CHAPTER 6 (The witching hour)
“I think you received a hex-box, Hunter, the cards and the photo, was not it’s true contents, I thought about it for days now, the fact that it arrived when it did, was no coincidence. What would you say, Lydiana? Have you two had a spat? That is the first sign. I think someone in this town is not to please with your arrangement, and this person has connections, and I can assure you, they are not good people.” I looked over at my wife. “Sorry, sweetheart.” She came over and sat on my lap, she folds herself into me. It is the most profound feeling ever. Samuel smiled.
“Yeah, we had a spat alright, we went to the store, and I got a few death-stares, and believe me, Samuel, they didn’t even try and hide their disgust at me, the looks, my soul, as if I took advantage of this poor innocent white lady, so yeah, that caused an itch.” Samuel nodded. “I can well imagine.” Samuel is the level-headed one. He sees a problem and finds a solution. “So a hex-box you say, what can we do about it?”
“The second you opened the box, you released what was inside, much like Pandora, she released too much negativity, that she accidently placed the lid on hope, well that is how the lore goes. Zeus had given her this giant vase as a wedding present, and he told her never to open it, but as you know curiosity gets the cat every time.” Not helping me at all, I knew Samuel was listening to my thoughts, damn am I thankful my wife can’t hear my thoughts, not that I have anything to hide, it’s just, I draw the line at bathroom tissue, thank you very much. Samuel just about choked on his drink. Lydiana was asleep on my lap. So Samuel and I could talk, our way. “Who do you think sent it?”
“I think a human, Hunter. However, this human has some bad friends. Those cards were the real clue.” I thought about that, and what Lydiana had told me. “You do know, Samuel, none of this makes any sense to me. We do good, we receive crap for it, we do bad, we receive even more crap for it. I don’t know how to live amongst these people. And I have wondered if I made a mistake, I have always had a giant target on me, but now Lydiana is caught smack in the middle, humans and demons will make her life intolerable.” Samuel thought about that. “It’s a gamble, believe me, I do know. I wanted to be with Abigail, and I did anything to have her, anything, Hunter. I am responsible for her death, I have never said this to anyone. If I had not forced myself on her, Abrux, would never have had a vessel to come through, and inevitably led to her gruesome death. I don’t even know, why heaven took me back, I am still waiting for the gauntlet to drop.”
“This is not helping, Samuel.” He smiled at me, and poured himself another drink. Lydiana stirred, then looked at us. “Wow, I never even heard you two talk, I was out. I’ll go make coffee.” We smiled. “So, do you know how to get rid of a hex?” Samuel shook his head, no. “But, your wife does.”
It is strange, when something is right under your nose, you can’t see it. I asked Lydiana when she returned to the den. “If you have destroyed the box, there isn’t much I can do, I had to feel what was inside, to be able to get rid of it, sorry hon.”
“No, problem, one way or another, we will find out what was in that box.” Samuel said good night and left. We went to bed. It was getting cooler. We spoke about life, we even spoke about having a baby, hell that never crossed my mind. I think I walked into this fool heartedly. I wonder what I was looking for. This honestly is not healthy, I need to get my head out of my ass before I ruin a blessing. I switched off the night light.
Noodle jumped on to the bed, and curled up on my chest, while, Lydiana lay on my arm. Why do I question? This is what I wanted. I fell asleep. A sound woke me. Lydiana was asleep on my arm, and Noodle still on my chest. I listened, it was here in our bedroom. I looked around, but I saw nothing. I checked my watch, it was three a.m. Must be my imagination, or the sounds of an unfamiliar home. It woke me again, I checked the time, four a.m. there was no one in the room, besides us. I listened, but I didn’t hear it again, I am not quite sure what I heard. Lydiana had clients to see, so I went to visit Thomas, it was good to be with the men, even though they teased me mercilessly, it was a good feeling. Thomas was up and about. He could fold his wings, but not retract them fully yet. I told them about the sounds I heard, this time they didn’t tease me. Ryan was very interested. “Can you describe what you heard?” He asked me. I shook my head. “No, just that it sounded out of place.”
“If you do hear it again, call me.” Okay now I was officially freaked out. I didn’t want to ask him why, he is the Reaper for crying in a pond, a bucket won’t be big enough. If he was concerned, I am concerned. I had a small whiskey, and flew home, hey no one said, don’t drink and fly. Lydiana was in the kitchen. I kissed her. “Did you have a good day, sweetheart?” I helped her chop the vegetables. “Yes, hon, and you? Is Thomas much better?”
