The Raven Gang (Noble Animals Book 1)

by Brendan Walsh

  “You know what we’re saying, don’t you?” Slate asked with nearly a laugh.

  The bat nodded again. It concluded with what could be called a smile, at least the best its jaw line would allow. The grin revealed its two prominent fangs stabbing out of the roof of its mouth like a Halloween decoration, giving it an unfortunate sinister appearance.

  Patrick returned the smile. “Thank you for saving us.”

  The creature kept its crooked expression. It dawned on Patrick that the creature probably had vital information that could help ease their situation. If it could understand them then they could find a way to communicate. As if sensing his plan, the bat forcefully swung its wings in the air to maintain a steady balance. With a wave of its wing it motioned for the four to follow.

  “Let’s follow it.” Johnny ordered. Everyone joined him in approach.

  The merciless bang of a gunshot stopped them dead in their tracks. Behind them, across the empty ditch, the driver of the police car fidgeted a smoking revolver. Patrick and Gary shouted “get down!” and tackled Slate and Johnny to the ground as a second blast erupted at equal magnitude. For some silent moments they laid like statues, protected by thick hills of dirt.

  For whatever reason the gunman retreated to his car, and the gang fled to the corner of the empty building. They found the bat already there, snuggled between chunks of spare auto parts and a parked car. The officer’s headlights beamed on. The growling engine and the screech of urging tires singeing the road let them know the man had escaped.

  They peered around the wall to make sure he wasn’t returning.

  Johnny faced them. “What was he scared of? The guy just left without finishing his job!”

  “No. I think he knew he was done. Look.” Slate hesitantly raised his palm.

  Patrick turned to Slate. His whole hand was doused in blood. Patrick’s heart fell to his stomach, he thought his friend had been shot. But the red trail spilled away from him. The oozing path was pouring from bat lying against the wall. Brownish red fluid was seeping out of its chest, oxygenating as it dripped down its fur. Its open eyes showed it was still conscious, but not for much longer.

  “Oh no!” Patrick exclaimed. “The poor guy’s been shot!”

  Slate wiped his soaked palm against the wall. “We need to do something!”

  “How?” Gary asked. “We have no medical experience nor tools we could use.”

  Patrick ran a clammy hand along the back of his neck. His mind was swirling like a tornado on a gas giant. They needed to act fast and wrap its wound, but more than that, they needed professional tools.

  “Here, this will help.” Slate said, slipping his thick scarf off his neck. He wrapped it over bat’s wound and it folded a wing over the clothing to keep it in place. It looked back at him with beaming thankful eyes.

  “Guys, we need to do something.” Johnny said, pacing around, unable to stand still. “We need to take it to the hospital.”

  “And what do you think people will do when they see something like this?” Gary retorted. “Our best bet is taking care of it ourselves.”

  “This is a serious wound. We need to do something or it’ll die.”

  “I know someone who would help us.” Patrick blurted out, recalling an earlier conversation he had with his mother the previous day.

  “Who?” everyone chorused.

  “My cousin, Jane.”

  “The doctor?” Johnny asked.

  “She’s not a doctor yet, but she’s currently interning at a hospital that’s easily driving distance from here. If we are really, very lucky, we may be able to catch her, and her alone.”

  “No time to lose.” Slate already helped the bat back onto its feet. “Let’s get the hell over there.”

  “How? What are we going to do, walk?”

  “That car right over there. It’s a Toyota. I can start it.” No one thought twice about stealing another car.

  The gang helped the large creature until it could walk on its own, closely crutching the sweater to its chest. It wasn’t the most comfortable choice, but they safely tucked the poor creature in the trunk. The last thing they wanted was someone seeing a huge bat riding passenger on the freeway. Once they were buckled in and Gary worked his magic, they ignored every red light and broke every speed law in the book.

  “I’ll be back in ten minutes, Jane.” said the colorlessly draped doctor to his intern. “Just a few things I need to fill out.”

  “Okay. I’m sure I can manage by myself for that long.” she replied with a warm smile-the kind that eased many of the doctor’s patients- and brushed her straight her out of her eyes. “What could happen?” If the doctor replied Jane didn’t hear it. It was probably hushed by the bustling hospital noises.

  It had been a pretty slow night at the hospital. No crazy emergencies or anything. Her white work coat and supplies hadn’t seen much action in a while.

  She was in a standard physician office located on the first floor. It contained complex medical devices and pill bottles- the kind that thrilled her when she began interning. That was a while ago, and the same room no longer had the same effect on her. Not that she was becoming bored, but she wanted to do something exciting. More and more, it was simply becoming a job.

  It put a damper on her social life and other miscellaneous hobbies. The fact she was working the day after a National Holiday wasn’t uncommon. Medical school flushed the myth of a ‘weekend’ from her mind. She was a student 24/7, but she didn’t know if she liked it.

  By some cosmic cue, a dirty, tattered car edged up on the curb meters away from the office window. She paid the vehicle little attention, but in the corner of her eye she saw all four doors swing open and the passengers darted out in a manic frenzy. The trunk plopped open, and all four started to pull something out. The unorthodox nature of the strangers gave her cause for concern, so she focused on the vehicle.

