Devil's Throat (The River Book 6) (7 page)

“Alright,” he said. “Jump back in.”

They were at the head of a street that was lined with
buildings on both sides. It looked like an old main street, with store facades
that came right up to the sidewalk. At the end of the street was a large
building that looked like a lodge. Its lights were on, and Steven could see
movement inside.

This is old downtown St. Thomas,
Winn thought.
That building at
the end of the street is the Gentry Hotel, which was always the biggest
building in town and the center of activity. There used to be a church, but the
Mormons tore it down when they left, and the residents that moved in behind
them never rebuilt it.

What’s going on in there?
Steven thought.
The rest of the town seems empty,
but that hotel looks busy.

Everyone’s there at the moment,
Winn thought.
They always meet
there, every night. In a few hours they’ll all slowly start to leave, and
you’ll see them drift back to the stores and houses in the rest of town.

What are they doing in there?
Roy thought.

It’s kind of hard to explain
, Winn said.
I’ll tell you later.
But that hotel is important, because if I’m right, that’s where Jason is right
now. Down in the basement.

Can we go get him?
Steven thought.

No way,
Winn said.
If we set foot in that hotel we’d be turned on by dozens
of ghosts and ripped to shreds in a heartbeat.

Can’t we use your gun?
Roy asked.
We could all carry one.

Even if we did,
Winn said,
there’s too many of them. By the time you
knocked out one or two, ten more would be on you. Trust me, I know what I’m
talking about.

What do we do?
Steven asked.
I’ve got to get him out of there.

I’ll explain that later too, after we leave,
Winn thought.
For now, I just
wanted you to see this place, to understand what we’re dealing with.

What about the tourists, during the day?
Roy asked.
Do they attack them?

No,
Winn thought.
They’re not in the River. To them they just look like people
walking around town, looking at the buildings. At night it’s a different story,
they get a little more suspicious, but no one comes out here at night, the Feds
don’t let them. They only freak out and attack when they see someone in the
River.

I still think they pick off a person or two,
Deem thought.
Every now and then
a tourist goes missing.

You’re probably right,
Winn thought.

Why?
Steven thought.
Why attack a tourist?

My theory,
Deem said,
and Winn may not agree with this, but my theory
is that they feed them to a creature in the mine east of here.

Creature in a mine?
Roy wondered.

See those mountains, where the moon has risen?
Deem thought.
At the base of
those mountains are the Red Hills. There was a series of mining operations
there, almost a dozen shafts. Most of them are haunted by strange creatures
created by the radiation. But a couple of them hold kobolds. Around here,
kobolds have mutated into powerful, bloodthirsty spirits. That’s where I think
the tourists wind up.

But you can’t prove it,
Winn thought.

How else do you explain the Callers?
Deem thought.

What are you two talking about?
Roy thought.

Let’s have this discussion once we’re out of here,
Winn thought.
We’re going to walk
up to the hotel now, so you can see into the windows. Drop out and follow me.

Back in the dry lake bed of Lake Mead, Steven felt the crusted
mud crack under his feet as he followed the others. He looked right and left,
and the buildings he had just seen in the River had all disappeared – just the
concrete foundations remained.
This is so weird,
he thought as he
walked. Talk about a ghost town – this
really
was.

They walked up to a foundation that looked just like all the
others, but Steven knew from its placement that it had to be the hotel they had
seen in the flow. They all slipped into the River, and Steven looked up at the
tall, two-story structure. He could see people moving inside, through the
windows. They appeared to be sitting and listening as one of them spoke. After
a few moments, Winn suggested they drop back out and follow him around to the
back.

Once there, they entered the River again, and Steven could
see movement through a basement window. He walked forward, hoping to get a
better view and potentially see Jason. He pressed his face up against the glass
and looked inside. There was Jason, seated at a table with several others,
talking with them. The person next to him was showing him how to mix something
on the table. Steven resisted the urge to call Jason’s name or tap on the
window. He watched Jason for a while. He didn’t seem unhappy or upset. He
didn’t look trapped, or like he wanted to escape.

Steven,
he heard Winn think.
Come back from there. You don’t want to be seen.
Drop out.

As he began to pull away from the window, he saw one of the
figures in the room noticed the movement. It turned and walked to the window,
gazing up. Steven pulled back, hoping he was far enough out of the light that
the ghost couldn’t see him.

The ghost continued to investigate, passing through the
window and rising to ground level. Once it stood outside the building, it could
clearly see them all.

Fuck!
Winn thought, reaching inside his backpack.

