Chapter 40

40: Daniel approached the table where Jeffrey, his band and Bill were sitting, with a plate of eggs and sausage.  "Mind if I have a seat?"
  "Go right ahead," said Bill.
  Daniel poured some pepper on his eggs and took a bite.  "You know, I've been thinking about the connection between Rend being possessed by a dark spirit and the phenomenon of the Revenant.  What I came up with is this: One is the cause of the other. Here's what I mean.  The Collective believe that God has a plan which is constantly in motion.  That plan began when he created life and will end when all life ends.  Only spiritual beings like angels, dark spirits and people of faith, can affect that plan.  I mean like alter it or change it.  That's why prayer works, because faith comes from your spirit and so your faith can move mountains."  He took a drink of orange juice and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
  "How do you know all this?" asked Carrionette.
  "It's all written about in the Sypratic Tome.  That is the holy book of scripture on Sypraxia.  The religion that the Collective practice is called the Hierarchy of Sypraxus.  Let me try to explain it to you.  Did you ever notice that the more solid something is, the less of it you need to survive?  You can go for weeks without food.  You can only go a few days without water.  You can go maybe several minutes tops without air and you can't live at all without your spirit.  This is not an accident.  God is trying to show us the natural order of things.  Both the Collective's and the Nocent's bodies are made of liquid.  Sypraxus is the ability to change at will between the different states of matter: solid, liquid and gas.  I'll tell you more about this some day, but for now I'll tell you that no one I've ever known has been able to change into a gaseous form.  That takes an amount of faith, love and enlightenment which none of us has yet been able to attain.  Anyway, we were talking about the Revenant."  He took a bite of his scrambled eggs.
  After taking a bite of sausage, he continued.  "I'll tell you what I'm getting at.  You see, the Scathing is just a virus.  It can kill you, but it can't make you come back to life.  It is because Rend is possessed by a dark spirit that God's plan is being messed with. You see, before we are born into this world, our spirits write out a chart of our lives, which includes the various things we want to learn during this lifetime.  We also chart five different exit points during the course of this life.  We can choose to leave the physical plane and return to the Other Side through any one of these exit points.  It was not in their charts for these people who died from the Scathing to be dead yet so their souls are leaving their bodies, but the bodies themselves don't know they're supposed to be dead.  They haven't reached an exit point yet.  That's why they continue to move around without a soul.  They're just mindless, reanimated corpses.  I, as Daniel the vampire, worked in a similar way.  The evil in me was a spiritual entity so the people I killed came back, but as vampires not zombies. Vampires somehow keep their mental functions.  Of course, now that I am filled with the spirits of the Collective, I won't be killing anyone anymore."  He drank more of his orange juice.  "There's more I need to explain."
  Jeffrey interrupted.  "Dude, more?  I'm still trying to digest all that other stuff."
  Bill put a hand on Jeffrey's shoulder and turned to Daniel.  "Please tell us what you have on your mind.  We'll have plenty of time to digest it later."
  "Okay, so I'll start by explaining some of the basics.  All the life force of a planet is regulated by what is called a Gaia.  You've probably heard of that."
  "Yes, many religions and philosophies here on Earth recognize the Gaia," said Lowe Freq.
  "It's kind of like, say, the planet's spirit.  The Gaia makes sure that the planet only has the amount of life that it can sustain.  Well, so when the Nocent came to Earth, they offset that balance.  Ah, that's putting it too mildly.  They threw off the delicate life balance of this planet's ecology.  Pretty much any time someone from one planet goes to another, there is the risk of a planetary life force imbalance.  The result is usually death.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are nearly a thousand each of Collective and Nocent spirits here on Earth.  You can kinda expect a lot more bloodshed.  That is why in the past, the Collective tried not to interfere with life here on Earth.  We studied humans over the millenia, but mostly from a distance."  While those at the table sat thinking about the meaning of Daniel's words, he silently finished his breakfast.

