Riverwatch (30 page)

His second shot went wild as well.

Oh, Jesus! he thought, watching in horror as the beast climbed to its feet, the damage Loki had done to its hamstring now completely healed so it could support itself on both legs, its wing slowly knitting itself back together as well.

Jake realized that in less than a minute it would be completely healed.

Suddenly other shots rang out in the room, and Jake watched in awe as the power of the impact drove the beast right back down to its knees, huge chunks of flesh ripping out of the side of its head and shoulder, the gun obviously in the hands of someone who knew how to use it, the sound of the shots echoing around the walls of the small chamber.

Jake twisted to see the Sheriff, Katelynn, and Sam framed in the doorway, the former pointing a very large rifle at the beast while chambering another round.

Their gazes met, and Jake could see the fear and horror in the Sheriff’s eyes, the disbelief being shoved aside in favor of action; the mind’s need for survival waiting until later to rationalize the presence of the deadly thing before them.

Their weapons went off in unison this time.

Damon’s shot took the Nightshade high in the side of the head, driving it backward, just as Jake’s struck the gas canister of the Coleman lantern with a metallic whine.

The resulting spark ignited the propane inside, setting it aflame with a loud thump and mini-explosion. Burning fluid splashed over the beast’s neck and shoulders as it was forced down by the power of Damon’s rifle.

Amazingly, within seconds the Nightshade’s whole head was ablaze, covered with the burning fluid.

A loud, piercing scream of pain came from the thing’s mouth as it struggled to its feet. Loki was barking furiously now, Sam was at the door screaming, "Kill it! Kill it!" and Damon was readying his rifle for another shot, when suddenly the fire that was consuming the beast leapt to the rafters above. The flames spread quickly on the dry and rotting wood.

Within seconds, that entire side of the room was a raging inferno.

"We’ve got to get out of here!" Katelynn yelled to them over the hideous cries of the beast, and she rushed over to Jake and grabbed him under his good arm. Supporting his weight, she began dragging him towards the door and out of the room. Sam rushed over to help while Damon let loose with another shot.

Before Jake knew it, the four of them of them were rushing down the narrow staircase, the eerie cries of the beast being drowned out by the roar of the flames as they hungrily consumed the fuel on all sides. Loki dashed past and led the way before them, still barking like crazy.

They reached the second floor as the smoke began to flood the hall before them in great, billowing, black clouds. By the time they descended the stairs and dashed across the living room to the front door, the flames were rushing from the room and consuming the third floor in their fiery grip.

The group raced from the house and took refuge behind the vehicles further down the drive, turning as one to watch the spectacle unfold behind them.

The entire upper portion of the house was in flames; the fire raging out of control as it burned through the wood. The garret was one mass of flames so bright they were forced to shield their eyes to see it. Damon opened the door of the Bronco and slid inside to put out the fire alarm over the police band. The others lowered Jake to the ground, leaning him against the fender so he could see, Loki crouched at his side, refusing to leave his master.

"Look!" Katelynn cried suddenly and pointed to the upper level where the wood surrounding one of the windows had burst free and a blazing form stood for a second framed in the light.

It was the Nightshade, its entire form shrouded in flames.

For just a moment it hung there, those eerie cries of pain and anger still issuing forth from its maw, and then with a massive shove of its powerful legs it launched itself into space.

The beast spread its wings, and those below could see that these too were ablaze as they beat frantically for a minute against the air, trying to raise the beast’s form into the sky, yet the beating of its wings did nothing but fan the flames.

With a great cry the thing plunged earthward, a fiery comet on the last leg of its journey, roaring down through the sky, blazing, crashing into the placid waters of the Quinnepeg River.

Chapter Thirty-five: Aftermath

"�and I cannot say enough about the bravery and professionalism that these men exhibited in the face of danger. They were a testament to themselves, this town, and this country."

