All the Rage rj-4

by F. Paul Wilson

  "You can't do this, Oz!" he shouted, fear wild in his eyes as he was none too gently dragged away. "You can't keep me here if I wanna go!"

  Oz ignored him and turned his attention to Jack. "And that leaves us with you, Mr…?"

  "Jack."

  "Jack what?"

  "Just Jack."

  "Very well, Mr. Jack. What is your interest in this matter?"

  "I don't like bullies," Jack said.

  It wasn't an answer, but it would have to do. Wasn't about to tell the boss he'd come to French-fry his Sharkman.

  "No one does. But why should you be interested in this particular creature? Why should you be here at all?"

  "Not too often you get to see a real live rakosh."

  When he saw the boss blink and snap his head toward the cage, Jack had a sudden uneasy feeling that he'd made a mistake. How big a mistake he wasn't quite sure.

  "What did you say?" The glittering eyes fixed on him again. "What did you call it?"

  "Nothing," Jack said.

  "No, I heard you. You called it a rakosh." Oz stepped over to the cage and stared into Scar-lip's yellow eyes. "Is that what you are, my friend… a rakosh? How fascinating!" He turned to the rest of his employees. "It's all right. You can all go back to bed. Everything is under control. I wish to speak to this gentleman in private before he goes."

  "You didn't know what it was?" Jack said as the crowd dispersed.

  Oz continued to stare at the rakosh. "Not until this moment. I thought they were a myth."

  "How did you find it?" Jack said. The answer was important—until this afternoon he'd been sure he'd killed Scar-lip.

  "The result of a telephone call. Someone phoned me last summer—woke me in the middle of the night—and told me that if I searched the waters off Governors Island I might find 'a fascinating new attraction.'"

  Last summer… the last time he'd seen Scar-lip and the rest of his species. "Who called you? Was it a woman?"

  "No. Why do you ask?"

  "Just wondering."

  Besides Gia, Vicky, Abe, and himself, the only other living person who knew about the rakoshi had been Kolabati.

  "He referred to himself as Professor Roma. I'd never heard of him and haven't heard from him since. I searched for him afterwards, to see if he could tell me what he knew about the creature, but never found him."

  Jack swallowed. Roma… figures.

  "Something in the caller's voice, his utter conviction, compelled me to do as he said. Came the dawn I was on the water with some of my people. We found ourselves vying with groups of souvenir hunters looking for wreckage from a ship that had exploded and burned the night before. We discovered our friend here floating in a clump of debris. I assumed the creature was dead, but when I found it was alive, I had it brought ashore. It looked rather vicious so I put it into an old tiger cage."

  "Lucky for you."

  The boss smiled, showing yellow teeth. "I should say so. It almost tore the cage apart. But since then its health has followed a steady downhill course. We've fed it fish, fowl, beef, horse meat, even vegetables—although one look at those teeth and there's no question that it's a carnivore—but no matter what we've tried, its health continues to fail."

  Jack now had an idea why Scar-lip was dying. Rakoshi required a very specific species of flesh to thrive. And this one wasn't getting it.

  "I brought in a veterinary expert," Oz went on, "one I have learned to rely on for his discretion, but he could not help. I even had a research scientist test the creature's blood. He found some fascinating things there, but he could not alter the creature's downhill course."

  Jack suddenly realized that the research scientist was Dr. Monnet Had to be. And he'd found something "fascinating" in Scar-lip's blood.

  Did Berzerk come from Scar-lip?

  A drug that magnifies violent tendencies distilled from the most violent and vicious creature on earth…

  A perfect fit.

  "You're sure it's a rakosh?" Oz said, interrupting Jack's racing thought train.

  "Well…" Jack said, trying to sound tentative. "I saw a picture of one in a book once. I… I think it looked like this. But I'm not sure. I could be wrong."

  "But you're not wrong," the boss said, turning and staring into his eyes. He lowered his gaze to Jack's chest, fixing on the area where the rakosh had scarred him. "And I believe you have far more intimate knowledge of this creature than you are willing to admit."