Chapter 39

39: Mina went downstairs where the people were already nervously sitting to breakfast.  She sat at a table with Bill and his son, her co-worker, Jeffrey.  "Did either of you manage to get any sleep?"
  "Not much.  I've been thinking about my wife, Sandy.  I think she's still alive where the Defectors are staying. If Chadwick makes it back here and is able to tell us where Rend's headquarters are, I would you, Jeffrey, to lead a rescue party to go find your mother.  I would like you to take the black truck.  It is large and powerful enough to handle the Revenant."
  Jeffrey was stunned by this.  His father had never let him drive the black truck, and wasn't sure if he could.  "Dad, I can't drive the black truck.  You've always driven it."
  "I have not always driven it.  It's your turn now.  Your mother is out there.  She needs you.  You can help her. I believe in you.  I know you can bring her back to us safely."  Jeffrey started to tear up.
  "Dad, you've always made me feel like I'm a little kid.  Now you want me to go out there and find mom?  What if I can't do it?"
  "Jeffrey, did I ever tell you about your grandfather?"
  "What do you mean?  What about him?"
  "I'm talking about why I hold him in such high regard.  Why you always know I'm serious when I swear on his grave.  There's a reason for that."  Bill took a sip of water before continuing.  "When your grandfather finished high school, he worked at a bank in Tangjin.  Back then in Korea, your parents were your matchmakers.  They arranged who you would marry.  He was matched with your grandmother and he thought she was beautiful.  The problem was that they lived 100 kilometers apart from each other.  Taxis were rare back then, but with the money he got from working at the bank, he paid for one every week to visit her.  He'd often bring a guitar, harmonica or flute so that he could serenade her.  Soon, they got married."
  Jeffrey looked like he was about to say something.  "Wait, Jeffrey.  Don't worry, I'm getting to the main part of the story.  That was just the set up.  So then, not too long after they got married, Japan invaded Korea.  Your grandfather drafted to fight for the Korean army.  He went to fight in Japan and was captured.  He was a prisoner of the Japanese.  He gathered a few men who wanted to escape and they hid in an abandoned building for a day or so while they tried to come up with a plan.  They built a fire during the night because the building had no electricity.  They had found an old empty can and an onion.  They had a little water so they boiled the onion in the can over the fire.  It tasted terrible without salt, but it kept them going.
  "The next day, there was an earthquake.  He and his two companions watched out the window of the building at the effects of the natural disaster.  Outside, a Japanese man was struck by a large chunk of fallen concrete.  The blood splattered onto the window my father was looking out of.  This frightened them so they waited until nightfall, left the building and made their way to the coast.
    "My father had a string of gold rings sewn into the seam of his pants, hidden from the Japanese.  He used a gold ring to pay someone for a boat.  The ocean was very dangerous with bad, high winds.  The three of them were almost killed, but they made it to the shore of Korea.
  "When he got to Tangjin, his family thought they were seeing a ghost because they were sure he was dead.  So many soldiers died in the Korean War.  When he got home, his travels had left him with a high fever which almost killed him.  The doctors in Tangjin nursed him back to health and saved his life.  He could have stayed in relative safety in Tangjin, but the love of his life was in another city.
  "Now at this time, North Korea had invaded Seoul.  Your grandmother had gone there to be with her family when my father had been sent off to war.  Nobody was allowed to leave the city.  The bridge over the Han River, connecting Seoul to the mainland had been destroyed.  Your grandmother was sick at that time.  She was hiding in the basement of the building her parents lived in.  Neighbors brought her food and other necessities.  One night, she had a dream that her husband would come to save her.  When she told her neighbors about the dream, they told her not to get her hopes up because no one could get into Seoul.
  "One day, someone who looked like a beggar approached the building.  No one recognized him, but from her hiding place in the basement, my mother could see that it was her husband.  The trip from Tangjin to Seoul had taken him over two weeks, but he had made it.  She ran to him.  He was all bloody and ragged.  She cleaned him up and her neighbors helped to bandage his wounds.  They had to get out of the city.
  "That night they made their way to the Han River.  There were many bodies floating in the water.  A lot of them had died trying to swim across the river.  Many had also frozen to death, since it was wintertime.  Still, they needed to cross to get away from that deathtrap.  Many other families were also trying to get across.  Many families were separated at that time.  Most of them never found each other again.  Recently, in Korea, there was a campaign to reunite people who had been separated from their families at that time.  Anyway, with the gold rings your grandfather had, they were able to get someone to help them cross.  It took them longer to get to Tangjin than he had taken to get to Seoul.  They finally made it to his family's house in Tangjin.
  "In the house, there was a loose floorboard that they were able to hide under whenever the North Koreans came around.  They were never sure when the house would be inspected by North Korean soldiers so they had to be constantly vigilant.  The time for Chusok came while they were in that house and your grandmother made some rice wine in order to honor their ancestors in the traditional ceremony.  Unfortunately, some soldiers came around, so the two of them had to get down to hide underneath the floorboards.  They had the alcohol with them under there.  The smell of it almost gave them away because the soldiers could smell it.  Fortunately, they weren't found.  The war soon ended and they survived."  Bill sat back and folded his hands into his lap.
  "Wow, I never knew that.  I mean, shit.  He really loved her," said Jeffrey.
  "You see, extreme heroism and bravery are in your blood.  You can have your band with you while you look for your mother.  Together you can face the odds."
  Jeffrey seemed to take some measure of comfort from this.  "I'll do it.  As soon as we find out where she is, we'll go and get her.  We're not just a band.  We've been friends through lots of shit.  You have no idea."
  "You know, I don't say this often enough, but I love you, son."
  For the first time in his life, Jeffrey actually believed his father.  "I love you too, dad."  They ate together in a warm and comfortable silence with many smiles and a few tears after that.

