Corrupted

Three

I screamed. As my heart slowed, I realized I had fallen asleep, and the sun was already setting. I struggled to a seated position on the futon and glanced at the painting. The dark line of figures was still there, but it was regular oil, not black ooze. I took a few deep breaths, grabbed my phone, and hit Speed Dial 2. I was relieved when Kylie picked up.

"Hey," I gasped. "It's me again. Things have somehow gotten worse. How soon can you get off work?"

"Leave work?" I could practically hear her scowling. "Astin, do you know how long it took to find a job in this city?"

"I know. Look, I wouldn't call unless it was really important. Is there any way you can get away from work? Any way at all?"

"I can take my break early, I guess. It'll raise eyebrows, but there's other people that can work the grill." She sighed. "You've got 30 minutes of my time. Make it count."

"Trust me," I said, eyeing the painting. "I will."

I snapped the phone closed and grabbed my keys and wallet. I hesitated, then flipped the painting around backwards. I got out the door and to my hatchback pretty quick.

When I got to Urban Burgz, I poked my head in to signal Kylie, then pounced on a rare unclaimed table outside. It wasn't long before she snuck out of the restaurant and dove into the seat across from me. She slid a basket over the table and set down a cup. The burger was still steaming. The fries looked even hotter. I stared until I realized it was dinner time, and I was starving. It was two burgers in one day, but I wasn't about to pass up free food.

"Looks like I owe you," I noted.

"Nobody's gonna notice. So, what's the four alarm fire?"

"The painting," I grimaced. "It's gotten worse."

"Define 'worse.'"

"I fell asleep on my futon without realizing it." I took a bite of my burger, yelped, then drained half my soda. I knew it was going to be blistering, and yet, I bit right into it. Maybe one day, I'd learn. "The painting came alive. My entire apartment was flooded with Taint. I drowned in it."

She took a moment to appreciate the seriousness of the situation by stealing a fry. "That's fucked up."

"Tell me about it. I'm scared this dream was precognitive, too. I mean, I'm already painting in my sleep. It's not exactly a huge leap."

"Have you told anyone else about it?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. I came straight here after I woke up. If things go as sideways as I think it will, we'll need Nemesis."

"Gee, glad to know you're worried about me."

"You know what I mean," I frowned. "I care what happens to you, Kylie. But, you're also the only one with a goddess of eternal whoop-ass in your head."

"Isn't there someone else you can call for this kind of stuff?" She ate more of my fries. I didn't really object. "What about your girlfriend? She's the one with all the sharp bits."

"Mary needs energy to fight, and feeding off me will only get her so far. Besides, she's not really trained for this."

She pointed at me with a fry. "Neither are you."

"You're kind of making my point for me."

"Ugh, fine. You still need to call Mary, though. Anne and Claudia, too. Whatever trouble we were already in, it just got bigger."

"I'm going to. I just need to figure out the best—" I stopped in mid-sentence, nearly choking on my food. That familiar feeling of an unseen ghost washed over me. I hunched down into my wings. "We're being watched."