II. Gods and Monsters

11. Face To Face At Last

Oli sat bolt upright as he awoke, finding himself on the bed in Carter's chapel that he had spent too many nights in. He had no idea how he got here or what happened, all he remembered was that cylinder bursting in through the window. Now it seemed like late morning and the sunlight cascaded through the stained glass. After looking around he found, thankfully, that he wasn't alone. Charlotte was curled up on a chair in the far left of the room, the coloured lights landing perfectly on her face; giving her the appearance of an angel (Having seen a real one only days ago, this seemed like an appropriate comparison). Oli watched her for a while, loving every second before finally snapping back into reality. He noticed his jacket was lying on a chair to the far right of the room and wondered why it was a) not on him, and b) that far away from both people in the room. Charlotte had a habit of stealing his hoodies and jackets whenever she could, yet she had let a glaring opportunity pass her by. Oli frowned, getting up and walking towards the door, his bare feet feeling cold against the stone floor. He slipped on his boots which were lying near the entrance and snuck outside, careful not to wake Charlotte. He spotted Carter stood at the foot of one of the many graves.

"Mornin' Bonehead," he greeted Oli as he approached from behind.

"What happened?" Oli asked.

"How much do you remember?"

"I remember up to the cylinder bursting open," Oli told him, worried by Carter's question.

"Well, let's just say you were exposed to something which means she knows what you are now and leave it at that..." Carter told him.

Oli looked down in dismay. He'd wanted to tell her himself and now she'd found out in probably the worst way possible.

"How many people did I hurt?" He asked.

"Don't do that to..."

"How many?" Oli demanded.

"No-one. You scared a young couple and roughed the guy up a bit before giving me a couple of good 'ns, but nothing permanent."

Oli shook his head. He'd lost control again, the last thing he'd wanted to happen. As he stared into space, his eyes focused on the grave Carter had been staring at. It read "Carter Slade 1855 - 1895".

"This is yours..."

"Should have been. But clearly, the universe had other plans for me. I was shot seven times in the chest in that year. Sixteenth of November to be exact. But for some reason, I got fused with my ancestor's soul and here I still am..."

"You're immortal?" Oli asked.

"No, just lived for a hell of a long time thanks to Hamilton. But my age will catch up with me one day."

"Hamilton's your ancestor I assume?"

"Was. He doesn't do much talking anymore. I worry sometimes that his spirit's finally taken its rightful place."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. He lived a long time, longer than he was right to if I'm honest. Our time always finds us eventually. One day this grave will truly be mine."

They both stared solemnly at the grave; each lost in their own thoughts.

"Now, I think you want something from me," Carter spoke, eventually breaking the silence.

"Huh?"

"You said you wanted to talk to that thing in your head."

"Oh, yeah.

Oli had completely forgotten, but now with the realisation that Charlotte knew what he was, he was more determined than ever to succeed.

"So?" Carter asked.