by J P Barnett
“It’s like Jake’s brain is the power,” she continued. “Unplug Jake and the spear is out of juice. The spear goes dormant and you can scour Rose Valley until you find it and destroy it.”
Deirdre leaned forward in her chair briefly, then relaxed and leaned back casually, mimicking a lawyer resting her case to the jury. She clearly wanted them to reach the same conclusion as she: that killing Jake provided the only solution to their problem. Dub wasn’t sure about that, but he did feel confident that this woman lacked a few crucial cards in her deck.
Cam walked towards the door. “Dub will put you back in the cell.”
Cam left, and Dub unlocked her handcuffs, awkwardly and slowly with only his one good hand. She stood up and looked at her Dr. Pepper. “Can I take that with me?”
Dub shrugged. “Sure.”
It seemed the least he could do for a madwoman likely to spend the rest of her life in prison.
Chapter 28
Macy felt the heat rising to her cheeks, certain that red splotches rose through her porcelain skin and betrayed her emotions to the shirtless man in the doorway. Chiseled and tan, with sharp features, dreamy eyes, and close-cropped blonde hair, the man before her commanded her attention. Wes worked hard for his muscles, but the college-aged kid in front of her boasted the body of a man. O.M.G. Was she cheating on Wes?
“Um. Hi. You must be, um... Tanner?” she asked.
A perfect smile spread across his face, cordial and welcoming even as sadness tinged his eyes. Macy expected there would be. When her mom asked her to deliver food to the survivors of an attack, she resisted at first, but she was starting to see an upside to this visit.
“That’s me,” he said. “And you are?”
He could talk? Her mom had made it very clear that only the girl spoke. Evidently, Macy could expect a different level of interaction. “Oh. Right. I’m Macy. Macy Donner. You met my mom, Shandi. She wanted me to bring you her condolences. And some burgers. She would have come herself, but she’s in the hospital with her new boyfriend right now.”
Tanner’s smile somehow got even bigger as the sadness briefly melted away. “Mikey’s?”
She thrust the greasy bag toward him. “Yeah. It’s kind of the only choice around here.”
“Awesome.”
He took the bag and disappeared into the motel room, leaving the door wide open. Macy felt uncertain as to whether he meant to invite her in, or if he just loved Mikey’s burgers that much. She stood in the doorway, not quite sure what to do, until a plain, brown-haired girl came around the corner. The girl’s watery, bloodshot eyes surveyed Macy from head to toe, then relaxed.
“Don’t mind Tanner. Sometimes he thinks with his stomach.” She threw a brief glance at Tanner. “I’m Miriam. Come on in.”
Macy stepped cautiously into the room until she could see the entirety of it. Despite living her whole life in town, she had never had an occasion to visit the Rose Valley Motor Inn. The shabby room sagged under the weight of age, just like she would have expected. Tanner dumped the contents of the bag onto one of the two queen-sized beds, then quickly got to work on his greasy double-meat burger.
Covered in a collection of knives and guns, Miriam’s bed had no room for food. Sudden panic surged in Macy, and she froze.
Miriam sensed the unease. “Oh. This must look strange. I’m just cataloging my equipment. Nothing to worry about. Just part of the job.”
That must have been some crazy job. Macy had the vague notion that Miriam and Tanner traveled around looking for monsters, so it kind of made sense that they would have weapons. But seeing such a variety invoked an overwhelming sense of discomfort. Some of Macy’s friends took a passing interest in firearms, but the topic seemed more dangerous than exciting to her.
Macy decided to try and make small-talk. “So, are you guys in college?”
Tanner spoke through a mouthful of tater tots. “Yep. Good ol’ Mizzou.”
Macy had never heard of it before. “Oh. Where is that?”
Miriam laughed gently as she picked a knife up and polished it with a nearby cloth. “Mizzou is the colloquial term for The University of Missouri.”
Colloquial. Macy played with the word in her mind, deciding that it must be a fancy college word meaning nickname. Her decision on a university hung over her as an important To-Do item. “Is it a good school?”
