“He?” I said incredulously. “You telling me that Campbell's cup-o-demon over there is alive? I mean really alive? How can Tobias be in two places at once?”
“I don't know, but that's why he wants it. He's still attached to it, more than we realize.” Caleb looked back to the freezer. “If so, then he can't truly inhabit another person's body unless this one is destroyed.”
I didn't like the crazy look on his face, the wide-eyed mania of a mad scientist. “Whatever you're thinkingâdon't. Dougie is stillâ”
He held my arms to keep me from swinging at him. “You need to trust me. If all goes well, Doug and Mia will get out alive.” He slipped past me and into the hall. He returned moments later with the strangest-looking jack I'd ever seen.
“What is that?”
“It's a pallet jack. Found it by the elevator. Good for lifting heavy objects, like freight.” He aimed the two prongs directly under the wooden pallet under the freezer. When it was secure, he pumped the handle until the entire load lifted an inch off the ground.
“Come on.” He dragged the haul out of the unit and into the hallway.
I had to use the strength in my legs to close the door and it locked automatically when it connected with the wall.
Getting the freezer down the hallway was a bit trickier than we thought. I could see Caleb strain to tow the box along and my added strength didn't make much of a difference. Tobias had mentioned once that he was heavy, some crap about cloud density, but damn.
Once inside the elevator, I asked, “How are we going to get this onto the truck?”
He tossed me a smile as if I were the cutest wittle thing he had ever seen. “The rental truck has a lift gate in the back, Sam. Let's just hope it holds.”
Not wanting that look tossed at me again, I didn't ask what a lift gate was. That could wait until we got outside and I could see for myself.
It was dark by the time we got out of the building and the temperature had dropped twenty degrees in minutes. We hurried as best we could toward the rental truck without being noticed.
Caleb started the engine, then came around the back of the truck and pulled down the tailpiece. With a flip of a switch on the side, the metal flap lowered to the ground, and I was introduced to the aforementioned lift gate. Caleb rolled the load onto the plank and flipped the switch again. He and the cargo elevated onto the truck bed with an audible strain that made it clear that Caleb wasn't going to get a return on his rental deposit. The tires sank into the dirt, but it was safe enough for us to drive.
Caleb searched the area for witnesses. “We need to hurry; this place closes in a few minutes.”
“What about your Jeep?” I hitched my thumb to the vehicle behind us.
He slammed the flap shut when a pair of high beams glared from the path entry. Before I could get a good look at the vehicle, Caleb grabbed a fistful of my coat and pulled me down behind the truck. I turned to him and he pressed a finger to his lips. I rose slowly, allowing the freezer to shield me as I risked a peek at the black van that pulled up in front of the warehouse.
Four men leapt out of the van before it could come to a complete stop. I couldn't see their faces but each man was dressed in black shirts and jeans. They moved together in a stiff collective formation that spoke of some sort of militant training. Their dark heads looked from left to right, searching the parking lot, and we ducked when they turned our way.
“Shit. They're here,” Caleb whispered, squatting low with his back against the truck.
I wasn't following. “Who?”
“Ruiz's men. They know about the storage unit.”
I peeked over the truck to the men talking to one another and then crouched back down. “Do they know the code to get in?”
“Doubt it. They're probably gonna guard it or try to break in later. We have to get out of here.” He pulled his keys from his pocket. “Once they go inside, I want you to take my Jeep and follow me out of here. Keep your phone on so I can call you. Don't answer the phone unless it's me, okay?” He dropped the keys in my hand.
We looked to the men hovering in front of the building. One by one, they passed through the sliding doors toward the freight elevator. I quickly backtracked what we'd done that might have given us away: the odor in the hallway, the smeared streaks of oil on the floor. There was no time to worry about it now; the main thing was to be gone before they came out again.
“Go!” Caleb sprang up and went around the driver's side of the truck. I got to my feet and ran to the Jeep three cars down. By the time I got in, gunned the engine, and put the Jeep in reverse, Caleb was rolling out of the lot. I was right behind him. We passed the front gate and were on the main road leading back to the parkway.
I kept my eyes on the road and my mission clear. However, my mind veered off course more times than what would be deemed safe while operating heavy machinery. My foot eased off the gas so I wasn't dry humping Caleb's taillights, but I stayed close enough that no cars could cut between us.
As instructed, I turned my phone back on, but no sooner than my thumb pushed the POWER button, I got bum rushed with calls from Angie and Mom. The longer I drove, the harder it got to ignore the buzzing sound and my cell skittering across the passenger's seat. I finally gave in and answered the call.
