The War Gate

by Chris Stevenson

  He turned his head toward her with a spastic jerk. “Ah, it is the lass again. You should refrain from following me, you know.” His chuckle sounded like a death rattle.

  She didn’t get the joke, nor did she want to. “What do you want?”

  “I want for nothing except another beautiful day like today. I want it tomorrow, too. I want to have many more beautiful visions, including someone like you gracing that panorama.” He raised a hand in the air for dramatic effect. A sparrow flew by him, nicking his finger. The bird somersaulted into the water, where it floated on the surface for a moment before it tipped on its side and sank.

  She took a few steps back. “I haven’t got time to discuss psychology or sociology with you. Nobody understands your stupid doubletalk. I don’t like you including me as a character in your little fantasies either. Your Thespian delivery went out with W.C. Fields. Goodbye.”

  Avy walked away with hurried steps in the direction of the reclining men. Sebastian had just sat up when she reached him. He rubbed his face, then gave Chubby’s foot a shake. The other man awoke.

  Avy glanced over her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Sebastian yawned. “Gah, how long have I been asleep?”

  “Hours,” Avy said. “Can we just go?”

  She did not want a confrontation that might result in an out-of-control scene. The point was moot when both men got to their feet and Sebastian looked past her toward the lake. He stepped around Avy, then scowled. “You again! What the hell are you doing here?”

  The decrepit man cranked his head in several directions. “Ah, hell has nothing to do with this place. I thought I was a free man in paradise.”

  “I think you stalk pretty women,” said Sebastian. “Your motives don’t have anything to do with walking around in paradise. I asked you what you were doing here.”

  “Why, I am a resident of this fine city. Have been all my life. This is one of my favorite haunts.”

  Chubby stared at the man, uncertainty washing across his face. “I’ve been a resident in Raleigh all my life. I sure as heck don’t ever remember seeing you. Nobody could miss someone like you in lockup, and you look like the type that would have been there at least once. You don’t even ring a small bell.”

  “Is that another of the Praetorian Guard who harkens? Greetings. I am like Quasimodo, the one who rang the big bell. I am never seen but often heard. Who might you be, you voluminous mass of preponderance?”

  “I think he just insulted me,” said Chubby.

  “This isn’t worth it,” said Avy, clutching Sebastian by the forearm.

  “You must tell me,” said the man, “if both of you are entitled to the delights of yon damsel, or if you are permitted to accost her at the same time.”

  Sebastian made swift strides across the grass, his fist cocked for a punch. Avy caught up with him, attempting to halt him with an arm lock. He drug her a short distance across the grass.

  “Stop it!” she yelled. “Can’t you see what he’s doing? This is what he wants—he’s baiting you.”

  Sebastian pulled back, fuming. His face had transformed to a mask of rage. Avy could see the pulse pound in his neck. He made a move to throw her off, but then relaxed.

  Chubby arrived at his side. “She’s right. He’s looking for a lawsuit. I know the kind. Let him go. He’ll try it with somebody else.”

  “Please, honey!”

  Sebastian turned around, relaxing somewhat. He took Avy’s hand, then escorted her toward the car. They could hear the transient’s voice rise up from the knoll.

  “What’s the matter, magic man? Afraid of a little competition?”

  Sebastian broke his stride but kept walking. Avy found the accusation stunning. The “magic” moniker referred to Sebastian’s vocation. It meant the transient knew at least that much about him.

  They drove back to the motel in silence. Gretchen met them at the door. Chubby threw the deadbolt after they were inside, then picked up his dog.

  “I’ve never seen that person,” said Chubby. “It doesn’t mean he hasn’t been living in some back alley somewhere. I’m wondering if he is just another one of Drake’s men hired to harass us. You’ve already spotted him once near the motel and now he shows up in the park. I’m not saying he’s dangerous or anything. Maybe he is meant to throw us off our routine while they have something else up their sleeve. At least Gretchen seems to us alert when he is around. She can be our warning alarm.” With more conviction he said, “But it isn’t safe anymore.”

  “What are you saying, Chubby?” asked Avy, although she knew the answer.

