Page 26 of Darkness

“There’s long been a debate about whether we’re alone in the universe, but no one really questioned other universes. Or realms.”

There went the swooping feeling in Morrisey’s gut again. Nothing but something totally bizarre could follow such ominous words. “Okay,” was all he could say from a suddenly dry mouth.

Leary continued, “There are… entities living among us who come from different realms. Not necessarily planets in our galaxy, but from an alternate plane altogether. They may look like us, but they aren’t us. Some have abilities we’d see as magic. Others are vicious and present a threat to humankind.”

What the absolute hell? Did this have anything to do with Leary and Austin hearing the rumor that Morrisey could have a drinking problem? “And you expect me to believe that?” Someone had to be playing a rather cruel joke.

Leary lifted both copper-colored eyebrows. “Remember what I said. The God’s honest truth.”

“We’re kind of like Men in Black, only I prefer blue. I don’t wear suits when given a choice, either,” Austen added.

Humankind? Entities? Who said things like that? Morrisey glanced from Leary to Austen and back again. “Come on. Who put you up to this? Captain Gaskins? I get it. I’ve had a few shit months, and I don’t exactly have the best sense of humor, but this isn’t the way to get me to lighten up.” However, Gaskins wasn’t known for playing practical jokes or having much of a sense of humor at all, and he snarled when he said “FBI.” These guys likely weren’t on Gaskins’s Christmas card list. Was this some form of test due to the alley incident?

Leary pressed a button on his phone. “Arianna? Could you come in here, please?”

Several minutes later a gentle tap came to the door, followed by the slim figure of a blonde woman with bright blue eyes, but then… Morrisey jumped back, toppling the chair, and landing on the floor with an “Oomph!”

Her skin glowed pearl. And her eyes!

He scrambled backward until he hit the wall. Oh, God! Not here, too! From his spot on the carpet, he heard Leary say, “Thank you, Arianna. That will be all.”

Arianna oozed smugness in her smile. “Kinda jumpy, ain’t he? Bless his little heart.” She strode out from the room, chuckling. Scariest five-foot-nothing Morrisey had ever met.

What in God's name had he just seen? He sucked in a great lungful of air. Forget about making an escape if this was the person standing between Morrisey and the elevator. Pressing his palm against his chest didn't calm his pounding heart. What the fuck? What the fuck! What he’d just seen wasn’t as horrifying as the thing in the alley, but it wasn’t exactly human-looking, either.

Austen offered his hand. Morrisey reluctantly accepted the help. As before, a jolt trailed from his palm up his arm from where they touched. He yanked his hand back when he got to his feet under the guise of retrieving his toppled chair.

The sensation intrigued him before. Now it freaked him the hell out.

He righted his chair and dropped heavily into it before his legs gave out. "No disrespect to your receptionist, but what in heaven's name did I just see?"

Leary and Austen locked gazes. Austen broke the stare-off, settling into his chair with more grace than Morrisey ever had.

Morrisey scooted his chair a few inches away. The nondisclosure agreement made sense now. They should have included a clause about not running away screaming.

Then again, deep underground, just a single exit…

Past Arianna. Morrisey shivered.

Austen didn’t acknowledge the action, voice calm when he said, “You tell me. What did you see?”

“I know it’s a death wish to comment on a woman’s appearance, but she… umm… didn’t look quite right somehow.” Once more, with feeling, the tale that would have these two men smirking with their faces and giving empty platitudes with their words.

Between the deaths of Craig and Will, the attack, and the apparent loss of his fucking mind, Morrisey wasn’t in the mood to be humored. Nor did he care to be laughed at any more than he already had been.

“Explain.” Leary settled in for the long haul, hands folded on the desk. Neither he nor Austen smirked.

Morrisey stared Leary down. "Look, I'm sure you had no trouble getting a copy of my report since one of your agents was involved, but I'm already up to my ass in alligators and not interested in games."

Once more, Leary and Austen exchanged glances. They needed to cut that shit out. Austen acted as spokesman for their unspoken conversation. “Just as we trust you not to share any of this conversation, you’re right to expect the same of us. Now, let’s make things easier. Assume we’re fully prepared to believe anything you tell us, okay?”

As if. Morrisey crossed his arms tightly over his chest. “Even if I said your assistant glowed and had slitted irises like a goat?” At least Morrisey thought they were goatlike, not having seen an actual goat except at zoos. “Or how about a man shot so bad he can’t possibly be alive attacking me?” He massaged a knot of tension at the base of his skull. Just recalling the event made his head pound anew.

"What are your thoughts on myths and legends?" Again, Austen spoke. He sure got his words in now for someone willing to let his boss explain earlier. A blessing, given how Leary tended to yell as a normal vocal tone.

Which only amplified Morrisey’s oncoming headache.

A particular teacher who liked her students to read Homer’s Odyssey and turn in reports on Norse, Greek, and Roman gods came to mind. “One of my weirder teachers suggested there might be some truth in them, but we called her ‘Crazy Old Ms. Ferguson.’” In hindsight, maybe the student body had been hasty in its judgment. According to her, legends had their beginnings, and similar tales across different cultures suggested a link. Morrisey had paid some attention in school—especially when pouring far too much energy into an unrequited love for a certain linebacker—even if he’d considered the words bullshit.

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