Monster of the Apocalypse

by C. Henry Martens

  Deo wanted to go back to the old hospital now that they were armed.

  Lecti objected. “Deo, look, if we go back now, it’s very likely they’ll be drinking. If they are, it will be more dangerous than if they aren’t. Tomorrow morning they’ll be sleeping off a hangover. Their reactions will be slow. If we get lucky, they might not even be awake or maybe even not armed that early in the morning.”

  Deo pursed his lips and his brow furrowed. He really wanted to go in, go in now and take what he wanted. He hesitated. His maturity level was stretching and expanding. It was painful. As a child he always wanted what he wanted, now. This time he was listening to Lecti and appreciating the wisdom in her logic.

  “How early, and how will we wake up?”

  “Before daylight, and don’t worry, brother, I’ll wake you up if I need to.”

  Lecti expected that Deo would not be asleep when the time came.

  The decision made, they started to forage for food on the way back to their packs. A tiny stream of water afforded an opportunity to bathe. The water was cold, and it didn’t take long. Rinsing their clothing and wringing them out as well as they could, they wore them damp. They were chilled because the day wasn’t very warm, but it felt good to be fresh.

  Full water bottles didn’t assuage their empty stomachs. They found nothing of any food value as they walked back to the previous night’s camp.

  Deo brought out the barbecue grill in the carport closet when they got back. Dehydrated camping food and fresh water from their bottles filled pans from the kitchen. The fuel cell powered grill was filthy with twenty-year-old grease, but the food being in clean pans meant they could ignore the grime. After inspecting the hose from the fuel cell for cracks, the self-igniter was engaged and they were in business.

  As they walked into the back yard to sit at the picnic table, they noted fresh tracks in the soil, still damp from the previous evening’s rain. A big cat had visited. Deo went back to where they left the packs on the big truck’s hood and now noticed light disturbances in the accumulated dust. The cat had investigated them.

  Eating their meal in the fading light, the discussion was about the visitor rather than the impending morning. They were excited whenever they saw an elusive animal, and knowing that they had missed seeing the cat was disappointing.

  They would sleep inside tonight with the door closed. They felt even better with their newly acquired arms.

  A roof to the east of Lecti and Deo was warm and easily accessed by way of a fallen tree. The mountain lion, a male, was mildly curious about the strange two-legged animals. He was leery of these unusual creatures. His belly was sufficiently full of mule deer, so with no intent to pose a threat himself, he did not get close enough to let them threaten him. He stayed below the roofline and soaked up the last heat of the sun as he watched them. They looked and smelled much like the two animals that denned in the glass and stone cave toward the mountains. If game was not so plentiful, and there was better cover close to that cave, the cat would have dined on dog.

  Lecti was tired. The early hour and the busy day wore, but the mental anxiety really drained her. For once, Deo would agree to an early evening, too. The new sleeping bags were barely used and smelled musty, but after a brisk shake in the outside air they proved to be comfortable and warm. Lecti was asleep before Deo for once. He tossed and turned and eventually got up to relieve himself. Sitting in an easy chair next to Lecti, he gradually drifted into sleep.

  The night passed. The cat returned and sniffed the cooling barbecue that was left standing out. He tongued the inside of a dirty pan lightly, and although it was interesting, he preferred bloody meat and crunching bone. By morning he was settling in to a spot he knew would be sunny and warm.

  Chapter 9

  Deo woke Lecti up. He slept well at first, but as the night progressed he became increasingly restless. Well before dawn he was wide awake.

  Lecti woke, apprehensive. She really wanted to forget all about Toshi. She knew convincing her brother was a useless gesture before she spoke.

  “Deo, we should talk about this again.”

  Rolling up his sleeping bag and stuffing it into the bag in the dim light, Deo ignored her. He had already made up his mind. He was committed.

  “We need to talk, Deo. Is it worth going back into a situation with three grown men to try to convince Toshi to come with us? She doesn’t want you anymore.” Lecti said, more forcefully than she intended. “She’s already made her choice. God, little brother, you know this. She’s treated you like crap before.”

