What Haunts Me (17 page)

As Aris moved around the room greeting people, I took a look around myself. It was an eclectic group. They ranged in ages from early twenties to mid-fifties. There were fewer women than men, but not by much. One thing that struck me though, they all looked physically strong and capable, and determined. Eventually I did a head count, and just as I concluded that there were twenty-nine people in the room, I heard Aris call for attention.

He began by thanking everyone for making it on such short notice. Then he told them about Vokkel's threat and began to lay out his plan, complete with his lie about his source in Vokkel's camp. I tried to catch everyone's reaction, hoping to see someone's expression betray their allegiance, but there were just too many people to observe at once. If we had a traitor, and I really hoped we didn't, I wasn't going to be able to figure out who it was. When Aris was finished, he went around the table asking what sorts of ghosts each GK had encountered recently and what the ghosts and the GKs perceived power levels were.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that most of the ghost killers in the room were a few levels up on the power scale. In fact, it seemed the only ones that weren't were the younger ones, and I got the impression that they lacked confidence more than power. The ghosts, however, were a different story altogether. Each person in the room had an encounter that they could describe as worrisome, whether it was a powerful ghost they couldn't catch and kill, or a large group of ghosts all at once. Either way, it had me concerned. As all of this went on, I watched GG float around the room unseen by everyone but me and Billy. If Aris saw her, he didn't acknowledge it. She was his secret weapon.

After Aris finished with his questions, he asked that everyone stay nearby. There was a café in the building, and we were welcome to go there or just wander around the public areas until the call came from Vokkel. I assumed that Vokkel would call me first, then he'd call Aris, but I planned on ducking out before that second call came. However, I needed to know who was going to back us up…more specifically, who Billy was going to hand my dad over too.

I cornered Aris and pulled him aside. “Who's going to come with me and Billy?” He glanced over his shoulder and then motioned for a young woman to come over.

She was in her early twenties and olive-skinned like Aris. Although she was young, she wasn't one of the less confident GKs that Aris had polled earlier—she had an air about her that exuded strength. “George, this is Carol. Carol, I would like you to stay close…George and Billy will need your assistance. I'll explain in a few minutes.” She nodded and walked away without ever saying a word.

“How do we know we can trust her?” I asked.

Aris smiled. “She is my niece. We can trust her above all, and she is strong. Your father will be in good hands.”

“Okay, thanks Aris, I really appreciate it. I'm guessing I'll get the signal from Vokkel right before you get the call from him. So we'll all try and sneak out unnoticed if we can. Any idea on where I should tell him to meet me?”

Aris glanced at his watch; it was approaching four in the afternoon. He said, “Yes, there is an abandoned auto shop not far from here, on Bush Street. The space is wide open, so there should be few places for Vokkel's people to hide. I've already sent someone over to secure the building for you. The lights will be on, and hopefully that will give you an advantage, and since Vokkel won't have much time, he shouldn't be able to surround the building with too many of his own people.” He placed his hand on my arm and said, “Based on what the others have said about the ghost surges, I don't think it is wise to thin our forces too much. I can only give you one additional person….”

Aris gave me the exact location of the building and told me the front and back entrances would be unlocked. He suggested that Billy and Carol wait at the back entrance for my dad, but that I use the front entrance, alone. He wanted to send Phil and another GK named Pete, who he said was a seasoned soldier, over to meet with the man that was already there and get inside the building to find someplace to lay low. I agreed with him and went to talk to Billy and Phil.

After I told them what we had arranged, I asked Phil if he was sure he still wanted to do this. He replied in the affirmative with great enthusiasm. GG was still hovering around the room, stopping on the edge of each group and listening, observing. I caught her eye and gave a slight tilt of the head to indicate I wanted her to come over to us.

When she was with us, I asked, “Does anyone here concern you?” She shook her head. “Okay, that's good. Can you check on Vokkel quickly and get back here as fast as you can?” She nodded and disappeared.

