American Monsters

  “And what about Naberius?”

  Fool’s face darkened. “We do not speak of Lord Naberius.”

  “You remember him?”

  “We do not speak of the betrayer.”

  “Do you know what happened to him?”

  “We do not speak.”

  “Okay, Fool. Okay. If Lord Astaroth doesn’t want us to talk about his brother, we won’t talk about his brother. That’s fine. No need to get upset.”

  “It is the Master’s will.”

  “And that’s fine. I didn’t know that and now I do. Thank you for explaining that.”

  “The Master will be very angry if he finds out.”

  “Well, I’m not going to tell him.”

  “The Master has no time for betrayers.”

  “No one’s betrayed him, Fool. I asked a question and you answered. There has been no betrayal.”

  “I have no time for betrayers, either.”

  Amber looked around. “Where is Bigmouth?”

  Fool smiled. “Bigmouth has been naughty.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Bigmouth opened a door Bigmouth was not supposed to open.”

  “Can I see him? Where is he? Is he through here?”

  She started walking, taking Glen’s soul with her. Fool followed.

  “Bigmouth tried to run,” Fool continued. “Bigmouth is not allowed to run.”

  “What did you do to him, Fool?” she asked, just as she passed through the doorway. The room beyond was lit with candles, casting a warm glow on to cold stone. Bigmouth hung on the far wall, suspended by chains wrapped around his torso. He blinked at her, and tears ran down his face.

  “Oh God,” Amber whispered.

  “Bigmouth opened a door,” said Fool, “so I took Bigmouth’s arms away.”

  Amber lowered her head.

  “Bigmouth tried to run,” said Fool, “so I took Bigmouth’s legs away.”

  She could hear the dripping of the blood from the raw stumps, and she knew those stumps could drip forever and Bigmouth would never be offered the release of a true death.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, looking Bigmouth in the eyes.

  He turned his head away.

  She took Glen back to the chamber, made him stand in the circle. She stood beside him, keeping a firm grip on his hand. Then she stamped on the flame and it went out, and she was back in Milo’s room, just outside of Cheyenne.

  Her hand was empty as Milo jumped to his feet.

  “It worked,” she said, looking around. “I found him. Took him with me. I … I think. I was holding his hand just two seconds ago.”

  “It’s a soul,” said Milo. “You can’t see a soul, Amber, not here.”

  She reverted. She was suddenly cold, so she pulled on a sweatshirt. “You think he’s gone?” she asked. “Where? Where do you think he is?”

  Milo didn’t answer right away. “If there is a Heaven, maybe his soul’s gone there. He was a good person, right? I think … I think if Heaven exists, that’s where it’s gone.”

  The corners of her lips twitched upwards. “I like that. He deserves it, y’know?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And the other part of him?”

  “I don’t know. That’s a vampire. That’s … unknowable. The only thing you’ve got to remember is that your friend is free, and the thing that remains, the vampire, is just something that happens to look like him. I’m assuming you got the soul out without anyone noticing? Amber?”

  Amber hesitated.

  “Oh, Amber,” said Milo, closing his eyes.

  THEY DROVE FOR MOST of the next day. Amber managed to keep her mouth pretty much shut until they were an hour from Kansas City.

  “Obviously—” she blurted.

  “Jesus!” Milo said, jumping.

  “Sorry.”

  “A little warning next time.” He settled. “Anyway, what?”

  “I was just going to say that, obviously, he’s still a problem,” Amber said. “Astaroth, I mean. I don’t want him pulling my strings and he’s pulling my strings. But one thing at a time.”

  Milo glanced at her. “I have a feeling you’ve gone over this conversation a few times in your head.”

  “I have, yes,” she said. “Trying to anticipate your responses. I want him and my parents off my back. Doing what Astaroth wants gets my parents off my back. Which is good.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “But with my parents taken care of,” she continued, “then I have nothing to distract myself from being the Shining Demon’s representative. So that’s not good.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  “But what choice do I have? There are three things on my list. Rescue Kelly. Deliver my parents. Cheat Astaroth. This takes care of two of them. I’ll bring them Astaroth, he’ll be in chains, they’ll think he’s helpless, and then … bam.”

