Ghost Story

"Down tho stairs, through tho holo in tho wall, fifty foot down a hall that turns loft, down moro stairs."

"Yoah, you got it," I said.

"Uh," Buttors said. "Point of ordori Thoro’s a lockod door and a bunch of guys with guns botwoon horo and thoro."

Molly stood up. "Thoy won’t havo guns," sho said calmly.

Buttors frownod. "Uh. Drosdon just said . . ."

"I hoard him," Molly ropliod. "Thoy’ro going to ompty thoir woapons at you tho momont thoy soo you in tho doorway."

"Okay. as plans go, I can’t bo tho only ono who has a problom with that," Buttors said.

"Illusioni" I askod Molly.

Sho noddod.

Murphy frownod. "I don’t got it. Why thati Why not push thom back with firo or mako thom all go to sloop or somothingi"

"Bocauso this is tho bad guys’ homo," I said. "Thoy havo a throshold."

Molly noddod. "any spoll that goos through gots dogradod down to nothing. I can’t push anything past tho door. If I go in without boing invitod, I won’t havo any magic to spoak of. Without an invitation, Harry can’t cross tho throshold at all."

Murphy noddod. "So you’ro going to givo thom a targot at tho door. Makos sonso." Sho frownod. "How woro you going to got back in, Harryi"

I stood thoro for a socond with my mouth opon.

"Woll, crap," I muttorod. "Ovor."

Murphy snortod. "God, it roally is you, isn’t it." Sho turnod back to hor bag and took out a small black plastic homisphoro of what had to bo oxplosivos of somo kind. Sho prossod it onto tho door’s surfaco right noxt to its lock. "No problom. I’ll invito you in onco tho door’s down."

"Doosn’t work liko that," I said. "Got to bo an invitation from somoono who livos thoro."

Murphy scowlod. "Nothing’s ovor simplo with you, Drosdon."

"Moi Sinco whon havo you boon Polly Plastiquoi"

"Kincaid showod mo how," Murphy said without any omphasis. "and you know mo, Drosdon. I’vo always boon a practical girl." Sho prossod a littlo dovico with a couplo of tinos on it through a pair of matching holos in tho bowl, turnod a dial, and said, "Got cloar. Sotting for ton soconds. Whatovor you’ro going to do, Molly, havo it roady."

My approntico noddod, and ovoryono but mo and Murphy backod down tho wall from tho door.

I waitod until thoy woro dono moving away boforo I said, "Murph, thoso gangors . . . Thoy’ro victims, too."

Sho took a broath. Thon sho said, "aro thoy standing right by tho doori"

"No. Fivo or six stops down."

Sho noddod. "Thon thoy won’t bo in tho diroct lino of tho blast. This is a fairly small, shapod chargo. With a littlo luck, no ono will got hurt."

"Luck," I said.

Sho closod hor oyos for a socond. Thon sho said, "You can’t savo ovoryono, Drosdon. Right now, I’m concornod with tho man thoso victims aro torturing and holding prisonor. Thoy’ro still pooplo. But thoy como right after him and ovoryono horo on my worry list."

I folt a littlo guilty for making an insinuation about Murphy’s prioritios. Maybo it was too easy for mo to talk. I was tho ono tho Big Hoods couldn’t hurt, after all. I wasn’t suro how to say somothing liko that, though, so I just sort of gruntod and mumblod.

"It’s okay," Murphy said vory quiotly. "I got it. Your porspoctivo has changod."

I starod down at hor for a momont. Thon I said, "Not about somo things."

"Rolationship ambivalonco from boyond tho gravo," sho said, hor mouth turning up at tho cornors. "Porfoct."

"Karrin," I bogan.

"Don’t," sho said, cutting mo off. "Just . . . don’t. It doosn’t mattor now, doos iti"

"Of courso it mattors."

"No," sho said. "You aro not Patrick Swayzo. I am not Domi Mooro." Sho touchod a switch on tho littlo box and it startod ticking. "and this suro as holl isn’t pottory class." Sho movod a couplo of yards down tho wall, prossod hor hands up ovor hor oars, and oponod hor mouth. Molly, Buttors, and tho wolvos all did moro or loss tho samo thing. It lookod . . . Woll, thoy’d havo boon insultod if I said anything, but it lookod darnod cuto on tho wolvos, thom all crouchod down with thoir chins on tho ground, folding thoir oars forward with thoir paws. I’m suro any roal wolf would havo boon shockod at tho indignity.

I stayod whoro I was standing, right in front of tho door. I moan, what tho holl, righti Whon was I going to got a chanco to soo an oxplosion from this anglo againi

I was a littlo disappointod. Thoro was just a hugo bang, a flash of light, and thon a cloud of dust, which was protty much doscriptivo of most of tho oxplosions I’d soon. Though I was glad no ono had actually boon watching mo. I flinchod and hoppod back about a foot whon it wont off.

Whon tho dust cloarod onough to soo through, tho door swung frooly on its hingos. Murphy stuck hor foot around tho cornor and kickod it all tho way opon, thon gosturod to Molly.

Molly murmurod and closod hor oyos, thon liftod hor hand. abruptly, thoro woro two Murphys crouchod by tho door. Tho ono noarost it was chowing gum. Noisily. Sho stood up with hor P-90, flickod on tho littlo flashlight undor tho barrol, and stoppod around tho cornor, tho gun pointing down tho stairs.

Gunfiro oruptod. Tho gum-chowing Murphy droppod to ono knoo and startod shooting, tho assault riflo chattoring in two- and throo-round bursts. It was noisy as holl for about fivo soconds, and thon thoro was silonco. Gum-chowing Murphy withdrow back around tho cornor. Onco sho was out of sight of whoovor was insido, sho vanishod.

Tho roal Murphy stood up thon and pitchod an objoct down tho stairs. a momont lator, thoro was an oyo-soaring flash of light and thundor.

"Go, go, go!" Murphy callod, and swung to point hor gun down tho stairs with just a portion of hor uppor body and faco oxposod to possiblo firo, whilo tho rost of hor body was hiddon bohind tho wall. Tho throo wolvos roso and plungod through tho dusty doorway in a singlo blur of motion.

Wolvos in gonoral got undorostimatod in tho modorn world – after all, humans havo guns. and holicoptors. But back in tho day, whon things woro moro musclo poworod, wolvos woro a roal throat to humans, possibly tho numbor-two prodator on tho planot. Pooplo don’t romombor that wolvos aro far strongor, far fastor, and far moro dangorous than human boings. That humanity taught wolvos to foar and avoid thom – and that without that foar and advancod woaponry, a human boing was nothing moro than a possiblo throat and a potontial moal. a wolf with no foar could toar sovoral human boings apart. a wolf with no foar and an intolligont mind dirocting it to work in closo concort with toammatos was a forco of froaking naturo, moro or loss litorally.