Ch.122Ch.8 – And Then There Was Nothing (7)

June 22, 1929. 7:20 PM

East Arkham, German Street

Arkham

The truck left, dropping off me, Aurora, and Emma. We hurriedly moved Emma to the “Back Alley Hospital.”

I waited in the corridor while Aurora looked after Emma in the hospital room.

After a while, Aurora emerged from the room, brushing her bangs up. There were shadows under her eyes.

“Do you know about Doctor Hermann?”

I said I didn’t.

“Good. If you had said yes, I was going to kill you. If a back-alley doctor’s reputation is good enough for a Pollard country bumpkin to know about, they’d be better off dead.”

Hermann is what people commonly call a back-alley doctor.

His equipment is slightly below average, his medical skills are ordinary, but he practices medicine without asking questions as long as he gets paid, and never reveals patient information.

She said he was less like a doctor and more like an emotionless machine that treats people.

“Do you think the mafia looks cool? It’s not cool at all. They’re like bald eagles. When prey is walking around dripping blood, they circle overhead, and when it collapses, they start by eating the eyeballs. What’s so great about people who can’t even say how or where they got hurt?”

Aurora shook her head.

“Anyway, that woman will be fine. I’ll have two guys watch her. We’re the problem… let’s go to the safe house. But first, change your clothes.”

She’s certainly methodical. We changed into our original clothes in an empty hospital room, then walked through Arkham’s night streets. We walked arm in arm, staying close together and seeking out bright streetlights, which would make us look like a common sight on the streets.

“The good thing about streets where foreigners live is that you can quickly spot trackers. They stand out immediately by their appearance.”

It was true. Our attire was relatively modest, but the people living in the German district looked different somehow. Even the language in our ears wasn’t English but German, with its distinctive gear-like engine sound of hard accented tones.

We occasionally stopped at street stalls. Aurora would point at pretty trinkets and laugh like a fool, but her sharp eyes scanned the street. She was checking if we were being followed. An elderly woman with deep eyes and a kind appearance pointed at Aurora and me alternately, smiling.

“Love. Love.”

Her English was clumsy, but her intention was clear. Aurora’s face turned red. The old woman held up a pair of necklaces. They were split hearts that, when joined together, formed a complete heart. I opened my wallet and paid what the old woman asked.

“Danke schön. Danke schön.”

The old woman kept bowing in gratitude. Aurora jabbed me in the side.

“Why did you buy something like this…”

Then she glanced behind us.

“Don’t look back. Across the street, the guy standing at the newspaper stand looks suspicious. I think he’s the one who was with the mustached man,” she whispered.

The main road stretched before and behind us, and the nearest alley was some distance away. We were completely exposed with nowhere to hide. Aurora grabbed my arm and spun around. Then,

“Put that necklace on me,” she called out loudly.

It was at just the right angle to see the man at the newspaper stand. I put the necklace around Aurora’s neck with slow, exaggerated movements. Aurora did the same for me, saying,

“Bend down a bit, you idiot,”

deliberately scolding me. The necklace was already on, but I could tell Aurora was intentionally stalling for time. As I looked around pretending to be embarrassed, the man at the stand, apparently unable to wait any longer, put his hands in his pockets and walked down the street.

“It’s on your neck.”

Aurora caressed the necklace hanging from my neck and gave me a light kiss. With our foreheads touching, she whispered softly,

“There’s a truck coming down the slope, see? Let’s time it right and slip into the alley.”

The truck was moving slowly, braking on the incline. We walked a bit faster toward it. When the truck passed by us, we ran into the alley.

The alley was deep and quiet. Crumpled newspapers rolled between the closed streets. A cat on top of a wall stretched as it saw us. Aurora held up the split heart necklace.

“This is the cheapest gift I’ve ever received.”

Then she hugged me tightly.

“But I like it. It’s the most valuable thing I’ve gotten from you.”

Even though we could no longer hear the footsteps of anyone following us.

* * * * *

June 22, 1929. 8:44 PM

Safe House in East Arkham’s German District

Arkham

It was a mistake to think of a house when she said “safe house.” It was a warehouse building barely big enough for two people to stand in. But when we opened the door, stairs leading down became visible.

“The Germans are good at making these kinds of things. Like bunkers, you know.”

Though it smelled of old dust, it was a fairly comfortable place. There was even a shower in the bathroom, and carpet on the living room floor. The bed was only big enough for one person, but there was a long sofa, so sleeping wouldn’t be a problem. Two shotguns were stored in the closet, gleaming as if they had been recently maintained.

“I’m warning you, don’t get any funny ideas. Despite appearances, people come and go here quite often. It’s sort of like a waiting room.”

I asked why such a facility existed in the German district and how Aurora had claimed it.

“German beer is in high demand. Rumor has it that beer craftsmen who came over from Germany made so much money that they pushed through Prohibition. But even I think that’s a bit exaggerated. Anyway, the German district is where those craftsmen are. We provide them with yeast, barley, and wood. We charge a bit more in fees, but they’re happy because we cover all the material costs. They need to make a living too.”

