Fury's Goddess

by Alex Archer

  Another thirty seconds passed before he came hustling around the corner with a big screwdriver. He held it up like a trophy until he saw Annja squatting near the opening.

  He dropped to all fours. “How the hell did you manage that?”

  Annja frowned. “I found a pry bar farther up. But of course once I got the lid up, I dropped it down there somewhere. Probably never find it now.”

  Frank shrugged. “At least you got it open.”

  “Yeah.”

  He looked into the hole. “We really have to go in there?”

  “If we want to get to the crime scenes, yes.”

  Frank blanched. “It stinks down there.”

  “And it’s only going to get worse.”

  Frank eyed her. “Does any of this stuff ever bother you?”

  Annja nodded. “All of it. Now get going.”

  He hesitated and then jumped. Annja heard him splash and then followed him. It was a short drop of only five feet. Annja stood and hauled the manhole cover into place. At least now they hadn’t left a calling card behind.

  Frank’s voice cut through the darkness. “Flashlight coming on. Watch your eyes.”

  Red light lit up the culvert. Annja looked ahead and then behind them. “Which way?”

  Frank pointed. “There.”

  “On we go.”

  Chapter 9

  In the darkness, even with the red flashlight illuminating part of the culvert, it was difficult to see exactly what lay ahead. Annja sloshed through the dank water and tried her best to breathe through her mouth so she wouldn’t have to put up with the intense stench. There was no way she and Frank would surprise anyone, making as much noise as they were.

  Behind her, Frank retched twice. “This is horrible.”

  “The things we do for a story,” she replied. “You think this is bad? I could tell you stories that would make you run home screaming to your mother.”

  “Leave my mother out of this.” He retched again. “How much farther?”

  She shrugged. Stooped as she was it was impossible to get a good read on where they were. “Maybe a few hundred feet.”

  “Whose idea was it to drop into a sewer again?”

  “You were the one who wanted to come along on this jaunt in the first place. You want to blame someone, blame yourself. You could be asleep right now.”

  “Yeah, but we wouldn’t be able to see this in the morning with Pradesh.”

  “Exactly.”

  Annja thought she saw something ahead. “Turn out the flashlight.”

  “What? Why? I don’t want to trip and fall face-first in this stuff. The puddle was bad enough.”

  “I think we’re coming out of the tunnel. Kill that light.”

  Frank muttered something but shut the flashlight off. Annja stopped and peered. Yes, there was definitely an opening up ahead of them. The question was: Where did it open up? The last thing Annja wanted was to come out and be exposed.

  She’d have to scout.

  “Stay here.”

  “What? No way. I’m not staying in this stinking cesspool any longer than I have to. Let me go with you.”

  Annja glanced back. “You want to take this one?”

  “Better than staying here in the sewer.”

  Annja stepped aside. “Fine. Go scout the scene but try not to make any noise, all right? I need to know that it’s clear for us to proceed.”

  Frank mock saluted her and then pushed past. “I’ll be back.”

  “Thanks, Arnold.”

  Annja watched him plod through the few remaining feet of tunnel and then disappear outside. She closed her eyes and prayed silently. Please don’t screw this up.

  When she opened her eyes, Frank was in front of her.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Just hoping you didn’t walk into an ambush.”

  “Ambush?” Frank frowned. “Annja, we’re not playing ‘Call of Duty’ here. It’s just trespassing.” He shrugged. “Well, plus the possibility of a monster.”

  “Which I take it you did not run into.”

  “Right.” Frank turned. “The culvert ends in a ditch, and according to my map, it puts us right about where we need to be. I saw what looked like crime-scene tape a few yards away.”

  “Good work.”

  “Thanks.”

  Annja gestured with her hand. “All right, lead on.”

  He turned and Annja followed him out. Frank paused and looked around. Annja smiled. He wasn’t a commando by any means, but he was developing some degree of smarts. He hadn’t led them into a police checkpoint at least.

  Frank pointed to his left. “Ditch is that way,” he said with a whisper.

  She nodded and then slipped over the edge of the drainage ditch, sticking close to the ground.

  In the next instant she froze. The sound of an engine. Annja glanced back and saw that Frank was already fully exposed.

  “Don’t move!” she whispered.

  Frank ignored her and dropped, but then kept absolutely still. It helped that they were wearing dark clothes. Annja pressed her face into the dirt and prayed the cops would drive by.

  As long as we don’t move, we should be fine, she thought. After all, it was movement that drew the eye at night.

  The cops probably didn’t expect to see two Americans slinking through a field, either, so hopefully they wouldn’t notice.

  Annja counted to thirty and then risked looking up. The cop car had just passed their location. She could hear the conversation of the men inside but she understood none of it. But judging from the tone, they were excited about something.

  Just so long as it’s not us, she thought.

  The car continued on its way, and when Annja judged it safe, she waved Frank on.

  They moved slowly and without sudden motions that would draw the eye.