The news clip jumped from Sheriff’s Wilson’s eulogy to the long procession of fellow officers that had come to pledge their support to the families of Deputies Jones and Bannerman. The line of blue and tan uniforms stretched down the street, unquestionably the largest gathering of officers Harrington Falls had ever hosted. The 2 fallen brothers-in-arms were being recognized as heroes and the town wanted everyone to know they understood and appreciated the sacrifice that these men had made.

"As you know, these brave officers were slain on duty while trying to apprehend a murder suspect in Harrington Falls, a small town just north of Montepelier. Two days after their deaths, a confrontation occurred between the alleged killer and Sheriff Damon Wilson, who we just saw delivering the eulogy for these fine men. That confrontation ended in the death of the suspect and the accidental fire that razed the town’s oldest estate, Riverwatch, to the ground. Back to you, Steve."

Jake used the remote to turn off the television set. All the networks were carrying the funeral. The news channels had been covering the events that had occurred that night at Riverwatch. Knowing everything the reporters said about that night was false made it a lot less interesting, Jake realized. He shifted in his hospital bed, trying to find a comfortable position. He had been doing this repeatedly for the last three days, since being admitted. Having his leg in traction made getting comfortable difficult. He was fiddling with the straps around his leg when he saw a figure standing in the doorway.

"It’s too bad we just can’t tell them what really happened," Damon said, removing his Sheriff’s hat and entering the room. He closed the door, giving them some privacy.

"They’d never believe us anyway," Jake replied. "I suspect it was hard enough convincing you."

"How’s the leg?"

"Okay, I guess. They say I’ve got months of physical therapy before I can even think about walking, but they did say I’d walk again, so it can’t be all that bad."

Damon took a seat in one of the plastic chairs next to the bed. "What you did was crazy, you know."

Jake shrugged. "I felt responsible, in a way. It was a member of my crew that released that thing into the world. If I had the slightest bit of common sense I’d have sealed that damn tunnel up right after discovering it and would have saved everyone a lot of grief." He met Damon’s frank, appraising stare with one of his own. "What would you have done in my place?" he asked.

"Probably the same thing," Damon said with a grin. "I just wanted you to know the official opinion before I gave my personal one."

Jake inclined his head at the television. "Think they’ll buy it?"

Damon understood right away that Jake was referring to the press and, by extension, the public. "We’ve gone through the worst of the scrutiny. The ‘suspect’ I created is strong enough to hold up. We’ll see some problems when they don’t find any remains a few weeks from now when they sift through what’s left of Riverwatch, but I’ll figure something else out by then. We’ll get through it."

"Thanks for getting me out of there that night. I wouldn’t have made it without you," Jake told the Sheriff.

"The thanks really belong to your two friends. They were pretty convincing."

At that moment the door to Jake’s room opened and Katelynn came in. She kissed Jake on the forehead, said hello to Damon, and took a seat on the end of the bed.

"You’re not wearing your necklace any longer," Damon noted.

"Never will either." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wrapped package. "I’m not quit sure what to do with it, though. It seems wrong to just throw it away."

"I’ll take it," said Jake. "It’ll make a nice reminder of what we went through."

"What do you think it really is?" Damon asked, referring to the stone’s unique properties.

"I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about that for the last few days, ever since Katelynn told me what happened that night in the car. My best guess is that Sebastian Blake created it so that he could communicate with the Nightshade in a closer fashion."

"Speaking of the Blake’s, any word on Hudson?" Katelynn asked the Sheriff.

"Nothing," replied the Sheriff. "Officially, we are listing him as missing, but I think that creature got him at the same time it killed his butler. It seems unlikely that he escaped. We’re still looking though."

They talked for a bit, until it was time for Jake’s next dose of painkillers. Knowing they put him out like a light, Damon and Katelynn said their goodbyes when the nurse came, leaving Jake in her care.

*** ***

He awoke later that afternoon. His room was empty, but a long white cardboard box rested atop the nightstand, wrapped with a blue ribbon. Reaching over, Jake picked it up and set it on the bed beside him. On the outside there was no card; no indication of who sent it or what it contained. Untying the ribbon, he opened the box.

