by J. P. Rice
Japan, huh?
Chapter 13
Kicking a branch off the dirt path, I cleared the way for Reg. I couldn’t believe I was hiking through Trillium Trail with my best friend who had been paralyzed for decades. It had seemed like an odd request at the time, but the vampire had wanted to hike during daylight.
As we got moving again after a short break, Reg powered ahead, setting a brisk pace. His Eastpack backpack didn’t slow him down one bit as he pumped his arms to aid his power walking. I wondered how deep into the woods Reg wanted to go as we passed the huge boulder on which I had talked to Blodeuwedd.
The beaten path had disappeared a while ago and we headed deeper into the drab brown forest, speckled with dull green. A patch of moss on a fallen tree trunk brightened things up momentarily until we returned to the vapid scenery.
I planned to leave for Japan in a few days. Jonathan was letting Felix and me use one of his private planes to get to Japan. He’d even offered up his limo service to get us to the airport. Before I left, I wanted to spend some time with Reg before I left to help him through his rough transition into a vampire.
Reg finally tired out and leaned his forearm against the trunk of an oak tree as he caught his breath. “It’s nice out here.”
I spoke through my heavy breathing, “Yeah...it’s not bad at all. For it being winter.”
Reg pulled a knife out of his hip pocket and opened the blade. What the hell was he doing? He stood up straight and began to hack away at the trunk. “I always wanted to do this. Mark my territory.”
I didn’t exactly get his sentiment, but he kept chiseling through the bark and into the trunk. A few minutes later, I recognized the faint outline of a capital R. “So I’ve got to go to Japan. You ever been there?”
“I did some training there.” Reg stopped for a second and scratched his temple with the handle of the knife. “On one of the little islands. Shit, I can’t remember the name now. I guess it was over forty years ago. I do remember they liked to eat horse. Why you need to go there?”
I explained, “I have to fill the Blood Goblet with the blood of an immortal demon. Apparently, he lives in Japan.”
Reg laughed and went back to his carving. “It’s always something with you. I wish I’d never done this stupid vampire shit. I could still be going on adventures with you.”
“We all have to live with our decisions.”
He slowed down his knifework and turned to me. “Speaking of which, has that implant been giving you any problems lately?”
“Not really.” I didn’t want to tell him about the rough times. He didn’t need to hear that. “Maybe the demons forgot about me. That would be nice.”
“I assume they have a good bit of stuff going on. More pressing matters might have come up. Hell, if I were you, I’d be trying to cause trouble to create a distraction for them to deal with.,” Reg suggested, and I liked it.
“Not a bad idea. A diversion. That’s something to think about. Thanks.”
Reg shrugged his shoulders as he continued to mark his territory. “Least I can do. You accepted me, wheelchair and all, when we first met.”
That was an odd thing to bring up out of the blue. “I didn’t think that was exactly noble. Just decency.”
“Decency is evaporating by the second in this world. My son viewed me as a burden because of the chair. Then you, a perfect stranger, were willing to take me anywhere to do anything I want.” Reg turned away and mumbled, “I’m not going to get all sappy, but thanks. It meant a lot.”
I waited for the buzzing sounds of the locusts to die down, and said, “I see it with Dante. The looks some people give him makes me want to beat the shit out of them right there on the spot.”
Reg used his shirt to clean off the blade of the knife, and locked eyes with me. “People are scared of that which they don’t understand. I still need to meet the little guy, but if you explained him accurately, he’s different. Most people don’t like different. Times are a lot better now, though. I grew up during the civil rights movement. That was a true struggle on a systemic level.”
I could only imagine what it had been like for Reg. “America wasn’t ready to accept people of another race back then and they don’t seem ready to accept a demon these days. I’ve learned that not all demons are bad, but I can’t make everyone else understand that.”
“And you never will.” Reg took a step back and inspected his work. “People need to come to that conclusion on their own. Some never will. Racism is still alive in America. Some people will never accept equality. It infringes on their tenuous hold of power. You can’t convince everyone.”
