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show, Zach gathered
that Sashza’s “religious beliefs,” were an eclectic combination of Buddhism,
Native American Paganism and Schizophrenia.
    “I guess that would be okay.” He made a
mental note to lead them in the Lord’s Prayer prior to tomorrow’s
investigation.
    “All right everyone,” Sashza broadcast
loudly. “Please join hands with each other and let’s all form a united circle.
She extended her left hand toward Rico, the Demon Hunters Jersey-accented Lead InvestiHunter.
    Sashza grasped Ray’s hand in her only
slightly smaller palm. The glare Ray gave Zach ensured he’d not be stepping
into the boxing ring with his best friend again any time soon. Zach suspected
Ray’s punches to his headgear might not be love taps next time. The rest of XPI complied with Sashza’s request even without their traditional grumbling. Once
hands had been joined, Sashza asked for a moment of silence for all spirits—
living, departed and lingering. Zach sighed as his thoughts turned to his
recently passed mother. A memory flashed through his mind; one of the few
remaining he held of her smiling, really smiling.
    When it came, Sashza’s alto screech startled
everyone. “Gods of the heavens and gods of the stars join us here. From the gods
of the earth to the gods in the sea, from the gods in the air to the gods of—”
    Sashza gasped. She looked skyward but her
eyes were white. “The gods of fire!” She leaned slowly backwards and then
lurched forward. Her movement was so violent that it broke Ray’s handhold.
Sashza fell to the ground face first, her arms not extending to break her fall.
Her chest and shoulders hit the earth squarely. Her muscular body thudded on
the ground.
    One look at Bryce’s reaction convinced Zach
this was not scripted drama. His new co-host had broken the circle and was
rushing to her. It took both Bryce and Ray to flip Sashza over. Someone put a
balled-up jacket under her head.
    “Sashza?” Bryce lightly slapped her face and
caressed her forehead.
    From up close, Zach noticed for the first
time how much makeup she wore to cover what was not feminine skin. Her eyes
rolled around behind closed lids which fluttered a moment before reopening.
    “Sashza, what did you see?” Bryce asked.
    Her mouth opened and closed, but she didn’t
speak.
    “Can someone get some water?” Zach called
out.
    Sara and her cameraman swirled about them
filming like war reporters on a battlefield.
    Sashza bolted upright. “Someone is going to
burn for their sins!”
    “Shhhhhh. It’s okay,” Bryce said. “It’s only
a vision.”
    “No. No, it’s not,” she said to him. “I
cannot be a part of this. Someone’s lies are putting us all in danger.”

 
    Zachary’s Past—Age Three
     
    Beth Kalusky was halfway through a videotape
of Friday’s “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” when keys rattled outside the
door of their modest duplex. Gary entered. He turned and made a point of
locking the deadbolt before looking in her direction. Beth was not about to let
him off the hook easily.
    She glared at him as he stood frozen just
inside the doorway. “You reek of alcohol and cheap perfume!”
    Gary sighed and shook his head. “I
absolutely do not.”
    “Crawling in at nearly three in the morning
when you’ve got a wife and a baby is not acceptable behavior.” Beth pointed to
the clock.
    Gary gritted his teeth and stared at the
ceiling the way he did when he was bottling his rage. She wished once, just
once, he’d let it out and show her that he cared. Show her the man he was
before she’d given birth to his—
    “It was my brother’s fucking wedding, he
said. “You left early.” Harsh as they were, the words came out monotone—no
feeling in them. No passion.
    This isn’t the same man I married.
    “Brother’s wedding or not, you’re drunk and
irresponsible. How dare you drive like that? How dare you disrespect me and
your family that way!”
    “My family? My family?”
    There was a flicker