The Massacre Mechanism (The Downwinders Book 5)

by Michael Richan

  Winn laughed a little. “A century!” Winn suddenly remembered Daniel in the back of his Jeep, the head rising out of his chest, pressing on the cloth of his shirt. He reached up to feel his own chest, panicked that a hitchhiker might have followed him the way it followed Daniel, but found only a soggy shirt stuck tightly to his chest and abs.

  “We’ll get you something just as soon as I get done,” Awan said, already positioning the sheetrock.

  ▪ ▪ ▪

  Winn decided to leave the music off as he drove home from Indian Springs. It had been a strange, troubling day, and he wanted to think. His brain felt foggy, both from the time differential and the lack of sleep.

  After they finished at the storage bay, Daniel instructed Winn to park the truck near the offices for a moment, where he removed a small device from his satchel and loaded it with a few drops from a vial. After aiming it at the office building for several minutes, he put it away and told them they could leave, that the corruption of any time coding on video recordings was complete. Winn drove straight to a restaurant on the boulevard, wanting to eat before they returned the truck.

  They talked more about the day’s events, and Daniel expressed concern that the mechanism be placed under some kind of protection as soon as possible. Winn agreed he’d take care of that as soon as he took them home. Daniel also asked if he might visit sometime and perform inspections of the mechanism. Winn agreed and said they would work out something down the road.

  In Indian Springs they exchanged contact information with Daniel, and Daniel returned to Tonopah. Winn thanked Awan copiously for his help, and they discussed how crazy the last twenty-four hours had been.

  Now, on his drive back, Winn could feel the exhaustion in his body, but his mind wouldn’t stop. The message he’d seen during his timeslip was still there, reverberating in his mind, insistent upon a translation.

  His plan was to take the mechanism straight to Carma’s, where he knew it would be safe. As he passed through North Las Vegas, he calculated the time; two hours if he kept at it, maximum speed. The sun was starting to set, and it would be dark well before he arrived.

  He felt his shirt sticking to his body. I stink, he thought, trying to remember the last time he’d showered. I need to stop at the trailer and clean up, get a change of clothes.

  The images of the symbols continued to burn in his mind. They were there, overlaying the view of the interstate, begging to be understood. As he took the Moapa exit and passed by the gas station, the last word of the message came clear:

  trailer

  Trailer? he thought. Because I was just thinking about the trailer?

  of the trailer

  The last of dusk faded from the sky as he approached his trailer, turning from the paved road onto the short dirt driveway. At first he wasn’t sure if the exhaustion of the day’s events were to blame, or if he might somehow still be in the timeslip, but he knew something was wrong.

  He parked the Jeep, but kept the engine going. The symbols were moving in his mind, shifting. If they were about to clear up for him, and finally reveal the message, he didn’t want to disrupt it by getting out and walking. Instead he closed his eyes, his hand still on the gear shift.

  The first two words began to crystalize:

  Get

  Out

  He opened his eyes. It was dark, and no streetlights were nearby. He knew something was wrong. He could feel it.

  He reached for the headlight knob and turned it, sending beams of light forward toward the trailer.

  It had risen from the ground, hovering in the air in front of him. The lights from his Jeep were able to pierce through the space under the trailer, illuminating the sagebrush on the other side.

  He sat stunned, unable to process what he was seeing. The trailer rose even more as he watched, now five feet from the desert floor.

  Back up, he thought, the primal, survival part of his brain taking control.

  Mechanically he reached forward while pressing on the clutch, slipping the Jeep into reverse and slowly drifting backward, away from the spectacle. As the headlights pulled back, the entirety of the scene became framed in their focus. The strangeness of the trailer floating in the air confused him more than it frightened him.

  I must still be in the timeslip, he thought. It’s the only explanation.

  Then the trailer exploded.

  Chapter Eight

  Winn came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. David was waiting in the hallway. He caught David staring and saw him shift his eyes away nervously.

