Jim's Chapter 4

Jim rediscovers an old friend and is put in charge of a new assignment.

Needless to say, my fellow Valkeries in Tri City were pissed me at for letting him go. In my defense, I was always faster than anything I ever fought before, so I wasn’t expecting that guy’s bike to outrun me. I probably could have beat him, but he surprised me. So…my fellow Valkeries gave me a vicious talking to, and I was shamed to my sanctuary. I sat in there for a while, sulking to myself. I practiced a little magic, then left again after four days. It was my shift to reap again, which was the only reason I left my room. I then hated the whole Valkerie job. Hated it. Not dislike or not have a taste for. Despised it. I was going to quit, I told myself. Screw it. I’ll reap one more person, then I’m going to Cromwell’s and tell him. Spending the rest of eternity with my parents and maybe going out with Angela didn’t sound so horrible. And I did find a soul to reap. Some ninety year old grandma died in her sleep. I took her soul from her body and she went to the Court. I smiled. Last reaping. I took off toward my sanctuary to pack my stuff. I was so happy to be almost out of that crappy job.

Then, I heard a scream and smelled that nasty demon scent. I was midway jumping over a building, when I sensed all of it. I changed direction and bolted toward the smell. I saw a giant demon baring his claws and roaring. The humans around them were completely absent minded of what was going down. They laughed and played Frisbee or whatever while a monster was trying looked like he was gearing up take on an army. I jumped toward him from a building top, and got a spell ready. There was girl cowering in front of the demon. She wasn’t a ghost, and she could clearly see the monster. The demon was a fifteen foot tall satyr looking thing. His upper body was bulky and a sick blue-ish color. He was the lower body of a goat with gray fur. He was roaring and trying to catch the girl. I landed on the soft grass and drew my sword.

“Hey! Valkerie, stop! You’re under…”

He spit at me. I tunred my body so it just passed me. The soft grass turned to soup under the acid. Fine. Have it your way, handsome.

I fired a Muspell fire bolt straight at the demon’s face. That’s when I heard a weird beeping in my head. He bellowed in anger and fell sideways, dazed. The girl looked confounded, like she saw a fire ball hit a demon in the face.

“Jim! Help me, please! That thing’s trying to kill me!” The girl shrieked.

I looked at her. Did I know her from somewhere? And that beeping was still going on. But what was weirder and took me a second to realize, was that she saw me. She was a Livy. How could she see me and demons? The demon was up and charging, so I fired a freeze blast that hit him in the chest. His torso and upper legs were frozen in ice. I thought it would be too tough to get out, but he shrugged and all the ice shattered. Stronger than I thought. I sighed and waited for an opening.

“Jim? What the hell is going on?”

I ignored her. Plenty of time to explain once we weren’t about to be eaten. The demon rose his arms and I saw my chance. I used that super speed spell to enhance my natural swiftness, then lunged at the monster. I swiped at him with my sword as fast as I could. He was too slow to react and probably didn’t see me attacking him until moments before he was killed. I landed behind him, and he fell into a bunch of slimy pieces. I don’t know how many times I cut him with that period of a half a second, since I lost count at seventy-three. I put my weapon away and walked over the pieced demon. I saw his black soul soak into the ground, destined for Hell. The girl was on the ground, her face drenched in tears.

“Are you okay?” I asked. I held out my hand to help her up. She got up and threw her arms around me, sobbing. The beeping I my head wouldn’t stop.

“Oh my God, Jim, what was that thing? And how’d you do all that?”

“I’m sorry to ask, but…How do we know each other?”

She backed up, her face fell.

“Again? You, too? Why…Why does this always happen!” She screamed.

She started kicking a nearby tree in frustration. Her eyes were gushing tears and I had no idea what was going on.

“Look…Uh…” I sputtered. “I don’t know…Calm down, what’s your name?”

She stormed at me fast, and if I’m saying she’s fast…She’s fast. She took a swing at me, I dodged it really easy, but she tried to punch me. She tried to punch a guy who threw a fire ball from his hand and sliced a giant satyr monster to bits.

“Mony! Mony, Mony, Mony!”

It took me a second, then it hit me. How could I forget about her? The girl who could see me when no one else could.

