The Lurker at the Threshold : A Horror Mystery
Page 20
The other monsters inhabiting the city cowered at its presence. There wasn’t enough room. The Lurker at the Threshold was no longer at the threshold.
“Dear God, save us,” Jerry whispered.
Beside him, the rookie fainted.
—
“He has succeeded,” Nyarlathotep said.
They were looking into the miasma that was the witch-house. The place was still a swirling conglomeration of electric-colored lights and wind-blasted landscapes.
“Succeeded?” Millie asked. “Who? What succeeded?”
“Your friend,” the god said.
“Dev? He did?” Millie got excited and started jumping up and down. “He got through! Are you being serious? Did you hear that, Henry?”
“I didn’t think he had it in him,” Armitage said.
“It is far from over,” Nyarlathotep said.
“But you just said—” Millie reminded him.
“There is another,” Nyarlathotep said.
“Another?”
“Yog-Sothoth. Cthulhu. But there is a progenitor before them. Azathoth. The father of both.”
“You’ve got to be kidding?” Millie said.
“Like one big monstrous family,” Henry said.
—
The gates were closing. The monsters were free to roam Innsport, laying siege and destruction to everything in their path. They couldn’t go back to the Outer Darkness. In the interim, Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth swelled to life waiting for the one who came before. While bats swarmed the skies and rats filled the streets, giant spiders took to the buildings, mi-gos flew at random throughout the city, and the kangaroo monsters hopped along, ravenous and clawing.
Azathoth soon appeared, a colossal black hole with a thousand eyes and teeth. It looked like a giant, wrinkled mouth across the sky. The horrors over Innsport had the entire city in the panic and terror.
Screams filled the night. Cars crashed. Sirens sounded. Horns honked. Glass shattered.
The towering sentinels—while bodies were being plucked from the city—began the purpose they’d been waiting their entire lives to set in motion:
The eradication of the human race.
—
Duke had been running toward the Mad Arab with everything he had. It wasn’t much, considering his size. He was out of shape. His gun was drawn, but the chamber was empty. Abdul Alhazred must be in some corporeal, resurrected state—the power of his dark knowledge.
“Duke!” Newt shouted.
His partner continued to run.
Duke was no more than ten feet from the Mad Arab, when the man noticed him. Abdul summoned a spell, making a circular gesture with his hands. He aimed it at Duke, released it, and the big detective was thrown backwards and onto the ground.
The Mad Arab laughed and vanished in a puff of smoke.
—
“What now?” Macky asked. “How do I get back? You threw me a nice party and everything, and don’t think I’m not grateful. I have a feeling this wine of Kadath is going to give me the worst of hangovers, but I gotta get going. I have friends back home.”
“You can’t go back,” Ubba-Sathla said.
“That’s funny. Seriously. How do I get back?”
“The Weevles want you as a permanent house guest. Let’s face it, it gets pretty lonely here. Imagine if that was all you had for company. It’s maddening. Why don’t you think about staying?”
Macky stared at the man, the creature, whatever it was. The dialogue with the Elder Gods had sobered him up. Maybe that was their power.
“Look, if you can summon the Elder Gods, surely you can get me back home,” Macky said.
“It’s not that easy.”
“What do you want?” Macky asked.
“I’m thinking of the Weevles,” Ubba-Sathla said. “They’re going to be disappointed when they wake up and find you gone.”
“Tell them I’ll be home for Christmas.”
Ubba-Sathla raised his eyebrows at this. “You promise?”
“Of course.”
“You’re a good man, Mr. Macky.”
“I’ll be sure to remind them back home.”
“Another cup of wine before you go?”
“One for the road, as they say. Don’t mind if I do . . .”
—
“But can’t we get them back?” Millie continued to plead with Nyarlathotep. “There must be some way to get them back. A bunch of gods, and portals, and gateways, and witch-houses, and the like, you’re going to stand there and tell me that’s impossible?”
