Chapter 21

Aloud, shrilling sound erupts in my ear, almost as if a banshee had received notice of the coming death.

I don’t know what could have ripped apart the car doors—what could have such strength to do it. But where my mind becomes muddled and confused in the face of failing logic, my instincts flare up.

I grab onto Minnie and hold her tight, whispering continuous nonsensical assurances.

Yet it’s only a matter of seconds before we’re ripped from the car, too.

I don’t see who or what does it. I only feel a whoosh of air that grips me tightly and pulls me out of the body of the car, slamming me against the pavement.

Keeping my arms around Minnie, I take the brunt of the fall. Pain radiates from my back, and as we roll onto the ground, my side gets bruised too. The air is knocked out of me, and I gasp for breath.

But I don’t let go.

I keep my grip steadfast, tight, and unyielding.

Even as the pain becomes blinding, I don’t let go.

“Minnie,” I say her name on a groan. “Are you all right? Talk to me.”

She stirs in my arms. Her eyes open and she regards me with shock.

“Are you okay?—”

I don’t get to finish the question as she flexes her arms and pushes me away with astounding strength. My eyes widen in shock, but it’s nothing compared to the disbelief that forms inside of me as I watch her get to her feet and face the monstrous shadows.

The fog from before slowly takes the shape of an army of anthropomorphic creatures. They’re lined up in a triangle formation, with one creature at the front that’s larger than the rest, but just as ugly and disgusting.

Their bodies are gray and gnarly, resembling mummified flesh. Ribs poke through the dried flesh, angling inward and pointing toward the hollow of their stomach.

There’s nothing there. Only a black hole as if their internal organs had shriveled up and shrunk inside of the chest cavity.

Their pelvis is a mass of mottled flesh. They have no genitalia, only raised scar tissue that descends down their legs, wrapping around their feet like vines wrap around trees—close together, but not close enough to hide the bony skeletal foundation. Their arms, too, are a mix between bulging bone and dried, mottled flesh where muscle should have been.

But it’s their faces that are the most terrifying—or, I should say, straight out of a nightmare.

Scar tissue abounds around the top and back of the skull, making for misshapen crania. The muscles of the face are prominent, but in the same desiccated way. They wrap around the cheekbones before thinning out in the lower part of the mandible. In fact, it’s such a thin layer of dry flesh, that when they release a battle cry, opening their mouths wide—inhumanly wide—the skin breaks apart.

The sound echoes through the stillness of the night. It’s the same sound we heard before. Right before we crashed.

Minnie’s chest is rising and falling with each labored breath as she glares at the army of skeleton-like beings bellowing their cries of war. Her lips twitch in annoyance. Her expression is a far cry from the innocent Minnie who makes gooey eyes at me.

Her gaze is focused on them—observing, calculating.

She’s not surprised. She doesn’t seem afraid, either.

Just mildly irritated.

“What the fuck?” I mutter, convinced I must be making this shit up. “What are these?”

I slowly get up and stand next to Minnie, placing a protective arm around her.

The skeleton-like beings continue to howl, their mouths hanging low, unmoving. I don’t know where the sound is coming from since their mouths are empty, black holes. Do they even have the anatomical apparatus to make sounds?

“Sentinels,” Minnie answers. I turn toward her. Her body is tightly wound, her entire demeanor changed.

“Sentinels? What the fuck does that mean?”

“Soulless beings whose only purpose is to track a target. They’re relentless, but they aren’t very strong. At least not individually. This many, though…”

“This many?” I raise a brow.

I’m convinced that this is all a dream. None of it is real. It cannot be real.

Maybe I’ve been watching too many Supernatural episodes and this is the result.

“It might prove a challenge,” Minnie says.

“A challenge for whom?”

She doesn’t answer. She’s watching the sentinels closely. Sliding one foot to the side, she assumes a fighting stance, balling her hands into fists.

Minnie. Fighting. I scoff aloud at the thought and shake my head. We’re talking about an actual bite-sized human who weighs a hundred pounds wet. Imagining her fighting anything puts an amused smile on my face.

But then I have to wonder why I’m dreaming about this savage side of Minnie. Perhaps my subconscious is trying to tell me something.

But what? That I quite like it when she becomes an aggressive lioness, baring her teeth at me and telling me that we’re meant to be? When she becomes a possessive little heathen that almost rivals my own possessiveness?

Hmm. Yes. That must be it. I like the assertive part of her as much as I like the coy persona she has going on most times. Perhaps I even want her to be more assertive—to tell me in no uncertain terms that she wants me as much as I want her.

