Eximere (The River Book 4) (21 page)

Steven grabbed the fork from Eliza’s hand as she turned away
from Jonathan. He walked over to Jonathan and placed the tines of the fork
against his chest, and pressed. Then he watched as Jonathan’s smirk slowly
sagged and his eyes shifted to the right, staring into space at something past
Steven’s head. He could hear Eliza crying behind him, and he knew Roy was
standing to his left, probably disapproving of the action he just took.
I’m
not going to create another monster
, he thought.

Steven stared at Jonathan’s face for a long time. When he was
sure the process was complete, he withdrew the fork from his chest, and looked
at it. The fork didn’t look any different than before.

“I think we can untie him,” Roy said. “I suggest we get him on
the bed.”

Steven placed the fork in his pants pocket and assisted Roy
in untying and moving Jonathan. Once he was laid out, Eliza turned and looked
at him. She walked up to the side of the bed, examining Jonathan’s face.

“You know, he helped me with one of my earliest endeavors,”
she said, “when I was young and confused. He always seemed to be a constant,
stable person I could rely on. What happened?”

“Maybe he got into debt,” Roy said. “Or maybe, as he got
older, he cared less about other people’s opinions, and he decided to do what
he thought would satisfy him the most. I can assure you, that idea occurs
frequently as you get older.”

“Did it work?” Steven asked. “How do we know if the
boundaries have been changed?”

“The guy I talked to,” Roy said, “told me that the change
would happen the moment he received the money or the soul.”

“How do we know if he received it?” Steven asked. “Can we
call him back to make sure?”

“Sure,” Roy said. “If you’ll dial that same number we got
from Dixon, I’ll ask him.” Steven pulled his cell phone from his pocket and
used the recently called list to redial the number Dixon had given to them. He
handed the phone to Roy, who turned and began speaking to someone named
Malachi.

Steven walked up to Eliza while Roy spoke on the phone. “I’m
sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry it came to that.”

She turned to face him. “You did what you had to,” she said.
“And the rest of us will have you to thank, if this all works out. I know that
must have been hard.”

It wasn’t hard
, Steven thought.
It was much easier than she thinks.

Eliza’s face changed a little, and she looked down as she
spoke. “Or maybe it wasn’t.”

“If he’d paid,” Steven said, “which he wasn’t going to do,
but if he had, we’d just have another enemy out there, waiting to take revenge
on us. I can’t keep doing that.”

“You know,” Eliza said, “you and Roy are interesting. He’s
the one who comes off as John Wayne, all bluster and bravado. He sounds
intimidating to most anyone he talks to. You don’t. You come off as passive and
open, calm and intellectual. But when it comes down to it, you’re the one who
pulls the trigger, aren’t you?”

Steven hadn’t thought of this before, but he supposed she was
right. He wasn’t going to acknowledge it, though. He just looked back at her.

She leaned a little closer to him. “You found it easy because
he made you angry,” she said, her voice lowered. “Not because you didn’t want
another enemy. You were reacting to your anger.”

Steven didn’t know if this was true, but he wasn’t going to
acknowledge it either. He kept his face still, and made sure he didn’t think
anything in response that she might pick up on.

“It’ll be your downfall, someday,” Eliza said. “If you don’t
get a handle on it.”

“Maybe,” Steven said. “Roy has said the same thing in the
past.”

Roy handed the phone back to Steven. “He says payment
received in full, and he’s made the changes.”

“So the new boundaries for the marchers are in effect now?”
Steven asked.

“Supposedly,” Roy said.

“They’re dormant now,” Eliza said. “When they wake up,
they’ll all migrate downstairs. Do you want to go down and watch it happen? We
could stay in the safe area I arranged behind the tree.”

“Or we could stay up here,” Roy said, “and assume it
happened. Maybe watch to see if Anita comes back up at dawn, or not?”

“No,” Steven said, turning away from both of them. “I want to
go down. I want to see it happen.”

“We’ll have to stay in that spot until the marchers go dormant
again,” Eliza said. “That’s at least ten or eleven hours.”

“I’ll go by myself if you two would rather wait it out up
here,” Steven said.

“No, I’ll go with you,” Roy said.

“Me too,” Eliza said. “We’ll head down just before dusk.”

“What about Jonathan?” Steven asked.

“I suggest we leave him in here for now,” Roy said. “By
tomorrow, he’ll be discovered in bed and I suspect someone will call 911. If
we’re lucky, we’ll have resolved everything by then.”

Just before dusk, they made their way back down to Eximere.
Roy collected some food to bring along since they’d be camped out in the spot
behind the tree for a while. Eliza removed a blanket from her bed and brought
that as well.

When they reached the safe zone Eliza created behind the
banyan tree, Eliza spread out the blanket and the three of them sat down on it.
There was a small pond a few feet away. “Like a picnic,” Eliza said.

“With fireworks at the end,” Roy said, laughing.

“What if she sees us,” Steven said, “before the marchers get
to her?”

“Have some of this,” Roy said, removing a flask from his
pocket and handing it to Steven.

“Booze?” Steven asked.

“Protection,” Roy said.

