by Alex Siegel
"Did you get the audio, ma'am?" Lewis said.
"Yes," Gritz said. "Good job. I'll ask the police and the FBI to look for that trailer."
"Can the PEA fly a spy plane over the area? That would cover a lot of ground in a hurry."
"Maybe. I'll check with the director. He might be able to lean on the Air Force for some assistance, but aerial search won't do much good after nightfall."
"Where should we go next?" Lewis said.
"I don't know. Just wait for further orders."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Mind if we eat?" Stony said. "I haven't had a bite all day. I'm starving."
"Go ahead," Gritz said. "Just be ready to move if I call."
* * *
Stony walked into Pluto's Chicken and Biscuits. The place just served fast food, but he was far too hungry to care.
The aroma of fried chicken made his mouth water instantly. He walked up to the counter, where an overweight, African-American man stood. The cashier's cheerful red and yellow uniform matched the furniture.
Stony checked the menu. "I'll have the 12-piece family meal. Extra crispy. A quart of beans and a large side of fries."
Mia and Agent Lewis walked up behind Stony.
"Are you ordering for all of us?" Lewis said.
Stony gave him a funny look. "No. That's for me. Order your own food."
Mia snorted.
After the three of them received their meals, they went to a table in the corner to eat. Stony sat with his back to the wall where he had a good view of all the entrances. Mia positioned herself to watch the windows without needing to be told. Lewis blithely sat in a spot where he didn't have much of a view of anything.
Stony grabbed his chicken with both hands and began to devour the meat. It was nearly dinnertime, and this meal was his first of the day. He intended to stuff himself.
Mia had ordered fish and popcorn shrimp. She wasn't inhaling her food like Stony, but she was setting a vigorous pace. She never let good manners get in the way of what she wanted.
Lewis had a fish po'boy, but he just nibbled at the end. Stony knew the man was hungry. They had spent most of the day together, and Lewis had certainly missed lunch. Stony shrugged and focused on his own meal.
Lewis's dainty appetite bothered Stony though. The agent wasn't eating like a man should.
After Stony finished his eighth piece of chicken, he said, "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"
Lewis put down his sandwich. "I'm thinking about what you did to those men," he whispered, "how you mashed their faces and cut them in half. I don't have much of an appetite."
Stony rolled his eyes. Soft. He picked up his next piece of chicken.
"Do you ever feel bad about all the things you've done?" Lewis said.
Stony took a bite. "Sure," he said around a mouthful of meat. "That's why I'm trying to polish up my soul these days."
"You were a serial killer for a long time."
"That's not accurate. Those guys are totally crazy. I was more like a professional hitman. A demon ordered me to do most of my kills."
"But not all," Lewis said.
Stony drank a gulp of soda. "Sometimes people just pissed me off. I had an ugly temper in those days."
"You still do, darling," Mia said.
"Talk about the pot calling the kettle...."
"What did it feel like to work for a demon?" Lewis said.
"Well," Stony said, "to be honest, it was stressful. Demons are unforgiving. If you don't abide by the agreement, they kill you. I loved the power though, the strength. When you have a demon in your corner, you don't take shit from nobody. You're always the toughest guy in the room. That feeling is addictive."
"What changed you? How did you become a good guy... well, sort of good?"
"The PEA prison," Stony said. "When you're stuck in a hole twenty-four hours a day with nobody to talk to, you think about your life. After a few months of soul-crushing solitary, punctuated by the occasional brutal interrogation, I realized I wasn't that committed to evil. I had better options."
"Did Rathanael guide you to the light?"
"Not in any way I could tell. The angel lets people choose God in their own time. For stubborn fools like me, it took a while. Diana made the choice almost immediately."
"Diana is one of Orcus's women," Lewis said.
Stony smiled. "Now she is one of ours. She can turn into a panther with very sharp claws." He winked.
Lewis's eyes widened in alarm.
"This is a touching conversation," Mia said, "but I want to talk about work. The horse farmer's story bothered me."