Chapter 38

38: The next day, the attack was still fresh on Mina's mind.  If this man was made of water, he could get in from any plumbing fixture.  That freaked her the fuck out.  Next time he might be more stealthy and sneak through an unoccupied room, take the form of any person he's ever seen and just waltz right up to her.  She'd be a goner for sure.  Nowhere in the world would she be safe from an enemy like that.  Of course he just had to have it in for her in particular.
  The night after the attack, Barney organized watch groups to keep tabs on both the Revenant and Rend's inevitable return.  Many were glad to volunteer for watch shifts because they couldn't sleep anyway.  This dangerous enemy could bypass all their defenses and breach their security by entering from anywhere almost.  No one felt safe from sinks, toilets, drains or even the sprinkler system.  How do you defend against that?  Any one of them could be the enemy in disguise.  Distrust ran rampant throughout the hotel.
  That wasn't the only concern.  It didn't help Mina's frazzled sensitivities at all to realize that the Revenant were growing in number outside the hotel as the hours went by.  Who knows how long the Untaken could take refuge safely here?  They would eventually run out of their supply of food.
  When she left her room, she saw in the hallway that she wasn't the only one who was paranoid.  People were walking around with rolls of duct tape and had towels trying to stop up their faucets, secure their toilets, shower heads, drains and sinks.  People were eyeballing each other with open suspicion.  It almost made Mina laugh except that she felt the same way.  The whole circumstance reeked of tension.

