“Don’t you dare even start…” Moody’s nostrils flared and her eyes bulged as she thrust her tiny finger under Serene’s nose.
“Well…there’s no use crying over spilt milk, eh? We’ll simply have to find an alternate means of transportation as soon as possible. I’m worried about Alex.”
“So am I,” Moody grunted with unusual candor, hopping into the bed of the truck to see what could be salvaged of their supplies.
“Anything useful left?” Moody didn’t bother responding as she fumbled through the remnants of their belongings. Most of their possessions had been hauled out of the truck by the goblins, and a great majority of what yet remained looked to have been purposefully stomped on. Naturally, the chest of money had been removed, along with all of their perishable supplies. “Damn it all, those filthy creatures destroyed my New Brasov souvenirs! Intentionally! Foul little swine! At least they left Spleen Cleaver,” Serene addedwith a little smile, reaching in to grasp her sword.
Lying inside a smashed cardboard box lay Moody’s goblin hat. It smelled somewhat from being on the goblin’s head, but still retained its original shape and appeared undamaged. With an almost imperceptible smile, the hunchback squeezed the funny “eyeballs” placed at the hat’s top, and slowly slid her thumb across the soft material. This was the one thing she still possessed that reminded her of home, of better times. She even felt a sense of regret that she had always been so mean to Toto; he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. In fact, he had been the only guy to treat her so kindly. It was unlikely now that she’d ever see him again. Then there were her panacea snakes, which she worked so hard to raise. All of them were let loose into the wild before leaving the mansion for the final time — including her own unique subspecies which she had worked on for more than a year. And there had been that fantastic kitchen, her own domain, a place she had transformed into a perfect culinary palace. Because of Serene’s stupidity she had been forced to abandon all these things. And then there was Alex…God knows where. It may not be saying much, but he had become the best friend she had ever known. And he, too, might now be lost to her forever. How did everything turn out like this?
“Oh, damn it all to hell! Serene screamed. “Those little bastards took off with all of my Sinner’s Muse! Ooooo those filthy little….damn, damn, damn it! Argh! And just when I could really use a drink!”
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Moody yelled back suddenly. Serene was so caught off guard that for once she was rendered speechless. “Is that all you can think about? For once in your life, woman, can’t you think of something other than yourself?”
“Don’t you take that tone of voice with me, Quasimoody!”
“Look at us! Just look! We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere…without a clue where in the hell that might be. We…we have nothing. Nothing. The Cosa Nosferatu want you more than anything else in the world, and are willing to kill anybody in their way get you. And because of you we’ve lost Alex! We don’t even know if he’s dead or alive!”
“Don’t you talk like that! Of course he’s alive.”
“How do you know? You don’t!”
“We have to remain optimistic. I’m certain Alex is just fine and we’re going to find him shortly.”
“How? How are you going to find him, Serene? We don’t even know where we are! Do you ever think more than five minutes ahead? And if something has happened to him it’s your fault!”
“That’s uncalled for.”
“You know it, Serene. You brought him along on your insane little adventure…whatever you want to call it…and whatever has happened to him is all because of you! You, Serene.”
“I don’t…I only want the best for him. Mark my words, Quasimoody, once we’re out of this little pickle I’ll make it up to him. I mean it. I take care of my own.”
“Yeah, just like you took care of all your husbands.”
“That…that was beneath you.” Moody’s verbal blow hit a nerve. Serene’s lips trembled, her eyes glassed over. “We’re going to get through this. I will work everything out. I swear.”
“Serene, why can’t you see it? Why must you be so damn arrogant all the time? You’ve dug us in a hole we can’t climb out of. You can’t win this one. We’re completely screwed.”
“I’ll prove you wrong,” Serene answered back, having regained her composure. “You don’t have to come with me, but I will find Alex. I swear it. And on my oath as a Necrosia, I will sort this mess out. I will find a way. I’ve gotten us this far, haven’t I?”
Moody sighed heavily, shaking her head. “Oh yeah, you’ve done a bang up job. Hell. You are such a pain in the ass. I swear, you’re cursed…and you curse anybody who crosses your freaking path.”
