[It’s winter again. It’s been an odd one this year, that’s for sure. Canada got trapped in an extreme cold front recently and it isn’t over yet. The temperature in Alberta over the weekend of January 14, 2024 was recorded at -50 degrees Celsius in some places and that level of cold put a huge strain on the province’s power grid. The entire province was warned of possible rolling blackouts because of it. (If you think I’m kidding, think again. It really was that bad.) It’s like this in a lot of places, though. Bone-biting cold is on the rise all over the world. Denver, Colorado, however, is on another plane of existence. It’s actually fairly nice there right now with temperatures hovering around 0 on the Celsius scale; anywhere between 20 and 40 F. If it was anywhere but Denver there would be millions of complaints about it being too cold for human habitation. But the people of Colorado are a different kind of human and they think this temperature range is perfect considering their location. And when I say the people of Colorado are a different kind of human, I’m not kidding! Let’s go to Denver and observe one of them, shall we?]

Ah, Denver. A city full of people on the go who aren’t really bothered by the ever-changing weather and the mercurial moods of Mother Nature. Warmer weather is always welcome in the Mile High City and today is no exception. There are kids outside playing and just having a blast as they frolic in the snow that is a seasonal fixture in the city. Snowball fights are everywhere and it’s not just kids who are indulging themselves. There are even some adults out there having fun in the snow! One adult who’s happy just watching everyone else from the sidelines has to duck a wild snowball and laughs as the person it was supposed to hit wades over to the hole it made after it missed. Said target digs it out and sticks out their tongue before they throw it back. “You missed, Charlie!”

The aforementioned Charlie laughingly protests as he barely avoids being hit with his own snowball. “I was on target! How could I miss!?”

The person Charlie almost hit laughs again and settles in on the bench they cleared the snow off of before offering some advice. “Next time try actually looking when you throw.”

Charlie goes to retort when he realizes who was talking to him. There’s an adult male with short blond hair sitting on the bench! The man has a winter headwrap on to keep his ears warm and a scarf around his neck to cover the lower half of his face. “What do you mean, mister?”

“You weren’t actually looking at your friend when you threw the snowball so naturally it missed.” He leans forward and tucks his gloved hands between his knees. “What distracted you?”

Charlie looks at the gloves on his hands for a long time before he answers the question. “My mom says we might have to move out of Denver because it’s so expensive to live here.”

Charlie’s friend comes over and puts a hand on his shoulder. “My dad’s saying the same thing, and he and Mom both have high-paying jobs.”

Charlie looks at his friend in surprise. “Are you serious, Derek!?”

Derek nods solemnly. “I am.” Then he grins and takes off one of his gloves to muss Charlie’s hair. “Let’s enjoy the snow before it gets cold enough to keep us inside again!”

Charlie laughs and takes off a glove to run his fingers through his wild sandy brown hair. “That’s a deal, buddy!” He looks at the man on the bench. “Have a good day, mister.”

The man on the bench smiles and lifts two fingers in a salute. “You guys have a good day too, and make sure you go inside if you start feeling too cold, okay?”

“We will, I promise.”

“Good to know.” He watches them tear off into the nearby field where there’s a full-scale snowball war going on and laughs when they’re both bombarded with the cold white missiles. “They’re gonna be fine.” He sits back and turns his face toward the sky with a smile.

-There you are, Chance. Got feeling cooped up, did you?-

He doesn’t open his eyes at the voice in his head and responds in kind. -Yeah. I couldn’t take being inside anymore, and after I nearly bit Leo’s head off, I realized I had to get outside. So here I am.-

-What have you been doing today?-

-Watching people have fun in the snow. Should be an officially recognized pastime, I tell ya.-

-So you’ve rediscovered your love of observing people. Good.-

Chance feels something and abruptly sits forward to lift one hand to smack away a snowball heading right for his face. -Yeah. I have.-

-Your reflexes have improved. You would have been hit by that snowball if I’d thrown it last year.-

Chance laughs and smacks the snow off his glove before waving the other person forward. -Come sit with me seeing as how you’re in sneakers instead of winter boots.-

His companion laughs and joins him on the bench. “You’re getting better all around, Chance.”

“I have you to thank for that.” Chance turns slightly. “What brings you to my snow-covered home today?”

Jericho DeLioncourt smiles as he points at his feet to replace the sneakers and wet socks with dry socks and proper winter boots. “Do you remember the premonition you had a few weeks ago?”

