by Nathan Howe
She jumped in and drove back into town. “So?”
“I'm chasing the Butcher.”
She snorted. “No really what are you doing.”
“I'm serious. I've actually seen her.”
Inflamed glanced at me as she drove. “You're for real.”
“I am.”
This turned into the longest conversation I had ever had with her. And part of me felt like she was just having a laugh at me chasing an urban legend. Inflamed drove faster than most race car drivers or taxis. “Where to?”
“Not sure. I'm starting to lose Mara. In the Park someplace.”
“That can't be right. How could a person hid bodies in the park?”
“Haven't the foggiest idea. But that feels right.”
We arrived in the heart of Djinn Park. I Stepped out of the car. It was faint. But she was nearby. Almost like she was below me. It was tough to pinpoint. The magic faded from me making even less precise. “I'm not sure. She's here but not right here.”
Inflamed rolled her eyes. “That's helpful.”
“I want to say below me.”
“Steve there is nothing below the park. Trust me. I've seen every blueprint, every city plan.”
“I'm telling you there's something there.”
Inflamed waved me off. “I'm going back to the office.”
“Hold on. Don't you have a way of x-raying the ground.”
She nodded.
“Could you do that?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Not Coalition business. Remember you refused to be a member.”
Dammit. “You have a reserve membership or a part-time thing.”
“We do.”
“If you do this for me I'll join. It's like one weekend a month. Right?”
“Something like that.”
“Hold the damn phone,” Jack said. His jaw on the floor. It surprised the hell out of him. “Did you really join?”
Steve leaned forward. “I had no choice.”
“Sure you did. Give up.”
“I never give up.”
“Since when.”
“Shut up. I finish what I start. And that young lady was there. Couldn't let her die.”
Jack leaned back and smiled. “When do I get to see the spandex?”
“Never.”
“Almost all the members I've seen have spandex. What makes you so different?”
“First it's not spandex. Two a lot don't. I need access to the tattoo's a spandex uniform is a hindrance. So per agreement. I get to wear what I do now.”
Jack smirked. “Lucky you.”
“Right. Me in a bright heroy uniform is a horrific picture.”
Both laughed. “So tell what you found.”
Inflamed made the call and fifteen minutes later a tall, lanky man arrived with a small container truck. “This is Martin. He works for Cynosure Dynamics at the Hero Coalition. He is the operator of the equipment.”
I reached out to shake his hand. “Hi,” I said.
Martin left me hanging. “Hello.” He walked back to the truck and begun to unload it.
I turned to Inflamed. “Don't take it personally. He doesn't touch anyone or talk to them much. Him saying hello means he likes you.”
“Uh. Okay.”
He rolled a piece of equipment of the back of the truck about the size of a riding lawnmower. It didn't seem too complicated. A large box with wheels and levers. “This is a ground penetrating x-ray machine with the ability to sense–,”
“Not to be a dick but time is of the essence,” I said.
Martin nodded. “It always is.”
“Okay you two play nice I have business to take care of and Steve you have to hold up your end, or I'll make you regret it,” Inflamed said.
“I will.”
“Good.” Inflamed stepped into her car and drove away. Martin powered up the x-ray machine.
“How long before we learn what's down there?”
“It'll power up in a few minutes, and we'll have readouts on this display.” Martin tapped a monitor between the handed on the machine.
“Cool.” I pulled my almost finished cigar and lit it up. Martin waved at the smoke. “Sorry.” I walked away. The wait killed me. Not knowing what was below. If I was wrong, Mara might be dead.
Martin marched back and forth with the machine, inching it along. “Check this out.”
I stamped out my cigar and walked over. “Uh. Looks like a blob.”
Martin moaned. “Am I the only one who can understand the pictures this produces?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I can see a large void. A room but I have no idea how big. It is bigger than I walked. So we are talking at least twenty feet long and wide.”
“If you had to guess the full size.”
“No clue. It could be only a few feet bigger or hundreds of feet.”
“How tall?”
“About ten feet.”
“Any people?”
“Tough to say. But looks like it.”
“How about a way in.”
“Haven't found one yet. Let me get back to work.”
Hours later Martin continued to work. The space was large. He found on three sides of it so far. Making it fifty feet wide and over that in length. But no way into the room. I called the coalition and told them. Inflamed arrived back at the park. This had to be the second most coalition member visits in history.
Inflamed and I stood in silence waiting for Martin to finish. It was dark when he packed the machine up. “No way in.”
“How can that be?” Inflamed asked.
“Well, the Butcher is a teleporter,” I said.
“Okay. We don't have one. At least not for a few days.”
“Are you kidding me.”
“No. It's rare. And ours is busy.”
“Great.” I didn't like this. I had to get into the room. “Can we dig in?”
Martin shook his head. “It would take longer than waiting for the teleporter. It's twenty feet down, and the walls are thick it takes days to drill through them.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “I'll figure something out.”
Time was of the essence. Needed to get down there now not in days. Martin left the park while I paced. Inflamed walked over. “I'll make the call for our teleporter, but Invincible has him working Diablo Island.”
