I didn't see how these freaks could be Damon's enemies because nobody looked as if they had come from ancient Macedonia. Still, if these were the guys Damon wanted to take his revenge on, they had to be dangerous. Maybe more so than Damon. At least I knew what Damon was all about: ancient warrior, pissed off about being killed, wanted revenge. Got it. These guys were a whole different ball game.
The people formed a circle beyond the ring of motorcycles. We were the center of attention at a masked ball from hell.
Maggie whispered, "I think I'm going out of my mind."
The guy with the black cape said, "I will ask again, who are you?"
"I told you," I said. "Cooper Foley and—"
"Why are you here?"
Good question. I wished I had a good answer. It didn't seem wise to tell the truth so I did the next best thing.
"I don't know," I said, trying to sound like a confused kid. "Maggie and I were moving from her vision to mine and we somehow ended up here. Where are we? Whose vision is this?"
I looked from the guy in black to the others who surrounded us, hoping to see a sympathetic face. I don't know why I bothered. All their faces were covered in clown masks as they stared at us in silence.
The guy in black stepped away, headed for his motorcycle. With one quick move he pulled his sword from its sheath.
"Whoa!" I said nervously. "Let's not go there. We came by mistake. No harm, no foul. We'll just leave and pretend this never happened."
The guy stalked forward, holding the sword's point toward me.
"You say you are here by accident," he said. "Yet you know what this weapon is capable of, which makes me believe your being here was no mistake."
Oops.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, trying to sound all innocent and confused. "You're coming at us with a sword. Why wouldn't I be scared?"
"Because you are already a spirit," he answered.
Oh. Right. That.
"Look," I said, thinking fast. "I don't know who you are or where we are but what exactly do you think we can do to you? There's only two of us and you've got a whole bunch of, well, I don't know what the hell you guys are but there are a lot of you. You don't have anything to be afraid of."
"That is the first truth you have told," he said. "We do not fear you."
I was relieved by his comment, until he lifted his sword.
We were seconds away from being cinder.
"Cooper!" Maggie cried, and held her hands up to cover her head.
I didn't bother. I knew it wouldn't do any good. But I did close my eyes, waiting for the worst . . .
That didn't come.
I cautiously opened my eyes to see that someone had stopped the guy from killing us. The sword was still held high but another guy had arrived and was holding the big guy's arm from striking.
"Put it down!" the new guy said, barely above a whisper.
The big guy lowered the sword, though he wasn't happy about it.
At first I thought our savior was a woman because he was slighter and much shorter than the clown with the sword, and had long, curly brown hair. But the voice could have gone either way and he was dressed like a dude in jeans, a khaki shirt, and a dark jacket. He wore leather gloves too, and his face was hidden behind one of those creepy masks. So I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, and frankly, I didn't care. The guy moved with confidence and authority, which made me think that he was in charge.
"There's no need for that," he said in the same low whisper to the guy with the sword.
The big clown backed off but it was killing him. He really wanted to whack us.
"Thank you," the new guy whispered.
Why was he whispering? Maybe it was his way of showing authority. I knew some teachers like that. The louder things got in class, the softer they'd talk. It made us all strain to hear, and kept the power with him.
Or maybe this guy just had a sore throat.
He turned away from the clown and looked me over as if sizing me up.
I took a chance and said, "C'mon, chief. Do we really look like a threat?"
"Your very presence is a threat," he whispered.
I didn't know what that meant so it was hard to argue, but I had to try. If there was one thing I was good at it was talking my way out of Trouble Town.
"The second we landed here we tried to leave but we couldn't. Why is that? Why can't we move back to our own visions?"
The guy didn't answer. He stepped closer and grabbed my chin, moving my head back and forth slightly like he wanted to analyze my features. He wasn't rough about it, but that didn't make it any less strange. He didn't do it to Maggie, either. Just me.
"What's with the masks?" I asked.
"It would be better if you didn't speak," was his quick answer.
"Sure. Whatever you say. You want quiet? I'll be quiet."
"Stop," he commanded. "You will go outside and walk west until you are able to leave this vision. Do not return here. Either of you. Ever. Your coming here was a mistake and I know you aren't foolish enough to make the same mistake twice. That would be tragic. Do you understand?"
"Absolutely. We're gone," I said and held up a double okay sign. I did it out of habit. It's what I did when I wanted to let somebody know that everything was cool.
His reaction surprised me. He chuckled. Why was that funny?
He looked to Maggie and said, "Do you understand?"
Maggie nodded quickly. As much as this guy seemed to be the leader of this twisted gang, I wasn't afraid of him. And not just because he was letting us go. He had definitely threatened us, but I didn't believe for a second that he would order our destruction. Then again, if it had been up to the guy with the sword, Maggie and I would be no more.
The sword guy looked to the boss and said, "I fear we will regret this."
"Go," the boss-man commanded, ignoring the biker.
"You got it. Thanks."
"Thank you," Maggie said.
The crowd of costumed freaks parted to reveal a door on the far side of the garage. I took Maggie's hand and walked quickly for it.
"What just happened?" she whispered.
"Let's get out of here first."
