Smoke & Silver

A chorus of screams and wails came from the ballroom. It sounded like run-of-the-mill fear to me, but I wasn't sure. I reached back into my pocket so that I could use the light from the phone as a flashlight.

The battery was dead. It was about as useful as a brick. I shoved it back into my pocket for the second time in as many minutes and ran toward the ballroom.

A dull glow emanated from the center of the bound employees, leaving John and Isaac backlit between them and where I stood. They seemed to have halos where the light caught in the flyaway strands of their hair.

"Georgia, get out of here." Isaac said, his voice low. His back remained to me.

"No way in hell."

"That's what I'm afraid is about to happen and we're going to need some help. Back out of the room, now."

The adrenaline in my veins burned out the terror, and I had to fight myself every step that I took to get back to the hallway. I didn't know what I could do, but damnit. There had to be something.

I heard Isaac's soft, clear voice begin calling out in Latin. I recognized it as the exorcism ritual we'd all learned but never had any reason to use. I couldn't remember any of the words, but it was familiar enough to me. I ran back to his library, looking for his little shoe box of herbs, charms, and dusts. They were alone in there, and I could at least fetch some supplies.

Scrambling through the box as quickly as I could, I grabbed a vial of holy water and a shaker of salt. There was a small bundle of stick incense tucked into a crease, so I picked that up too. I stuck the wooden end in the corner of my mouth and lit it like a cigarette, watching the smoke curl toward the ceiling. The smell was strong, reminding me of the clove cigarettes I smoked during a phase in my younger days.

I hurried back to the ballroom, keeping my eyes down and handing the supplies off to John, who had joined in the chant.

"I'll be back." I whispered. He nodded, not breaking the litany.

I went back to the box again, fumbling through it once more. There wasn't enough here for what I needed to do, so I ran to the kitchen. I knew it would have the simple things I wanted, but in larger quantities. I said a prayer thanking a god few people believed in anymore as I shook salt, cloves, and anise into a bowl. I added in the powdered angelica root and the Valerian root that I'd nicked from the box and stirred, chanting something of my own. It'd been a while since I'd tried to do anything big like this. I wasn't sure if I still had it in me.

We'd just have to see.

I took my bowl of dust and salt and prayer back to the ballroom. The light within had turned a sickly yellow and was dimmer than before. Isaac and John's voices were raised and sounded powerful as they echoed in the large chamber. Something formless and dangerous lurked in the middle of the ring that was made of the bound ankles of Isaac's household help. A gentle, pervasive whisper slithered into my head.

"I can give you money," it promised, "I can give you love. I can give you anything you have ever dreamed. You could be free from worry until the end of your days. Vinnie Rocco will never cross your path again." The voice hissed every sibilant.

Isaac flicked the vial of holy water toward the center of the circle just then. A sizzling sound and the faintest scent of burning meat followed. Then a growl. The captive audience around the light all lay flat on their backs, unconscious. At least, I hoped they were only unconscious. John threw a handful of salt, barely missing me with the tiny crystals. He wasn't seeing me though, he was looking right into the light. I circled around them, as unobtrusively as possible, so that I could lay my own little circle around them. A whispered prayer fell from my lips, and I hoped that it wouldn't just go to voicemail.

Either it worked or the boys had their shit handled better than I thought. As I closed the salt circle around them, stepping inside at the last second, the yellow light dimmed further to gold and went out.

There was a beat in which silence and darkness reigned.

It was broken by the flick of a lighter and John using that tiny flame to light a cigarette.

The lights slowly came back on, revealing a scorch in the center of the circle. The ropes binding the employees together was gone, singed away, but they didn't seem to be hurt. I stepped out of the circle with Isaac and John and went to inspect the damage. Sure enough, no one was hurt. At least, not physically, not that we could tell.

I went to Mack's side and took his shoulder. Shaking him gently, I called his name. His eyelids fluttered a bit, then he finally came to.

"Hey. What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"You snapping pictures and then leaving the room."

"Yeah. That was about the last important thing that happened. You're good."

"Why are my pants burned?"

"Chandelier malfunction. You will all be compensated on your next paycheck, complete with a bonus for keeping your wits about you." Isaac was helping others to their feet as he answered. "Now, if you'll all come with me, we'll get you something to drink and try to piece together what happened. Georgia, if you wouldn't mind, would you please call the local law enforcement? We have statements to give."

I nodded and started to go to the landline phone in the corner of the ballroom. John grabbed my arm.

"The one in the library, Georgia. Our story is that we came in, found them the way we found them. There was a blackout as we got to them. The chandelier sparked, hence the burned ankles and scorched floor. Then the lights came back on. Nothing is missing from the library other than his mother's jewelry that he kept out of sentimentality. The safe was marked up like from a crowbar, and the door to his bedroom was kicked in. They must have heard us come in and left before we got to them."

"His bedroom? John, how do you know it's been kicked in? We haven't been near it."

"I'm going to kick it in."

"That's interfering with an investigation."

"That's business. The coins are need-to-know only, and trust me, the cops don't need to know."

"Whatever, John." I walked into the library to make the call.