Inside was a cane, carved from mahogany and with a silver handle in the shape of a wizard’s head. A note lay in the bottom of the box, tucked beneath the gift.

"Jake," it read. "Thought you might need this in the weeks ahead. Sorry I wasn’t there sooner." It was signed, Sam.

The note was short but explained a lot. Jake hadn’t seen Sam, except for one quick visit, the entire time he had been in the hospital. It was obvious from the note that Sam was feeling guilty about not accompanying him back to Riverwatch.

While Jake hated the thought that he was going to need a cane, he knew that he would have to get used to the idea if he intended to walk anytime soon. "Thanks, Sam." He said aloud to the empty room, wishing his friend were there.

*** ***

Downstream from Riverwatch in a small canyon formed by the twists and turns of the river as it flowed down the mountain, something crawled from the depths of the river. It dragged itself into the darkness of the dense undergrowth and slowly began to heal.

Chapter Thirty-six: The Beginning of the End

It was a gorgeous night. The air had that crisp, clean quality that comes with the fall. The stars overhead shone brilliantly. It was a good night for a walk and since Jake’s physical therapy required several of these a day, he had chosen to take advantage of the evening.

From the corner on which he stood, he could see Columbus Park.

His street met the park on the opposite side and he always ended his exercise by cutting through it.

He passed through the gate and entered the park. In the distance he could just barely make out the dark, squat shapes of the merry-go-round and the jungle gym. The baseball diamond was directly in front of him. A slide and a set of swings were there somewhere as well, he knew, but what little illumination that extended from the streetlamps behind him did not reach that distance.

From center field to the exit on the far side, the park lay nestled in a darkness broken only by the faint light of the stars above.

A sudden unease about crossing that distance struck him then, and for a moment he considered going back and taking the longer route home.

Get on with it.

Settling the grip of his cane comfortably in the palm of his hand, he started across park. A wide stretch of grass marked the area between center field and the playground. As he headed across this no man’s land, Jake was struck by the sudden stillness of the night around him.

The park was silent.

Utterly, eerily silent.

Not a breeze blew, not a bird chirped. The swings hung still and motionless. Even the street behind him was empty and therefore silent.

Jake’s nerves began jangling like high-tension wires.

This is weird.

Jake stood there and tried to gather his thoughts.

So its quiet, he informed himself. Of course it’s quiet. It’s close to eleven p.m. on a weeknight in the middle of October.

But why does it feel so empty? he wondered.

He glanced behind him.

The darkness seemed thicker behind him, denser, blackness with blackness, each level somehow more sinister than the last.

No, he wouldn’t be returning in that direction.

"So, it’s the other side or bust. So be it."

Despite his bravado, Jake wished he’d taken the long way around. Looking ahead of him, it dawned on him that once he reached the playground, he’d be in the dead center of the park.

In the center of the darkness.

His feet started moving almost of their own accord, and this time his pace matched the accelerated beating of his heart.

The darkness and the silence pressed in on him now, as if they had gained sentience through the admission of his fear.

By the time he crossed into the gravel of the playground, he’d worked himself into quite a state. His cane had trouble finding a purchase on the rock-strewn ground, and when combined with his nervous excitement, it almost pitched him forward on his face. His teeth were chattering from the cold, the sound only serving to remind him of empty rooms full of skeletons, their bones clicking away in the dank darkness that�

"Hold on there Jake!" he told himself, suddenly angry. This is absolutely ridiculous. There is nothing to be afraid of. He knew his imagination had run away with him and he wasn’t happy about his loss of control. Ever since his encounter with the Nightshade he’d been seeing ghosts in every shadow, demons behind every doorstep. He’d proven the damn thing had been flesh and blood, hadn’t he? Proven it could be killed? It hadn’t been some unholy, supernatural being that couldn’t be stopped. He, Jake Caruso, had stopped it!

Replaced by his anger, the fear slipped away into the back of his mind.