A Bump in the Road. Chapter Twelve.
A Bump in the Road
Chapter Twelve
By Roofles
"I'm Sure it's just Marco." My voice had grown rather faint at this point as there was another loud, denting knock on the door. "No one else knows I'm home."
"Unless they were watching the place for when you guys were to return. Once Marco left they would be able to rip you to shreds without much effort." My jaguar spirit that was still haunting me spoke up. He was staring at the door watching it intently. It was eerie, I was more creeped out by him than what was ever on the other side of the door. After all even living creatures moved a little bit when they were sitting there. This jaguar? He was frozen, like a statue just staring open eyed not moving a single muscle.
"Lovely." I muttered. I figured the same thing. Our minds seemed to be on the same track these days. I swear he could read my thoughts. "Well I suppose this is a good sign." Another loud thunk, far harder now. I'm so glad we lived in the questionable part of town. It gave me full reason to have a metal door installed, bolted and latched shut.
"A good sign?" It said frowning now and looking back at me with those brilliant teal eyes. "Being killed is usually a bad thing, or so I thought for mortals of flesh and clay." Odd way to put it but whatever.
"Not the whole dieing thing." I pulled my gun out, pulled the chamber back before raising it up at the door. "If someones come to kill me, that usually means I'm on the right track with the case." It continued to frown. "No reason to kill a guy if he isn't a threat after all."
"They might be doing it for revenge. Or to turn you, again." It said shooting down the little hope I had over this. I chose to believe I was on the right track. After all being killed when your about to discover the truth about something is one of the biggest clues you could get. There was a moment of silence. All I could hear was the coffee pot behind me bubbling and the thundering sound of my own heart.
"If we kept perfectly quiet..." I whispered hopefully, wishing I had time to turn the lights off at least.
Another loud pound on the door shattered those hopes.
"Good one." The jaguar rolled its eyes turning back towards the door. It flicked an ear but stood perfectly still once more.
"No solicitation!" I shouted. There was a moment of silence and a small part of me hoped, truly hoped that that worked. I don't think bullets worked on fairy tale creatures and monsters that went bump in the night.
There was another loud pounding and another. Whatever was on the other side of the door was beginning to pick up it's pace and I could see the door beginning to give way. It had been holding back before and now? Now it really wanted in. "Well fuck me silly and call me sally."
"Maybe later." The jaguar stood up looking back at me. "Don't forget to grab my doll."
"Don't forget?" I looked at it before the whole room shook as one of the bolts popped out and fell to the floor. Holy shit even a rhino would've had some issue with that door.
"Yeah, for when you run." The jaguar shouted as the door pushed out at one of the corners. I could see large, clawed fingers gripping the edge of the door and peeling it open like a banana in strips.
"OK, now go kill it!" I said a bit wide eyed as I watched my door being peeled like string cheese. "Your a big bad jaguar. I choose you."
"I told you I'm only a projection." It scowled glaring back at me.
"Some help you are." I kept my gun trained as glowing red eyes met mine from one of the tears in the door. I couldn't make it out what the hell it was but whatever it was it was big. Huge, taking up the whole front porch and having to hunch over just to look inside.
"Run damnit!" The jaguar shouted once more.
I didn't hesitate or question as I grabbed the cursed doll and made a break for it down the hall. With another loud bang the whole door came flying inside, crashing into the kitchen and breaking my counter top. I could hear the cupboards falling down over the mess as I slammed the door shut behind me.
Marco's room was the best choice. It was dark and I didn't turn the light on, hoping it would go for my room instead. Give me a few moments to get over to the window, pull it open and get the hell out of here. Marco's window was directly over the roof of the neighbors garage (it costed extra to have one, screw that I wasn't made of money). I pulled the wooden bar from the window seal, unlatched it and even before I opened it heard a crash from the other room.
At least whatever it was it was stupid. It went for the room with the light in it, giving me just enough time to pull the window open and jump up onto the seal. The window creaked loudly and a stillness fell over me as the other room went silent.
There was a loud, ear splitting roar and the door behind me was quickly smashed inwards. Splinters flew everywhere with several pieces of the door as I hopped out onto the roof. The tiles were wet and I hadn't gotten a good grip. My feet hit it harder than I meant too and I slipped, sliding down the roof, clutching the damn cursed doll before dropping off the edge.
