim still attached, his
hands instinctively gripping the thick material of the arms.

The chair skidded a few feet across the front lawn
and stopped. Jim rolled backward out of the chair, found his footing, and
dashed across the street away from the burning house. Turning around, he
watched his home become an inferno.

Everything that he owned was in there. At least he
had still been wearing his uniform when he plopped himself down. He had not
even bothered to unbuckle his gun belt. He still had his service weapon, his
wallet, and his cell phone. He dialed 911.

***

Kevin Williams did not believe
what he had seen. The IID had gone off perfectly. The fire had quickly engulfed
the tank. Even way down the block, Kevin heard the faint sound of the smoke
alarm. Seconds later, he watched the night light up better than an Independence
Day fireworks display.
Independence Day for Kat.

Kevin knew that she would celebrate by granting
him the special reward the voices had promised, but before he could really
enjoy the moment, he saw a large, dark object follow the front door into the
yard. In the light of the raging fire, a human form rolled backwards. The
figure jumped up and ran across the street. In the bright flame of the burning
house, Kevin identified the uniform. Somehow, Trooper Pain-in-the-Ass had made
it out alive. Son-of-a-bitch. How the hell did the big, blond prick survive
that blast?

Kevin sat in the dark rental car and contemplated
the vagaries of fortune. Fortune for Demore, temporary misfortune for himself
and Kat. He kept the rental car headlights turned off as he carefully turned the
car around on the narrow street. He could hear the crackling and popping sounds
of burning wood, but nothing from the voices, only his own thoughts banging
around in his head. That could be good or that could be bad.

One ominous thought rose above the mental mayhem.
He would need an alibi for tonight. He retrieved the disposable cell phone he
had purchased for tonight’s mission. He thought about dialing Kat, but saving
his own ass was more urgent. He dialed a special number that activated a remote
server, sending a wakeup call to his home computer. A script ran, logging him
on to his work computer from home, then deleted itself. Anyone who checked
would see that he had spent the evening working at home.

Before returning the rental car, he would remove the
transparent red tape from the car’s taillights that had changed their look and
shape. He was sure there would be nothing that could tie him to the attempted
murder of the State Trooper. Even having failed his mission, even without the
voices, he felt invincible. It was time to visit the beach.

***

Jim’s ears rang like renegade
church bells. He barely heard the car down the street. It was too far away for
him to make out any details, other than it was a sedan turning around. The car
drove away quickly. Jim made a mental note of the shape and style of the
taillights.

Despite the ringing in his ears, he heard sirens
blaring in the distance. Intense heat came from the fire, so hot that the
material covering his chair suddenly burst into flames. Jim’s right knee ached
badly. He sat with his back against a tree and watched his house burn.

Three fire trucks came screaming down the street.
They pulled up and a dozen firefighters raced to deploy hoses and equipment. A
fire captain approached him. The light from the fire reflected off the shiny
metal of her captain’s bars.

“Anyone still inside?” she asked. Her face showed
genuine concern.

“I live alone. No dogs, no cat, no fish, nobody
inside.”

He continued to stare at the flames. Firefighters
unrolled and connected more hoses. The fuel tank stood alone, not connected to
any external line, allowing the fire fighters to made good progress once water
began shooting from their hoses.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

The captain waved over a couple of paramedics who
had just arrived.

“Yeah, I guess so. At least I feel okay. Except,
of course, for my damn house burning down.”

Jim continued to sit as he watched the
firefighters knock down the flames. Three Highway Patrol cars raced up the
street, full lights and sirens going, followed by two sheriff’s department
vehicles and one unmarked car.

A half-dozen cops rushed toward where he sat.
Major Kant, his troop commander, arrived first. The other officers clustered
around the tree, watching the firefighters finish off the flames. The
paramedics examining Jim stood and pronounced that he looked okay, but that
they would still like to transport him, if only to be on the safe side. Major
Kant squatted down next to him.

“You alright?” she asked.

“Son-of-a-bitch blew up my house.” Jim said in a
surprisingly dry voice.

“Could have been an accident. Maybe a gas line
leaking?”

He shook his head. “Just had it serviced. The
whole heating system. It’s cheaper now then waiting until winter.”

The fire captain returned holding a blackened and
misshaped metal tube.

“Found this next to the tank. This wasn’t an
accident. Someone tried to kill your trooper.”

“What kind of crazy son-of-a-bitch would want to
blow up a Highway Patrol trooper?”

“I don’t know, Major,” Jim said. “Someone who
doesn’t like something I’m investigating?”

