DARK LIGHT:
A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES II
From: Dale Sherman
Paul had closed his eyes when he saw the white light surround him and he once again felt the passage into Limbo. The feeling lasted only a moment, as he next felt soft ground sink slightly under his shoes and knew immediately that they had reached their destination. He took a deep breath and immediately felt nauseating fumes enter his lungs.
"Gah!" Paul choked. "What kind of hellhole did we go to?"
"Mr. Stanley?" Kathy spoke in a quiet tone. "You can open your eyes. We're back."
Paul blinked a couple of times, adjusting his eyes to the slightly overcast day. As his eyes focused, he realized he smelled the manure that had been placed on the field next to them. Feeling a bit foolish, he looked at Kathy, releasing his grip from Kathy's arm. As he did so, he was startled to see that the thunderbolt painted on her face was quickly vanishing in a soft purple glow. "Where are we?" Paul asked.
"Like I said, Mr. Stanley, we're back. Back at your car. In the present."
It finally clicked into focus for Paul as he looked at the cornfield and what remained of his car after his earlier incident that day. Turning sharply to his right, he was relieved to find that the other car and the man who had driven it were no longer there.
"Why did we come here? Why not just zap us directly to Gene's place?"
Kathy responded as she began walking towards the car. "It's just a feeling, but I get the impression that Blackwell and the Ancient Ones can track us through Limbo."
"Why do you say that?"
"Remember how we went into the past? We did that so we could converse without worrying about the Ancient Ones tracking us down. They did somehow, and I believe it was because we went through Limbo. If I'm correct, we could be setting ourselves up for a trap if we just pop up at Mr. Simmon's place."
"But couldn't they also figure out that we're here at the car?"
"Yes," Kathy stopped as she got to the passenger's side of the car. "That's why we better hope that this car still runs and we can get back on the road. If we can get some distance between this location and us, they won't be able to track us."
Distracted by Kathy's comments, Paul bumped into the car. Trying to maneuver so that it looked intentional, Paul placed a hand on the front hood and hopped over the front fender to get to the driver's side of the car. In doing so, he realized it probably looked stupider than his collision with the car just moments before.
Paul was about to reach for the door handle on the driver's side when he remembered that it had not opened when Deveraux had attempted to do so earlier. He scurried over to the passenger's side and opened it, peeking inside to see that the key was still in the ignition and that his briefcase and cellphone were still on the passenger's side of the car. He leaned in and moved the objects so that Kathy would have a clear place to sit, shifting broken glass from the windshield out of the way at the same time.
"Okay, I think we're set," Paul said to Kathy as he threw the material into the backseat. "Just let me get in."
Paul scrambled over the car seat and positioned himself in the driver's seat as Kathy got in. With the closing of the door, Paul took a breath and tried the ignition. The engine sputtered for a second then caught, and Paul revved the gas pedal a couple of times just to make sure that it would continue to run. Placing the stick-shift into reverse, Paul glanced out of the broken back windshield and stepped on the gas. The wheels spun a couple times before finally catching on the muddy field, sending the car backwards and on to the road.
Paul stepped on the brakes and looked at Kathy. "Well, that was easy."
"Let's hope the rest of the trip is that easy," Kathy responded. She pointed into the distance in front of them. "From what I recall, the quickest way to get to Gene's apartment is on the highway."
"Sounds good, we're headed in that direction anyway." Paul moved the stick into first and sent the car moving forward.
Minutes passed as they drove down the deserted road. Paul occasionally glanced at Kathy, noting that she had positioned herself comfortably to view the scenery flying past outside her window.
"So," Paul coughed, then continued. "Uh, how old were you when you did your first demos?"
Kathy turned away from the view outside her window and looked at Paul. "Hhmm?"
"When you did your first demos, how old where you really? Ace made it sound like you were a little kid."
Kathy thought about Paul's question for a second, then laughed quietly. "Ooohhh. You heard Ace make that comment during his little story back there. No, I wasn't seven or eight years old, like Ace made me out to be."
"Well, how old were you?"
"I was 13. 14, really. I had put some poetry together with some music and just put it all down on tape. Not much more to it than that."
"That's funny." Paul smiled. "I was 15 when I did my first demo."
