The Lariat (Finding Justus Series) (5 page)

With a will of their own, my fingers moved to touch his dark scar. Like an assailing camera flash, an image of Cyrus in full armor, wings spread, was fighting back a monstrous black figure. It knocked his heavy sword away with ease and then slashed the long bloody grooves into Cyrus’ arm. After that he was gone. The figure left Cyrus with his pain and impending death.

For that long moment I could feel the poison within him, his anger, his determination to live and kill the daemon another day.

And as abruptly as it began, it ended. Cyrus was looking at me, knowing exactly what happened.

His eyes were waiting for mine to return.

“He was stronger than me. He still is,” Cyrus clarified, but my mind was still fuzzy.

“How did you do that? How did you pull me in? I’m awake.” My stomach fell to my feet, taking my brain with it.

Throne. Stronger. Scar.
He was hinting at the absurd. The impossible. Wasn’t he?

“I’m sorry about that. Some memories have a power all their own. And I’m sorry to tell you,” He frowned his words leaving no doubt, “the daemon after you, or this other individual who has yet to be determined, is Samael.”

It was a mere whisper within but my daemon shrunk back, its hunger now extinguished.

I shuddered from feeling its own horror.

The devil himself.

7

“Thank God you’re back. We gotta go,” Ben poked her thumb toward the window, “Who was that dropping you off in the effing awesome car? I would chew him up and spit him out.
Ooh
, better yet, you could. I know it’s been a while, huh? And it’s not like you’re getting any younger.”

I smiled at her exuberance. What she lacked in subtlety she made up for with sincerity. Bennet Taylor was my best friend. I would do anything humanly or inhumanly possible for her.

“It’s no one,” I lied.

“That’s not
no one
. You’re already blushing.”

“Fine. It’s no one I want to talk about yet.” I clarified.

She made a noise and mumbled, “Well that’s not gonna last long around me.”

I changed the topic before she could weasel out any more information. “Are we ready to go?”

“Almost,” Ben was examining a camera lens before putting it into an oversized black bag.

I agreed to help Ben with her final portfolio. She was an art major with an emphasis in photography. In a few weeks the graduating art majors were preparing their best pieces for a show in a gallery downtown. It was also a major benefit for the college, and
Who’s Who
of the San Antonio art world would be there. I wasn’t sure where Bennet wanted to establish herself. The only thing that was awaiting her at home was an over-involved mother that needed to find a hobby now that her daughter was officially a grown-up.

I grabbed an apple and a bottle of water for the road. We were headed to one of the oldest high rises downtown- The Montrose. With its grand steeple, tall windows and gothic architecture, it was unique among the downtown Spanish inspired buildings. It was also condemned. Bennet has badgered the city for an entire year to no avail. They would not let some young college kid photograph a building with unstable rotting floors and walls that could go with a strong wind. The building had been on the list to be demolished numerous times, but the historical society always managed to get the final decision tabled every time it was brought up at city council meetings. I knew this only because Ben had been dying to get in there from the moment she stood in its massive shadow.

All that, and it was apparently haunted.

Daemons probably. Great.

My own daemon relished the thought of killing a few, but it was two-to-one in my head, angel and human against daemon, and that request fell on deaf ears every time.

“How did you get approval for this anyway?” I wondered aloud, not a mind reader like Cyrus.

“I told you, remember?” Ben was avoiding my stare.

She was walking quickly, her little legs still no match for my longer strides, “Remind me.”

She said nothing, only attempted to walk faster. She was staying silent for a reason. I quickly surmised she didn’t have permission, and now she knew I knew too.

“Ben.
Really?”
She was about to get into some trouble and I was glad I was there to stop her. I stood on the sidewalk, breaking the strides of many tourists around me, “Hell no to this stupid plan.”

Ben looked around and then walked over to me, “It’s not stupid, but you’re right. Quit being such a pansy-ass and come on. Someone might see us.”

“I want to hear you admit it. You don’t have permission then?”

“
Sshhhhhh!”
she spit at me, “Someone might hear you. I don’t need anyone to know.”