Jim pushed himself up and got to his feet. His
right knee burned like someone had stuck a fork in it and pronounced it “done.”

“I don’t have a damn clue, ma’am,” Jim continued as
the paramedics gathered up their equipment. “But, I’ll tell you this much, some
son-of-a-bitch owes me a house.”

Kat sat at her desk surfing news websites. The story of
the explosion at Trooper Demore’s home had made the regional headlines, but she
had already known that Demore had survived the night. The call from Kevin
Williams had been a surprise.

“It’s Kevin,” he whispered.

“Kevin? Kevin who.”

“Kevin Williams.”

He said it like she should have known who he was.

“You know. From the store. In Ft. Myers. You bought
the candles.”

Frustration edged his voice.

“I tried to help you. It didn’t work,” he said.
“The prick didn’t die.”

“How did you get my number?” she asked. “And who
didn’t die?”

“THEY gave it to me.” The frustration in his
voice became a whine. “The cop from the Highway Patrol. He didn’t die. I blew
up his house, but he got out alive. Shit, it was perfect. I don’t know what
happened.”

Kat said nothing for a moment. She could hear
Kevin breathing.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“At my job. I’m alone. For the moment. What do I
do? The voices aren’t telling me anything.”

Voices? Kat thought back to her first encounter
with Kevin. The shadows. Kevin had helping spirits. Apparently they were
attached to him, somehow sharing his body, and they had bowed to her.
Interesting. Although she hadn’t known what Kevin Williams was up to, she
realized that her magick had not succeeded. But, she also understood that
acquiring and exercising supernatural power took practice and time.

“Don’t worry,” she told him. “I’ll take care of
the cop.”

Kat heard the clunk of the lab door lock,
disconnected the call, and closed the browser window. There were things that
needed to be done.

***

Robert entered the lab and saw
Kat sitting at her workstation.

“You’re early, Kat. Are you feeling better?”

Kat spun around in her lab chair. Robert had a
look of genuine concern on his face.

“Hopefully just a twenty-four-hour bug,” she
replied. “How do you feel? You really put it away the other night. I didn’t
think I was going to be able to get you home.”

He remembered taking Kat to the restaurant, but
the rest of the evening was a blur. All he knew for sure was that he had woken
up at home alone.
Dumbass
.

“
I don’t usually drink like that,” he told
her.

“I hope not. We have a lot of work to do here. Do
you remember our agreement?”

Kat stood and moved close to Robert. He struggled
to remember what they had talked about. A lot of technical stuff, he knew that.
Some theoretical stuff, too.
Not exactly what I’d had in mind.

Robert did remember being impressed with Kat’s
knowledge of the biological and chemical processes necessary for human cloning.
She had surprised him with a comprehensive grasp of recent research in Somatic
Cell Nuclear Transfer, the laboratory technique for creating a clonal embryo. She
also offered suggestions for building on the best genetic research available.
Robert knew PhDs who did not have her grasp of genetics and bioengineering.
Uncanny. Not at all what Robert had expected. In addition to being amazingly
smart, Kat could also drink. Robert had wanted to get her drunk in hopes of
reducing any inhibitions. Instead, she drank him under the table.
Admit it.
She kicked your ass, Robert. You woke up alone, which probably meant you went
to bed alone.

“As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t remember
much after dessert.” Robert said.

Kat smiled. She reached across and held his hand.

“You said we could be partners,” she said.

Kat lifted his hand and placed it solidly on her
left breast, near her heart.

“Remember?”

Robert felt her warmth. Instant arousal. Kat’s
lips were full and reddish-pink. Robert looked into her eyes. Dark pupils
beckoned. Her eyes captured his. Swirling, kaleidoscopic pools that drew him
in. Somewhere deep inside Robert’s subconscious, an alarm blared. Warning
given, warning ignored.

Robert could not look away from Kat’s eyes. For the
moment, it seemed that she owned him.

***

A large, dark shadow writhed
above Robert. The shadow sucked the light from the space around it giving the
ceiling the appearance of a dark night sky devoid of moon and stars.

The shadow twisted and jerked as if it were
anticipating something. When Kat leaned into Robert and pressed her mouth
against his, the shadow pulsed and quivered expectantly. Kat’s lips parted and
her tongue snaked into Robert’s mouth. Her free hand felt for his response. She
pulled back slightly, just enough to be able to lock on to his eyes again. She
whispered.

“You missed out the other night Robert. I was
ready for you and you were too drunk.”