“You brought some?” Steven asked. “Why didn’t you give us
some earlier?”

“Well,” Roy said, “the first time she attacked you, it came
as a surprise. I didn’t know you and Eliza were going to run down the hall and
confront her like that. The second time, we were just trying to contact someone
while in the tunnel. Didn’t occur to me that she’d detect that and come after
us. And, I only have this flask. Didn’t want to waste it until we needed it.
Now seems like the time.”

“I wonder if it would have slowed the draining,” Eliza said.

“It might,” Roy said, “but there’s only enough here for a
couple of doses. The draining would have just continued after it wore off. Protecting
us from Anita seems like a good use of it.”

They chatted for a few more moments and passed the flask
around. Steven felt the protection hit his stomach, and a warmth slowly spread
through him.

“Is it getting darker?” Eliza asked, glancing around. “Or is
it what we’re drinking?”

“No,” Roy said, “it
is
getting darker.”

“James must have arranged for a day and night cycle down
here, too,” Steven said.

“Or, Anita’s arrival has made it dark,” Roy said. “I thought
I just saw her in one of the windows.”

They scanned the back windows, trying to detect any sign of
her. The light around them was dimming rapidly, much faster than a normal
sunset on the surface. Exterior lights on the house began to flicker on – they
looked like old fashioned gas lights. Small lights popped on in the back yard,
illuminating some of the features. Their eyes slowly adjusted to the dark.

“You sure?” Eliza whispered. She didn’t think anyone in the
house could hear them from this distance, but she didn’t want to risk finding
out.

“I think so,” Roy whispered back. “I saw a blur in the
upstairs window.”

They all dropped into the flow. Steven noticed that it took
longer for Roy and Eliza to join him in the River, and they both had pained
looks on their faces.
This has got to work
, he thought.
We’re running
out of time.

In the River, Anita appeared clearer and more distinct.
Lights were turning on inside the house, their brightness streaming into the
backyard. They could see Anita, her dark gown flowing around her, moving back
and forth in one of the windows upstairs.

Isn’t that James’ bedroom?
Eliza thought.

I think it is
, Roy thought.

Steven felt the silver fork, still in his back pocket.
Shit!
he thought,
why didn’t we put it back?
She’ll notice it’s missing!

They watched as Anita moved from room to room. Her movements
were erratic, as though she was panicked.
She knows someone’s been there,
Steven thought.
She’s searching. Where are the marchers?

Roy checked his watch.
It’s just past dusk
, he
thought.
Should be any time now.

Provided the changes worked
, Eliza thought.

Steven’s anxiety began to rise as he watched Anita complete
her room by room search of the top floor, and her figure appeared on the lower
floor in the large archway. She turned and moved into the library.
She’s
just going to find more evidence of our being there,
Steven thought.
It’s
just going to make her angrier. Where are the fucking marchers?

He saw her drifting inside the library, her movements
becoming jerky and haphazard as she moved from one side of the room to the
other and back again.
She’s seeing the books we removed
, Steven thought.
I told you she’d notice!

She paused, then drifted smoothly out of the library and out
of sight. Next she appeared in the large windows of the sitting room, past the
library.

She’s still searching,
Roy thought.

After a few moments, Steven saw her pass by the archway
again, moving into the other side of the house.
We’re running out of house
for her to search
, Steven thought.

Roy checked his watch again.
It’s definitely past dusk
,
he thought.
They should be down here.

If they’re dormant during the day
, Eliza thought,
it may take them
a few minutes to wake up and get going. Nothing says they turn on like a
switch, right at dusk. Plus they have to move from up there to down here.

How long is that going to take?
Steven thought.

No idea,
Eliza thought.

I played this wrong
, Steven thought.
We should have stayed upstairs. She couldn’t
go back up there to try and find us. She’s going to eventually find us out
here.

Let’s hope Roy’s protection helps hide us
, Eliza thought. Steven felt the need
to lower himself to the blanket to conceal as much of himself as possible.

Anita reappeared at the archway, looking into the back yard.
She began scanning the graves under the tree.

Uh oh
, Roy thought, and he moved quickly to flatten himself out on the
blanket. Eliza followed suit; Steven was already down.

Shit
, Steven thought.
She’s got us.

Not yet she hasn’t,
Roy said.
Stay down. I don’t think she saw us. It may take
her a while to search the whole yard.

Can you see her?
Eliza thought.

Roy raised his head in the flow slightly above the sightline
to the house.
She’s still there, looking
, he thought.

They kept their heads down.
Sorry I dragged you guys down
here,
Steven thought.
We should have stayed upstairs.

We both chose to come down with you
, Eliza thought.

Roy raised his head slightly again.
Fuck
, he thought,
lowering it quickly.
She’s closer, past the graves. And I think she saw me.

Steven wasn’t sure if the thumping he heard was his heart
beating in his chest, or the sound of the marchers. He didn’t dare look up to
see. The thumping was increasing in intensity but it wasn’t as loud as he
remembered when he was with Marilyn.

