Scratch, page 24
“Ohmygodohmygod,” Shelley repeated in a low murmur.
“Oh God,” April cried, “there’s a body in the trunk!” She slammed the trunk lid down in her panic, closing Suede in darkness again.
“Who was that?” she asked. She held her sister around the shoulders as blood flowed over Shelley’s face from the knife gash across her forehead. Raz stood by their side, face white and washed with impotence.
“He don’t look good.” Jack knelt in the mud next to Adam.
“Oh God, Adam, don’t die!” Holly whispered. She looked up at Shelley and screamed, “Where’s my baby? Where did Billy take Michaela?”
“Ohmygodohmy…” Shelley cried.
“Where is that sonofabitch?” Ed howled as he ran down the yard into the road. He had stayed in the house to check on Abby and Stephanie before following. He stopped suddenly as he saw Adam lying on the ground.
“God Damn!” he said and wiped a shank of wet greasy hair away from his forehead. “Who was that sonofabitch and where is he?”
“Are Abby and Steffie okay?” April asked.
“Ohmygodohmyg…”
“Yeah,” Ed said while opening the back door of his car. “Stef is gonna have a big ole goose-egg on her forehead, but she’s okay. Now where is that motherfucker?”
“He… he,” Shelley gasped, and pointed up the road. “He took Mi… Michaela and ran. That way.” Ed pulled his shotgun out of the car and pumped a shell into the chamber. He looked at Holly.
“I’ll get your little girl,” he said. He spit and then ran up the road after Billy.
“Raz.” Jack’s knees popped as he stood. “You know what we gotta do.”
“I don’t…” Raz mumbled. “I don’t know. The secret…”
“The hell with the secret,” Jack scowled. “This man is gonna die if we don’t do something, and you know we can do something. At least Gabrielle can.”
“But…” Raz’s eyes grew wide as Jack grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shoved him against the truck.
“Listen, you stupid little bastard,” Jack said. “We’ve done a lot of dumb stuff over the years, stuff I ain’t proud of. But this whole thing used to be about helping the people of this valley and doing the right thing. Your daddy and your grandfather knew that. We are not going to let this man die in the mud, not when we can stop it. Now you either go get Gabrielle and help Adam, or I swear to God, Erasmus, you’re going to join him.”
Raz swallowed hard.
“But…”
“I’ll call Jim,” April said. “I know where the extra key is. He can have Gabrielle here before we can get there and back.” She shot a look of revulsion at her husband, patted Shelley on the back, and then ran back up the hill to the house.
Jack let go of Raz’s shirt and knelt beside Adam again.
“Help’s coming,” he said softly. “You hang on. Gabrielle will be here soon.”
* * * * *
Scratch crouched on Adam’s chest. There was a feast of emotion around him: Holly and Shelley’s terror, Jack and Ed’s anger, April’s disgust, Raz’s fear and weakness. Any of these would sustain him, but Adam was near death, and few things fed Scratch better. He wrapped his hands around Adam’s face and prepared to drink his essence as it fled.
But Adam held on. Scratch felt a spark of life deep inside of him, could feel Adam fighting to live. Could feel the glow of magic that Adam didn’t know he had.
Jack said that Gabrielle was coming, and Scratch rejoiced. This would be the first time Gabrielle had been outside the bounds of the protective circle around the church since they had first been bound. Their names had been spoken. Gabrielle was leaving her place of confinement. If there was ever a chance for them to be free, then this was the night.
* * * * *
Goddamn! Jim thought as he stumped across the bridge toward the parsonage. The water that ran beneath his feet was beginning to rise. If the rain continued it would overflow its banks.
He knew that Billy was bad news. He had sensed it the moment they met. He should have done something then, but he hadn’t, which made him feel almost as stupid as he thought Shelley was. Of course, that girl was all but brain dead. What the hell was she thinking?
He wiped his feet on the welcome mat on the porch and stepped into the Toland house. April said the extra key to the hidden room in the basement of the church was in the roll-top desk in the living room. The key to the desk was in a jar of knickknacks on the mantle. As soon as Jim was in the room he saw that he didn’t need to get it. The roll-top was open. A kitchen knife was plunged into the wood next to a large book.
