by Alexie Aaron
“Martin here,” Whit’s winded voice replied.
“PEEPs completed their mission.”
“Thank you for the notification, sir.”
“Where are you now?”
“Third floor. Two more flights.”
“Proceed with the destruction of the wall. Call in when you’ve broken through.”
“Will do,” Whit puffed. Climbing was difficult as it was, but carrying a nine pound sledgehammer made the eight flights of stairs exhausting. He thought about Mia and the eight pounds of axe head she normally carried on her back. True, she had it centered, but still it must give her one hell of a backache at the end of the day. He looked down at the two other patrolmen, and they seemed to be doing okay. Mia was a flight lower than the rest of them. She, as predicted, vomited up her guts at the fifth flight. She was prepared for it and left the doubled garbage bag of vomit on the landing.
~
“Deputy Alar, over,” John Ryan’s voice came over loud and gave the deputy a bad start.
“Alar here.”
“Stand by to recall elevator. The first step is completed. Team one is almost in place.”
“Understood and waiting,” Butch replied. When he knew the com was off he called to his team of state officers. “Listen up. We will be starting soon.”
~
Whit told the other officers to take a breather before they attacked the wall. He waited on the top step for Mia to catch up with them. He saw her round the last landing and start up the final twenty steps. “How are you?” he asked as she was halfway up.
“Hiking miles through corn. Sliding down cliffs. Traversing the bowels of the building. Climbing up and down these stairs all fecking day. OOBing twice. How do you think I am?”
“Why did you request taking the stairs? I thought you would ride the elevator with the others?”
“Did I have a choice?”
“Ryan had you in Butch’s team, but Burt insisted that you… oh shit.”
“That fuck head,” Mia growled. “He probably thinks it’s funny, me climbing all these stairs again. Speaking of Ryan, did I hear his voice on your radio?”
“Yes, Burt and company came through. The bodies are toast, and we have been given the all clear to begin.”
“Did they have any trouble?” An expression of doubt crossed her face.
“He didn’t say.”
She touched her earpiece. “Teddy bear, come in.”
“Ted here.”
“Did Burt have any trouble in the graveyard?”
“No.”
“None? No feelings of dread. No pushing. No scratches.”
“Nothing, why?”
“Too easy, Ted, too easy. I worry that the goons weren’t attached to their bodies.” Mia knew she may be overreacting, but she needed to err on the side of safety. “Ted, get some salt to the men that are going to ride in that elevator. Once they are in the elevator, instruct to them to draw a circle around themselves and don’t step out of it until I give them the all clear.”
“Will do. I’ll have to get someone to get the salt to them.”
“June. Deputy Monroe should still be there at the refreshment table. She runs real fast.”
“Done and done. Be careful.”
Mia looked up at Whit and said, “I hope I’m wrong.”
“Me too. Let me give the boys a few minutes more rest. That will give June time to get the salt to Deputy Alar.
Ted called the sheriff and he okayed the use of the female deputy. He had an uneasy feeling that Mia was on the right track. They hadn’t wasted their time with the graves, they just took one possibility out of play. Ted called June. She arrived in a few minutes.
He waved her onto the truck because he didn’t want to leave the command console.
“You asked for me, Mr. Martin?”
He pointed to two large boxes of table salt. “I need you to get those to Deputy Alar as fast as you can. He’s in the basement, use the stairs.”
“Can I ask what they’re for?”
Ted took time to tell her, watching as her eyes grew real big.
“So there are such things as ghosts.”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I will leave at once.” June turned to go, stopped and asked, “Vampires?”
Ted, not wanting to waste any more time said, “Um, not my area.”
She nodded and bounded out of the truck and headed for the building.
“Deputy Alar, come in.”
“Alar here, go ahead.”
“June is headed to you with two boxes of salt…”
Butch’s jaw dropped open, and he resisted the urge to interrupt the explanation by asking questions. His mother always said to be polite and let the nutters have their say.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes, we will be safe from these monsters that we can’t see if we’re inside of the ring of salt.”
“Take care. If you break the line, they can get you.”
“Understood, over.”
“Someone’s coming,” the patrolman on stair watch reported.
June identified herself, breezed past the statey and reported to Alar with the boxes of salt.
He thanked her and took the boxes. She waited until he went through an explanation of how to use the salt to the others of his team. When he was finished he was surprised to see June still there. “Thank you, deputy.”
“I’m staying.”
“With all due respect, you’re not.”
“I’m your partner,” she said.
“In dispatch,” Butch clarified.
“I started off the day being assigned as your partner. I’ll finish the day doing the same.” She crossed her arms.
“You could get hurt, killed maybe.”
“I’m a deputy of the Harbin Sheriff’s Department. We have a murderer to apprehend.” She took out her service revolver and unlocked the safety.
Butch touched his com. “Sheriff Ryan, come in.”
“Go ahead deputy.”
“Deputy Monroe is requesting to be included in the elevator assault team.”
“Son, that is your man, your call.”
Butch looked at her and replied. “She will be on the team.”
“Call it in to Ted, and good luck, over.”
