“It…it was a sex video of me and my boyfriend from college,” Loretta blurted out. “I don’t know why I kept it. I know how stupid hanging on to it for some creepy nostalgia reason sounds.”
“Not creepy at all,” Demon said. “You’ll need to strip so we can make sure we get the right DVD back.”
“D!”
Mongo shamed him. “Bad Bluto.”
“Calm down, Ripper – you too, Bird-toes.” Demon grinned at Loretta as the rest of his companions stifled amusement. “We’ll do it on one condition: we get to watch it.”
“D!”
This time, Loretta shamed him. “Bad Bluto!”
“I can do an Internet scan for the movie,” Denny offered. “If I find something on video relating to your name, I’ll get Joanie to check it out. If we can learn the IP address related to the video, we can trace it to the address where it originated.”
“How… I mean… don’t you need to have special equipment to do something like that?”
“We have it. Plus, we earned FBI permission to access their database,” Denny answered. “I’ll start the recognition software now. If it’s been uploaded to the web, I’ll hack the IP address, erase the video, and block them.”
“Thank you! That’s amazing.”
“Put it on the big screen, Frodo.”
“D! Did you think I wouldn’t see you coercing your Mongo minion into hitting the play button if Denny finds the video?”
“I did no such thing, Ripper.”
Mike turned to Mongo. “Mongo?”
Mongo hung his head. “I am in thrall to the Dark Bluto.”
“Tell Loretta what you and Dark Bluto planned to do the other night when Mary stayed,” Mike ordered.
Mongo kept his head down, with hands clasped behind his back. “Crash in on you and Mary at an inopportune time, armed with a video cam the other minion of the Dark Bluto pinned on me.”
Mongo turned on Denny, shaming him. “Bad Frodo!”
Joanie started to mock strangle Denny from behind. “You gave these two dingbats video cams? Mike forbid you from adding to the Demon Inc archive of lost souls!”
Denny locked onto Joanie’s wrists. “You only say things like that because you haven’t been slimed by the Dark Bluto. Besides, we need new material for the archives of lost souls. It’s been months since the infamous ‘Sack attack’ and the ‘fall of the Holy Grail’. Even the semi-nude chick fight: ‘Sack vs Holy Grail’ happened what seems like months ago.”
By this time, Loretta was thoroughly enjoying the banter and audience reaction, as the others rooted for Joanie. Mike walked over to Joanie. “Let him go, Sis. Everything done in that vein originates in the Dark Bluto’s mind.”
“Oh sure… blame the dog,” Demon muttered.
“You can tell we’re used to plenty of utterly humiliating videos,” Janis remarked. “They have one of me getting taken down and slimed by Dark Bluto inside the van. It was weeks before I could eat whole food.”
“And yet you managed to put on ten pounds,” Demon retorted to loud amusement as Janis tried to break free of Jerry’s grasp.
“Honey! We talked about this. No playing with the paranormals,” Jerry cautioned. “He’ll just slime you again with Frodo recording it.”
Janis went limp in Jerry’s arms, shaking her fist. “Curse you, Dark Bluto!”
Chapter Six
Loretta’s Folly
“This may all seem funny to you now, Loretta,” Gail cautioned, “but believe me, the paranormal puppet duo of Mongo and Dark Bluto will seek out any opportunity to humiliate the rest of us.”
“Doesn’t Mike control them?”
Loretta’s question provoked wild humor for many moments with Mike sheepishly shrugging in answer to it. “I don’t control them, because I don’t control anyone in our group. If I started doing that, Gail would be right to suspect I change reality on a whim.”
Gail chugged her third shot. “I still believe you do.”
“Please, Gail… that was your third shot,” Mongo reminded her. “Eat some snacks. We had a very good day. We want you to be part of the celebration. Mike is not altering anything. I am a mutated Haunt. I can tell when he uses the darkness.”
Gail filled a plate from the snack table, all the while grinning at Mongo. “Mike is the only one on earth who can control you. How do you know he isn’t controlling you right now?”