Chapter 37

37: That night, in Kenn's room, Kenn and Daniel sat down to discuss some possible options on how to destroy Rend.  "The Collective tell me that Rend can keep his Sypratic gland anywhere in his body.  That's going to be our main concern.  That and the fact that he can go anywhere and be anything, of course.  It is my belief that only a vampire would have the necessary reflexes to kill him," explained Daniel.
  "Daniel, there have been so many questions I've wanted to ask you.  I mean, you made me into a vampire, but I don't even know what that means or how it happened."
  Daniel looked down at his hands and sighed.  "Well, you know how killing someone is sometimes referred to as taking their life?  That is almost literally true.  A part of them will always be with you.  When I bit you, you did die in a way.  I took your life.  But since you came back as a vampire, you are forever linked to me because your blood runs through my veins.  We are connected spiritually."
  "But, how did I become a vampire, why am I not a full vampire and why did my brother not come back?  You killed him too."  Kenn was pacing around the room, avoiding eye contact with Daniel.
  Daniel thought about it for a moment, turned to the nightstand between the beds and opened the drawer.  Inside was a copy of the Holy Bible.  He picked it up and started thumbing through the pages.  "You are not a full vampire because you are without the guilt of murder.  You see, the Scriptures mention a silver cord connecting the body to the soul.  You still have that.  If you were to kill someone, even Rend or myself, that silver cord would be loosened and forever out of your reach.  Just like anyone else, when you die, the cord will be severed.  On the other hand, if I somehow die, your link to me would be severed and you would become fully human again."
  Kenn rubbed the palms of his hands on the laps of his pants, but remained silent.
  Daniel breathed deeply and continued.  "The next part takes a little setting up to explain."  Daniel turned to look at Kenn.  "Are you familiar with ecto-plasm?"
  Kenn stopped pacing, but didn't look at Daniel.  "You mean that ghost slime stuff?"
  Daniel's lower lip stuck out and he folded his hands in his lap.  "In a way, yeah.  Ecto-plasm is a substance that exists between the spiritual realm and the physical plane.  It rides the fence, so to speak.  But it also acts as a doorway between the two worlds."
  Kenn sat down and looked at Daniel.  "And somehow this answers my questions?"
  "Not yet.  I've had a lot of time to think about this.  What I've come to understand is that vampire flesh is ecto-plasmic in nature.  It shares some properties with ecto-plasm.  I'll explain.  We are not fully connected to either plane.  That's why things that would kill a normal human being are relatively harmless to us.  Obviously we still eat, drink, breathe, sleep and get rid of waste.  But the cool thing is, bullets and knives just pass right through us into the spiritual plane."
  "Uh, you lost me at 'hello'."
  "We're not fully alive or fully dead.  We are considered to be undead.  Like a zombie, only smarter.  Well, when I bit you, some of my saliva, which is infused with ecto-plasmic properties, entered your system.  Your body eventually became just as permeated with the 'ghost slime stuff', as you put it.  That's how you became a vampire. Your brother did not come in contact with any of my bodily fluids and I did not drink any of his blood so he died a normal human death.  He did not become a vampire."
  Kenn stood up, went over to the little refrigerator and started mindlessly examining the labels on the tiny bottles of liquor.  "Okay, I'm beginning to get it.  This ecto shit makes us one of the living dead.  Neither here nor there.  Is there anything else I need to know?"
  "The coolest thing is that ecto-plasm absorbs energy, whether it's positive or negative.  You literally get stronger when you or someone around you is putting out energy.  That's why you're so strong when you're angry, sad, happy, afraid or whatnot.
The rest you've probably seen in movies, but didn't fully understand.  For instance, garlic works.  But here's why.  It's the chemical properties of garlic that for whatever reason, nullify the ecto-plasmic properties of vampire flesh.  Basically, it imprisons us in the physical plane, where we are vulnerable to things like bullets and knives."  Daniel put his hand on his knee.  "You know, like the mortals.  Uh, let's see.  Ecto-plasm is also photosensitive and dissolves in sunlight.  Bad news for us.  Better to stay in the darkness."  Daniel drummed his fingers on the nightstand.  "And last, but not least, holy water.  Holy water is kind of like the opposite of garlic. It traps us completely in the spirit world where we are no longer able to be part of this world.  Also, bad news for us.  Avoid at all costs."  Daniel's eyes looked up, then to the right.  Finally, he looked straight at Kenn.  "That's about it.  Vampire 101."
  "What about crosses?  I always see people use crosses in movies."
  "Crosses are just pieces of wood or metal or stone.  They have no power in and of themselves.  They only work if you have faith.  But if you have faith, you don't need them.  Most people don't have that kind of faith."
  Kenn ran his fingers through his hair.  "So I'm a vampire, you're a vampire, my brother isn't a vampire and only a vampire can kill Rend.  But if I kill him I'll forever be damned to Infurnus."
  Daniel's shoulders slumped as his breath whistled through his teeth.  "Well, when you put it that way, it does look kinda bleak, doesn't it?"  He stood up.  "Don't worry, we'll figure something out."

