“On TV, the golem monster is always slow,” Sandy said. “I hope that’s true. Opening a portal to the Radalia dimension large enough to fit the monster through may be a problem if Mongo’s in-laws get to it fast enough.”
Mongo shamed her. “Bad Sack!”
“We can handle the Radalia spillage with our Haunt weapons,” Jerry said. “No doubt it will be tough making sure we don’t let any escape. It’s a good plan if Mike can move the thing. Using TV and movie references to fight the golem falls short as a plan A.”
The team spent the rest of the journey to Rayden’s warehouse checking weapons and equipment. Denny kept watch on the warehouse as discreetly as possible. Mike’s phone buzzed. He looked at the picture of the caller. “It’s Navarone. Hi, Alisha.”
“How are you doing on the missing persons case at the Pantoll Campground. Colemeyer knows we mentioned it to your team only recently, but the Sheriff’s Department wants answers and a briefing on what the FBI plans to do.”
“We found the person doing it. We’re on our way to get him now. The case went paranormal this morning when we visited the site. At this time, I can’t say much about what we’ll be facing. This guy, Rayden Kirk, kidnapped a girl to sacrifice in a Satanic ritual, involving a cult and a real conjured demon. We freed the girl and stopped him.”
“You left him alive? That’s a new one. What’s the plan this time?”
“Believe it or not, we think he controls a real golem, and demons. If the only way to stop him is dump Rayden in the Radalia hell dimension, then we will go that route. Otherwise, we’ve talked about capturing him for you.”
“If what you say is true, and with you bunch, I believe everything you suspect, he could create or call monsters and demons in prison. Oh… you’re thinking of mind-wiping him.”
“At a minimum, I would need to make certain he can’t conjure demons and monsters. If you want, I’ll have Denny give you a live feed viewing through our central control. Laura and Joanie are there.”
“That would be perfect. I trust you to make the right decision.”
“He fooled me once and I let him get away,” Mike admitted. “Now, eight or more people are either dead or held hostage. Before, he had a cult of idiots following him. I don’t know what he has this time. When you’re ready, hook into our network at Demon Inc. Denny’s letting Laura know right now.”
“Okay, Mike. Bye for now.”
“The FBI did not seem worried about extreme measures, Ripper,” Demon pointed out. “Maybe we need to give Rayden a vacation to his favorite dimension. He can keep his mud creature company.”
“I hope I can learn what hell power he draws on to do this stuff he’s been getting into lately. We need to keep track of what it takes to control a Radalia demon. Rayden used Jewish mysticism to build the golem. He’s a Satanist, but he knows Latin and ancient Hebrew. I don’t like it. Something gave him an upgrade. I’m putting us all on the paranormal network, including Tom, Laura, and Joanie at Central Control.”
Mike leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment. It took him only seconds to establish silent communication with everyone. “Laura, you, Tom and Joanie are on with us.”
“Denny texted me about Alisha,” Laura acknowledged. “She’s worried. I can tell in her voice she wasn’t expecting the news you had for her. She will have video and audio when you begin recording.”
“We’re fifteen minutes away, Laura,” Grant checked in from the front, practicing thinking what he wanted to say.
Mike glanced out the windshield. “Darkness moving in with the cloud cover would shield Mongo from detection. He is nearly invisible at night.”
“How do you do this so easily, Mike,” Grant asked.
“He’s a mutant,” Gail immediately answered.
“I’d like to say HG’s wrong,” Mike grinned at Demon. “My powers mutated from the wounds to the point once I establish communication amongst us, I have no trouble maintaining the connection even in a combat situation. You’re doing great with silent communication, Grant.”
“I still need to move my lips but I’m working on it. We’re nearing Bridgeway where the warehouse is.”
“Park it about half a mile away. It’s dark enough to send Mongo on the recon check of the warehouse.”
A few minutes later, Grant parked along the wide roadside. Traffic, sparse at times, disappeared completely in the warehouse district.
“You know which one it is, brother,” Mike told Mongo. “Risk nothing. Sneak in for a look at what’s going on. If you can reach a buffer zone between the hostages and Rayden’s group, let me know. We’ll try what we experimented with at Demon Inc. I will channel a shield around the hostages through you.”