  “I say we pack up, change locations. That will rule out coincidence. If he finds us again, we’ll know he’s involved.”

  “Then what?” Sebastian asked. “We can’t touch this guy—you said it yourself. He’s trying to provoke us into a confrontation. It’s pretty clever, if you ask me. If we raise a hand to him we’ll find ourselves slapped with charges of assault on a homeless person—a hate crime.”

  “We call the cops the next time he shows up,” said Chubby. “At least they’ll run a field report on him, then check him for outstanding warrants. We can claim harassment or public nuisance. In the meantime, I say we move out to be on the safe side.”

  “We can go back to my old motel across town,” suggested Avy. “That’s a long trek for him, even if he does want to chase us down again.”

  That settled it. They packed up their belongings in Chubby and Avy’s vehicles, then checked out. They drove the backstreets to the Flat On Your Back Motel and rented the same room Avy had occupied before. They stashed the vehicles in the back lot. There were no adjoining rooms, so Chubby had to settle for a neighboring unit.

  They gathered in Avy’s room where they watched TV for a few hours, mostly the news, but took in a half-hour sitcom, which afforded them a laughter break. Chubby broke out a deck of cards near midnight. They played poker with a fierce intensity that kept them riveted to the game. After Sebastian won twelve straight hands in a row, Avy looked at Chubby, which caused both them to burst into laughter. The magician had palmed so many cards from the deck that a poker champion could not have beaten him.

  Sebastian raised his brows in mock surprise, giving them a look that said he never cheated.

  “Here I thought he was just getting lucky,” said Avy.

  Chubby slapped his thigh. “He doesn’t have to turn his back on us. He does it straight to our faces.”

  It was the perfect tension breaker. Sebastian did a few more sleight of hand tricks for their amusement, switching cards, transforming the suits. For a finale, he made the deck vanish into thin air via the wave of a hand. Chubby found the missing deck stuck under his left buttock. The room erupted in laughter again.

  It was late when they decided to turn in. Chubby offered a “Goodnight,” beginning to push himself up out of his chair. He made it to a crouched position before he stopped cold.

  Gretchen’s ears perked up. She blew out a hissing whine. The dog approached the door on unsteady feet. Avy looked at her watch, it read ten after two in the morning. Rising, the three adults looked at the dog. Gretchen pawed the carpet at the door’s base. She let out a squeak. Chubby crept toward the door. Avy swung her hand in a chopping motion. “I can look through the curtains,” she whispered. “Don’t open it.”

  Too late. Chubby swung the door open. An opossum reared up on its hind legs. It gave out a hiss, before it bolted across the parking lot. Gretchen scrambled after it, her tiny nails clicking on the pavement.

  “Gretchen!” Chubby squealed. He rushed through the door and out across the lot, disappearing into a mat of scrub-like weeds beyond the yellow haze of the parking lot lamps.

  Sebastian upended a pack on the bed and grabbed a flashlight. Avy followed him out into the parking lot at a swift trot while he shined the light toward the field. The heavy thuds of Chubby’s steps along with the snaps of twigs could be heard in the distance. Avy called out. Gretchen’s hoarse ba
rks faded in the distance. Stopping at the end of the parking lot, the couple looked for a way into the tangled briar. Sebastian stepped onto a narrow path. Avy followed, catching her ankles on sharp thorns. She could see nothing save the weak flashlight beam panning side to side, illuminating the tops of the brittle foliage. They stopped to listen.

  “Do you hear anything?” Sebastian tried.

  “Not anymore.”

  They called out, melding their voices into a loud hail. No answer. Avy found it amazing that anyone could have rushed off in the dead of night into the thick scrub and been able to see where they were going without a light source. Unless Chubby was functioning on sonar, she couldn’t understand how he’d gotten away so fast.

  “Why does every opossum in the county have to show up at my motel room?” she wondered aloud.

  “I’m telling you they’re after food,” Sebastian shot back.

  She smelt something on the wind, but it wasn’t food. A brief gust brought it to her. One second she had inhaled crisp air, while the next moment brought a putrid skunk smell. In a few moments, it dissipated. It brought back a nasty premonition. She wanted to get out of the field, retreat back into the light. Back to the parking lot where it was safe.

