Capitulum XIV

D ue to tightened security, many people were slated to attend The Exorcist's Halloween showing. As a club member, I was expected to spend most of my afternoon setting up for it.

Unfortunately, I was stuck in the stadium with Arlie for hours while we pretended not to notice each other.

Scary indeed.

When night fell and everyone filed in, I was surprised to find many of the faculty as well. Clearly, they were deviating the patrols to watch the large percentage of the population gathering in one spot.

Once everything was set up, Connie and I perused the snack table, skipping over a questionable green punch in favor of spiced apple cider. I wasn't sure I had the energy to run off into the town and investigate. The idea of getting to sit and watch the film was almost tempting.

As the movie began, I stole a glance around the crowd, but Rigel was nowhere to be found. Instead, my eyes accidentally met Arlie's, and we both looked away quickly.

"Do you think we can possess people?" Connie whispered, wincing at the gruesome face of the girl on screen.

"I don't know."

We flinched as vomit sprayed across the screen, and the crowd groaned theatrically.

"It looks disgusting," she said, using the corner of the picnic blanket to cover her eyes.

When she peeked back out at me, her eyes caught on something over my shoulder.

A presence settled on the blanket, but I didn't turn.

Rigel leaned in, his chest brushing my shoulder. "We're going to get up in a moment. Act drunk."

I rolled my eyes.

Of course his plan would involve me embarrassing myself in public.

Once we reached roughly the halfway point of the movie, he squeezed my hand.

I finished my drink and leaned over to Connie, whispering, "If anyone asks, I'm very drunk. I'll catch you later."

She glanced between us a couple of times before her eyes widened in realization. But I just winked and turned away, trying not to openly cringe as I got to my feet.

I tried to giggle and stumble as we wove through the blankets toward the back exit of the stadium. My eyes scanned everything, checking to ensure no one was paying us any real mind. But my eyes found Arlie again, who was gaping at me.

I stumbled for real that time, irritated by how much her disappointment stung.

Gasping, I felt the ground disappear from under my feet as I was hoisted into the air. I tried to maintain the allusion of drunkenness in Rigel's arms until we were through the tunnel and out on the grass leading toward the middle of campus.

"Can you please put me down now?" I asked, glancing over his shoulder to ensure no one was nearby.

"We have to make it convincing."

"No one is out here."

"Not that you can see."

"Fair enough," I sighed. "I'm assuming this means you have a plan?"

"No, I'm doing all of this for the opportunity to carry you around campus."

He nodded toward the dark dining hall.

"You're hungry?"

He smiled. "Is there a reason you refuse to talk to your little blonde rodent friend?"

"Don't be rude."

"Why not? I'm very good at it."

I brought the handle of my cane up and swatted his cheek. "We're not really friends anymore."

"That's a pity. She seemed to amuse you."

"Now I don't have any friends."

"Don't be ridiculous." He grinned at me. "You have the creepy puritan."

When I laughed mockingly at him, he shifted the hand supporting my back and covered my mouth. In retaliation, I licked his palm, and he recoiled.

"Say what you will. She's actually pretty decent company," I said as he wiped my spit off on the sleeve of my sweater.

"That must be a pleasant change."

"Yes, somehow, I keep spending all my time with assholes."

"Well, I promise when we find Lindy, you'll be relieved of my company."

I snorted. "I suppose I'm a weak substitute."

"Yes, but worlds more tolerable than the average person if that's any comfort to you."

My eyebrows shot up.

"Do I dare say that sounded like a compliment?"

He shrugged, jostling my whole body. "If you need it to be."

"Well, according to Arlie, I think I'm better than everyone."

I did my best to keep the bitterness out of my voice as I said it, but I was sure I failed.

"Maybe you should."

Surprised, I finally looked back at his face to find it unmoved, as if we were exchanging pleasantries. His eyes only met mine briefly before returning to the footpath before us.

"I suppose it's hard to be friends with someone who lies as much as we do." I sighed.

"That's why friendship just gets in the way of what really matters."

"What? Hunting down other people's stolen girlfriends?"

"Exactly."

I punched him lightly in the chest, equally surprised and relieved by how much easier it was for Rigel to carry me than Professor Faun.

I wasn't worried Rigel would assume I was interested in him. However, if he did, I was sure I'd get dressed down for it in no time.

