Part 5 (1/2)

”Good point,” he said. ”Why didn't it trip Rhonda?”

”Maybe because I saw it?”

I pursed my lips. Maybe--but I wasn't buying that. Instead I moved away from the two of them and started looking at the walls and the ceiling. There were a couple of shadowy places to the right, where the banister of the cut-through met the brick wall. And there was another one on the opposite side where a part of the brick stuck out further than the main wall.

Oh, and there was always behind the bar.

My heart pounding in my chest, I moved slowly to the bar, my hands out at my side and I braced myself against the bar before looking over the side.

Nothing. Though it was shadowy.

”Hey Zoe,” Rhonda called out. ”Why don't you go OOB and take a look? For all we know they're right here and we can't see them.”

Good point. Only--why did I suddenly have stage fright?

Maybe it was because even though I was now weird, I didn't like things weird. The Phantasm I'd met a few weeks back was the icing on the cake to a constant stream of poltergeists (back in October), succubus, and symbionts.

Oh yeah. My life. Want one?

I looked around the area and decided on a nice, open spot where I could snuggle my body up behind the piano, braced by the wall, but not as easy to get too. I nudged myself in there and lay down.

”What is she doing?” Dags asked.

”You'll see.”

And in seconds I was out of my body and standing up. I sieved through the piano--wood wasn't so bad--and moved closer to where they stood.

Dags' eyes widened until they looked as if they were going to explode. His mouth was perfect O. I smiled at him and nodded. So--is this what you saw that day at Fado's?

He nodded. ”Yeah--” he looked me up and down. ”I don't remember the bunny slippers though.”

I glanced down at my black bunny slippers and tapped my feet. Yeah, this is apparently the uniform my subconscious likes to put me in. I could look just like I look right now if you like?

Dags shook his head. ”No. The bunnies work for me.” He looked at Rhonda. ”OOB. Out of body.”

She beamed.

He beamed.

I stuck my tongue out and shoved my finger inside of my open mouth. Gross you two. Get a room so you can geek in private.

So--I looked around--concentrating on the shadows. Oh, I saw things. Gray images of faces, eyes, things that looked like that cla.s.sic painting of The Scream. But little Shadow People? Or wee men in brown suits? Nope.

Until-- ”Zoe?”

I knew the sound of that voice. I turned from where I was at the bar and saw Dags and Rhonda standing near the stairs, just in front of the cut-through. They were looking at the opposite wall.

No--not really. They were looking at two very distinct images in front of the Christmas tree.

Dags, you see them?

He nodded. ”I see something. It's not really people. More like..”

”It's a s.h.i.+mmering in front of the tree.” Rhonda said. ”Like heat coming off of hot pavement on a hot summer day--” she pointed. ”Wait, did you see that?”

What I saw was something totally different. They did look like people--though very small people. No more than three feet high. They were reed thin in odd places. Instead of having thin arms and legs, they were thin in the torso, and a little wider along their arms--and their legs--they had no feet.

And no faces. Just--well--they looked like they were made of shadows. And also like we'd discussed at mom's. Like I wasn't quite seeing them all the way.

Well, you two don't look like Brownies.

And for some wacko reason, one of them paid attention, because it turned and looked at me.

Yow!

And it had eyes. Two pinpoints of lights and they were focused on me. And they looked-- Menacing.

I could have sworn I heard it hissing.

Oh no you di'n.

”Are they looking at your body?” Dags said.

My body. Oh good grief no--not again. Another ent.i.ty wanting my body to ride around in like Rai had? I started forward and the one watching me vanished.

And it was in front of me. It didn't have a mouth per se--but it did have a weird oval shaped darker area where a mouth should be and the little f.u.c.ker was batting at me with his hands.

It never actually touched me--and I almost laughed at it.

Until I heard Rhonda yell out.

I looked away from the tiny Brute trying to take me down to see the other one running at Dags and Rhonda. And too late I realized what it meant to do.

They were standing right in front of the cut-through. One good shove and it could knock one of them if not both of them backwards and over the banister. It would take a good physical knock--but then they had tripped me in my physical body.

I moved through the little b.u.g.g.e.r in front of me as it continued to hiss and flail. I had to get to the other one and knock it over somehow. I was sure Dags and Rhonda couldn't see it clearly or they'd be getting out of the way.

Before I could get there a blinding light stopped me right in my tracks. And it was a painful light--close to a hundred suns against my skin. I put my hands up to ward it off and still felt it--almost as if it singed my astral skin.

I managed to look through the light as it faded--and my jaw dropped to the floor. The little shadow man that had tried to attack me was gone. So was the other one.

What I saw was Rhonda huddled down on the floor against the banister. And Dags-- Well Dags was standing with his feet spread wide, his right hand out, palm facing where the shadow person had charged him, almost as if he'd meant to push it away. A white light was dimming from the center of his palm.

WTF?.

And then the light was gone. Dags stayed still with his hand straight out like that for a few minutes. On his palm I swear I saw glowing, spinning circles before he looked at me and gave me a very wan smile. Finally he s.h.i.+fted his weight and stood up straight before cradling his right hand against his chest.