The Massacre Mechanism (The Downwinders Book 5)

by Michael Richan

  “Come on, Daniel,” Awan said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Daniel walked to the door and opened it. Awan followed. Winn walked backward to the door, keeping his eyes on Delmar. “Don’t let him take that knife out until you get to the ER,” Winn said.

  “Fuck off,” Delmar replied, a string of obscene insults continuing as Winn backed through the door and closed it.

  “To think I drove all the way out here for nothing!” Daniel said as they walked back. “And worse, I’ve got to get some! I’m running out of time. I need another source. Do either of you know anyone who might have some they’d be willing to sell?”

  “I’ve never heard of people collecting it,” Awan replied. “I don’t know of anyone.”

  “Me either,” Winn replied. “Although I do know of a Caller, if you’re able to harvest it yourself.”

  Daniel stopped walking and opened the satchel strapped over his shoulder. He rummaged through the contents. “Yes!” he said. “I have what I’d need to harvest it, I think. And of course I have all of the other items to make the compound.”

  “The Caller I know is at least three hours away,” Winn said. “South of Mesquite.”

  Daniel consulted his watch. “Three hours to get there, a few minutes to harvest, and a few more to make the compound…that puts us right around 5 AM.”

  “Won’t be light yet,” Awan replied. “But there’s only an hour to spare.”

  “I suggest we take my Jeep,” Winn replied. “Follow us to Awan’s place, Daniel. You can leave your van there. It’ll be faster to do this in one vehicle. Plus, I know where all the speed traps are.”

  “Lead the way!” Daniel replied.

  Chapter Five

  They settled into the three-hour trip to Mesquite; Winn driving, Awan in the passenger seat, and Daniel in the back.

  “Do you think they would have robbed me?” Daniel asked.

  “Anything’s possible with those two,” Awan replied.

  “If you don’t mind my asking, how much were you going to pay them for the Caller residual?” Winn asked Daniel.

  “Fifteen hundred,” Daniel answered.

  “They would have robbed you,” Awan confirmed.

  “Well, not to mention they didn’t have any,” Daniel replied.

  “Don’t assume they just stored it incorrectly,” Awan said. “These guys are total opportunists. How did you connect with them, anyway?”

  “I posted it on a website,” Daniel replied. “I know, desperate.”

  “They likely read up on what you needed and claimed they had it,” Winn said.

  “Cheating gifteds is a dangerous pastime,” Daniel replied.

  “They’ve been dealt some consequences lately,” Awan said, “but they’re a pretty dumb bunch, so I don’t know how well the consequences sway their thinking.”

  “So you know of a Caller?” Daniel asked Winn. “I’ve never harvested my own Caller residual before, but it should be straightforward enough.”

  “The Caller’s name is Sagan,” Winn replied. “Lives in the basement of an old, abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. He’s a kid, and not very smart. My friend Deem and I traded favors with him. He tracked someone for us, and I let him in on a stash of corpses. Don’t know how he made out with those.”

  “The Devil’s Throat corpses?” Awan asked.

  “Exactly,” Winn replied. “Told him where they were, at least.”

  “If I remember right, those were problematic corpses,” Awan replied.

  “Problematic?” Daniel asked.

  “Animated,” Winn replied. “Yeah, Sagan might have had some trouble with them. I guess we’ll find out.”

  As they passed through the north end of Las Vegas, Winn stopped at a convenience store to grab a cup of coffee and a supply of Red Bulls. It was now after 2 AM, and he needed the jolt of caffeine. Both Awan and Daniel bought coffee as well, and they were back in the car within minutes.

  “So what do you think of Winn’s symbols?” Awan asked Daniel, once they were on the interstate.

  “Definitely shifted, as I said,” Daniel replied. “You’ll never decipher them without jumping to the correct differential.”

  “That’s what Jackson told us,” Winn replied. “He used some pot to jump a fraction and show us how it’s done. But he had no idea how to hit a specific differential.”

  “So he referred you to me?” Daniel asked. “I don’t know this Jackson.”

