Welsh Road (The Depravity Chronicles) (12 page)

“Are you able to
come to the house?”

Sure,” Anna
said. “We’re actually not far from you. We can be there in a few minutes.”

“Excellent,”
Anish said. “Make sure to bring Sam and Matthew along. We’ll need them as well.
See you soon.”

How did he know
they were with me?
Anna
wondered. But when it came to Anish, she stopped trying to answer those
questions long ago.

“Are the boys
okay?” Anna asked, realizing too late that she was talking to herself. Anish
had a habit of hanging up before she was ready.

“What’s going
on?” Matthew asked.

“We’re
regrouping at Anish’s house,” Anna answered as she shoved the phone in her
pocket.

“
He
needs
us
?” Sam asked with a light chuckle. “I think it’s the other way
around.”

“I think it’s a
two-way street,” Anna clarified. “It seems he has some evidence to add to our
own.” 

“I was hoping
this wouldn’t become an annual event,” Matthew added.

“You and me both,”
Sam agreed. He turned to Anna. “Do you have everything you need, boss?”

“I think so,”
Anna answered. “Let’s find Jackson and fill him in.”

“How much should
we tell him?” Matthew asked.

“I think it’s in
our best interests to go rogue,” Anna decided. “There are too many chefs in the
kitchen.”

“Agreed,” Sam
said. “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Jackson and his crew. You can keep me
posted. When and if the shit hits the fan, we’re only a few minutes apart.”

As Anna, Sam,
and Matthew walked toward where Jackson was standing and barking orders, Anna
wondered what kind of nightmares the next several hours would bring.

Nothing could
have prepared any of them for what the night held in store.

* * * * * *

4

Jena was
confident that the last twenty-four hours had been the longest she had ever
endured. Anish returned to the rocking chair across from her and smiled.

“I want you to
concentrate on the part of your mind that allowed you to move the coin,” Anish
said.

Jena immediately
began to feel tired.

“You are in
control, Jena,” Anish promised. “There is no lethargy, no confusion.”

“No lethargy,”
Jena repeated. She trusted Anish implicitly, knowing he would never lead her
astray. Amazingly, she felt her strength returning.

“I want you to
imagine that your spirit is leaving your body,” Anish instructed. “See yourself
stepping outside your physical self.”

Peace spread
through Jena’s body. She envisioned herself becoming two entities, as if she
was sitting on her own lap. Then she imagined herself floating, confident that
her spirit was in fact autonomous from her physical vessel.

“Well done,”
Anish spoke softly. “Now, use your mind’s eye to project yourself across the
room. Although your
physical
eyes are closed, your mind’s eye is
eternally open.”

Jena felt like
she had become a warm vibration of energy. She focused on Anish’s advice,
trying to connect with her spiritual sense of sight.

“
Believe,
Jena,”
Anish instructed. “When you have achieved your goal, open your spirit eye.”

“I’ll be
damned,” Jena whispered to herself when she opened her eye. Sure enough, across
the room from her was her physical body.

Anish seemed to
be aware of her success. “Good,” he praised. “It is time to take this to
another level. Now we must locate Nicholas.”

Immediately Jena
felt inadequate. Sure, it was pretty awesome having what was most definitely an
out of body experience. But to leave her physical body to such an insane
extent? She wasn’t sure she had that kind of power.

“You can trust
yourself, Jena,” Anish whispered confidently. “Proximity and distance are
physical limitations. You are no longer bound by these laws. To find Nicholas
you need only seek him out.”

Seek him out?
Jena wondered.

“Concentrate on
his essence.”

His essence?
Jena asked,
confused.

“Everything
about him that comes to mind when you think of him,” Anish said. “Visualize
yourself being next to Nicholas. Even though you cannot see him in this room,
you must trust in your connection to him. We are all interconnected, Jena. We
are held together by the tentacles of life. This bond with Nicholas is like a
trail of cosmic bread crumbs.”

That’s deep, Dr.
Hawking,
Jena
said.
Let’s stick to the basics, shall we?
She was impressed with the
fact that Anish could communicate with her while she was in spirit form.

“Cosmic bread
crumbs, Gretel” Anish said, smiling. “Can you sense Nicholas?”

Jena focused
fiercely on Nicholas. Images of him sped through her mind, along with intense
emotions and random butterflies. She felt so connected to him that she could
smell his cologne. Feeling certain that she was in the zone, she allowed
Anish’s living room to become fuzzy. As a new scene began to materialize,
something felt really
wrong.

Suddenly Jena
was consumed with terror. At the same time there was also a strange sensation
of disgust, like a strong odor of rotten eggs.

It is possible
to feel nauseous in spirit form?
Jena wondered, feeling frantic. She was
calmed by the sound of Anish’s voice in her mind.

“Don’t be
afraid,” he said soothingly. “No one can hurt you. You are safe, and you are
with Nicholas. This is very, very important. Jena, tell me what you see.”

Jena was almost
afraid to process the landscape before her. As she did, her terror became
almost unbearable. Lying on a filthy cot was the body of a young man. Jena
silently prayed that it wasn’t Nicholas, but she wasn’t sure if she had the
balls to go over to him and look at his face. As she attempted to build up
enough nerve to investigate, she saw a large tattoo on the guy’s forearm.
Relief struck her so hard she felt herself being pulled back into her physical
body.

“Leaving so
soon?” a voice said from directly behind her. Jena turned around and was astral
face to physical face with Nurse Poppins.

“So nice of you
to join us,” Nurse Poppins said as she clapped her hands together loudly.
“Welcome to my home away from home.”

Jena felt like
the Demon Master was looking at and speaking to her. Could this woman actually
see her? Why did end up projecting herself to this place? And where was
Nicholas? As Jena nursed the questions that were flying through her thoughts, Nurse
Poppins began tapping her foot loudly, giving a dramatic performance of
impatience.

