The Cactus Killer (The Inglewood Chronicles)

by Jeremy Croston

  I was curious now. “What did ole Callum Inglewood pull out this time?”

  “Since we are in the southwest, he is going to issue him a challenge old west style. His message is going to be to meet us and may the better man win.”

  Oh dear lord, only dad could turn a serious situation into a spaghetti western. “And where are we to meet for this showdown?”

  “Tomorrow at midnight, outside of Truth or Consequences in a place known as The Devil’s Hollow.”

  Chapter 36

  “You took a full page ad out in how many different towns’ newspapers?” Just listening to my dad drained me.

  “A man like Warren Tucker reads every newspaper in the state. He wants to be as well informed as possible, so it only made sense.” Dad logic – I hated it when he was actually onto something.

  I grabbed the paper he brought, The TorC Dispatch, and read over the page he took out. There was a picture of me with a headline that read Full Moon, New Mexico presents ‘The Showdown at Midnight’ starring Victor Inglewood and Elizabeth Swansea with directions to call the box offices to reserve your seat. I just groaned as I put it back on the table.

  “Your mother thought it was a good picture of you. We wanted you to look good for your big debut.” Then he had the gall to laugh at me.

  “You are all terrible people.” Even though I was rather ticked, it was probably a great idea. “I’m guessing when he calls to yell at me, I am the one to suggest Devil’s Hollow?”

  “That’s right boy, but try not to rile him up anymore if you can. Just stay calm and see if you can get him to agree.”

  I didn’t actually think that would be hard. I could almost imagine Tucker having some sort of complex that lead him to liking the idea of a midnight showdown. “Okay, I won’t let him get to me this time.”

  “Now, we are all going to stick close by, as we want to be here when he calls. So, it looks like you are going to have company again.”

  I needed to start charging rent, or at the very least board for all the food these people have been eating. I looked over in the living room and mom and Liz were enjoying talking to each other. Most of the people were on my back porch and I think Bernard had fired up the grill. I couldn’t believe I was saying this, but I hoped Tucker called sooner rather than later.

  Dad joined the guys on the deck and left me alone with my thoughts. Or so I thought.

  “Hey Vic, some party huh?”

  Gregory had appeared from thin air, I think and was taking a seat at my table. “A word of advice, never open your doors and let people in. It seems they never leave.”

  “I like all the life and companionship you have here. The vampire covens and wolf packs in the northwest tend to be a bit more pretentious. The two races working together would only end poorly for me.”

  I knew Liz had dealings with many different werewolf packs in the southwest, which made this easier. “Do you not talk to the pack Alphas as Liz does?”

  “Between the Reds and Silvers in Oregon constantly fighting over territory, and the Blacks in Washington openly hostile to vampires, most of my interactions are not pleasant. What I would give to work with a town like Full Moon where all three packs live in harmony.”

  “I get the feeling I am going to be in for a culture shock when I pick up my bags and leave.” I hadn’t given much thought to life after the Cactus Killer, but it was creeping up. If we all survived that is.

  “You will be good for the world. You are most welcome to come visit my territory anytime you wish. The Alphas up there could learn a lot from you.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but I doubt they would listen to a werewolf that can’t be a wolf.”

  He looked at me like I was the one missing something. “Many great people have overcome handicaps in life. In fact, I would say yours has made you even stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

  “I keep trying to tell him that, and even with all he has done, still doubts his own abilities.” Liz had snuck into the kitchen. I was half tempted to put a bell on her so I would hear her jingling at least.

  “Yeah, maybe you two are right. But enough talk about that. Who’s up for a game of Yahtzee?”

  It didn’t take long, but soon most everyone was crowded in my kitchen as we were playing. This was how the world was supposed to be, people have fun and enjoying each other’s company. Even Argent was having fun, at which Bernard suggested taking a video and putting it up on the internet.

  After a few games, I gave my seat up to Felix so he could play. I saw Pastor Browne talking to mom and Dr. Tello and waved him over. He excused himself and followed me into the living room.

