“Time to go,” said Alex, flinging Davis’s arm across his shoulders and propping him up.
“Wait!” said Davis. He bent down and picked up his blade. “We can’t leave them—”
“Ben and Lindsay are probably heading back to camp, which, at the moment, is a lot safer than out here,” said Alex. He looked down at the cleaved mass. The torso was climbing atop its legs. “We can’t afford to go another round with that thing.”
“What—what the hell is it?”
“I’m not sure. But I have a feeling it won’t follow us if we move now.”
He grabbed Davis again, but his friend shook him off.
“I’m fine. But we’re coming back. We’re getting them out. Tonight. I’ve had enough of this mess.”
Alex couldn’t agree more.
—
I’ve had enough of this mess, thought Alex as he returned to his home on the Red Cliff Reservation. He was exhausted and cold and ready for winter to be over. He had gotten accustomed to mild winters in D.C., with only sporadic dumpings, every few years. When a ton of snow falls in the District, the federal government shuts down and it’s a national news story. When that much snow falls in Bayfield, Wisconsin, it’s called Tuesday, he thought ruefully. He was trudging home after a night of patrolling the rez, capped by a visit to the grocery store, and the rhythmic crunching of his boots in the snow did not help to revive him. He was cold, tired, and hungry, and didn’t know which he should address first when he approached the home he shared with his mother and spotted Erica Cheung sitting in his mother’s rocking chair on the porch, feet propped on the railing.
“Hiya, Chief.”
I’ve had enough of this mess, he thought.
“Erica.”
“I assume you’re packed.”
“You know what they say about assuming.”
Erica looked at him, screwing up her face, as if she were staring at the sun or something equally inscrutable.
“Don’t you know what’s going on?”
“I’ve gotten his messages, yes.”
“Would you have preferred smoke signals?”
“Nice try, Erica. I’m not taking the bait.”
“Fine. Why the fuck are you not in Jersey already?”
“Working for Richard Severance has a price. You should know that by now.”
“Boo fucking hoo.”
Alex gritted his teeth. The price for Red Cliff had been high and it had been paid in blood. Erica had seen it from the air, but he had seen it from the ground. He had waded in it.
“There is still work to be done here. I have a duty to—”
“You know, you’d be a lot more convincing if you weren’t carrying shopping bags from the Pick ’n’ Save. Is that a baguette?”
“God damn it, Erica, listen—”
“No, you listen. Your buddy missed the rendezvous last night. Did you get that message?”
Galahad, thought Alex. “No, I haven’t…”
“Which means he’s still out in the Pine Barrens, Fred and Ginger are still in camp, and Richard is crawling the walls. He’d feel better with you by his side, so I’m here to collect you. I’d knock your ass out, but I don’t want to carry you.”
Alex considered this. He had no doubt she could.
“So what are you waiting for?” she said. “Stop being a bitch, pack your shit, and let’s go! I’m fucking freezing.”
—
It was chaos in the massive cabin Richard was using as his base of operations, but it wasn’t coming from their skirmish with the creature in the woods. There had been high-pitched screaming from inside, and when Alex and Davis burst in, they discovered a striking, petite woman Alex had never seen before laying into Richard. Erica sat on the couch, watching the proceedings with a smirk on her face.
Alex was taken aback. He’d never seen anyone speak to Richard in such a manner. It was not unsatisfying and he had an urge to tag in.
“You lied to me!” the woman screamed.
“I didn’t lie,” protested Richard. “I told you I had a business trip.”
“Half-truths and omissions equal lies! Is that your definition of love?”
“I was trying to protect—”
Both stopped their shouting match when they saw Alex in the doorway. Davis leaned against him, blood still dripping from the back of the hand he had pressed to his head.
Erica jumped up and led him to a chair.