“And you wouldn’t have it any other way,” Serene said with a wink.
“Sometimes I don’t know why I’ve stuck with you all these years.”
“Because I add flavor to your otherwise dull existence, naturally.”
“Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that. Well…you are going to make this up to the little man and me. I’ll see to that if it’s the last thing I do.” She sighed again, shaking her head in resignation. “Okay. Fine. What the hell. Let’s grab whatever we can carry and get the hell out of here. I don’t like being out in the open like this.”
“Agreed. I believe I see a wooded area in that direction. I imagine it would prove a suitable location to hide out while we regain our bearings.”
Chapter 32- The Telltale Trail
“Are you all right?” Hammett glanced into the rearview mirror briefly before returning his vigilant gaze to the passing scenery. Vega drove slower now, carefully following the tire tracks left by the pickup Moody and Serene escaped in.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” Alex answered with a fake smile, rubbing his left temple. “I have a bit of a headache. I’ve been getting them ever since Serene sprayed this crap into my eye. She thought it would turn blue or something. Moron.”
“Ah, I have been wondering about that red eye of yours,” Hammett smiled, his own eye strained on the path ahead. “Considering her track record, I’m surprised you consented to her experiment.”
“Yeah, well, she pretty much did it by surprise without asking for my permission. She’s got a real problem with that.”
“And despite all this, everything she has subjected you to, you have stuck with her and consider her crucial to your life?”
“It’s complicated.”
Hammett smiled. “Most things are.”
Before long they discovered the abandoned pickup, just as the morning light began washing away the night. The two inspectors examined the vehicle thoroughly: the interior, the crushed front, and the scant contents abandoned in the bed. Afterwards the Cyclops carefully examined the ground in a several yard radius. Alex had been commanded to stay in the car lest he interfere with their inspection. Nonetheless, he stuck his head out the window and scanned the surrounding area, hoping that by some miracle he might see one of his friends’ heads pop out from behind a bush, or catch a glimpse of a familiar silhouette. Of course, he could detect no signs of their whereabouts whatsoever.
“The engine is as cold as a gorgon’s tit,” Hammett finally said, “so the vehicle had to have been abandoned several hours ago. There are two sets of footprints leading away from the vehicle, so you should be relieved to know that your friends escaped together.”
“Good. That’s great news. So where are they now?”
“The footprints lead straight toward that line of trees.” Hammett nodded to a wooded area a mile or two away. “We’ll catch them there. I’m sure of it.”
It all looked like plain grass and dirt to Alex, but apparently Hammett could clearly make out Serene and Moody’s footsteps trailing away from the truck. Vega drove the sedan in the general direction of the trees, with Hammett hanging out the window, occasionally commanding his partner to veer slightly to the right or left. Upon reaching the tree line the Spaniard stopped the car and all thre
e piled out. The two officers grabbed some items out of the trunk, filling their pockets, and prepared to enter the woods.
“Whatever you do, stay behind me until I say otherwise,” Hammett commanded. “The trail will be more difficult to follow going forward and I can’t have you clumsily trampling atop it.”
“Sure, fine. Is there anything you need me to do?”
“I’ll let you know if and when the time comes. Just don’t go wandering off. With the light up vampires are of no concern, but there’s no telling what else lives in these woods. And don’t you forget: we have an arrangement. You try anything funny and it’ll be your head.”
“I said I’d help you,” Alex replied, more than a little offended by the Cyclops’ threatening tone and stare. “And I expect you to hold up your end of the bargain as well. I’ve put my faith in you guys. Shoot man, I’ve taken everything you’ve said at face value. I’ve never even so much as seen a badge proving you are who you say.”
“I was wondering if you’d ever ask.” Hammett laughed. “You should have asked for our identification before ever opening your mouth. You’re far too trusting. Vega and I could have done God knows what to you if we wanted to a hundred times over by now.” Vega arched his eyebrow and gave Alex a wily, playful look. “Fortunately, we are who we claim to be.” The Cyclops shoved his badge in Alex’s face.