“Oh my God…Mony? From the dinner?”

“Yeah. You never visited me so I assumed you forgot about me...Like everyone else.”

“What d’you mean?”

“Nobody remembers me after I meet them. I’m surprised you even remember, now. Who the hell are you? You’re defiantly not some junior cop or whatever you said you were.”

I waved my hand and her tears disappeared. I put my arm around her and lead her away from the park towards my place. I needed to get her to Cromwell. I had my arm around her, by the way, because I didn’t want to lose her and forget about her again. I couldn’t believe I forgot about her. After I killed that first demon outside the dinner, I never thought of her again. I glanced to my left and saw a ghost named Craig freaking out at the previous scene. I waved.

“Hey, Craig,” me and Mony said at the same time. We shot a look at each other.

“You can see ghosts?” I asked.

“Yeah. I saw that monster thing, too.”

“How often do you see that stuff?”

“Ghosts and monsters? Ghosts I see all the time. They don’t forget about me. Those monsters are new. I saw one the other day, but he went passed me.”

I nodded and we kept walking.

“That was a demon. I’m called a Valkerie, which is a guy who kills demons and reaps dead souls. When I was alive, I was called a Spectral, which is a living person who can see ghosts and sometimes demons. But…I don’t know what you are. A Spectral isn’t supposed to see a lot of demons unless the demons show themselves, and you’re not supposed to see Valkeries. I’m taking you to Purgatory, which is where Commander Cromwell is. He’ll help you.”

She nodded. “Where we going, now?”

“My place. I can’t teleport yet, so I have to do it the hard way.”

I picked her up, Superman-picking-up-Lois-Lane style, and jumped up at my window. She screamed in surprise as we went into my window. We landed in my room and I set her down. Mony smiled in a kind of child-like wonder.

“Wow, I haven’t been indoors in…months. This is really nice.”

I blushed a little. I just realized I brought a girl home with me. Given, I had to take her to the afterlife and show her to my boss, but still. Concept is cool.

“Thanks,” I replied. I saw that she was still wearing the same clothes I first met her in.

“Do you wanna change your clothes?” I asked.

“I don’t have any extras.”

“That’s fine. Hang on, I’m still learning this type of Magic. So your stuff won’t be too flashy.”

I put my hand out her and concentrated as hard as I could. The trick was to not bind her Magically formed clothes to her skin. In a blurry shift of light, she was wearing a new white t-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers.

“Does that fit okay?”

“Yeah, thanks! Wow, I love it! Think I can learn to do Magic, too?”

I rubbed the back of my head. “I…Really don’t know. Maybe.”

“Can I ask you something? Do I not stink, or have I just gotten used to it? Because my old clothes didn’t smell. Did you have something to do with that?”

I laughed. “Yeah. Simple anti-odor charm I put on you back in the dinner. My gift to you.”

She laughed and gave me a hug. It was awkward for me, since no one has ever hugged twice in one day.

“I’m just glad someone remembers me.”

I was feeling a little awkward. “Okay, time to go to Purgatory. Hold your breath.”

She did, not knowing why. I used my room to teleport us and we shot through space and landed on a cloud. Mony lurched over, looking sick.

“I think…I’m gonna puke.”

“Yeah, you’ll get used to it eventually.”

“When?”

“I’ll let you know when I do…”

I lead her into the Department. She was in awe at the golden and silver buildings, the walls almost glowing. We went up to the front desk and saw that same lady I saw the first time I was there. That hot French girl.

“Hi, Officer Spectre. What can I help you with?”

“I need to see the Commander.”

“Did he call you?”

“No.”

“Then you’ll have to wait.”

I showed her Mony. “She’s alive,” I said.

The secretary’s heart seemed to skip a beat.

“What?”

“Yeah, she’s a Livy. She can see me on Earth. She cans see ghosts and demons. No Blur Factor. Can I see Cromwell?”

She nodded slowly than grabbed a phone to call him, I guess. I lead Mony to the elevator and we went up to the 56987^th floor. We stepped out and walked down the hall to Cromwell’s office. I opened the door, and for the first time in my Valkerie career, Cromwell seemed agitated. He stood up and gestured for us to take a seat. I caught Mony’s eye and assured her it was okay.

