Sharon’s mind is still her own, she is completely aware of what is going on. She just can't control her actions. She followed the commands of this deep soothing voice into his black car and now she is sitting there quietly. She can still talk and has control over what she has to say to this man. She is simply unable to go against what he says. When she sat down and took a good look at the man she instantly knew who he was. All the memories of him came back to her. She is looking at Gabriel Tarque.
Tarque is a dark skinned man with a shaved head and a short mustache and pointed beard, his eyes are an strange yellow color that seems to glow in the low light of the car. He is wearing a dark purple suit that looks black in the car's limited lighting and white gloves that stick out compared to the rest of his body. In his left hand is a dark brown cane with a red orb attached to the top, the orb is dark red with a lighter red swirl in the middle. Tarque smiles at Sharon his teeth a pearl white. It is a smile that is mock kindness hiding sinister intentions. “Are you conferrable Madam?” He asks with a thick Cajun accent.
“No I'm not.” Sharon glares at him as that is all she can do.
“No, I didn’t think you would be. Most people are not when they have lost their free will. Most of the time I make them lose control of their minds too. Normally I don't want them to be aware of what's happening. However your special.”
The man is a creep, a powerful creep. Sharon is fearful for the worst.
Tarque sees the fear and her eyes and frowns understanding what she fears is going to happen. “You misunderstand me. I have no intention of using you that way. I am a monster don't get me wrong and I work for worse monsters but I am no sexual deviant. No no your going to be used as a message.”
“Message?” Sharon is confused by what this crazy man has planned.
“Yes. You see I am a business man, one trying to move up in the world. I have been assigned a task to instal fear in a certain person you are acquainted with. He needs to be told to back off. For that I have planned a special show.”
“Who are you talking about?” But Sharon Sharp has a feeling she knows who he means.
Tarque shakes his head wondering how dense can she be, “Why your husband. Isn't that obvious?”
“My Husband is a showman, an actor.” Sharon being a logical person thinks that maybe so is Tarque, that the so called trance she is in and the control he has over her body is a trick, maybe a combination of drugs to make her more open to commands or something. “I know nothing about what my husband does, none of his secrets. I have been separated from him for the last three years and even when we lived together he never told me how he did what he did.”
Tarque laughs, “Hahahahaha, my employers know Valmont Sharp's secrets already. They do not care about his secrets. It is Sharp himself that has became a thorn in their side. I plan to move up in the world and Sharp is my key. I have a lot in common with your husband.”
Sharon stares at him in disbelief she is not going to ask what he wants her to. “I was once a charlatan, an actor who played a Voodoo shaman for money. I was far lower scale then Valmont Sharp but like him I was narrow minded and did not know the truth. And like your husband I eventually learned that the forces I faked actually existed in our world.”
Sharon is dumbfounded, this man is nuts. He thinks that magic and supernatural creatures actually exist and also believes that her husband believes this stuff as well. Now it is her time to laugh, “I think you need professional help. My husband is an actor. If he hurt you in some way bring that up with his lawyers. This delusion of yours is not something you should take out on people you don't know.”
“A delusion you say.” He taps the staff on the car floor and it starts glowing, black shadows begin flowing out of it, “I am perfectly sane Missy.” His yellow eyes seem to recede like those of a lizard for a second. “Play time is over. Mr. Rast are we at our destination?”
From the front seat a weak voice answers, “Yes sir.”
“Then you may open the lady's door Mr. Rast. Ms. Sharp is about to leave us.” Tarque looks at Sharon, “Rast was a strong one, I had to work to get him to be my loyal servant. The man spent his whole life struggling to reach the top so he fought every second when I tore him down. I am pleased with the results even if his will power almost blew my moment of triumph. When your part in my art is over I will punish him and show him his place. This must not happen again.”
Anton Rast opens Sharon’s door and looks at her apolitically. “Ms. Sharp.” He says loyally as he offers her a hand. She takes it and gets out of the car. Sharon would run if she could but her feet will not listen to the commands her brain is sending it. Rast then walks over to the other side of the car and opens Tarque's door. “Mr. Tarque.” He says offering his master a hand.
“Thank you Rast, now return to the driver's seat as I continue my conversation with Ms. Sharp here.” Tarque is a tall man maybe three inches short of seven feet tall, and he is thin. In the darkness of the November evening his purple suit looks even darker then it did in the car. He walks over to Sharon and takes her hand, “Walk with me.”
