Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 2 Read online

  Lord Cornwallis was armed with a pistol, a handcrafted blade of silver, a Bible, and a cross. At the return of the scouts and troops as ordered, Lord Cornwallis called a church service there in the woods for the benefit of the men.

  “As you well know, we stand on the precipice of a great battle, one in which the men on the other side will most assuredly be praying for their victory and our downfall. This makes one ask, if both sides pray to the same God for mercy and victory, then who is the real enemy.” The three brothers were becoming quite uncomfortable as they stood there surrounded by God fearing men. “Let us now read an excerpt from Psalm 23: Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil . . . “

  As the speech continued the three brothers began to change, to become what they truly were before the very eyes of the mass of warriors.

  **********

  Crush ran as fast as he could, given the directions of Pound by cell phone. He sprinted down the hill and into the creek bed until he found Pound’s location. After the discovery of the decaying remains, they made a call to the local sheriff’s department for back up and then, along with a deputy and great purpose, they marched over to the adjoining apartment complex for a conversation with Nina Suarez.

  Nina answered the door and within minutes, she broke down in tears. She had known one of the missing ladies, and she revealed to authorities that she had found a silver cross just days earlier at the location of the human remains. In fact, she had discovered the cross before any of the victims had disappeared. Since she had cooperated and was visibly shaken, the deputy opted to take Nina in for further questioning as a witness with the agreement that she not leave town until she was released by the authorities. Infuriatingly to Crush, the deputy filed the silver cross away as evidence at the sheriff’s department.

  “Evidence of what,” Crush shouted.

  “We don’t know. A murder possibly,” the deputy shyly answered as if he doubted the validity of his own argument. Crush and Pound could not overturn the deputy’s decision, but gleaned what they could from the circumstances.

  “What do you think? Supernatural?” asked Crush as they drove back to the site. The sun was setting that evening, and nightfall was soon to follow.

  “Silver cross. Disappearances. Human remains. My vote is either a vampire or a werewolf,” answered Pound while drawing out a silver tipped blade.

  **********

  “Our enemy lies within,” said Lord Cornwallis, pointing to the three man wolves or werewolves in the old language. “They must be destroyed,” he proclaimed as he with withdrew his pistol and fired a round of silver through the heart of Louis. Jonathan and Stanley broke out in a rampage as their brother fell, but the savage crowd of one hundred soldiers collapsed upon the two remaining wolves. Ferociously the battle raged until at last, Lord Cornwallis stabbed Stanley through the heart while Jonathan fought on. With no remaining silver weapons, Lord Cornwallis drew out the silver necklace and cross which had been bestowed upon him as a final memory of his late wife Jemima, and he wrapped the necklace around the throat of the final enraged beast, ending the holy battle at Guilford Courthouse. Fifty-one men fell that day to the three unholy beasts, and the remaining forty-nine were sworn to secrecy while they lived.

  **********

  Deep in the forest of Guilford Battleground, Crush and Pound stood out in an open area, waiting for the return of the guilty to the scene of the crime. Quietly they watched as lightning bugs rose from the ground into the night.

  Then a twig broke in a cover of bushes, and before Crush could defend himself, a huge, dark shape burst through the shrubbery and caught him headlong in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Without hesitation the doe then leaped over Crush, past the giant oaks and disappearing into the forest.

  “Geez, are you all right?!” asked Pound as he frantically reached down to grasp Crush by the arm.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. The buck stops here,” he said with a crooked smile. He got to his feet, and that was when the giant shadowed beast leaped out of the bush to bowl over the two distracted agents. Without hesitation, the animal barked and growled as it latched onto Crush’s upper arm with a viselike grip and dragged the field agent to the edge of the bushes. Before he disappeared into the darkness of the thicket, Crush connected a blow to the head of the enraged animal with his other fist, drawing a whimper from the creature and earning his release at the cost of shredding the sinew in his bitten arm. Turning tail for the first time in its long and wretched existence, the beast flew back into the cover of the forest, only to be immediately followed by Pound.

