Kindred Spirits

Chapter 1

     "Sister, move your ass! They're getting away!" Evening rush hour was blocking their way and the old beat up silver convertible was speeding away.

     "I told you; I hate it when you call me that!" She gripped the steering wheel tighter forcing her knuckles to whiten and look like they were on the verge of popping.

     "That's why I do it!" Lilith retorted glaring at her partner. "I'm trying to light a fire under your ass!"

     "And just where do you expect me to go? I have a soccer mom on my right," she said motioning with her hand, "and a hick compensating in his giant truck on my left." Suiko threw a hand up to the bridge of her nose to adjust her falling glasses. Lilith grunted.

     "Just – okay, like...just go! Cut her off! They're making their way to the exit!"

     "Oh, sure, just cut her off."

     "Do I have to do everything myself?" Lilith reached over and yanked the steering wheel and the green sedan earned another scratch as it scraped against the front bumper of the van. The woman laid on the horn and Lilith responded with a firm reddish middle finger as Suiko screamed.

     "What are you doing?" she screeched as she beat her fist into the crook of Lilith's arm. She withdrew it more out of annoyance than pain but still crossed her arms defiantly. Several more cars honked as they chaotically made their way to the off ramp. The convertible was fishtailing slightly two cars ahead and Suiko was grinding her teeth in frustration.

     "You're welcome," Lilith sneered. She adjusted her crimson necktie and shivered as the material rubbed against the bare skin of her cleavage. They managed to catch the green light at the bottom of the ramp and she drove across both lanes to weave towards their target. The driver looked up into his rearview mirror but he was wearing a black hoodie preventing them from seeing his face.

     "Almost got 'em!" Suiko exclaimed. She leaned forward and went around the car in front of her weaving temporarily into oncoming traffic.

     "'Bout time," Lilith scoffed as she double-checked the clip of her purple .380 Beretta Pico.

     "I told you not to do that while I'm driving!"

     "I gotta get ready!" Lilith insisted.

     "And if I hit a pothole you could blow my head off!"

     "And then I would finally get a chance to drive."

     "Last time you drove you killed three squirrels and a dog. And you don't have a license."

     "Collateral damage. Now will you stop him already?" Suiko fumed the air out of her nose before striking the left corner of the rear bumper. She braked allowing the convertible to twist and turn before succumbing to the force of the attack. It skidded across the oncoming lanes and through a small parking lot striking an old blue dumpster. When the coast was clear Suiko pulled the car around behind it and the two ladies hastily got out and moved towards it cautiously. As they approached Lilith aimed her pistol with her left hand and her right dangled annoyedly next to her. Suiko retrieved her steel gray Glock 19 Gen 4 from behind and had it aimed straight ahead with both hands. The stiletto heels of Lilith's black half-calf boots clacked against the gravelly blacktop crunching with each step. Suiko kept adjusting her fingers in wave-like patterns nervously; this was her least favorite part of a hunt, the not knowing what exactly they were up against.

     "What do you figure it is? A possession?" Lilith asked with an air of boredom. 

     "Dunno yet. It's not a demon; my crucifix isn't trembling."

     "Well we got that going for us." It was eerily silent for being a crash scene; the pigeons had fled and bystanders were still trying to fight traffic to gawk. The driver door flew up and a strong groan emanated from the figure tumbling onto the ground.

     "Hands up! We will shoot you!"

     "Alright alright! Take it easy lady!" the tall man grunted. He was doubled over in pain and hugged his torso tightly as he rocked on his knees. He slowly let go and let his long arms rise above his head which was still facing the ground and obscured by the hood. Even though it had been a chilly dreary day it seemed overkill to be wearing such a large black coat with a hooded sweatshirt underneath. Lilith began to look around nervously.

     "We need to move him," she said quietly as she slipped a cigarette into her mouth. 

     "Well if we're moving him don't you dare light that."

     "And why the hell not?"

     "Because," Suiko said frustratedly, "we're going right back into the car." Lilith sighed.

     "Fine." She stashed her gun into the front of the low waistband of her black leather jeans which gripped her hips and legs. She took the man's wrists and forced his hands behind his back as she brought him to a standing position. He moaned in pain but complied and Suiko lowered her gun. Sirens could be heard heading towards their location. "Move! The cops are almost here!"

     "I hear them! I'm trying. That stunt you pulled back there banged me up."

     "Yeah, well the next bang is going through your skull," Lilith shot back. She climbed into the back with the stranger and Suiko started the car back up. It fought her but finally started and she sped backwards before realizing her seatbelt wasn't on. "Forget it, Girl Scout; punch it already!" She hastily clipped it before speeding off down the road, flashes of red and blue reflecting off the rearview mirror. She held her breath but let it go once she watched them pull into the lot. She weaved through several side streets towards the industrial part of town stopping at a rusted old warehouse near the abandoned paper mill. With their weapons drawn they thrust the man inside the large empty building every move echoing off the metal and cement.

     "Alright, start talking. Who are you?" Suiko said gravely in a low voice. The sun had already set and it was becoming harder to see inside the dark warehouse. The tall man all but disappeared in the shadows with his dark coat and pants. Lilith also began to melt away; her white dress shirt with the top three buttons undone being the only piece of clothing readily visible. Their prisoner sighed as he turned his head to the side sheepishly.

     "They call me Babau," he said quietly. He turned his back towards them and two small red orbs peered at them from inside his hood.

     "Babau? What are you then, a, uh...you an ogre?" Lilith asked as she scratched the side of her head between her gray wide brimmed fedora and her ear. The man scoffed.

     "I'm a boogeyman, alright?"

     "Alright boogeyman, why were selling those kids sleeping pills?" Suiko pushed. He shrugged arrogantly.

     "Wanted a quick buck. What's it to you?" Lilith lowered her gun in defiance and strutted over with slow deliberate steps with her free hand on her hip. She stared at him for a moment before gripping his neck and effortlessly lifting him off of the ground.

     "Wanna try that again?" He struggled and flailed his feet as he gripped her forearm.

     "They thought it was ecstasy!"

     "I just said that I know what it was you were selling; I was asking why!" Suiko shouted. She pointed her gun down now that Lilith had him but she still griped it tightly with both hands. She focused on slowing her breathing; it was becoming too fast from how frustrated she felt.

     "The Great Black Bird is coming!" he struggled to force out between gasps.

     "Make some damn sense already! Last chance!" Lilith warned. As he thrashed his hood slipped back revealing a pale face that looked like the skin had been burned years ago. Most of its features were gone, or never there to begin with. He had no nose, just two small slits above where lips should have been. His mouth was almost like a flap of skin that rose and fell as he tried to get air back into his lungs. His eyes were small beady marbles glowing red and seemed to be dimming.

     "He's coming to take the children!" he pleaded.

     "We're done here," Lilith said coldly. She clenched her grip and he stopped moving. His limbs fell limp and swayed.