The Reincarnation

Copper. Victor Grey smelled copper. It filled his head, blocking out all other smells. Wondering how long he had been passed out, and thankful he was above water when he had, he looked around him. There was very little light, but from what he could see, and smell – the water was still dripping out of his sinuses – he reasoned he was in an old copper mining cave.

When he and Johnny Rotten plunged into the water in the gorge, Johnny’s grip had slackened. Johnny went dead, as far as Grey could tell. The speed and direction of their descent had propelled them into an underwater cave. From there, it was a short distance to the water’s surface, and now they were in a subterranean cavern. Johnny’s body must have retained some grip on him, or at least been taken by the current Grey created when he came to the surface, because it was there too.

Grey could hear his men screaming like frightened children. Their voices sounded as if they were far away, and were hoarse, like they had been at it for hours. Grey cried out to them to no avail. His voice resonated in the cave, echoing back to him, hurting his ears. Either their own screams blocked Grey’s, or the cavern’s walls blocked the sound from escaping. He checked for his phone – gone. Probably at the bottom of the gorge.

Johnny’s body lay in the water at Grey’s feet. It was underwater, but it rested on a gradual incline leading up to where Grey sat. It was so pale, Grey thought he could see right through it to the other side. Maybe it was a trick of the light.

Grey pulled the body from the water. He felt like he was dragging a statue. As the body emerged, Grey noticed that the water had colored its skin. In addition to being translucent, Johnny was now a patina green. He looked like the alien Grey had once seen pictures of.

Grey turned Johnny over and water rushed from his mouth and nose. No wonder he’s so heavy, Grey thought. Well, at least he had him now. He finally had half his quarry again, albeit the less valuable half. And he wouldn’t get away from him this time. He wondered if Johnny was any use to the Church if he was dead – really dead now, not like before. Moreover, he wondered if he was any use without the Golden Child.

Grey looked around the cave again. The sunlight that filtered in came from above. Far above. The opening must have been at least fifty feet up. Even if he could somehow reach it, there was no way to know if he could fit through the hole it was coming through. But there was another source of light. It trickled in from the water, filling the cave with an ethereal, silvery-green glow.

Grey made up his mind to exit the way he had come in. But what about Johnny Rotten? How was Grey supposed to drag him through the water? Sitting down, he tried to figure it out.

As he sat, he looked at Johnny’s body. He suddenly realized that if Johnny had some sort of disease, he had probably caught it by now. Angry, he kicked at Johnny’s body with his foot. Standing up, he put his hands on his hips, trying to devise a plan.

Just when he thought he had figured out what to do, Johnny reached out and grabbed his ankle.