“Well, it’s the best in Missouri. Not sure if that makes it good or not. Missouri isn’t the most metropolitan place. But we like it well enough. It’s in the SEC, so that means it has a respected football team. Does anything else matter?” Miriam said with a hint of sarcasm.
“Oh. Like Texas A&M,” Macy commented.
Tanner swallowed a bite of burger. “Yep. Except Mizzou is in the east, so they don’t have to play Alabama all the time.”
Macy beamed with pride that her forced knowledge of football matters would serve her well even outside of her courtship with Wes. “That must be nice. Alabama is unstoppable.”
Tanner smiled with a wink and a nod before taking another bite. He still didn’t have a shirt on, which Macy found incredibly distracting. What red-blooded American girl could be expected to carry on a conversation with his rippling biceps stealing her attention?
Miriam brought Macy back to the conversation. “You’re in high school, I presume? What year?”
“Senior.”
“Ah. So, time to find a college, huh? I don’t know if my advice is worth anything, but get as far away from here as you can. If you stay close by, you’ll never escape. Trust me on that.” Miriam’s voice was clear with conviction.
To attend any university, she would have to leave Rose Valley behind, but she hadn’t really considered looking out of state. Perhaps going so far away would provide some benefit. Macy felt the weight of Rose Valley pressing down on her every day. She would miss her parents, but getting far away from her insular, tiny life sounded wonderful.
Macy suddenly heard the voice of her mom reverberate through her brain, reminding her she had been sent on a mission of emotional support. “Sorry about your brother. If there’s anything we can do for you, just let us know.”
Tanner’s chewing slowed, and Miriam paused her cleaning before answering. Her voice lowered. “Thanks. We really appreciate Ms. Shandi. You have a good mom.”
Macy nodded. “Yeah. She’s pretty great.”
“Sometimes bad things happen.” Tanner remarked from the bed. “We just have to be strong. Carry on, ya know?”
“Or get revenge,” Miriam said softly while staring at one of her guns.
Tanner put his burger down, stood up next to Miriam and began rubbing her back. “Only if we can’t save him, though, right?”
Miriam looked up at Tanner, taking a few beats to answer. “Right. Of course. Just so long as he doesn’t turn him into a carnival sideshow.”
Macy felt uncomfortable in the tenseness of the moment. Her parent’s divorce certainly stung, but that seemed inconsequential next to the loss of a brother. Though she had no siblings, Macy could imagine how terrible Miriam must have felt, and she worried that all of the weapons and training might lead to something dangerous.
Tanner turned towards Macy and flashed her his gorgeous smile. “Thanks for the burgers, Macy Donner.”
“Uh. Sure thing.” She started towards the door. “Oh, let me give you my number. In case you need something.”
Her cheeks flushed again as she realized what she had just done. Smooth, Macy. Very smooth.
Tanner walked across the room, fetched a phone from the small table in the corner, and tossed it at her. She thankfully caught it and started punching in her number. She typed her name into the contact entry, vaguely aware of him crossing over to her to stand by her side. Her pulse increased, and she forced herself to think of Wes.
Tanner leaned over. “You can just put Cutie in there for the name.”
“Tanner, behave,” Miriam said from deeper within the room.
Macy couldn’t t
ake any further embarrassment. She just awkwardly handed him his phone without finishing her name, muttered a good night, and disappeared into the warm Rose Valley air.
Chapter 29
As Shandi stood in a throng of other professional reporters, she felt acutely inadequate. Rose Valley had never had a true press conference. There had never been a reason. Most of the journalists hailed from stations near Rose Valley, as far away as Austin. Some traveled from national outlets. Shandi wished she could have the same cool detachment as the rest of the reporters, filled with wonder and excitement as they waited for Cam to take the podium.
