Cassian drove his Jeep along an endless highway, the hum of the engine filling the silence as the sun sank below the horizon. He had left Pennsylvania behind, heading to California where Elise awaited him with the Lambert case. By his calculations, he would arrive in three days, and though the rest of the past two months still weighed on his bones, the urgency in Elise's voice had set him in motion. His blessed dagger rested on the passenger seat, next to his phone, which occasionally vibrated with messages from Helen in North Carolina. Everything seemed calm—until, three days after saving Susie Salmon, something changed for her.
In her house in Pennsylvania, Susie had tried to return to her life after the horror of the underground shelter. The first night after Cassian rescued her, she lay staring at the ceiling of her room, her heart racing as the echo of George Harvey's screams faded from her mind. But when she closed her eyes, something strange happened: a figure appeared in the corner of her room—an elderly woman in tattered clothes with hollow eyes, staring at her intently. Susie sat up, blinking, and the figure vanished. She thought it was a nightmare, a remnant of trauma, but the next morning, while having breakfast with her parents, Jack and Abigail, she saw a young man in the backyard, his face pale and an invisible rope tightening around his neck. He looked at her, and when Susie dropped her spoon, the man took a step toward her, his lips moving silently before disappearing.
"Susie, what's wrong?" Abigail asked, frowning as she picked up the spoon from the floor. "You're pale. Did you not sleep well?"
Susie swallowed, her voice trembling.
"I saw… I saw someone outside, Mom. A man, but he wasn't alive. I think he was dead."
Jack laughed uncomfortably, pouring himself more coffee.
"Honey, it's normal after what you've been through. Your mind is playing tricks on you, that's all. The doctor said you might have some lingering effects for a while."
But it wasn't lingering effects. On the third day, the visions intensified. While walking through the park, Susie saw a little girl, her dress soaked and her skin bluish, as if she had drowned. The girl looked up, and suddenly, Susie felt a torrent of water in her lungs—a vision of the girl falling into a river, her hands clawing at the surface before sinking. Susie screamed, collapsing to her knees, and when she opened her eyes, the girl was in front of her, whispering:
"You see me… help me…"
That night, an older man with a bloodied chest appeared at the foot of her bed, and Susie saw how a knife pierced him during a street fight, his blood splattering the pavement. She couldn't sleep, fear gripping her as the souls, noticing she could see them, drew closer, their faces distorted by pain or anger. Desperate, she searched for the paper with Cassian's number, dialing it with trembling hands while hiding under the sheets.
Cassian answered on the second ring, his voice firm but warm from the road.
"Susie, is that you? Are you okay?"
Susie sobbed, the words spilling out in a torrent.
"Cassian, I don't know what to do. Ever since you saved me, I've been seeing things… people who shouldn't be here. Souls, I think, dead people. At first, I thought it was my mind, but they won't stop. A woman in my room, a hanged man in the yard, a girl who drowned… and when they look at me, I see how they died. The girl—I felt the water, and a man—I saw a knife kill him. They're coming to me, Cassian, asking for things, and I can't sleep. My parents say I'm crazy, that it's because of what happened, but I know it's real. What's wrong with me? Please, help me!"
Cassian pulled the Jeep over to the shoulder, his mind racing as he listened.
"I believe you, Susie. Everything you're saying is real—you're not crazy. There are people who, after a trauma like yours, awaken a gift, a veil that breaks. You can see trapped souls, and they see you. It's rare, but I've seen it before. Where are you now?"
"At home," she replied, her voice breaking. "In my room, hiding. I don't want to come out, Cassian, I'm scared."
Cassian took a deep breath, looking at the map on his dashboard.
"Listen, Susie, I'll help you, but I'm three days away from a place where I'm needed—a family with dark problems. I can't go to Pennsylvania right now, but if this is unbearable, if you're desperate, come to me. I can contact the Church, talk to your parents, arrange for you to travel and see me immediately. They can protect you, and I can teach you how to handle it. What do you say?"
