It opened with a loud squeal.
So much for surprise.
He pulled the pistol out of his pocket, flicked the safety off and stepped through the gate. The light didn’t quite carry past the first few feet of the entrance.
“Reller, you in there?”
There was no answer. He stood still and let his eyes adjust to the dark. Just in front of him there was a faint orange glow coming from what looked like a hole in the floor. He took a few steps and was soon right on the edge of it. It was long and rectangular, about four feet by three feet and he could make out steps leading down to another level beneath the mausoleum.
He put his foot down on the first step. It was solid granite. He held the gun in front of him and made his way down the steps. Once his head was clear, he was able to make out a large room with what looked like shelves on either side. Sitting on the shelves was a jumble of broken coffins and bones. The glow he was seeing came from the far end of the room, where a large candle was lit. It sat atop the only intact coffin and even it looked rotten and damp.
He paused to let his eyes adjust to the gloom. There was nothing to see. As his eyes searched the candle glow, he felt a tickle on the back of his neck. He spun around but there was nothing.
“I’ve been waiting a while for you.”
The voice came from his left, in the dark corner furthest from him. It was gravelly and muffled, as if speaking through a mouthful of dirt. Javier pulled the gun up and sighted in the direction of the voice.
“I wouldn’t pull that trigger if I were you,” it continued. “There’s nothing but granite here.”
He kept the gun up. The voice wasn’t Reller. That much he knew. He still couldn’t make out the speaker though.
“Why don’t you step out from that corner so I can see you?” Javier asked.
His hands were tight around the gun. He knew if he fired, the bullet would ricochet. Still, he was willing to take his chances if he needed to.
“Not yet,” the voice chuckled. “That wouldn’t be a good idea at this point.”
“Glad you could make it,” Reller said. Javier spun around to find him sitting at the top of the stairs. Next to him sat the coyote. Reller had one hand on the scruff of the animal, stroking his fingers through the fur. The other hand sat in his lap. Javier raised the gun.
“Go ahead. Shoot me if you want.”
“With pleasure.”
From the far corner, Javier heard something rustling. He looked back around, the gun still extended toward Reller, but there was nothing there.
“You really should put the gun down,” said Reller. “It’s not going to do you any good and the sooner you start acting civil, the sooner we can get down to discussing how things are going to be run from now on in Ogden Wash.”
Javier snarled, “Have you lost your fucking mind?”
“Not at all,” said Reller still smiling.
Javier glanced over to the coyote. It flicked an ear, opened its mouth and said, “Seriously, put the gun down.”
Javier did a double take. The hand with the gun dropped down by his side and he took a step backward.
“Cool, huh?” said Reller.
Javier looked back at him, then at the coyote. It stood and descended the stairs. When it reached the bottom, it moved toward the corner where the voice was and sat down, idly licking at a paw.
“That didn’t just happen,” said Javier.
The coyote looked up.
“Oh yes, it did.”
“Like I said,” Reller began as he stood and walked down the stairs, “things have changed around here.”
He sat down on one of the bottom steps and rested his elbows behind him.
“You see, this is what we call regime change,” he continued.
Javier felt the air get colder around him and when he turned he saw the voice from the corner had a face. It was about ten feet from him and what passed for its skin was black as pitch. It squatted on haunches that resembled a rooster’s legs only they were more muscular, powerful. Its nose was pressed in as well, giving it the impression of having jowls except where skin and muscle should be there was exposed bone and rotting tissue. Otherwise, its body looked like that of a large ape, it’s barrel chest supporting gigantic arms that rested on the floor.
Javier took a step back from it and the ape thing smiled. Its liquid yellow eyes pulled up at the corners and it’s mouth, toothless and wet grinned like a lunatic.
“So you’re Javier Quintana,” it said, it’s rotten breath washing over him. “Young Jason here has told me so much about you.”
One eye, all yellowy puss with a blood red pupil began to run down its cheek like an egg yolk. The thing blinked it back into place and stood up on its squat legs. It took a shuffling step forward.
“You can put the gun down,” it said. “If I were going to kill you outright, you’d already be dead. Jason can attest to that.”
“I feel better with it like this,” Javier replied.
The ape thing barked a laugh, “Like a child with his blanket, no?”
Reller giggled and Javier spun around at the sound. He aimed the gun squarely at Reller’s forehead.
“Keep laughing, motherfucker.”
Reller smirked, “You wouldn’t even get a chance to pull the trigger.”
Javier squeezed but just before the trigger went back, something like a sledgehammer crashed into his hand and sent the gun flying. Javier dropped to a crouch in hopes of heading off his attacker but there was no one there. The ape thing sat exactly where it had been, half shrouded in darkness and barking its weird laugh.
“Told you,” Reller taunted from the steps.
Javier’s hand throbbed. He was certain there was a broken bone there somewhere.
“You didn’t tell me this one has so much fight,” the ape thing said. “He was pulling the trigger, Jason. He really does not like you at all.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Reller replied.
The ape thing stood up and did an awkward lope toward Javier. Without the gun he had nowhere to go except the stairs. Reller was there but he was pretty sure even if he tried to make a run for it, this thing could catch him. It stopped a foot in front of him and raised itself up so that it looked at him eye to eye. The cold enveloped Javier and cut right through his jacket down to his bones.