Chance’s smile fades and he looks at his hands. “Yes.” He looks at Jericho. “Why me?”

“That’s why I’m here. I figured it out.”

Chance looks around before standing up. “Too many people here.”

Jericho stands up too. “Lead on.”

“This way.” And Chance starts walking toward a quieter part of the neighborhood. The sounds of people having fun fade slowly as they get farther and farther away from the snowball fights. He stops when they reach an area that’s empty of people.

Jericho puts a hand on Chance’s shoulder and isn’t surprised when he feels it trembling under his touch. “I think we should go back to your townhouse unless you haven’t apologized to Leo for snapping at him.”

Chance is subdued when he responds. “I did apologize, and I told him he could text me if he wanted me to stay away.”

“Has your phone gone off since you left the townhouse?”

Chance’s response is to take his phone out of his pocket. He unlocks the screen and frowns when he sees a text message from Leo that was sent only a few minutes ago. “Guess I didn’t hear it because of all the people... Now let me see here.”

Jericho stands so he can look around as Chance reads the message. “So what’s the word?”

Chance inhales sharply. “We need to go back. Now.” Leo’s message reads ‘I smell rotten eggs, Chance... Please get here ASAP.’

“Right. Grab my arm.” He waits until he feels Chance take hold of his arm before teleporting to just outside the townhouse.

“Why are we outside?”

“Wait here.” Jericho’s terse tone of voice forbids any objection as he goes into the townhouse, leaving Chance to stand on the sidewalk and start pacing. He comes out with a very wobbly Leo and brings him right to Chance. “Call your property manager and report that gas leak.”

“I – Right.” Chance fumbles with his phone for a second before he finally holds it in both hands and forces himself to take a deep calming breath. Then he takes another one. There. He finds his property manager’s contact card and is about to call when Leo’s hand comes out to cover the phone. “What are you doing, little brother? I need to report the gas leak!”

Leo’s voice is a croak and barely understandable. “He already knows.” He nods at Chance’s sharp look. “I messaged him before Jericho came in.”

So Chance clears his phone screen and shuts it off before putting his arm around Leo’s waist. “Then let’s get you to the hospital.”

Jericho puts the heavy blanket he grabbed around Leo’s shoulders first. “There.” Leo’s taken to wearing boots around the house.

Chance adjusts the blanket and puts his arm on the outside of it. “Good thing you started wearing your boots inside, hey little brother?”

Leo manages a brief smile. “Yeah.”

Jericho puts something in Chance’s jacket pocket. “His phone and wallet. He had them in his hands when I went inside.”

Chance nods briefly. “Good. I don’t suppose anybody called the gas leak in to the city.”

Leo puts his head on Chance’s shoulder. “Didn’t have time to.”

Jericho looks over his shoulder and grunts when he sees a city truck pull up. “Someone did.”

Two men with breathing apparatuses head for the house and a third pauses near Chance, who tells him what he’s waiting for. “There’s a furnace room under the stairs. The stove is electric.” He nods and heads into the townhouse after his co-workers.

Leo has his eyes closed. “Might’ve been the property manager. He really cares.”

And speak of the devil, the property manager joins the three of them on the sidewalk. “Yes, Leo. It was me. I said we had an active gas leak and they asked me where their people were going.” He gives the young man an appraising look, then grunts and turns to look around. “There they are.” He waves one arm in the air then sighs. “It’s a good thing the weather’s fairly decent today.”

Jericho speaks softly as the EMTs approach the Owens brothers. “Thank you for caring about them.”

The property manager turns at the sound of Jericho’s voice – and smiles broadly. “We Gatineau boys always care about the people we look after.”

The Cajun accent makes Jericho’s eyes sparkle. “All this time I was wondering where the hell you went and you’ve been here in Denver looking after Chance and Leo!”

Sean Gatineau laughs heartily and holds out one hand. “Been a busy life thus far, mon ami.”

Jericho takes Sean’s hand with a huge smile. “You got that right!” Then he sobers as he looks at the townhouse. “This doesn’t feel like an accident, Sean.”

“You’re right. It feels deliberate. I’ll ask Leo a few questions when he’s up for it.”

“If the police don’t decide to hound him about it before then.”

Sean sees the sour look on Jericho’s face and nods. “There is that.” Then he sighs and puts his hands in his pockets. “We’ll just have to wait and see, I suppose.”