“It’s more complicated than that,” Nyarlathotep said.
“I have something that might persuade him,” Armitage said.
“What’s that?” Millie asked.
Henry smiled. He reached into his pant pocket and pulled out an amulet on a gold chain. The amulet was of a dog with wings, a jade crystal in the center.
Nyarlathotep flamed, bristling with fire. “How did you get that?”
“I’ve come into a lot of things over the years,” Armitage said. “This just happened to be one of them.”
“What is that?” Millie asked.
“It’s the Amulet of Leng,” Armitage said. “It is tied to Nyarlathotep. And it allows whoever is in possession of it to control a certain hound with wings. If the right invocation is invoked. I spent the night trying to find it in this book. Which I finally did. It’s Nyarlathotep’s nemesis. In some aspects. It’s also his companion. In some aspects. I was lucky to find it and was fortunate to remember it before Capshaw and Macky came to visit earlier tonight. I brought it all the way from Arkham, Millie. What do you think of that?”
Millie clapped her hands together and jumped up and down. “Yippee! Henry, I could kiss you!”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Armitage said.
“I will bring them back, if you give me the amulet,” Nyarlathotep said.
“Bring them back first, or I’ll sick the hound on you,” Armitage said.
Nyarlathotep flared with fire again. “Mortals!” he said. “Very well, but you will have to deal with Brown Jenkin.”
“Who?” Armitage asked.
—
A door opened inside the witch-house. As it widened, Duke, Newt, Amelia, Capshaw, and Mr. Kalabraise came bolting through. Just as they did, Brown Jenkin appeared from the shadows. Milly and Armitage weren’t sure what it was. It was the size of a large rat with brown fur. It had a flat face with seared eyes and large, bucked teeth. It was ugly and monstrous, and it looked partially blind.
Brown Jenkin, the haunter of the witch-house, snorted, growled, opened its small mouth, revealed two long teeth in front, and ran toward Millie’s ankles. Millie screamed and kicked at the monster. Mr. Kalabraise, like Wilbur Whateley, ran, jumped, and latched onto Brown Jenkin’s throat.
Nyarlathotep let out a howl.
The sound of nails on pavement was close by.
Armitage smiled, holding the Amulet of Leng, and the hound bayed.
—
Nodens and the Elder Gods arrived in Innsport at 5 am. Towering flames of fire, faces and eyes intent on their purpose, they wasted no time disposing of the Outer Gods. They assembled before Yog-Sothoth, Cthulhu, and Azathoth. The portals and gates had worked against the trio from the Outer Darkness. Their primordial states had weakened with the transition to Earth’s dimension. They were too massive to maintain their power, expending too much energy in the Third Dimension. They had weakened.
Nodens and the Elder Gods acted quickly, banishing Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, and Azathoth back to the Outer Darkness. Their cries echoed over Innsport and back again, vanishing in the cold darkness of space as the portals closed.
The bats, rats, mi-gos, kangaroo monsters, spiders, glowing mists, and fog disappeared one by one, leaving the Mad Arab to fend for himself alone.
Abdul Alhazred had used a spell to transfer himself from one dimension to another. He was back in Innsport atop of one of the many buildings of the city, reciting inc
antations from The Necronomicon, and using all his power and knowledge to gather the forces of darkness.
Nodens approached the lone building and considered the small man for some time. The Elder God looked amused.
The wind stopped blowing. The clouds were still. The Mad Arab was desperate to make one last stand and make the gods he worshipped proud. The cloud around him swirled but looked very small in comparison to the Elder God.
Nodens studied the man for a while, his head cocked. He nodded a single time, and the Mad Arab exploded in a million pieces.
—
Macky entered through another door in the witch-house. Nyarlathotep had retreated with the sight of the hound, and Armitage, surprising everyone, stood petting a giant dog with wings beside him. Macky was talking to someone no one else could see, waving his hand and smiling.
“No, I’ll see you guys on Christmas. No, thank you! It was fun. Of course! Of course!”