Susie paused, her trembling breath calming slightly.
"Would you come for me later? I don't know how to go alone, Cassian, but… yes, please, do it. I can't keep going like this—I want it to stop."
"I'll do it," he promised. "Stay where you are, I'll call the Church right now. Trust me, Susie, you'll be fine."
He hung up and immediately dialed Daniel Hargrove, his contact at the Vatican. The phone rang as Cassian drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, and Daniel answered with his usual grunt.
"Cassian, what's going on? You're on vacation—I thought I wouldn't hear from you for another month."
"Daniel, I need an urgent favor," Cassian said, his tone direct. "There's a girl in Pennsylvania, Susie Salmon, 14 years old. I saved her three days ago from a killer, and since then, she's been seeing souls—trapped spirits, even visions of their deaths. She's terrified, can't sleep, and her parents don't believe her. I want her to come with me—I can help her control it—but I need the Church to convince her parents and bring her to me. She has a rare gift, Daniel, something the Vatican values."
Daniel whistled softly, surprised.
"A soul-seer? That's rare, Cassian, very rare. If it's real, the Church will want to protect her. Are you sure about what she's saying?"
"Completely," Cassian replied. "She called me crying, saw a drowned girl, felt her death, and a man stabbed. The souls are seeking her out, Daniel, and she has no training. I want her with me—I can guide her."
Daniel paused, the sound of a keyboard clicking in the background.
"Alright, approved. I'll send a local priest to talk to the parents, someone with credentials and proof. Where should we take her? Are you stationary or on the move?"
"I'm heading to California, to Elise Rainier's house," Cassian said. "I'll arrive in three days—give me the exact address when you have it. Bring her quickly; I don't want her alone with this."
"Done," Daniel responded. "I'll let you know when she's on her way. Take care of that girl, Cassian—she could be important."
Cassian hung up, his gaze lost on the horizon as the corn whispered around him.
In Pennsylvania, Jack and Abigail Salmon were in the living room, quietly arguing about Susie's "fantasies," when a knock on the door interrupted them. A thin priest, Father Malone, entered with a folder under his arm and an authoritative calm on his face.
"I'm Father Malone, from the local diocese," he introduced himself, showing Vatican identification. "I've come for your daughter, Susie. Cassian, a man from the Vatican, sent me. Can we talk?"
Jack frowned, crossing his arms.
"The Vatican? Cassian? He saved Susie a few days ago, but what does the Church have to do with this?"
Malone sat down, opening the folder with photos and documents.
"Susie is seeing things, isn't she? Dead people, souls. She told Cassian, and he contacted us. These aren't aftereffects, Mr. Salmon—it's a rare gift. Look at this: real cases, documented spirits, demons we've faced. Cassian is one of our best agents, and he believes Susie needs help, protection."
Abigail looked at the photos—a blurry figure in a hospital, a floating child in an old house—and paled.
"So… she's not crazy? Is it… real?"
"Very real," Malone replied. "The Vatican values those who see beyond the veil. Cassian wants Susie to go with him—he'll train her to manage it. We can take her today if you give permission. Don't worry, she'll be safe with him."
Jack looked at Abigail, then at Susie, who had come downstairs, listening.
"Cassian is from the Vatican? He didn't tell us that… Susie, do you want to go?"
Susie nodded, her eyes red but determined.
"Yes, Dad. I can't stay like this—I'm scared all the time. If Cassian can help me, I want to go."
Malone smiled, closing the folder.
"Then it's decided. We'll take her to California, where Cassian is now. Pack what you need, Susie—we leave soon."
That night, Susie got into a car with Malone, her backpack slung over her shoulder, heading toward Cassian. Jack and Abigail, still stunned by the revelation, said goodbye with trembling hugs, trusting the word of the Vatican and the man who had already saved their daughter once.