Afterlife Part 5 Final Part

The creature rose above me, sand pouring from its body.  It made no sound.  Ambush was undoubtedly its modus operandi.  The only thing that kept me from pissing myself was the fear that the scent of urine would attract it to me.

            Its body was segmented like any good and proper spider body.  The back end was the shelled part.  Up front, it was armored more like an ankylosaurus.  When it turned, its head was bigger than I was with fangs dragging in the sand and its multiple eyes gleaming in the sun.  My body cycled through wanting to throw up, run, cry, scream, and generally freak out.

            You know how spiders will rear up on their hind legs to look bigger and more imposing?  I don’t know why this particular spider felt the need to do that but, it did it.  And, yeah, it worked.  It took every ounce of my will to hold steady.  Every.  Single.  Ounce.

            Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Felix and Marianne trying to come up with a plan.  When she started to come towards me and my terrifying assailant, I started to panic. I didn’t want to watch my sister get eaten by this thing.   Her life wasn’t more valuable than mine, whatever life this was in this place.  Keeping my head still, I glanced around to see if I could see any way out.  Not really.  At least I could make decent bait.  I steeled myself to move when white hot plasma flew past my head and into the abdomen of the spider.

            Strong arms wrapped around me and threw me down into the sand out of the way and a broad man in robes stood over me protectively.  The spider screamed in a mix of anger and pain.  Ezo fired off another shot, this time into its face.  The face melted.

            Webbing started to spray everywhere and the ground started to shake.

            “Shit,” said Ezo.  “It called reinforcements.”

            The spray of webbing stopped and I looked past Ezo to see Oz standing behind the spider with a huge halberd, the creature’s spinnerets on the ground separate from its body.  Gore and ichor poured from the wound.  I fought the need to vomit.

            “We need to hide,” said Ezo.

            “Hide where?” I asked.

            Before he could respond, Oz used his halberd to slice the spider open, more of its insides spilling out.  I looked up at Ezo.

            “Oh no.”

            “Oh yes.”

            He took off his top robe and wrapped me in it then hurriedly shoved me inside the spider.  It smelled beyond foul and was disturbingly warm.  I didn’t know what temperature something like this should be, but I never would have expected warm.  Ezo pulled the hood of the robe over my head and held me close against his chest.  I could feel the body move around me and realized I was feeling the others climb in with us.

            The spider stilled, but the ground did not.  Soon, we were getting bumped against and walked over.  I tried to tell myself it was just a handful of the things moving in circles, but I knew it wasn’t.  There was almost a rhythm to it all, like we were being marched past.

            Eventually, the sensation stopped as did the ground shaking.  Strong arms wrapped around me from behind and pulled me free.  I immediately shed the robe Ezo had wrapped me in and looked around to see tracks upon tracks around us.  With Oz’s ok, I went to the top of the tallest dune.  The tracks went wider than I could see and, miles in front of us, I could see a huge dust cloud moving away.  I shuddered.

            Moments later, everything was better as Ezo and Oz wrapped their arms tightly around me.  I broke into sobs, everything that just happened crashing down on me.  Slowly, I was able to get myself back together and took a step back to look at my husbands.

            Ezo looked like he was in his late twenties, his Okinawan skin a deep dark brown from the desert sun, his black hair cut short.  His almost black eyes were still as unreadable as ever, but I’m pretty sure he looked happy to see me.  And, maybe, a little worried.

            Next to him, Oz stood a few inches taller and leaner, but still a big man.  I don’t think I’d ever seen him with a tan his entire life.  Like me, he was always a little see-through, but here he stood, darkened by the sun.  It was weird.  His hazel eyes looked a little more yellow in this light, and his black hair was also cut short.  He, too, looked to be in his late twenties.  I looked between them and smiled.

            “So…I died.”

            “We can see that,” said Oz.  “What killed you?”

            “I was old and heartbroken,” I said with a shrug.  “The usual.”

            Ezo frowned.  “I’m sorry I died before you.  It’s not what I wanted.”

            “I know.  It’s ok.  It’s not like we really have control over that.”

            “How are the kids,” asked Oz.

            I smiled.  “They’re great.  At least, they were last I saw.  We won’t have to worry about them.”

            “Good.”

            They looked between each other in an exchange I had seen many a time during our marriage.  My eyes narrowed.

            “What is it?”

            “We can’t stay,” said Ezo.

            “Why not?”

            “We made a deal.”

            “With the Bitches that Be?”

            They exchanged a small grin then Oz nodded.  “Yes, but try not to call them that.  They’re kind of touchy.”

            “I noticed.”  I frowned.  “What kind of a deal?”

            “How many people do you think have died since the dawn of man?”

            “A metric asston?”

            “Right.  And this place doesn’t seem all that crowded, considering, right?”

            “I’m not entirely sure how big this place is, so that might be a subjective view.”

            He sighed, a little exasperated.  “It’s not as crowded as it could be, trust me.”

            “All right.  Then where is everyone?”

            “Most are stuck in that nothingness you first enter.  They got there, their chosen deity wasn’t standing there with welcoming arms, they froze for eternity in shock and despair.”

            “And The Powers,” said Ezo, “are more than happy to leave them there.”

            “Are we talking turning people into batteries here?”

            “No.  They don’t want an uprising.”

            I cocked my head to the side and smiled a little.  “So, The Powers aren’t as powerful as all that?”

            “Not really.  I mean, they are, but they’re not gods.  We haven’t figured out what they are yet, but we know they’re not gods.  They have limitations.  They need to keep people in the Nothing and keep the Willful out of their Sandbox.  And, because we know this and they know we know this, we’re dangerous to them.”

            “So you cut them a deal.”

