Monster

by Yolanda Olson

  “I... don’t get it,” he said looking slightly confused.

  “Bring her outside and I’ll show you what I mean. I’m pretty sure after this demonstration, all those things out there will probably get the hint,” I said flashing the light against the walls. Oh yeah, getting out was going to be way easier now.

  Behind me I heard him tell her that if she continued to struggle he’d tear her limb from limb and then light her on fire before she died. Immediately she quieted down all except for the occasional whimper that escaped her. That must be the demon in him, I thought to myself with a chuckle.

  “I thought I’d never get out of here,” I muttered to myself as we walked out into the carnival again.

  Looking back I saw that Cody had slung her over his shoulder. He grinned at me again and came over to stand next to me.

  “So what’s the plan chief?”

  “The first part of the plan is to get through all of them,” I said pointing at the fledglings that were still standing around like statutes, “then get her to my favorite ride of all. The Ferris Wheel.”

  “Come on then,” he said grabbing my by the hand. Normally I would’ve pulled away and probably punched him in his throat. But as we walked through the rows of fledglings, I noticed that they would turn away. That must be the angel in him. When we got to the Ferris Wheel he dropped her onto the platform and looked at me expectantly.

  “Isn’t that kind of brutal?” I asked looking down at her. He had one of his feet firmly planted into her torso and he was resting his arm on his leg.

  “Nope!” he said nonchalantly. “Let’s hear this plan now.”

  “Simple. We chain her to one of the buckets and leave the ride running all night long. I’ll sit here and watch her all night to make sure no one tries to let her out. When the sun starts to come up tomorrow, I’m going to need you to trade places with me. Sensitivity to the sun and all won’t help my cause,” I said with a grin.

  I noticed that he was looking at me curiously then he looked down at her. She was crying now that she had heard the plan; she knew that her death was only a matter of hours away.

  “That’s a spunky plan,” he said looking at me again with a boyish grin. “Kind of mean, but spunky. I like it. Just one problem.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “We don’t have any chains,” he said looking down at her again.

  “No, but the gypsies do. I’ll go get some,” I said heading off toward the barn.

  As I walked briskly toward the makeshift jail that was housing my friends, I knocked on the wooden board where the window was that I had taken out the window. I heard the muffled voices of the gypsies inside but no footsteps came toward the boarded up frame.

  “It’s me guys, open up,” I said pounding on the window again.

  I heard a pair of footsteps walking quickly toward the board and saw the back of the claw hammer that was pulling the board out of its place. Thirty seconds later, Ryker’s face emerged in the frame looking at me with relief.

  “That took forever,” he said accusingly.

  “Hey you can’t rush a genius,” I said hoisting myself up onto the frame. I gave him a gentle shove out of the way as I leaned half of my body down toward the dusty ground of the stable. Blindly I felt around on the ground until my hand closed onto a series of cold chain links. Pulling it up to the moonlight I saw that I had grabbed a rather strong looking chain.

  “Close the window again,” I said jumping down onto the carnival ground. “I’ll bring this back tomorrow.”

  “Wait, what are you doing?” Ryker said.

  “Later.” I called over my shoulder as I ran back toward Cody.

  As I neared the ride, I saw that he was sitting on the stairs with his chin in his hands and with the fledgling laid out next to him. He looked down at her and rolled his eyes then looked over and saw me approaching with the chain.

  “What happened to her?” I asked peeking around him.

  “I knocked her out. I got tired of listening to her whimpering. I mean if you’re a cold blooded killer, act like it.”

  He looked down at her in disgust and snatched the chains from me. He pulled it in half and I jumped. That chain was so heavy that I was surprised that he would be able to do that so easily. He then hoisted her limp body into the lower bucket and chained her arms and ankles together. Then he grabbed what was left of the chain and used it around her waist to securely hold her into place.

