Beyond the Veil

Chapter 22

I opened my eyes sluggishly, why am I so tired? Forcing my eyes open I took in my surroundings struggling to remember what happened.

I was caught…by that guy…he through something in my face. That’s all I remembered, and to be honest that scared me more than anything.

What a sec, where’s Al? Cole? I sat bolt upright, immediately being pulled back against the wall. I frowned for a moment at the metal cuffs on my hands. They gleamed dully in the scant light the hanging lamp offered.

“I don’t believe that’s a good idea. That graphite powder I whipped up for you is pretty strong.” The little man shambled forward out of the shadows, two undead towering behind him.

“Graphite powder?” My tongue felt heavy in my mouth.

He nodded, “Yes, graphite powder, you see Graphite absorbs electromagnetic energy. I simply put it into powder form. Brilliant aren’t I?”

I tugged on the handcuffs, earning a laugh from him, a high sound that grated on my nerves, “Persistent little ghostie aren’t we? Well I don’t care how much power you seem to have accumulated over the years, those cuffs are dipped in Graphite, you won’t be able to phase through them.”

I glared hatefully at him and he just smiled, “You don’t have to look so mean, I know you’ll come to like me in time.”

“I doubt it.”

His face twisted with rage, with a sharp crack that resounded through the room he back handed me hard enough that my head smacked against the wall, “I’m not someone you want to smart mouth, you’ll learn that soon enough.”

Tears stung the back of my eyelids as I struggled to keep them from showing.

It’s just like last time, I’m helpless, relying on others to protect me…I really am useless.

There was a metallic clatter as a tin plate appeared before me, “Eat,” He said gesturing to the plate filled covered with a mound of the gray powder that coated my manacles.

“Why?”

He cocked his head to the side and clucked his tongue, “My, my, my I thought you would be an intelligent girl, it seems I was wrong. I want to see what happens when you ingest graphite powder, its simply science.” He picked up a handful and held it forward, “Now eat.”

I shook my head no, firmly clamping my mouth shut.

His face twisting once more with rage he seized my chin and squeezed the points of my jaw forcing my mouth open. “Now you should know by now I don’t like willful guinea pigs, they mess up my experiments.”

The tears that had threatened before now fell freely, with fear.

What will happen to me? I don’t even know how that stuff works…

“Drop it!” Al shouldered the door open, scattering the undead that had blocked it from the inside. Cole, one step behind, slid by Al to dispatch the Necromancer’s guard.

The horrid little man screamed with anger as his minions fell, black fluid flowing from the wounds that ended their existence.

“What have you done? My research, my Experiments!”

Cole grimaced as he removed his blade from the corpse of an undead, black blood clinging to the gleaming mettle, “My dear boy, I believe your experiments are through.”

“No!” The Necromancer pulled at his hair, his eyes rolling wildly, “No! Not my research, I’ll have to start again, have to…” His voice trailed off.

He glanced up his eyes locking with mine, an empty smile twisting his face, “That’s right I’ll have to start again, and I can start with you.” He reached towards me and I flinched away, out of range of his touch.

“Lacy!” Cole and Al both yelled, both dove forward to try and stop him, I saw the glimmer of metal in my tormentors hand an instant too late to yell a warning, to stop them from saving me.