  Shouldering his pack, he replied, “You stay here then. I’ll go alone.”

  “Can’t we....”

  “NO, we can’t, Lecti. I’m going. I’m going now. You don’t want to go, fine.”

  He jerked the door open and stepped out.

  The thought crossed Lecti’s mind that she could stay behind. For the smallest fraction of a second, she weighed the possibilities. She didn’t want to die.

  Struggling into her pack as she ran to catch up, she cursed her brother for a fool even as she admired him for his loyalty. Her father had called it “puppy love” and spoke about it as if it were wonderful. She hated it.

  They didn’t say much as they walked. In the slowly gathering dawn they approached the old freeway and went under the overpass. The spray-painted sign on the bus became visible as the rising sun hit it. They stood behind the bus, dropped their packs and everything else that wasn’t necessary, and checked their weapons. They both loaded the empty chamber in their pistols. Lecti made sure the safety was off on the shotgun, and Deo pulled the safety back on the rifle, cocking the firing pin.

  Lecti moved up the road to the north so that she would be coming in from a less visible angle. Deo would hang back since he had the rifle and was more proficient with it. He had no chance to sight it in as they didn’t want shots to be heard and make anyone nervous. He felt sure that it would be accurate enough for him to adjust quickly and accommodate for its idiosyncrasies. He didn’t like Lecti going in first, but he would not abandon her. He was going in anyway.

  The open space loomed ahead. Lecti took her time, hoping to draw a warning shot or at least a shot that missed from a distance. She knew the dogs would have warned the occupants. That’s what they were for.

  As she neared the ring of heavy equipment, she realized the bikes were no longer parked in front. The bare dirt spoke to her. Three fresh tracks led back to the road. The dirt was damp when they left, the tracks were crystal clear, and so they must have left yesterday.

  Hal and Hey You were glad to see the siblings return, although for different reasons.

  Hal had a plan. He had expected the kid, Deo, to lead his sister back because of his crush on Toshi. He was prepared, his trap set. Hal would get rid of the boy and have plenty of time to enjoy the young lady. His head was full of variations on fantasies he would soon fulfill.

  The angle from her upstairs room was difficult for Hey You to watch Deo and Lecti’s advance. She was also expecting them to return. She recognized Deo’s state of mind just as Hal did. Knowing that Toshi would not be leaving with them, she came to a decision. It was difficult, but she worried that sooner or later it was likely that Hal would see through her coat of smelly rags and matted hair. If she could keep Deo safe, she intended to leave with him. That meant she would have to keep Lecti safe as well. Deo would not be leaving without his sister.

  As they came inside, she moved to the balcony shadows to watch.

  “Hey, good to see you back,” Hal greeted them with a friendly smile, “I thought you might have moved on after what happened. That wasn’t right. I just want you to know that. If I could have stopped them, I would have.”

  Lecti didn’t like his tone. He was way too cheerful. She was immediately on guard.

  Deo didn’t notice.

  “Where did they go?” he asked. “When did they leave?” He was all business.

  Hal looked hurt. It was part of his act. “C�
�mon, man, you don’t have to be like that. You’re fine, I’m fine, we’re all fine, and they’re gone. I’ll even give you your guns back.” He pulled them from underneath the counter and laid them on top. “See? I got them back for you.”

  As Hal knew, Deo wasn’t having it. Drawing his holstered pistol from across the counter and pointing it in Hal’s face, he snarled, “I don’t need my old guns. All I need is information. Tell me where they went and when they left.”

  “Whoa, whoa there,” Hal raised his hands. “They left about noon, yesterday, or a little after, and they asked me about the road east. Old Highway 50.”

  Relief flooded Lecti. She laid her hand softly on Deo’s extended arm. “It’s okay, brother. You heard what he said, and we have no way of catching up.”

  Feigning a concerned look, Hal replied, “Oh, if you want to catch up, I could help you with that. I’ve got resources. I’ve got just what you need. But why would you want to catch up to them? They don’t have anything you need, do they?”