  Jack shrugged, uncomfortable with the scrutiny, especially since it wasn't the first time someone had stared at his chest this way.

  "But it doesn't matter!" Oz laughed and spread his arms. "A rakosh! How wonderful! And it's all mine!"

  Jack glanced at Scar-lip's slouched, wasted form. Yeah, but not for long.

  He heard a noise like a growl and turned. The sight of one of the burly types from Monnet's warehouse standing in the exit flap startled him. He looked like he was waving good-bye to his boss. Jack turned away, hoping he wouldn't recognize him.

  "Excuse me," Oz said and hurried toward the exit, his silk robe fluttering around him.

  Jack turned to find Scar-lip staring at him with its cold yellow eyes. Still want to finish me off, don't you. It's mutual, pal. But it looks like I'm going to outlast you by a few years. A few decades.

  The longer he remained with the wasted creature, the more convinced he was that Scar-lip was on its last legs. He didn't have to light it up. The creature was a goner.

  Jack kept tabs on Oz out of the corner of his eye. After half a minute of hushed, one-sided conversation—all the employee did was nod every so often—the boss man returned.

  "Sorry. I had to revise instructions on an important errand. But I do want to thank you. You have provided a bright moment in a very disappointing stop." His gaze drifted. "Usually we do extremely well in Monroe, but this trip… it seems a house disappeared last month—vanished, foundation and all, amid strange flashing lights one night. The locals are still spooked."

  "How about that," Jack said, turning away. "I think I'll be going."

  "But you must allow me to reward you for succoring the poor creature, and for identifying it. Free passes, perhaps."

  "Not necessary," Jack said and headed for the exit.

  "By the way," Oz said. "How can I get in touch with you if I wish?"

  "You can't," Jack called back over his shoulder.

  A final glance at Scar-lip showed the rakosh still staring at him; then he parted the canvas flaps and emerged into the fresh air again.

  A strange mix of emotions swirled around Jack as he returned to the car. Glad to know Scar-lip would be taking a dirt nap soon, but the very fact that it still lived, even if it was too weak to be a threat to Vicky, bothered him. He'd prefer it dead. He vowed to keep a close watch on this show, check back every night or two until he knew without a doubt that Scar-lip had breathed its last.

  Something else bothered him. Couldn't put his finger on it, but he had this vaguely uncomfortable feeling that he never should have come back here.

  Flashes on the western horizon from the thunderstorm brewing over the city only accentuated his unease.

  10

  Still busy! Nadia wanted to hurl the phone out her bedroom window and let it crash four stories below on Thirty-fifth Street. Lightning flashed faintly through that window, but she heard no thunder.

  Figuring a good night's sleep might help, she'd turned in early, hoping to wake up in the morning with a whole new perspective. But sleep wouldn't come, so she'd tried Doug's line again.

  "He can't still be working," she muttered.

  But she knew he very well could be. Sometimes he'd code all night.

  Either that or he'd conked out and left the phone off the hook.

  "I'm going over there," she said.

  She threw on some clothes and headed down the hall.

  "You are going out?" her mother called from her bedroom where she was watching TV. "At this hour?"

  "Over to Doug's, Mo
m. I need to talk to him."

  "It can't wait until tomorrow?"

  No. It couldn't. She needed Doug now.

  "You think this is wise?" Mom went on. "Outside bad storm is coming."

  "I'll be OK." Nadia pulled an umbrella from the closet by the door, then slipped back to her mother's room. "I shouldn't be too long."

  She pecked her on the cheek and hurried down to the street. Thunder rumbled as she hit the sidewalk but the pavement was still dry. Across the street lay St. Vartan's Park, the tiny patch of green where she used to play when she was a child.

  She walked down to First Avenue and caught a cab.

  This actually might work out better than if Doug had come over for dinner, she thought after giving the driver Doug's address in DUMBO.

  She wouldn't have been able to discuss Dr. Monnet's involvement with Berzerk in front of Mom. This way they'd have a chance to talk in private.