“I’m Commander Cromwell of the Department of Spirit Justice.” He shook her hand.

“I’m Monica James. Everyone calls me Mony, though. Are you…Oliver Cromwell? From the English Civil War?”

“God no. Don’t even say that name around me. Cousin Lord Protector…he was a git beyond others…. Anyway, Jim, explain.”

“Okay, Commander. I met her in a dinner a couple months ago. She’s homeless and I noticed her. She saw me, even though I’m sub-passed…”

“You’re what?” Mony asked.

“Sub-passed,” Cromwell began. “I’ll explain later. Jim, go on.”

“Okay. Anyway, I talked to her for a little while then left. She asked me to go visit her in the park sometime. I said I would. Soon after, I fought a demon. Then, for some reason…I forgot all about her. It’s like I never met her. Then, about a half hour ago, I found her being attacked by a Class 4 in the park. She saw me use Magic and everything. She has no Blur-Factor. And the weird thing is, she was screaming while being attacked and the park was full of people. No one saw her or heard her. Or me or the demon. I didn’t remember who she was for a minute. It’s like she’s sub-passed, as well.”

Cromwell nodded. He sat back down.

“Okay,” he began. He explained who I am, who the Valkeries are, and what sub-passed meant.

“So what am I?” She asked.

“I’m sorry, Mony. I don’t know. Does everybody ignore you or forget you?”

“Yeah. I mean they always forget, but they only ignored me, up until I met Jim at the dinner…Hey. I think my smell always made people see me. Since I met Jim at the dinner…I don’t smell anymore. I think that made people stop noticing me.”

Cromwell chuckled, something I had never seen before. I felt Mony’s tiny fist pound my shoulder, punishment for removing her smell.

“Commander, you’ve seen anything like this before?” I asked.

He shook his head slowly.

“No. In all the time I’ve been a Valkerie, I’ve never seen a sub-passed Livy. Miss. James, how long have you been able to see ghosts and demons?”

“Since I was really little.”

“Have your parents ever seemed…Angelic or demonic?”

“No. They were normal. I’m homeless because…They forgot about me,” she said. “A couple years ago is when it happened. One day, my mom didn’t pick me up from school. Then she forgot to cook dinner for me. She just cooked it for her and my dad. If I wasn’t around, it was like I never existed. That went on for a week. Every day, no one picked me up from school. Then, they forgot who I was entirely. Finally I just got tired of it and ran away. Been homeless ever since.”

Cromwell nodded and stood up. He took a small glass orb and did some kind of spell. He touched Mony and drew a wispy silver string out of her arm. It seemed to come from inside her body. He put the string in the orb and it disappeared.

“I took a sample of your soul for one of our genealogists to look at. We’ll see what you are. You may be part demon. This seems too strange to be angelic.”

Mony shrugged. “Okay. What now? Where do I go?”

Cromwell thought about it.

“I want to put you with an experienced Valkerie. But my instincts are telling me to pair you with Jim. You are both around the same age, Jim has proven himself strong enough to protect you. Jim could probably use a friend.”

I blushed a bit and glanced to the wall.

 “Spectre, I want you to look after her.” Cromwell said.

My heart skipped a beat. Me?

“Me? Are…are you sure?”

“What’s wrong?” Mony asked. “You don’t want to hang out with me?”

“No, no I do. It’s just…I’m not really experienced. I wouldn’t want her to get hurt because I wasn’t strong enough to save her.”

Cromwell thought about it. He shrugged then shook his head.

“No. I do believe there is a reason you two met. Jim, Tri City hasn’t had any demons passed level four as far as I’ve seen. I believe she’ll be fine in your hands.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cromwell made a strange ball of energy in his hand. He tossed it and it sank into Mony’s forehead.

“That should stop people from forgetting you.”

Mony looked ecstatic about that.

“Do you have anything else you need to tell me about?” He looked up at me in the eyes. I saw the faint hint of a smile on his face. The old b*****d knew I was going to resign. I shook my head and he dismissed us. “Keep her safe, Jim. Things will probably won’t be so boring, now, will they?”