  Hey You was listening as she heard Hal bait the hook.

  The momentary look in Deo’s eyes made Hal glad that Deo had lowered his gun. Deo wilted. Lowering his gaze to the floor, he said, “Toshi. They have Toshi.”

  The fevered flash of satisfaction in Hal’s eyes was obvious to Lecti. She was standing to one side, and Hal was concentrating his attention on Deo.

  Hal made a show of sudden understanding. “Oh, is that what you’re worried about? No, no, she didn’t go with them. She’s still here.”

  The information was unexpected. Both Deo and Lecti were stunned, Deo with sudden relief, and Lecti with disappointment.

  “Where is she?” pleaded Deo. “Why isn’t she here?”

  With a sympathetic look, Hal extended his arm across the bar counter and patted Deo’s shoulder. “Dude, it’s early. She’s still sleeping it off. When they left they told me not to disturb her. That she was going to sleep all day and wouldn’t be up until this morning. She’s just down the hall.”

  Hal spun and started off. “C’mon kid, I’ll show you.”

  Deo followed like a puppy. He had no concerns other than Toshi.

  §

  When the bikers left and told Hal that Toshi was going to sleep through to the next morning, Hal became suspicious.

  Opening the door to peek in on Toshi, Hal was not surprised to see blood stained sheets with a grey foot projecting out from under them. The bedclothes were piled on top of her beside one of the beds. Someone had shoved Toshi to the floor and then slept on the bare mattress next to her body. Hal was used to blood and bodies. This body would be used now to set a trap. He got to work.

  The room down the hall was set up to accommodate guests as well. The difference was that the new room had no windows and had large, heavy locks that worked automatically when the door was closed. A locked door to an adjoining interior room had a small, wire-reinforced window and a slot large enough for a tray. Hal had replaced the original door with this one from the psychiatric wing. The adjoining room was an operating theater. Hal had used the room often and knew that once someone entered, they would never walk out.

  Toshi’s face was smudged with blood and swollen. Hal placed her in the bed, positioned so that she faced away from the door to the hall. Her hair cascaded over the pillow, tossed in a way to look natural in sleep. The bruised body was covered with a blanket to her chin, hiding her shoulder.

  Standing back to admire his work, Hal was satisfied. Two dumb kids would walk right in.

  Hey You was concerned. She knew Hal was setting up the room to trap Deo and Lecti. She would rather keep them out of the room. She’d been instructed to clean up the operating room enough that she knew what occurred there. One of the blessings she counted was that she had never been asked or ordered to participate. Hey You knew that Hal was sick. Beyond sick, abnormal. If she could save Deo and Lecti, she might finally escape.

  §

  As Deo followed Hal, Lecti hung back. She followed slowly and just as she was about to pass under the balcony and into the hall, she heard a soft whistle.

  Lecti looked up.

  A dark, smudged face, dark irises surrounded with white, met her gaze.

  Softly, so softly that she almost didn’t catch it, she heard, “Careful.”

  A hand moved in an unmistakable gesture across the throat.

  The warning happened so fast that she didn’t have time to stop before she passed under the upper floor. She looked ahead as Hal opened a door and, speaking too low for Lecti to hear, motioned Deo in.

  As Deo entered his web, Hal looked back to watch Lecti approach. He was shocked to see the pistol unholstered and pointed at his chest. The set of Lecti’s jaw, and the determined stance as she came to a stop, told him enough to keep him from moving.

  Lecti motioned Hal inside.

  This was not part of the plan, but what could he do? Hal stepped inside just as Deo screamed.

  As she followed Hal, Lecti hesitated at the door. The scream had unnerved her to the point that she had almost pulled the trigger. She motioned Hal to the far side of the room.

  “On your knees, asshole. On your knees and face the wall.”

  Hal stayed alive by doing exactly as he was told.

  Deo was holding Toshi in his arms. He was sobbing and rocking back and forth. Lecti could see that Toshi was dead.

  Concentrating on the situation was difficult. Lecti wanted to rush to Deo, to comfort him, to take away his pain. With some difficulty, she kept her attention on Hal and still managed to assess the room.

