The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Eight (Draft 3 WIP) "Possessions"

"Everyone OK?" Morpheus could see his companions were present and alive, but that wasn't the same. The fact that the Djinn were in beastly forms meant they felt a need to intimidate, if hiding weren't an option.

"Cold." River crawled beneath the shirt Morpheus had formed.

From the way it shivered against his leg, the rat had felt it, too.

"We were in the Void too long." Morpheus took a breath of tunnel air and sighed. Next to no time had passed here, as the uptown train was still rumbling away from them. Evidently next to no time was time enough for adverse effects. "We need to get off the tracks."

Morpheus pushed away from the slumbering wolf and started to drag it towards the west platform, but loosed his grip as the rat clawed at his leg.

Hepburn, still in camel form, paced quickly along the tracks, halted, and raised a forelimb to kick the rat.

And the rat dispersed.

Morpheus froze a moment, realizing the implication. His wings spread reflexively, but no invisible attack came. So, he returned to his task and heaved the wolf over the rail.

Hepburn's white camel form dispersed into the dim tunnel.

Morpheus finally dragged the wolf into the lee of the west platform. He crouched there looking out into the subway tunnel.

Loren stood on the nearby downtown track, appearing to track movement along the tunnel supports. Loren stotted into the air like a gazelle and landed again on four legs.

"Does Hepburn need help? I can handle the wolf."

Loren dispersed but quickly condensed again into the familiar form of Sophia, costumed in that disco pink outfit Julien had wished to see. "Djinn matter."

Morpheus nodded. Obvious now the rat was one of the Djinn, though he hadn't noticed such a presence earlier. He could feel the movement of Djinn and caught occasional wavers across his vision. "If you need me."

Loren made a sharp nod, back to Morpheus, as if guarding him.

A moment later Hepburn materialized on the tracks, in a similar kitschy harem outfit, although in green with a high-waisted skirt. Hepburn picked up the somewhat abused fashion magazine and then dashed to the west platform.

A waver came to a stop over the downtown track and then briefly taking the translucent form of a boy in a fez, continued to assume the form of a red-haired woman in a purple and green costume.

Morpheus didn't know if he should speak, yet, it had been a long while since he'd had to deal with other Djinn.

Hepburn and Loren shifted into the forms of Audrey and Sophia in stylish mid-century coats and leopard print pillbox hats.

That third one shifted in turn, but Morpheus didn't recognize the form. Definitely not a fashionable lady in a comical caper, but like a contemporary law enforcement agent trying to look intimidating by not looking too pretty.

Morpheus shook his head.

"Seriously? Silence of the Lambs? Anybody?"

"That's—" Morpheus teetered and nearly fell back against the slumbering wolf. "That's a movie?"

"Frickin Oscar winning. And a book."

"Like Dracula."

The agent shifted into Professor Van Helsing in a drab jumpsuit like a prisoner or a mechanic might wear.

Maybe they were finding common ground to communicate if the same actor had been in both movies.

Loren shifted to Mina in black velvet. "So kind to me, Doctor."