Perennial (11 page)

“Get
on with what?”

“A
little chat, Alix. There’s a lot you need to know.”

“No,”
I say, shaking my head. “There isn’t. Maybe I wasn’t clear, but I’m done, okay?
I feel bad for William, but I’m sure you already know who killed him, so why
don’t you just take it from here and leave me alone?” Vagabond stands there as
stone-faced as a statue. “Leave, Vagabond. Do you have any idea what my dad will
do to you if he walks in and finds you here?”

“Unfortunately,
you’re proving more stubborn than expected,” he says, taking a step closer and
towering at least six inches above me. “Listen closely to three things, Alix.
First, for reasons you don’t yet understand, I have no idea who killed William
Weed. As far as I’m aware, you’re the one person on this planet who possesses
the abilities to solve that mystery, so stop trying to avoid who and what you
really are. You might not like it, but you’re an incredibly gifted two-way
psychic who will do a lot of good in this world … and beyond.” He pauses.
“Second, if your father walked into this room right now, all he would see is
you talking to yourself. And how do you suppose Mr. Clint Keener would feel
about that?”

I
have no answer for him.

“He
wouldn’t like it, would he, Alix? In fact, Clint Keener would probably give you
yet another lecture about controlling your emotions and not overreacting to
anything that happens to you in life.” Vagabond shrugs and brushes nonexistent
lint from his suit-coat sleeves. “It’s good advice actually. As an undercover
lawman, your father is a master of observing before reacting. I wish he had the
kind of abilities required to join us.” He raises his eyebrows and smiles.
“Unfortunately,
he
doesn’t. But
you
do.”

“You’re
telling me you have no idea who murdered William?” I ask.

“Correct.”

“It
was Face,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Everything points to Face.”

“Are
you one hundred percent positive it was Face?”

“Yes,”
I say, but then I look away and shake my head. “Well, no, not really, but Face
runs Perennial and Oval City. And he took Aruna from William and brainwashed
her with that drug.”

“So
many pieces, Alix,” Vagabond says. “But you need to put them together to prove
who did it.” He smiles again. “After all, William is counting on you. Friday
night will be here before you know it.”

“Screw
you,” I say, jabbing a finger toward his face. “He said I wouldn’t like you. He
said
nobody
likes you. I can’t believe you’re using him like this just
to test me.”

“William
Weed was a worthless drug addict whose spirit happened to be in the right place
at the right time,” Vagabond says. “I started scouting you the day you moved
into his bedroom. I sensed you had the abilities needed to fight Fire. It took
a few tries, but once William made contact two nights ago I knew you were
special. You have no idea what you’re capable of, Alix. Solve his murder by the
end of Friday. William will finally rest in peace, a murderer will be off the
streets, and you will finally understand how powerful you are.” He clenches his
fists and holds them against his chest. “I need you, Alix. London Steel needs
you. Roman King needs you. Everybody who fights for Light needs you.”

“No,”
I say, swallowing hard and wondering exactly what he means by fighting
against
Fire and
for
Light. “I’m finished, Vagabond. Look, I feel bad for
William, but as you just said, he was nothing but a worthless drug addict,
right? This is not who I am. I’m Alix Keener, a gifted student and
college-bound senior. I’m not Alix Keener, paranormal psychic and killer of
fantasy monsters.”

“I’m
sorry, Alix,” Vagabond says. “But the blunt truth is that you’re all of those
things.”

There’s
a long, tense silence during which we stare at each other and refuse to look
away.

 “You
told me to listen to three things,” I say. “You mentioned two. What’s the
third?”

Vagabond
nods and smiles. “Well done,” he says. “You’re a good listener. I neglected to
mention the third item on purpose, but now, since the satisfaction of solving a
murder
and
helping an untold number of people fight evil in the future doesn’t
seem to appeal to you, I’ll add one last reward.”

“What
is it?”

Vagabond
studies me for a few moments. Then, as if finally making up his mind, he takes
a deep breath and says, “Alix, how would you like to see your mother one last
time?”

Just
when I thought I was out of tears, fresh ones stream down my face.

“You
can do that?” I whisper.

