Keene Brian - A Gathering of Crows

Randy nodded, his mouth agape. Together, they grabbed Gus and dragged him forward. He reached for them with both hands. Levi gasped.

“Levi,” Donny shouted. “I lost my grip on Gus!”

“It’s okay. Don’t panic, Donny. You’re close now. Just walk straight ahead.”

Randy and Levi pulled the struggling auto mechanic out of the hallway. A moment later, Donny emerged from the light. Marsha ran to him and flung her arms around him as he stepped out of the pantry. His eyes popped open and he stared at her in disbelief.

“Marsha? Where… where are we?”

“Esther’s kitchen,” she said. “What happened? How did you…?”

“We took a shortcut,” Levi said, and reached for the door. As he did, the light faded. The corridor was still visible, but now it seemed to be superimposed over Esther’s pantry. Shelves of canned goods lined the walls, but they seemed transparent, as if both locations—the corridor and the pantry—were occupying the same space at the same time.

“There were zombies.” Gus rocked back and forth on the kitchen floor. “Zombies, just like in the movies. Zombies and clowns and dinosaurs. And there was something in the middle of it all. Something dark, like tar, except that it didn’t have any shape.”

Levi slammed the door and said, “ Ut nemo in sense tentat, descendere nemo. At precedenti spectaur mantica tergo. Ia Amun traust nodrog. Amun, Amun, Amun .”

The light vanished. To Marsha, it felt as if a great, invisible weight had been lifted off all of them. Her skin tingled. She looked down at her arms and saw goose bumps. Then Donny put his arm around her and she forgot all about them.

“You left,” she whispered. “Just like before. Goddamn it, Donny. You left again.”

“I know, but I came back. This is where I belong, Marsha. With you. You’re my home. Levi helped me see that. And I promise you that I won’t leave again. Not ever.”

She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. She wasn’t sure how long they remained like that, but eventually, she became aware that the others were looking at them.

Randy grinned. “So are you two back together or what?”

Gus’s rambling litany continued. “Goat men and lizard men and snake men and elephant men. There were creatures made out of fire who lived in the sun, and a whirlpool in space and a giant monster with a fucking squid for a goddamn head.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Axel asked. “Is he… crazy?”

Panting, Levi leaned against the wall, removed his hat and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “He opened his eyes and saw beyond the doors.”

“Everything is connected,” Gus moaned. “All of it. It’s like this big old puzzle, and everything is a piece. I was on a beach and these things crawled out of the ocean and they were part crab and part lobster, but they had scorpion tails.”

“Hey, buddy.” Paul knelt next to Gus and squeezed his friend’s shoulder. “Settle down, okay? It’s all over. We’re safe now. Levi got us out.”

“The moon blinked. We were in there a long time, you know? We walked and walked and it watched us the whole time.”

“What?”

Gus leaned close, his face inches from Paul’s.

“The moon. It blinked at me. It’s an eyeball. It was watching us.”

Paul looked up at Levi. “Is he going to be okay?”

“I honestly don’t know. In truth, probably not. His mind has snapped.”

“How? What happened to him in there?”

“There are some things that aren’t meant to be seen. He opened his eyes and saw them. That was why I cautioned all of you before we left.”

“What is all this?” Esther raised her voice. “Where did you all come from? How in the world did you get inside my pantry? Is it all over? Where are the killers?”

Levi sighed. “If I had to guess, I’d say they’re tearing the town apart looking for us.”

“But they can’t find us, right?” Donny asked.

“This place is safe.”

“Correct. As long as the wards I drew earlier are still in place, we remain hidden from them as long as we’re inside the bed-and-breakfast.”

Paul stood up. “So what happens now?”

“Now?” Levi put his hat back on his head. “Now, you pray the dawn arrives, while I prepare to make a last stand.”

Donny didn’t want to move. Marsha felt good against him, warm and soft. She felt right . But when Levi urged them all back into the living room, he didn’t argue. Most of the others went quietly, too stunned and confused to question their unlikely champion. Only Gus remained behind, sitting on the floor, scratching at the linoleum with his fingernails and babbling about sea monsters that were part crab, part lobster and part scorpion. Paul and Randy pulled him to his feet and helped him along behind the others.

Levi put his hand on Donny’s shoulder and motioned for him to come closer. When the rest of the survivors were out of earshot, he leaned close.

“I’ll need your help.”

“You’ve got it,” Donny said. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“First, we need to get everyone upstairs. The wards and glyphs will protect them, but I need them all in one place, so that they don’t get in my way.”

“I don’t think anyone will argue with that.”

“I don’t either.”

“What happens after that? What’s the plan?”

“Let’s get them upstairs first.”

Donny followed Levi back into the living room.

Was it his imagination, or did the magus seem taller? Certainly his voice was more grim than it had been before. Even his stride seemed to have become stronger. His boots clomped on the wooden floor, despite the thick carpeting and rugs.

“Okay,” Levi addressed the group. “With luck, and God’s help, this will all be over soon.”

“God isn’t there,” Gus interrupted. “He’s been split in three, and one part of him is stuck in a loop. He is born again. And again and again and again, over and over. Poor guy.”

“Hush.” Paul ruffled Gus’s hair as if he were one of the mountain man’s beloved bear hounds.

“Can you stop them?” Marsha asked.

Levi nodded. “I believe so, yes. But again, I’ll need all of you to do exactly as I say. Otherwise…”

He didn’t have to finish, Donny noted to himself. They’d each seen enough horror for one night, and they had Gus as a living example of what could happen.

“I need all of you to go upstairs,” Levi continued. “Trust me when I tell you that you’ll be safe there. Certainly safer than you would be down here. Remember, our enemies can’t find you as long as you remain within this house. I want you to stay there until it’s safe to come back down.”

“And how will we know that?” Myrtle asked.

“Because I’ll still be alive. Donny is going to stay down here and help me—”

“No,” Marsha said.

Levi held up his hand. “He won’t be here the whole time, and he won’t be in any immediate danger. The same safeguards that protect the rest of you will be protecting him, as well. But I’ll need him to do something for me before he can join you upstairs. It’s something important. Indeed, without his help, my plan will fail.”

“I can help.” Randy stepped forward.

“No, you can’t.” Marsha grabbed her brother’s arm. “So can I,” Myrtle said. “Don’t forget, I know about this stuff, too. Tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll do it.”

“I appreciate your offers, but that won’t be necessary.”

“Bullshit,” Randy said. “Those fuckers killed my parents and my friends, yo. If you’re gonna kick their ass, then I want a piece, too.”

“The best thing you can do for your loved ones,” Levi said, “is to stay alive. That’s what they’d want. That’s all that matters now.”