“Sorry to interrupt the breakfast club here, guys”—I held up my relatively healthy arms—“but what the hell is going on?”
“Holy shit!” exclaimed Holly. She flung her spatula aside and ran over to look. Trip gasped and dropped a stack of disposable plates on the ground. “This is way better than it should be. The ones I stitched are about closed.”
“I told you guys. Gretchen knows her stuff,” Julie said.
“No way, man,” Trip said as he examined me. “I saw what she boiled up in that pot. It was just a bunch of weeds, dirt and some teeth. She even put a dead raccoon in it. There’s no way. Just no way.”
“Screw Monster Hunting. Let’s sell this and get rich,” Holly said.
“We’ve been trying to talk her into bottling her tribal cures for years. She won’t do it. Says that they have to be specifically prepared for each person. On the spot,” Julie answered as she sipped her orange juice.
“How’s your shoulder?” I asked.
“Much better. I’m sore, and I can’t lift my arm above my head yet, but give me a few days and I’ll be fine.” She reached into her pocket and pulled something out. She dropped it onto the center of the plywood. It was a jagged three-inch piece of stone. “Souvenir. Gretchen pulled this out.”
“Damn,” all three Newbies said in unison. She was lucky to be alive, let alone walking around in a pleasant mood.
“Seriously. She works magic. All of Skippy’s people have gifts. He can do things with that chopper that aren’t possible according to the laws of physics. Wait until you meet the rest of his family. They will probably introduce themselves to you when they’re comfortable.”
I pulled up a chair. “They aren’t normal people. What are they?”
“It really isn’t my place to say. That’s up to them.” She changed the subject. “Eggs are burning.”
Holly cursed and returned to the stove. Trip put the plates and some forks on the table. “What about your dad?” he asked.
“As far as I care he can eat spiders. Old house has plenty of them,” she said coldly.
“I’ll take him a plate,” I answered.
“Suit yourself,” Julie stated as she returned to her juice. I did not know what had transpired between father and daughter while I was taking my tour of the asylum, but obviously it had not been pleasant.
“He didn’t run off when you two were unconscious. Do we really need to leave him locked up?” Trip asked.
“My dad may seem fine sometimes, but don’t let him fool you. He saw some things that the human brain isn’t wired to deal with. His reality is all screwed up. He’s dangerous. Doctor Joan told me that he’s tried to escape a bunch of times, and he damn near beat one of their orderlies to death. We let him loose and he’ll be trying to raise the dead or something stupid in no time flat.” She shook her head. “I sure as hell am not going to let that man loose on the world. I fight monsters, I don’t help them.”
“So what’s the plan?” I said. My stomach grumbled loudly. The food smelled great. “After we eat, of course.”
“Sit tight. Heal up. Stay low,” Holly said. “That’s what Harbinger told us at least. We’re supposed to keep Ray safe and away from the bad guys. He’s going to call us as soon as they work out the problems with the Feds.”
“And he’s mad at you,” Trip added helpfully.
“What about me?” I asked. I had gone along with her after all.
“I think they think you’re just a big protective dupe is all,” Holly said. “At least that’s the impression I got when he said that you were just a big protective dupe following Julie around like a dumb puppy.”
“Oh good.”
“Then the Feds were crawling all over us. They want Ray and they want him bad. There had to be like fifty of them at the compound.”
“I wonder why Earl didn’t just turn Dad over?” Julie mused. “It isn’t like there’s any love lost there. If the Feds just want to keep his knowledge out of the hands of the Cursed One, then they are way better equipped to baby-sit him than we are.”
“He didn’t say, but I’ve come up with a theory,” Trip said. We waited. “Well, who all knows about Ray Shackleford and his research? Just MHI and the Feds. It isn’t exactly public knowledge, I’m guessing, what with all of this being secret and all. The professors who got attacked in Georgia were both well known for their knowledge on esoteric anthropology; vampires can read books too. Ray was just another inmate in an asylum. How did they know what he had in his head? How did they know that he was so important?”
