The Wrath of Pan
By Jeremy Croston
First Edition
© 2015 Jeremy Croston
Two Dudes, Brews, & Books
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Please do not re-distribute this book
in any way or format for
commercial purposes
or change the content.
This book is a work of fiction.
All of the names, places,
and events that occur are from
the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to an actual
person, alive or dead, place,
historical event, or business establishment
is purely coincidental.
Cover image by amycovers
Edited by Caroline “Cookie” Price
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Blood and Arrows
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
More from Jeremy Croston:
One Last Thing:
Chapter 1
We were sitting in my car, a sixty-seven charcoal blue Mustang, outside a Phoenix nightclub. I couldn’t tell you how long we’d been sitting there, but the lanky vampire beside me was getting agitated.
“Vic, this has turned out to be a colossal waste of time. Let’s call it a night.”
Reno was definitely impatient, but I wouldn’t break orders. “If Liz thinks Vincente Divas is in there, more than likely he’s in there.”
“Hmph.” But Reno knew it was true. Liz, our boss, was always on top of things.
“Tell you what. It’s two-thirty in the morning and if he ain’t out here in another hour, we’ll call it a night.”
I couldn’t tell what was going on in his head. Reno always wore those damn reflective lens sunglasses. “Fine, but this night is on you cowboy. I’m going back to my crossword.”
Silence followed and I went back to my task. One of the reasons I was out here tonight was my enhanced senses. Werewolves had the best senses in the supernatural world, but mine were even better. See, I can’t transform into a wolf like most werewolves do. No one knows why, but I just can’t. On the plus side, my five senses were off the chart.
Before we left, Liz gave me a scent to follow. Vincente always wore a certain brand of cologne and I knew what it was. With the window down, I kept sniffing the air in hopes of picking it up.
Nothing of note happened for awhile. Humans started stumbling out shortly after three, the stench of sweat and alcohol filling the air. Reno was nose deep in his crossword and I was about to wave the flag in defeat when I picked it up.
“Divas is coming out, look alive!”
With reflexes faster than anyone should have, the crossword was away and his pistol was out. I picked up my Adams Percussion .50 caliber, nicknamed Roscoe, and got myself ready.
“What’s the plan Vic?”
Liz wanted us to bring him in alive. Divas has been peddling drugs to the humans, a mixture of coke and a few drops of vampire blood. It’s a clear violation of vampire law, so he was to be punished.
“Let’s see where he goes and try to ambush him along the way.”
Minutes started to pass, the faint smell of his cologne still lingered in the air. Suddenly, it began to get stronger. I narrowed my eyes at the entrance to the club and saw our target. He looked to be a middle aged man with slick backed black hair and a pot belly.
Reno started to laugh. “Good lord, I’d only seen headshots! This guy’s a fat ass!”
“Don’t underestimate the enemy. Besides, he has two henchmen with him and those dudes don’t look like pushovers.”
One was a large black man with a big old scar running down the side of his face. The other looked like a guy named Cousin Vinnie. He was carrying a shotgun with him. Were they expecting trouble?
“I don’t like this Reno; I think they’ve been tipped off.”
“Don’t get cold feet on me. I’m sure this is just his usual detail.”
I hoped Reno was right. Divas kept walking and got to a pretty nice looking black car. Cousin Vinnie opened the door and got the boss inside while the other guy headed up front to the driver’s door. With everyone now inside the car, it started going south. I counted to five before turning on the Mustang and following.
I kept my distance, a good four or five car lengths behind. “Any idea where they’re heading?”
“I’m not sure. The only thing down here is a few abandoned buildings.”
One of those abandoned buildings turned out to be the final destination. As the car turned in and parked, I pulled the Mustang off the road, a few hundred feet back from where Divas and his crew were. Something didn’t seem right here, there were quite a few unusual smells in the air.
Reno started to get out of the car, but I put my hand on his shoulder. “Let’s be careful, I got a bad feeling about this.”
“We’ll be fine, just follow my lead.”
He continued out of the car. Leaving me no choice, I got out too and followed him. I tried to tell what these scents were I was picking up, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Soon the scents were taken over by strange noises, almost like a moaning sound.
When we got into the parking lot, the smells and sounds were very loud and making it hard to concentrate. Looking over at Reno, “Can you hear all this?”
Shaking his head, Reno whispered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What does it sound like?”
“Moaning, like people are in pain or something.”
“Maybe he is running an afterhour’s dental business or something.” He then started to laugh at his own joke.
Reno’s lack of concern was a problem, but this was the hand I was dealt. Thank God he was useful in a fight. We kept moving forward, guns out and staying to the shadows. We reached the door where Divas had entered with no problems.