"Really," Kathy repositioned herself so that she could look at Paul without straining her neck. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Paul seemed disappointed with himself over such an anticlimactic response. "I mean, we were just kids, y'know? We didn't know any better than just being all goo-goo eyes over being in the studio. We recorded a track or two and that was the end of it."
"Did you try sending it around?" Kathy asked, her right arm leaning against the car-door and her head resting against her closed hand.
"Oh, sure, sure. But there wasn't any interest in a bunch of high school brats. Like I said, we were just kids. Like you were."
"Well, I wouldn't call myself a kid, Mr. Stanley "
"Paul. Call me Paul."
"Okay, Paul -- That'll take some getting used to after being with another Paul most of my life -- Like I said, however, I was hardly a kid."
"At fourteen?" Paul smirked. "You're nothing but a kid at fourteen. Only kids think they're anything but kids."
"What I mean, Paul, is that I hardly had the time to be a kid. Everything moved so fast for me that I never had a chance. Oh, but I was a child all right. I really didn't know what was happening around me. Never had a chance to understand what was going on." Kathy moved her arm down. "Perhaps I'm still a child."
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe I could have talked to Paul about Susie's danger a little differently. I feel like I threw a tantrum back there."
"No," Paul replied. "No, you did what you thought was the right thing to do. I certainly agreed with you or else I wouldn't be here now."
"Was that all it was, Paul?" Kathy smiled. "You agreed with me rather quickly back there. Was that all there was to it? The safety of Susie and Gene?"
"Sure it was. I don't know what you're getting at, Kathy."
"Mmmm. Paul, do you know anything about the powers that I have thanks to the Talisman?" "Not really. You can teleport us, and I saw you do something weird with your voice earlier that did some strange things."
"Well, we all can teleport. We learned that from Ace early on when we tried to train each other on our abilities. The singing on the other hand, that's something special that only I can do, and that only works on human."
"Uh, that's cool, Kathy, but I'm not seeing where you're getting with this."
"I can use my voice to control emotions. Moreover, I can read emotions and thoughts of those near me very well. For instance, I could read some of your emotions earlier."
Paul's face flushed slightly as Kathy continued.
"Well, I can tell now just by looking at you that you're embarrassed. Don't be. Everyone has emotions, although they hide them away well at times. That's just a part of life."
Paul straightened up in his seat a bit. "Well, I was just concerned about you because you were getting so agitated by Caravello back there."
"Okay." Kathy smiled, knowing that she was not going to break through Paul's defenses. She turned her body back towards the window to view the farmland rolling by. "We'll leave it at that for the moment."
Paul felt obligated to make a final point on the matter. "Well, I am concern about them."
Kathy did not turn back from the window. "I know you are."
A few minutes past as they drove. Feeling the silence beating down on him, Paul reached to the stereo only to find that it refused to work. He turned it off and pushed himself back into his seat. A glint of light ahead of them in the road distracted Paul slightly and he fumbled in the side pocket of his jacket for a pair of sunglasses that he had there.
"Not much to see out here, is there?" Kathy remarked.
Paul laughed softly. "No. No. There's not much out here to see. Don't worry, I can show you around later if you're interested."
He put the sunglasses on, but the light ahead still fed through the dark lens and made him squint.
"Man," Paul mumbled out loud. "What is going on up there."
Kathy turned her head to look at Paul. "What are you talking about?"
"Take a look." Paul pointed out the front windshield to the light ahead of them. "It's like something is reflecting the sun up ahead."
"Are you sure that's what it is, Paul?" Kathy observed the light in front of them. "It seems to be getting bigger."
Paul was about to disagree when he took another look at the light and saw that it was indeed expanding, widening to that of the entire two-lane road in front of them.
"Uh, Kathy. Y'know, I think you may be right."
Paul released his foot from the accelerator slowly as they came closer to the light in front of them. As the light expanded, darkness grew within the circle of light, creating a black void where the road should be.
"Oh, man. That doesn't look good." Paul stepped on the brake as they came within 50 feet of the circle that reached from the pavement up to the sky above. As he spoke, an Ancient One stepped out of the circle and began running towards the car.
Paul reached for the shift to put the car in reverse, but a hand that held his wrist in a flash of movement restrained him. Paul looked up from his wrist to Kathy, who stared at the approaching monster in a steady glare.
"No, Paul. They've found us. If we take off, they'll just open another portal from Limbo ahead of us again. I'll take care of it." Kathy released Paul's hand and looked down to find the door handle to her side of the car. As she tried to figure out where the door handle was located, Paul looked in shock at her.
