Shaman, Healer, Heretic by M. Terry Green

kachina. His unchanging face made him seem patient, as though he could wait forever. She realized that, as a spirit, he did have forever. And not only was he patient, he was persistent.
    “All right,” she said, exhaling. “Let me get the goggles.”
    When she came back from the bedroom, he was gone. Again, she felt the uneasiness that came from the sudden disappearances. As she lay down on the couch, she glanced around the room, worried about making a trip to the Multiverse with no one watching over her, but she had made her decision. She took a deep breath and put on the goggles.  

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

    THE KACHINA WAS waiting for her in the Middleworld, right on the path. Livvy realized he appeared smaller, probably because she couldn’t measure him against her ceiling.
    “Lead on,” Livvy said
    He responded by heading toward the lake.
    “The Underworld, huh?”
    He made no sign he’d heard.
    She followed him into the lake, and in moments they were in the central plaza of the Underworld, but it was deserted.
    “So, where is everybody?” she asked.
    Again, he didn’t seem to hear as he headed down one of the major streets. The clouds were circling, going nowhere in particular, which didn’t surprise her since she wasn’t looking for a client or a particular spirit. The kachina looked up as well, following her gaze. As she looked at him, it occurred to her she’d get further if she used yes or no questions.
    “Has everybody left?”
    He kept walking but shook his head no.
    “No? Are they hiding?” she asked, looking around.
    Again, he shook his head no.
    “So, they haven’t left, but they’re not hiding.”
    Again, he shook his head no.
    “What?”
    They passed the high rises of the downtown area. There wasn’t a spirit of any sort to be seen. A chill wind occasionally gusted in the opposite direction.
    “Oh, so some of them have left and some are also hiding?”
    Yes, he nodded his head once and pointed all around them, to what seemed to be empty buildings. If spirits were hiding here, you’d never know it.
    The kachina led on as Livvy considered the ridiculousness of her situation: in the Underworld, with a kachina no less, and not a single other spirit could be seen. It was starting to look like a ghost town. She had to smirk a little at the thought. It actually was a ghost town.
    Livvy felt it before she heard it–an explosion, in the distance. There was a rumbling deep in her chest that went down to the soles of her feet. Small chunks of facing fell from the building facades as the kachina and Livvy moved to the middle of the street to avoid the debris.
    “What was that?”
    Before the kachina could answer, there was another explosion.
    Again, the ground thudded, and the buildings shook. A window broke behind them at street level. Livvy searched in all directions, but there was no smoke or fire or any other evidence of the blasts.
    Then there was another explosion, even louder than the last. The buildings around them emitted groaning sounds as the metal inside the superstructures struggled with the impacts. Livvy realized what was happening.
    “Something’s coming,” she said.
    The kachina nodded.
    Something very big was coming. They weren’t hearing explosions, they were hearing footfalls–gigantic, enormous, heavy, footfalls.
    “We’ve got to get out of here,” said Livvy, moving backwards, wary of getting too close to the buildings as more windows shattered.
    The kachina shook his head no. He motioned her to calm down, to wait. He wanted her to see what was coming.
    “Like hell,” Livvy said. “When whatever is making that sound gets here,” she stopped as the ground rumbled and bucked again. “This is the last place we want to be,” she yelled.
    Small fissures started to appear in the asphalt.
    “Come on!” she yelled and grabbed the kachina’s arm, ignoring the small sparks between them as she pulled him backward. They both wobbled as the ground shifted. “Come on!”