Page 28 of Darkness

“I’ve heard the name.” Or something similar. Recently, in fact.

“In the other realm, beings get sustenance from the world itself or each other.” Austen gestured to his surroundings with one hand. “Ether in the air sustains them. They don’t consume food as humans do.”

There went the whole “humans” thing like Morrisey had heard from the woman at the bar. What was her name? Jessa? Or Piper? Jessa and Piper?

Austen settled into teacher mode. “These kinds of entities from an alternate realm find they need powerful emotions in Terra to survive, to feed on, like desire or lust, as the atmosphere no longer provides what they need. In the past, pimps have called them forth to possess lovely men and women in the sex trade. The victims usually have no say in the matter and must do as told. Pity them, forced to perform a task they needed to survive while knowing they cost someone else their vitality. In rare cases, they share a host body.”

Host. The term seemed familiar somehow. Oh! In the bar. Hadn’t Jessa-whatever mentioned a host? Should he mention their meeting? You don’t know who you can trust. Maybe not. Not trusting anyone—ever—worked for Morrisey.

Leary took over the telling. “The realm in question is collapsing, pushing more beings to seek refuge here. The problem is they’re incorporeal and can’t take form. They must occupy an existing body, either human or animal.”

"What are you saying, the realm is collapsing?" This was some real sci-fi shit going on.

“Imagine waking one morning to find an area the size of Rhode Island simply vanished along with all inhabitants, leaving nothing but an impenetrable gray mist.” A flicker of sorrow crossed Austen’s face, gone so quickly Morrisey might have imagined it.

Wait a minute! “That man… thing… whatever, tried to possess me?”

Leary pursed his lips. “Somehow, you resisted.”

“My head hurt like hell.”

“Because you fought and were winning.” Austen peered into Morrisey’s eyes. “The entity might have killed you if I hadn’t come along. Or you might have repelled it. Somehow, I sense darkness in you. If you were from the other realm, you’d likely be one of the most powerful of them, so I think it was drawn to you and repulsed in equal measure. You have the potential for good or evil, kept tightly in check.”

“Powerful?” Good or evil? Sure, Morrisey was no angel, but he’d never try possessing anyone. Hell, most days, he had no desire to possess his own body. “What happened to that… thing?” Hadn’t Captain Gaskins mentioned a body in a morgue?

“Sadly, though it managed some healing to the body it inhabited, evidence suggests it found a nurse to possess and escaped.” Austen sounded too casual. “Someone made a mistake and took the body to a local hospital instead of bringing it here. The demon, for lack of a better word, would have faced banishment.”

“Banishment.” The hairs on Morrisey’s arms rose. “Wouldn’t the thing just come back?” What the hell was he saying?

“No. Its essence would have gone to the great beyond,” Farren stated flatly, as though his cryptic comment explained anything.

Morrisey looked between Leary and Austen, half hoping they’d start laughing. He braced for a “Gotcha!” They didn’t laugh. “How do you know so much about them?”

“From those like Arianna, who found themselves here through no fault of their own.” This time, Austen folded his arms, displaying a touch of defensiveness. Interesting.

“If you could banish the guy from the other day, why can’t Arianna go home?”

“Remember the vanished area I mentioned, the size of Rhode Island? The other realm cops send the guilty to the same place.” Leary paused for effect, then flicked his fingers in a “poof” motion. “Nothingness.”

Either Morrisey needed a drink, or excessive drinking took its toll. “How do y’all fit in all this?”

The stiff set of Leary’s shoulders eased. “We know about them, help those in need with the government’s full cooperation, and capture those who threaten society. Very few humans see them for what they are. That’s where you come in. Your attack woke something dormant in your mind.” Did Leary always have to talk so fucking loud?

“I’m not out of my mind?” Morrisey hadn’t meant to sound so hopeful, but really. At this point, he’d gladly take any reassurances.

Leary vigorously shook his head. “Not for seeing demons, at any rate.”

Yeah, the verdict might still be out on Morrisey’s remaining sanity. “My boss thinks I am.” Though Gaskins wouldn’t admit his true feelings. Not when he needed Morrisey back. Everyone else in the precinct would voice their doubts loud and clear.

“I wouldn’t worry too much.” Austen flashed a brief smile. “Around here, being thought odd is sort of a job requirement.”

Odd? “Really?” Eventually, the precinct would take Morrisey off leave—or let him go.

Like Leary, Austen appeared more relaxed now. “If we truly thought you’d lost touch with reality, trust me, you wouldn’t be here now. We researched your background. You’ve stretched the rules a few times, but in our line of work, rules sometimes have to be amended on the fly. There’s also the little matter of those who really would view the newcomers as demons and attack them for religious reasons. Are you a religious man, Morrisey?”

Morrisey didn’t even know any priests in this town. “It’s been twenty years since my last confession.” Unless one counted secrets shared with a half-full bottle of tequila. “What does all this have to do with me?”

Leary leaned forward, bracing both forearms on the bare surface of his desk in a blatant show of eagerness. Perhaps too much eagerness, given the scary intensity in his eyes. “We want you to work for us.”

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