  Milo nodded. “Bam.”

  “And, while he’s killing them, I’ll swoop in and rescue Kelly and get her the hell out of there.”

  “And then?”

  Amber faltered. “And then … I don’t really know.”

  “You’ll have crossed off the first two things on your list, but you’ll still have a Duke of Hell to either run from, cheat, or kill.”

  “Or,” she said, “they’ll kill each other. What do you think of that?”

  “It’s unlikely to happen.”

  “But it’s a possibility.”

  “Your parents aren’t that strong,” Milo said. “If you do what Astaroth wants, and it works and your parents are taken out of the game, then the Shining Demon has to be next on your list.”

  “Do you have any idea how to kill a Duke of Hell?”

  “Not a one.”

  Milo’s phone buzzed, and he handed it to Amber.

  “Caller ID is blocked,” she said, “but they’re requesting a video call.”

  “May as well answer it,” he said. “Only a handful of people know my number.”

  She frowned, and answered, and stared at her mother.

  “Hello, sweetie!” Betty cooed, smiling at her from a thousand miles away. “Just checking in! Oh, are you in the car right now? Is Milo with you? Hi, Milo!”

  Milo scowled.

  Bill took the phone and his face filled the screen. Amber couldn’t tell where they were. “We’re going to assume you’re on your way to get us what we want,” he said. “Are you close?”

  “Let me speak to Kelly,” Amber said.

  “First you answer my question.”

  “No,” Amber said, her anger rising. “First I talk to Kelly. Then I answer your question.”

  Bill sighed, and then he was walking. It was a house Amber had never seen before. A door opened and now Amber got a good view of Kelly, chained to a chair in the middle of an empty room. She watched Bill’s fingers pull the gag from Kelly’s mouth. “Say hello.”

  Kelly opened and closed her mouth a few times before speaking. Her face was covered in cuts and bruises. “Hey, Amber. Don’t know where I am, sorry.”

  “You okay?” Amber asked.

  Kelly smiled. “I burned down the first house they kept me in,” she said. “Then I took their phone and used it to transfer all their money to different charities across the—”

  Bill’s hand came into shot again, and he fixed the gag back into place before turning the phone back to him.

  “Your little friend here is lucky we’re so patient,” he said, clipping his words the way he always did when he was trying not to appear angry. “So tell me now, or I’ll break her fingers. Are you close to getting us what we want?”

  “We’re doing our best,” Amber said.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I’ll get it done, Bill. That’s what it means.”

  “You’d better. Because if you don’t—”

  Amber ended the call.

  She looked at the phone in her hand, but they didn’t call back.

  “Did I make it worse?” she asked. r />
  “Don’t see how it could be worse,” Milo said. “But, for the record, no, I don’t think you did. They were calling for an update. Nothing’s changed. Good idea that, demanding to speak to Kelly. At least you know she’s okay.”

  “She burned down a house.”

  “I heard.”

  “And gave all their money away.”

  “Don’t know why you’re happy about that one. That’s your inheritance.”

  They looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

  “I knew she’d be the worst kind of hostage anyone could ever take,” Amber said. “I just knew it.”

  “She’s doing you proud.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  They reached Kansas City and found a Motel 6 on the outskirts, opposite a Cracker Barrel and a Subway. It was pretty early, but they still went straight to their rooms. Amber fell asleep watching TV, and in her dream she was in a warehouse, and there was gunfire.

  She passed a man on the stairs. He was wearing a suit and was quite dead. Someone had pulled his guts out of his belly. She kept climbing.

  There were two more men in suits lying dead on the stairs.

  Another man burst out onto a landing, bleeding badly and carrying Molly. She was unconscious and pale, her arm twisted.

  Amber kept going. She got to the top of the stairs and went through.

