by R. J. Wolf
It was 3:33 AM. Gary was probably drunk or stumbling back in from some bar, but it didn’t matter. He needed to pay him a visit and a phone call wasn’t gonna do.
Eric pulled on a pair of pants and slipped into his shoes. With the bottle clutched in his hand, he headed out of the door and nearly ran into Safron in the hallway.
“My apologies sir?” Safron said as he stumbled backward.
“What are you doing out here?” Eric asked in a tone harsher than he meant.
Safron furrowed his brow then disguised his anger with a wide smile. Eric frowned then took a deep breath and spoke, “Sorry. It’s been a rough couple of days. Did you need something?”
“Sorry to disturb you. I had one of the bell hops bring up a bottle I believe belonged to you. I wanted to make sure you received it.”
“This bottle,” Eric replied and held up the empty glass.
“Yes, yes. We found it downstairs after cleaning from the…the disturbance.”
“Did you know what was in here?”
Safron smiled. “The smell is unmistakable. But…the bottle was empty when we found it.”
Eric gave him a skeptical look then nodded. “Was there anything else?”
“That was all Mr. Strange. Enjoy your night.”
Safron turned and quickly strode down the hall like he was walking on a cloud of air. As he vanished into the shadows, Eric headed to Gary’s room. He beat against the door until Gary wrenched it open.
“What!” he screamed like a madman. He was standing in the doorway in his boxers with no shirt. His hair was sticking wildly into the air and his bloodshot eyes scanned the hallway.
Eric wanted to laugh, but he had a lot on his mind. “Put on some clothes,” he said and pushed past Gary.
Gary blinked and tried to wipe the confusion from his face. He closed the door then stumbled across the room like a mummy. Empty pizza boxes and trash were thrown everywhere.
“This is ridiculous, Gary,” Eric complained and kicked empty bottles out of his path.
“Don’t judge me. We all have our vices. You like to burn people, I like to drink. I think most people are happier with my problems.”
“Safron delivered this.” Eric held up the empty bottle. “Said he found it downstairs…empty of course.”
Gary tried to focus as he struggled to stand. The room was spinning, and it looked like Eric was holding twenty bottles with twice as many hands.
“Gary!” Eric called and snapped his fingers. “You with me?”
Gary took a deep breath and tried to summon his composure. “Safron say anything about finding the druid?”
“Not since the last time.”
“They’ve had long enough. Give me a few minutes to wake up, I um…I’ll come get you. Bring your gun and that medallion. You’re gonna need it.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” Gary shooed him away with his hand and stumbled into the bathroom. Sighing, Eric turned around and walked outside.
“Alcoholic,” he grumbled before returning to his room. He laid back on the bed and waited. Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours and still there was no Gary. It wasn’t until after the sun was creeping through the blinds that he finally heard a knock at the door.
“Get out here!” Gary shouted. “Time to save the world.”
Eric opened the door and joined Gary in the hallway. “A few minutes, huh?”
“It’s a little harder to recover in my old age than I thought. Come on.”
Complaining, Eric followed Gary out of the hotel and jumped into his beloved, rust-covered sedan. As the sky brightened, they drove into the city with a commission tail following along.
“Looks like they’re back,” Eric announced.
Gary smiled. “Good job. Hold on.” He sped up and swung around several corners, ripping down narrow side streets. Gritting his teeth, Gary slammed on the brakes and suddenly put the car in reverse. With the engine clunking noisily, he sped backward then swung into an alley. As soon as the commission car inched around the corner, he mashed the gas and raced toward them.
“What the hell are you doing?” Eric screamed and dug his nails into the seat cushion.
The tattered clunker narrowly missed the agent’s car as they blasted down the roadway. Gary sent a spell shrieking after them that hit the car and blew the engine into tiny bits of shredded metal.
“Losers,” he laughed then whipped the wheel around and sped off.
“Gary! What is wrong with you, man?” Eric asked.
“Well, since you lost the tears, we need to find another demon. We can’t do that with those idiots following us around. Now, we can get to work, then we find that damn druid and settle the score!”
Gary whipped down another street then brought the car under control. He slowed down to the pace of traffic and leaned back in his seat.
“Demons, demons, demons. Where ya hiding?” he mumbled to himself. Tapping his fingers across the steering wheel, Gary slowly meandered through the city. They whisked by palm trees and fancy strips filled with cafes and shopping centers. They zig-zagged through traffic, pretending that the decaying four-door didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. They needed a lead and Gary was getting desperate.
“Is that another tail?” Eric asked as he stared out of the window.
“What?”
“That black car…it’s been back there the last three turns. Pull over.”
“Why, what are you gonna do?”
“Trust me, just pull over.”
Gary slowed down and pulled into a convenience store lot. He backed into a spot so that the car was facing the road and he had a wide view. Casting a nervous eye at Eric, he shifted into park and waited.
Half a minute later the black sedan turned into the same lot. They circled the area once then slowly pulled into the spot directly beside them.
“What the hell are they thinking?” Gary asked and stared into the tinted window.
