“They do. That is a benefit—”
“Cut the crap, Jack. I’d imagine that the Sentinel is quite disappointed in you. Tell me, was it Wilson that picked you out, or was it somebody else higher up the chain?”
I could feel my anger building, and it boggled my mind that Enoch knew more about me than I did. “That doesn’t really matter here, now does it? I’m here, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.” I caught a slight movement over Enoch’s shoulder as Hauser, popping in and out of reality, got closer and closer to Enoch.
I smiled, ignoring the verbal jabs. “All I know is, you should just move on and forget about interfering with my current collection.”
“Where’s the fun in that, Jack? I’ve been following along with you and Penny, and she seems just about prime for the picking.”
“I said back the hell off! Seriously, can’t you just go fetch your own souls? Why just prey on the ones I’m supposed to collect?”
“If you must know, I’ve been able to take a random person’s soul many times, but somehow I’ve lost the ability to do so. Something happened to me some time ago that only permits me to take the soul from someone that the Sentinel has already deemed close to the end of their fate. I can’t actually kill anyone anymore, and I have to say, it’s quite disheartening.”
Relieved at hearing this, I took a step closer.
“Back off, Jack. I said that I could no longer kill, but that only applies to those that are fated to continue living. You, on the other hand, are fair game. I could kill you right now and take your soul without breaking a sweat.”
I froze. Was he telling the truth? I contemplated asking Hauser through my thoughts, but did not want to give Enoch any more knowledge of our plan. I held my hands up in the air and took two steps back. “All right, all right. If you have the ability to kill me and take my soul, why haven’t you done it already?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Enoch asked. “It’s because you are my pipeline. Your weak mind is all I need to continue my personal agenda. And neither you,” Enoch paused, “or Hauser, who is making his way up behind me now, can do a thing to stop me.”
Before I could ask more about his personal agenda, Hauser materialized right behind Enoch. But as he raised his hand with the auto injector, Enoch vanished then reappeared on the balcony just across the way.
“You two think you’re so sly. Did you think I’d actually let you mark me somehow with whatever that device is? And truly, Hauser, I would’ve expected more from you.”
Hauser vanished and reappeared on the far balcony, right next to Enoch. A moment later I followed. Unfortunately, as I reappeared, Enoch vanished again, followed by Hauser. I stood and looked around the second floor of the bookstore before I noticed Enoch standing right behind Penny.
“Penny!” I shouted.
She looked up at me quizzically, but did not say anything. Hauser appeared next to Enoch and reached out with the injector pen, but he narrowly missed his mark as Enoch vanished once again, reappearing right next to me.
“Well, Jack, it appears that you’ve been holding out on me. It looks like you have a new ability, and I want it. Whatever it is that the Sentinel has given you, I suggest you hand it over,” Enoch said, pulling out a gun and pointing it at my chest.
“Sorry, Enoch, but whatever they’ve done to give me this temporary life interaction, it’s nothing that I have and can hold. It’s something that they control from above, and there’s no way for you to get it,” I said smugly.
“I think you’re lying.” Enoch pulled back the hammer on his gun. I glanced at Penny, who was staring right at me. I was in quite the predicament. If I stood there any longer, there was a good chance that Enoch would actually pull the trigger. If I vanished, Penny would see, and I wasn’t sure how she would react.
On the count of three, Jack, I need you to jump right here to Penny, Hauser thought to me. At that same moment, I will jump up and tag Enoch. Nod if you understand.
I nodded then looked into Enoch’s eyes. “Okay, you got me. I do have a device and it’s in my pocket. Let me grab it.”
“Not so fast. I’ll get it myself,” Enoch said, reaching into my inside pocket. As he began to feel around, I heard Hauser’s thoughts.
Jump now!
A split second later I shoved Enoch backward and vanished. I appeared next to Penny at the same time Hauser appeared on the balcony, his injector at the ready. Unfortunately, Enoch was prepared. He fired his pistol right at Hauser, and they both vanished.
Chapter 12.5
When I appeared next to Penny in the café, she was still staring up at where I’d stood just seconds before. Her eyes were wide with shock at seeing me disappear. When she finally sensed my presence and turned to look at me, the shock turned to fear.
“What the hell are you?” she asked, recoiling from my presence.
“It’s going to be okay, Penny. I’m not here to hurt you,” I said, hoping to calm her reaction.
Suddenly Penny’s expressions changed again, fear being replaced with recognition. “Wait a minute. I know where I’ve seen you before. You were at the hospital,” she said.
I exhaled slowly as I sat across from her. “Yes, that’s right. I was there the day that you gave birth to your son,” I said.
“So are you magic or are you a ghost? I don’t even know what to think.”
“I can imagine the confusion that you’re experiencing right now, but if you’d give me a chance to explain—”
“How can you even begin to comprehend what I’m experiencing?” she snapped.
“Because, Penny, I’ve been in your exact same situation, and it wasn’t all that long ago.”
“Who are you?” Penny began to cry.
“My name really is Jack, but I am not who you think I am. I have been sent here to… to collect your soul. Just as I was sent to collect Calvin’s soul a few months ago.”
“What? Like a grim reaper?”
“No, what I do is more civilized than that. Once a person dies, whether through their own volition or by some natural or accidental occurrence, their soul is released. I capture that soul and cleanse it before it goes to another person,” I said. “The grim reaper mythology is such that they take your soul by force occasionally, and with malice regularly.”
“So I am going to die, then,” Penny said, more of statement than a question.
Before I could reply, Hauser reappeared. I looked him over and saw no signs of blood. Great, you weren’t shot. With a huge sigh of relief, I looked at him expectantly. Well?
He shook his head. “No dice. He was able to get away from me. But I think our mission is almost complete, and I’d expect Enoch to return sooner than later. How’s it going here?” he asked.
Well, the cat’s out of the bag, so to speak, I thought to Hauser. Penny saw me disappear from the balcony.
“Well that complicates things. What have you told her? And can she see me?”
“Penny, do you see anyone else with us right now?” I asked.
She glanced around our immediate vicinity, looking through Hauser. “What is it you want with me? Are you fucking with me?”
“No, not at all. I was just curious if you were aware of anything else out of the ordinary.”
“Beside you disappearing from the balcony up there and reappearing a split second later? No, everything is just peachy,” she said, her voice beginning to crack.