by Greg Taylor
“Strobe?” Toby said. Strobe turned and looked at Toby as he continued walking, backward, up the hill. “You had my back tonight. Thanks.”
“What are friends for?”
Toby stood in the middle of the intersection and watched Strobe until he had passed beyond the light of a streetlamp and was out of sight. The quiet moment was rudely interrupted by the blast of a car horn behind Toby.
Toby jumped out of the way as a BMW stuffed with guys and girls roared past him.
“Outta the way, you deek!” someone yelled from the car. Toby shook his head at the sight of the car, burning rubber as it sped up the steep road.
“To protect and serve,” he said. Then he headed home.
10
After his explosive run-in with Chris Child, Toby decided the only thing to do was hit the kitchen.
Tonight of all crazy nights might not appear to be the best time for Toby to get flour-dusty in the kitchen, but he knew he had to do something. He wouldn’t be able to fall asleep any time soon, that was for sure. A kitchen session just might help him calm down a bit.
Besides, Toby had been wanting to try out a couple of ideas for two new KP pizzas, two original recipes he would present to Harvey, if and when they turned out the way he hoped they would.
One of his recipes had been inspired by a Saturday morning pancake breakfast his mom had recently cooked up for the family. Reaching for the syrup that morning, Toby had suddenly thought … Syrup. Pizza. A sweet pizza. A breakfast pizza!
As for the other recipe—a spicy, deep-dish number—Toby already had a name for that one: Dragon Breath!
All of the items on Killer Pizza’s menu had fun, cartoon figures next to them, appropriate to each name. In his mind’s eye, Toby could already picture the fire-breathing dragon next to Dragon Breath.
The bottom line? Toby knew he had to branch out at some point. Invent something new. Any serious chef had to do that, and Toby still had designs on becoming a serious chef. One of these days.
So Toby got busy. The time flew by—and Toby’s hyper state gradually dissipated—as he rolled out the dough for his two pizza pies and prepared his own special sauces. He felt like a conductor as he cut his fruit and vegetables, and the delicious-smelling sweet and spicy sauces bubbled in their saucepans. The kitchen was his stage! The spatula his baton!
However, when Toby tasted his two new KP pizzas, he was disappointed. The various flavors in his Dragon Breath pizza seemed to be competing instead of complementing one another. As for the breakfast pizza … well, that one needed a lot of work.
The failure of Toby’s two creations caused his always lurking insecurities to rise to the surface. It was one thing to simply take an existing recipe and re-create it in the kitchen, which is what Toby had been doing ever since he started at Killer Pizza. It was clearly another—and more difficult—thing to come up with one’s own recipes.
You’ll just have to try again, a weary Toby thought as he put the perishables in the refrigerator. But “try again” would have to wait. Toby was through for the evening. Exhaustion had overtaken him. So, after not cleaning up the rest of the mess in the kitchen (a no-no when his mom was around), Toby stretched out on the living room sofa in his boxers (another no-no) and surfed the channels. He needed to zone out on a movie. Something fun.
He found just the thing on one of the pay channels, a goofy 1950s camp classic called Invasion of the Saucer Men. Aliens (with alcohol for blood!) battling hot-rodding teens. How could you go wrong with that scenario?
But as wonderfully bad as the movie was, it was no match for Toby’s fatigue. An amputated alien hand was crawling toward two teens on Lover’s Lane when Toby’s eyelids slowly closed … and he fell into a deep sleep.
Toby woke instantly.
There was none of that half-awake, hazy coming-to after a deep sleep. No, this was definitely different.
Toby was awake.
Still lying on the living room sofa.
Staring at the TV.
Listening for a return of the sound that woke him.
The skittering sound.
Except for the TV, there were no other lights on in the living room. Toby glanced around the empty, silent room.
Maybe the sound was in my dream.
Toby had dreamed again. As before, it had been the terrifying Alpha nightmare. But this time, Toby had awoken before the Alpha gripped his shoulder. Which had made the dream even more disturbing somehow.
