Chapter 4: Neck Deep

“Is she going to be okay?” Max asked as he cradled Diane’s head.

“I believe so,” I said. “She’s been through a lot.”

“I know,” he said. “I’ve been there, remember? So, this is what you really do? Travel the world, killing these things?”

“I don’t travel the world much these days,” I said. “I settled in North America about the turn of the 19th century. I’ve been here most of the time since then. My territory, if you want to call it that, includes the Western Hemisphere.”

“And this is what you’ve been doing for the last 2,000 years?” Max asked.

“No, only about the last 800,” I said.

“What did you do before that?” Max asked.

“I traveled the known world. Learned everything I could. Exposed myself to different cultures. Spent a lot of time training,” I said. “I learned how to use a number of weapons. Even learned to fight using only my hands and feet.”

“How did all this start?” Max asked.

“It’s a long story,” I said.

“We seem to have some time,” Max said, looking at Diane. They listened as I told them the story I first told Noei, and they were shocked when I finished.

“So, when I first saw your daughter, you could have knocked me over with a feather,” I said. “She is the spitting image of the woman I was married to over 2,000 years ago. And on top of that, she’s regained her genetic memory.”

“I have so many questions,” Max said. “What do you do for money? How do you handle the IRS?” I laughed at that.

“Money is not an issue,” I said. “I earned quite a bit during my early days. Our benefactors invested it, made sure I would always have enough. They take care of all the administrative stuff. Granted, it’s become a bit more challenging in the last 40 or 50 years, what with the Internet and all, but they’ve been up to the task so far.”

“You said ‘our’ benefactors,” Max said. “How many others like you are out there?”

“Five in total,” I said. “Counting Noei.” Max looked at his daughter, shocked.

“Are you...”

“Yes, Daddy,” she said. “I am now. You see, I remembered everything from before. I decided I didn’t want to lose Arte ever again, so I joined him.”

“So, you’re...”

“Immortal?” she asked. “I guess you could say that yes, I am. I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but, yes.”

“And you’re okay with all this?” Max asked her.

“I’m a Celtic woman, Dad,” she said. “I belong at my husband’s side.” Max’s mother smiled and nodded her head in approval.

“The real question, Noei, is this,” she said. “Are you happy with this decision?”

“I’ve never been happier in my entire life, Nanna,” Noei said.

“That’s all that matters, dear,” she said. She turned to her son. “And you should be happy for your daughter, Maximilian.”

“I am, Mother,” he said. “It’s just a lot to take in all at once.” Diane began to wake up about this time, and we all turned our attention to her.

“Now we need to find out what she meant by more beasts coming,” I said. “Noei, is there anything showing on the tracker?” She pulled her phone from her pants pocket and looked at her app.

“No, nothing within a 400 mile radius,” she said.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, getting up. I went to the rented car and grabbed my briefcase. When I got back inside, I opened it and grabbed the other rings with the protection devices. I handed one to Max for Diane and gave one to his mother.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“It contains a device that will keep the creatures from entering your body,” I told her. “It works as long as you wear it.” She looked it over and nodded as she slipped it on a finger. “The others are for Karl, Arnold, and his wife.” I looked at Diane before speaking again.

“You said more are coming, Diane,” I said. “Can you please explain what you mean by that?”

“Yes,” she said, sitting up. “It wasn’t anything the creature said. It was more like what it put in my mind. Images, mostly. I saw hundreds upon hundreds of those things, digging their way through some kind of tunnel. It’s hard to describe.”

“I see,” I told her. I pulled my tablet out of the briefcase and fired up the communications app connected to my lab’s comm panel. Soon, I was looking at Svan’s face.

“Svan, I think we have a problem,” I said. I told him what transpired with Diane and his brow furrowed when I passed on what she had told me.

“What you’ve described sounds very much like a wormhole,” Svan said. “We’ll look into this, Steve. But it may take some time. The multiverse is a very big place, after all.”

“Just as long as it takes priority. I also need some protection for Noei’s family,” I said. “Can you provide me with a protection generator that can cover five acres?”

“Of course,” Svan said. “We have those in stock. I’ll send one to your location with instructions. You should be able to easily integrate it into their electrical system. I’ll prioritize your report and get back to you as soon as I learn something.”

