Chapter 4: Chapter IV: Aftermath

She drove through the city, skipping lights, and nearly ran people over. Upon reaching the hospital, she kicked open the car door, opened the back door, reached in, and grabbed Richard.

“Shit!” V’zul hissed. “They’re gonna see you in your unnatural form.”

“Don’t care,” she replied.

“No!” V’zul stepped out of the car and ran in front of her. “If they see you like this, they’re going to panic. Get back in the car and conceal yourself. I will take him in.”

She looked at his broken arm, “you’re going to carry him with one arm?”

“Dammit, we don’t have time for this!”

“Go ask for a wheelchair.”

He ran inside the building, and only after a couple of minutes he came back outside with two nurses - one pushing a wheelchair. Katie was nowhere to be seen, but Richard was left sitting against the car. One of the nurses got him into the wheelchair and moved him through the front door.

 

---

 

V’zul sat on a hospital bed in a surgical room. He was given an arm cast with a sling and some painkillers. He took two and stood up.

“Please don’t go and do something dumb,” his doctor said. “ I don’t know what you do for a living, but if it’s anything physical, then you need to take a long break for a while.”

He nodded his head and walked out of the room. He entered the hallway, thinking about what had happened. Where did Katie go? What could she be doing? And what would have happened if she recklessly wandered into a public area while altered? Then he thought about Richard’s health, the demons at his house, and why they were there.

His thoughts were disrupted by the sound of a nurse entering Richard’s room.

V’zul stared at the door for a moment before approaching it and gently knocking on the door.

A nurse opened it with a frustrated expression. “Yes?”

“Is he alright?” V’zul looked over her shoulder to see his friend lying on a bed.

“He’s not dead,” she replied. “We’re working on him right now — please return to the entrance.”

She closed the door in his face.

Rude

He walked down the hallway and stepped outside into the well-lit street. In the back of his car, he could see the silhouette of a man sitting in the back.

Who the hell…?

A set of glowing green eyes pierced through the window as it looked at him. As V’zul approached the car, the person disappeared; vanished into thin air.

“Hey.”

A deep voice came from the right of him. Surprised and frightened, V’zul quickly turned, gripping the pistol that rested in his suit. A tall, pale man towered over him. He was bald and wore a white tank top paired with black pants.

“I mean you no harm, V’zul.”

“Are you a demon? And how do you know my name?”

“I prefer the term: unholy spirit. Demons are too malevolent. And other spirits have spoken about you; you’re not as concealed as you think.”

V’zul did not lower his guard. He slowly backed to his car and tightened the grip on his pistol.

“I understand your concern considering what happened earlier tonight,” he raised his hands and gave a weak smile. “But I promise you no harm.”

A few people passed through the entity, utterly oblivious to his existence. One of them stopped and looked at V’zul.

“Hey. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, just getting fresh air.”

He looked at V’zul for a moment.

“Okay,” he said, walking away. “Have a good one.”

V’zul looked back at the entity. “So what do you want?”

“You both track down and kill malevolent spirits. I want to help you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You… want to help us?

“Yes,” he nodded.

“And you’re not trying to kill me?”

The entity shook his head. “If I did that, my end would come swiftly and violently.”

This is odd. Some random ghost wants to help us? I don’t trust this. I’ll wait for my wife’s opinion.

He sent a message to Katie. In a few moments, he got a reply back.

“Take a left, and enter the alleyway.”

He looked up at him, checking to see if he had moved.

“Still here,” he assured him — reading his expression.

“Okay. Follow me, and stay in front.”

He walked in front of V’zul and awaited his orders.

---

They reached the dark, trash-ridden alleyway. He could see the silhouette of his wife leaning against a wall. “That’s far enough,” she ordered. “V’zul, get over here.”

He sped past him and stood next to Katie.

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“I know of you, demon,” he said. “I wish to inform you that–

“Shut up.” she looked down at V’zul’s arm. “Are you alright, honey?”