  “You’re in my territory now,” he whispered to himself while drawing out a flashlight in one hand and the silver blade in the other. Within seconds the rustling sounds of escape ended, and no visible signs of movement were detected in the beam of the flashlight. Strangely quiet, Pound felt as if he were alone, but upon turning in a semicircle, he jumped in fright as Crush’s face appeared out of the darkness.

  “Man, I’m not feeling real well,” Crush murmured under his breath.

  “Stay with me . . . .” Pound was interrupted in mid-sentence when a clawed paw enveloped his face and yanked him out of sight in the blink of an eye. Then a yelp as of a wounded animal sounded from the beast, along with various four letter curses from Pound which sprang out into the night as he slashed the enemy with the sharp edge of the blade of silver. Crush burst through the brush and shredded the wolf’s eyes with his good claw as Pound hacked away at the near invincible lupine foe. In a berserker rage the blinded werewolf swung his sharp claws in all directions in an attempt to skewer his hapless victims and bring an end to the unexpected battle. Pound had other ideas and after ducking the long roundhouse swing of the wolf’s claws, he sheathed the silver blade into the wolf’s left rib cage to rest for eternity in the beast’s heart.

  **********

  “Bury the three beasts here in the forest, Captain. And make sure the graves are deep,” commanded Cornwallis. Before he could finish his orders, shots were fired over the hills, and Lord Cornwallis ran up the trail and out of sight as the men followed instruction, digging the graves for the beasts as ordered. Gunfire came from all sides in the forests, and the bodies of the beasts were tossed haphazardly and covered with a thin layer of red clay.

  “Hurry, men. We’ll come back and finish the job later,” Captain O’Brian declared as he packed down the last layer of clay with his boots then bolted up the hill with his men following. The tip of a silver cross lay partially exposed in the ground to be covered later by the Captain. However, fate had other plans and fortune did not smile favorably upon the Captain as he and all forty-nine of his men were killed that day defending the Crown. All was forgotten of the holy war that had been waged that morning in the forest, and there was no one left to return and to finish the orders given by Lord Cornwallis. As the seasons turned and leaves and snow fell, the silver cross was lost beneath the forest detritus, waiting for the time of discovery to arrive.

  **********

  “Course, I’m fine,” said Crush as he leaned on Pound’s shoulder. They made their way back up the trail to the open fields to call for help.

  “Your arm looks pretty bad,” commented Pound.

  “Huh! That’s nothing. It’ll heal up by tomorrow. And don’t worry about me turning into a werewolf since I’m already part cat.”

  “Big pussy!”

  “Still think only one of us could have handled this alone?”

  “Yeah, you’re lucky I was here,” laughed Pound. Crush nailed him with his one good fist, and they joked nervously on the ambulance ride to the hospital.

  **********

  As the rain began to fall, Lord Cornwallis looked out upon the death and destruction that remained on the battlefield, and his heart fell as he realized that Captain O’Brian and his men had never returned from their task in the forest. With many wounded men and very few supplies, Lord C
ornwallis gritted his teeth with the costly victory and prepared the men for a march to the sea. He had won the battle, but with the triumph he had lost well over 400 of his 1900 men.

  “Sir, there are many men still missing, including the bodies of the three scouts,” said the German field commander.

  “The new world rebels may have the spoils, perhaps a few items of silver as mementos. But let them deal with the scouts as they see fit. If they can,” he said as he rode eastward into the forest.

  Chapter 3

  *

  Inside Out

  *

  The stars in the sky above twinkled out, and all light faded as if Sherry Lance were left alone in a lifeless void. Had she fallen into a pit? No, she could not feel anything of substance in the immediate vicinity around her, yet she had no sense of falling. Her eyes were not closed as she could feel the flutter of her eyelids as she blinked “Why was the world so dark,” she wondered to herself.

  “Detective Jackson,” she called out to the void.

  “I’m here,” he answered.

  “Wait where you are! I’ll try the Staff,” she replied and raised the Staff of Helios high once again, then brought it down to where the ground should be. An explosion of bright light burst out from the Staff, illuminating the surrounding area in a blinding white light. Bat screamed in pain, and although she could not see him coming, she felt him place his hand upon her arm as he darted behind her for cover.

