Mary Nealy - Ten Plagues

She touched her hair then pulled her hand away and pushed MUTE OFF on her cell.

Paul grabbed for her phone, shaking his head.

Keren dodged him. “All right, I’m here, Francis. I can’t thank you enough for the fashion advice.”

“I just wanted to let you know you’re next, pretty girl. You’re my choice for the plague of darkness.”

Keren felt a cold chill crawl up her spine, but she didn’t let so much as a breath of it sound when she responded. “You’ll never try for me, Caldwell. You pick on defenseless women. You wait until their backs are turned and grab them.”

“They come willingly every time, Kerenhappuch.”

“I’m sure Melody Fredericks came willingly.” Keren’s voice dripped with disdain. “And Talking Bertha, a homeless woman who couldn’t even be convinced to stay in the mission overnight, came willingly with you. Hah.”

“I honor a woman when I choose her, and they all know it by the time I’m done.”

Keren remembered that she’d thought the time might come when she’d have to offer herself up as bait to catch Caldwell. That time was now, and she was ready. “Guess what? I think you’re a lousy artist, Pravus. And I think you’re too much of a coward to ever come for me. I think you’re an insect. That’s why you’re obsessed with acting out this pathetic version of the plagues of Egypt. You see yourself in creepy, crawly things.”

“Like locusts?” Caldwell suggested.

Keren looked up at Paul and their eyes met. Keren glanced at her watch.

“Why have you called, Pravus?” Paul asked. “What stupid, cowardly thing have you done this time?”

“This time?”

A high-pitched scream nearly slit Keren’s eardrum. She jerked the phone away. The sound was quickly muffled, but they could still hear it. The pain, the terror. Keren felt tears burn her eyes. They had to find him! They had to stop him!

“No screaming, my dear. No one pays attention to such things in this neighborhood, but still, I must ask you to refrain, or I won’t let you talk to your precious Pastor P.”

The voice returned, and, through broken sobs, they both heard, “Pastor P? He told me you sent him. I believed him. It’s—” Her voice was cut off.

“Rosita?” Paul shouted. “Rosita, is that you?”

Color drained from Paul’s face, to be replaced with sheer terror. He clutched the phone until Keren was afraid he’d snap it in two.

“Of course it’s her. I took someone precious to you. Someone to get you involved again. Perhaps, when the plagues are over, I’ll just start at one again. The plague of blood. Oh, but wait, who will I call? You’ll be dead, Reverend.”

“Let me talk to Rosita. Put her back on.”

Rosita continued crying in pain.

Caldwell crooned, “The only reason I’d let her talk is so you could hear her scream. Is that what you want, Reverend? Do you want me to make her scream?”

“No! Stop! Please, don’t.” In anguish Paul cried out, “Rosita!”

“Pestis ex locusta. Intriguing, isn’t it? I think, instead of letting her provide the paint for my work, I’m going to cut her open and fill her belly with them while she’s still alive.”

The muted screams increased. Paul covered his eyes with the hand that wasn’t holding the phone. Keren saw tears seeping out from under his fingers.

“It worked didn’t it, Reverend?” Caldwell crooned. “You’re involved again.”

“It worked, Caldwell,” Paul said furiously. “I’m back in.”

The phone cut off. It wasn’t long enough. Keren slapped her phone shut with a growl of rage.

Her phone rang again. It was Higgins. “We’ve got him! We got him a minute in.”

“How? It wasn’t long enough.” Keren went to look out the window. Hundreds, maybe thousands of apartments where the front window of the mission could be visible. He was in one of them.

“I’ve already got cars en route. We had them stationed in the neighborhood.”

“Where? Tell me.”

Paul’s eyes sharpened and he moved close enough to listen to Higgins.

“We didn’t need to trace him. Morris had us hide a bug on Rosita to trace her. We’ve been watching it ever since we identified her on the phone.”

“He did?” Keren shot Paul a look. “He didn’t tell me he did that.”

“I haven’t had a chance.” Grabbing her phone, Paul said, “Just tell me where she is.”

“He’s in that brownstone across and one south of the mission. GPS places him on the top floor.”

“Of course it’s the top,” Paul said. “Caldwell likes the penthouse.”

“Get over there,” Higgins ordered. “Seal off that building as best you can, but don’t go in. We’re only minutes away.”

They both ran. Keren hit the button that dialed O’Shea. He answered on the first ring. “Has the FBI clued you in?”

“Yes, I’m on the way—”

“We’re almost there.” Keren cut him off. “Right across the street from the mission. One building to the south.”

“We should have kicked in every door in that area.” O’Shea was running, breathing hard while he talked. “We knew he was close.”

“There are ten thousand doors, O’Shea.” Keren knew Caldwell was looking right at them. There was no way he wouldn’t see them rushing across the street. He knew. He’d be moving. He’d be killing Rosita.

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“He’s got Rosita.” Keren picked up her speed.

“The little cook from the mission?”

“We heard her screaming, Mick. And Caldwell was watching us, looking right in the front window. He told me what I’m wearing. We’re not waiting until you get here to back us up. We’re going in now. We’ve got to stop him from killing her!”

“Keren, don’t! You know he was ready for us last time. You could be running straight into a trap!”

Paul pulled the door to the brownstone open and began sprinting up the stairs. Keren felt the demonic presence the instant she stepped inside. The call from O’Shea dropped in the concrete stairwell, but she couldn’t talk and run anyway. Jamming the phone in her pocket, she picked up her speed to stay with Paul. Four flights. Every second they were closing in on him, but he had another stairway to use to get away, besides the fire escapes. Caldwell might evade them, but he’d have a hard time doing it with Rosita tossed over his shoulder.

They charged on until they reached the top. Paul began kicking in doors. Keren said, “Don’t waste your time. He’s in that one.” She ran straight for the door at the far end of the hall. The evil was so thick she had trouble inhaling. The door practically vibrated with the contained demonic power.

Keren pulled her weapon and kicked the door in. Rosita lay in her white death shroud, her arms spread out at her sides, blood and locusts everywhere. “Paul, she’s here!”

Paul ran past Keren. He was already on the phone, calling an ambulance. Keren entered the room with her gun held in two hands, extended straight in front of her. A locust landed on her face. She ignored it.

She turned quickly in a circle. He was here, but she couldn’t pinpoint the evil. It was everywhere. She turned again, gun ready. There was a door ajar that led to the kitchen. There were four other doors in the apartment, all closed. Closets, bedrooms, bathrooms, Keren studied them, still turning, still trying to cover them all. Her heart pounded until she thought it might explode out of her chest. The evil was choking her. She prayed for strength as she waited, trying to keep Rosita safe until help could get here or they could get out. Releasing one hand from the gun, she pulled out her phone to tell Higgins exactly where they were.

Paul finished shouting directions into his phone. He tugged a knife out of his boot. Keren had known he’d arm himself somehow.