Pulling herself away from the hospital had been hard, but Dan insisted that his “best” journalist be in attendance. She lacked the strength to protest, and reluctantly accepted that it might be good for her. Her journalistic toolbox provided no help to Jake in his current state, and Deirdre sat (and would hopefully rot) in jail. At least here, Shandi could do something to make her feel like she hadn’t strapped in to the world’s worst rollercoaster.
The makeshift risers in front of the Sheriff’s Department had come from the high school choir. A tangle of wires and cables all led up to a podium. Shandi had always just used a handheld recorder, and lately, her cell phone; she had no idea how to tap into the microphone system that all the different outlets had set up. The stage had a few chairs on it. The mayor sat in one already. Shandi could only guess at who would sit in the other chairs.
Like most press conferences, the event lacked any sense of mystery. The news had been in the wild for hours: Cornelius Brooks had been killed by the beast. Violently. The Sheriff’s Department could easily ignore sightings and dead sheep, but when people started dying, they could no longer turn a blind eye.
A hush fell on the crowd as people entered onstage. Dub Higgins took a seat. Then Skylar Brooks, followed by Miriam and Tanner. Shandi reflected on what Macy had told her about them, and she found her heart aching for their loss. They seemed good kids, despite their oddities.
The high school principal took the last chair, an old man who’d held his position for decades. He had been there so long that Shandi remembered him serving as her principal, though her memory painted him with lush, dark hair instead of the graying and thinning pate he sported now. It seemed strange for him to be in on stage.
Cam stumbled onto the stage last, immediately approaching the bank of microphones in the center. He was crisply dressed. The cowboy hat on his head looked new, in contrast to his usual dirty, grimy one. The same care hadn’t been afforded to his facial hair, though. His mustache almost disappeared within a full beard. His countenance showed defeat. He had never weathered a storm this violent in Rose Valley, and the toll it took showed in his entire body.
He pulled a folded-up piece of paper from his breast pocket and cleared his throat. “I’d like to thank the mayor for being here, as well as Principal Steele. They are both pillars of our community and share my condolences for all of those affected by recent events.
“At approximately 8:15pm,” he continued. “central standard time yesterday evening, Cornelius Brooks of Missouri was murdered by what the media has dubbed The Beast of Rose Valley. Earlier yesterday, the Sheriff’s Department also discovered the body of Bernard Jones on his property, where it appeared that another attack from the beast had occurred.”
Bernard? The rumor mill had missed that one. Jake would be devastated. Since Bernard had no family in town, she presumed that the principal served as a stand-in. Bernard had loved nothing more than coaching at Rose Valley High.
Cam continued, “The Sheriff’s Department is working tirelessly to get to the bottom of these murders and to apprehend this creature. Photographs and video have been distributed to the media to help educate citizens of Rose Valley. If you see this creature, please immediately report it to the Sheriff’s Department. Do not engage. Do not try to capture or otherwise harm it. Though not armed, it is highly dangerous.
“Due to the seriousness of this situation, we are instituting a curfew here in Rose Valley. All residents are expected to be in their homes no later than eight PM. The Sheriff’s Department will strictly enforce this curfew. Citations will be issued for any person out past this time without express permission from the department.”
It was about time. A curfew probably would have made more sense after the football game, but leave it to Cam to ignore a problem until it had spiraled completely out of control. Seriously, did it take a death before he was willing to admit that he was in way over his head?
“If you are watching this broadcast from outside of Rose Valley, please do not come here. The Sheriff’s Department will be putting up checkpoints at all major entrances into Rose Valley to dissuade visitors.
“In order to apprehend this criminal as quickly as possible, we are seeking volunteers to participate in a county wide manhunt. A meeting will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Rose Valley, tomorrow, on Saturday afternoon at two PM. All able-bodied citizens who are willing are invited to attend.”
Cam paused for the first time and looked at the crowd. He looked scared, briefly, before regaining his composure, his loss of nerve perceptible to only to those who knew him as well as Shandi. It terrified her to see Cam so out of his depth. It made him seem more vulnerable and invited memories of the man that she married. If Cam didn’t know how to save them, then all seemed lost, and that thought frightened Shandi more than the beast.