"What?" Paul shouted. "Are you crazy? That thing will tear you to shreds." Paul reached to the side panel of his door and hit the "lock" button. He was relieved to find that the mechanism still worked, as he watch the lock automatically shift downward on Kathy's side of the car.
Kathy finally located the door handle and pulled up on it to open the door, but nothing occurred. She reached for the lock on the door, but it was not the type she had been used to in cars as it had no head and was firmly imbedded in the slot.
"What's wrong with this door?" Kathy mumbled.
"Nothing. I locked it so you wouldn't do anything stupid," Paul answered. "Now let's get out of here."
Kathy looked at Paul, her voice agitated. "They know we're here. We can't outrun them, Paul, and I can't do a thing to protect us if I'm stuck in the car. Let me out."
"No," Paul said. "You'll get hurt. I can get us out of here."
Kathy turned back to the door and saw the "lock" button on the side panel, just like the one on Paul's side. She pushed the button and the lock immediately sprang up. Yet, before she could reach the handle, Paul had hit the button on his side and locked it again.
Kathy and Paul both looked out the front windshield again to see that the Ancient One was gone.
"Paul, I'm serious. Let me go now, or we're in dire trouble."
Kathy pushed the button again. The lock sprang up and shifted down in quick unison thanks to Paul.
"I can't let you out there. You'll get yourself killed."
The car suddenly shook as the front end of the car left the car for a second. Kathy and Paul turned around to see the Ancient One pounding tentacle over tentacle on the back of the car.
"You'll get us killed if you don't let me go!"
The lock sprang up and down again.
"I can't get us away from here if you keep trying to unlock the door!"
The Ancient One reached into the car with a pair of tentacles, groping for the two in the front seats.
"You can't get us away, Paul! They know we're here. We have to stop them here if we want to get away."
Once again, the lock went up and down.
"Oh, like you can do that on your own?"
Up and down.
"I'm warning you, Paul. Let me out of the car. You can't escape them."
Up. Down.
Paul looked out the front windshield to see three more Ancient Ones appearing out of the darkness ahead. They walked a bit slower than the first, but Paul could tell they were definitely approaching the car.
"Oh, crap."
Paul heard the pounding to his right and turned expecting to see the Ancient One against the passenger's side of the car. Instead he saw Kathy attempting to shatter the glass of the window with her elbow. Turning her head swiftly, Kathy looked at Paul with fury in her eyes.
"Open the door now, Paul. Open the door. Open it, or so help me God I'll tear the whole door out!"
Unnerved by Kathy's reaction, Paul reached down to push the button to unlock the door. As he did so a tentacle wrapped around Kathy's neck and pulled her over the seat to the back of the car.
"Kathy!" Paul watched as Kathy was dragged through the back windshield and out into the open. The creature held Kathy high in the air, the teeth set in the middle of its body almost smiling as it walked over to Paul's side of the car and with another tentacle smashed in the window to get at Paul.
Paul scrambled over the seat to the passenger's side of the car and attempted to open it, only to remember it was locked. He looked back over his shoulders to see the tentacle reaching in towards him. Pulling at some of the large pieces of glass that had cascaded into the car, Paul grabbed one and started thrusting it at the waving tentacle.
The monster yelped as the glass in Paul's hand reached its target. It then felt a hard kick in its side. Looking up, it saw that the small woman it was holding high up in the air was not only breathing but was punching and kicking as well. Growling, the Ancient One threw Kathy free of itself and Kathy hit the far side of the pavement, skidding off the sharp gravel and into a ditch along the side of the road.
Seeing Kathy being thrown, Paul unlocked the passenger's side of the car and stepped out. Trying to eye any evidence of Kathy, his view over the top of the car was obscured immediately with the growling features of the Ancient One on the other side of the car. Feeling there was no alternative, Paul bolted from the door. His thoughts were to get around the front of the car and the Ancient One and see if Kathy was okay. If so, perhaps they could even make a run for it until Kathy could "zap" them away to Limbo again.
Looking at the monster on the other side of the car as he ran, Paul slammed face-first into one of the approaching Ancient Ones. Paul bounced off the creature and fell to the ground on his back, the sunglasses on his face flying off and under the car. A second creature approached from behind the first and circled around Paul so that it stood near Paul's head.