“I
can do that,” he says, extending his hands toward me. “But you’ll have to earn
it, so stop crying, pick up your knife, and take my hands. There are things you
need to see and hear.”

I wipe
my face, grab the knife from the floor, and sheathe it in my pocket. Then I
step toward Vagabond and place my hands into his. His skin is pleasantly warm.

The
last thing I see is his smile. Then everything flares to the blinding white
light I’ve come to know so well.

Vagabond and I
stand across from each other in a vast and seemingly endless expanse of clear
and pleasant white light. The space is familiar. It’s the same setting where
I’ve encountered William for the past two nights. Although we’re standing on
something that feels solid, the surface is invisible. All I see is the
wonderful white light in all directions.

“Is this
heaven?” I ask, adjusting my glasses and gazing around.

Vagabond looks
even more striking in this setting, his dark suit and deep-blue eyes in stark
contrast to our white surroundings.

“I suppose many
people would call it that,” he says. “But you can get here without being
religious.”

“I don’t get it.”

“What is
religion, Alix? Who created it?”

“I didn’t know
this was going to get so deep,” I say, smiling.

“Your sense of
humor is back,” he says. “That’s good. Look, you’re the gifted student. You
said so yourself. Answer my questions.”

“Religion,” I
say, mulling it over. “Okay. I suppose people created religion to try to
understand why we live and die, how we should behave during ours lives, and
what happens to us when we die.”

“Agreed,”
Vagabond says. “Are you religious, Alix?”

“I don’t go to
church or anything,” I say. “But I believe in a higher power, and I believe
there are positive consequences for good behavior and negative consequences for
bad behavior. You know, the whole karma thing in Hinduism and Buddhism and how
it can impact your next life. That seems right to me.”

“So you were
raised Christian but believe in reincarnation, then?”

“I didn’t say
that,” I say. “What I’m saying is that I respect all religions. I mean, when it
comes down to it, all religions are basically the same. If you live a so-called
good life, you can expect some type of reward when you die. If you live a
so-called bad or sinful life, you can expect bad things to happen wherever you
end up next.” I pause. “Actually, since all religions are essentially the same
at their cores, I would argue there’s really only one world religion.”

“I see,”
Vagabond says, scratching his chin. “Very nice, Alix. You’re even smarter than
I thought. This is good.” He pauses, thinking. “Here’s a scenario to ponder.
What about the few remaining primitive rainforest tribes out there? They’ve had
little to no contact with the modern world and therefore know nothing about
organized religion outside of their own nature worship. Or maybe they’re just
trying to survive and don’t even think about what happens when they die.” He
holds out his arms and gestures around the wonderful space. “Can people like
that—people who don’t know about our notions of heaven, hell, gods, goddesses,
demons, and devils—get to a place like this after they die?”

“Sure they can,”
I say. “Let me put it this way, Vagabond. People have been around a lot longer
than organized religion. In my opinion, it’s all pretty simple. If you’re a
good person, good things happen to you when you die. If you’re an evil person,
you can expect to be haunted by evil for eternity. I don’t care how many gods
somebody does or doesn’t believe in. Every sane human understands the
difference between good and evil—even primitive rainforest people; even the
earliest humans for that matter. So yes, I think everybody is capable of living
life in a way that makes it possible for them to be in a place like this when
they die.”

“What about
atheists?” he says. “Those who reject the idea that gods and goddesses exist?”

“Atheists?” I
say, raising my eyebrows. “I think atheists are misguided. We should bring all
of them here to prove it.”

Vagabond breaks
into laughter and claps his hands several times, applauding my joke, I suppose.

“Oh bravo, Alix,”
he says. “Bravo indeed.”

“Okay,” I say.
“So what’s with the religious line of questioning?”

“Right,” he
says. “Basically, everything you just said is correct. But allow me to make it
even simpler. Two forces drive the universe and have been in constant battle
since the beginning of time. Humans have put many labels on these two forces in
an attempt to understand and explain them throughout history, but as you just
said, when it comes down to it, it’s pretty simple. You know what I’m referring
to, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I say.
“Good and evil.”

