Realm Wraith (18 page)

“You should be careful what you say,” Rayne warned.

“I know, don’t worry. I won’t make any outbursts in public.”

“No, I mean—”

“That creature’s a monster. It collects souls. How do we know it’s not lulling us into some false sense of security? How do we even know it was telling us the truth?”

“He’s harmless, really.”

“Harmless? You saw him rip apart that fleshy monster! How can you call that harmless?”

“I mean he’s harmless to us.”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t know. I just feel it when I look at him. Like we’re not worth killing.”

“Oh, you feel it? Well, I feel that everything he’s told us is bullshit. We’re going to find someone else to help us.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. We have to keep looking.”

Darrigan brushed past them, leaning over to Rayne. “See, this is why I don’t like him.”

“Is everything all right?” David, having finished his casual chat, walked over. “Oh! You’re that chap from yesterday! How has your stay in Langfirth been so far? Enjoying yourself?”

“Oh, yes. It’s a really nice city, I’m so glad I came.” Gabriel shook David’s hand. “Tell me, are there any places you’d recommend? Any restaurants, a good bar or something?”

“Certainly, I know a couple good pubs you might be interested in. I’ve got a piece of paper; let me write them down for you.” David started fumbling in his pockets.

“It’s like he changes his face for every person he talks to,” Darrigan’s dry voice whispered in Rayne’s ear. “And he thinks
I’m
untrustworthy.”

“A lot of people do that,” Rayne whispered back. “It’s how most human beings deal with life.”

“Do you trust me, Rayne?”

Rayne had to think about that. “I’m not certain. I don’t fear you, I know that much.”

Darrigan laughed. “That is why you see me.” He stood before Rayne, smoke surrounding a face of stretched flesh over skull, eyes brimming with white flame.

“I don’t follow.”

“Most people can’t see me. Those that do can’t understand what it is they see. So they perceive me as something else. A shadow. A figure they can’t quite make out. A stranger merely standing there, harmless, unknown, but a being their mind can rationalize. But you, not only can you see me, you perceive me as you should. It’s because you have no fear of something like myself.”

“Well, I have met you elsewhere. Of course I’d recognize you, even in this world.”

“But even before we met, you saw me. That’s what’s so interesting.” He glanced up, as if witness to an unseen beacon. “Damn, it seems I’m needed elsewhere. My work calls to me.” His form drifted up into the sky. “Maybe I’ll see you again tonight.”

Rayne looked over at Gabriel and David, and realized that while the latter was scribbling down information on a scrap of paper, the former was staring at him.

“Were you talking to someone?” he asked.

“Don’t be silly.” Rayne forced a laugh. “Who would I be talking to? There’s nobody else here.”

“But I thought I heard you—” He stopped, puzzled. “Never mind.” He took a piece of paper as David offered it to him. “Well, I suppose asking you to meet me for a drink would be difficult right now. Maybe if I’m still in town after you’ve recovered a little. How is that going, by the way?”

“He’s getting his cast off soon,” David said. “And his ribs are healing nicely.”

“Yes, what David said,” Rayne added.

“Well, that’s great. Maybe we can get together for that drink after all.” Gabriel looked over the list again. “I shouldn’t have too much trouble finding these places.”

“If you want, I’d be more than happy to have a drink with you tonight. I can show you the pub down the block.” David smiled, always trying to be friendly.

“I don’t want to break up your plans or anything.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I’d like to get to know my flatmate’s new friend a little better.”

“David,” Rayne started to object, not entirely sure if he should protest or not.

“Relax, Rayne, it’ll be fine. I’ll take you home, you can spend some time with Levi, and get some rest.”

“Well, if you all insist.” Gabriel grinned. “I’d be more than happy to come.”

* * *

Night fell, and Rayne found himself sprawled out on the living room sofa, his legs elevated on a pillow. David had brought him home, then gone out to meet Gabriel for that drink. Rayne tried to imagine what Gabriel could want with him. He had plenty of reason to talk to Rayne, but why David? Was Gabriel trying to finagle information out of him? Something personal he could use should the occasion arise? There was nothing Rayne could think of that David could tell him that would be of any use to even the most shrewd manipulator. At least, as far as he knew.

He spent a little time with Levi, putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Levi had been much more open this evening, talking about school, about his friends, and a film he’d wanted to see.

“Daddy?” he asked at one point, as he tried to fit together two edge pieces.

“Hmm?”

“Who was that man that called today?”

“Oh, you mean Mr. Baines? He’s an acquaintance, just in town for a little bit.”

“He talks like those people in films.”

“Yes, he’s American.”

“Wow, really? So he’s from another country? I didn’t know you knew people like that!”

“We only met recently.”

“Is he a nice man? He talked nicely to me.”

“He—” Rayne paused. “Well, he’s friendly. David took him out for a drink to get to know him better.”

“Oh. So that’s why he’s not home.”

Rayne shifted himself in his seat, leaning forward to his boy.

“Listen, Levi, I need to ask you a favor.”

“Yes, Daddy?”

“If that man asks you to do anything, or if he starts asking you too many questions and you don’t feel comfortable, I want you to stop talking to him. I want you to come to me or David and tell us if he speaks to you, all right? Don’t tell him that I asked this, just don’t trust strangers, even if they’re Daddy or David’s friends, all right?”

A solemn nod told him his son understood, or at the very least, was agreeing to do as he was told. As it grew late, Levi went off to bed, leaving Rayne alone on the sofa. He fumbled with the TV remote and flipped through the channels, but there was nothing for him to watch. Reality was starting to seem very dull to him now, as much as he hated to admit it.

A key clicking against a metal lock accompanied the front door as it pushed open. David walked inside, shuffling a bit in an alcoholic haze, but not really drunk.

