unknownfate

Back in Garford, the earthquakes had torn the communities literally apart. Relief efforts were being slowed by the sheer numbers of people who had flocked there. None of them had a good reason for it. They had come from all corners of the globe, all nationalities, more diversity than had hit Garford since the coal heyday.

They were camping around the mountain with the old coal mine. No matter how unsafe it was, no matter what branch of authority tried to send them away, more arrived every day, filling up the woods and the valleys. The surprising thing was that the locals welcomed them as distant kin and took as many in as they could.

It made the news. Some compared it to Woodstock, but it wasn’t like that at all. The descendants knew each other on some deep frequency. Logically, they can’t all be descended from the Sleeper. The ones that have studied ancient works have make-shift seminars to fill in the others about the sons of God and their human wives and all the stories that wrapped around it. They might be related to Goliath, which was a daunting thought.

Some claimed that they were all superhumans, that all the stories of cars being lifted and miraculous strength were really from them. Most of them didn’t feel superhuman. They had been like Vince, and just felt the compulsion to come in this general direction. They were learning what the Whitakers had known for generations, that being close to the Sleeper soothed whatever psychic itch they had developed.

Mius finally made his stop at a weird little trailer park on the other side of the North Valley mountains. Not-Catelyn bristled at the delay but Helena watched out of the window to see what happened. Mius stopped a healthy distance from a trailer and threw rocks at the door. Nothing happened, so he grumbled and called Helena over. She hesitated and it was his turn to glower.

“Little lily flower,” he said. “I require some help from something that can cross a ward of iron and salt. Get over here.”

It was something to do, and if whatever Mius was couldn’t cross it, it might not be such a bad thing. Maybe she would be safe there too. All he wanted was for her to walk up and knock on the door. She did it and a woman answered the door almost as soon as her knuckles touched it.

She was beautiful, Helena thought, or maybe she was just so starved for anything good the past few days that this woman just seemed glorious. She was probably the darkest person Helena had ever seen. Dark eyes, dark hair, dark skin, and dressed all in black, the woman towered over Helena. The only spot of color on her was a stone on her necklace.

“Hi,” Helena said and then three things happened. She was grabbed by her shirt, she was yanked forward, and the door was slammed, behind her this time. Helena was now in the trailer. It smelled like someone had been baking bread, but the grip in her shirt was like iron. There was nothing homey or gentle about the woman as she glared down at Helena.

“Say your name,” the woman snapped.

“Helena Marcus!”

“Why have you brought a demon to my door, Helena Marcus?” This question came with a little shake. It didn’t hurt enough to matter.

“He brought me. He said to knock on it for him.”

“Bazmius,” the woman growled. She knew him, even knew his name. She didn’t seem fond of him either.

“Ammmmmber,” Mius’ voice sang from outside. Helena flinched and the woman’s face sank into a snarl. “Amber, Amber. I’m gonna need my girl back. I only borrowed her and I can’t go home without her.”

“Where did he get you?” the woman asked.

“He didn’t.” Helena didn’t know how to explain. She hadn’t cried in awhile, but felt tears well up. Whoever Amber was, she could clearly see Helena and knew that Mius wasn’t normal. That was better than anything else that had happened for awhile, too. “My sister died but then she woke up. The thing that’s in her took us to him.”

The woman stared holes through her for a sizzlingly tense moment. Her lips worked angrily, then pressed into a straight line.

“Go ask him what he wants,” she said finally. “Then come back and tell me.” Helena nodded and was set back down. She went back to the door, sniffling back tears. She opened the door again but didn’t step out.

“There’s my baby bunny,” Mius said cheerfully. “Tell the friendly witch that I need the box I left her with the last time I came here. She knows which one. Go tell her.”

Amber was listening from just inside the door and her expression would’ve brought winter early. Helena nodded at Mius and shut the door.

“He says, “ she began, but Amber hushed her.

“Do you know what he is?” Amber asked.

“A demon?” Helena guessed.

“Do you know what that means?”

“He’s bad?”

“He’s not just bad, Helena Marcus,” Amber said. “He’s an ancient evil.”

“Whatever’s in Catelyn is meaner than he is,” Helena said. “At least he talks to me.”

