Midnight Squad: The Ties That Bind

by J. L. M. Visada

  “Pretty straightforward. Well, that earned you a finger. Which one?”

  “The pointer on her right hand, please.” Sam was ecstatic.

  *Crack* Jes tried not to scream, but she couldn’t suppress a whimper. “Well, two down, eight to go. So we know that you can’t tell me anything about who your boss is, but how about Legion? Where’d he get a new body so fast?”

  “Oh that? Legion probably just kicked out a previous tenant, if I was going to guess.”

  “Previous tenant?”

  “Yeah, you have to understand. Legion is the Darkness equivalent of a rock star. He’s one of the few big time players that everyone knows. He loves being the center of attention. If I was a gambler, I would bet that he dropped in on somebody possessed by a lower level demon, and used his notoriety to persuade the weaker demon to either step aside or join with him.”

  “They just let demons join?” Grim asked.

  “Well, that is why he says for we are many. Legion adds members as needed. Oh and I believe that will be two fingers now. Both middles please.”

  Grim reached down and twisted both middle fingers until they pointed at the pinkies at ninety degree angles. Jes squawked in pain, and then started crying.

  Grim smiled, “Well, I’m out of questions. You have anything else that might be of any use?”

  “Yeah, now that I think about it, there is one thing. I may be wrong, but I got the distinct impression that all this was just a distraction.” Sam’s voice was weak from blood loss.

  Grim gave a predatory smile. He was like a hawk that just saw food scurrying across the ground, “Well that is interesting. Why do you think it was just a distraction?”

  “Well normally when I get sent on a mission, it is planned out in great detail from above. This however, was hardly micromanaged. We were told when there were opportunities to attack. We were given suggestions of where to set up traps. Then we were left to sort out our plans as best we could. So instead of a well laid out plan of attack, we were coming at you people piecemeal. Even Legion was sent to us with no real plans. We just kind of put it together. When I voiced some concern about how little instruction we were actually receiving, Legion told me to mind my own business and just handle my part. Legion acted like what we were doing didn’t matter, anyway. The simple fact is that we got used as a way to keep you distracted. Whatever they have planned, it’s going to be on an epic scale.” Sam’s head drooped, blood loss was about to rob him of consciousness.

  “Well, I guess that’s it, then.” Grim shrugged.

  “Yeah, now maybe the…mmrphle.” Sam was slurring his words badly; he’d almost bled completely out.

  Grim walked around behind Jes, “Yeah, I didn’t quite catch that fella, but I’ll tell you what. Look real close because I’m going to do something really nasty. You watching?”

  Sam’s eyes rolled around the room as he fought to stay conscious, and then came to a stop on Jes, “Yes.” That’s about all the energy he had left.

  Grim put both of his big hands around Jes’ head and then said, “Okay guys, you two can cut it out now.”

  The room immediately changed. Jes’ image flickered a few times and then she returned to normal. Her fingers were straight as before. In fact she wasn’t bruised at all. Twilight and Who were fluttering around the room. Jes was fine, but Sam still looked like road kill.

  “What? How? Why?” Sam’s eyes were wide open, but they were already growing dull.

  Grim kneeled down so that he could look Sam in the eyes. A ghoulish grin started spreading across Grim’s face, and I realized that he was truly enjoying these last few moments. Grim was getting an almost sexual thrill from this. I watched in horror as Grim patted Sam on the head playfully, “It’s simple. What happened is that we just suckered you into confirming Jes’ story completely. As far as how, well an illusion by these two dullahans can help to make the mind fuck pretty damn convincing…can’t it? Now as to the why…well that’s the simplest part of all. Because I’m a mean bastard that gets off on finding that last little part of you that you were holding on to, and breaking it. I might joke about enjoying your screams, and I might even say your tears are like candy to me, but that’s not entirely true. Those things are just the appetizer. What I really enjoy is finding that last little part of you that you thought you could hold onto, and reaching deep down and stealing it away.”