            “Yes.  We’ll be their Judges and you and all of our decedents won’t be trapped or killed for being Willful.”

            I frowned.  “What do you have to do?”

            “Hunt down and erase the Willful,” said Ezo.

            “How long is this deal good for?”

            “Forever, at the moment.”

            “Forever?”

            “For the moment,” stressed Ezo.

            “What does that mean?”

            “It means what it means,” said Oz.  “For.  The.  Moment.”

            “All right.”  I took in a deep breath and let it out.  “So…what?  Do we have a house somewhere?  Do you guys have a work week?”

            “House, yes,” said Ezo.

            “Work week, we wish,” said Oz.  “We just…know…when a Willful has appeared and we set off to hunt them, the strongest first.  The only reason we’re here now with you is because you are the strongest Willful out right now.”

            “You were hunting me?”

            He raised his hands defensively.  “We’re just doing our job.  We don’t get a detailed description.  Luckily, they want us to do our work face to face to encourage the Willful to stay put in the Nothing or, at least,  behave if they get out again.”

            I nodded.  “Then where’s the house?”

            “Not here,” said Ezo.  “It’s on the Market plane on the other side of the mountains.”  Finally, he regarded Felix.  “You know where I’m talking about?”

            Felix nodded cautiously.  “I do, but it’s forbidden.”

            “Maybe for you.”  He looked up at the sky.  “Show him.”

            Felix looked around then back to Ezo and shook his head.  Ezo and Oz exchanged a glance seething with a mutual hatred.  Then both looked up at the sky and, in their very best unison dad voice said, “Show him now.”

            There was a slight clouding over then Felix focused on something in front of him that only he could see.

            “Oh,” he said.  “I can go there.”

            An ageless, sexless voice came into my mind and, I’m pretty sure, everyone else’s.

            :The jackal stays.

            I looked up at the sky.  “No, she doesn’t.”

            The sky clouded further.  I looked at my husbands.

            “Most Willful out, huh?  All right.”  I looked around.  “You called this their Sandbox, but I’m pretty sure you apply that to all planes, not just this particularly sandy one?”

            They nodded.

            “Fantastic. Once something is brought into the sandbox, can it be removed?”

            “No,” said Ezo.  “And one Sandbox creature can’t harm another.  Everything is here to discourage the Willful.”

            “Ah, I see.  That’s why jumping inside a spider is actually a good idea.”

            “Right.”

            I closed my eyes and found my will.  Then, I activated my imagination.  I could feel an energy in the air and started to draw it towards me.  Something tried to hold it back, keep it away from me.  I pulled harder.  There was a further struggle, but my opponent was working from greedy insolence born of fear.  I had no fear.  Just determination.  I won.

            Filling myself with this energy, I imagined a great bird.  A thunderbird.  Jet black with an impossible wingspan and, indeed, the ability to bring storms with it.  As well as an ability that no other creature in this existence could have.

            Wind started to whip up around me, sand blowing against my face until someone stepped in front of me to block it.  There was an earth-shattering crack followed by a downpour of rain and the flapping of enormous wings.

            When I opened my eyes, the storm had stopped and my bird stood over the corpse of the spider, its large slightly curved bill tearing into the meat of a leg and swallowing chunks of it down.  It turned to me, blinking down at me with its enormous black eyes.  I smiled.

            “Any trouble eating?”

            Negative shake of the head.  It had to have been at least twenty feet tall.

            “What should we call you?”

            The Thunderbird’s head cocked to the side then a deep, silky female voice  said, “Branna.”

            I introduced everyone around.  My husbands looked a mix of proud and worried, my brother and sister just looked all around petrified.  After the introductions, I bowed in front of Branna.

            “I hope we are well met.”

            “You freed me and gave me wings.  I am forever in your debt.”

            I straightened with a smile.  “I won’t free you to ensnare you again.  Everything you do with yourself is up to you.  The only thing I ask is that before you kill anything or anyone, you make sure they are of this world and not brought into it.” I turned to my husbands.  “Right?”

            Ezo nodded.

            “Also,” I added, “do not interfere with the work of my husbands.  I suspect they do not enjoy what they do at all times and, should you follow them, you may not like it either.  However, it is that work that allows us our freedom.  Until we can find a better way, we have to abide by that for now.”

            Branna nodded.  “Of course.  I understand.”

            Her head snapped up and looked in the direction the spiders had gone.

            “More are coming,” she said quickly.  “Please, find safety.”

Branna leapt into the air and took flight, her huge wings stirring up the sand.  She flew in the direction of the spider hoard.  I watched the distance as she circled over them, rain pouring down and thunder exploding the sky.  A few of the spiders leapt up towards her, but were unable to jump high enough to touch her.  They fell to the ground on their backs, shrieking in frustration.

            Ezo and Oz took turns hugging me tightly and kissing me deeply then shoved me toward Felix and Marianne.

            “Take her home,” said Ezo.  “Marianne being able to stay with you should not be an issue from here going forward.”  He turned to me.  “But don’t make a habit of showing off.  Bide your time.  We will come for you when we need you.  Understand?”

            When they need me to defeat The Powers.  I nodded.

            “We love you,” said Oz.

            He raised his halberd above his head and started to spin it faster and faster hand over hand.  Ezo knelt next to him on one knee and wrapped a hand around Oz’s calf.  In the other, he held his gun.  They were on their way to another kill.  Another Willful who was getting too big for their britches.

            Behind me, Felix was doing the same spin with his staff only he was able to do it one-handed.  The other hand buried in Marianne’s fur and I wrapped my arms around him, putting my head on his shoulder as I watched my husbands fade away.

            In the distance, between the thunder, dying spiders screamed.