“He talked to me too, baby,” Amber said. “And I still blessed this place in all directions so he could never come back.”

“Are you going to give him the box?” Helena asked. She wasn’t sure what she would do if she had to go back out empty-handed. Amber looked like she was thinking it over.

“Do you know what he wants it for?” she asked.

“No. Just that he wanted it before we get to where we are going.”

“Where are you going?”

“Somewhere east.”

“Where the earthquakes are,” Amber said as she realized it. “Where all the people are being drawn to.”

“I think those are the children,” Helena said.

“I can keep you with me,” Amber said. “Give him the box and keep you as payment. Would you like that?”

“I don’t think he’ll care,” Helena said. “I don’t know about the thing in Catelyn. They say I’m theirs.”

“I asked if you would like it,” Amber said.

“I don’t know,” Helena said. “I don’t know anything. Catelyn was all I had and now she’s gone. Whatever’s left is all I have now.”

“I’m going to fix your hair,” Amber said. “And then I’ll give you the box, but you have to do something for me.”

“Ok.” Helena agreed. She was used to being confused by now. Amber pointed at a chair and Helena sat there. Amber undid her braid like it was nothing and brushed her hair out painfully quick.

“What happened here?” Amber asked, touching the scabs in her hair.

“Car crash,” Helena said.

Amber whipped her hair into another braid, this one more elaborate than her own. She tied it off and then swept away. Helena followed because she didn’t know what else to do. Amber’s trailer was closed off to the side facing the other trailers, but open to the back where the woods were. The windows on that side were all open, letting in sunlight. Helena could see Mius pacing around both sides, but it didn’t seem like he could see in.

“Are you really a witch?” she asked.

“Are you really a baby bunny?” Amber answered.

“No.”

“Well, I am really a witch.” Amber was rummaging in a pantry and pulled out something that looked like a shoebox wrapped in newspaper. “And the thing I want you to do, is to bring this back to me when he is done with it.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Helena said. Amber raised an eyebrow and held it just out of reach. “I don’t know if I can! I’m just a kid. I don’t even know what-“

“Promise me,” Amber said. “And I’ll give it to you. And I’ll let you leave my house with it.”

“I-“ Helena floundered and gave up. It was getting easier to do that, just agree and go along with it. “Ok. I promise I’ll bring it back if I can. When he’s done with it.”

Amber handed her the box and it was much heavier than Helena had expected. She needed both hands to carry it. Amber swept back to the door and held it open. Helena picked her way back out into the bright light with the box. Mius hopped with excitement, no poker face at all.

“That’s it, that’s it!” he crowed. “Bring it right here, my sweetness, my light.”

All his commotion made Not-Catelyn look up out of the car window and Amber hissed through her teeth at the sight of them. Helena hadn’t quite made it across the barrier around the trailer yet, so Amber lunged forward to grab Helena again.

“No, no, that’s not fair!” Mius started but all Amber did was whisper something in Helena’s ear. She then released her and went back inside. Helena made the rest of the way back to Mius and held out the box, so he wouldn’t have to touch her to take it. He stepped back from it like he had the barrier.

“You hold it for me, dander fluff,” he said. “Carry it for your old Uncle Mius will you?”

“Ok,” Helena said. She got back in the car with it and set it on the seat next to her. She hadn’t used the seatbelt since they first started riding with Mius. She didn’t know why. Maybe if they were in another care wreck, she could just be killed or thrown clear and be spared whatever this was. The word Amber had told her was spinning in her head. It felt like it was tangled in her new braid.

Not-Catelyn looked at her and the box. Helena shrugged. They both knew something was up. Neither of them knew what though. Mius was in high spirits and kept driving. He was heading east again. The speedometer on his car didn’t work but they passed other cars like they were standing still. The only time they let a patrol car pull them over, Mius followed the policeman back to his car after they were let off with a warning.

Helena didn’t know what he did there and didn’t want to know, but she heard some crunching. When Mius came back, he was whistling tunelessly and still chewing on something in his back teeth. Helena offered him a piece of gum, just to see what he would do. He took one and was obnoxious snapping bubbles for the next few hours. She didn’t offer any to Not-Catelyn. It was sugar-free after all.