“I am ready, El Capitan. Shall I go now?”
“Yep. It’s dark enough. I’ll be in contact with you all the way.”
Chapter Five
A Golem and the Essence of Evil
Mongo exited the van, looked around quickly, saluted and took off. “Testing communication, El Capitan.”
“Load and clear,” Mike replied. “I’m trying out the remote viewing now.”
Mike cleared his mind of everything but the network, channeling into Mongo’s perception and vision. The mind image through Mongo’s eyes cleared. The others around Mike gasped as they were flooded with flying Haunt viewing as Mongo streaked down toward the warehouse. He slowed outside the wall he remembered bordered the room where the hostages were held. Mongo passed through the wall, stopping on the other side stock still. Cages with groaning people lying on mats, encircled the room. Mongo heard the horrified reactions from his friends.
“I count fifteen, El Capitan,” Mongo whispered.
“Pass into the main warehouse and give us a viewing. Go straight up through the roof if it looks bad, or if you might be in danger.”
“On it.” Mongo moved unnoticed along the ceiling. He passed into the large open area beyond. “Uh oh. Do you see what I see?”
Mike’s fists clenched as his team stifled screams. He blocked off visuals to the network except for Demon. Slimy black creatures wormed around on the floor, walls, and roof. They moved like amorphous blobs when moving. Three women lie on gurneys, screaming into the gags muffling their voices. The black amorphous demons took turns flowing over them. The muffled screams were unending. Rayden and his golem watched the process from the far corner of the room.
“Try and slash one of the things, Mongo. Fly back to us afterward.”
“Yes, El Capitan!” Mongo slashed into the nearest blob, ripping it into shreds until nothing remained. At the Haunt’s touch, the monster burned. It shrieked in agony as it was torn asunder, drawing the other demons to it. Mongo shot upwards through the rooftop, shooting toward the van.
Mongo received a hero’s welcome. “They die burning, Bluto! I think something in our mutated Haunt DNA causes a visceral reaction.”
“Easy for you to say, Bird-toes. You didn’t need to chomp them. Oh well, maybe they taste like licorice.”
“Oh, yuck, D!”
“Calm down, Brandy. We know how much you like candy. You can wait in the van,” Demon retorted.
“I’ll make the call now,” Mike said.
“Rawlins?” Rayden’s enraged voice answered immediately.
“Hi, Ray… yep, it’s me. Did you like my friend Mongo’s visit?”
“I thought the thing I sent to your place killed you and went off on its own killing spree. When I felt your presence nearing my place. I couldn’t believe it. You and your thing will die tonight!”
“It’s just you and me talking, Ray. So, you can’t control those Radalia monsters, huh? What’s this thing with you taking people hostages and torturing them with those slime demons?”
“I could attract the Radalia, but I can’t control them. I communicated the location of Demon Inc and where I know you sleep. Every day I feed my demonic minions horrific fear, they infuse me with more power. You were all big and bad before. I have a creature capable of ri
pping you apart.”
“I heard you created a special kind of monster. That was for me? Ahhh… you shouldn’t have. Does it do tricks?”
“Why don’t you come find out, big man?”
“I’d be happy to, Ray. Meet me out front in five minutes. Your thing and I will have a contest. Maybe it will save you for a few minutes.”
“My golem will be outside waiting for you. I’m not wasting my time watching him tear your head off. Don’t disappoint my minion. He was created to protect against you. Nothing you can do will save your ass!”
“I guess we’ll see.” Mike hung up. “Get your gear on. Sandy and I are taking out the golem. You bunch get around him with Mongo in front, and D in the back. I’ll blow the door when you’re in position. Blast everything in sight once you clear the door. If the Haunt mixture doesn’t kill the things, retreat while Mongo covers you. Forget question and answer period, D. Rip Rayden’s throat out. Hide behind the gang until you can get a straight shot at him.”
“I love this plan! Guide us Frodo,” Demon ordered. “Once Ripper is in combat, we need you to coordinate. Call retreat if need be, but stay engaged on the network.”