Reno moved in and slowly opened the door. The weird smell came rushing out and it took everything I had not to start coughing. Holding my breath, we entered the building. Dim lights in the hallway produced a low humming noise. There was also an underlying smell of mold; this place hadn’t been used in a very long time.
The initial smell got stronger as we went down the hallway. At the end was a set of double doors. “You told me to follow your lead Reno, so after you.”
He gave me one last look and opened the right door. Immediately I regretted letting him do that, as we found the source of the smell and the moanin
g noise. Below us, in a large open space were fifty to sixty humans, all in various states. Some were dead; others looked high as a kite.
Sickening, that’s the best word I can use. Imagine if you will, walking into a barn and seeing animals in various states of slaughter. That’s what was below us, a freaking slaughterhouse.
“Welcome gentlemen to my focus group! As you can see the participants are enjoying themselves!”
The voice had a thick French accent to it. Looking to my left, I saw Vincente Divas walking towards us. Reno and I pointed are guns at him.
“What are those pea-shooters going to do to me?”
Growling, “Each bullet in this gun is laced with silver. It might not kill you but it’s going to sting like a bitch.”
For effect Reno fired a shot at Divas. Damn the big guy was fast, dodging the bullet like it was in slow motion. “That was uncalled for Mr. Tavares, but what should one expect with your reputation.”
“Divas, we’re here to bring you in. Why don’t you just come along nice like and you and Ambassador Swansea can work things out amongst yourselves?”
He gave me a look of pure disgust. “I will not, as you law enforcement types are apt to say, come quietly. Elizabeth Swansea has no power over me.”
As he said it, his two henchmen came out of the doors behind us. Shit, we were surrounded. Divas, knowing he had the upper hand, continued. “As for the two of you, I would be most interested to see what Vanish does to you.”
Reno started laughing again. “What the hell is Vanish?”
“A drug of my own creation. Giving the human drug cocaine a few drops of vampire blood gives it such a more potent punch. Look at how my customers are enjoying it!”
If death was enjoyment then I’d be inclined to agree with him. “I’m pretty sure your drug is killing them.”
“Yes, it does have that little drawback, but in the weeks it takes for them to die, they can’t stop taking it. The money that pours in from their usage is tremendous.”
The spark of excitement that was in his eyes as he talked about killing humans made me sick. “Mark my words Divas, this will end.”
He made a quick motion to his two goons. “Tough words coming from a dead wolf. Ugga, Nikko, take out the trash.”
He gave us one last salute and quickly retreated through the door. We had no time to chase as both Reno and I had to jump down to the floor below to avoid the attacks of Divas’s two goons.
“Damnit Vic, he’s getting away!”
I have Reno a no shit look. “We got bigger problems to worry about.”
Ugga and Nikko followed us down. It was obvious both were vampires, so Reno and I holstered our guns. I got out my silver tanto my grandfather gave me a long time ago. Reno had his steel baton, ready for action.
“Look Ugga, the rodents wish to challenge us.” Nikko’s voice had a hint of a Russian accent, ruining my Cousin Vinnie nickname.
Ugga said nothing, just grunted. He then looked at me and went all vampire on me, eyes red and fangs extended. Nikko and Reno soon followed. It looked like there was only one way out of this mess and that was through these two.
Slowly, I started to walk towards the drugged up humans. Ugga followed, excitement growing on the big vampire’s face. Giving a quick glance back at Reno, I could see him and Nikko circling each other. Reno had been around the block for a long time, so I wasn’t all that worried.
Once I got to a spot that I felt was a comfortable distance away, “So ugly, how do you want to do this?”
In a surprisingly low and soft voice, “My master deemed it necessary for your death, so shall I deliver.”
There was a hint of reluctance in his voice. “I don’t think you want to kill me, now do you?”
“I have no choice. If you want to see another sunrise wolf, prepare yourself.”
Before I could offer a rebuttal, the large vampire went on the attack.
Chapter 2
When you get into a fight, you always hope to be the bigger and faster man. Most of the times you’re either one or the other. In this case, I was neither. I’d been clipped twice already by the vampire’s punches. Let me tell you what, they really hurt.
The second punch had sent me into the crowd of humans. I unfortunately landed on a corpse and from the smell, one of the first ones to pass away. I wanted to vomit, but now wasn’t the time. The punch had also knocked my tanto out of my hand and it skidded across the floor. Ugga was stalking me and I had to think of something fast.
The only thing I noticed that I could possibly use to my advantage was that big old scar on his face. It must’ve happened before he was turned as it still had a touch of green to it, like it had once been infected. If I could get close enough, I might be able to hurt him.