I missed our talks. “I know. It just hurts me when we walk past a group of people who have their eyes popping out of their heads and are whispering about my son.”
He brushed some of the scraps out of the high relief R that stood out on the tree trunk. “That just means you care about Dante. And you should. I was going to yell at you about growing up and stopping all the whining, anyway.” He laughed. “It looks like you are headed down that path right now. Growing up, young man.”
I kind of took offense that he was calling me a whiny bitch, but it was time to grow up. “It’s weird. And I can’t even have a drink to relax since the Gods made me take that pill that erases my magical prowess if I have a sip of alcohol.”
Happy with his work, Reg tucked the blade back into the black handle and stuffed the knife into his pocket. “Are you sure it wasn’t a placebo?”
“Maybe. I’m sure I don’t want to find out the hard way. I needs my magic,” I said, aiming for a joke. Reg didn’t laugh. In fact, he was shaking and pulling on his earlobes.
Reg turned to me with a crazy fire dancing in his eyes. Almost snarling, he said, “I need you to do me the biggest favor of my life.” Thick white spittle shot out of the corners of his mouth. It was like a switch had been flipped. Like he was suddenly under someone else’s control.
He dug around in the backpack and extracted a wooden stick. Upon closer inspection, it was the sharpened wooden stake from the backseat of my car. Why had he brought that in here?
We locked eyes and he extended the stake toward me. “If you’re my best friend, you will do this. Right here. Right now. It’s time to stop fucking around. I can’t take it as a vampire. It’s tearing me apart and I’m going to go crazy soon. Fucking take it,” he demanded in a guttural throat and held out the stake.
I took a step back, keeping my hands at my sides. “What the hell? You were just fine a few moments ago. What happened?”
His forehead wrinkled and his nose scrunched up. Coupled with the crazy look in his eyes, he was scaring the shit out of me. He stated, “This is what I am. I can hide the killer for a while, but he always escapes his cell. I can’t keep him locked up. He always finds the key.”
I needed to get this train off the rails before we ended up in Crazytown. “Slow down for a second and relax. Fucking breathe. There’s no way I’m going to kill you. No way.”
He pulled the stake back and mumbled, “I thought you were my friend.”
I hadn’t realized this was a friendly activity. “I am your friend. And you know what. Friends don’t kill friends. It’s just not something they do.”
He tilted his head to the side and softened his tone, “Even if their best friend is suffering. And it would be the best thing for him. I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t a danger to all your innocent citizens you’ve been tasked with protecting. If I escape that Purple House and cause some destruction, you’ll be forced to kill me then.”
That was one hundred percent correct and not something I wanted to think about right now. “Don’t say that.”
“Why? It could happen. Then you would be forced to do it under much bleaker circumstances. I’ve lived a nice long life and maybe it’s time for me to move on. Being immortal just isn’t for me.” He extended the stake toward me again.
I took another step back and waved my hands in front of me. “If you
just ride it out for another few months, you will be fine.”
He stepped closer to me, leaned in and spoke gruffly, “Listen motherfucker. You better do this shit. Because if you don’t, I’ll find someone who will. And then I’ll come back and haunt your ass for the rest of your days.”
He sparked anger in me. I didn’t like being threatened, no matter who was hurling it. But this was my best fucking friend. Eckkkk. So confused right now.
His hand lashed forward and he jammed the stake flat against my chest. “Come on. Do it. Put this monster down.” The white foam built up on his lips and the corners of his mouth, making him look like a feral beast.
I threw my hands up and backed away. What had just happened? We had just been having a great conversation and it had turned on a dime. “There’s no way I’m doing this. You’ll thank me later. Trust me.”
Reg’s eyes widened and bulged, somehow making him look even more insane than before. “Fuck you. How about that?”
“Sorry Reg, you aren’t going to insult me into doing it either.” I turned to walk back to the car as a sudden pang centered in my calf. I wanted to continue walking, but my body stopped. No. Not the fucking implant now.
