Valmont Sharp Monster Hunter
Son of the Monster Hunter: Book One
David Raymond
Copyright 2013 David Raymond
Coming Soon in 2014 by David Rayomd:
Village of Lost Souls (Son of the Monster Hunter book two)
Prologue
The small South Carolina town of Arklow doesn’t really have much going for it. It has a high Irish population even in the early twenty first century as fifty five percent of the towns two thousand plus residents are Irish and probably eighty percent of the population have some Irish decent in them. As a result of this the town's history is rich in Irish legends and stories. It's strong Irish heritage might have drawn certain forces to the town that other wise would have left it alone. Creatures of legend that tend to remain in their native land.
People generally don't visit the town of Arklow, while it has a long history it really does not have a colorful history. It's also never had much of a tourist trade. It's mainly just a sleepy small town that kids leave when they become adults to move to the excitement of a big city. However now the town is bustling with more activity then it knows what to do with.
Over the past three weeks Arklow's business district, hotels, and tourist trade in general have made more money then it has in the last twenty years. If the town could somehow grab hold of this current boom it would grow rapidly but chances are the activity will die as quickly as it started, since it seems to be over now.
In the outskirts forest a few miles from Heston Manor, the largest house in Arklow is a impressive carnival set up with a large stage in the center. There are carnival rides of the highest quality, carnival games of all sorts, junk food of all sorts, and much more. One would think it was a town wide celebration but Arklow's Heritage Day celebration is done at the town square in July not at the private Heston Residence in November. Besides the Heritage Day Celebration never gets triple the towns population coming out from all across the country to see it. No this is a whole different beast, this is a Valmont Sharp show.
Valmont Sharp is a name that draws attention. Wherever he goes people follow. A Valmont Sharp show is known to be a one of a kind experience, even shows that are part of a series are never the same thing twice. He is a master showman and one who knows how to draw a crowd. He is a traveling Monster Hunter. He travels the world though mostly sticks to the United states searching for the creatures that strike fear into the hearts and souls of mankind.
How Arklow of all places got a Valmont Sharp show no one knows. Getting a “Sharp Monster Hunting Experience” is something every town and city great and small wants. People would pay millions to have a private Sharp show, he has been offered TV deals, movie deals, exclusives in Vegas, New York, from the President, from kings and queens all wanting a personal Sharp show. All of them have been turned down yet Arklow has had a special Sharp show That has been going on for fifteen days now. That is long for Sharp standards.
Sharp seems to set up shows at a whim, it's unknown how he chooses the theme or the location. He gets ten's of thousands of requests a month and only picks about six to ten to ten of them on an average year. The shows can happen anywhere and at any time. Shows have been set in the early mornings of a day and in the middle of snow storms, nothing can stop a Sharp Show from happening.
The eccentrically of his scheduling is seen as part of his genius, it is believed that's how he's able to come up with his shows, and that he plans them on a fly. That is why people come out to these shows will pay thousands to stand in three feet of snow for a few hours, every Sharp show is a sight to behold.
There are twenty rows of one hundred and fifty seats and all of them are filled. There are also people standing and watching their eyes focused at the stage. The stage is really just the Heston Family cemetery, lit up with lamps and candles with special attention to a grave in the center, on the Grave are the words, “Alannah Heston, 1-12-1936 to 11/17/1965, beloved wife and mother, died way too young.” Most people would not even dare staging a show in a private grave yard and fewer people would let their graveyard as a setting for a show but this is a Valmont Sharp show.
A young black man in a brown winter jacket, and blue jeans stands up next to a mike, “Welcome to the final show of Sharp's Monster Hunting experience's Arklow series, 'the Shrek of the Banshee.' And now in the morning of November Eighteenth 2005 I give you, Valmont Sharp.”
A man in his mid forties, with a face that is starting to wrinkle whose hair is starting to gray at the side walks up the stage toward the mike. He is wearing a fancy looking red and black long coat that is flapping in the windy night. As it flaps the audience can see a bunch of weapon, guns, stakes, a mirror, a couple crosses, pieces of silver, and other various items. He looks over the crowd with his light grayish brown eyes that almost look green and points his fingers at them, “Hello Arklow, you have been a wonderful crowd, I love these people.”
The audience cheers as he praises them.
“However I am sad to say that this will be my final show here.” There is a sigh of sadness from the crowd, “However I plan to make this final show special. I will blow your minds. I WILL BLOW YOUR MINDS.” As if on command some explosions are set off in the background.
“Some of you have been here from the beginning. From when me and my team were searching for the Banshee who at that time we knew nothing about. There was that initial wailing of her voice that chilled our very bones.” Once again as he said the words behind him the wind seems to howl and scream in sound that is completely inhuman.