Paul wondered if it could get any worse when the third Ancient appeared by his side, looking down at him.
"Okay," Paul said out loud. "It's gotten worse."
Kathy shook her head, trying to keep herself focused as she began crawling out of the ditch. Lifting her head above the ditch so that her eyes were at ground level, she could make out the four Ancient Ones, but could not locate Paul at all until she looked directly ahead. There she could see Paul sprawled out behind the car, looking up at the creatures.
She knew instinctively that it was time for battle, just like so many times in the past. She closed her eyes and a soft purple glow surrounded her. Her clothes began to change as the thunderbolt reappeared on her face in preparation for what was to come ahead.
Paul looked up at the monsters above him and wondered if it would be of use to try and squirm under the car when the Ancient One above his head reached down with two tentacles and pulled Paul up by the arms. Paul felt himself leaving the ground and dangling a foot off the road, his arms held high above his head. Trying to wiggle free, Paul knew it was of little use as the tentacles holding him in place constricted tighter around his arms.
Looking ahead, Paul saw the Ancient One directly in front of him move forward and shove a tentacle towards Paul's face. In doing so, the thought popped into Paul's head that these creatures did not have the folds between their tentacles to use as wings, as did the ones he had seen earlier. He immediately wondered why he would even think about such a thing when the tentacle being held out in front of him sprouted quills. The creature in front of Paul seemed to enjoy allowing Paul to inspect the quills in the sunlight.
Both the creature and Paul then watched as a glint of steel traveled through the air, reaching the target of the monster's tentacle and just inches from Paul's head.
There was a moment of silence as Paul and the Ancient Ones studied the five-inch dagger protruding from the tentacle, the shaft having worked its way fully to the hilt. The Ancient One howled in pain as it stepped back slightly in stunned surprise. Paul watched the creature in front of him for a moment then found himself turning towards the car to his left as the creature holding him turned to the sounds of even more anguish cries from the other side of the car.
On the other side of the car stood the Ancient Ones that had attacked Kathy, only now the creature appeared to be in pain and was reeling back. As it moved, Paul noticed sunlight reflecting off something metal in the creature's mouth. He then saw the metal move horizontally from the creature's mouth, forming a slit that left half of the monster's body split open and tilting almost comically to the right, as if waiting for a lumberjack to shout "timber" before crashing to the ground. It was then that Paul recognized the metal to be that of a sword and with the widening slit in the monster's body, the sword was thrust back into the slit with enough force to finish the slice across the creature's body, cutting it into half.
With a kick of a boot from behind, the creature split in half, showering the driver's side of the car with viscera and blood. The creature crumbled to the ground in a sickening thud, revealing Kathy with the bright decorative sword in her gloved right hand.
Yet that was not the only thing that stunned Paul. The manner of Kathy's clothes had changed as well. Instead of the white summer dress Kathy had worn before, Kathy now stood before Paul dressed in an outfit that would have been more fitting for an amazon. Although the boots had stayed pretty much the same as before, they were a darker brown and stretched over the knees for additional protection there. Kathy's legs were bare beyond the boots, with a gold and black striped cloth covering the bottom half of her torso and held in place by a large leather belt and a strap the held the sleeve for the sword and the dagger. Both sleeves were tied securely to her thighs, the one for the dagger on her right and the one for the sword on the left. Two raven feathers were clasped in the belt, while a small Victorian purse hung from the belt next to the sword.
The fabric covered her torso reached up to her shoulders and covered her arms and back. A thin cape, which resembled a series of dark, interlocking peacock feathers, draped her back as well. Her upper torso was bare, saved for a leather and metal breastplate that cover her chest while still exposing her stomach, part of her shoulders and neck. On her head rest a headpiece that held her hair back while being slightly mystic in nature as well. Her hands were both covered dark, brown gloves.
To complete the effect, the thunderbolt had returned to Kathy's face, although darker and with a solid hue of red running down the middle.
Paul watched as Kathy turned to her left and leapt up on to the front hood of the car, moving towards the Ancient One that was more fixated on the dagger sticking out of its appendage than the immediate danger to its right. With a leap off of the hood, Kathy put all her weigh down on the sword as she swung it into the top of the creature's head with a scream that shattered the damaged front windshield of the car.
