The Man with the Devil's Tongue (A Prologue to the End of the World and Some Other Things)

Chapter 2

It was called the order of the Gatekeepers, though through the years they had many other names and affiliations, including the Illuminati and the Knights Templar. The Order operated in every country, answering only to the Church and the angels above. They kept their operations shrouded in secrecy, working in the shadows to ensure a safer world for all mankind.

Now in his forties, Jameson Talbot had spent the better part of his life as a member of the Gatekeepers. In that time, he had killed demons, captured poltergeists, shaken hands with the Pope, and saved the residents of DeKalb, Illinois from a rabid unicorn.

Talbot was a field agent. Whereas most of the Order was devoted to study and secrets, he had to go out into the world and deal with the monsters that the others only read about.

He returned to the Gatekeepers stronghold with one such monster under his arm. It was a hellhound pup, rendered unconscious with drugs. It was born with a full, black coat of fur, but that was already beginning to fall out, giving way to the patchy, hideous skin underneath. This was the first pup ever discovered in the human world and it seemed to suggest that the hellhounds were breeding beyond the gates of Hell. He would deliver the mutt to the scientists, let them figure it out.

The Order's stronghold was located in the ancient sewers beneath Rome. Agreements with the Vatican kept their special corner of the sewers off the grid and away from prying eyes.

After navigating through corridors of rock and eventually passing through a locked door, Talbot found himself in the ultra-modern Gatekeepers HQ. Fancy chrome, lots of glass, the latest computer technology—they had it all, and it was paid for by the public without them ever knowing it.

Talbot dropped off the pup with the geeks just as its eyelids were beginning to flutter open. The doctors quickly administered another dose of tranquilizers, putting the hound under before he could cause any trouble.

Talbot wanted rest and he needed a shower. A week spent in a hellhound den in Spain wouldn't wash off easily.

From the corner office, his boss Dominic Friend was waving him over.

Rest would have to wait.

Friend was a profane middle-aged man who you would never expect to be a religious sort. Talbot supposed that working with the Gatekeepers didn't automatically mean one was religious. With certainty of angels and demons, did that perhaps cancel out the requirement for faith, for worship?

Talbot entered Friend's office and remembered how much he liked the spacious room. There was a rumor that Dominic Friend would be retiring in a couple years. Some gossipers seemed to suggest that Talbot was first in line for the job. He'd like that. No more digging around for demons in the shitholes of the world—instead he'd have a nice, warm office to work out of, and then he could play the asshole boss role.

Friend said, "Fucking angels came to me with a message."

Talbot frowned.

"They want you in Indiana," Friend said.

"Why? There's nothing worth anything in Indiana," Talbot said.

"Angels, in their infinite wisdom, apparently disagree." Friend reached into a desk drawer, pulled out a bottle of bourbon. He poured himself a glass, downed it, and put the bottle back.

Talbot tried his best to look dejected.

"There's a girl enrolled in Notre Dame," Friend said. "Her gift of sight is powerful but raw. They want you to give her the choice to join us and refine her gifts, such as they are."

"That's unusual," Talbot said.

"That's what I told them."

"What'd they say?"

Friend waved his hand dismissively. "Gave me the old 'mysterious ways' bullshit."

"Angels said that?"

"I couldn't believe it." Friend shook his head. "There's no standards left anymore. Even the angels are fond of goddamn clichés."

"What's so special about the girl?" Talbot asked.

"They said she's clever. They say she has a future."

Talbot nodded grimly. It always bothered him that the angels had some idea of the cards in every player's hands and that they preferred to be cryptic about the details. To say that the Indiana girl had a future was just angel-speak for saying she was important to them somehow.

Ghosts, demons, and the creepy crawlies of myth existed beyond the sight of most humans, either invisible or appearing as something totally normal. They hid behind this magic, known as the Veil, knowing that they could only be seen by a gifted few. Even the normal people of the world still usually saw at least one thing beyond the Veil in their lifetime, often upon the brink of death when the fabric between worlds begins to fray.

One day, it was said that the Veil would be lifted for the entire world; this event was better known as the Apocalypse.

"What does she see so far?" Talbot asked.

"For years she only saw ghosts," Friend said. He broke eye contact and stared at his folded hands on the desk.

Talbot said, "Yes, and?"

"Last night she saw the Devil."