Possession 16: Graveyard Shift

                Tenshi lay on his couch, half asleep as he flipped through the channels on the TV. A storm raged outside with thunder that shook the very house. The teenage boy was numb to it, his attention somewhat focused on the glowing set before him. Friday night and nothing’s on…

                Rei stood by the window, looking concerned as she watched the storm. “Tenshi… are you sure that watching that thing with weather like this is okay? It may… blow up, or something…”

                “TVs don’t blow up, Rei. TVs are… well, TVs, and they work whenever.”

                The priestess gave him a dirty look. “We never had a device like that at my shrine. When our studies and chores were over, we would read. Perhaps you’ve heard of it,” she added dryly.

                Tenshi waved a hand dismissively. “Read if you like, but I’ll take the TV. They got movies based on books too, you know.”

                Rei shook her head and moved over to stand behind the couch, watching the TV with little interest. “It’s not the same…” Running a hand through her bangs, she looked at Tenshi. “You seem bothered by something.”

                “It’s nothing,” the teenage boy muttered.

                Pushing off of the ground, Rei flipped herself so that she drifted upside-down in front of Tenshi. “Tell me, Tenshi. Perhaps it is something I can help with.”

                Lying on the couch, Tenshi stared at the soft green eyes that watched him from less than a foot away. He stayed like that for a moment, but suddenly sat up when he felt his face going red. What was that about…Clearing his throat, he glanced again at the priestess. “I was just thinking… It’s been almost three weeks since we fought Kawari… Even with all this training you’ve been giving me, we still can’t figure out how to do the Spirit Resonance again.”

                Rei righted herself and sighed. “True. I asked Tobias after he carried you back to the shrine, but he only told me what he had said before. Something about having to sync oneself with spiritual rhythms.”

                Tenshi rubbed his forehead. I know I didn’t imagine those sounds…those chimes… I could swear that they were real… “And how come Tobias knows all that stuff about your clan? Is he a distant relative or something?”

                “Doubtful. I am familiar with all the members of the Kodamabatsu family tree. Our records go back hundreds of years, and all lines of the clan died out with exception to mine. Relation is impossible.”

                “Wow… you guys are very serious about history, aren’t you?”

                Rei smiled and seemed to swell a little with pride. “Of course. What better way to pave a glorious future than to study the mistakes of the past? We are less likely to repeat was has been proven to be destructive.”

                Tenshi nodded. Both teenagers were silent for a while, watching TV as Tenshi flipped through the channels. Rei lowered herself to sit on the couch beside the boy. “You know,” she commented idly, “there have been no new attacks since Kawari.”

                “Yeah. Think they’ve given up?”

                “Hardly.” Rei’s face went dark. “Tenma has infinite patience. He is waiting for the right moment. By now, the beast must know that you are connected to me.”

                “Maybe he didn’t care about Gouka or Kawari,” Tenshi suggested hopefully.

                Rei narrowed her eyes. “Or perhaps he is not associated with either. No, that’s impossible. Such demons do not congregate to one area without being watched over. And both knew who I was. They must be working for Tenma. He is sure to have many more followers at his disposal…”

                Tenshi shook his head. “No way. I’m not gonna think about that right now. This is TV time. Time to relax. No demons, no fighting, no close calls. Just… TV.” For emphasis, the teenager began channel surfing again.

                Rei looked at the glowing screen with distaste. “As you wish…” She was about to turn away when something caught her eye. Tenshi kept changing channels. “Tenshi! Go back. I think I saw something.”

                “It’s TV, Rei. You can see everything.” He began to flip backwards.

                The priestess kept her eyes on the screen. “Keep going… Stop! No, forward one.”

                It was a local news channel. A reporter sat at her desk, a picture of a person’s neck with two holes in it by her head. The words “Fact or Fiction” were displayed in large letters beneath it. The woman seemed to be in the middle of the story.

                “… be very careful,” the reporter was saying. “The search for the one responsible for these murders continues. Ms. Nai is the third victim to be found with puncture marks on the side of her neck this month. These odd murders have police wondering if there may actually be a modern-day vampire lurking in Kakidashi City. Citizens are told to avoid the area around Kakidashi cemetery, where the victim’s’ bodies have been found. Let’s go to our field reporter…”

                Tenshi turned the TV off. He stared at the blank screen for a moment before turning to stare at Rei’s pale face. “You know… this is your fault.”

                The priestess blink. “Pardon?”

                “You said that there haven’t been any attacks since Kawari. You jinxed us.”

                “You actually believe in that?”

                Tenshi gave Rei a level stare. “I’m talking to a ghost. I can turn into a girl. I fight demons. Is there any reason you can think of why I shouldn’t believe in jinxes?”

                “I suppose not.”

                “I thought as much.”

                Silence. Outside, the storm raged. Thunder roared. Lightning lit up the entire room.