Butch informed Ted, and proceeded to bring June up to speed on what their role in the assault would be.
Whit paced off where he felt the original opening was and took the first swing with the sledge hammer. The sound reverberated off the walls and down the stairwell. He took another swing and the bricks gave a little. He nodded to the others, and they took turns hitting the area. Soon a weakening in the wall caused a shower of mortar. Whit raised his hand and stopped the onslaught. He shined his penlight and peered through the small holes in the wall.
He shook his head, moved to his left and then smiled. “Here, men, we hit here.” He picked up the sledge and swung it with all his might. The hammer connected with the wall and shattered the bricks.
Light and the smell of chili wafted out of the opening.
Whit touched his com. “Ted, we have a small hole, start the elevator.”
“Done and done,” Ted replied.
Mia got to her feet, ready. The patrolmen worked furiously at increasing the opening until the breach would accommodate a human. They set their sledges down. Whit cautioned them on dealing with the unseen. They were to listen to Mia who could see them. The object of this operation was to apprehend Karl Todd.
Butch activated the elevator and was pleased when it responded. He hadn’t signed on to fight ghosts, but he would do his best. Earlier when Mia was telling Sheriff Ryan about dealing with two ghosts in the basement, he thought she was telling a story to keep the man’s mind off of the considerable pain he was enduring. But what had caused his injuries? At the time he assumed it was Karl Todd, now he wasn’t too sure. Tom’s wounds were explained as collateral damage, but why use a rock salt-shooting, sawed-off shotgun in the first
place? One of the state patrolmen told him in confidence that he had heard of an operation down south which had the state patrol doing just that. It was only a rumor, but knowing they had been successful boosted Alar’s confidence.
He had his hand on the wall feeling the vibrations as the old elevator made its way slowly to the basement floor.
Sheriff John Ryan paced the lobby of the building. He was frustrated that he was out of commission physically. He knew what those men and women could be facing, and it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk.
Burt stomped on the ground and declared their job finished. He asked Ted to pipe in the information as he got it to the rest of the PEEPs team. He was a bit pissed that Mia felt uneasy, thinking that they hadn’t solved the problem of DeMarco and Jones. He no longer felt guilty for insisting to Sheriff Ryan that she be on the stairs team. Ryan was going to have her ride the elevator to split her and Whit up. Whit needed to keep his head in the game and off his girlfriend. It was Burt that had sent her huffing up the eight flights of stairs.
No one called him on it. It was just a passive aggressive maneuver to get back at her for them breaking up. Sure, it was a mutual disbandment of the close relationship, but she moved on to the handsome Whitney Martin awfully quick. Let her be a pain in Deputies Martin’s ass for the rest of the night.
Chapter Thirteen
Whit drew his weapon and eased himself through the opening. He instantly was grabbed and thrown down the hall. “Ghost!” he warned.
Mia pulled her shotgun and jumped through the hole. She saw the white uniform of an orderly. She waited until the ghost charged her before she pulled the trigger. “One down, temporarily,” she called out and ran over to check on Whit.
He was already on his feet. “Flying is not all it’s cracked up to be,” he said, rubbing his shoulder.
“This is only going to delay them,” she cautioned. “Their source of power is here on the fourth floor. I have an idea what it is. You concentrate on your suspect. I’ll take Murphy and locate the power source,” Mia said quickly.
“Sounds like a plan.” Whit walked over to the hole in the wall and looked out at the state patrolmen. “What the hell are you waiting for, an engraved invitation?”
Mia smiled as she watched Whit work. He had a lot of Gregory Peck in his manner and a little John Wayne too. She felt a tingle on her arm. Murphy had arrived.
“Any ideas?”
Murphy pointed down the hall to the room that contained the corpse of Dorothy Todd.
“I think you’re right.” Mia waited until Whit’s team had been assembled before advancing towards the far room.
She stopped when she heard the elevator arrive. “Maybe we better make sure that Butch and company make it safely off the lift.”
They turned and ran towards the hall that would lead them to the elevator.
Butch armed himself as the door opened. He felt a blast of cold air, but it stopped in front of him. “Don’t move outside the circle,” he ordered. His team was already huddled close together in the small space. They had poured the salt in the largest circle the lift interior could handle.
They heard tiny footsteps running their way. Mia Cooper stopped in front of the door and looked around. “Stay calm, he’s in the elevator circling you.” She was reloading her sawed-off shotgun as she spoke. “Murphy, let’s see if we can get this booger to follow us.”
“Who’s Murphy?” June hissed in Butch’s ear.
He shrugged and watched as the petite woman took a stance and called, “Hey, asshole, you looking for me?” She backed away and started running down the hall.
CRACK!
The sound of an axe hitting wood assaulted their ears.
“You can come out now,” Mia called, running back towards them.
“Is it gone?” asked one of the state officers.
“It’s gone but not forever,” she explained. “It’s like a video game. It has to go back to its source, and then it gets another life. All we can do is move as quickly as we can, find Karl Todd and get him out of this building. You worry about your objective, and I’ll do my best to have your back. If you are confronted, toss salt in its direction. Hit your com. This is the only way I’m going to be able to hear if you’re in trouble.”
