Poe the Hunter- Bedlam in Baltimore

by Nathan Galion

  After a fifteen-minute walk, the hunters found their first collection of clues among a stand of trees that had been damaged by the alpha’s claws and teeth. Scraps of bark and leaves littered the forest floor. It was obvious that some of the leaves had been chewed on, which was a new feature that shocked Poe and Quincy. Carcasses of rabbits, squirrels, and raccoons were strewn about the ground as schools of flies swarmed the cadavers and occupied their wounds.

  “It has definitively been here,” Quincy commented.

  Poe turned his attention to the ground and studied a track of clawed prints that looked as though they were made by the sceidra. There was also a path that ran alongside the prints that was surely created by the tail of the alpha. Poe motioned for Quincy to follow him as he surveyed the path of the tracks. After a few minutes, the alpha’s trail went cold as the path vanished.

  A weary Quincy suggested an idea. “Edgar, can we rest for a while? We have been on our feet for almost an hour and we have not found the alpha yet. How about we take a slight pause from our activity?”

  Disappointed in Quincy’s waning motivation, Poe shot him a stern look and said, “Are you insane? We cannot let our guard down! We have to find the alpha before it finds us.”

  “That is a slim to nonexistent chance, Edgar. The alpha is nowhere in sight. It is better to rest and gather more energy than to waste it by going in circles. Resting for just for a few moments should not make a difference.”

  Poe surveyed their surroundings and begrudgingly agreed with Quincy because he did not hear any peculiar noises or strange sights. They both agreed that the alpha had been to the area, but all signs indicated that it was no longer around. Poe and Quincy sat on a log near a healthy tree that was unscathed by the alpha, and Poe took the opportunity to issue a warning to Quincy.

  “We cannot rest for long. We also cannot stay here for the rest of the night. It is better to find the alpha sooner rather than later, so we can go home.”

  During their rest, the hunters discussed the work they had completed up to this point in their case. Poe talked to Quincy about the amount of research they each conducted in order to identify the monsters and the various methods with which to kill them.

  “How many hours did we spend in the libraries searching for answers we thought we would never find?” Poe asked.

  “There isn’t an exact number that comes to my mind,” Quincy responded.

  “Exactly. The only word that comes to mind is ‘many.’ Many hours spent learning about the sceidras and how to kill them did indeed lead us to a short-lived victory, and now we find ourselves in this predicament.”

  “No worries, Edgar. We will be triumphant over the alpha as well. All it has to do is show up and we will end its life.”

  “Yes, I do agree. Not only have we killed the sceidras to stop their terror, but we did it in the name of justice to avenge those who lost their innocent lives at their claws.”

  “Thank you. I knew you would agree somewhat with my philosophy,” Quincy replied with satisfaction.

  The hunters spent ten more minutes on the log before rising to their feet and continuing their hunt. They had only walked a few yards when their plans were put on hold. Even with the cotton stuffed firmly in their ears, they heard the alpha’s shrill voice reverberating throughout the forest, and it sounded very close. Poe and Quincy dove to the ground and covered their ears, reinforcing the molasses-covered cotton inside. The cotton proved to be of little help as the sound of the alpha sceidra’s noise assaulted the hunters’ ear canals with ease. But the pain was lessened this time.

  As the hunters gave all their effort to recuperate from the blindside, the alpha appeared from above perched on the branch of a nearby tree. It spotted Poe and Quincy and climbed down the trunk of the tree with ferocity until it reached the ground. Intent on confronting Poe and Quincy, it stomped its way over to within a few feet from the men. Poe and Quincy wasted no time getting to their feet and implementing their plan. Quincy veered to the left in an attempt to distract the alpha while Poe gained distance between himself and the alpha by backing away from the scene with the sword of Gabriel gripped firmly in his right hand. The alpha did not move as it attempted to keep watch over both men and showed no signs of being frightened or intimidated by the hunters.