  “What can I do for you, my son?”

  “I just wanted to make sure you are doing okay? I know this whole thing has been a complete shock to you.”

  He smiled, “Not as much as you would think. Billy and your mother have taken excellent care of me through this. The love and friendship I’ve seen in this community has shown me we are all part of God’s will.”

  “I’m glad Pastor, I really am. I also have a question for you.”

  “Of course, and please refer to me as Michael. We are outside the church and I consider you a friend.”

  “Well Michael, after all of this is over, I will be moving to Arizona to start a job with Liz there. Number one, if you want to stay here in Full Moon, I offer you this house as a place to stay.”

  He seemed taken aback by my offer. “That is most generous, but I do not know what my plans are after this.”

  “That is where the second part comes in. I’d like to offer you a job. I have a feeling that I will be in over my head a lot and a man of your faith and wisdom would always be a welcome sight. I’d like to hire you as a consultant of sorts.”

  “Oh my, and just what would that entail?”

  “Research mostly, but also an ear for me to use when my faith is shaken.”

  “I will consider that. I appreciate the offer Victor, and your confidence in me. It would certainly be a change from what I’ve done before, but maybe a change is what I need.”

  We shook hands and he got back up and joined everyone in the Yahtzee game. Sitting back, it was funny to see that all three werewolf clans, vampires, and even a human could be in the same space and not want to kill each other.

  Except, maybe Cristof. I noticed him off in the corner looking rather somber. I debated whether I wanted to deal with anymore vampire nonsense, but it was my nature to want to help people. Regretting every step I took, I made my way over to him.

  “Boss, you seem to be a bit down and out. Tucker doesn’t have you bugged out, does he?”

  He looked up at me, “Warren is what should have me most concerned, but this Fortuna is actually what has me not looking quite in the mood to socialize.”

  “Did you remember something to help us?”

  “That is the problem; it is right there on the tip of my brain but it continues to elude me. Try as I might, I cannot sort through the mass of memories and pick that one particular one out.”

  “I guess when you have fifteen hundred years of memories that could be a problem, huh?”

  He gave me a forced smile. “You have no idea. But it is a curse I bear willingly. I will just feel better once Tucker is dead and we know who the one leading him on is.”

  We drifted into silence. Both of us laughed when Liz yelled, ‘Yahtzee!’ and ended up knocking beer all over Chaz. As the next game was starting up, my phone rang. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me.

  I took my phone out and it was a restricted number. Nodding to everyone, I hit the connect button, “Hello.”

  “Victor, I saw your message in the paper. That seemed to be rather flamboyant of you, but it got my attention.”

  “Here is the deal Tucker, we don’t like each other but we respect each other. I offer a way to end that I think we both can get behind.”

  He didn’t say anything for a second and I didn’t offer anything else up. �
�I’m listening.”

  “Tomorrow evening, say at midnight. You bring yours and I will bring mine.”

  “Where are you proposing that we do this at, Victor?”

  He was hooked now, time to reel him in. “The Devil’s Hollow, outside Truth or Consequences. Do you know the place?”

  He started laughing; the man really was crazy. “How fitting a place where I take out my greatest nemesis! Yes Victor, bring as many of your daemons as you can muster. The more lambs you bring to slaughter, the less work I have to do afterwards.”

  “I figured by now Tucker you would’ve learned not to underestimate me.”

  “Enjoy your last night and day on this Earth for tomorrow, I shall send you home with divine justice.”

  Figuring he wanted to get the last word in, I said nothing else and within moments, the call was disconnected. Everyone was still staring at me.

  “Congratulations dad, your plan worked. Tomorrow at midnight, we all have a date with Warren Tucker and the monster squad.”

