Seconds masqueraded as hours as Cody and the creature remained locked in a stare. Cody felt like a helpless prisoner held in place by invisible hooks bursting forth from the creature’s eyes. Still void of sound, the hoggish creature lowered back onto all fours—and charged.
The horrifying sight was enough to wrench Jade from her trance.
“Run!” Grabbing Cody’s sleeve she yanked him down the hall; the sound of the creature’s feet could be heard thrashing rapidly up the staircase. In desperation the two friends reached the second staircase that led up to Wesley’s private chambers. “Up! Let’s go! Hurry!” The pair dashed up the stairs and slammed the door behind them, quickly fastening the lock.
“Cody, help me move this couch, we’ve got to brace the door!” Jade screamed over the scraping sound of talons scratching against the wooden floor. They heard a light growl. “Push!” With all their strength they shoved the couch toward the door. The crashing sound of the sofa hitting the door was echoed by a loud thud from the other side. The screws in the hinges loosened. Cody stood staring at the door, “It’s not going to hold for long, Jade, we need to get out of here!”
Jade looked around the room. “There has to be a way out of here!” Cody examined the room for the first time. Reflecting the disorderly nature of the store below, the room was a messy collection of scattered objects. Wesley was obviously a world traveler. There appeared to be objects from every part of the world and culture imaginable: An Egyptian vase, an African voodoo mask, a large elephant carved from wood. It’s like he lived a double life, Cody bit his lip, or a very long life, he thought, remembering the framed picture. Looking over to Wesley’s bed made it clear to Cody which of these countries was his favorite, a large British flag was pinned over it. Another loud thud on the door brought his sightseeing tour to a halt.
“Jade, we need a plan and quick!”
Jade looked around the room and the realization struck her hard. The only connections to the world outside the house were the small circular window and the door through which she had just dragged Cody. I’ve led us into a death trap.
Frantic, alarmed whispers and the hustling of bodies oozed from under the doors. They were panicking . . . as they should. The creature lowered its head, bracing itself for a final charge against the door. A smile formed on its grotesque mouth, fondly remembering the similar scene only hours earlier. It had waited a long time for that old fool. Its black tongue brushed over its sharp teeth, the excitement of another feeding filled it with a berserk ecstasy. It was hungry again.
With a haunting, shrieking squeal it rammed its powerful body against the door, exploding it off its hinges and rocketing the couch across the room. It looked around; the room appeared to be empty. But that was impossible; they were hiding.
Calmly scanning the room for its prey, it caught sight of a foot, slightly visible from underneath the bed. Letting out another piercing cry, its large body stampeded toward the bed, its razor jaws lashing out at the leg, shredding it into two.
The pant leg was empty. Furiously the creature yanked the pants from under the bed and found itself holding an empty pair of jeans. From behind, it heard the thumping of frantic footsteps descending the stairs.
Jade’s plan had worked, for now, she thought. But they were far from being out of it yet. A high-pitched shriek, like fingernails on a chalkboard, made her cringe. The creature took the bait. Running at full speed they fumbled with the front door. Locked! They heard the large creature galloping down the upper staircase. Cody grabbed Jade and raced toward the back of the mansion. “The door is barricaded from the front, the back window is our only way out!” he shouted
They reached the window. “You first,” he commanded. Jade obliged and hurried through. Once outside she looked around; running was pointless. The creature had shown far superior speed—and now it was angry. They needed another plan—and fast.
Furious! Fooled by such a childish decoy. The creature had overestimated the children, but it never made the same error twice. Sprinting at full speed, it reached the back window. Through the glass its red eyes caught sight of the frantic Book Keeper. With a fluid motion the creature lunged toward the window, its weight propelling it through. The wall shattered against its giant mass.