  “Over here!” Quincy shouted. “Come this way, you vile bastard!”

  The alpha kept its eyes on Quincy who took the opportunity to fire the first bullet from his revolver. It struck the alpha’s skin but failed to cause any weakness in the creature. Unfortunately, the alpha was only grazed by the bullet and appeared to feel no pain from this mild injury. Quincy fired another bullet, but he aimed the revolver at the alpha’s eyes this time. However, the alpha’s eyes moved in a spiraling motion so fast that it stopped the bullet in midair. This display of telekinesis shocked Quincy and angered him at the same time.

  In a moment of rage, Quincy reached into his coat and brandished his golden dagger as he sprinted toward the alpha. Closing in on it, he propelled the blade through the air in its direction. Yet again, the alpha used its eyes to stop the blade, but this time, Quincy fell victim to this powerful hypnosis and stood frozen in a trance. Without a moment’s hesitation, Poe emerged and stabbed the alpha in its back, weakening it and breaking the spell it had cast over Quincy. The alpha cried out in pain as the sword was driven through its skin.

  The scream of the alpha prompted Poe to consider striking its throat to prevent it from making it deafening screeches, but as Poe was aiming for its throat with the sword, the alpha sceidra leaped from the ground and smacked the sword out of Poe’s hands. The alpha then clutched at Poe’s shirt and pulled him closer to its face to hypnotize the hunter. A weakened Quincy could only watch as Poe stared into the spiraling red eyes of the sceidra.

  Gathering all his might, Quincy rose from the ground and ran to the sword, but the alpha was quick to spot him and dropped Poe to the ground as it blasted the hunters with its shrill cry. The hunters cupped their hands over their ears in a desperate attempt to block the noise from seeping through the cotton.

  The hunters tried to regain control of the situation, but neither man had the strength and endurance to counter the alpha’s power. Although, the alpha had lost track of the sword of Gabriel and was not sure who had it. Doing his best to withstand the piercing shrieks and remain on his feet, Quincy held the sword behind his back while he waited for an opportune moment to strike. However, try as he might, he could not muster the strength to do so. Meanwhile, Poe was doing all he could to raise his own energy level as he pushed the cotton deeper into his ears.

  Glancing at Quincy, Poe saw that he was holding the sword behind his back and signaled for him to pass it over to him since Quincy was too weak to use it on the alpha as its shrill cries were affecting him too deeply. However, Quincy took a deep breath and gathered enough energy to toss the sword in Poe’s direction. Poe caught the sword, then threw it like a javelin at the alpha’s heart. It pierced the alpha’s chest causing the creature to release a banshee-like scream. The hunters’ mouths gaped open as they watched the sword fall away from the sceidra’s chest. The alpha’s skin was quite tough, so throwing the sword at it only created a superficial wound, which was beginning to blister and melt. Without pause, Poe took the opportunity to finish the job once and for all.

  The alpha was in agony from the pain caused by its festering wound and paid no attention to the sword lying at its feet. Poe ran toward the alpha, picked up the sword, then plunged in into the heart of the alpha. The blade of the sword, along with its edges, shined in the light of the full moon as the huntsman sank the weapon as deep as it would go into the center of the alpha’s chest. The alpha’s heart burst into flames and its skin began to melt. Within five minutes, the forest was silent and all that remained of the alpha was a mound of ash.

  With their victory accomplished, the hunters embraced each other as their war w
as over. The victors could still hear each other after the combat with the sceidra, so they pulled the cotton from their ears. Some residue from the molasses remained in their ears, but it did not matter because the hunters could still hear each other.

  Feeling as though they were on top of the world, the hunters grinned from ear to ear as they gathered together the sword of Gabriel and their other weapons scattered about the forest floor and headed home.

  Chapter 19

  The next morning, Poe and Quincy were on their way to return the sword of Gabriel as they noticed that the sun’s rays were abnormally brighter, and the birds sounded sweeter than ever. Poe inhaled deeply and smiled. “Everything seems fresh and new! Does it not, Quincy?”