When we got to the dining hall, he set me down, putting his finger to his lips as he peeked inside. Deeming it safe, he gestured for me to follow, and we wove between the tables toward the stable entrance at the back.

Most of the animals had gone to roost, filling the building with a soft chorus of snores and murmurs. Massive birds folded themselves into nests the size of inflatable pools, while I passed lizards the size of my abdomen curled up by the remnants of a crackling fire.

The stable area opened up onto a grazing field, which was usually off-limits to students unless they were being supervised.

During the day, I kept a healthy distance from the larger animals roaming the dining hall, so I'd never ventured far enough to see the satellite stables next to the fence.

"I don't see how . . ."

Before I could finish, he disappeared around one of the stables, leaving me alone. Moments later, he returned with the fucking mammoth in tow and a coil of rope over his shoulder.

The massive creature stopped beside me, and I shook my head. " This is your plan? To climb up on the mammoth?"

"Did you come up with something better?" He raised his brows at me. "I didn't think so."

He went up first, stepping up on a tusk and gripping the animal's fur to hoist himself up onto its back. Then I passed him my cane before beginning the climb for myself.

As I ascended, Rigel stroked the creature, long fingers gliding over the thick brown coat. To its credit, the animal didn't seem to mind us, be it Rigel's soothing touch or our comparatively negligible weight.

Straddling the creature's back felt different than what I expected. I could feel the subtle shift of its shoulder blades under its skin and how its ribs expanded with every breath.

"Okay, what now?" I whispered, watching him tie the rope coil around the barbs jutting out of the top of the fence.

He yanked it tight and then tossed the rope over the other side. "We're going to jump."

I crossed my arms, hoping he could see my glare in the darkness.

"I must make having a missing limb look really fun for you to assume that's a good idea."

"That's why I brought the rope. We can use it to climb back up."

I pursed my lips, saying through my teeth, "You're going first."

"I expected nothing less."

He climbed onto the fence's top rail and inched onto the other side, grabbing the rope and slowly lowering himself onto a bar. He wrapped his legs around it and used the rope to lower himself.

It didn't look too bad, and I hated to admit that he might have had a decent idea.

Once on the ground, he gave me a thumbs-up, and I tossed my cane down before climbing onto the fence myself. But as I slowly wove my legs around to the other side, I paused. Looking up, I realized that the surrounding tree branches stopped directly above the fence line as if an invisible wall kept anything from growing beyond. It looked unnervingly purposeful.

My arms shook with the effort of lowering my legs so I could wrap them around the bar.

Taking the rope, I followed suit, feeling the sharp pain of the bar between my thighs as I clenched around it.

Once I was near the ground, Rigel's hands rested on my sides, and I let go, letting him lower me to my feet.

I needed a moment to catch my breath before we became invisible and walked around the campus toward the main road to town.

"Do you think it's safe to leave the rope there?"

"We won't be gone long. I don't think anyone will notice."

"What if something else sneaks in because of us?"

"Then, you can rest easy knowing that we're both getting expelled for a good reason."

"Shut up."

We tried to stay silent. Things crunched and crashed around in the trees, making me tense in fear, grateful Rigel couldn't see me being such a colossal wimp.

The town was lively, glowing like a vein of gold ore in the darkness.

"Is something going on?" I whispered as we grew close enough to raucous laughter echoing from somewhere between the huddled buildings.

"Halloween must be a national holiday."

Just as he said it, people nearly trampled us, each adorned with strange handmade masks that resembled a cross between a jack-o-lantern and a scarecrow.

One got too close to me and jumped with a startled giggle upon feeling my unseen presence.

I tried to hurry away as the group taunted us. It was all lighthearted, but it still set my nerves on edge.

We found the town square lined with tented stalls offering different holiday treats.

The first one we encountered was handing out paper cones of toasted pumpkin seeds.

"Faster, Mary," commanded the stall attendant, who was pushing the seeds around over the fire with a wooden spoon.

Mary was hunched over on the ground, elbow-deep inside a massive pumpkin. When she pulled her arm free to slap a wet glob of pumpkin guts in a large bowl, she revealed a massive feline paw, claws extended to scrape the pumpkin clean.

"It's getting in my pads," she complained, using the human finger on her other hand to dig slivers of orange goo from between her cat toes.

She leaned forward again, and a necklace fell free from the collar of her shirt, dangling what appeared to be a human tooth into the pumpkin.

