Earthbound and Down ebook 20170826

by Shaun Meeks

  But I can’t not tell Garcia about this and that what he’s dealing with might be bigger than a nut job with an occult fetish. I know he’ll have that look on his face that says Dillon, you’re full of shit, but he needs to know; no matter what I suffer after this. I may be a selfish ass in so many ways, but I don’t dig the idea of kids being hurt by anything. I’m going to chance it, no matter what.

  “I wonder what’s going on in that pea brain of yours, Dillon? No doubt you’re thinking of some way to tell the detective or of even hunting the demon yourself. Am I right?”

  “You know me so well, Godfrey. I guess that’s why we’re such good friends. And as a friend, I could use some advice I could pass on to the cop on how to kill this thing.” I smile, but there is no humour on the man’s face. In the years and years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen such rage on the man’s face.

  “I’m not getting taken from here,” he growls, and balls his hands into fists. “There are worse punishments than being trapped in this store for an eternity, you know. You’re not the only one to think of here.”

  “That’s the point. I’m not just thinking about me. I’m thinking about the kids who are going to be killed if I sit on my hands and do nothing.”

  “No! I won’t allow it!”

  At this, Godfrey jumps up from his throne and there’s something in his hand. I’m out of my chair before I even see the jagged blade rising into the air. I back away as he comes around the desk. I have no idea if he means to scare me or split me in two, but I need to get out of the store and fast.

  “Put the sword down, buddy. You know I’m not going to do anything to get you in trouble.”

  “You think they’ll know that, or that they’ll believe you if you vouch for me? Look where I am, Dillon. Stuck millions of miles away from my home, my family and for what? Stealing a few things they decide are more important than my own life! So you tell me if I’m overreacting.”

  I know for a fact there’s more to it than that. Stealing a few precious items doesn’t get someone exiled to Earth the way he has, but I’m not going to argue with him in this state. I’m still trying to get out of here in one piece. The big issue is how unfamiliar I am with the room so I have to either hope I’m backing up towards the beaded curtain or risk taking my eyes off Godfrey to double check.

  “Where do you think they’d put me if I let you do this, Dillon? Maybe they’ll put me on the dark side of the moon. Or perhaps I’ll be unfortunate enough to end up on Centauri Prime where I can spend eons mining bugs from the scrotums of the cave beasts there? I’ve come to find a way to make life here easier, to make something suitable enough to call home and I won’t let you take it from me. You either agree not to pursue this or you just won’t be anymore.”

  I could lie here, tell him that I’ll drop it, but Godfrey would see right through it. There’s no question he would. He’s been able to sniff out my lies in the past and whether he has some psychic gifts or I just have no poker face, it’s obvious I should just forgo the effort. Better to put all my energy into escape rather than anything else at the moment.

  As I pass by a table, I know I’m heading in the right direction. From my peripherals, I spot something on the scarred wood top and I turn to it a split second before grabbing it. The item is a triangle of glass with lead seams. Inside it there’s a powder. It’s fine lavender and grey colour dust and I know right away what it is. When I look at Godfrey, still backing away, I can see how important it is by the fear in his eyes and I know this is my golden ticket out of here.

  “Put that down, Dillon, and do it gently. Do you know what that is?” he asks, and the sword lowers a little.

  “Of course I do,” I say, even though I’m only guessing at this point. I think I know what it is by the colour and the fineness of the dust; not to mention the container it’s in. But I have no way to be sure. Only one way to find out. “It’s the remains of a Nod, right?”

  “Yes. And if you know that, you know to be very careful with it.” His sword lowers even further, but I’m not going to let him get any closer to me. I have the Nod remains in my hand, the cremated dust of one of the holiest and most viral creatures in the history of all worlds. While they say to own it would give one good luck, to breathe it in or get any of the particles on your skin would be a slow and painful death which there is no way to recover from. This is my way out for sure. “If you put that down now, you can go. You have my word.”

  “I’m sure I do. You are the most trustworthy person I know,” I say, and think about how wrong this could all go, but I need to get out of there and fast. “But the word of a man who’s a known liar and cheat, doesn’t really hold much weight with me. Hope we can still be friends after all of this though.”

  At that, I lightly toss the glass triangle in the air before turning and running out of there. I hear the sword clatter to the ground as Godfrey screams out, “No!” I’m pretty sure he’s able to catch it. By the time I hit the door and run outside I didn’t hear glass break or cries of pain, so he should be fine. I’ll owe him big time when all this is over.

  I hate owing people.

  Once outside, I don’t stop until I’m able to jump into a cab. As soon as it’s heading off back towards my house, I can relax and take it easy. I pull my cellphone out and send Garcia a message real quick. I could call him, but to be honest I don’t like to make phone calls to people I hardly know or don’t really like at all. He’s fitting into both of those areas right now. I tell him I found something already that might help the case, but it may sound weird. He messages back fine and we agree to meet tomorrow. I don’t want to get too invested in this, though, so I hope I can stop at just giving him the information. Godfrey may be right about the ramifications all this could have, even doing this part, so in this case, less may be more. What could happen if I do nothing is something I don’t want to live with.

