by Ty Burson
The horse reared high and threw the man’s aim off. His shot went wild into the air while the horse bucked again and again. The demon spun circles around the animal, but as soon as its legs hit the ground it jumped again. The man held on as tightly as he could, until at last the horse steadied a little, turned, and bolted away. Both riders and the demon were gone and we were left alone in the fog. I grabbed Samuel and hugged him close.
His words were slurred, but he kept repeating my name, even as the mist parted around us. People started appearing and stopped to stare at us in the middle of the street. Together, with Samuel leaning on me, we went to the Sherriff. We told him what happened, but he just looked at us as if we were crazy. He said he had no idea what we were talking about. He hadn’t heard anything about any “strangers” in town. He took one look at the blood on Samuel’s head and the mud covering us and declared that we both must have cracked our skulls. We asked around the whole town after that, but no one else could remember the strangers either, and soon we realized there was no point. Everyone had forgotten the strangers. Everyone except me and Samuel.
Granny closed the book and removed her reading glasses and met the eyes of each child, stopping when she looked at Steve. “I believe, that this thing, this demon, has been here before, and that whatever it wanted with the dragon back then, it still wants. And I think that, to get it, it needs you, Steve. This smoke thing, demon, whatever, has the ability to influence our minds. That’s why not one of us remembered Justin.”
It was Joy who spoke up first, “Hey, you’re like Isabel, aren’t you Granny? She was able to fight those men off like you were.”
Granny nodded and smiled weakly. She said with a sigh, “But I’m old, dear, and no amount of dragon magic will keep me young forever.”
“But you did this,” Dani said jumping up and down and slashing her arm down in a mock karate chop, “and this,” she kicked hard, losing her balance and falling back on the couch with a yelp.
Steve gently rested his hand on Dani’s shoulder before she could launch into another demonstration. “Okay, Dani, sit still for a minute. She’s right, Granny, where’d you learn to do all that stuff?”
“I didn’t learn anything, dear. Well, that’s not completely true; there have been some spells I was taught to help protect us. And I’ve found a way to harness a little of the dragon’s magic around my house to keep it protected. But if you mean the fighting, then I promise there was no training; when the dragon’s guardian or caretaker is in danger, somehow, I’m just able to do those things. But, until now, nothing supernatural has ever threatened any of my loved ones—not Roger, or you Steve. And not Roger’s brother before him. No, this thing has waited for a long time. Too long for an old woman like me to do much good no matter how much magic the dragon can lend me,” Granny shook her head, but she let her eyes linger on Steve’s face, her expression thoughtful.
Chapter 24
Frank took a quick look around and saw that the disaster zone had been confined exclusively to the Tastee-Freez and its parking lot; tables were overturned, trash and debris littered the ground, and pine needles lay like a woodland carpet, lending a little cushion to Frank’s step, a small concession for how he felt; every bone in his body hurt.
Frank lifted the trash can off his brother’s head and grunted as he helped him up. Neither said anything at first. John walked over to an upside-down table, righted it, dragged it over, and plopped down. “So, pretty sure that wasn’t the way it was supposed to go down,” John deadpanned.
Frank looked at his brother like he had just swallowed a lizard. “Ah, no. I’m going to call the old man. Pick up or something.”
Once back in the mercifully cool Mercedes, Frank closed his eyes and probed his injured chest. It hurt, but not as much as he expected; he expected to be dead. Touching the tender area, he didn’t even think anything was broken. Maybe a little of the demon’s magic had protected him and his brother, or maybe he and his brother just had strong bones. Either way, he eyed the backseat, wishing he could simply crawl back there, fall asleep, and go back in time. Back to a time when he knew nothing about the family demon, when his responsibilities were confined to being a site manager at one of his family’s more lucrative enterprises, a new hotel under construction in Vegas. Go back to his own bed, a colossal king-size in a spacious, high-rise apartment off the strip. Ditch this Mercedes for his righteous BMW convertible. He longed for the days when his greatest stressors included planning his next vacation and juggling multiple girlfriends. The old man had ruined all that, and all it had taken was a phone call and a simple message: come home.
In his mind, Frank replayed his father’s confession: “Hi Son, so, here’s the thing. We’re rich because we have this demon, oh, say hello to Mammon. Mammon, smokify around Frank and get acquainted. So, anyway, if you and your brother don’t run up to Northern California and destroy this magical dragon, then I’m going to die. Because that’s what happens to all the men in our family; we make it to about fifty, and then we die. What, not motivational enough? Okay then, take a good look because in about 20 years you could be having this conversation with your son, provided you ever quit playing around long enough to grow up and have one of your own. What, you’re still not sure? Okay, how about this, you and your worthless brother get this done or I cut you off completely. Yup, that’s right, no car, no apartment, no job, no girlfriends, yes I know about the girlfriends.” In reality, his father had been a whole lot nastier. The shriveled, fragile thing that he’d become in the last six months couldn’t suppress the tyrant he’d been his whole life, it seemed.
Frank hit the dial button before he could talk himself out of it. “Hey, Pop. Ah, listen, it didn’t really go very well,” Frank muttered.