“I’m alright, Katie. Let’s worry about this guy for now.”

She rubbed his arm and kissed his forehead. The entity watched them as a smile crept up his face. He took a single step towards them and raised his hand. Before he could speak, Katie grabbed his neck and effortlessly lifted him off the ground, pinning him to the wall.

“Spit it out,” she said in a cold tone.

“Right. Continuing on. I was going to say that I mean you both no harm, and I wish to help you.”

“We don’t need it.”

V’zul tapped her shoulder. She turned her head and lowered her eyelids. “You want me to let him go, don’t you?”

“At least don’t strangle the guy.”

She hesitated for a moment and let him drop to his feet. He dusted his shirt off and crossed his arms.

“So, will you let me join?”

Katie looked back at V’zul in disagreement.

“Okay,” V’zul said. “I have a job for you then.”

“What!” Katie widened her eyes. “You’re just going to trust him? We don’t even know who he is. Or what he’s capable of.”

“I know, I know, but let’s test him.” V’zul looked back at him. “What is your name?”

“I…” he placed his hand on his forehead. “I don’t remember.”

“Okay, for now, we’ll call you: ‘Partner.' ”

“A name!” he giggled. “Yes! I have a name!”

Katie backed away from his sudden change in demeanor. A slight smile grew on V’zul, enjoying his excitement.

“I don’t think he’s going to be so bad after all.”

Katie shook her head and glared at ‘Partner.' Her claws extended, and she raised her thumb to the right side of her neck and slowly dragged it across, and pointed at him. “I’ll be watching you.”

“Alright,” V’zul said, grabbing their attention. “All I want you to do is go into the hospital and look after Richard for us. I trust you enough not to do anything malicious.” V’zul held his hand out to Katie. She begrudgingly gave him a business card.

“No need,” Partner waved his hand dismissively. “ I have my own ways of communication.”

---

They left the area. Partner vanished from sight, and the couple entered their car. They drove back home and quickly fell asleep. In the morning, V’zul received a call on his phone from a number labeled, ‘unknown.'

“Hello.” V’zul was lying in his bed when Katie entered the room, holding a food tray.

“It’s me!” Partner's voice came from the other side. “The old guy is awake and doing fine.”

“That's a relief. Does he want to see us?”

Katie stabbed a piece of toast and held it in front of his mouth.

“I don't know. He just woke up. I’ll keep you updated. Gotta go.”

The phone hung up, making a loud beep. He let go of his phone, dropping it to the ground. A throbbing pain shot up his arm when he slightly moved it. “Fuckin’– Katie. Get my meds, please.”

She phased through the wall and came back with his pills. He put two in his mouth and drank a cup of water.

“Take it easy,” she rubbed his head and continued to feed him.

“The flaws of being human, right?” he said with a smirk.

“Humans are great creatures. You’re kind may be flawed, but you have great qualities that no other race on your planet even comes close to.”

V’zul patted her head and rubbed her cheek. “This is why I love you — always so smart.”

“I’m not that smart. You’re the brains around here. I just do the dirty work.”

“Hey. Don’t talk about yourself like that. You’re a smart woman with a big heart.”

She petted his head and kissed his forehead with a blush.

“I know my arm is busted, but we should still keep working. I’ll be fine – don’t worry.”

“Nope,” she shook her head. “You’re injured, and I’m not going to risk you again.”

“I can’t just lie here.

“Can’t go fighting either. You should stay with the customers as we did before.”

Frustrated, he glared at his broken arm and sighed. V’zul looked back at her and placed his head back on the pillow. Katie crawled into bed and continued to pet his head.

“Honey,” V’zul said.

“Yes?” she raised her head and rested her chin on him.

“Thank you for being here. It really does mean a lot to me.”

She rubbed her cheek on his chest. “You’re such an adorable human.”

Katie grabbed his head and turned it to face her. She gently placed her lips on his and laid back on his chest.

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