He was smiling wide, nodding, closed the door, and turned. He wavered a bit and balanced himself against the door.
Millie, Armitage, Capshaw, Newt, Duke, Amelia, and Mr. Kalabraise stared at him. A dead, brown-skinned, large rodent was on the ground with its throat open. Macky looked at it and frowned. Mr. Kalabraise stood with blood on her face.
“Dev, are you drunk?” Millie said.
“Boy, am I? That’s the best wine I’ve ever had! I should’ve asked Ubba-Sam-buthla for a bottle. How did it go, everybody? Is the city safe? Did we win?”
Capshaw shook his head, but he was smiling.
“After all we’ve been trying to do all night,” Millie said. “You go out and start drinking?”
“Didn’t we just go over this?” Macky said. “I’m actually not that drunk—hiccup!—it’s just a matter of being polite, really. You don’t deny hospitality when it’s shown you. Holy jeez, there’s like more than two of each of you. Which one is real? Stop! You’re making me dizzy! What did I miss? Your favorite private eye saves the day again! No need to thank me. You guys mind if I lie down here and go to sleep? This whole room seems to be spinning! Hiccup!”
—
They stood outside the witch-house on the outer perimeter of the city. The lights had darkened, the current of lightning fading to a few zips and zaps. There was no sign of Nyarlathotep. Millie was trying her best to keep Macky upright, but he kept buckling at the knees.
The three Elder Gods stood before them like blazing pillars of light. They were colossal. Their voices boomed when they spoke.
“Your city is safe,” Nodens said.
Macky gave a wavering, drunken salute, and said, “We so what we owe for your trouble for?”
“You’re embarrassing,” Millie said.
“There is no need,” Nodens said. “The Outer Gods were created to be our servants. It was an honest mistake—when gods still longed to be worshipped. We are not so anymore. All things evolve over time, or so we hope. Some things stay the same and do not learn. Nor do they desire to. It is not your fault. It is our own. We accept the blame for these monsters. But they will trouble you no longer. The tides have shifted, though darkness still reigns at times. The Mad Arab is no more. His black knowledge has allowed him to survive in a state of consciousness in death, but his powers are limited. And he must answer to us before he acts. On your own, you would’ve been able to do nothing. You were right to call upon us.”
Macky took off his hat and made another drunken bow.
“Would you stop doing that?” Millie said.
Surprising them, Nodens chuckled. The sound reverberated on the outskirts of the city.
“Do not be so hard on him,” Nodens said. “As foolish and rash as he has been, he has shown an unwavering, if not, foolish amount of bravery. He was loyal to you all. He risked his life, though he may never know it. Let him enjoy his drink. It has a powerful rebound, or so they say in Kadath. Beware the shadows.”
“Thank you,” Millie said. “Thank you for helping us.”
“Very much,” Armitage said. The hound was no longer by his side. It had disappeared into the witch-house.
The others nodded.
“It is no need,” Nodens said. “We aim to serve and bestow our blessings upon you. You are flawed creatures, but you are resilient, and you show a staggering amount of heart. To us, it often appears foolish.”
“Yes,” Millie said. “Thanks again.”
“Farewell, mortals. The Elder Gods were proud to serve you.”
Macky saluted again, buckled at the knees, and fell to the ground.
Chapter 21
“Have you seen today’s paper? Have you seen it?” Captain Warrens said. He was an African American man who’d just returned from his time in Bermuda to a ravaged city. He was in the precinct with Duke and Newt while the other officers were tending to the aftermath, along with city workers and thousands of volunteers. “We’re the laughing stock of the entire city, not to mention the nation! Probably the world. It’s written by that hooligan reporter, Fryebean. Stringbean. Greenbean. Whatever. I can’t remember his name. Innsport in Chaos, the headline reads. Have you seen what he does to this precinct? Inept, flat-footed, careless, helpless, useless. Those were the words he used. ‘While Duke Bardhoff and Newt Givens, of which no one could locate, were cowering amid the ashes of destruction, fearing for their lives, and Captain Warrens and Mayor Hancock were on vacation, the Outer Gods wreaked pandemonium on a defenseless city. If not for the wily, crafty staff at the Innsport Gazette, who labored tirelessly around the clock to save those fleeing in terror, the situation would’ve been substantially worse.’ Are you serious? Is that what happens when I turn my back for two seconds?”