“Yes we will.” Jericho exhales softly and stands there watching the townhouse. “They’re taking an awful long time closing the gas line...”

“If Chance told them where the furnace room was, they should be out by now.”

“He did.”

Sean thinks about that. “They might also be tracing the gas lines looking for holes.”

Jericho concedes the point with a tilt of his head. “True.” Then he shakes his head. “We got company.”

“Damn rubberneckers. I’ll clear them out.” And Sean turns around to do exactly that.

While Sean is telling the gathering crowd to move along, Chance is watching the EMTs check on Leo. “You doing okay, little brother?”

Leo swallows a little and nods. “Yeah. I’m glad Jericho was with you when I sent that message.”

“Me too.” Chance looks at the EMTs and speaks softly. “Gas leak. Leo was inside.”

Eileen Collins nods a bit and puts an oxygen mask on Leo’s face. “We’ve got him, Chance.” Eileen is Tracy’s sister.

Chance knows that. “Is Tracy doing okay?” His voice is soft enough that nobody else can hear him.

Eileen smiles a little. “Tracy is fine.” She looks right at him. “He went home to Mom and Dad after your last visit to Shannon’s.” Shannon’s is a gentleman’s club that also offers intimate companions in addition to food, drinks and recreation. Tracy was one of those companions until recently.

“He did? What made him do that?”

“It was the person who came with you that night.”

Chance blinks. “You’re telling me my straight as an arrow friend and mentor Adam Brock was responsible for Tracy’s change of heart?”

“Yes.” Eileen checks Leo’s oxygen intake before looking at Chance again. “Tracy walked in and told Mom God had finally sent His messenger.” Tracy is deeply religious and believes that God’s Word is to love everyone no matter what. He’d told his parents that ‘When God sends me a messenger with one of my customers, I’ll come home for good’. Adam had been that messenger and Tracy had known it right away.

Chance is no dummy; he knows exactly what that means. “Next time you talk to him, tell him I’m happy he got the message.”

“I will.” Her head turns toward the townhouse Chance and Leo share. “Heads up, city workers coming out.”

Chance looks at the townhouse and sees the three men who’d gone in come out. “Now is when they give us the bad news.” He knows this was no accident.

Jericho sees them too and catches Sean’s attention. “City workers.”

The city workers take their headgear off and one of them takes several deep breaths of the crisp winter air before he says anything. “All your gas lines have holes in them... We’ve turned off the lines coming into the house until we can get in there and fix everything. Unfortunately that means you won’t have any heat until then. Do you have anywhere you can stay for the duration?”

Chance lifts his hand and speaks when the worker is facing him. “We can bunk with our parents. I’ll give you my cell phone number so you can let me know when you’re done.”

Leo makes an impatient gesture with one hand and dislodges the oxygen mask. “Are the holes jagged or smooth around the edges? We had a mouse infestation a couple of months ago.”

Eileen replaces the oxygen mask and gives Leo a stern look. “Mice can’t chew through PVC or metal, Leo.”

The city worker looks at Leo and slowly shakes his head. “Those holes aren’t from mice, son.” He looks over at Sean. “Mr. Gatineau?”

Sean nods. “Yes.”

“Sir, can you tell me who may have had access to this townhouse in the last twenty-four hours?”

“Nobody. The people who live here only call me if there’s a serious problem and there were no requests for maintenance to check the furnace.”

Jericho smoothly joins the conversation. “Were these holes along the circumference of the hoses where the bends are?”

The city worker responds without asking why Jericho is part of the discussion. “Yes, actually, they are.” Then he gives Jericho a sharp look.

“There was rust on the hoses.”

“Yes there was... Who did you say you were again?”

“I didn’t, but my name is Jericho DeLioncourt. I’m friends with the Owens brothers.”

The city worker recognizes the name. “I didn’t know you were here in Denver, Mr. DeLioncourt. But I shouldn’t be surprised that you are.” He takes off the protective glove and holds out his hand. “My name’s Aaron Schaeffer.”

Jericho shakes Aaron’s hand. “I’m hoping you understand what I’m trying to get at here, Aaron.”

Aaron nods slightly. “I do indeed. You’re suggesting age is the cause.”

“I am.” Jericho looks at Chance and Leo and can’t help looking concerned because Leo doesn’t seem to be getting better. “How long ago did you notice the smell, Leo?”

