Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (19 page)

“Was it about me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I said. He shrugged and put his book back in his satchel. “So what now?” Gage said. “Some kind of warehouse?”

“It’s over by the Deep Blue Sea,” I said. “Do you think we should stop and talk to Sam before we go? It’s right on the way.”

“Sam? I’ve never talked to him in the middle of a case before, but I guess it can’t hurt. Just one catch.”

“What’s that?”
“If Sam ain’t there, neither is the Deep Blue Sea.”

“What do you mean?” said Eli. “Like it’s closed?”

“Nah. Gone. Poof. Like it was never there,” said Gage. “It vanishes when Sam goes out. Just a fact, is all.”

“Disappearing bar,” I said. “Peachy. Well, let’s hope it’s there, or else we’re on our own. And I don’t much like our odds.”

The Deep Blue Sea wasn’t there.

There wasn’t even a space where it used to be. Just the normal gap that generally came between the two warehouses it had previously shoved itself between. It just looked like two run-down buildings now. No bar. No Sam. No help.

“How the hell does an entire bar just disappear like that?” I said. “I mean, it’s like it was never there.”

“Maybe it wasn’t,” Gage said. “Powerful magic with that guy.”

“But how can he take the whole building with him?”

“Come on,” said Gage. “It’s Sam. The guy’s got power.”

“You think he’s some kind of bigshot in Hell?” I said.

Gage shrugged. “How should I know? I look dead to you? Your boyfriend would have a better chance of going there alive than I would.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said.

“He’s half-demon,” said Gage, attention back on his Grimoire, open in his lap.

“So?”

He shrugged. “It just is the way it is. And for the record, he’s not going to be able to hide those horns in that curly mop of his much longer. They’re gonna grow.”

“Whatever,” I said. “Let’s stay on topic. We’re going to the warehouse my father used to take me to. If he’s there, and he’s alive, Abaddon’s there, too. If he’s there and he’s dead, we’re in deep shit.”

“Abaddon’s strong,” Gage said, “stronger than us. But the salt might slow him down a little. And with some luck we might survive the night.”

“One more thing before we go,” I said. “You need to try not to look at the blood, if there is any.”

“I’ll try.”

“Don’t try,” I said. “Just do it. I have a sick Baba to take care of. I’m not dying tonight.”

Gage nodded. “I can try to do that spell that sucked the Dark back down,” he said. “But if there is still a connection between them, it will take your dad with it.”

“We can’t have Abaddon killing any more people,” I said. “If we can stop him, we will.”

I drove the few blocks until I could see the black of the river. A white mist of fog swirled up the riverbank and down the street, making the creepy neighborhood even creepier. I put the car in park behind the mottled yellow building, its tin exterior dotted with rust and graffiti. As I got out of the car, I realized the white mist wasn’t fog at all. It was ghosts.

There were thousands of them. Maybe more. Mostly men, but some women too. I stood frozen to the spot. I’d never seen so many in one place.

“What’s the holdup, sis?” whispered Gage, clutching his satchel. “You see something?”

“There are so many,” I said. “Jesus, Bobby, I’ve never seen so many.”

The ethereal form of a man stopped in front of me. “Hey,” he said, his voice sounding hollow. “I recognize you. You’re the Slobodian girl. You can see me, can’t you?”

“Yes,” I whispered, “but I’m in a hurry.”

“To get that demon fella, I guess,” said the man. He was dressed just like Miklos and Otto. Shiny suit, shiny shoes. “Better him than me.”

“You saw him?” I said. “Is Sasha still alive? My father, Alexei Slobodian.”

“Yeah, I know him,” he said coldly. “Sasha’s alive all right. Guy’s made of steel or something.”

I turned to Gage. “Sasha’s alive,” I said. “They’re still in the warehouse.

“Funny thing,” said the ghost. “I think that demon guy could see us. We’re used to being ignored, but he was growling and snarling and trying not to touch us.”

