Terrible Friend

Chapter 19

Albert finally pulled into his driveway shortly after dark. He threw the truck in park and got out. He stomped around the to the back and examined the damage. There wasn't much. He had to look really closely to find a black scratch just above the bumper.

He patted his old reliable truck on the side and strode inside. It wouldn't have made any sense why but he and Beverly had already deduced that Kovach was involved somehow. This confirmed it, but didn't tell him why.

He sat down in his recliner and kicked the feet up. He rubbed his tired eyes and yawned. Feeling like he might be able to actually relax now, Jax started in.

<You gotta be more careful man! You coulda died out there!>

"You know their intent was to attack me, right? I just beat them to the punch."

<It doesn't matter. You really have to be careful Al.>

"Why Jax. You're immortal. Why are you so worried about it?"

<Because I'm immortal dumb ass. That doesn't make you immortal and I don't want to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere inside a corpse.>

"Wouldn't you just bounce into the next creature that walks by?"

<You really watch too many movies Al. No. I wouldn't just bounce into another living creature.  That's a possession and you aren't possessed, and it's not exactly how it works either. I'm bound to you. We share the same space in a different way. >

"So what would happen?"

<If you die, and Beverly doesn't know where you are, until she finds you or she dies, I'm stuck inside your corpse until well after you become dust.>

"What happens to you when I become dust?"  Albert was quite enjoying this part of learning how things really like a little too much he thought. It was interesting to him though, seeing how things really are from a different perspective always intrigued him.

<I'd be bound to your dust. I'd be inside every single fragment of it I'm more concerned with what would happen to you.>

"Well, that sounds better than being sucked back into hell. What do you mean what would happen to me?"

<You have a demon bound to you Al.  You would end up in limbo.  You would be not be going to heaven or hell. You are no longer welcome in either place.>

"Is Limbo so bad? I'm more of a reincarnation or no life after death at all kind of guy, so not going to a place made of streets of gold or burn forever doesn't seem like such a bad thing."

<You wouldn't be saying that if you've been to Limbo. It's the most terrifying place I've ever been to or experienced. I never want to go there again.  The loneliness clings to you like a wet blanket. Time stretches on for ages, and nothingness.  I'll take being stuck here any day over that again.> Jax sounds saddened by the thought.

Albert feels bad.  "I'm sorry man, I didn't realize you had been there, or how terrible it must be. I should just get some sleep.  We are meeting Beverly in the morning and I want to be well rested before dealing with more of that."

<Indeed. Rest well. I'll keep quiet so you can rest. I have some contemplating to do.>

Albert woke up early and called Beverly. She needed to know about that Kovach's involvement is confirmed. They also needed to work out a plan for how to stop the apocalypse. They only had four days left to do it.

He opted not to tell her about the fight on his way home last night until he was face to face with her. For some reason, he was more comfortable talking about the apocalypse and stopping it than he was about discussing a dirty cop with an attitude sending people to attack him over the phone.

He left the house and made it to the gallery without incident. He was relieved when he got there. The business of being followed and fighting in the middle of nowhere was hard on him. He didn't want to go through it again.

When he arrived at the gallery, Beverly was inside at the desk but had not yet turned the sign to open. She met him at the door and unlocked it to let him in. She locked it right back up after. She seemed tense.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

Albert sensed that something had happened with her since they saw each other last, too. He couldn't imagine what, but with the way things have been going, it could be anything.

"I mean, what happened? You are tense and look a little scared."

"Do I? Hmmm. Nothing happened. I did figure out some stuff though. Tell me, what happened that made you believe without a doubt that Kovach is involved."

"Well, I was followed from here last night. Then I was attacked, by a group of college kids. When I beat out of them who had sent them, they all said Kovach."

"Attacked? Again?"

"Yep. The necklace worked again though. I saw it all before it happened. It wasn't quite the same though."

"I really don't think it's the necklace, Albert. It doesn't work that way."

"Whatever it was. I didn't see it when I got attacked by the monk at my house and I didn't have the necklace. Last night, I had the necklace and I closed my eyes and saw what was about to happen, then it did. I'm convinced it's the necklace."

"You shouldn't use it to beat the crap out of people Albert. There is a balance to using magic. You have to be careful with it." Beverly frowned at him.

"It wasn't like that. Like I said, it was different. I saw what happened, but then when it actually happened, nothing was exactly the same. None of the punches were right and I didn't see how I got away this time. I avoided seriously injuring anyone even though that is not what happened in the vision, but enough to give up the information.

"Oh, so Kovach sent them to mess you up?"

"I don't know what he sent them to do. I made them wreck their car, we talked for a minute, I had the vision, and the fight was on. There were four of them. I doubt they were there to invite me to coffee."

"Alright, so maybe my idea isn't the best one then." Beverly bit her lip and walked to the storage room. Albert followed behind her.

"What idea?"

"That we should join the occult."

Jax chose that moment to chime in. <It's a great idea!> Jax was clever. <You just need the right person for the job.>