  “Do me a favor, pull on this a couple of times for me,” he said as he stood back to watch. Obediently I walked over and gave it a tug. It wouldn’t budge, but I decided to give it one last try. I asked Cody to stand behind me and make sure I didn’t move. Then putting one of my feet up on the side of the carriage, I grabbed onto the chain and pulled with all my might. It didn’t even slide a little bit let alone move.

  “Wow, I’m impressed,” I said hopping down the stairs. Laughing, he pushed the on button and tore the lever off the stand. Guess I won’t be giving those chains back after all.

  We stood side by side for a few moments watching the ride go slowly up, forward, down, back, and repeat it over and over again. Watching that fledgling chained to the ride made me think of when I had grabbed onto to Skiles because I was so afraid of being up that high. I remembered the way he smelled when he tightened his grip around my shoulders and laughed at my fear. I remembered the way I had hoped everyone was watching and dying with envy at what was happening. I still remember thinking that I was so lucky because he had picked me out of everyone in the park. He had picked me.

  Cody nudged me bringing me back to the present. Shaking the cobwebs away I looked up at him and smiled. Even though I was still hoping that he would be leaving Devils Lake before the sun came up in a way I was kind of happy to have him here to help me.

  Just as I started to turn my face back toward the Ferris Wheel, he reached down and grabbed my face with both of his hands. For a moment he just held my gaze then he grinned again, leaned down and pressed his lips softly against mine. At first I didn’t react because I wasn’t sure that he wanted me too. But when I felt him part my lips and gently continue his kiss, I found myself gripping his sides and kissing him back. The most romantic part about this? The fact that the fledgling was awake and screaming her head off and we had made that happen.

  I pushed him back and looked down with a soft chuckle. Laughing he put an arm around me and pulled me tightly against him, then kissed the top of my head. Okay so maybe I’d feel better if he stayed now.

  We turned back to the shrieking monster on the ride that was trying so desperately to break free of the chains. I smiled as he regained his composure and crossed his arms over his chest. I stood there watching her screaming and crying and as the wheel spun over and over.

  “FINNEGAN!”

  I turned away from the wheel and spun around to see who was screaming my name so frantically. My heart dropped when I saw Remy was hanging half of her body out of a window on the left side of the barn. It wasn’t that she was screaming from the bar window that started me running madly in her direction, it was the fact that I saw the smoke rising from the barn. Someone or something had set the stables on fire and it would only be a matter of time before the whole thing was engulfed in flames.

  I didn’t know if I’d be able to break the door down again but luckily Cody was running right next to me.

  “On the count of three, we’ll kick the door in,” he shouted as we ran. “Ready?

  One, two, THREE!” In perfect precision we raised our feet and hit the door so hard that it exploded into a spray of wooden pieces.

  He caught me before I fell face down into the mess. All around us the gypsies ran out of the stables screaming and crying. Ryker was the last one out and he was carrying one of the children that had almost gotten trampled in the melee. He started to come toward me when he saw that Cody was standing next to me.

  Stopping short he looked at me with a questioningly look.

  �
�He’s cool,” I said walking over to him.

  The little girl that he was holding was clinging tightly to his neck and looking at me with a mix of fear and curiosity. Smiling at her, I reached up and put a hand on her arm. She smiled back and much to my surprise she stretched her arms out toward me. Ryker laughed and handed her off to me.

  She buried her head in my shoulder and gripped me as tightly as she had Ryker.

  Cody came over to us and put a hand on her head, bending his head a little to look at her. At first her body became rigid as she locked eyes with him. The little girl’s chocolate brown eyes were fierce but her face relaxed after a couple of seconds and she put her hand on his arm.

  “You’re pretty,” she said to him in a small voice. I grinned at him. Even little children knew when they saw something good. And this beautiful little girl being no more than five years old definitely seemed confident enough to speak her mind.

  “So are you kid,” he said smiling kindly.

  A woman came running toward us and snatched the little girl from my arms, “Bengalo!” she shouted at Cody as she ran back to her family.

