Earthbound and Down ebook 20170826

by Shaun Meeks

  I open the door to her room and I’m knocked to the side by a blur. I grab for the wall so I don’t fall on my ass. I somehow manage to stay on my feet and I quickly scan the room for what hit me. I hear feet hitting the ground and there it is to my right.

  And to my left.

  Two of them—this is not what I came here for. If I’d just left, maybe these guys wouldn’t have found me. I guess I’m lucky though. They’re not Colossus’. Instead, it’s two Yerks; demons from the moon of Venus. They’re big and angry looking. Their forms are made up of dirt and stone which shifts wildly as they move and breathe. I know they’re not the brightest of races, but they are vicious and love violence. Guess I can add this to my string of terrible luck.

  Normally, these kinds of creatures are fast to act and brutal too. They’re the kind of creatures who think on the most primal level, so better to fight and kill than to talk. Strange thing is they’re not coming at me. The two of them are just standing on either side of Rouge’s bed, staring at me and breathing heavy.

  “Look,” I say, and hold up my hands, leaving my Tincher and my gloves where they are for the moment. Hopefully this will keep them at bay. “I don’t know how you two got here, but I’ll make you a deal. You go out that window and I’ll let you both have a month on this planet where I won’t even come after you. You’ll be free to do whatever you want as long as you don’t kill anyone of course.”

  They look at each other and it’s impossible to tell what they’re thinking. The false faces these beings have aren’t always the most expressive things in the world. With them, it’s like trying to get an emotional feeling from a brick wall.

  “If you know who I am,” I continue, “and I’ll assume you do, then you know that’s a pretty sweet deal. Just go out that window, and we’ll dance another day. What do you say?”

  “We say nothing to you, Hunter. We have a job to do,” the one on the right growls, his voice like nails on a chalkboard.

  “You should have given him the book, then he would have killed you quick,” the one on the left says, sounding like a carbon copy of the one on the right. “Now, we get to have you for as long as we want. He said as long as we get the book, we can keep killing you forever.”

  So, the shadowy man might not have been following me. Instead he called forth a couple of demons through a porthole no doubt to wait out where he thinks I might go. Great. Not only can he call up ancient monsters in this world, but he knows how to get things to cross over and join him too. Perfect. I also have to wonder if there’s something waiting for me at my tattoo artist’s place.

  I’ll get to that later. For now I have to deal with the bopsy twins.

  “Listen,” I say, as I slowly reach towards my weapons, hoping my words will distract them enough. “I know that the man, whoever he is, has promised you all kinds of things, but do you really think he can keep those promises? Do you think this will end well for you?”

  “We do. You are the Hunter, the king of lies and prince of death,” number one says, while number two nods.

  “Yes, he’s right,” butts in number two. “You aren’t even of this world, yet you stay here and punish those who want to live as you do. Liar. Killer. Fiend. We’ll make you see what it’s like to be treated the way you treat all the rest. You’ll be the hunted now.”

  “Listen Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb, I don’t really care about you two at the moment. Why not just get out of here and go find some yummy dog shit to eat?”

  “We don’t eat dog shit! What do you think we are, Plithers?” says number two.

  “”Dog shit,” number one spits out. “We would never touch such vile things. It’s the droppings of the cats we long for. Urine cakes and sprinkled bars of feces are a treat the likes our world never holds.”

  “Oh, well, my apologies,” I say, and my left hand is on my Tincher, my right on my gloves. Time to end this one way or another. I’m wasting time here with these two dumb asses. “This is your last chance to go and enjoy what you like best. Take the window or else you’re going home. It’s really up to you?”

  “The Hunter thinks he’s tough.” Number two laughs and takes a step towards me.

  “Very, but he has no idea the pain we have in store for him, brother.”

  “Have it your way,” I say, and as I do, number two makes his move before number one can. This is lucky for me. If they both charged at once I might have a hard time swinging the blade to get them both and no doubt I would take some damage. But one moving sooner and faster than the other gives me time.

  Number two is only three steps away from me when I finally pull the Tincher free and he sees it gleam in the sunlight that is coming in from the bedroom window. He cries out just before I arch the blade and slash it across his chest. I feel the grit of the stones and dirt as the blade moves deep through him and as the cursed steel breaks free, his body crumbles to nothing more than a pile of soil and rocks. I’ll have to explain that later to Rouge.

  As soon as number two drops, I turn to number one who’s now backing away from me with his hands up. I use this time to slip my spellbound gloves on and move towards him. He’s clearly scared. One-on-one was not something he had in mind, but now that’s what the odds are. I’d say even, but there’s not a whole lot he can do to get rid of me now.

  “I guess you’re regretting not getting out of here,” I say, as his back hits the wall behind him and he lets out a yelp. “Maybe I’ll still let you get away if you tell me what I want to know about the man who sent you after me.”

  “You killed my brother. You sent him back and now he’s as good as dead there. I won’t tell you anything, filth!”

  “Do you want to join him? Or maybe I will do something to just extinguish your light and let you die here in a body of dirt and waste instead of letting you go home.”

  “You can’t!”

