Dark Rising - Chapter 1

Chapter One

“God is on our side, those who oppose us will be crushed!”
Cody Barrett watched from behind and slightly above the man speaking, unseen. He looked again around the room, fixing the weapons and maps firmly in his memory. He already had solid images of the eight men memorized.
He sighed, God was certainly on a lot of sides these days. Oh well, he’d seen and heard enough; God could sort it out if he cared to bother. Time to go.
Drifting upward, he passed through the ceiling and beyond. Cody shuddered as his essence touched a rat living in the attic of the isolated house, briefly absorbing the rodent’s tiny thoughts; overwhelming hunger and decay rose momentarily with him. He would have grimaced if such an action had been open to him or his control less.
Once in clear space, he concentrated on his body, still sitting in a lotus position on a cushion within the confines of his living room, thousands of miles away. A blurred instant later, he was looking down at himself. Sinking into his corporeal half, he increased his heart rate and respiration to a normal speed. He opened his eyes. Light stretching and exercise relieved the kinks and stiffness in a body which hadn’t moved for several hours.
His stomach rumbled in protest when he went to his work table instead of the kitchen, but he paid no heed. Recording everything from the meeting was more important. He pulled a sketchpad and pens near and started drawing. In an hour, he had excellent likenesses of the eight men, with names on those called so by their companions. Another hour and he completed his written report. He faxed the lot to his boss in Washington.
Cody burned the originals as soon as the confirmation was faxed back to him regarding the quality of the images, dumping the ashes in the trash: the CDI would take things from this point. He shook his head, the cell would seriously NOT prevail. He doubted they would even exist within the next day or two.
His stomach protested once again, he obeyed the summons this time. In the refrigerator, all he found was an amorphous green mass in a clear bag. Sniffing it, he recoiled at the odor: too close to what the rat had emanated. He put it back on the shelf and closed the door. There was a pile of menus from various restaurants on the counter; he dug through them, hoping something would appeal.
The phone rang before a meal suggested itself. He ignored the ringing, waiting for the machine to pick up. “Cody? You there, old son?”
When Tom’s voice sounded, he changed his mind and answered. “Tom! Good to hear from you. How’s your world treating you today?” His own had just brightened.
“I need your help, Cody. I hate to ask, but this is important. Can you come up to Denver?”
Cody frowned and drew a hand through his shiny black hair. “On my way. I need to grab a bite on the way, though. I’ve been on an assignment today, and you know how that goes. I should be able to make it to your place in…say, two hours?”
He heard a sigh on the line. “Two hours should be okay. Enjoy your bean sprouts or whatever that crap is.”
His smile was back. “Better than all that stuff in those dead cows you eat! Care to give me a preview of the evening?”
“It’s a little complex for the phone, sorry.” Cody heard another deep sigh. “I’ll explain it all when you get here, okay? Oh, and Donna will be here also, is that a problem?” Tom’s voice was a bit hesitant.
“Nooo…,” then in a stronger voice, “no, not a problem. Your sister is good people.”
“Yeah, she is. All right. See you in a couple. And thank you, my brother. I really appreciate this. Bye.”
Cody hung up the phone, take-out menus forgotten.
#
Donna sat back on the couch, feet tucked under her, and swirled the ice in her drink, watching the easy camaraderie between her brother and Cody. It always amazed her how these two could be so close: Tom, the outgoing gregarious reporter, and Cody, the reclusive, normally silent…what? She didn’t know what he did for a living, though she had known him for years. Tom had filled her head with tales of Cody, each one different, and none more likely to be true than the last.
“Donna? Remember when Cody was at the house for Thanksgiving that one time? When you were trying to cook your first turkey?” Both men laughed, and Donna laughed with them, face burning at the memory of the firemen hosing down her ‘perfect’ dinner. Would they never let that one go? Every time they all got together, that was one of the first stories. She shook her head, wishing one of them had something in their past to counteract the picture of her mother’s ruined kitchen. One of these days, she vowed to herself, she would find some of their embarrassing moments and torment the tormentors.
Lost in memories for long minutes, barely listening to the comments and only half hearing the laughter of the two men, her ruminations stopped when Tom cleared his throat. She paid attention. Tom had said something important was going on when he asked her over. The fact that Cody was here also meant something more than family. Maybe this was the time to find out what the big deal was.
Tom looked at both of them soberly, raising his glass in a toast to them. “Thank you both for being here. I love you guys, and can’t imagine better people to tell this to. I hope I’ve just got a writer’s imagination, and you guys will set me straight.” He bowed his head, sighing. She could see the frustration in his eyes when he looked up.
“The investigation I’ve been on started with the disappearance of a homeless man a month or so ago who’d been giving me information on another case. It turns out there are a lot of the homeless who have turned up missing, but none of them mentioned leaving town to anyone. It’s got me concerned. All of this is in the folders I have for you both. This is turning into something bigger than I thought, and I wanted you guys to know about it, just in case.”
