Silencing the Screamer
Part 3
by Christina Kazmierczak, published on November 5, 2000
The search for the phone continues.
"I am just in shock – that's it. Otherwise... Otherwise, there is something here that I haven't seen yet, but on an emotional level I am responding to it like it is more important than-" Grace stopped mid sentence when she spied the phone.
Punching the numbers she had memorized by heart, Grace crossed her fingers. A superstitious gesture, she knew, but she needed all the help she can get to keep calm – or was it shock. Grace was pregnant with a child that could have no other father then her former employer Gabriel Knight. "Former employer is right, he employed me to do his dirty work."
"Schloss Ritter."
"Gerde, am I so glad to hear you. Hopefully you are doing well?"
"Grace, I am fine. But how are you? Where are you? And why didn't you come back with err Knight?"
"The witless wonder didn't tell you?"
"Perhaps... but you are coming back here, are you not?"
"Like he would have me! Gerde, I am spending a few weeks in the states with a friend. Could you send me some of me things?"
"Are you unwell?" Gerde hesitated before continuing "Is it another case? Should I send for Gabriel?"
[Great, Grace thought, everyone's a psychic but me!] "NO! Look, Gerde, there are a few things I need to deal with away from Gabriel or I will never be able to look him in the eye again. [Or myself.] I promise I will send for Gabriel if I feel I get involved with something where I need him. Just send my stuff to this address, as quietly as possible, okay?"
A few minutes later, Alexi came in. "I don't know about you – but I am thinking in circles. I know a place we can go and see if anyone knows anything about ‘screamers'. Knowledge that doesn't come from a role playing game invented in the past fifty years."
"What are you thinking?"
"Post a message on a bulletin board and see if anyone responds."
In the light of day, Grace could take a better look at Alexi's car. A silver, American made sedan four door. Newer model. Scraped up a few places. But, sitting inside, Grace could feel a sense of being taken care of. Grace would bet her savings that the oil was changed every 3000 miles.
"Okay, Grace. I need you to listen to me. The human body is run on electrical impulses. Some people can see the after effects of these impulse. I think they are called Karelian auras? Anyway, whenever you concentrate really hard on anything – through intense thought, prayer, action - you give some of this energy to what you are doing."
"Like magic." Grace said when Alexi lapsed.
"Like magic, but when people say magic they often mean demon summoning and the like. Which really isn't practiced as much as you might believe. Like the economic concept the law of diminishing returns, with demons you never get back the energy you but in." Alexi shook slightly. "Just a lot of waste. Better to get what you want by hard work or rethink your strategy."
"And this lead me where?"
"Where we are going– a café – whose clients – generally – practice types of magic." Alexi looked over at Grace. "I will admit I kinda expected you to do the ‘aren't those the people we are supposed to hunt' thing."
With a studied seriousness, Grace shot back. "Why would I? It would just be a waste of energy."
Thirty seconds later, both were laughing so hard that Alexi had to pull off to the side of the freeway.
"San Diego, the only town in the United States that thinks lawn furniture is acceptable for an eating establishment." Alexi had said when they entered the café.
And Grace had to agree with her. After introducing Grace to the bar tender, Alexi had tacked a 4 by 5 card to a bulletin board and then begged to be let into the back room for a nap. So Grace had spent the past thirty minutes on a plastic chaise drinking hot coco and flipping though various books she grabbed from equally plastic book cases. Book cases which were placed around the room in such a way as to create separate space.
"Grace, did you see anyone come up to the bulletin board?" Alexi said, coming up behind Grace yet again.
"No, why?"
Alexi grabbed Grace's hand and lifted her out of creaking (green and white) plastic. "We have a web sight address. Come on, let's ask Mykle to use his laptop."
Behind the bar said Mykle lifted an eyebrow. "No no, fearless leader. I can hear your brain working from here."
Alexi pursed lips at the blonde behind the bar. "But Mykle, I thought you like the succubus you met."
"But not the incubus she brought with her. Honestly, fair one, you are one hell of a woman but I am not ready to trust my hard drive to you again after we had to exorcize the last one. And even then the thing could only contact sex lines."
Alexi leaned over the walnut bar. "Look Mykle, you know the murders downtown? They are all runaways. Unfortunately the people who worked on finding me aren't available so I've taken an interest. And Grace here – well, she will probable be the one needing back up."
Mykle fidgeted with the cardigan he wore. (Grace noticed scars around his wrists.) "Like those two did an acceptable job. Kids... gods Alexi you know what buttons to push."
"That's why I never made the big bucks."
Grace sat up the modem connection to Mykle's laptop in the back office. It was easy to do. And Alexi had begged off another nap.
(So Alexi's female. Not that I shouldn't have guessed from all the smelly soaps in her bathroom. Still, I'll have to start thinking of Alexi as a her instead of an it. Okay, back to work Gracie.)
Grace punched in the web sight address and received the following:
The Screamer was created as a way to get power. This was done by the creators of the Great Heresy. By killing and causing great harm to innocents one is able to capture their power. The practice was done both covertly and overtly in times when those who knew about the Great Heresy. Victims would be tortured while slowly being poisoned. This was believed to have the ultimate result only if the victim was allowed to live for some time. When enough of this was done, a being would be created by the energy of pain to perpetuate the destruction of the innocent and bring into this reality the hopes of those perpetuating the Great Heresy. Whether this is good or evil is highly debated by theologians at the upmost level.
"Like that is helpful. Not even a clue as to what this Great Heresy is."
From a chair to the side Alexi yawned. "The Great Heresy is the fact that the former leaders of a major world religion sold an idea to people that was the exact opposite to what the religion was first based on."
Grace looked over at her acquaintance. "And?"
"Basically the heads of the religion still know what is going on and that they are purposely giving this energy to recreate the world. Actually, it is a pretty druidish belief – that one can make reality into what one believes it should be." Alexi shrugged. "A friend's mom was the one who discovered it. Had to learn several languages to do it. The text of her findings is over a few thousand pages. "
"Then why don't we just get in touch with this woman? Get some information? What religion we are talking here?"
"It's not that easy. She's a public official now and dealing with this could ruin her career. I haven't talked to her daughter in years. And just because a handful of jerks decide to get power – do we have the right to change the ideas of the faithful. Besides, someone is going through a lot of trouble to gives us edited information. Maybe we should have a non-biased mind – your's – analyzing it."
Last update: October 24, 2007
Delicious 
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
StumbleUpon