  Quincy smiled back at Poe and replied, “That it does, my friend.”

  The hunters met with Father Alexander in secret to deliver the sword and he was thrilled to see that it was in still in one piece and in stellar condition. This was due to Poe taking the time and effort to clean the sword and restore its glorious shine before presenting it to the priest.

  The men followed Fr. Alexander from his office as he led them through the hallway of the church, then took them to the room that led them to the secret lair of the sword. Once at the entrance to the hidden room, the priest opened the door and the three chaps traveled down three flights of stairs until they reached the landing. The pastor received control of the sword from Poe and strode over to the empty glass case that awaited the sword’s return. It was a delightful sight for the duo to see the sword that they used to obtain their victory back in its rightful home where it belonged.

  After securely locking the case, Fr. Alexander walked back to where Poe and Quincy were waiting patiently and extended his right hand to shake theirs. “Gentlemen, I thank you kindly for following my instructions and returning the sword in one piece. I also applaud you for cleaning it and eliminating any scratches or smudges. It is a legendary item and I can see that you treated it as such.”

  “The thanks belongs to you, Father,” Poe said. “Without you, we wouldn’t have defeated the alpha monster. I told you that your charitable act would save the lives of many people in Baltimore, and now you can clearly see that the citizens of this great metropolis can go to sleep knowing there are no more threats from evil forces.”

  Quincy was quick to agree. “Yes, it is all because of you, Fr. Alexander. Therefore, all the cheers belong to you, despite all the credit being attributed to us.”

  The men laughed at the joke relayed by Quincy, then the hunters shook hands with the cleric one final time before exiting the room and departing the church.

  • • •

  Frances heard a rapping on her door and quickly jumped from her couch to discover the identity of her visitor. She was surprised to find that it was Poe, alive and healthy, right before her eyes.

  “Edgar!” Frances screamed before embracing him.

  “My dear, sweet Frances. How I longed to see you again!” Poe exclaimed as he encircled her within his arms with equal might. “You look beautiful as always, my darling.”

  “You are too kind. Come in, I beg of you. It is a relief to see you after so many hours and days apart from each other. I got your letter explaining that you wanted to meet with me about something important. Thus, I kept waiting and waiting, but you never came. Until now, that is! You must tell me what is so important. I have been held in torturous suspense ever since receiving your mysterious letter!”

  Poe formed an earnest, but sad, expression on his face that translated the nature and tone of his visit. After all, he was about to divulge secrets to the lady that he cared deeply for and was worried about how she would handle this information. Poe calculated in his mind that it was better for Frances to hear the truth from him instead of someone else as he did not want to keep any secrets between them. Furthermore, it was better to tell her sooner rather than later because it was slowly killing him inside. Therefore, Poe did not wait another moment and began to divulge the vital pieces of information that Frances deserved to know.

  “My love, Frances, I came here to reveal to you the truth about myself and what I do, but I need you to promise that you will refrain from reacting negatively. I want you to hear everything I have to say; everything from the facts leading all the way up to the explanations. The result will be a clearer understanding within that beautiful mind of yours.”

  Frances developed a worried look on her face and her heart began pounding from the uncertainty. She pressed Poe to tell her with haste what was going on. “What I cannot stand, Edgar, is your willingness to keep me in suspense! Please! Share your thoughts and feelings with me right now!”

  Without further delay, Poe nervously cleared his throat and began disclosing the truth to Frances by starting from the very beginning. “In our first meeting, I told you that my wife, Virginia, died of a heart attack and that both of my parents were killed in a carriage accident, but these statements were falsehoods. They each suffered deaths that were much more horrible.”

  Upon learning that Poe had lied about how his loved ones died, Frances’ anxiety heightened and the worried expression on her face became one of despair. She gestured for Poe to continue his discourse in the hopes that a brighter ending would emerge and wash away her fears.

