by C Bilici
The dog released its hold on the frightened man, barking and snapping at his ankles as he ran in a stumble for the truck. Stacey was fairly sure the wet stain on his crotch was far more than just dog saliva.
The dog sauntered to her side and sat. “Remind me to brush your teeth later,” she said, screwing her face in disgust.
Fanta whimpered.
The truck thundered away, only to circle back, driver’s side window winding down.
“You’re going to get yours, you fuckin’ dyke slut!”
The man’s arm was a blur as he threw something. It flew from the vehicle at Stacey’s head.
Fanta leapt high and caught the missile. With a shake of his head and a low sound in his throat, he crushed the full can of beer, spraying beer and foam across the rough surface.
Staring at the dog as if it were a hound of hell, Vern stomped on the accelerator and the truck took off with a squeal of tyres and smoke.
The bartender put the bat on his shoulder, hands shaking. “I dunno ‘bout you two, but I need a drink.”
“I think I’m gonna have another smoke first,” Stacey said.
“Bring ‘em on inside. Hell knows I don’t want you two out here more than you need be.”
“We don’t need your protection, thank you, sir,” Charlie said.
“You?” he said eyeing the girls and dog suspiciously. “Shit, I want you inside for my protection.” Shaking his head, he pulled his cap off to mop sweat from his brow and wandered inside. “I’ll get out the good stuff.”
“Cheers,” Stacey said, and followed after him. She shot a look over her shoulder at the dog and signalled with a sharp inclination of her head.
Fanta rose and loped up the road after the truck.
Charlie gave her a questioning look. “Fanta’s just going to run an errand,” she said.
Seated in the same stools they’d occupied earlier with fresh drinks, neither of them spoke. The barman left them, saying he had to take a dump.
“I’ve been worried about you since you left the South,” Charlie said finally.
“Why?”
“Because you’ve been all alone.”
“I’m not alone. I’ve got that silly mutt. And I’ve been socialising since joining the Wards of the North.” Charlie didn’t need to know she spent all her free time alone in the cabin that Gary had given her. It was secluded, peaceful.
“That’s not how I hear it,” Charlie said, lighting up.
“You been up to your old spy-fish-lady routine again?” Stacey grabbed the lighter and cigarette case from Charlie. She briefly stared at the defaced swastika and eagle that could still be clearly made out, despite her best efforts.
“Not spying. Checking up on. Worrying about. Especially since Jasper left.”
Stacey nodded and downed a big gulp of whiskey, finishing off the generous amount that had been in the glass. “Yeah, well, long distance relationships can be a real bitch, huh?” She half stood from her perch, feet planted on the foot support, and grabbed the bottle behind the bar.
With a scrape of wood on wood, Stacey pounded several notes on the counter and placed her tumbler on top of it.
“You don’t need to do that,” the bartender said, sounding offended as he returned from the bathroom.
“Why? Are you a charity?”
The man frowned. “Fine.”
“And do me a favour.” She pulled a crumpled card from within her jacket and slipped it in the glass. “Give these folks a call and report that Mustang out front, will you? Give ‘em that card when they come. They’ll know what to do. And whatever you do, do not touch that car!” She slapped Charlie, now also on her feet, on the rear and indicated the front door with her head. “And don’t open the boot— I mean, trunk! Damn Yankees and their silly words.”
“Ahuh,” the bartender said. “And how long will these people of yours be?”
The door opened with the chime of bells. Stacey answered the man without looking back. “Oh, not too long. They’ll just sort of pop in.”
As the door swung shut, she heard the man mutter as he read the card, taking off his cap again to scratch his head. “United Nations Investigative Specialist?”
As they walked up the road after the dog, Stacey chugged from the bottle before handing it over. “So how’s the new job?”
“It’s been very fulfilling,” Charlie answered after her own gulp. “The rebuild of the Southern sector went well. The new training and research facilities are in place. The Cardinals continue to liaise with the UN and other governments. I have a new communicator for you too, by the way, if you want to swing by and pick it up?”
Stacey nodded. She knew everything the girl had told her already. “Speaking of picking up, are you wearing a G-string? You got a hot date later?”
Charlie rolled her eyes. “You got that from a slap on my arse?”
“No! I had Fanta peek up your skirt.” She whistled and winked. “Frilly. Niiice!”
Charlie shook her head. “Yes, I actually do have a date if you must know. So if you could tell me where we’re going and how long we’ll be…”
“Figure we’d get some work in while you’re here. You know, for old time’s sake. That’s if the little bastard left us anything.”
“Work?” Charlie frowned.
“I fucking hate shadow-men,” she said, eyes focused at the road before her.
“Those men? How do you know?”
Stacey tapped her nose. “Well, the dog’s nose. As good as any scanner you have. The Mustang? Belonged to one of their victims.” Stacey stopped, looked up the road then back the way they’d come. No cars and out of view of the roadhouse. “Danica!” she called, looking to the sky.
The visage of the four-armed avatar appeared high above them and dropped one of its juggling clubs, the cable attached to it slid through her fingers to slow its descent.
Lifting her hand up to the apparition, Stacey held her hand out for Charlie, who took it. They re-appeared in the woods somewhere.
“You’ve come a long way.” Charlie said.
“Not really. Only a few miles,” Stacey joked, straight faced. She put her hands on her hips and walked into a clearing strewn with the wreckage of the vehicle that had left them not too long ago. “Fanta!” she growled at the dog.
Charlie stepped back as the dog approached.
The creature now stood taller and thinner than it had been, black tendrils within its fur waving in the air. Its body shrank into itself, and its wild coat receded. It hunched down in the dirt and placed its head on its forepaws, glanced up with a whine.
“You’re such a fucking glory hog!” Stacey said to the animal.
“Well, I can see why you chose to name him after Fenton.”
Stacey glanced at her friend at mention of the name before she moved to check the area. She found two distinct patches of black mess and gore, and a third leading away in a trail through the underbrush.
“Call it in. And watch Fanta,” Stacey said while she walked away, leaving Charlie with the dog to follow the ichor and deal with Vern. “Mama’s got to go to work.”
About the Author
C. Bilici has done many things during his adult life: worked “volunteer” in a video games store, “picked” grapes for his uncle, worked in a busy Western Australian roadhouse in the Swan Valley and in electronics retail, a photocopier monkey, and more recently in escalation roles for a big multinational IT company that has the same initials as a famous boy wizard.
All of this — along with a “healthy” imagination fostered in childhood living in the rural town of Renmark, South Australia before moving to Melbourne, where he still resides — provided very interesting stories and potential victims characters for his works.
Ward is his debut dark urban fantasy novel, the first in a planned series.
You can find him on his webpage www.cembilici.com where you can sign up for a newsletter, and on Twitter @CemBiliciWriter
If you wish to support his w
ork you can also become a patron on Patreon: www.patreon.com/CemBilici
Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Thanks & Dedication
Dedication 2
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
About