But that was probably it, Toby figured. The distinctive skittering sound had actually been the Alpha’s churning wings in his dream. Toby allowed himself to relax. The thought occurred to him that he should probably go up to his bedroom. On the other hand, it was so nice and comfy on the sofa … .
Skit! Skit! Skit!
Toby’s nervous system exploded. He sat bolt upright and stared into the darkness. The sound had come from the dark corner behind the TV. Toby’s mind was racing but his muscles felt frozen, locked in place. It gave him the strange sensation of traveling very fast while sitting perfectly still. As he sat glued to the sofa, he watched the silhouette of a head slowly appear over the top of the TV. It was a strangely distorted head. Totally wrong. If Toby had been freaked at Child’s house, what he felt now could properly be described as catatonic.
Here he was, sitting in his boxers in his living room …
… staring into the glaring black-red eyes of Chris Child.
11
He followed me home!
Toby had time for that one panicked thought before Child vaulted over the top of the TV and charged him like a guttata linebacker! Shoving as hard as he could with his legs, Toby flipped the sofa over backward.
BAMMMM!!!!
The sofa shuddered as Child slammed into the suddenly exposed bottom of the couch. Toby executed a somersault away from the sofa and leaped to his feet. The creature clawed over the sofa, eyes blazing red-hot.
Toby ran to the fireplace, grabbed the poker from its stand, and held it out in front of him like a sword. Child skidded to a stop less than ten feet from Toby and retreated slightly.
Standoff.
It didn’t last long. The creature sensed Toby’s fear, and that’s all it needed to resume the attack. Circling around Toby, it charged, the still slightly human mouth opening wide to reveal very inhuman-like fangs.
Toby yanked the shovel from the fireplace stand and smacked Child across the face with it. He followed up with a poker-jab into the creature’s gut, piercing the soft underbelly. Child cried out in pain and fell back.
“Yeah! How do you like that, huh?” Toby was suddenly livid at the bizarre-looking hybrid that had invaded the sanctity of his home. His home!
But anger couldn’t overcome Toby’s concern about how to get out of his desperate situation. Suddenly feeling the cold bricks of the fireplace against his bare legs, he took a sideways step to put more distance between him and the stalking creature.
Oh, no! Toby thought frantically when his foot caught on the floor-level fireplace gas lever. Unable to stay upright, Toby fell to the floor with a thud. Child hissed and skittered toward him!
GAS! FIRE!
The thought hit Toby like a punch. He threw his shovel at Child to create a split-second diversion, then reached out and twisted the gas lever as far as it would go. Fire burst from the fake logs. The creature immediately leaped back, panic and surprise showing in its eyes.
“HA!” Toby yelled. Pulling himself to his feet, he couldn’t help but smile at the creature. But Toby’s sense of triumph was short-lived. The fire wouldn’t keep Child at bay for long. Toby felt panic starting to rise up from his gut, an overpowering sensation that threatened to quickly consume him, render him helpless. He struggled to stay in control of his emotions. But he was losing it. He could feel all control slipping away!
Toby desperately looked around the room for a way out. Child was preparing for another charge, he could tell.
The kitchen! Toby suddenly thought.
&n
bsp; The kitchen was on the other side of the room from where Toby stood. But that’s where Toby knew he had to go. Tons of weapons in the kitchen. Knives. Frying pans. Plenty of lethal things to work with.
But how to get past Child?
Toby suddenly had the answer.
He threw his last weapon—the poker—at the creature, then grabbed a nearby lamp and stuck it shade-first into the fire.
WHOOOOOSH!!! The lamp shade immediately caught fire.
Toby jabbed the lamp at Child. Enraged, the hybrid snarled and hissed, but retreated backward. Toby moved toward one side of the living room, all the while holding the burning lamp protectively out in front of him. He needed to get around Child, instead of just backing him up toward the kitchen. He was halfway toward his destination when—
POP!!!!
The lamp’s lightbulb exploded from the heat!
Toby dropped the lamp in surprise. The creature leaped back from the explosion. The lamp shade flame fizzled and went out.