Kat held his hand tight against her breast. Her
other hand moved up and worked on his belt.

“You want me, don’t you Robert?”

“Yes,” he replied, his voice raspy, but sure.

Kat pushed her body against him, forcing him back
toward the door. She tongued him again as her hand pushed his trousers and
shorts down.

“Do you want me, Robert?”

It was more of a demand than a question.

“Yes, Yes. I want you. Oh God, I want you.”

Robert reached down and lifted Kat’s skirt. He
was feeling for her underwear when he realized she was naked underneath. His
hands reached around to the junction of her thighs and buttocks, just beneath
the cheeks of her bottom. He started to lift her up to him.

“Wait,” Kat commanded.

Robert hesitated. Kat escaped his grip, once
again standing on the floor.

“Robert, do you remember what I told you when I
took you home?”

The shadow above Robert vibrated and shuddered as
it slid along the ceiling, always maintaining its position directly above him.

Robert looked glassy-eyed. Sex-tranced.

“All I remember is that I wanted you and I got
too drunk,” he whimpered.

Kat’s hand reached down and enveloped him in a
velvet flame.

“I told you a secret, Robert. Do you remember my
secret?”

“I don’t know.” Robert said. His voice cracked.
“I think so. God, I was so drunk.”

“You asked me how I learned so much about
advanced genetics in such a short period of time. We talked about life without
end. Eternal life and the power of science to save us.”

Robert moaned. The velvet flame dance across his
skin.

“I told you that I had discovered a power greater
than science. Greater even than this.”

Kat squeezed her hand as she spoke. Robert winced
and groaned.

“I asked you if you wanted to experience that
power. To share it with me.”

Kat’s hand continued to tease.

“Oh, God, Kat.”

“Not God, Robert. Science! Mixed with something
extra.”

Robert reached down and put his hands back under
Kat’s buttocks. Kat pushed herself up on her toes, pressing her body tightly
against Robert.

“Do you remember your answer, Robert?”

The shadow hovered directly above him. Spidery,
black tentacles dropped out of the inky cloud and snaked their way down,
stabbing at the air around him.

“No. Yes. Maybe. Oh shit, Kat. I think I’m going
to lose it.”

Kat felt the tremors in Robert’s body. She
relaxed her grip. Robert’s breath was hot and ragged.

“You can have the same power Robert. You said yes
once before. Is your answer still yes? Do you want it, Robert?”

***

Thinking clearly was difficult,
but Robert knew what he wanted. He lost himself deep within Kat’s eyes, and
there, he discovered his salvation.
Power
.
People respect power
.
People
worship power. I want the power.

He was not sure how he knew, but he knew he was
about to receive something special. Something powerful. Something more than
sex.

“Yes. Yes, I want it.”

Robert heard his voice, but the words seemed far
away. The velvet fire consumed him.

“All the people who hurt you, Robert. All the
people who shit on you. Everything will change.” Kat’s lips brushed Robert’s as
she continued. “It is a gift, Robert. Tell me you want the gift.”

“I want the gift.”

“It will change you, Robert. Tell me you want to
be changed.”

“I want to be changed.”

“Tell me you want to be possessed by the power.”

Robert was vaguely aware that the sentence
structure seemed off, weird, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the power.

“Yes, give me the power,” he told Kat again, his
voice barely a whisper.

He lifted Kat up again. This time she moved with
him, almost as if she were levitating. Her hand positioned him for penetration.
It seemed that she floated in his hands.

“Tell me, Robert. Say it.”

“I want to be possessed by the power.”

Kat’s lips went to his ear.

“Then receive the gift.”

***

Kat drove her hips forward. She
glanced up and saw the tentacles of the shadow gathered around Robert’s head
and shoulders.  As Robert penetrated her, the tentacles penetrated him. He
exploded into Kat and she held on tight as Robert jerked and spasmed. The
shadow disappeared into Robert. His legs folded. He slid down the wall, his
buttocks slamming into the floor. Kat let him slide out of her, forgoing her
own pleasure. Robert squeezed his eyes shut, and his face glowed with both
ecstasy and agony.

Kat stood above him and used her hand to keep Robert’s
fluid from escaping. She went to the bathroom and anointed both a red and a
black candle with the product of her seduction. Kat smiled. She owned Robert
now. Robert, the brilliant but socially inept scientist, had easily surrendered
his soul. Almost as easily as stupid Bruce. Owning Robert meant controlling all
of the resources of AGT, and controlling AGT meant controlling her destiny.