  Chapter 37

  The sun rose just like it did every other day, but today it seemed to have an ominous feel to it. Today was the day that we had all been working towards. At the beginning, it was just a nameless, faceless serial killer we had given the name of Cactus Killer. Weeks later now, we knew we weren’t dealing with just any run of the mill serial killer. Warren Tucker was dead serious with his ambitions and if we didn’t stop him, there is no telling what he would do.

  Liz was still asleep in the bed. I had given all the vampires a stern talking to that they needed all the rest they could muster. The only one to protest was, of course, Liz, who finally relented. It would do no one any good if one of us was not at one hundred percent. I quietly left the bedroom and headed downstairs.

  I fiddled around for awhile cleaning Roscoe, sharpening the edges on the tantos, and writing everything I knew down. His three ‘trusted agents’ would be the wild card. I assumed he did to them what he had done to his son, but that was just speculation. I was also banking on the fact that Cristof and the two wolves who would join him in the fight against Fortuna would be enough. I would find out for sure just how many of us would be coming.

  Joshua Greenfoot was a huge help in all of this. Before he and his second, Maska Darkcloud, were able to get in touch with four of their pack members on short notice. All four would be here by mid-afternoon and ready to fight. My dad, Callum, and Joshua had hit it off so well that I was sure even after all of this, the two Red packs would continue their relationship. Dad, Bernard, and I rounded out the Reds.

  My phone went off and I saw that Argent had texted me. He and three of his most senior Silvers would be fighting this evening. I was hoping for a few more, but the four Silvers would definitely be a handful. Besides being the oldest pack of werewolves, Silvers tended to be more violent in battle. Tonight we would need that.

  I hadn’t heard from Chaz yet, but that was not out of the ordinary. Chances were, he was whipping the Blacks into a frenzy and picking the best ones suited for the job. Of the three Alphas, I stood by my assertion he was the largest and most powerful. Sure enough, about a half hour after I had heard from Argent, Chaz called and said he had ten, including Billy, of his pack ready. Most days, he was a calm and cool guy, but today you could almost hear the excitement in his voice.

  All total, we would have twenty-three wolves heading out tonight. Add in five vampires and I didn’t know how we could improve our odds. If Tucker was able to win this confrontation, then the whole supernatural world was in a lot of trouble.

  I was loading my gun when I heard a knock on the door. I had been lost in thought, but a quick sniff told me this was Billy the Kid. I walked over and let him in.

  “Hey man, what brings you by?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I figured it made sense to hang out one last time just the two of us.”

  I slapped him upside the head. “Don’t you talk like that; we will hang out plenty after this.”

  “Look at what happened to Talia. There is no reason to think that tonight we aren’t all going to make it out of this. He’s a dangerous guy, Vic with a lot of dangerous friends.”

  Even though he was right, I still didn’t like it. “Try not to think like that. We will all do our best tonight and make sure we all come out alive. Even though you’re a Black and I am a Red, I consider you my brother, man.”

  “Me too Vic, me too. You’ll have to come back to visit often you know?”

  “Ha, if I don’t, my mother will skin me alive. I’ll be back as often as I can. Besides, I offered Pastor Browne a job with me to remotely work from my house. I hope he takes the job.”

  We flipped the TV on and found a boxing match on tape delay. As the afternoon progressed, vampires began to wake up and wolves began to assemble. As before, everyone made themselves at home. By eight o’clock, when Reno made his way downstairs, it was confirmed that everyone who was coming was here.

  I got one of my kitchen table chairs and stood on it. “Hey everyone, can I have your attention?” They all stopped talking and looked my way. “It means a lot that you are all here tonight. Before we start, I’d like to take a moment of silence for all those who we have lost to this man.”

  I closed my eyes and took a moment to silently assure Talia I would avenge her tonight. I opened my eyes and saw a few people still having their moment. After a few seconds, all eyes were back on me.

  “We all know what we are up against tonight. To start with, I need two wolves to follow Cristof tonight and assist him with the one known as Fortuna.” I saw a lot of eyes light up, but this wasn’t a job for just anyone. “Before you volunteer, Fortuna is most likely an elder vampire, even older than Cristof and Liz. Should you go with Cristof, I can’t guarantee you will survive.”