“Yeah, up and full of shit, so yeah, he is mending, he just can’t pull his wings in yet.”
“Oh, shame, that must be terrible, I truly cannot begin to imagine how it feels to have those broken.” I shook my head, and made us tea, she spoke about her clients. “Wow, humans really are miserable.”
“Yes, they are, their marriages, hardly last, they cheat, they lie. I wonder how God can look down and be proud of His creation?” I had to nod. “That my wife is the million dollar question.” I fed Noodle. We had our dinner, and I watched a show. It was actually really good, something called, Dancing with the Stars. It was extremely entertaining. We were almost overcome on the couch, but one look at Noodle, and it was lights out for me.
Lydiana giggled all the way to the bedroom. Hell I felt like an ass when I closed the door on the cat. So I stopped, opened the door, told Noodle I will never do that again, and carried my wife to the bathroom, at least I do know, cat’s don’t like water. We fell asleep, damn that is a good sleep, the sound woke me. I looked at my watch. Three a.m. yeah you all think I have a ghost, I could only have wished for something so mundane.
Okey dokey, let me not get ahead of myself. So yeah, that sound woke me again at four a.m. I didn’t call Ryan, I really should have. The morning started normal. We had breakfast. Lydiana had clients, so I got out of her hair. I went to visit the guys. Quite normal. I arrived home, as the last client left, I waited for the car to turn the corner, before I entered the house.
Lydiana was in the kitchen making tea. “You look exhausted, should I get us take-out?” I offered. “Yes please, hon.” I asked my wife what she wanted and I used the car. It all went as well as it could and I was home within an hour. I placed the food in the kitchen and I looked for my wife, I headed up the stairs, and it was unusually quiet, by now Noodle would have alerted the dead that I was home. Lydiana and Noodle were both on the bed. I touched her. “Love, I bought the dinner. Lydiana?” She wasn’t moving, neither was Noodle. I left to Tuscany, the only person I could trust right now is Andrea. He willingly came with me, and vowed that he will fly for the rest of his life. I left him, and I fetched Ryan, and the guys.
“Hunter, they both seem to be in a comma. We will have to get them both to the hospital.” Ryan glared at me. “Yes, I know!” I didn’t need anyone to tell me I fucked up. I took Lydiana and Samuel took Andrea. Michealus took Noodle. Ryan stayed, he had to cool down or we will come to blows. I made it perfectly clear, before I left. “Ryan, do you honestly think I did this on purpose?” His answer pushed me over the edge. “Yes, Hunter, actually I do, I told you to call me, and I know you have had doubts about married life…” I punched him so hard he cracked the wall. Then I left.
Lydiana was being attended to, and Noodle, was taken to the vet, by one of the nurses. Andrea came to talk to me, after an hour. “I can’t find anything unusual, neither can the Specialists, I think this is more spiritually related.” I thought about the box. “Doctor, someone sent us a hex-box on our wedding day, however, I was the one that opened it, and I was the one that heard the strange noises at night, what we would call the witching-hour, between three and four a.m. it this ghost-sickness?”
“My Mother taught me many things as a young boy, we had Gypsies in our family, so yes I might be a doctor, but I was raised to accept everything. I have seen this once before, did you destroy the box?” I nodded. “That’s a shame, we could have found out, what was inside.”
“That’s what Lydiana said.” Andrea nodded. “The other patient I treated, had all the same symptoms, we sent a priest to bless his home, nothing happened. In hindsight, it won’t affect you, Hunter, you are not exactly human. These hexes, feed off human fear, it’s as good as a steroid boost to them.”
“How did you cure the patient?” Andrea, thought for a while. “We found what was haunting him, it was the death of his wife, her family blamed him, because they were in a car accident, he lived and she didn’t. He received the hex-box on the day of her funeral. Inside were three cards, and a photo of her. But it’s the other ingredient that did the job. A lock of hair. We burnt it, and he woke up, he committed suicide, two days later, he stuck a butcher’s knife into his neck. I have to say. I didn’t want to rule it out as a suicide, I think we overlooked something. A hex-box, is black-magic, it won’t just up and disappear.” I thanked Andrea, and I went home. Samuel and Michealus followed me.
