FROM ONE DARKNESS TO ANOTHER The huge cavern was a wonder to behold. Luminescent lichens grew everywhere even on the trunks of ages-dead trees, giving the scene a wintery effect.
Part III
Joan StephensHe heard the lapping of waves on a nearby shore. As he threaded his way through the forest of dead trees, he noticed that the trees bore broad, fan-shaped leaves that seemed to be made of the same bark that covered the tree trunks. The lichens were like vines and proved extra strong when he tested them. As he came out of the stand of dead trees, Vincent stopped on the shoreline of a large underground lake. The ancient, sandy shore curved off on both sides disappearing into the distance. The lake posed a formidable barrier, but he could not turn back because he knew that several of Paracelsus’ henchmen were pursuing him.
Hurriedly, he built a makeshift raft of broken timbers and lichens. Tying the broad leaves to a long pole, he made a paddle and set off across the lake. How long it took to reach the other side, he had no way of knowing as time was nonexistent in the world. He only knew it seemed to take a long time and he was quite tired when he finally came to the farther shore. He had had no time to recover from his breakdown before finding himself in this dark world caught in a deadly game of-could it be?-life or death. There was no life in this world but there was death.
When he arrived at the other side of the lake, he found another forest of dead trees. These seemed small and stunted compared to the other forest. They grew rather densely and were almost impenetrable with the exception of some open paths through them. He would make a stand here and cut the odds down to a manageable level. Knowing he could rest for a brief time before his pursuers arrived, he scooped a shallow hollow in the sand in the stunted forest. He wished, not for the first time, that he had his cloak to wrap around him. This world was as cool as the tunnels. Before he fell asleep, he sent a thought to Catherine. Be well, Catherine, be well.
After a few quiet nights, the nightmares were back in full force, and Catherine dreaded going to sleep, but she was tired and needed her rest. As she drifted off to sleep a feeling of peace and well-being came over her and she slept peacefully for the first time in days.
****************
“Hi, Joe.”
“Cathy! You’re back,” he said with a grin. Her return brightened an otherwise dull and dreary rainy day.
“How are you?” he asked coming around his desk to engulf her in a huge bear hug.
“I’m all right,” was her muffled reply.
“I’m sorry about your loss, Cathy. Was it the friend you told me about?” She nodded against his chest. “You loved him very much?”
“Yes,” she whispered and stepped out of his arms. “I’m ready to come back to work, Joe, but before I do there are some conditions that must be met.”
“Conditions? What kind of conditions?”
“How long have I been here? Three years, right?”
“Right.”
“I think it’s time I took on more trial work and not just special cases.”
“I’ll go along with that. I’ll talk with Moreno about it right away. What else?”
“I can’t work on the weekends and there will be times when I can’t be reached. I must have this time off, Joe, it’s necessary.”
“Does this have anything to do with your friend?”
“Yes, we had a dream and I intend to see it carried out.”
“I can’t promise anything, Radcliffe, but I’ll do my best. I don’t want to lose you.”
A ray of sunshine broke through the lowering clouds lighting up the office. Cathy smiled as if the sunshine was an omen. “Thanks, Joe. I appreciate it.”
“Forget it. To get you back in the grove, I’m going to give you the Daneli case to start with. It’s really great to have you back, kiddo.”
“I know. Who else are you going to give all the extra work to?” she shot back, chuckling at her little joke.
Joe stepped back and eyed her, “Radcliffe, now I know you’re really back.” Then he ushered her out of his office to her desk.
She threw herself into the work, spending long hours at her desk, coming home dead tired to fall into a deep sleep hoping to keep the nightmares at bay. She never knew when they would come, and when they did they evoked that same raw emotion that the very first one did. Her appointment with Dr. Grafton proved fruitless and produced no lasting relief. He thought that it was just a phase of her grief, and that the nightmares would soon lessen and disappear. The sleeping pills were all but useless, as they had no effect on the dreams. She spent her most restful nights in Vincent’s large bed where she felt close to him and was able to sleep peacefully.
Much of her free time was spent below, and she could be found most weekends in Vincent’s chamber, in his big chair reading, or sleeping in his bed. She felt his presence everywhere in the tunnels, and she invoked his image, creating a dialogue with him that provided answers--framed in his words and voice--to her questions. She knew it to be a fantasy, a form of psychological comfort for a loss that would never, could never be overcome; for who would willingly give up such a deep and unconditional love. On Sundays, whether she was staying Below or not, she went to his tomb to tell him how her week had been and to gather strength for the next week. Her grief never seemed to lessen. It was as fresh as the day he died. His loss was a constant ache from the ever present need of him.
****************The sound of voices woke him. He hurried into the dark, dense, dead forest, stopping within hearing distance of where the men had come ashore.
“Look here,” the one named Micah said; he had been the leader of the Outsiders who had threatened Catherine. “The sand’s still warm; he can’t be too far ahead. Chris, take Python and Tony and go to the left. We’ll outflank him. Danny, you take Jack and Leo to the right. We got him in a trap.” They melted into the forest. Shortly, there were growls followed by a cry of agony. More growls, and more agonized cries. Micah and the rest ran to the sounds and found Chris with his throat slashed. Tony lay on his right side, his head at an odd angle, and Python had been disemboweled. Wildly looking around the men spun in circles, fearing that Vincent would set upon them. Then they heard more cries from where Danny should be. Rushing over to where the cries were heard, they found that the same fate had befallen Danny, Jack, and Leo.
