The Paladin Prophecy (28 page)

“So what are you saying?” asked Will, his whole body shaking involuntarily.

“We didn’t make it,” said Dave, and for a moment he seemed almost wistful. “Me, Digger, Fat Philly, the whole crew. And wouldn’t you know it, buzzard’s luck—two days after the best weekend of my life, when I fell in love on the white sand beaches of Nha Trang with Miss Nancy Hughes, Ensign First Class, US Navy Nurse Corps, from Santa Monica, California.”

Will had no idea why he said what he said next. “But you drive a hot rod.”

“Once you reach my rank, you’re allowed a personalized vehicle. After my chopper went down, I opted for something lower to the ground.”

“So you’re saying … you’re a ghost?”

“No, mate,” said Dave. “Categorically speaking, dead, yes, insofar as I’ve had that experience, but we’re still material beings. Or we
can
be, depending on the circumstance. Not a ghost. Entirely different kettle of fish.”

“What are you, then?”

Dave took out his cube; three-dimensional images of what appeared to be heavenly warriors materialized in the air before Will. “Neither here nor there, but somewhere in between. They’ve coined a number of terms for us down the ages: Wayfarers, Secondaries, Celestial Templars.”

Will finally took in a breath. “So you’re … not just a dead helicopter pilot?”

Dave heaved a sigh. “Let’s keep it simple,” he said patiently. “This is a high-priority assignment. We caught wind of it two days ago: The Other Team was looking hard and wide for a particular kid. One, it turns out, whom we had our own good reasons to be interested in. And
they
were moving heaven and earth—for reasons not yet entirely clear—to find him before we did.”

Will was afraid to move. “You mean …”

“I mean you. You may have chanced to notice this already, Will, but the nasties from the Never-Was are trying to kill you,” said Dave gently. “In the rare instances we’re allowed to tell the client who we are—and this is a first for me personally—they encourage us to use a simple term that you can better relate to. Common parlance. Even though it’s completely inadequate to convey the exact nature of our relationship.”

“So what are you, then?” asked Will, filling with more dread than at any time in the last two days.

“I’m your guardian angel,” said Dave.

Someone knocked softly on the door.

“That’ll do for now,” said Dave.

Then he disappeared.

THE OTHER LOCKER ROOM

Will unlocked and opened his door. Ajay and Nick stood just outside, wearing coats, hats, and scarves.

“You ready, Will?” asked Nick.

“Yes,” said Will, still numb. He stumbled past them toward the kitchen, and they tagged along. “Where are we going?”

“The Barn,” said Nick. “You’re gonna show us that spooky room in the basement.”

“Right,” said Will.

“I’m bringing some gear along that I think might be useful,” said Ajay, studying him. “Are you all right, Will?”

Will picked up a bottle of water and drained it. “I’m good. I’m fine.”

“You look kind of … sketchy,” said Nick.

“You look, actually, like you’ve seen a ghost,” said Ajay.

Good guess. “I’m your guardian angel.” Yeah, close enough. I’m in shock. Not a good time to be alone. Go with them. Stay calm
.

“Did you guys hear anything?” asked Will. “In my room just now? Like thunder, or …”

“No,” said Ajay.

“Okay,” said Will, and moved to the front door.

“Uh, dude, you might want to grab your coat?” said Nick.

“How would a person know if they’re going crazy?” asked Will.

“The usual,” said Ajay. “Hearing disembodied voices. Rampant paranoia. Visions of hallucinatory figures, often of an overtly religious nature.”

How reassuring
.

Will, Ajay, and Nick hurried across the commons, hands shoved in their pockets, huddled against the frigid night air. Will had broken out his new blue winter parka, wearing it over his fleece pullover, a shirt, and long underwear. And he was still freezing. The big clock atop Royster Hall said it was nearly nine, but the halogen streetlamps along the paths lit the grounds like daylight.

“I always fall back on the Robin Williams rule,” said Nick.

“What’s that?” asked Will.

“Seeing ninjas on your front lawn,” said Nick. “Totally dependable nutball indicator.”

“Why do you ask, Will?” asked Ajay.

Will wanted to say,
Because my guardian angel thinks an army of monsters is trying to assassinate me and we don’t know why
. Not exactly breaking news, but hearing Dave say it in so many words was a throat-grabber. Which left Will feeling he couldn’t decide which was worse: if Dave was real or imagined.