“I can’t find anything, Hunter.” We searched the house, I don’t know it too well yet, but I will know what is out of
place. I looked under the bed. That was frightfully disturbing, I asked Samuel to help me move it. Long scratches covered the floor, these are wooden floors. That’s the sound I heard. We looked under the base of the bed, nothing, only the floors. I searched the bathroom. “Hey guys, my wife’s toothbrush is missing.” Samuel was next to me in a flash. “So, it is black-magic?” I shrugged, I have never gone near it. “Samuel, I am a trapper, I believe in what I see.” Samuel shrugged good naturedly. “If we find the toothbrush, we find the culprit”, said Michaelus. “So, think, who had it in for you?” Oh I could name a few names and I did. “Then we search each of these houses.” We followed Michaelus lead. We found the toothbrush, yes, I know it’s my wife’s toothbrush, it has Winnie on it. The house we found it in made no sense to me. It belonged to uncle James, our gardener, and a brother.
Samuel woke him not too gently. He was really shocked to see us. And Samuel tied him to a chair.
“So, uncle James, it is, hey. Why did you do it, and how the hell do you know about Tyler. You will answer me old man, because right now, I am not in a very agreeable mood, do you understand me?” James nodded. Samuel waited, he looked at me. “Why the hell does it take humans so long to answer a question, it’s as if they need a running start to purge.” James looked at Michaelus. “OH.”
“I worked for miss Abigail, I worked for you, and you.” James pointed at Samuel. “OH.” This is not going to end well. “I took care of miss Lydiana, she was friends with miss Abigail, and you freaks killed her, I heard on the phone, when Tyler was born, another freak, so I went to miss Lou, but she is dead now. I sent the hex-box for you.” This time he pointed at me. “Why? I have not done you any harm, uncle James, hell I don’t even know you.”
“I didn’t like it, you marrying miss Lydiana, a freak negro, I don’t know what you are, all I know is you are not human, so I wanted you dead, my Daddy, taught me a thing or two, I was sure the box would work, I even have your toothbrush.” I shook my head. “No, old man, Winnie belongs to my wife.” Shock exploded all over his face. “Why did you scratch up the floors?” He looked at me confused. “What floors, I have not set a foot in that house.”
Shit, this is getting us nowhere fast. I fetched the toothbrush and I burnt it. “Why the cat, what kind of monster hurts a cat?”
“I never touched the cat.” I actually believed him. I phoned Andrea, Lydiana was awake. But Noodle was still out. “Samuel, do with him as you wish, I need to check the house again.” Michaelus arrived, as I opened the front door. “You have a really interesting live, Hunter.”
“Oh, screw you, Michaelus, like your life was a walk in the park, come to the back, I think we have a Curen in the pond.” By Joe, we had a Curen in the pond. Michaelus and I stared at it. “You know it’s too dumb to get up those stairs, and how did it get here, all the way from Tuscany?” We shared the same thought. So that means we have an enemy number two, someone, that brought it into the house, and brought it back down again, and that someone wasn’t uncle James, he looks to old and frail, Lydiana lets him rake the leaves, and that’s about it, she has a garden-service that comes in once a week. So no, not James, he hasn’t been in this week. Michaelus and I looked at each other. “He comes in on a Friday, every Friday, and he has never set foot inside the house, so who gave him the wrong toothbrush?” Michaelus looked at me as confused as I felt. We exorcised the Curen back to hell, and went to pay Uncle James a visit. I told Samuel, what had happened. So he asked James who his accomplice was. James said he worked alone. “No, mate, no. you said, and I quote, you never set foot in the house, so how did you get the toothbrush?” The perspiration was running down his shirt, the Curen might have scared the cat, no, seems too far fetched.
“So, James didn’t go all the way to Tuscany to fetch the Curen, he didn’t enter the house to grab the wrong toothbrush, and I don’t think he planted the hex-box. I think sweet uncle James, is lying to us, and lier-lier, I will set your pants on fire.” James looked at Samuel while he played with the lighter.
“James, I will ask you one last time, who are you covering for?” Samuel opened his wings. James wet his pants, then he sobbed. “You are Angels?” he asked through his tears. “Yes, dip shit, what did you think we were, devils?”
“I am so sorry, sir.” James looked at me, and I opened my wings, the shock was too much for the old man, he puked all over Samuels’s shoes, damn he was sixty shades of murderous. “Now, who the fuck are you covering for?” James answered in a whisper. “Abigail.”
“What?” I could see the strain on Samuel’s face, he was going to snap, in a cataclysmic shit-storm. “Samuel, go clean your shoes.” He got up, and I could hear him in the tub.
“James, I don’t think you are being funny, that Angel, buried her, this Angel here, married her, so I will ask you really politely, who are you covering for?”