Sharon walks along with Tarque. She looks around at her surroundings and sees that they are at Marsdan park, she could probably see her house from this part if she was aloud to turn around. “Why are we here?”
Tarque puts his free hand up to her mouth, “No questions, no talking, just listen. Here is what you will do my little body slave.” Tarque leads her to a park bench, “Sit.” She sits down and he removes his hand from hers. He looks around and makes sure that no one is with in hearing distance. He sees a group of kids playing basketball and a couple walking their dog but they are far enough away that they will not hear his next important command. “Now listen close my good lady as I will say this only once. First turn off your phone for now.” He waits for her to take out her phone and turn it off. “Good now wait for fifteen minutes and then start walking toward the north exit, toward the highway. There take the sidewalk that goes over the highway and turn your phone back on. I want you to call your son. Now you will have control of your mouth and can say what ever you want to your son. Well anything but my name that is. Not that it will make a difference.” Tarque smiles at her.
“Now as you call your son you are also going to climb up the side of that railing and after ten seconds jump off. Jump off sooner if someone tries to stop you, better yet take them with you. No one can stop you not with out breaking your legs or killing you and the later will serve my purpose just as well. Remember no talking.” She nods her head in understanding. “Oh I guess I better say this, you can not try to get help in any way. You can't let yourself known. You keep a book in your purse right?” She nods, “That's what I thought start reading it after you watch me leave. Do that until the the next command begins. Oh and you can only talk to talk to your son before you jump.”
Tarque then begins to walk away from her. When he is half way away from her he waves back knowing he did not command her to wave back at him and smiles. He then returns to his car and enters it. He then calls up to Mr Rast, “Mr. Rast, drive me to that coffee shop right next to the highway. I think it will be a perfect spot for to watch the show.”
“Understood.” Rast then puts the car into drive and drives around the park to the Coffee Star right next to it, he had to drive around since the part is surrounded by one way streets. He then gets out of the car and opens the door for his master.
Tarque gets out of the car and smiles at his nearly perfect manservant, “You might as well join me for a drink Mr. Rast. We can talk while we wait, not that your a very interesting person to talk to anymore.”
After waiting for the car to leave Sharon takes out her novel as she was commanded to do and starts reading. She fights this power, her mind keeps telling her body to resist but her body is not responding. While she is scanning each page of the book with her eyes her mind is thinking about every second knowing that the worst has yet to come, hoping for anything to prevent a seemingly inevitable
outcome. Fifteen minutes passed by slowly feeling to her like over an hour and when the time comes she puts the book away and stands up.
Feeling like a stranger in her own body Sharon feels as though she is watching herself move from a different location, almost like an out of body experience. She passes a few people and tries to get them to stop but all she manages to so is smile and wave at them her mouth refusing to even open. When she finally reaches the side wall above the highway she is able to pull out her phone. She tries to call other numbers like 911 but her fingers automaticly dial her home phone. There is an answer on the third ring, “Mom? I have been trying to reach you. Why was your phone turned off.”
“Chris, I don't know how long I have so listen up.” Her voice sounds strangely calm and collected for what she knows is going to happen, her feet taking step after step closer to the rail.
“Mom you sound strange?”
“Chris be strong no matter what happens. Remember that I love you and that I did not kill myself.” She is climbing up the railing and is standing up there looking down. By now a few people at the park and on the side walk are rushing to her.
“What? Kill yourself? Mom? What are you talking about, where are...” Sharon then cuts Chris off.
“I did not kill myself. Tar...” Sharon’s mouth can not fully form those words. Sharon takes a step off the railing and starts to fall down into the traffic below, people run to stop her but fail to grab her in time. As she is falling to her death the phone falls out of her hands.
Sharon Sharp falls to the street about a couple seconds later and is dead on impact, however to make maters worse the corpse is then hit by a car that attempted to break and not hit her. The body tumbles down the street as cars stop, people get out and traffic is stalled. People start to circle the body and wonder just what happened.
Outside of Coffee Star Gabriel Tarque takes a sip of his iced coffee as he watches the carnage from just outside his car but closes his eyes at the sight of any blood. “The lose of a life is always a sad thing wouldn’t you say so Mr. Rast?” He then shakes his head. “Don't bother answering that my good sir of course it is, that's a trick question. I just hope my employers are pleased and the message is received by Mr. Sharp. I hate violence and the last thing I would want to do is kill someone else and spill their blood. It just is not in me. Which is why I made her death so impersonal. Still if it means I get to move up in this world I will take it.”
Chapter Six
Valmont Sharp: Monster Hunter Page 6