Beasthunter

by Katharina Gerlach

  Odd appendages dangled from the lava lady's back. The tendrils wrapped around a crowd of grown-up people sitting rigidly beside her. Relief flooded Tom's heart when he saw Mr. Jake and the monk. They would be able to tell him what to do. He opened his mouth to call to them, but Adalbert stopped him just in time.

  “Be quiet. You don't want to sit there too.” Then he pointed to a statue a few steps to the side. “Is that your sister?”

  Tom's heart missed a beat. Yes, that was Sally. She looked just like he remembered her, only she seemed drained of color. Her skin, her hair, even her freckles had a grayish tinge. He longed to hug her, but the lava-lady had wrapped a tendril around Sally and a hook at the end of the tendril dug into her thigh. It would be impossible to move her without the lava-lady noticing. Tom gazed back at the grown-ups. There didn't seem to be any hooks on their tendrils. He asked Adalbert for the reason.

  The boy pulled him closer and whispered. “The hooks are for draining, but it can't drain grown-ups. Only keep them from leaving.”

  Tom closed his eyes and breathed to calm himself. If he couldn't free Sally, he'd have to try for one of the grown-ups, despite the tendrils. Maybe he could rescue Mr. Jake. He studied the tendrils. They were wrapped closely around the grown-ups. Freeing Mr. Jake would be just as impossible as moving Sally. What should he do? He pulled Adalbert backwards a bit so they could talk without waking the lava-lady.

  “Can we cut the tendrils?”

  Adalbert shook his head. “Nothing can cut them when they're new, but you can wait. Soon the statue will drift away from the Beast, and the connection gets thinner. Maybe you can cut it then, although I don't know how. My best friend's uncle fought witchcraft and nearly saved him. But in the end, he got caught too.” He pointed to the monk. “That's him.”

  “It seems I can't free anyone.” Tom's voice vibrated with his frustration. There had to be a way to defeat the Beast, but he didn't see a way. He wanted the life back he had known before the Beast came. Maybe he could at least talk to Mr. Jake or the monk.

  A hole opened beside his feet, and Snoop pushed his head through. “You should have a look at the Beast from outside,” he said. “Something weird is happening. Are you coming?”

  Adalbert's eyes widened. “A dog! Can I pat it?”

  Snoop shook his head. “Hurry up! It's waking.”

  Tom's gaze flitted to the lava-lady. She stretched and yawned but still faced in the wrong direction.

  “We're leaving.” Tom went down on his knees and crawled toward the hole Snoop held open.

  “Wait for me,” Adalbert said.

  “You can't come. You'll die.” Tom pointed to the gap in Adalbert's chest.

  “I will not stay here.” Adalbert went down on his knees and crawled past him toward the gap Snoop had made. Tom grabbed for him but his fingers only touched one of the tendrils. Red hot fire shot up his arm. With a yelp of pain, he pulled his hand back.

  “Tom! Hurry!” Mr. Jake's voice made him turn. He and the other grown-ups struggled against the tendrils, trying to hold back the lava-lady. Her head swiveled round and her eyes locked on Tom. He stared at her black eye sockets. They were calling for him.

  “Tom! Get away!” Mr. Jake's scream rang in his ears, snapping him out of his reverie. He crawled backward as fast as he could, bumping into Adalbert. The little boy lay on the ground panting heavily, and the tendril in his chest pulsated with an evil glow. No way could Tom leave him to the lava-lady's mercy. He hooked his hands under Adalbert's arms to help him through the hole. The lava-lady roared and pulled at her bond with the little boy. He slid backward, and the gap began to close. Tom held onto the little boy as best he could. Just when he thought his arms would be pulled out of their sockets, Snoop entered the Beast again, widening the hole as he crawled in. The lava-lady roared again.