The sword struck the Ancient One squarely in the head and was driven downward about eight inches before stopping. With her feet firmly on the ground, Kathy grabbed at the dagger, while still holding on to the sword with her left hand. With a shove of a boot against the small of the creature's back, Kathy pulled both the dagger and the sword away from the creature's body. The Ancient One, no longer breathing, fell forward.
Paul felt a wave of nausea sweep over him as he felt himself being dragged backwards away from Kathy. Eyeing the movements of the Ancient One holding on to Paul, Kathy stepped towards him, but was stopped in her tracks by the third creature who swung a quilled tentacle at her face. With instinct, Kathy pulled both the dagger and sword in front of her in a crisscross pattern, catching the quills at the end of the tentacle and stopping the tentacle mere centimeters from her eyes.
Taking a step back, Kathy spun on her left heel, making a completely 360-degree turn as she raised the dagger and sword above her head. In doing so, the quills were twisted in the blades, breaking off in the tension of the turn. With the sword going under the tentacle, the blade cut deeply into the creature's face, making the creature scream in pain and move backwards.
Paul watch in fascination at the remarkable moves made by Kathy, although he still struggle to break free from the Ancient One that held him. Paul at first thought the creature holding him was simply backing away in fear. It soon occurred to him, however, that the Ancient One did have a destination in mind as it backtracked around the car and towards the huge swirling blackness that was the entranceway into Limbo. Trying to look over his shoulders as he was dragged backwards toward the abyss, Paul thought he saw some figures moving through the mists of the entranceway and stationing themselves in front of the black oval. The wind blew steadily in Paul's face as air rushed into the void, as if it was being sucked into a black hole.
Reaching the entranceway, the creature stopped and released the tentacles from Paul's arms. Not knowing why it had occurred, Paul was about to run towards Kathy, when he saw the man who had attacked him earlier step in front of him and point a gun at his face.
Paul took a deep breath and remained absolutely still.
As the creature in front of Kathy stepped back, Kathy juggled the sword in dagger so that the sword once again was pressed into her right hand. She stepped towards the now-cowering creature and raised the sword high above her head when a voice rang out in the distance.
"Very impressive, Kathy, very impressive." Recognizing the voice, Kathy turned to see a man standing twenty feet away from her, with a woman in a dress-suit about her own age standing to his right and Paul being held at gunpoint by Deveraux to his left. Eight Ancient Ones stood next to the small group, four on each side of them.
The man at the center was thin and tall, and dressed in a black business suit. He smiled slightly through the closely cropped goatee on his face, and had a short, sweptback hairstyle that showed gray appearing at the temples in his deep, black hair. A thin, silver cane was in the man's left hand and he leaned on the cane slightly as he studied the look on Kathy's face.
"Blackwell!" Kathy said. "I knew you had to turn up sometime."
"But of course, my dear." Blackwell smiled. "Since it's become so easy to track you down, you knew it was only a matter of time before I came to put a stop to your disruptions to my plans." Kathy straightened herself to her full height and put the dagger back into its sleeve without a glance. "What have you done to Susie?" Kathy called out.
"Susie?" Blackwell acted surprise by the question. "Nothing yet at least, but she is on my list. Of course, I have to cross you and Mr. Stanley here off that list first."
Blackwell turned to the women with the brownish blond hair next to him and whispered something. With a nod of her head, the woman cautiously approached Kathy. As she did so, Blackwell turned to the man holding the gun.
"Mr. Deveraux, see if you can do something right for once and keep that gun steady on Mr. Stanley." Blackwell said with some distaste.
The fray, older man wetted his lips and nodded, moving over to Paul's right side and holding the gun near Paul's right temple.
"Don't harm him, Blackwell. If you do, you'll regret it." Kathy said, watching the approaching woman with anticipation of using her sword again.
"My! Bravado to the end, eh, Kathy?" Blackwell threw the cane up into his arms and clapped his hands in applause at Kathy's words. "However, I think you're missing out on something rather obvious here. You see, it's already over for you."
"Kathy," Paul shouted, "Get out of here while you still can! Warn the others!"
Paul felt the gun slap hard against his temple and he rocked with waves of pain and nausea as he tried to steady himself.