“You think one of the Monster Control Bureau agents is talking to the CO,” Holly said.
“CO?” I asked.
“Beats saying Cursed One over and over again.”
“Yeah,” Trip answered. “If it’s only us and them that know about Ray, somebody must have told the bad guys. How else did they know who he was or even where he was?”
Julie thought about it for a moment. “Good point. Humans have worked for evil forces before. Especially vampires—they have a way of enthralling the weak-willed.”
“And there is something else. While you were gone yesterday, Lee found some stuff in one of the old journals. Some Monster Hunter who died back during World War Two. We think it was about the Cursed One. I didn’t get to see it, but the experienced Hunters were all freaked out. I mean really scared. Harbinger, Milo, even Sam. They were freaked. They wanted to show you, and that’s when they found out that you had taken off.”
“Those three don’t scare easy,” Julie stated.
“This journal scared them. Harbinger was talking about the apocalypse,” Holly said as she dished out the scrambled eggs.
“So that’s why I think Harbinger is having us hide your dad. Something he knows is the key that unlocks the gate for the Cursed One, and it’s very bad news. Like the-end-of-life-as-we-know-it kind of stuff. And he thinks some Fed is working for the bad guys. He’s scared to death that they’re going to get their hands on your dad.” He finished his theory and dug into his breakfast.
Holly sat down, looking slightly uneasy. She hesitated before speaking. “There is one other thing . . . Trip? You want to tell them?”
My friend did not reply. He contemplated his food. Holly did not appear eager to tell us either. Julie broke the silence.
“Let me guess.” She leaned back in her folding chair. “If the bad guys find us, we’re supposed to kill my dad ourselves rather than let him fall into their hands? Correct?”
The two Newbies nodded. Finally Holly spoke. “I’m sorry. That’s what Harbinger told us. He wanted to make sure that we could do it if we needed to. He really accentuated how serious this is.”
Julie nodded. “Yeah. I suppose so . . .” She trailed off.
“I’m sorry,” Trip said.
“It might be a moot point. How likely is it that the Cursed One’s minions are going to find us here?” I asked. I was not particularly surprised at Harbinger’s direction to kill Ray if necessary, having already decided the same thing myself. At least now the others were beginning to understand just how serious the Cursed One was.
“This is the old family place. My great-grandfather bought it way back when. It has always kind of been isolated. Legally speaking, nobody lives here. As far as the outside world is concerned, this place is pretty much a forgotten relic. It was sold a long time ago to the Heart of Dixie Historical Preservation Society.”
“Who are they?” I asked. The mansion was obviously a landmark of some kind, and somebody had been working at restoring the building.
Julie raised her hand. “I’m the Heart of Dixie Historical Preservation Society.” She smiled wickedly. “Since it’s a non-profit organization, all a perfectly legal front, and I technically don’t live here, it sure does save me a bunch of money in property taxes.”
“So you’re a tax evader too?” I mumbled around a mouthful of eggs. “Groovy.”
“There are only a handful of people who know about this house, and
most of them wear a green smiley face on their armor or their last name is Shackleford.” She went back to eating. Julie appeared to be starved, and she should be considering how much blood she had lost yesterday. She paused, swallowed and continued, “And I’ve got this place rigged with one hell of a security system. If anything drives, walks, slithers or lands on this property, we’ll know. There’s also a hidden armory in the basement stocked with stuff that would have been confiscated when we got shut down last time, and the compound is only about fifteen minutes away. If we get attacked, we’ll just need to hold out that long.”
“Will your security system detect vampires?” I asked.
“Probably. As far as we know they still need to walk like anything else. There has never been any actual documented case of them turning into bats or mist like in Dracula, only superstitions say that they can shape-shift. But remember, they can’t come into a home unless they’re invited. That’s the rule.”
“Why is that anyway?” I asked. “I mean, I’ve seen it in the movies, but that doesn’t really make any sense.”
“Nobody knows. But it seems to be a rule with vampires. Other undead don’t seem to care, but it does affect vamps,” she said. “Unless you let them in, they can’t enter.”