“Samara! Where are you?” Mom didn't sound happy.
I clamped the phone between my ear and shoulder. “I'm with Caleb.”
“Why aren't you home? Do you not know the meaning of grounded?”
Thankfully, my groan was drowned out by the engine. Did Wonder Woman or Buffy have to worry about parents blowing up their phone while they were trying to save the world? Hell no! That's what voicemail was for. “Mom, I promise I'll get back home as soon as I finish.”
“Finish what? And what are you doing near Jamestown?” she yelled.
My neck straightened, but I caught the phone before it slipped from my shoulder. “How do you know where I am?”
“Your bracelet, or have you forgotten? I want you home right now. You hear me, Samara Nicole? Now!”
I cringed at the rise in volume and pissedivity shooting through the line. “Mom, if I come home right now, Mia's going to die,” I said. “I'm sorry, but I can't let him hurt her. I have to save her. I promise I'll be careful. I'll call you when it's over.”
“Let who hurt Mia? Samara, what is goingâ”
I hung up. I loved Mom, but my blood pressure could only handle one crisis at a time.
But the conversation introduced another problem. My bracelet. The same tool Angie used to trace Olivia would lead the police, and whoever else Mom called, right to the drop zone. That might spook Tobias and he might hurt Mia. Oh yeah, this thing had to go, but I hated ruining my new chain, plus the bolt cutter was in the truck with Caleb.
The party line continued with an incoming call from Dougie's cell. Before I could part my lips with a greeting, Tobias asked, “Where are you taking my body?”
Time to play dumb. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“It's been moved. I can feel it. Are you trying to back out of our deal?”
I shook my head, and then I remembered that he couldn't see me. But then again, I wasn't totally confident about that. “No. I'm delivering it. I-I'm on my way to the rec park now.”
“So soon?” He sounded surprised, jubilant even. “I'd underestimated you. We'll be there shortly.”
“Let me talk to Mia!” I demanded.
“It's Sam,” he said to someone close to him.
There was rustling on the phone, then I heard Mia's voice, watery and hoarse with signs of crying. “Sam, what's going on? Why is everyone acting weird?” she asked.
“Mia Iâ”
“Be there in fifteen minutes.” Tobias ended the call.
I almost swerved off the road as every Mafia movie popped in my head. Did he rough her up; smack her around, or worse? Trying not to dwell on the “worse,” I called Caleb with this latest bombshell. “Change in plans. He knows the body's been moved. He wants to meet up in fifteen,” I reported.
“Damn! Guess we'll have to take care of it there.”
“Take care of what? Caleb, we can't destroy it, and Mom and the National Guard are tracking my location from my bracelet. I need you to stop so we can remove it.”
“No time. The bracelet might be a good thing. If something bad happens, we need someone to know where we are. Just follow me.”
There were at least four ways to get to the park, but Caleb thought it best to avoid as many stop signs as possible and kept to the highways. We transferred to I-64 then got off at the army base exit toward our ultimate destination: the recreational park on Airport Road. The wide bends, the lack of street lights, and the suicidal deer made the two-mile strip a daredevil drag race. I had no fondness for that particular area, but when your best friend is being held captive by her demon-possessed boyfriend, haggling over meeting spots was a moot point.
Through my window, I could see bales of hay on open fields like giant cinnamon rolls and a family of deer scampered around for food. On the opposite side lay miles of forest where the park and a few biking trails tucked deep in its belly.
Red taillights glowed ahead and the truck rolled to a stop. On the left was the entry to the park, which was guarded by a short metal gate chained together and a sign saying CLOSED UNTIL SPRING in bold letters.
I expected Caleb to ram through the rickety gate, but he parked, got out with the bolt cutters, and cut the chains. He swung the gate open wide, got back in his vehicle, and kept on truckin'.
Under a steeple ceiling of trees, a dirt path led us to a large square posing as a parking lot. Bald patches of earth bordered by logs, gravel, and mulch parted the forest bed. I parked next to Caleb at the far end of the lot, where we had the most light.
Moonlight bounced off corner surfaces, but the trees drenched the park in deep pockets of shadows. Across the lot, the foliage thinned out and scattered, revealing a picturesque view of the lake. The absence of lampposts allowed the night to show off its star power, stretching the cloudless sky like spilt diamonds on a velvet cloth. Picnic benches huddled near the trees and tied-up canoes were stacked on a rack near the guest services station.
