The Power of a Name

Part 11

Once the pain was manageable, he ventured back out into the city. He needed to find another job. It may be okay with simply taking what they needed, but he wasn't. He couldn't exactly go back to what was left of the group like 'hey, sorry the leader got possessed. Still want to be friends?'

No. He would start over. Again.

Please pick something I can help with. It gets so boring watching menial tasks.

"Sure," he sighed. "I'll try."

A few minutes later, it pulled him up short, demanding his attention.

They are here.

"I don't care," he got a few strange looks from other people shopping in the market.

You should.

"I don't."

He continued on, finding a job for the day while it was on edge constantly reminding him that others were near. He refrained from responding to it for most of the day until he finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Would you shut up already?"

The man he was working for gave him a strange look, "You okay kid?"

"Yeah. Just tired I guess."

"Well, I'd say we're done for the day. You can go home."

He took his payment and left. He could feel others following him even without it telling him.

We should leave. It said. I'm sure we can find work somewhere else.

"Not now," he rubbed his eyes. "I'm starving. Food first, we can decide that later."

He got food and sat at a table. "Why are you so concerned about the others anyway?" He asked quietly between bites. "Didn't you want this to happen? Having ones like you around so we wouldn't be alone?"

I thought so, but I misjudged the situation. It admitted. Those aren't free agents like me. They were called for a purpose. No fun.

"I'm surprised you care." He said glancing around the room.

That's when he saw them. The little girl he tried to save and one of the boys from the group. He froze. "No."

You knew what happened to them.

But some part of his mind had been holding out, hoping that they would still be the same people they were before. As he looked at them, he saw nothing of the kids they were. It was like looking into a distorted mirror of who they used to be.

He stood abruptly and left, not crossing their path. Maybe he should leave, there was nothing to keep him there.

He came face to face with the lead girl, the one who had shown him kindness and let him into the group, but she was no longer there. Something else had taken her place and it settled over her like a mask leaving her barely recognizable.

He couldn't breathe.

I told them not to do this, it sounded angry, at who he wasn't sure. He felt it rising, pushing closer to the surface. He pushed back, determined not to hurt anyone.

She cocked her head examining him. "You don't appear to be anything special."

He forced a short laugh, "that's right. Nothing special." He suppressed a wince as it shoved itself harder against his will.

Her brows knit, looking closer.

"Since I'm nothing special, I'll be going now," he turned to find the two from before approaching.

"Are you sure he's the one we're supposed to retrieve?" the boy asked.

"Yes, rather boring isn't it?" the leader said, reaching for him.

He side stepped her, "Come on, guys. I know you're in there somewhere." They're really not. "We can go back to the rest of the group and start again."

The leader seemed angry that he would dare defy her, as did the boy. The little girl watched him with curiosity almost as if she could see him wrestling with it.

"Listen, human, you will come with us--"

"Listen, thing, we're not going anywhere near the client ever again." In that the two of them were in total agreement.

"We?" the girl asked.

He didn't respond immediately.

"I'm leaving."

***Author's Note***

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