  Tom took Adalbert in his arms and pulled him toward the hole. It was the least he could do but his heart fluttered when he thought about the wound in the little boy's chest. Surely taking him away from the lava-lady would kill him, but it also felt wrong to leave him here—all alone. Tom put his feet through the hole and pulled Adalbert with him. The stronger he pulled, the harder it became. Tom sweated and gasped for air. He'd managed to pull Adalbert halfway out when Snoop's strong jaws closed around the tendrils between Adalbert, the statues, and the Beast. With a jerk, the boy came free.

  The Beast's piercing scream was worse than anything Tom had ever heard before. He scrambled backward and pulled Adalbert out of the ward before he looked back at the Beast. It lay on the ground, writhing in agony and losing its form. When Snoop crawled out, it looked less like a beast and more like the lava-lady they had seen inside. But the lady bulged in the weirdest places.

  “Am I glad we're out of that,” Tom said to Adalbert. The little boy didn't answer. He hung limply in Tom's arms. The linen shirt was soaked in blood and his breathing slow and labored. He was dying. Tom scrambled to his feet and carried him inside as fast as he could.

  “You take care of him, I'll call a doctor,” he said to Snoop.

  “I don't think a doctor can help. It's a magical wound.” Snoop followed him.

  Gently Tom laid the child on the sofa and inspected him. Adalbert's shirt was torn. A bloody wound went from his left collar bone to his right hip. Tom saw bones, the lungs and heart, and more blood than he cared for. Snoop licked the wound and it began to close ever so slowly. Was it mending? Would Adalbert survive? The little boy shivered. Blood ran from the wound, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his breathing was still irregular.

  Snoop gave up his licking. The wound had closed to a thin, red scar that no longer looked life-threatening. “He's still dying. So many years connected to the Beast…” Snoop's voice trailed off. “He must have been the Beast's initial victim.”

  Tom looked at him. “Why did his aunt do that to him? He's just a little kid.”

  Snoop pointed to the red line. “Someone wants something so bad, he kills an innocent child. When he binds its life force to one of my kind, we supply the power to fulfill his heart's desire. And we'll stay in this world until the victim is drained.” Snoop shuddered. “The price is way too high. I bet his aunt didn't live long enough to enjoy what she got.”

  “Is there nothing we can do?” Tom took Adalbert's hand. When he let go, it fell limply back onto the sofa. He turned to Snoop, who still hadn't answered. “Is there?”

  Snoop looked away. “I don't think so.”

  “I won't let him die. I'll call a doctor.” Tom got up but before he reached the phone, his gaze fell on Mr. Jake's herb pouch that still hung beside the front door. His mouth fell open. Of course! Mr. Jake's medicine! He ripped it from the hook so the shoulder strap broke and rummaged around until he found the small glass vial with the blue liquid Mr. Jake had used to heal himself.

  “Do you remember how much he took?” he asked Snoop.

  “I don't think it'll be strong enough to save him.” Snoop sat on his haunches and cocked his head.

  “It's worth a try.” Tom pulled the stopper off the vial, and the room filled with a magical scent. It smelled as if someone had mixed all four seasons together. With every breath, he noticed a different flavor—baked apples, wild roses, Christmas cookies, hot sand. He blinked and turned back to Snoop. “How much?”

  Snoop licked his nose before he answered. “No more than three drops and you'd better dilute them. Something as strong as that can also kill.”

  “He's already dying, so that won't make much of a difference, will it.” Tom opened Adalbert's mouth with his left hand and counted three drops on his tongue. Carefully he replaced the stopper and put the vial back into the pouch. Adalbert jerked and swallowed. He whimpered as if someone had hurt him. After a long time, he opened his eyes and looked around.

  “My chest hurts.” He curled up into a tight little ball.

  Tom stroked his back. “It will pass. I gave you a medicine that will make you all right again.” He considered the new develop
ment encouraging and hoped his words would come true.

  Adalbert pulled Tom's hand to his cheek. “Can you sing me a song? I'm so tired.”

  Tom tried to remember the songs his mother had sung for him when he was a kid. His voice wobbled as he sang, but Adalbert smiled and fell asleep. His breathing was still labored, and beads of sweat rolled over his forehead.

  “Do you think he'll make it?” Tom asked Snoop.