She’s here,
he heard Roy think. Steven raised his head, and saw Roy and
Eliza both looking up at Anita, who was floating ten feet in front of them,
about a foot off the ground. She was still under the branches of the tree. She
had clearly seen them. Steven could feel her eyes staring at him.

You again?
she said.
Why are you here?

Steven wondered why she didn’t notice the thumping behind
her. He could see the black shapes of the marchers on the other side of the
house, darker than the dusk that had settled around them. Upstairs, in the darkness
with Marilyn and her dog, he’d not been able to see what they looked like –
just their eyes above him in the moments before Marilyn was taken. Now he saw
their shape behind the house, slowly marching, their eyes floating near the top
of their heads. They didn’t have any features or limbs that he could see – just
dark shadows, lumbering forward. They were passing through the house, towards
them, but they were still too far away.

He looked back at Anita. She was confused, and the look on
her face was not unlike the look she had when she first manifested herself to
him, during the focus. She didn’t understand what was going on.
Gotta stall
her long enough for the marchers to take her.

We came here to pay our respects to James
, he thought in reply to Anita.

You have no right being down here
, she thought.
You’re trespassing!

No
,
Steven thought.
We aren’t. This place belongs to James, doesn’t it? James
invited us. He asked us to stay, to meet you.

Anita looked bewildered. This was clearly not the answer she
was expecting.

He said that?
she thought.
He wanted you to meet me?

Steven saw the marchers approaching behind Anita. They were
past the house now, making their way into the back yard. They seemed to be
walking in a pattern, crossing each other’s path. There were at least twenty,
maybe thirty of them, and more seemed to be arriving behind the ones that were
approaching in the back yard. They all stepped in unison, producing the thud
Steven felt under him. They had a ways to go before they’d reach Anita. More
stalling needed.

He told me you were the most beautiful and powerful woman in
the world,
Steven
thought,
and that if we could meet you, we’d know it too. So he asked us to
wait here until you came down.

Anita seemed perplexed, her eyes shifting from side to side,
as though she was trying to understand.
When
? she thought.
When did
he say this? When?

Just today
, Steven thought.

Liar!
she responded instantly, as though she’d caught Steven in a trap.
He’s
been dead for fifty years! He couldn’t have spoken to you today!
She moved
a little closer to them. Now her face was more distinct, the flesh of her left
cheek hanging from her head.

Gotta keep her confused
, Steven thought to himself,
for a little while
longer. She’s focused on us, she doesn’t realize the marchers are coming for
her. Gotta keep her occupied, gotta make something up that will keep her
attention.

No, we contacted him
, Steven thought at Anita,
and he told us he’d been
disloyal. He told me he knew he had to be loyal. He wanted your forgiveness. He
begged me to tell you.

He
has
been disloyal!
Anita wailed.
Ungrateful! Spiteful! Would you give up
your soul to torment your mother?

No
,
Steven thought.
I wouldn’t. He told me he’d made a big mistake. He wants
your forgiveness. He wants you to wait until he can get here, to prove his
loyalty.

The marchers were now thirty feet behind Anita. The eyes of
the marchers could now clearly be seen, a greyness floating below the tops of
their heads. Steven could see the eyes of one locked on Anita, but the marcher
didn’t accelerate; they moved as a group, patrolling at the same pace. They
were still too far from her. He felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest,
twice as fast as the thumping of the marchers.

Disloyalty is hard to forgive
, Anita thought.
There is nothing
worse.
He must be punished. And so must you!
She moved closer to
them, now a couple of feet from the blanket. Her eyes were wild with anger,
shifting rapidly, her black gown swirling around her. The marchers were now ten
feet behind her, steadily progressing.

Can she not tell they’re behind her?
Steven thought, at the last moment
realizing he’d directed the thought at Anita by mistake. He’d run out of things
to say to stall her. He could feel the cold, sure that she was about to attack
them all.

Anita froze, the anger in her eyes changing to fear as
Steven’s thoughts sunk in: she realized what was behind her, the sound of the
thumping. For years she’d managed to avoid them, but now they were upon her. The
fear in her face became panic as she realized how close they were, that there
was no escape.

She knows,
Steven thought to himself.
She knows it’s about to end.

Steven saw the panic in her face slowly dissolve to
resignation.

Then she said to him, calmly,
You can’t imagine how
horrible it is to have a child betray you
.

Anita closed her eyes as the marcher lifted her from the
ground. She didn’t scream, as Marilyn had done. She didn’t make a sound. The
thumping stopped, and Steven saw the eyes of the other marchers turn to look at
Anita as she lifted through the air, all vicariously anticipating her destruction.
There was still enough light that Steven could see Anita’s face as she rose
twenty feet and stopped. Then the hand of the marcher appeared, grabbing at the
loose flesh on the side of her face, and in a smooth motion, ripped the flesh
from her neck, shoulder, and side until it tapered off to a thin strip. There
was no blood this time. Steven could see Anita was still there, behind what
remained of her face, terrified. The hand of the marcher reached up and pulled
on the other side of her face, and Anita’s features were torn away. Steven
continued to watch as piece after piece of Anita was absorbed into the marcher.
When it was done, there was no skeleton or corpse waiting to drop – there was
nothing left at all.