“He’s a strong one.”
Javier could feel it’s rancid breath on his own lips as it spoke.
“He’s not afraid either.”
Javier remained quiet. He stayed focused on the ape thing. He could see it was naked and its phallus hung half erect and almost to the floor. The whole body was covered with a light black hair and there were large packets of flesh covering its chest and shoulders. Each one pulsed and moved on its own, as if suckling from the thing’s body.
Inside, Javier was a jumble of emotion. This was unlike even the worst hallucination he’d ever had, but at the same time, he was more pissed off than he’d ever been in his life. It overpowered his fear completely. He was not scared of dying and not scared of whatever this thing was. He only wanted to make sure that if he died, Reller went with him. He felt the hair on his arms bristle and began judging the distance he’d have to cover to get to Reller.
“Temper, temper,” the ape thing chided and subtly slid over so he was partially between the two. “Jason here said you’ve had quite the operation going on in my town. I admire your ambition. You know, there was a time before this place had a name, when the entire valley, as far as the eye could see, belonged to me. Every living thing within it existed because I allowed it to do so. All I asked was that occasionally,” it glanced towards Reller, “respects be paid.”
It shot a fist the size of a lunchbox out and directly into Javier’s groin. He dropped to the floor, hands between his legs as jets of agony shot through his abdomen.
“How are you feeling now, big man?” Reller was still grinning like a jackal from his place on the stairs.
Javier cl
enched his jaw against the pain as he felt something brush the back of his head. It was wet and slick.
“There are two things I crave, Mr. Quintana,” the voice whispered in Javier’s ear. “One is like dinner and the other like dessert.”
Javier felt a paw wrap itself around the back of his head. It pulled him up from the floor like it was palming a basketball. The pain from the punch was still wrecking his abdomen but he couldn’t remain curled up. He found himself within a few inches of the thing’s face.
“The first is sheer unadulterated pain,” the thing said. “I can’t even describe to you how succulent it tastes.”
The thing pulled him close and locked its lips around his own. Javier couldn’t breathe, but he could taste the rotting flesh in the ape thing’s mouth. It felt as if something was being pulled from him. Then suddenly, it let go.
Javier gasped for breath. Every one he pulled in tasted like sun baked fish guts. The thing was still holding him and looking in his eyes again.
“The second thing I crave is what you would call a ‘soul’,” it said. “They’re harder to come by and sweet like chocolate. I like them black. The darker, the better, but I’ll take them however I can get them. When Coyote brought me young Jason here, I got a faint whiff and could tell he wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I cut the boy a deal though. He promised me something more to my tastes and a steady supply afterward.”
Javier felt the hand squeeze his skull to the point where he thought the bones would break. He clenched his jaws, refusing to scream.
“Jason told me all about your little group. I have to admit, I don’t find you nearly as distasteful as he does. In fact, I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as I can.”
Javier refused to scream. His arms flailed and he groped around, looking for anything he could grab onto.
“The thing is though,” it continued, “I have a broader objective than just feasting on you folks for a while and for that, I need a good right hand man.”
Reller leaned forward and put his hands on his knees.
“That would be me,” he said and stood up. He walked toward the ape thing and Javier. As he got closer, Javier battled the cobwebs of pain shooting through him and focused on Reller. This was it. He was sure he was going to die, but if Reller would just come a few feet closer he may be able to take the son of a bitch with him.
“Oh my!” said the ape thing. It moved a step away from Reller and relaxed its grip on Javier so that he dropped to his knees. He kneeled there breathing hard, still trying to get that taste out of his mouth and still feeling the aches of the punch.
“You know, Jason,” said the ape thing, “He really, truly hates you. Even now, he’s not thinking about his own well-being. He’s thinking about how to kill you.”
Reller stood looking down at Javier.
“Good luck trying, you arrogant prick,” he said and lashed out with a kick to Javier’s head. It caught him by surprise and sent him backwards on the stone. He clutched at his temple. His vision was getting black around the edges now and his equilibrium was going crazy.
The ape thing took a step between them again and knelt down in front of Javier. It reached a hand out to him, touched his head and Javier felt the world steady. His vision cleared and he focused again on Reller.
“You know,” the ape thing said. “I made a promise to Jason here that he would be my right hand man. He would be the one who would help me bring this place back to where it rightfully belongs, but I made that decision when I was in a moment of extreme weakness. Perhaps I should rethink my commitments here.”
For the first time, Reller’s smile faltered, “What do you mean?”
“I’m just looking out for my own best interests,” it turned to look at Reller. “When I came across you, I needed sustenance. I needed something that would make me strong again. You’ve delivered everything I’ve asked, but now perhaps the game has changed. In order to bring together what I want, I need someone with more determination.”
Javier had pulled himself up to his feet and toward Reller. His fists were clenched and the hate in his eyes was unmistakable.
“You promised me I’d be your man,” Reller said.
The ape thing took a shuffling step backwards and with one long arm gestured from Reller to Javier.
“And you may still be,” it said. “How badly do you want it, Jason?”