  Eventually, they reached the edge of the crime scene. Annja looked at the tape with its fancy script in bold and felt bad for what she was about to do. Then again, the forensics team would have already taken up much of the evidence. So she wasn’t destroying the crime scene. More like just checking it out for anything they might have missed.

  Annja slid under the tape and down into the ditch.

  Of course, the body of the deceased was long gone, but Annja couldn’t help feeling a little uncomfortable. Someone had died here, she thought. And I’m disturbing the place where they were killed.

  Frank came tumbling into the ditch a second later, nearly colliding with Annja, who only just managed to jump out of the way at the last moment.

  “Sorry.”

  “Swan Lake dancer you ain’t,” she said. “Be careful with that camera, too. I doubt the company would be happy if you broke it.”

  Frank hauled the DSLR out and turned it on. “You want to do a shot here right now?”

  Annja frowned. Did she?

  “What the hell.”

  While Frank got ready, Annja wiped the muck from her face. She’d given up a long time ago on trying to keep makeup on for shots like this.

  Frank looked out from behind the camera. “Ready when you are.”

  Annja cleared her throat. “I hope the audio levels are okay, because I’m not about to speak in my regular voice for this.”

  Frank shrugged. “If not, the sound guys can amp it up when we get back to the States.”

  Annja saw the red light come on and knew he was recording. She looked into the camera and was just about to start talking when Frank held up his hand.

  “Wait a minute.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  He slowly lowered the camera. “There’s a kid behind you.”

  “What?”

  And then she felt the indescribable sensation of a metal blade being pressed into the back of her neck.

  “Does this kid have a knife, Frank?”

  Frank nodded. “Uh, yeah.”

  “That’s kind of an important piece of information. Maybe next time forget the kid part and j
ust tell me there’s someone with a knife, okay?”

  “Yeah, cool.”

  Annja held her hands up. “Relax, okay? We’re not here to hurt you.”

  She heard a whisper. “Turn around. Slow.”

  Annja shifted and then turned. The kid kept the knife pressed against her throat. He couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

  But he looked quite serious.

  And the knife was no joke. It must have been nearly as long as his forearm and he held it with confidence. As if he knew how to use it.

  “Who are you?”

  “My name is Annja. That’s Frank.”

  Frank held up a hand. “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “Why are you here?”

  His English is good, Annja thought. School? He didn’t look as if he’d live here. His clothes were in bad shape. Tattered. Full of holes.

  “We mean no harm,” she said. “We came here to find out about the monster.”

  “The monster?”

  “The one that killed three people. Do you know anything about the creature that did it?”

  The kid frowned. “The police are here. Maybe I should take you to them. Perhaps they will reward me.”

  “Or you might get into worse trouble,” Annja said. “After all, you’re trespassing here, too, aren’t you?”

  He frowned deeper. “I have to. My family is poor and I can sell some of the things these rich people discard. It helps my family. This is my job.”

  He looked proud when he said that last part. It tugged at her heart.

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  “What?”

  “How about we hire you to work for us?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Doing what?”

  “You tell us what you know about the monster, and I’ll pay you for your knowledge.” Annja reached into her pocket and came out with a roll of money. The boy’s eyes lit up like fireworks when he saw the amount.

  “This would help your family, wouldn’t it?”

  He nodded. “Give it to me.”

  Annja held it back, aware that he might try to rob her regardless. “You’ll have it all if you help us, okay?”

  She could see his inner debate playing out. Should he try to take the money by force?

  Annja didn’t let him make that decision. As soon as he let his guard down, she slapped his hand and sent the blade sprawling across the ditch. Before he could recover, Annja stepped on the knife.

  “I’m offering you a job. I won’t double-cross you, I promise. You give us the information we need and you get paid.”

  “You will not lie?”

  Annja shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

  “All right. But I need my knife back first.”

  Annja eyed him. “You won’t try anything with it? I’d hate to have to get mean with you.”

  “I won’t.”

  Annja moved her foot and quick as a flash the boy scooped up the blade. “Now give me the money.”

  “First you give us the information. Tell me what you know about the monster.”

  The boy smiled as if she was stupid. “There is no monster.”

  “There isn’t?”

  He shook his head. “Oh, no. There’s something much worse.”

  Chapter 10

  Frank moved closer. “What’s your name, kid?”

  The boy looked Frank over, sizing him up. Annja fought back a smile when she saw that the kid didn’t seem to think much of the man. Some people just didn’t command respect.

  After a minute, the boy shrugged. “Deva.”

  “Deva, I’m Frank. This is Annja.”

  Deva’s eyes tracked back to Annja and the roll of cash she held. “So, what do you wish to know?”

  “The three people who were killed here, some people seem to think that a tiger did it. Or maybe a monster.” Annja eyed him. “But you don’t agree with that?”

  “No.”

  “And you know what happened?”

  “It was not a tiger.”

  “Was it another animal of some kind?” she asked.

  “I do not know of any animal that could do the things that were done to those people,” Deva said. “Except one.”

  “Which one?”