“Miss Abigail, sir. She was not the one that died, she is alive, Miss Lydiana, and her are still friends.” That shocked the fuck out of me. “My wife, wanted me dead?”
“No Sir. Miss Abigail wanted all the Fallen dead, she was there today, to fetch your toothbrush, and to carry that thing up, and put it under your bed, that thing was supposed to eat you, but I think it scared Noodle to death instead.”
“James, where does Abigail live?” he told me the address. “Come guys.” We arrived at her place, there was an Angel in the window. I walked in, my level of shit, was saturated. Abigail screamed when she saw Samuel. He slapped her so hard her head bobbed from side to side. “Why?” that was all he asked. Michaelus, was so pale, I thought he would pass out. I felt ill, really ill. I took Abigail one side. “I will not hurt you, but I need answers, please. Firstly, how are you alive?”
“I faked my death, to get away from them.” She pointed at Michaelus and Samuel.
“Does my wife want me dead?” She nodded yes.
“Then why the fuck did she marry me?”
“I told her to, I knew it would bring them, and I needed bait.” This time I slapped her.
“Lady, you are fucking sick, do you know that? As for them, they are the real deal, bitch, they died, and they are authentic fucking Angels, as for that man, well he is the authentic fucking Reaper, so if I was you, I would talk, and fucking fast.” Abigail looked at Michaelus and Samuel, the glory shone from them, more out of anger, than need. She believed. She looked at Ryan, hell I believed, he had changed, he was no longer human, he was a cloud of darkness, all tattered, he had no face, no hands, no limbs, but I would not pick a fight, he really was the real-deal. The first God of death, that much, I could feel into my own soul.
“I went to Lydiana, to help me fake my death. The Keys, and Abrux, and you two were too much for me. They swapped my body in the morgue. I don’t know who is buried in my place. I hid by Lydiana for many years, until I was certain, you two were not coming back. I had enough money, so I worked from home. When she told me you were alive, and back, and that the sixth key was alive, I asked her to seduce Hunter. Then he fell in love with her, and even better, they got married. I fetched the Curen, Lydiana told me, they don’t prey on humans, I placed it under your bed, I planted the hex-box, and she said it would work on you. But in my haste, I grabbed the wrong toothbrush, so I asked James, to cover for me, I never thought he would tell you the truth. I guess you scared the fear of God into the old man. I approached Lou, and I sent her to deal with Tyler, but you had to be the hero’s. And now Lou is dead. You are alive, and I think I scared Noodle to death.”
I slapped her again, don’t judge me, a being can only take so much, then it’s enough. Michaelus loomed over her. “Deal with the bitch, Samuel, I am going with Hunter, to fuck up her friend.”
We arrived at the hospital, I told Andrea what had happened, he was so shocked, he stared the discharge paper-work for Lydiana, and gave me the number of a divorce lawyer. Michaelus and I went to the vet, he prayed over Noodle and the cat was healed. We dropped him off at Guile, and gave her enough cash to take care of both the cats. Then we fetched, Lydiana, as she was about to get into a cab.
We found, Samuel, Abigail and Ryan, at the house, I pushed Lydiana onto the couch. Then I grabbed a chair, placed it in front of her, and I stared at her, that’s all I wanted to do. And it worked, she was mortified, and I didn’t give two fucks. Samuel had packed my bags for me. “Anything else, here yours, Hunter?” I shook my head, no. “Then let’s go, Ryan wants to have a chat with them alone.”
We left, I went back to my home. I called the lawyer the following morning, he said due to the evidence, doctor Russo, gave him, an annulment will do the trick. I will be free by the end of the day, I must just pass by his office around five, to fetch my papers. I asked how much I owed him, and he said not a dime.
So I plucked a feather, and wrapped it for him, and a bottle of the best bourbon, money could buy. Ryan arrived, as we were heading out. “They are alive, but I stripped Lydiana of her gift, and I blinded Abigail.” That was all the explanation, Ryan gave us, he packed up, and went back to his trailer-home. I went to the lawyer, who was over the moon with his gifts, and then I needed to be alone. Samuel and Michaelus, went home. Thomas stayed in my house, he was still recovering. I went and sat on top of a mountain, and I sobbed. Like a babe, I have never been so hurt in my life.
I don’t know for how long I sat there, days, or a week. Thomas called me. We had a problem to deal with. So Ryan and I met up at my place, it was strange, just the three of us, but we are up to task.
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