  “I put some clothes on the bed,” David said. “I mean, your bed. In your bedroom.”

  “Thanks,” Winn replied, walking past him. David turned sideways to let him pass.

  “Carma asked me to ask you to come down for a moment before you go to bed,” David said.

  “Sure, just let me get dressed, and I’ll be down,” Winn replied.

  David smiled and headed for the stairwell.

  Winn stepped into the bedroom. He’d slept in the bed many times when a drive home to Moapa after a dinner at Carma’s was a trip too far, so he knew how comfortable it was. On top of the bed were the clothes David had mentioned. He picked up the underwear and looked at it, wondering if it would fit. David was a little smaller in the waist. He slipped them on; they felt OK.

  The t-shirt was tight across his chest, but beggars couldn’t be choosers; he had nothing at the moment, no clothes, no food, no personal items — no home. Nothing.

  Well, not exactly no home, he thought. Carma will want me to stay here. That’s probably what she wants to talk about.

  He’d given them only the briefest of explanations before asking for the shower, knowing he needed to feel the day’s sweat and residue leave his body before he’d be able to talk with coherence.

  David had left him a pair of long athletic shorts rather than a pair of pants. Thoughtful, he thought. He knows regular pants probably wouldn’t fit.

  He slipped on the shorts and sat for a moment on the bed. He resisted the temptation to let his head drop into his hands. He wasn’t much for crying, but he thought if he stopped to feel sorry for himself, he might lose it and he didn’t want to go downstairs looking like a basket case.

  He stood up and walked, feeling energized by the shower, knowing he had at least another hour in him before he’d completely crash.

  He went downstairs. Carma and David were in the sitting room. Carma had placed the mechanism on a table near the spot where Deem usually sat. He walked to the sofa where David was already seated and dropped next to him. They were talking about travel.

  “I wish you wouldn’t go right now,” Carma muttered. “Winn could use your help.”

  “It’s been planned for months,” David replied. “My uncle’s got a ton of things scheduled. He’d be disappointed.”

  “Just a postponement, maybe?” Carma offered.

  “You going somewhere?” Winn asked.

  “Seattle,” David replied. “In a couple of days.”

  Winn reached out and patted David’s knee. “Thank you for these,” he said, moving his hand back to pinch up the athletic pants.

  “The shirt’s tight,” David said. “Hope it’s not too uncomfortable.”

  “It’ll get me by until tomorrow when I can buy a few things.”

  Carma rose from her seat and took a cup from a tray. She gave it to Winn. “Here, drink this.”

  Winn took the cup and looked at it. “What is it?”

  “Something to help you relax,” she replied. “You’ve had quite a shock. Losing one’s home is a terrible, terrible thing. You likely feel disoriented and rudderless. This tea will help.”

  “Thank you,” Winn replied, taking a sip. Carma’s teas could often be strange-tasting concoctions, but this one felt soothing.

  “You’ll stay here, of course,” Carma said. “Until you decide otherwise.”

  Winn felt the enormity of the day descend upon him just as the tea hit his stomach.
Carma’s generosity got the better of him, and he began to tear up.

  “Thank you,” he said, trying to look at her, but not wanting her to see his eyes.

  “I’ve considered that room upstairs your room for months now, so it’ll be delightful to have you around even more. We’ll get you back on your feet in no time. Now. About this mechanism.” She turned and walked to the device, looking down at it. “Are you able to tell us what happened? Or would you rather just relax and we can talk in the morning?”

  “No, I can tell you,” Winn said, taking another sip of the tea and feeling his anxiety slowly slip away.

  He spent the next hour relating what had happened with Awan and Daniel, interrupted occasionally by questions from Carma or David. When he finished he took in a large lungful of air and slowly expelled it.

  “Wow,” David said. “I should have skipped the studying. You could have used the backup.”