Getting up, I used what speed I could muster and ran straight at Ugga. As I got close, he kicked at me, but I jumped over his leg and landed on his chest. The massive man didn’t fall down, but I quickly threw a punch to his face. My hand hit the soft skin of the scar and Ugga dropped to one knee in pain. His hands quickly went up, covering the scar.
Being on one knee put him more at my height and I kicked him in the ribs. The dude was all muscle, but the force of the kick was enough to knock the wind out of him. He leaned forward and I finished the job by bringing my knee to his jaw. I felt a bit bad about fighting dirty, but then again I was still alive.
I heard clapping and looked over. Reno was standing there watching me. Nikko was lying on the ground, beaten to a pulp. “Took you long enough.”
“You didn’t feel the need to help out?”
Walking over, “Nah, you were doing fine. Let’s take a few pictures of this place and call it a night huh?”
Pulling out my cell phone, which somehow survived the short but nasty fight, I got the pictures to show Liz. I still had one question though. “What’re we going to do with the humans that are alive?”
We looked over at them. Their eyes were sunk so far back in their heads and their skin was so pale. It was obvious they had been here for a few weeks.
“Don’t judge me Vic, but I think it’s best if we put them out of their misery.”
I wanted to protest his decision, but I couldn’t. “Why don’t you call Liz and get us some backup. We can take these two outside and decide how best to end this nightmare.”
Reno obliged and by the time we got outside with Nikko and Ugga, Liz and Phil Ruud where waiting for us. Phil came over and relived me of the burden of carrying Ugga.
Liz ran over and gave me a hug. Did I mention I happen to be dating my boss? “Victor, are you and Reno well?”
The sun was starting to peak over the horizon. “Yeah, we’re good. But I think for the sake of Reno and Phil, we can wait until we get back to the office to discuss matters.”
A millennia old European vampire, Liz was always prim and proper in both communication and appearance. Even at five in the morning, she was dressed in a business suit and five inch heels. How she ever managed to do anything was beyond me, but that was probably the difference between men and women.
“Yes, you make an excellent point.” Pointing to the two beaten vampires, “Ruud, load them into the van and if you would, put them in the holding cells.”
The big, bald man nodded. Reno went over and helped him load them up. With the tasks done, we were all off back to our office, located in a high-rise downtown. Liz hopped in with me and we were off.
“I know I will see for myself when I get back to cleanse the area, but how bad was it?”
Words didn’t really do the scene justice. “It was truly terrible. What Divas did to those poor humans proved the point to the few that know about our existence. He’s a monster.”
“He saw an advantage with me preoccupied with the late Warren Tucker and used it. The man is not a fool that much he has shown.”
Putting my hand on her leg, “Don’t worry beautiful, we’ll get the bastard.”
She put her hand on top of mine. As always, it was
cool to the touch. “Thank you Victor, I know we will.”
“Any word on my passport yet?”
“No.” The tone of her voice went from sad to full of venom. “I do not know how the United States government gets anything done. We put that request in three weeks ago.”
The lady at the passport office said it would take four to six weeks, so I wasn’t surprised. I was amused with the irony of an impatient vampire who was effectively immortal. “Don’t worry, I’ll get it soon and then we can go.”
Not that long ago, I was the sheriff of an all werewolf community, Full Moon, in New Mexico. Liz came to town and enlisted my help in catching a lunatic serial killer named Warren Tucker. To keep a long story short, a lot of people died and I left my post to take up a job with her, Chief Inspector of the Southwest.
When we had returned to Phoenix, her brother Jonathan and her oldest friend, Roderick, called her with a huge problem. A very bad dude had broken out of his island prison and was on the loose in London. They wanted our help, but the problem is I don’t have a passport.
“I know, I am just very anxious about all of this. Pan was never to leave that island.”
The fugitive in question goes by Peter Pan. Apparently it’s not his real name, but the title fits. Liz’s brother saved a young boy by turning him into a vampire. Unfortunately, you’re stuck at the age you’re turned and being a teenager for all eternity has its drawbacks, namely one’s sanity.
We were at a red light, so I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Hell, no need to worry about this Pan yet. We still need to catch Divas before he ruins the city and all.”
“He was fortunate to escape this time. Next time, we will be much better prepared for him.”
When we pulled into the parking garage, Liz was in a much better mood. Her lust to make Divas pay for the crimes he’d committed got her mind off what was happening across the pond.
When the two of us got to her office, I pulled my phone out and attached it to her computer. The images I took appeared on her screen.
“Victor, this is horrifying! How did the smell not overwhelm you?”
The Wrath of Pan (The Inglewood Chronicles Book 2) Page 1