  She smiled as another thought sent a warm tingle through her. And privacy meant they'd be able to engage in another form of communication…

  11

  "Aw, no!" Doug said as his monitor went dead along with everything else electric in his apartment. Luckily he'd just finished a save or he'd have lost all the new code he'd just written for his tracking software. Still, he'd probably lost a whole screen's worth. Times like this he wished he'd invested in a BUPS unit.

  He blinked in the sudden darkness; then a lightning flash strobed through the room, followed by a rumble of thunder. He'd been so wrapped up in his programming—he entered something like a Zen state when he worked like this—that he'd lost all track of time and surroundings.

  "Damn," he muttered. "A storm."

  He pushed away and went to the window. A cool breeze laden with the promise of rain washed over him. Another brighter flash of lightning with a louder thunderclap close on its tail. This was shaping up to be a biggie. Then he noticed that windows across the street were still lit up. How come they had power and he didn't? As a matter of fact, he couldn't remember the last time a storm had knocked out his power.

  He picked up the phone to call Nadj but it was dead. Power and phone? How the hell had that happened? He wondered if Nadj had been calling him. Well, he always had the cell phone…

  Doug straightened as he heard the fire escape rattle. The wind picking up? Shouldn't be anybody out there. He went to the bedroom to see.

  The window was wide open, just as he'd left it, the curtains billowing in the breeze. He stuck his head outside and checked upward—his apartment was on the top floor, so only the short length of 'scape to the roof lay above him. No one visible up there. And no one down. Probably the wind; a good gust would rattle the railings every so often. Far to his right, across the river, a brightly speckled sliver of Lower Manhattan was visible between two buildings.

  The first drops of rain splattered him then so he backed inside and closed the window, then hurried to close the others.

  Between the intermittent flashes and rumbles, the apartment was dark and eerily silent. Doug went to the kitchen for some candles. Once he had some light he'd hunt up his cell phone and give Nadj a call. He felt bad about neglecting her today.

  He was searching through the miscellaneous drawer when he sensed—or thought he sensed—movement in the hallway. He stopped and squinted into the darkness. A lightning flash revealed nothing. He stepped down the hall and checked the apartment door—dead-bolted as always.

  He decided the power failure plus the storm were giving him the creeps.

  He went back to searching the drawer and finally found two half-consumed red candles, left over from the Christmastime dinner he and Nadj had shared last year. Now to find a match. One of the downsides to quitting smoking was that he never carried matches anymore.

  But then he heard another sound above his rattling within the drawer… like a thump… from his bedroom.

  Apprehension rippling across his back, Doug pulled a carving knife from the utensil drawer and stepped toward the bedroom.

  "Somebody there?" he called, immediately thinking, What a stupid thing to say.

  No reply—not that he'd expected one, and he'd have been shocked witless if anyone had answered. He assumed—prayed—that this was all nothing. It had better be. Because the knife was just for show. He wouldn't know what to do with it if he needed it. He didn't know a thing about fighting, wasn't sure he knew how to throw a punch, let alone stab someone.

  He stepped into the bedroom.

  "Hello?"

  The shadows were deep here. And he noticed a faint musty odor that hadn't been present before. But it seemed empty…

  Then lightning flashed, illuminating two hulking forms pressed against the wall.

  With a cry, Doug spun and ran for the front door. A blast of thunder engulfed his cries.

  "Help! Hel—!"

  He plowed head-on into a third hulk in the hallway and bounced back—like running into a lightly padded concrete wall. Doug almost fell but managed to keep his balance. He turned but lightning silhouetted the two figures approaching from the bedroom.

  "I've got a knife!" Doug cried, holding it up.

  Something slapped hard against his hand and the knife went flying. He opened his mouth to cry for help but thick fingers clapped over his lips, sealing them. Two more hands grabbed his ankles and lifted him off the floor. Despite his struggles, he was completely helpless as they carried him toward the bedroom like a thrashing, unruly child.