Leo moves the oxygen mask to answer and he sounds out of breath. “Maybe ten minutes before I started sending messages, but I couldn’t get any of the windows open.”

Eileen puts the oxygen mask back in place and looks at Chance. “Make sure you lock the door before you come with him, Chance.”

Chance goes up to the townhouse and tugs at the open door so he can close and lock it. “What the – It won’t move!” He tugs harder and scowls before planting his feet and pulling as hard as he can. He hadn’t seen anything in front of the door to keep it open, so it should have closed by now.

Jericho grumbles and stalks back up to the door. “Stupid fucking thing...” He traces a sigil in the air in front of the door and mouths an epithet when the white image flashes red three times before disintegrating.

“What does that mean?”

“It means someone’s messing where they shouldn’t.” He looks back over his shoulder before he starts drawing a very ornate pattern in the air and chanting softly in a long-forgotten dialect.

Chance keeps trying to close the door so nobody will get suspicious. “I don’t know how much longer I can pretend it’s a normal problem.”

Jericho makes a sprinkling motion then brushes his hands together without making a sound. “Count to three then try again. Gently this time.”

“Right.” Chance counts to three, then slowly pulls on the door. It hesitates and wobbles before finally swinging shut. “If it isn’t one thing it’s another, I swear.” The soft click of the door finally closing makes him hiss with relief. “That was annoying.” Then he takes his keys out of his pocket and locks the door. “You’ll have to let the city people in, Mr. Gatineau!”

Sean nods. He’d seen Chance fighting with the door. “And gladly! Then I’ll have maintenance check that door for warping!”

“Thank you!” Chance has a funny feeling Sean knows what Jericho was doing, but he doesn’t say anything. “All right, I’m gonna go to the hospital with Leo. I’ll call Mom or Dad when we get there to tell them what happened.”

Jericho nods and lightly pats Chance on the back of his left shoulder. “With any luck, they still have Adam’s old video camera.”

“Mom told Adam they’d keep it in case I needed it.” Chance exhales as he goes to the ambulance where the EMTs are waiting with Leo. “Good thing she did, huh?”

“Yeah, it is. Let me know when you two get settled at your parents’ house and I’ll pop in. I still need to talk to you about what I found out.”

“Okay.” Chance rubs the bridge of his nose with one finger. “Maybe check on Adam in the meantime...”

“Good idea. See you in a bit, kid.”

“You bet.” Chance exhales before climbing up into the ambulance after Leo and Eileen’s partner.

“Leo’s going to be fine, Chance.” Then Jericho smiles and closes the ambulance doors. He slaps the back of the ambulance twice and sighs gustily as it pulls away from the curb. “Fucking hell.” Then he turns and walks the opposite way down the sidewalk away from the gawkers and lookie-loos.

- - -

Four hours later

Amanda Owens comes out of the kitchen after loading the dishwasher and checks on Leo, who’s fallen asleep in one of the armchairs. She shakes her head and pulls the blanket up a little. “You two certainly had an eventful day, Chance!”

Chance sighs gustily and rubs his head with one hand. “Yeah, we did. I don’t know how long it’ll take for them to put in new gas lines, or what that all entails. I didn’t have time to ask.” He was worried about Leo.

“You gave them your phone number, I hope.”

“No, but our property manager is going to let them in. I’m just glad Jericho was in town today.”

“I am too. The video camera’s still in the basement where Adam was staying.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll go down there before bed.”

“All right.” She adjusts Leo’s blanket again before settling onto the couch beside her older son. Andrew is in his office doing some last minute adjustments on a project due at work. “Go ahead and pick something to watch. I’m going to work on my knitting.”

Chance never misses an opportunity to tease her about it. “Come on Mom, knitting’s an old person’s hobby. You’re not that old yet!”

Amanda laughs and lightly pokes his arm with one of her loose knitting needles. “Smartass!”

Chance grins broadly. “You know it!” Then he picks up the remote and hums as he surfs the channel listing looking for something to watch. “Oh, here we go. It’s NHL time!” And he switches to the game that’s just about to start, then adjusts the volume so it won’t wake Leo. He sees Amanda smile out of the corner of his eye and grins because he knows she likes hockey just as much as he and Leo do.

Amanda hears something during the second period and puts her knitting down to check on it. The sound she heard comes from the front door and she chuckles under her breath as she opens it. “You’re just in time to catch the rest of the game.”