Blackwell frowned at Deveraux, but as Paul regained his footing he instead rolled his eyes and smiled a teethy grin at Paul. "Oh, please, Mr. Stanley. 'Save yourself.' 'Warn the others.' How melodramatic and cliched. And just as predictably wrong. You haven't changed a bit, have you, Paul? But don't worry, Kathy is not going anywhere without you, am I right, Kathy?"
The woman came within ten feet of Kathy, stopping abruptly as Kathy pointed her sword at the woman.
"Make one more move, Robinson, and you'll never make another." Kathy looked over to Blackwell. "You've caught us. What more could you want of us, Blackwell?"
"Well," Blackwell said in a flip tone, "obviously not much more from Mr. Stanley here. You, on the other hand, have something that could be of great use to me against the others."
Kathy held her breath waiting for Blackwell to state his desire.
"Your Talisman, Ms. Bush." Blackwell was all smiles.
Kathy cupped the Talisman on the necklace with her left hand and hesitated.
Blackwell frowned slightly. "Give it to Ms. Robinson, or you're have the death of Mr. Stanley here on your hands."
Robinson held out her right hand to Kathy. Kathy's mind raced as she held the Talisman tighter. She thought of using her emotion powers, then withdrew from the idea as she had learned from experience over the years that they worked only on humans. Plus, the last time she had used them against Deveraux, she had caught him by surprise. That element was now gone and if she attempted it now, he would have enough time to fire the gun at Paul. Compounding the problem would also be Paul would be effected as well, making him a burden while she tried to fight off the Ancient Ones to the left and right of Blackwell.
"Don't do it, Kathy," Paul shouted.
"Yes," Blackwell immediately followed Paul's plead. "Don't do it. Let Deveraux here shoot Mr. Stanley in the temple right now. End possibly the one chance you have to get to me. Go ahead Kathy. Go ahead and prove that the Talisman means more to you than another human life!"
Kathy lowered her sword as Robinson took a couple of steps towards Kathy and reached out to the necklace. Kathy slapped hard at Robinson's hand and looked coldly with indignation into the eyes of Robinson.
"Well, this is getting us nowhere." Blackwell sighed. "Kill him, Deveraux."
Paul felt the gun against his temple and heard a distinct clicking sound as the hammer was pulled back on the revolver. He could hear the Ancient Ones watching roar their approval.
"No," Kathy said loud enough for all to hear. "You win, Blackwell. I'll give you the Talisman."
Kathy ignored Robinson, instead walking towards Blackwell directly. As she did so, she placed the sword back at her side and reached up with both hands to the back of her neck, unhooking the chain that held the Talisman. She pulled the chain down and placed the chain and the Talisman in one hand.
As she moved towards Blackwell, her battle-gear transformed in a purple glow to that of the dress she had worn before. By the time she had reached Deveraux, Blackwell and Paul, the change was completed and she once again was in the white antique dress.
When she reached Paul, she could see the defeat in his face and she returned it with a sad smile as she moved towards Blackwell. She held out her hand to Deveraux to take the Talisman dangling from her fingers.
Blackwell reared back for a moment, then steady himself as he pointed beyond Kathy.
"Not to me," Blackwell spoke. "Give it to Robinson."
With those words, Robinson appeared at Kathy's side and held out her hand to receive the ornament, a look of satisfaction on her face. Kathy tried not to show any emotions at all as she passed the Talisman forward.
As Robinson grabbed hold of the Talisman, the purplish glow that had appeared around Kathy earlier engulfed Robinson's body. At first, it was so dim that Paul thought he was just imagining things. Then it began to grow brighter and embrace her body in full. In the light, Robinson's face radiated with the power that now surged through her very being.
A cry came from Kathy as she fell to the ground and Paul rushed to her, forgetting completely about Deveraux and the gun. Surprised by Paul's movement, Deveraux hesitated to shoot until he saw Paul stopped and kneel down to Kathy. He then pointed the revolver at Paul's back and was about to fire when he felt Blackwell's cane slam into his forearm, throwing off his aim.
Deveraux looked up at Blackwell to see a grim look on the taller man's face.
"Not yet, Deveraux. Not yet."
"What's happening to her?" Paul asked, although he hardly expected an answer.
"A transformation of power, Mr. Stanley." Blackwell said. "A person who possesses the Talisman, possesses its powers. As your friend gave it to Ms. Robinson, those powers must be transferred as well."
"She's dying!" Paul exclaimed as he saw that Kathy's breathing had slowed down.