“Young lady,
where are your manners? Your silence – and the stupid expression on your face –
well, it’s all quite rude.”

“You can see
me?” Jena asked, unsure if her words were even audible. “Where are we?” And
what role did Nurse Poppins play in all this?

“My name is
Nina, not Nurse Poppins,” Nina said with a chuckle. “I’ve been called many
things over the centuries, but Mary Poppins is undoubtedly a first.”

“I’m so glad I
can provide some original entertainment for you,” Jena retorted. She felt
grateful for her quick wit. Even now, in the midst of some really weird shit,
she could roll with the proverbial punches.

“Over the
centuries?” Jena asked. Just how old
is
this bitch?

“A lady never
reveals her age,” Nina said sharply as she shook her finger. Well that cleared
one thing up. She could read Jena’s astral mind. Nina took a few steps back
from Jena’s astral body, giggling. “Shall I give you the tour? Or would you
like to jump ahead to the main event?” Nina turned and directed her attention
across the room.

“Nicholas!” Jena
shouted, grateful that he was both alive and conscious. She quickly glided to
where he was standing. “Are you okay?” she asked him.

“Are you
stupid?” Nina sneered. “He can’t hear you, let alone see you.” She put her
hands on her hips in dramatic fashion. “Am I
ever
going to have a worthy
opponent? If the only gift you have is the ability to wander around on the
astral plane, then this is going to be easier than I thought.”

“Step back,
bitch,” Jena hissed. “My cup is overflowing with gifts.” She tried to project
an air of unwavering confidence.

Epic fail.

Nina cackled
with delight. “Your cup, eh? Does it overfloweth? I’m shaking in my shoes.” She
lifted her foot to eye level so she could inspect it. It looked horrifyingly
unnatural. “Oh, sorry. I’m shaking in my Christian Louboutins.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t
the fashion that was grossing me out,” Jena said. Not only was she stunned by
Nina’s flexibility, she was also slightly impressed by her knowledge of foot
fashion. At that moment Jena wondered if Nina was even human. Then again, lots
of women could do that thing with their leg, right? Like maybe a ballerina? The
image of Nina in a tutu was unsettling.  

Nina grunted
impatiently. “While you’re pondering my biological classification, and my
background in dance, let me give you a piece of advice, maggot.”

“Right, like I’m
going to listen to anything
you
have to say,” Jena hissed.

“Oh, but you
should
listen, my dear. You are under the false impression that I am hiding from
you. On the contrary, I
want
you to be here for the party.”

“What are you?”
Jena asked, ignoring Nina’s bantering.

“Wouldn’t you
like to know?” Nina laughed. “But the more pertinent question you need to be
asking is,
Where
am I? Now, back to the advice, free of charge. On the
house. Don’t get too cocky about your overflowing cup of bullshit ‘gifts,’ as
you call them. You
are
aware of the dangers of spirit travel, right? I
could sever you from your vessel, just like
THAT
!” She snapped her
fingers.

Jena was
beginning to feel like her cup had holes in it, springing leaks and quickly
depleting. Aware of Jena’s fear and gleefully feeding on it, Nina began to hum
and circle her and Nicholas in a strange dance.

As Nina indulged
herself in dance and song, Jena took the opportunity to study her surroundings.
Nicholas was clearly listening to their conversation, though she couldn’t tell
if he could actually hear her while in her astral body. She turned her
attention from Nicholas so she could glance at the altar, hoping there would be
clues to Nina’s plan. When Jena turned to face Nicholas again, Nina was
standing only a few inches from her.

“Boo,” Nina
whispered with a cruel smile. Startled and frightened, Jena drifted backward.
As she did, Nina lifted her right hand to reveal a six-inch blade.

“I love you!”
Nicholas suddenly shouted, distracting Jena and scaring the shit out of her …
again.

“Come and get
me!” Nina taunted, grabbing Jena’s shoulder. God, it felt so real, like she was
physically touching her. Jena wondered if she pissed her pants in her astral
body, would she piss herself back in her vessel?

Suddenly Nina
thrust the knife toward Jena’s throat.

Jena screamed
and clutched her neck, unable to breathe. Then everything went black. This
whole passing out thing was getting a little old. Well,
a lot
old.

“You’re okay,” a
deep, reassuring voice said to her. Now back in her physical body, it took Jena
a moment to gather her thoughts. Everything had felt so
real
.

“Everything is
fine,” Anish insisted.

“Everything is
most certainly
not
fine!” Jena declared. Her hands were still on her
throat. Anish pried them from her neck and gently put them in her lap. Jena
looked down at her hands, expecting them to be drenched in her own blood.

“What happened?”
Simon asked. “It looked like you couldn’t breathe.”

“That bitch
tried to cut my throat!” Jena exclaimed.

“What? Why would
Nicholas do that?” Trevor asked.

“No, not
Nicholas, you twat,” Jena barked. “Nina.”

“Who the hell is
Nina?” Trevor asked.

“Nurse Poppins,”
Simon said, a light bulb going off over his head.

“Oh, shit,”
Trevor said. “Did you see Nicholas?”

“Yeah, she’s
keeping him in some old house,” Jena said. “It was straight out of a freaking
horror movie. A massive altar, a few bodies lying around…it sucked hardcore.”

“Did you get a
sense of where she is holding him?” Anish asked.

“When I tried to
focus on where the house was located, a single image kept flashing through my
mind.”

“What image?”
Anish asked.

“Welsh Road,”
Jena replied. “And I’m pretty sure Nina planted that image in my mind.”

“Maybe she’s
trying to throw us off track,” Simon offered.