Chapter 36

36: After the excitement of the moment passed, Barney told Daniel, "You've got quite an acumen for vacuuming.  How did you know to do that?"
  Jeff rejoined the group when he couldn't see Chadwick out the window anymore.  He was a little out of breath and put his hand on Alex's shoulder for support.  "What's up with that Chadwick guy?  Where the hell did that mother fucker run off to?"
  Alexander scratched his head.  "Am I my mother fucker's keeper?  How should I know where he went?"
  "Not you," Jeffrey retorted.  "I was asking Daniel.  What's the deal?  Is he going back to the Defectors?"  Everyone was intensely interested to know the answers to Barney and Jeffrey's questions.
  Daniel sat on a table, winded from the encounter.  "Ever since Chadwick said that Rend is at large, I've been halfway expecting Rend to try to break into the hotel at some point.  I just wasn't sure how he would do it.  Chadwick and I came up with a plan for what to do in case of an attack.  This morning the faucet in my bathroom wasn't working.  Immediately, I heard Mina scream in the next room and I knew it had to be him.  Kenn had the wet vac ready in his room down the hall.  Once I put Rend outside, I had Chadwick follow Rend so we can find out where the Defectors are staying.  We might need that information at some time."
  "I hope we can trust Chadwick.  The timing of the attack seems like too much of a coincidence to me.  That was a close one.  You saved my life, Daniel," gasped Mina who was still in shock from the trauma of the attack.  Someone brought her a glass of water.  Not quite trusting water just yet, she hesitated a moment before accepting it.
  "It is my honor to help in whatever way I can.  And about Chadwick, I'm a very good judge of character.  I feel entirely confident that we can trust him.  I think there's a specific reason that Rend grabbed you.  It must have to do with your green aura.  He might need you for some unknown purpose.  I had a feeling he wouldn't harm you.  There's some reason he needs you alive.  I don't know what it is, but it may have something to do with that name he called himself when I entered the room."
  "I noticed that too.  Was that some sort of foreign word?" asked Kenn.
  "He said he was Yulomyn.  That is the name of an Ithodynian dark spirit in Sypraxian theology.  The spiritual entity of ours which most resembles your Lucifer is called Ithodyn.  In our language, 'ith' means light, 'od' means bring, and 'yn' is a suffix denoting a person who does something.  So, literally, Ithodyn is a light bringer.  Kinda similar to Prometheus or Lucifer, which, coincidentally, also translates to bringer of light.  Anyway, Yulomyn is supposed to be one of his most loyal minions.  'Yul' means death, and 'om' means make.  Yulomyn is the death maker. Think of him as our version of the grim reaper.  I believe that Rend is possessed by Yulomyn.
  "You see, Rend hasn't always been one of the Nocent.  Years ago, back home on Sypraxia, he was a Collective scientist.  He betrayed us and went to follow the Nocent.  His betrayal is why we had imprisoned him.  He was even given a Syproid gland by the Nocent, which is why he has a red aura instead of a green one like the Collective.  He'll probably try to get in again some time.  We should be on the lookout.  Did you notice he was dressed like a fisherman?  That must have been the first human he encountered when he climbed out of the lake.  He can take any form so we must be vigilant."