“Because he is my brother and I trust him,” Mongo answered to a smattering of applause from the Demon Inc crew. “We want you to enjoy the evening with us, HG. I promise in the future to never follow the Dark Bluto’s orders regarding anything you do.”
Between bites of pizza snacks and veggies, Gail waved him off. “I understand. I appreciate the promise though. It means if I get sauced and stay the night, you won’t come in and draw clown features on my face with ‘Sharpies’. I guess that’s something.”
Mongo glanced down at Demon. “What is this face painting thing with ‘Sharpies’?”
The Muttley snicker sounded. “It means the first overnighter when Gail gets smashed, I send you in to paint glasses, mustache, and beard on Gail’s face with a black marker pen called a ‘Sharpie’.”
Mongo shamed Demon immediately with amused background from the Demon Inc audience. “Bad Bluto! I will do no such thing!”
“You can alter reality, Mike?”
Mike hesitated before answering Loretta. “Um… well… yeah, I can, but I don’t.”
“He’s like the hand of God,” Sandy stated, gripped by Nazer in a comforting embrace. “He saved me and made me do what was right.”
“Uh oh,” Demon muttered.
“I rest my case,” Gail responded.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it, Gail! My ditzy cheerleader experimentation into darkness could have unleased a Haunt plague capable of enslaving all of humanity. Mike stopped me because he had to.”
“We’ve talked this out before,” Connie said. “Anyone not wanting to be here can leave. We have a great team. We proved that today, but Mike’s not keeping anyone here.”
“I know I shouldn’t have a voice in this,” Tom remarked, “but Mike made two sidelines of players stand for the National Anthem with hands over hearts when they planned to kneel. I can’t be the only one who feels the tremor of force when he does stuff like that. I never feel it here at Demon Inc.”
“Tom’s right,” Stan said. “I do feel it.”
A muttering of assent went through the group. Not realizing how hungry she was, Gail munched away at her plate of food. It sobered her to the point Gail realized she was once again causing unwanted trouble on a night to be enjoyed.
“My bad,” Gail said. “Mongo was right. I needed to eat something. My thought to warn Loretta against letting her guard down sucked. This isn’t a treehouse club with a bunch of kids telling scary stories. We are the scary stories. We kill monsters and human predators. If I concentrated on that, I wouldn’t go into these tirades against Mike. Tom is right. I do feel the darkness when it flows.”
“The darkness?”
“Okay, Mongo, fill me up again, brother. We’re shooting into Mike interrogation land,” Demon ordered.
Mongo refreshed everyone’s drink with Gail waving him off with a smile. “Thanks, Mongo.”
“No problem, HG.”
Mike accepted his third from Mongo, feeling the effects all the way to his feet. He realized the pointlessness of hiding anything, but Mike also recognized the dangers of full disclosure. Loretta Kincaid knew about Demon Inc. She did not yet know about the darkness.
“The darkness mutated inside me from the Haunt wounds I received in combat against them. As Demon described, I can focus them into an irresistible weapon. I cut through Rayden’s golem’s neck with a blade formed from the darkness. It’s my word for the power.”
“Show me,” Loretta said. “I want to see.”
Mike’s mouth tightened. “I’m not a trick pony at the fair, Ms. Kincaid. The darkness
isn’t a toy. I harness it by force of will every minute of every day.”
Demon head bumped his brother’s leg. “Easy, big dog, Loretta’s just curious. You were able to control the length too. Your control improves every day.”
“It has been easier lately,” Mike said. “Sorry, Loretta, the darkness is nothing more than what you saw in the movie.”
“I didn’t mean to make it sound like an order,” Loretta replied. “Controlling reality and altering the perception of everyone around you must be very tempting at times. Is the darkness what you use to enter people’s minds?”
“The temptation lessened each time I used the power. Realizing the dangers involved makes it easy for me to avoid considering the juice as we call it. We don’t joke about the darkness like we used to.”
“You use it to network with your team.” Loretta considered what she learned for a moment. “You must use the darkness power enabling Demon to be understood, right?”
“I don’t enter anyone’s mind,” Mike explained. “I create a router for Demon’s thoughts, so everyone can get the signal, much like a powerful WiFi connection. I’ve increased the range as I learned to control and focus. Sandy can tell you how frightening it can be entering someone’s mind. When we helped the two kids in the coma ward at the hospital, I took Mongo, Demon and Sandy with me.”