“Thank you, Svan,” I said. He ended the call, and I put my tablet back into the briefcase. A few minutes later, a green orb appeared in the room, and after it flashed out of existence, we saw a small black box sitting on the floor.

“What’s that?” Max asked.

“It’s a device to protect your property,” I said. “It acts like an electronic fence used to train dogs. Only this one keeps the beasts out. I need to install this in the highest spot in your house where you have an electrical outlet.”

“There’s an outlet in the attic. I’ll show you where it’s at,” Max said. “Do you need help with that?”

“No, I’ve got it,” I said, picking up the small box. “Thanks anyway.” I grabbed the box and followed Max up the stairs. He opened the door into the attic and pulled down a ladder. Climbing up, he turned on an overhead light and took the box from me. I climbed the ladder and followed him in the small space to an outlet on the wall.

Max watched as I worked. I opened the box and put the device together. Once finished, I plugged it into the wall and turned it on. I fired up the display monitor, calibrated the unit, and then adjusted it to ensure the entire five-acre parcel was protected. Once I felt confident it was fully calibrated and working, I closed the box and looked at Max.

“That’s it,” I said.

“What happens if the house loses power?” he asked.

“There’s a built-in battery that kicks in,” I said. “It’ll keep the unit powered for at least 48 hours.”

“Do I need to do anything?” he asked.

“No, it’s a self-repairing unit. I can remote in through a built-in wireless unit if need be,” I said. We left the attic and went downstairs to find Arnold and his wife, Lisa, sitting with Noei, Diane, and Max’s mother. Arnold looked at me when we entered the room.

“So,” Arnold said. “Mother tells me the legend is true.”

“Yes,” I said. I saw him look at his crucifix, which reminded me of something I saw from a distance many years ago – something I never forgot and hoped to never see again. He seemed deep in thought. “You believe in the man on that cross?” I asked. He looked up at me, a wry smile on his face.

“Yes, it’s pretty much a requirement in my line of work,” he said.

“Some would say his story is a legend as well,” I said. “Born of a virgin. Spent his life teaching and performing miracles. Nailed to a cross. Raised from the dead three days later only to ascend into Heaven. Sounds pretty outrageous if you think about it logically. Yet you believe it, even though you never personally witnessed it.”

“Good point,” he said. “It’s called ‘faith.’ Believing without seeing.” I nodded my head.

“I understand completely,” I said. “But if one story can be true, is it not remotely possible that another could also be true?”

“I ... see your point,” he said. “These creatures you fight ... Are they ... demons?” I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “But I can see where you could draw that conclusion. There’s nothing supernatural about these things. But they are aware of our belief systems, and they have no problem using them to get their way.” He thought about what I said and nodded his head.

“I will pray for you and Noemi,” he said quietly.

“Thank you, Arnold,” I said. “I have a feeling that when all is said and done, we’ll need all the help we can get. Pray for your family as well, though.”

“I will, Steve,” he said before he and his wife walked out.

“Is everything alright?” Noei asked when she came to my side.

“Yes,” I said. “I think we had better get back. We have a lot of work ahead of us.” We said our goodbyes and left for the airport.

...

The next several days were busy ones for us. We trained as hard as ever, and I could see Noei’s skills and strength increasing daily. When we weren’t training, we monitored the creatures for unusual activity. A week after the incident with Diane, Svan contacted us.

“Steve, we have a problem,” Svan said.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It looks like the creatures are, for lack of another term, ‘digging’ a wormhole through the void,” he said. “It looks like your dimension is the target.”

“Is that even possible?” I asked.

“Until now, I would have said ‘no.’ But that’s apparently not the case,” he said. “It looks like they’re building up for a full-blown invasion of your dimension.”

“How long do we have before they get here?” I asked.

“At the present time, I would estimate maybe a month,” Svan said. “Perhaps less.”

“Any idea where they might break through?” I asked.

“Not yet,” he said. “But we’re monitoring their progress and should know within the next 15 or 20 of your days.”

“Is there anything you can do to stop them or slow them down?” I asked.

