The Monster of Creasy's Hollow (Defenders of the Rift Book 1)

by N. C. Reed

  Looking at the monster he and his friends had loosed on the world, Alvin finally understood that some things are better left as they are.

  *****

  Donna felt her mom's presence behind her, and fought the urge to turn and yell at her. Belinda hadn't moved much, but she was fidgeting, and that could cause a disaster.

  Donna loved her mom, she really did, but there was no doubt in her mind where Donny got his flightiness from. Their mom was a nervous bundle of energy at the best of times, and these were not in any sense of the term the best of times. Donna was scared too, but she was determined to do her part. She appreciated her mother's desire to be here, with her, supporting her children in a time of dire need, but. . .honestly, Donna wished she was here alone. She would still be scared, but her own nervousness wouldn't be compounded by the presence of her mother.

  On the other hand, if she were with Donny, it would be worse, Donna thought suddenly. She spent a few seconds imagining the scene of her mother and twin brother standing together as the monster walked into the clearing, and decided that it was better that their mom be with her.

  There was no way the two of them could have remained still and silent enough to prevent being seen.

  *****

  Chuck tensed as Monusuol reached the goat. It was obvious that the monster was still cautious, and expecting a trap. There was nothing else he could do about that. They had taken every precaution possible and now had to hope it was enough.

  He reached out mentally to his son, trying to will Chip to start the incantation. The longer they waited, the more likely they were to fail. He was at the point of calling him when he heard Donny start to whisper.

  *****

  Chip began the incantation, forcing himself to be calm, recalling each word just as he'd practiced. He wished he'd had more time to study, but desperate times called for desperate measures his father had said. If this wasn't a desperate time, Chip didn't know what was. He knew he felt desperate, that was for sure.

  He whispered into his voice activated microphone, leading the others just as he had the day before yesterday. No one else was using the VOX system, so only he could be heard. It wasn't necessary for the others to speak over the radio, just to repeat what they heard Chip say.

  They had practiced as well, and knew the incantation almost as well as Chip did, but in their first attempt, Chip had led them. That meant he had to lead them now. Each of the others waited for Chip to finish a stanza, and then repeated it word for word, as quietly as possible.

  Fighting the urge to hurry, Chip dutifully counted after each stanza, allowing a given amount of time for the others to say the chant, then started on the next. He wanted to run through the lines as quickly as possible so he could run away, but that would cause them to fail, and probably be eaten by a monster.

  The idea of being eaten by a monster was enough to keep Chip from rushing through the chant too fast. He just hoped that everyone was doing their part correctly. His father had said they would only get one chance.

  Behind him, Stacey watched the monster devouring the goat at a rate she found alarming. It had been a large goat, and everyone has assumed that it would take time for Monusuol to gobble it up. That wasn't looking like the case to her as the beast consumed the goat far too quickly for her liking.

  Her mind raced through options, but found none. There was nothing she could do to slow the beast from eating, and no way to aid Chip in the incantation. All she could do was stand and watch.

  *****

  Chuck was watching Monusuol's eating habits with the same alarm his wife was feeling. He had known that once the creature had taken the bait, he'd do so rapidly. He hadn't had goat in a while, after all. And despite it's size, it was only one goat. Monusuol was huge, and probably hadn't eaten much in the last two days. But the goat was disappearing much faster than Chuck had anticipated.

  Listening to Donny repeat another stanza, Chuck realized that the kids were about three-quarters through the ritual. It was a race now, to see who finished first. Monusuol with the goat, or the kids with the incantation. There was no prize for second place.

  Monusuol's eating slowed, almost as if he realized that he was nearing the end of the delicacy and wanted it to last as long as possible. Chuck almost sighed in relief, but caught himself in time. That little bit of indulgence might just make the difference.

  And then, it happened.

  Chapter Seven

  Donna cringed as she heard her mother step on a dry stick behind her, breaking with a loud snapping sound. She finished her part of the stanza before turning to glare at her mother, then turned right back to. . . .

  Monusuol's head was up, the goat forgotten in his hand. For the first time Donna noticed how unnaturally quiet it was in the woods around them. The normal night sounds were absent, the animals and insects driven away by the presence of the beast in their habitat.

  A beast that was now alerted to the fact that he might not have the forest to himself after all.

  Belinda, for her part, froze solid, trying desperately not to move again. The stick was still under her right foot, and she struggled to keep her weight on her left foot instead to keep from making any more noise. It was all she could do to keep her balance.

  Monusuol sniffed the air again, as he had when he'd entered the clearing, tasting the air for some scent of whatever might be out there. He had heard the noise but had been so intent on the goat that he wasn't sure which direction it had come from.

  Chip had heard the snapping of the branch, and saw Monusuol start, but managed to stay on track, moving to the next stanza right on time. Stacey was proud of him for that, at least in that small part of her mind that wasn't scared beyond rational thought.

  Everyone followed on cue, as the group came one stanza closer to success.