The glass was so dark, he struggled to see anything. But he had an idea of what was inside. Suddenly, the window started to lower, and he gulped. Hesitantly, Gary lowered his own window and Eric straightened up in his seat and slid his hand toward the revolver on his hip.
“Morning agents,” a cold voice slithered from the cracked window before the face it belonged to came into view.
“Why are you following us?” Gary barked.
A pale, thin man with shades on grinned as he swept blonde locks from his face. “Just checking in on you. Curious about your progress out here, or Councilman Langston is at least. Very odd city.”
“Crawl back into whatever hole you came out of,” Gary snapped. “I don’t need a babysitter and I don’t like being followed. Take that back to your boss!”
The man huffed then turned to the passenger seat where a woman with dark, crimson hair sat. She had a pistol in her hand and was cleaning it with a rag as she pretended to ignore the conversation.
“Gary,” the woman said in a sultry voice. “Don’t make us do this the hard way.”
Gary took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He swallowed down his anger and started to reply when Eric jumped out of the car and rushed around to the other side.
“Eric!” Gary shouted.
The pale man didn’t even have time to react. Eric stepped in between the car and punched him in the face, rendering him unconscious. In shock the woman leaned across the seat, poised to fire, but Eric grabbed the pistol and yanked it free from her hands.
“Don’t try anything else!” Eric growled as the gun melted to a puddle of metal.
Gary joined him outside, casting wary glances at his partner. He walked around to the woman’s door and opened it. “You heard the man, step out slowly,” Gary ordered then turned to face Eric. “What are you doing?” he whispered.
“We needed someone else to interrogate, right?”
The woman stood up and flicked the fiery hair out of her face. “What? You’re gonna kill me right here on th
e side of the road.”
“If you make us!” Eric snapped. “But I’d rather just ask you a few questions.”
“Well I’m not telling you shit!”
“We’ll see.” Smiling, Eric stepped around the car until he was face to the face with the woman. He took another step closer and she flinched. “I’ll be quick, don’t worry.”
The woman stared at him with defiance. Her eyes swept back and forth as she looked for a way out. Then her face suddenly went slack, and she glared at Eric with a blank expression.
“Who sent you?” Eric asked.
The woman twitched her head to the side. “Councilman Langston,” she mumbled.
Gary smiled. “We already knew that. Ask her what he wants.”
Eric nodded. “Why did he send you?”
The woman twisted her face and bit her lip. Her eyes flickered, and she staggered and fell into the car.
“Why?” Eric repeated and caught her by the arm.
“The shade,” she mumbled. “The shade is falling.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Gary asked.
“I don’t know…I think someone else is in her head.”
“Well can you still get the answers.”
“Gary, I’m trying. Shut up and let me work.” Eric turned back to the woman and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Why did he send you?”
“He…he…you know too much. You’re too close.”
“Too close to what?”
“The shade, the truth, the prophecy.” The woman’s eyes rolled into her head and she collapsed into Eric.
“What prophecy?” Eric asked again.
“No!” the woman shrieked and pulled away.
She tried to run, but her legs failed her. She dropped onto all fours then slowly pushed herself back to a wobbly stand. Crying, she glared back at Eric then hobbled a few steps and lunged into traffic. Eric reached out but just missed grabbing her as a pickup truck barreled down the road.
“Jesus!” Gary wailed and turned his head.
The Ford F-150 slammed on the brakes, but not soon enough. With a loud crumple, the woman smashed into the grill then fell under the carriage. The wheels rumbled over her and the truck skid into the curb and stopped.
Smoke hissed from the blood-splattered hood. The grill was bent and hanging off. Suddenly, the door swung open and a red-faced man with greasy, brown hair jumped out.
“Oh my God!” he cried. “I didn’t see her…she just came out of nowhere.”
Gary hurried into the street where he found the woman’s shattered body, laying lifeless. Kneeling, he placed his hand on her neck then shook his head and frowned at Eric. “She’s gone.”
Suddenly, a caravan of black sedans skid to a stop around them. The doors flew open and men in black suits stepped out. Gary gawked then jumped to his feet and raced toward Eric.
“Eric, run!” he shouted
“What’s going on?”
“Run!”
Eric twisted his brow in confusion as more cars pulled up. Men were coming out of everywhere, amassing in the street like a small army. They turned to face him and he froze just as Gary grabbed him by the arm, apparating before he could say another word.
CHAPTER 9
FAMILY REUNION
Gary slammed into the ground, splashing water from a puddle all over his pants. He released Eric’s arm and staggered into the wall as he huffed to catch his breath.
“What was that?” Eric asked.
“That was the commission and they’re not being so subtle anymore.”
Gary leaned over and placed his hands on his knees. He took a deep breath and held it then straightened up. “We’ll have to go back for the car…maybe tonight.”
“Where are we?”
“A few blocks away. I’m pretty sure they planned on taking us in.”
Eric looked up and down the alley and sighed. “I thought apparating was a bad idea. They’ll be able to track us, right?”
“Not with all that magic going on down there. Those agents will be casting spells for the next hour trying to cover up that mess.”
“Now what do we do?”
“We need to find some help. I think we just declared war with the commission. We need an army.”
