I shrugged and laid back on my elbows, “Fine, what do you want?”
“I want you to tell me the truth. If that thing really is some kind of Japanese demon like you say, and it’s got friends, they sure din’t swim here from Japan which means someone brought them here.”
I sat up again and eyed Bert warily. Either the fall had knocked some sense into him or he wasn’t as dumb as I thought he was.
“Is this going somewhere, Bert?”
“You know exactly where this is going, Rhyleen. It ain’t no secret that something weird has been going on around these parts with the cryptids. It also ain’t no secret that trying to figure out who or what’s behind it most likely got your Pa killed. You need to come clean with me, Rhyleen. Is this partnership you’re proposing about these hellcats or is it about finding out what happened to your Pa?”
“Does it matter?”
Bert’s eye’s narrowed and he chuckled. “Hell yes it matters. If this ain’t about them cats then Roy and me want a bigger cut.”
I stifled a smile and nodded my head. “Done, now let’s get moving.”
Pa always told me that there were two kinds of hunters, the kind that were in it for the money, and the kind that weren’t quite right in the head and did it for the thrill. The Jessop twins were a combination of the two, which is why I’d picked them in the first place.
My Pa had gone missing on a hunt a few months back. Father Kelley had organized a search party, but all they found were signs of a struggle, and my Pa’s derby. Most folks around here were content believing that some cryptid had finally gotten the best of Pa, but I refuse to believe that. When it came to hunting, Pa was the best of the best and I wasn’t about to give up until I figured out what really happened to him.
I stood up and banged the derby against my thigh to shake out the last of the water then popped it back on my head. I surveyed the ridgeline for any sign of the nekomata, but he was gone. My original plan had been to put its lights out, conceal ourselves until he woke up, then track him back to wherever he’d come from. Obviously, that plan had gone to shit and we needed a new plan.
I was still mulling over my options when Roy hollered, “Hey, lookie here.”
He was stooped over looking at something a few feet down the shore. Bert and I made our way over to him and he pointed to a set of deep depressions in the muck. My pulse picked up a bit as I realized that we were looking at a set of tracks much too large to belong to any indigenous cat, and they were fresh.
“Well Rhyleen,” Bert crowed, “unless you got a better idea, I say we follow these tracks and see where they take us.”
It certainly wasn’t the most sophisticated plan, but I didn’t have anything else at the moment, so it would have to do. I grunted in agreement and began following the tracks. About a quarter of a mile later the tracks veered toward an old tree that had fallen across a narrow bend in the river.
I hopped up on the trunk and put my arms out to balance myself as I shuffled across it. There were clumps of damp mud dotting the bark and a passel of broken underbrush on the far bank which meant we were still on its trail.
About halfway across, Bert and Roy managed to knock each other off the log, so I had plenty of time to relocate the trail while they floundered out of the river. I gave them a second to ring themselves out then we got right back to tracking our hellcat.
The woods weren’t deep on this side of the river so it only took a few minutes to make our way out of the tree line and into a huge patch of prairie grass. We followed the bent stalks until we reached a fence bordering a huge ranch and promptly lost the trail.
There were signs every few yards stating that this was private property and warning trespassers to keep out. It would take more than a few signs to deter me, but I also wasn’t foolish enough to go charging in without a plan.
“Do you two know who’s property this is?”
They both shook their heads then Bert said, “Naw, as far as I knew this here was government land. Guess they musta sold it.”
“Okay, since we don’t know who we’re dealing with I think our safest bet is to follow the fence line until we find the main house.”
Roy gulped, “What if one of them nekomatas finds us first?”
Bert cuffed his brother in the back of the head and snarled, “Then you run, you idjit.”
I left the two of them standing there slap-fighting each other and started off down the fence line to my right. A few minutes later, the fence curved to the left, and I spotted a huge house in the distance, flanked by several outbuildings. I could see smoke rising above the rooftops, but I was still too far away to see if anyone was milling about.
Bert and Roy had stopped taking pokes at each other, but they were still yammering. I shushed them and pointed toward the buildings just as a cacophony of roars came rolling across the field from the direction of the buildings. We’d definitely found the nekomatas, and they sounded angry.
Roy turned as white as a catfish’s belly and I thought he might piss himself again. Bert stayed true to his greedy nature, clapped me on the shoulder, then informed me that if I wanted their help their cut just went up by ten percent. I glowered at him, but I wasn’t really in a position to argue, so I agreed.
As we crept closer to the ranch, the roaring gave way to hissing and yowling. When we reached the closest building we ducked behind it and made our way along the back. I stopped at the edge, peeked around the corner, and had to choke back a scream.
A few yards away from us, about a dozen men in black cloaks were standing in a summoning circle. The smoke I’d seen was coming from the large torches they were using to torment the hellcats inside the circle. Five nekomatas were skulking nervously around a huge pyre in the center of the circle, and tied down to a large log at the very top of the pyre was my Pa.
His swollen eyes and bruised cheeks told me he’d taken a few beatings and his loose-fitting clothes told me he’d lost a few pounds since I’d seen him last, but even if they’d beaten and starved him beyond recognition, I’d still recognize my Pa’s bright red boots and double-mounted spurs from a mile away.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped. I spun around and Bert held his hands up in front of him. “Take it easy, Rhyleen.” He whispered.