  *****

  Monusuol lowered the goat, though he didn't relinquish his hold on his meal. There was something out of place. He could sense it, though he couldn't see it, not as yet. He had learned to trust his instincts, and right now those instincts were warning him that trouble was nearby.

  Cocking his massive head to one side, the beast listened carefully. There was a slight noise, just too low to hear clearly. For some reason the sound was familiar to him, something he knew he should recognize, but didn't. Not yet.

  Slowly, reluctantly, the beast let the carcass in his hands fall to the ground. He could not afford mistakes in this strange place. If there was the possibility of a threat, then he had to investigate.

  Besides, the goat would still be here when he'd taken care of whatever was in these woods with him.

  *****

  Chuck held his breath as he saw Monusuol first lower, then finally release the goat. This was bad. The creature had obviously heard the broken branch, and decided to investigate. The only thing that had saved them so far was the monster's inability to pinpoint exactly where the noise had come from.

  Right on cue Donny whispered the next stanza, still following Chip's lead. Chuck was proud of the young man, and of his son. The kids were showing a great deal of courage here. He wasn't sure he could have mustered that same courage at their age.

  But their courage would be for naught if Monusuol was allowed to move outside the trap before the incantation was finished.

  *****

  Even as he spoke the next stanza, Chip realized that things were coming apart. Monusuol was moving. There were still three stanzas to go before the chant was finished. The monster had to be kept inside the trap until the incantation was complete. At the same time, he had, had to keep the chant going. If he stopped, the spell was broken, and they would have to start over. There definitely wasn't time to start over.

  What to do? His mind somehow compartmentalized the problems as he began the next stanza right on time, accurate as if he were still sitting in his living room. A tiny portion of his mind wondered at how he could stay calm, keep the chant going, and still try to figure out what to do about their current problem
.

  Monusuol had apparently decided he knew where the noise had come from after all, because just then the monster started moving toward Donna and Belinda his gait steady but slow. Chip knew he had to do something before the monster reached the two, because while Chip was sure that Donna would hold on to the last, he was equally sure that Belinda would lose her mind completely.

  Without thinking, Chip stepped out of hiding. Behind him he could hear his mother's harsh whisper, but held a hand up, silencing her, as he finished the stanza. Two more to go. He had a few seconds while the others repeated it.

  “Hey! Ugly!” Chip called, but then stepped right back into cover. He saw the beast's head whip around, looking for whoever had spoken. When no target presented itself, the creature sniffed the air, then stalked slowly toward Chip's general direction.

  Chip managed to start the next to last stanza right on time, although his fear factor had just increased a hundred fold. While he was sure he done the right thing, he had also just made himself, and by association his mother, targets of the beast.

  *****

  Chuck almost had a heart attack when he heard his son's voice calling out to Monusuol, and looked in Chip's direction on instinct alone. Just in time to see his son disappear back into the brush he had been hiding in. Chuck could only wonder at what had possessed his son to call out to the monster. . .unless.

  Chuck slowly shook his head in admiration of his teenage son. Knowing Belinda as he did, Chip had surmised that the flighty woman would be one step short of fleeing in terror before Monusuol, and so had distracted the beast.

  Of course, now Chip and Stacey were the beast's target, instead of Donna and Belinda.

  He was about to tell Donny to stay put when the teen began whispering again. Chuck had to marvel. Chip had managed to do all this at one time. He definitely needed to pay more attention to his son's abilities when this was over. Multitasking didn't begin to cover this.

  Chuck left Donny to do his part, and moved slightly away from the teenager, picking up a large piece of broken branch as he did so. He stopped twenty feet or so from Donny and threw the branch as hard as he could behind Monusuol, directly opposite of where his wife and son now hid.

  The monster whirled at once, looking for the source of the sound behind him. Chuck could tell that Monusuol was wary now, obviously expecting a trap of some kind. The trap was so big, and the kids so spread out, however, that Monusuol would have a hard time discovering what was going on.

  I hope, Chuck mentally crossed his fingers.

  *****

  Monusuol was becoming agitated. More so with each passing second. Not only had someone dared interrupt his feast, but now they were simply annoying him. It passed through his mind that there must be a reason behind this, but anger clouded his judgment.

  Had he been thinking more clearly, Monusuol would have wondered who would have the courage to tempt and try him, especially this close to nightfall, traditionally the time that humans would fortify themselves against his kind until sunrise. In his anger, the beast forgot the observation he had made that very day. Forgot his uncertainty of the beasts that prowled the human settlement without fear. Forgot the way that humans went about unconcerned for their safety.

  For the moment, there was only a monstrous beast who was accustomed to humans showing him fear. To all other creatures standing aside from his path, paying homage to his strength and his dominance.

  He was being taunted. And that made Monusuol angry. Very angry indeed. Angry enough to throw caution aside.

  Angry enough to act stupidly.

  *****

  One more to go, Chip thought to himself as he began the final stanza. He was able to recite the last stanza by rote memory, which in turn allowed a small part of his mind to keep track of what the beast was doing. He was fairly certain that his father had just distracted the monster somehow, and was quietly thankful.