Roy and Deem took several steps back. Steven was closest to
the ghost, which was now snarling, and as they watched, its translucent quality
quickly solidified and it soon became a beaten and bloody corpse, flesh
dangling from its face and arms. It snarled again and this time it ran towards
Steven, covering the distance between the two of them before Steven could think
to turn and run. It grabbed at Steven’s arm and Steven felt it rip into him.

Winn stepped around Steven and aimed the EM gun at the ghost.
He pressed the trigger and they heard an electronic hum followed by a pop. The
ghost was stunned, but continued to reach for Steven. Winn pushed Steven back,
and then they both ran towards the others, the ghost following closely. When
Steven and Winn reached Roy and Deem, Winn thought,
Drop out and come on!
and they all turned and followed him, running as quickly as they could.

Steven could hear the snarling behind him, just feet away.
That
was just one quick swipe,
he thought.
I’d hate to see how much damage it
could do to my back if it catches up!
He glanced to his right, looking for
Roy. Roy was running right alongside him, moving quickly.

The snarling started to fade. After they’d run about a block,
Winn stopped and turned. The ghost was well behind them, and it had become
translucent again. “Watch!” Winn said, as they all turned to look at it,
dropping into the River. It seemed to sputter and shake, then it faded quickly
and was gone.

“Fucking hell,” Steven said, exiting the flow.

“What’s the damage?” Roy asked, and Steven held his arm up to
Roy’s flashlight. An inch-wide gash ran down the middle of it.

“That’s going to need stitches,” Winn said.

“I’ve been attacked by things in the River before,” Steven
said. “It hurt, but there wasn’t a physical mark when I came out of the flow.
Not like this.”

“That’s because these things aren’t normal,” Deem said.

Winn opened his backpack and removed a roll of gauze. “Here,
wrap it with this,” he said. “It’s not the first time I’ve been attacked by
them. I learned to bring supplies.”

That’s how he got the scars,
Steven thought. He held his arm out
while Roy wrapped the gauze around it and tied it off.

“That’ll hold you until you can get to Mesquite,” Winn said.
“There’s a hospital there.”

“You can see why we couldn’t just storm the place,” Deem
said. “It’s not like shooting targets. The gun takes a few moments to work.”

“Too damn long,” Steven said, holding his arm. Now that the
adrenaline was starting to wear off, his arm began to throb. “I’m not going to
turn into one of those things, am I?”

“What, like in a zombie movie?” Winn said. “No, they’re
ghosts. I’ve never seen their attack turn anyone into anything. I’ve seen it
kill and maim a few people, but not turn them.”

“Is there more you want to show us?” Steven asked. “If not,
I’m ready to go. I’ve seen enough.”

“Let’s leave then,” Winn said. “Follow me back to the trail.”

It was after midnight when Steven emerged from the ER in
Mesquite. Roy, Deem, and Winn were waiting for him.

“I’m beat,” Steven said. “It’s been a long day. I have a
million questions for you, but they pumped a painkiller into me and I really
need to sleep.”

“Let’s get you back to the motel,” Roy said. “Can you two
meet tomorrow morning? Maybe over breakfast?”

“Sure,” Winn said. “Deem?”

“Yes,” she said. “Just say when and where.”

“Any place in Overton?” Roy asked.

“Pete’s is about it,” Winn said. “9 a.m. work?”

“Works for me,” Deem said.

“We’ll be there,” Roy said, walking with Steven out of the
hospital and into the parking lot.

“Here, take this,” Winn said, pulling a jar out of his
backpack and handing it to Steven. “If it starts to tingle, put some of this on
it.”

“I thought you said it couldn’t infect me?” Steven said.

“I said it couldn’t turn you into one of them,” Winn said. “I
never said it couldn’t infect you. If it starts to tingle, rub a liberal amount
of this on it. Don’t be stingy, I’ve got a lot more. It’ll take away the sting
and keep it from rotting.”

“
Rotting?
” Steven said. “It’s going to
rot?
”

“Well, it’ll smell like it,” Winn said. “So just use it, OK?”

“Jesus Christ,” Steven said. “I guess it was stupid of me to
get so close to that window.”

“At least you saw your son,” Deem said. “It confirms what
Winn thought.”

“He seemed fine with being there,” Steven said. “He didn’t
look trapped at all. He’s there willingly, isn’t he?”

“We’ll talk about it in the morning,” Winn said. “You two get
some sleep, and we’ll see you both tomorrow.” Winn left them and walked towards
his Jeep. Steven looked at Deem; he noticed she was watching Winn’s backside as
he left.

“He’s good looking,” Steven said to her, wondering if she and
Winn were a thing.

“Oh yeah,” Deem said, “he is. You interested in him?”

“Oh, no,” Steven said, a little embarrassed. “I’m divorced.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re not interested in him,” Deem said. “Half
the town is.”

“You two ever…?” Steven asked.