A man approached us, the same man Aris had been talking to when we first arrived. He extended his hand in greeting. “I'm Pete. Aris told me what's about to go down,” he said as he shook each of our hands. He turned to Phil. “You and I should get going. I wanna scope the place out thoroughly; you gotta cell phone on you?” Phil nodded. “Okay, good, put it on vibrate.” Turning to me, he said, “You text him the minute you get the call from Vokkel, okay?” I nodded too. He turned to Billy. “I'm not sure of the layout of this place, so when you come in to get Mr. Sinclair take a good look around, then take him out and hand him off to Carol. Phil and I will be hiding somewhere and George should be front and center with Vokkel and his men. I'd kind of like Vokkel to think you left, so if you can wedge the door open just enough to hear what's happening, then jump in when things go down, that would be good. Should knock his people off guard just a bit.”

Phil and Pete left and Billy and I stared at each other for a minute. I couldn't tell if she was scared or not, but I knew I was. GG materialized suddenly and looked at us both with concern. “What's wrong? Is my dad okay?” Billy heard the panic in my voice and placed her hand on my arm, then turned to GG. GG smiled and nodded, I assumed in answer to my question.

“Were you just at Vokkel's house?” Billy asked, and received another nod from GG. “Who else was there? Edgar, the demons, other ghosts?” GG smiled and held her hand up. Using her index finger to indicate question one, she nodded; next finger for question two, she nodded again; third finger and last question, she shook her head.

“Okay, so Edgar and the demons are there. How many demons?” Billy asked, and GG held up two fingers. “Any idea where this surge of ghosts is yet?” GG nodded and looked around the room.

There was a large antique map of the city on the wall and she moved over to it. Billy and I followed. GG pointed to an area that was now South of Market, more specifically where the ballpark was located. Baseball season was over, but the park often held concerts and other events. I racked my brain to think of what might be going on. Finally I pulled out my phone and looked it up. There was a charity event scheduled to start in the next half hour, for disadvantaged kids and their parents and a lot of other people. That meant that the stadium, mostly the field where the event tents had been set up, would be filling up with innocent people as we spoke. The stadium was a pretty big place, and that made a lot of real estate to cover; plus, our people didn't have tickets, so how would they get in there to kill the demons in the first place? Vokkel was indeed a clever bastard. I was pretty sure he'd picked this venue just in case we did figure out where he intended to unleash his demons.

I found Aris and told him what GG had indicated. He looked concerned but then said, “Let me worry about this George; you have other things to concern yourself with.” As if on cue, my phone buzzed with a text message, and of course it was Vokkel.

His message was again, very simple…it said,
it's time
. I replied, telling him to meet me at the empty garage on Bush Street in twenty minutes and that he'd better have my dad with him. I grabbed Billy and Carol, gave GG a smile and a two fingered salute, and we left the room.

As we approached the lobby, I turned to Carol and began to fill her in. She held her hand up and said, “Aris told me, I know what to do.”

“Okay, great…thank you. I'll grab a cab over to the garage; do you have a car, Carol?”

“A motorcycle: don't worry, I have an extra helmet that Billy can use and then pass to your dad. It will be fine.” She smiled mischievously and we all left the building.

It took me all of ten minutes to find a cab and get down to the abandoned garage. The building was cinderblock, except for two large garage bay doors on either end and a regular door in the center, an old metal sign hanging at an angle just above it. There were several large “for sale” signs plastered to the garage doors, but otherwise there was no sign that anyone had been there in a while. I looked around the street, and across the way, a man was fiddling under the hood of an old but well restored car. He glanced my way and nodded his head slightly. I assumed this was the man Aris had sent over earlier. Not seeing anyone else that looked suspicious, I entered the building through the unlocked door.

The overhead florescent lights were on, but they weren't nearly as bright as I would have liked. They seemed to cast more shadows than they dispersed. The place smelled like old engine oil and dust, with an under layer of some other chemical that added to the unpleasantness. There were large metal plates on the concrete floor that I assumed were covering up the old auto lifts the mechanics had used to raise the cars they intended to work on. In the far corner was a glassed-in office. The lights were off in there and I guessed that's where Pete and Phil were hiding, although they could have been crammed into the small room next to it that was labeled “restrooms for customers only.” All in all, the place was dingy and dank, perfect for a paranormal showdown.