"No," Blackwell smiled. "Just weakening."
Paul felt relief as Kathy's breathing did begin to level out in a regular pattern, but still felt anger at the thought of Blackwell getting what he wanted.
"How are you feeling?"
At first Paul wondered why Blackwell would be asking Kathy such a question, and then he realized that Blackwell was actually speaking to Robinson. Looking up, Paul saw that the purplish glow around Robinson had faded, leaving Robinson swaying slightly as she reached a hand up to her head and grimaced.
"I'm I'm okay . . .." Robinson said weakly. "I just need a moment to collect my thoughts."
"Quite understandable, Ms. Robinson." Blackwell said. "You've taken on powers that you've never had before, it's understa‹"
Robinson cut Blackwell off with the soft muttering of her voice. "Yes. The power. But I saw more. I saw so much." Robinson glanced at Blackwell in confusion for a moment, but then closed her eyes as she felt vertigo sweep over her. "You you never told me that I would see what she had seen. See her life. Her memories."
Blackwell seemed uncomfortable with Robinson's manner of speaking. "Yes. Well, that's part of the process, Robinson. No way to avoid it."
Robinson took no notice of Blackwell's words and instead, slumped to the ground in a sitting-position as she held her head and rocked slightly.
Paul heard Kathy moan and turned in time to see her opening her eyes and looking up at him. He tried to smile to little effect.
"Are you okay?" Paul asked.
"No," Kathy said as she tried to raise her head. "I feel so weak."
Paul helped Kathy to her feet. He grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her right arm over his shoulder as they moved towards Blackwell. Deveraux, unsure of what to do, meekly backed away as Paul and Kathy stopped in front of Blackwell. The black void only a foot behind Blackwell seemed to illogically illuminate Blackwell and it was only then that Paul realized that there was light within the void like that of a million stars swirling into a cascade of thin, white light greedily being devoured by the darkness. Paul felt the wind at his back as he looked slightly up at Blackwell's face. Blackwell seemed only to hold curiosity as to what Paul would say at this point. Paul turned to Kathy, but she seemed so drained of life that she just stared at the ground.
"Okay," Paul said, the anger brewing behind his words, "you've got us and you've got the Talisman. What more could you want from us?"
Blackwell seemed to like the question and humor played on his lips as he spoke. "Good question, Mr. Stanley. You're absolutely right. I've got you and I've got the Talisman. The only thing is, with the Talisman I no longer have any use for you two at all."
Paul had not expected the answer. He could feel Kathy's body begin to tremble in his arms. "What do you mean?" Paul asked.
"I mean, Mr. Stanley" Blackwell said with a sigh, "that extra baggage is never good to have around. Best to get rid of it entirely so as to not worry about it later."
Using his cane for support, Blackwell limped slightly over to Deveraux, who was now a few feet away. "Now is the time, Mr. Deveraux. Kill them."
Paul felt a hand clutched at his shirt and he looked down to see that it was Kathy who gripped his shirt frantically. Her face was flushed as she brought her head up.
"No!" It was the only word she said as she pulled with all her might against Paul and swung the two of them towards the blackness ahead.
"Deveraux! Shoot!" Blackwell shouted, watching Kathy and Paul in bewilderment.
Deveraux raised the gun, but in the rush of movement his fingers refused to circle the trigger properly and the perspiration on his hand made his grip on the gun useless.
Paul watched helplessly as he found himself twirling on the ground in an almost comical dance as Kathy threw them towards the void.
"Kathy," Paul said in surprise, "what are you doing? We're going to end up in Lim "
Paul never got to finish the sentence as he felt himself falling backwards, with Kathy embracing him, downward into the black swirling madness of Limbo.
Seeing Deveraux still working with the gun, Blackwell raced to the void in hopes of latching on to one of the two, but it was too late. Instead, he watched as they disappeared into the darkness.
Blackwell watched for a moment, then heard the murmuring of the Ancient Ones that surrounded him.
"I know, I know," Blackwell shouted as he flashed anger towards the monsters. With his words, the group became silent, awaiting what Blackwell would say next. Blackwell attempted to bring calmness to his voice as he spoke again. "There is no need to worry. We'll be able to track them down no matter where they go. But more pressing issues are at hand."
The Ancient Ones all spoke at once, this time in a language that only Blackwell seemed to understand. He nodded his head in affirmation, although there was disgust on his face as well.