  “But if you already knew all this…then there was no reason to do any of it. Why?” Sam was crying. It was the tears of someone that had been broken inside. It wasn’t just the physical pain, or the emotional trauma. Grim had found that one central thing in Sam that made him what he was and destroyed it. It really was like Grim found his essence and just brutally tore it right out and showed it to him. It was shocking, especially when I realized that he had done the very same thing to Sunset. Grim had broken the dullahan just like this. He gave him something to hope for, some last little consolation, and then ripped it away for…what?

  “There’s every reason to do it. You confirmed that Jes was telling us the truth. Now if everything is going down like you two say it is, then we don’t have the resources to spend holding her prisoner. By confirming her story, we know that we can at least trust her enough to let her help us out. You gave Twilight and Who a chance to prove their loyalty, and show why we should let them join us. As an added bonus, you even gave DD a chance to see if she could really be with us after seeing us at our worst. So there were plenty of reasons to do all of this, but the best reason is also the simplest.” Grim put his hands on both sides of Sam’s face and forced him to look straight into his eyes. “The best reason is that it gets me hard.”

  Sam gave one last heart-wrenching wail, and then died. Almost immediately his features began to change, and within a few seconds Sam was a Samantha. He…well she…was just as beautiful as a woman as she was as a man. He could have passed for a twin sister. Grim stood up without showing even the slightest hint of remorse, and then turned to the dullahans, “I need you two to scour the hotel. Check every vent, every room, and anything else you can think of to find Janine’s body. We told you what she looks like. Remember not to be seen; she’s dangerous. Without Janine’s soul inside her body, we’re basically dealing with a poltergeist, and a really powerful one at that. Your best bet is to try to find other ghosts. DD built an EMF pump. I know you guys don’t really know what that is, but it looks like a really high-tech stereo. I think if you find the ghosts, you’ll find the EMF pump and Janine’s body, but if you can’t find Janine then hopefully you’ll find the pump. She wants that pump, and so either we find her, or we find it and use it to lure her to our trap. Do you understand?”

  Twilight and Who snapped to attention. They even gave a salute, “Yes, sir!”

  “Good, then get moving. It’s time to earn your keep.” Grim finished with them and they fluttered off to go do their job. Grim looked at Jes, who was now standing up and stretching, “You are going to stay with my sister and Danika. If you try anything funny then I promise you the fun I just had with that thing over there will pale in comparison to all the wonderful things I’ll show you. Do we understand one another?”

  Jes swallowed nervously and then croaked, “Yes, sir.”

  “Good, now go get the others and bring them back here. We have things to discuss.” Jes made her way to the door, and just before she stepped out Grim gave her a withering glare, “Going for the elevator would end badly for you.”

  “But I wasn’t…I mean, I wouldn’t…sure I thought about, but I wouldn’t actually…okay. And thank you for giving me this chance.” But I think she really meant thank you for not killing me in some horrible way. Jes was already terrified of him.

  “Don’t thank me yet, we’re not safe. Now move it.”

  “Yes, sir!” Jes darted down the hallway.

  “DD, how are you feeling?” Grim asked, and it was like nothing had happened to him.

  “I’m a little in shock, and I’ll be sore tomorrow, but al
l things considered, I’ll live.” I watched him carefully as he considered my words.

  “Okay, well let’s get out of this room. I don’t want Niki to see this. She’ll have nightmares for weeks.” Grim said as he led us all out of the room.

  We got out and ran into the others that were walking back to us. Niki eyed her brother nervously, “So what’s going on?”

  “Big problems and we need to assume that since they are coming at us from all sides that they might just go after our families. They already used Katy’s parents as bait, and who knows who else might get used. So call our dad and tell him to get our sisters somewhere safe, somewhere that no one knows about. Pick some place at random and just go there. Don’t let him tell us where he’s going. We’ll call him when we know we’re safe.”

  “You’re not going to talk to him?” Niki asked.

