Chapter Seven:

River Mead was almost entirely abandoned when the investigative team from the Council of Watchers arrived. There were still a few police officers and local investigators trying to find out what had happened to the small town, but their efforts were pretty much exhausted. The destruction had been almost total, from the obnoxiously sized bank to the quaint ice cream parlor, each building nearly leveled by the explosions.

Any lingering residents or pedestrians had either left or been taken elsewhere by local authorities. There was no reason to stay, with so many dead...and many more who had physical and mental trauma that the most experienced physicians would never understand.

Jay Malloy crouched next to an overturned car, and sifted dirt and ash through his hands thoughtfully. The glass from the automobile's windshield had melted and re-fused with other debris, making the ground around it glisten in the morning light. Jay appreciated the beauty and horror of what was evident before him. He ran his hand over the smooth shards embedding in the pavement and frowned. He had no idea how hot a fire would have to be to cause this sort of distortion, but he assumed normal explosives would not have had the same result.

"Malloy!" he heard someone called his name, and glanced up to see one of his colleagues walking toward him, "There you are. Find anything yet?"

"Hey, Giles," Jay replied quietly to his classmate, and then looked back down at the glittering ground, "Found a lot of things...like this fairly new, formally intact vehicle, here..."

Rupert Giles adjusted the spectacles on his face and frowned, "Yes...I noticed that one too. But, Parks wants to know if you found anything yet..."

Jay sighed with annoyance. Parks was Quentin Travers's personal assistant...at least, self proclaimed assistant. In Jay's opinion, just plain ass was a sufficient description.

He stood up slowly and grinned at 'Ripper,' "You stuck being his gopher today?"

Giles shrugged, keeping his own temper snuffed under a veil of indifference.

"Seriously, though," he said to Jay, "Have you seen anything strange?"

"Seen...or seen..." Jay said, pointing to his temple on the last word with a smirk.

Giles nodded, and then grinned and mimicked the action. What had Jay seen...as in with his inner eye.

"Give me a few minutes," Jay said, and began walking slowly across the street.

Giles clasped his hands behind his back, and watched curiously as his friend began to use his gift.

Jay took one long breath and then closed his eyes. He was still walking, entirely aware of the world around him...even without his normal sight...

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It is dark now...but Jay is still standing in the middle of River Mead...

The streets are bustling with pedestrians...happy, innocent, going about their business...

Time moves...then pauses...

Jay watches as people began to panic...the screams of the first victims tear through him like knives...

Time moves faster...then...

A small mob surges past him on the right...followed by a boy...

'You can't stand...' the boy says darkly...

Two from the group fall to their knees in helpless terror...losing all control over their two lower limbs...

Jay watches the boy smirk with amusement...

Time moves...

Jay feels fury...impossible fury...then the explosions begin...

Time moves...

Panic...terror...the boys run...

One lone figure is left among the flames...she is surrounded by a corona of orange light...

Another explosion blinds him...

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Jay held his hands in front of his face and toppled to the ground.

When he looked up, he saw the figure of a boy in front of him. He was small, no more than ten or eleven. He wore large dark glasses and held a walking cane in front of him. The boy's form was hazy, almost transparent and Jay's initial instinct was that the boy was a ghost.

"I'm not," the boy said aloud, "I don't die for a long time..." The boy's face became thoughtful, "...I met my murderer today...right after the wolf man left...his name is Stryker..."

Jay shifted uneasily as the boy's unseeing gaze fixed on him again.

"You have to help her, Jay," the boy said urgently, "You have to help Charlie. You have to go east...before she starts to go north..."

"Who's Charlie?" Jay asked, fascinated by the telepathic projection before him. This boy was most certainly alive, though not actually present. The boy's aura was sharp, like a prism, just like those other random people Jay noticed from time to time.

The boy grinned bashfully, "We all love her, you know. The way Rainbird talked...she's like our sister...but so much more... we all love her a little bit. Even Paul...though he says he doesn't..."

"Who is she?" Jay asked.

The boy's face became anxious again.

"Find her, Jay," he pleaded, "You're the only one who can keep her safe! Find her...before the wolf...before the tiger...before the monsters! Go east! Before she goes north! The snow isn't safe!"

The boy's voice faded and Jay closed his eyes again tightly.

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When Jay opened them, Giles was grasping his shoulders and shaking him.

"Jay!" Giles shouted with concern, "Malloy! Wake up! Come back!"

"Easy, Ripper," Jay muttered as his inner eye closed, "Gonna tear my arms off..."

Giles sighed and helped Jay to his feet. Jay dusted his expensive suit off dramatically, as his friend waited for an explanation.

"Good Lord, man," Giles finally said, "What happened to you?"

"I don't know," Jay admitted, glancing around to see if anyone else had noticed his fall, "Let's just say there's a little more around here than the auras of Colorado's Finest..."

Giles frowned, "Spirits?"

Jay shook his head, "No...he said he wasn't dead yet..."

"It wouldn't be something I'd want to admit either," Giles replied doubtfully. Most ghosts had a prolonged attachment to their former lives, and 'I'm not dead!' was a common statement among them.

Jay grinned at his friend's dry humor, "He had a life-light, Ripper. Whoever I saw, he was not a ghost..."

Giles frowned, "What then?"

Jay shook his head and frowned. Suddenly, he began to walk quickly toward where assistant Parks was standing.

"Jay?" Giles called and began to follow him, "Where are you going?"

"East!" Jay replied, "I gotta tell Parks! We have to take the team east!"

Before she goes north, Jay finished in his head. The vision had fascinated him. He had not told Giles, but it had been the most intense vision of the past he had ever had. He wanted to know who the boy was...and who Charlie was.