  It didn’t look lived in. There was nothing out of place. No clothing on the chair, no glass half full of water, no shoes kicked off as Toshi would have done. She would not have slept in the bed, either. Lecti also noticed the reinforced glass, the tray slot, and the automatic security locks on the doors. They would engage if the door closed. A key was necessary to open them.

  “What happened here?” Lecti drilled Hal with her gaze, “She didn’t die here. She didn’t sleep here.”

  Hal was surprised. He underestimated this little girl. “You’re right, you’re right. They killed her in the other room.”

  His mind was working as fast as it could. He had to sound plausible. “I put her in here for you. For you. I knew you’d come back for her. I didn’t want you to see all the blood. I wanted it to be nice for you. It was ugly. I tried to clean her up for you.”

  If she would just move into the room and away from the door, Hal was ready. But he was too far from the door and on his knees. If he could just get her in the room and distract her for a moment.

  Deo raised his face from Toshi. “They did this?” He sobbed, “Why, why did they do this?”

  Hal responded, “Look kid, they’re animals. They used her and threw her away. Tell your sister to put the gun down, and we’ll take care of her. We need to clean her up. We need to bury her.”

  Lecti suddenly realized what this room was intended for. It just came to her. An epiphany. It gave her the chills and strengthened her resolve.

  “Deo, pick her up. Pick her up, and take her out to the barroom. Put her on a table out there.”

  Deo nodded his head, his eyes to the ground. Sobbing, he lifted Toshi’s body, cradling it to his chest. As Lecti stepped aside he left the room and staggered down the hall, weeping uncontrollably with his burden.

  Lecti didn’t know what to do with Hal. It occurred to her that she could shoot him where he was, and that was an attractive thought for a moment. She considered locking him in his own room, but was afraid that he might have a hidden key. In the end she just let him go.

  Addressing Hal with all the fierceness she could muster, Lecti warned him, “Stay away from us, and don’t try anything.”

  Deo had collapsed on the floor with Toshi’s body. He sat cradling her head in his lap, bending over to caress her face.

  Looking up at Lecti, Hal several paces behind, Deo said, “I’m going to bury her. I’m going to bury her, and then I’m
going to find them.” Deo’s voice became cold, cold and hard as steel, “and when I find them, I’m going to kill them.”

  Deo’s eyes were hard, his gaze unwavering.

  Chapter 10

  Toshi had been beaten to death. She had no wounds other than those from hard blows. Sponging her body with water was impossible for Deo, so he sat in a daze on the far side of the room. Lecti did not want to share this experience with Hal, so she told him to go dig a grave. He sulked out with a shovel and pick from a hall closet. Lecti could not help thinking that he must have used them before since they had been kept so handy.

  A calm settled over Lecti as she worked. This was a job she had witnessed in Roseburg. Her father helped in burials. She had noticed the calm in him and others that prepared the body while those surrounding them wailed and ranted in mourning. Now it was her turn and she understood.

  A form materialized out of the shadows. A dark hand reached for a sponge, dipped it in water and joined in the task. Nothing was said until the body was clean. Without any communication a bond was formed.

  Looking up and engaging the stranger’s scrutiny, Lecti hesitated. She noticed the heavy unpleasant odor when this person appeared. She noticed the fine bones of the hands covered in beautiful, unlined skin. She knew this was a young woman from the hands. Now the dark eyes bored into hers. There was an unspoken moment of acknowledgment, a quiet appreciation of this shared experience, a kinship forged in their shared sisterhood, a bond of youth and mutual interest.

  “We need to wrap the body in something,” whispered Lecti. “Sheets would be good.”

  Hesitantly, as though unused to speaking, Hey You replied, “I’ll bring them.”

  Returning quickly, they proceeded and soon Toshi was bound in linen. Body bags from the morgue were available, but Hey You didn’t like them. She brought a piece of almond colored, lightweight canvas, and a heavy needle and thread. Using large stitches, the task was complete.