Jericho and Adam Brock laugh as they knock the snow off their boots before coming inside and Jericho speaks quietly. “How’s Leo, Mrs. Owens?”

“He’s sleeping in one of the armchairs. Dr. Pradesh was at the hospital when they arrived.”

Adam nods slightly. “We’d love to watch the rest of the game, but we’re not exactly here for that.”

“I’ll get Chance.”

“Thank you.”

Amanda goes back upstairs after closing and locking the door. “Chance, honey, Jericho and Adam are here.”

Chance rubs his eyes before boosting himself to a standing position. “Thanks, Mom.” He goes over and fixes Leo’s blanket again, this time tucking it under his armpits. “That should help it stay put.” Then he goes down the stairs to where the other men are waiting by the door. “Obviously I forgot to message you...”

Jericho shakes his head a little. “I don’t blame you for that.”

Adam nods a bit in agreement. “You were worried about Leo.”

Chance exhales softly. “This way, gentlemen.” And he goes into the basement. At the bottom of the stairs, he turns left and approaches the open space across from the bedroom his parents added so they could take in a boarder on that side of the basement. Adam’s old video camera is resting on the tripod under a sheet of thick plastic to keep dust and moisture off.

“Good thing she decided to keep it.” Adam walks over and carefully removes the plastic before checking for any signs of mouse activity.

“I’ll say!” Chance finds the nearest chair and sits in it.

Adam folds the plastic and sits in one of the other chairs. “We’ll hammer this out before you cut loose.”

“Okay.”

Jericho sits in the third chair and leans forward to put his hands between his knees much like Chance did earlier. “Your premonition was a warning for me, Chance.”

Chance looks at Jericho in surprise. “Say what?”

“It was a warning for me, just like Adam’s first vision was. Did he ever describe it to you?”

“No.”

“Adam?”

Adam nods slightly. “It went something like this... I saw myself standing on a cliff, looking down at a river. The river was black and seething, reaching up toward me with whips of foam and spray. It had a rank odor to it, making me wonder. I reached up to wipe my face and looked at my hand. It was covered in blood... I barely kept from screaming as I fell into the churning river of blood.”

Chance inhales sharply. “Damn. And then here I come with mine.” Chance had seen himself, Leo and their parents sprawled out on a road like so many broken dolls with blood everywhere. Amanda’s right arm had been torn off at the shoulder and she’d bled to death in seconds. Andrew had been nearly bisected and he’d also bled out rather quickly. Chance and Leo had suffered terribly before eventually succumbing to massive internal injuries. Leo had smiled at him and said it would be okay, blood staining his teeth as he spoke. Chance himself had slowly suffocated because he couldn’t breathe. His nose had been torn off his face and his lower jaw had locked so he couldn’t open his mouth.

Jericho nods. “Right. I needed time to figure it out... But I did. You need to put your past behind you so you can focus on your future.”

“Put my past behind me...” Chance mulls that over as he looks at his hands.

Adam sits back with a chuckle. He knows what Jericho’s talking about. “It’s not as hard as you think it is, kid.”

And just like that, it sinks in. Chance sits up and snaps his fingers. “It’s about my match at Body, Heart and Soul!”

“Let it out, kid.”

“I’m part of an eight-person tag match... My partners are Amy Chastaine, Kirsten Scott and Cassie Wolfe! I’ve had clashes with Cassie and Kirsten in the past!”

Jericho sits back with a smile. “So what do you think you need to do?”

“I need to see them as my teammates. After all, I kinda put myself in the match after Amy’s daughter Jaina wasn’t sure about participating.”

“Jaina?”

Adam clarifies. “Jaina Lancaster. Bree Lancaster’s niece.”

“Ah, I see... And that is a strong connection to Kelsai.”

“Exactly.”

Chance inhales sharply and shoots to his feet to start pacing. “Kelsai is the key to all of this somehow.”

“You did get her booked against Gavin Taylor, you know...”

Chance comes to a stop and takes his phone out of his pocket. There’s a message from Kelsai. ‘I don’t know if I can do this, Chance... What if I made a mistake taking your advice?’ He taps Reply in time with his exhale. ‘I wouldn’t have said that if I didn’t think you could give him a fight, baby.’ He taps Send and exhales again. “Or maybe I’m seeing this all wrong. Amy, Bree and Kelsai all lived in New Orleans until Kelsai met me. Amy and Bree still do.”

Jericho picks up on it. “Which means Jaina does. Which means...”

