Self-Sacrifice

OCTOBER 20TH, 2006 

DRAGON RIVER MALL, CALGARY 

          Snow had hardly began to fall when Ellis pushed open the doors and walked into the near-abandoned mall. Faded decorations from last year’s Lunar New Year hung in darkened shop windows, and Ellis’s footfalls were as quiet as he could make them, stepping into the patches of shadows from broken fluorescents whenever he could. His night job necessitated that he hide and slink about, especially when meeting a client.

          There was nothing abnormal about it, and the quiet mall was one of many haunts that Ellis preferred to conduct business in. It was an unfortunate and bloody business he had found himself in, but this kept the lights on for Phoebe and him, and then some.

          The familiar woman Ellis was to meet today would give him a name, a photograph, and if he were to be especially forthcoming, a location and a time. The time was largely to be ignored. Ellis would set his own schedule, and clear all the conditions himself. When he knew the time was right, he would arrive quietly, passing hidden through patches of shadows, and usually, he could fulfill the job with his sword. A gun drew too much attention. 

           Ellis rounded the corner silently.

Instead of a woman behind the second pillar at the end, there was a man- no, he couldn’t have been older than Ellis himself - a boy dressed in a strange outfit of all black. He would have melted into the shadow of the pillar if not for a shock of pure white hair that fell to his chin sleek as silk. 

          The white-haired boy stepped out of the shadows, and Ellis drew his sword.

“Put it away, paladin.” sneered the boy. “I’m not here to fight.”

          “What’s the meaning of this?” Ellis checked his surroundings. The mall was empty, save for the two of them. “Where is Alice?”

“Alice,” laughed the white-haired boy; a shrill, harsh sound… “was that her name?” As he walked further out into the light, Ellis noticed that his black clothes were stained with a crimson sheen, and that same shade of red that Ellis knew so well had spilled all over the other boy’s sylphlike hands, making it seem as if he was wearing a pair of beautiful ruby gloves.

          “You killed her,” rasped Ellis, “but why? Who are you? What do you want?”

The white-haired boy frowned, crossing his arms in irritation. “I just wanted to take a good look at you, that’s all… and I don’t have to tell you anything else. You have no power over me-”

          Ellis lunged at the other boy with a slash of his sword before he could finish. Satisfied that he had made a deep enough… impression, Ellis drew back.

          “I suggest you tell me exactly what is going on.”

The white-haired boy looked down at the aftermath of Ellis’s blade, and burst out into that same harsh laughter. 

          Ellis’s eyes widened in horror.

The sword had not left any mark at all.

Ellis’s mind raced, thinking of his recent visitor. Could this be more of the same? he thought.

          “You can’t hurt me, Ellis! You short lived creatures never seem to be able to wrap your heads around the fact that not everyone is as fragile as you are.”

          Ellis’s fears were now confirmed, and though his hands shook uncontrollably, and he felt his own mortality deep in his bones more now than he ever had before, he kept his voice as steady and as frigid as he could manage. 

          “What are you? A ghost?”

“Let me see… I fell from the heavens and landed here on Earth, and I used to have a set of useless wings… What does that make me?”

          “A fallen angel.” breathed Ellis. “You’re going to kill me.”

The white-haired boy smiled at Ellis. He was clearly enjoying the blond teen’s palpable fear.

“You just don’t listen. I said I was here to take a good look at you, and I’m done now. Don’t worry, I’m not under orders to kill you, or… I simply wanted to have a bit of off-the-clock fun. Is that so wrong, Ellis? Well, now that we’ve gotten to know each other, why don’t you get going? You’d only get in the way - someone has to clean up this unfortunate mess I’ve made, after all.” 

          “Gotten to know… I… What’s your name, then?”

At this question the fallen angel seemed to balk, almost not knowing how to respond.

He unfroze, and spoke now in a quieter tone.

“My codename is Silver.”

          “I meant your real name.” pressed Ellis. True names are important to supernatural entities, right?

“Silver” scowled now. “A real name. What a stupid concept so typical of you short lived fleas.”

“I’m Ellis.” spoke Ellis. 

God, why did I just say that?

And if you’re out there, God, please strike me down so I can stop saying stupid things in an attempt to make conversation for my life with a homicidal fallen angel who may or may not be stalking me.

“I knew that.” glared Silver. “Hmph… The way Connie talked about you, I thought you’d be special… Your soul looks like nothing but a typical mortal one to me. Even though I do feel a bit… as if my own's about to come loose...” Silver grimaced. “Now get out of my sight. You’re boring me.” 

Ellis turned around and ran out of the deserted mall. He wasted no extra time sneaking through the shadows. Whatever mysterious and nebulous danger he had been hiding from before - it seemed now as if no amount of hiding could make him unseen. Powers greater than him had already taken a “good look”, after all. 

          The first thing Ellis did when he got home was the same thing as always, shaken though he was.

He checked all the locks, and then he opened the door to Phoebe’s room, and felt for her heartbeat on her wrist.

It was the same as before.

          Ellis breathed in relief. It was a habit of his to feel safe around Phoebe, even as she seemed to slumber eternally. Everything that had happened began to melt away. He forgot what Silver had said, the strange thing he’d mentioned about his soul…

Perhaps it was because back when he’d spent the most time with her, their mother was still here, and they lived in the other house, and things had been correct back then, and things were not quiet the way they were now. 

The way it was now, it seemed as if death had crept into Ellis’s life and taken living from him before he could notice it.

Death himself as well, thought Ellis, and he could not stop from ruminating over the encounter, and what he had said about Phoebe.

          His phone buzzed from the kitchen, interrupting his thoughts.

Ellis left Phoebe’s side, sparing an extra glance as he closed her door.

          There was a message from his old boss.

She was using a new number, as always, but Ellis knew it was her.

He read through it- it was a typical job offer, albeit too shady for him to risk, and he thought about how he’d decline her until he clicked further down and saw a number with about two more zeroes than usual. 

          The reward offered was $444,444. A strange number indeed.

Ellis’s heart pounded. With that money, he could pay for an underground doctor, or a shaman, or a witch, or anything, even the best hospital there was, if they’d overlook her shady brother, to treat Phoebe. If Phoebe got better, things could start to go back to the way they used to be.

I would make up for all the time she lost, he thought, I’d never let there be a reason for her to cry; if only she would get better, and I could make up for everything I’ve done for our sake…

Perhaps he could start to wash his hands of it all, and leave the nightmare he’d been living behind him.

          He read over the text once more.

“My old friend Constantine has a favor to ask…” was how she had started her message, and down at the bottom, the usual: a name, a photograph, a location, and a time.

The picture, seemingly taken from afar, showed a smiling, tanned young man with brown curls tied back in a ponytail. It was rather blurry and difficult to use for identification, but this Constantine had been very forthcoming with the other three.

Ellis’s job was as follows:

He was to travel to San Francisco, and on the night of October 31st, he was to kill a certain Kiya Hakizimana.