  Her parents and their friends, Imelda included, had poor Carolyn surrounded. They leered at her with demon faces and Carolyn spun to face anyone who got too close. She held a gun in her trembling hand.

  “One bullet left,” said Grant.

  “Better make it count,” said Alastair, reaching for her.

  Carolyn turned, made him back off. “Get away from me.”

  “Why are you fighting?” Bill asked. “Grant and Kirsty’s kid didn’t fight. Alastair and Imelda’s kid didn’t cause us this much trouble. You’re just like your brother, you know that?”

  “My brother was a hero,” Carolyn snapped back.

  Bill laughed. “You don’t know the first thing about your brother.”

  “I know more than you.”

  Betty frowned. “Do you, now? And how do you know this? The old woman you were with. Who is she?”

  Despite her circumstances, Carolyn found the strength to smile. “You’ll never find her, even with all your resources. She has more.”

  Imelda leaped at her, grabbed her arm and pointed the gun into the floorboards as Carolyn fired her last bullet. The gun dropped from her hand and the others closed in.

  “Tell us who she is,” said Betty.

  Carolyn spat at her, and in return they devoured her.

  “Jesus,” Amber said as she woke.

  She pulled on her sneakers and left the room. She was too wired to get back to sleep. And too hungry.

  She crossed to the Subway and sat at a small table near the back. She thought about Kelly and smiled, but pretty soon the worry started to kick in again, and the doubts, and the doubts brought with them images of Ronnie and Warrick and Linda, and her brother and sister. She abandoned the sandwich halfway through, but she felt a little better after it. A little stronger. But also like she was about to throw up.

  A girl wandered in, looked at the worktop dumbly, ignoring the offers of help that were coming from the staff. Amber glanced up.

  “Clarissa?”

  Clarissa looked at her blankly.

  Amber rushed over. “Jesus, Clarissa, are you okay?”

  It took a few seconds for Clarissa to answer. “Amber …?”

  “Come on,” Amber said, “come with me.” She took Clarissa’s hand and led her outside. No sign of the Peterbilt. They crossed the road, got back to Amber’s room, where she sat Clarissa on the bed. “What happened?” she asked. “We saw you get in the truck.”

  “Truck,” Clarissa echoed, and started to shiver. “Truck. No. Please.”

  “You’re safe,” Amber said quickly. “You hear me? It’s over. You’re free. You’re safe.”

  “Please don’t let him take me,” Clarissa said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “You’re safe,” Amber said again. She used her strong voice this time. “He’s gone. No one will hurt you now. Clarissa, I need you to tell me what happened. When you got in the truck.”

  “Oh God,” Clarissa said, “it was … He wasn’t human, Amber. His skin was black. I mean … black. Like night.”

  “I know,” said Amber.

  “And his eyes. His eyes were red. Steam came out of them. They were just, they were red eyes. I thought, I thought he’d drugged me or … but they were red. Later on, when he smiled, the red light, it was coming from his mouth as well.”

  “What happened, Clarissa?”

  “I was hitching,” she said, “and he stopped. I opened the door and he was, he looked normal. Then I got in and the moment, the moment the door shut he changed, and I tried to jump out, but I couldn’t get the door open, and we were driving so fast.”

  Amber grabbed a box of tissues from the nightstand and passed it over. Clarissa took a handful. “I was shouting. I told him to let me out and he … and nothing. He didn’t even look at me. And Jesus, Amber, the screaming.”

  “What screaming?”

  “From the radio. All the screaming, the begging. He turned it up louder. He enjoyed it. It got stuck in my head. I couldn’t get it out. It got underneath my thoughts. All the people he killed. Their souls. It was their souls, screaming.”

  Amber sat next to her, patted her back. “You’re okay now,” she said softly. “Where did he take you?”

  “Nowhere,” said Clarissa. “We drove around. We didn’t stop. I had to pee and I – I told him. I told him I had to pee and he didn’t say anything, didn’t stop, didn’t look at me. I tried to hold it in, I held it in for hours, but I … I wet myself. Like a toddler, I wet myself. I had to.”