And then …
Silence. Toby stared at Child. Child stared back at Toby. A very human expression suddenly flashed in the creature’s eyes. It knew it had Toby. He was totally vulnerable. Away from the fire in the corner of the room. No poker for a weapon. No flaming lamp shade.
MOVE OR DIE!!!!!
Those three words zapped Toby into action just as the creature charged. He grabbed the lamp from the floor and rammed its smoking end into Child’s open, snarling mouth. Then he ran like hell for the kitchen!
Child spit out the lamp shade and leaped after Toby.
Caught from behind, Toby felt his legs go out from under him. Reaching out wildly for something to break his fall, he pulled a small end table down with him instead as he slammed to the floor.
The creature yanked Toby around, pinned him with one powerful hand on his chest, and opened its ravenous, saliva-dripping mouth.
Toby reached out and grasped Child’s neck in a desperate attempt to hold the creature’s head—and those glinting, pointed teeth—as far away from his body as possible. But Toby couldn’t match Child’s superior strength. The creature’s head moved closer and closer to Toby’s neck. Toby gasped from the strain of trying to keep Child at bay. His muscles were giving out. He couldn’t hold off the creature much longer! But then—
Bong … Bong … Bong …
The creature’s head swiveled toward the living room grandfather clock, chiming the midnight hour.
A reprieve! Toby grabbed a heavy metal sculpture of a cowboy on the back of a rearing horse, which had fallen from the end table, and smacked Child across the side of the head with all the strength he could muster.
The hybrid’s eyes glazed over as it fell to one side. Toby struggled to get out from under the creature and pulled himself to his feet. He leaped over a nearby recliner and sprinted across the living room.
Quickly shaking off Toby’s blow, the creature whirled and pushed off with its powerful legs. It was a deadly footrace to the kitchen!
Toby grabbed a post at the corner of the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. He swung himself around just as Child vaulted toward him.
Toby slammed into the counter from the centrifugal force of his swing. Child flew past him and skidded across the linoleum floor.
Toby quickly scanned the kitchen counter. He grabbed one of the pizza pans and held it up in front of him like a shield as the creature shoved off from the base of the oven and flung itself across the kitchen.
CRACKKKKKK!!!
The force of the creature’s attack bent the pan in half. Pizza slices flew everywhere!
With a strong shove, Toby forced Child back to the center of the narrow kitchen, then snatched his Mario Rocco pizza slicer with the polycarbonate wheel ($12.41, Toby had discovered, when ordered from the Rocco Web site) from the counter.
The creature propelled itself back at Toby. Toby spun around 360 degrees, narrowly avoiding razor-sharp, snarling fangs, and slashed the creature’s shoulder with his pizza slicer.
Child squealed in pain. Toby grabbed a jar of red chili powder (not the best choice for his Dragon Breath pizza, Toby had to admit) and flung the entire contents into the creature’s face. The hybrid roared and clawed at its stinging, burning eyes.
Taking a quick inventory of kitchen utensils, Toby tossed the pizza wheel and chili jar aside and reached for the portable hand mixer. As he yanked the mixer cord from the outlet, his elbow jerked and hit the bowl of leftover pizza dough, knocking it to the floor.
CRASH!
Before the flailing creature could regain its sight—and advantage in the life-and-death struggle—Toby quickly got behind the hybrid, wrapped the mixer cord around its neck, and started to drag it from the kitchen.
The creature reacted violently, blindly lashing out with its talons. A long, razor-sharp toe talon found its mark and slashed a wide cut across Toby’s thigh. Toby winced from the pain but managed to hold on to the creature. He pulled it backward into the short hallway that led to the basement.
Child slashed and kicked … . Toby desperately tried to gain traction on the greasy, pizza-strewn, dough-covered linoleum floor with his bare feet … . The hybrid grabbed at the cord that was cutting off its air … . Toby muscled the struggling creature ever closer to the basement door … .