  Deva looked at her. “Man.”

  Frank leaned in even closer. “You saw it happen?”

  Deva shrugged. “They come to the rich houses and take people away. Then they bring them back after they are done killing them. I have seen them several times do this.”

  “But you didn’t tell the police,” Annja said. “Why?”

  Deva straightened his thin body. “If I do not work, my family will have nothing. My mother is very sick, and my father already works very hard to help my brothers and sisters. If I go to the police, they will stop me from working.”

  Annja studied him. “How old are you, Deva?”

  “Ten.”

  She shook her head. What happened to the innocence of childhood? It seemed intolerably cruel to expect a ten-year-old boy to have to work.

  “It’s all right,” she said. “We won’t tell them what you told us. I know what it’s like to have responsibilities. Your family counts on you, don’t they?”

  “Yes. Very much.”

  Annja nodded. “I’ll only ask you one more thing and then I’ll give you your money. Is that all right?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  Annja glanced around. “Can you show us where these men come into the development?”

  Deva’s eyes widened. “Why do you want to know that? You might run into them if you are not careful.” He thumbed at Frank. “That is how I found you. I listened. He makes too much noise.”

  Annja smiled. “I agree with you. He does. But he’s getting better.”

  “Not for a long time, I think.”

  Frank sighed. “Well, hopefully we won’t be here all that long and I won’t have to learn how to move so quietly.”

  Deva stared at the ground and didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I will show you. But then I wish to be paid.”

  “You got it.”

  Deva poked his head over the lip of the ditch. “You must be quiet and move when I move. The police cars come around here all night.”

  “Lead the way, Deva,” said Annja. “We’ll follow.”

  Deva nodded and then vanished over the lip. Annja started to follow him when Frank pulled her back.

  “Wait.”

  “What is it, Frank?”

  “We really doing this? Trusting a kid?”

  “You have another idea? He knows the lay of the ground in this place. And if he can point us toward the proper direction for this investigation, then all the better.”

  “Yeah, but it feels like we’re taking advantage of him.”

  Annja raised her eyebrows. “Taking advantage of him? Frank, did you see how much cash I’m giving him? If anyone’s getting ripped off here, it’s me!”

  Deva poked his head back over the rim of the ditch. “What is taking you two so long? Please hurry!”

  Annja scrambled out. Deva was already across the street, moving quickly down a side pathway that ran between several of the houses.

  Annja glanced back and saw Frank moving across the street toward her. Once they were in the shadow of the pathway, it would be harder for the police to spot them unless they shone the light in their direction.

  But Deva seemed to have a pretty good idea of the schedule the cops kept. That alone was worth the price she was paying him.

  She was concerned, though. If there really were some criminals killing people, then what was the point of it? Some plot for hire? Were they assassins of some sort hired to kill residents here?

  But where was the sense in that?

  Annja sighed. She figured that logic and murder had very little to do with each other.

  In the distance, a dog barked, shattering the silence. Deva froze.

  Annja followed suit. And so did Frank.

  The dog bark
ed a few more times and then Annja could hear the sound of a door opening and shutting. Deva relaxed and continued moving forward.

  Annja frowned. Now that she knew there wasn’t a monster, her level of fear had increased. The night seemed to hold too many shadows. Too much potential for a dangerous encounter.

  She had the sword, of course, but again, if Frank saw it… How would she explain that to him? And would he be able to keep his mouth shut back at the office?

  Doubtful.

  Deva came to the end of the path. Ahead of them, it was lighter, and Annja again felt the sensation of being exposed in the open. Deva crouched near the corner of a house and seemed to be waiting for something.

  Annja crept closer and put her hand over his ear to whisper, “Is everything all right?”

  Deva nodded. “Police.”

  They shrank back into the shadows as another cruiser crawled along out on the road. It passed by without incident, and Annja felt Deva’s thin body slump.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “There seem to be a lot of them out tonight,” Deva explained. “But fortunately, we are almost there.”

  “Okay.”

  “Stay close to me,” the boy said. “There is open ground ahead of us and we must move quickly.”

  “I like the way you think.”

  Deva darted out and Annja followed. Frank kept pace with them. Deva ran toward the far side of the road and then hopped a low line of bushes, pausing on the other side to wait for them to catch up.

  They lay on a steep embankment that led down to another series of ditches and culverts. Deva pointed to where Annja could just make out mountains in the dark. “They come from there.”

  “There’s a village in that direction?”

  Deva looked at Annja as if she had three heads. “No. They come from the mountains. The mountains.”

  Frank huffed and puffed beside them. “What—like, they live inside the mountains?”

  “Yes.”

  Frank eyed Annja. “This is getting better by the minute.”

  “I’ll say.” She looked at Deva. “So, they come in from this direction? Through the ditches and the culverts? The tunnels?”

  Deva nodded. “Yes. And this is the most I can show you. Can I have my money?”

  “Thank you very much for your help, Deva.” She placed the roll of cash into the young boy’s hand. He scampered back up the slope and vanished.