I managed a quick glimpse of the thing glaring at me from the window. It was fucking huge. Taking up a good portion of the room with massive bat like wings, a tail whipping behind it. The doorway had been broken open to allow its massive frame to come inside. It looked like stone, with two large sunken red eyes staring at me. It reminded me of something you'd see on the top of a church. One of those stone statues.
"Fuck," I landed hard on the ground, rubbing my lower back.
"Less whiney, more getty and running." It hissed at me the jaguar standing in front of me now just materializing out of thin air. Bastard could have at least tried to catch me. It moved over the wet pavement and towards the far side of the parking lot quickly with silent steps.
"Don't tell me what to do!" I shouted back, getting up and then following after him rubbing my rear end. "Why are we going into an alleyway? Your more likely to die, or get raped... going through one in the middle of the night than anywhere else!"
"Isn't that the case with any dark, unlit area? Or you could stay and play with our new friend." It chuckled waiting for me at the entrance. I rolled my eyes, ignoring him as I headed inside. "The alleyway is small. It is big. We have the advantage in here." It smirked.
"What's the plan?" I checked my gun again. It was my safety blanket after all. I doubted a bullet would do much against stone though.
Another loud crash sounded and I could see it's body break through the whole side wall and out onto the roof. Marco was going to be pissed. He didn't like me going into his room, let alone breaking it.... It gripped at the tiles before as it crashed out, just like myself, slipping and crashing head over tail over wings onto the ground several feet away from us. It dented the roof and the cement ground as it fell. I almost laughed. If it wasn't trying to rip my lungs out and show them to me I might've.
"Your going to let me in." It looked back at me from the corner of it's eyes before looking back at the thing.
"Uh? Hell to the fucking no." Like that was going to happen. He probably arranged all of this just so he could get back into my head.
"Your going to die otherwise." It said simply, not even straining its voice with urgency.
"And being possessed, again, wouldn't?" I raised my gun as that stone monster began scrambling to it's feet. It's body seemed far too heavy even for itself. I doubted the wings could even help it glide let alone fly.
"You wouldn't be dead at least." The jaguar rolled its eyes seeming to find this all rather tedious.
"Yeah. No. I spent all that time decursing myself. Not about to go through that again." I rather be dead. Ok maybe not that far. "I still don't trust you either."
"Your going to have to if you want to get out of this with all your limbs." It stood up before turning towards me and with a great bound, leapt towards me. I nearly shrieked like some high school girl but it vanished as it hit the doll and disappeared once more. "Fine," I heard the voice come from the doll. "Just bite your thumb, wipe the blood on the doll and call me forth. Even a retard could do it."
"Did you just call me retarded?" I glared at the doll, strangling it with one hand as I lifted up the gun to point it at the doll. I was pointing a gun at a plush doll...I seriously was losing it.
I fired. No, not at the doll but at the thing coming towards us. Several shots as that thing as it began to crawl towards me. The bullets punctured the stone but didn't even make it chip or crack. Just sticking into it or bouncing off not even leaving a scratch on it's stone flesh. "Well this blows." I said as my gun clicked several times, empty.
"Now will you listen?" I didn't. Instead I turned around and ran for it, pocketing my gun back into its holster and made a break for it down the alleyway. The thing was right on my heels far faster than it looked out in the open. It crashed hard into the alley way but kept coming.
Even before I could get to the end of the alleyway I heard it roar once more jumping through the air (ok so maybe it could fly, so sue me how was I the fuck to know that?). I skidded to a halt, dropping backwards and laying on my back as it jumped over me, landed in front and turned around. That tail whipped out breaking the brick walls around me and sending pebbles everywhere. It raised its tail, the very tip aiming down before plunging it into the ground like fucking Alien.
I managed to roll to the side, but that tail snagged my arm, cutting across the skin before digging deeply into the ground.
"Shit," I cursed getting up and running back down the way I came. I used the only thing I had in hand to close the wound, the plush doll.