  “I think I see something,” said Sebastian, aiming his light.

  Avy saw it too. It looked like a small penlight beam darting around amongst the thick brush. A keychain light. Avy called out. Chubby answered in a faint voice, telling her he was on his way back. When he reached them, he asked for Sebastian’s flashlight, then headed back out. He spoke over his shoulder. “You two get back to the motel. I’ll find her. She’s out here somewhere.”

  Avy felt terrible having to abandon the quest to find the dog. Yet logic won out. It was better to get back to the room where the dog might show up.

  One motel resident had his door open, squinting into the night. He asked about the disturbance. Avy explained the situation away, not wishing to raise a panic. A few other curtains swung closed.

  Back in the room, Sebastian busied himself preparing a quick breakfast. He fried some bread in a pan, then melted some cheese over some scrambled eggs. Avy paced from the open door to the kitchenette. She couldn’t see how anybody could eat at a time like this.

  “You’re going to wear the carpet out if you don’t slow down,” said Sebastian. “Why don’t you have something to eat?”

  “Did you smell something awful?”

  “I’m not that bad of a cook.”

  “I didn’t mean that. I meant out there. It seems that for a moment I could—” She let it drop. Women had better noses than men. He hadn’t picked up on the odor. Then again, her mind might have been playing tricks on her.

  She accepted the breakfast plate. She took small bites while watching the doorway for any sign of Chubby. After she finished, she sat on the edge of the bed with Sebastian, holding hands. It wasn’t long before the sound of Chubby’s footsteps approached. When the large man appeared at the doorway, he held a lifeless mop of hair in his arms. His cheeks were wet with tears. Several thorns protruded from his pants, and his shoes were covered in a thick layer of dust.

  Avy and Sebastian stared at the bedraggled figure. Neither of them spoke.

  Chubby gulped hard, forcing his words out. “Her little heart gave out, I guess. Too much excitement. She thought she was protecting us. The spirit was willing, but the rest of her didn’t hold up. I have a spade in the trunk. I’ll be back when I finish.”

  “God, I’m so sorry,” said Avy, meaning it with all her heart. She watched Chubby disappear around the corner, then she collapsed flat out on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling. “I don’t believe this is happening.”

  Sebastian rubbed his face hard, then sat on the end of the bed next to her. “Oh, it’s happening all right. Jesus, he really loved that little mutt.”

  Chubby came back to the room after twenty minutes, looking wearily defeated. He sat down, but refused to eat the offered plate of scrambled eggs and fried bread. Brooding, the heavyset man stared at the floor without a word.

  Avy walked to the door. She took a quick peek outside, preparing to lock it. Her nose crinkled. There it was again, more pervasive than ever. She couldn’t mistake that foul stench for anything else. She fanned the door several times.

  “There, do you smell that?” she asked. “It’s him. He’s out there.”

  Sebastian walked to the door and thrust his head out. “I do now.” He pulled his pistol from the backpack. Chubby tossed his plate in the sink and retrieved his sidearm. They filed out of the door, Sebastian in the lead with his flashlight. Avy brought up the rear. During their trek across the parking lot, Avy could smell the odor stronger, causing her to stifle a gag. Chubby peeled off to disappear around the corner of the motel. Moments later, an engine started. Chubby pulled around the side of the motel and parked his car, aiming the high beams into the scrub field. He left the engine running.

  They couldn’t see much past the shafts of the headlights at the edge of the field, but the beams lit up the foliage for a good fifty yards. Nothing moved or made a sound.

  Avy cupped a hand over her mouth. This was so creepy it was off the scale. She didn’t know why, but she felt uncomfortable with both men brandishing weapons in front of the small roadside motel. She didn’t know if the situation warranted the use of deadly force against a transient who had been guilty of nothing more than stalking them. Then again, she couldn’t think of an alternative that would afford them protection.