It was a strange-looking dance of flailing limbs and stutter-step motion. Blinking away streams of sweat that ran into his eyes, Toby reached out with one hand, grabbed the basement doorknob, and flung the door open.
Using the mixer cord like a slingshot, he mustered up his last bit of energy, swung the hybrid around, and sent it flying down the basement steps. The creature disappeared into the darkness of the cellar with a series of thuds and ungodly screeches. Toby quickly slammed the door and locked it.
Fighting back the impulse to collapse to the hallway floor, Toby limped back to the kitchen and grabbed the phone. As he punched in a number, a talon burst through the wooden basement door!
“Harvey here,” came the voice over the phone.
“Harvey!” Toby yelled in a hoarse whisper, his voice having suddenly disappeared on him for some reason. “Child followed me home!”
“Hold tight. We’re on our way.”
Suddenly, an entire handful of talons sliced through the basement door, rocketing splinters across the hallway.
“Better hurry,” Toby urged. “He’s really upset!”
12
Harvey and Steve arrived to find Toby sitting slack-jawed on the piano bench in the living room, surveying the damage as the creature steadily battered away at the basement door.
“He … just … won’t … give up!”
Toby had managed to pound a patchwork of two-by-fours across the frame of the basement door. Good thing, too. Even with the door reinforced, the creature had shredded it and was about to break free of its prison.
Harvey and Steve snapped into action. Steve stitched up Toby’s wound as Harvey fired a sedative dart into Child’s neck through the disintegrated basement door. The Commando was backed into the garage and the now slumbering fiend was retrieved from the basement floor and loaded into the Jeepster’s trunk.
Once all that was done, Harvey and Steve returned to the living room. Toby hadn’t moved from the piano bench.
“I’ll have a crew in here first thing tomorrow to clean this up,” Harvey said. “They’ll replace whatever was damaged. It’ll look good as new when they’re done.”
Toby was glad to hear that. That just might get him out of being grounded for the rest of his life. Harvey looked at Toby for a moment, then sat on the bench next to him. “So … talk to me. How are you feeling?”
Toby thought about the question. “Lucky to be alive.”
Harvey shook his head. “Luck has nothing to do with it. You took the skills we taught you and used them in the field. The bottom line, Toby? You found some of that inner strength I was talking about. I’m very impressed.”
“So am I,” Steve added. �
��It’s incredible you were able to fight that creature off.”
High praise from Harvey and Steve. And Harvey was right, Toby realized. Somehow or other he had managed to reach down and find some of that inner strength when he needed it most.
“Did you finish Child off?” Toby suddenly asked.
Harvey didn’t answer for a moment, then said, “No.”
“Why not?”
“I need to study him,” Harvey said. “Then I’ll send him to New York for more tests. I’m always looking for techniques, drugs, to bring these creatures back. Given the choice, I believe any hybrid would want to return to the human community. Imperfect as we are.”
That made Toby think about Chelsea, lying helplessly in the hospital.
“You’re coming with us tonight,” Harvey said, rising from the bench. “No way do I want you here alone.”
Toby didn’t argue. He gave his trashed living room a final look, then followed Harvey and Steve into the garage and got into the Commando. Completely spent from his battle with Child, he was asleep before Harvey had even backed the car out onto the street.
As the Jeepster moved off down Hazel Street, a dark figure appeared from the woods behind Toby’s house. Dressed in black, the figure moved to Toby’s side yard just in time to see the Commando’s rear lights disappear down the street.
The blue-eyed woman had finally tracked down her mark. She took out her cell phone, had a brief conversation, then walked up Toby’s driveway. She hesitated a moment in the middle of the deserted street, her translucent eyes coldly reflecting the glow of the moon sliver overhead, then started down the hill, toward Killer Pizza.
The cat-and-mouse game was over.
It was time for war.
PART FOUR:
EVIL RISING
1
Harvey was in the autopsy/forensics room, studying a sample of Child’s blood when he heard the sound. Steve had gone home earlier at Harvey’s insistence. Toby was asleep on a cot in the classroom. It was past two in the morning.