CHAPTER 62

Sofia sat down on Murray's couch. She took up a large portion of it, making it look more like a loveseat. "I'm afraid I can offer no help in that area."

"That's okay." Eulalie grinned, revealing all her teeth. "Because I'm already the best there is."

When Beth walked into the house, she felt a pressure change and her ears popped when the door closed behind her. Tink, Kisa, and Cecilia were watching her from their spot at the window. Jenny was nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell is going on?" Kisa's eyes were unnaturally wide.

"Um..." Beth shook her head. Now that she was out of the angel's presence, it was like walking from sunlight into a dim room, but instead of her eyes needing time to adjust, it was her mind. "So...uh...shit. Hold on a second."

She walked past the others, went into the kitchen, and opened the fridge. The food inside was already warming to room temperature, and she pulled out one of the beers Mike had hidden in the back. After popping the tab, she walked back into the living room while drinking it.

By the time she made it back, the beer was nearly gone, and she felt as though she could at least put events in order. Outside, Death was waving his arms dramatically for the three horsemen and Mehkhkahrel. Up above, the swirling mass of eyes and wings watched them.

"Our neighbor Murray is apparently acting as a vessel for the angel Meka..Mekaka..." She finished her beer. "Mehkhkahrel. I think that's what he said. It's his job to do the talking for that thing up there." She pointed at the winged monstrosity.

"That's an angel?" Kisa asked in awe.

"It is," Cecilia responded. "Though I've never seen one so powerful."

"Speaking of, is Lily okay?"

"She went upstairs," Cecilia said.

"Okay, I'll go check on her soon. So yeah, that whirling frisbee of what-the-fuck is acting as the judge. Apparently, Death isn't supposed to fully manifest on this plane of existence unless the Apocalypse has started. So right now, they're all arguing about whether or not his being here qualifies as the opening of some seal that means we are fucked. Like, on every level kind of fucked." She was shaking now, and she dropped the can when she tried to set it down. A tiny bit of beer spilled on the carpet. "This isn't even about the house anymore. This is about the whole world."

"Oh." Kisa looked at Tink, then back out the window. "Then it shouldn't be a big deal, right? Death didn't come here, he got trapped. That should be simple enough to explain."

"I hope so." Beth took comfort in Kisa's words. "That fog out there? There's nothing beyond it. The whole time Murray was screaming, he wasn't just summoning everyone. We're apparently in a pocket dimension. If the three horsemen had just shown up on our doorstep, then all four of them would be walking the Earth and trigger the end of the world. They've been trying to find Death for a couple of months now, and have been breaking down magical barriers across the world in an attempt to find him."

"Stupid horse fuckers can't have funny bone man," Tink grumbled. "Maybe Tink shoot down ugly bird."

"Tink? Don't." Beth pointed at the goblin. "I get the feeling that you would get vaporized, or set on fire or something. You are not to get yourself killed. It would break Mike's heart."

Tink grumbled but nodded. "Tink be good," she muttered. "But not be happy about it."

"So this wasn't an attack?" Kisa almost sounded relieved.

"No. It was never about us at all." She looked out the window and saw that Death was pantomiming using a ViewMaster. "And I hope it stays that way. I'm going to go check on Lily."

She walked up the stairs, wondering where the succubus could have gone. While there were plenty of rooms to choose from, she had one idea that made more sense than the others.

The door to Mike's room was closed, but she opened it anyway and walked inside.

"Lily?" Even though she got no response, she walked into the bathroom to make sure. Lying in the middle of the empty tub was a small child with black and red hair. Her arm was bandaged up in silk, and her skin was smoldering. "Are you okay?"

"I was almost vaporized out there," she responded, her voice tiny. "I came up here hoping to cool off my skin and talk to Naia. She's not here anymore. I don't know where she is."

"Back on Earth is my best guess." Beth explained that they had been put inside a pocket dimension. "Her spring is underground, so she is still there."

"Do you think it's just a huge crater now?" Lily asked. "The neighbors must be freaking out."

"I don't know," Beth replied. She got into the tub and cocked her head. "Why the little kid act?"

"There's less of me to hurt," Lily whispered. "I felt like I was on fire. That's not a sensation I've felt since..." she waved her hand dismissively. "Everything hurts, and I can't leave."

"Of course not. We're sealed in a pocket dimension."

"It's not that. A succubus can always go to her master." Lily's lower lip trembled. "I tried to go to him, to warn him away. It's not just that I can't go to him. I can't feel him! I don't know if he's alive or dead, and I can't feel Naia either!" Her voice rose in pitch as fat tears welled in her cheeks. "I'm afraid, Beth! That thing that's out there could destroy me with a thought if it turned its attention on the house! We are not even ants to it, we're like those things that shit on your eyelids while you just go about your day!"