“I think, under the circumstance, we did pretty well without you, chief,” Newt said, leaning back in his chair. “I mean things could’ve been a whole lot worse like the article said. But we managed to overcome all that adversity without you and the mayor. I mean, you do take a lot of vacations. Most of which has happened now while two cosmic entities have tried to terrorize the city. It could be just a coincidence, but it kind of makes you look like you’re in cahoots with these outer beings. What I’m trying to say is, chief, no thanks are necessary. We aim to serve without reward. Right, Duke?”
Duke hid his smile behind his hand. He was growing fond of his partner. He nodded. “Couldn’t have said it better myself, Newt. I’m sure it was worth it to get away, all that beautiful blue water. Who couldn’t use a vacation?”
“Don’t get smart with me, detective,” Warrens said, pointing his finger at him. “You know how much this is gonna cost the taxpayers to put this city back together?”
“Maybe you could contact Nodens, and he could help,” Duke said. “They seem pretty agreeable, all things considered.”
“We got those fiction writers at the Innsport Gazette taking all the credit for this,” Warrens said. “People don’t trust us anymore. They would rather go to some private dick. We’re a joke!”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, chief,” Newt said. “Most people know how much the press lies anyway. It’s all for the publicity, you know that.”
“We got hooligans running all over town snatching purses,” Warrens said. “Bodies turning up in the east canal, gangsters on the prowl, pick-pockets, and who knows what’s going on in the black market. People are looting with all the destruction.”
“Sounds like you could use another vacation, chief,” Duke said. “Don’t worry, we’ll handle it. Come on, Newt, the city needs us.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Captain Warrens said.
“It means, before we get started, I could use a bite to eat,” Duke said. “I hate fighting crime on an empty stomach. Come on, Newt, let’s go. That sushi joint still open on a hundred and fifteenth and Dalemont?”
“Dalemont Sushi Joint?” Newt said. “I believe so.”
“Good. I’m famished. I think I shed a few pounds with all that running around we did. Battling unholy horror sure is exhausting.”
Captain Warrens dropped the paper on the floor and turned and walked away.
“What’s got him so mad, Duke?”
“Beats me. You know coming back to work after a long holiday isn’t easy. Reality sets in.”
“Don’t I know it,” Newt said. “Come on, I’m driving.”
“Sound philosophy, partner. You’re learning.”
—
Armitage had come by the office the next day, which was finally free of glowing orbs and portals. Millie was wiping the leaves of the philodendrons.
“How did you know?” Macky said.
“Just a hunch,” Armitage said. “You guys get those, too, right? I remembered reading about the hound in the Mythos years ago. Something about the Amulet, which I, for whatever reason, grew very curious about. I managed to track it down. Found it in a grave.”
“What did you do with it?”
“Gave it to Capshaw for the museum. The place is getting a livestock of mysterious trinkets. He’ll know what to do with it. I knew if I kept studying all night, I would find the invocation somewhere. You have to pronounce things correctly. And I happened to notice that thing was mentioned as a nemesis to Nyarlathotep. As Duke and Newt tried to find the hound, I figured I could do two things at once. But I wasn’t exactly sure. Which is why I never told anybody. Newt and Duke could be led to Amelia, and we could get rid of Nyarlathotep . . . at least for a while. The fact that Wilbur Whateley was terrified of dogs never even occurred to me. That Mr. Kalabraise is one brave dog.”
Macky smiled. “You are one clever man, doctor. I’m thankful for our friendship.”