by Leo Romero
He tapped his buddy on the shoulder and pointed our way. His pal turned to face us and his jaw dropped. They looked at one another and then back at me. The original one spotted the eyeballs and goatee behind me and jabbed a finger at them. “Blarp!” he exclaimed, which meant ‘Look!’
His friend spun and saw what was behind me. His eyes became saucers and he gasped. By then, the others were all looking at us, either rubbing their eyes in disbelief or staring at us with bug eyes.
We’d been caught.
“I am Perina!” Aurora said from behind me and I facepalmed.
“You will do as I say!” she added.
The hobgobs began conferring. I heard mutterings of ‘Perina’ as they shrugged their shoulders in an exaggerated fashion. They’d totally forgotten about the banshee, who was glaring at us past the hobgobs. The hobgobs continued with their head-scratching for a couple of moments before they reached their unanimous conclusion.
The original hobgob pointed at us with his club and yelled, “Gadunk!” which meant, ‘Kill!’
My heart skipped a beat.
The banshee lifted a bony finger our way and opened up its mouth. It released a screech straight from Hell, which sent everything into a frenzy. The hobgobs faltered under the noise, while I had to cover my ears. The whole cave shook and tremored and we were all caught in the middle of it. So, Aurora decided to give the banshee a lesson in being noisy. She let out a siren blast, which sent the noise level in the tunnel to the stratosphere. The racket hit the cave walls and bounced back again. Over and over. Hobgobs were sent flying as were Zane and I. I watched a goatee float overhead as I was sent sprawling.
“Aurora, stop!” I shouted, but it was like talking into a gust of wind. She didn’t let up. The hobgobs managed to get to their knees and scramble along the tunnel to escape the insane clamor. I clamped my hands over my ears and pressed my face into the slimy, cold stone floor, praying for the noise to end.
My prayers were answered and she finally shut her mouth. My mind still hummed as I looked around. The banshee had fled. Some of the hobgobs had left the scene, a couple lay sprawled on the ground, either unconscious or beaten into submission.
“You okay, Zane?” I asked.
“No,” came Zane’s reply. “But I’ll live.”
“Thanks, Aurora,” I said as I made it up onto my knees.
“Glad to help,” she said and I noticed her beginning to fade back into view, her siren blast somehow negating the effects of the potion. I looked down at my hands and they were starting to fade back in. The shimmering effect of the blast must effect the aura somehow to bring it back—
Argh! Who cared? We needed to get out of there!
Aurora moved ahead of me toward the end of the tunnel. “Coast is clear.”
“Let’s get out of this damn cave,” I said as I got to my feet and staggered over to Aurora. We peeked around the corner into the storage room. It was empty. “Come on, Zane,” I said.
“On my way,” said Zane as I moved through the storage room.
We made it into the tunnel beyond and the hobgobs were huddled in there, trembling with fright. I came to an abrupt halt. I went to grab Excalibur when they all dropped to their knees and began praising us. “Perina, Perina, Perina,” they chanted in unison as they lauded us, bowing down at us.
I grinned. “Hey, whaddayaknow?” I said in pleasant surprise. “It worked.”
Aurora went up to them. “Bow down, foul creatures!” she said. “You will praise me once a day, every day until you die!”
They went into more fervent praise.
I sidled up to Aurora. “Don’t milk it,” I whispered to her. We needed to get out while we were ahead, not get ourselves in more trouble. We left them behind to continue with their adulation unto Perina and finally made it back out of the Cave of Madness and into the Valley of Insanity or Lunacy, whichever it was.
“Ah freedom,” I said, breathing in that fresh valley air. “All right, Aurora, get us to the Angel Guild.”
“What about my car?” Zane asked. “It’s at Graceland Cemetery.”
“We don’t have time. You’ll have to get it later.”
Zane grumbled to himself. Aurora opened up a portal, then closed it. “No,” she said.
“In your own time, A,” I said, tapping my foot. I could’ve used my joker card, but that would’ve taken us back to the cemetery and we needed to get to the Guild asap. But by the time Aurora got a portal to the Guild opened up, we probably could’ve walked there from the cemetery.
She opened up another portal, then closed it down. “No.”