“Really?” I said. “That must have pissed you off, that he didn’t want you to touch him.”

“I was just sort of surprised at the time,” said the ghost. “We never see someone that can see us back. Now two in one day. How about that?”

A woman in spike heels and fishnets joined the man. “What’s going on, Tommy?” she said.

“This here’s the Slobodian kid,” he said. “She can see us.”

“Is that so?” she said.

Another man joined them, then an old man with a fedora, and a homely woman that looked like she’d been a secretary in the sixties. Soon there was a crowd of people clamoring to get a look at me.

“Stop,” I said, just above a whisper, but probably still too loud. I was hoping we could get into the warehouse and size up the situation before Abaddon knew we were there. They all started to simmer down as I motioned for them to be quiet. “Look,” I said. “I’ve got to stop that demon that’s in that warehouse. If you help me, I’ll try my best to help you.”

“How can we help?” asked the first ghost I’d talked to.

“I’ll try to help you move on,” I said.

“Yeah, but move on where?” said the secretary in a nasally voice. “I don’t want to go to Hell.”

“Screw that,” said someone in the back that sounded like a three-pack-a-day smoker. “Anything’s better’n this shit. Just wandering around all day and all night. No end in sight. I’ll take fire over this any day.”

There was a murmur of agreement. “Hey miss,” said the guy in the suit. “What do we have to do?”

“Wait about ten minutes, then follow me into that warehouse. Can you do that?” Another murmur of agreement. “Can you spread the word? When you get there, go for the demon. I know a lot of you have a beef with my father, and that’s fine. But save it for later. He can’t see you, anyway.”

“What was that all about?” said Gage.

“Oh, you know me. Making friends wherever I go.” I led the way around the building, the boards of the walkway on the riverbank creaking and groaning softly as we went. It might have been better to just bounce in the front door, but I figured Abaddon wouldn’t think about watching the back door, unless he’d rooted through my father’s head about it.

The door was lying across the boardwalk, holes kicked into the rotting wood. There was a stale smell of urine in the doorway. Probably squatters breaking in, but not staying more than a night after they saw all the old bloodstains on the cracked cement floor. I walked down the aisle, stacked on both sides with barrels of god-knows-what. I could hear voices in front of us. I looked back at Bobby. He was in the zone. The symbols in his book were glowing and he was staring at it transfixed. He was stumbling along behind me and I hoped he wouldn’t trip. I held up a hand as the rows of barrels stopped and the room opened up in front of us.

I saw two figures. My father was lying on his back on the cement. His lips were moving and I could hear his voice very faintly. I could tell by the rhythm and the position of his hands that he was saying a prayer. Abaddon was circling him like a predator. The pink thread had gone from his neck and he had grown back to his previous height. He stopped pacing and looked down at the pitiful figure on the floor. He reared back and then lunged at my father. His great hands clutched my father’s chest and I saw sparks come off of them. My father’s body shook like he was being electrocuted. Abaddon stood up and surveyed his work. For a moment I thought he was dead, but after a long hesitation, he heaved a great sigh as the breath returned to his body and he curled into a ball on his side. There was a sound like wheezing coming from him.

“Why won’t you die?” screamed Abaddon. His voice was just as ominous as the voice that had been in my head, though now it sounded panicky and frustrated. “Is it the connection?” he said. “Answer me, Slobodian!”

“If you just wait,” said my father, in a voice almost too low to hear, “I’ll be dead soon. If you just wait.”

“I don’t want to wait,” said Abaddon. “I have things to do. I am a demon lord and I do not wait. So just die.” He lunged again and he and my father vibrated once again, the sparks shooting out. The same thing happened. My father lay gasping after a moment of stillness. He just laid there limply, shaking his head.”

“You can’t kill me,” he said. “No one can. No one ever has been able to. But this disease? It’s doing a job of it. Just like my daughter will do a job on you. Put you back in your place.”

“The girl?” said Abaddon. “She can’t touch me.”

