Midknight, page 19
“Why should I believe you?”
“It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not. If you do not give me the cloak in Southby tomorrow, I will return to Paradise Flats in two days with even more militia soldiers and twice as many of the Deranged. We will rain down so much hellfire on your little town that anyone who comes by here in the future will never know that it even existed.”
“What's happened to John? I don't think that you would be talking so tough if he was nearby.”
Murmur smiled and Midknight found that to be more frightening than any of the threats that he had just made. “Our Celestial friend has had a bit of a mishap and won't be joining in any of the festivities.”
Midknight had no doubt that Murmur was responsible for John's mishap. If the Celestial was indeed out of the picture as Murmur said, why wouldn't he just take the cloak right now? Why not level Paradise Flats where it stands at this moment and be done with it instead of loading up the militia and their equipment and heading back to Southby? Wherever John was, he couldn't be too far away or Murmur would have acted already.
“The choice is yours, Beau Sittler. Either way, I will be seeing you soon. Don't make me have to come back here again.”
“If I do choose to come to Southby and give up the cloak, how will I find you?”
“Dale Sanderson knows where I can be found. Talk to him.” Murmur was gone in the next instance and Midknight wondered if he had just missed his best opportunity to eliminate the source of all their problems.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After Midknight had returned to help with the cleanup from the attack, he went in search of John, but was unable to find the Celestial. This development was deeply troubling. Without John, Paradise Flats was defenseless against Murmur. Midknight could use the cloak to hold off another attack for as long as possible, but he wouldn't be able to stop them. It would be just a matter of time before another assault here would be the end of them all.
This made the decision to return the cloak to Murmur somewhat easier. If the collector of souls honored his word, Paradise Flats would be spared another direct attack. As much as he wanted to admit that this was for the best, Midknight knew better. Murmur couldn't be trusted. Once he got Schadowe’s cloak back, it would just be a matter of time before Paradise Flats was targeted again. If not by Murmur, it would be someone else. Without John and himself present as Midknight, the little town would fall quickly in another altercation.
It was after 3:00 in the morning when Beau returned to his parent’s home and transported himself into his old bedroom. He was surprised to find Lauren awake and waiting for him with the room lit by candlelight.
“Michael’s been the only one who's been able to sleep through everything going on out there. Was it as bad as it sounded?”
“Worse.” Beau checked out his reflection in the mirror and thought that he looked like hell.
“Your dad went out to help about an hour ago. He came to ask if you wanted to go, as well, but I told him that you must have slipped out of the house while I was asleep. I don't know if he believed me or not. I'm tired of lying to your parents, Beau.”
“I'm sorry, Laur.” he said as he crawled into bed beside her.
Lauren reached over and hugged him tightly. “No offence, Boo, but you look terrible.”
“Thanks, I feel terrible.” Beau couldn't remember the last time that he had shaved, let alone had a decent night sleep. He needed to rest even if it was just for a few hours. With Murmur and his men now departed, Beau didn't think that there would be any more trouble tonight.
“What happened out there.... or do you want to talk about it?”
“Just more attacks.... this one was a little larger and more coordinated than anything that we’ve seen so far. The northern perimeter was breached and there were some casualties.... but I think everything is under control now.” He was unsure of how much he should tell Lauren and tried to gloss over how bad things really were.
“What about the explosions? Those sounded like they were on the south side of town.”
“Yeah, mortar blasts. A few houses and buildings were damaged, but no one was hurt too badly.”
Lauren processed this for a moment. “Did something happen to John?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“I can tell that something's bothering you.... like you're worried.... worse than usual with everything that's been happening. John wouldn't have let those bombs hit anything if he-”
“No one knows what's happened to him. The last that anyone saw him, he was marching off towards where the militia soldiers were situated on the north side of town and no one has seen him since.”
“If something has happened to him, how can we possibly hold on? The only reason that we survived this long is because of you and John. If he's gone or something's happened to him, can you do this on your own?”
“I'm not sure.” Beau replied, but if Murmur followed through on his threat and Beau didn't hand over the cloak, he already knew what the answer was. “Maybe John was just called away to take care of another matter. He'll probably be back in the morning.”
“I hope you're right.” Lauren could tell that Beau was trying to protect her from the truth. There was more going on that he wasn't telling her about. She didn't push the issue any further. He was exhausted and need to rest. “Things will look better in the morning.”