  “Few do,” Awan replied. “He’s on a loop in an old hotel in a small abandoned town south of Tonopah called Goldmine. He’s good with symbols, but he couldn’t help us with these. He said he has a friend who knew you were in town.”

  “Wonder who that could be,” Daniel said.

  “Suppose it could have been any of the people attending your convention,” Winn replied.

  “Not really a convention,” Daniel said. “A few of us get together every couple of years to trade notes. More like an exchange.”

  “Is there a way to determine the differential?” Winn asked. “I think this is a message from a friend of mine, someone who’s stuck in a horrible place. I’d like to understand it.”

  “There’s a way,” Daniel replied. “But it’s impossible for all practical purposes.”

  “What is it?” Winn asked.

  Daniel sighed. “There’s a device. It’s a mechanism designed to calculate time. In the real world it looks like a collection of gears, kind of like the inside of a watch, but larger. In the River, it’s capable of calculating a differential and then letting you shift there temporarily.”

  “Where can I get one?” Winn asked.

  Daniel chuckled. “That’s why it’s impossible. They’re extremely rare. Several were made by a brilliant gifted more than two thousand years ago. No one has been able to duplicate them since. Have you ever heard of the Antikythera Mechanism?”

  “No,” Winn replied. He looked at Awan, who shook his head negatively.

  “Antikythera is a small Greek island,” Daniel continued. “In 1901, a wooden box was recovered from an ancient shipwreck off the island. Inside was the mechanism. It was nearly destroyed by the salt water, but enough of it remained for the scientists to determine that it was used to calculate time. The strange thing was, the bronze gears used to make the clock were so complex, it was something everyone thought originated after the fourteenth century. When they carbon dated the gears, they found it came from 100 B.C. It completely blew their minds to realize something that complex had been constructed fifteen hundred years earlier than anyone had ever guessed.”

  “It was one of the differential mechanisms?” Awan asked.

  “Indeed,” Daniel replied. “You can imagine the surprise it caused. It now rests in a museum in Greece.”

  “And they had no idea it was a River object?” Winn asked.

  “Scientists, Winn,” Daniel replied. “Of course not.”

  “There are others?” Awan asked.

  “A few, but how many and where are mostly speculation and rumors,” Daniel replied. “It’s one of those Holy Grail artifacts in the time world, so it’s hard to know anything for sure. But yes, people think there were others. Some say as many as a dozen.”

  “A dozen?” Winn replied, disappointed.

  “Only three or four have ever been talked about in gifted circles,” Daniel replied. “Here, I’ll pull up a picture on my phone.”

  “Where are the ones we know about?” Winn asked.

  “Well, there’s the Antikythera mechanism in the museum, of course. Gifteds who’ve tried to use it — clandestinely, of course — reportedly considered it too deteriorated to work properly. There’s one supposedly in the collection of the Achernar people back east. They’re a bunch of jerks; they’d only let you near it if you paid them a ton of money. There’s a gifted scholar who lives in Ithaca, New York who many people think has one. He’s always denied having it.”

  “That’s it?” Winn replied. “Just three?”

&nbs
p; “That I know of,” Daniel said. “Like I said, they’re incredibly rare. Of course, you could fly to Ithaca and beg him. That might work.”

  “Fuck,” Winn said, hitting the steering wheel with his hand. “No good options.”

  “I can’t pull up a picture, it’s too slow,” Daniel said, staring down at his phone. “When I can get a decent signal, I’ll show it to you.”

  “There’s no other way?” Awan asked. “If pot lets you jump, maybe there’s something else you can take?”

  “There is,” Daniel said, “but it’s a potent cocktail of dangerous substances. If you survive it, it leaves you permanently schizophrenic. And it’ll only get you to a differential; you still have to know which one to go to. So it’s highly problematic.”

  “Highly,” Awan echoed.

  “Ah,” Daniel said. “Finally got a decent signal. Here it is.” He passed his phone up to Winn, who took it.

  The image showed partially disintegrated gears with hundreds of tiny teeth ringing the edge. Gear upon gear seemed stacked up, all crammed within a box.

  “This looks familiar,” Winn replied, searching his brain for the source of his memory.

