The Grim Spectre (10 page)

He walked over to the bathroom door and looked in the full length mirror he had hanging there. He fingered the magic belt at his waist and said, “Winston wanted a meeting with me, well he’s about to get one, and it may be something he’ll never forget.”

He turned and faded from view, disappearing as he stepped though the wall and headed toward city hall and a confrontation with destiny.

The mayor slept soundly, his room was empty of anyone save himself. His wife was away visiting her sister in Manhattan and his children were both long grown and had gone on with their lives.

He slept wrapped in silk pajamas and snored soundly.

He awoke suddenly to a blinding light in his room and a terrible voice, as if from the pits of hell itself roaring at him, “Winston, awaken, I command you. Awaken now or I’ll drag you unconscious to this building’s roof and hang you from its flagpole.”

William Winston’s eyes opened slowly at first and then catapulted open in abject terror. Floating in his room at the foot of his bed was a creature out of nightmare! The Grim Spectre had come, and he was angry!

“Wha-What do you want? Wh-why are you here?” the big man stammered fearfully.

The Grim Spectre floated, his arms were bent at the elbows and his hands were held open like grasping, glowing claws before him. They crackled with energy like lightning, only slightly brighter than his own glowing form. His face was, as always half hidden in shadow, but what showed was a skull with deep set glowing eyes, like flaming coals from the pits of hell.

All of this the terrified Mayor took in while pulling his silk sheets up to his nose, quivering in fear.

“You have made it known that you wanted to see me, you consider me a threat and hold a woman against her will under the guise of some obscure law of man., I will have none of it! Do you hear, William Winston? I demand that you release that woman now! She has nothing to do with my mission.”

“Wh-what is your mission?” Winston stammered.

“To rid this city of evil, in all its forms!” The Grim Spectre’s terrible voice shouted.

Suddenly the door to the Mayor’s bedroom was kicked in and Captain Carson stood there with his service revolver drawn.

He was stunned by the apparition that floated before him with a flowing cape that moved as if alive, for there was no breeze present to move it. Yet it billowed and swirled about the horrific figure.

“My God!” Carson barely whispered, “You
are
real.”

“Indeed I am, human gnat,” The Grim Spectre replied, “Leave this place, mortal, I command you, for this is none of your concern.”

“Like hell, Ghoul,” Carson shouted, “stand away from the Mayor or I’ll kill you where you stand.”

The Grim Spectre laughed in a voice that sent chills through the very marrow of both Carson and Mayor Winston, “You fool! Leave now or suffer the same fate as this foul deceiver. This is your final chance.”

“Go to hell, Ghost,” Carson shouted.

He began firing his pistol and the bullets passed right through the immaterial form of The Grim Spectre, embedding themselves into the wall above the terror stricken mayors head!

“Stop firing, you fool!” Mayor Winston shouted in terror. He ducked and threw himself to the floor on the side of the bed, covering his head with both arms as he cowered there. Carson continued to unload his revolver, emptying all six shots at The Grim Spectre, who floated there impassively.

“T-the bullets, they all passed right through you, you really
are
a ghost,” Carson looked at his gun in his hand and then at The Grim Spectre floating before him, “I-I can’t believe it,” he muttered.

“Believe in me, o mortal, for I have come to avenge the helpless in this city as well as the dead.”

The Grim Spectre reached forward toward Captain Carson with his crackling, sparking hands when more bullets slashed though his still immaterial form.

Quickly The Grim Spectre spun toward the direction the interruption had come from and found a half dozen Police officers forcing their way through an adjacent door into the Mayor’s bedroom,

“I have no time for this foolishness,” The Grim Spectre announced and turned toward the wall as bullets continued to tear through his insubstantial form,

He turned back toward the Mayor once again and said, “This is not over, William Winston; your deep corruption is known to me and you have made of me an enemy, release the girl now, or next time I will not ask.”

The bedroom was full of policemen all staring in incredulous fear at the terrifying figure floating before them and glowing brightly, their weapons rendered useless by his very presence.

Without another word he floated forward through the wall and into the night.

Oscar, Phylo Zeus’ manservant, pushed through the door of Zeus’ study. Immediately Zeus looked up from the paper he was reading, “What is it?” Zeus asked.

“There has been a sighting of The Grim Spectre.” Oscar replied.

“Well, what of it? Where was he seen?” Zeus spat out.

“Within the Mayor’s very bedroom, it seems. He appeared and demanded that the Mayor release Tammy Thomas from incarceration.”

“Wait, Winston had Tammy Thomas under arrest? For what and why wasn’t I notified?”

“From what I can glean from your rather useless contacts within both the police force and the Riverburgh Gazettes own offices, Miss Thomas had a meeting with His Honor yesterday morning and he demanded she tell him all she knew about The Grim Spectre, since it seems she is the only person to walk away unscathed from a direct encounter with him. The young lady refused, citing Fourth Estate privileges. Winston immediately jailed her and ordered her held for mental observation.”

“He thinks she’s crazy?” Zeus asked.

Oscar shrugged and replied, “Doubtful. I would deduce that he was merely seeking to shake her up as it were.”

“So where does the Spook come into all of this?” Zeus steepled his fingers and thought deeply.