“But they came into Dr. Turley’s house and killed him and his wife. And he was still in bed. They couldn’t have been invited. Or what about the attack in Atlanta?”
“Atlanta was a party. All it would take is a single invited guest to let one in. You guys have only seen newly created vamps. The old ones can be pretty darn charming, and they look just like humans unless they’re about to feed. As for the Turleys, who knows? Any indication of invitation would probably do.” She forked another piece of egg and dipped it in ketchup. “Did they have a doormat or any signs that may have said welcome, or something like that?”
I nodded as I remembered the Turley home’s open rear door, along with the mud-stained welcome mat. I swore that I would never own one of those things again.
“Gargoyles?” Trip asked.
“I’ve got a Barrett .50, a 20mm Lahti, and some grenade launchers in the armory. Also an RPG and for the worst-case scenario, a Spig 9. After we eat, I’ll break those out and dust them off. I’m going to need help getting the Spig up the stairs,” Julie said. I did not know what a Spig 9 was, but if it was in fact a gun that she needed help to even move, I was very excited.
“What about the CO?” Holly asked. I did not like the abbreviated name. After having seen him, and feeling a taste of his power, calling the evil creature something so innocuous seemed a little silly. The residents of Tokyo didn’t call Godzilla “Big G.”
“Unknown quantity,” Julie stated. “We have no idea what would work on him. It could be something as simple as just shooting him full of holes, or lighting him on fire, or blowing him up, I don’t know. Some monsters are hard to kill.” She looked at me for help.
I shrugged. “Beats me. The Old Man won’t or can’t tell me that. I’ll say this though. I don’t expect him to go easy. I’ve got a feeling that he’s going to be one mean son of a bitch.”
Julie finished her breakfast and pushed the plate away. I dished myself a second helping. Trip sipped his coffee. Holly made sure her sidearm was still there.
“One last thing,” Julie said. She was fully confident, and back in command mode. “If they find us. If we get attacked. And we can’t beat them or hold them off until help arrives. If and only if the bad guys are about to take Dad away, then we have no choice. Kill him. And do it in a way that they can’t bring him back. Shoot him in the head, and burn him.” She said this casually, as if she was telling us about the weather. “It’s one thing to kill monsters, but it’s another to have human blood on your hands . . . If we have to do it, if possible I’ll do it myself. My family, my business . . . Everybody okay with that?”
The rest of us nodded dumbly.
Julie scooped up a plate of rapidly cooling eggs and sausage and passed it over to me. “You had best take him some food. He’s probably starved. Tell him I send my regards.”
Ray Shackleford was sitting on his bed, one wrist handcuffed to the wrought-iron headboard. He regarded me sullenly as I entered. His gray hair was wild, and he had a black eye and bruises from where I had hit him. At least he seemed coherent now.
“I brought you some food,” I said. I did not add that I had only supplied him with a plastic fork.
“Let me loose, kid,” he ordered.
“Can’t do that. This is for your own protection.”
“Fine, then I’ll take a dump on the floor.”
I had not thought about that, but then again I had never kidnapped a crazy person before either. I set the food down on a dresser and removed the handcuff key from my pocket. There was an attached bathroom, there was only one way in, and the window over the shower was too small to squeeze out of. I checked the bathroom for any hidden weapons (this was Julie’s house after all), but found nothing.
“Okay, fine. But if you try anything stupid, I will beat you down. I’m just itching for a reason to get my violence on. Got it?”
“Fine. Just hurry up.” I unlocked the cuffs and waited patiently as he made his way to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him. I opened it.
“Nope. I don’t trust you.”
“Fine. Suit yourself . . . freak.”
I waited while he took care of business. Once he had washed his hands and pulled back his hair, I escorted him back to the bed and put the cuffs back on. He gave me no trouble. I passed the food over and he gobbled it down messily.
“You knocked me out,” he said between bites. “If I was in the shape I used to be, I would have kicked your ass.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself,” I said.