When they saw the extent of the damage the following morning that last night's skirmish had caused, any optimism that Beau and Lauren might have had was quickly erased. Like everyone else in Paradise Flats, they were curious to see how their little town had fared after the battle. Beau had been there to see it firsthand, but everything looked much worse in broad daylight. Sarah Brown, an 83-year-old widow, had succumbed to her injuries just an hour ago after her home was struck by one of the mortar blasts. Trent Arneil, a guy that Beau played rec hockey against, was in critical condition after being attacked by one of the Deranged. He had been one of the Watchmen on the northern perimeter when the Deranged broke through. Without the proper medical care here in Paradise Flats to help him, Trent Arneil’s prognosis was grim.
These two casualties were the first of many to come, Beau concluded as he surveyed the property damage and devastated looks on the faces of his friends and neighbors. To make matters worse, there was still no sign of John. The Celestial had been a constant reassuring presence since this madness had begun. The worry was evident in the eyes of those gathered. If John was no longer around and this was a result of just one attack, what more was to come and how would they deal with it without him?
It was then that Beau decided what he must do. He had been deliberating all morning about what would happen if he returned the cloak to Murmur. Even though the soul collector had promised that no harm would come to him or Paradise Flats afterwards, Beau didn't believe that for a minute. Murmur would kill him immediately and then send his men to level his hometown. There was only one solution that Beau could see. He wished that he could talk about what he planned to do with John and get the Celestial’s thoughts, but Beau was on his own now. Murmur seemed convinced that John was no longer part of the equation leaving it up to him to find a resolution to their problem. After they returned to his parents' place, Beau informed Lauren what he intended to do.
“There's got to be another way, Beau.” Lauren said, visibly upset after hearing what he had to say.
“I wish there was, but with John gone, I don't see what other choice I have.”
“Stay here, then. Please don't go.”
“If I don't go, he'll be back here with more men and weapons.”
“Then we'll fight them off again.”
“I'm prepared to do that, Laur, with my dying breath, if need be, but I doubt it will be enough. If what I'm planning works, it will never come to that.”
“If it doesn't though.... then what?”
“If it does work, we’ll be free of our problems and maybe life can go back to normal again.”
“Please don't do this, Beau. Wait until John returns.”
“I don't know if he ever will, Laur. He would have been here by now if something hadn’t happened to him.”
“You need to think this through some more. Why wouldn't John have done the same thing by now and dealt with Murmur already?” There was desperation in Lauren’s voice, almost as if she already sensed that she wasn't going to talk Beau out of this.
“Maybe he couldn't.... maybe there's some kind of code that he has to follow. I don't know. Believe me, Laur... I don't want to go. If there was some other way-”
“Then just give this Murmur the cloak!”
“If I do that, he will kill me and come back here to finish what he started last night.”
“He might kill you regardless.”
“He might.... yes, but at least this will be on my terms and I'll have a fighting chance this way.”
Lauren didn't want to argue anymore and reached out and held Beau tightly. “How soon are you going?”
“I should leave within the hour.”
“Maybe I should come-”
“No, I need you safe here with Mikey.”
Lauren sighed and tried to come up with another solution to keep Beau from going. “You know that I love you, right?”
“I know. I love you, too. This will work. I promise.”
“Don't make any promises that you can't keep. How will you even find Murmur?”
“Dale Sanderson apparently knows where I can locate him.”
They talked for a few minutes more before Beau went to find his parents and gave them both a hug. Michael had been outside playing with Beau’s sister, Ashley and her kids when he went to say goodbye to him.
“I have to go out for a bit, so you take care of your mom for me while I'm gone, Okay, Mikey?”
“Okay, I will, Boo.”
“Attaboy. Love you, Mikey.”
“Love you, Boo.”
Beau held on tight to the child and didn't want to let go. He then did the same thing with Lauren before reluctantly leaving and wondering if he would ever see them again.
Dale Sanderson was in his garage cleaning his guns when a gravelly voice startled him.
“I need you to tell me where I can find a man that goes by the name of Murmur in Southby, Dale Sanderson.”
After nearly falling off his chair, Dale pointed an empty gun in the direction where he thought the voice came from. “Who said that?” he asked when he saw no one there.