  I’m not even sure I could.

  We’re sitting on Rouge’s couch watching Netflix and eating popcorn. I’m trying to watch the show, but there’s a part of me that’s having a real hard time paying attention to it all. I take a handful of the buttery mess and half of what I grab ends up on either my lap or the floor. I’m sure her pup is happy, but when I hear the incredulous sighs from her, I know she’s not impressed with my lack of concentration or dexterity.

  “Something bugging you, Dill?” she asks, and pauses the show.

  “Nothing really. Let’s keep watching. I never knew women’s prison could be so interesting.”

  I turn back towards the TV, but nothing happens to the screen. It’s still frozen, two women trapped in eternal derp face. I sigh and know there’s no way I’m going to get out of this without talking to her about it. I put the bowl on the coffee table. She’s already giving me a look even though I haven’t even started.

  “It’s work,” I say finally, ready to open up to her.

  “So I guessed. What is it now? Not another monster in a lake I hope. That wasn’t my idea of a fun weekend at the beach.”

  “It has to do with the case Father Ted wanted me to help the detective with.”

  “Forrest Grump?”

  “Yeah.” I tell her everything I learned about the demon while at Godfrey’s. She winces as I mention the demon and what it’s made up of and the history of it.

  “So, like the thing from the movie Dogma with Jay and Silent Bob,” she says.

  “What movie?”

  “Jeez, you seriously don’t know who Jay and Silent Bob are?”

  I shake my head and she laughs. “It’s a good thing you’re dating me, Honey. I’m going to have to educate you in the history of movies, I think. Anyway, there’s a movie called Dogma and in it the group have to fight a thing like what you mentioned. A shit demon.”

  “That’s in a movie? Who the Hell would make up something like that for a movie?”

  “My thoughts exa
ctly. I never really thought it was real though. Are you sure your leg’s not being pulled?”

  “Pretty sure,” I tell her, thinking of the way Godfrey reacted to the news. I doubt he would’ve lied to me and pulled the sword out with the intentions of turning me into two separate people. “If you could’ve seen Godfrey, how mad he was, you’d be sure he was telling the truth about it.”

  “I guess. To be honest, it sounds pretty ridiculous. I would call bullshit on it, but I’m sure you’ve seen worse,” she says, and eats some popcorn. “It’s just I can’t get the picture out of my head from the movie. The thing looked pretty silly, to be honest.”

  “Guess I’ll have to see it someday soon,” I say, and wonder if it’s on Netflix. “Just curious, how do they defeat the thing in the movie?” I ask with little hope that whatever it is would work in real life.

  “From what I remember, and it’s been a few years since I saw it, Silent Bob knocks it out with air freshener. You think that might really work?”

  Air freshener? They killed or knocked out a demon with damn air freshener? That seems so ridiculous and far-fetched. No magic, no talismans, just some Febreze and a hope of good luck. Should be easy then, right?

  “I doubt that’ll work,” I say, and feel a little defeated.

  “Well, how are you going to get it then?”

  “I’m not sure I’m going to. I had no plans on hunting down the demon on my own. All I was going to do was pass the information on to Garcia and let him do what he has to in order to stop it.”

  “What do you mean you’re not going to help him go after it?” she asks, and looks utterly shocked by what I said. “This is what you do; go after monsters. Detective Garcia and the local police won’t know what to do, how to beat it. Most of them won’t even believe in the monster you’re going to tell them about. You’re going to just throw them to the lions?”

  “It’s not like that,” I tell her, and try again to explain what’s going on. “If I do this, try and hunt down the Golgotha, then I’m putting a lot at risk. I’m all for saying ‘fuck the rules’, but this is more than just a rule. This is one of the main ones I’m not allowed to break. Killing a human is bad, killing an ancient creature or demon, well that runs the risk of having me yanked from the planet all together.”

  “Just like dating me?” she asks, and I feel a pull at what she’s implying. “I guess I’m a worthwhile risk for you, but those lives of the kids taken and killed are not?”

  “It’s not that,” I say, and go on to explain, but she holds her hand up.

  “Of course it is. What would you do if I was taken by this thing? Would you just pass on the information and leave it to the police to come and get me? Or, would it break the rules and come after me, regardless of what the punishment might be?”

  She makes a good point. I’m not sure I could sit in my place and not do a thing if she was taken. The idea of some earthbound monster having her would be enough for me to travel to the ends of the earth to find her and kill the bastard that took her. So why won’t I do it for these missing kids and the others that might still be taken and harmed? Does her life mean more to me? Is it because I love her?

  The idea makes me feel selfish. “I see your point. Still, I don’t even know if Garcia will let me help.”

  “If he doesn’t, well, he doesn’t. But you really have to try.”

  “I will.”

  “Promise?”

  “I swear on you and me,” I say, and smile.

  “I like the way you make that sound. Makes me feel like I’m important in your life.”

  “That’s because you are,” I say, and lean in to kiss her. As I go to pull away and move towards her ear, I say, “I love you, Rouge.”