A lot had changed since my summer afternoons of duck feeding as a kid, and I certainly didn't recall ever being this nervous. The dark will do that to you. Everything looked blue, cold, and sinister; a realm where things that weren't alive would walk. The whole scene was slasher-flick spooky and I kept my eyes peeled for anyone wearing a hockey mask.
The slam of a door ripped me out of my daydream and my pulse skipped. With trusty duffel bag slung over his shoulder, Caleb went around to the truck and climbed inside the back. He opened the freezer and then gripped the side of the truck bed as the odor from the ice box cold cocked him in the face.
I watched him work diligently and got out of the Jeep to join him. “What are you doing?”
“Getting ready. We only have a few minutes to get this right,” he replied, holding the gallon can of kerosene over the freezer. “The olive oil has already purified the body, so all we have to do is wait for him to jump back into it and poof. Barbeque.”
Cold air stung my cheeks and my hair tangled around my face in a spider web of curls. The fumes caught on the wind and I realized that was a dead giveaway of a double-cross. We would have to keep Tobias away from the freezer until the body swap. I had a bad feeling about this whole thing. The risks were too high for this to fail.
I had little time to consider it when headlights appeared from the dirt path to our left. Caleb was coiling the rope around his arm and elbow when he perked up at the approaching vehicle. He hid behind the freezer and pulled the kerosene can out of view.
It was too late for me to duck seeing as I was standing in plain sight. The vehicle parked at the end of the makeshift lot and the brights cut off.
Doors slammed and gravel crunched underfoot. Finally, two figures dark as shadow drifted closer. I could tell that the shorter one was Mia, who clung to the taller one's arms for warmth. Moonlight outlined their heads and shoulders, cutting them into sharp contrasting lines.
I met them halfway, taking my time and deliberating my next move. Lilith twisted and slithered up the length of my back, stretching her legs, if she had them. A family of ants curled under the skin too deep to scratch. This turn of events seemed to have gotten her attention and she was getting into position. The stage had been set, all the players were assembled, and with the soft quarter moon as our spotlight, we began the final act.
20
S
ilence strained between us and threatened to break at any minute.
The tension was thick and too heavy to hold it in any longer. It began to spread throughout our surroundings, interfering with nature to where it, too, wanted to see how this would end. The trees stopped rustling, the leaves slowed their dance around my feet and the night held its breath. We stood in the middle of the parking lot, facing each other with hands at our sides, ready for the quick draw.
Tobias tipped his head in a slight bow. “Samara.”
“Tobias,” I returned bitterly. I had to keep cool and not give away any reaction he could use against me.
Mia looked at both of us. “Who's Tobias?”
“Ask Dougie.” I tipped my chin in his direction. “I have your precious cargo, now let Mia go.”
“Where's your other half? There's no way you could've gotten the body out by yourself, and he wouldn't let you come here alone.” His fiery gaze drifted toward the truck. “Come out,
Cake Boy
! I know you're out here!” Tobias called out in a mocking tone.
“I'm here.” Caleb appeared from the shadows and approached us slowly, but Tobias stopped him.
“Show me your hands,” Tobias ordered and stepped in front of Mia.
“No arrows. No guns. The vessel's in the truck.” Caleb joined my side and I looked at him, but more directly, the wet string of rope that he dropped by his foot.
The wind picked up and the odor of kerosene floated around me, tickling my nostrils and throat. I knew Tobias could smell it. I wondered if he even cared, and would take the body no matter its condition. Ever since this whole ordeal began he seemed desperate, not his usual suave, flirtatious deviance. Now it was all about survival, self-preservation and he was willing to kill to stay alive.
“Then why don't we have a look, shall we?” Tobias took a step, but Caleb crossed his path.
“Let Mia go first,” he demanded.
“You see, there's a problem with that. My body is all the way over there and I'm over here and you stand between us.”
“Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?” Mia finally spoke, her head volleying between the two of us. “What body? This is all freaking me out. Sam, can you take me back to my car? I left it at school.” She stepped forward, but Tobias caught her by the crook of her elbow.
He yanked her back to him so hard, her neck whipped back, sending wavy strands of her hair into flight. “Don't move,” he growled.
Mia pushed against his chest with her free arm. “Dougie, stop! Let me go. Please!” Mia cried.
Tobias flinched, and if anyone blinked, they would have missed it, but I hadn't. “Dougie? Dougie are you there?” I asked.
At the name, his body began to quiver and struggle for balance.
