Peace Offering

Dr. Necros crept over the wall into the Church of Ethereal Wisdom a little after midnight. A horrid place, really; characterized by the greed and hate of religion gone astray. It would have been amusing, if not for the hellacious afterlife Dr. Necros had just spent the last seven years in. It had seemed like eons, but when he returned to life a few weeks ago, the newspapers had all claimed the seven year gap. However long it was, clearly it was a perversion of the Crossroads. A Hell masquerading as Heaven, no doubt conjured by the fools who count themselves among the flock of churches such as this. Dr. Necros had toiled in the pits of Mr. Chase’s dungeon nonstop. A torment that had provided benefits in exchange for his suffering.

His magic had grown more powerful, and he could apply it with greater precision. Even now he was invisible to the living eyes of the patrolling guards with their white polos and AR-15s. Dr. Necros strode across the wet grass between the cross-shaped church and the Reverend’s mansion. This new power brought perception with it. Perception that was driving his actions in Ferroburg.

She had been a chorus in his mind. Four voices singing the siren song of the end times. This Una was a fractious deity, grappling with power beyond her control and threatening the stability of the omniverse. And it was all Derrick’s fault.

Derrick, who had been a constant irritation in Necros’ life, had failed to use the power of the Vault to contain Una when he had the chance. He was the one who blended Seven and Una together in the first place and it was his comrades that added this former apprentice of Eldritch and Malador to the mix. Now Dr. Necros had no choice, but to clean up the mess left behind by these so-called heroes.

Dr. Necros phased through the northern wall of the church, emerging through the crucified body of Jesus like an Unholy Spirit. The worship space was as gaudy as imagined. The fixtures around the room were fitted with gold and silver. Avant-garde chandeliers made of platinum-encrusted glass descended from the ceiling every thirty yards or so. Dr. Necros stood on the altar which, according to the plaque on the wall, was carved from a single block of limestone quarried in Jerusalem. A stage filled with rock’n’roll instruments was caddy-corner to the altar. An audio/light control booth poked up across the sea of pews.

The air was stifling with old incense and self-righteousness. Dr. Necros shivered from the hypocrisy of it all. Hopefully, the specter was nearby. Almost on cue, the scared whimpering of a boy floated out from behind the grand piano. Levi Meyer. A young man who died tragically in the church earlier that year. He was set to be the sacrifice of time. Just one more injustice in a lifetime of sorrow, but Dr. Necros didn’t have the luxury of choice.

Shadows deepened as the temperature began to drop. A mist settled along the floor of the sanctuary and after a moment, Levi began to manifest. His translucent blue face was that of a child on his way to becoming a man. His ears and nose were too big for his head, but there was a kind sorrow in his ethereal eyes. He wore a white polo with the Church of Ethereal Wisdom’s coat of arms on the breast: two white sheep between an erect silver cross. He sobbed and it echoed through the church.

Dr. Necros exhaled a deep breath and stepped into the light. “Levi, can you hear me?”

Levi jumped in place, quickly wiped his eyes, and glanced around.

Dr. Necros chuckled to himself. Newer ghosts weren’t yet used to interacting with the living. “It’s alright, my boy. My name is Dr. Schultz, and I’m here to help you.”

“You can see me?” Levi squinted in Dr. Necros’ direction and floated forward a few paces.

“I can.” Dr. Necros raised his hands. “I am an expert on your…condition.”

“My condition?” Levi’s face twisted in on itself. He settled within arm’s reach of Dr. Necros.

“Yes, there’s no easy way to say this, but you are deceased.” Dr. Necros paused, waiting to see how Levi took the news.

A single, mercury tear slid down Levi’s cheek. He trembled and an almost silent yelp crossed his lips. “I…I remember. The congregation. Reverend Rathborn was…he was doing something to me. He had a tool in his hand. A tool like a spike.” Levi shuddered and spoke faster. “A spike and…and a hammer. On my head. And they were all watching. Watching and clapping and screaming and.” The last words faded into a whisper. “Oh my God.”

“He had nothing to do with this, my boy.” Dr. Necros reached out and placed his hands on the ghost’s shoulders.

The contact seemed to shock Levi back to his senses. Levi met Dr. Necros’ gaze. Power and hope flowed out of his eyes. “Is Tanner okay?”

Something about this boy reminded him of Nick and Derrick. Another hopeless romantic taken before his time. Dr. Necros grinned in spite of himself. “I have no idea who Tanner is, but—”

Levi sprang away from Dr. Necros like he’d been given a shock. The boy was running and Dr. Necros didn’t have time for this. There was a crash as the lid of the piano slammed in Levi’s wake. Dr. Necros clapped his hands together. Magic surged through his body like ice, slowing his heart, and tenses his muscles. His palms filled with sickly green arcane energy.

Dr. Necros closed his eyes and focused on the growing power in his grasp. The gnawing pull of the void, working through him, as a living conduit of the Soul-Vault. Oblivion filled his mind’s eye. Cold, unfeeling emptiness stretched out through his psyche as his heart stopped.

Everything beyond the spell was muffled as if Dr. Necros were buried alive. He felt the magic connect with Levi’s form as an electrical current through his organs. It stunned him for a moment, but the energy operated on its own at this point. A few moments passed and Dr. Necros’ eyes fluttered open. Levi’s voice was in his head, screaming for Tanner, and the boy’s innocent sorrow was heavy in the chest.

Dr. Necros fell to his knees. This was the third spirit he had captured in himself. The power was proving to be too much, but there wasn’t time for anything else. Una had to be stopped, even if it ended his new life prematurely. He put both hands on the ground and dry-heaved.

“Well, what do we have here?” A resonant baritone voice echoed through the room. The voice of Reverend Robert Rathborn.

“You don’t recognize me? I’m the Holy Spirit.” Dr. Necros staggered to his feet. Rathborn was standing with four of his guards, their weapons trained on Dr. Necros. He had severe, angular features, a sharp, salt and pepper goatee and he was dressed in a sweater vest and khakis. His hands were tucked firmly in his pockets and he stood like he had the whole cross shoved up his ass.

“Oh you are a ghost, Dr. Necros.” Rathborn removed his hands and crossed his arms. “I just don’t know why you are haunting my church.”

“Figured I should probably at least meet the family my Nick is marrying into, or hadn’t you heard?” Dr. Necros choked the last of Levi down and began focusing on another spell. Rathborn was going to be the perfect peace offering for Derrick and the Freedom League Dark.