  Cody looked at me doubtfully, “What did she just call me?”

  “Bengalo,” Ryker said clearing his throat. “It means devilish.”

  “Oh. Well I guess he has a point,” he said nudging me with his elbow.

  I giggled and gave him a shove, and then I looked at Ryker. “What happened?

  How did the stables catch fire?”

  “A bunch of those things over there,” he said waving his hand behind me.

  “They surrounded us with makeshift torches but only one of them actually threw one. The one with the burned face.”

  I let out a long suffering sigh and rolled my eyes. This chick just doesn’t quit does she?

  “What did we miss?” I heard an awestruck voice behind me say.

  I spun around and saw Kaeden, Chase, and Drake standing there taking in the mayhem. The fire of the stables was roaring now. The gypsies standing off to the wooded area huddled together. They looked up when they heard the shrieking of the fledgling still fighting to get loose from her chains. Chase walked over to one of the statue like fledglings and gave it a poke. When he realized they were frozen he looked at Kaeden questioningly.

  “May I speak to you three please?” Kaeden asked in his polite tone. I didn’t realize that he had meant me as one of the three people until Ryker snapped his fingers in front of my face.

  “Sorry,” I said.

  Ryker, Cody, Kaeden and myself walked over to the right side of the roaring stables. Kae was the first to speak.

  “What happened here?” He asked curiously.

  “Actually, how’d you know I’d be here?”

  Cody laughed and everyone turned to look at him. “Sorry,” he said. “But I know what it’s like now to ask her a question and have her demand answers first.”

  Ryker snickered and Kaeden just shook his head. I felt my face flushing.

  Thank God I’m not human otherwise my face would be beet red right now.

  “Mm. That’s an understatement.” Kae turned back to me and tapped his nose.

  I already knew what he meant so I let it go.

  “Um, I honestly came to see if maybe I could get another lead on Skiles. I just have this bad feeling that he’s already changed Kendall and/or Paige. Or maybe even killed them. If he did then everything I’m doing has no point or value and I can leave.”

  Kaeden looked at me for a moment then turned to Ryker and raised an eyebrow.

  “A few days ago they showed up,” he said sweeping a hand toward the fledglings. “A badly burned woman brought them here to wreak havoc. I forbade my people to fight them and had them take shelter in the stables. As we watched them destroy everything, two days or so into their carnage, he showed up,” he finished looking at Cody.

  We all turned our attention to Cody who looked bored. He jumped when he noticed us all staring at him and raised his hands in mock surrender, “Hey I’m just an innocent by standard here.”

  “No you’re not,” Kaeden said with a smirk, “But that’s not something that we need to get into right now.”

  “Well look I'm not the Pied Piper these of things in here if that’s what you mean. You heard the gypsy guy, they got here way before me.”

  “I’m curious,” Kaeden said pushing his glasses up his nose, “What exactly are you doing here?”

  “What are you doing here,” Cody shot back, “I think we have more than enough dead things running around this place.”

  For the first time in the few hours that I spent with him, I saw him getting angry. Kaeden just smiled and looked at Ryker who looked at Cody and then at me.

  Ryker nodded at Kaeden who waved Drake and Chase over.

  “Who’s up for a little carnage?” he asked stretching his arms above his head.

  “Hell yeah,” Drake said punching the air a couple of times like a boxer. I looked over at Chase who was cracking his neck and hopping back and forth in place. Ryker stood there with his arms crossed over his chest and Cody. Well Cody was just standing there looking bored again.

  “I’m definitely ready,” I said to Kaeden.

  “Good,” he said with a smile. “Here’s the game plan. Ryker I want you to take your people to a safe place and when you come back the game booths are yours,”

  Ryker nodded and was off.

  “Drake, Chase, how do you guys feel about the food concessions?” He turned to look at them with a grin.

  “Let’s go little bro, we got work to do,” Drake said to Chase as they ran off snarling.