  “You probably saw it in a history book or a science magazine,” Daniel said, taking his phone back.

  “No,” Winn said, thinking. “Familiar in a different way. I know I’ve seen it myself, somewhere.”

  Daniel seemed doubtful but quickly masked his skepticism by changing the subject. “The message is important to you?” he asked.

  “Very,” Winn replied. “I need to get it figured out.”

  The car grew silent as they sped through the quiet Nevada desert. Traffic was light on the interstate at 3 AM, and it left Winn some time with his thoughts, trying to remember when and how he’d seen the image from Daniel’s phone.

  ▪ ▪ ▪

  The abandoned house outside of Mesquite looked even more dilapidated than the last time Winn had come to tell Sagan about the corpses at Devil’s Throat. The corner of the house that faced the constant southern wind had completely weathered away, allowing the dust and dirt to blow through, piling up inside.

  “What a dump,” Awan said as Winn brought his Jeep around to the back of the house. A large boulder had been placed on a sheet of plywood to hold it down from the wind; Winn lifted it off, revealing a set of stone steps that led to the cellar. The three men descended.

  Wind from above made the house creak almost continuously as they walked through the dark basement. They removed their phones and were using them as flashlights.

  Daniel jumped back suddenly, dropping his phone and emitting a short exclamation. As he searched in the dirt for it, Winn came over.

  “You OK?” Winn asked.

  “Yeah, just startled,” Daniel replied. “Over there.” He pointed to a corner where he’d been standing moments before.

  Winn turned his light to the corner. There was a stack of animal corpses, some covered in blood.

  “Surprised we can’t smell it,” Daniel said, retrieving his phone and wiping it off.

  Winn studied the animal bodies. “They’re fresh,” he replied. “They’ll be stinking soon enough.”

  Winn turned from the corner. “Sagan!” he called. “Show yourself!”

  Daniel’s phone fell once again from his hand, hitting the floor. “I didn’t drop that,” Daniel said. “Something pushed it.”

  “Quit fucking around, Sagan,” Winn shouted, taking a step toward the middle of the room. He felt pressure against his lower leg and he stopped walking, looking down to see what he’d bumped up against. Nothing was there.

  “Trying to trip me?” Winn asked. “Juvenile. You’re a juvenile delinquent, Sagan.”

  “Who exactly is this guy?” Awan asked.

  “A loser skateboarder who stupidly got himself…” Winn paused, watching a board rise from the floor a few feet away, twisting in the air. It swung at him wildly and he ducked, feeling a swoosh above him.

  “We still using carcasses?” Winn asked. “Couldn’t figure out how to use the bodies I told you about?”

  Winn saw the figure materialize to his right, and he dropped into the River.

  They’re all running around like zombies, you asshole! Sagan shouted. How am I supposed to use any of them? You lied to me!

  I did no such thing, Winn replied. I told you right where they were. You’re not very resourceful, are you?

  They move! Sagan whined. They claw at you! How am I supposed to deal with that?

  You are monumentally stupid, Winn replied. I can think of a dozen ways. You’ve got no initiative.

  How am I supposed to do it?! Sagan shouted back, stomping his foot on the ground like an upset child. Tell me! It’s like you gave me a treasure chest I can’t open! What good is it?

  How do you need to collect it? Winn asked Daniel, ignoring Sagan for a moment.

  Daniel cleared his throat. Well, I’ve never collected it before, but I believe I just suck some up with a dropper.

  Off his body? Winn asked Daniel.

  Well, immediately after he moves, Daniel replied.

  Go ahead and get down by his feet, Winn told Daniel. Collect what you need when he steps away.

  Collect what? Sagan asked, watching as Daniel moved hesitantly next to him, kneeling. What’s he doing? Sagan asked Winn.

  Come here, Winn said, I want to show you something.

  What? Sagan asked.

  Winn reached into his pocket and turned slightly. Come here.

  Sagan took a step, and Winn saw Daniel move quickly to the spot where Sagan’s foot had been. He dabbed at it with a small dropper, and immediately transferred what he collected into a dark glass vial.

  Is that enough? Winn asked Daniel.