"Careful," scolded the other woman, who was busy sprinkling the freshly toasted seeds with thick grains of salt.

Each person who took a paper cone deposited a tiny bone into the glass bowl in the middle of the table.

Rigel's presence disappeared from my side, and I did my best to follow him before getting caught up in front of a bearded old man ladling mulled wine into chipped mugs and crinkled water bottles.

Just then, someone came up behind me and, unaware of my presence, tried to force a crystal tumbler through the middle of my back.

We both startled, and I used the pocket of space to slip away. But based on the glare I received, I got the sense that walking around invisible at a party was considered impolite at best.

Looking for Rigel, I paused to watch a slice of apple disappear into a cauldron of bubbling caramel before being sprinkled with crushed peanuts.

"Agnes."

I jumped at my name, turning to see Rigel not only fully visible but donned in one of the unique masks.

"What is wrong with you?" I hissed, becoming just visible enough to show him where I stood.

He shoved another mask against my chest. "Just put this on."

"You really think this will keep people from recognizing us?"

"Who's looking for us, Agnes? Relax." He scooped up the caramel apple slice I'd been ogling and held it out. "Have a snack."

With one more look around, I pulled the mask over my face and became fully corporeal so I could accept the apple.

"Your resolve is flimsier than I thought."

He shrugged. "There's no better way to hide than in a crowd. Plus, these people are seasoned pros. They could probably tell we were hiding among them. Now, it won't seem like we're up to no good."

I didn't want to admit he was probably right, so I leaned my cane against my hip and lifted the bottom of the mask just enough to bite into the apple.

The caramel was still warm enough that my teeth cut through it like butter, allowing the apple to break into my mouth with a satisfying snap. The tarte juice from the fruit mingled with the thick sugar and crunchy nuts, and I had to resist the urge to moan.

"All right, now act like you're having a good time," he whispered, walking backward through the crowd.

Now that we were just another set of people donned in masks, no one jumped when we brushed against them so we could weave through the town square in peace.

"Did Stacy happen to specify where this place was?" he whispered as we passed the fountain, which was hopefully only dyed red and not overflowing with blood.

Multiple people had clamored in, kicking up their knees dramatically to walk around while others tried unsuccessfully to float on their backs in the shallow pool.

"She said it was outside of town," I said, ducking to avoid being splashed.

He stood to his full height and looked over the crowd before nodding to the right. We slid into sparse alleyways, weaving through the buildings to circle the town.

Nothing stood out as resembling any kind of medical establishment. In fact, every clump of buildings was a helter-skelter mess of time and space. Old buildings that looked new, modern buildings weathered by time, and every other combination thereof.

Only one building stood out, if only because it seemed exempt from the celebrations. No lively music was vibrating through the walls or people crowded on the porch.

In fact, people were eager to keep a healthy distance from it, like the house itself was toothed and testy. It was a flaky, chipped Victorian house like a vintage tea cup. Windows glowed, revealing the shadows of milling bodies.

"You figure this is it?" Rigel asked, pulling the mask off.

"It's as good a guess as any."

I also shed my mask, and we became invisible again as we ascended the crooked stone steps.

We tested the front door and found it unlocked, slipping inside before anyone could notice. The place looked to have been set up like a house, but most rooms had been converted into rows of beds. Many of the people who lay in them were disfigured.

Still invisible, we turned into what seemed to originally have been a dining room if the small chandelier was any indication. Most people were fitted with different harnesses to hold their limbs in place. People in old nurse uniforms danced around, tightening straps and helping people to their feet.

The connected kitchen was mainly used to house supplies, and the sitting room on the other side held people slightly worse for wear. Some were sitting in pieces on the bed, their bodies only recognizable as human by the formation they'd been arranged in.

Around the corner was a sitting room populated by many people swathed in bandages that held on inhuman-looking limbs. One man was otherwise normal, but below a bandage sprang a scaley ostrich leg alongside his original human limb. One woman was having her dressings changed on her chest, revealing most of it to have been reconstructed from a sort of primate.

Once we'd looped the first floor and came up empty, we went up the stairs, peeking into each room before finally finding them.

The room was nothing but disembodied heads, all sitting around on little stands.

Many had books propped in front of them or watched a TV playing sitcoms in the corner. Some, including Tom, who still had an arm or two attached, scribbled in notebooks or played chess.