Aurora sat on the sofa, careful not to stir up dust. I was worried that we might have spent too much money at the auction.

“What? You’re still thinking about that? It was a big expense, yes. About two days’ worth of gambling hall revenue. To be honest, I thought that woman was really Catherine Scully. I was angry thinking she was flirting with you, so I went all in… but who is she anyway?”

I told her that her name was Emma and that she was Catherine’s twin sister.

“A twin?”

Aurora’s eyes filled with surprise.

“No wonder she looked so annoying from the start! That explains it! It did seem strange! Short hair can’t grow that long so quickly. I thought she was wearing a wig. I thought she was on some kind of weird secret mission. But good Lord, what is that woman? You saw it too, right? That… fire coming from her hands?”

I told her that she was a “magician.” Of course, I didn’t mention incomprehensible things like being a priestess of Hyperborea, which I myself didn’t understand.

“Like a circus magician? You know, people who are good at sleight of hand. Doing card tricks and such. But how did that woman find you?”

I said I didn’t know that either. But it was certain that her objective was the problematic “tablet.” Come to think of it, I wondered where the stone tablet had gone and how the contract had been handled. I told Aurora what Emma had told me, that the tablet curses its owner. Aurora responded incredulously,

“Are you a child? Good heavens, you’re not still believing in Santa Claus at your age, are you? A curse?”

But hadn’t Aurora also seen the stick thrown by the mustached man turn into a snake?

“I’ve seen that kind of circus trick before. I’ve even seen doves fly out of hats. It’s just trickery. Anyway, I used an alias, and my lawyer took the item. It’s in a special bank vault, so don’t worry.”

When I asked if the bank wasn’t already closed, Aurora stood up and gently pressed her finger against the tip of my nose.

“Do you think a bank manager would dare not come when I call, my good child? Stay here. I’ll make a phone call and be right back.”

Aurora went to the next room. She spent a long time on the phone. I couldn’t understand the details since it wasn’t in English, but it seemed to be German. I became quite curious about the content, as I couldn’t tell if she was angry, explaining something, or giving a speech.

“There’s no problem. I’ve confirmed that the item has been placed in a private vault, and my lawyer will handle the remaining payment. I told him to use an alias, so you don’t need to worry about that ‘curse.’ That Emma or whatever her name is will sleep soundly until tomorrow morning. So, come sit on the bed here.”

As I hesitantly sat by the bed, Aurora pulled out her necklace. She attached it to mine, then detached it, laughing as she did so.

“This is really funny.”

She was like a little girl waiting for Santa.

* * * * *

June 23, 1929. 2:11 AM

“That was foolish.”

It’s Emma’s voice. Fortunately, Aurora is asleep in the bed, and I’m still lying on the sofa. Emma’s thoughts float beside me.

“Give me that tablet. Where is it?”

I told her it was stored in a bank vault and that it would be impossible to retrieve without Aurora’s permission. I didn’t know which bank or which private account it was locked in. And I mentioned that Aurora had purchased it under an alias.

“One smart move among a hundred foolish ones.”

Emma sighed. I reproached Emma. Not only had she pushed herself to such a physical state, but why hadn’t she explained things earlier, making the situation more complicated? If Aurora hadn’t helped, Emma would have lost the tablet right before her eyes.

“That’s why I’m calling it foolish. My goal was to identify the person who bought the item. That man is a very powerful magician. His name is David Cole. He’s Annette Cole’s nephew and spent a long time at the excavation site of the Black Pharaoh in Egypt. His real job is looting archaeological sites, but he carries around an impressive business card that says ‘curator.'”

I asked what she had planned to do.

“What’s the point of telling you? I was going to find him and kill him. That’s the way of magicians. It’s not too late even now. Hand over the artifact to me. Then I’ll throw it into the square of Comorium, the ancient capital of Hyperborea. Yig may be persistent, but he can’t go there. It’s a realm he’s been banished from.”

I said I would think about it. Instead, I told her to take care of herself.

“My body? It’s fine. That German doctor, though rough, has decent skills. And… don’t do that again. Using a bit of magic won’t kill me. What you should really worry about is your own body. Do you know that ‘thing’ in your chest is growing?”

She must be referring to the fire vine. I asked how I could remove it. Emma lowered her head.

“I’m looking for a way. Her touch is persistent, and her sorcery is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. But above all, she wants your permission. If you don’t want it, she cannot break through your chest. She wants to be with you, not use you as nourishment to grow. But… if you lose yourself. If you let go of who you are. The vine will tear you apart.”

Emma’s spiritual form grew dim.

“Remember. Don’t let go of yourself. Don’t forget who you are. If you truly don’t know who you are, think of the people around you. What they see in you is the real you.”

After saying these enigmatic words, Emma disappeared.

A strange dawn indeed.