I turned around, staring blankly at my best friend. Words came from my mouth, “Fuck it. I’ll do it.”
What? No. That’s not what I wanted to say. Please. Stop. This.
“That’s my man.” An evil smile started with his wrinkled chin and washed up over his entire face, lighting up his eyes like a jack-o’-lantern. “I knew I could count on you.”
I kept walking toward him. The demonic implant had taken full control of my body functions. A warm rush ran down my pant legs and I looked down to see my clothes darkening. Those cruel puppet masters were having fun with me. I tried to force myself to stop and run the other way. Wasn’t happening.
I grabbed the stake out of Reg’s hand and firmed my grip. Reg said, “Now you gotta hit my heart or it won’t kill me for good. The only way I can never come back is if you hit my heart. Don’t miss. I want off this train completely.”
“I won’t miss.” Who was saying that? How were they manipulating my words and actions?
I placed the sharpened end of the wooden stake under Reg’s ribcage on the left side of his chest. Staring into the glossy, bloodshot eyes of my best friend, I wanted to cry. I’d become a monster. Not Reg, the vampire. Me. The supposed guardian of the city now had a stake in position to end the life of one of my citizens.
Reg should be using this stake on me. I was the danger to society. Why couldn’t I tell him that?
Instead, I broke the skin of my best friend and burgundy blood oozed out onto his white track jacket. What was I doing? I sunk the stake in a few inches and Reg gasped and his eyes rolled back momentarily. The demons weren’t satisfied with that and caused me to drive the stake in further. Closer to his heart.
Reg coughed, and blood flowed from the corners of his mouth. My erstwhile best friend started to shake, but I kept a firm grip on the stake. I drove the stake in further and I could have sworn I felt it pierce Reginald Danforth’s heart. The warm blood of my best friend streamed down over my hand forever staining it in shame.
Reg dropped to his knees and I let go of the stake. He coughed again, expelling a spritz of blood that stained the belly pocket on my hoodie. I stood there and watched my best friend dying right in front of me. I didn’t help. I didn’t call for help. I watched. The implant made me watch every second of my treachery.
I wanted to cry, but my tear ducts wouldn’t oblige. Reg collapsed on his side and ripped the stake out of his chest. He just looked at the pointed end, soaked in blood. He asked, “Why’d you do it?” Then his spastic movements suddenly came to a disturbing halt.
Why had I done it? He’d asked me to do it. No, begged me to do it. I really didn’t need that phrase to fuck with me for the rest of my life. But it appeared I deserved it. Something should haunt me for what I’d just done.
My mechanical movements guided me to Reg’s backpack. I unzipped it wide and pulled out two little garden spades from my trip to West Virginia. Reg had grabbed those off my backseat too. He’d known exactly what he was doing in organizing this hike.
With the implant still in control of me, I began to dig a grave in an area of Trillium Trail that nobody normally ventured into. It still left me vulnerable that someone could find it on a random hike. Or if the vampires called the authorities to investigate. Nevertheless, I continued to dig the hole.
About an hour later, or it could have been a few hours, I completed the grave. I kicked Reg into the hole with the same delicacy as throwing away a defective inanimate object. I was a monster. Plain and fucking simple.
I threw the stake and the backpack into the grave and began to fill it back up with dirt. I still couldn’t cry, although that was the only thing I wanted to do at the moment. Like a soulless machine, I filled in the hole and stomped the dirt down. Finally, I scattered some brush and dead leaves over the grave to hide it.
Why wasn’t I getting sick? I was supposed to get ill if I killed an innocent person. Knowing Reg’s soul was pure, it had to be because of the implant. Maybe it was because I wasn’t in control of my own body. Either way, I was still a monster.
I stared at the R in the tree for a few moments. Tears ran down my cheeks. I was back in control of my body again. Too late. Damage was done. I’d just killed and buried my best friend.