I rolled my eyes. As I did, something in the distance caught my attention. A dark shape in the sky way down at the end of the valley that was getting bigger by the second.
Aurora opened up another bum portal and shut it down. “No.”
My brow knotted and my eyes narrowed. The shape grew larger and I could now see flapping wings. My legs were telling me to run, but I was rooted.
“What is that?” Zane asked, and at first I couldn’t answer.
But as it drew closer and grew even larger, panic set off in my mind. The thing’s tail hung down; it had a giant point at the end of it like an arrowhead. It lifted its head and its long, thick neck jutted upward. It let out a cry and I knew right then we needed to get out of there.
“No,” Aurora said as she opened up yet another wrong portal.
The thing in the sky was now close enough to identify. Scales as green as jade adorned its body, though its belly was soft and yellow. Its head was crowned with horns. It flapped its huge wings some more and it propelled forward with grace and majesty. It gazed down at the world beneath it and opened up its mighty jaws.
“Uh oh,” I said as a column of fire burst from the dragon’s mouth. The stream cascaded down into the valley like a waterfall, scorching the ground. And it was heading our way.
Aurora didn’t even notice it, she was too busy opening and closing portals.
“What the hell—” Zane began, but I was already reaching into my pocket for my Deck of Death.
I sifted through the cards with shaking hands. “Come on! Come on!” I begged, whizzing through playing cards that were useless to me right then.
Aurora had realized something was up and was now staring at Zane’s horrified expression. “What?”
Zane pointed a trembling finger up at the sky, his face ashen.
Aurora turned to face the incoming dragon and the fire bolting from its mouth. “Oh no!” was all she could say, which right then was the understatement of the century.
I rifled through more cards, wondering where the hell he was at, the notion that I might have left him behind rearing its ugly head. I got a blast of heat and I almost crapped myself.
Aurora got busy opening up another portal.
I let out a little gibber of fear, suddenly wondering how I’d taste barbequed, when the joker’s mindless grin greeted me. He was juggling those giant eyeballs without a care in the world, which was the polar opposite of myself right then.
Overhead, the roar of flames dominated the airwaves, the rush of heat intensifying, the flap of the dragon’s wings playing over it like a hellish chorus.
I flipped the joker card on the side and used the bottom edge to tear open a path back to the last place we were on Earth—Graceland cemetery. A rip opened on the air and tombstones awaited beyond.
The roar of fire rocketed in volume and the world turned into a shimmering nightmare. “Get out of here!” I shouted above the noise, my skin suddenly overheating like I was caught in the middle of the Sahara. Aurora had opened up another portal to who knew where. We didn’t have a second to waste. I jumped over, grabbed her by the wrist, and yanked her over to my tear. Zane was already there. I watched him jump through to safety as I leaped into the portal, still pulling Aurora along, my vision dominated by a yellow wall of fire. A giant shadow passed overhead with a rumble that bombarded my eardrums, and I stumbled forward, my mind and
body going into spasms.
A part of me was expecting to be incinerated to a blackened crisp, but instead, I hit cool grass and the shock of it almost caused me to die of fright. I rolled away as if I was trying to douse a body ravaged with fire until I was far away enough to look back. A portal floating on the air with flames dancing out of it faced me.
I backed up, frantic, while Aurora scrambled away over to my right. I gawked at that flaming portal in terror as I continued to back up away from it, the cool grass sending cold shivers coursing through me.
How close had we come to being flambéed? I didn’t wanna think about it.
“Everyone okay?” I asked, my gaze still fixed on the portal. The flames were starting to die down.
Zane had his hands on his knees. He was coughing and spluttering. “Fine,” he managed.
“Aurora?”
“I’m okay,” she said, rising to her feet.
The flames petered out and I immediately jumped over to the portal and zipped it up, making the Valley of Whatever a distant memory. It could go screw itself.
I fell back on the grass and savored the cool feel of it, even if we were in a cemetery.
“What now?” asked Aurora.
I had to catch my breath before answering. “We go to the Angel Guild. We’ve got our weapon to use against the gargoyles.” I grabbed a big breath and led us to the fencing. I took a quick look around before jumping over the fence. We were back on the streets, Zane’s car awaiting us.
