by Shawn Keys
The man was gone. The werewolf nightmare he feared was all that remained.
The creature’s lethal claws went from clinging to the goon for support to attack. They sank through the mercenary’s forearms and ripped his limbs into tattered shreds of gore. Snarling with senseless fury, the creature launched into the people behind and howled again.
Around the relic-pool, other nightmares were forming.
A grotesque blend of man and wasp flapped its fresh wings and droned into a knot of terrified office workers. Its stinger jabbed once and then twice into a screaming woman’s belly, showering the rest of them in blood.
Another scryer blurred into a shadow which wrapped around the shoulders of a woman. Melding to her form, she suddenly went crazy and thrashed out at her friends like a puppet being used.
Another bellowed in fear and misery as spikes started to push through his skin in a thousand –
– Bang! Zahn’s pistol shot blasted through the screams. The heavy slug smashed into the bridge of the spiked- nightmare’s nose before it fully formed. The bullet tore apart its brain and dropped the creature to the ground before it could wreck any havoc.
Zahn hollered over the crowd, “Kill them! Before they kill you!” He felt the terror clawing at his heart at the sight of the nightmares. But he was maybe the only one in the room who had personally faced down nightmares like this and lived to tell the tale.
His loud command broke the general paralysis. The entire room devolved into a horror show as the five remaining nightmares tore into their prey while the mercenaries rallied to save everyone they could.
Zahn grabbed Carter’s shoulder while Ash grabbed the other. Together, they forced the old guardian to duck low. Sizzling claws slashed the air they had occupied. Drifting above them was a nightmare made of mist. Bright golden-white electricity crackled inside it, hardening to six-inch claws where its four limbs ended. The thing didn’t have a head. Only eyes that hunted for prey to strike at. The scent of o-zone clung to it as it sucked the static from the air.
Pressing Carter to the ground, the three crawled away through the tangle of panicked limbs. The stink of electrically seared flesh was strong behind them. Zahn had no idea where they could go, but he figured getting away from that was a good call.
A snarl came above him, and he rolled over to see the towering figure of a nine-foot ogre leering down at him with death in its eye. It was holding a filled water jug like it was a small marble. The monster smashed the jug down toward him like trying to crush a bug with a toy.
Zahn cursed and slashed an energy barrier in the way with his gauntlet. The shield hummed and sparked as it managed to absorb the impact. Zahn exhaled in relief. He had never pushed the limits of the shields he could make. He wondered how close this one had come to shattering.
The ogre yelled in fury, but before it could renew its attack, a goon cut loose on it with a rifle on full automatic. The crack of the rounds was deafening, and the ogre covered its ears as the bullets punched through its hide. But while the creature might be hurt, it wasn’t finished. Seeing red, it grasped a table and smashed it down on the mercenary like a club, flattening him horribly. Zahn emptied the rest of his clip at the beast, but the bullets vanished into its bulk with almost no effect other than irritating it.
Helping Ash grab hold of Carter, the three hobbled to the side of the room away from the worse parts of the chaos. They crashed into a wall and took shelter behind a work bench. Carter yelled out over the madness, “We have a failsafe! We can destroy the whole place and take them with it!”
More gunfire cut loose as the goons tried to hold their own.
Ash snarled, “Not until we get you clear! If you die, I have nothing!”
Zahn called out, “Do your people know enough to run?”
Ash activated a red warning light on her watch. “That’s the sign for evacuate. They know they have two minutes!”
Zahn nodded. “Then it’s time for us to get the hell out of here.” He stood and winged a fragment of the counter-top at the ogre nightmare. It smucked the creature on the head. With a baleful glare, the nine-foot tall creature tossed aside the corpse it was rending apart and charged toward him with the rage of a maddened bull.
Seemed like a good idea at the start . Seeing the monster barreling down on him made Zahn reconsider. Too late now. At what he hoped was just the right moment, he palmed the jar with the spider and whipped it right at the ogre’s face. He didn’t expect it to do any damage, but the creature didn’t know that. Even a monster born from someone’s nightmares had reflexes. At least, I hope it does.