“Tom? Just in case?” She asked, sitting up straight. Alarm grew from a tiny point to a massive cloud in a single moment. “Bigger how? Are you saying you yourself are in danger? What’s going on?”
“My question exactly, Tom. You want to fill us in, or do we have to wait to read about it?” Cody still looked relaxed, legs crossed, foot swinging idly. The twitch in his cheek gave the lie to his appearance.
Tom looked uncomfortable, almost angry. “I don’t know that I’m in any danger.” At their dubious looks, he added, “Really. But I think I’ve got a shadow watching me most of the time, and little things have happened, some of which lead me to believe this involves more than the normal missing person cases.” Tom had a white knuckled grip on his drink as he looked at them both. “Okay, here’s what I’ve found so far. There’s this cult. At least, I guess a cult is what you’d call it, who worship some god called Zulqor. Now, I did a lot digging, and found out this cult isn’t new.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Around the fourth century BC or thereabouts, this Zulqor had quite a following. No big deal, there were a lot of gods in those days, probably as many as there were isolated villages.”
He took a long swallow of his drink and continued. “One of the things setting this guy apart from the rest was the fact he was really fond of humans being sacrificed to him. And I guess there were a lot who ended up on his altar.” He looked from Cody’s impassive face to his sister’s stricken one. “What I’ve found so far points to the missing people helping the cult, by playing sacrifice. I doubt they were real happy about their roles. So, there we are. There’s the reason I’m concerned, and why I asked you both here. I need you to look over my research and tell me I’m nuts.” Cody’s feet were now both planted firmly to the floor.
Donna felt numb. Sacrifice? But, it wasn’t possible! Surely, she would have seen or heard something, wouldn’t she? She had been attending services with followers of Zulqor for a couple of months, getting very involved and receiving a lot of comfort, and nothing like this had even been hinted at. “Are you sure, Tom? I mean, people don’t really do those things anymore, do they? How could anyone hide something like that?”
Tom looked at her, pity evident in his eyes. “I’m afraid they do, Sis. There are still cannibals around, and those who cut open animals to tell the future. Remember the cattle mutilations years ago? It’s not much of a leap to add humans to the sacrificial pile. Everything I’ve learned so far points to it really happening.”
“And the homeless are perfect, having no one who knows them. Nobody misses them.” Cody shook his head. “I can see the logic so far, Tom.” He sat back, watching Tom with narrowed eyes. “Okay, we’ve got the background, so the question becomes what can you do about it, and how can I help?”
Tom looked relieved. “I was hoping you’d offer, Cody. I think someone is taking notice of my investigation. I can get the details to expose them, but I could use a pair of eyes at my back. With the talents I know you’ve got, you’re my first choice.”
“Talents?” Donna asked, confused. She was ignored.
“Consider it done. I don’t have anything pressing right now, so I can stick around for as long as you need me.” He raised his glass back to Tom before taking a sip.
Her brother looked back to Donna. “Sis, what I need you to…”
The window overlooking the street seemed to implode. Shards of glass flew ahead of a creature not even their most horrific nightmares could conjure up. Teeth, claws, and wrongness were the only things Donna perceived before it landed among them.
Cody was a blur as he rose and spun to meet the threat. He snapped a kick, following up with a succession of punches before the creature grabbed him by one arm and threw him against a wall, ten feet or more away. He slumped to the floor, a puppet without strings.
Tom was slower to react. He was only half out of his chair when the thing reached him. He shouted in rage and denial as he was raised up. His shout ended abruptly when his head was removed by a vicious swipe of the creature’s claws. It flew to land in Donna’s lap, face upward, eyes staring in eternal horror and shock. The thing raised Tom’s body and drank the blood spurting from a heart not willing to recognize death. One by one, it pulled the limbs free and consumed them, staring at Donna with orange eyes as it did so. It emitted low growls as it tore each bite, finally licking the blood dripping from its claws when the body was gone.
It glanced at Cody and back to Donna, seemingly uncertain, then melted into and through the hardwood floor. In moments, there was only a smoking stain on the floor and the coppery reek of death to show it had been there.
The rawness in her throat finally let Donna know the screams she heard came from deep within herself. They eventually faded to whimpers. Trying to control the shudders was useless. When she was able to look away from her brother’s eyes, she steeled herself as best she could and set the head, face down, on the sofa beside her. She rose and stumbled her way around the room to Cody’s side, doing all she could to avoid stepping in the pools of blood and clothing scattered about.
Cody lay with eyes closed, blood dripping from the left arm the creature had grasped to throw him. She tore the remnants of his sleeve off to see the damage, then used it to bind the four punctures the creature left in his arm. Shaking, she stumbled to the phone and dialed 911. Only when she hung up did she notice the sliver of glass in the back of her hand and feel the pain of others imbedded through her clothing.