The other two joined me and headed straight for Zane’s car. Aurora was about to get in, when she noticed me looking around.
“Come on, Gabe.”
“Just give me a minute,” I said. “You two get in the car and I’ll be right with you, I just need to check on something.”
Aurora gave me a puzzled look. “Are you all right, Gabe?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I just need to clear my head a bit.” It was true. After all the crap of the last few days and just now almost getting incinerated, I just wanted to go for a little stroll to get some air. That and I needed to take a leak, I just didn’t want to admit it. It also gave me a chance to check my phone.
I found a wide alley between a closed store and an abandoned building and walked down it, pulling out my phone. I found myself flanked either side by high walls, so it was nice and secluded.
Believe it or not, I actually own a smartphone. I just hardly ever switch it on for reasons which will become obvious. I switched it on and it lit up like a pinball machine. I had a gazillion missed messages and five billion voice messages. Oh joy.
I walked down the alley while I listened to them on loudspeaker. First it was my provider trying to sell me stuff. “Hi, Gabriel! Have you ever wanted—” No, I haven’t. Delete. Next up was a message from Lucy.
“Daddy!” I flinched back. “Where are you? I’ve been trying to call you for ages! Any news on my horse?”
Yeah, bagged him ages ago. Next.
A message from Smith. “Mr. Stone. I wanted to let you know that Cassandra has detected an increase in gargoyle activity within the last day or so. There appears to be a sharp increase in gargoyle numbers.”
I frowned. The angels were all safe and sound at the Guild, so it couldn’t be angel souls being used to raise the gargoyles. Maybe Skalanis or whoever it was controlling them was getting regular people’s souls just to increase the numbers. That meant he was ready for a big attack. Not good.
“I thought you may find this information useful,” Smith told me before ending the message.
Yeah. Thanks, Smith. Although I didn’t like it. I’d have to keep my wits about me. I went to the next message. Lucy again. I rolled my eyes.
“Daddy! I’m getting fed up of you not answering. I haven’t seen you in ages! What kind of father leaves his daughter to fend for herself?”
A pang of guilt struck me in the heart.
“I’ve told everyone about my horse and you’ve gone missing. Again! Call me!”
I let out an exasperated breath as the next message played. The name on the screen read, ‘Guild’. My heart skipped a beat.
“Gabriel!” Jerome.
“Gabriel, we’re under siege.”
My eyes widened.
“There are gargoyles surrounding the Guild. We’re barricaded in. Get here, quick!”
Holy moly, how old was that message? My sense of time was all messed up.
Lucy came on again. “Daddy!”
“Ah, shut up, Lucy!” I said and switched off the phone. Her and her stupid horse could wait.
My mind was suddenly racing in a million directions. I’d staggered down to the end of the alley in a stupor, my body working on autopilot, thoughts shouting in my mind like angry kids. The others at the Guild were under siege. They needed me. I needed to get back and help them!
I went to turn and race back to Zane’s car, when I came to an abrupt halt, my heart stopping in my chest.
From nowhere, there was a gun sticking in my face.
Chapter 18
I only saw it at the last moment, the muzzle like a black hole straight to Hell itself. Luckily for me, Aurora saw it before me. By the time the words, ‘oh shit, gun’ registered in my mind, both myself and whoever had that gun jammed into the side of my head were launched into the air under a sonic blast. The world spun by in a nauseating carousel, my tender mind whirling like a typhoon. My back smashed into a brick wall and pain thundered through me. I crashed onto the concrete below and the pain had second helpings.
Thanks, A, I said in my frazzled mind. Good job she disobeyed me and followed me down that alley or I’d be dead. My woozy eyes came into focus and I saw who’d been about to shoot me: a guy in a black suit and black tie propped up on his hands and knees. Aurora’s sonic blast had done something to his face. It had kind of distorted, revealing gray, leathery skin beneath, riddled with black veins like the branches of a tree. His head snapped my way and the fangs in his mouth gleamed under the light emanating from the streetlights at the end of the alley. He caught me looking at him and decided to just drop the masquerade. Any Chinese features he had left melted like wax to reform into a pointy-eared, bat-like thing with holographic cat’s eyes and a snout housing two giant nostrils. Wiry, black hair curled out the top of his head between those Vulcan-like ears. But freakishly, he still had his suit on.