Sure enough, the ogre blinked. The plastic sample container was crushed and the spider inside crumbled, an unwilling sacrifice.
Zahn knew it was also a sign that Angelica wouldn’t miss. He whispered into the air, “Hear that gunfire, ladies. Time to come to the rescue.”
Then, he activated his ring, cloak and gauntlet in one swoop.
Time dilated around him. He didn’t have long, as the ring hadn’t fully recharged from his last use. But he didn’t need that long. The rampaging ogre groaned into slow motion. Surprise began to spawn on its face as Zahn vanished within the space of its blink. And in that same space of time, Zahn slashed his gauntlet horizontally with two fingers drawing a hard-energy blade in the air right at knee level .
With a matador’s flair, Zahn swirled out of the way as the ogre’s leg connected with the azure-glowing energy blade. Its weight did the work, shearing through sinew and bone. Both legs severed, the beast went into a top-heavy fall and slammed head-first into the warehouse’s outer wall. Wood, sheet-rock, nails and plumbing all fractured and exploded into the air outside. The ogre bellowed in pain as it spilled into the air and crashed two stories down into the pavement.
But it still wasn’t dead. Pushing up on its stumps by using its tree-trunk arms, the ogre arched its spine and roared at them from the wreckage below.
Until a black jeep’s grill ploughed into its skull.
Kaylee’s shriek could be heard inside the SUV, certainly not used to running down anyone. Only the sight of the unworldly creature threatening her lover had spurred her on. She kept her foot on the gas pedal, ramming the remains of the ogre into the wall.
Shivering in adrenalin and fear, Kaylee leaned out the window and shouted, “Jump onto the roof!”
Zahn didn’t wait. The drop was still enough to hurt, but close enough to survive. The roof of the jeep took a little crumpling, but it held as he landed. He waved at the other two. “Come on! Get out before they follow!”
Clearing space on the roof, Ash and Carter made the leap together. She did all she could to protect her employer, but Carter took the impact badly. One of his knees wouldn’t bend as he laid flat out on the roof.
Zahn jumped onto the back bumper and gripped the man tightly. “Hold him tight, Ash! Leea, back us away to the outer fence!”
Not stopping to question, Kaylee threw them into reverse. Trying not to swerve so the two on the roof didn’t fly off, she drove the jeep back to the outer barricade.
As soon as they were clear, Ash’s finger closed on the fail-safe activator. Zahn didn’t blame her. After facing down the charging ogre, he was totally good with making sure none of those nightmares escaped into the real world. He didn’t know if it had been two minutes, but none of them cared.
The detonation blew the roof off. A firestorm tore through the interior, incinerating everything in its path. The walls of the warehouse rattled, every small window blew out, and a large fireball erupted up into the night.
Debris began to rain down. They dove into the jeep for shelter. Kaylee powered back through the outer fence, carrying them beyond the metal and plastic shower.
They stopped in the middle of the quiet street. Getting out onto the asphalt, all five of them watched the warehouse collapsing in on itself.
Zahn was the first to speak, the question aimed at his lovers. “Both of you alright?”
Kaylee glanced
at the heap of the dead ogre. “A little shaky.” She shivered.
Zahn hugged her close. “You were doing him a favor. I’ll explain later, but he was literally living his own nightmare. Angelica?”
She was also a little shaken from the bumpy ride, but wasn’t too bad off. “As soon as the gunshots started, the guards at the gate ran in toward the building.” She gave a manic laugh, letting off some nerves. “Never thought I would be ramming through a checkpoint outside of a movie, but we did!”
Zahn hugged her as well. “We needed you. Thanks for being there.” He reminded himself to give them lots of time later. Adrenalin and shock would be keeping the shakes at bay, but he remembered the first few times he had been involved in shooting. Took him a few days to level out. No shame in it. It just took time to adjust to that sort of excitement. Of course, they’re still getting their crash course in all things magic. At least this time, neither of them were shot at directly.
