Dead and Horny Ch. 04

"Shit," he muttered, then walked back to the car. Now that he had blown his cover, he could only hope that—

"Master Cyrus!" Tasia pointed the direction the jogger had gone. "That was her!"

"You sure?"

"Definitely!" Tasia turned to give chase, and he saw the others change directions to head after the jogger. Someone was giving orders now, and it wasn't him. Amida tucked his journal in a pocket and went after everyone.

Something was wrong, he could feel it, but he couldn't order the others back into position. As everyone moved away from the block, he made it to where the jogger had turned when he heard the roar of a motorcycle engine behind him.

"Hmm?" He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bike had turned itself on and was making a U-turn on the road. Students walking nearby had pulled out cellphones to catch it on video, and he pushed his way past a young man talking about how it was probably a 'social experiment' to see the bike turn the corner and vanish, the engine singing in delight.

Just one more mystery to add to the pile. If the others had stayed, they may have been able to grab the bike. They had been played, and played hard. However, unless their mystery woman was a world class marathon runner, Tasia would be able to take her down without any problem.

He got into the town car. "Who ordered the pursuit?"

"Amida," his driver replied.

"Interesting." He chuckled to himself. If the woman was caught, then no harm done. If she got away? Well, then he would have to have a chat with the ambitious mage about pulling rank.

He waited anxiously for nearly an hour when the driver turned in his seat. "They lost her. She got away."

Cyrus shook his head in disappointment. "And how exactly did that happen?"

The driver repeated the question and then listened. "Tasia couldn't catch her, and then the motorcycle came to pick her up. The succubus was on it."

"Oh, she was, was she?"

"Yes sir. They got a picture before she got away. It's being sent to you right now."

Cyrus pulled out his tablet, and sure enough, a photo had been taken. The succubus was sitting backward on the back of the motorcycle, both hands in the air in a one fingered salute. She wore a black tank top with clearly visible words that made him laugh.

The Order Eats Dicks

"Oh, it will be fun to break you," he said, then pulled the necklace he found from his inner pocket. It didn't bother them that their target had gotten away, because now he knew that the succubus was with her. "I'm going to need a map of the United States. Oh, and let's go pick up Amida. I'm going to make him cast the locator spell, because it always gives me a nasty headache."

The driver nodded and started the car.

When Dana had fallen on purpose, she had given the mimic instructions on where to go, and then continued on her way. The foot chase with the Order had been easy. Dana looked back once after rounding the corner and had broken into a sprint when she saw them give chase. The woman who had stabbed her came within twenty feet of her, but dead girls could sprint indefinitely.

Live girls, not so much. Her pursuer had fallen back, unable to maintain such a pace.

Tick Tock and Lily had picked her up as she left the Order behind, and once they were on the highway, they went north. Even though they were probably being tracked, the Order was going to have a tough time following them with cameras, because Wyoming was a big, empty place with a whole lot of nothing in between towns. They broke the speed limit, averaging nearly a hundred miles per hour for most of it. Eventually, they did have to stop for gas, but the station looked old, and Dana hopped off and let Lily fill up the tank disguised as a biker bitch with blue hair just in case there were video cameras watching.

They pulled into Butte, Montana at half past ten in the evening, and found a cheap hotel on the edge of town. Lily rented the room with cash as a Latina woman in her forties, and the two of them hunkered down for the night as a storm blew in.

Between watching movies on a small flat screen mounted to the wall, Lily explained the plan to Dana. They would be going somewhere called the Berkeley Pit. Despite its prestigious sounding name, it was actually a former copper mine that was currently a superfund site that was being used by the Order as a means to store dangerous objects.

In the early hours of the morning, the succubus stepped out to hunt, leaving Dana behind to watch the parking lot, fearful that a squadron of cars might show up at any moment. In those dark, lonely hours, she looked through Ratu's notes, binge watched a show on Netflix, and even sat outside with Tick Tock to keep him company.