I nodded in ominous understanding. He was a vampire. It was the triads. Coming to complete their hit on me. The one Duante warned me about what felt like a century ago.
He snarled and leaped to his feet, his creepy, long-fingered hands splayed out to the sides. I got light magic up in my palms as fast as I could, ready to blast the sucker. The moment I did, more bodies ran into the alley to join him. I watched them tear out of their black suits as they shifted from human form to vamp. Before I knew it, the mouth of the alley was full of vampires. Ugly mofos with twisted snarls and leathery skin stretched tight over bone and tough muscle. They snarled and hissed like rabid cats. They glowered at me, their eyes glowing, their disgusting claws at the ready to tear me apart.
I drew Excalibur and imbued him with light magic.
“The air is stricken with a foul stench,” said Arthur.
“That’ll be the vampires, Art,” I quietly replied.
We stood off for a second, Aurora and Zane standing somewhere behind me. “Stay back,” I told them.
“Whatever you say, Gabriel,” Zane replied.
The vamp in the lead of the throng released a screech that made my stomach turn. It was the signal to dive in. They went to rush me when a shrill howl from behind us all split the tension in two. We all spun in unison as something leaped down into the alleyway behind us, slamming into the ground. It rose up on its hairy hind legs over six feet tall, its rippling muscles covered in black fur. It glared at us with amber-colored eyes, while it took ragged breaths in and out through its snout. It pulled its rubbery lips back to reveal two rows of deadly, sharp fangs.
A cartel super werewolf.
Great, my night just got even better!
The werewolf set off. He galloped through the alleyway toward us, his slick tongue lolling from his open jaws.
My stomach clenched.
I saw Aurora suck in a deep breath to get another siren blast going. But the werewolf was stampeding too fast. Before she could get her scream out, the werewolf was on her.
“No!” Zane’s yell echoed through the alleyway. He leaped in front of the beast’s mighty claw as it sliced the air on its way toward Aurora’s head. My eyes bulged. The brave little bastard caught the blow full on as he wedged himself between the claw and Aurora. The talons tore across his chest, ripping his turtleneck open. I saw blood spurt before his body was flung into the wall under the impact. He caught Aurora with an elbow on the way, knocking her out of the game. Both of them slumped to the alley floor in crumpled heaps.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed, terrified, concerned, and amazed all at once.
The werewolf continued on its juggernaut journey through the alley, his wild glare focused on me. He didn’t want the vampires to claim the hit; he wanted me for himself. He swiped his claw across the air once more, aiming for my head. I hit the deck, the claw splitting the air above me in half. My heart slammed in my chest, terror marching through my veins like a crazed army of ants. Ahead of me, the vampires came scuttling in.
Next thing I knew I was watching vamp claws scrape through the air. But they were aimed at the werewolf above and behind me. I winced as feral howls echoed all around me like I was back in the Forest of Death. I rolled to the side, away from the horde of bodies, and made it to my feet. Ahead of me, vampires were clawing away at the werewolf, who was clawing away at them in return. Black blood spurted up from wounds, cat-like screeches ruptured the air. I watched a vamp clamp its jaws down on the werewolf’s upper arm. The werewolf howled in agony. It reached back, picked up the spindly vamp and threw it like it was a piece of trash. It slammed into the alley wall, leaving a blotch of black blood as it collapsed to the ground. The werewolf scraped its talons toward another vamp, shredding its outstretched wing like he was taking a blade to a curtain. There was a harsh ripping sound and the vampire spun away screeching, its face contorted in severe anguish. It came staggering my way and got in my face. Its eyes zoned in on me and it lunged, its fangs bared. I reacted on instinct. I jammed my free palm into its face. There was a loud sizzle and pop as my divine light burned it like sunlight. The thing’s screeches increased to ear-splitting proportions as its face melted like cheese on a pizza. Its cheeks blackened and crackled. One of its eyes popped like sausages on a barbeque. It twirled in a small circle of pure agony, its trembling claws up to its charred face.