Flashfire

Ch26

The smoke of a big rig wafted over the sun in a cloud over a billboard, the loosened old paper tearing at the corner as it whipped in the wind. The truck slowly rumbled forward like a sleeping giant over the small businesses and descended downhill. The truck disappeared into the haze of the city, blending into the cool bluegreen shadows where the sun hadn't yet touched, orange right on the horizon.

Caleb did not feel one bit of guilt for barging into Paul's apartment at five in the morning. As his friend, they needed to resolve what had happened. Perhaps more importantly, he and Liam had no time to waste, though Liam being an Earthbound spirit was extended due to the natron. Caleb wanted to use their time together for all it was worth, especially as their latest clue had led to a dead end and they were left with no leads, except for one...

Caleb's eyes narrowed into slits. He crossed when the pedestrian in the light box lit up green. He did not want to get hit by a car, pressed as he was to interrogate. The black car pulled forward and turned away on the right. Caleb sped walked and then sprinted over the side walk toward the car. He came around to the driver's seat and opened the door.

"Hey, what the hell?" the man said. He wore a beige suit with red tie that pushed up his double chin. The man appeared altogether calm despite this however, smiling slightly at Caleb when he balled his fist. "Son, what are you doing?"

"Tell me what you all did to him!" he yelled.

The man's lips and corners of his eyes turned down into a look of confusion. "What? Who?"

Caleb went to grab him by the collar and shake him, though his will began to wane. The man looked slightly amused, but also truly lost. "Liam."

The driver tilted his head. "Oh? I don't know anyone named Liam."

"Hey!" a high voice shouted. Caleb corked a brow and turned his head up. Two teenage girls stood under an overhang on the sidewalk. "Leave him alone! He hasn't done anything to you!"

"Yeah, you're just a sad, creepy man!" the other shouted.

Caleb backed away, stuttering. "Well-wh-uh, I, um-"

The driver straightened his tie in the mirror. "Huh, very strange yes," he said.

Caleb's face burned. He was frozen in embarrassment for a moment before he bolted in the other direction.

He ignored the traffic until a car lurched abruptly and honked in his ears, right in front of him. "Fuck you!" a gruff voice yelled.

Caleb swerved around a bright yellow car and was mercifully back onto the sidewalk. He barreled into a woman in a sundress who let out a high pitched cry. Caleb barely missed a few more people, leaving behind their cries and threats of violence, until he was home. He blew out a long exhale, breathing in and out until his face cooled. "Oh my god, finally," he said to no one.

"You're not giving me a bad reputation, are you?"

Caleb swiveled. Liam was floating, paddling back and forth above the table like he was doing laps.

"Liam, you're-"

Liam flipped over with one arm crossed over the other under his chin like The Cheshire Cat. "Why, yes," he said grinning.

"Okay, we have to get you back into your body-" Caleb interrupted himself when he looked around restlessly for the book. His mind was still jarred from his failed interrogation of the man driving that black car. "I might have found the wrong guy Liam, but if you're there with me it could jog your memory."

"Oh, I know you found the wrong man." Liam floated down until he sat on the table, his smile disappearing. "Caleb, I saw everything that you did out there from the billboard."

Caleb was shocked, open mouthed. "Our billboard?"

Liam sighed. "Caleb, why did you threaten that man?"

Caleb was reminded that Liam did not need to sigh, or to breathe, at all. Caleb needed to get him back to a state where at least people could see Liam. Caleb needed Liam to show him who did this to him. Caleb needed it to make sense that when Liam touched something, he didn't fall automatically through. Caleb needed Liam to confront who did this to him and beat their ass! Instead, he got this Liam, the one who was once again tired of it all.

"Because Liam, I'm trying to find out who did this to you. You said that you would help me, but you haven't done anything," Caleb said accusatorially.

"What do you want me to do, Caleb? What if I confronted random people in their car, and then what? You aren't thinking anything through!" Liam shouted.

"Well..." Caleb seemed entirely unfazed. "Have you had any memories return? Anything?"

"No," Liam said.

Caleb sighed. "Great. Just great." He patted his legs. "We have no leads, you are incorporeal and we're running out of time. Every time it looks like we're getting close it gets harder."

Liam frowned and stared at him. "It's harder for both of us, Caleb, every time. It's too much. What are you going to do?"

The question railed through Caleb's mind day and night. It never left him alone. His heart rate had only just begun to slow since he came off of the streets. Tears pricked his eyes. Then he became completely stonefaced, completely missing everything else that Liam said, about it being too much for him. "I'm going to get the spellbook."

Caleb for God's sake.

Caleb turned toward Liam, who bit down on his lip. Liam looked apprehensive, even somewhat fearful. Of what?

"Liam, you're being ridiculous. Come on with me."

Liam leaned back, doing a sort of slow, floating flip behind the bar. "What can I get you?"

Caleb blinked, hiding a laugh behind a stern face. "You can get out of there and help me by sitting in a summon circle."

Liam had no reaction, at first. "No?"

Caleb looked at him in shock, again. "Uh, excuse me, what?"

Liam wavered as he stared back at Caleb, then slowly, he looked more solid at once, almost corporeal without even touching the bar as he walked through it. He walked right through Caleb. "No, Caleb. No."

Caleb turned in place, otherwise frozen and open mouthed. "Liam! Where are you going?"

"None of this matters, Caleb." His spirit rose like a billow of smoke, as if through sublimation.

"Yes it does! Liam, you matter to me." Caleb said, though not with the love and tenderness that he used to, but with a frantic urgency that made Liam recoil further away.

"I don't want to," Liam said. His voice was filled with such raw emotion, his eyes so expressive when he turned, revealing unfiltered what he really felt that had been hidden away by flesh. Liam was whisked away, leaving Caleb alone.