Hi folks! Another quick change in plans — I actually finished Episode 7 this morning, having realized that the big scene I thought I still needed to write for it should really be its own episode. So we’re back to our regular schedule as far as this serial goes, and I’ll send out the blog post I had scheduled for today on Wednesday.
You're reading Daughters of Men, the second season of the Sons of God series. This is Episode Seven.
Last time, Sue revealed the true nature of her late husband’s work, causing Mae to choke down a huge red pill and giving her an inkling of why she was positioned so close to Delia.
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Season two picks up with Mae fleeing to the Windy City after making a deal with the mysterious and otherworldly entity she not so affectionately calls Ziggy, with Special Agent Chance Davies in hot pursuit. With only the ghost of her late husband to guide her — you know, the one she killed in self-defense before dumping his body and getting out of Dodge — she wastes no time making new enemies, and a precious few friends, as she works to untangle the web she’s gotten herself into and discovers just what, exactly, Ziggy wants her for.
The women’s shelter possessed its own sub-basement, which had been converted into an indoor shooting range. After all Mae had learned about Sue and her hobby, she was nonplussed when the matronly minister took her down there and showed her a selection of handguns.
“You want stopping power,” Sue said as she laid the guns out on a table, “but it’s important that it feels comfortable and you can shoot it without difficulty.” She sized Mae up. “For what you’ll be dealing with, I’d want to send you out with a forty-five, but I’m betting you’d be more comfortable with a nine millimeter.”
Mae nodded along, not sure what any of that meant. Sue removed the magazine from a large pistol and pulled back the slide, then thrust it toward her. “See how this feels.”
Mae gripped it by the handle and weighed it in her hand. “It’s a little clunky.”
Watching her, Sue’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “I should have asked if you’ve handled a firearm before.”
Mae shrugged, handing back the gun. “I used to plink empty beer cans with my daddy’s twenty-two. But that was a long time ago.”
“Well, we’ve got time for a lesson. Here.” She opened up a slightly smaller gun and handed it to her. “Try this one.”
“That feels better.”
Sue nodded. “That’s the nine millimeter.”
Mae looked at the larger gun that she had discarded. “But you think it would take a forty-five to stop these guys?”
“I’ll be honest. If you’re dealing with someone who’s demon possessed, I don’t know if any of these would stop them. But it might slow them down so you can get away.” She packed the remaining guns into a crate as she spoke, then took out a box of bullets. “Come on. Let’s teach you how to handle it.”
“This isn’t exactly legal for me to have, is it?” Mae asked as she followed her to the range.
“Nope. But considering that possession of an illegal firearm will be the least of your worries if you get caught, I’m betting I can count on you to be discreet.”
Mae couldn’t argue with that logic.
An hour later, she was getting comfortable with the pistol. She’d spent the first half hour learning how to handle it safely, load it and unload it, and rack it, which she would need to practice some more before she felt confident about it. But the actual shooting had surprised her. Apparently her proficiency at knocking beer cans off a fence rail translated to being able to hit a target well enough.
“You’re doing great,” Sue told her when they stopped to reload. “You’re a natural at shooting. You’re going to want to do daily dry fire practice on the other skills, though. Work on sliding the rack until you can do it without difficulty, and practice drawing and aiming. You’ll need to keep it up until it becomes second nature.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” Mae huffed out a laugh as she shoved bullets into the magazine. “You know, this is exactly the kind of training I hoped I was going to get when I went to that magic shop.”
Sue didn’t share her laughter. “I’m glad you had the sense to walk out on that ritual.”
“Yeah, well, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a couple of times since that I wondered if I made the right decision.”
“You did. Saying no to opening up yourself to demonic forces is always the right decision.”
Struggling to get that last bullet in, Mae paused to consider Sue’s words. “I kind of think that ship has already sailed.”
“Do you mean this Ziggy entity?”
Mae nodded. “I think he might own my soul.”
Sue shook her head. “He might make that claim, but he can’t own something that’s already been bought and paid for by Jesus.”
“Don’t you have to actually be a Christian for that to be true?”
“There’s being a Christian, and then there’s having faith. Those aren’t necessarily the same thing. It’s faith that’s required for salvation.”
“I used to believe. But then I lost my faith.”
Sue cocked an eyebrow and looked at her pointedly. “Are you sure you lost it? Maybe you simply misplaced it for a while.”
Mae sighed, in no mood to parse the possibilities behind that suggestion. Before she could think of a rejoinder that would get Sue to drop the subject, the heavy metal door to the range squeaked open behind them, and one of the shelter residents -- Lucia, if Mae remembered correctly -- poked her head inside.
“The little girl is upstairs, looking for Miss Mae,” she called.
Mae looked at Sue. “Does she mean Delia?”
“That would be my guess. Better go see what she wants.” She nodded toward the counter. “Leave the gun there for now. I’ll hunt up a holster you can use and bring it to you.”