We stepped out of the door to find ourselves on the same street where we had first arrived.
"Which way is west?" I asked her.
"I don't know. Let's just go that way," she said, pointing down the street.
It was as good a guess as any. Still holding hands we walked quickly away from the garage.
"They're following us," Maggie whispered.
I glanced back to see that the menagerie of people had followed us through the door and were gathered in the street, slowly trailing behind. Even the guys on their bicycles were there, riding with the walkers.
"I guess they want to make sure we leave," I said.
"But we can't move between visions," Maggie said.
"That guy seemed to think we'd be able to once we get far enough away."
We walked for a few blocks, passing street after empty street. There were no cars, no people, no sign of life anywhere. It was as if the entire city was deserted.
"Look!" Maggie exclaimed, pointing ahead.
Two blocks ahead of us a swirling wall appeared. Dark shadows—some small, some immense—drifted like whales in the vast sea of color. The impossible boundary stretched into the sky and continued off to either side of us for as far as I could see.
"What is it?" Maggie asked.
"Maybe it's the end of the vision."
Standing on a street corner, a few feet in front of the colorful wall, was a Watcher.
"I never thought I'd be happy to see one of those guys," I said.
"What do we do?" Maggie asked.
"Keep walking."
When we got to within twenty yards of the Watcher, the group of oddballs who had been following us stopped. They stood shoulder to shoulder, spread across the width of the street, frozen in place.
"They're not taking any chances," Maggie said.
I took Maggie's hand and walked the last few feet until we reached the swirling wall. The Watcher didn't move, but kept his eyes on us. I reached out to the wall to see if it was solid. My hand passed through.
"Ready?" I asked.
Maggie nodded. We stepped into the wall . . . and walked through into my front yard in the Black.
"Well," I said. "That was interesting."
"I don't ever want to go back there," Maggie said. "You don't have to. But I do."
Maggie's eyes widened and she was about to argue, but her words were cut off by the loud roar of motorcycle engines.
"No way," I said with a gasp.
A motorcycle appeared on the street and turned onto the walkway that led to my house. Maggie and I both tried to run but were turned back by the clown with the cape who was riding up from behind my house, digging up the grass. Along with the warrior. And the guy in the business suit.
All four motorcycle clowns had followed us into my vision.
16
The guy in black leaped off his bike, grabbed his sword, and strode for us, ready to fight.
Maggie screamed and cowered behind me. I held my hand up, not that it would have protected us from that sword. "Whoa, whoa, stop! We did what you wanted!"
"How did you find us?" the guy bellowed, holding the sword up high, ready to strike. "What brought you to that vision?"
"I told you, it was a mistake!"
"Liar!" he shouted. The guy was out of his mind. I guess he didn't like being told what to do by the whispering dude who held him back from vaporizing us.
He added, "I know you are in league with Damon!"
There it was. Damon. When we landed on that city street it was no mistake. We were in the exact right spot and now we were in a very bad spot. The guy held the sword up high.
His arm trembled. He was fired up, ready to swing and end it all right there. I'd been in situations where some macho guy had lost control and just started throwing punches. I had to get him thinking again. It didn't matter about what, so long as he got his brain back in gear.
"Who are you?" I asked. "Why are you wearing masks? Are you hiding? Why couldn't we leave that vision? Are you guys all part of the same vision? How does that work?"
He hesitated. It was working. He lowered his sword and yanked off his mask to reveal a fairly normal-looking guy, with a mop of curly black hair, thick features, and a sharp nose. His skin was ruddy red, like he'd been in the sun too long. Or maybe his blood pressure was making him red-faced. Do spirits have a blood pressure? He stared right through me with cold eyes. He wanted to end Maggie and me right then and there, but I had to hope the orders from the boss back in the garage kept him from doing it.
"Ree has given you a gift," he said through clenched teeth. "I would not have done the same. I believe you were sent by Damon. If not, then so be it. This will end here."
Ree? That was his boss's name?
He stepped closer to me and put the tip of the sword blade against my chin. I didn't even dare to swallow.
He added, "But if you are a scout for Damon, I have no doubt you will ignore this warning and we will meet again. When that time comes, Ree will not have the same compassion."
He turned his head and looked past me to his gang.
As soon as he turned, Maggie gasped. She saw the same thing I did.
The side of his head was covered by a tangle of black hair but there was no mistake. Pulling off his mask had revealed his left ear. Or where his left ear used to be. There was nothing there but a scarred circle of flesh. The guy who wanted to end my existence was Adeipho, Damon's nemesis. Knowing what he did to Damon, I was surprised that he held himself back from destroying us. This was a sadistic killer.
"Chicken Coop!" yelled Bernie as he peeked around a hedge into my yard. "What's going on? You throwing a Halloween party?"
Adeipho lowered his sword and backed away, but he kept his eyes on me.
"Tell Damon I would like nothing more than to meet and finish him. Again."
I said. "If you hate this guy so much, why don't you just find him and have it out?"
"If only I could," he replied. "Perhaps in another life."
"Another life? How many more lives are there?"