"How so?" Stony said.
"Orcus paid for the trailer. Why didn't he just kill Parker? Orcus could've saved a lot of money and eliminated a witness at the same time. That's what I would've done."
Lewis gave Mia a worried look.
"Good point," Stony said. "Leaving Parker alive was stupid. As a result, now we have a good description of the vehicle Orcus is driving. The police know what to look for."
"Maybe Orcus respected Parker because he loves horses," Mia said.
"Animal lovers take care of each other? It's a reasonable theory." Stony paused. "First the kindergarten teacher and now the horse farmer. Maybe Orcus is just a little soft."
Lewis shook his head. "Anybody who plants a rat-bomb in the corpse of a little boy isn't soft."
His phone beeped. He took it out and checked his messages.
"Oh, God...," he murmured.
"What?" Stony said.
"They found a little girl in a dumpster. One of Orcus's kidnapping victims. He did... things to her. The field agents sent crime scene photos." Lewis closed his eyes and shuddered.
Stony took the phone from his hand and examined the photos. Mia slid around so she could also see.
The victim was a five or six-year-old black girl. Orcus had burned satanic symbols into her chest and belly, perhaps with a red-hot knife or a soldering iron. Her fingers were cut off, and her legs were broken. A slashed throat had finally killed the poor girl, and blood spatters were everywhere.
Stony gritted his teeth. He knew the theory behind torturing a sacrifice before killing her. The more malevolent the act, the more likely it was to please the denizens of Hell. Pure sadism appealed to demons. That had never been Stony's style though. He had always preferred the quick kill. Ideally, the victim had died before knowing he was in the room.
"Definitely a ritual sacrifice," Mia said. "Orcus was probably trying to make contact with Forneus."
Stony nodded. "I would've loved to see the look on his face when it didn't work."
"We hope it didn't work. The second division doesn't always do a perfect job."
"True, but they have a good record of success."
He read the text associated with the pictures. The temperature of the body indicated the victim had died hours before discovery. The location was the town of Oxford, Mississippi, 160 miles north of Jackson.
"Finish your meal," Stony said. "Orcus went north, so we're going to drive the same direction. Hopefully we can close the gap."
* * *
Sergeant Cassie Ladner waved another car through the police checkpoint on Highway 5 just south of Selmer, Tennessee. She looked at the long line of headlights from cars waiting to get through. Night had fallen, so all she could see were lights. The line seemed to be endless.
The next car drove up. It was a black Chevy Camaro with classic white stripes. The engine rumbled like an angry lion. Cassie pointed her flashlight at the face of the driver, a man with a scrappy black beard. He didn't match the description of the kidnapper.
"I've been waiting for half an hour to get through!" he said angrily.
"Sorry, sir," Cassie said. "We're doing our best."
She didn't see anything suspicious inside the car. She looked at her partner on the other side. He wore the tan and green uniform of the Tennessee State Police. He shook his head.
Cassie waved the Camaro through the check
point. Tires squealed as the car sped away.
She looked down the road again and saw something odd. A vehicle had parked on the shoulder away from the other cars. The headlights were still on and aimed straight at her. She couldn't see much else in the darkness, but she knew trees and grass were over there.
She pointed. "Look at that!"
Her partner looked down the road and narrowed his eyes. "Hmm."
A blue Honda pulled up to the checkpoint next. A family of four was inside, and the father was driving. They had irritated expressions, but that was expected. She didn't see any evidence of foul play. She waved the car through.
The sound of crunching grass made her look to her right. All she saw was darkness and trees, but something was out there. An animal? she wondered. Plenty of deer lived in the forest.
A large pack of dogs suddenly burst out of the shadows and ran straight towards her. They didn't bark like regular dogs. They were silent, focused, and organized.
Cassie reached for her gun, but the dogs were on her before she could draw her weapon. Powerful jaws clamped onto her arms and legs. She looked at her partner, hoping for rescue, but more dogs had attacked him from the other side of the road. He was in as much trouble as her.