But fighting? Minnie fighting? It’s my job to keep her safe, not the other way around.

“Right. Let’s say these are some soulless creatures or whatever. Why are they here?”

She doesn’t miss a beat this time as she answers.

“They’re here for me.”

“For you?” I chuckle. “These dried up mummies are here for you?”

Ludicrous.

Even more so than the image of her fighting.

I wonder if Supernatural had a creature that resembles these soulless beings. Perhaps I’m using that hidden knowledge to project them into my mind as the big bad that needs defeating. Although, to be perfectly honest, I don’t remember seeing anything like this in my life. Not on TV or anywhere else.

That doesn’t mean I’ll let some imaginary ugly-ass beings get to my Minnie.

Extending my arm, I push her back behind me.

“Let me handle this,” I tell her confidently.

It’s my dream. That means I can defeat these creatures and save the day. Perhaps I’ll even get a kiss for my valiant deeds—a kiss on the lips this time. I’m getting tired of those sample kisses on the cheek—even though I’ve only had two.

I’m getting greedy. I sigh.

It is what it is. I’ve come to accept my weaknesses where it concerns her.

So what if it’s just a dream? I’ll take what I can get. And if my mind cooperates, mayhap dream Minnie will be willing to shed some of her clothes, maybe even let me touch her…

Ah, the possibilities are endless.

And since I already have her naked form imprinted on my retina, it will not be hard to imagine her like that.

Once more, I berate my past self for being so uptight. I could have had her walking around naked all the time without too much effort if I hadn’t told her off that day.

Focus, Marlowe. This is your moment to shine.

And besides, perhaps it’s better that I told her to keep her clothes on at all times. It will make the victory that much sweeter when I finally get to remove them myself.

After I buy that damned ring, of course.

Fuck.

I glance at her and force my mind to manifest a ring on her finger in the dream.

I squint hard, but nothing happens. Her hand is as bare as before, no matter how much I try to picture a big diamond gleaming atop her ring finger—only the best for my girl.

Double fuck. Dream rules must be more stringent than I thought.

Alas, the big bad will not be defeated anytime soon if I dally too much.

Taking a deep breath, I run toward the formation.

“Marlowe!” Minnie screams after me, her voice tinged with surprise.

Watch this, dream Minnie! I’ll save you from these disgusting creatures and then I’ll claim my kiss.

Reaching the leader of the formation, I note that he’s close to my height, with the other minions in the back a full foot shorter.

Piece of cake.

Flexing my arm, I throw the first punch, aiming for the head. They might look strange, but every creature, soulless or not, has a vulnerable spot, no? The head would be my first guess, but I suppose I’ll find out if I’m right.

Just as my knuckles make contact with the dried-up flesh of the mummy, its skin becomes malleable, as do its bones. They curve and bend following the shape of my knuckles, thereby deflecting the blow.

My eyes widen.

But before I can think of an alternative, the creature opens its mouth to release another loud bellow. The air pressure from the scream hits me in the chest, throwing me back.

I hit the ground, but I’m not deterred.

So it’s not the head…

“You idiot! You’ll get yourself killed,” Minnie shouts from the back.

I ignore her. Breathing hard, I get back up and move for a different attack.

My fist makes contact with the creature’s sternum, and the same thing happens.

The surface of its body becomes gooey, almost absorbing my fist inside of it.

I quickly yank it back.

“Fuck!” I mutter.

The creature watches me, still unmoving. Its mouth opens for another bellow, but I’m ready, this time dodging the air blast.

Minnie reaches my side and places a hand on my shoulder.

“Stop,” she whispers. “If you don’t get involved, they won’t hurt you. They’re not allowed to harm humans.”

“What?” I blink in surprise. There’s so much to unpack from that statement, but we don’t have time for it.

Just as Minnie moves, the sentinels move, too, stomping their skeleton-like feet on the ground and moving the formation so that the tip of the triangle is directly in front of her.

Before I can ask Minnie what she means, or what the hell is going on, the creatures open their mouths in tandem, sucking in air before releasing another shrilling sound.

This time, the air blast isn’t released immediately. It builds up, gathering the strength of the entire formation.

Yet the aim is clear.

Minnie glances at me, her expression sad before she pushes me to the side just as the creatures release their blast.

It converges into a single line aimed at Minnie, and before I can do anything, it hits her.

Her mouth drops open in pain, her entire body seized by an invisible force.

She’s not thrown back as I was. Instead, she’s immobilized by that air pressure, held in place. She cannot move or do anything.

“Minnie?”

“Run,” she mouths, a barely audible sound.

