Petrichor

by R J Johnson

  He swallowed the hunger back, forcing the feeling back down, and hoped it would go away. Unfortunately, he knew that if he wanted to ever eat anything ever again, he needed to get moving and away from the twisted hunting party.

  Unfortunately, there was only one way out of the canyon and it was through their campsite.

  He crept around the rocks lining the canyon walls, clutching the sides, trying desperately to stay quiet lest he alert the dogs currently warming themselves by the fire that their masters had made.

  One of the pups looked up sharply in his direction and he froze, closing his eyes, praying that the cur couldn’t smell him. But after four days without a shower, Johan was pretty sure dogs in Paris could smell him from here.

  The dog laid his head back down and Johan was relieved. He rose and began to creep forward, winding her way through the thick brush.

  Edging his way closer, he looked around for a better way to get through.

  One of Halprin’s men stood to place another log on the fire. Johan froze in place.

  “Let it burn out…” he heard the billionaire grumble. “We don’t want him spotting us.”

  “Who cares if he does?” the man replied. “What could he possibly do against the four of us?”

  Charles Halprin stood, staring at his assistant. The man, realizing he’d overstepped his bounds, quickly made his way over to the canteen and began pouring some water into a bucket sitting nearby. Charles stood and moved over to the man, placing a hand on his stopping the water from flowing.

  The man nervously set the canteen down and backed away, his eyes cast downward.

  “You’ve forgotten the lesson of Mr. Ari then so quickly?” Charles asked softly. “Ari Cohen was one of the finest hunters I’ve ever known, and yet, this man, who had none of Ari’s advantages, was able to strike him down like a dog in the street.”

  “I’m just saying,” the assistant said looking nervous, “if we’re staying together, he won’t stand a chance.”

  “Have you ever hunted Mr. Halprin?” Charles asked the man, his voice becoming dangerous.

  “From the African safari to the backwaters of Louisiana…” the man replied, his eyes remaining fixed to the ground.

  “Then you know the nature of a cornered animal, do you not?” Charles’s voice was icy. Johan shuddered hearing the man. The billionaire’s assistant sat down, his head hunkered down low as he was berated by his boss.

  “There’s a vast ocean of difference between hunting gators and the pursuit of a human being who can think just as fast as you can…” Charles said, looming over the man who dared speak up. “Do you understand? This is not some terrified doe running through the fields as you take a bearing on her with a scope from three hundred yards. This is someone who can turn on you and end your life just as quickly as you design to.

  “You don’t take chances when it comes to something that doesn’t understand fear,” Charles said.

  The young man murmured something Johan couldn’t quite catch, but the reaction from Charles was not a good one.

  The billionaire raised his hands and beat the man mercilessly, finishing him off by tossing his assistant onto the flickering fire. The man howled in pain as he rolled off the embers, his coat still burning.

  Charles stood over the man fingering the pistol that was stuck haphazardly in his waistband eyeing his assistant carefully.

  The man’s moans echoed through the canyon. Charles Halprin shook his head and spat on the man. He turned to the rest of his party who’d watched their boss beat their friend in silence. They were paid too well to say anything.

  “Clean him up, extinguish the fire and get some rest. We’ve got an early start tomorrow.” Charles looked up at the craggy mountain peaks ahead. “He won’t be far. I intend to collect my trophy by tomorrow afternoon.”

  Johan leaned back against the cold rough rock watching the hunting party settle down for the night. He was stuck and would have to wait until they broke camp in the morning.

  Despite the freezing conditions and complete lack of shelter, it probably wouldn’t take long for him to fall asleep.

  And it didn’t. As he waited for dawn to break, Johan found himself dozing in and out of consciousness. As time passed, and dawn grew closer, he Johan felt himself feeling safer. That is, right up until he heard another voice coming from the campground.

  “Did you hear that?”

  The voice came from the camp and the sound of it jerked Johan out of his reverie. It hardly felt like any time had passed at all, but by the pink haze on the eastern horizon, it was nearing dawn.