  Why? his panicked mind screamed as his bladder threatened to empty. Who are they? What are they? And why do they want me? I've never hurt anyone. Why should anyone—?

  The hack! They couldn't be from GEM, could they?

  They carried him into the bedroom but then stopped—froze was more like it. They pinned him to the floor and held him there. They seemed to be listening. For what?

  And then Doug heard a tapping. It took him a moment to realize it was coming from down the hall. Someone was tapping on his door.

  His blood congealed into icy lumps as he heard a familiar voice call his name.

  "Doug? Doug, are you in there?"

  Nadia! Oh, sweet Jesus, it was Nadia. And she had a key. If he didn't answer she was certain to use it.

  Got to warn her!

  Hoping to catch his captors off guard, Doug suddenly began kicking and twisting, furiously tunneling all his strength into wrenching his face free of the hand sealing his mouth. Had to warn her away, to run, call 911…

  Whoever was holding his feet lost his grip on Doug's right ankle. Doug lashed out with his free foot but connected with his floor lamp instead. His foot was recaptured as the lamp hit the floor with a crash.

  Triumph turned to horror as Doug realized the noise would bring Nadia in sooner. He screamed against the muffling fingers, but only a whimper escaped. And then he felt a pair of fingers squeeze his nose and seal his nostrils.

  As Doug fought for air and struggled to hold onto consciousness, he heard Nadia calling from the far side of the door.

  "Doug? Was that you?"

  Too quickly her voice faded with his strength and awareness, and all became nothing…

  12

  "Doug, are you in there? Are you OK?"

  Nadia had arrived at his door ready to give him a piece of her mind for staying incommunicado all day, but her pique was gone now.

  Something's wrong, she thought as she clawed through her shoulder bag for her key ring.

  She found it, fumbled Doug's key into the lock, and burst in.

  But she stopped after one step. The place was completely dark.

  "Doug?"

  She found the light switch and flipped it but nothing happened. Leaving the door open so she'd have some light, Nadia walked down the short hallway to the front room. She found another wall switch and flipped that. Again, nothing.

  Strange. The power was on in the hallway but seemed to be off in Doug's apartment.

  She sniffed. What was that musty odor… like wet fur?

 
Nadia jumped as a flash of lightning lit the room and thunder rattled the windows. Creepy in here. She stepped back toward the hallway and used the light there to help her find her little penlight flash. She pressed the clip and frowned at the weak glow from the bulb. The batteries were just about dead, but they'd have to do.

  She turned back toward the darkened apartment and hesitated. The smart thing would be to leave. If Doug was here, he would have answered.

  But then, why wasn't he here? It was almost midnight.

  She told herself he probably went out for a nightcap when his power failed, but she wouldn't feel right until she'd checked the apartment. And besides, she'd heard that sound, like something or someone falling. What if he'd tripped in the dark and hurt himself?

  "If you're all right, Doug…" she muttered as she moved down the hall. "If you're perfectly fine and out enjoying yourself while I'm a worried wreck here searching your pitch-black apartment, I'm going to kill you."

  She flashed the penlight's dim beam around the front room and found nothing out of place. Same with the second bedroom he used as an office. Odd to see his computer dark and dead. He hardly ever turned it off.

  Nadia felt some of her prior annoyance creeping back as the penlight beam came to rest on Doug's phone. The least he could have done was check his voice mail before he went out. She idly lifted the receiver and put it to her ear.

  Dead. That was odd.

  Last stop was Doug's bedroom. The bed was unmade, but that was the rule rather than the exception, and everything looked pretty much the same as ever. Then what had made that noise? And why this deep cold apprehension gnawing through her? Why this vague feeling that she wasn't alone here?

  Nadia moved toward the closet in his bedroom and had her hand on the doorknob when her penlight died. That does it, she thought with a sudden stab of plain old fear as another flash of lightning blazed through the bedroom window, casting weird shadows into the corners. I'm outta here.

  But first… she moved back to the blessed light of the hallway and scribbled on the pad of sticky notes she kept in her bag: v