Shadow Guardians - Genesis (5 page)

“There he is,” Matt yelled to Jericho and Mimi. “All respect to the Supreme One,” began Jericho, “he’s battling three Soulcatchers and winning.” “Let’s get him out of here,” Mimi said. The flew over to Miguel. “Follow us,” Mimi yelled to him. Miguel spread his sphere to cover Mimi, Jericho, and Matt. He carried them away from the docks back to Fozzley’s apartment.

“That was the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,” Mimi admonished Miguel. He didn’t say a word. “You really had us worried, and you could have been taken by the Soulcatchers, never to be seen again,” Matt added. “You put all of us in danger, Miguel,” Jericho said. “We are a team, remember,” he added. “The important thing that you’re missing here is that you all came back safe after fighting nine ghosts and three Soulcatchers,” Fozzley interjected. “That’s what you should be worried about. You did something I’m sure no other ghosts have ever done, and you’ve got them confused, mad, and desperate. What you need to be thinking about is how they’re going to come at you next time,” Fozzley added. “We know that that stitchery was just a trap,” Miguel finally said. “First thing is to make sure they never use it again,” he added, walking over to the window and opening it. Miguel clenched his fists together and fired blue flames at the stitchery, exploding it into a pile of concrete and wood splinters. “Is everything with him about flexing his powers and destroying things,” Jericho asked the others. “Thanks to my powers, you’re not being held captive somewhere by Soulcatchers,” Miguel replied sharply.

“I’m sure that Orin, Clause, and Jordin know about this place and know you’re here,” Fozzley said. The others looked puzzled, but no one said anything. They all wondered how Fozzley seemed to know so much about ghosts, Soulcatchers, Hades, and other supernatural things, if he was just a human who had had some occasional contact with ghosts in the past. They suspected that he wasn’t being honest about something. “Since they know I’ve been helping you, I bet it’s a safe guess that I’m mixed up in all of this too, now,” Fozzley said.

“We can only stay here for a short while longer, and then we need to find another safe place to make a home,” he added. “Any thoughts on where we should go,” Matt asked. “Well, it can’t be in this state,” Fozzley said. “Ghosts tend to stand out in a place like Maine. We need to go somewhere where there are lots of people, lots of souls, and lots of ghosts among which to get lost. The more people around, the less chance the Soulcatchers have of picking up your death trails and coming after you.” “That pretty much limits us to New York, Florida, Texas, and California, if my knowledge of geography is right,” Matt said. “Who said it has to be somewhere in the United States,” Mimi asked. “Well, for me, I’m not too fond of being that far away from my family,” Jericho said. The others nodded their agreement. “So, what’s it going to be,” Migueal asked. “Probably lots of children who need our help in a place like New York,” Mimi said. “I was thinking the same,” Matt replied. “New York sounds good,” Jericho said. “New York,” Miguel added. “We can take the train down to New York City in the morning,” Fozzley said. “I’ve got some old friends who live there who can put us up for a few weeks, until we get on our feet,” he added. “I’ll make some calls. In the meantime, you all need to re-energize. There’s sugar water, grape juice, and pineapple juice in the kitchen. One of you should stand guard outside for a couple of hours, then rotate to the next person, just in case the Soulcatchers mount a surprise visit,” Fozzley said, walking down the hall to get the telephone. “I’ll take first watch,” Miguel said, walking out of the apartment and standing downstairs in front of the grocery store.

Mimi went to the back of the apartment where Fozzley was seated on his bed, furiously dialing the phone and packing his belongings at the same time. “Need some help,” she asked. “If you could reach on that top shelf and get those newspapers and books, that would be a tremendous help,” Fozzley said. “Been keeping those for years,” he added. “Mimi floated to the top shelf and retrieved Fozzley’s things. She couldn’t help glance at the newspaper on top of the pile. The headline read, “Seven Perish in Coal Fire”, and it was dated March 27, 1801. Her eyes grew larger and her heart raced, but she didn’t say anything to Fozzley. “So, we barely know much about you, Mr. Fozzley, other than that you’re a good person who can see ghosts and obviously have some secrets,” Mimi said. “I could say somewhat the same about you and your friends,” Fozzley replied. “Tell you what,” he began. “You tell me your stories, and I’ll see if I can fill in some of the gaps about myself for you. Is that a deal,” he asked. “Deal,” Mimi said.