“You can put the gun down, Dale. I just need an address so I can find him, that's all.”
“Show yourself first.”
From the shadows in the corner beside Dale's large toolbox emerged a dark figure wearing a black cloak. Dale slowly lowered the gun.
“You’re Midknight, aren't you? I've seen you out and about at night. At first, I thought you were some damn fool dressed up in a costume, but you're more than that, aren't you? Just like that John fella.”
“Yes. How do I find Murmur in Southby?”
“What do you need to find him for?”
After Midknight's plan was revealed, Dale Sanderson nodded. “I'll do you one better than just telling you where he can be found. I'll take you there personally.”
“You don't have to do that. I don't want to put you in harm's way.”
“It's okay. I want to help. I have a bit of a score to settle with that son of a bitch.” Dale proceeded to tell how Murmur held his boys hostage before John rescued them. “I don't know how he did it, but I'm indebted to John for getting Matthew and Brady back for me. If I can help get that Murmur what's coming to him, I'm more than willing to take you there. I'll never forgive him for threatening to kill my boys unless I killed that Lauren Taylor woman and her son for him.”
“What?”
“Yeah. John D’Angelo stepped in and took matters into his own hands though. I'm glad he did. She never did no wrong by me.”
Midknight was shocked by this development and wondered why John had never mentioned it to him. Probably because the Celestial knew how overcome with rage he would be as he was now if he ever found out. There was no more doubt in Midknight's mind about what had to be done. Murmur had made this more than personal and guessed that Beau would kill Dale Sanderson once he found out what had happened to Lauren and Michael. The soul collector would have his Schadowe entity released and more names to add to his precious book.
“How soon can we leave?”
“Give me twenty minutes to load up some weapons in the truck. We'll stop and grab my brother, Derek along the way. He'll want to be there for this.”
They arrived in Southby shortly after 2:00 that afternoon. Dale and Derek Sanderson rode in the front and Beau still disguised as Midknight sat in the back seat. He wondered how ridiculous this must look with the two brothers and a cloaked figure riding together. It was obvious that he made the Sanderson brothers uncomfortable so he kept to himself for the majority of the ride. When they reached the outskirts of the city, Midknight informed the brothers that this would be as far as they would be going. They began to protest, but he quickly cut them off.
“You've done more than enough already. I need to do this on my own and can't be worried if you're okay or not. Give me two hours. Stay safe and out of sight and meet me at the ‘Welcome to Southby’ sign up there. If I'm not back by 4:00, leave for Paradise Flats without me.”
“But we can-” Dale Sanderson started argue, but when he looked in the back seat, it was empty. He had made the mistake of mentioning the address where Murmur could be located and Midknight decided that he would go the rest of the way alone.
He was familiar with that part of the city as he had cousins that once lived in a nearby neighborhood. Using visual points of reference, Midknight transported himself to each location and continued to where Murmur was staying. No one interfered with his progress as he appeared only for a few seconds each time before jumping to his next spot. In less than ten minutes, he had reached his destination and stood across the street from where Murmur would be waiting for him. Where every other house in the neighborhood had suffered some kind of structural damage, this house was untouched and looked strangely out of place compared to the rest of the homes around it.
Two guards standing outside noticed Midknight and began to approach him. He waited until they were halfway across the street and transported himself to where they had just been standing outside the house. He opened the door and let himself in and was greeted by two more guards who jumped in surprise when they saw him. They raised their guns towards Midknight who simply stood his ground and did nothing to provoke them.
“I'm here to see Murmur. He's expecting me.”
The guards gave each other uneasy looks and one of them pointed towards Murmur’s study. “This way.”
They led him down the hall to where two more guards stood outside large glass doors. There was a hushed conversation between the guards before one of them knocked on one of the glass doors and entered the study. A moment later, he returned and waved Midknight in.
“Murmur will see you now.”
Midknight made his way past the guards into the study and the door was closed behind him. Murmur sat in a leather chair behind a large wooden desk and two large dogs lie in front of the desk cautiously watching the cloaked stranger. Midknight slowly scanned the room, checking to see if Murmur had some hidden traps that he was planning to use.
“Beau Sittler. I'm so happy that you decided to agree to my request. How was your journey from Paradise Flats?”