“But you’re taking pictures. They’re going to be on display for other to see. They’re going to know you went up there without permission.”

She cocked her head to the side, “Well it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.”

“Always a good rule to live by,” I added dryly.

She pulled my hand until I matched her hasty pace again.

“What if there’s…
stuff
in there?” I complained, avoiding any otherworldly words.

“Like what stuff?”

“I don’t know,” I sputtered, “Homeless people, rotten floor boards, raccoons.”

“I’ll protect you.” She batted her large eyes and kept going.

We reached the front of the building. It wasn’t on the river walk, so it was out of view of most of the tourist traffic. A few people walked in front of the alley but no one paid us any attention. We walked to the corner of the building, and I looked up scanning the buildings around us. Ben pretended to look through her bag. A camera was perched on top of the stop light near on the adjacent corner. If it was in fact on, we would be found out. I stared intently at it, letting the fire flow, burning its internal components. The smell and smoke was undetectable to the human around but I knew I had taken care of the initial threat.

The crosswalk sign was working fine- or maybe it wasn’t. The word
STOP
was flashing quickly. It could have short circuited too, or maybe it was another message meant for me.

I didn’t see any other cameras from where we stood, so when I noticed a lull from the pedestrians on the sidewalk I pulled Ben into the alley and darted to the back window. I didn’t stop or let go of her hand until we reached a dead end. No one could see us now.

Ben shook free of my grasp, “Not here, Layla, I’ve already staked out the building. This door is locked with chains on the inside.” She demonstrated by shaking the door. A distinct metallic rattle came from within the building. “I planned on going to another corner of the building and going through an old ventilation shaft.”

“That’s idiotic…”

“I got this, Layla. I just need you to be my lookout.” She turned and stomped back up the alley.

It was either go in with her or have her do this stupendously dangerous stunt on her own. So before she could get too far, I walked to the door and gave it one good yank. The heavy dead bolt broke and the chains snapped.

“Ben,” I yelled in mock amazement.

Her face lit up, “Shut up.” Her favorite phrase. She ran back, “How on God’s green earth did you do that?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe you just didn’t pull hard enough. It opened right up for me.”

“Figures,” she grumbled, “But I’ll take it. Thanks.”

I opened the door wide, “After you, mademoiselle.” But before she could enter I threw my arm to stop her. “Wait,” I whispered.

This felt all shades of wrong, and I wasn’t trusting that feeling. It was like I was indulging a child against my better judgement. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the air felt wrong. It was too still, too sealed. I felt like we were entering a tomb. The alley in front of us seemed to lengthen and darken, but I blinked away the tricky sensation.

It wasn’t a shadow, but more like a breeze that flowed down the alley. It swept through our hair, swirled around our bodies reminding me of the cold bony fingers that greeted me in Hell. I couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or a warning. I listened for my mother’s soft voice, but there was nothing benevolent or reassuring around this place. It was an empty tomb.

“You know this place is rumored to be haunted, right? Some guy fell down the elevator shaft and his body stayed there for years.” Ben asked, bringing me back to our current bad decision.

“Yeah, you’ve told me many, many times. But you never found any proof to that. The historical society even said that was all a lie.” I tried to listen as she rambled about the dead man, but my senses were on overload.

“Do you believe in all that stuff?” she asked, incredulously.

“In every rumor there is a piece of truth.” I walked in first and looked both ways, my shoulders tense and my hands ready. “Something happened here, I’ll give you that. Can you feel it or is it just me?”

She skirted around me, “I don’t feel anything except the potential for my awesome show once I get some shots. Don’t freak yourself out now. Like you said, there was nothing creepy from the historical society. Those old ladies just confirmed what I already knew- at the time it was built it had the most elaborate and beautiful architecture in the state. Most people said it looked like it belonged in New York City. That’s why I’m here. Look at the way the light enters the windows. This building is amazing.”

“And now it sits here, alone with only the memories of its glory days.”
Like me.

“Ugh, Layla, sometimes I wished you studied something a little happier than Literature. Why does everything you study have to be so tragic and bleak? And don’t think I don’t know you drink like those writers you study.”