“Well, first there’s Miguel. Miguel Menendez was born in Portland, as we all were. Miguel grew up in a house that included his mother, his step-father, and his younger brother, Jesse. Miguel’s step-father was an evil man. He used drugs, drank, and ran around on Miguel’s mother with other women, not trying to hide it. Miguel and Jesse hated him. Their real father had died in a car crash when Miguel was seven and his brother was three. Miguel’s said his step-father used to beat his mother up really bad almost every night—so much that she couldn’t keep a steady job and eventually just stayed home, making pottery to sell to a local shop. Anyway, Jesse had a problem wetting the bed. He slept really hard and couldn’t wake himself up to go when he had to. Miguel always talks about this one time that his stepfather made Jesse sleep in his wet bed for a week, not letting him change the sheets to teach him a lesson. If you ever want to see Miguel’s eyes turn electric blue, just bring up that story. Miguel and his brother were very close. They used to pray to the Supreme One to kill their step-father, but it never happened. Their family was poor, and Miguel and Jesse were allowed to share a meal every other day. If they didn’t finish it all, they were beaten with a broom and locked in a closet. Miguel ran away from home once with Jesse, but his step-father found them and made them walk six miles with no shoes on behind the car carrying their bags until they got back home. Then, he beat their mother, saying it was her fault that they left and that she helped them escape. One night, Miguel’s step-dad was drinking a lot and smoking drugs. He went into Miguel and Jesse’s room to wake them up to go work in the yard. Miguel got up and got dressed and went outside to wait for his step-father and Jesse. Jesse wouldn’t wake up, and even worse, he had wet the bed. Miguel’s step-dad tied Jesse’s hands and feet with duct tape, got a rope, and hung him by the neck from a tree on the other side of the house from where Miguel was waiting. Their mother was asleep. Miguel must have sensed that they were taking too long and knew something was wrong. He ran to the other side of the house and saw Jesse hanging from a tree while his step-dad hit him with a piece of rope, like a whip. Miguel ran towards his brother. It was raining really hard, and there was a big storm. Before Miguel reached his brother, lightning struck him and killed him instantly. His brother died minutes later from a broken neck and suffocation. Miguel says that a soul catcher—he swears it was Clause—came and took his brother while he watched. Miguel was approached by Orin, but ran away. Orin found him, and somehow, Miguel shot electricity at Orin from his hands. He got away. For the next few years, Miguel spent his death, dodging Soulcatchers, helping abused children, and trying to find a way to the afterlife to see Jesse. He met Matt one day, and they’ve been friend ever since.” Mimi was quiet. Fozzley had tears streaming down his face. “What happened to Miguel’s step-father,” Fozzley asked. “Miguel won’t talk about it,” Mimi said. “But, Matt says he knows for a fact that Miguel killed him, burned his body, and carries his ashes in that charm around his neck,” Mimi said. “At least your death was for a purpose,” Miguel said. “Thank you,” Fozzley said.

“Don’t ever mention how he died to Matt,” Mimi said. “He’s ashamed that he took what he calls, ‘the coward’s way out of life’”. Matthew Broadus committed suicide when he was fourteen. His mother’s boyfriend used to beat them every day, after drinking heavily. He blamed them for him having to work two construction jobs, and he hated his ex-wife for leaving the state with his daughter. His way of coping was to beat them every night. Everyone at school knew what Matt went through. He was embarrassed and felt weak and powerless. He sometimes describes it like he felt raped. He couldn’t defend himself or his Mother. One night while everyone was asleep, Matt drank his step-father’s gin and downed a bottle of over a hundred Xanax pills. He says that when he awoke, a soul catcher was holding his hand—he claims it was Orin. Matt jerked away and ran from him. He found that he had the power to turn into human form and interact with humans, turning into any shape, size, color, or type of human he wanted to be. Matt says he went back to the house and appeared before his mother’s boyfriend and haunted him every day until he lost his mind and had to be locked away in a mental ward. He won’t admit it, but I’ve been to that mental facility and was told that Matt’s stepfather was murdered within a year of being locked up—said he died in a burning bed. That was about the time he met Miguel. Miguel won’t discuss it, but they have a brotherhood pact. My guess is that the two of them got revenge on Matt’s step-father.

Jericho Thomas has only been with our team for about a week. We know little of him, but we’re sure he’s got a good heart and is true to the team. He says he was kidnapped by some men who didn’t like his skin color, and they hung him from a tree until he died. He said that when the soul catcher came for him, he was filled with rage, dying the way he did. He fled capture and made a promise to hunt his killers down and get revenge. That was a year ago. When we came across him for the first time, he was lying in a field, hiding from Orin and Jordin, too weak to run anymore. I gave him a boost of energy, and he came with us. He’s been with us ever since. He has the ability is to control humans by whispering what he wants them to do, as long as it is for good and not for evil,” Mimi said.