What the hell? Jim wondered. What had Shelley been doing in here? He shook his head at her stupidity again as he slid open the second drawer down. He pulled out a small box, covered in black velvet with delicate brass hinges. Jim opened it and saw a key that was a duplicate of the one Raz always carried. He pocketed the key and left the house. The mystery of Shelley’s actions here would have to wait.
Jim trudged through the wet churchyard and went up the stone steps. He questioned the wisdom of taking Gabrielle out of the church. He didn’t know all of the details of the pact but he was pretty sure the church, or the ground it had been built on, served in some way to keep her bound. April had assured him that the cold iron of her chains would serve the same purpose.
He opened the basement door and flicked on the light. An electrical humming filled the dank air. Jim crouched as he walked so his head wouldn’t bump the low ceiling. He pushed the bookcase aside and unlocked the door behind it.
“Hello, Jim,” Gabrielle said. She sat on the side of her bed, eyes wide. Jim paused, surprised by her appearance. She usually looked groggy, and rarely spoke, reminding Jim more often than not of a stoner in the midst of a good buzz. Her eyes were vivid now, and focused on him in a way he had never seen. She was tiny, and frail, but Jim felt afraid of her just the same.
“We, uh…” he began, then cleared his throat and continued. “Someone has been hurt. We can’t move him, so we need you…”
“You need me to heal him,” Gabrielle said. “Who is it this time?”
“Adam,” Jim said, still feeling uneasy in her presence. “You don’t know him. He’s new here.”
“Then we should hurry.” She lifted her hands up so that he could unlock the manacles. Instead, Jim unfastened the chain from the wall and held it like a leash.
“Sorry,” he mumbled when he saw the look in her eyes, a disquieting mix of disappointment and, though he didn’t think it possible, anger. He pulled the chain and led her out of the basement and out into the rain.
Though the shackles still caused her pain, Gabrielle felt them grow looser when she stepped over the invisible line of the binding circle. Another step toward freedom had been taken.
* * * * *
Sister?
Scratch opened his eyes in the dark of his cavern. Though he had seen her often through the years, this was the first time he had felt Gabrielle’s presence in over a century.
I’m here, my brother. Her voice sang clearly in his head.
Free? he asked, though he knew by his own confinement that she was not.
Not yet, she answered. Soon though. Our names were spoken without the ritual. The iron still binds me. There is much to be answered for.
Yes, Scratch said. The iron chains my body as well, but my spirit is free.
Can you ride the humans?
I have only been able to whisper, until tonight, Scratch said. Tonight I was able to ride once more, but I am very weak.
From the pain I have sent you, she said.
I will be healed. We will be free.
Soon, she agreed.
* * * * *
Damndamndamn!
Billy ran. Mud splashed up his legs and soaked his shoes. Michaela still cried and writhed in his arms. How had this turned into such a complete clusterfuck?
“Shh,” he whispered to her. “You’re okay, you’re with your Daddy now, we’ll be fine. I’ll buy you dolls and candy and we’ll live in a nice house and you can go to school in pretty dresses and I can paint and everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
If I can just find my way out of here.
He had to get off the road. He knew it was a dead-end, and he had heard shouts from someone following him. It wasn’t Adam, it couldn’t be Adam, Adam was dead. But it was someone, and he could be dangerous, and Billy might be able to kill him too, but he had gotten lucky with Adam and he needed to just get away. If he stayed on the road he would be caught, but he was afraid of getting lost in the woods. It was dark in there, and it was raining, and he had spent all of his life in the city and wasn’t sure he would ever find his way out. Though he could hide there. He could just step off the road and keep very quiet and what were the chances anyone could find him if he did? Pretty slim, but eventually he would have to come out and find a car to steal, then he could get away, but first he had to hide from whoever was chasing him.
He turned off the main road onto a side trail through the woods. The roadway was rougher, with deeper holes of water. He stumbled in one of them, nearly twisting his ankle.
Michaela screamed again between her sobs.
“Don’t honey, don’t scream,” he said. “They’ll find us if you scream then we can never be a family. Please, be Daddy’s little angel, please stop crying.” She wailed even louder.
Billy kept running.