  “I had no idea it would become so complicated,” Winn replied. “I thought I’d go talk with Awan and we’d ask his friend for help. It just kept snowballing.”

  “And you deciphered the message,” Carma said.

  “Just in time,” Winn replied. “Had I been five minutes earlier, who knows, I might have been inside the trailer. I might be gone.”

  “And the authorities?” Carma asked.

  “The trailer had mostly burned up by the time the firetruck arrived,” Winn replied. “A sheriff’s deputy came around. He settled on a propane explosion. I expect they’ll send someone around to check for signs of a meth lab, though.”

  “You are indeed lucky,” Carma replied. “Did your Jeep suffer any damage?”

  “No,” Winn replied. “I had pulled far enough away. Debris from the trailer hit me, but no damage.”

  Carma turned to look at the mechanism. “I notice that when I drop into the River, it’s active,” she said. “The focus you and Awan performed must have awoken it from dormancy. It’s still humming along.”

  “Daniel said it’s very valuable,” Winn replied. “There’s only a few of them in the world. And he said it needs to be kept under protection.”

  “Well, no one will get to it here,” Carma said. “We’re as fortified as it gets.”

  “Great,” Winn replied, feeling his eyelids become heavy.

  “Now, sip the last of that tea, and we’ll get you upstairs,” Carma said. “You need a solid night’s sleep, because we have work tomorrow. Warren is up to something, and The Fist is involved. I’ll need help from both of you.”

  “Come on, I’ll take you up,” David said, rising from the sofa and extending a hand to Winn. Winn took it and allowed the man to pull him up.

  “Thank you again, Carma,” Winn said, walking to her. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug. He felt her arms on his back, hugging him in return. It reminded him of the few times he’d received a hug from his mother, and it felt achingly comforting.

  “Sleep,” Carma said as they separated. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.” She took the cup from his hand, and Winn turned to go upstairs.

  He could sense David right behind him, making sure he made it up. He thought of telling David he didn’t need any help, but then decided that given his situation, perhaps accepting help was the best option.

  Once he reached his bedroom he fell onto the bed and closed his eyes.

  “You good?” David asked from the doorway.

  “I’m good,” he replied.

  “Great,” David said. “I’ll close the door.”

  “David?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you again,” Winn said, his eyes still closed. “I mean that.”

  “You’re welcome,” David answered. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. My trip starts in a couple of days, but I’m here for you if you need anything in the meantime. And I mean anything, OK? Clothes, money, a loan…whatever.”

  “Where are you going again?” Winn asked, his eyes still closed.

  “To Seattle, to see my uncle,” David replied. “Midterms are over, so I’ll be gone a week.”

  “Seattle, sounds like fun,” Winn replied, knowing he was only minutes from passing out.

  “It usually is,” David replied. “My uncle knows how to have a good time.”

  Winn didn’t respond, so after a few moments David simply said, “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” Winn replied. He heard the door close and latch, and the soft sounds of David walking back downstairs.

  He remembered turning over in bed, considering for a brief second if he should get up and take off his clothes. Then he was out.

  ▪ ▪ ▪

  “You want us to do what?” Winn said, wiping his hands over his face, trying to wake up. David sat across the table from him, staring down at an ebony-sided box Carma had placed there. It had small gold hinges. David reached for it, but Carma stopped him.

  “Don’t open it yet,” she said. “Only once you get there, and only in moonlight.”

  “Can I have some coffee?” Winn said, standing up from the table and wandering toward the kitchen. “I don’t think I’m quite awake yet.”

  “What’s inside?” David asked Carma.

  Carma’s lips pinched together tightly for a moment. “Small…” she started, then paused. “They’re little…things.”

  “Small things?” David repeated.

  “Yes, small things with a point on one end,” Carma continued. “You wander over the field until the box vibrates in your hands. That’ll tell you where to plant.”

  “Plant?” Winn asked, returning with a full mug and taking several gulps. “You want us to dig holes?”