“Take it easy? Are you kidding me right now, Bert? That’s my Pa they’re about to roast on that pile of sticks.”
“I can see that, Rhyleen, but I can also see almost half a dozen of them demon cats between us and your Pa. We can’t go charging in there like the Pinkertons or we’re all gonna end up dead. We need to calm down and come up with a plan.”
I kicked at the dirt with the toe of my boot and used language that would have turned my momma red as a strawberry. I wasn’t sure how things had gotten so off track that I needed one of the Jessop twins to talk some sense into me, but that’s exactly where I found myself at the moment. I had to get my head right if I was going to rescue my Pa.
I pulled Bert and Roy into a huddle. “Okay, it’s not just the nekomatas we have to worry about. Do either of you have any idea who those men are?”
They shook their heads.
“Well, we’re outnumbered four to one, but we’re professional hunters so the odds aren’t as bad as it seems. We obviously need a distraction to draw most of them away and then a plan for dealing with the cats.”
Bert nodded and pulled a tinder box out a small pouch on his belt. “That there sure is a nice house. I’m guessing a big old fire might get their attention.”
For the second time today I was impressed with Bert’s ability to think on his feet. I nodded. “Good thinking, but once you set the fire you need to get back here quick so we can take out anyone who stays behind. We’ll need to strike fast so they can’t call for help.”
Roy’s eyes were big as a wagon wheel and I could see his hands shaking as he spoke. “I got no problem kicking the asses of a couple of guys in choir robes, but once most of them leave with those torches what’s keeping
those nekomatas from jumping us?”
I took a deep breath and tried to dumb down my explanation as much as possible.
“The cats are inside a summoning circle. The circle works like a magical barrier to keep whatever’s summoned from attacking the summoner, which explains how the cats got here in the first place. The torches are for setting the pyre on fire.”
As the words left my mouth I suddenly realized the one big issue I’d completely overlooked. Summoning circles don’t work unless there’s a summoner to use them. That meant at least one of these men had some serious magical mojo and that just upped the danger factor ten-fold if we couldn’t figure out which one of them it was.
I shared my suspicion with Bert and Roy and was shocked when Bert didn’t ask for another increase in their cut. They were both quiet for a few seconds then I saw a smile spread across Bert’s face.
“I think it’s a safe bet that these fellas didn’t go to all this trouble just to play dress up and waltz around with their fire sticks. They’re up to something and I’m guessing our mojo man will be the one that sticks close to the circle and starts calling the shots when we set our plan in motion.”
Damn, Bert for three for three so far. At this rate I was going to have to change my opinion of him if we survived this mess. I gnawed on my thumbnail for a minute until I came up with my own flash of brilliance.
“Bert’s right, our guy will take charge and when he does you’re gonna sneak up behind him and use him as cat bait, Roy.”
Roy gave me a terrified look, but Bert’s grin told me he was following my train of thought. I reached down and pulled my Bowie knife out of the back of my boot and shoved it toward Roy.
“All you have to do is sneak up behind him, put the knife to his throat, and force him into the circle. He knows exactly what those hellcats are capable of and he’ll do whatever he has to, to keep them from killing you both. Just make sure you draw the cats away from the pyre so I can get to my Pa.”
Roy’s legs were shaking from butt crack to boot toe, but he managed to mutter his agreement with the plan. I risked a glance around the corner again and was relieved to see that the men and the cats were still all accounted for. I turned back to the Jessop’s and gave them the thumbs up.
Bert snuck off toward the main house while Roy and I crouched down and waited for the commotion to start. My leg muscles were beginning to cramp from squatting and time felt like it was moving backward. I was just about to peek around the corner again when I smelled burning wood and heard footsteps coming at us quickly. I looked up and saw Bert running toward us with a panicked look on his face.
A few seconds later, a huge explosion drowned out all sound and knocked Bert off his feet. It took a minute or two for my ears to stop ringing, but when they did I could hear shouting mixed with the screams of the nekomata.
I grabbed Roy’s arm and dragged him toward the circle. The main house was now an inferno and most of the men were running toward it. I counted four men still standing near the circle, but only one seemed calm despite the chaos unfolding around them.
I pointed Roy in his direction, whispered that I had faith in him, and gave him a shove. He took a few tentative steps then I saw his posture change completely as hunter mode kicked in. I breathed a sigh of relief then turned my attention to the other three men.
As soon as Roy made his move, I rushed the three men like a berserker. I had already taken down the first one when the other two jumped me. They were strong and one of them definitely knew how to fight. I focused most of my energy on keeping him at arm’s length, but I was fading fast. He landed a lucky punch to my jaw and I saw stars. I felt my knees buckling and prepared myself to eat dirt when I felt a pair of strong hands grab my shoulder and pull me backward.
I heard Bert’s voice saying, “Step aside Rhyleen, I got this.”
I slumped to the ground and waited for my head to stop spinning. As soon as it did, I jumped up and headed for the circle. Roy still had my knife to the mojo man’s throat and the hellcats were clustered in a tight bunch between them and the pyre.