Chapter 35

35: Daniel had been given room 1372 and had slept fairly well considering the circumstances.  He awoke and went into the lavish bathroom to wash his face.  He unwrapped one of the fancy little hand soaps and went to the immaculate sink.  When he turned the knob for some hot water, nothing happened.  Just then, he heard a scream coming from the next room.
  He immediately dropped the soap and ran out of the room.  In the hallway, he startled more than one guest who was already headed to the elevators to breakfast.  He could hear muffled voices of distress coming from Mina's room.  He grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall and bashed the door down.  A man wearing a fishing cap held within his arms a terrified Mina.
  "I am Yulomyn and I will be taking this woman with me.  If you try to stop me I will be forced to kill her."  Mina passed out, unconscious from fright.  A crowd was beginning to form in the hall outside her room.
  Daniel immediately grabbed Mina's unconscious body away from the intruder.  No one thought it would have been that easy because of the unknown strength this man might possess.  He had threatened to kill her.  Daniel allowed Mina to exit the room into the hall where she would be safe.  Now that the hostage situation had been neutralized, they hoped Daniel had a plan for how to incapacitate the attacker.
  Daniel pursed his lips and whistled.  From down the hall, they could hear quickly approaching footsteps which became louder with each passing second.  It was Kenn and he had the hose of an industrial wet vacuum cleaner that he towed behind him.  He plugged the machine into a wall socket and threw the switch.  The people looked at the intruder as a solid man so nobody could guess what the vacuum cleaner was for.  Soon though, they got their answer and about a hundred new questions.
  Kenn handed the hose to Daniel who then brandished the business end of the vacuum at the attacker and crouched into a battle-ready stance.  Amazingly enough, the man looked at it as a potential hazard.  Daniel let out a war cry and jabbed the hose like a bayonet at the man.  The vacuum attachment penetrated the man's abdomen, but that wasn't the end of the matter.  The man's eyes grew wide as the vacuum cleaner sucked him into it.
  Kenn had already prepared by opening one of the windows.  Daniel unplugged the vacuum.  Kenn and Daniel picked up the entire vacuum cleaner and heaved it out of the open window.  For several slow-moving seconds it hung in the air before it crashed down to the cobblestones below near a small group of the Revenant.  It landed with a huge splash of what looked like water.  Amazingly, the water formed up in midair into the man that had attacked Mina.  He ran off leaving the confused Revenant behind.
  From the front door, a man exited the hotel and took off in pursuit of the mystery man.  The Revenant were still just standing around in bewilderment as he hurried past them.  One of the Untaken watching from a window recognized the second runner as the Defector who had come to them earlier that day.  When he pointed that out, there were murmurs of how he must have been an infiltrator.  He must have allowed the strange water man in.  They saw his departure as his fleeing to rejoin with the Defectors.

Chapter 34

34: I'm in my old house in Tucson again.  There's no one else in here.  There never were.  I was a latchkey kid. The place is actually well lit for once.  But of course, everything can't just be hunky dorey.  I spent the first 18 years of my life here with no real happy memories.  My dreams are no different.  Every corner is a potential hiding place for malicious forces.
  What will be wrong this time?  The floor feels solid.  Good, I hated that dream where it felt as if I was trying to run through mud.  There was also the one where I fell through the floor into the basement which was full of skeletons.  What else could it be?  I don't see any strange shadows.  There's no evil laughter.  Ah, now I see.  Every object in the house can move.  Yes, they move very slowly, but I can see definite movement.  Hm, and it looks like they're moving to get closer to me.  Boy, that's creepy.  New means unknown.  Unknown means dangerous because I don't know what's coming and how it can hurt me.  Bring it on.  Do your worst.
  Mr. Renard's badminton trophies are bending toward me from the fireplace mantle.  Mrs. Renard's angel figurines are reaching out to me.  Nothing is safe.  Even kitchen items are crawling on the floor toward me.  That's just weird.  Everything is my enemy in this place.  I wonder what they'd do if they reached me?  Maybe I don't want to know.  Shit, I give up.
  My palms are sweaty with the anticipation of the pain to come.  I don't even have to try any of the doors to know I will not be able to escape this.  I can hear my pulse.  These objects seem harmless now, but if I'm not careful, I know they can deal me some hurt.  My childhood toys are in on the action too.  Pleasant memories with these toys can't save me now.  I'm safe from nothing.  Everything is a threat to me.  This entire house is a death trap.
  Mina awoke in her hotel room on the 13th floor.  The sun had not yet risen, but she was relieved to be out of that dream.  She took a deep breath in and held it for five seconds before letting it out.  Then, suddenly in the dark of early morning a pair of hands grabbed her around her waist with a mercilessly strong grip.