  Enough of what? Sagan said, turning.

  No, that’s maybe 10% of what I need, Daniel replied.

  Sagan took another step, and Daniel moved quickly with the dropper.

  Hey, what’s he doing? Sagan asked, stopping and turning again to look at Daniel.

  I think I know how you can get at one of those animated bodies, Winn said to Sagan. Look.

  Winn held his hand slightly open, pulled back from his body at an angle that made it difficult for Sagan to see. Sagan took a couple more steps, and Daniel hurriedly transferred residue with the dropper.

  What is it? Sagan asked.

  How about now? Winn asked Daniel.

  Fifty percent, Daniel replied. Looks good, nice and stable.

  What looks good? Sagan asked, turning, watching Daniel with the dropper. He turned back to Winn. I want to know what he’s doing! he said, pointing to Daniel behind him.

  Never mind about him, Winn said. You’ll want what I’ve got here, trust me.

  Sagan stopped moving, his eyes pinching as he examined Winn. You’re trying to trick me, Sagan said. You want me to walk. He’s picking up something where my feet were. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? Well, I’m not moving! I’m not moving another step!

  Even if you could get one of those animated corpses? Winn asked. I’ll bet just one of them would save you dozens and dozens of the dogs and deer in the corner, wouldn’t it? Maybe hundreds, right? Human blood goes a lot further with a cave spirit than dog blood, doesn’t it?

  It does, Sagan said, his arms folded in front of his chest. But that doesn’t mean I believe you.

  I suppose I can just talk to Gale in Littlefield, Winn said. I know he’ll want it. Of course, once he finds out about the supply of corpses in Devil’s Throat, I’m sure he’ll figure out his own way to retrieve them without my help. Gale’s a lot smarter and a damn sight more resourceful than you, isn’t he?

  I don’t give a flying fuck about Gale! Sagan said, his arms still folded across his chest. Winn could see Daniel still at the ground, ready to suck up the residual from the next step if he could get the idiot Caller to move.

  Of course you do, Winn said to Sagan. You’re both from the same cave spirit. Things would get real tricky if your cave spi
rit came to rely on Gale for blood more than you, wouldn’t it? Littlefield’s only a few miles from my trailer in Moapa. In fact I can hit there on my way home this morning, easy. Have a little chat with Gale.

  Fuck! Sagan spat with exasperation. Alright, fine, what do you want?

  I want you to walk in front of my friend Daniel here, Winn answered. Just take a couple of steps and then stop.

  Sagan turned and took three steps, then stopped and turned back. There, he said with finality.

  Daniel moved in quickly to collect the residual trailing from the Caller, a faint blue substance that turned clear and disappeared within seconds. Daniel transferred the substance to his vial and checked it.

  What’s he collecting? Sagan asked.

  Apparently small bits of your smelly ass trail after you move, Winn said.

  Sagan took a step, catching Daniel off guard. Damn, Daniel muttered. It’s gone. Missed it.

  Again, Winn said. Let him collect until he’s done.

  Sagan took another step, and then another. Daniel was ready this time, and moved quickly to suck the residue into the dropper and transfer it to the vial. After another minute of Sagan stepping and Daniel collecting, Daniel stopped and examined the vial.

  Good enough, Daniel said. That should do it.

  Goodbye, Sagan, Winn said, turning to leave.

  Don’t forget you said you’d… Winn heard Sagan shouting as he dropped from the River, effectively cutting Sagan off mid-sentence. He walked to the stone steps, Awan and Daniel following right behind. Once they’d all left the basement of the abandoned home, Winn pulled the plywood back into place and Awan moved the boulder on top of it.

  “He seems like a little prick,” Awan said.

  “Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Winn replied, brushing his hands together. “I’ll have to come back later and figure out how to get him one of those bodies. As much as I’d rather not.”

  “I need a flat surface and some quiet,” Daniel said. “The compound is a little tricky.”

  “Would the inside of the Jeep work?” Winn asked as they walked back to the vehicle.

  “Yes, but it can’t move at all while I’m mixing,” Daniel replied. “Can you two wait outside while I do it?”