“Okay.” Alex nodded, comforted by what he read on Hammett’s identification. “Just remember, you said you’d bring them in without hurting them.”
“That I did. Good. Then we perfectly understand one another. This is not the time to second guess. Now come along.”
Alex placidly followed Hammett, while Vega casually took up the rear, and he wondered if the UEL officers still thought he might try and make a run for it, or if the Spaniard were merely content to follow the Cyclops’ lead. While it was highly doubtful that Alex would spot any sign of his friends before these detectives, it didn’t stop him from craning his head back and forth, squinting at the foliage on either side, as well as the branches in the trees above. At the rate they were traveling, however, Alex marveled that Hammett could follow any signs of his friends at all; they were moving at close to a full-blown jog. And yet whatever trace of Serene and Moody Hammett saw appeared as clear as a giant yellow stripe of paint in his eyes. Onward they charged, deeper and deeper into the forest, not even the slightest hint of doubt on the Cyclops’ face.
“They rested here for a short time,” the inspector explained, halting briefly in a small clearing.
“Then we should be gaining on them,” Alex panted, catching his breath.
“Yes. Yes, indeed.” Hammett grinned as he spoke, immensely satisfied with his hunt.
“You guys don’t have anything to eat, do you? I’m feeling pretty spent. Honestly, I don’t know how you…”
“How I what?” Hammett asked impatiently after Alex’s long pause. The inspector did not receive a response. Alex stared high into the trees before them, transfixed, his mouth open and eyes squinting. Hammett peered into the trees, and seeing nothing out of the ordinary said, “The hell are you staring at?” Alex didn’t reply verbally, but instead gestured with his eyes and a slight nod of his head toward the trees with an expression as if to say “Are you blind?” Hammett stared at Alex, believing he had surely lost his mind, and Vega stepped forward, waving his hand in front of the young man’s eyes. Again Alex gestured toward the treetops, adding an exasperated grunt.
Alex was dumbfounded. How could they not see? Just ahead a woman sat perched in the branches, staring down at the three of them. She wore a wide brimmed hat and a long coat, both very weathered and worn. A pair of cold, emotionless eyes panned back and forth amongst the men, calculating, dissecting. And then they stopped on Alex, peering searchingly into his own eyes. The woman appeared uncertain, as if trying to ascertain what the young man actually saw. Could he truly see her? Or was there something else that caught his eye? Finally, unable to endure the uncomfortable gaze any longer, Alex smiled back at her warily, accompanied by a slight nod. In turn she grinned menacingly, a flash of malevolence in her eyes, and licked her lips, curving them slightly with amusement.
“We don’t have time for this. Have you completely lost your mind, boy?” Hammett shook Alex by the shoulder.
“Stop it! What are you talking about? How can you not see her? Geez, you can see invisible footprints in the dirt and not that?”
“Wait! What do you mean “her”?” The Cyclops’ tone instantly shifted to dead seriousness and concern.
“The woman right…oh crap…where’d she go?” Alex’s face twisted into a perplexed squint, while Vega strode forward three steps, his gun brandished in his hand, and his eyes quickly roving about above them nervously. “What the…hey, what’s with the gun?”
“Tell me precisely what you saw.” Alex described the woman to the Cyclops. “Of all the worst luck,” he sighed, withdrawing his weapon as well. “Son of a harpy.” He exchanged glances with Vega, then turned his head toward the branches above, a genuinely concerned expression on his face. “Luminita,” he hissed softly as a large drop of sweat slid down his brow.
Chapter 33- Hunted
“I wonder…” Hammett said to himself softly, studying Alex’s red eye with interest. “In a strange twist of irony I believe Necrosia’s bumbling may have saved us all from having our throats slit from behind.”
“Is there anyone not after Serene?” Alex asked with exasperation, turning this way and that, peering into the branches above. “Who is this Luminita?”