“We’re working on that now, Steve, but you have to understand something,” he said. “The medium that makes up the void is not an easy one to operate in. It’s not like outer space. Any attempt to destroy their wormhole here in the void could have devastating consequences throughout the entire space-time continuum. Every dimension would be affected, not just yours.”

“So what do we do, then?” I asked. “Wait until they show up here?”

“That may be the only solution,” Svan said.

“Can you get reinforcements to us?” I asked. Svan shook his head.

“I’m afraid not, Steve,” he said. “Just as you and Noei cannot operate in other dimensions, enforcers from other dimensions cannot operate in yours. It’s just not possible. And there’s no time to recruit and prepare more enforcers. I’m open to suggestions at this point.”

“I’ll give it some thought,” I told him. “Have you alerted the others?”

“Yes, we’ve alerted the other enforcers,” Svan said.

“That’s good,” I said.

“I have a meeting with the Directorate,” Svan said. “Give this some thought. I’ll be in touch in the next couple of days.” We signed off and closed the commlink.

...

The next day, I got a call from Ron Williams. I was surprised to hear from him and wondered if everything was okay between him and his wife, Sharon.

“Mr. Iverson, I don’t know if you remember me,” he said. “We met at the truck stop on Indian Trail Road.”

“Yes, I remember,” I said. “How are things with you and your wife?”

“We’re actually doing a lot better,” he said. “We’ve been seeing a counselor and things are looking good.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said.

“Thanks,” he said. “That’s not why I called, though. I hope you don’t mind, but I gave your name to a colleague of mine. He’s having issues with his wife.”

“Issues?” I asked. “What kind of issues?”

“I’ll let him tell you. He described some pretty wild stuff and I instantly thought about what you told me about these creatures. I’ve known him and his wife for years and what he described just doesn’t sound like her at all,” he said. “I told him I’d ask you to call him. Could you do that for me, please?”

“Sure,” I said. I wrote down the man’s name and number as Ron gave it to me.

“Thanks,” he said when we ended the conversation. I called the number Ron gave me.

“Bob Wright,” a man said when he answered.

“Mr. Wright, my name is Steve Iverson, and I just heard from a friend of yours, Ron Williams. He suggested I call you,” I said.

“Oh, thank God,” he said. “I hope you can help me out.”

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“It’s my wife,” he said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her, but she’s changed. And she’s making my life a living hell.”

“This change,” I began. “Was it gradual or did it happen all of a sudden?”

“It was a sudden change,” he said. “She went out one Friday for a girl’s night out, and came home completely different.”

“What do you mean, different?” I asked.

“I know this will probably sound crazy, but it’s like she’s been possessed by something,” he said.

“It doesn’t sound crazy to me at all,” I said. “But how is she different?”

“Well for starters, she brings home a different man almost every day,” he said. “She has sex with him in our bed and makes me watch.”

“How does she do that?” I asked. “Force you, that is?”

“Somehow, she’s become exceptionally strong,” he said. “She literally just picks me up and carries me up the stairs into our bedroom, then ties me into a chair. I try to fight her off, but it does no good. I don’t know where she got that from.” I had seen cases where the creatures had given their hosts incredible strength, but that didn’t happen very often. “But that’s not all.”

“What else have you noticed?” I asked.

“It’s almost as if her whole face changes sometimes,” he said. “I don’t even recognize her anymore.”

“Why don’t you just call the cops or get a restraining order?” I asked.

“Yeah right,” he said. “You honestly think the cops would believe me if I told them my wife just picked me up and forced me to watch her fuck some asshole? I’d be a laughingstock.” I had to admit, he had a good point there.

“Why not just divorce her?” I asked.

“I thought about that. She just laughed in my face when I said that. She’s a divorce lawyer and she’d rip me to shreds in court,” he said.

“Where does your wife work?” I asked. He gave me the name and address of her firm, and I requested Noei look it up on the tracker. “Hang on a second,” I told him as I watched Noei do her thing. She zoomed in on the Long Beach address he gave me. The tracker picked up one of the creatures, and Noei put that information on another monitor.

“Is your wife’s name Beverly?” I asked.

“Yes, it is,” he said. I decided to have Noei book a flight and reserve a hotel room for us, but she was already ahead of me.

“There’s a flight for Long Beach leaving here in three hours,” she said. “We can be there at 6:45 pm local time.”