The old b*****d…

Me and Mony left Purgatory soon after and went back to my sanctuary. We got back, and I realized I had a little remodeling to do if I was going to have a girl stay with me.

“I guess I should put up a wall or something.”

“Why?”

“Um…You’re a girl? You’ll want some space to yourself without a boy being there.”

“Eh, I guess.”

I looked at my Magic book and I was surprised to see a section on building construction. I shrugged and found all of it surprisingly easy sounding. All I had to do first, was a simple act of breaking the laws of physics.

“Can you do it?” Mony asked. She was sitting on my mat.

“I think so. It sounds easy enough. First, I have to make this room bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.”

“That’s…possible?”

“Yeah, I guess. I did produce fire from my hand a couple hours back, if you remember. This shouldn’t be too hard.”

I focused on the interior of the building. I had to know that my room was “shiftable.” It could change andI had the ability to change it. The most important aspect of Magic was your will power. If you know you can do something, it’s possible. I formed a link to Asgard and drew the energy from it. I saw the room begin to expand slowly. I took deep breaths and kept my concentration. I felt that it was enough, so I released my Magic hold. The room stopped growing and I saw Mony gasp with excitement.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Awesome! Do some more!”

I laughed. She looked like a little kid that saw a clown do a magic trick. I thought for a second where to put her room. We moved my bed over near my desk, since all I really did was make the middle of the room wider. The tricky part was that I had to create a wall. The easiest way was to reproduce the walls that my room was made of. I morphed the rock into a six inch thick pillar and kept making it longer. Eventually, I cut the room in half, with a rock wall in the middle. I made the middle of the wall disappear and I replaced it with a door. I opened the door, and everything seemed cool.

“Okay, you’re room looks good,” I said.

She hopped off my mat and looked inside.

“Cool, cool. Uh…need a bed, Jimmy.”

“Something like that I can make. I can also make you a closet and a dresser for your clothes. But we’ll have to go buy some real clothes and other stuff for you.”

It didn’t take me long to create a bed and a closet. We left the sanctuary and went into the city. I decided to walk really slow on the sidewalk. She couldn’t move or jump like I could, so I had to go the slow with her.

“So, how do you make money?” She asked. “How are we gonna pay for this stuff.”

“Well, I can either just make money using Magic, or just use a simple replicating spell to make another of what I want. No big deal.”

“I have a feeling making your own money and making copies of stuff is illegal.”

“Does it matter? I’m dead. Living laws don’t really apply to me. I go by the Spirit Laws. As long as I don’t affect the living economy of countries, I can spend my fake money on whatever.”

“What do you mean affect the economy?”

“Back in the twenties, some Valkerie spent so much fake money, that he caused inflation in the United States’ economy. Cromwell made a law that forbid us from spending that much. We’re not supposed to affect Midgard in any way. Besides killing demons and reaping souls.”

“You talk about humans like they’re aliens or something,” Mony mumbled. “Like you aren’t one.”

“I’m not. I’m a spirit now. The more attached I am to them the harder it is to protect them. How can I reap souls if I break down crying at every murder?”

Mony grumbled and glanced away. Was she right? Are they all just a job to me?

We entered a decent looking department store and Mony went searching for desirables. I told her to pick out inexpensive clothes. Some jeans, t-shirts, shorts, two jackets, “personal items,” socks, and a pair of shoes. I duplicated them using an easy spell I learned my first week, then we walked out. Mony also wanted some posters for her room. Stuff with kittens, puppies, and flowers. Whatever. I got them and we went back to the sanctuary. I watched her hang her put her new clothes in her dresser and hang her jackets up in the closet. Then she taped her posters to her wall. I made a window for her and she was all set. She went to sleep that night around nine. I opened her door around eleven to make sure she was okay.

I hit her with another tracking spell, just in case. I left to start my reaping shift. Nothing exciting. A couple old people died in their sleep, a car accident, and two drug overdoses. So I went back around seven in the morning. She was just waking up as I came in.

“Hey there,” she said with a smile. “Can we get some food? I’m starving.”

“Yeah sure.”

