Free Urban Necromancer by Phil Chard

to help her.
    DON’T−YOU−HURT−MY−BABY!
    The words didn’t come from any mouth, but resonated around in stereo. The form of this thing was not familiar, not entirely human shaped, but in some features that seemed to have survived on the other side of the event horizon, there were features she recognised. It was too powerful for Simon, whatever tricks he had learned in the condition were dwarfed by the power of this Being of Light.
    Juliet heard a last, frantic scream from him before they both disappeared into an unknown world; the Light followed them through and the room returned to its earthly dimensions.
    She felt around for the invisible shield, but it was gone. Relieved, she walked back to her physical body and then into it. The eyes flickered; she took several deep breaths, getting used to her physical body once more. She looked around the room and struggled to take in what had just happened.
     
    *
     
    Juliet closed the front door of the property, and locked it with a key. The taxi driver was resting against his car, newspaper in hand. He folded it. “You done?”
    She considered the question. “Yeah,” she replied. “I’m finished.”
    He made for the driver’s side and got in. The car started up. Juliet looked up at the window where minutes earlier phantoms had fought and dimensions had collided. It was now lifeless. She switched her cell phone back on and let it warm up while she ambled towards the taxi. She got in.
    “Where to now?”
    Juliet’s cell phone caught up with itself and informed her of several voicemails from Joe.
    “Miss? Where we going?”
    She was reading an angry text message from Joe. He was demanding to know where she was. He wanted to talk to her. Another angry text followed. Juliet switched off the phone, wound down the window and threw it out.
    The taxi driver watched events, but didn’t comment on them. He was only interested in her next destination. “Miss? Where we going now? I think you said before; some hotel, then the train station?”
    The Houghtons were at the hotel. She had got them to agree to a further payment once she got rid of the spook. The balance could follow once they were happy it was gone for good.
    “Hotel,” Juliet said. “Then the airport.”
    She had her passport with her. She took it everywhere. You never knew when you might see a job advertisement for a few days work and it was best to be ready and armed with the proof you were a legal resident here. The down payment from the Houghtons would pay for a trip anywhere. She’d tell them to pay the final instalment to Joe, once they were completely happy that their visitor had left. It would be everything she owed Joe plus considerable interest. It was time to stop trading in souls. Maybe she’d find a job in a bar on the beach in the Caribbean. People would see her scars and see a survivor, not a victim.
    Glorious freedom.