I looked around for other hiding places, and aside from a few small piles of old tires and some boxes, there wasn't any other place a person could conceal themselves. As I took in my surroundings I spotted the back door. It looked like solid steel and I hoped that Billy would be able to hear enough to know when to make her entrance. Just then I heard glass break and noticed the dirty window next to the door. I figured it was Billy, making a hole so she'd definitely be able to hear what was happening. With nothing else to do, I moved to the center of the cavernous room and waited.

Five long minutes later, the door from the street opened, but before anyone came through, I felt more than saw a presence on either side of me. Looking in both directions, I saw what I expected to see. Two demons, both finely dressed in the fashion of the late 17
^th
century…at least I thought that's what era they were from. But these demons were different. I wasn't sure if it had to do with how old they were, or how powerful, or just the fact that they were pure evil, but they looked a lot like something you'd see in the movies, complete with glowing eyes and wretched grimaces.

I turned back to the door just in time to see a tall, distinguished man, who looked to be in his mid-eighties and wearing an expensively tailored suit and wool overcoat, enter. He was dressed for an evening out; perhaps he and Edgar intended to have a quiet dinner at a nice restaurant after they killed me. There was something else though. This man looked ill, very ill, but I didn't see his ghost and I wondered if he knew it wasn't in attendance.

Another man entered as well, but he stumbled, as if someone had pushed him. I almost didn't recognize him…it was my dad. He looked unhurt, but he was disheveled and clearly very worried. His eyes brightened just a bit when he saw me. Another man that I didn't recognize entered the building after my dad, tightly grasping the arms of two indigent looking men and pushing them forward as he went. Edgar trailed in last. In my two previous encounters, I would have said he had a suspicious expression; tonight it was just malicious and mean.

I didn't bother with a greeting; instead I held my hands out to either side and said, “Move back, you bastards, we'll get to you later.” Vokkel nodded his head and the demons moved away. I realized that they were allowing him to see them—I wondered if the others could see them as well. “Good; now, Dad, come over here please.”

Vokkel held his hand up and said, “Not so fast Mr. Sinclair, we have business to discuss first.”

“No we don't, Vokkel. The deal isn't negotiable; I show up, my dad leaves.” As if on cue, I heard the door open at the rear of the building and hard footsteps on the concrete; based on Vokkel's expression, I knew it was Billy.

I heard a grunt from behind me and then Billy said, “Mr. Sinclair, please come with me.” I nodded at my dad and he hesitantly stepped forward, gaining confidence as he went. He stopped when he reached me and I laid my hand on his shoulder and smiled, then tossed my head in Billy's direction and he moved on. When I heard two sets of footfalls make their way to the door, then the door closing, I knew he was gone. In a matter of a minute, I heard the loud roar of a motorcycle engine revving and a rear tire burning-out as it sped down the alley behind the building. I let a small amount of relief wash through me now that Dad was gone and out of harm's way.

“Now that I have fulfilled my end of the bargain, it is your turn, Mr. Sinclair.” Vokkel's voice was just as rough and gravelly as it had been earlier in the day, only now it sounded tired too.

“Fine, where's your ghost?” I said sarcastically. Edgar marched over so quickly that I barely had time to react. He grabbed my arm and looked around, discovering that the only ghosts in attendance were the demons. I laughed and said, “It's not here. Shit Vokkel, didn't you think about that? Did you think it would just follow you to its death?” I laughed harder and Edgar squeezed my arm painfully. The demons moved in closer; one pointed to Vokkel, then to the two homeless men being held by the other thug.

Vokkel cleared his throat and said, “Before we begin, Mr. Sinclair, I think you need to know that I am prepared to unleash a surge of powerful ghosts on—”

I didn't let him finish. “I know, you asshole! You're going to make a bunch of people so sick, so fast, that there won't be any hope for them if I don't do what you want, right? Well, I'm here, so let's get this going. But so help me God, Vokkel, if you don't disperse those ghosts the minute we're done here, I'll kill you on the spot!” There was so much vengeance and anger in my voice that I was pretty sure I had him convinced that I could be dangerous too; at least I hoped so.