A hissing laugh, like two sheets of sandpaper sliding together, was the immediate response. “No, I guess it didn’t.” The old man huffed when Frank started to speak, “No, I don’t want your excuses. Mammon told me everything. What are you going to do now?”
“Now? What do you mean now? The old woman turned into some kind of demon herself, and they have wild animals on their side! John and I are lucky we aren’t in the hospital, or worse. I don’t have a plan, Pop!”
“We need the boy, Frank. Mammon says you have to take him to the dragon. If you can take care of that, Mammon can do the rest.”
“Pop, we’re not kidnappers, or killers. If you wanted this kind of thing done, you have enough money to get a professional. And something else,” Frank hesitated, wondering if his father had company, before continuing, “are you sure that everything Mammon tells you is—”
“Listen, you idiot,” his father wheezed, “don’t question Mammon. Without his help, our family would still be a bunch of gutter rats in some European cesspool.” He stopped to catch his breath. “And who could we trust our little secret to? What kind of professional would that be? Get the boy to the dragon.” The old man paused, and a silence stretched for a few seconds before he spoke again, “Mammon says to use the boy’s father.”
Frank stabbed the end button with his finger and threw open the car door. He looked around for his brother and found him back inside the restaurant making a root beer float. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I needed a pick-me-up. You want one?”
Frank had no words, but before he could explode, his brother continued, “I’m not picking this up,” John gestured to the parking lot. He took a loud slurp from his straw. “Ooh, that’s good. Listen, I’ve been thinking, this whole, jeez, what do you even call this mess we’re in? Anyway, maybe you can handle this kind of stuff, you know, Mr. Vegas bigwig, but not me. I was perfectly fine where I was, working on my degree in peace.”
“You were sleeping at three in the afternoon when I dragged you off your couch! You’ve been in college for eight years and you’re what, a junior?” Frank fumed.
John shrugged and reached for a long red plastic spoon for his float, “I’ve changed my major a few times;
nothing’s called to me yet. But that’s my business.” He scooped some ice cream from the paper cup. “My point is, this isn’t my thing. Why don’t you run me back to town and I’ll rent a car to get back home?”
“Because, you idiot, the old man said you had to come. Believe me, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t be here, either. If we don’t do this, then the old man dies, or at least that’s what he wants us to think. He was crystal clear about one thing, though: if we don’t get this done, then we’re definitely cut off. You think you can afford tuition on your own? Or rent? Or food? He’ll take it all away.”
“How’s Mammon going to take it all away? He—”
“Pop, dummy! The old man will cut us off! No school, car, or apartment for you, no job for me,” Frank screamed. He backhanded a stack of cups off the counter for emphasis. “I don’t know about you, but I like my life. I want to keep it, and to do that, we have to get that kid away from his grandmother and take him to the dragon. Somehow.”
“So, why don’t we just ask?” John inquired.
Frank’s face went from red to purple. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because most kidnappers don’t usually ask their victim to come along nicely.”
John took an infuriatingly long slurp of his float before replying, “That doesn’t mean it won’t work.”
Chapter 25
While Granny weighed their options, the children chattered about the demon and the dragon—Dani kept sidetracking them with questions about what the dragon must look like, “I hope he’s pink and yellow, like my room!” Dani exclaimed. Before Steve could argue, they were interrupted by yelling from outside. “Hey, old lady, get out here! I’ve got a proposal for you.”
Joy ran to the window and slid the blinds aside a bit, peering out, “It’s them, Granny! What are we going to do?” Joy asked.
“Get back from there, Joy,” Granny said, and took her place at the window. The two young men who had attacked them leaned on the hood of their car, which was parked at the end of the driveway. “You all stay here. I’m going to see what they want. I mean it, Dani, sit down. I’m only going out to the porch.”
Steve crowded up to the window next to Joy and Dani the second Granny walked out the door. Dani couldn’t see very well and she wanted Steve to hold her up. Steve ignored her. “Go get a chair. Now shut up, I want to hear.”
“Not one step on my property, boys, or you will regret it,” Granny announced.
“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” the taller one replied. “Look,” he continued, “we have a problem and we need to work out a solution. Can I come up and speak to you? You know our friend doesn’t have any power here.”
“Just you. Leave the other one there. Take off your coat and turn out your pockets,” Granny directed. Once he complied, she waved at him, “All right. Come on up, but stop in front of the porch.”
The man complied. He handed off his jacket and said something to the other guy, who seemed upset about something, slamming his door shut once he got into the car. Bad Guy Number One—Steve’s nickname for the taller, older guy—stopped at the porch with his hands turned up in front of him.
Granny stepped up to the rail, but didn’t say a word. The man was big, tall, and kind of fat, though not nearly as heavyset as the other, who sort of waddled when he walked. Steve turned his attention to his grandmother, who was probably doing that thing with her eyes, judging by how Bad Guy Number One kept looking up, and then back down at his own feet.