Valmont smiles everything is working the way it's suppose to. “You saw as we met up with the Banshee that has been haunting this town for decades. You were their as my team discovered her name and history. Her name was Alannah Heston, and she lived in this town forty years ago. She died on her five year wedding anniversary at the hands of her husband Carter Heston. That was a surprise to everyone since it was believed that the Banshee was an older creature, one who had haunted this town for hundreds of years. A Banshee is a spirit of of a dead woman who suffered in life, and clings on to this plain of existence either to protect her family or haunt them until her goal is completed, they don't have to be ancient spirits.”
Valmont stops for a second to catch his breath. He looks out at the crowd and scans for eyes, “Yes over forty years, any yet it was only in the last year that the Banshee has really been a problem? Why is that? Why has she been a minor nuisance, just a howl in the wind for decades and only recently became malevolent? Ah I will get to that. Yes.” He looks over at one of the people standing next to him, an older pale faced man with sunken eyes. “Yosif I think we should summon the spirit, one last time if you will.”
“Of course Mr. Sharp.” The old man walks slowly over to the grave stepping in behind Sharp and the two men around Sharp. As he approaches the grave Sharp and his assistants move out of the way as a spot light moves away from them and toward Yosif. Background music starts playing, setting the mood and a faint fog covers the grave yard, just enough so that the audience’s view starts to fade just after the grave of Alannah Heston. Yosif reaches the grave and pulls out an image of Alannah, a respectful method to summon the spirit. “Alannah it is me again, Yosif.” The man says in an unearthly voice, “I would like to help you. Mr. Sharp would like you help you.” Yosif sets the picture down on the woman's grave.
There is nothing for a second and then there is a strong wind, the wind picks up the picture which starts floating up in the air and spinning. The wind is silent at first and then there is a loud bone chilling scream, which at first is inaudible to the audience, “YYYYYyyyyuuuuuuuuuUUUUOOOOoooooo!” The scream carries on for about five seconds first getting louder and then gets softer. �
��I do not want to talk to you or that Mr. Sharp. Leave me alone.” A second spot light shines on the floating picture.
Yosif looks at Sharp who nods at him to go ahead. “We beseech you, we want you to leave this town alone, to move on. To find peace. We want to help. Let us.”
The picture moves closer to Yosif, “You have said that before. We have talked before. They are lies, you still know nothing of me.”
“We know that you were a benevolent spirit until recently. That until a year ago your wailing was only heard before a disaster or accident. You saved lives.”
“Hahahahahahaha.” The picture spins as the laughter is carried on the winds, “You know nothing of us, you knew nothing the last time you did one of these shows.” The picture then looks beyond Yosif and toward Sharp, “I know of you. The others have told me about you.” This has been a newer element to Sharp's shows that he has been trying, on the final night or sometimes even earlier one of the Supernatural creatures actually confronts Sharp. This “others” sub plot seems to be building up to some big show no one wants to miss.
Sharp is unfazed by this, he looks at the audience and winks, as if on command they start to chant his name. “Yosif, thank you but let me handle this.” The old man walks back to the rest of the group as the spot light focuses on Sharp. “This is not about me, this is about you. About why you have suddenly became a malevolent spirit and why you seem to be trying to send this town down a path of ruin. Banshee are suppose to warn people of danger not cause it.”
The picture starts burning and the fires take the form of a woman's head, it is an ugly witch like woman's head. As she speaks flames spit out, “What do you know hunter?”
“Alannah Magelion Heston, only daughter of Liza and Cogran Magelion, wife of Carter Heston and mother of Kent. Killed by your husband forty years to this day when you discovered he was cheating on you. He fled the town with his mistress and son and never came back. You probably would have been a vengeful spirit had he stayed, however since you loved this town and the people with out a focus for your vengeance you were a benevolent spirit.”
The winds calm down and the fires grow less intense, “He had to returned, my killer has returned.”
“Your Husband is dead, your killer is dead. He died years go.”
“No he's here.” The flames intensify, they start to grow into a whole body, the body then points at the audience, “He's right there.” She points at a man who had not came to a single show, and a spot light focuses on the man. He is a man in his early forties with red hair and green eyes, he is a modestly dressed young man in a brown suit and matching shirt, he is holding some items for a special purpose.
“That is not your husband.” Sharp simply tells her.
The winds pick up and knock Sharp to his knees “YES HE IS. I KNOW HIS FACE ANYWHERE.”