We went into the city again and to a buffet. Those are the only places we can go, since restaurants will forget who we are, then our orders. At a buffet, we pay up front, then take what we want. In our case, we walked out (unseen, of course) with trays of food. We went to a park nearby and started eating. I took a closer look at Mony, who was wearing a blue shirt and jeans. The shirt was a little big on her. It hung off her body. I saw how skinny she was. I guess only being able to eat a few times a week did that to you. She wolfed the food down, though.

“Haven’t eaten since…last Friday,” she told me.

“We could have gotten something yesterday.”

“I forgot. It takes a while for me to get hungry since I’m so used to not eating for long periods of time. You forgot to eat, too.”

“Yeah, well I’m dead. I don’t need to eat anymore. I only do sometimes for fun, like when I’m really craving a cheeseburger or something.”

She laughed. “Nice. So when you do eat…what happens?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you ever have to go…to the bathroom?”

“No. That’s a living, biological function. The food just…disappears I guess. I don’t know.”

She took a bite out of her pancakes.

“So, can you get fat?”

“I don’t think so. I think we stay in shape forever.”

She laughed. “Lucky man.” She lifted up her shirt so I could see her stomach. “I have a six pack because I never eat and I run around all day.” She giggled and so did I. If I was getting her food she would get heavier in no time.

We took about fourteen cheeseburgers, eleven burritos, and a few steaks. Then of course a bunch of rice, French fries, and spaghetti. We had a lot of food to hold us over about a week. I would eat maybe a couple burgers and a steak. I got all the food to the sanctuary and put it all in a Magic, oxygen free, weightless vacuum in the corner of the room. All the food floated in the corner, and the vacuum was void of air, so the food would stay fresh for as long as I wanted it to. Mony and I could just reach into the vacuum and grab whatever we wanted. I took her out on patrol a little later, and we ran into Pettit and Grimm.

“So this is what Cromwell was talking about,” Grimm said.

“Yeah. This is Mony. Mony these are officers Grimm and Pettit.”

“I actually trained him,” Grimm said.

“Are you sure you wanna hang around with him?” Pettit asked. “He’s only in his first year. You could go with me or Grimm.”

I blushed a little. That was not a nice thing to say, but what could I do? Pettit would rip me apart, so I just kept my mouth shut.

“Nah, thanks. I’ll stay with Jim.”

I was relived. For a second, I thought she’d might go with one of the veteran Valkeries. Which would have honestly been a smarter decision. They reluctantly let her go with me, and I took her home. My first full day with Mony was pretty cool. Since she couldn’t jump like I could or run as fast, we had to take it slow on patrol. But it didn’t matter, there weren’t any demons. She went to bed and I decided to get a little meditating in.

Like I mentioned before, a meditative trance was a trippy realm of lights and strange darkness. Pleasant. This particular trance was not like that. It was a dream. Something I hadn’t had in more than a year. I was back in Boston, wearing my usual clothes. I had on black jeans, a t-shirt with some band on it, and sneakers. I was alive. It was night, and the city block I was standing on was empty and foggy. I glanced around and didn’t see any people, or even cars. A few streetlights were broken, casting some parts of the street into pitch darkness. I walked forward for a minute, and heard a saxophone playing. For some reason, I walked into the ally it was coming from. And for some other reason, there was a streetlight inside the ally. It flicked on, and I saw this…guy? He was sitting on the ground, wearing a spotless white tuxedo. He had on a white coat with tails, white pants, white shirt, white vest, white gloves, white shoes, a white top hat, and a white bow-tie. He gleamed with an albino tan. His face stuck to his skull, and I could see the outline of his cheeks. I kept strolling toward him, and he continued playing the sax. I played the sax when I was alive. My favorite song to play was this smooth jazz song from the early sixties that I didn’t know the name of or who played it. This white suited man on the ground was playing it to me. His fingers were long and spidery, and really fast. He played the song better than me. The notes he wailed out were clearer and faster. I think he played the song it was supposed to be played. I stood transfixed, staring at him. At last, he stopped and turned to me. He was smiling. His eyes were hidden by the shade of his top hat. He stood up, towered over me. He was at least seven feet tall.

“Hello, Jim.” His voice was low…yet high pitch at the same time. Hard to describe. “How are you?”