When the police and paramedics arrived, she was barely coherent. “I don’t know.” She kept answering to each question. “It killed him and then it dissolved. I don’t know. It threw Cody and killed him. I don’t know.” As they loaded her on the ambulance beside Cody she kept sobbing, “I don’t know.”
Even with the sedatives the doctor gave her at the hospital, it took a long time for the shaking to stop. And even longer for the image of Tom’s face to stop appearing every time she closed her eyes. Exhausted blackness finally called to her; she entered with relief.
#
Cody woke to darkness and burning pain. It took a few moments before he could connect the pain to the events of the evening. He started up, then fell back as weakness assailed his body. The light came on, revealing a curtain less than a yard away. The curtain was pulled back by a woman in a nurse’s uniform. She had a concerned look on her face as she reached for his hand. “How are you doing? I heard you moan. You didn’t pull out the IV, did you?” She checked his pulse and the lines running into and out of him with practiced ease.
“Tom.” Only a croak came out. He tried again. “Tom. Where’s Tom? Is he okay? Donna? Where are they?” He had trouble focusing his eyes. They seemed to be disconnected, independent of each other.
“You just rest now, and the doctor will be in after a bit. I’m sure he’ll answer all your questions.” She adjusted the drip in the IV and made a note on his chart. She smiled briefly before she went beyond the curtain. The light went out.
Cody tried to call her back, but the darkness and the drugs claimed him before he could make his mouth work again.
The next time he woke, it was light and he was clear headed. He was also vaguely surprised to be alive. As little notice as the creature had taken of his blows, and as easily as it had removed him as a threat, he knew he would have died if the goal had been to kill him. Were Tom or Donna the target? Try as he might, nothing came to him from the time he hit the wall until he woke up in this bed. “Time to find some answers.”
He located the call button and pushed it. His vision was singular instead of doubled, and except for a dull ache in his left arm and shoulder, he felt good enough to walk out; which he fully intended to do. A nurse bustled into the room moments later and heard him out. She was sympathetic but unrelenting while she plumped pillows and firmly pushed his shoulders back down.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Barrett, but only your doctor can release you. He’ll see you on his morning rounds, and you can talk to him about the paperwork then. No, I can’t tell you anything about your friends, but perhaps Dr. Walker can. You just lay back and relax now.”
“I’ll tell you what, Nurse…” He looked at the small brass tag over her left breast. “Bradley. I’m leaving this morning. That’s the plan. If the doctor doesn’t release me in the next five minutes, I’ll pull this IV and release myself. I’m a very determined man who’s looking for some answers. I’ll do whatever it takes to get them.” He glared up at her while she stood impassive as if this were just another day.
“I’d like some answers myself, Mr. Barrett.” The voice came from a man who entered the room behind Nurse Bradley. He filled the doorway, tall and broad shouldered, dressed in a dark blue suit. He was very neatly groomed and held a small leather case out as he approached. “Nathan Wallace, FBI.” He allowed Cody a quick glance at the ID and badge before flipping the case shut and putting it in his jacket pocket. Cody raised an eyebrow, wondering what the FBI could want with him. He had done little work with them in the past, he tried to avoid the hidebound he had encountered too many times when he had had to deal with them. Usually he was contacted by his own agency when it became necessary to ‘loan’ him out. The agent looked at Nurse Bradley. “Nurse, I need some time alone with Mr. Barrett. Thank you.” After dismissing her, he turned back to Cody as if the nurse no longer existed.
“Mr. Barrett, I want to hear your story about what happened at Thomas Masters’ home last night.”
Cody had to concentrate on keeping his distaste for the man from his face and tone. He looked at the nurse with considerably less animosity than a few minutes before. “Thank you, Nurse Bradley. If you can find the doctor, I’d certainly appreciate it.” He looked back to agent Wallace as the nurse turned to leave with a jerk, his brown eyes again just as hard as the blue ones staring at him. “That’s why you’re here? I can’t help you much, I don’t know what ended up happening last night. I was a little,” he held up thumb and finger close together, “unconscious. Perhaps you’d be better off asking Tom or Donna.”
“I spoke to Miss Masters a short time ago. I’ll tell you up front, I don’t buy her story. Tell me what you saw before you allegedly became unconscious.” He stood implacably, leaning forward slightly.
Cody bristled. “Donna Masters does not lie. If she says something, you can take it to the bank. Tom will back her and anything I tell you will be right in line with both of them. Now, if you want to ask me a question instead of demanding something from me, I may consider answering.”
The agent clenched his fists. Cody wasn’t bothered in the slightest. After all, one of his was already in a fist under the blanket, the other tense on his chest.