“God, Micah, this guy is unstoppable,” one of them said.
“Nah. We’ll get him yet. He’s headed for the boss, and when we get him there, he’ll pay. He’ll pay. Come on. Let’s go get ‘im.” They plunged into the forest.
Through a red haze, Vincent watched them leave. He was slowly coming back to himself. Each time it took him longer to master the dark forces within him. He needed Catherine’s quiet faith in him; he needed her strength and resolve. If he didn’t reach his tormentor soon, he was afraid the darkness would be in total control by the time he finally found him. Knowing the pack would lead him to Paracelsus, he followed closely. They were not safe anywhere. At any turn, at any opening, stealing up behind them, picking off the strays, he slowly whittled them down to a manageable number. With Vincent in his present state, what remained--6 to 7 men--was a mere handful, and he disposed of them quite handily.
****************
The dreams were finally beginning to fade, making her feel as if she was losing Vincent anew. At least with the dreams she felt connected to him and now that was fading too. Her grief was as intense as ever although it was five months since he had died. She felt it would be her constant companion for the rest of her life.
She had tried to pick up the pieces that remained of her life; she tried to live the life that Vincent wanted for her. Never asking questions or pushing for answers, Jenny was her lifeline at this time. She took her lost friend to lunch or dinner, to the theater, to concerts, anything that would keep her occupied. Joe had taken her to dinner many times, and she knew he wanted it to be more, but she only saw him as a dear friend. Even Elliot had asked her out after he ran into Jenny one day and found out that Cathy was free once more. As grateful as she was to her friends and Elliot, she found it difficult to accept that life anymore. Hers was a different life than any of them lived. When she wasn’t thinking of Vincent, she was thinking of her home below the streets of New York. Nothing alleviated the aching loneliness in her heart and it was only with Peter that she was able to be herself and speak of Vincent.
****************
On an unusually warm early October evening, Elliot was standing by the low brick wall of her balcony. They had just returned from dining out. She handed him a nightcap as she came to stand beside him. She couldn’t get it out of her mind that he was trespassing. The balcony was the only place where both her worlds had been united as one, the only place that held so many memories of the nights she had spent with Vincent. She felt as if she was being smothered by Elliot’s intense emotions and that he was intruding in her life. Out of the silence his soft, cultured voice asked, “Marry me, Cathy?”
“Wha . . . ?”
“Marry me, Cathy?” he cut in. “If not now, sometime in the future. I’ll give you plenty of time to mourn.”
“I can’t.”
He looked at her in disbelief, unable to accept her words. “Why?” he cried. “Why can’t you love me as I love you?”
“Elliot, you must stop this. It hurts me to see you hurt yourself this way. Don’t you understand? I can’t give my heart to anyone else; I gave my heart to another long ago. And it doesn’t matter that he is no longer with me; my heart is still with him. It was a mistake to go out with you. I wish you’d leave. Now!”
He shook his head, refusing to believe her, “You’re still in mourning. I should never have come on so strong. I’m sorry, Cathy. Please, say you’ll still see me.”
“I don’t know if I can, Elliot. I need a friend, not a lover. I don’t know if I can survive this.” As she broke down, he gathered her sobbing figure into his arms. “He is my life, Elliot. I’m lost without him.”
Cradling her head against his shoulder, he asked, “You really loved him that much?”
“Yes . . . and I still love him . . . I always will,” she managed between sobs.
Quietly, he held her for several long moments until she wiped her eyes and moved out of his embrace. “Ok, Cathy, if a friend is all you want than a friend is what I’ll be. But I do have my dreams.”
“We all have our dreams, Elliot, but some dreams never come true.”
****************Of all that rough mob of men, only a few remained. They were the true hunters, and they knew he would come for Paracelsus. They set their traps and waited. One by one he met them, and with the darkness rising in him, he slew them. Looking into Snow’s rugged face as he ripped him apart, he knew he was lost to himself. Ranging wildly through the caverns, there was only one thought in his mind--find Paracelsus. Vincent found him in the cavern where all of this had begun, protected by the giant, Erlich, and Chang Yo Li, the dead leader of the Tong that ran Chinatown.
Looming like a vulture, Paracelsus stood on a raised stone bench at the far end of the cavern. With a wild roar, Vincent rushed at his tormentor, but the gigantic man stepped in front of him and took the brunt of his attack. They grappled back and forth with Erlik trying to squeeze him senseless. Vincent countered by slashing at him and caught him in the stomach, disemboweling him with a mighty blow. The giant of a man collapsed to the floor, dead.
“Good, Vincent, good,” Paracelsus crooned. “Let it flow over you and carry you away.”
Head down, arms hanging at his side, Vincent shook his head. “No, I will never willingly give in.” He looked at Paracelsus through a read haze of rage.
“It’s time for the final player in this game. Call out for her. Call out for your Catherine. She will come to you.”
“No,” he shouted.
“Call her, Vincent, you need her. You cannot leave here without her. She would want to be by your side. Call her. Now!”
His need for her overwhelmed him and he called to her, “Catherine . . . I need you.”