My blood soaked into its fibers and before I even managed to get a few steps it felt heavy against my arm as if my blood was made of led or something. Too heavy. A far too familiar weight, just like the medallion had been when I tried to take it off. "Oh, fuck this." And with that turned around and with all my years on the varsity team chucked the damn cursed doll at the thing. Demonic creatures should fight each other and leave poor innocent investigators out of this bullshit.
The doll spun in mid air a few times before a brilliant teal light surrounded it. I could hear fabric ripping, claws springing out and in the next second a massive jaguar hit the alleyway floor on all fours. It looked back at me, those eyes shining as they had in that darkness. I felt my body go numb with fear and managed to take a few more steps away.
"Thanks." A large, toothy smile crossed it's face before leaping into the air. And I mean literally. Just straight up into the air pushing off with all four legs.
The gargoyle, it just came to me that was what it was, smashed its clawed hand into the ground like a sledge hammer breaking the cement beneath it where the jaguar had stood a half second before. The cat was already several feet in the air, pushing off the side wall, aiming itself downwards and pushing off once more. Springing down at it, landing hard on its back. Nails digging into the stone.
There was an inhuman howl like metal and nails on a chalk board. The gargoyle spun around, that tail whipping out and nearly taking my head off with it, and tried to grab at the jungle cat. Teeth sunk into its wing before the jaguar jumped back, nimbly dodging the attack and ripping its wing off with it.
The wing fell to the ground and broke apart, turning into nothing but chips of stone and dust.
"It's a construct!" The jaguar shouted over it. "Someone is controlling it, it's not real. Find whoever it is. I'll hold it off." Lovely. Demon jaguar vs monster gargoyle that's just a big puppet
A puppet? A puppeteer had to be in view of the puppet it's controlling. Or normally that'd be the case. Hopefully it also applied here, working the same way with this or I was royally screwed. As I turned to go back into the parking lot I heard a yowl of pain and it wasn't from my monster gargoyle friend. I could see over my shoulder it had ripped off its other wing and most likely had chucked it at him. That stone beast was far faster than it looked without wings but the cramped space limited its movements greatly.
Ok. Focus Isaac. Hopefully whoever is behind this also was vulnerable to bullets. It should be if it was using something else to come get me. I doubted it was expecting an old Aztec god to be rooming with me. But still it had sent this thing...this golem to kill me. Something impervious to bullets. That or the man responsible wasn't much of a threat.
The one thing that stood out most was the silence around me. Well other than the two other worldly creatures trying to tear each other apart. No one had come to investigate? That was odd in and of itself. People were stupid liked that. They liked to go see things even when it was dangerous. Now though? Not a soul in sight. Middle of the apartments parking lot, surrounded by apartments and yet not a single person had come to investigate? Even look out the window?
I could barely see, the lights flickering off around me shrouding me in darkness. I shuddered but I could still make things out. The cars in the parking lot, several trees next to the large hedge blocking the main road from view. It wasn't like before. It wasn't that pitch black pit I had been in when I had gone inside the medallion. It wasn't that prison, this was just night time. That was all.
Even still I found myself breathing heavily as I looked around, trying to focus, train my hearing on any other sound. I had my other gun out, my back up gun that was (I only had both with me so when we went to Lewis's I at least was armed with something). It packed far less of a punch but wasn't an over kill like my revolver. I wished I had it now though. This should be enough to take care of whoever the fuck was pulling the strings. Hopefully.
Focus. Focus Isaac, calm down and just listen. Hear anything out of the ordinary. In this silence, this horrible silence. And then on the breeze I heard it. Muttering, chanting possibly.
I turned towards the source raising my gun up and didn't even wait for a clear shot before pulling the trigger. Behind a tree and a few bushes a man jerked, moving quickly behind the tree fully. He had been distracted before, focusing himself on whatever he was chanting about. He was shrouded in some kind of oversize outfit. I couldn't be sure if it was a man or woman. Or even human.
"Come out." I shouted but moved, crouching on the ground and using a few cars for cover. There was more of that strange muttering sound. I dare take a look to see what was going on before jumping out of the way as a bolt of, what I can only assume, lighting struck the car. The gas tank underneath was ignited as a surge of electricity filled the whole metal box and with a loud boom exploded upwards to smash against the over hanging roof. And here I thought that only happened in movies.