“Keith Vander can you come up here please.” Sharp then waits as the man in brown walks up to the stage. Vander has lived in the town for a little over a year and rumors are going around that he was a plant for the Sharp show to set up this story. People were waiting for his role due to the fact that he has been researching Heston Family since he shown up in town. “This Alannah is Keith Vander, who grew up in an orphanage in Boston after his father dumped him off thirty plus years ago. He was later adopted by the Vander Family, nice people from what I understand. He has been spending the last couple years trying to find out who he is, who his family is. That Search led him here.”
The flames calm down and the winds start to set, however there is still a look of intense hatred in the eyes of Alannah who is still sure this is her killer.
Sharp looks out to the audience, “I'm sure everyone here has figured out where I am going with this, however lets let Keith take it from here.”
Keith clearly seems worried, the audience thinks he must be an actor and they are trying to remember if they ever saw him in one of Sharp's shows before. “Mom?” He says quietly.
“WHAT!” The Banshee screams at him the wind picking up, “Mom?”
Keith is shaking wondering if he should turn back but he can't, “Yes as already said I'm Keith Vander, I... I was born as Kent Heston. I discovered that only a year ago and I came here to learn about my family. I did not know I would awaken you. I never knew my father so I don't know how much I look like him.”
“Kent?” The flames start to subside and for the first time the spirit starts to take on a ghostly form. It starts to look like a white specter in a long flowing dress with long hair that is swaying in the breeze. “You look just like him only older, I thought you were him.”
Keith Vander opens up a box that he kept at his shoulder and takes out three red roses, “I never thought I would get to do this. I was told to keep away from the Heston place when I got here and so I never got to see your grave, may I?” He waits for the ghost to move.
Alannah smiles and floats away from her grave and watches as her son puts the roses near her grave stone. There is a tear in the ghost's eye, she looks over at Valmont Sharp, “Did you find out anything about the bastard who did this to me?”
“Figuring that was the only way you would truly rest in peace my lovely spirit I did just that. Carter Heston was killed fifteen years ago by his second wife Stacey as she caught him in bed with another woman. She shot him and the woman in the head and then killed her self in a triple murder suicide. He got what he deserved.” Actually Carter lived a long life with second wife, and three loving kids and died of a heart attack five years ago but Sharp figures that the spirit would rather to believe he got what he deserved. Sharp just hopes the ghost believes this lie.
Alannah floats over to sharp and starts crying half in joy and half in sadness. “I loved him, always did and while he was a backstabbing cheat I would not wish that on him or anyone.” The outline of Alannah's form seems brighter then it was before, it seems to almost be glowing. She loves over to her son and hugs him.
Keith does not feel like he is being hugged, he mainly feels a tingling sensation like he's being washed by the wind. “I wish I got to know you.” As Alannah says those words her ghostly body seems to break away as light flows out of the gaps. She seems to explode into cascading lights and colors and the lights float up into the sky as they slowly vanish.
Valmont Sharp watches as the spirit ascends up into the heavens, he smiles and raises his hands out, “The Banshee of Arklow has been put to rest. She was a sad soul that protected the town she loved until her anger got the better of her and the benevolent spirit turned chaotic. She did not quite understand that the person she was venting her rage against was not the man who deserved it, it was not her husband but her son who had been trying to figure out who he was. Now the Saga of Alannah Heston is over, may she finally rest in peace.” The Spotlights fade and the general light brighten back up and the dark field is lit up like it is the middle of the day.
The crowd starts cheering wildly and Sharp, Yosif, Keith, and Sharp's assistants all bow and smile before they slowly walk off stage. The show is over but for the rest of the night and into the early morning the festivities continue.
After the show ended TV crews who had recorded the event for the masses tried to interview with Sharp and his team but were turned down. Sharp use to give interviews about three years ago and was very open about his performances but has since then became a very private man. Now he only gives interviews to his own network and even those are well guarded.
Reporters were able to talk to Keith Vander but his answers were very vague. He did not seem to be an actor and seemed to believe that what happened really happened. Because of this he was shocked and his answers were shaky and erratic. They discovered that Keith was the one who sent for Sharp to Arklow but would not say how he was able to get a Sharp show to come to town or how much he paid.
Eventually the TV crews gave up like they always did and the stations turned away from Arklow and the Sharp show and toward the Evening news. Within forty eight hours the Sharp show and crew will be gon
e, the fair grounds set up behind the Heston place were be taken down, and most of the tourists will be returning home. Arklow may experience a brief period of fame and might have an increased traffic flow and tourist trade for maybe six months to a year but soon it will return to being a sleepy town in South Carolina with little going for it. Like it always was.
Book One: Woodridge
Chapter One
Valmont Sharp: Monster Hunter Page 1