Eric laughed. “An army? How are we gonna pull that off?”
Gary reached into his pocket and pulled out a rusted key. Frowning, he dangled it in the air as his eyes sagged and his face wrinkled with pain. He ran his hand through his hair and took a long, deep breath then looked up to Eric and spoke, “Time to go see a dog about a cat.”
Eric shrugged in confusion, but before he could speak, Gary grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back through a swirl of air. When they reappeared, they were standing outside of a small, lonely tavern with boarded up windows, situated on a cliff overlooking a spattering of craggy boulders and violent waves.
The sun burned above them in a cloudless sky and the ocean droned below like a siren calling to lost sailors. Wind twisted and whipped by as it slammed into the cliff. The smell of the sea mixed with the desert, marking the spot where those two worlds collided. It was a terribly beautiful place, with the hum of ancient magic buzzing through the air.
“I wish you’d stop doing that,” Eric complained as he doubled over and puked. “I’m not a child.”
“Sorry, I was in a hurry.”
“Where are we?”
“Santa Monica. I knew a guy who lived here once,” Gary replied and looked into the distance.
Eric followed his eyes and stared ahead to a rundown building that looked like it would collapse with a proper gust of wind. He could feel the unmistakable trace of evil and knew that as abandoned as the tavern appeared, something dark was brewing inside. “Lived here once?” Eric repeated.
“Yeah…it was a long time ago. People move, people die…people change.”
“That doesn’t inspire confidence, Gary.”
“We’re past that point. Come on,” Gary replied and made his way toward the entrance.
The door had been spray-painted black and covered in boards to keep it shut. Someone had gone through a lot of effort to make sure it was never opened. Gary didn’t seem to care as he gripped one of the boards and yanked it back.
“It looks like they were trying to keep this closed,” Eric jabbed.
Gary shot him a warning glance. “I’m sure they would.”
He pulled the remaining boards down and opened the door. Behind it was another door but it was made of solid steel and bolted shut with a lock that looked bulletproof.
Gary stared at the rusted key in his hand and swallowed. He jammed it into the lock and turned, the deadbolt clicked and he felt a chill run down his spine.
“This is your backup plan?” Eric asked.
“More like my last resort.” Gary turned the knob and pushed the door open. A waft of stale air escaped, and he cringed at the smell. With a stone face, he nodded to Eric then walked inside. Eric paused then reluctantly followed.
The place didn’t look as bad as he envisioned. There were no cobwebs or dead bodies. Just an empty bar and the look of a place that needed a little TLC.
Stools were stacked on top of tables in the dining area. At the back of the room was a piano-black, wet bar that ran from wall to wall. It was covered in a light film of dust, but nothing that a quick wiping couldn’t clear. A jukebox partially covered in a tarp sat in the corner, the blinking red light showing that the power still worked. The tavern didn’t’ look abandoned at all, it looked like the place had been closed for a week or was under renovations.
Gary made his way across the lobby like he’d been there a million times. Silently, Eric followed him down a back hallway and into a small room filled with empty crates. Gary shifted things around as he searched the corners of the room.
“What are you looking for?” Eric whispered.
“A way in,” Gary responded.
He pushed a metal shelf to the side and revealed a square access panel at the
bottom of the wall, covered with a rusted grate. A gust of air rose from the opening, bringing with it the smell of earth. It was just big enough for a person to squeeze through but not the most inviting space in the world.
“We’re going down there?” Eric asked with a shaky voice.
“You’re not gonna find vampires hanging out up here in the day time.”
“Vampires! I thought you hated vampires.”
“I do…but there’s one that I’ll talk to…when I don’t have a chose.”
“And who is that?”
“My brother.”
Eric froze, and his mouth hit the wooden floor. He wasn’t sure he heard Gary right and as he scratched his head, he played his words back. “You…um,” he paused and took a deep breath. “Your, you said that…um, you, you have a brother?”
“Yeah and he’s probably down there.”
“A brother that’s a vampire?”
Gary groaned and looked away. “I’ll explain later. We’ve gotta move.”
Stooping, Gary crawled into the narrow hole feet first. He slid down into the cramped space and vanished into the darkness. Eric waited a few moments then followed him.
The tunnel angled down for five feet then dropped onto the ground inside of a massive labyrinth. Stalactites hung from the soaring ceiling like fangs, illuminated by a row of torches, staked into the ground.
A narrow stream filled with muck, crept through the uneven rock, following the path into the distance. The ground was covered in mounds of gnarled boulders and broken stalagmites. If it wasn’t for the looming threat of vampires, it would’ve been an interesting place to explore.
“Someone else is here,” Gary said cautiously.
“What is this?”
“It’s their home…but these torches shouldn’t be lit. Stay sharp.”
With glowing hands, Gary slowly moved deeper into the cave. He had a nervous look on his face and Eric could feel his apprehension. The sound of water dripping echoed in the shadows and distorted any noises they may have heard. Eric closed the gap between them and reached out, tapping Gary on the shoulder.
“What are we doing?”
“I told you already.”
“Ok, so where’s your brother? This is an empty cave, Gary.”