It instantly perceived the girl at the bottom of the Wesley’s dug out hole. Dinner in a bowl. The pitiful girl was trying to climb out the other side, but her hands slipped on the fresh dirt, sending her tumbling back down, over and over. Hungrier than ever, the creature propelled itself through the air and landed directly in the center of the dirt hole. Its large, six-inch talons sunk into the dirt and gained traction. Taking a few slow strides toward its victim, it smiled at the pathetic face. Cowardice had a way of staining food with such a delightful flavor not found in bravery. The victim had abandoned her further attempts to climb out and now stared at it helplessly screaming for help.
Opening its mouth, gobs of saliva oozed between its immense teeth. It prepared to lunge, and this time its teeth would devour more than empty pants. It pounced . . .
Something pounded hard against its side, knocking it slightly off balance. Before it could regain its bearings the heavy weight of another collision crashed against it and all went black.
On the Run
Cody and Jade took off in a sprint. Their husky breath fought through the deep cramps that assaulted their legs. Neither of them spoke a word. Their escape had been close—too close. The only thought on their collective minds was the need to put distance between themselves and that thing. They had been extremely fortunate to have made it out alive, and they were not feeling up to asking Lady Luck for a second dance.
“What happened back there?” demanded Jade, her voice hurried and shaky.
“I . . . I don’t know.” Cody closed his eyes, “I’m trying to remember . . .”
“Hurry! Hurry!” Cody tumbled out of the window; he could see Jade waving him forward, she was already several feet ahead and running fast. He pushed himself off the ground and sprinted after her, adrenaline gushing through his veins.
CRASH!
The creature had burst through the wall. Cody spun around to see the shadowed demon charging toward them. He felt something catch his foot. “Ah!” His momentum sent him crashing hard to the ground. The Book flew out of his backpack and skid across the dirt ground. “Cody! Help! Help me!”
“Jade!” Pulling himself forward from behind the large dirt pile, he panicked at the scene—Jade had fallen into the large hole. With a soft thud the creature landed ten feet from her. “Please! Cody! Help!” Cody desperately looked around for a solution. “Cody, help!” The creature readied itself to pounce. Without understanding why, Cody reached out and grasped the Book in front of him. He felt a surge of energy race up his arm. Before he could stop himself he felt unfamiliar words work their way up his throat and explode out of his mouth, “Dastanda! Byrae! Gai di gasme!”
Suddenly a giant gust of wind rolled over his back. The dirt pile behind him began to rise, swirling around the hole like a whirlwind. Growing fiercer and fiercer the swirling dirt froze before crashing down like hail and filling the hole, hurling the comatose night back into its silent trance. . . .
Cody slowly opened his eyes again. Jade shook her head disbelievingly. “So, this dirt just flew into the air all by itself . . . like magic? All because you spoke some enchanted words . . . words which, by the way, you’ve never heard before and can’t even remember? Cody, what’s going on here?”
“I’m telling you, that’s what I saw. I think it’s the Book. There’s something special about it. It’s like the words . . . spoke through me somehow . . . like it was just borrowing my mouth . . .” Jade snickered, “Cody, it’s a book! Books don’t speak!”
“Don’t treat me like a child, I saw what I saw. Besides, either way, that dirt cage won’t contain the creature for long. We need to get out of here.”
Jade nodded silently—she wholeheartedly agreed.
Running throu
gh the streets, they turned the corner and came upon Jade’s house. “Cody, grab as much food from the kitchen as you can fit in your backpack. I’ll grab whatever else we might need. We’ve got to be out of here in five minutes.” The two divided and set off on their tasks.
Several minutes later the duo reconvened at the front door, both wearing full backpacks. “Ready?” Cody timidly nodded his affirmation. “Then let’s get out of here.”
“What about your mother?”
Jade looked down at her, still passed out on the sofa. I’m sorry, Mom.
Jade shook her head slowly. “We’re in too deep now to involve anybody else. The farther away we are, the safer she’ll be. We need to leave. There’s no time for second thoughts.” Jade quickly scribbled a note on a napkin and left it on her mother’s chest. Then, without looking back, she turned and left the house. Is this the last time I will ever see my mother?
Neither of them spoke as Jade led the way down the street. In the heat of the escape, Cody thought little about the predator. Now, in the silence of the night, he felt terror grip him. What is that thing?