A nurse was spooning liquid into each mouth one by one from a glass pitcher. When she turned, I saw the mouse bones floating at the bottom. That must have been how they kept everyone so compliant.

When the nurse left, the beast's eyes roamed the room as if she knew someone had come for her.

"Now there's a scent I could never forget." She smiled, flashing her sparse, yellow teeth. "Come out, little mouse."

Defeated, I materialized, and a few heads shot me a glance before returning to what they were doing. I was sure random visitors were not an exceptionally uncommon sight.

I approached her tentatively. "You seem . . . sane."

Her eyes were curiously clear and present compared to the last time I'd seen them.

"It's a perk of being in the clinic. They have to keep us sane so we don't tear the place down."

"I thought the school was the only place to get the bones."

"Oh, no, little mouse. There's a lot of politics regarding those silly little bones you must take for granted. It's an incentive to work, the only real economy we have for a place where no one really needs to eat or sleep. That's how we have all these delightful nurses to watch out for us."

"Strange."

"I'd say it's one of the more normal things about this place. The principle of supply and demand feels quite small in the face of everything else out there." She nodded toward the window. "Anyway, I'm sure this isn't a social call. What do you need?"

"Someone was... taken from the school. We need to know where they might have gone."

Her eyes narrowed. "That's not possible."

Rigel appeared next to me, making her jolt in surprise. "Well, it did happen, and you're the only one we know who's ever tried to take someone from campus," he insisted.

She eyed him up and down. "Did it never occur to you why I failed?"

"Bad timing and a big snake?" I offered.

She grimaced. "No, I mean, why I simply didn't scale the stupid fence and come in after you."

"No."

"That fence is not simply a fence. It's a barrier, a very strong one, in ways you can't even see. People who aren't a part of the school cannot get inside. At least, not in that way."

"Not even via the throughlines inside campus?"

"Nope, not even those. Whoever took your friend is still on campus or, at least, is someone who's allowed on campus."

I looked at Rigel, surprised to find his face ashen.

"Thanks for your help."

"No problem." She smiled. "Now that I'm not desperate to eat your life force, I must admit I do feel like I owe you for not leaving me to be completely consumed by that snake."

"Don't mention it."

"So, if you need anything else, you know where to find me, for a while, at least."

"What, do you guys get moved somewhere else eventually?"

"Once we're fixed." Her face melted into a dreamy smile. "You know how most of the people trapped here have a sort of, well, chimera quality to them? That doesn't just happen to people. It's simply the only way we can become physically functional again."

"What, do you kill animals?"

"Oh, no, if only it were that simple." She laughed. "If you're really curious, you can check upstairs. That'll surely give you something to tell your little friends about."

"Thanks for your help," Rigel said, pulling me by the arm toward the door.

"Mind yourself, little mouse," she warned. "I meant what I said in the woods. Bad things await you in that school—and in Last Hope."

I nodded, and we stepped out onto the empty landing.

"That was . . . interesting," Rigel whispered.

I opened my mouth but was cut off by a loud creaking groan over our heads.

"Do you want to see?" I asked.

But he beat me to it, already invisible, his footsteps clicking up the stairs.

The door hung open, revealing a large room with peaked ceilings and peeling floral wallpaper. Nurses were buzzing around, and when I went to step farther in from the doorway, I accidentally bumped into Rigel, who'd frozen on the spot.

I was about to whisper to him when I realized what had made him pause.

On the far end of the room was one of the largest men I'd ever seen, massive in a distinctly inhuman way, with shoulders the width of a sedan and wrists as thick as my waist.

He was lounging on a pile of mattresses on the floor, head brushing the peak of the ceiling. He was also naked and hairless, puffing away at a hookah. But the reason the nurses were swarming him was truly the most jarring part.

Limbs, human and otherwise, sprang forth from every part of his body. A pair of thick golden lion paws hung from his stomach, right above his navel. Falcon wings and human legs layered over themselves like fish scales. While some limbs appeared normal, others were small and almost fetal in nature. Sprouting from the side of his neck was a cluster of underdeveloped arms all curling against each other like sleeping puppies.

The nurses milled around the man, tugging on each limb to inspect it. Some of the limbs reacted to the contact, recoiling from the nurses.

In shock, we watched as a donkey's leg bucked out at one nurse, causing her to stumble backward into the others.

But despite the commotion, the man's eyes were staring right at us.

He could see us.