“And what’s your story, Miranda,” Fozzley asked. “Mimi felt a shiver, being called by her real name. “My twin sister, Molly, and I were outside playing in the sandbox. She had built an igloo out of sand, and I went in the house to get my dolls, so they could sleep in it. My father and my Mother were fighting. He was drunk, and Mom was trying to stop him from leaving the house. He stumbled past me, Mom following him, as I walked to my room. I looked around for my dolls and couldn’t find them, so I opened the window to yell outside to Molly to see if she had moved them. When I looked outside, I saw my Mom on the ground, my father kicking her over and over. I bolted out of the room and out of the house. When I got outside, our father had Molly by the throat with his left hand, lifting her from the ground. She was turning blue. He punched her in the face with his other hand a couple of times, and blood was coming from her nose, running onto her dress. I could feel her pain, literally. I picked up a shovel that Molly and I had been using to dig in our sandbox, and I hit him in the knee with it as hard as I could. He screamed and dropped Molly. I tried to run. He caught me, and he sat on me and punched me until I was dizzy. He got off, and I tried to crawl away. I was on my stomach. I heard Molly scream. I felt the worse pain in the back of my neck, and everything went black. The next thing I know, I was standing over my dead body, my head severed from my neck. I never asked, but I know that Miguel and Matt killed him.” “Come here,” Fozzley said, opening his arms. He and Mimi embraced and held each other for what seemed to be hours. “I hate to break this up,” Matt said, knocking on the door, “but, you’re up for guard duty, Mimi.” “You still owe me your part of the bargain,” Mimi said to Fozzley before walking from the room. Matt lingered for a second, giving Fozzley a strange look, then followed Mimi.

The next morning, they all rode in Fozzley’s 1968 Plymouth to the train station. Fozzley and Matt—in human form—purchased tickets for the trip to New York. They found their sleeping car, and everyone piled in. Since only Fozzley had baggage, there was plenty of room for the group and, of course plenty of sugar and water and juices. “Do you know what a Demi-geist is,” Fozzley asked the children. Each of them looked confused. “You are Demi-geists,” Fozzley replied. “A Demi-geist is a ghost empowered with abilities not typical of Odinary ghosts. Your power to wield electricity, Miguel, and your power to read the consciences of people, Mimi, your power to control humans, Jericho, and your power to transform into a human and act within the human world, Matt, make each of you Demi-geists. Odinary ghosts are not given such gifts,” Fozzley replied. “Does that make us immortal,” Miguel asked. “No,” Fozzley replied. It makes you very rare among ghosts. Immortality lies within a higher form of ghosts called, ‘Tarrons’,” Fozzley added. “There have only been twelve Tarrons known throughout history, and only six survive today. They are on a level beyond comprehension—almost God-like,” Fozzley said with a bit of fear in his voice. “Tarrons make Soulcatchers seem like amateur ghosts learning to master simple things like drinking sugar water,” he finished. There was silence. “When we get to New York, I’m going to take you to visit an old friend who is experienced in matters of Demi-geists and Tarrons. Perhaps, she can help us make some sense of your purposes in death and foretell things to come,” Fozzley said. “For now, get as much rest as you can. I fear that the darkest roads are ahead of us,” he said. “I wonder if being alone all those years has taken a toll on the old man,” Miguel whispered to Matt. They shared a laugh.

CHAPTER EIGHT: OF HIGHER POWERS

“
New York City,” announced the conductor over the loudspeaker. “Children, we’re here,” Fozzley said, shaking Miguel, then Jericho, then Matt, and finally Mimi. The jumped to attention. “Already,” Matt asked. “Not that long of a ride,” Fozzley replied. “Let’s gather our things and head into the city to see Selda, my friend who I mentioned earlier,” Fozzley said. Fozzley led the four children off the train. The followed him to a waiting area, where he hailed a cab. “431 Menessman Street,” Fozzley instructed the driver. Soon they were on the highway and zooming into the heart of the city. “How do you know ‘Selda’, Miguel asked. “She’s been a dear friend for many years,” Fozzley responded. She helped me through the grief after the departing of my dear wife,” Fozzley said. “She has a gift. She can see inside souls and foretell the future. I need her to examine each of you and tell me if some of my suspicions are correct,” Fozzley said. The cab sped down the expressway, headed to Selda’s house. “Say, mister,” the cab driver said. “Yes,” Fozzley replied. “It ain’t my business if you want to have conversations with yourself, but do you mind keeping it down a little,” he said. “Of course. I apologize,” Fozzley said. Matt and Miguel laughed hysterically. “Watch this,” Miguel said. He floated to the front of the cab and turned the knob on the radio to full blast. Loud music filled the cab. The driver quickly turned the knob to a lower level. Matt, still laughing, reached and turned the knob up to full blast again. “What the,” the driver said. He looked back at the graying, thin, tall, man with the horned-rimmed glasses. Fozzley smiled at him. “Must be a shortage in a wire,” Fozzley said. The driver didn’t say anything. He turned the volume back down. Matt floated to the front of the cab and sat in the passenger’s seat. He turned the dial on the radio to another station. Country music blared throughout the cab. The driver threw his hands in the air and cussed. He hit the radio with his fist and then turned it off. Miguel, Matt, and Jericho laughed uncontrollably. “Rather childish,” Mimi said to them with a frown. “Boys, let’s leave this nice man alone and focus,” Fozzley said. Matt returned to the back of the cab, hovering in the air. They all looked at Fozzley, waiting for him to say something.