Bryan Smith - Soultaker

Jake looked at her. He hesitated. He knew what he needed to say would only incense her further. But there was just no way around it. He’d intuited the only solution the moment Kelsey told him the victim only needed to be human. And it sucked. It really did. He didn’t particularly want to die. He made his expression as sober as he could and said, “It has to be me.”

“What!?”

Kristen’s scream reverberated in the car.

Jake cringed and looked away from her. “It’s the only way.”

“Bullshit it is!” Kristen leaned closer and grabbed a handful of his shirt. “You’re all I’ve got left. I won’t let you do this.”

Jake peeled her hand away and smoothed his shirt. “What do you propose we do, then? Just let all those kids die?”

“Fuck them.”

Jake gaped at her. “Kristen-”

“I mean it. They’re nothing to me.” She glanced at the kids in the back. “Them, too. I don’t care what happens to them. We should just drop them off and skip town. You said you’d take me back to Minnesota with you, remember?”

Jake put a hand to his temple. Her ranting was making his head hurt. He’d known his impulsive offer to take her with him when he left might come back to haunt him, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. “We can’t do that. Think about what you’re saying, Kristen. One of those kids you don’t give a shit about is Trey. I understand that you’re upset. This on the heels of what happened to your brother has to be almost too much to bear. But-”

“ALMOST!?”

Her voice rose to screech level now, felt like a knife going through his skull.

She went on: “And as for your precious brother, he didn’t seem too interested in your help this morning. He hit you, remember? So, yeah, fuck him, too.”

Jordan made a sound of disgust. “Could you please shut the fuck up? And by the way, I don’t care what happens to you either, bitch.”

Jake’s stomach began to knot up. He could feel the situation spinning out of control, and didn’t have the first clue what to do about it.

Kristen twisted in her seat and aimed Stu’s.38 at Jordan’s midsection. “Talk to me like that again and I’ll shoot you. You do not want to fuck with me.”

Jordan sneered. “Right. I’m half demon, remember? What could your bullets do to me?”

“I don’t know, bitch. Maybe I should pumps six rounds straight into your face and find out.”

Jake’s hands were shaking on the steering wheel. He’d sensed before that Kristen harbored a fearsome temper. That it could be so…overwhelming, though, came as a revelation. He recalled what she’d said about her boyfriend kicking her out for unspecified transgressions and knew he should have headed off any sort of relationship with her in that moment.

Hindsight, as always, was a motherfucker.

He braced a hand on Kristen’s shoulder and shoved her back into her seat. She gasped in surprise and glared at him.

Jordan laughed. “Oooh. Boyfriend lays the smack down.”

Kristen screamed again and lunged toward the gap between the seats.

Jake shoved her back again and said, “STOP!” He glanced at the rearview mirror, sought Jordan’s eyes and found them. “That goes for both of you. Knock it the fuck off.”

There was a lull in the battle then. Kristen sat panting in the front seat. That and the thrum of traffic around them were the only sounds for more than a minute.

Then Jake relaxed his grip on the steering wheel and exhaled a long breath. “I’ve made up my mind, Kristen. This has to be done. There’s no one else. I’m sure as hell not asking one of these kids to take my place. I told you before to stay home, but you didn’t listen. If you want, I can drop you off at the bookstore. You could call a taxi to take you home.”

Kristen looked at him. She was outwardly calmer now, her expression smooth and unreadable. But a glint in her eyes hinted a still-raging storm within. “No. You’re stuck with me.”

“Even if it means watching me die?”

Kristen didn’t say anything, just stared at him.

Kelsey said, “Hey, there’s that mall.”

Jake saw the strip mall coming up on the right. The Barnes & Noble looked to be the main attraction here, dominating the center of the retail space. He flicked on the blinker, switched lanes, and slowed down as they neared the parking lot. The lot was crowded, so he pulled to a stop outside the store’s entrance and fished his wallet out of his back pocket. He extracted a fifty-dollar bill and passed it back to Kelsey.

“That should cover it. Get on in there and find that book or something similar. I’ll cruise the lot and circle back.”

Kristen said, “You’re forgetting something.”

Jake braced himself for another argument, but made himself look at her anyway. “Yeah?”

Kristen’s expression remained placid, her tone even. “The police are looking for him. He shouldn’t be showing his face in public.”

Jake cursed himself for overlooking something so obvious. “Oh. Right.”

Kristen twisted in her seat again and extended a hand to ward Kelsey. “Give me the money. I’ll go get the book.”

Jordan snorted. “Yeah, right. And pretend not to find it.”

She snatched the fifty from Kelsey’s fingertips and climbed over him. She pushed against the back of the seat with an unnecessary level of force, jostling Kristen as she reached for the door handle. Then the door was open and she was standing outside.

She leaned down and peered through the open window. “What’s the name of that book?”

Kelsey told her.

She shot a distinctly unfriendly smile at Kristen and said, “I’ll be right back.”

Then she turned away from them and headed into the store.

Kristen seethed. “I could strangle her. I swear.”

Jake didn’t reply.

He put the Camry in gear again and drove away from the curb.

The auditorium was abuzz with excitement as the students of Rockville High began to file in. Some hurried to claim the premium seats up front, while the usual mix of stoners and burnouts went immediately to the seats at the very back. The reason for the special assembly still had not been announced, but rumors were flying about a special performance by a local rock band that had just been signed to a major record label. The rumor was spread by Lamia’s small contingent of student followers, who would die alongside their classmates today. These students believed their sacrifices would be rewarded in the afterlife. Of all the many lies Lamia had told them, this had been the most compelling. She had convinced them they would rule as kings and queens in a vague ethereal kingdom.

Lamia found it amusing.

They were in for quite the surprise on the other side of the veil.

Eternal misery instead of eternal bliss.

It gave her great pleasure to think of the eons of pain awaiting them. However, she did feel a grudging appreciation for how effectively they had spread the rumor. Although they were not actually here, the band rumored to play was real enough. Their fliers were up all over town. And most of the students now seemed convinced the closed curtain at the front of the stage would soon part to reveal musical instruments and stacks of amplifiers. This was good. It kept the students interested and happy and diverted speculation about other reasons for the special assembly. And it eliminated the need to spend too many minutes waiting for stragglers. The auditorium was filling quickly.

Most of Lamia’s adult acolytes had gathered for the event, as well. Some of them were positioned at the various entrances to the auditorium, forming a sort of rear guard that would intercept any students attempting to flee once the Harvest was underway. The others were with her in the backstage area. They talked quietly among each other, but anticipation was evident in their eager expressions. Here was another thing from which she derived significant pleasure. How willing these simple fools were to sacrifice their offspring. She wandered among them with an enigmatic smile on her face, nodding when some greeted her by speaking the name of her new host. Here was the mayor with a glass of brandy in his hand, conversing in low tones with the chief of police. And over here was Mrs. Cheever, the elderly librarian. A young Novice was on his hands and knees before her, licking the soles of the librarian’s shoes. The gullibility of humans never failed to amuse Lamia. There was no real difference between Novices, Adepts, and Priestesses. These titles implying a complex level of hierarchy were all just things she’d made up over time and carried no real weight with her. Humans were all equally loathsome in her eyes. And, of course, none of them knew they would all die after she’d finished with the students, a sort of after-dinner snack. There were no real “chosen ones,” either. The ones she’d favored had served a single, simple purpose-to keep the rest in line when she wasn’t around. She looked forward to devouring them all. The soul-energy harbored by adults was not fresh and strong, but she would take it anyway. Lamia always felt greedy at harvest time. Today she would gorge herself.