“Bingo.” He
clasps his hands together in front of his waist again. “Good and evil. Humans
are interesting, Alix. They tend to think they’re the most important organisms
in the universe, but when it comes to the big picture, people are nothing but
specks of dust in a massive cosmic landscape. But,” he says, pointing at me
now, “there’s one thing about your kind that forces me to keep a constant eye
on you.” He pauses. “Would it surprise you to learn that human beings are more
susceptible to evil than any other form of life in the universe?”

“I’ve never
really thought about it like that,” I say, finding it fascinating that he just
confirmed the existence of extraterrestrial life. “But I can’t say it surprises
me. Not after seeing Oval City tonight.”

“Ah, Oval City,”
he says. “We’ll get to that sickening pit in a moment, but let me ask you
another question. Do you believe in demons, Alix Keener?”

I think back to
the horrible beasts I saw during my reading on London, and it’s as if I can
still smell and feel the cat-beast creature I destroyed only minutes ago.

“After today,
Vagabond, I think evil takes many different forms, including demons, yes.”

“Be careful,” he
says, serious now. “Demons aren’t just a
form
of evil, Alix. Demons are the
source
of evil. You
must
remember that. From
now on your life depends on it. Allow me to phrase it another way. I can tell
you for a fact that demons are responsible for every evil act in human history.
Who is the most evil person you can think of, dead or alive?”

“Adolf Hitler,”
I say, needing no time to think about that one. “Or if you need somebody more
recent, Osama bin Laden.” I squint and adjust my glasses again. “Are you trying
to tell me those guys were possessed by demons?”

“Yes,” he says.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. You love history, so here’s some
interesting information. If you do the research, you’ll discover that the
concept of demonic forces causing evil is found in every human civilization in
history, going all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia, the world’s first
civilization. Demons are real, Alix. They’re here. They’ve always been here.
And they want one thing. They want power over as many human souls as possible.”

“Demonic
possession,” I say, nodding. “I read somewhere that demons thrive and gain
energy by taking over the minds of humans.”

“Precisely,” he
says. “Demons prey on human souls and cross
over into the earthly realm via portals. Portals are two-way highways between
the Fire world and yours. Thankfully, demonic portals are rare, but the longer
they remain open, the more damage the demon or demons can do. Demons would like
nothing more than to possess every human being on the planet and use Earth as a
breeding ground for evil.” He pauses. “My job is to make sure that never
happens.”

“Hell,”
I say. “The Fire world. That’s what you’re talking about, isn’t it?”

“You’re
using a Christian reference, which is fine, but remember what you said a minute
ago. At their cores, all religions are the same in that they recognize good and
evil. Demons are universal, Alix. They don’t discriminate according to
religion. Demons want human souls, plain and simple. Christian. Muslim.
Buddhist. Hindu. Shinto. Pagan. It doesn’t matter.” He gazes at his shoes,
thinking. Then he says, “Unfortunately, all the years of fighting between religions
have made humans easier targets for possession. I’ve never understood why you
people fight wars over religion. Demons love it when humans go to war. It’s
like recess for them. You’d be a much stronger lot if you could all just get
along. Trust me.”

“If
portals are so rare,” I say, “how do they open in the first place?”

“Good
question,” he says. “The answer is simple. Portals open when humans get stupid
and summon evil. Sometimes it’s an accident, like when a séance gets out of
control and the person conducting it doesn’t know how to handle the situation.
Usually, though, ignorant humans open portals on purpose. Satanism. Ouija
boards. Black magic.” He shrugs. “Things like that.”

“How
do portals close?” I ask.

“I’m
afraid it’s even harder to close a portal than it is to open one,” he says, a
troubled look on his face. “Alix, the only way to close a demonic portal is to
destroy the leader demon who is using it.”

“That
thing I just killed,” I say. “The freaky human-cat hybrid. Was that a demon?”

“Yes,”
he says. “A minor one. A type of scout, really, not even close to a leader
demon. That particular type is known as a Brawler. You’ll meet others soon.
Heaters. Crawlers. The whole lot. Anyway, that nasty little Brawler was testing
you. You did well, but it tricked you. Now the leader demon knows you have powers
and can actually use the knife. In a way, the weapon was made for you. You
didn’t get it by accident. I can assure you of that.”