“Look lady,” he said, after about thirty seconds of this, “this wasn’t my idea. Up until a little while ago, I had a pretty normal life. But I’m here now, and you probably know more about why than I do.” When Granny didn’t reply, he went on, “Okay, so, the thing is…I need the boy to come with me and my brother.” Another long pause. “I give you my word, he won’t be hurt. It’s the dragon that Mammon wants, and once Mammon gets what he wants, then it’s all over, and we leave you and your family alone. Everything goes back to the way it was, for all of us.”
Granny sniffed, then folded her arms over her chest.
The man shifted uncomfortably, then looked back at the car, as if he could find support there. In a low voice, one that Steve could barely make out, he said, “Listen, I don’t care about any of this. I don’t care about demons, or dragons, or crazy, stubborn old ladies. But if I don’t get your grandson to the dragon, then I lose everything—my job, my father—everything. One way or another, I will take him.”
“What about the other boy? Justin? Is he all right?” Granny asked, speaking for the first time.
“He’s fine. We needed to draw you away from here. Nothing will happen to him, so as long as we can work together.”
Granny gripped the rail with both hands, “And I’m supposed to trust you with my grandson? Just like that?” She shook her head, “You really don’t have a clue what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Granny continued. “Listen to me, young man. Are you willing to go to jail? Because you’re talking about kidnapping. And how about killing? Are you prepared for that?”
Bad Guy One shuffled from one foot to the other, “Nobody’s killing anybody, or at least nobody human. I don’t even know if your dragon will actually get hurt. All I know is that I’m supposed to deliver the boy.” He thought for a minute and went on, “I get it. You’re worried. I would be too. Tell you what, I’ll leave my brother here with you. That way, when I bring your grandson back safe and sound, you can give me back my brother.”
Granny looked back at the house and then worked her way down the steps until she was eye level with the guy. Steve pressed his ear against the glass to hear what she said next. “You cannot have my grandson. I don’t know what this demon means to you and your family, and I don’t care. I suggest you leave me and mine alone. Go back, be a man, and stop letting this demon control you.”
Something she said must have made him really mad; he got right in her face and hissed his response, “Oh yeah? Well what about the boy’s father? I’m the one who sent him away, you know. You ever want to see him again?”
Granny moved so fast that Steve almost didn’t see what made the man go flying backwards. But he did go flying, launched back several feet, landing on his back with a thump. Steve was halfway out the door before he knew it, but Granny was already facing him, “Get back inside!” Her hair had frizzled out and her irises were pitch black, indistinguishable from her pupils. Steve did as she asked, and then returned to the window.
The guy was still down, trying to get his breath; the impact must have knocked it out of him. While he sucked air back into his lungs, Granny stepped down off the porch, strolled up to the guy, and grabbed him by his collar. Steve watched Granny drag him through the yard as if he weighed nothing, pausing at the border of her yard, the spot where her figurines began their loop around the property. She flipped the guy over, got a good old on his shirt and pants, pulled him upright, and tossed him onto the hood of his own car. The kids all piled out onto the porch, hooting and hollering.
The younger brother must have been sleeping, because the second his brother landed, he burst out the passenger side and ran around to his brother. “Hey,” he yelled, “why did you do that, lady? We haven’t done anything to you!”
“Your brother threatened my family.” Granny said, matter-of-factly.
The guy on the hood groaned, “Lady, you are making a big mistake. John, grab that bag in the back seat.” John hesitated, but Frank sat up, “Just do as I say,” he said, clutching his lower back with a grimace.
Ignoring Granny’s command, the children crept down the stairs to get a better view. John, no longer Bad Guy Number Two, handed a bag to his brother, who fished out a pair of really nice walkie-talkies. He turned them on, showed them to Granny and said, “Okay, they’re both charged and on channel 7. It’s got a good range, so we’ll hear you, even in these mountains. You’ve got one hour. Make the right choice and you and your family will be left alone. In fact, help us out and I’ll guarantee a little financial windfall. But
if you decide not to cooperate, I can’t guarantee your son’s safety, or what the demon will do to him.” He tossed the back at Granny’s feet and let his brother help him into the car before pulling away. Granny never moved.
“Do you think she’ll give up the boy?” John asked, once the house was out of sight.
“Honestly, I have no idea. We’re going to have to figure out what to do if she doesn’t, though,” Frank replied, wincing whenever the car hit uneven terrain.
“Where are we going now?” John, who was driving, asked.
“Hell if I know, a hospital, maybe. That old bag might have cracked my ribs. And I’m still sore from that stupid elk. God, what is it with these people?”
John looked his brother over, “Yeah, she whacked you good. Where’s the nearest hospital, anyway?
Frank answered. “Don’t worry about it, we don’t have that kind of time. I’ll get some serious painkillers when this is all over. Anyway, we can’t go too far or we won’t receive their transmission, assuming they call.”
John thought for a minute, “I guess we could just hang out at the Tastee-Freeze. You know, we ought to let that lady and the girl out of the freezer, anyway. Maybe we could grab a burger, too.”
Frank just groaned.
Chapter 26
“Are you going to call for some help, Granny?” asked Joy.