  “What?”

  Johan immediately recognized the voice belonging to Charles Halprin.

  “I think I heard someone snoring out there,” Halprin said. He stood and walked to the edge of their camp. “I swear I heard it.”

  “Had to be some animal rooting around,” Charles answered, his voice still sounding sleepy. “I realize you’re looking to impress me my dear Mr. Mosely, but, this is not the way to do it.”

  Mosely didn’t answer his boss, he only stared off into the pitch black. It only took a moment for Johan to realize that he was staring directly at him. He swallowed and clutched the stone tight to his chest, wondering just how long he had left to live.

  “He’s back there!” Mosley shouted.

  Johan’s eyes went wide and he scrambled back, rocks scraping against each other, making enough noise to show the entire camp exactly where he was.

  Shots rang out as chaos erupted around the camp. Johan moved up the hill, grabbing at any root, or branch nearby that might help him ascend the steep hill he’d found himself against.

  A shot PINGED close to his head and he shied away, looking back down the hill toward the camp where Charles Halprin was aiming his rifle at him.

  Another shot rang out, and this time, Halprin’s bullet found its target. Johan screamed in pain, as a red hot fire cut its way up his arm, slicing the tender meat of his bicep. Blood poured out of his arm, and Johan turned, looking down at the billionaire who looked strangely satisfied.

  The dogs were scrambling up the hill, and were only moments away from snatching him up in their massive jaws. He screamed in terror and held out his hands, hoping to bat one, or both of the dogs away before their jaws ripped him in two.

  But instead of feeling his throat being ripped out, a deluge of water began flowing, and hit the first dog about to reach him smack in the nose with the full force of a fire hydrant uncorked on a hot summer’s day.

  The beast yelped and tumbled head over heels down the slope. Johan turned, aiming the stone’s powerful deluge towards the second dog who was coming after him. Both dogs were blown out of the way as Charles looked up at him with wide open eyes.

  Johan’s eyes narrowed and he began concentrating the deluge of water to head for the billionaire. The hunting party looked up at the oncoming flash flood in wonder and fear as it began sweeping away the trees, boulders and other fauna that inhabited the thick forest near the Halprin’s home.

  Johan watched with some pleasure as the water swept everything away. Trees, boulders, rocks, created a whole mountain’s worth of debris that destroyed the tiny camp, Halprin had set up for his people.

  He turned and began running for the nearest sign of human civilization. It was time for him to get home to his wife.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Scott clutched the screaming billionaire in his dragon claws as they floated high above San Francisco. He spotted what he was looking for and went into a dive.

  Hordes of screaming tourists fled Coit tower as the dragon landed softly on the top of the iconic building in the San Francisco skyline. JT Halprin was dropped from a dozen feet above on the roof of the white tower and he fell, screaming as his body thudded painfully on the roof of the landmark.

  Scott shifted back into his normal human form, approaching JT Halprin slowly, circling the prostrate billionaire as he moaned in pain.

  “Do you remember me?” S
cott asked quietly. “You were so interested in meeting Molly and I once upon a time. I sometimes wonder if you even remember what her name was… You watched her die after all. I’d like to think that’d be something that never leaves someone.”

  JT Halprin shielded his eyes and looked up in wonder at Scott, “You?” he croaked.

  Scott nodded staring down at the man who killed the love of his life and stole his life’s work.

  “I would have done anything to keep our project going, but you just had to kill her…” Scott said mournfully. “She wasn’t a threat to you. I could have convinced her. I could have shown her all the good we could’ve done together.

  Scott turned and watched the sun set across the bay.

  “She was everything to me,” he whispered. “Molly showed me what it was to LIVE, not just exist.” Scott turned back to the billionaire, who had sat up. “Have you ever loved anyone like that before in your life?”

  JT Halprin shook his head. Scott nodded as if he expected that and kept talking.

  “Then you don’t understand what it is to lose it.”