  “Leave it on speaker phone, if he has questions then I’ll answer them, but we need to avoid keeping him on the phone too long. He needs to pack and be on the road with our family in thirty minutes.” Grim wasn’t asking, he was definitely taking charge. “After she’s done, Danika will call her family, DD can check in with her aunt, and then Penny. Katy, is there anyone else you might need to notify?”

  Katy shrugged, “No, my parents were it. I barely know my aunts and uncles, and my grandparents are dead. So I don’t have anyone else to call. If you don’t mind, I’m going to head back to my room. I still need to check on what the coven has finished. I’ll tell you in the morning about where we stand.”

  “Sure, and Katy…I’m sorry about your parents.”

  “We weren’t that close, but…well, you know.” Katy said nervously, and then walked back to her room. She was really putting on a brave face for us, but I know if the tables had been reversed, that I’d have been a complete wreck.

  Niki dialed her father, “Hey, how is my girl!” Colonel Wilson Peterson’s voice rang out in that overly happy way that parents sometimes get when they talk to their children. Mom always sounded that way when I called her. I blinked back a few tears. Now was not the time to start bawling like a baby.

  “I’m fine. So listen-“

  “Your dog is driving us crazy. Little fella keeps humping the armrest on your mother’s new couch, and if the little guy keeps piddling in your mother’s flowerbed, then your mother might not ever volunteer to babysit your furry little four-legged child again.” Colonel Peterson was laughing his head off as he tried to describe all of Niki’s dog’s antics.

  “Daddy…” Niki said softly.

  The Colonel stopped laughing and got very serious, “What’s wrong?”

  Niki explained everything to her father, and when she finished her father asked, “Are you okay, and how is your brother handling all this?”

  “I’m fine, and Joseph is…well…he’s Joseph.” Niki spoke like that answered everything.

  “Is he there? Boy, can you hear me?” Wilson sounded determined, but worried.

  “Yeah, dad, I hear you.” Grim said calmly.

  “You do your best, and get home as soon as you can. I’ll keep everyone safe here, but I’m counting on you to look after everyone there.”

  Grim stared at his feet, “I will, dad.”

  “Son…I love you, and for Christ’s sake be careful. Losing either of you would break your mama’s heart.” The Colonel choked back a sob. I’d barely met the man, but from what I knew, he was a family first kind of person. He lived and died for his family. He had married Grim’s mother after Grim’s father died, and together they raised six daughters. There are some men that marry a woman with children and as soon as they pop out a few of their own, the kids that aren’t blood become sort of second class citizens in the house, but that wasn’t how things were with Colonel Peterson. He raised Grim just like he was his real flesh and blood. He loved the big lug, and Grim practically worshiped the ground his father walked on.

  “I’ll be careful.” Grim’s eyes were watery. He looked almost ready to cry.

  “It’d break my heart, too.” Grim’s dad sniffled into the phone, and then hung up.

  Grim’s shoulders sagged, and he looked like all the weight of the world just landed on him, but he just handed the phone over to Danika, “Your turn.”

  Danika dialed her father. The line picked up, “Yes?” The voice was deep, and sounded like a man that didn’t take any guff from anyone.

  “Cousin Ricky…this is Danika, I need to talk to my father. Can you put him on the phone, please?”

  A few seconds later another voice squeaked out over the phone, “Hey Baby. So what’s up?” The voice was squeaky, and high pitched. It was the last thing I would have expected Danika’s father to sound like. He’s a pack leader for Pete’s sake. You go to Sturgis expecting Harleys, not mopeds, and you call a werewolf pack leader expecting someone really tough, and instead it sounds like Chris Tucker on helium. I looked around, and by the expression on everyone else’s face, I wasn’t the only one. The only person that didn’t seem to notice was Danika, but I guess that stands to reason. She grew up with it.

  Danika talked for a few minutes, and warned her father. When she finished the man squeaked, “Yeah, we were wondering why those ghouls were trying to sneak up on us.”

  “Ghouls? Daddy is everyone okay?”

