Part 8 (1/2)

I was too shocked to be scared--though a scream would be nice about right now.

And there was color in front of me. Brilliant color. It was Dags, standing in the center of a ring of light, his hands to the sides of his head, his eyes closed. He was in pain and there was a tinkling like a bell somewhere in the air. Everyone stopped moving.

Everyone. Including Rhonda. But not Dags and I. I looked down at myself and saw the same vibrant colors. What the h.e.l.l?

The familiar presence was close now and I looked at the front door. There was movement there, a subtle shape and shadow surrounding a tall, thin gentleman in an expensive suit. He walked with a strange menagerie of creatures trailing behind him--but not creatures that the normal human could see.

But I could see them.

And so could Dags. His eyes were open wide now and he was looking at them just as I was. But what was worse--they were noticing him. The creatures were--the odd shapes and tentacled things that trailed behind this human man. But the man--he had stopped in the doorway and was looking around for something.

”Sonofa--” came Rhonda's voice beside me and in a blink the world came back in full, blinding color. Rhonda was beside Dags, pulling him out of the atrium and into the side waiting room.

I looked back at the man--and he was looking directly at me. And he was smiling. It was like having Wayne Pygram leering at me.

Eing up the ragged mountain.

And then I popped back again, sitting on my b.u.t.t in front of Dags --who was looking at me as if I were some sort of bug. At least he was solid again.

”I don't know what you did,” Rhonda was saying as she reached around Dags' front and grabbed at his wrists. The marks on his hands were still there but not as bright. ”But it worked. Now get in your body and let's get out of here.”

I did as Rhonda said, sitting up in my body and dusting myself off as I stood. Looking around the wall again and seeing it clear, I motioned them to follow me. Rhonda helped Dags along with an arm beneath his shoulder --and in a hospital this looked fairly normal. So we moseyed on through to the front door and then across the walk to the parking garage. Once in the Volvo I took the wheel this time while Rhonda held onto Dags in the back seat.

I sure as h.e.l.l hoped she didn't put the moves on him while he was in this condition. That would be like seven shades of wrong.

But as we pulled into traffic she called out, ”He's fading again!”

s.h.i.+t.

I pulled over and Rhonda and I switched places. I half pulled out of my body and would endure the weird mountain scene every time I touched him. The worst part of it for me was that every time I technically ”pulled him back” those b.u.g.g.e.rs were closer up the mountain side.

But I didn't see TC's face again. Only that first time.

So, what happens if I they reach me before we get him to Mom's? I really didn't wanna know.

But with Rhonda's Speed Racer imitation we made it to Little Five Points and up the driveway. Mom and Jemmy came out the door, the former in her blue caftan and the latter in that house dress. I slipped back into my body and realized the whole upper half was on pins and needles --like it went to sleep.

Weird.

Once Dags was inside --I noticed a weird wave in the air in the doorway when he crossed through --he was okay. The tattoos on his hands vanished and he wasn't as nauseated as he was before. Mom offered him some tea and Rhonda shook her head just where Dags and I could see (mom's tea's been a little off lately). He took it out of kindness but then poured it into one of the plants in the Tea Shop.

Poor Ficus.

Rhonda gave mom one of her highly detailed recounts of what happened at the restaurant with the odd acting Shadow Folk and then at the hospital.

Nona frowned. ”Who's Charlie Holmes?”

Rhonda gave her a brief history between he and Daniel. ”Evidently Cooper called him in.”

”Well if Captain Cooper has confidence in him I do too.”

Jemmy interrupted. ”So, Zoe here was moved same as Dags there. Only his tattoos reacted and Zoe had to go all OOB and stop him from vanis.h.i.+ng?”

Everyone nodded. Even Dags.

Dags waved to get my attention. ”You saw them --moving up the mountain?”

I nodded. You did too?

”Yeah,” he swallowed. ”I --I didn't recognize where that place was. I mean--it didn't look like here. Like Earth.”

And no, it hadn't. It had looked more like some wacko fantasy landscape in a Tolkien nightmare.