“It’s spooky as hell,” Sandy added.
“Why so many questions, Loretta,” Laura asked.
“Because Mike’s been inside my head before when he removed the Haunt,” Loretta answered. “I’m probably more curious than I should be.”
“I have it,” Denny said. “I’m isolating the file for Loretta. I muted the sound on the laptop.”
“Wow… that was fast.” Loretta joined Denny at the table where he turned the satellite laptop so only she could see the video. She clicked on the video. After a couple of minutes, she shut the file down, blushing profusely. “That’s it, Denny.”
“Good. I’ll delete it off the server the moment I get the IP address traced. Luckily, I can tell it’s not a public domain type as when someone uses a restaurant or coffee shop network. Okay… I have the location. Sending it to the big screen while I hack the network and give it a big fat virus.”
“You’re scary good at this, Denny,” Loretta remarked.
“He made all our weapons and created the only Haunt, demons, and Bad Casper killing mixture in existence. Without him, we’d be Haunt vehicles,” Mike replied. He watched as Denny zoomed in on the address.
Loretta gasped. “That’s my college boyfriend’s house. He lives in Vacaville. I can’t believe Kenny would burglarize my place. His parents moved to Citrus Heights and gave Kenny the house to live in. I visited there with him a few times while we attended Sac State. His last name is Vinson. What do you think I should do?”
“Tomorrow’s Sunday. Demon, Mongo, and I can ride over to his house with you,” Mike offered. “Once he knows he’s been discovered, maybe we can simply pack your belongings and return them to your apartment. If he’s burglarizing other places as well, we’ll need to turn him over to the police.”
“Thank you. That would be wonderful. I better go.”
“Have some food,” Mike said. “We’ll be watching movies for the next few hours. Mongo will be patrolling for some other burglars we’re trying to stop. They’re professional home invaders. You’ve had a couple of drinks. I can’t let you drive home until you eat and pass a couple of hours with us. If you really need to leave, we can call you a taxi or Uber.”
“I’d love to stay. I thought I would be in the way.”
“You’re okay,” Connie said. “We don’t do anything wild here.”
“We have a couple of drinks, eat, watch movies, and wait for Bluto to pass out into his snack dish,” Janis added.
“Ahhh… Brandy. That’s so sweet. Brain cells come and go but fat cells live forever. In a few years, you’ll have more chins than Chinatown.”
Jerry hugged the fuming Janis. “Let’s sit down, my beloved slow learner.”
* * *
Two hours later after a movie, food, and Klondike Bars, Mongo left on his patrol with Demon guarding the entrance door. Mike put away food and cleaned. Jerry, Janis, Stan and Connie said goodnight and retired to their guest rooms at Demon Inc. Laura and Tom took little Mike home. Laura drank only soda, as had Sandy, Grant, and Nazer. Nazer and Grant drove Gail and Sandy home. Joanie watched another movie with Denny, leaving Mike and Loretta alone in the kitchen while Mike washed dishes.
“Can I stay overnight instead of driving home, Mike?”
“Sure. We have a lot of guest bedrooms in this place. You can bunk in with Joanie or have your own room.”
Loretta walked behind Mike threading her arms around him. “Couldn’t I stay in your room?”
Mike didn’t turn around. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Loretta.”
“If you’re worried about Mary… don’t. She knows I’m attracted to you. Mary wants nothing more to do with this place. Between the attack of that Radalia monster, your being wounded, and the added mutation power, it all worked to freak her out.”
Mike dried his hands after the last dish was done. He turned around. Loretta remained close. “Why not get to know me a bit better before taking this any further?”
Loretta moved against him. “How better than intimacy? I’m not a high school girl, Mike. I can feel you find me attractive.”
“I’m not made of stone. You’re very attractive,” Mike admitted. “Why not wait until we solve your burglary case? I promise I’m not going anywhere and if you’re still interested, we can have dinner together tomorrow night.”
