Ghosts of Infinity: and Nine More Stories of the Supernatural by Lara Saguisag, April Yap Page B

had to be at work.
    The house was of the Old Spanish design and was in a very remote place. Perfect for clandestine meetings. It was standing on a virtually barren area with no other buildings nearby. So much for the stealthy approach. Whoever was coming could be seen by anyone inside. Since I was in plain sight anyway, I casually walked to the front door. The Starex was parked nearby and I prepared myself for goon fight round two.
    To my surprise and relief, one of the goons, the one I poked a gun at, opened the door and ushered me in. He didn’t smile but if he had, I would have felt worse. A smiling goon is never a good sign. Without frisking me, he led me to the living room. I looked around and saw old portraits of what must have been Salvacion’s ancestors. They all looked pretty somber. I didn’t get to read the dates below the portraits as the goon led me quickly to the grand staircase. When we reached the second floor, I saw huge double doors. The goon gestured towards it and then left. I looked at the door and suddenly the whole place seemed to darken and grow colder. The chill wasn’t just up my spine but throughout my whole body. Right then I really started to think beyond the visible world. Taking one deep breath, I pushed the doors open.
    “You’ve come,” Salvacion said with his winning TV smile. He was taller and whiter in person but he still wore his kimono. He was standing in the middle of an octagonal room right on the infinity symbol at the center of the narra floor. It looked temporary as though it had to be moved from place to place like the presidential seal. A zoned out Prof. Dizon was kneeling in front of him.
    “You seem to want an audience,” I said and slowly stepped forward.
    “I need a witness, yes.” He clasped his hands on the Professor’s head. “To punishment and glory!” He seemed to think that I knew what he was talking about. Flattering.
    “So you’re punishing Prof. Dizon for not wanting to go along with your sick plans!” Of course, I didn’t know what the sick plans were but I pretended to know just in case he wanted to brag. I didn’t tell him about the info in the disk.
    “There is nothing sick about attaining your birthright! He was part of a sublime line and yet he rejected it. Instead he depended on inferior knowledge of an inferior people and thought it could thwart me.” I had to admit, the beans weren’t very effective. Then again, Salvacion must have been messing with Dizon’s mind for a long time. Salvacion’s own mind had been messed up long ago.
    “I saw the portraits of your ancestors, they didn’t look sublime to me.” My plan was to rile him up into telling me more. Beyond that I had no clue.
    “Oh, you mean my sons.” I wasn’t expecting that one. “It’s a shame that my gift cannot be passed on. That makes this traitor’s crime even greater. He will be punished and I will expand my legacy. You’ve seen a portion of that, Agent Ganigan.” For a moment I was astonished at his knowledge of my name but then I remembered that he contacted the Bureau and must have had the agents involved checked out and staked out.
    “So you’re a Lemurian and so is the Professor.” I thought that I might as well bring that up.
    He stifled a chuckle. “Lemuria is a myth. We are much more. We come from beyond this world. This world has had only a glimpse of our power. Your seers, psychic healers, and visionaries have merely tapped into a miniscule part of our legacy.”
    “What about the woman who gave birth to a milkfish? Was that part of your legacy too?”
    That one got to him. He raised his hands and I was instantly slammed off my feet by some sort of psychic force. It felt like a sledgehammer hitting my chest. I gasped for air and struggled to stand up.
    “You have no idea of what you are dealing with! You and the rest of your foolish, ignorant, gullible people always looking for your next savior! Looking to your saints and your idols!”
    “Sorry.