“Did you have a nice time?” Rayne asked.

“It was interesting. Your friend really likes asking questions.”

“What sort of questions?”

David flopped down on the armchair across from Rayne. “Mostly about you. He wanted to know about Sofia, but I just told him she had passed on. And he asked about your accident. He seemed to specifically want to know how long you had died, and if it had been a long shot, reviving you the way they did. He also asked a little bit about me, particularly why I became a doctor. You know, he actually has some interest in gardening. We talked quite a lot about some of the plants I’ve been growing, and he mentioned the vegetables he grows back home.”

“Oh, that reminds me, Levi watered your plants for you while you were out.”

“Did he? Good for him. I was worried for a bit.”

Rayne scoffed. “They’re just plants; missing one watering isn’t the end of the world.”

“You know they mean a lot to me. It’s cruel, depriving them of water just because I decided to have an evening out.”

“I really doubt they’d care.”

“Plants are living things, you know,” David glared.

“That doesn’t mean they have the mental capacity to care. You should have just gone into horticulture, since you’ve such a love affair with those things.”

“Maybe. But I like taking care of people too, even plant hating ingrates like yourself.” A pillow tossed in Rayne’s direction hit him right in the head. David stood back up. “I’d best be off to bed. You should get some sleep too, so I’ll help you get ready.”

Rayne tried to show his appreciation, as much as he would rather do things himself. It always seemed that no matter what, whenever he was in a bind, David was always there for him. Never complaining, never asking for anything in return. He helped Rayne get ready for bed and left him for the night. When he’d gone, Rayne lay there for a while.

Ever since the accident, he had to struggle to stay awake. Every night, sleep came far too easily to him, forcing him away from this world. But now he was restless. He wondered if what had happened in the park had something to do with this. Even if he hadn’t returned to the Abyss, his body had still been in a sleep-like state.

As he laid there, he began to feel thirsty. He didn’t want to wake up the entire household, though. Debating whether or not it’d be worth the effort, he pulled himself into a sitting position and hopped out of bed, standing on his own two legs. His body felt light, and he turned back to the bed, already knowing that he’d see himself lying there, asleep.

“What is this?” he asked aloud. He circled the bed, looking down at his body. “Darrigan?” he called out. There was no answer.

Odd shades of deep blue tinted everything around him like a luminescent paint. Even the moonlight streaming through the window did not seem like moonlight at all, but a brilliant sapphire beam. Mist formed right in his own bedroom; it crawled up the walls and rippled across the ceiling, scattering disjointed rays of light.

Rayne wasn’t quite sure what to do. He walked outside of the bedroom, savoring the sensation of standing. The hallway had the same deep blue color as his bedroom, and fog stirred here too. Strange shadows dripped in and out of his vision. They moved like living things, drawing near to him, then hastening away with broken, twitching motions. He watched them as he walked further, observing as they scattered around his footsteps.

He passed the large mirror still standing up against the wall. The old thing had been there for years. It had always felt out of place to have it there, and it was so heavy they were unable to actually keep it properly hung. Instead, he and David had just left it there, leaning against the wall, though David complained it posed a risk of toppling over. It was a full length mirror, with an ornately detailed silver frame. A gift from someone, Rayne recalled, though he could not remember who gave it to them.

As he walked by this mirror now, he realized he could see his reflection, unlike the pond from that afternoon. He stopped and gazed into the clear depths. The light, the fog, everything was visible on the surface. He could see himself clearly for the first time, and saw what the others saw when they looked at him. He didn’t look quite as horrible as he’d anticipated; after witnessing what was happening to Gabriel, he’d worried that his form looked just as decrepit. But he found no fatigue in his face—no dark circles under his eyes, no lines, no flesh stretched taut to reveal the skull beneath. But, his skin and hair had lost almost all their color. He thought there was a faint blue tint to his pallid flesh and nearly white hair, but he wasn’t sure if that was because of the strange lights or not.

His eyes drew his attention the most. They were very clear and focused, and gazed right through him with piercing intensity. Instead of their normal ashen color, they appeared white, glazed over like a rotting corpse, completely devoid of substance. There was something unsettling, both about those eyes and the twisted expression on his own face, and he wondered if this was really his reflection. This other face had cruel intentions written all over it. Startled, Rayne found himself backing away from the mirror, but his reflection did not move. It merely continued to stare, further convincing him that it wasn’t him at all.

“Who are you?” he asked. The reflection moved its mouth at the same time he did, echoing that same question. “No, maybe I should say: what are you? Are you some sort of demon that likes to hide in mirrors? Say something!”

Again, the image moved its mouth as Rayne did, speaking only his words. Behind it, he could see the forefront of a long, dark tunnel, his hallway nowhere to be found. Dark shapes lingered in the distance, and with sudden, deafening shrieks, a great number of vicious serpents, each one larger than Rayne himself, burst forward, exploding out of the mirror and snapping their maws. He jumped back, hitting the opposite wall of the hallway just out of reach of fanged snake mouths. He could still see his reflection in the mirror leering, seemingly unbothered by the snakes appearing behind it. The center serpent reared up, and in one gulp it swallowed his doppleganger, who did not even struggle. The beast looked up at Rayne immediately afterwards, black eyes giving nothing but hollow stares.

All around Rayne, the hallway crumbled to wreckage. The roof fell down around him in pieces, the walls cracked and fell away, and the floorboards tore apart, cascading down into an unfathomable void below. Within seconds, Rayne found himself standing on what tiny piece of floor remained, hovering in the emptiness, the mirror still floating before him. The serpents moved forward as one, a single snake with seven heads pushing from the mirror’s surface.