“Once inside the door, we stay together,” Denny said. “We will not be flanked. If the Haunt killing juice doesn’t work, we get out immediately with Mongo covering. The Haunt juice is all we have for weapons against demons.”
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ll be praying,” Connie added. She turned to Stan. “Mist me again with the juice, hon.”
“Drive us to the door, Grant,” Mike said.
“On our way.”
Grant accelerated to the front of the warehouse, where the golem waited stoically, hands at sides. When it sensed the van, the golem’s hands began flexing into fists.
“Damn! That thing is huge,” Janis remarked. “What the hell do you fight a piece of cement with when it doesn’t have a brain to juice, Mike?”
Mike grinned as the Haunt DNA darkness surged through his body in a wild fire of anticipation. “I have some ideas, Jan. Concentrate on what you need to do. Circle widely around the thing once I get its attention. Stay behind me until I test some ideas, Sack. I’ll let you know when to get behind it and open a portal.”
“Okay, Mike,” Sandy replied. She hugged and kissed Nazer. “Stay safe in there, my love.”
“I will.” Nazer looked to Mike. “Please keep her safe, Mike.”
“With my life, Naz. Good luck. See you all on the other side.”
Mike left the van with Sandy near him at the back. “I need to find out how fast it is, Sack. Stay here for a moment.”
Mike used his enhanced quickness to streak around the golem, who only managed to turn. Mike leaped into the air and plunged his colloidal silver coated iron spike to the hilt in the golem’s head. The full force blow dropped the golem to its knees, but it started to rise immediately as Mike ripped his spike out, to the accompaniment of cheers from his companions. The Demon Inc crew continued slipping in a wide arc around the thing on both sides. Mike moved instantly to the side the golem had turned away from, and stabbed the monster to the hilt in its face, yanking the spike free as the golem pawed at it while falling heavily to its back.
As the creature began to rise again without harm, Mike blew open the door at the warehouse front. His crew scrambled inside, led by a blindingly fast Mongo slash attack, ripping black slime demons at every instant past the doorway. The team began blasting everywhere with Haunt killing mixture of colloidal silver, holy water, and iron dust, all charged electronically. To yells of triumph, the black slime burned in steaming piles of shrieking high-pitched squeals. Demon crouched behind Nazer, Gail, and Janis as they made up the middle attack formation.
Rayden ran towards where he spotted Mongo, raising his hands to direct a spell in Latin. Demon crashed into him, driving the startled Kirk to his side. A split second later, Demon ripped his throat out, jaws clamping in a vicious fully engulfing tear. Rayden’s eyes widened in soundless horror as the grinning Demon munched a couple of times. Demon spit the remains out, dropping to inches away from Rayden’s face, his bloody maw the last thing on earth Rayden saw as eternal darkness enveloped him.
“Dummy! Thought you could run with the big dog? Fool!” Demon glanced around distastefully. “Save me one of those slime things. I need to wash my mouth out. I think Rayden was rancid.”
After the Muttley snicker sounded to humorous appreciation, Janis retorted, “you don’t want a taste of these things, D. They smell like burning goat shit.”
“That’s interesting you know what burning goat shit smells like, Brandy.”
“Shut-up, D, you wanker.”
* * *
Mike listened intently to the victory happening inside. “D tore Rayden’s throat out, but Gomer here is still moving, Sack. I think we need to open the portal right behind his feet while I let him paw at me.”
“Whenever you’re ready, Mike.” Sandy slipped in a crouch to the creature’s side. She went unnoticed because the only target it acknowledged kept the golem’s attention by darting in and stabbing it, too fast for the golem’s reactions. “Ready, Mike.”
Mike harnessed the tendrils of darkness into a pencil thin beam of power, willing it to stretch in front of him at only the length he needed. With one swipe, Mike cut the head from the golem’s shoulders. “Now, Sack!”
Sandy opened the Radalia Hell Dimension portal beneath the crumbling golem. It dropped into the clutches of the Radalia monsters, drawn instantly to Sandy’s portal. Mike shielded the area until Sandy closed the portal.