  “We won't know before the morning.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tom: Here and Now

  The doorbell chimed and Tom jumped up, his heart racing. Who could it be? The police? His parents? Would they question him about the Beast? He put his hand against the back of a chair to steady his wobbly knees when a song wafted through the door. Kids! There were kids at the door. He had completely forgotten about Halloween. Still shaking, he relaxed and walked toward a bowl with sweets Mr. Jake had prepared earlier. Best to get rid of them fast.

  He answered the door holding out the bowl. One kid of the group outside, dressed as a ghost, stood dangerously close to the ward around the Beast. Although it lay flat on the ground, its glowing eyes followed every movement.

  The children grabbed some sweets and ran off giggling. The ghost pointed to the Beast and said, “That's the best decoration I've ever seen. How did you do that? Papier mâché?”

  Tom stared at the Beast at the foot of the stairs and didn't know what to say. The kid didn't wait. Running, she followed her friends. Tom noticed other groups walking from house to house and realized that more kids would be coming soon. He needed someone to hand them sweets. Also, he'd have to move the Beast to a place where no one could accidentally walk through the ward. The Beast wouldn't waste a second in sucking up new kids to replace Adalbert if it could.

  Tom gazed at the Beast, holding the bowl out as if offering some sweets to it too. Its face was still inhuman, but the body had elongated and resembled that of a woman. Its hide glowed with a sickly green color as if it didn't feel well. What if the cutting of its bond with Adalbert would kill it? He'd feel like a murderer. Also, he feared for the others still trapped in the Beast. They had to get out before they would die too. There had to be a way. He turned and closed the door, putting the bowl down on a pile of cardboard boxes.

  “We need to do something, Snoop. I think we weakened the Beast when we took Adalbert. But we need to help the others.”

  Snoop rested his chin on his paws. “Without the bound humans, I can drag the Beast back to where it belongs. Can you free them?”

  “I don't know. I need to think. Everything got so complicated.” Tom pulled a chair to the sofa and sat down to watch Adalbert. “What does the Beast do to the prisoners and the statues?”

  “It can't do much with the prisoners besides keeping them. They are too old. It has been bound to a child, so it can only hook into children to drain them,” Snoop rolled on his side and closed his eyes, “which turns them into the statues you've seen. The Beast uses the kids' worst memories and their fears to turn itself into an ever-changing monster. And it uses their life-force to make the appearance seem as real as possible.”

  Tom scratched his cheek. “The monk has been a prisoner and not a statue?”

  “Yup.”

  “We got him out, remember?” He closed his eyes too, searching his brain for an idea. Something nagged at the back of his mind. Something about the monk and how they got him out of the Beast. He opened his eyes again and looked around. The diaries they had used to turn the ghosts in Snoop's fur back into people were still stacked on the table. Lightning flashed through Tom's brain. Maybe the same trick would work twice. A smile spread over his face. “I guess I've got an idea. But we got to do magic outside, close to the Beast. Everybody will be able to see us.”

  Snoop shrugged. “They'll not believe their eyes anyway. Pretend it's a Halloween show.”

  He set to work immediately although it was growing dark outside. First, he put the bowl with sweets on the ground beside the garden gate with a sign that said “Please take one. Important magic at work, do not disturb.”

  Then he carried a small coffee table to the paved path leading to the front door, stacked the diaries on top, and fetched Mr. Jake's magic stuff. Squinting in the twilight, he flipped through the spell‑book until he found what he was looking for. Following the guidelines to the letter, he drew a big circle that nearly touched the ward with the Beast. It snarled but made no attempt to attack. Instead, it followed every move with its eyes.

  “Do you think you can do it?” Snoop asked. “This is more complicated than setting up a ward.”

  “Mr. Jake said there isn't much to this spell. Let's hope he was right.” Tom sprinkled petals from a jar on the ground into another circle. “You'll have to stand there and catch them.” He pushed Snoop toward the side of the first circle. “If you see one of those bonds trying to pull them back, you snap it.”

  “No problem.” Snoop walked over and settled beside the circle.