“Hell no!” Deem said. “He’s brilliant, but I can’t stand his
ego when it comes to sex. He thinks he’s god’s gift.”

“Ah,” Steven said, wondering if he’d asked for too much
information. He was still a little surprised she might have thought he was
interested in Winn. He’d never been mistaken for gay in his life, and he
wondered if Deem’s comment was based on anything more than what he’d said about
Winn being handsome.
He IS handsome,
Steven thought.
I’m secure in my
sexuality because I can admit that. Doesn’t mean I’m interested in him. Kids
these days…they’re so much more open about things than we were years ago.

“You a lesbian?” Steven asked, feeling he had a right to.

“Hell no,” Deem said. “I just know better.”

◊

They met at Pete’s on the main drag in Overton the next morning.
When Steven and Roy arrived, Deem already had a table for them. They were
waiting on Winn.

“How’s Jason?” Deem asked.

“The same,” Steven said.

“Coffee?” the waitress asked Roy and Steven as they sat.

“Please!” Roy said, turning over his mug and allowing the
waitress to fill it with her pot. “I like this place already,” he said, sipping
the mug. “Shouldn’t have to feel it’s something special to have coffee. Coffee
is the
norm
.”

“What worries me,” Steven said, ignoring Roy, “is that
Jason’s been comatose for over a day now. Maybe longer. What about eating?
Bodily functions?”

“Winn might correct me,” Deem said, “but when people come
here and go to St. Thomas like that, they’re usually here for about a week
before they leave. So he’s just getting started.”

“You mean he’ll be comatose in my room for a while?” Steven
asked. “Won’t his body have a problem with that?”

“I think he’s suspended in a way that shuts all that down,”
Deem said. “He’ll come out of it after several days, starving.”

“We could at least get an IV in him,” Steven said. “Keep him
hydrated.”

“I wonder what the motel thinks,” Roy said. “Him in bed all
day long, them not changing the sheets.”

“I think they’re used to it,” Deem said, sipping what
appeared to be a hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. “It’s not the first
time. I think that motel is the location of choice when people come here to train.”

“Train?” Steven asked. “Is that what’s going on?”

Winn walked into the diner. Several heads turned as he walked
to their table and sat. Steven could see smiles of recognition on several of
them.

“Been waiting long?” he said, smiling and opening a menu.
Steven looked at his face – he had the exact amount of stubble that he’d had
the day before.
He must shave it that way,
Steven thought.
Maybe I
should try that.

“No, just got here,” Roy answered. “And I’m glad they’ve got
the coffee on. I think I went all day yesterday without any. At least I feel
back in sorts today.”

“We were just talking about Jason’s body,” Deem said. “Steven
was worried about how long he’d be in that state.”

“About a week,” Winn said. The waitress appeared and he
smiled at her. She began to blush. Deem rolled her eyes.

They all ordered, and Steven asked again about Jason’s state.

“Should I get an IV in him?” Steven asked. “I don’t want him
to dehydrate or anything.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone doing that,” Winn said, “but I
don’t think it would hurt. It’s going to be a couple of days before we can
extract him. That is, provided he’ll come.”

“Deem says he’s in training?” Steven asked. “Is that true?”

“Yes,” Winn said. “One of the things the Callers do is run a
training outfit for gifteds that want to go into service roles.”

“Services roles for what?” Steven asked.

“Usually to creatures that have a fat wallet,” Winn said,
“who need an assistant that has some abilities. A normal human won’t do. They
need gifteds. Most of us won’t have anything to do with it, but there are some
who are duped into it or actually want to work with the evils. They train them
here, then sell them off.”

“That explains Michael,” Roy said. “He was trained here, and
sold off to Lukas.”

“And now he’s wrapped Jason up in it,” Steven said.

“It’s almost like a cult,” Winn said. “The things they tell
them, the way they control their thinking while they’re here.”

“And he probably doesn’t have a clue that there’s other ways
to use his gift other than what they’re training him for,” Steven said. “It’s
like he’s being brainwashed.”

“He was primed for it,” Roy said. “He wanted it, remember? I
imagine it wasn’t a hard sell for Michael.”

“That’s my fault,” Steven said, shaking his head. “I waited
too long. And I just assumed Michael had kidnapped him, that once Jason
realized we were here to rescue him, he’d come back with us. But what if he
wants to stay? Damn, I fucked up big time.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Winn said, flashing him a
smile. “We can still find out if he wants to leave or not. Maybe, after you
talk to him, he’ll want to go. You’ll have to convince him though. He’ll be all
jazzed by the little tricks they’re teaching him. It’s exciting to him, and he
won’t want to leave it. They’ll have taught him that anything outsiders say
about the training is a lie. So he won’t believe you at first; you’ll have to
convince him. But I’ve seen people pull it off.”