“Don’t get cocky. I’ve been around guys like you. I know your type. You’re hired muscle. Just a trigger puller. I bet Earl brought you on because you’re good at hurting things. You know what? That don’t make you special. Hurting things is easy. Understanding them is hard.”
“I don’t like to complicate things. I see the monster. I shoot the monster. There. Nice and simple,” I said.
“Let me let you in on a little secret, kid. Guys like you are a dime a dozen. A real Hunter understands his prey. He knows how they think. He succeeds where others fail because he knows the monster better than he knows himself. I was the best Hunter we’ve ever had because of that.”
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster . . .” I said.
“And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you. Ahh . . . an educated man. Well, you’re not as stupid as you look. Don’t quote Nietzsche at me, kid. That German crackpot wouldn’t know a real monster if it bit him on the ass.”
Actually I hated philosophy. I had memorized the quote from the intro of a video game. “You about done?” I asked.
“Julie told me a little about you. You’re the dreamer. You’ve been having visions. You want what I’ve got up here.” He tapped the side of his head with his fork, leaving ketchup in his hair. “You want me to help you find Lord Machado.”
“Pretty much.”
“I can do it, you know. The other Hunters can read those old books forever, but they ain’t gonna answer your questions. It isn’t what you read, it’s putting the information together in your head like a puzzle. Only when you’re all done can you really see the picture. I’ve had lots of time on my hands for the last six years. I’ve sat in a padded cell all day long with nothing to do but put those puzzles together. I can see the whole picture now. You fools are still trying to find your corner pieces and sorting them out by color.”
“Is there a point to this, or are you just trying to get me to punch you in the head some more?”
“Here’s the point: I can help you. I can tell you where and when Lord Machado is going to use his artifact. I can tell you what to do. I can tell you how to stop him. I can even tell you how to
kill him. The dead guy in your head can’t answer those questions, but I can.”
“So why don’t you just tell me what I need to know?”
“Because, kid, what’s in it for me?”
“The world doesn’t get destroyed. That sounds kind of beneficial, don’t you think?”
“I tell you. You tell Earl. You guys kill Lord Machado and the seven. You save the world, cash big fat checks. You get to be heroes. I go back to Appleton and rot in a cell until the day I die. You want my help, you let me go and I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“And I’m just supposed to let somebody who opened a gate to hell in the middle of Alabama walk free.”
“I learned from my mistakes. I won’t do that again. I’m not as crazy as everybody thinks I am. I know the score. Let me loose, I promise not to meddle in that business again; I’ll just disappear off the radar and nobody needs to know where I went. I’ve got money, fake IDs, passports, all stashed. You let me go, and nobody ever hears from me again. I’ll go down to Mexico and sip margaritas on the beach with pretty senoritas.”
“I’ll run that past your daughter.”
“Julie’s squeamish. She’s a goody two-shoes like her mother. Believe me. I’ve learned from my mistakes. I’m done. Earl will tell you no. My dad will say no. They don’t trust me. My offer is to you, kid. Think about it.” He smiled hopefully. I did not trust him as far as I could throw him.
“How about you give me a little information up front? Let me see if what you know is worth it.”
“I give you enough pieces of the puzzle, you’ll figure it out yourself. You won’t need me and I go back to Appleton. On good days maybe I get to play Ping-Pong in leg irons with Dr. Nelson. Look out the window while crazy people whine about what monsters did to them. Like those pussies know jack squat about real torment. Whoopee. No way, kid. I talk. I walk. That’s the deal.”
“Screw you, Ray.” I took his empty plate and walked away.
“Wait!” he cried. I paused with my hand on the doorknob. “You have to understand. I can’t go back there.” I opened the door. “Stop. Listen. I tried to bring my wife back. Is that so wrong? I loved her. I know I made a mistake. I was desperate. You would do the same. I loved her too much to let her go. I know not to try again. I saw things in that rift. Things you can’t even begin to understand. I know what’s out there. My mind is scarred worse than your face. Believe me. I promise that it won’t happen again.”