Thinking fast, I said, “Mia, call to Dougie. He'll listen to you. Cry out, scream so he can hear you.”
Though I couldn't see her face, she seemed to understand the gravity of the situation; more so as Tobias grabbed her by the throat. Mia held the hand around her neck, fighting to break free, but he was too strong. She tried to scream, but it came out in a broken gasp.
“Be. Quiet,” he commanded in a deep, guttural roar that not even the deaf could mistake for human. His eyes were ablaze, causing Mia to stop struggling and look on with helpless wonder as most women would while under the spell. Any strength to resist left her and her hands slipped from his arm and fell limp at her sides.
“No!” I moved forward, but Caleb held firm to my arm.
“Dougie, please,” Mia rasped. “You're hurting me.”
The name or maybe the sound of Mia's voice seemed to have caused a short circuit in Dougie's brain, and the angry brilliance inside dimmed from a bad fuse. I understood enough to know that Dougie was scrambling the signal and fighting for control, but he wasn't strong enough.
He drew Mia closer to him and squeezed so hard that I feared he'd crush her. His mouth hovered mere inches from hers, but didn't move any further. He shook so bad; both of their bodies trembled. With what sounded like another roar, he pushed her away. “Go, Mia, Now!”
She lost her footing and tumbled into the dirt. Not letting that stop her, she crab-walked away, keeping enough distance between them to get to her feet.
Caleb knelt down with the lighter in his hand and aimed it toward the wet rope on the ground.
I touched his shoulder. “Not yet. He's still in there. Wait!”
“He's trying to push Tobias out.” Caleb pointed to the couple across the lot.
Doubled over, Dougie grabbed both sides of his head and jerked as though trying to remove it from his neck. I could hear Dougie's voice and felt his fear and pain spill out of his scream. He threw his head up and howled at the sky, his neck corded with veins. He looked every bit the werewolf at a full moon fighting the transition.
“Mia, run!” I yelled.
Dougie's head jerked up and looked to her. Tobias had gained control and didn't seem too happy about his hostage getting away. He sprung to his feet as I broke into a run.
Mia ran from the parking area in the direction of the path leading out of the park. Tobias was fast behind her, and I was right behind him.
I saw his hand stretch out, his fingers sinking into the flying strands of her hair. Before he could manage a grip, I jumped on his back, my nails scratching at his face. I didn't want to hurt Dougieâhe would survive a few cuts and bruisesâbut it might be a different story if something happened to Mia.
Dougie's arms flailed in a wide, sweeping motion and he stumbled backward toward the road again. I had to get him away from Mia, away from the denser part of the woods where all kinds of murderous mayhem could ensue. He threw me off his shoulder and I landed on my back against sharp rocks in the cold dirt. I knew they would leave a mark, but I didn't feel pain right away. I was too wired to feel anything until this was over.
Tobias turned and towered over me with the moon at his back. He was a flat black silhouette cut out of the landscape; his eyes were two candles in the dark. He resembled the monster I knew him to be, and in that moment I was able to feel something. Hate.
“This will end badly and more will die before it's over. Just know that if I go, I'm taking him with me.” He stooped down and extended his hand for me.
Whether he was planning to choke me or help me up, I didn't know, because Caleb swooped in from the left and tackled him by the waist. The two rolled to the ground and tumbled toward the grass in a swirl of dark fabric. The sounds of hard blows against flesh and ripping of clothing rent the air until there was nothing but heavy breathing.
I couldn't see any of it, because I was caught in the middle of a supernatural beat down. Hands grabbed the collar of my coat and pulled me to the ground. A fist collided with my jaw and I could taste blood in my mouth. A punch struck my stomach and knocked the wind out of me and pushed everything inside toward my throat.
Every attempt to get up from the ground was foiled by another blow. I shielded my face with my arms but that didn't help. This wasn't my fight; this wasn't my body under attack. It was Caleb's. There was another strike and lightning sharp pain spilled over my right eye, making me see double. I tried to scream, but I had no air to push it out. Something heavy pressed down on my neck, crushing the windpipe.
Tears filled my eyes, blurring the night around me in a watery smudge, but there was no one above me, no one holding me down. It was an illusion, a phantom presence playing tricks on the mind. Our connection was a double-edged sword that could penetrate either way. If I owned Caleb's pain then he owned my health, my strength. I clung to that truth, held on to that little piece of myself that I could control and crawled out of Caleb's mind. Higher and higher I climbed out of the pit until I could see light again and take in the first lungful of air.