When Lily returned, they traveled to the pit. After paying a few bucks apiece in the gift shop, Dana grabbed a pamphlet and they went outside to travel through a long, white tunnel with an opening decorated to look like the entrance to a mine. On the other side of the tunnel was an observation deck that looked over a chain link fence with barbed wire, and the Berkeley pit was below. It was full of dark red water, and occasionally they would hear a distant blast, a deterrent for birds to keep them from landing.

"It's pretty," Dana commented, gazing across the water.

"Mmhmm." Lily walked along the length of the observation deck, her hands wrapped around a pair of binoculars that she wore around her neck. Today she was dressed as a soccer mom with a floppy hat, and fit in perfectly with some of the other tourists who had stopped by to see the lethal lake.

They stayed for a while, and eventually hit a break in foot traffic. A family with two kids were the only other visitors, and they had taken up residence on the other side of the deck. Lily and Dana moved into a corner where they knew they wouldn't be overheard.

"So?" Dana asked. "Anything to share?"

"Yes." The succubus handed the binoculars over. "There are some magic wards along the outside of the pit. If we fly in from above, we can avoid detection. Even if someone gets to the water's edge, it would be nearly impossible for a human to survive going in the water to the entrance below, and there's no way you could sneak a submersible in without being spotted."

"So that's it? We just dive in the water?" Dana looked through the binoculars and realized she couldn't actually see the magic wards, so handed them back.

"Yep." Lily pointed along the shore. "There are several alarms and protective spells along the water's edge, too. Those blasts you keep hearing? Those are small animals being vaporized. Well, and they are actually trying to chase away birds. However, over there are a couple of blank spots with no wards because they aren't reachable, like the other side of that short cliff. Once there, we can get in and go for a swim."

"Hmm." Dana pulled the pamphlet out of her pocket. The acidity of the lake wouldn't hurt her, but what about the heavy metals? Is that something that would stay in her system, killing her later, or would it eventually leech out? It was one of those questions that she knew wouldn't be answered on WebMD. "I'm afraid you're going to have to take lead on this once we are down there. I don't want to open my eyes and go blind or anything."

"Please, it would probably just..." Lily tilted her head to one side. "No, you're right. If that sword could leave a scar, the last thing I want is for you to have shit vision. I should be fine."

"What's down there? I mean, once we get into the storage facility."

"Not much, I imagine. Cyrus has only been once, and apparently there were only a couple members of the Order present. Their job is to categorize and research, and that's it. If someone breaches the perimeter, there are plenty of locals who are actually retired Knights and such who can be here soon."

"They make their members retire here?"

Lily nodded. "In a way. You see, they obviously don't want people breaking in and taking something, but it's more than that. They don't want what's in the pit getting out."

"Like what? Are they storing something in there that's dangerous?"

"Oh, I'm sure, but it isn't that." Lily looked over Dana's shoulder and went quiet. One of the two children had come close and was taking a picture of the lake with a cellphone. A few minutes passed and they were alone again.

"What is it?" Dana asked.

"They delved too greedily, and too deep," Lily said, her voice ominous and her eyes on the dark water. "I learned about the storage facility through Cyrus, but what I'm about to tell you I knew from before. This place used to be a mine, that part is true. But the miners found something they shouldn't have, and when the Order found out, they took over and made a cover story about the place flooding. This was before the internet, so that stuff was easier to fix after the fact."

"What happened?"

Lily scowled. "That part is a little fuzzy, but there's a good reason. When they dug, they disturbed something that shouldn't exist in this world. Have you ever heard of the Old Ones?"

"You mean like Cthu—"

"Shhh, don't say its name! It might wake up!" Lily put a hand over Dana's mouth, a look of panic on her face.

Dana turned her head away from Lily to break the seal on her mouth. "Seriously? It can hear me?" She looked out at the lake in awe and a small bit of terror. Would saying its name really invoke the end of the world?

"Nah, I'm just fucking with you." Lily let out a hearty laugh that drew attention from the nearby family. "But you should have seen your face."

"Okay, so not Cthulhu. And yeah, you got me, ha ha." She shook her head, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Actually, you're on the right track. Kind of. The Old Ones are supposed to exist outside of time and space, so where are they?"