"All right. All right. I'll make sure that they are taken care of immediately." Blackwell spoke. The Ancient Ones again raised their voices. Blackwell raised his hands to settle the group and the voices became still as he spoke again.
"Yes, yes. I understand your dedication to my goals and I realize that a reward must be paid now and then. So be it. Just give me a moment to handle your first request."
Blackwell moved over to Robinson, who was still sitting on the ground. She looked up at him and it was evident to Blackwell that her mind was clearing now from the effects of the transformation of power. He reached down to her and, while holding on to his cane, gently pulled her up by the shoulders.
"How are you feeling now, Ms. Robinson?"
"Better. I'm feeling better." Robinson softly said.
"Then there is something I need you to do." Blackwell took her by the arm and led her back to the void. "Kathy and Mr. Stanley have escaped."
"Where?" Robinson groggily said, although in a stronger voice than before. She noticed that the Ancient Ones followed her and Blackwell as they walked.
"That's the catch, Robinson. You'll have to track them down." Blackwell stopped when they reached the edge of the void and Robinson looked in.
"But they could be practically anywhere or any time." Robinson felt herself getting lightheaded as she looked at the swirling mass.
"Exactly," Blackwell lowered his voice so that only she could hear, "but our friends here are anxious to make sure we don't let any of them survive. After all, you saw what she did to their cohorts."
Robinson nodded.
"Besides, you should be able to still track her down easily." Blackwell let go of Robinson and placed both hands on the cane.
Robinson looked at Blackwell in bewilderment. She held up the Talisman to Blackwell's face. "How? Your tracking-device is attached to this particular Talisman. Without the Guardians having it we can't track any of them down now."
Blackwell ignored Robinson's berating attitude. "Ah, but you ignore one thing, Robinson. As you said yourself, you've not only transferred the powers of the Talisman to you, but also Kathy's memories and thoughts. You know her essence now. With the aid of the Talisman, you should be able to track her down."
"But that could take years," Robinson almost cried through the words. "It's next to impossible!"
Blackwell showed no sympathy. "Fine. I tell you what," Blackwell picked up the cane and pointed to the Ancient Ones that stood silently in the distance. "Since it is their wish to have Kathy and Mr. Stanley taken care of for good, and since you would rather not do it, why don't you tell them yourself. I'm sure they'll understand."
Robinson looked at the creatures and shuddered.
"I I could go away right now into Limbo and hide."
"But you forget," Blackwell said, tapping the cane against Robinson's hand, "there's a tracking-device on the Talisman. It would take no time at all to find you and deal with you."
Robinson thought darkly for a moment, then turned to Blackwell. "Now I know how Kathy felt just a few moments ago."
"So, you're ready?"
Robinson paused as she looked into the abyss. "Yes."
Without looking at Blackwell, she stepped into the void and vanished.
Deveraux ran up to Blackwell just as Robinson disappeared. "What's happening? What's our next move?"
"Our next move, Mr. Deveraux?" Blackwell starred into the void as he spoke. "My next move is to begin tracking down the others myself, since no one else seems to be able to accomplish such a simple feat."
"What do you want me to do?"
Blackwell turned to Deveraux. "Deveraux, because of your consistent nature in fouling things up, I'm giving you a special position."
Blackwell took the revolver from Deveraux's sweaty hands and put it in the right-hand pocket of his jacket. "You're about to become the focal-point for our friends here."
Deveraux watched as Blackwell waved his hand towards the approaching eight Ancient Ones. "What do you mean, Blackwell?"
"The day has not gone very well for them in battle, Mr. Deveraux." Blackwell pushed the fragile man so hard towards the Ancient Ones that Deveraux fell on his hands and knees in front of them. The group of monsters circled around and enclosed the man in their group, looking down at him. "They need to let off some steam, as it were. You're going to help them with that by amusing them.
Blackwell smiled. "For a short time, anyway."
Deveraux tried to speak, but could only whimper as he saw the tentacles approaching him.
"Our business is completed, Mr. Deveraux. Good-bye."v Blackwell stepped into the void, avoiding the high-pitched screams that soon came from the circle of monsters nearby.
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Copyrighted (c) 2000-2001 Dale Sherman / KISS ASYLUM
Artwork by Larry Blake
We kindly ask that you please not reproduce this feature without prior consent!
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