Loretta sighed. “Okay, Mike. Kiss me goodnight and take me to my room.”
Mike kissed her, holding back the darkness always lurking to amplify everything. It wasn’t enough to keep Loretta from a groaning frontal assault, Mike let go on for a few pulse pounding seconds. He separated gently from her, knowing if they continued, the kiss would rage into a wildfire out of control.
“Please… Mike?”
“Not tonight.” Mike turned her around and guided Loretta to one of the guest bedrooms.
“I don’t like being put to bed like a recalcitrant child,” Loretta stated.
“You’re not a prisoner. You can go home.”
“I knew you were going to say that.” Loretta entered the bedroom and closed the door.
Mike joined Demon at the entrance. He concentrated for a moment and connected Demon, Nazer, and Mongo with him. “Is everything okay, Mongo?”
“I will be done shortly, El Capitan. I have nothing to report though.”
“Are you okay, Naz?”
“Yes, Mike. I am on my way to Demon Inc now. I spent some time with Sandy’s parents. I think they really like me.”
Mike chuckled. “What’s not to like. See you soon.”
“I’m surprised you’re not canoodling Loretta, Ripper. She’s hot.”
“Where did you get canoodling from, D. That word has been dead since the beginning of the last century.
“I’m an historian. Don’t change the subject. Why aren’t you bangin’-”
“Don’t finish that thought, Bluto. We’ll go over to the boyfriend’s house tomorrow, get her stuff back, and find out if the boyfriend only steals from his ex, or if he’s into something more. In any case, I’m not diving into another relationship. I barely know Loretta.”
Mongo arrived a moment later. “Open the gate. Naz is only a minute away.”
Mike opened the front gate. Minutes later, Nazer joined his friends at the entrance. “I see Loretta’s car. Did she stay, my friend.”
“She’s staying overnight. We’ll be able to get an early start tomorrow morning and surprise the boyfriend. No… she’s not staying in my bed.”
“You’re alone, Ripper,” Demon said. “Don’t put the shields up, in case we have a stray Radalia demon. Mongo and I need to be able to get in and help.”
Mike th
ought about it. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll leave the door open halfway too. There’s no use in taking chances. I turned off the connection. Goodnight, brothers.”
Mike walked toward his room. Nazer glanced from Demon to Mongo suspiciously. “What devilment do you two have planned. I sense a disturbance in the Force.”
“Never you mind, Infidel,” Demon retorted. “Go check on the Hobbit. Make sure he and the lovely Joanie aren’t canoodling.”
“Canoodling? Oh… okay. I will check. Tell me though what your devious plans pertain to, so I know whether to wear my clothes to bed, or not. This will not be a fake fire or some other goofy ploy where I am wakened with blasting horns or something, right?”
“Tell him, dog,” Mongo urged. “I knew the moment I saw Loretta’s car and Mike still here to greet me. He sent her to the guest bedroom. That is why you requested he leave the shields down.”
“Obviously, this will be a treasured addition in the Demon Inc archive of lost souls. Loretta’s in heat. I could sense it the moment she walked in. Loretta wants to walk on the wild side with Captain Darkness. Cap showed character and took the lovely Loretta to her room. The best part is Ripper wants her. If Lore of the wild invades his bedroom with very little on, it will be showtime. Don’t ruin this for us, Naz. Go to bed. No fire alarms or sprinkler system malfunctions will happen tonight.”
“Okay, but I am not in favor of these humiliating plots.”
“Good. Go to bed,” Demon instructed. “We don’t coerce the subjects into revealing their inner sinful side. Mongo and I allow them to reveal it.”
Nazer shook his head. “As Mike said, goodnight brothers. I will check on Frodo and Joanie. They know you two well enough not to ever let their guard down.”
“Yep. It’s a good thing the Hobbit allowed us access to the cam equipment. Otherwise, I would have slimed him.”
* * *
At nearly 2 am, Mongo streaked into the front entrance with Demon dozing nearby. “Nothing, dog. Have I missed anything?”
“Nope. Everything’s quiet so far. I told you Loretta wouldn’t go for the early hit. We’re right on time. Grab your cam. We’re going in.”
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