Mae set the pistol down and then followed Lucia upstairs, where Delia sat waiting in the common lounge, picking at her peeling blue nail polish. She got up when she noticed Mae.
“Hey, kiddo,” Mae said, smiling brightly. She was genuinely pleased to see the girl, despite her deep concern for her welfare. “What’s up?”
Delia cast a sullen look toward the other women, who had resumed their conversation. Following her gaze, Mae reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “Let’s go to my room, where we’ll have some privacy.”
Inside, once the door was closed, Delia said, “Wade sent me to get you.”
That startled Mae. She had actually forgotten that Delia could see him. “Why didn’t Wade come and tell me himself?”
“He can’t go into the church.”
“Really?” Mae logged that tidbit away as interesting and useful to know. “Did he tell you what he wants?”
She shook her head. “But he said to tell you it’s safe to go back to your apartment.” Delia fidgeted, her face clouding over with distress. “I’m sorry about what Gregor did. But it really is safe. My stepdad had a talk with him. It won’t happen again.”
Mae regarded her warily. This kid had an old-soul quality, but she was still a kid. She could be easily duped. “You and I are going to need to have a talk sometime about your stepdad and the kinds of people he hangs around with.”
Delia’s lips pressed together tightly as she shook her head. “It’s better that you don’t know.”
Remembering everything Sue had revealed about Delia and her so-called stepdad, she had to fight to quench the rage that wanted to blaze up within her. She placed a hand on Delia’s shoulder. “It might be better for you that I do, sweetheart. You don’t have to carry all this by yourself.”
Delia shrugged out from beneath her touch, looking away, her face full of shame. “Wade’s waiting,” she said, reaching for the door.
“Alright.” Mae grabbed her coat from the hook by the door. “Let’s go.”
Outside, it had begun to snow. Small flakes drifted down, already leaving a frosty coating on parking meters and the cars parked in front of them. Wade waited across the street from the church entrance, in front of the same store where Mae had pretended to window shop when she’d realized Gregor was following her. “I need to get home,” Delia said as they exited the church building. “But, Mae?”
“Yeah, sweetie?”
She looked over at Wade, eyeing him warily. “Something’s not right about him.”
Mae couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You mean besides the fact that he’s a ghost?”
“I don’t know what he is,” said Delia, her expression more grave than any pre-teen girl’s had any right to be. She looked away from him and into Mae’s eyes. “Just be careful with him, okay?”
“Don’t worry, kid. I’m the last person on earth who would trust Wade Bishop.”
Delia looked like she wanted to say something else but thought better of it. With a little shake of her head and a wave of her fingers, she turned and headed home. Mae watched her until she reached the apartment’s parking lot safely, and only then turned to make her way across the street to Wade.
“So you can’t come inside a church?” she asked as she approached him. “What’s that about?”
He shrugged it off. “You know I’ve never been comfortable in church.”
“We’re not talking about going to church, Wade. Just entering the building. Why can’t you do that?”
“Did you forget that I’m on parole from the big H? And I don’t mean Heaven.”
“So, what? You can’t step foot on holy ground or something?”
“Or something.” His tone said to drop the subject.
Mae wanted to keep pressing. She had to admit, it gave her a perverse thrill to be able to push his buttons knowing he couldn’t push back. Then again, he had done a spectacular job throwing things at Gregor and his goon squad. Maybe she should still think twice about pissing him off.
“So what do you want, Wade?”
“It’s not about what I want, darlin’. You’re the one who was hot and bothered to talk to Ziggy.”
Her heart sped up as her brows lifted. The thought of meeting Ziggy again suddenly terrified her. “Ziggy will meet with me?”
“Tonight. You’ve got to go back to your apartment.” He held up his hands to stave off her objections. “Don’t worry, Ziggy took care of things. Those thugs won’t be bothering you there again.”
“How did Ziggy take care of things?”
“How should I know? I’m just the messenger.”
“Will you be there?”
“If you want me to be.”
Mae blew out a long breath. A chill shot through her that had nothing to do with the drop in temperature. Reluctantly, she said, “Thanks.”
Wade looked shocked. “What for?”
“For helping me get out of there yesterday. I hate to think what would’ve happened if you hadn’t caused a distraction.”
Wade shrugged. “It’s not like it wasn’t fun making those tough guys piss their britches.”
Mae smiled in spite of herself. Pulling her coat more tightly around her and blinking snow off her eyelashes, she nodded. “I’ll be there.”
“You coming now?”
“I need to get some things first.”
“Alright, then. See you tonight, dar--” He stopped himself and gave her a look that was just short of apologetic. “Mae.”
He vanished. Suddenly conscious that she’d been essentially talking to herself in the middle of the street, Mae glanced around, but said street was mostly empty this time of day, and nobody seemed to take notice. Brushing the snow from her hair, she raised her hood before jogging back across the street and returning to shelter.
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