  Scott stepped toward the man, each foot placed deliberately as he drew closer to the man. His right hand shifted into a huge grizzly paw, and he held it up ready to take the man’s head off.

  “SCOTT!” Alex shouted from across the roof. “Stop!”

  Scott whirled and confusion came over his face. “Alex…? How…?”

  Alex stepped forward, holding his hands out showing he wasn’t a threat to his friend. “I jumped off the roof following you and scaled down the building ‘til I was able to grab a police car. I followed you here.”

  Alex approached his friend, “It’s time to give the stone back Scott…”

  Scott didn’t react and only stared down at JT Halprin with pure hatred in his eyes. “Not until this man PAYS for what he did to my Molly!”

  “You don’t want to do this Scott…” Alex said softly. “You don’t want to become like him. Trust me.”

  “What do you know?!?” Scott screamed. “You were gone! Molly was everything to me! She loved me like no one else ever has in my life. She showed me what it was to be human. She showed me what it was to hope for the future and this man took all that away from me. And for what? So he could present our work to his shareholders as his own and make a few pennies more on their stock options?”

  “His choices don’t make it right for you to throw everything about yourself away!” Alex pleaded. He stepped closer to his friend. “I lived what you’re going through Scott. I killed people. People who deserved to die and people who didn’t. What I didn’t know was that I don’t get to decide who lives and who doesn’t. Killing someone changes you in a ways you just aren’t prepared for.”

  Scott roared and turned, advancing on his friend, “She died because of him! He killed her. He has to pay!”

  Scott shifted into a grizzly bear and rushed Alex, swiping at his friend’s body with a massive paw. Unprepared, Alex was thrown back up against the retaining wall. The grizzly roared and charged once more at Alex.

  Alex’s eyes went wide and he moved out of the way just in the nick of time. The grizzly slammed into the wall, and was knocked back, dazed. He took the opportunity to get up and retreat far away from his rampaging friend.

  The grizzly got up and shook its massive head clearing the cobwebs. He turned and saw JT cowering in fear and he roared. The massive beast began lumbering quickly over to JT as Scott moved to finish the job.

  “NO! I won’t let you!” Alex shouted. He used the Stone of Fire and summoned up a curtain of fire to surround the cowering billionaire. The grizzly roared in frustration, rising up on his hind legs right before the fire.

  Scott turned, the massive weight of the grizzly plodding toward Alex.

  “LET ME TAKE HIM,” it was rough, and nearly unintelligible, but there was no mistaking Scott’s voice coming from the animal.

  “You’ve got your revenge already, can’t you see that?” Alex demanded. “You’ve killed his servers, deleted your work. You’ve destroyed everything he’s worked for. He’s finished. He’ll never hurt anyone ever again.”

  “IT’S NOT ENOUGH!” the grizzly roared.

  “It’ll never be enough…” Alex replied softly. “We started this thing with the idea all we were doing was finding out what happened and deleting your work. Now you’re ready to graduate to murder?”

  Alex stood up and breathed out slowly. The curtain of fire surrounding the billionaire faded from view and JT looked up in terror, exhausted.

  “You really want to know what it is to take a life, then you go ahead. I could stop you if I wanted. I could even heal the man as often as you tried to kill him. But what would that accomplish? What would that do? I’d still lose my friend…”

  The Grizzly looked at Alex and back at JT who was cowering in the corner, wondering who would win the argument.

  What neither of them could see, was the tiny handheld version of the PHASER rifles that had given Alex so much trouble over the last day and a half currently clutched in the billionaire’s hand. His company had created the prototypes for the DoD years ago and his personal handheld version was a new prototype his people had come up with.

  He used it for personal protection and on the ‘hunts’ he and his brother went on. His brother Charles liked killing his prey, but JT preferred to catch and release his victims. That way, he could do it over and over again. He never tired of the desperate looks on his quarry’s faces every time he caught up to one.