Butch took command, “Okay, men, let’s do our search. We are to take the east rooms.”
“Ted, come in,” Mia’s loud voice assaulted his ears. She sounded like she was running.
“Indoor voice, Mia,” Ted admonished.
“Ef off, genius. We have two large, murderous entities up here with the intent of crushing our deputies and grinding the bones of the stateys. I’ve shot one with rock salt, Murphy got the other one, but you and I know that’s just going to slow them down. No sign of Karl yet. I’m going to try to make my way to the bedroom. I think the old lady is the source. Get Burt’s flabby ass moving. I need him to stand by under the window on the southwest corner of the building. Tell him to bring gas, flares, and anything that will burn.”
“Mia, in reference to Burt, a little respect...”
“Negative on the respect, Ted. I found out that I was supposed to take the effing elevator, and he changed the plan. Now get him, Mike and Beth there. Get on the com and apologize to Ryan for me taking control of the ghost hunt up here,” Mia ordered.
“Ted, to Sheriff Ryan.”
“Ryan here.”
“They’ve encountered entities up on the fourth floor. So far no casualties. Mia requested me to inform you that she is taking control over the ghost hunt in the building. She apologizes for her cowboy mentality, but things are moving too fast to go through a chain of command.”
“Son, if that little girl wants the moon, then you better make sure she has it, over.”
“Yes, sir. Done and done, over,” Ted said and wiped his brow.
Mia charged down the hallway towards the room. As she approached Whit’s team she called, “Yell and hit your coms if you are attacked by the ghosts.” Mia skirted the men and took off running again.
Whit knew better than to halt her progress. She was in her element and bound and determined to keep him and the others from meeting the fate of Rita and Dane. Besides, where Mia was, so was Murphy.
He moved his team in pairs down the west hallway. The rooms were empty and strangely quiet. He heard a creak over him and looked up. He shined his flashlight towards the sound and saw dust falling through cracks in the ceiling. “Alar, come in.”
“Alar here.”
“I think our subject has taken to the floor overhead.”
“I didn’t know there was another floor,” Butch questioned.
“Hold on, I’ll ask. Ted, are you monitoring?”
“Yes, Blue Leader.”
“Does anyone know if there is an attic in this place? And where’s the access?”
“Working.” Whit heard Ted typing furiously and talking to someone else briefly before he said, “I’ve asked the question and patched you and Alar in with our researcher.”
“Hello,” Beth’s voice chimed in. “There is an attic, accessible on both ends of the fourth floor where the hallways turn towards the front of the building. The old plan shows that there was a barred gate before the stairs.”
“You hear that, Alar?”
“Copy that, Martin, heading for the east access, over.”
“Ah, sirs, the floor may not be sound, so you’ll have to be careful,” Beth added.
“Thanks, Beth, will do.”
Mia ran full out down the hall. She took the right jog that bisected the south corridor. She got no further than the kitchen when a big arm shot out of the wall, knocking her off her feet. Another set of hands shot out from the other side, sliding a red ribbon around her throat. Murphy swung his axe chopping off the arms before the ghost could pull the ends and break Mia’s neck.
“Thanks, Murph,” Mia said, ripping off the ribbon and getting to her feet. Murphy mimed that she should have her free hand on her face, so if they tried again
with the ribbon she would have an arm between the ribbon and her neck. Mia did as he suggested. She and Murphy walked back to back sidling down the hallway, each of them watching the walls for any sign of movement.
The orderlies had the advantage. They knew their environment and moved quickly. They were bigger than Murphy. His power source was the axe head, and it was down in the command vehicle. Theirs was close by. She regretted not thinking ahead and bringing it with her. But the eight flights of stairs were hard enough without carrying the heavy axe head on her back. Mia realized if they succeeded in taking out Murphy, it would be many long minutes before he would be back.
She didn’t like to think of her chances with the berserkers without Murphy.
Whit followed the hallway until it made a left jog. True to Beth’s description, he was faced with a rusted, barred entry to a wooden stairway. The lock was pried off, but the gate was closed. The door hung heavy on the old hinges. Whit examined the bars and found fresh blood where Karl had gripped the chipped, painted bars to move the gate.
“Put some gloves on before you try to move the door. There’s blood on it,” he explained.
Whit backed up and waited as the gate was opened. He pulled his gun and led his team up the steep rickety steps.
Butch faced a locked gate. He could see the stairs beyond, but the way was closed to them. He shook the gate, but it wasn’t moving. June stood, looked at the gate and walked around the corner and into the dark room beside it. She worked her flashlight along the wall adjacent to the attic stairway and found a closet. She opened the door and smiled when she saw where someone had bashed a hole in the wall. Beyond the wall were the stairs.
June moved quickly back out of the closet and through the room. In the hall she hissed to get Butch’s attention. “I’ve found another entrance.”
He followed her into the room with the rest of the team close behind him. He crawled through the break in the wall and headed up the stairs, June following, the state patrolmen taking up the rear.