  The gang began to close in on her. Even with the outside overhead lights her vision was sheathed by the night. The group’s front man rapped several times on the window. She hastily lifted it, ready to tell them to enter through the front door like normal patients, but his light brown hair and blue eyes were things she’d recognize anywhere.

  “Patrick! What are you doing here?”

  “It’s urgent. We have a patient that you need to see. It’s a matter of life and death.”

  “Then come in through the front door. Why are you sneaking through here?”

  He didn’t reply. Instead he hoisted himself up through the window, helping Johnny in behind him. In a few seconds, everyone was inside as if like they were trying to impress a drill sergeant. With everyone back on their feet, Patrick informally introduced everyone to Jane, to whom they rapidly nodded, while Johnny seemed to forget the vitality of their situation.

  “Jane, are you a cardiologist? Because you have really done a number on my heart.” Johnny tried leaning attractively against a desk.

  “Johnny, stop hitting on Patrick’s cousin for one second.” Gary intervened. “Look we really need your help, and you need to keep everything we are about to show you completely a secret. Do not tell anyone.”

  Slate nodded. “Yeah, we were never here. Got it?”

  “Okay, what is going on with you guys? Someone please tell me something.” she begged, her hair was getting frizzy.

  “We’re The Raven Gang.” Johnny smiled. “How am I looking now?”

  Patrick shoved him away. “I know what you’re thinking. We didn’t kill anyone. The whole thing has been one big set up, and we’ve fallen too deep into the rabbit hole to pull ourselves out.”

  “Okay... okay yes of course I believe you.” Jane said putting her astonishment aside. “But how the.... why... how did-?”

  Her stuttering was cut off by the gang turning around to assist a patient through the window. The victim was wrapped l
ike a burrito in a dusty olive blanket. The compact window tugged the sheet off its upper half, revealing a long pair of wings which stretched as it finished its crawl. The bat’s eyes seemed to inflate as it looked around the office room and settled it’s eyes on its doctor.

  Patrick helped keep it balance. “Jane, meet our patient: a giant bat.”

  Her eyes were as wide as the bat’s. But whatever shock had just jumped up her spine faded as quickly as it had come when she noticed the bloody scarf tied under its wing. “Oh no. It’s been shot.”

  Jane was instantly out the door to the hallway. Not another second passed when the bat, ignoring its injury, flew out the door too.

  “Someone stop it!” Gary shouted.

  They leaped to the doorway, looking left and right and up and down. To the left Jane was sprinting to a door for medical supplies. She seemed to not have noticed the prompt disappearance of her patient. The right side of the hall was still. It was as if nothing strange had occurred in the last five seconds.

  “Why did it fly away? Can’t it see we’re just trying to help?” said Slate as the four of them began to panic.

  Johnny groaned. “Someone will see it. We need it back now!”

  From behind a sudden gust of wind flew by, causing everyone to stubble forward. The bat had returned through the same door they entered. It deviously grinned at them, then returned its attention to a drooping plastic bag resting on the edge of its wing.

  “Don’t just leave like that again!” Gary scolded. “Your life is on the line.”

  The animal paid no attention to him and privately examined the contents of its bag, which everyone found mildly amusing. Through the door Jane returned carrying a few instruments. She held an elastic tourniquet and several bottles of white round pills, which she sprawled out onto the counter.

  “Someone help me wrap this around him.” she demanded. Slate volunteered, grabbing one side of the bandage as Jane worked the other. By her instruction, he the pressed his side of the bandage tight against the wound while she looped the tourniquet over its wing. The bat grunted in pain. The appendage stunted most movement on its left side. It knew it wouldn’t be able to fly with it on.

  Once she was sure the bandage was tight enough she turned to the medicine. “These here are powerful morphine pills. For something his size I would recommend maybe 8, but I’m not a veterinarian, or whatever would treat something like him.” She plopped a shady bottle on the counter. “And, lastly, some standard hydrogen peroxide to fight off infections.”

  “Great. Thanks so much, Jane.” Patrick took the bottle and capsules from her. “We really owe you one.”

  “Just one more thing.” She turned to a small table with a clipboard containing yellow legal pad pages. On the front were a list of names along with other patient information. “The hospital monitors any medication or tools we take out or give away. The more official stuff I could just provide later, but I’m going to need a patient name.”

  “A patient name?” Johnny asked.

  “Yes. Or my boss will have my ass.”

  “Just make one up.”

  “I’m not good at faking names. Last time I tried to come up with a character name the best I could do was E.E. Burger.”

  “How about Edgar?” Everyone turned to face Gary, including the bat. “I mean, we are the ‘Raven’ Gang aren’t we? Edgar Allan Poe? So I think it’s only appropriate.”

  “Clever. I love it!” Slate cheered.

  “You hear that?” Patrick smiled and faced the newly named creature. “Congratulations Edgar, you are officially a member of The Raven Gang.”

  Ignoring his pain, the bat returned the smile, clearly glad to have received a proper name. Edgar’s ears began to twitch rapidly as echoing footsteps grew to human perception. Edgar sprang out the window without warning. Jane knew what was going on. The doctor, after his ten-minute business, was finally returning.