But either way, how much more should I tell these guys? If I spill the whole story, they’ll think I’m riding the express train to Crazytown
.

“No reason,” said Will.

“Have you been using that phone in your room?” said Ajay.

“A couple of times,” said Will.

“It’s possible that Lyle has some kind of scanner or tracking device,” said Ajay. “That could be why he decided to search our quarters. You should definitely limit your use of it.”

“I’ll do that,” said Will.

Streetlights thinned out as they reached the athletic fields. In the distance, the Barn lit up the night. A Samoan guard buzzed by in a security golf cart. He waved and smiled. They waved and smiled.

“Do the guards always smile like that?” asked Will.

“Try sneaking out after curfew,” said Nick.

“Eleven on school nights,” said Ajay. “Midnight on weekends and holidays.”

“What happens if they catch you out after curfew?”

“They politely escort you back to your room,” said Ajay.

“Unless you’re walking around with a severed head and a bloodstained chain saw,” said Nick.

When they reached the field house, Will stopped to examine the statue of the Paladin and the crest on his shield.
Fighting a horned demon. Coincidence? Maybe I should ask Happy Nepsted about monsters in the tunnels
.

They moved inside. Interior lights burned bright, but the practice field and basketball courts were deserted. The unsettling silence made the cavernous building feel even bigger. Will led them down the corridor lined with old photos of school sports teams toward the locker room.

Will gestured for silence as they entered. Lights had been switched off, so they flicked on their flashlights. With the room emptied of life, the air felt as cold and still as a meat locker. They walked past the shower room, where dozens of drips plinked and echoed onto tile. Their beams caught the white grill of Happy Nepsted’s equipment cage. They flashed their lights inside, glancing up and down the long aisles behind the counter.

“What are you looking for?” asked Nick.

“Nepsted,” said Will. “The equipment manager. I had a question for him. He seems a little … mysterious … by the way.”

“What, a surly dwarf who talks in riddles and never leaves the basement?” asked Nick. “Yeah, I’d say that’s mildly odd.”

“The door I saw Lyle use is over here,” said Will.

He led them to the door, their beams bouncing off the painted metal into the air around them with a ghostly glow.

“I never even noticed this was here before,” said Ajay.

“Let’s rock this joint,” said Nick. He barged through the door and slammed it behind him. Moments later they heard a strangled scream: “Oh, no, oh God, help!”

Will and Ajay threw open the door and rushed in.

“Nick? Nick?! Where are you?”

Nick flicked on his flashlight, pointing up under his chin, and his face popped out of the darkness in front of them. “Nepsted got me,” he croaked.

Ajay jumped back against a wall, hand on his chest. “You incorrigible numb nut. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Dude, no worries. I almost learned CPR once—”

“Seriously, Nick,” said Will, his own heart racing. “It’s a miracle nobody’s murdered you yet.”

“Yeah, I know, right? Now brace yourselves. Not sure you can handle this … ’cause it turns out we’re in a pretty horrifying … 
utility corridor
.”

Nick flashed his light around to show them a square featureless concrete corridor. A cluster of insulated pipes ran along the ceiling. A few feet farther in, a small jet of steam escaped from one of them.

“That must’ve been the hissing I heard,” said Will. “The room’s this way.”

He led them down the staircase and around the sharp left turn. They pointed their lights down the long straight passage ahead until the beams died in the darkness. Ajay took out his pager and pressed the button on it.

“This,” said Ajay, clearing his throat, “is a very long hallway.”

“The room’s at the far end,” said Will.

“How far is that?” asked Nick.

“I don’t know. Far. Let’s go.”

They started walking. A chill descended around them. Hazy motes of dust hung suspended in their light beams, lazy particles in a murky sea. Vague shapes appeared to float in the distance. Their lights started to wobble.

Ajay stopped and shivered. “I’ve got chicken skin,” he said. “Goose bumps. All over.”

“Ditto,” said Nick.

“Do you want to see this or not?” asked Will.

“Aye,” said Nick.

“So what are we,” asked Will, “men or mice?”

“Pass the cheese,” said Ajay.

“Keep going,” said Will.