"I don't know, somewhere else?"

"Not just somewhere. Somewhen. Everywhere and nowhere, all at the same time, but also never. At least, that's how it was explained to me. At the bottom of that pit is part of an Old One. Maybe an elbow, knee, or even a lung, if they have them. Granted, this is all metaphorical, because they don't have forms, but what is down there is some piece of some powerful entity that may be there for five more minutes, or five hundred years, nobody knows. But that shit is volatile. If you poke it, the creature it belongs to might notice, and the last thing you want is for an entity like that to notice you. Because if it did, its attention could be drawn here, and may even manifest in this very lake."

"That's...surprisingly creepy." Dana was relieved to see that they now had the platform to themselves, the family gone. "So, what, this thing exists in some type of quantum state or something?"

"Fucking nerd," Lily muttered, then scowled. "Can I tell you something that you're going to absolutely hate? All those brilliant science guys, Einstein, Dirac and Bohr. They were onto something borderline mystical, but it wasn't just math that got them there. No, they were shown something they never should have seen, and it helped pave the way for science as you know it. I don't pretend to understand any of it, but Amir was also involved, so I got to hear him gloat. So yes, this thing is in a weird quantum state, smeared across all of time and space, but never allowed to participate. If all of the universe exists inside of a box, you can't simply toss something out, because nothing exists outside of the box. So the universe bends. For little things, it's no problem. Scatter a human being across the cosmos? You may run into an atom here or there. But entities of unknown size, intellect and power? Holes form in the fabric of reality, and things like this happen. Think of it like a blister in spacetime.

"After they discovered it, they flooded this place with water, knowing that it would likely become poisonous and deter anyone from disturbing what lies beneath. Some idiot wizard could go down there and carve a tiny piece off of this thing, and do devil knows what with it. So, the Order watches this place, protecting you from it, and it from you. Even Amir didn't fuck around with the Old Ones, and expressly forbade anyone in the Society from attempting to do anything with them."

"Wow," Dana said, and meant it. It was weird to think about just how much the world took for granted. Something as simple as a poisonous lake was actually an ominous harbinger of doom, and she didn't know how that made her feel. "When all those books and games joke about how the Old Ones are sleeping..."

"They are surprisingly on point. Don't think of them as sleeping, they aren't conscious. Think of it like the time between being awake and asleep. You simply don't exist, with no sense of time or consciousness. However, if someone pokes you," she jabbed Dana in the tit with one finger, "you may just slip back into the waking world."

"Okay, so don't poke the evil monster at the bottom of the poisonous pond. Got it." She crossed her arms and looked out across the valley below. A chill went down her spine, and she shivered. "When do we do this?"

"Tonight. It should be cloudy enough. We ride the mimic out as close as we can, and I can carry you the last stretch of it, as long as you don't eat a big lunch or something."

"I should probably eat something after, though." She thought back on the heavy metal poisoning. If her cells really were able to repair themselves, then she hoped they would also expel any toxins she absorbed. She didn't want to end up as an undead Mad Hatter, wandering the countryside with Tick Tock and having tea parties in between killing people.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea. However, I have bad news. I'm outta juice." Lily bit her lip. "I can get more, but it'll take some time."

"How long?"

"Well, the good news is that I can teleport directly to my master. That part of the trip will be fast. But then I have to come back."

"That's gonna take a few days."

"No, it isn't. Can I see your phone?"

Dana handed it over. "What are you looking up?"

"Flights." Lily was already looking at scheduled departures. "I can hop a ride on a plane headed out this way."

"What if there aren't any tickets left?"

The succubus grinned. "Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing. However, I should get going so that I can be back here by tonight."

Dana agreed, and the two of them left. Once they were sufficiently away from any sort of observation, Lily vanished from the back of the bike. It was a weird feeling traveling without the succubus, and with the rest of the day ahead of her, Dana figured she could find a couple of hikes to go on.

After all, she was in Big Sky country and had nothing better to do.