"Shit," I cursed, sliding on the ground and covering my head as rubble flew everywhere. My ears were ringing and I had enough sense to look up in time to see this fucker pointing at me once more. He had some strange scroll in hand and was muttering foreign, possibly Chinese, words. The strange markings on the scroll began to glow.
Even before I tried to fully understand what the hell was going on I pointed my gun and let it shoot my own fucking magic missle. It was a poor shot, even I had to admit, but it clipped his shoulder and with it his concentration stopped. Stumbling back a bit and dropping the scroll.
He said something, some kind of curse, as he dropped the scroll trying to run but was too late. Like a grenade the parchment ignited, exploding loudly and sending more rubble everywhere. It left a rather large crater in it's wake, no sign of the man remained except scraps of ripped cloth. The tree fell to the side onto another car (thankfully not my own) and there was only a smoldering ash outline of the man left on the hedge behind him.
There was a low roar from the alleyway and the gargoyles body came crashing out the next second, spilling out over the cement parking lot before breaking apart into stone, pebbles and dust leaving only a strange black heart shaped object. It cracked like glass before shattering, smoke rising from it before with that inhuman scream once more vanishing.
"I'm getting too old for this shit." I muttered getting up. My arms ached, my legs were throbbing and my head swam. My hearing was coming back in ringing sounds. "I need a stiff drink too." I stood on my wobbly legs and nearly fell over as I looked around.
Two cars had been destroyed, the roof had been mangled, a tree cut down and a smoking crater where some psychopath had tried to taz me. This really wasn't my day. At least I was in one piece. That was about to change though...
And out of the dusty rubble of the gargoyle stepped a large creature. The jaguar looked over at the crater as it stepped over the rotting body of the stone monster and paced slowly, on powerful paws towards me. It's body moved like a river, flowing with each step with a grace only a cat could possess. It smirked down at the stone monster before looking over at me, and once more a numbing fear washed over me. I raised my gun at it.
"Well done," It almost purred before eying the gun. And then it laughed. I seriously hated when I pointed a gun at things and they laughed. "Don't bother wasting your bullets. You'll need them."
"The hell is going on?" I glared at it taking a step back as it approached. It didn't come at me directly, it curved in its steps as if planning on circling around me.
"It was a construct." It repeated picking up a piece of stone before crushing it easily in his large paw. "A practitioners toy soldier." It chuckled as it looked over at me. "The man you blew up," it nudged its head towards the crater.
"Well technically he did that to himself." This is why kids you don't play with the black arts.
"The man was a practitioner. From the looks of it. From the smell of it," the jaguar glared at the crater before chuckling loudly. "He was a hunter. Or I assume anyways."
"Why would a hunter be after me? Why could he do...that!" I shouted pointing at the car.
"First question, first." It teased, mocking me as it took a few more steps towards me, circling around a bit as he did so. I took another step back. "He wasn't after you. But your brother, I can only assume. You were harboring your brother though so, in their eyes, were just as bad as being the big bad boogie man."
I didn't reply just watching him closely for any sign of bloodlust or malice.
"Second question. One at a time, after all." It mocked some more, tossing it's head back and enjoying itself. "That man most likely sold his soul for that power. A small price to pay to kill the boogie men." He found this all too funny in my book. I couldn't blame him for having a personal beef against them but I didn't want to get into another fight with those guys. Or be on their hit list.
"How did they find out though? I mean Marco walks around wolfish all the time but we keep the curtains shut and it's not like he goes around howling at the moon." I looked up at the night sky, never fully taking my eyes off the jungle cat who had taken a seat a few feet away and was licking the back of its paw. I couldn't see the moon or even the stars above us.
"Give it a second." The cat said as if to answer my Third question.
The world above me broke and shattered, pieces of the night sky falling before vanishing and behind that glass was the actual night sky. Stars could be seen, the moon stood lazily off to the side and the lights around us began to turn back on. And with it the apartments began to stir with life.