Richard made awkward, hasty introductions. Her name was Miranda Mahajan. She offered her assistance, but Erica produced a first-aid kit and began daubing the back of Davis’s head where it had collided repeatedly with an Atlantic pine. The chaotic scene only seemed to underscore her argument, so with nothing to do, Miranda excused herself and disappeared to the second floor. From the landing at the top of the stairs, she called down to Richard, “Come up when you want to be honest.”
When they heard a door slam, Erica looked up at Richard.
“Want me to go talk to her?” she asked sweetly.
“Would you?”
“Hell no, I’m not your fucking counselor.” She laughed. Davis winced. “Stop squirming. I’m not a nurse either.”
“Don’t torture him so much that he can’t answer questions,” said Severance. “Who did this?”
“It wasn’t a who. It was a what,” said Davis.
“What did it look like?”
“Covered in wicker or something. I thought it was a lousy excuse for a ghillie suit. When I still thought it was a man. But it had bells hung on its chest. Made no sense.”
“Anything else?”
“It also wore a hood. It looked like it was supposed to be an animal hood, like a bear or something, just very crude.”
Alex leaned against the far wall, his arms crossed. The room was spacious with a vaulted, cathedral ceiling and large, two-story windows. It still felt claustrophobic to Alex. Severance looked at him for confirmation. Alex nodded.
Severance tapped his lips with his index finger, then began walking around the room.
“The wild man.”
“But it wasn’t a man…” said Davis.
“All across Europe, there are festivals that take place every year between December and Easter. These festivals correspond to Christian holidays, but their rituals often predate Christianity. Men don costumes and act the part of stags or bears or devils. Or the ‘wild man.’ The purpose is to banish winter and to bring about the rebirth and renewal of spring. The bells represent virility.”
Davis shook his head, then thought better of it. “Is this some Krampus bullshit?”
Severance pointed at him. “Precisely. Real pagan, ‘Old World’ stuff. And it would certainly appeal to the superstitious types of the Välkommen set. Warding off winter, evil spirits, or people you don’t want snooping around camp.”
“Except I was operating in its AOR for days and it never once came after me.”
“Walk me through it again.”
“I told you,” said Davis, getting irritated, though at Severance’s questions or Erica’s less than gentle ministrations, Alex could not tell. “I met them just out of range of the game cameras and we moved out. First through the bush, then animal trails, then a wider trail. We crossed a ravine and I heard bells.”
“Are you hearing bells now?” asked Erica.
“I heard them too,” said Alex.
“Next thing I know it exploded out of the trees and was hell-bent for Ben. He fell into the ravine. Then it went after Lindsay. Smelled like mud or clay. I was lighting it up, practically full auto. The rounds just made a flat sound. And it kept on coming. Didn’t give two shits about me, only Ben and Lindsay. It was…single-minded.”
“So, relentless and humanoid, if not human, and dressed as a wild man,” said Severance.
“And massive and impossibly strong,” added Alex.
Davis began to nod, then winced again, and said, “Aye.”
“And made of dirt and clay,” said Alex.
“Oh my God,” said Severance. He was quiet for a few moments, then burst out laughing. He bellowed, throwing his head back and cracking up now, his laughter ballooning up and filling the massive room. Its echoes hit the ceiling and bounced back at them. “Oh my God, Henry, you clever devil!”
Davis and Erica watched Severance in disbelief. They turned to Alex.
“A golem,” said Alex.
“Don’t you see?” said Severance, wiping the tears from his eyes. “The irony is delicious.”
“Can you break it down for the non ‘crazy-ass white people’ in the room?” asked Davis in a monotone.
“In Jewish folklore,” said Alex, “it’s a being created out of clay and mud. There have been several stories, but the most classic version is of sixteenth-century Prague, where a rabbi created the golem from the banks of the Vltava River to defend the Jewish ghetto from anti-Semitic attacks.
“In nearly every version,” continued Richard, “the golem is not intelligent but obedient…until it becomes too large or unwieldy or destructive. They’re a bit of a mixed blessing. Kind of like unleashing a Burmese python in your home to get rid of mice.” Severance trailed off, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. “Henry…he’s Geppetto.”