“The golem went on vacation to Radalia, compliments of our dimensional travel agent, the Sack,” Mike announced as he hugged Sandy. “How are things in there?”
“Excellent, Mike,” Denny answered. “We’re coating and dissipating every inch of slime. D did a number on Rayden. That sucker never had a chance. Great plan with D hiding until he could take the shot. We’ll need to get filled tanks to finish.”
“Sandy and I will grab a couple of harnesses and come in to finish. Spray the victims and help them recover the best you can. Once we’re done, I’ll try and soothe their minds from this if it’s possible. Sandy and I need to do one other job. I don’t want two stories with my order for Demon to take out Rayden. What do you think, Denny?”
“I think we need to deposit Rayden with his golem in the hell dimension. The video will show D taking him down and then he disappeared, which will be true.”
Mike smiled at Sandy. “Exactly my thoughts, Den. We’ll get the tanks and be right in for cleanup.”
After opening a portal under Rayden and his throat with Mike’s shielding, Sandy closed her second portal of the day. The team then thoroughly sprayed down the entire warehouse, including the inside roof with Mike and Mongo rising to spray the interior ceiling. The Demon Inc crew gathered the hostages into a line at the warehouse bathroom. They were a mess.
Mike connected with them all in group soothing vibes he threaded into their consciousness before speaking. “Please take your time showering. We made sure there’s plenty of soap and shampoo. While you all do that, we’re preparing an exit for you. We’ll have food and drink in a clean spot where we’ve placed a luncheon table in the office. We have a special treat for you while waiting. You’ve all endured monsters and demons. My Haunt friend can do a paranormal figure most entertainingly. May I present Baby Groot.”
The music from the beginning of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ began playing. “I am Groooooottttttt!”
Mongo slid across the floor, beginning all the movements of the character in the movie to the delight of his audience. He danced, head bopped, gestured and mingled, repeating ‘I am Groot’ in happy tones, concerned tones, and empathetic tones. Baby Groot owned his audience. Some moved further behind in the line just to watch him longer.
“Great idea, Ripper,” Demon said. “They’ve seen it all anyway, and we’re going to have this gem on the SyFy Channel for big bucks. Denny
showed me the outtakes Laura and Joanie coordinated back at Central. They rock the house. By the way, did you get the word Alisha’s coming with an FBI team to sort this out. Laura told me she laughed when I ripped Rayden’s throat out. I think we’ve enticed her all the way to the dark side.”
“She saw what these things had done. All we have is the recording. I’m glad we piped it back to Laura. Steve got stuck in traffic trying to get here. Did you see how excited he was with the recording. Laura networked it to him while he was stuck.”
Demon chuckled. “He kissed his daughter, shook hands, and ran for the hills to find his SyFy contacts with a cobbled together preview. We’re in the money on this one.”
“One very good item became plain. Rayden couldn’t control or conjure the Radalia. The slime demons were bad enough. This warehouse filled to the ceiling with Radalia would have been nightmarish.”
“Agreed. I hope we can wrap this up fast when Alisha gets here. We’re celebrating tonight, brother.”
“Yes indeed. The Frog Brothers are free of the kneelers and football practice. We had a casualty free day wiping out a nest of monsters, and our FBI contact enjoyed the entire show.”
“It’s too bad Mary bailed on you.”
“It’s for the best. She was uncomfortable with any hint of the future. My mom didn’t help, but the truth of the unknown mutations cemented the fact she wanted nothing to do with me possibly changing any more than I have.”
“Humans are strange. She could have enjoyed the ride until it came to that,” Demon replied.
“I care for her. She’ll always be a friend. I think Mar wanted to get on with her life too. I believe her biological clock began ticking in her head with the message she should pursue something more than a fling. I want her to be happy.”
Alisha phoned. “I have a team outside the warehouse, Mike. I see your van and driver. I know better than to walk in with a bunch of agents unaccustomed to your paranormal hit parade.”
“Maybe they need to see, Alisha. These people have been tortured by conjured demons and a self-made Satanist with the power to make a mystical clay creature called a golem. If the agents don’t believe anything paranormal exists, you may as well escort the victims home and forget about it. Rayden’s gone.”
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