She tried to shake herself free, but it took all her strength just to remain standing. The dogs were trying to drag her down. Their teeth had punctured her flesh in dozens of places.
A low, deep growl made her look into the woods again. A grizzly bear was bounding straight towards her, and she could hardly believe her eyes. Grizzly bears didn't inhabit Tennessee.
Panic made Cassie thrash desperately, but the dogs had a vice-like grip on her body. The weight of them finally knocked her down.
The grizzly bear bit her throat and tore out her windpipe. She saw her bloody flesh in the animal's huge jaws. She was probably hallucinating, but it looked like the bear had human eyes.
Instead of attacking a second time, the bear ran across the road. It was going after her partner. She realized the bear wasn't acting like a normal animal. It had a plan, and the dogs were its assistants.
The knowledge didn't help Cassie though. With her throat gone, she couldn't even scream for help. The dogs held her down as darkness closed in. The last thing she heard was frantic car horns.
* * *
Lewis's phone chirped. He was busy driving the car down a dark highway, so he handed the phone to Stony.
"Check it, please," Lewis said.
Stony looked at the message. "Bad news. A police checkpoint in southern Tennessee was attacked. Two officers killed. The assailants were dogs and a bear."
"Orcus," Mia said grimly.
He nodded. "Witnesses reported seeing a white pickup truck pulling a silver horse trailer headed north. At least we know he hasn't changed vehicles."
"Yet."
"I'm calling the director. We need to step up our game. This is embarrassing."
Stony used Lewis's phone to call Director Robertson.
"Yes?" Robertson answered.
"This is Stony. Did you hear the latest news?"
"I just got the message. I'm very pissed off."
"Orcus is in Tennessee," Stony said, "and Mia and I are still in Mississippi. I'm getting tired of following the trail of bodies. I want to be ahead of that asshole, not behind him."
"Well, according to our best projections, Orcus will most likely pass through a small town called Henderson next."
"Get us there fast. I don't care how." Stony looked out the window at a highway sign. "We're approaching someplace called Holly Springs.
He heard typing.
"A small airport is there," Robertson said. "I'll have some kind of aircraft pick you up. I'll see what's available in the area. I may have to scrounge."
"And send Brian and Veronica. If we catch up to Orcus, I want the whole squad at the scene."
"They're watching Diana."
"Assign some regular agents," Stony said, "or ask Rathanael to babysit her. Watching Diana is not our top priority at the moment. Mia and I also need to upgrade our weapons. We're too lightly armed for a stand-up fight with Orcus. We need guns for blasting dogs and bears."
Robertson paused. "OK. You're right."
"And how is that aerial surveillance coming? Maybe an airplane can spot the horse trailer."
"Not very effective at night. I have to start making calls. Bye."
Stony returned the phone to Lewis.
"I'm going to meet Brian and Veronica?" Lewis said nervously.
"Maybe."
"I heard Brian was some kind of super-assassin."
"He once strangled a passenger in the middle of a crowded airplane," Stony said. "Nobody saw him do it."
"Impressive."
"The impressive part is he wasn't onboard when the plane took off or landed."
Lewis stared. "That's hard to believe."
Stony shrugged.
"What about Veronica? I never heard what she can do."
"She reads body language," Mia said. "She can always tell a person's true intentions and whether they are lying."
"Subtle but useful," Lewis said.
"Drive faster," Stony said. "We have a plane to catch."
Chapter Thirteen
Lewis turned at a sign that read, "Holly Springs-Marshall County Airport." Stony looked into the dark night but didn't see any evidence of an airport. The car was passing a dense forest on the left and an open field on the right.
"I hear an engine," Mia said.
Stony listened carefully and nodded. "That could be our ride."
They finally arrived at the airport, but it was just a few buildings beside a narrow runway which cut through the forest. Only a few lights were on. Stony saw no security, and the airport didn't even have a fence.