  “What about me?” I asked Kaeden. I was kind of hoping he’d tell me to go straight through the carnival ripping apart monsters as I went. But instead he just shook his head.

  “You yourself; nothing. We wait for Ryker. When he comes back the four of us will go straight through and kill every last fledgling. If any of you run into Ava, leave her to me,” he said his voice turning cold.

  Ryker came back to us and Kae quickly went over what was happening with him. “How do we know we can trust him,” he asked his eyes wandering to Cody.

  “Because I trust him,” I said quickly. “And you trust me Ryker, I know you do. So let’s just get this over with.”

  “One wrong move and Remy will start to throw curses at him,” Ryker leaned down to whisper to me. Then he imperceptibly pointed to the trees where I saw movement.

  “Fair enough,” I whispered back.

  The four of us formed a diamond with Kaeden in the front, Cody to his left, and Ryker to his right. I knew they purposely shoved me in the back to keep my fighting minimal but what they didn’t know was that I planned on running right past them straight into the waiting lines of fledglings.

  “Speaking of fair,” Cody muttered. We all looked at him as he snapped his fingers and the fledglings came to life. I looked at him in shock and he winked at me with a grim smile.

  In a way I felt bad for them watching them scramble to form a defense, they were clearly going to lose and because no one had taken the time to show them the ropes. They all had sickly venom colored eyes so I knew right then and there that they were consumers of human blood. Good. That makes them stronger.

  “On my mark,” Kaeden said to us. I saw his fists close tightly closed. Ryker stood there still with his arms crossed over his chest, and Cody’s jaw was clenched. I reached into one of my pants pockets and pulled out a hair tie and quickly wrapped my hair up into a ponytail.

  “You’re such a girl,” Cody said quietly. He was looking at me out of the corner of his eye and he was grinning.

  “One.”

  Kaeden cracked his neck, Ryker seemed to loosen up, and Cody ran a hand through his hair.

  “Two.”

  I tensed up. In the background I could hear the sounds of fledglings screaming as Drake and Chase ripped through them.

  Kaeden took in a breath. I knew that he was going to count off the next number.

&nb
sp; I was off like a shot.

  Behind me I could hear Cody laughing while Kaeden was swearing loudly. Ryker was silent but I could feel his anger in what I had just done.

  One of the male fledglings stepped forward to challenge me. I leapt into the air with a vicious scream and landed on him. We tumbled to the ground and in the rolling I managed to grab his arm and tear it from him. He let out a scream of agony and I reached down and tore his head from his body.

  I heard the sounds of battle around me and turned just in time to see Kae crush the head of two fledglings together as he ran by them. Grinning I turned my attention back to my side of the fledglings and saw that in the split second it took me to look away, I had become surrounded by at least five of them.

  Then I heard the familiar steps of someone running toward us. I was ready to open my mouth and yell for Kaeden in case it was Ava, but instead I was shocked to see a head of long flaming red hair coming at us. It was Remy and she looked angry.

  The fledglings were completely taken aback by the fact that there was one more on our side they hadn’t counted on. Taking their confusion as a major opportunity, Remy then brandished a bullwhip and swung it in the air once taking off the heads of two fledglings.

  “Didn’t know you had it in you,” I called to her with a grin.

  “I wasn’t just going to sit around and let you guys have all the fun,” she called back with a sly smile. “Go on, leave these three to me.”

  I ran off, I didn’t doubt that she would be more than able to hand them and I wanted to get back into a little solo action.

  “Wahoo!”

  I glanced to my left and saw that Cody was having way too much fun with this whole death thing. He had taken a few of the fledglings over to the Tilt O’ Whirl ride and had chained them underneath it. He sat himself in one of the seat rides and leaned over to flip the switch. I heard the sickening crunch of the fledglings’ bodies being crushed over and over under the ride.

  Body parts were starting to snap off and fly out from underneath the ride but Cody, oblivious to the carnage and probably being oblivious on purpose had his arms crossed behind his head and every now and then shouting out happily.