* * * * *
Ed followed the sound of Michaela’s cries. He ran, unafraid of the dark, or of getting lost in the woods. He had spent his life here, hunting and walking. He knew every tree and bush. It might take time, but his prey would get tired and stop running. Then Ed would teach him what happened to anyone who hurt his little girl.
The gunstock was slippery with rain. His socks squelched in his boots. Adrenaline pushed the dregs of his beer buzz out of his head. He ran past the quarry road, but then he heard a scream. He stopped and listened, heard the cry again, then turned off the main road and followed the smaller path. It was darker under the canopy, but the leaves provided some protection from the precipitation.
The forest ended in a clearing around the quarry and as he neared the end of the road he caught a glimpse of Billy stepping into the open. Billy paused, trying to decide which way to go. Ed tightened his grip on the shotgun and sped up.
“I see you, you sonofabitch,” he screamed into the night. Ed entered the muddy clearing and lifted the gunstock to his shoulder.
Billy turned, his eyes widening with fright at the sight of the gun. He glanced around for some escape, but there was no place to go. The opening in the woods was wide, with no cover in sight. Behind him was a large dark pit. He almost dropped Michaela and the knife and raised his hands in the air to surrender.
“Who the hell are you?” he asked. He smiled suddenly as he realized the gap in the strangers plan. He clutched Michaela tightly to his chest.
“Go ahead,” he taunted over Michaela’s whimpers. “Shoot. I don’t know much about guns, but I’m pretty sure you’d hit her with that thing. Is that what you want?”
“Put her down,” Ed said. Damn it, he was right. The shotgun would pretty much tear both of them apart at this range.
“No,” Billy said, and took a step toward Ed.
“I said put her down.”
“Or what?”
Ed couldn’t think of anything. The rain ran down his face, dragging greasy strands of hair into his eyes. Billy stepped closer, still holding Mike in front of him like a shield.
“I ain’t alone,” Ed said. “There’s others coming.”
“You look pretty alone right now.” Ed was probably right. Someone else would follow, but he had to deal with one problem at a time. The knife was slick in his hand. Billy took another step.
“Stay back,” Ed said, a note of hysteria creeping into his voice. “I’ll shoot!”
“No you won’t,” Billy said.
Ed felt his finger begin to tighten.
* * * * *
Scratch tightened Ed’s finger on the trigger. He strained for this level of control. Ed had always been so easy to influence, but moving his body against its will was something else entirely. It had been easier once, when he had been free. He and Gabrielle had both ridden the humans, putting on human flesh and walking the world of men, tasting their fears and joys directly. Even then, however, it had been hard to make someone do something they really didn’t want to do.
He saw Billy through Ed’s eyes, and saw the child struggling in his arms. Scratch could never make Ed pull the trigger. He had to work with the desires that were already present.
He leaped from Ed into Michaela.
* * * * *
Michaela stopped crying and arched her back with a strength Billy hadn’t expected. Her wet clothes and body slipped from his grasp and she dropped to the ground and ran. Billy and Ed, both surprised by her actions, watched her for a second.
* * * * *
The moment Mike ran Scratch let her go. She wanted nothing more than to get away. There was nothing else there for him. He turned back to Billy and Ed.
* * * * *
Billy realized the danger first. He turned and saw that the gun had wavered as Ed watched Michaela. He leapt forward and stabbed with the knife. Ed saw him coming and tried to block the attack. He swung the gun around, but the knife plunged deep into his forearm and lodged between the bones. Ed screamed and dropped the gun. He lurched backward and yanked his arm, pulling the knife out of Billy’s wet grip. Ed grabbed the handle and tried to pull it out. Pain arced through his body like lightning, followed by the thunder of his scream. Spots danced before his eyes and he knew he was going to pass out. He staggered forward a step, hand still on the knife handle, and saw Billy holding the shotgun,
“No,” he whispered.
Billy pulled the trigger.
* * * * *
“Was that a gunshot?” Abigail asked. She had just put Stephanie into the car. Stephanie was crying and her own eyes were swollen with tears.
“Just thunder,” Jack said. “I think.”
“I’m taking Steffie home,” Abby said. “You’ll bring Ed home, right?”