  “The light . . . it’s too bright for me. It burns,” he gasped to her.

  “I’m sorry. I hoped it would not be so intense,” she said. “But I don’t know how to adjust the output. I should have trained more with Dr. Tatum instead of wasting away the day.”

  “Try something, please,” he begged. She raised the Staff overhead and banged the end down to the ground again, and magically the light dimmed somewhat so that she could actually see the Staff and the surrounding area in a soft glow. “That’s much better,” he remarked and stood up straight as he came around to face her. Disturbingly, Bat had two elongated and pointed teeth extending downward from his top gums, a condition that Sherry had failed to notice before. She could not help but show surprise on her face at the revelation of his condition.

  “My, what big teeth you have,” Sherry joked in a poor attempt to relieve the tension she was now feeling. Bat scowled as he did not find her remark funny. “So, are you a vampire?” she asked tentatively with a sentiment of concern.

  “Yes, I am. But I’m also a detective, and I don’t wish to be defined by my allergy to sunlight”

  “Is that the extent of your condition?”

  “I have to confess, I do have an unfortunate affinity for blood. Cow’s blood to be exact.”

  “A dairy vampire? I hope you’re not lactose intolerant?”

  “Ha! Ha!” he mockingly laughed aloud at the intolerably bad joke. “What might not be so funny, Sherry, is that we are caught in some strange void with no apparent way out.”

  “I was just having a bit of fun. I certainly can’t ask you to ‘lighten up’, now can I?”

  “No, I guess not, but please keep that Staff of yours dim for now.”

  “No problem. I’m actually amazed that I was able to turn the intensity down so easily. Dr. Tatum was never able to do that trick,” Sherry noted. “Now how do we get out? Any ideas?”

  “No,” he replied sullenly while shaking his head and peering around in all directions. “Let’s walk for now. Maybe we’ll stumble across a door.” So the two lost investigators began a journey through a dimly lit world of darkness. They walked together for what seemed like hours, finding only darkness and an endless void. Sherry stopped to rub her sore and aching feet, and during the break a conversation sprang up regarding Bat’s condition.

  “How long have you had your condition?” asked Sherry as she knelt down and rested upon what could only be described as a void.

  “It goes back almost past my memory. My father and mother were afflicted as well,” Bat replied. “The home that I grew up in was secluded deep in the woods, next to a mountainside. In his youth, my father had discovered a cave delving into the side of that mountain, and there he came upon the source of our condition. I won’t go into any detail, but once his life had been changed, he felt bound to the mountain. And to the cave. I, on the other hand, moved on in adulthood, having no real attachment or binding to my home place, yet carrying the curse out into the greater world.”

  “Has anyone ever contracted the disease from contact with you?” she asked reluctantly. Bat hesitated as if to reply then shook his head.

  “No. Not intentionally.” A tense extended silence followed, and Sherry hoped she had not probed too deeply or too quickly. She placed her hand on his shoulder and diverted the conversation back to the matter at hand.

  “What is this place?”

  “I’ve no idea, but judging from what we do know, I would guess this is where the Senator’s daughter, Carol, ended up. She disappeared into thin air with no trace of her whereabouts,” he reminded her. Sherry looked up at him questioningly, as if she had just realized something important.

  “Do you think Carol’s in here, lost somewhere?” she asked.

  “It’s very likely. Although without food and water, what chance would she have of surviving this long?”

  “That is the question,” she replied as she stood to her feet. “How long will we survive?” Bat did not answer, but followed along with her as they paced further on through the darkness of the abyss with no apparent destination in sight. Many yards behind amorphous feet fill the voids of the foot prints they have left behind.

  **********

  “What time is it?” asked Sherry in irritation.

  “12 a.m. midnight,” growled Bat.

  “Doesn’t 12 a.m. imply midnight anyway? Two days and no end in sight. Nothing!” she exclaimed in frustration. “I’m so thirsty. My mouth is dry, my throat is cracking. I’m beginning to believe we may never find a way out,” she continued in despair. Jackson did not respond, he simply looked off into the imaginary horizon and anticipated the inevitable. After long quiet moments passed, he answered.