  Poe could not help noticing the increasingly negative energy emanating from Frances, but he continued with his speech unabated. “My parents and wife were killed by ghouls. Ghouls are monsters who take the shape of humans – the humans they kill. Then, they adopt their likeness.”

  Frances became horrified upon hearing this statement and developed a mass of confusion inside her mind. “Ghouls? What madness are you talking about, Edgar? I demand you tell me at once and don’t dare to keep me waiting!”

  Poe attempted to console Frances by taking her hands in his, but she pulled away and folder her arms across her chest. Poe looked down at his shoes for a moment, then met Frances’ eyes and said, “I’m a hunter of the supernatural, Frances. Nathaniel Quincy, the man you met, is my partner in this endeavor. We hunt monsters. Make no mistake, they do exist in this world. However, they keep their identity and lives a secret from humans, yet they fear hunters like me because I know of their existence.” Poe paused as Frances broke their eye contact by turning away from him. “Please, do not react in a rash way. It was never my intention to startle you or send shivers down your spine with this information for it is the truth, Frances.”

  At this point, Frances’ look of anger and confusion morphed into one of disgust and fear. “Monsters? You expect me to believe that there are monsters in this world? What a cruel universe if that is the case! And you… you… hunt these monsters?”

  “Yes. In fact, Quincy and I eliminated a monster just the other night. We were in the forest near the Patapsco River where the monster and its offspring made their habitat…”

  Frances grimaced. “Offspring? Ugh!”

  “Frances, calm down, please! I’m begging you! I was concerned that you might react this way, but please, try to understand! The threat has been eradicated. The monster is dead. I assure you that Quincy and I killed it, and we killed its children several days ago. You are now safe and so is the rest of Baltimore. Thanks to the heroics of my partner and I, the city no longer faces an evil menace.”

  Before Frances could respond, she recalled in her mind her interaction with Quincy. She remembered him telling her that their hearing had been damaged when a weapon misfired close to their ears, but now she knew that was a lie. She looked at Poe with a stern expression. “When Quincy told me that your hearing was gone due to the loud sound of your weapons, what was the real reason behind the incident?”

  Poe nodded his head as a signal that he knew what Frances was referring to, which it made it easier for Poe to address the claim. “The monster we were dealing with had the power to release an ear-stabbing, high-pitched shriek that could render a man deaf.
Quincy and I were a few feet away from the monster when it released this sound and it caused paramount damage to our ears. Thus, we spent days and nights trying to recover by dripping a mixture of garlic and tea tree oils into our ear canals. Ultimately, we recovered and are now as healthy as ever.”

  Frances sat next to Poe striving to make sense of the information that had been unloaded onto her by a man she considered to be good, honest, and kind. Although, deep down, she knew that these revelations would cause her to see him in a much different light. Poe quietly observed how distraught Frances had become and wished to erase her distress and apprehension, but all he could do was mirror the worried look on her face with his own.

  “Frances, please try to understand that Quincy and I are well-equipped hunters of the supernatural. Not only do we fight evil with our guns and blades, but we also use our knowledge and quick-wittedness to rise above our enemies. We take pride and passion in our job. We save the world from wicked entities and nightmarish creatures. However, even though I am a courageous hunter, there is one thing that frightens me: you not accepting me for all that I am. I am still Edgar Allan Poe, the writer whose works you hold with adoration and respect, and my heart breaks at the thought of you forsaking me because of what I have revealed to you.”

  “How so?” Frances asked in a morose manner.

  Poe cleared his throat and inched a bit closer to her on the sofa. “Think about it this way. I am a hunter who tracks down and eradicates evil. I save others from the scythe of the Grimm Reaper, alongside Quincy. We protect the world, Frances, and humans have nothing to fear because of the work Quincy and I do. Therefore, you should view me in the same positive light that you do when you look at me as an author!”