“We’ll be fine,” Jack said. “You take care of your little girl.” Abby opened the car door and sat behind the steering wheel.
“How is he?” she asked before she closed the door.
“Not good,” Jack admitted, shooting a glance at Adam.
“She’ll save him, won’t she?” Abby asked. She and Jack both looked up as the headlights of Jim’s truck appeared.
“She’ll try.” Jack closed Abby’s door and stood to the side as Jim stopped the truck in the middle of the road. The headlights illuminated Adam and Holly. Abby squeezed past him and drove away.
Jim hopped out of the truck cab and took a look at Adam. “Jesus,” he muttered. Even with the rain to wash it away the amount of blood was incredible. His shirt and pants were stained black and a dark trickle glazed his chin. If not for the ragged red bubbles caused by his breathing Jim would have assumed he was already beyond Gabrielle’s help.
Holly looked up at him from where she held her husband. Mud and tears mixed with her freckles and her hair was plastered to her scalp. Adam’s blood soaked her clothes. She felt her soul being torn between her concern for Adam and the loss of her child. She had to believe Billy wouldn’t hurt Michaela, but she just wasn’t sure anymore. She had to trust Ed to find Michaela.
“Help him,” she said softly.
“You sure this is a good idea?” Jim asked Raz.
“No,” the Reverend said.
“It’s what we have to do,” Jack said. Raz couldn’t meet his eyes. “This man needs help. Adam and Holly will know our secret, but the pact will remain. Gabrielle, and the other one, will remain bound.”
“Other one?” Jim asked.
“She’s outside the circle,” Raz protested. “That has never happened.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jack said. “The names haven’t been spoken.”
“Ohmygodohmy…” Shelley muttered again.
“We can enact the ceremony when Adam is healed,” Jack insisted. “But right now, we are going have him healed. Now get her out of the truck, or I will.”
Raz flinched at the vehemence in Jack’s voice, but stepped toward Jim’s truck. He opened the passenger door then stepped back in surprise. Gabrielle’s wide blue eyes were focused and directed at him in a way he had never seen.
Then her face resumed its normal, passive gaze. Her eyes, while still the color of Heaven, had lost their fire and were unfocused once more. Had he imagined the hatred he saw in those blue depths? He must have, a trick of the darkness and the rain, not to mention his own nerves. Her hands were still bound; the iron shackles enclosed her tiny wrists.
“We need you, blessed one,” he said. Gabrielle nodded her acceptance of her role. Raz grabbed the rusty length of chain that served as her leash and the angel of Canaan stepped out of the truck into the rain. Her white shift was immediately soaked through and clung to her body in a transparent sheath. Raindrops splashed iridescently in the faint blue aura that encased her. Raz led her around the front of the truck, past Jim and Jack, toward April and Shelley.
“Ohmygodoh…” Shelley continued to stammer, deep in shock and pain. Gabrielle stopped in front of her and stood on her tiptoes. Shelley bent forward until their foreheads touched. The blue glow became brighter and Shelley felt the wound across her head closing and healing. She felt calmer as the worst of the shock passed from her.
“Thank you,” Gabrielle whispered so that no one but Shelley could hear. “Thank you for speaking my name.”
“Oh my God,” Shelley muttered under her breath.
* * * * *
A gash opened on Scratch’s forehead and he screamed his anguish.
Sorry, my brother, Gabrielle said into his ear. We are still bound by the pact, but I will soon be free.
But I am still chained, Scratch said as blood flowed down his face. And I must be healed.
You will be, she said. And our pain will be returned to those who have caused it.
* * * * *
Holly looked up from Adam toward the source of the blue light. She saw Gabrielle and gasped. Memories flooded back. She was a little girl, visiting her Grandma Dora. She had seen an angel then, an image that had stayed with her all of her life. Her sketchbooks and canvases were filled with her attempts to recapture that image. Now, here, with her husband dying and her child missing and in danger, she once more beheld the face of the angel of her childhood. She still looked like a child, but surely that wasn’t possible. She was beautiful in a way that went beyond earthly description, and Holly understood why she had always been, would always be, dissatisfied with her art. It was a beauty that could not be reproduced, a splendor that could not be locked down on paper or in words. No human hand could capture the ethereal.