Javier sprung. He hit Reller chest high with all of his weight, pushing him back toward the stairs. As he fell, Reller turned, smacking his ribs hard against the steps. He reached out for Javier’s face, hoping for an eye. Instead, he felt his thumb wrap over the teeth and tongue.
Javier bit down hard. He felt the other man’s blood run down over his lips and yanked. There was a snap and pop of bone and gristle as Reller screamed and tried to pull away. Javier put a fist down hard on Reller’s own mouth. He felt the man’s lips split, and he reared back and hit again. This time teeth gave. Reller was still trying to pull his hand back from Javier’s mouth, trying to get his thumb back but Javier was clamped down tight and even as Reller flailed with his other hand, Javier leveled a third punch to Reller’s face. The red-haired man’s head rocked back, bits of brittle teeth flecked on his bloody lips. He stopped flailing, dazed as Javier finally spit out Reller’s thumb. Straddling him, Javier grabbed Reller’s head between both of his hands and began slamming it back against the sharp edge of the steps. The man’s eyes flew wide open and then began rolling backwards as Javier continued to pound away, the corner of the step biting into the back of Reller’s skull. With each blow, more red, wet blood spread along the step, pooling beneath the man’s body. Reller began began kicking in spasms, arms twitching and his eyes rolling back and forth.
Javier let go of him and instead began pummeling his face again; each blow punctuated by a grunt. His eyes were feral, his lips stained red. He felt Reller’s nose give way first, then the bones under his eye sockets. He continued to pound until he felt a vice-like hand squeeze down on his shoulder.
“Well done, Javier.”
He stopped punching, breathing rapidly, trying to catch his breath from the effort. He turned and looked at the ape thing. It crouched next to Reller’s ruined face and stared intensely at Javier.
“You didn’t leave me much of a meal,” it said. “I need to keep them alive and preferably conscious. He’s really neither at this point. We’ll need to work on that if you’re going to serve me.”
Javier was still raging. His adrenaline was coursing and even though Reller was lying dead in front of him, the sight of the man made him want to pummel the body more.
“You hate him for his weakness, don’t you?” asked the ape thing.
Javier looked up surprised at hearing his own words spoken back to him.
“He was a waste of a life, a roadblock. Worse, he was a danger, a weak point that could have led to your demise. Just look at what led to this,” the thing purred. “You want to beat what’s left of him until you can’t stand up anymore and even then, you’d still long for more. I admire that, Javier. I really do. You want it so badly you can practically taste it.”
The ape thing shuffled around the body. Javier was watching it now, his blood still boiling.
“That’s a peculiar expression actually,” it continued, “but very apropos in this case. Do you know where it comes from?”
Javier didn’t answer.
“There was a time when temples were built in my name and warriors took slaves to sacrifice to me. I would send them into battle so incensed, they could smell their enemy’s blood and to them, it smelled good. When they would fight, they would savor that taste when it hit their lips.
“The ones who became my generals, the ones who I gave riches, power, all they desire, they were the ones who knew that victory was the taste of your enemy’s blood. I can smell their blood running in your veins, Javier. It’s been watered down over the generations but there are still traces. You can feel it too.”
The thi
ng bent down and put a hand under Reller’s neck. He pulled the body up like a limp rag doll and spun it around in front of him. The back of Reller’s skull was split wide and bits of blood and brain hung in clumps from the wound. The thing held the body forward in one hand.
“You are much more than General material though, Javier. Believe me, I can tell. In fact, I owe you more than you can possibly imagine.”
Still seething, Javier’s gaze shifted from Reller’s body to the thing in front of him.
It grinned a toothless grin and continued, “It was blood spilled by your own hand that opened the door to bring me back here. It had been years, Javier. Years of sitting and waiting for someone like you to come along and spill a few blood offerings in the desert to let me back in. Let me tell you, I suffered every second just as you would have. There are no special exceptions for Gods, Javier. Time flows at its own pace. The first drops I tasted… his name was Quesada I believe. You killed him for bringing drugs into your bar openly and disrespecting you. Those drops were like water to a dying man.”
Its stare bored into Javier’s eyes.
“Now, things are moving along very quickly and in order for me to see this through to the end, I’m going to need more than just a General, Javier. I am going to need someone who can command true power. You have it within you to wield that and I can grant it to you, happily so. You’ve given me a chance to claim what’s rightfully mine and for that Javier, I can make you powerful. You will have everything you’ve desired. But it comes at a price.”
Javier’s bloody fists clenched, his eyes shone. No more obstacles. No more waiting.
“Name it,” he said.
“Give your allegiance to me. Swear it.”
“I swear it,” Javier said.
The thing smiled, “Do it again, but on your knees.”
Javier knelt down, the rage from his murder of Reller continued to consume him. He was looking at the thing as it blinked its watery eyes into place. The packets of flesh on its chest and shoulders were all pulsing out of sync, but as he stared at it he saw it differently. The ape thing was larger, two or three heads high. It stood atop a stone pedestal and its mouth was no longer toothless, its eyes no longer watery and soft. It was hard, a God, and it deserved to be honored and worshiped.
The Wash Page 21