  “Can and will,” I tell him, and even though I could do it if I had the right tools, there’s nothing on me that can do that. He doesn’t need to know I’m lying though. He just needs to tell me what I want to know. “Tell me who it is that sent you, why he did it, and where I can find him.”

  “NO!” Number one yells, and raises his right hand. As he does, something happens I’ve never seen before. The dirt and rock that make up his fist and arm begin to quake and swirl, whirlpool. Then, like a geyser, the bits of him fire off in my direction and smash me hard in the chest. I grunt as the wind is knocked out of me and I get sent flying back against the wall. I hit hard and smash my head. I see stars and my brain is full of agony. I look up at him, to see if he’s attacking, but I can barely see anything at all. The room looks like a blur of shapes and colours. Luckily the dummy screams as he charges at me and I have time to raise my Tincher, which he runs into like a freight train.

  Behind me, I feel the dry wall buckle as the force of him hitting me pushes me back hard. I groan and push the blade in deep as his open, dark mouth moves to my face as though he means to bite it off. I need leverage so that I can get the knife moving and dispatch him. Why does he have to be so damn heavy?

  “You will die, Hunter. I will eat your soul from your eyes!” he bellows, and pushes even harder, but as he does, his weight shifts just right and I can move my arm.

  With all the force I can muster, I twist the Tincher and rip it sideways, pushing it straight out of the Yerk. The mess sprays Rouge’s bed with black, false flesh and stones. The monster wavers and the pressure is off me as it tries to take a step back. His hand moves to the exit wound and it looks like he’s trying to cover it, even though he’s coming undone. He looks down at where he’s coming apart, disintegrating.

  The Yerk turns back to me. “You are the worst kind of evil, Hunter,” he says in a low voice, and attempts to walk towards me, but his right leg turns to a pile of its former state. “There is a change coming. You will not be safe.”

  On this last word, th
e Yerk is no more than a pile of the same nothing as his brother is.

  I groan as I push off the wall. My head feels like there’s a metal band playing at eleven and I need them to turn it down. My chest hurts too from where he hit me, but nothing like my head. I should be resting, not doing this. Maybe when I finally get rid of the Colossus’ and the shadowy man, I’ll take a nice, long vacation with Rouge somewhere. Relax on a beach or go have some fun at Disney World. I think I’ve earned a little R and R. Especially if I make it out of this alive. If I don’t make it through this, I’ll get to have the longest rest I’ve ever known.

  I take my bag with the sceptre in it, the hair in my pocket and then get ready to leave Rouge’s house. I still need to find a way to get the tattoo, but I guess that’ll have to wait until I’m away from here. I think if I can get a hold of my artist and convince him to meet me somewhere other than his house or workshop, it’ll be better. If the shadowy man knows about him, it won’t be safe to go anywhere he works out of on a regular basis.

  I’m almost out the door when my phone rings and I’m worried. I’m sure it’s going to be Rouge and if it is, I don’t even want to think about what could possibly happen. I quickly pull it out, ready to answer it and tell her not to call back, explain it’s not safe. When I see the display though, I see it’s Garcia and there’s a bit of hesitation. I know this isn’t going to be a fun call. It can only be one of two things. He’s either going to ask if I found anything out, or he’s going to tell me about what happened in regards to the three officers he lost. One of those things I don’t want to talk about on a cellphone, the other I just don’t want to deal with. I have no idea how much trouble he’s in or if he kept my name out of it—sometimes ignorance is bliss. I’d rather be kept in the dark on this.

  The phone is on the fourth ring when I finally answer it. I know it’d be better to hear him out now than to wait and stress out over what it could be. Here goes nothing.

  “Hello?”

  “D-Dillon?” he says, and his voice is a stuttering mess. He sounds like he’s crying, his breath hitched and as bad as I thought the phone call could be, this sounds as if it might be worse.

  “Detective, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

  “I have nothing. Nothing and I…what can I do…how…what am I…you…you need to help me. Please.”

  “Help with what? What’s wrong?”

  “They came and took him…they took my boy.”

  Jesus! Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, here we go.

  “I’m coming there. What’s your address?”

  “They took him. He was in the…the bathroom and then…gone. They took him…right from me…left a note…he’s gone…dead…like the others.”

  He’s in shock. I can’t believe this is the same hard, stern-faced man I met the other day. His voice is soft, weak and pathetic. I saw the way he’d looked at his son the other day and the love he had for the boy. I’m sure I’d be the same way if I lost Rouge. Well, maybe not as bad as he is. That was his child after all. I need to help him.

  “Garcia? I’m coming there. What’s your address?”

  “There’s a note…for me…”

  “Okay,” I say, figuring I will just let him talk until he can give me what I need. “What’s the note say, detective?”

  “To come to the old Distillery buildings. It says…my boy is there…to come with…a book about demons…or…or he dies…” His words melt away to sobs and I wait until they taper off before I say anything else.

  “Look, I know what he’s talking about. I can get the book, but I need to know where you live. I will take a cab there now and we’ll go together. I’ll help you, Garcia, but you have to help me too. Where do you live?”