“Let's skip the pleasantries and get this over with, Murmur.”
“Very well, if you wish. The procedure to remove the cloak is relatively painless. A few minutes is all that's required and then you can be on your way.”
“Enough with the bullshit. Once you have the cloak back, you have no intention of letting me live, do you? I seriously doubt that you're going to spare Paradise Flats from another attack, as well.... right?”
Murmur stood up with his leather book in hand and made his way around the desk before sitting down on the edge of it. “I suppose if you've come all this way to return the cloak to me, I should be forthcoming with you. Once the cloak is removed, it is doubtful that you will survive. The Schadowe entity has taken too much from you already for you to live. Even if you do survive the.... extraction, well I can't have you coming back to haunt me again, can I? As for Paradise Flats.... your little town is destined for destruction. If not today, maybe a week or a month from now if it survives that long, but its fate is already sealed. It will fall just like the rest of your world will. You have just delayed the inevitable.”
“We'll see about that.”
“Is that steely resolve that I detect, Beau Sittler? Is that why you've come here? To set things right?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Oh yes, I forgot that you're some kind of superhero now, aren't you? What do they call you? Midknight? It must be terribly exciting for you to have these special powers and abilities, isn't that right?”
“It has its benefits.”
“So, what's your play here.... Midknight? You've come to vanquish the evil forces that look to destroy your world? Protect those you love? Fight for honor and glory?”
“You should have never targeted Lauren and Michael.”
“Which time?” Murmur sneered. “You're right, though.... that was a waste of my time.”
“What do you mean which time? How many times were there?”
“Three times to be exact. All unsuccessful, of course. It was nothing personal. Their deaths were supposed to be a means to an end.”
“By having me kill someone defending them or avenging them and thereby releasing the Schadowe entity.”
“Yes, something like that.”
Midknight was seething with rage. The time was at hand to make Murmur pay. He was responsible for so much of the pain and suffering that the world was experiencing. He had repeatedly sent men to kill the woman that he loved. The attacks on Paradise Flats were all his doing. He needed to be stopped at all costs.
“I guess if we're being honest, Murmur, it's only fair that you know that I have no intention of giving you the cloak back.”
“It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not. If you do not give me the cloak in Southby tomorrow, I will return to Paradise Flats in two days with even more militia soldiers and twice as many of the Deranged. We will rain down so much hellfire on your little town that anyone who comes by here in the future will never know that it even existed.”
“What's happened to John? I don't think that you would be talking so tough if he was nearby.”
Murmur smiled and Midknight found that to be more frightening than any of the threats that he had just made. “Our Celestial friend has had a bit of a mishap and won't be joining in any of the festivities.”
Midknight had no doubt that Murmur was responsible for John's mishap. If the Celestial was indeed out of the picture as Murmur said, why wouldn't he just take the cloak right now? Why not level Paradise Flats where it stands at this moment and be done with it instead of loading up the militia and their equipment and heading back to Southby? Wherever John was, he couldn't be too far away or Murmur would have acted already.
“The choice is yours, Beau Sittler. Either way, I will be seeing you soon. Don't make me have to come back here again.”
“If I do choose to come to Southby and give up the cloak, how will I find you?”
“Dale Sanderson knows where I can be found. Talk to him.” Murmur was gone in the next instance and Midknight wondered if he had just missed his best opportunity to eliminate the source of all their problems.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After Midknight had returned to help with the cleanup from the attack, he went in search of John, but was unable to find the Celestial. This development was deeply troubling. Without John, Paradise Flats was defenseless against Murmur. Midknight could use the cloak to hold off another attack for as long as possible, but he wouldn't be able to stop them. It would be just a matter of time before another assault here would be the end of them all.
This made the decision to return the cloak to Murmur somewhat easier. If the collector of souls honored his word, Paradise Flats would be spared another direct attack. As much as he wanted to admit that this was for the best, Midknight knew better. Murmur couldn't be trusted. Once he got Schadowe’s cloak back, it would just be a matter of time before Paradise Flats was targeted again. If not by Murmur, it would be someone else. Without John and himself present as Midknight, the little town would fall quickly in another altercation.
It was after 3:00 in the morning when Beau returned to his parent’s home and transported himself into his old bedroom. He was surprised to find Lauren awake and waiting for him with the room lit by candlelight.