When he had first made out the grotesque shape through the window after Wesley’s murder, he had refused to accept what he had seen. But now, having stared helplessly as the Beast readied itself to devour his best friend, the reality of the situation hit Cody with full force. He did not know what it was, but he did know what it was not—natural. Cody had the sickening feeling that they now were involved in something much larger than either of them could imagine. A rustle in the bushes startled Cody. Jade heard it, too. “We need to keep moving. Let’s pick up the pace.”
After twenty minutes of tense speed walking, they turned a corner and Cody realized where they were heading. “The train station? Where are we going?” Jade pulled the ruby pocket watch from her coat and motioned to the short hand pointing at nine o’clock.
“West.”
They walked up the long set of stairs leading into the station. It was still early, so the large building was sparse with people, only a few officers and travelers scurried about. Jade confidently marched up to the ticket booth. “Two one-way tickets to Los Angeles please, on the next available train.” The ticket agent eyed the two travelers uneasily; the full backpacks had not gone unnoticed.
“That’s a pretty long trip kids. Whatcha’ heading there for at this hour?” Jade’s tongue went numb in her throat.
“We . . . um . . . we . . . were . . .” she stumbled. Cody jumped in front of his bumbling friend, “Sir, our mother is visiting our sick grandmother there. She has taken an unexpected turn for the worst, we just hope we manage to reach her before she . . . before she . . .” Cody paused for a moment to gather his emotions. “Before she passes onto the next life. It’s just . . . so unexpected. . . .”
The agent placed a hand tenderly on Cody’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry to hear that, son. I recently lost my grandfather. Hardest day of my life. Don’t cry, it will be all right. Here are four tickets. These two take you to Las Vegas. From there you’ll catch a connecting train with these two tickets. I wish you speed.” Wiping his watery eyes, Cody took the tickets. He attempted to thank the officer, but emotion seized him so merely nodded his thanks.
Out of earshot from the booth, Jade grabbed Cody’s arm. “Sick grandmother, eh? That was quick thinking.”
Cody grinned a boyish smile. “What can I say? Lying to get out of trouble is my specialty. I’ve had plenty of practice with Ms. Starky. Why Los Angeles?”
Jade shrugged. “Because it’s far west. I figured we could just mind the pocket watch and wait until it changes, then go from there. It’s not much, but it’s a start.”
They reached docking bay 51A. Luckily, the next train scheduled to Las Vegas was only ten minutes from departure. Punching in their tickets, they stepped aboard. Only a few other passengers were sharing the early morning train with them. Cody stepped into the first empty compartment. “Come on, let’s take this one.” They moved in, closing the door behind them. Overhead the loud speakers crackled to life: Ladies and gentlemen please take your seats. We will be departing for Las Vegas momentarily. Cody leaned his head against the window preparing for departure. He released a deep sigh of relief. They had escaped.
The call of the horn signaled that the train was departing the station. The travelers onboard were busy getting comfortable for the lengthy trip. Had any of them been looking out their window toward the dock, they no doubt would have noticed, jogging alongside the train, a tall man wearing a long black jacket and a matching black fedora pulled over his eyes. With a final call of the horn, the wheels began spinning and the train chugged smoothly out of the station. The boarding dock was empty.
A Calm in the Storm
The steady chugging of the train’s wheels soothed the two young travelers. With a moment of peace, they began to notice the aches in their legs and the exhaustion that had set in. Just yesterday the biggest crisis in their lives was which book to purchase; now they found themselves trainbound to “The City of Lights,” with supernatural forces an unknown distance behind them. Not your average weekend. As Cody lifted his stiff legs up onto the seat, a paper in his pocket crunched. Reaching in, he pulled out Wesley’s note. Cody knew that the time to figure out the note was quickly evaporating. Sitting up he unfolded the paper:
Fifty-three, less four, until the rite does write, Iron décor, future war, hides passage out of sight, Deep contrite, prevents invite, now precious yore, Must leave Tonight.