Ash was glaring lasers at them. “Almost finished?”
Zahn returned the hard look, then insisted, “We have no idea who made it out of there, and they’ll be in no shape to go on a creature hunt. If you have teams, call them in. Now.” His accusation shifted to Carter. “Those nightmares are your mess. You need to clean it up.”
Ash was about to snap back at him, but Carter stepped in. “You’re right. We’ll take care of it.”
Zahn added, “And it doesn’t end with the nightmares. Lars is your pet monster who got off the leash. You need to deal with him, too. Before he hurts anyone else.”
Carter pointed out, “You could help us.”
Zahn’s jaw clenched harder. “Why? As far as I can tell, this is between you and him. Unless you’ve changed your mind about telling me what you know about the Staff?”
Carter’s face turned to stone. “You know I can’t. ”
“Then for what it’s worth, I hope you kill him before he kills you.” He paused. Unable to help himself, he asked Angelica and Kaylee, “You both have email addresses, right?”
Angelica rolled her eyes. “I know you like being off the grid, but there’s such a thing as being too ridiculous, Zahn.”
“Paranoia is a way of life, my dear.” He grinned, flashed her a wink, then asked, “Could you give Carter here an email you don’t mind being tracked and never trusted to be secret again?”
She snickered and jotted down her ‘wombat.com’ account. “Haven’t used it in years.”
Zahn thanked her, then focused on Carter, “If you change your mind, that’s how you reach us. Otherwise, leave us the hell alone. Leave their families alone. You don’t need anything from us. Agreed?”
Carter clenched the email card in his palm. “We’ll leave you alone as long as you stay clear. If I see you creeping around and looking for the Staff, I’ll assume you are no better than Lars. At least he didn’t lie to my face.”
Zahn shook his head. “And here I just saved your life from him. So much for gratitude.”
Ash weighed in, “Desperate people have done a lot more to get the information they need.”
Zahn’s eyebrow raised. “I saved your life too, Ash. Remember that next time you point a gun at me.” He turned away from them, wanting nothing more to do with them. “Ready to go, ladies?”
Angelica answered, “Past time.”
Kaylee bobbed her head. “Way past time.”
Zahn jumped into the passenger seat of the jeep and waved once more at Carter and Ash. “May we never meet again.”
Kaylee shifted into gear and they headed out of town.
Chapter 11
They didn’t make a single stop on their way out of LA. Even when the jeep started to rattle from the punishment it had taken, they kept going. Once steam was coming from the hood and the risk of an exploding engine was a very real possibility, Kaylee finally took an exit off the highway and located a train station on a rail line heading for Denver.
Once aboard, they slept most of the way. Zahn wasn’t immune to stress. He had seen some horrible things, but the nightmares had been among the worst. Magic that terrible wasn’t common, and Lars had used the dreamcatcher-relic viciously.
So, they spent most of the time snuggling each other, and it wasn’t only for the benefit of the two women. By the time they walked into the Dame’s tower, Zahn was feeling almost normal. He was ready not to be running for his life for a few days.
Kaylee considered the building foyer as they waited for the elevator. It was after business hours. They had waited on purpose to minimize the chance of being spotted. “We can’t keep strolling in like this. Even being careful, we’re going to get noticed. I’d give the paparazzi a week to find us. Especially when they realize we aren’t back on set.”
Angelica thought about it. “They’d find us even faster if we went back now. They lost us the last time because they didn’t expect us to vanish. If we go back, they’ll be watching and waiting for us to slip away again. Damned vultures.” She sighed. “We can’t risk exposing Heather. We may have to leave. Even taking a car into an underground parking lot isn’t a sure thing. And it’s not like we can just land a helicopter on the roof every time we want to come or go.” She stretched beyond the normal options. “Can a relic offer a solution, Zahn?”
He was already liking the idea. Zahn answered, “Maybe. I think you are both right. We have to ask ourselves if staying is selfish. This is the Dame’s hideout. It was our port in the storm. But if the storm has blown over, should we stay?”