                “You’re going to make me check this out, aren’t you?” Tenshi finally asked.

                “Yes,” Rei responded quietly.

                “And there’s no way I can talk you out of it?”

                “None.”

                Tenshi sighed and rubbed his head again. “Alright. But not tonight. I have a test tomorrow in math class. Tomorrow night, we can go take a look at the cemetery.”

                “Alright.”

                “Vampires,” Tenshi muttered. “Maybe this is just a joke. Maybe the murderer is just a normal serial killer.” I can’t believe I’m more willing to deal with a serial killer than a demon…

                “Then again, maybe not,” Rei responded darkly.

                The next evening, Tenshi leaned on the gate that led into Kakidashi cemetery. The dark sky rumbled, a warning that another storm was about to break. Tenshi shivered at the sound and swept his gaze from tombstone to tombstone. Not far in, the ground rose to a hill with a skeletal dead tree at the top. This place is giving me the creeps, Tenshi thought to himself. “I want to go home,” he added out loud.

                Rei stood next to him, watching the street. “Don’t be afraid,” she murmured. “It’s just a cemetery.”

                “With a potential murderer inside,” Tenshi whimpered.

                “Your news station said that the victims were found in the cemetery. It doesn’t mean they were killed there. Now, let’s get inside before the police make another round.”

                Tenshi grunted and pushed the gate open, slidding carefully inside. The hinges screeched from years of limited use. The teenage boy flinched at the sound. This place just gets creepier and creepier, he thought nervously. One hand clenched on the clothe-wrapped bokuto he carried with him in a gesture of reassurance. It didn’t help much.

                “There’s something about this place that really bugs me,” Tenshi muttered as a cold tremor swept down his spine. “I never liked graveyards in the first place, but this is just… This place is beyond creepy.”

                Rei glanced over to him with raised brows. “Oh? What do you mean?”

                “I don’t know… there’s a sort of… restlessness, I guess. Like there’s something about to happen and everything is waiting for it. I don’t know… it just feels weird.”

                The priestess smiled. “You’re spiritual awareness is growing, Tenshi. The spirits here are unsettled. Something has disturbed their rest, and you can sense that. Impressive.”

                “Glad one of us thinks so,” the teenage boy grumbled.

                Rei watched him as he picked his way carefully between tombstones. He’s still denying his abilities, She thought to herself. If he only acknowledged them, then he might not be as afraid…

Tenshi paused. “Oh man…”

Rei blinked and glanced at the boy. “What is it?”

“I just remembered! We left all those talisman-thingies at home!” Tenshi slapped a hand against his forehead for being so stupid. “Those were the parchment ones we made with the stuff Tobias gave us too! Damn it!”

“Watch your language, Tenshi.” Rei moved herself in front of the stressing boy and smiled. “You tend to worry far more than you should. We both have grown since our first meeting. The talismans might not even be needed.”

Tenshi leveled a steady gaze at her. “We’ve only fought twice since we met. Both times, I was almost killed. And you think we don’t need talismans?”

“A touch of optimism might not hurt you, Tenshi.”

The teenage boy ran a hand through his short hair. “Yeah, right. I’m optimistic. I’m hoping that this thing won’t show.”

Almost on cue, a shrill scream shattered the still night hair.

Tenshi let out a startled yelp while the priestess leapt into the air, scanning the grounds for any threats. She glanced up at the skeletal tree atop the nearby hill. “I believe it came from the other side… We must hurry!” Without another word, Rei took off.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Tenshi began to dash after her. Damn! That’s what I get for being optimistic! Why do these things happen right when you think things are going okay? “Wait up!”

Tenshi climbed the hill as Rei floated ahead of him. Once at the top, she pulled up short, pausing to gaze down the other side. A moment later, the teenage boy stumbled next to her, gasping slightly. “It’s harder to run… than it is… to float… you know,” Tenshi muttered between breaths. “You could have… waited…” Looking up at the priestess, he was surprised to see her face pale, eyes wide with what looked like somewhere between shock and fear. His heart seemed to stop beating. A lump formed in his throat. Swallowing hard, he turned to follow her gaze.

At the bottom of the hill, bathed in moonlight, were two figures. One was a man, crouched on the grass in front of a giant cross. In his arms was the limp figure of a woman, eyes vacant and staring, face frozen in an expression of terror. Two dark spots could barely be seen on her neck.

                What was the most frightening was the man. Tenshi could actually see a kind of shadow around him, a shadow that seemed deep and powerful. Slowly, the man turned his head. Two deep red eyes met dark brown ones. For a moment that felt like an eternity, Tenshi felt like he had felt when he first saw a Hell Hound. Terrified.

                “What… what is that,” he stammered in a hushed whisper.

                Rei’s response was quiet. Her voice almost seemed to tremble as she spoke, and Tenshi could swear that he heard fear in it.

                “…Vampire…”