Jade joined Cody on his bench. “I’ve been thinking about it, too. I keep hoping that as we get closer, something will reveal itself and it will suddenly make sense.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the pocket watch, the small red hand still pointed west. “At least we have this to guide our way. Just give it time, Cody, it will come to us.” Her green eyes drooped, struggling to stay open. “It will come to us.” Muttering these last words she leaned her head down, nestling it onto Cody’s shoulder. He tensed up; his spine stiffening as firm as a plank. Looking down, Cody gazed at the peaceful face of his best friend; her steady rhythmic breathing indicated that she was already possessed by a deep sleep. Cody’s muscles loosened.
He had never been very popular at school and third grade had been the worst. He was always slow to learn, and several of the class bullies made sure he was daily reminded of this flaw. When Jade transferred to his school the next year, she had saved him from a sea of depression and helped him find his place. Looking at the sleeping friend lying on his shoulder, Cody realized that Jade was still saving him. He smiled; it felt nice to let her lean on him for a change. Shutting his own eyes, Cody rested his head against the window.
The world blurred into focus. Reaching up, Cody rubbed his eyes. The sound of the train’s mundane chugging reoriented him to his current situation. He immediately noticed that Jade was gone. Panic stuck. Jumping up, now fully alert, he dashed to open the train’s compartment door—and crashed right into Jade.
“Ouch!” she cried, “I’m carrying hot coffee!”
Cody blushed with embarrassment. What’s wrong with me? He sat down silently, feeling silly for having acted so rashly. Jade handed him his coffee before taking a sip of her own, apparently feeling no awkwardness from the situation. Cody desperately wanted to bring up the sleeping incident from last night, but couldn’t think of a casual way to do so. Instead he remained dumbly silent.
Jade set down her coffee. “You were really out of it, bud.” The way the sun shone through the window Cody guessed it was mid-afternoon.
“You sleep okay?” he probed.
“Oh, yes, wonderfully. It was much-needed after all this craziness.” Cody felt a surge of disappointment in her response; she seemed completely oblivious to the entire head-on-shoulder occurrence. For several minutes neither was anxious to restart the conversation. Both sat quietly sipping their coffee as the sun’s beams flashed through the window. It was Jade who eventually broke the vacuum of silence, “Should we have anot
her crack at that letter?” Ready for a change in conversation, Cody pulled out the note. “Read it out loud, maybe that will help change it up— unless, of course, riddles happen to speak to you as easily as books appear to . . .” she added with a playful smile. “I know what I saw,” Cody replied stubbornly as he unfolded the note but was in no mood to argue.
Complying with her suggestion, he began to read the words. Halfway through, he was interrupted by the sound of their door jostling open. Raising his eyes from the paper Cody saw a tall man in a long, black jacket standing in the doorway. A fedora rested over his face.
“Pardon me,” he uttered with a thick British accent. “Do you two have a moment?” Cody’s eyes meet Jade’s. The look on her face told him everything. They didn’t have a choice.
Sir Dunstan
Without waiting for Cody’s reply, the tall man took a seat on Jade’s bench. She quickly got up and took a seat beside Cody, who in turn nervously inched closer to her. The two friends fixated their eyes on their unexpected visitor, who appeared in no rush to introduce himself or explain the situation. The scent of musky cologne vanquished all doubts; this was the very man who had invaded their alley shortcut on the day of Wesley’s murder. It was not a coincidence welcomed by the two young fugitives.
Patting down the leather bench cushion, the man made himself comfortable. He removed the fedora that previously hid his face. He was a middle-aged man, although the hard wrinkles sharply carved into his forehead seemed to suggest that he had experienced more life than many men much his elder. His hair was dirty blond with subtle hints of white breaking through, and neatly combed to the side. Beneath his thick eyebrows was a pair of bright blue eyes. He reached to the wall and hung up his hat with a casualness that indicated he found no awkwardness in joining the younger two travelers.
Legend of the Book Keeper Page 5