“How do we do that?” Roy asked. “Talk to him?”

“We need him to break the trance for a while,” Winn said, “so
he can return to his body. The only problem with that is they’ll know he’s
gone.”

“They?” Roy asked.

“The Callers,” Winn said, sipping coffee.

“What are these Callers?” Steven asked. “You mentioned them
last night.”

“They’re a kind of ghost,” Deem said, “that has evolved into something
more functional.”

“They’re more self-aware, more ambitious,” Winn interjected.

“They know they’re ghosts,” Deem continued, “and they take
advantage of it, behaving a lot more like living humans. They run operations
like what you saw in The Gentry. We named them ‘Callers’ because they seem to
call the shots in St. Thomas. Didn’t really know what else to call them.”

“These are ghosts who are running a business,” Winn said.
“They work together with a common cause, conducting the training and selling
the graduates. They keep other ghosts as slaves. That one that came at you last
night,” he said, looking at Steven, “that was a worker, a ghost they’ve trapped
there. It had no idea it was a ghost, it thought it was a normal person, doing
a job like you or I going to work. The Callers run the whole operation.”

“Did we see any Callers last night?” Steven asked.

“No,” Winn said. “They don’t do the work. They’re on the top
floor of the hotel, running things. All the ghosts they’ve enslaved think of
them as the town elders, like the mayor and council. In a way, they are.
They’re in charge, they’re calling the shots. Everything in St. Thomas is
happening because of them.”

“So if they’ll know Jason is gone,” Roy said, “what do we
do?”

 “We’ll need a doppelganger,” Winn said. “One of us will
replace Jason in the trance. Probably me, since I’ve done it before. They do the
trainings during the day and early evening, and they all sleep from around midnight
to sunrise in the hotel. The trainees all sleep on cots in the basement. I’ll
go in, wake Jason, and tell him you want to talk to him for a few minutes.
Provided he’s willing to go back, I’ll take his place in the hotel until he
returns. You’ll be able to talk to him at the motel when he comes to in his
body. If you can convince him to leave, he’ll still have to return and play
along with the training until we can do the extraction.”

“How does the extraction work?” Steven asked.

“Same approach as the doppelganger,” Winn said. “We go in and
he leaves. Then the doppelganger leaves, and covers his tracks so he can’t be
found. You son will go into hiding until they lose interest. They don’t have
much power outside of this region, the downwind area.”

“But Michael knows about him,” Roy said. “He knows where he
lives.”

“Then we’ll have to take him out at the same time,” Winn
said. “That’s going to complicate things. This is going to take a bit of
planning.” Winn smiled, leaning back in his chair as he thought. The complexity
of the situation seemed to appeal to him, to make it more interesting.

“Do you know how to handle it?” Steven asked.

“No,” Winn said, smiling, “not yet. But I love a challenge.”

Steven was crestfallen. Deem reached out and grabbed his
hand.

“He’ll figure something out,” she said. “He always does.”

“Thank you,” Steven said. “I just feel so helpless, and
responsible.”

“It’s not entirely on you,” Roy said. “It’s my fault we
didn’t take out Michael back when we dealt with Lukas. You wanted to, but I
discouraged it. I was wrong.”

“We might have to track them separately,” Winn said. “Two of
us handle your son, and the other two handle Michael. Something like that.”

Steven looked at Winn. He could see the wheels were turning
rapidly. He felt better about relying on him.

“I’ll handle Michael,” Roy said, “if it comes to it. Steven
should stay with Jason.”

“They’ll need you for the switch,” Deem said to Winn, “so
I’ll work with Roy on Michael. You can work with Steven on Jason.”

“Hold your horses,” Winn said. “I’m not sayin’ this is the
plan just yet. I want it all thought through before we start divvying up
sides.”

“How long before the plan is solid?” Steven asked.

“We can try the first part tonight,” Winn said. “Get him out,
let you talk to him. If we decide to do the extraction, it’ll be the next night
at the earliest. So I’ve got some time to make sure our approach will work. I’m
gonna need a lot more of that purple stuff, Deem.”

“Shit!” Deem said emphatically. “Fuck!”

For a twenty year old girl, she sure has a mouth on her
, Steven thought. “What’s wrong?” he
asked her.

Winn smiled. “She doesn’t want to go back in there!” he said,
chuckling.

“Fuck!” Deem said again. “No, I don’t. What did you do with
it all?”

“Used up,” Winn said, smiling at her. “You didn’t get me that
much last time.”

“What are you talking about?” Steven interjected.

“It’s this purple shit that Deem digs out of a mine
somewhere,” Winn said.