“Roy, I need you to draw those cat’s away from the pyre.”
He kept the knife pressed firmly against the man’s throat and started to walk backward, but the cats didn’t budge. I almost crapped myself when Roy shouted, “Here kitty kitties!” and the nekomatas actually started toward him.
As soon as the path was clear, I ran into the circle and headed straight for my Pa. I had almost reached the pyre when I heard Roy scream. I looked over and saw Roy and the mojo man wrestling on the ground. Two of the cats were closing in on them, but the other three were coming straight at me.
I bolted for the pyre and started to climb as fast as I could. I was about halfway to the top when the first cat reached the pyre and started up after me. Even if I could get to my Pa before the cat reached me, I still needed time to cut him loose and get him to safety. Based on how quickly the cat was advancing toward me, I was going to need a miracle to pull this off.
The cat let out a roar that shook the pyre and I lost my grip. I started to slide until my holster caught on a branch and that’s when it hit me. I dug in my spurs and yanked Bessie loose. I steadied my aim and put a salt and holy water bullet right between the nekomata’s eyes. It yowled and fell backward landing on the other two waiting below.
They began fighting among themselves and forgot all about me. I stole a quick glance toward where I’d last seen Roy and the mojo man, but they were no longer there. I said a quick prayer for the Jessop brothers and started my climb back to the top.
As soon as I reached the top I saw my Pa’s eyes go wide. I sliced the rope binding his hands, he immediately yanked the gag from his mouth, and said my name. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sound that filled my heart with more joy.
I finished cutting him loose and helped him sit up. That’s when I realized he was too weak to make the climb down by himself. I had no idea how I was going to get him down and past the nekomatas rolling around below us.
I was still busy cussing myself out for not having thought this through better when I heard a commotion below us. I looked down and saw Bert prodding the mojo man into the circle with the barrel of his rifle. My Bowie knife was protruding from the man’s right shoulder and he was limping from a nasty looking bite wound to his left leg.
I still didn’t see any sign of Roy and my heart sunk until Bert looked up and flashed me a shit-eating grin. I watched as he gave the mojo man another shove then growled, “Do it now, or I’ll blow your brains all over this circle.”
The mojo man stopped moving and raised his hands in front of him. The nekomatas stopped fighting and stalked slowly toward the man. He began chanting and the cats grew restless as the wind picked up around us.
The chanting grew louder and more rapid. A bank of dark clouds rolled in and the two missing nekomatas came prancing into the circle. They eyed Bert and the mojo man hungrily, but kept their distance.
A large clap of thunder spooked the cats and they started roaring. The sound was so loud I had to cover my ears. I glanced over at my Pa and he wrapped an arm around me then pulled me close.
I could see the mojo man’s lips moving quickly, but I could no longer hear his chants over the approaching storm and the cry of the hellcats. I jumped as a bolt of lightning struck the center of the summoning circle and left a swirling black hole in the ground.
I gasped as the nekomatas were sucked toward the hole and disappeared into its darkness. As soon as they were gone the mojo man clapped his hands and the hole snapped shut and the storm ended.
My Pa let go and I let out the breath I’d been holding. I flinched again as Bert pulled the trigger and the mojo man collapsed to the ground. I had expected the sound of the gunshot to bring the man’s friends running, but no one came. The man stirred and Bert gave him a whack to the back of the head with the butt of his rifle. He’d be out cold for a while, but he’d survive.
Bert walked over to the bottom of the
pyre and asked if we needed help. I helped my Pa over the edge and slid him down to Bert. I crawled down, threw my arms around my Pa, and squeezed until he groaned.
I stepped back and suddenly remembered Roy was still missing.
“Bert, please tell me Roy’s okay.”
Bert laughed and I felt a rush of relief.
“He’s fine. He’s stuck up a big old pine. I’m waiting until I’m sure he’s done pissing himself before I crawl up there after him.”
I turned to my father and asked if he knew who these men were or what they were up to.
He pulled himself up to a standing position and walked over to the unconscious mojo man on shaky legs. He yanked the hood off the man’s head and I gasped when I saw that it was our mayor, Walt Conroy.
My Pa nodded. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this goes a lot deeper than just Walt and in the two months they’ve had me out here they brought things way more dangerous than those hellcats though that circle.”
I took the derby off my head, tossed it to my Pa, then turned to Bert. “You heard the man, let’s go get Roy, we got some serious hunting to do.”
Jenn Mitchell writes humorous Urban Fantasy from the heart of South Central Pennsylvania’s Amish Country. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, crafting, cooking, hoarding cookbooks, and spending time with the World’s most patient and loving significant other. She also writes Cozy Mysteries as J Lee Mitchell.
Find out more at bit.ly/32z4bcx.
19
Frisky Blue
by Bokerah Brumley
Frisky Blue had been unaware of her allergy to catnip for most of her human life. So, it was some kind of twisted-gods’ humor that the concoction her witchy grandmother had given her to calm her fifteen-year-old “nervous stomach” was catnip tea…
Hellcats: Anthology Page 29