  Sebastian stepped through the weeds. Avy fell in behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder. Her boyfriend moved with deliberate cat-like steps, trying to keep the noise down. The smell intensified. Avy knew that the vile man was out in the thicket somewhere. She had the unmistakable feeling they were being watched. She could almost feel the hot stink of his breath on her neck. The sensation made her hair stand on end.

  There seemed something more to this homeless vagabond. She likened the feeling to icy fingers of thought that reached out to her, promising havoc and destruction. He came from another place, a residence that bespoke of evil. The sight of him conjured up terrible images, like the nightmares she often had after eating too much lasagna laced with garlic. She sensed he was a spawn from the pit of hell—a very ancient resident. She had no way of knowing this other than an inner voice that cried out in warning.

  Sebastian stopped for a moment, holding his breath. Avy followed suit. Chubby, yards to their right, also ceased movement. A twig cracked in the distance beyond the flood of light.

  Avy’s voice was urgent. “Let’s go back. It is not safe here at all. He wants us in the dark where he can have control. I can feel it.”

  “He’s toast,” Sebastian cursed. “We have to end this bullshit now.”

  “You don’t understand,” Avy pleaded. “He’s something else, something that we have no control over. I think he’s more than dangerous.”

  “So am I.” Sebastian crouched, peering into the darkness.

  Something arose out of the weeds like a specter, a shadow in human form. It raised its arms in a crucifix pose, presenting a full frontal profile. He looked like a scarecrow staked to a pole, or maybe a filthy Jesus. But they all knew who this was.

  “Squeeze one off, you’ll set me free,” taunted the voice from the weeds.

  Sebastian turned his head with a slight movement. “Chubby, you seeing this?”

  “Yeah, I got a bead on him.”

  Something was on the man’s shoulder, an indistinct lump. The lump moved. Every so often two small points of light reflected back from the headlight beams. Animal eyes.

  “Now I know where the opossum came from,” said Sebastian. “He’s wearing one like a piece of costume jewelry.”

  The man made a few steps toward them, arms still extended. “Go ahead—shoot. Remove this pitiful piece of trash from society. I can hear the accolades now—do what has to be done.”

  Chubby raised his weapon in full combat stance, but his arm
s were shaking. “Don’t take another step,” he warned. “Or I’ll take you out like a cheap date. Your damn pet killed my Gretchen.”

  “Always promises,” said the man, pushing through the weeds toward them. “It’s three against one. Pointing guns, too. For your information that mutt was beyond its prime. You should thank me. It was painless.”

  Chubby tensed up, drawn like a tight wire. A hammer cocked.

  “Don’t do it, Chubby!” Avy screamed. “He’s rousing you to anger on purpose.”

  Sebastian slapped some sweat from his forehead, then blinked several times. “What the hell do you want with us, man? We haven’t done anything to you. You’ve been stalking us. There’s no reason for it. Just leave and there won’t be any trouble.”

  Avy stepped backward, pulling on Sebastian’s shoulder. “Don’t do this,” she said. “Can’t you see this is what he wants? He’s orchestrating the whole thing, making us fall right into his trap. Let’s call the police. Please, please, let them take care of it.”

  Sebastian mumbled, “He wants us to drop him. Assisted suicide. That’s got to be the reason.”

  Avy watched terrified while the figure approached to close the distance. She couldn’t be sure what the man’s motives were. Assisted suicide might have been the reason for his persistence, but she felt that something else lay behind the true meaning for his appearance. It still didn’t matter.

  Sebastian dropped his weapon. “Okay,” he called out. “Have it your way. We’ll see how you like it in jail.”

  “Go ahead, call the cops,” the man dared. “You should see how I clear out a cell.” He let out a ghoulish laugh, continuing to move closer with each step.

  The three of them broke off in a dead run for the parking lot. They retreated to the side of the running car. Chubby shut off the engine, locking the door, but he left the headlights on. They made a quick dash for the motel room and bolted themselves inside. Sebastian called the Raleigh Police Department, explaining the situation. Avy kept a watch through the curtains. She could see the man standing in the weeds. He had dropped his arms down, but remained in a defiant stance in the glare of the headlights, oblivious to whomever might see him.