“Michael’s been the only one who's been able to sleep through everything going on out there. Was it as bad as it sounded?”
“Worse.” Beau checked out his reflection in the mirror and thought that he looked like hell.
“Your dad went out to help about an hour ago. He came to ask if you wanted to go, as well, but I told him that you must have slipped out of the house while I was asleep. I don't know if he believed me or not. I'm tired of lying to your parents, Beau.”
“I'm sorry, Laur.” he said as he crawled into bed beside her.
Lauren reached over and hugged him tightly. “No offence, Boo, but you look terrible.”
“Thanks, I feel terrible.” Beau couldn't remember the last time that he had shaved, let alone had a decent night sleep. He needed to rest even if it was just for a few hours. With Murmur and his men now departed, Beau didn't think that there would be any more trouble tonight.
“What happened out there.... or do you want to talk about it?”
“Just more attacks.... this one was a little larger and more coordinated than anything that we’ve seen so far. The northern perimeter was breached and there were some casualties.... but I think everything is under control now.” He was unsure of how much he should tell Lauren and tried to gloss over how bad things really were.
“What about the explosions? Those sounded like they were on the south side of town.”
“Yeah, mortar blasts. A few houses and buildings were damaged, but no one was hurt too badly.”
Lauren processed this for a moment. “Did something happen to John?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“I can tell that something's bothering you.... like you're worried.... worse than usual with everything that's been happening. John wouldn't have let those bombs hit anything if he-”
“No one knows what's happened to him. The last that anyone saw him, he was marching off towards where the militia soldiers were situated on the north side of town and no one has seen him since.”
“If something has happened to him, how can we possibly hold on? The only reason that we survived this long is because of you and John. If he's gone or something's happened to him, can you do this on your own?”
“I'm not sure.” Beau replied, but if Murmur followed through on his threat and Beau didn't hand over the cloak, he already knew what the answer was. “Maybe John was just called away to take care of another matter. He'll probably be back in the morning.”
“I hope you're right.” Lauren could tell that Beau was trying to protect her from the truth. There was more going on that he wasn't telling her about. She didn't push the issue any further. He was exhausted and need to rest. “Things will look better in the morning.”
When they saw the extent of the damage the following morning that last night's skirmish had caused, any optimism that Beau and Lauren might have had was quickly erased. Like everyone else in Paradise Flats, they were curious to see how their little town had fared after the battle. Beau had been there to see it firsthand, but everything looked much worse in broad daylight. Sarah Brown, an 83-year-old widow, had succumbed to her injuries just an hour ago after her home was struck by one of the mortar blasts. Trent Arneil, a guy that Beau played rec hockey against, was in critical condition after being attacked by one of the Deranged. He had been one of the Watchmen on the northern perimeter when the Deranged broke through. Without the proper medical care here in Paradise Flats to help him, Trent Arneil’s prognosis was grim.
These two casualties were the first of many to come, Beau concluded as he surveyed the property damage and devastated looks on the faces of his friends and neighbors. To make matters worse, there was still no sign of John. The Celestial had been a constant reassuring presence since this madness had begun. The worry was evident in the eyes of those gathered. If John was no longer around and this was a result of just one attack, what more was to come and how would they deal with it without him?
It was then that Beau decided what he must do. He had been deliberating all morning about what would happen if he returned the cloak to Murmur. Even though the soul collector had promised that no harm would come to him or Paradise Flats afterwards, Beau didn't believe that for a minute. Murmur would kill him immediately and then send his men to level his hometown. There was only one solution that Beau could see. He wished that he could talk about what he planned to do with John and get the Celestial’s thoughts, but Beau was on his own now. Murmur seemed convinced that John was no longer part of the equation leaving it up to him to find a resolution to their problem. After they returned to his parents' place, Beau informed Lauren what he intended to do.
“There's got to be another way, Beau.” Lauren said, visibly upset after hearing what he had to say.
“I wish there was, but with John gone, I don't see what other choice I have.”
“Stay here, then. Please don't go.”
“If I don't go, he'll be back here with more men and weapons.”
“Then we'll fight them off again.”
“I'm prepared to do that, Laur, with my dying breath, if need be, but I doubt it will be enough. If what I'm planning works, it will never come to that.”