  “I will assist the vampire leader.” Everyone turned and it was Joshua Greenfoot’s second Maska.

  “I also offer my services.” I didn’t even need to look; I recognized that voice as Archibald Argent.

  “Archie, are you crazy? I don’t even think you should be going with us personally and now you want to go fight with an elder vampire?” Chaz was in an uproar.

  “Charles, thank you for your concern, but you know personally that I am the strongest wolf in New Mexico.” I had no idea what he was talking about, but Chaz backed down a little. He was still mumbling, but it was more to himself.

  “Maska, Mayor, are you two sure this is what you want to do?”

  In unison, “Yes.”

  “Cristof, do you have any thoughts?”

  “Those two look like fighters to me. I will happily fight beside such accomplished warriors.”

  With that settled, it was time to move on. “Now there are twenty-five of us remaining. By my thinking here, we should have one vampire and three wolves per special case agent he has. Phil, Reno, and Liz will lead the charge against them. Finally, the rest will follow Gregory into battle with the Frankenstein-like monsters. Any questions?”

  No one said anything and with that, we started dividing up into our groups. The three Silvers went with Reno, Billy, Chaz, and one of the other Blacks went with Phil and Bernard; dad and I went with Liz. The El Paso Reds and the remaining Blacks joined up with Gregory. Once the shuffling was done, everyone turned back to me.

  “Most of you haven’t run across any of these things yet, so I will do my best to describe what I can.” I looked over at Gregory’s group. “The Frankensteins are big, strong, and angry. Most of what they do is attack straight forward. They have some thinking abilities which they use to figure out patterns. Because of their injections with our blood, they are weak against silver.”

  No one spoke up, just everyone nodding in understanding. Next, I looked at the ones grouped with Reno, Phil and Liz. “Austin, Tucker’s son, was especially dangerous. He took bullets to the head and a full blown Alpha attack and shrugged it all off. The only failsafe way to probably put these guys out of their misery is by cutting off their heads. But
be cautious, because in death their blood becomes unstable and they will blow up.”

  “What do you suggest we do?”

  I wasn’t sure who asked the question, but I addressed everyone. “Work together and use each other’s strengths. I know for a fact these creatures will not work together, as they believe they are strong enough individually to beat us. It is up to us to show them just how wrong they are.”

  When I finished, one among us started to howl. Soon, all of us were joining in, even the vampires. As our howls rang out through the desert night, I didn’t know if Tucker could hear them. But if he did, he would know the packs were issuing their challenge and tonight was a good night to fight.

  Chapter 38

  You know that moment in the movies when the heroes are all walking towards the final background and the music starts ramping up? Everyone in the audience can feel the moment approaching and gets all tense. Well, that is exactly the moment I was experiencing right now. All we needed was the awesome music.

  Cristof walked up to me. The first thing I noticed was his highly polished leather shoes. “What are you doing wearing those city slicker shoes out here?”

  “Even as I face the possibility of dying, I want to go out in style. These beauties came from Italy and after my wife, the best thing I have ever found.”

  “I will take your word for it, but don’t hate me when they get ruined.”

  His eyes flashed red. “No one touches my shoes.”

  I looked down at my watch, it was eleven forty-five. We were making the final approach on foot into Devil’s Hollow. It is an awful place; spires of rock jutting out of the ground like teeth, sand for as far as the eye can see, and no life to be found. Running around the border was a canyon wall that essentially trapped you in. During the summer, temperatures can reach the one twenty’s with ease. When you think about it, it actually was the perfect place for this all to go down.

  We had come in on the west side, and knowing where Tucker’s compound was, I was expecting him to come from the north. High in the sky, a full moon was shining light down upon us. A cool easterly breeze also was whipping through the pass, adding to the feeling. It was almost as if the elements knew something big was going down.