  “Quick! We need to get out of here. My boss is coming back!”

  “What do you mean, ‘we’?” asked Patrick.

  “I’m going with you of course.”

  Behind them the rest of the gang was clearing away. Johnny was outing himself feet first through the window while Gary, Slate, and Edgar eagerly waited. Patrick waved his hand, signaling them to get to the car. “No, you’re not. It’s too dangerous.”

  “You forget that I’m older than you, and I am perfectly capable of making my own choices. You’re going to need some help later. Let me come.” she said, straightening her frizzed hair behind her ears.

  “You don’t know what you’re getting involved with, and neither do we.” The sound of the footfalls reached their loudest. With everyone else already in the car, Patrick rushed to the window and monkey barred himself out. As soon as he was on his feet, he turned around. “If you want to do us a favor, just stay safe for me.”

  With those last words Jane watched as her cousin dashed to the dirty car and together they sped off. She stood still, unblinking, as the headlights flickered and the car shifted back onto the empty road. The door opened behind her and the doctor reappeared, not even sensing that a crisis had just occurred.

  “Hey, I’m back. The patient in room 31 is going to need a new pillow. Long story.”

  Jane jumped back to face her boss, struggling to keep a professional look.

  “What happened to you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” the physician remarked.

  “More like a vampire.”

  There was really only one place they could go. Even though the cabin had been compromised by the fake officers, they resolved to be ready the next time they came. That’s what the weapons were for after all. Better to keep things low to prevent some collateral damage.

  Patrick kept his head low. Edgar wasn’t making any noise in the back. He was worried.

  “Are we sure about this guys?” Johnny asked. “Things are different now. For all we know the cabin is teeming with bad guys.”

  Gary kept his eyes forward, behind the wheel. “It’s worth the risk. The place is definitely Edgar’s home. He can defend himself, so can we.”

  Their fears were calmed when they arrived. The lot around the cabin was still as empty as a snowed golf course. The front door was still open just the way left it hours before, which felt more like months to them now.

  As soon as they were inside Edgar flashed passed them with struggling momentum. The bandage around his wing forced him to fly at an awkward slant. He only had a few seconds before gravity plummeted him back down like a paper airplane. Clutching the hospital bag with the good wing, he forced himself down the concealed staircase into the computer lab. The gang spiraled down after him, curious of their new friend’s next move.

  Every piece of machinery turned on at his entry, like the bat was a sorcerer. The gang paused to admire the otherworldly display. With a leap, their new member grasped its feet firmly around the nearest metal bar that lined the room. Edgar softly teetered upside down before stabilizing himself. The live screen in front of him spat a red beam, slowly scanning its master. The light retreated when it finished and returned with nearly full scale image of the bat. To the right a list of information scrolled down the screen to reveal a brief profile.

  Name: Subject Zero

  Species: Mutated Vampire Bat

  Height: 5’7’’

  Weight: 120 lbs.

  Age: Undefined

  That was all the information given. At least all that Edgar wanted it to display. With a gentle swat of his wing the ‘name’ section of the data was highlighted and backspaced. The now empty section was replaced with ‘Edgar’. He concluded by placing the edited file into a new folder. The folder was titled ‘The Raven Gang’.

  Patrick smiled to himself as he watched the bat dance in front of the motion censored monitor. Gary, who was standing by his far right, was almost hidden. Despite show
ing appropriate concern when Edgar’s life was in danger, he was now keeping his distance. His expression was one of blatant distrust.

  He yawned, remembering how tired he was. He figured everyone should try to get as much sleep as possible for the next morning, considering the potential for even more insane adventures.

  “I think I’ve seen enough action for one night.” he said, starting for the stairs.

  “Let’s do it again sometime.” followed Slate dryly. He made sure the medication and alcohol were displayed on the counter in case Edgar needed them, along with a much less bloody bandage.

  “Hopefully not.” Johnny ended.

  As they shuffled to the steps they heard the stretching of the plastic bag from the hospital. It was the bag that Edgar had stolen in his flight. They assumed it was some kind of other medicine, but they didn’t know. From the middle of the group, Gary did a double take and faced the room.

  “So what was in the bag?”

  At the end of his unbounded wing, Edgar held a translucent bag with multiple white tags tied around. The exterior was covered with slight frosty residue from being in the cold. A thin tube sprouted from the top, which Edgar was sucking a red liquid through like a straw. The gang would have been morons not to know what the substance was.

  “My God, that’s disgusting!” Slate exclaimed.

  Johnny bent over the railing, thinking that he was going to throw up. He recovered and took in a few deep breaths. “You could have at least waited for us to leave to do that!”

  Patrick, who was thrown off for a moment was the least disturbed of the four. He enjoyed everyone’s reaction, especially Edgar’s, who watched their reaction with no interest.

  “Johnny, you’re a neuroscience major. You’ve cut pieces off a brain before.” he added with a laugh.

  “But no one eats them, do they?”

  Having seen enough, the four continued to the ground floor. Before growing out of sight Patrick turned around, wanting to leave their new friend with a more positive exit than repulsion.