An airplane was parked on the runway with its propellers spinning and landing lights on. An engine was mounted on each wide, sturdy wing. The fuselage had a square profile clearly intended to maximize cargo capacity at the expense of beauty. The word "SKYTRUCK" was stenciled on the side in red letters.
"Ugly thing," Mia said, "but it will do."
Lewis parked the car in the dirt beside the runway.
As he stepped out, he muttered, "Another agent will have to get the car."
Stony and Mia went out into the warm, humid night. They retrieved their luggage from the trunk. Lewis didn't have a bag, but he seemed content to travel anyway.
The three of them ran over to the airplane and climbed in through an open hatch.
A pilot looked back from the cockpit. "You're the federal agents flying to Tennessee?"
"That's right," Stony said. "Get us out of here as quick as possible!"
"Close the hatch and buckle up. We're taking off!"
The flight lasted just half an hour, but it cut across rural terrain which would've taken much longer by car. The airplane landed at another tiny airport as unimpressive as the one in Holly Springs.
Stony, Mia, and Lewis transferred to a waiting helicopter for the last stage of their journey. The pilot was a PEA agent wearing a blue flight suit with a leather bomber jacket. Fifteen minutes later, the helicopter landed in a grassy field near a highway.
"You people travel in style," Lewis said.
"I just hope we were fast enough to leapfrog Orcus," Stony said.
The helicopter pilot turned off the engine, and the rotor spun down. He was under orders to wait in case the agents needed another ride. The large helicopter had six passenger seats, enough for Brian and Veronica, too.
Stony and Mia left their luggage in the helicopter and hopped out. Lewis followed them across a field towards a highway. Their destination was a police roadblock which spanned the highway.
Four white police cruisers had the words "TENNESSEE STATE TROOPER" on the sides. Four officers wore uniforms with green pants and tan shirts. They carried shotguns. The troopers were letting cars through the roadblock one at a time after careful inspection.
"This probably won't
work," Mia said.
"Oh?" Stony said.
"We're counting on Orcus to choose this particular road and try to punch through this particular roadblock. He has many other choices, including backroads with no police at all. And after killing two cops earlier, all the authorities are on high alert. He would be a fool to come here."
"This is our best chance even if it's a longshot. Unless you have a better idea."
She didn't respond.
The PEA agents walked up to the nearest state trooper. He was a sturdy young man with very short hair. A mustache seemed painted on his upper lip. The amount of gear hanging on his utility belt seemed excessive even to Stony.
"Hi," the trooper said. "You must be the feds we were told to expect."
"That's right." Stony nodded. "And more are coming." He looked up into the sky but saw only darkness.
"How do you want to handle this?"
"Just keep doing what you're doing. Pretend we're not here. We'll hang back and wait for trouble."
"Sounds good," the trooper said.
Stony looked around for a good hiding place. The highway was split with northward and southward lanes on each side of a grass median. A grove of fruit trees ran along the east side of the highway. To the west, he saw grass fields and native forest. The line of waiting cars stretched into the distance, and the drivers had angry expressions.
"Over there," Mia pointed at a cluster of bushes just north of the troopers.
"Sure," Stony said.
He, Mia, and Lewis jogged over to the bushes and crouched under the branches. It was a good spot with views in all directions. They could crawl through the tall grass if they wanted to be sneaky.
Stony drew his weapon, a .45 caliber Desert Eagle. It was a big gun by normal standards but too small for the task at hand. He needed a weapon that could cause mass carnage. He hoped Brian and Veronica were bringing bigger toys.
Stony heard a jet flying high in the sky. I hope that's them, he thought.
He looked up and didn't see anything, but he didn't expect to. PEA operatives wore black at night.
A minute later, he saw a dark figure landing in a nearby field under a black canopy. Stony couldn't tell whether it was Brian or Veronica, but he had a large bag hooked to his belly. My toys, Stony thought.