  Amber rubbed her back. “You didn’t stop? Not at all?”

  A small laugh escaped Clarissa’s lips. “Not even after I pissed on his seat.”

  “Did he say anything?” Amber asked. “Did he talk to you?”

  “Didn’t say a word. The whole time. Not one word.”

  “How did you get out?”

  “What?”

  “How did you get out of the truck, Clarissa?”

  Clarissa frowned at her. “Out?”

  “How did you escape?”

  “I didn’t escape,” Clarissa said. “I’m still there now.”

  “What?”

  Clarissa moved, plunging something long and cold and sharp into Amber’s belly. “This is how I get out.”

  AMBER FELL BACK, OFF the bed, hands at her belly, the blood running through her fingers.

  Clarissa stood. “This is how I escape. When he has what he wants, he won’t need me anymore. He’ll pull over and open the door and let me out.” She still held the knife. It was a long one.

  The pain was a tight thing that twisted with every beat of her heart. Amber started crawling for the door, but Clarissa shook her head.

  “You can’t leave,” she said. “If you leave, he won’t let me leave.” She stood over Amber and leaned down, stabbing her quickly in the side.

  Amber cried out and turned over on to her back. Clarissa’s eyes were wide and glassy, but she was calm. Amber’s own blood dripped from the blade on to her face.

  “Shh,” said Clarissa. “You won’t even notice it.”

  Amber gritted her teeth and shifted. The pain flared, making her cry out, but once she was horned up it fell away to a dull throb. Clarissa didn’t register any surprise at the transformation. She may not have even noticed.

  She leaned down again. The knife scraped off scales and Amber took hold of her wrist and squeezed, and Clarissa yelled in pain and dropped the weapon. She tried to pull away, but Amber held on until the time was right – then she let go and Clarissa flew backwards, hit the corner of the bed and flipped over it.

  Amber got to her feet slowly, one arm pressing against t
he scales covering her wounds. She watched Clarissa stand.

  “Where is he?” Amber asked.

  “I have to kill you,” said Clarissa.

  “Tell me where he is and I’ll kill him, instead.”

  A smile rose. “He’s a monster. You can’t kill monsters. Monsters kill you. That’s what they do.”

  “But you’re not a monster, are you?”

  “No. No, I am not.”

  “You just got in the wrong truck.”

  “The very wrong truck.”

  “You’re in the truck right now, are you?”

  Clarissa nodded. More tears came. “He won’t let me go.”

  “He’s beside you, is he?”

  “Yes.”

  “He wants you to kill me, but only a monster would kill me, and you’re not a monster, Clarissa, are you?”

  Her face crumpled. “But … but if I don’t kill you he’ll never let me go.”

  “Look at him, Clarissa. Look at his face. He’s never going to let you go no matter what you do, is he?”

  She sobbed. “No, he’s not.”

  “He wants to turn you into a monster.”

  Clarissa shook her head. “He won’t.”

  “What does he want, Clarissa?”

  “He wants me to kill you. He wants to take your friend.”

  “He’s going after Milo himself?”

  “Yes. I don’t know how I know these things. His thoughts … I think they got in my head a little bit.”

  “I have to leave now, Clarissa. I have to help my friend.”

  Clarissa shook her head. “You have to die.”

  “Okay then, kill me. Come on, I’ll let you do it.”

  “You will?”

  “Yes, I promise.”

  Tears of gratitude came to Clarissa’s eyes as she stepped forward. “Thank you, Amber! Thank you so much!”

  Amber slapped her hard and Clarissa fell straight back, unconscious before she hit the ground. Even that movement tore up Amber’s insides. She hurried to her bag, took the second to last vial from the box and stuffed it in her pocket, then she walked quickly to Milo’s room, leaving a trail of blood behind her. The door was open. Inside, the bed was shoved to one side and the table was smashed. Gritting her teeth, she ran for the parking lot, reaching it just in time to see the Peterbilt pull out on to the road and drive north.