“Book it,” I said. She nodded her head and made the arrangements for us.

“Can you meet us at the Long Beach airport at 6:45 this afternoon?” I asked Bob.

“I’ll be there,” he said. “Thank you so much, Mr. Iverson. You have no idea how much this means to me.” I gave him the details of the flight and ended the call. We packed our things and went to the airport. Soon, we were on our way to Long Beach, California.

Bob Wright met us at the airport as we gathered our luggage. We couldn’t miss him – he was holding a sign with my name. We introduced ourselves, then followed him to his car, where we stowed our luggage. There wasn’t much, just a suitcase and two overnight bags. Our transectors and tracking devices were in the suitcase, so we grabbed those before getting in his car.

I had Bob take us to a restaurant where we could grab something to eat. I had an ulterior motive – besides filling my belly, that is. I wanted to face this man as he told us his story. Like Ron, Bob was into investments, but unlike Ron, Bob worked primarily out of his house. He told us his wife usually went out almost every night and would show up at their house about 8:00 or so with her flavor of the day.

“Tell us about your marriage,” I said. Bob gave us the Reader’s Digest version of his marriage to Beverly. According to him, they married young – right after he finished college. He went to work for an investment company and supported Beverly as she completed her law degree.

They had two children – twins – both of whom were now out of the house and attending college at UC Berkeley, on Bob’s dime, naturally. Beverly finished her law degree and went to work at a prestigious legal firm in town, where she specialized in family law. Between the two of them, they made good money and had even talked about retiring early.

Then he noticed the change in his wife – it was almost like a switch had been thrown inside her, Bob said. She was a completely different person, putting him down every chance she got and treating him like a servant.

Making matters worse, she began bringing men into the house. Most of the time, it was just one man, but sometimes, there was more. One night, she brought five men home and spent an entire weekend screwing all of them in the marital bed, making Bob watch.

When Bob first refused her demands, he said, she literally picked him up and flung him over shoulders, carrying him into the bedroom where she tied him down into a chair to make him watch. He tried fighting her off, but, he added, she was just too strong to overcome.

“When did you notice the change in your wife?” I asked.

“About two months ago,” he said. Two months – which meant the beast had completely taken over his wife.

“Two months?” I asked, just to clarify what he said.

“Maybe a little more than two months, but yeah,” he said. “Does that make a difference?”

“Possibly,” I said. “Let me explain. From what you’ve described, it sounds like your wife has been, for lack of a better word, possessed.”

“Whoa,” he said, holding up his hands. “You mean, by a demon or something?”

“Not a demon,” I said. “But by something. It’s a creature that feeds off desires, amplifies them, feeds them back. Justifies them in her mind. In your wife’s case, it sounds as if the thing has taken your wife’s body over completely.”

“Can you get it out of her?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “But it’s possible the damage done to your wife is too great for her to recover.”

“How do you feel about your wife right now?” Noei asked. He snorted as he considered the question.

“Seriously?” he asked. “To tell you the truth, right now, I hate the bitch. Sorry for my language.”

“That’s alright,” Noei said. “I understand. What do you plan to do?”

“I intend to divorce her,” Bob said. “But right now, I just want to live in my own house in peace. Right now, I don’t feel safe with her around. There’s no telling what she’ll do or when she’ll do it. You don’t know what it’s like.” We heard a phone buzzing and watched as Bob pulled out his cell. He looked at the number, then at us. “It’s her. Hang on.”

“Where the fuck are you?” we heard a woman’s voice scream from his phone after he answered. “You know you’re supposed to be home when I get here. It’s after 8:00 and you’re not here.”

“I’m with a couple of potential clients right now,” Bob said.

“You’d better get your ass home right fucking now if you know what’s good for you, cuck,” we heard the woman scream. Bob ended the call and put his phone back into his pocket.

“Well, you heard the bitch,” he said.

“Is she always like that?” Noei asked.

“Yeah,” Bob said. “It’s like that all the time now.”

“Alright Bob,” I said. “Here’s what’s going to happen.” I laid out the basic plan for him and told him he would probably see things that might be difficult for him to process. “Hopefully, your wife will recover, but she’s going to need your support.” He shook his head.