Adam finishes the sentence with a grim note in his voice. “Which means you need to get back to New Orleans ASAP. Chance’s premonition wasn’t about him and his family. It was about you and yours.”

Jericho shudders violently as he experiences a hellacious vision of his own. It leaves him breathless for a moment before he looks at Adam. “I’m leaving the rest of this to you.”

“Consider it smooth sailing. Now get going before that one comes true.”

“Right.” Jericho stands up and disappears shortly afterward.

Adam goes to the video camera and fiddles with it. “I wish this was like the one I have at home where it uploads automatically after I end my promos...”

“I wish mine was like the one you have at home.”

“You mean it’s not?”

“Exactly.”

“Huh. Remind me to tell Jericho about that, would you?”

Chance shakes his head with a chuckle. “He’ll probably take care of that after he’s done back in New Orleans. I mean, it’s not like Leo and I are going to be home for a few days.”

“Do me a favor and sit down again.”

Chance sits in the chair he was in before. “How do I address this one, Adam?”

Adam looks through the camera and makes a few minor adjustments. “Look at it as a team venture. There is no room for excessive individuality in a match like this.”

“Spoken like a true veteran.”

“Yeah, well, I have my moments.” Adam makes one final adjustment before he nods to himself. “That’s ready.” He looks up at his protégé. “Got anything else before I put you on the spot to speak your mind about this match?”

“There is one thing that’s been on my mind.”

Adam stands up straight and looks at Chance. “What is it?”

“I haven’t had any sight journeys since I had that premonition. I feel...” He trails off in search of the right words.

A soft voice from behind Adam reaches his ears with almost disgusting ease. “You feel empty. Like something’s missing.”

“Yes!” Chance looks for the source of the voice and is taken aback when Jarred DeLioncourt moves into view. “What the hell happened to you, Jarred!?”

Adam turns to Jarred and scowls. “So it’s already started.” He points to the chair Jericho had been sitting in. “Park it. I’m calling Michael in after Chance cuts his promo.”

Jarred makes his way to the chair and eases himself down into it with a soft hiss after moving it out of the camera frame. “I don’t need to be on camera looking like this.” To be blunt, it looks like Jarred got into a fight with Freddy Kreuger and barely escaped with his life.

Chance turns to look at Jarred. “How are you even alive right now?”

“It comes from being the Caster, if I’m gonna be perfectly honest.” Jarred leans back and closes his eyes. “Pretend I’m not even here, Chance.”

Chance can’t help muttering under his breath. “Easy for you to say.” Then he turns to face the video camera.

Adam nods slightly and taps the Record button. “You’re live, kid.”

Chance launches into his narrative without hesitation. “The House of James. What a ridiculous name for a bunch of second-string wrestlers who should have been left to rot in jail as the thugs they obviously are.” Adam’s nod encourages him to keep going. “You four have obviously been brainwashed into believing you’re doing a good thing for a noble cause, because why else would you be doing all of James Evans’s dirty work? Why else would you be listening to a man who’s too much of a coward to do the fighting himself? Why else would you gang up on people without giving them a chance to defend themselves?” He stops for a moment so he can catch his breath and gather his thoughts.

“Obviously your master thinks you four will have the upper hand on Sunday. He’s united you under a vow of violence and thinks that’s all it will take to win. He’s a cocky bastard, isn’t he? If Kim Williams has her way, he’ll be losing that part of his anatomy when she takes what’s rightfully hers.” A smirk flits across his face. “Harker. Lues. Mordred. Pain. You’re just names and faces. What have you accomplished here in SCW besides being James Evans’s hired lackeys? What matches have you won fairly? What have you done that’s worth mentioning with respect? Who haven’t you pissed off since you got here?”

He pauses and pretends to think about that before he smirks again. “The answers are simple and easy to find. You’ve done nothing worth speaking of with respect. You’ve accomplished nothing. And you’ve pissed off the wrong people.” He reaches down and brings his water bottle out from under the chair. Thank you, Jericho! He takes a healthy swig from the bottle before he continues. “Yeah there are four of you... Big deal. There are four people on my side too. You have me, Cassie Wolfe, who you seem to have targeted from the start for some stupid reason, Amy Chastaine and Kirsten Scott, who you’ve also targeted for one idiotic reason or another. Kirsten and Cassie both know first-hand just how annoyingly tenacious I can be. We’ve faced each other before, and I can honestly say they’re both incredibly tough competitors. Having been across from them myself, you made a big mistake making them your enemies. Amy Chastaine hates an unfair fight, which is what it is whenever the four of you are involved. All you are is poorly trained hired muscle. The four of us are wrestlers. None of us are afraid of getting into a fight when it means we’re standing up for what’s right. None of us like it when someone’s being outnumbered by a bunch of goons masquerading as intelligent human beings. All of us are willing to put our bodies and our lives on the line to even the odds. All of us are willing to take risks to ensure a safe working environment for everyone around us. All of us are willing to bleed to keep morons like you from laying everyone to waste in a madman’s twisted pursuit of an insane objective!”