“If it doesn't though.... then what?”
“If it does work, we’ll be free of our problems and maybe life can go back to normal again.”
“Please don't do this, Beau. Wait until John returns.”
“I don't know if he ever will, Laur. He would have been here by now if something hadn’t happened to him.”
“You need to think this through some more. Why wouldn't John have done the same thing by now and dealt with Murmur already?” There was desperation in Lauren’s voice, almost as if she already sensed that she wasn't going to talk Beau out of this.
“Maybe he couldn't.... maybe there's some kind of code that he has to follow. I don't know. Believe me, Laur... I don't want to go. If there was some other way-”
“Then just give this Murmur the cloak!”
“If I do that, he will kill me and come back here to finish what he started last night.”
“He might kill you regardless.”
“He might.... yes, but at least this will be on my terms and I'll have a fighting chance this way.”
Lauren didn't want to argue anymore and reached out and held Beau tightly. “How soon are you going?”
“I should leave within the hour.”
“Maybe I should come-”
“No, I need you safe here with Mikey.”
Lauren sighed and tried to come up with another solution to keep Beau from going. “You know that I love you, right?”
“I know. I love you, too. This will work. I promise.”
“Don't make any promises that you can't keep. How will you even find Murmur?”
“Dale Sanderson apparently knows where I can locate him.”
They talked for a few minutes more before Beau went to find his parents and gave them both a hug. Michael had been outside playing with Beau’s sister, Ashley and her kids when he went to say goodbye to him.
“I have to go out for a bit, so you take care of your mom for me while I'm gone, Okay, Mikey?”
“Okay, I will, Boo.”
“Attaboy. Love you, Mikey.”
“Love you, Boo.”
Beau held on tight to the child and didn't want to let go. He then did the same thing with Lauren before reluctantly leaving and wondering if he would ever see them again.
Dale Sanderson was in his garage cleaning his guns when a gravelly voice startled him.
“I need you to tell me where I can find a man that goes by the name of Murmur in Southby, Dale Sanderson.”
After nearly falling off his chair, Dale pointed an empty gun in the direction where he thought the voice came from. “Who said that?” he asked when he saw no one there.
“You can put the gun down, Dale. I just need an address so I can find him, that's all.”
“Show yourself first.”
From the shadows in the corner beside Dale's large toolbox emerged a dark figure wearing a black cloak. Dale slowly lowered the gun.
“You’re Midknight, aren't you? I've seen you out and about at night. At first, I thought you were some damn fool dressed up in a costume, but you're more than that, aren't you? Just like that John fella.”
“Yes. How do I find Murmur in Southby?”
“What do you need to find him for?”
After Midknight's plan was revealed, Dale Sanderson nodded. “I'll do you one better than just telling you where he can be found. I'll take you there personally.”
“You don't have to do that. I don't want to put you in harm's way.”
“It's okay. I want to help. I have a bit of a score to settle with that son of a bitch.” Dale proceeded to tell how Murmur held his boys hostage before John rescued them. “I don't know how he did it, but I'm indebted to John for getting Matthew and Brady back for me. If I can help get that Murmur what's coming to him, I'm more than willing to take you there. I'll never forgive him for threatening to kill my boys unless I killed that Lauren Taylor woman and her son for him.”
“What?”
“Yeah. John D’Angelo stepped in and took matters into his own hands though. I'm glad he did. She never did no wrong by me.”
Midknight was shocked by this development and wondered why John had never mentioned it to him. Probably because the Celestial knew how overcome with rage he would be as he was now if he ever found out. There was no more doubt in Midknight's mind about what had to be done. Murmur had made this more than personal and guessed that Beau would kill Dale Sanderson once he found out what had happened to Lauren and Michael. The soul collector would have his Schadowe entity released and more names to add to his precious book.
“How soon can we leave?”
“Give me twenty minutes to load up some weapons in the truck. We'll stop and grab my brother, Derek along the way. He'll want to be there for this.”
They arrived in Southby shortly after 2:00 that afternoon. Dale and Derek Sanderson rode in the front and Beau still disguised as Midknight sat in the back seat. He wondered how ridiculous this must look with the two brothers and a cloaked figure riding together. It was obvious that he made the Sanderson brothers uncomfortable so he kept to himself for the majority of the ride. When they reached the outskirts of the city, Midknight informed the brothers that this would be as far as they would be going. They began to protest, but he quickly cut them off.