Agent Wallace snorted. “I can’t talk to Mr. Masters, as I’m sure you already know. As for the rest, please tell me what happened last night. There. Better?” The last was said through tight jaws.
“Why can’t you talk to Tom? Was he hurt worse than I? Is he still out?”
“Let’s get something straight here, Barrett. I’m not here to answer your questions; I’m here for you to answer my questions. Clear enough?”
“Quite.” Cody thought for a moment. He had ways of finding things out on his own. “Okay, I’ll get my answers later, then. Last night. We were attacked by something coming through the window. I tried to stop it. It threw me into a wall. I was knocked out. End of story.”
Agent Wallace shook his head. “No, not the end at all. We’re just starting. Something came through the window. You didn’t recognize him? Can you at least describe him? You tried to stop ’it’. You couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman? Was it someone in disguise?” He leaned further forward, intent.
Cody was shaking his head. “This was not human. I don’t have any idea what it was. It had two arms and two legs, but no other resemblance to you or me. It had long teeth, and long claws, and moved like the proverbial greased lightning. I’m a pretty good martial artist, and nothing I did seemed to affect it at all. It was like hitting a tree, with just about the same results.” He looked thoughtful. “One of the first things I did was to kick it in the kneecap. When I hit it straight on, the leg just folded away from my foot. Imagine your leg bending backwards. Could you walk on it? This thing just straightened the leg and came on.” He shook his head again.
“I have experience in karate myself, Mr. Barrett. All I can say is you must have missed the knee. I don’t buy the idea of a monster in the suburbs.” He paused in thought. “Oh, I agree we have monsters, but they’re human and whacked out. They don’t have rubber knees and long teeth. You want to try another story?” He pulled a chair close and sat down, looking through narrowed eyes at Cody. “What I saw was done by someone with a very nasty agenda, and I’d like to stop him from claiming other victims.”
“You weren’t there. I was, and told you exactly what I saw. I don’t know any other way to describe the thing, so take it or leave it. Now, it’s my turn to ask you again, where are Tom and Donna, and why is the FBI involved in this case?” Cody lay back and waited.
“I see. Well, I can guarantee we will be talking again, Mr. Barrett. Get well soon.” He rose and walked to the door before turning. “By the way, I don’t discuss ongoing investigations with civilians, Mr. Barrett. Particularly those I haven’t ruled out as suspects. Don’t take any trips, I’ll be in touch.” The door swung shut behind him.
Cody took a deep cleansing breath and held it. He closed his eyes and imagined the oxygen flowing through his body, displacing the frustration, carrying away the tendrils of fear he felt for Tom. Why wouldn’t anyone fill him in on his best friend’s condition? It took five more deep breaths before he felt calm again. When he opened his eyes once more, a doctor was standing just inside the door.
“Mr. Barrett, I’m Dr. Walker. I understand you’re a bit restless? How do you feel? Any headache? Nausea?” He walked to the bed as he spoke, pulling a small flashlight out of a pocket. He checked Cody’s eyes, one at a time, put the light away and removed the bandages from Cody’s arm. He seemed satisfied with what he saw.
“Other than aches, mostly my arm, I feel fine. Physically, that is. Mentally, I’m getting very frustrated. When can I get out of here? And can’t anyone tell me where my friends are?”
Dr. Walker stood straight. His eyes were full of compassion when he spoke. “Miss Masters is fine, a few minor cuts from flying glass, just as you have. I released her ten minutes ago. From what she said, I gather her brother was killed. I’m sorry. They are the friends you were concerned about, aren’t they?”
Cody sank back. Deep down, he supposed he had known Tom was dead, from the nurse’s and agent’s refusal to talk about him. But, Buddha, it was hard to assimilate. He nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s who I meant. May I leave now?”
The doctor picked up the chart and started writing in it. “Of course. I’ll get a nurse in here to take out the IV and wrap your arm back up. I’ll leave a prescription for antibiotics at the desk. Take one twice a day, until the bottle is empty, and have these punctures checked by your own physician in a week. If the pain increases, or you see any redness in the area, see him immediately. Change the bandage daily. You understand these instructions?” He looked critically at Cody over half glasses.
“Yes, Doctor, I understand. Not a problem.”
“Good! Then sit tight for a few minutes, and I’ll send a nurse in.”
In twenty minutes, dressed and papers in hand, Cody was wheeled to the front door. He had argued against the use of a wheelchair, but they refused to listen. Donna was waiting outside. He got out of the chair and went to her.
“I’m so sorry, Donna. I should have stopped it. It’s why Tom wanted me there: to protect him. And I failed. I couldn’t even keep you from being hurt.” He held his arms out to her and they embraced for a long time. Donna’s shoulders began shaking, muffled sobs began somewhere near his right shoulder. He held her head close and started stroking her hair, only then noticing the wetness of his own tears falling on his fingers.