Keene Brian - A Gathering of Crows

“He’s right,” Donny told Randy. “Think about your sister, dude. You’ve both lost enough people tonight. She doesn’t need to lose you, too.”

Randy sneered. “Says the guy who keeps running out on her.”

Marsha gasped, and Randy shrugged her off. Donny opened his mouth to respond, but then thought better of it. In truth, the kid was right. He’d deserved that.

Gus took advantage of the momentary silence. He turned to Paul and said, “You know that Teddy Garnett fella? Old boy who lives up in Punkin Center?”

Paul nodded.

“I saw him. While we were in there. He passed by us in the hall. Except that it wasn’t him. It was a different him.”

Paul looked like he was ready to cry. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse with emotion.

“I reckon you had a bad dream is all, Gus. You’ll be okay. Just quiet down.”

“No, it wasn’t a bad dream. I’m not stupid, Paul. I know what I saw. It was Teddy, but it wasn’t. He had some other folks with him, too, but I didn’t recognize any of them. A real pretty black girl and some young guy dressed up like a mobster in one of those Tarantino movies and a fella our age. Looked like a farmer, maybe? He reminded me of Levi a little bit.”

Donny noticed Levi twitch at this, as if startled.

“Did they speak to you?” Levi asked. “Did this man give you his name?”

Gus turned to Levi and smiled. A thin line of drool hung from the corner of his mouth. “What?”

“This man. This farmer who reminded you of me. Did he give you his name? Was it Nelson LeHorn?”

Gus suddenly glanced down at his feet with a look of concern. “I want my Spider-Man slippers. Where did my Spider-Man slippers go?”

“Who’s Nelson LeHorn?” Donny asked.

“Someone from my past who disappeared a long time ago.” Levi shook his head. “Never mind that. It’s not important right now. I think we should begin. I’m anxious to end this, and I’m sure all of you are, as well.”

“You’re damn right,” Paul muttered.

“I can’t go anywhere without my Spider-Man slippers!”

Talking among themselves, the group headed upstairs. Marsha stopped halfway up and looked back at Donny. Her eyes shone in the darkness.

“I’ll be okay,” he said, trying his best to smile. “You’d better be.” She started to turn away.

“Marsha?”

She paused. “Yeah?”

“I love you. I always loved you. I know that now.”

“I love you too, you asshole.”

Marsha grinned. Donny grinned back. Then she turned and was gone.

“You should hold on to that one,” Levi said. “You’re meant to be together.”

“Did you read that in some tea leaves or tarot cards?”

“No. I read it in your eyes. And in hers. You’re soul mates.”

“I never believed in that stuff before.”

“I haven’t,” Levi said. “Not in soul mates, at least. Not in a long time.”

“So what changed your mind?”

“The two of you did. Now, let’s get started. We’ve got a lot to prepare.”

Levi returned to the kitchen. Donny followed him. When they got there, Levi stood facing the front door. He seemed to be studying the layout of the first floor. Donny remained silent while he did. The kitchen and front door were connected by a short hallway. One side of the dark hallway led to the living room. The other side led to the stairway, as well as the first-floor bathroom and a small bedroom. Apparently satisfied by what he saw, Levi turned and looked behind them, studying the rear door on the far side of the kitchen. He walked to it, parted the curtains and peered outside.

“Good. Only two entrances on this floor. I thought that was what I remembered from before, but we were pressed for time earlier, and I needed to make sure.”

“What do you need me to do?” Donny asked.

“Check the cupboards. I need bowls, coffee mugs—anything that I can burn sage in.”

While Donny did this, Levi opened the pantry door. Donny froze, half expecting to see the dark men leap out, but instead, the space was filled with shelves of dry and canned goods. Levi hunted around inside until he found a large canister of salt. He pulled it from the pantry and closed the door again. Then he grabbed the salt shaker from the counter and unscrewed the top of it. Thus armed, he began sprinkling lines of salt in front of the kitchen window and the back door. Donny grabbed an armload of blue ceramic bowls from the cupboard and sat them on the counter. Levi looked up and nodded.

“Those will be fine.”

“I don’t think Mrs. Laudry will be too happy with us. These are nice bowls.”

“I think she’d be even less fond of the alternative.” Levi reached in his vest pocket and pulled out the two dried bundles of sage. He tossed it to Donny. Donny caught it with one hand. “Put some of that in each bowl.”

“How much should I use?”

“All of it, but in even amounts, if possible.”

Donny spread the bowls out on the counter and began dividing up the sage. The smell was not unpleasant. He found it strangely soothing. While he did this, Levi left the room. Donny finished just as he returned.

“What now?”

Levi picked up two bowls. “We place these around the first floor and light them.”

He placed one bowl beneath the kitchen window and another next to the back door. Then he picked up two more. Donny did the same and followed along behind him. They put the bowls all over the house, and Donny noticed that Levi had salted most of the house. All of the doors and windows had a line of salt beneath them. The only areas that didn’t were the front door and the stairwell.

“Don’t we need salt there, too?” Donny nodded toward the front door.

“Not yet. Remember, I placed a ward above the door before we left earlier.”

Squinting, Donny looked above the door. Sure enough, the words were still there, written in black Magic Marker and almost unnoticeable in the gloom.

“What about the stairs?” he asked.

“That comes next. Listen carefully. They’ll be coming soon.”

“Wait—I thought you said they couldn’t find us as long as we’re in the house.”

“They couldn’t,” Levi said. “But now I want them to.”

“So you’re using us as fucking bait?”

Levi didn’t respond. “I’ll remove the ward over the front door. When I do that, they’ll be able to sense our presence. I imagine they’ll waste no time in coming here. The rest of the house will remain sealed, so they’ll have no choice but to enter through the front door.”

“And kill every one of us. This plan sucks, Levi.”

“They won’t hurt the others. It’s me they want most of all, and perhaps Randy.”

“All the more reason not to lead them here. We’re sitting ducks. Talk about a fucking ambush!”

“It is an ambush,” Levi agreed, “but we’re the ones ambushing them. They’ll go after me first. Trust me on this.”

“But there’s no salt in front of the stairs. What’s to stop them from going up there first and slaughtering everybody?”

“You. You’re stopping them.”

“How?”

Levi pulled out his copy of The Long Lost Friend and handed it to him. “All you have to do is stand firm. They can’t hurt you as long as you have this. If they go for you first—and understand, that is unlikely—then you’ll only need to stall them long enough for me to get their attention. But I don’t think that will happen. I think they’ll come in the front door, see me and let their anger and hatred consume them. In fact, I’m counting on it.”

“But without the book, they’ll rip you to pieces.”

Levi smiled. “They didn’t get me back at Axel’s house, and I’m confident that they won’t get me here. I still have a few other tricks up my sleeve. And again, that’s where you come in. I need you to hide on the stairwell. When they come in, wait until all five have gone past you. Then, I need you to sneak down the stairs behind them and salt both the front door and the bottom of the stairwell. Do the door first. Then the stairs.”