SHEOL

15

The sun was scalding. The bright daylight stung my eyes. I had always been sensitive to sunlight, but this time it felt different; a bit hotter and a bit brighter than before.

"See, that wasn't so bad." The Window Killer chimed as he carefully held his pale hand over the candle's flame, shielding it from the light breeze.

I looked at him. "Well, we're outside. What do we do now?"

The Window Killer smiled a dastardly smile. "We go to the one man who is able to see you. Follow me."

We walked at a normal pace, there was reason to rush, but quick movements were sure to blow the precious candle out. Residents and officers alike passed us on our stroll, but nothing was said. I was certain that if they had seen me, they would have let it be known. The trek only lasted a few minutes, but our destination was something of a surprise.

"Ol' No Name's place?" I questioned.

"The one and only." He responded as he quickly rapped at his chamber door.

It took a few seconds, but the large door to his mobile home opened cautiously. He peeked his old head out and smiled. "Ah, if it isn't The Window Killer!" He said as if they were long lost friends. "It's so good to see you again! You make 200 years look like two months."

The Window Killer grinned. "Healer, if only I could say the same about you."

Ol' No Name chuckled. "Your tongue is as sharp as ever I see. Come in, come in! And bring little Toby with you." He glanced down at me and winked.

As we entered his abode, The Window Killer made himself at home by going through his cupboards and pantries looking for something to eat. He finally settled on some barbecue chips and plopped on the worn sofa.

Ol' No Name's was just as neat and organized as I had remembered, counter tops clean and tables shining. It was a far cry from Mr. Moonshine's trailer, which made the word 'clutter' sound pious.

"So, Window Killer," Ol' No Name sighed as he sat down in a chair next to his kitchen table. "How's The Control? Has anything changed?"

The Window Killer shrugged. "We haven't been able to do much since Shenandoah's forces have been secured most tightly from our last failed attempt. But, now that we've got little October on our side, we should have a fighting chance."

Ol' No Name shook his head as he stared at The Window Killer's flickering candle. "You haven't got much time, you know. You'd better hurry if you know what's good for you."

The Window Killer sighed. "I came prepared, I have four others. The reason I'm here, however, is because I need you to make contact with your grandson. He is our guide, Healer."

"Are you a doctor?" I asked Ol' No Name suspiciously.

He smiled and glanced at The Window Killer.

"Yes." The Window Killer chimed in. "He was a doctor in nineteenth century London. He's my accomplice."

I stared in awe. "It's a small world, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is." They said simultaneously.

I had so many questions. "Do you still practice medicine?" I asked Ol' No Name. I wasn't sure of what to call him anymore.

"Not in this realm." He said standardly. "I'm still in practice in Sheol, however. Though my techniques are rather primitive to those used today, I've been able to keep up my skills."

"So, Healer," I had decided to use that title, it was shorter and more of a 'name'. "You're a demon of Sheol, aren't you?"

He smiled a cherry blossom smile. "Demon is a strong word, October. I prefer the term 'Spirit'."

The Window Killer lifted his foot and pointed at the coffee table in front of him. A red candle burned on top.

I nodded my head.

"Well, Window Killer, let me call Kingston right now. He'll be waiting for you at the station. I've also got some things to give you to deliver once you head back to Sheol. Some information for The Constant, and some information about The Control." The Healer stood up and walked over to the wall behind where The Window Killer sat. On it hung a phone, an old phone, but a phone nevertheless. He punched in a few numbers and waited for the call to go through.

"So, Window Killer," I whispered, trying not to disturb the important call.

He licked the barbecue powder from his fingertips and looked up. "What is it, October?"

I leaned against the wall parallel to the one that held the phone. "What did you and the Healer do in the nineteenth century? Why did you kill all of those women? You don't seem like a bad person..."

The Window Killer sat down the chips and crossed his legs. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

I stared into his icy eyes. "Yes I would. I've believed you this far, haven't I?"

He shook his head. "It's not that you wouldn't believe me, it's more about how you'll think the reasons for the killings were..." He paused. "Most irrational."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure they were, but what's done is done. Just tell me what you two did in London."

He relaxed back into the couch. "The Healer and I met because I was a beggar and he promised a new life. He offered me a job, I accepted. That job was to seduce women and to kill them. He just wanted their innards in jars. I didn't know what to do with their casings, so I skinned them and hung the flesh across their bedroom window to dry. I did it so much, I made a rhyme about it, actually."

I was rather mortified, how a man could speak of people as if they were swine, and how he could kill in the cold blood with sickening little remorse, but I was addicted to his words. "What was the rhyme?"

He laughed, but was abruptly scolded by the Healer for making too much noise. "I'll try to remember, just give me some time."

After about a minute, you could tell that he had remembered by the look on his face.

"A slice down the spine,
Give it some time,
Drain, wash away.
Pick out the goods,
Loot like you should,
Before the light of day."

I chuckled. "Don't you think that that's a bit grim, Window Killer?"

He shook his head. "Compared to the act, 'twas but a nursery rhyme."