  Tom's heart beat wildly. What if the spell didn't work? Would he be able to remember how Mr. Jake had pronounced the words? Could he really get all prisoners out this way? If he could get Mr. Jake out, he could leave the rest to him. He placed Mr. Jake's journal into the center of the crayon circle and stepped into the circle of herbs. At the garden gate, kids gathered and watched with rapt attention.

  His heart hammered so strong that his blood roared in his ears. He raised his arms and hummed, trying to forget about the watchers so he could remember the melody Mr. Jake had used. The air filled with the sweet scent of lavender. This felt right. Tom hummed on. Tiny whiffs of fog floated from the Beast to the circle and gathered above the journal. The longer he hummed, the denser the column of fog became. It was just the way it should be. Tom's hands felt like lead, but he held them up high and hummed on. Would the fog turn into Mr. Jake? More and more fog gathered atop the book. When no new whiffs came from the Beast, Tom knew it was time to say the spell. If only he pronounced it right. He swallowed and breathed a couple of time to gather his courage.

  “Animus reverto,” he whispered. His voice didn't vibrate like Mr. Jake's had but the column of fog still reacted. It shivered and sank in on itself, became denser and gained color. A red line ran from its ankle to the Beast. With a single bite, Snoop severed it, and a few seconds later, Mr. Jake stumbled forward. He fell right onto Snoop, who tried his best to keep him up.

  “Well done, Tom,” Mr. Jake said and crumpled to the floor. The kids at the gate clapped and cheered.

  “Well done,” a father called. “Great trick. How'd you do that?” Tom ignored him and bent down to Mr. Jake. Snoop helped him drag the man to the side.

  “He's out cold. Seems like you've got to carry on, boy.”

  Tom stared at him. “Why can you still talk to me? I thought you only talk to the Beast Hunter.”

  “You are the Beast Hunter now. You've been chosen by Mr. Jake, and there is no way back for either of you.” He laughed his soundless laughter.

  “Does that mean I'll be Beast Hunter till the end of my life?”

  “It means you won't have an end of life for as long as you hold the job.” Snoop licked his nose. “Unless of course you screw up and let one of those beasties kill you. That'd be the end of you and of a whole long line of Beast Hunters.”

  Tom's eyes widened. “There are more beasts?”

  “Not at the moment.” Snoop lay down. “Will you argue much longer, or are you going to get the others too?”

  Tom's head whirled. How could he be the Beast Hunter for good? He was scared of the shadow under his bed. He didn't even have his sister to protect him. It was so unfair—not only for him but for the next Beast's victims too. They needed someone strong and reliable. Someone like Mr. Jake.

  “Hey, snap out of it.” Snoop rubbed his head against Tom's knee. “I'll be with you. Could you please get the others now?”

  Tom nodded. He felt numb inside but Snoop was right. If he didn't get the others, the
y couldn't discuss how to get back the kids. Noticing that most kids had dispersed, he renewed the circles and placed the next journal inside. After reading the writer's name on the cover, he started to hum. His hum drew another column of fog into his circle and more kids gathered at the gate to watch. Tom did his best to ignore them. Upon his command, the fog turned into a man, and Snoop bit through the bond to the Beast. Again and again, Tom used a diary, hummed and called. The Beast shrank with every prisoner he freed. At first, it struggled and screamed but after the tenth round of spells, it flopped to the ground and lay motionless. All of a sudden, Tom felt sorry for it. It seemed so helpless. Would pulling out all prisoners kill it? What if its death also affected Adalbert? But it was too late to worry about that. There were only a few diaries to go.

  Mr. Jake and some of the others had recovered enough to help catch the newly freed. An elderly lady had picked up the bowl and handed sweets to the watchers, refusing to answer their questions. “A true magician never reveals his tricks,” she said.

  Tom pushed her voice out of his head and focused on his job again. When he had used the last diary, he sat down. His arms felt as if he had carried the weight of the world for a while, and his mind was still numb from the Beast Hunter revelation. He put his hands over his face, ignoring the people walking around him.