By the Fire: Issue 3 (2 page)

I’m not sure what to say. I’ve never shot holy bullets before. He reaches under his desk and pulls out a canvas sack and hands it across to me. Tugging the drawstring open I find a neatly folded stack of clothes. Not just any clothes though. It’s my old uniform.

“I also took the liberty of having your uniform mended and washed in holy water. I don’t know how much protection that will afford you but it cannot hurt.”

“Reverend I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”

He waves his hand like he’s shooing away my gratitude. “It’s the Lord’s work. Now, come on, there is one last thing to be done.”

Slipping his robe back on he leads me to the altar and has me kneel. He picks up a glass of wine and a wafer and gives me communion. When we have prayed, I know I don’t seem the prayin type, he pulls a small golden cross from around his neck and places it on me.

“Go with God my son.”

I nod and stand back up. I feel lighter and heavier all at the same time. I’m clean for the first time in ages but I have dark things left to do. I step out into the night and go hunting.




Seven months. That’s how long I’ve been looking for this bastard. Seven months and one attack later I still haven’t found him. Poor
Sarah Laumann. At least she survived the attack. Every time I think of that poor girl being bashed in the head while she slept I’m compelled to look again. I’ve spent hours, no days, roaming the city. At least my searching involves plenty of time in bars. Looking for a serial killing demon is thirsty work.

I’m leaving one bar when I notice a man by the door. Wearing a rumpled linen suit and newsie cap he’s leaned against the wall rolling a cigarette. He sports a fairly impressive mustache too. I’m a little envious. I’ve never been able to grow much facial hair.

My eyes narrow while I concentrate on his face. I’m sure I’ve seen him before. I’m also certain that he’s watching me out of the corner of his eye.

Outside I hurry to the alley between the bar and the next building. I sink back into the shadows and wait. Sure enough I hear footsteps coming my way. They slow down as they
grow close to the alley. He’s good. He’s also definitely following me. I see him stop at the entrance to the alley and pause a moment before walking further in.

Leaping forward I grab him and try to push him against the wall when I feel myself leave the ground. The ground and I make our re-acquaintance rather suddenly. Stars explode into existence around me when my head strikes the pavement. Before I can move there is a knee pressed into my neck and I hear a click next to my temple.

“Don’t move.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it pal, but I expected an axe not a gun from you.”

The barrel of the gun pulls back from my head. As the stars fade from my sight I see a look of confusion on his face. Not what I anticipated.

“Get up” he says while stepping back. I’m slow to move until he gestures with the gun. I highly doubt a gun would kill me but I’m still not willing to test that theory; especially since he’s aiming his revolver at my head from five feet away. That just might do the trick. Who knows what would happen next. I might get sent back again for all I know.

I put my hands up as I stagger back to my feet. “Ok, ya got me. Now what are you going to do with me? Gonna bash my face in like that poor Sarah Laumann?”

He frowns at me. “You think I’m the Axe Man. Why?
”

“Because I’ve been looking for him for months and you keep popping up everywhere I go, just watching. Like you’re looking for prey.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.” He pauses for a moment and then suddenly holsters his pistol under his coat.

“Detective Thomas O’Bryan. New Orleans Police Department. Who are you and why are you chasing the Axe Man?”

“I’m Michael, but most people just call me the dead man. I’m chasing him because a man in a black suit told me to in a dream.”

He twists one end of his mustache. “You’re the dead man?”

I cock my head at him. “You’ve heard of me?”

He gives me a half smile. “Oh, I’ve heard a thing or two.”

“I take it you aren’t any closer than I am?”

He shook his head. “I’ve spent hours searching the bars. You?”

“The same. I even sent some letters to the newspaper taunting him but nothing.”

“Those letters were from you? I’m surprised you didn’t get a response from all the things you said.”

I just shook my head. I was as insulting as I know how to be, which is plenty insulting, in my letters is but I didn’t get so much as a reply.

“I take it if you are looking for him then there is something to this demon nonsense.”

Only in New Orleans do the detectives actually believe it when you tell them it’s a something supernatural.

I nod my head at him. “Believe me, there is something to it. If I had a choice I would be putting this off on someone else.”

“How did you get involved in this?”

“It’s a long story that started with me getting shot and ends with me getting judo tossed across this alley. How about we go back inside and compare notes over a beer?”

Inside I veer to the right to snag a table while O’Bryan heads to the bar. A moment later he plops two beers down on the table in front of us. I take a long pull of mine before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Not good manners I know but hey, nobody comes to a bar to practice social graces.

“So, what’s the story” I finally ask.

“Not much to tell really. I’m a detective with the NOPD. I’ve spent the last several months looking for Axeman, so far without any success.”

“Where is your backup?”

He shakes his head. “No back up. My boss thinks I’m wasting my time. He took me off the case last week.”

I pause
with my glass halfway to my lips. “You’re out here on your own? That’s not very safe.”

He smirks at me. “Oh, I’d say I can handle myself wouldn’t you?”

I can feel my face grow flush. “Well, nonetheless, you need backup. How about we join forces?”

“I think I’d like that arrangement.”

I spit in my palm and reach across the table. He stares at my hand for a moment before spitting in his own and clasping hands with me.




“I’ve got an idea” O’Bryan said.

I throw another rock across the roof. We have spent hours sitting on this roof overlooking the bar below. Hell, we had spent weeks staking out one place or another.

“Tell me.” Any idea was better than spending another minute on this roof.