  I hear her take in a gasp of air, this being the first time she’s heard me say it, the first time I’ve had the balls to let it out. I’ve felt it for a while, it’s just time she knows it.

  “Did you…just…that…you…” she stutters, and I lean back to look at her in the face.

  “I did, because I do. I love you, Rouge.”

  She says it back. More than once and then we go to the room and show each other how much we love one another. We forget about the missing kids and the demon and just focus on ourselves.

  It’s a nice, perfect night for once.

  Saturday

  This is not my idea of a fun way to spend the weekend. Even a few hours is kind of annoying to me, but it’s what Garcia wanted. I hope this’ll be fast, but these things never are. Still, it’ll be nice to pass on what I found out for him so I can get out of here. I don’t mind coming to do jobs at the church, but I’m not one for sticking around during service. I’m not sure if today is the day I’m going to give him my offer to join forces with him, so to speak, but I at least want to give him what I have and offer some hope to the man.

  At least the pounding in my head is all but gone today.

  Instead of sitting with Garcia and his family, I stay near the back, out of everyone’s way. I skim through some literature they have, but it’s all the same. It could be worse I guess. Instead of reading this pamphlet about the Stations of the Cross, I could be looking at one of those creepy religious tracts I sometimes find laying around the city. Those things are nightmare-inducing. There are those that show how being gay can lead you into Hell, or how lying can lead you into Hell, even how being a salesman can lead you into Hell. All in all, they’re usually only about how anything you do will eventually ruin your life and damn you down below with the devil and brimstone. Not that this thing is much more fun, but it beats the heck out of that.

  Once the service is finally done, Garcia side steps his family and walks right over to me. There are still too many people around for me to be able to speak freely. Once the crowds start to thin out I get ready to give him what I got. Before I can tell him anything, we’re joined by Father Ted.

  “Dillon,” he says, and shakes my hand with gusto. “So nice that you came out for the service. Does this mean you might be a regular here from now on?”

  “I’d love to say ‘yes’, but I feel weird lying in this place. I’m actually here to see the detective. He thought it’d be a good place to meet. I must admit, I didn’t even know there was Saturday mass. I thought this was a Sunday thing only.”

  “No, we have services here every day. But today is actually First Communion for some of the local children. You couldn’t tell?”

  I shrug. To be honest, I wasn’t listening to anything he’d been saying on the altar, so I couldn’t tell if it was First Communion, First Confession or a hoedown. I don’t tell him that. I don’t want to sound like a jerk.

  “Is this about the case with the children then?” Father Ted asks in a low voice, and Garcia nods. There aren’t that many people around us, but I feel a little odd talking about what I’ve found out with so many of them close by. This isn’t something you want to say with others being able to overhear you.

  “Is there any way we could go speak in the rectory? Maybe use your office?” I ask.

  “Of course. Anytime, Dillon, but do you mind if I sit in. Some of those kids were members of this church and I feel I need to hear this too.”

  “Sure,” I say, as I can’t think of a reason to say no. This is something he might even know about. Golgothas are part of the church’s rich heritage of the strange and demonic, so maybe he can give us some advice, even offer a way to stop the thing when we do find it. So, the more the merrier.

  Garcia goes over to a woman I assume is his wife and whispers in her ear. She looks as serious as he does and nods to him. Before coming back over to us, the detective walks over to a young boy, maybe ten years old, and ruffles his hair. I hear the kid cry out, “Daaaaaaad,” and I see the man smile. I think it’s the first genuine one I’ve seen him have in the short time I’ve known the detective. It’s a nice thing to see; proves to me h
e is human after all.

  “You have a nice family,” I tell him when he returns, and see the sourpuss look has returned.

  “Thanks,” he grunts, and we follow the priest to the rectory. The back halls leading there are dark and cool, and they hold the smell of used frankincense and candles. It’s a nice thing, brings back memories of all the times I’ve spent in this place over the years talking to the priest, to my friend.

  Once in his office, we all sit down and Father Ted offers tea. We both say no and I add that I need to make this quick as I have somewhere else to get to after this. Sure it’s a lie, but it’s one out of respect for the time of these two. Or at least that’s what I tell myself so I don’t feel too guilty about it.

  “So, I spoke to one of my sources and as soon as he saw the picture of the symbol, he knew what it was right away,” I begin, and Garcia pulls out a small police memo book and a pen with his name engraved on it. No doubt that was a gift from his wife or son. I tell them everything I know, not bothering with Garcia’s scoffing. I begin to explain the history of the Golgotha as I know it, and how someone must be conjuring the demon to come forth. Right away I see a confused look cross the priest’s face.

  “What is it, Father?” I ask.

  “You say it’s a Golgotha that did this? A demon first born on the site where Christ died?”

  “That’s what my source says.”

  “Why though? Why would one of them rise now, even if conjured? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “I know it doesn’t, but it is what it is. Godfrey had a book with the symbol inside it. He showed me the picture and then told me what it said about them. It was a bit brief, but he says there’s no doubt.” I tell them I don’t know how to find one, or whom could be doing this, even that I have no idea why anyone would, and when I finish I see two very different faces staring back at me. “I can see you’re still not convinced, Ted.”