She might as well have slapped me in the face. “Now is not the time…”

Ben rolled her eyes, “It never is. Stand aside, I have been waiting too long for this. And close the door behind you too. We don’t need anyone else following us in here.”

“Ben, please, just watch out. Don’t touch anything.” I ran my hand over the wall and flakes of beige paint fell to the floor loudly, “All the walls are covered in lead paint and there’s probably asbestos everywhere too.”

“Then wait here,” she was already snapping away. Nothing escaped her camera lens. I stood, not far from the door listening and watching for anything out of place. Vagabonds were notorious for hanging out in places like this. Empty, dark corners of civilization where they could hide from humans and angels alike, until they could make their way back to Hell. They needed the Porter for that.

Orrin. Why do I always lead myself back to him?

Every time I’ve tried to break free, I’ve ended up broken, just like this building. I was like a bird beating my wings against a cage. My love for Orrin was a cage that I would never break free from. I wasn’t sure anymore that I could torture myself like this forever. I would love him forever. He was my forever. But I wasn’t sure if he was still my future. Was there a difference?

But now he had Daisy. He loved me, but he was with her. He chose to give her his days, his nights, his smile, his touch. I could do the same.

Can’t I?

My daemon snarled at the idea. It would be forever faithful to Orrin. All parts of us were tied, not just our daemon souls. I gave him every piece of me- human, daemon, and angel. Was there anything left for someone to love?

I followed Bennet up a set of wide wooden stairs. Grand at one time, they were now dull and littered with animal droppings and chunks of fallen ceiling tiles. The staircase laced its way around the interior of the tall building. Every floor had an open balcony where people could wait for the elevator which now sat like a steel coffin on the ground floor. She took a picture of it on every level.

And I followed her closely, in case something did arise, holding her bag and waiting while she snapped pictures of the most mundane uninteresting junk. But that’s what made her such a great artist. She could see things I could not. The world was a bright full canvas, every piece of it offering a story to be told. She used her camera to tell those stories that most of missed too caught up in our own problems to see the beauty around. I envied her optimism and resolve.

We stopped when we reached the tenth floor. The stair case was blocked off with tape that said
Do Not Enter
.

“Don’t you think you have enough yet?” But I could see that determined gleam in her eye.

              She made some sarcastic snort that could only mean
,
“hell no.”

I still didn’t like the stagnant ominous feeling within the building. I had tasted this putrid air before when Orrin and I walked through Hell. We had followed Orias as he led us to Lillith’s lair. Now I didn’t have Orias or Orrin, and Ben had no idea where she was going. I could only think that whatever was up those stairs was something neither of us wanted to see. And after Cyrus warned me that Samael had now taken a personal interest in screwing with my life, my only concern was for Ben. I made a mental note to call my father as soon as we get back to our apartment.

Ben unceremoniously ripped the flimsy barrier and kept walking up the rotten stair case, snapping pictures of the cityscape, windowsills, and a dead pigeon. I looked up the hollow staircase. Something was up there.

Something that Ben didn’t need to see.

“Ben, I don’t want to go any further. This is the dumbest idea you have ever had. I’m sorry if you’ve been waiting for this for three and a half years, but you have to stop now. You’re putting your life and mine in jeopardy.” I threw that last part in just to make her feel badly.

It worked. I could see reason creeping in on her face. She chewed on her bottom lip. I knew she wouldn’t want to put me in harm’s way. She just wanted me to share in her adventure.

“We’re like ten steps from the top. It’s the thirteenth floor. The top level. Just let me take a few pictures of the city out the windows, okay?”

“It’s not the thirteenth. No buildings have a thirteenth floor. The bottom of the
Monstrose
is the ground floor, so technically there’s not thirteen. There’s only twelve.”

“That’s right,”
snap, snap, snap,
“It’s like that Stephen King movie where that guy was trapped in his hotel room and he set the place on fire after the place drove him insane.” She grimaced, “
Ugh
, okay, now I just freaked myself out. I’m sufficiently ready to skedaddle.”