He ignored the question and got back on his bike. All four spirits fired up their engines, the roar destroying the peace of the neighborhood. Adeipho pulled his mask back down and hit the throttle. The spirit posse took off from my yard and roared down the street, the rumble of their engines fading quickly as they left my vision.
"Friends of yours, Coop?" Bernie asked, confused.
"Nah, they were selling Girl Scout cookies."
Bernie gave me a puzzled look, then smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Cooper. Things were getting a little dull."
He tipped his hat and continued on down the street, whistling his tune. As I watched him go, I noticed a Watcher across the street.
"Hey!" I shouted. "You! Why do you let them get away with that? What is it you do, anyway?"
His answer was to disappear.
"Those guys are starting to tick me off," I muttered. Maggie was sitting on the grass, hugging herself. Shaking with fear.
"It was him," she said. "Did you see? His ear was gone."
"Yeah, I would have given it back to him but that would have proven we were exactly who he thought we were. And grossed me out."
"I don't understand anything that just happened," she said, her voice breaking. "Whose vision were we in? Why weren't we able to leave?"
"Here's one for you, how was Adeipho able to enter my vision? I definitely didn't want him here, so why wasn't he blocked?"
"And that man in the garage," she added. "He wasn't an ancient warrior."
"I don't think any of them were. Then again, how could you tell when they were all wearing costumes?"
Maggie dropped her head and cried. I was never good with figuring out what to do when girls cried because it was usually for some random reason that I had no clue how to deal with. But in this case, she had some pretty good reasons. I knelt down next to her but didn't say anything.
Mostly because I didn't know what to say. After a long minute she looked up at me. Seeing her big sad eyes tore my heart out. This girl had been through a lot, and here I was putting her through even more.
"Thanks for helping me," I said softly. "But you should go home now. This isn't your problem."
"Maybe I want it to be my problem," she said.
"Uh . . . why?"
She sniffed and said, "Something is going to happen. I've felt it for a while. There have been more Watchers than usual but spirits haven't been moving on. It's like things have come to a standstill. Not being able to move out of visions is even more proof. I have to believe it has something to do with Damon. Or Adeipho. Or both of them. They seem to have power over the Watchers. That could be part of the problem we're feeling."
"Yeah, and who do you root for? One's a killer and the other one is, well, a killer. And I'm trying to help one of them. Does that make me a bad guy?"
"I don't know, but it puts you in the middle of it."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"Cooper, I want to be there with you."
"What? Why?"
Tears filled her eyes again. "Because I don't want to be alone anymore."
The girl was an emotional wreck. I wanted to hug her and tell her it was all going to be okay but I had no idea if that was true.
"I don't know if what I'm doing is right," I said. "I mean, Damon said he'd give me my life back. That's not exactly . . . usual. I don't want you to suffer for that."
"But I don't want my life back."
"You don't want to go to the Blood, either."
"I want to move on. It doesn't matter which way. My vision is a very lonely place."
I hadn't thought about it before, but unlike the other visions in the Black I'd seen, Maggie's was the only one that didn't have a lot of ot
her people in it. No wonder she kept bouncing around between different people's visions. I had no idea what had happened with her parents and I didn't care. All I saw was a girl who was trying to help me out in spite of how badly she was hurting. We'd only known each other for a short time but I liked Maggie and didn't want to see her so tortured.
"I have an idea," I said. I stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Let's go on an adventure."
"Another one?"
"I mean a good one. Our visions are supposed to be all about our lives the way we remember them, right? Maybe it's time to remember some good things."
"Shouldn't we be worrying about Damon and Adeipho?"
I took her hand and said, "If time means nothing, let's worry about it another time."
You'd think I'd want to kick back and rest after all that had happened. Just the opposite. I was as full of energy as if I had just woken up after a good night's sleep. It was one of the very cool perks of being a spirit and I wanted to take advantage of it.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To a better place," was my answer.
I closed my eyes and imagined a spot that had some great memories for me. The whirl of color appeared before us. We walked through it and came out the other side in the exact place I had imagined.
"Awesome," I said with a gasp, a little surprised that it had actually worked.
We found ourselves in my vision of the Playland amusement park near Stony Brook. Maggie's eyes lit up when she saw that we were on a busy midway surrounded by rides, games, and music.
"Where are we?" she asked, sounding a little overwhelmed.
"It's called Playland, so . . . let's play."
For the first time since I'd met her, Maggie gave me a beautiful, happy smile. In that one moment, her worries were forgotten . . . which is exactly why we were there.
"What should we do?" she asked, all giddy.
"Monster Mouse," I answered without a second thought. We took off running and went on all of my favorite rides. The Monster Mouse roller coaster, the Screaming Eagle coaster, Round-Up, Tilt-A-Whirl, Scrambler . . . basically, every ride in the park. There were no lines, which was good and creepy at the same time but it made sense because the only people enjoying the park were spirits who had been there before. Or were visiting the vision of spirits they knew. I tried not to think about how everybody there was dead. I wanted to focus on enjoying the beautiful day. The sky was blue and sunny. The air was warm. We didn't have to pay for any of the rides. Or the games. Or the cotton candy. It was perfect.