“She is a Slobodian,” he said. “She will find a way. She is here. I can feel it. She sees you, demon. No one makes a fool of Alexei Slobodian and lives.”

Abaddon looked up and sniffed the air. “And she brought a friend,” he said. And smiled.

I took a step toward him. I could hear Gage speaking softly behind me.

I felt the pressure in my head again, and I thought I would be sick. But I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. There was muted laughter and I knew at once that no one else would be able to hear it. “You are persistent, little one,” said Abaddon’s voice. I clenched my teeth. The feeling of someone else in my head was not something I enjoyed. It felt a lot like a migraine. “So you’ve come back. Maybe you do want to die, after all. You and your friend.”

“You can try,” I said. “But I think you might find us harder to kill than the others.”

“So bold,” said the voice in my head. He said it almost in a tender way. I clenched my jaw harder. “Your heart will taste like sugar.” I listened for Gage, but he apparently hadn’t reached fever pitch yet. He was still talking in the strange non-language.

I was walking slowly toward Abaddon. He had completely forgotten about my father, who was watching the demon with a calculating look.

“I’m just wondering something,” I said. “Maybe you can help me. Why does an all-powerful demon lord leave Hell to come and kill a few humans? For kicks? Seems like an awfully time-consuming hobby.”

The laugh came again like ragged fingernails in my skull. “You assume too much, little one. Who said I just came here to kill a few humans? Maybe I’m tired of my dark pit. Perhaps I want a whole world. I could be a god here.”

“So you’re just going to kill us all?” I said. “That’ll take years at the rate you’re going.” Sasha had rolled onto his side and pushed himself to a sitting position. I recognized the look on his face. I’d been on the other end of that look a lot as a child. When my father had been drinking. It was the look he got right before he let loose a hard slap or started screaming. Sasha was pissed.

“Not me, little one,” came the voice. “My legion.”

“Legion?” I said, stalling my slow walk. “What do you mean legion?”

“They’ll come later, don’t you worry. Did you like my Dark? You’d see more of those, if you live. But you’ll be gone by then. Like one of these vile ghosts. No room in Heaven or Hell for you.”

I was halfway across the room. Abaddon was standing perfectly still, his eyes trained on me. He was in no hurry. His overconfidence could be an advantage. “Why don’t you like the ghosts, Abaddon?” I said. “You can see them, can’t you?”

“As can you,” he said. “They are repugnant, don’t you agree? More disgusting than even the humans.”

“Why?”

“They don’t belong,” he said. “They don’t fit anywhere. They are outsiders and they do not know their place. Their touch is like worms.” He spat on the floor.

“You can’t control them,” I said. “That’s why you don’t like them.” I could hear Gage’s cadence growing more rapid, his speech more intense.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, girl,” said the voice. “You can’t save your father, though. He has done things that would turn your stomach. All in the name of his own greed and lusts.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” I said.

“Not to my own kind,” he said.

“But doing it to another kind is okay? You hypocrite.”

“Your friend cannot stop me, you know,” he said. “What magic trick can possibly stop me? Human magic is weak. I am going to eat three hearts before I leave here. But I’m going to enjoy yours the most.”

Sasha was so quick I didn’t even see him get up. Before I could take another step he had the shimmering pink thread around Abaddon’s neck and was yanking it from behind. But the demon didn’t shrink this time. He grabbed at the thread again, just like he had before. Pink sparks shot everywhere and there was a smell of flesh burning. I put my hand in my pocket and touched the salt I had poured there. I gathered a handful, getting ready to throw it. Then several things happened at once. Gage came forward, his eyes bright, his hair on end, the Grimoire glowing in his hands. He screamed something, hunching over as he held a hand out and the cracked and stained cement opened up like a mouth, fire rising up and licking at Sasha and Abaddon’s legs. They didn’t back away. A force was pulling them back, but Abaddon was so strong that he was pulling Sasha away from the edge by the pink rope even as my father was trying to force him toward it. Then the ghosts arrived.