“No time to explain. From this moment on you’re to stick to my side at all times. If you want to get out of here in one piece don’t so much as blink unless I say so. Understood?” Alex nodded, his eyes bursting with fear and confusion. “Of all the worst luck.” The Cyclops sighed heavily, turning to his partner, and Alex was surprised to detect a sense of uncertainty exchanged between the two. “At least she’s lost the element of surprise. All right…all right…we press forward, following Necrosia’s trail. Standing here won’t do us any good. And we certainly can’t turn back. Alex, I need you to keep your eyes peeled. She’s very close.” Hammett bent over now and whispered in Alex’s ear, “If you should spot her, don’t stare. Act as though you can’t see her. Clear your throat twice and I will know you’ve pinned down her location. This is no dimwitted goblin we are dealing with.”
The three moved cautiously forward, Hammett as if he were on pins and needles, constantly shifting his attention from the forest floor, following Moody and Serene’s trail, to their surroundings. Vega, no less tense than his partner, jaw clenched tightly, weapon readied at his side, focused primarily on their rear. Alex felt positively terrified, of course. The woman had been scary enough to look at, but if these tough-as-nails UEL agents were so obviously troubled, then this Luminita had to be seriously bad news. And here he thought they were out of danger for a while, what with the Cosa Nosferatu incapable of venturing into daylight. Whatever creature Luminita turned out to be, she not only tolerated the sun but could seemingly hide in plain sight, capable of cloaking her appearance with an almost chameleon-like skill. He rubbed under his red eye unconsciously with a knuckle as the thought of Serene’s dyed hair still retaining its original color in his eyes. To think an unwanted side effect of Serene’s disastrous experimentation may have saved his life…temporarily, at least. His breath was short, and he felt dizzy from the constant swiveling of his head back and forth, up and down, scrutinizing every branch, bush, rock and pile of leaves, expecting the cloaked assassin to leap out suddenly. And whether it was his imagination or not, the forest felt unusually silent; leaves crunched under their footsteps like broken glass, their soft breathing echoed about the trees in a brazen cacophony. All the while Alex couldn’t stop the eerie prickling on the back of his neck, whispering tauntingly that they were at that very moment being hunted by an invisible, unimaginably lethal predator.
She watched with amusement as the three fools crep
t deeper into the woods, the smell of fear so strong about them that it nearly masked the scent of Necrosia’s hunchback. Nearly. Necrosia and her servant were very close now. But the meddlesome Cyclops’ arrival had complicated things greatly. She expected to catch up to her quarry well before the bloodhound showed up. She was almost impressed. Necrosia must be taken alive, and accomplishing that would be next to impossible until the others were dealt with. If that young man hadn’t seen through her camouflage she could’ve sprung upon them from above and taken all three out without difficulty. How could he have possibly detected her? No matter; this was but a delay, a small complication that only added an additional wrinkle of excitement to the hunt at hand. With the ways things stood, she’d normally pick them off carefully, one by one, as the opportunity presented itself. Difficult, yes, but well within her capabilities. Still, they were on alert, and these UEL boot lickers were not to be underestimated. Then there was the breadth and acuity of the young man’s senses, which remained uncertain. She needed to alter her tactics. She needed a distraction.
Clearing her mind of the smells of her prey, Luminita closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. In her mind’s eye the tree she perched atop gradually took form. Every knot, every leaf, the stains of time and weather became etched into her consciousness. She saw clearly the tree’s roots sprawled deep beneath the earth, twisting, writhing over the long years. The vision expanded in a growing radius, encompassing all nearby trees. Ever outward her sight grew, taking in the rise and fall of the ground, the moss-covered rocks, the insects burrowing in a rotting fallen log. Each minute detail of the forest congealed in her thoughts; the sights, sounds, smells of all things presented themselves before her, naked and exposed. For miles she stretched her mind, strained her senses, searching, calling. Then, far away, deep in a long-forgotten pocket of the forest she caught the faint taste of death and decay in all its luscious splendor. Luminita focused all her will upon this discovery, following it deeper, deeper, to a dank cave. The bones and flesh of man and beast filled the cavern in a suffocating stench. She felt the insatiable hunger, the lustful wickedness entangled within, writhing about impatiently. And she grinned cruelly as all came into focus.
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