Chapter 10
WALTER’S HANDSshook as he headed off the set. He’d already told Taide to shut it down for the day. He’d waited long enough to see Danny loaded into the ambulance. All that was left was to confront Bing.
Oh, and one more thing. He had to become one person in his mind—not the split chaos of two. All he had to do was realize he was in control and kick the invader out. Nothing and no one could take residence in his brain without his consent.
So why wasn’t he?
Because he liked having the other energy inside. The energy was silent, not intruding or pushing an agenda. At least not now. And it gave him strength. Walter had felt such joy in moving his body, as if it had been born to spin and kick. His punches had power, his jumps felt like they topped buildings, and he could do backflips as easily as walking. He’d given himself over to it for the sheer ecstasy of being a master martial artist.
He’d reveled in that place… until he’d seen something his mind couldn’t comprehend.
Bing had changed into a wolf. Bing was a werewolf. The part of him that surged with joy knew exactly what Bing was. He accepted the reality and readied a thousand moves to counter a wolf attack. Walter, though, fought to understand. Werewolves were real? And Bing was one?
He wanted to hide from the knowledge, but that wasn’t his way. He loved digging into the unusual, understanding what made people tick. And Bing being a werewolf answered some of the questions he had. Like, why was he so freaking secretive about everything?
Because he was a werewolf.
That was enough to make him take a step back in his mind. He wanted to ask questions. He needed to know more. And in that climb to full awareness, Bing had spoken.
People are hurt.
That was what Walter had heard. The other energy had dealt with everything else, but Walter had heard that. And once he’d heard, he’d pushed the Monkey King to the back of his consciousness and looked around.
That’s when he’d seen what he’d done. He’d beaten the crap out of his own cast and crew. The knowledge had horrified him, and shame had forced him to take control of his body.
Well, almost. He’d allowed a little part of that alien energy to stay. Enough that it could whisper the truth about the paranormal in his mind. According to Monkey, werewolves, fairies, demigods, and demons were all real. That was information Walter wanted—he wasn’t going to kick out the other presence until he understood more.
Or perhaps all he wanted was to understand Bing.
He unzipped his tent and stepped inside. Normally he’d be embarrassed about the mess. His bedroll was rumpled on the ground, and the card table and chair were loaded with paper, books, and a broken prop he’d tried to repair. Bing was neat as a pin. Neater, in fact. Walter had once mistakenly believed that if he were a little more organized, Bing would like him more. But Bing had still left, and Walter didn’t mind a mess.
When Bing stepped into the tent, Walter immediately crouched down to zip it closed. It wouldn’t stop anyone from interrupting, and it sure as hell wouldn’t stop their conversation from carrying to anyone who listened, but it would offer enough privacy for now.
He stood up and turned to glare at Bing. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a werewolf?”
“I did,” Bing said, his voice soft enough that it wouldn’t carry. “You didn’t believe me.”
Walter waved his hand as if trying to slap the logic away. “You didn’t show me. You didn’tmakeme believe it.”
Bing frowned. “Do you think turning into a wolf is a game? It’s supposed to be a secret, one that I’d get into a lot of trouble for revealing to anyone.”
Walter snorted. “You just showed an entire cast and crew!”
“I’ll convince them it was a magic trick. Besides, I only shifted because you were totally out of control.” He took a step forward, his expression intense. “Walter, you have to get rid of the monkey energy. It’s dangerous.”
“What monkey energy?” he scoffed. “What you saw in there was me, pure and simple.”
Bing’s eyes widened.
Walter saw fear in his expression, and no wonder. Because Walter hadn’t said those words. They had come directly from the alien energy that wasn’t supposed to be in charge of anything at that moment. But it obviously was.
“Walter, I know you’re in there,” Bing said gently. “You have to—”
“Stop,” Walter said, raising his hand just to make sure he was the one calling the shots. “Tell me more about this monkey.”
Bing nodded and spoke in crisp, clear words that hit like tiny pebbles. “I think it’s the Monkey King, reborn thanks to your Auntie Sand. She used you to bring it back to life and….” His expression turned sad. “You allowed it to possess you. Your aunt wants you to become a demigod, Walter, but I think there’s still time to stop this. You have to kick it out.”
Walter nodded, seeing the rationality of that. He didn’t doubt a word Bing said. Well, sure, part of him still reeled from the realization that he was surrounded by the paranormal. That was a mindfuck for sure. But he couldn’t deny what had happened on set. And he could still feel the Monkey King energy alive and well inside him.