“You've done more than enough already. I need to do this on my own and can't be worried if you're okay or not. Give me two hours. Stay safe and out of sight and meet me at the ‘Welcome to Southby’ sign up there. If I'm not back by 4:00, leave for Paradise Flats without me.”
“But we can-” Dale Sanderson started argue, but when he looked in the back seat, it was empty. He had made the mistake of mentioning the address where Murmur could be located and Midknight decided that he would go the rest of the way alone.
He was familiar with that part of the city as he had cousins that once lived in a nearby neighborhood. Using visual points of reference, Midknight transported himself to each location and continued to where Murmur was staying. No one interfered with his progress as he appeared only for a few seconds each time before jumping to his next spot. In less than ten minutes, he had reached his destination and stood across the street from where Murmur would be waiting for him. Where every other house in the neighborhood had suffered some kind of structural damage, this house was untouched and looked strangely out of place compared to the rest of the homes around it.
Two guards standing outside noticed Midknight and began to approach him. He waited until they were halfway across the street and transported himself to where they had just been standing outside the house. He opened the door and let himself in and was greeted by two more guards who jumped in surprise when they saw him. They raised their guns towards Midknight who simply stood his ground and did nothing to provoke them.
“I'm here to see Murmur. He's expecting me.”
The guards gave each other uneasy looks and one of them pointed towards Murmur’s study. “This way.”
They led him down the hall to where two more guards stood outside large glass doors. There was a hushed conversation between the guards before one of them knocked on one of the glass doors and entered the study. A moment later, he returned and waved Midknight in.
“Murmur will see you now.”
Midknight made his way past the guards into the study and the door was closed behind him. Murmur sat in a leather chair behind a large wooden desk and two large dogs lie in front of the desk cautiously watching the cloaked stranger. Midknight slowly scanned the room, checking to see if Murmur had some hidden traps that he was planning to use.
“Beau Sittler. I'm so happy that you decided to agree to my request. How was your journey from Paradise Flats?”
“Let's skip the pleasantries and get this over with, Murmur.”
“Very well, if you wish. The procedure to remove the cloak is relatively painless. A few minutes is all that's required and then you can be on your way.”
“Enough with the bullshit. Once you have the cloak back, you have no intention of letting me live, do you? I seriously doubt that you're going to spare Paradise Flats from another attack, as well.... right?”
Murmur stood up with his leather book in hand and made his way around the desk before sitting down on the edge of it. “I suppose if you've come all this way to return the cloak to me, I should be forthcoming with you. Once the cloak is removed, it is doubtful that you will survive. The Schadowe entity has taken too much from you already for you to live. Even if you do survive the.... extraction, well I can't have you coming back to haunt me again, can I? As for Paradise Flats.... your little town is destined for destruction. If not today, maybe a week or a month from now if it survives that long, but its fate is already sealed. It will fall just like the rest of your world will. You have just delayed the inevitable.”
“We'll see about that.”
“Is that steely resolve that I detect, Beau Sittler? Is that why you've come here? To set things right?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Oh yes, I forgot that you're some kind of superhero now, aren't you? What do they call you? Midknight? It must be terribly exciting for you to have these special powers and abilities, isn't that right?”
“It has its benefits.”
“So, what's your play here.... Midknight? You've come to vanquish the evil forces that look to destroy your world? Protect those you love? Fight for honor and glory?”
“You should have never targeted Lauren and Michael.”
“Which time?” Murmur sneered. “You're right, though.... that was a waste of my time.”
“What do you mean which time? How many times were there?”
“Three times to be exact. All unsuccessful, of course. It was nothing personal. Their deaths were supposed to be a means to an end.”
“By having me kill someone defending them or avenging them and thereby releasing the Schadowe entity.”
“Yes, something like that.”
Midknight was seething with rage. The time was at hand to make Murmur pay. He was responsible for so much of the pain and suffering that the world was experiencing. He had repeatedly sent men to kill the woman that he loved. The attacks on Paradise Flats were all his doing. He needed to be stopped at all costs.
“I guess if we're being honest, Murmur, it's only fair that you know that I have no intention of giving you the cloak back.”