Once the dust cleared, and my vision improved, I found Tobias pinning Caleb to the ground by the neck.
“Dougie!” Mia screamed, still standing in the middle of the dirt road. Moonlight hit her as she drew closer, showcasing a tear-stained ghost peering behind a curtain of dark hair.
The sound of her voice stopped Tobias, and he looked up. Though she wasn't like us, it appeared she had a type of draw of her own, one that only Dougie was susceptible to. It was brief, but effective.
Gaining an open window of attack, Caleb tucked his knees to his chest and kicked out, hitting Tobias in the midsection. Tobias sailed across the grass toward the picnic area, where a tree interrupted his flight with a loud crack. His limp body slipped down its trunk and he landed onto his knees. He curled over, wrapped his arm around his stomach, then stumbled to his feet again.
By the time he got a second wind, Caleb was on his feet, ready to go another round. Hot steam shooting from his nose and mouth, he was an angry bull seeing red.
Caleb ran toward the tree where Tobias now stood, picking up speed to where there was nothing but a violet ray marking his trajectory. He was stronger, faster, and there was no doubt in my mind that Capone had come out to play. I could feel him rising from the depths, riding the beast of rage into battle.
Tobias charged toward him as well. They were two trains running headlong, parting the air in gold and purple streaks.
I got to my feet, stumbled then limped toward them, but I was too far away to block the path of the missile. I could see the devastation, feel the pain that would come before it happened, and there was no preparation for it.
The two collided in an atomic blast of pure power. Light, brilliant and nebulous, circled the two men and fanned out in a wide ring, sweeping leaves, picnic benches, and logs out of its path.
There was no time to run or scream. All I could do was cover my eyes and duck. The force hit me like a crashing tide, knocking me completely off my feet and pressing me face-down in the dirt. It rolled over my body in warm currents and howled in my ears. As quickly as it began, it slowed to a gentle breeze over my skin.
I sat up to see Mia at the far end of the lot near the path. She crawled to her knees and pressed a shaky hand to her head, checking for blood. Straight ahead toward the lake, Caleb hunched over Dougie's body with his hands around the enemy's neck.
I stumbled to my feet, and the rush made me see double. Headlights swam through the trees and after I shook the fog from my head, they were still there. Those were
real
lights from
real
cars, coming
real
close. Whether it was the cops or Ruiz's crew, I didn't know nor care. I had to get to Caleb.
I ate up the distance between us on wobbly legs. Caleb was still strangling Dougie, and in turn Dougie held his neck in a vise. Caleb seemed to have the advantage and not even Dougie's best wrestling move could outmaneuver a pissed off Cambion.
“Not so strong now without your body, huh, demon?” Caleb growled, his expression too composed to be involved in anything that physical. No rage or hatred, but a cold, impersonal response reserved for sociopaths. He'd shut down again and that was when he was at his most lethal.
Dougie's face was turning scarlet and the veins along his forehead rose under his skin. He stretched his free arm across the dirt, reaching for aid and came up empty handed.
“Stop! Caleb, he's down!” I pulled at his shoulder, but he wouldn't budge.
Light streamed into the camp ground, and Mia and I took the pose of startled deer. A van and that familiar black sedan stopped at the mouth of the path. Blood pounded in my ears, making me dizzy as too much of everything happened at once. Men were talking in the background. Doors slammed. Mia was screaming and crying, and Caleb spat curses at the boy he was about to kill.
“Get out! Get out of him now!” Caleb bellowed, shaking Dougie by the neck. “Your body is waiting, you evil shit! Go get it!”
I didn't need an empathic link to know he was dead serious. He was going to kill Dougie to get Tobias out and to hell with anyone who stood in the way. I pulled harder on his shoulder, I screamed in his ear, I clawed at his jacket, but it was no use.
Slowly, Dougie's body stopped fighting and his hand slipped from Caleb's shoulders. His eyes rolled back in his head, showing only the whites.
“Caleb, stop!” I pounded Caleb's arm.
When he saw that Dougie had stopped moving, Caleb finally pulled away. Mia screamed, squatted to the ground, and knocked me out of the way for a better look. “Dougie!”
Caleb scooped Mia by the waist and got her to her feet, but she kicked and fought him the whole time. “No, Mia, stay back. He's coming out. Get back.”
“You tried to kill him! What the hell is wrong with you?” Mia screamed and wailed at Caleb's head.
“I was forcing the demon out. Get back!”