  “Sherry, I’ve been thinking. Perhaps we should split up at least for a while.”

  “What if one of us finds a way out? The other may be left behind.”

  “I . . . I can’t trust myself now. My feelings, the light, my thirst . . . ,“ he trailed off, then looked her in the eyes. “I am thirsty, and it cannot be quenched. Let me go.” Then he slowly backed away from her into the darkness.

  “This will be the death of us,” she despaired. Delirious with thirst and fear, she turned her back on Detective Jackson and broke into a run. But where was she going? What could she do? In deep depression she tapped out the light of the Staff, collapsed to the floor, and sobbed with her distress. No tears came from her deep sorrow; she was on the verge of dehydration and only water could calm her nerves. She touched her lips and felt the loose scabs and the dryness of her breath. Was this the end?

  “No indeed,” a new voice spoke in answer to her thoughts, and the voice was wicked. “You wish to be free. As do I.” The chill of the whisper came across one side of her face, and fear gripped her heart so that she dare not move, she dare not think. He could not find her if she was ever so still.

  “Someone made a deal, and that is why you are here.”

  “Deal? What’s this about a deal!” she thought, and then she began to pray. “Lord, please help me. I don’t know where I am, and I don’t know how to get home. Please, Lord, save me from this place.” A peace fell over her, and she relaxed for a moment, twisting her head to look around at the thick blanket of darkness. To her surprise, a soft glow appeared in the void, and though she could not reach it with her hands, she felt as if she could quickly run to it. For a moment, Sherry believed that she could actually get to her feet and outrun the evil presence that had descended upon her
. She believed that this was her one chance to escape the darkness and the spirits that were trapped within it.

  “Sherry. Sherry,” the voice cackled, and an inner strength rose up within Sherry Lance at that instant. Without taking her eyes off the dimly lit beacon, Sherry made a last sprint for escape across the dark field. As she drew closer to the glow, the glimmering began to develop in detail and definition. It was in fact an opening to another world. Not knowing what world she would end up in, Sherry sprinted as hard as she could toward the light, and with blind faith, she leaped forward with the Staff through the mysterious window in the dark. Landing hip first and sliding across a large oak desk, she caught her footing on an area rug and surfed straight into a paneled wall, where she rebounded onto her bottom with a thud. Without hesitation she stood to her feet with the Staff in one hand and a bottle of drinking water that had fallen from the desk in the other hand. Before her was an ornately decorated office which was adorned with a black hole to the dark realm from which she had only just escaped.

  **********

  Bat Jackson was doubled over in excruciating pain. The tremors racked through his midsection repeatedly, and he knew that he had to feed soon or the pain would give way to madness. Slowly the easing of the cramps, which were caused by the loss of electrolytes within his body, allowed him a few moments to stand and search once again for a way out of the void of darkness. His cravings had been too strong when he was near Sherry, though he could not possibly comprehend asking for a donation or finding another source of nutrition in this barren place.

  He was shocked, however, to discover that there were other beings in close proximity, beings which could easily cloak themselves from humans at will. For someone like Bat who lived half in one world and half in another, the beings could not hide, and they appeared to irradiate a distinctive green glow. In fact, quite a large crowd of these beings had gathered when Sherry had extinguished the Staff. Blinded himself by the intense light emitted by the talisman, Bat had failed to notice the shadowed presences. With the light sufficiently removed, he could now see the jaded entities congregated about the young lady like moths to a flame, and Bat could feel the fear that was in Sherry’s heart. One malevolent being in particular seemed bent upon antagonizing Sherry once the glow of the Staff was gone, and though Bat felt the intense blood cravings within him, he refused to let any harm come to his friend. Quietly he treaded a careful path toward the crowd as they hovered in an oppressive circle of foreboding, and he watched as the evil one held up one hand in a gesture of silence to the others. Then the jaded ringleader bent down and hissed some veiled threat into Sherry’s ear.