In despair, I turned around and walked back toward my car. Tears spilled liberally out of my eyes, down my saddened face and onto my hoodie, mingling with the blood of my best friend. I sensed some ugly crying in my future.
I almost got lost until I spotted the large boulder. A bird flew down from the sky and landed on the boulder. An owl. Blodeuwedd. Oh great.
I tucked my bloody hand into my sleeve and wiped away the tears from my face as Blodeuwedd greeted me, “Hello there, friend.”
Deepening my voice, I said, “Hello.”
“What’s wrong? You look distraught and have blood speckled all over your belly.” She pointed unnecessarily with her right wing.
“Oh that. I had to put down a rabid animal.” I had lied to a Goddess. What was happening to me? “How did you know I was here?”
“I asked my avian friends. They see everything. Every—thing.” she said the last word in an ominous tone as if she had seen what I had just done.
I kept up the charade. “What brings you here?”
The owl explained, “It seems like I’ve arrived just a bit too late to help you with one problem.” She winked, and it made me uneasy as she continued, “But I’ve got news on a few other problems you are having. First is about the Seven Sorcerers. I found out where they are staying. I can give you the address after we go to Clara Spiritus.”
I was confused. “After we go to Clara Spiritus?”
The owl nodded from atop the boulder. “Yes. I need to take you there so that Dian Cécht can remove the implant like we’d talked about. Or at least study it to come up with a plan for removal.”
I tried to come up with an excuse, “Unfortunately, I have to drive back to Blawnox to get to the closest portal.”
“Not when you’re with me.” The owl beat her wings and flew in a tight circle above the boulder. A wavy opaque grid appeared out of nowhere. “I can create portals,” she bragged.
I needed to figure out that skill. “Should we go right now?”
“Do you want to take the chance that the implant will take control of you again?” the Goddess asked.
“Ready when you are.”
I didn’t want to make this trip, but this problem had to stop. If I could get the implant taken care of, it would make solving this case much easier. A crazy plan entered my head and wouldn’t leave. I needed to talk to Felix.
Chapter 14
I heard a loud car engine outside and peeked through the blinds to see if Felix had arrived. Nope. It was an old school Pontiac Le Mans hauling ass down the street. I was wa
iting for Felix to pick me up so that we could go rescue Cyclone Woman.
Instead of wasting a trip to Japan or dying thousands of miles away from home, we’d decided to rescue Cyclone Woman in the hope that she hadn’t been put under a curse. Felix and I hoped that the sorcerers were just forcing her actions with threats. That way, we wouldn’t even need to fly halfway across the world and battle a legendary demon to fill the Blood Goblet.
We also took into account that the sorcerers could be moving around, and we needed to strike while the iron was hot. By the time we returned from Japan, they could be long gone, never to be seen again.
If Cyclone Woman was under a spell, we could always fill the Goblet after we freed her. It was a reckless plan, but we weren’t going to wait around for another tornado either. During my trip to Clara Spiritus, Blodeuwedd had given me the sorcerers’ address.
Speaking of my trip to see the Celtic Gods, the druidic physicians had taken a bunch of scans of the implant and were working to find a solution to my problem. I prayed they would come to a speedy conclusion, unsure of how much longer I could avoid the monster. It seemed to pop up at completely random times.
I tried to ignore the huge thing hanging over my head. I’d been riddled with guilt over the death of my best friend. Death? Wrong word choice. I’d murdered him. I’d fucking murdered my best friend. Even if the implant were removed, I’d have to live with that act for the rest of my life. I had even lied to Jonathan when he’d asked me if I’d seen Reg after our hike.
I’d told the top vampire at the Purple House I would dispatch a search party to find Reg. A complete and utter lie. I knew exactly where he was. Buried underground. Killed at the hands of a monster. A monster covering up the murder of my best friend.
But there was no going back and changing the past. I’d driven a wooden stake through his heart. The surefire way to kill a vampire. Even if I could find a cure for all terminal diseases plaguing the world, that still wouldn’t cancel out my treachery.