I nodded. That was an important job. People feared the day Diablo Island attacked with the power that Ashes and his inner circle had. “I get it.”
Inflamed departed. The moon shone in the sky visible between the trees that made up the park. People walked around me. The Withering was out conducting business. For the first few weeks after the Spector attack, the Withering laid low, only recently venturing out and resuming their terror. I welcomed an attack by them. But it didn't come.
As midnight rolled around and my fear that Mara no longer lived I left the park. There was nothing I could do. But I didn't go home. Instead, I walked to Ambrosine's place. I arrived shortly after midnight. She lived above the shop. I saw a light on. I figured she'd be up. But the store had closed for the night. I knocked on the door as loud as possible.
Minutes later as disheveled Ambrosine opened the door. “Steve?”
“Hey.”
“You look like hell.”
“Well I found Mara, but I can't get her. The Butcher has her.”
“Come in.” We walked to the counter like normal. She turned on a light but making only slightly lighter than outside. “Tell me.”
I replayed the events since I left her. Not leaving anything out. She frowned as I finished. “You should have come here sooner.”
“Why?” I asked confused.
“When are you going to learn magic is powerful? It can grant people so many things. Like the temporary ability to say teleport.”
“Seriously.”
She nodded. “One day you'll learn. I swear it.”
“Not likely. Hook me u
p.”
I stepped out of her car at the center of the room hidden beneath the park. “This won't kill?”
Ambrosine shook her head. “No. It's safe for certain people.”
“I doubt it's safe.”
“Trust me.”
“I'm trying. But teleporting sounds dangerous.”
“And making tattoos into actual objects isn't.”
I hadn't thought about it. That was just part of me. Not dangerous. “Uh. I guess so.”
She handed me a vile. “Drink this. Just remember you have an hour. After that you're stuck.”
“One hour. Got it.”
I downed the vial in one gulp. It burned. Tasted like burnt toast. Could have been worse. I glanced at Ambrosine and smiled. I concentrated and tried to pull one of my katanas. The world shifted around me. I was in a dark, musty room. The stench was unbearable. I gagged dropping to my knee. Rotting flesh. The worst scent on earth and this was more than one body. I couldn't see any, but it immobilized me. Vomit sprung from me. Something was needed to block my sense of smell. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to continue. I reached into my pocket for something to stuff in my nose. Nothing.
I concentrated on breathing through my mouth. It helped but not much. A few minutes later movement rang in the distance. For a moment, I froze in place momentary startled. I had to at least find Mara. There were several faint noises. Seemed like the best place to search, so I followed the sounds. I stalked to the right making sure not to move too quickly and make a noise of my own. If the Butcher found me here, I'm sure she'd kill me with faster than I can to react. I checked my watch, ten minutes had passed already. Not good.
The light of the room brightened as I got closer to the sound. With more light, I made out my surroundings better the wall was covered with bodies in different stages of decomposition. The pungent stench caused me to gag, utterly revolting. I covered my nose with cloth from my trench coat. It helped a little. The feeling of uncleanliness overwhelmed me. I desperately wanted to leave to shower.
I inched closer. In the center of the light was Mara. I leaned back in terror. She was bound to a chair and gagged. Her eyes wide in shock at the sight of me. “Is she around?” I whispered.
She shook her head. Good. I rushed to her aid and immediately removed the gag in her mouth. Mara choked. “She said she'd be back soon.” Pure terror covered her face. She trembled. I anxiously tried to free her.
“Okay.” I used my katana on the rope that held her to the chair being mindful not to hurt her. I was on the last part, only needed to free her left leg.
“How did you get here?” I sliced the rope off slightly cutting Mara. Blood dripped from the wound. But compared to what the Butcher had done here this was minor.
I turned with a clenched fist. The anger rose to the top. She violated so many. She must be stopped. “Wouldn't you like to know.” She could have killed me right away. But she didn't. The Butcher liked to play with her kills. That was my only saving grace.
“No matter. You'll never leave here.”
“It's over. The Hero Collection knows about this place. It's only a matter of time before they arrive.”
“You're bluffing.”
I did my best to frighten her. She wasn’t easily swayed. I stood with aggressively. Cracking my knuckles and rolled up my sleeves on my trench coat. Allowing access to more tattoos. “Do I look like I'm bluffing,” I bolstered and tilted my head back and laughed. “You got caught.”
She fumed. “I'll make you pay for this. You'll die a slow painful death.”
Being her next victim wasn't on my wishlist, so I pulled my sigs and fired. It sounded like a bomb exploded in the room. The blast echoed. I missed. She vanished. I rushed back to Mara who bled from her leg. “Sorry about that.” Mara stared at me petrified. In agony over the experience. She appeared completely resigned to the fact she was going to die. It saddened me.
“Get me out of here.”
A blade sliced my left side. “Ahh, Fucker.” I turned and fired again, missing. My ears rang. I replaced the sig. It was useless. I grabbed a throwing star instead. I had to get out of her. But I didn't want the Butcher to escape. She kept coming back as long as we stayed here. Another check of my watch. Less than twenty minutes left.
“Mara, how long can you handle being here? We have to catch her.”