“He would need a rabbi to perform the rituals or incantations,” said Alex.
“Henry’s German, but he’s no Nazi. Nor is he some great cult leader. He’s an academic for goodness’ sake. You think he doesn’t know a rabbi?”
“What if it was never a sentry to keep people out, but a way to keep them in? A prison guard?” asked Alex. “It’s a hell of a way to keep a population in line.”
Severance looked at him and smiled, a gleam in his eye, on the trail. Alex had seen the look many times.
“Straighten up and fly right, or the wild man in the woods will get you,” said Severance. “Or, better to stay here with us than the big bad world out there.”
“To what end though?” asked Alex. “Suppose he convinced a rabbi to fashion a golem. Why dress it up in, among other things, Germanic folklore?”
Severance tapped his lip. “It’s almost…playful. Like he’s trying to send me a message.”
“Did you ever think it’s not about you?” said Alex. Severance looked as if he had been slapped, the grin frozen on his face in surprise. Alex walked out the door and into the cool night. He looked up past the tops of the stunted pines at the stars and tried to orient himself to his new surroundings. Other than the lack of snow, it was not that different from Red Cliff.
Severance stepped outside and joined him at the railing.
“So, I have a girlfriend now. I think it’s going rather well.”
“You astound me,” said Alex.
“Thank you?”
“Why on earth would you think it a good idea to involve someone else? To bring her here? It’s bad enough you’ve involved Ben and Lindsay.”
“Come on, Alex, I didn’t bring her here. She followed me, tracked me somehow. She literally got here moments before you did. In fact, I’m deeply appalled at her invasion of my privacy, and if I’m being totally honest, a tiny bit aroused. Maybe sixty-forty…”
“I think that’s your problem. The ‘if I’m being totally honest’ bit.”
“You can’t have it both ways, Alex,” said Severance, annoyance creeping into his voice. “You want I should tell her? ‘By the way, Miranda, I don’t just chat about monsters on TV, I also chase them. Wait, let me back up, that’s because monsters are entirely real. Did I forget to mention that?’ ”
They stared at each other for a moment. Alex fought the urge to take a swing, and instead faced forward.
“I’m glad you’ve found the time to pursue a rich social life, Richard.”
Severance did not reply. The silence hung heavy between them for some time. In the silence Alex wondered if the man felt guilty or if he was just letting him vent. “This is not a game,” said Alex finally.
“Of course it’s a game,” said Severance bitterly. “Henry is playing one, and I have to play along if we hope to win it. Just because it’s a game doesn’t mean I’m taking it lightly.”
“That’s good to hear, considering their lives are in your hands.”
“Do you really think I need reminding?” Severance quickly crossed the deck to Alex and lowered his voice. “Henry and I have been searching for cryptids without success since before we met you, and then in the past two years, they’re suddenly everywhere. And all roads lead here. Galahad just got his bell rung by a golem, for God’s sake. What would you have me do?”
Alex looked up at the stars. Severance put his hands on the railing and looked up as well.
“I’m truly sorry about your father, Alex. I’m sorry about all of them. Not a day goes by—”
“I know.” Alex shook his head and sighed. He turned to his old friend. “All of them look up to you. They’d follow you anywhere. Respect that.”
“Maybe not McKelvie…”
“Please. Especially McKelvie. The only difference between you and Ben is a couple of million dollars.”
“That’s just insulting,” said Richard. “You know I’m a billionaire.”
Despite himself, Alex grinned.
“For a billionaire, you’re not a very good planner.”
“That’s why I surround myself with the best. Any ideas?”
“You want answers? Let’s go kick the door in and get them.”
Severance looked up at his friend and smiled.
“Erica!” he called over his shoulder. “Be a dove and prep our ride. It’s time to pick up our friends.”
Chapter 34
Don’t go back, thought Ben. But there was no other choice.