  Chip watched Monusuol move to investigate this latest affront as he finished the final stanza. He fought back a sigh of relief as he realized that his part was finished. As long as everyone else did their part, things should be okay. They would have gotten rid of the monster they had mistakenly summoned.

  He promised himself, then and there, that he would never again delve into something like this. He knew that his intentions had been good, but good intentions were the cause of many a problem. You know, like summoning an angry, hungry, hideous, eight foot monster from another plane of existence into their world. Good intentions had caused them to do that. And no amount of good intentions could make up for the fact that they had drawn this vicious monster into their presence.

  Thing happen for a reason, he reminded himself of Alvin's words before they had performed the ceremony. Maybe the reason that Waldo had died was to prevent one of the gang from being hit by the car. Waldo's death might have saved one or more of his friends, or himself. By trying to undo that, they had belittled that sacrifice.

  And now Chip was looking at the ugly, misshapen result, standing right in front of him.

  *****

  Chuck heard Donny finish the last stanza, and allowed himself a silent breath of relief. They were done. Now all that remained was keeping the monster inside the trap until he could be pulled back to his own plane, and away from Creasy's Hollow.

  Simple. Right?

  Chuck winced as the thought came to him unbidden.

  Way to jinx yourself, Chuck.

  And sure enough, right at that very thought, the monster threw his head back and roared a challenge to whatever being was messing with his meal time.

  *****

  The hideous sound startled everyone in the wood, some more than others. Belinda, to no one's surprise, screamed aloud right along with Monusuol, her fear over taking her.

  The monster's head snapped again to look in Belinda and Donna's direction, and this time he didn't pause or hesitate. Instead, he began to stride purposely toward the spot where the two were concealed.

  *****

  Donna jumped as Monusuol bellowed his challenge out, then again as her mother's answering scream erupted right behind her. Donna was about to turn to glare at her mother again when she saw the monster look their direction and then start toward them.

  We finished the chant, she thought to herself, her mind going slightly numb as the monster bore down on her position. Why is he still here?

  That thought left her in a hurry, however, as Donna realized the danger her mother had placed them in. He panicked mind warned her that they couldn't flee, at least not yet. If they ran, and the beast pursued, then he would be outside the trap in seconds, and the spell to re-bind him would fail. Even as that thought occurred to her, she felt her mother grab her arm, pulling her.

  “We have to go!” Belinda told her daughter.

  “We can't!” Donna hissed back. “He has to stay inside the trap!”

  “I don't care!” Belinda all but screamed. Donna shrugged her mother's hand off her arm. The sudden release cause Belinda to stumble backward, and then fall, hitting the ground with a loud clatter of dried leaves and broken branches.

  No way he missed that, Donna thought bitterly. She turned to see Monusuol almost on them. He apparently still didn't know exactly where they were, but. . .he was close.

  Too close.

  Donna closed her eyes, not wanting to see the end.

  *****

  Chip watched the monster heading toward Donna, and then heard Belinda scream. There was no way Monusuol wouldn't find them. Worse still, he knew that Mrs. Johnson lacked the courage to stay put, and quiet, while the binding worked.

  It was all going to be for nothing. And the monster would be loose and free on the world, starting with Creasy's Hollow.

  Despite his fear, Chip's eye was drawn from the scene playing out before him to a small point of light in the center of the trap his father and Mister Thomas had created. A small ball of blue light had appeared from somewhere, or nowhere, and was glowing a brilliant blue. Glowing, and growin
g at the same time.

  It's working! Chip thought incredulously. That's got to be what that is! It's working!

  He looked back to see the monster almost on top of where Donna and her mom where, and realized that he had to keep Monusuol inside the trap. If he didn't, then blue ball of light or no, the trap would fail, and the monster would stay here.

  Without a second thought, Chip stepped out of hiding, ignoring his mother's frantic whispering.

  *****

  Donna was holding her breath, waiting for the end. She didn't know what else to do, and to be honest, her legs wouldn't listen to her anyway. She had tried to move away, but her feet stayed put as if she'd taken root in the ground around her.

  Monusuol was almost on top of them when she heard Chip call out;

  “Yo! Big nose! Over hear you ugly cretin!”

  The monster stopped less than twenty feet from her hiding place, and turned. Donna looked out to see Chip standing in plain sight, waving at the beast.

  “Yeah, you!” he called, nodding. “I can see you over there. Come and pick on someone your own size!”

  Donna almost laughed aloud at that. There was no one Monusuol's 'own' size, at least not here in these woods. But Chip was willing to risk himself to save her and her mother. Her mother who had caused all this by being too afraid to just sit still and be quiet.

  The monster turned to face Chip's challenge, and Donna held a breath, afraid to let it go and draw his attention back to her. Silently she thanked her friend for being brave enough to come to their rescue. Although part of her wanted to scream at him for being so stupid, too.