“Oh
my God. Face,” I say, thinking back to my fight with Aruna. “Aruna said he had
powers. She said she didn’t think he could die. She also said he
wanted
me to have the knife. I thought
she was just saying that to intimidate me, but she was serious.” I press my
fingertips against my temples as it all sets in. “Vagabond, Face is the leader
demon, isn’t he? The portal is somewhere beneath Oval City. London basically
said bad things happen in Oval City because it’s evil, and I sensed evil below ground
when I was out there tonight.”

“You’re
doing well, Alix,” Vagabond says, looking pleased. “Pieces are coming together,
aren’t they?”

“Perennial,”
I say, thinking hard. “Lewis said it’s the most addictive drug he’s ever tried
and that it’s about to go viral.” I stare at Vagabond as the realization
strikes. “Perennial is how Face controls people.”

“Who’s
Lewis?” Vagabond says, squinting.

“A
guy from school,” I say. “Lewis Wilde. He knew William. He’s a friend of mine.”
I find myself imagining Lewis’s soft lips brushing against my neck. “Well, more
than a friend, actually,” I add, feeling my face turn red.

“I
see.” Vagabond looks concerned. “My advice is to not trust anything or anybody
except your abilities.”

“London
said the same thing.”

“Good.
I trained her well.”

“Vagabond,
do you think the real reason Face created Perennial was to make it easier for
him to possess souls?”

“If
that’s the case, then we have a major problem, don’t we? Imagine a possession
drug like Perennial spreading worldwide.” He shakes his head, clearly horrified
at the thought. “It probably comes as no surprise to learn that certain people
are easier to possess than others. For example, you and your father are good,
tough, disciplined, strong-willed people. Demons steer clear of folks like you.
Demons are like wild animals on the hunt. They don’t like to waste energy, so
they look for easy targets. Sometimes they get hold of somebody for a long
time. You mentioned Hitler and bin Laden. They’re good examples of long-term
possession. Serial killers fit that mold too. But what about the faithful
husband and father on Main Street, the one who hasn’t done anything wrong in
his life but one day has too much to drink and hits his wife? Sure, he feels
awful about it afterward and swears he’ll never do it again, but the fact is
that he did it. And how does he explain his behavior?” Vagabond shrugs. “The
answer, Alix, is that he
can’t
explain his behavior. Why? Because the man experienced short-term possession. A
demon momentarily hijacked his soul and moved on after the evil deed was done.
That’s how the vast majority of possessions work. They’re temporary, short-term
events.”

“Like
when a drunk driver collides head on into an oncoming car and kills an innocent
mother and wife,” I say, looking over his shoulder and remembering.

“Your
mother’s death,” he says. “Yes, the man who killed your mother was experiencing
short-term possession. Don’t get me wrong. That doesn’t excuse his behavior. It
just goes back to what I said about strength and character. That man had
weaknesses that allowed a demon to get to him.” He gazes down for a moment
before looking back at me. “I’m not trying to sound insensitive, but it’s
actually a good thing that most possessions are short term. It means the demons
have to constantly jump from soul to soul. That’s why true evil has never taken
over the entire human population. You’ll be happy to know that although good
and evil are everywhere, good has a much higher winning percentage.” He offers
a sympathetic smile. “It’s the rare long-term possessions that worry us.”

“And
if Perennial spreads worldwide,” I say, imagining the horrible scenario, “it
weakens God knows how many human minds, ruins lives, and makes its victims
perfect targets for long-term demonic possession.” I cover my mouth with my
hands. “That’s what Face is really up to, isn’t it?”

“Possibly,”
Vagabond says. “And if Face succeeds, evil wins and the entire human population
becomes nothing but weak, helpless cattle under the control of barbaric
demons.”

“A
breeding ground for evil,” I say, recalling his earlier comment.

“That’s
right,” he says. “Earth becomes a breeding ground for evil. A sort of home base
for the Fire world.”

“But
why me, Vagabond?” I ask, puzzled. “Why London? Why Roman King? Why us?” I
close my eyes and take a deep, calming breath. “I understand that you’re not
human. I also understand that you’re one of the good guys. So why can’t you,
and the others like you, just team up, kill all the demons, and call it a day?”