“I honestly don’t know if I can do that,” he said. “But I’ll try.” We left the restaurant and went to Bob’s house. Following the plan, Bob entered the house first. We were behind him, transectors in hand. Beverly was on her knees, naked, sucking her latest lover’s cock. She looked up at Bob when he walked in.

“It’s about damn time you got here, cuck,” she snarled as she stood up. “When I tell you to be home at 8:00, I damn well mean it. Now, strip and go up to your chair.”

“No,” Bob said. Beverly stood up and grabbed Bob by the throat.

“What did you say to me, you worthless little worm?” she screeched.

“I said, no,” he told her. She looked behind Bob and saw the two of us. Her eyes grew wide, and she threw Bob across the room like a rag doll. He ended up on the couch after his head slammed against the rock wall in his living room.

“What have we here?” Beverly asked. We brought our transectors up and activated them. The flames from our electronic blades lit up the room. Her lover pulled his pants up and walked to Beverly’s side.

“What the fuck is this?” he asked.

“Get. OUT!” I commanded. Beverly laughed, and her lover just smirked at me. Oh, well, I thought. I gave him a chance to get away unscathed.

“Do you know who we have here, Rick?” Beverly asked her lover.

“No, who?” Rick asked in response.

“This is the Celt. And his little wifey-poo. I’ve waited a long time for this,” Beverly said.

“Want me to kick their asses? I know karate,” Rick said.

“Shut up, little man,” the Beverly-Beast said. “These two would cram your karate right back down your throat. Stand aside.” She pushed Rick away and faced me. “I’ve sucked about all of the life-force out of this being. Soon, I’ll be sucking yours, Celt.”

“I think not, beast,” I said, raising my transector. Noei raised hers with me, and we struck at the same time. But something happened. Instead of going through the creature as expected, our transectors seemed ... stuck. We pulled back as hard as we could to disengage the electronic blades from the beast and finally got them out. The Beverly-Beast laughed as we stood back, confused.

“What, don’t you like the new and improved version, Celt?” the Beverly-Beast asked before laughing maniacally. Then she appeared to grow and rise up before us. It was almost as if she was growing before our eyes, but then I realized what was happening. Rick’s eyes grew wide as he watched the scene before him.

The beast was extricating itself from Beverly’s body. I saw its thick legs appear, then its coiled tail. The long snout of the beast’s head appeared above Beverly’s head, tendrils of smoke oozing from its wide nostrils.

Beverly’s face changed. No longer cold, hard and cruel, she looked at us with fear. She turned her head and saw Bob, still unconscious on the couch.

“Please,” she begged. “Help ... me.” Noei saw the tail begin to unfurl and pushed Rick out of the way, but it was too late. The creature’s tail whipped around to strike Rick, but Noei put her body in front of him and was struck hard on her right shoulder.

The end of the tail whipped around Noei and struck Rick’s head, sending him back against the wall, where he fell. Noei fell down as well and nearly dropped her transector. She was dazed but alive. I saw the tail start to whip back in the opposite direction to strike me, but I hit first.

“SEMPER INVICTUS!” I screamed as I lunged forward, running the transector through Beverly and into the creature’s heart. I saw the beast’s eyes grow wide and knew I had hit the magic spot. I twisted the handle of my transector, hoping that would be enough to break the hard casing around the thing’s heart.

I heard the crack of the thing’s heart casing and detected the rotten-egg smell that indicated the thing’s heart had been destroyed. It looked at me with wide, bloodshot eyes.

“Your day is coming soon, Celt,” it screamed before disappearing in a puff of acrid smoke. Beverly’s nude body fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. I handed Noei a packet of powder from my jacket then checked her heartbeat as Noei went to get some water.

Feeling a faint but steady heartbeat, I put her feet on a pillow and quickly checked Bob and Rick. They were alive but shaken. Bob rubbed his head as he began to come around.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Head hurts like hell, but I think I’ll be alright,” he said. I looked at Beverly and saw her trembling on the floor. By then, Noei had returned and tried to get Beverly to drink. I knew she needed medical attention quickly.

“She’s going into some kind of arrest,” Noei said.

“Call 911,” I told Bob. “Your wife is dying.”

“Let the cunt die,” Bob snarled. I grabbed him by the collar and got in his face.

