A Gathering of Crows

where Doctor Octopus proposes to Peter Parker’s Aunt May, Kirby had fallen asleep.

His father’s screams were what woke him, although Kirby hadn’t realized it actually was his father at first. The cries were too high-pitched. Too strange. It was only when his father was flung through the bedroom window and landed in the yard, shards of glass sticking out of his face, that Kirby had realized the shrieks belonged to him. His father had lain there, thrashing and quivering and squealing. Then parts of Kirby’s mother had followed him out of the broken window. First had come her head. Then her arm. Then something from inside of her. Then another arm.

Kirby had been too frightened to scream. He’d simply cowered there in the tree-house door, watching in shock and horror as his father bled to death with his mother’s decapitated head and various internal organs lying upon his chest. The ground around him was soaked with blood.

After his father fell quiet and quit moving, Kirby became aware of the screams from elsewhere in town. There were too many of them. He’d sat with his back to the wood-plank wall, pulled his knees up to his chest, grabbed the Bible—and prayed. His mother had insisted he keep the Bible in the tree house; it was her idea of good luck. In hindsight, maybe she’d been right. His parents were dead but Kirby was still alive. He turned his attention back to the book and focused on a random psalm.

“He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry . . .”

Kirby was unaware that he was reading aloud and equally oblivious that he was crying.

“He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that—”

Something warm and wet plopped onto the page and splattered against the crook of skin between Kirby’s thumb and index finger. A raindrop? Frowning, he looked up and saw two eyes staring back at him through the hole. It was a crow, he realized. A big black crow—the biggest he’d ever seen. The bird had shit right through the hole and onto the Bible.

Kirby wiped the offending substance away with his shirttail. Sniffling, he turned his attention upward again, but the bird was gone. In its place was a man, perched on the roof of the tree house and grinning wide enough that his teeth flashed white in the darkness.

Then the darkness flowed through the hole, and whatever good luck Kirby’s Bible had brought him finally ran out.

***

“Is that yours?”

Levi glanced up and saw that Donny was pointing at the buggy.

“Yes, it’s mine.”

“Where’s your horse?”

“She is safe. I have her stabled down near the river.”

“How do you know they haven’t fucked with her, too?”

“Dee has certain protections. Similar to mine. No harm will come to her.”

Marsha smiled. “Your horse is named Dee?”

Levi nodded. “Yes. And my dog, who is back home in Pennsylvania, is named Crowley.”

“Those are unusual names. Don’t get me wrong—I like them, but they’re not ones you hear every day. Around here, not too many people even bother to name their horses or dogs.”

“I named them after old friends of my family.” He paused, surveying the street. “It looks okay to cross. We’ll be safe once we get inside Esther’s house.”

“How?” Donny asked. “I mean, no offense, Levi, but I don’t see how we’re any better off inside that old bed- and-breakfast. We ought to get the hell out of town.”

“I don’t think we can leave. I don’t think they’ll let us. And as for the house, I can protect us once we’re inside.”

“The way you protected us back there, you mean?”

Marsha gasped. “Donny!”

“It’s okay.” Levi raised his hand. “He’s right. I did miserably back there. I almost failed. That won’t happen again.”

“But how are you going to protect us? I mean, no offense, Levi, but how can I be sure that Marsha is going to be safe?”

Levi smiled. “You’re a soldier. So am I. The only difference is our methods and the weapons we choose. I give you my word that she’ll be safe inside. Now come on. Let’s go, while the coast is clear.”

They hurried across the street. Marsha and Donny trotted behind Levi, hand in hand. They had just made it to the opposite side when a truck engine shattered the silence. Marsha and Donny jumped, startled by the sudden noise. Levi merely turned in the direction of the disturbance.

“Now that is odd.”

A four-wheel-drive pickup truck rounded the cornerand raced toward them. Levi frowned, staring at the onrushing headlights, and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare.

“That’s Randy,” Marsha yelled. “That’s my little brother!”

Marsha and Donny waved their hands at the approaching truck. As it neared them, Marsha released Donny’s hand and ran toward the curb. The truck skidded, the brake lights flashing red in the darkness, and then slid to a stop. Randy leaped out of the cab, leaving the engine running, and dashed toward his sister. The two embraced fiercely, as Donny and Levi hurried toward them.

“Are you okay?” Marsha gasped. “You’ve got blood all over you.”

Randy nodded. “I’m okay. It’s . . . it’s not my blood.”

He pulled back from her, and they all glimpsed the tears on his cheeks.

“Come with me,” he said. “I can get us out. The old logging road—”

“That won’t work,” Levi said. “We need to get inside.”

Randy stared at Levi, then glanced at Donny and

Marsha. “Who’s this?”

“You can call him Levi,” Marsha said. “It’s okay. He’s a friend.”

Donny stuck out his hand and Randy shook it. They embraced quickly, and Donny slapped him on the back.

“Good to see you,” Donny said.

“You, too. Thanks for taking care of my sis, yo.”

Randy reached his hand out to Levi, but Levi hesitated. He seemed deep in concentration.

“What’s up?” Randy frowned. “Do I have a booger hanging out of my nose or something?”

“Your aura,” Levi whispered. “It’s interesting, to say the least.”

Randy’s frown deepened. He glanced at his sister and Donny, but they only shrugged.

“What’s up with him?”

“Apparently,” Donny said, “he sees auras. And yeah, I know how that sounds, but after some of the shit we’ve seen tonight, I’m inclined to believe it.”

Marsha took her brother’s hand. “Where’s Mom and Dad?”

Randy’s expression clouded. He took a deep breath, tried to speak and then sagged forward. Donny and Marsha caught him before he could collapse.

“Jesus,” Donny grunted.

“Randy?” Marsha patted his cheek with her hand.

“Randy!”

“He’s passed out,” Donny said. “I’m guessing shock. I’ve seen this before.”

“Is he going to be okay? He’s got a lump on the back of his head. And all this blood! What’s happened to him? Where are my parents?”

“We need to get him inside,” Levi said, stepping forward to assist them. “Quickly.”

Donny picked Randy up and gently placed the teen over his shoulders.

“Hurry.” Levi’s tone was insistent. He stared up into the sky.

“Why?” Donny glanced around but didn’t see anything.

“Because they’re coming.”

“Shit.”