The transition from Montana to Mike's house was only a few seconds long. The world around her vanished, replaced by burning hot clouds that roared as if spewing from a volcano. Her little shortcut to get home took her through a tiny corner of Hell itself, and she was grateful for the peace and quiet that waited for her on the other side.

She stepped into the living room of the Radley house and looked around. The place was a mess, and everything looked like it was either broken or hastily repaired.

What happened here?

The house was unusually quiet, and she could sense Mike in his bedroom upstairs. She walked up the stairs and headed for his room and was surprised to find him still in bed. He looked rough, and she wondered what sort of adventure he was having now.

Contemplating the man on the bed, she didn't know how to feel. He was her current master, yet he exercised no authority over her, choosing instead to let her live as she saw fit.

Well, almost. She did have the 'no killing' restriction, but that only applied to people she probably shouldn't be murdering. In truth, she was having weird feelings about that as well. Before Mike, she had zero problem with the souls she feasted on. Man or woman, rich or poor, it didn't matter to her as long as it sated her demonic thirst for souls. Her biggest issue then had been her imprisonment inside of a magical ruby, unable to stretch her wings when she wanted.

Yet now, when she examined a potential meal, she sometimes found herself relieved that she couldn't do it. Having that choice removed should bother her, but it now brought her a strange sense of calm, like a task she didn't feel like doing had just been taken away from her.

"You are much too far inside my head, Romeo," she muttered, then joined him on the bed. She didn't have time for introspection right now, she just needed to suck him off and leave. Crawling on top of him, she wondered if she should wake him up first. Her movements were delicate, and she looked down into his sleeping face. Lines of exhaustion were written along his features, and she paused, her hand hovering over his forehead.

He winced, and his lips moved slightly, as if speaking, but nothing came out.

Curious, she touched his temples and closed her eyes, wondering what he could be dreaming about. The last time she had infiltrated his dreams, it had been to kill him. Once cornered, Mike had used his soul to create the bet that had broken her free of Amir's enslavement, and she had seen no need to go inside his head since then.

But now? Now she wanted to know what he dreamt of. In their dreams, a person was free to manifest the best and worst of themselves, to indulge deeply in the desires of the Id and Ego and release the monster they kept carefully caged in the waking world. She had manipulated Mike's dream last time, but now she wanted to see who he truly was.

Inside his mind, she was little more than a whisper of a thought, an invisible presence that filtered through his being and sought him out. His soul glowed brightly in the darkness of the Dreamscape, and when she found him, he sat on the shores of consciousness, the house behind him. Ever since he had swapped part of his soul with the nymph Naia, he was unable to leave the house behind, tethered to it spiritually and emotionally.

Time and space were hers to command here in the Dreamscape, and she slowed it to a crawl. Hovering over Mike, she watched him for a while as he gazed out into the distance.

Behind her, someone slammed a door in the house. Puzzled, she left him behind and flew to the front door of the home to investigate. It looked like a washed-out version of what existed in the real world, the colors not quite right. When she opened the door to walk inside, she found herself in another home entirely, and a young version of Mike ran past her.

"What the fuck?" she wondered aloud, then followed. This version of Mike was a child, but she couldn't tell how old. He ran from room to room, gasping for air and trying to find somewhere to hide. In the kitchen, he opened up one of the cupboards and tried to squeeze himself in, then closed the door behind him.

A presence moved into the room, dark and foreboding. It was a woman, or at least it used to be. Her hair flew about in mysterious tangles, and her features look like they had been scratched into paper with dark ink, constantly shifting about.

"Where are you, you little shit?" the woman hollered, and Lily smirked. This was nothing more than a manifestation of Mike's mother, one she had used against him last time she was here. Looking around, she saw that the room was becoming blurry in spots, the sheer terror of his mother's presence causing him to wake up just enough that the dream was crumbling. It also explained why he was in two places at once. The abstract nature of this dream had isolated his adult mind elsewhere, trapping him in the form of a child to suffer the wrath of his long-dead abusive mother.

Mike's mother shrieked, causing the cabinets to burst open and puke their contents onto the floor. Child Mike bolted out of the kitchen, ducking under his mother's long, clawed hands.