  He gives me the address and I know just where it is. I tell him I’ll be there soon, and then hang up. I’m about to call a cab when I look over at the kitchen and have an idea. It’s not a very good one, but it’s the best plan for now.

  I set my bag down on the kitchen table where I’ve had more than a few breakfasts with Rouge and walk to the sink. Beside it is a knife rack. I take out a sharp paring knife. I look at it and feel less than enthusiastic about what I’m about to do. This is dumb, but it’s all I have for now. I turn the water on, only hot, and then head back over to my bag and pull out the book. I turn it to the appropriate page and then walk back over to the sink. I look at the knife, then the page, and let out a long breath.

  Guess there’s no time like the present.

  I lower the blade to my forearm and push the tip of it into my flesh. I hear the skin pop, just a little, and then feel warm liquid drool from the prick. I watch as crimson drips into the sink. I’m not done though. I slide the tip of the blade up, down and across my arm, checking the book to ensure I’m doing the symbol right. White-hot pain courses through me, but I need to do this right and get it done. There’s no time to get the symbol tattooed on me so scarification will have to do for now. I grit my teeth and tell myself to endure it. Pain is needed right now. On the bright side, it hurts so much that I barely feel the throbbing in my head.

  That’s something.

  After five minutes I finish and run the raw skin under the hot water. The blood pushes out, turning thick in the flowing water. I drop the knife on the counter, and with my arms still under the tap I reach over and grab a tea towel. Once the blood flow has sufficiently stopped, I wrap the wound and turn the sink off. I feel slightly woozy. This is no doubt from the slight state of shock I’m in and the blood loss. I get something to eat and drink on the go, a pop and two bananas, and then call the cab. I want this day to end.

  The cab pulls up to Detective Garcia’s address and as I pay the driver I see the man sitting on the porch steps. He looks bad. He’s slumped forward, his hands at his sides, his chin in his chest. Even from this distance I can see how red his eyes are and the tears staining his cheeks. Having his son taken from him must be the worst feeling in the world, just like having every hope and dream stripped from you in one fatal swoop. I know what it’s like to lose so much. Everything I used to know and love was destroyed before my very eyes. The planet I come from, where the race known as Treemors lived, was the target of a war. A mad race hungry for power attacked us and I was one of the lucky few who managed to escape.

  Not before I saw my family and the woman I loved killed, though. That nearly made me want to give up, to lie down and die with them, but I was pulled away by a friend and boarded on a ship that was destined for nowhere. Ten of us managed to get away, but the ship was badly damaged and we ended up spiralling into a vortex that took us into a different solar system. The shipped crashed and only I lived. So, I know about loss, yet I don’t know what it must feel like to have a child, your own flesh and blood to be snatched away and their life to be swinging in the balance. My heart feels heavy for him.

  Hopefully this will all work out and I can do something to alleviate his misery.

  “Garcia?” I say, calling out to him, but he doesn’t move or look up at me. “Detective?”

  I walk right up to him and when I place my hand on his shoulder, it finally stirs him. Up close he looks much worse. He tries to smile, as though he’s glad to see me, but the emotion looks limp on him and he slumps once more. Beside him, I see the note and pick it up.

  Detective Garcia,

  So sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It seems you have become entangled in a matter which is none of your concern. As such, I have decided to punish you by taking that which you love most, your son, Phoenix. He is a sweet, lovely boy. Such innocence in his eyes, such a bright future he could have if you are smart.

  Do not fear though. It is not my goal to harm him. Instead, I will offer the child back to you, unharmed of course, in exchange for something I seek. It’s a simple thing. A book.

  The book is called A History of Demons, Witches and Beasts of the Earth and althou
gh you may not know it, I can assure you it will come into your life in the near future. When it does, I want you to bring it to the old Distillery buildings. I’m sure you know where they are, if not, find out. I will wait for you there so I may reunite you with your son.

  Sincerely,

  A friend.

  P.S. Feel free to kill Dillon while you’re at it and I will let you have the rest of the children too. He’s a thorn in my side.

  I read the last line and as I do I hear the unmistakable cocking of a gun and look at the detective. He has his service weapon in hand, and even though it’s not aimed at me, the hammer is all the way back.

  I didn’t see this coming.

  “Detective, you need to put that down, right now,” I say, and don’t know if I should rush him, run, or just reason with the man. I came here to help, to go where he needs to, and do my part to save his son. After all, I have everything we need, so now I need him to put the gun down so we can get to it. All he has to do is listen to me.

  “He has…my boy…my son…I was supposed…I should have protected him…how could I…I fail him?”

  “You didn’t. You couldn’t have seen this coming, Garcia. So put the gun down and let’s go put an end to this. I can. I promise you that. I have everything we need to stop the monsters and the one controlling them.”

  “Promises? My dad promised me monsters weren’t real. He told me the only thing I had to fear were death and taxes. He was so fucking wrong. Right now monsters have my son, the one thing that means more to me than the world. All I need is the book to get him back and make this right. And I need you out of the way.”

  “It won’t end the way you want it to. Once he has the book, once there’s nobody around to stop him, why would he give you anything you want? He’s lying to you, Detective. He’ll kill you and your son if you give in and do this.”