She tries to speak again, but she seems frozen on the spot. The air gathered around her is turning opaque, almost as if it’s solidifying to keep her inside.

I don’t even think as I use my entire body weight to slam myself against the forming wall.

It doesn’t budge.

Her eyes are wide with shock as she does her best to signal for me to leave.

To hell with that! If she thinks I’m going to run away and leave her in danger then she doesn’t know me at all.

I slam myself against the forming cocoon again, but it’s in vain.

With every second, the shell around her becomes stronger, more impenetrable.

Panic swells inside of me as I wildly look around and force myself to think.

Despite it being a dream, it seems I’m not in control.

The creatures maintain their formation, not moving one inch. But there’s something odd about their position. Their mouths are wide open, and their entire focus is on Minnie.

I move around them, baiting them.

But they ignore me, as if I weren’t there.

My lips flatten in concentration as I go to the second line of the formation and try to kick one of the sentinels. Like before, it doesn’t do anything to the creature, its skin molding to my kick to absorb the shock. But what’s odd is the fact that it’s not even turning to acknowledge me. It stands there, absorbing blow after blow. Mouth open, eyes straight forward, it stands still as a statue.

I narrow my eyes as an idea comes to mind.

To test it, I go to another sentinel and do the same thing, but this time, I hit the front of its body.

My blow doesn’t do any damage, but it confirms my theory as I see its sunken eyes move slightly to look at me. Yet it doesn’t do anything.

It keeps its mouth open, eyes facing forward.

Could it be…

The only way for them to keep Minnie captive is to not disturb the formation? By keeping their mouths open, they continue to reinforce the prison so Minnie cannot escape?

The initial blow had been accompanied by sound.

I stop, forcing myself to be still. Slowing down my erratic breathing, I tune in with the sounds around me.

It’s dim, but there’s a light vibration emanating from the sentinels. It’s almost like a continuous hum that holds the exact same note ad infinitum.

Minnie said the duty of these things is to track something or someone, which means they’re not here to hurt her, or us. They’re only immobilizing her until someone else comes along to do that job.

Fuck.

That thought is sobering. The clock is ticking, and if these desiccated mummies are any indication of what’s after Minnie, I don’t want to wait around for the ultimate big bad to come along.

I glance back at her. She’s now completely enclosed in the cocoon, the shell almost entirely opaque.

That means I don’t have much time to act. And the only thing I can think of—the only thing that makes logical sense—is to disturb the formation. If that’s holding the prison in place, then any disturbance within the formation should weaken it.

Easier said than done when these fucking mummies seem impervious.

I go back to my initial reasoning, though.

Every being has a weakness. I just need to find theirs. And fast.

The seconds trickle by as I force myself to think. When nothing comes to me, I decide that I might as well throw everything I have to them—starting with the last row.

If the biggest one is at the front, perhaps he’s also the strongest. That means I may have a chance with the last row of creatures.

Dashing to the end of the formation, it is with horror that I realize just how big it is. It must have nine or ten rows, each one containing more and more creatures.

As I reach the end of the formation, I start with one of the creatures near the edge.

I throw in punch after punch to the front of his chest, but they do little damage. The skin bends once more, absorbing the energy of each blow.

The creature, too, remains focused on Minnie, its mouth wide open and emitting the same low frequency hum as the others.

Gritting my teeth, I put more strength into my punches, hoping at least one of them will hit.

Moments pass. My heart races like hell. Sweat pebbles on my forehead, droplets falling down my face. My hair is damp from the effort, as are my clothes.

I take my coat off and dump it to the ground.

The cold of the night assails me, made even more potent by the sweat clinging to my clothes.

I shiver, but I don’t give up. In fact, as I throw the next punch, I find I’m able to channel more strength without the weight of additional clothes. The cold too, although initially biting, only serves to spur me further.

I fucking hate the cold. But in this moment, it might be my biggest ally.

I take off my sweater, too, remaining only in a thin shirt.

My breathing grows labored, but I force myself to focus on the task. Just one. If I get one of them to stop interacting with the formation, perhaps Minnie’s prison might weaken enough so I can pull her out.

I throw my punches haphazardly. But one of them lands in the hollow part of the mummy’s stomach, right under the protruding ribs.

This time, the flesh doesn’t bend around the contour of my knuckles. Although the cavity is deep, when I’m elbow deep inside the creature, I touch something.

Something that makes it stir.

I raise a tired brow.

Not wanting to lose momentum, I pummel into his stomach, one blow after another.