  “No,” Carma said. “When the box vibrates, drop and remove one of the…” she paused again, and Winn could see her discomfort. “Remove one of the things from the box, and press it down into the soil until it’s completely covered by dirt. No part of it can be left visible. You don’t need to dig a hole. It’s best not to disturb the ground in that area too much. They’ve got a sharp tip on one side, so they should sink into the earth easily.”

  “What’s this about 2:08?” David asked.

  “You must start precisely at 2:08 tonight,” Carma replied. “And you must finish before 2:40. You must be absolutely precise about the timeframe. Start exactly at 2:08, not before, and when it reaches 2:40 you can stop, because any you plant after that time won’t matter. So please try to empty the box and plant them all between 2:08 and 2:40. You’ll need to move quickly, cover as much ground as you can. Use the box to guide you.”

  “Where again?” Winn asked.

  “The field just north and west of the memorial,” Carma said.

  “I don’t know where that is,” Winn replied.

  “I do,” David said. “It’s a half hour up Snow Canyon. We’d need to leave St. George by 1:30 to make it there in time.”

  “What if people see us?” Winn asked.

  “They won’t,” Carma said. “Too remote. It’s low risk. Don’t use flashlights, though.”

  “And this is going to release Deem?” Winn asked, looking at Carma.

  “Yes,” she replied emphatically. “It’s Lyman’s plan. It’s been in the works for a very long time; many, many years. So it’s critical that you follow my instructions exactly. What’s inside the box will fail if you expose it to sunlight. You must only open it after 2:08, when you’re ready to plant.”

  “Alright,” Winn replied, rubbing his face again.

  “No, please, this is so important to Lyman, and to Deem,” Carma said, appearing a little agitated. “I need to know from both of you that you understand this exactly.” She turned to David.

  “Don’t open the box until we’re there and it’s 2:08,” David said. “Walk around the field. When the box vibrates, drop into the River, take out whatever’s inside, and stick it down into the ground until it’s covered. Plant as many as we can until 2:40, then leave.”

  Carma let out a lungful of air. “Yes,” she said. “You
have it. That’s precisely what has to happen. Oh, also very important: you hold the box, David.” She turned to Winn. “And you plant them. You’ll make sure it happens this way?”

  “If this will release Deem,” Winn said, “Yes, I’ll make sure it goes down just like he said.”

  “Good,” Carma replied. “Good. There, that’s settled.” She ran her hands down the front of her dress, straightening it as though the conversation they’d just engaged in had disheveled her. She reached for her cigarette case and lit up a long, thin Virginia Slim.

  “Since you slept in so late,” David said to Winn, “I expect you’ll be wide awake at 2 AM. I got up early, so I’ll take a nap before we go.”

  “Good thinking,” Carma replied, exhaling smoke into the air above her.

  “Are you going to tell us what this all is, exactly?” Winn asked.

  “I’d prefer not,” Carma said. “Lyman feels it will just complicate things if I say too much. His approach is always need-to-know.”

  “So there’s nothing else I need to know?” Winn asked.

  “Not really,” Carma replied.

  “How exactly will it release Deem?” Winn asked.

  “I’m not at liberty to go into the details,” Carma replied.

  “After what happened in Paragonah,” Winn said, “I’d like to know if there’s more to the story.”

  “As I said, I’m not at liberty to say,” Carma replied. “As in that case, if you follow the instructions precisely, everything should be fine.”

  “But sometimes shit happens,” Winn said. “It’d be nice to know contingencies in case something does.”

  “There are a million contingencies and I can’t get into every possible scenario,” Carma replied, becoming uncomfortable at Winn’s questioning. “The best thing is to follow the directions to the letter, and I’m sure everything will be absolutely fine. Well, that settles it, I guess!” She stood, pressing down the cloth of her dress once again. “I’m sure Lyman will be very appreciative. I need to go down and talk with him, and I’m a little late, so if you’ll both excuse me.”