  While the pair argued over whether to kill him or not, JT had taken the chance to pull his weapon out and bring it to bear. Whatever magic or technology was at work here, he figured the PHaSeR gun was his best chance of getting out of this alive.

  Alex watched his friend think it over. He knew he could never understand the pain his friend was in. But maybe, just maybe, he could help him avoid the mistakes he’d made.

  “Scott, trust me…” Alex said softly, “Karma will get him in the end. You have to believe me.”

  The grizzly looked back at Alex and a tear fell from its eye. Scott shifted back into his human form, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. Alex stepped up and hugged his friend, hoping to save him from his grief.

  “It’s all right buddy, I got you,” Alex said.

  Unfortunately for the two of them, JT saw his opportunity. He pulled out the PHaSeR and pulled the trigger.

  A brilliant flash of light and energy struck Alex in his back and he cried out in pain. Scott looked over at the billionaire and cried out as another bolt from the handheld PHaSeR struck him. The shapeshifting stone flew out of Scott’s hand, landing precariously on the edge of the tower they found themselves on.

  Scott and Alex fell over, paralyzed by the billionaire’s weapon.

  JT Halprin rose slowly and made his way over to Scott and Alex.

  “What a charming pair you two make…” JT sneered above them.

  Alex turned painfully on his back, struggling to one knee, hoping that he might be able to get to his feet, but JT waved him off with the gun. Alex halted his advance, his hand holding onto the retaining wall of Coit tower and his eyes narrowing at the sight of the strange weapon.

  He showed Alex and Scott the portable PHaSeR gun. “Amazing piece of technology isn’t it? The wonders of what our R&D department can accomplish… then again, you know the full extent of our power don’t you Mr. Ermy?”

  Scott whimpered as the energy played over him painfully. JT leaned down and picked up Scott, hauling him painfully toward the edge of Coit Tower.

  Alex tried to summon up a ball of flame, anything that might push the defense contractor back and away from hurting his friend, but the Stone of Fire had fallen out of his hand.

  Scott tried to struggle against the billionaire’s powerful grip, but was unable to do much.

  “I don’t know how you managed to transform yourself,” JT began licking his lips, “but I can assure you, my people will tear your body apart searching
for the answer.”

  Scott struggled against the man’s powerful grip around his throat, his fingers searching for the stone that was sitting on the retaining wall of Coit Tower, just out of his reach.

  “I remember her you know…” JT said. “I remember the woman you’re talking about. Sweet little thing. Always so eager to please. Tell me…” he asked leaning closer to Scott. “Did her cherry red lipstick taste as delicious as I thought it did?”

  Scott screamed and his fingers touched the stone. His body shifted and he immediately transformed back into a large grizzly bear. The bear roared, grabbed JT’s torso in his massive jaws and shook the man, throwing his body over the side of the tower.

  JT screamed helplessly as he plummeted over 200 feet to the hard concrete below.

  Scott shifted back to his normal form and limped over to Alex. He leaned down and pulled out the electrobolt that had latched itself into Alex’s clothing. He tossed the sparking device to the side as Alex groaned painfully. He sat up, coughing as he did so, looking at Scott, his face a complicated mess of emotions.

  Scott looked away, unable to meet his friend’s eyes. He only reached out a hand for his friend to grab.

  Alex stood and they slowly made their way down the stairs.

  Chapter Fifty

  It’d taken Lorelei the better part of a day to travel across Germany in order to reach Charles Halprin’s Austrian estate. From trains, to planes and even an automobile, she finally ended up in a small village just outside Berlin where she found herself staring at the billionaire’s expansive cabin tucked against the snow-capped Alps.

  Fingering the stone she’d taken from the chamber in Iceland, Lorelei could feel the raw power begging to be used. She forced the feeling back as she drew closer to the mansion.

  The file she’d liberated from MARS security said that Halprin liked to bring his quarry here to hunt them on the expansive 30,000 acre estate.

  And it was here that her Johan had been brought.