"Practitioners can create spaces, zones in your world that is linked to ours. That way others aren't needlessly pulled in." I was sure that wasn't the full reason why they did it though. "We need to get out of here." The cat said looking up at the night sky before back down at me. "It's not safe. They'll soon know their man failed. More will come."
"And where the hell are we suppose to go?" I stopped, surprised at my own words. We? I had said we. As in me and this...thing.
"I figured you would already know that." It turned it's head towards the apartment. Then over to a street lamp and then down at one of the cars. "How this world has changed," and then looked over at the smoking crater. "And how things always stay the same." It sounded almost sad before it stood up and stalked towards me.
"Whoa, whoa. Watch it buddy." I said raising my gun. I shivered again somewhat from the cold and mostly from the beast in front of me.
"Bullets won't work." It said matter of fact. "I will stay this way as long as I please," it answered my other unasked question. It was almost angry but those eyes softened and looked away. It closed them, taking a slow steady breath of the air around us and pawing at the ground. "I wish to feel the earth beneath me if only for a little longer." And with a flick of its tail began moving.
I wasn't about to stick around for the police and so I tucked my gun away trying to collect as many bullet shells as I could before running after him. It waited near the exit, staring back at me. I caught up shortly afterward dumping the shells into my pocket hoping I had gotten them all. People were already coming outside to investigate and I was able to play it off, mostly, as doing the same thing.
"Your life in this world will soon end." It said and I reached for my gun as if he were threatening me. "Your normal life that is." It looked up at the night sky. "Humans are so fickle though. Your brother," it looked over at me. "Wishes to stay in this world. I cannot fathom as to why." It chuckled once more and began to walk.
"Hey, wait." I said catching up once more. I stopped, looking at it. It eyed me. I was breathing heavily, my heart pounding, palms sweating but I swallowed my fears still shaking from the cold. "What...do I call you?"
The jaguar stopped at that before reaching the streets. It's gaze seemed to pierce me before it nodded, lowering its head. "I am nothing. No home. No name. Nothing. I am but a remnant of what I once was...no I am a remnant of what was," it looked at its own paws. Opening his fingers before clenching them into a fist.
"Well...yeah... I still have to call you something or than demonic creature that wants to come inside me." I frowned at my own words and tried not to focus on them. "Unless you want me to name you." I laughed, trying to lighten the mood but stopped shortly after I began, looking away. "Look. Thanks. For saving my ass back there. I would've tried standing my ground and well, heh. We both know how that would've gone."
"I didn't do it for you, boy." It said with a frown. "If you die, so will I. I have no desire, even nameless as I am, to disappear from this world forever."
I nodded at that. "Good." It quirked an eyebrow. "I would rather you have done it for yourself." Selfishness is something I can understand at least. "Still. It would be rude not to thank you. Don't let it go to your head," I rolled my eyes moving in front of him exposing my back in the process and even though my arms were shaking walked in front of him. It seemed to have notice this, watching me for a few moments before joining me on the street.
It was crowded and I could hear sirens in the distance. I tucked my hands away and pulled my shirt down over my gun, wishing I had my overcoat. I wore it more than just for style. It helped against cold nights like this.
The jaguar stood up behind me and I froze, nearly fearling those teeth clamped on me as it's body pressed against my back before distorting. Warping and wrapping around my arms and hanging down over my legs as if he were nothing but a jaguar pelt. I looked at my arms and frowned. I was wearing a jaguar fur overcoat.
"It's going to rain again." The jaguar said next to my ear. I could feel a hood (assuming it's head) resting over my own. I eyed my arms and the dangling legs behind me, then the crowd and shrugged it off. Great maybe I was insane. Most people just gave my odd coat a look before blinking it off and walking by not even thinking about it further.
"It always rains." I muttered. Or at least it always rains before it pours. And with my luck? Things were going to get mighty wet around here... That was far less frightening and more sexual than I meant to put it.
We walked in silence for a few moments and I just let my feet carry me without much thought, letting them pull me towards the only sanctuary I could think of. A pub. It was like zombies were attacking or something, heh.
"Tezca." It spoke it's voice a low deep growl in my ear. I had nearly forgotten he was there. It really did feel as if I was just wearing my overcoat again. "That is my name."
"Good for you." I chuckled and we continued walking in silence.