“Sure, the way you can motor, what are you stressed about?” said Nick. “It’s Ajay and me who’d be dragged down from behind … and have our brains eaten by ravenous bloodsucking ghouls—”

“Would you please for the love of Mike stop
talking
?” said Ajay.

“Mike? Who’s Mike?” asked Nick.

Will continued edging forward. The others followed a step behind him. They kept their lights pointed ahead, piercing the thickened gloom with one united beam.

“Would anyone care to join me,” said Nick in a shaky voice, “while I sing the National Anthem?”

“The first good idea you’ve had all night,” said Ajay.

Nick quietly cleared his throat.
“Oh, say, can you see”
—his voice wavered, barely above a whisper—
“by the dawn’s early light …”
The others joined in, no louder than Nick.
“What so proudly we hailed …”

A loud metallic bang sounded in the corridor behind them. They stopped singing and froze. No one wanted to turn around.

“That happened before,” said Will. “That was the door we came in.”

“And that’s not a problem
because
?” said Ajay. “Because it shut by itself,” said Will. “Keep going.” They crept along again.

“Come to think of it, dude,” said Nick, “you never did tell us what you ran into down here.”

“You really don’t want to know,” said Will.

“That is, uh, incorrect,” said Nick.

“Yes, Will,” said Ajay. “Pray tell.”

“It’s … hard to describe. And even if it showed up again, you wouldn’t be able to see it anyway. Since you don’t have the … special glasses.”

“You need special
glasses
?” asked Ajay. “Oh God, I really have to pee.”

“How far do you think we’ve gone?” asked Will.

“A hundred yards,” said Ajay. “Maybe more.”

“You think we’re still under the Barn?” asked Will.

“I have no idea,” said Ajay. “I’m so turned around I’d need a compass just to tell you on which end my buttocks are attached.”

“We’re headed due east,” said Nick.

“How could you possibly know that?” said Ajay.

“I have a sick sense of direction,” said Nick.

“You said your dad was a wrestler, right?” asked Will.

“Dude, he won the New Hampshire Junior College Championship.”

“How many times did he drop you on your head?” asked Will.

“Wait. Your father went to
college
?” asked Ajay.

“Junior college,” said Nick. “For a year. And you don’t have to sound so surprised.”

Ajay took the school pager off his belt and pressed the button again.

“What do you keep doing with that thing?” asked Will.

“Recording intermittent GPS coordinates,” said Ajay. “I’ll use them to map the tunnel when we get back.”

“
If
we get back,” said Nick.

“You’re using the school’s pager as a GPS?” asked Will.

“I modified the processor,” said Ajay. “Reverse engineering.”

“Dude,” said Nick. “I can’t even figure out where they put the batteries.”

The darkness folded around them like a heavy shroud. Their footsteps echoed, every sound magnified in the endless void. Finally, their beams glinted off something that sent back a burst of light.

“What’s that?” asked Nick. “Is that a door?”

“Yes,” said Will as they trained the lights on it. “That’s the door to the room.”

“With any luck, a bathroom,” said Ajay.

“The room where I saw the people who chased me,” said Will.

“People were
chasing
you?” said Ajay. “Oh dear God.”

“Not just people. There was that ‘thing’ that only you can see,” said Nick sarcastically. “With your ‘special glasses.’ ”

“You didn’t say there was a
thing
,” said Ajay.

“Didn’t I?”

“I don’t know about you,” said Nick, “but I’m feeling
excellent
about this.”

They stopped ten feet shy of the door at the dead end of the corridor. This time no line of light leaked out from under the bottom of the door. They heard distant rumblings issue from somewhere, perhaps the old building’s ancient furnace.

“Inspired effort. Good show all around,” said Ajay. “Our work here is done. Let’s retrace our steps.” He turned to leave, but Nick hooked him with an elbow and stopped him in his tracks.

“Not so fast, Professor Plum,” said Nick. Then to Will he said, “Aren’t you going to open it?”

“Yes,” said Will. “Yes, I am.”

“Are you going to put your glasses on first?” asked Ajay.

“I don’t think so.”

Will stepped forward and gripped the knob. It turned freely. He took his hand away, wiped the sweat off his palms, and gripped it again. He opened the door. Their flashlight beams poured past him into the room, and Nick chased them inside.