“I know a woman who is a psychic. Perhaps she could help us track this thing down.”

I nodded. Why hadn’t I thought of using a psychic or fortune teller? “I like it. What’s this woman’s name?”

“Ashley.”

I whip
my head around. “What did you say her name was?”

“Ashley, why?”

“Where did you meet her?”

He shuffles
his feet. “Well, I sorta met her where she works if you know what I mean.”

I rub
my forehead between my eyes. Well this is awkward. “I know Ashley.”

“Oh, are you a client?”

“Not exactly, she and eye have a relationship of sorts.”

His eyes grow
wide. “Oh, I didn’t mean to….”

I ho
ld up a hand. “Believe me; I don’t want to talk about this anymore than you do. Let’s just see if she can help.”

We climb down from the roof and I fi
nd myself walking much faster than I normally do. Back at the brothel the Madam who runs the place waves me to go to the back. That is our signal that Ashley isn’t with a John. I don’t know her real name. All the girls just call her Madam.

“Honey, I’m home.”

Ashley is sitting on the side of the bed brushing her hair. She turns around and smiles at me.

“There you are
” she says to me. O’Bryan walks in behind me. Her face lights up when she sees him. “Thomas! How nice to see you.”

She jumps up and gi
ves him a kiss on the cheek. My stomach does a flip. I won’t lie. I seriously consider taking a swing at him. To his credit he looks abashed. His face turns bright red and he looks down as he mumbled his greetings. There is a reason I don’t come to the brothel while Ashley is working.

“We need some help Ash. We’re looking for someone and it has us stumped. Think you can use some of that psychic mojo to help find them?”

She sets down her hairbrush and nods at me. “Of course I’ll help. Go wait for me in the sitting room. I’ll be there after I’ve prepared.”

Ten m
inutes of awkward silence passes that is only punctuated by the two of us shifting in our seats. Finally she enters the room carrying a silver tray. Placing it on the table she begins sorting the items off of it onto the table. A bronze bowl goes in the center of the table. She fills it with water from a glass carafe. When the water is still she pulls the stopper out of a small bottle. The scent of sandalwood fills the room. Tilting the bottle Ashley lets a few drops fall into the bowl.

Setting the oil aside she closes her eyes and inhales deeply. When she opens
them back up she leans over the bowl and stares at it for several minutes. I have to fight the urge to let my foot tap with impatience. Finally Ashley lifts her head. Her eyes are glassy and unfocused.

“He’s going to strike again soon. Tonight I believe. Bring me a map.”

I jump out of my seat and run to Madam’s room. I pound on the door until she opens it. She is blinking sleep from her eyes and holding her nightgown closed with one hand.

“I’m sorry that I woke you. I need a map of the city.”

She looks confused but goes to her closet and pulls out a rolled up map. I remember seeing it one of the first times I came to visit Ashley. Snatching it out of her hands I run back to the sitting room to roll it out onto the table. Ashley’s head is lolling from side to side by this point.

I ta
ke her head in my hands and pat her on the cheek. “Come on baby, stay with me baby.”

She rolls
her head my way. “Hey baby, there you are. Have I ever told you how much I love you? I’m even thinking about quitting this job for you.”

Excitement races through me at her words. I have
never been brave enough to ask her to do that. I have to stay focused though. “I love you too honey. Now can you show us where to go?”

“
Oh sure, no problem.” She rolls her head towards the map and puts her finger on the map. As soon as she does she starts screaming in agony and falls to the floor thrashing. I kneel beside her and try to calm her. It doesn’t seem to help though. She begins clawing at her eyes and I have to grab her wrists to keep her from hurting herself. Madam and several of the girls rush into the room.

“Help me” I yell
at them.

They help
me hold her hands and feet but nothing stops her pain. Think Michael think. I feel a hand on my shoulder. Looking up I see O’Bryan standing beside me.

“Did you get the address?”

He nods at me. “We need to go.”

“I can’t jus
t leave her like this” I snarl at him.

“We can help her” Madam tells
me, “as much as anyone can help the poor dear. What happened?”

“She was finding a demon for us. It looks like he found her too.”

She crosses herself. “Heaven help her.”

And there it i
s the help that I couldn’t think clearly enough to see. I jump to my feet. “Get her to the Reverend. He can help. We’ve got to go stop a murderer.”

I follow
O’Bryan outside. He has to pull me along because I keep looking back at Ashley. I feel guilty for leaving her even if it has to be done. We race to the spot marked on the map. Luckily it isn’t that far. It was a nice house in the suburbs. We stop in the front. And O’Bryan leans forward on his knees as he catches his breath.

“It seems quiet enough
.”

He nods his head but has
n’t caught his breath enough to speak. That is when the screaming starts.

I jerk
my head up to see a woman stumbling out of the front door of the house. She falls to her knees in the damp grass. I run to her.

“What happened?”

“My husband. He killed my husband” she sobs out.

“Is he still inside?”

She shakes her head no without raising it up. She points off to the right before she collapses again in tears.

“Come on O’Bryan. We can’t let him get away.”

He nods his head wearily and we take off again at a run. We run for several blocks until up ahead I see him. He is about my height but built heavier. He is wearing a long trench coat and slouch hat. And I realized that I have seen him before. I had literally bumped shoulders with this bastard and hadn’t chased him down.

“You!”

He turns around and I see him smiling at us. He gives me a jaunty little wave before walking to his right. Straight into a cemetery. I come to a dead stop at the entrance and O’Bryan slams into me from behind.