  “Oh yeah, we haven’t eaten like that since Christmas. I have a couple of them still tied up in your uncle’s shed. We were going to have a nice long chat with them, but after that meal we all kind of needed a nap.” Her father talked like they’d just eaten a big turkey, and not a bunch of ghouls. Sometimes it was really easy to forget just how different Danika could be from the rest of us, and thankfully, or creepily, things came up that reminded you that as a werewolf she played by a whole different set of rules of behavior. Eating someone was completely acceptable to a werewolf. So were public orgies during the full moon, and who knows what else.

  “Well Daddy, I have to go now. Be careful.”

  “Careful? Honey, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I wasn’t. Don’t worry about us. I’ll have a few of your cousins sent out to boost our patrols, and I’ll call the sheriff and give him the heads up to keep an eye out for anyone new checking in to the local hotels, and to watch out for anything unusual. Now keep an eye out, and when this is over I expect you to bring your friends down here. It’s time I met this girl you keep telling me about, and her brother. I saw him on the news. That’s one big bastard, looks pretty mean too. I want to meet my daughter’s bond mate, and her girlfriend. You know, kick their tires and see if either of them is worth a shit.”

  “Daddy, you’re on speakerphone, and they’re listening.” Danika was embarrassed.

  “Well, I stand by what I said. I love my little girl, and I want to make sure she’s in good hands. You can understand that can’t you?”

  Niki laughed, “Of course, but there is one thing. I’m not just her girlfriend; your daughter proposed to me.” The blonde was beaming with pride.

  “Did she now?” Danika’s dad chuckled. “Well then you definitely all will have to come down. Nobody gets married without pack approval. So apparently the invitation is no longer optional. I’ll expect all of you to be here once you’re safe and sound. That is, of course, providing you said yes?”

  “Of course.” Niki chirped.

  “Smart girl. Now I expect you all down here soon. So what about this Joseph? Does he talk?”

  Grim answered, “Yes sir.”

  “I can’t say I was exactly happy to hear my daughter bonded with you. Well, with any human for that matter. It’s nothing personal, but it does cause some real issues with the pack. Because I love my daughter, I’m going to give you fair warning. When you get here, watch your ass. There are several members of my pack that believe you keep your bond within the pack itself. I can’t keep an eye on you here twenty four hours a day, so keep your head on a swivel boy, because a few of my people might not have the best of intentions towards you. I’m going to have an easy time getting them
to accept your sister, but I’m going to have a heck of a time getting them to accept you. Keep your nose clean when you get here, and don’t go off alone with anyone that I haven’t already given the okay to. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good, do you fish?”

  Grim shrugged, “Not often. Most of the places I got sent to didn’t have much water, and the water they did have was so filthy you couldn’t drink it, let alone eat anything that came out of it. I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity though.”

  Danika’s father laughed, “They had you in the desert a lot, then. Well hell, I had the other problem. When I served, they kept sending me places that rained all the time. When you get here, we’ll go fishing and have a nice long chat. I do my best thinking while I’m fishing.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  “Good, now I know you are all busy so I’ll let you go. Danika, you be good and show them what us werewolves are made of.”

  “I will, Daddy.” Danika was just as chipper as could be.

  “Good, now I have to let you all go now. I’m getting hungry again, and I think it’s time I had a nice friendly fireside chat with those ghouls, and I do love bar-b-que.”

  The phone hung up, and I felt my stomach gurgle. The thought of just eating another person made me want to yak, but I tried to put it out of my mind as best I could. Danika handed the phone over to me. I called my Aunt Sally. She was a little tired; it was getting pretty late. I did my best to keep her from thinking anything was wrong, and somehow I was able to convince her to take the kids and go on a vacation. I told them that we were receiving some big surprise award in Anaheim, California and that I’d really love to see everyone there. Then afterward maybe we could all go to see Disneyland. Aunt Sally loves children, loves all things children, and therefore the combination means that she practically worships all things Disney. So the promise of Disneyland was all that was required. I felt horrible for lying, but I’d have felt worse if something happened to any of them, and scaring them wouldn’t do any good. After hanging up, I handed the phone to Penny. She just stared at it.