“Though these are trying times for Rose Valley,” Cam said. “we will persevere and capture this creature. Rose Valley will be a safe place again. At this time, I will take questions from the media.”
The crowd exploded with murmurs and hand waves. Shandi couldn’t make out any one question, and found herself so overtaken by the loudness that she did not attempt to ask any herself. She supposed that whatever she wrote in the Rose Valley Reporter would be unimportant compared to the live news segments that would be airing across Texas, and possibly even the country. She felt small and unimportant.
The Sheriff looked overwhelmed at first, but finally pointed at a young man in a tan suit, who immediately launched into his question: “In what way was Mr. Brooks killed?”
Cam shifted uncomfortably. “Much like the livestock victims of the beast. Next question.”
Shandi felt her stomach churn as her mind immediately tried to construct a picture of a mutilated kid. She pushed it back as far as she could, but still struggled to maintain her composure. Shandi searched the faces of Miriam and Tanner for any reaction, but both remained remarkably stoic.
A small blonde woman in a pencil skirt spoke next. “Based on the video from the football game, this creature does not seem to be affected by guns. What steps are being taken to prepare for this?”
“The Sheriff’s Department is working with partners to obtain higher grade munitions and other weaponry appropriate for hunting large game. Though it was able to shrug off bullets from a handgun, we believe that larger rounds will prove more effective. Next question.”
Another reporter. “Have you made any progress in identifying what exactly this thing is?”
“Negative. At this time, we are approaching the beast as if it is a wild animal of unknown origins. We have partnered with Skylar Brooks, father of Cornelius Brooks. Mr. Brooks specializes in hunting monsters just like this.” Cam motioned towards Skylar. “The department will use his expertise in devising a plan to bring this thing to justice. Next question.”
Shandi’s face tingled. She would never have expected Cam to team up with Skylar Brooks. Surely Cam could see through that huckster. A wave of guilt crept through her as she realized that she’d indirectly introduced the two of them. No good could come of the alliance.
“Was Mr. Jones also murdered in a similar way to Mr. Brooks?” another reporter asked.
“Though no one was present, the current theory is that Mr. Jones went into cardiac arrest upon seeing the beast in person. His shotgun was broken in half, which is comparable behavior to that
displayed at the football game. His chickens were also mutilated in a similar method as the earlier livestock. Next question.”
Shandi found her mind wandering. She had a hard time caring about the beast with Jake in the hospital, and though she tried to focus on the beast, her mind drifted instead to other criminal activity. The fact that Jake had almost been murdered seemed to be at least as important.
She put up her hand.
Cam pointed at her. “Ms. Mason.”
“Sheriff. Why have there been no charges pressed against Deirdre Valentine for the attempted murder of Jake Rollins?”
The crowd fell eerily quiet. Did they not know of what had happened to Jake? Cam’s nose flared and his face reddened.
“That line of questioning is not related to the purpose of this press conference. No further questions.”
Cam stormed off the stage. Shandi peered through the crowd, desperately trying to keep her eyes trained on Cam’s trajectory. She wouldn’t be surprised if he headed for her, but then she also felt a sense of safety in the crowd of people. He wouldn’t get too irate with her with an audience. Thankfully, he did not approach her.
The others streamed off the stage. Shandi lost track of them. Reporters yelled more questions, trying to get anyone to answer them. A spry journalist waylaid the Principal and peppered the old man with questions. Skylar Brooks fell to another reporter. Dub stayed on the stage, his eyes surveying the crowd, as if expecting trouble.
Shandi had no interest in trying to wade through the chaos to get any statements. It didn’t feel as important to her as it should have. She just wanted to get back to the hospital. Jake might wake at any moment and she had an overwhelming need to be there when he did. She certainly didn’t have the requisite skillset to stop the beast, anyway.
As she turned to go, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, and saw Miriam’s red, puffy face.
“Hey, Miriam. I’m so sorry—” Shandi started.