“Fine. Yourself?”

“Oh, lovely as always.”

“Am I dreaming?”

He chuckled. “No, my boy. You are meditating. I am an intruder in your mind, which I know is rude so I offer my apologies”

“Who are you?”

He sat down slowly on the lid if a garbage can. His saxophone, still dangling from his neck, morphed into a walking stick. The stick came up to about my shoulders. He rose it up, and put it to his lips. The end glowed as if on fire, and he puffed out a cloud of smoke.

“My name is non-existent. I am known by many titles, of which I shall withhold from you, as of now. For now…call me Pluto.”

Pluto took a puff from his cane/cigarette. Wow... which question did I want to ask first?

“Why did you bring me here?”

“I didn’t bring you anywhere.”

“Uh…Why are you talking to me?”

“I have been watching you for some time, Jim. I know everybody. Living. Dead. Demon. Angel. They don’t know me not, but I know them. Valkeries are interesting people, Jim. Very, very intriguing.”

He dragged on his cane/cigarette again, looking up at the cloudy sky.

“If you’re not gonna fight me, I would like to know why I’m talking to you.”

He blew a stream of smoke that actually appeared to be fog. He kept gleaming at the sky.

“Valkeries are made the same, Jim. I’m sure you’ve been told?”

“You mean…seeing ghosts? Being athletic while alive?”

Pluto laughed.

“Not only that. Personality wise as well.”

He dragged again. Now he was annoying me.

“What are you talking about?”

“Valkeries are all made to be the same person, Jim. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but all Valkeries are loners. Fighters. Aggressive. I mean look at yourself, now. Been talking for two minutes and you are already reaching for your sword."

My hand was instinctively inside my jacket. I could feel the hilt of my katana. How'd he see that? He was looking up at the sky?

"Cromwell told you the basics, but he did not tell you of the more…interesting facts.”

He extinguished his cane/cigarette. I know that, because crushed the end against the wall. He leaned on it, going slightly forward at me.

“I’d love to know what you want,” I said.

He chuckled. “All of you are bred to love the law. Hate law breakers. Every Valkerie I’ve seen kills demons without an even second thought. They break the laws, therefore must die.” His voice grew quiet and he leaned forward. “Until I noticed you.” Lightning flashed over heard. “You, at the beginning of your career, gave demons the benefit of the doubt.”

“So what? I didn’t wanna send them directly into the bowls of Hell.”

Pluto tapped his cane on the ground. “Exactly. My point, Jim, is that you’re different than the others. Demons are…people aren’t they?”

“Well...They were. At one time, at least.”

“That is what drew me to you. The demons you found so far are only the weak, idiotic ones. Useless. Bound for Hell. Soon, you’ll meet the real demons. Ones that cause nightmares. Ones with intellect. All of them are hunted by the Valkeries. Do you know why?”

“Well…They’re demons. Evil.”

“They’re demons. That’s why they’re hunted. You’re half right. Valkeries are all thick headed. They believe whatever they’re told by the Commander. Well, the Archangels. The Commander does as he is told as well. They follow orders, perfect soldiers. Someone broke the mold with you, Jim. You’re the one who needs to show the Valkeries the right way to do things. You will lead them to the light.”

“I don’t understand.”

Pluto hopped off his can and walked at me. He got close.

“Jim, things are never what they really seem to be in this life. The Afterlife is strange, mysterious, and confounding. Valkeries, the way they are, would never go looking for the truth. That’s what I want you to do. Find the truth.”

“About what?”

“Everything. The stories the Old Ones tell, about angels and demons. Things are never so simple. As I explore the truth, I will assist from behind the curtain. I want to see if you are the worthy one I believe you are, but I want to be sure. There have been many disappointments in the past. Discover, Jim! Never stop looking! Don't believe what They tell you! Find out for yourself. 

“Okay…?”

He snapped his fingers, and a white Rolls Royce pulled at the other end of the ally, and Pluto strolled toward it.

Then, as quickly as I entered that weird street, I was back in reality. I was on my mat, and facing Mony’s door. I shook my head as if my hair was wet.

The Afterlife is getting weirder every day.