The elevator binged , and the doors opened. He walked on with the two women while saying, “There are portal-relics. Some are powerful and rare, like the ancient archway Carter mentioned. But there are more common ones that are used to link secret places. Getting one of our own to avoid prying eyes could be our next mission. I have a couple noted in my workbook. They were always on my list of things to get, but never a priority.”
Angelica sighed. “Now we’re redecorating Dame Heather’s home.” She tapped the button for the twentieth floor.
Zahn shook his head. “The idea is good for any retreat we make for ourselves.” He paused, wondering how to broach the next subject. “I admit, I’ve enjoyed the Dame’s company. And her help and advice have been invaluable. I’ve tried to think of a gift we could give to show our appreciation.”
Kaylee pursed her lips, giving it honest thought. “What do you give to a woman trapped in her own palace and who fears the light of day?”
Angelica shook her head, “Any gift I can imagine would only cheapen what she has created for herself. She made this whole building a temple to her life. She stripped away everything she didn’t want or need. What can we add to that?”
Zahn measured their shared desire to find that gift. He was sure he was reading them right. They respected the Dame. They were indebted to her. But would they follow him on this next step? He wasn’t even sure he’d be right to offer. “I know what she would cherish.”
Angelica’s smile came shining back. “You do?”
“But –”
Kaylee cut in, “– no, no. No buts!” The elevator chimed again, and the doors opened to reveal their destination. She tugged him out of the box and down the hall. “Do you have any idea how much we owe her? Do you need time to find it? Build it?”
Zahn answered, “No. But –”
“– then tell her. We trust you.”
Angelica added, “Honestly, we should have figured this out even before we showed up. It would be painful to walk past her into her house after all she’s done and say nothing.”
Zahn warned, “There’s a chance she won’t accept it. She’ll understand how much it could cost us.”
“Then at least she’ll know how much we’re willing to give to her,” Kaylee insisted firmly.
Zahn took a steadying breath. “Fine.” He searched inside himself, needing to find the right words. He really was afraid Dame Heather would refuse. If he was clumsy, she would say ‘no’ for his own good. And for the good of his two lover
s.
Heather had given them the secret to opening the passageway to the apartments above. There was no need to summon Heather first. She was still waiting at the top of the stairs in the welcoming room.
Her smile was hopeful. “Success?”
Angelica shrugged softly. “We’ve gained ourselves a little space, at least.”
Kaylee went up and hugged the Dame without breaking her stride. “And we couldn’t have done any of it without your help.”
Heather’s demure bearing tried to remain semi-aloof as befit her character, but the emotional honesty Kaylee showed melted her heart as surely as she did the hearts of her audiences when delivering her best performances on stage or screen. Critics the world over had been enchanted by Kaylee’s sincerity. One had written that ‘she believed every tear she shed’. Heather looked ready to fall under her spell just as easily.
Angelica squeezed up to Zahn’s side, laying her head on his shoulder. “Your gift…will it really mean that much to her?”
Zahn tucked her blonde hair back behind her ear and kissed her exposed cheek. “You tell me.” Wrapping his arm around Angelica to keep her close, Zahn focused on the Dame. “Leea’s right. We’ve been talking about it. If someone helps you move, you buy them pizza. If they help you get a new job, you treat them to a Broadway show. What do you get for a woman who opened her home, risked her personal safety and trusted us with enough money to bankroll a start-up company?”
Dame Heather continued her hug with Kaylee. “I would be happy with your thanks, but you won’t let me get away with that, will you?” Her wry smile suggested she already knew the answer.
Zahn answered with his own genuine smile. “We’d take that before we insulted you with something meaningless.” He grew serious. “I can’t give you your life back. The world knows you as Dame Heather Augustinia. They know too much about you. Your age. Your health. You have heard what happens when relics do the impossible in front of the masses. At best, you’d never know a moment’s peace.”
Dame Heather gave a dark nod. “At worst, I’d be reminded why the inquisition happened.”