Arrows of Acid

Chapter 27

Ashalee shows Noah the article she'd read while he was gone about the near-possession of the lady in SW OK. It sounds interesting so they make plans to interview her. (Another article about the death of another lady (the one the Morgensterns possessed and killed) does not strike their attention.) Noah is thrilled at the idea of taking a trip alone with Ashalee, and vice-versa.

It was a drizzly night, the kind that, while driving it would look like a tiny galaxy on the windshield through the street lights. On his drive home from work, Wick and Tomtinker get into a heated argument.

"Is this like the time you told me my parents were dead? Or like the time you said the police came to your door with a warrant looking for me? Or the time you crashed my sister's car and tried to hide it in my garage and walked away like nothing happened? You actually made me believe I did it for like half the year." Wicky.

"It's nothing like that. This whole thing has been one giant cock-up from the beginning! That lady that got possessed and then 2 people are killed in the same region? I don't think that's a coincidence. I'm telling you as your friend, as your best mate, there's something not adding up. It's more unusual than usual." Tomtinker says during the argument(?).

"Ok, ok! Just shut up for a minute and lemme think," Wicky says. Tomtinker falls into a sullen silence. Who did Tomtinker think he was? Hadn't he apologized over and over for that stupid mistake he had made when he was a kid? They had both been stupid back then, it had just ended badly for Tomtinker. He could leave anytime he chose, just go in for processing and get out of his life. The more he thought about it, he got himself worked up all over again. He cranked up the volume on the radio and blasted his heavy metal music, Rammstein, one of his favorite bands. He put the track to Sonne since he remembered the German man from earlier had told him a lyric from that song. As the heavy riffs and operatics and the guttural growl of the lead singer rang out from his speakers, he began to think of the lyrics. He didn't really speak German, but he had googled the lyrics years back, so he understood what the songs were about.

There was a countdown of sorts, more like a count-up from 1 to 10, but it still made him think of a count down. Usually something major would happen at the end of a countdown, and the world was doing the counting in this song.

"A countdown for like a bomb going off...." Wick muttered to himself. He snorted. "I wonder if the Morgensterns are planning on blowing up the world."

It sounded absurd, but the more Wick pondered, the more it seemed maybe plausible. As Sonne concluded, another of the band's songs began to play, with more operatics and a full choir in the background. Wick's eyes flicked to the screen to read the name of the song. He exhaled sharply from both nostrils in amusement.

"Ironic," he thought, and shifted his gaze back to the dark road before him. The title that flashed on the screen was Morgenstern. He listened quietly while the guitarists shredded the melody and the lead singer totally killed the vocals and the gears in his brain began to work.

There was something about these two songs that were connected, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. He knew enough German to translate 'Morgenstern' to 'Morningstar.' He puzzled over it, his brain circling around and around something, feeling for a connection. He fiddled with the hi-tech computer set into his dashboard until Tomtinker got frustrated with his driving.

"You'll kill us both! Just let me do it!" Tomtinker said, every much as talented a hacker as Wick was.

"Sure. Look up (name) and the other 2. See where they work. Where they really work. I have a hunch..." Wick said relinquishing control to his friend. Tomtinker punched some keys and began reading. Wick mumbled to himself as Tomtinker searched.