He drinks more water after that outburst. “Part of me thinks I’ve said too much, but I haven’t said enough. You four honestly think you can keep the four of us down long enough to get the three count? You don’t even have the sense to keep your noses out of other people’s business and focus on actually wrestling instead of just beating the crap out of everyone you come across, let alone enough functioning braincells to figure out how to actually accomplish your objective! Just beating the crap out of us isn’t going to be enough and it will get you disqualified. Although that might not be a bad thing after all... Because then the four of us won’t have to play nice anymore and we can leave you in a bloody heap like you’ve been doing to everyone else!”

Another swallow of water helps him calm down because he’d seen Adam shaking his head behind the camera. “But no, I’m not going to give you any ideas, because the man who holds your leashes is smart enough to take advantage of anything I say. So I have to be careful with what I say. Or maybe not, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about James Evans, it’s that he likes to preach non-violence while using it himself.” A sinister smirk crosses his face. “I’m not afraid of James Evans, and I’m sure as hell not afraid of you four miscreants! Yes, I called you miscreants. If you’re not sure what it means, look it up on Google. Oh but you don’t know how to spell Google let alone use it! You’re nowhere near as smart as you think you are. And trust me when I say this. On Sunday, when our teams are standing across from each other, we are going to fuck you up.” He takes a small sip of water. “We’re going to beat the hell out of you within the rules of the match and we’re going to win. And when we do win, you’re going to realize ‘Gee, maybe we’re going about this all wrong’. Or not.” He shrugs one shoulder. “Doesn’t bother me one damn bit, if I’m going to be perfectly honest here. Either way, we’ll win.”

He takes another mouthful of water and swallows it slowly. His mind is getting ahead of his mouth and this is helping him get them back at the same speed. “You four only have one speed... You’re stuck in ‘Must break bones!’ and that’s going to be your downfall. Amy, Cassie, Kirsten and I have more than one speed, but if you think I’m going to tell you what they are, you’re dumber than I think you are. And that’s pretty fucking dumb.” He sees Adam rolling his eyes before nodding to say ‘Keep going, kid’. “I think I’ve said just about everything I wanted to say to you Neanderthals... Well... There is one more thing.” He caps the water bottle and leans forward with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “If you four want to get anywhere, you’re going to have to go through the four of us!”

Adam shuts off the camera. “Nicely done, kid!”

“Thanks.” He leans back and rubs his eyes. “Call Michael for Jarred while I figure out how to upload that.”

Adam grins and opens the flat object on the table beside the video camera. “One step ahead of you, kid.” It’s a laptop!

Chance stares at the open laptop before laughing and shaking his head. “Shoulda known you’d have something up your sleeve!” He stands up and walks over to the laptop. It’s powered up and ready to use, so he navigates to the members only section of the SCW website. He posts the promo under the clickable link ‘Strange Happenings’ and waits until the post appears before signing out and closing the browser afterward. “There. Now it’s up to my partners.”

“Good.” Adam crouches near Jarred and taps one of the buttons on his communicator. But instead of an open channel, he doesn’t hear anything at all. “What the fuck?” He looks at his communicator in surprise.

Chance gets a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he digs his communicator out of his pocket. “Please let mine work...” He taps a button on the dark green surface and is rewarded with the crackle of an open channel. “Thank Christ!” Then he addresses the device. “Michael, it’s Chance in Denver.”

Michael’s voice comes through clear as a bell. “I’m here, Chance.”

“We need you here at my parents’ house.” He glances at the badly wounded Caster for a second. “It’s Jarred. He looks like he barely won a fight with Freddy Kreuger.”

“I’m on my way!”

“We’re in the basement.”

“Got it.”