“She may be a cunt, but she’s still your wife and your responsibility,” I said. “Call 911 – NOW!” Bob nodded his head.

“Alright, alright,” he said, making his way to the phone. I went to Rick and saw he was dazed but alive. I went back to Noei and Beverly, and Noei looked at me, concerned.

“Is she going to make it?” Noei asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. I could tell Beverly was scared when she looked up at us. Her color was off, and she felt cool to the touch. Beads of sweat dropped off her forehead. Bob stood by us and looked down at his wife, and I could see the hatred on his face.

“I called 911,” he said. “They’re sending an ambulance.” Beverly looked at her husband, tears falling down her face.

“I’m ... so sorry, Bob,” she croaked. “I couldn’t stop it. I tried, but it was too strong. Please, don’t hate me.” By now, Rick was on his feet and stood next to us. Beverly looked at him, confused. “Who are you?” she asked.

“Rick,” he said. “You picked me up at the club, remember?”

“No, I don’t remember,” she said. “I think you should leave.” He looked at us for a bit, confused and shaken.

“You people are all fucking weird, you know that?” he asked.

“I think you should do as the lady says,” I told him. “And forget what you saw here tonight.”

“Hey, I didn’t see shit,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m outta here.” With that, he picked up his shirt and left the house.

“I think we need to go as well,” I said, handing Bob the glass of water Noei brought from the kitchen. Noei used that as her cue to call for an Uber. “Make sure Beverly drinks all of this. It’ll help her. You might want to get something to cover her up with. Are you gonna be alright?”

“I’ll manage,” he said.

“I suggest the two of you see a counselor,” I said. “You’re gonna need help getting through this.”

“You got that right,” Bob said. “Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get through this.”

“I understand,” I said, handing him my card. “Call me if you have any questions. And keep us informed on your progress.”

“I will,” he said. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” I said.

“Uber will be here in about five minutes,” Noei said. “I asked them to pick us up at the corner.” We said our goodbyes, grabbed our luggage from Bob’s car, and walked to the corner.

“How are you feeling?” I asked when we got to the corner.

“Shoulder is sore,” she said. I looked and saw the beginning of an angry bruise.

“Hang on,” I said. I clapped my hands and began rubbing them together. After a few moments, I placed my hands on her shoulder. She gasped when I did that.

“Oh, that feels so good,” she said as the heat from my palms worked into her muscles. “Where did you learn to do that?”

“A long time ago, when I was in Japan,” I said. “Feel better?”

“You know it,” she said. “Please, do that again.” I repeated the treatment and got the same response from her.

“When we get to the hotel, I’ll put a warm washcloth on it,” I said.

“Thank you,” she said. “That thing really packed a wallop.”

“Yes, it did,” I said. “The creature wasn’t all the way out of Beverly’s body, so it could’ve been a whole lot worse. That was a very brave thing you did, protecting Rick like that.”

“Well, he may have been an asshole, but I didn’t want to see him shredded by that thing. Is it just me, or was there something different about that creature?” she asked.

“There was definitely something different about it,” I said. “We’ll need to talk to Svan about this when we get back.”

“Do you think Bob and Beverly will be okay?” Noei asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” I said. “Bob is very angry with her right now. And I don’t blame him.” The Uber stopped at the corner, and we got inside. We looked back and saw an ambulance had just pulled up to Bob’s house.

When we got to the hotel, we paid the driver, grabbed our luggage, and checked into our room. I took note of a small shop in the hotel lobby and later went to get some cream for Noei’s shoulder. I ministered to her shoulder and held her that night.

I got a call from Bob the following day before our flight left. Beverly was doing better after a good night’s sleep. According to Bob, she had gone into shock, and her body chemistry was entirely out of whack.

“Doctor said if she hadn’t been brought in, she probably wouldn’t have made it through the night,” Bob said. “They’re keeping her for a day or two to make sure she’s stable.”

“I’m glad she’s doing better,” I said. “How are things between you?”

“Rough,” Bob said. “She tells me she didn’t have any control over what she did, and claims she doesn’t remember everything. I don’t know what to believe. Anyway, I’ll stay with her until I know she’s 100 percent. We’ll see what happens after that.”