“I can try,” she stammered out. Her eyes said she loathed to be here. She was strong.
“Okay.” I pulled my other katana. “Can you use this.”
“Uh. I can try.”
“Here we'll stand back to back. If she moves in front of you swing at it. Just don't do a full circle.”
“That works.”
We got into position and waited. A minute passed. Then another. Soon fatigue wore on me as I lost blood.
Mara breathed heavily. “This is what she does. Taunt. Tease.” She used intimidation to her advantage. To increase fear and anger.
“That's begun abundantly apparent. Three more minutes than we leave.” I only had five minutes left. Cutting it close.
The Butcher appeared in front me and stabbed me again, this time in my right shoulder. She leaned in to threaten me. A mistake. I grabbed her and Mara. Focused. The pain shot through me. But the world shifted again. Back to the park above.
I dropped to the ground in agony. It was light. How could that be? It was still the middle of the night.
“Ahh!” The Butcher flickered trying to teleport, but an arrow had shot through her with a power deactivation device.
Heldonhaft, Inflamed, and Ambrosine stood to the right. She called the coalition. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” all three answered me.
“He needs a doctor,” Inflamed said.
'No, he doesn't.” Ambrosine reached into my pocket and pulled out my healing potion. It soothed my pain instantly. I should have used it sooner. “Sometimes you are so forgetful, Steve.”
“I need that stuff,” Heldonhaft said.
“Wouldn't work for you,” Ambrosine said.
“Damn.”
“So cool I played a part in one of your stories.”
“Like a two second part man.”
“Still I'm in it. Don't ever forget to tell that part with me in it.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “I won't.”
“So who was the Butcher?”
“No idea.”
“How could you not know.”
Steve shrugged. They had searched for information on her. But no fingerprint match. Her DNA wasn't on file. No facial match. Not a single record with the Hero Coalition or the government. “They tried came up empty.”
“Sure they did,” Jack said sarcastically.
Steve let it go. No way he'd change Jack's mind on this.
Both men finished their plates and paid for their meals at the counter. “Thanks, Ricky.”
On the walk back to Steve's place Jack asked, “Where's the Butcher.”
“Remnant Heights. She'll never leave.”
“They can stop her.”
“Yup. She'll never harm another person.”
“Good.”
Steve nodded in agreement. He only wished he had found her sooner. So Mara wouldn't have been hurt. And the others. The coalition was still removing bodies from the secret lair. Those poor souls. At least now they could move on. To give those family answers. Even if it wasn't the ones, they wanted. It was better than not knowing, and that gave Steve peace of mind. It was a small moment of success in the endless battle against evil.
Proving Grounds
In front of his of TV, Burning stood as he unrolled his yoga mat. He’d had the mat for years, since before he joined the Hero Coalition. He turned on his music, a relaxing classical number. It filled the air with its smooth relaxing tones. With the music going, Burning stood at the rear of the mat to begin his routine. He’d been unable to do it as much as he’d like with working at both the coffee shop and the Coalition with High-Powered. He set his towel and wa
ter on the end table next to his sofa, within arm’s reach. He sat on the mat in child’s pose, with his arms extended and forehead on the ground.
A thud came from the door. Not good. The only person who showed up to his place was High-Powered. And he knew Burning was off tonight and wanted to relax. Burning sighed as he stood and walked over to the door. He opened the door, “What’s up High-Powered?”
“Hey, you busy?”
“I was about to work out.”
High-Powered invited himself in. He hesitated in the living room, his uniform making him feel out of place. “This doesn’t sound like workout music.” High-Powered sat on the sofa. “I like more up-tempo stuff for my workouts.”
“Yoga. Up-tempo kind of defeats the purpose.”
“Oh.” High-Powered furrowed his eyebrows. “Not my thing.”
That didn’t surprise Burning. While a few of the Coalition members did yoga, many focused on cardio or strength training. “What brought you here on my time off?”
“Yeah. Sorry. You were looking forward to R and R, and I’m ruining it. But I got a call from the local PD.”
“Again?”
High-Powered nodded. “Yeah. Another missing person. They’re worried the body will show up soon. The third one this week.”
Burning didn’t like this one bit. There had to be an explanation. He briefly considered meditating on it while he did yoga but would have to wait. “Let me change. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Burning donned a pair of sunglasses as he exited the rear of the apartment building dressed in his Coalition uniform that covered most of his face and hid his eyes.
“Ahh.” He breathed in the fresh air. He’d never get accustomed to it. Much better than a big city. At least that hadn’t changed. The world felt even more chaotic than ever.
High-Powered leaned against a wall. “You’re so odd.”
“I like the fresh air.” Burning inhaled again, the cleanliness of it. The lack of a thick haze that hung in most of the larger cities cleansed him.
“I miss the smog of the city.”
Burning hung his head and exhaled. “And I’m the one that’s odd.”
They walked to the office they shared as a small branch of the Azure City division of the Hero Coalition. It was part of the city hall building, housing both town hall, the police, and many other departments. A lone standard Coalition car sat parked in the spot reserved for them in the back. For the most part, they avoided using it. But with this case, much of the action occurred out of the city proper.