The pine needles scratched his face and neck and arms as he crashed through the forest. Lindsay was in front of him and he followed her lead back to Välkommen, though every nerve ending in his body was telling him it was wrong. Everything was wrong. He had been rooted to the spot, watching in disbelief as Davis fired bullet after bullet into the shaggy man, waiting for him to fall, but he never did. It was only when Davis fired in their direction that his legs unstuck.
The music was still playing. They hadn’t been gone long at all. As the echoing sounds of the drums and the churn of the electric guitars grew louder at their approach, Ben allowed himself to feel some slight relief. One threat down.
They stumbled into the clearing and right into Breaux.
It was as if he had been waiting.
“Well, well,” was all he said. “Aren’t you a dirty pair?”
Ben looked at himself and realized that they were covered in mud and still wet from the ravine. And with the adrenaline, he hadn’t realized how cold he was.
Lindsay spoke up, still holding Ben’s hand. “Hard to get a little privacy when there’s a thousand idiots standing around your tent.”
Breaux grunted.
Looking at Lindsay, he said, “The old man wants to see you.”
“Let me get cleaned up and I’ll go.”
“Now. I’ll escort you through the idiots.”
Ben’s heart was still racing but he tried to keep his voice steady. He faked a smile.
“It’s cool. I’ll see you later.”
Breaux nodded toward the back of the crowd. “Looks like you have some folks waiting on you too.” Instead of watching the band, Anson and Hendrix were watching the three of them nervously. After Breaux’s exchange with the bikers, Felix’s crew gave the chief of security a wide berth. “I thought I told you to pick some better friends, McCarver.”
Breaux walked toward the crowd. Before she followed, Lindsay met Ben’s eye. He wanted to tell her not to worry, that they could last another night. That being with Drexler was probably the safest place in all of Välkommen. And that knowing she was okay, he could endure just about anything. Instead, he nodded at her and hoped she understood. He hoped he looked convincing.
She nodded back, then followed Breaux.
“Lindsay,” he ca
lled after her. She turned. So did Breaux.
“Love you,” he said.
She smiled. “Love you too, Ben.”
As they walked off, Anson and Hendrix approached.
“Where the fuck were you?” asked Hendrix.
“A man has needs,” said Ben. He waggled his eyebrows for effect.
“Why were you talking to Breaux?” asked Anson.
“I think Felix’s dad has taken a shine to my girl. He sent his lapdog to fetch her. Apparently he likes good conversation. Works for me. The less I have to do it. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me…”
Anson held up his hand. “Not so fast. Felix wants everyone back in the garage.”
“He’s still playing.”
“It’ll wind down soon enough. And he’ll be all amped when he’s done. He won’t appreciate having to look for you.”
“Sure…” said Ben, looking from Anson to Hendrix, who wore a devilish grin. “I could use a beer anyway.”
“That’s the spirit,” said the tattooed man.
Anson led him through the crowd, and Hendrix followed Ben. They walked him past the tent city, to the outbuildings, and finally to the garage with its blacked-out windows that kept prying eyes from the crew’s plans, which up until today Ben had thought were only drinking and drugging. Anson opened the door and it scraped across the concrete floor, a sound like nails on a chalkboard. The hair on Ben’s neck stood on end.
“Where the hell is that light?” said Anson and they waited for a moment in the dark.
Suddenly the light came on and Ben saw a solitary chair in the center of the large room, a length of rope neatly coiled on it. Then he felt a crack to the back of his head and saw nothing at all.
Chapter 35
She approached the door to Drexler’s office. It was flanked by two of the Black Cadre. She knew she had Drexler’s favor, and by extension his protection, and they parted without challenging her or meeting her eye. In the half-light at the end of the dark hallway, she glanced at them as she turned the knob. One had jet-black hair slicked back and a birthmark on his jawline. The other was shorter, and aside from his straight nose compared to the first one’s crookedness, they could have been brothers.
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