The channel closes with a loud click and Chance closes it on his end with a gusty sigh. “I almost didn’t remember to bring this thing with me!” And he puts his communicator on his right arm just below his wrist.

Adam scowls at his and stuffs it in his pocket. “Good thing you did remember... Mine’s not working and Jarred’s is gone.”

Michael walks into the basement out of thin air. “What of Jarred’s is gone?”

“His communicator.” Adam grimaces. “And mine’s busted.”

“So that’s why Chance contacted me instead of one of you two.”

“Right. Jericho was with us but he had a nasty vision and took off right before Jarred showed up.”

Chance sighs and rubs his face with both hands. “I’d just told Adam something about my sight journeys and was struggling with the right words to say when Jarred spoke up.”

Michael focuses on Jarred but he talks to Chance. “What had you just told Adam?”

“I had just told him that I hadn’t had any sight journeys since I had a premonition and that I felt... I’d stopped to find the right words when Jarred said ‘You feel empty. Like something’s missing.’ And that was exactly how I was feeling. I said ‘Yes!’ right before I saw him.”

“How long ago did you have this premonition?”

“I had it five days before Christmas.”

“Less than a month ago.” Michael turns to look at Chance. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“We may be dealing with another Spirit Thief... Only this one specializes in stealing the various types of clairvoyant abilities.”

“Like Liam’s!”

Adam takes his phone out of his pocket and fires off a text to his older brother. ‘Have you been feeling weird and off-kilter lately, Liam?’ He taps Send and looks at Chance. “I’m just asking him about that now. Hopefully that bastard hasn’t gotten to him yet.” Liam can see the past while Adam can see the future.

“Wait. Another one?”

Michael nods grimly and turns back to Jarred. “We had one pop up and wreak all kinds of havoc back about eighteen or twenty years ago. He got Jarred’s abilities and he was really fucked up until we tracked him down and put an end to him. That one was a Destiny Spirit Thief. This one...” He shakes his head. “I don’t know what kind this one is.”

Liam’s response comes in and Adam looks at it. What he sees makes him suck in his breath. ‘I haven’t been able to go the Smelter since shortly before Christmas and everything is silent when I touch it.’ “Ah FUCK!” He taps Reply with a shaking hand. ‘There’s a Spirit Thief going around stealing all the variations of clairvoyance. They got Chance and it looks like they got you too. Michael knows about Spirit Thieves.’ He taps Send and finds himself shaking.

“I take it they got Liam.”

“Yeah. Right around the time Chance had his premonition. Liam hasn’t been able to go to the Smelter since shortly before Christmas and everything is silent when he touches it.” Adam grabs himself and shudders violently. “If this Spirit Thief goes after Jericho...” He trails off, not wanting to finish that sentence.

Jarred chimes in with a grim note in his voice. “They’d have to get past an army of spiritual protectors first. But you, Adam. What about you?”

“I’ve had more visions than usual lately.” Adam looks at his trembling hands. “Now I think I know why.”

“We’ll track the Spirit Thief down and remove them like we did the one that got me.” Jarred looks at Chance.

Chance looks at Jarred and the Caster can see the vast yawning emptiness where a special and unique power used to be. “Please do it sooner instead of later if you can... I don’t like this feeling. I feel frail.” He means his soul feels frail and weak.

“You have my word, Chance. Once we deal with our current situation, we’ll get right on finding and wasting this Spirit Thief.” Then Jarred looks at Adam and holds out one blood-covered hand. “Give me your communicator. I’ll give it to Jericho for analysis and repair if needed.”

Adam puts his red communicator in Jarred’s outstretched hand. “I don’t like this one damn bit, Jarred. The only other time I had trouble with it was when Jericho up and disappeared.”

Jarred tucks the communicator in his pocket. “That was around the time the other Spirit Thief showed up and started causing trouble. I’ll make sure I tell Jericho that.”

“Thanks, Jarred.”

“Any time.”

Michael looks up at Chance and sees what Jarred saw only moments ago. “I think you should go back upstairs, Chance. Leo’s starting to wake up.”

Chance immediately stands up. “Thank you. All of you. If anything comes up over the next few days, you can find me here. The gas lines on the furnace in our townhouse rusted through enough to cause a nasty gas leak earlier today.” He looks at Adam. “Jericho was here when that happened.” He sighs and grabs his water bottle before going back upstairs to check on Leo. He knows full well the three men he left down there will be gone soon and despite everything that’s happened today, he isn’t afraid of the future.