Dry, cold, snake-like flesh meets me at the bottom of the cavity. But with every blow, I get more reactions from this fucking walking mummy.

It takes me a couple minutes of repeated blows for the creature to move. At first, it’s eye movements and a few facial cues. But eventually, it winces in paint with its whole body.

Seeing this as a breakthrough, I don’t stop until he releases a sharp sound that goes against the collective hum of the formation. One last punch that seems to penetrate the back of its stomach and he reels back in pain, breaking from his place in the formation.

His mouth slowly closes, his eyes losing all life. In a matter of seconds, he turns into dust, carried away by the wintry wind as if he’d never even been there.

Breathing hard, I turn to look at Minnie. The previously opaque cage has now become a little more transparent, giving me hope.

She still cannot move, but I note the hope in her eyes, too.

Not wanting to waste any moment, I hurry to the next sentinel, repeating the process and pummeling that hollow crevice until I make a hole through it. This sentinel, too, breaks from the formation and turns into dust.

I repeat the process until the entire last row is turned to ashes.

I’m close to fainting from exhaustion, but I don’t stop. I simply go to the next row and do it all over again. Only when I’m halfway through this row does Minnie regain some of her mobility.

Removing my hand from one mummy’s stomach, I watch as he steps back, screaming in despair before becoming dust.

“Marlowe…” A low sound reaches my ears.

I turn, wobbling on my feet. A smile pulls at my lips as I slowly walk to her.

But then something strange happens.

There’s still a cage around her, but it’s not as prominent as before. Inside of it, though, a blue light starts to shimmer.

At first, it’s a light blue, barely visible through the milky-white walls of the prison. But as the light deepens into a darker blue, cracks appear all over the walls. Until one moment later, the entire prison shatters.

I have to shield my eyes from the blinding light.

Squinting to get a good look, I freeze as I see Minnie—like I’ve never seen her before.

That blue light? It comes from her. It surrounds her, emanating from every pore in her body.

The sentinel formation startles, and the sound stops. But it seems they’re not giving up as they quickly prepare to send another air blast her way and trap her once more.

She only gives me a small smile before she moves. So fast, the sentinels cannot keep up with her. So fast, even my eyes cannot keep up with her.

I rub my eyes to make sure I’m seeing this right.

Why is my dream Minnie surrounded by a blue light? And why is she faster than the flash?

I only see glimpses of her as she goes from sentinel to sentinel, stabbing them with what appears to be a sword made out of the same blue light that emanates from her. She does it so fast, sentinel after sentinel shrieks before turning into dust.

What the fuck is going on?

When the wind swipes the last batch of dust, she finally stops.

She approaches me slowly, uncertainly.

“What the fuck, Minnie?” I rasp.

She bites her lip.

“I don’t think I can stay here anymore, Marlowe,” she whispers as she stops in front of me. She raises her big, beautiful eyes and I note the unshed tears lining her eyes. “Thank you for everything.”

“What are you talking about? You’re not going anywhere,” I say as I grab her arm, needing to ensure she won’t leave my side. But even that amount of force is too much for my worn-out body.

Fucking hell!

She flinches at my tone.

“They found me,” she murmurs in a soft voice. “And now you know…”

“Know what?” I frown.

“That I’m not human.”

I blink, fearing I haven’t heard her right. I mean, it’s not a stretch of imagination to equate what I’ve seen she can do and what I know of her with her being not human. At the same time, hearing it directly from her lips has me frowning.

I’m…confused.

“So?” I ask, raising a brow. “I’m a serial killer. You’re not human. It’s not the worst thing that could happen.” I shrug. For some reason, my words are a little slurred. “I kill humans, and you’re not human, so I don’t kill you. See? Even better…” I mumble.

Does it make sense? It sort of does to my ears. But seeing Minnie’s confused features, I don’t think it does to her.

Holding on to her shoulders, I pull her into my arms and continue mumbling.

“Not human… If you’re not human, what are you?”

She swallows.

“I’m a…”

She says something, but I’m not certain I can make out the words. My legs give out and my eyes roll out in my head. She holds on to me as we both fall to the ground.

“Marlowe… Marlowe…” she keeps saying my name.

I wish I could respond, but I find I cannot make my lips move to do so.

“Molokai, you need to help…” Is that her voice? “He can’t know… His memory…” She continues, but I don’t know what that has to do with everything.

“We need to leave, Minerva. Now. If they haven’t communicated your location yet, the next troop of sentinels will when they find you.”

A male voice. Molokai… Her brother, no?

“Molokai… Please…”

Why is she begging him?

That’s my last thought before I lose consciousness.