A moment passed and Oscar offered, “Perhaps it is one of two scenarios: The first being that he is truly a spirit sent to Riverburgh to clean it up and avenge those who were wronged or are too weak to defend themselves, as he so claimed, by the way within the Mayor’s very boudoir.”

Zeus snorted and grinned, “Boy, that must’ve went over well.”

“Or two,” Oscar continued, “he is merely a man in a costume of some kind who has an affection for Miss Thomas. Though it could be simply a combination of both scenarios as well.”

“What?” Zeus asked, intrigued, “You mean he could be a ghost in love with her?”

“Or it could be a man in a suit of some kind simply looking to protect someone unjustly incarcerated.”

Zeus threw his hands into the air, “This is just too much! I got a ghost running around the city making life tough for me and Winston both, a reporter who can’t keep her nose outta trouble and because of this spook bustin’ up every illegal activity I got going on, all of my profits are down across the city. This ain’t good, Oscar. It ain’t good at all.”

Oscar nodded his grey haired head and said, “It does indeed seem a bit troubling, Phylo.”

“Yeah Oscar, a bit.”

Zeus walked across his study and picked up a bottle of bourbon and poured himself a tall glass of the stuff, and then downed it quickly. He turned back toward Oscar who waited patiently with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Any new talent come to town over my offer?” Zeus asked after a moment.

“Not that I know of. The Priest is still out there, somewhere, but he seems to have missed The Grim Specter’s latest appearance, though I believe he will catch up to him, eventually. Dr. Simian is diligently working in the lab you have provided for him, but on what I do not know. There
is
rumored to be two men headed to Riverburgh from New Jersey at the moment. One is a pyromaniac of some sort and the other is reportedly made of stone*, or at least his skin is as hard as the substance. There may be others. But as of yet none that we know of.”

“Okay, Oscar, just keep me up to date. This stuff with this ghost is getting’ outta hand,” Zeus concluded.

***

The Grim Spectre hovered invisibly above the courthouse in the black of night. Below police were scurrying around while the Mayor barked orders from the courthouse steps. The Mayor looked about nervously, scanning the sky for some sign of the spectral avenger.

But he was hidden, invisible to the naked eye.

‘There,’
thought The Grim Spectre,
‘finally, they’re releasing Tammy.’

He watched silently as Tammy was brought to the curb from within the courthouse.

“Get your hands offa me,” she shouted and pulled her arm free of the cop who had led her out by the elbow.

‘She’s angry, and I don’t blame her. Winston is no dictator, no matter how he may see himself. He does not have carte blanche to do whatever he wants to whoever he wants. What he did to Tammy was wrong, but at least he took me seriously.’

Tammy sat down within a waiting police car that pulled away from the curb. Instantly The Grim Spectre floated away after the car, tailing it from the sky.

‘She’s either going home or to the paper. My bet is the paper,’
he thought to himself.

The Grim Spectre floated invisibly above the police car, easily keeping pace with it until it pulled over in front of the Riverburgh Gazette. Tammy stormed out of the back door of the idling car and slammed it. She turned then and bounded up the marble steps outside the place to enter the lobby.

“Evening, Miss Thomas,” the night watchman named ‘Zachary’ said, “You’re here late.”

Tammy fumbled around inside her purse, finally pulling out her wallet before answering. She opened it to her Gazette ID and showed it to Zachary, who just waved it off.

“I know it’s you Miss Thomas, go ahead, just go in,” Zachary said. He was an older black man with white hair popping out from beneath his guard’s hat.

“Thank you Zachary. I’ve had a lousy night and day for that matter. That pompous, imperious, wanna-be Mussolini, The Mayor practically held me hostage for the day. Something happened and he released me tonight, but whatever it was it must have scared the heck out of him. But right now I have to write an article for the morning edition about how this man took the law into his own hands and used some trumped up ‘observation’ law to keep me as his practical prisoner.”

Zachary nodded slowly and then said, “You be careful now, Miss Thomas, that mayor is as much a bad man as the gangster who sits on top of the hill over yonder,” he thumbed in the direction of the Olympus room at the top of the hill, “I don’t trust either one of those two. But this mayor can come at you all legal-like and there ain’t gonna be much you can do about it. That’s something to keep in mind.” he nodded his head as he made his point.

Tammy leaned over the man’s reception desk and kissed him on the cheek.

“Now what was that for, Miss Thomas?” Zachary asked in wide-eyed surprise.

“For you caring. Thank you Zachary,” Tammy replied.

She turned, walked to the elevator door and entered it. A moment later and a floor above she pulled open the door to the Gazette’s city room and walked inside. It was empty and the lights were dimmed. Tammy walked over to her own desk and turned the lights on.

Tammy settled into her seat and began to load a fresh sheet of paper into her beat up old typewriter.

“You shouldn’t do that, you know.” An eerily modulated voice said.

She practically leaped out of her seat at the sound of it. Looking around quickly she saw no one there. Then she said, “Where are you?”

“Here,” The Grim Spectre replied, slowly fading into view before her dramatically.

She inhaled deeply at the sight of him glowing faintly before her.

“Do not scream,” he said, “I mean you no harm.”

“I-I won’t,” Tammy replied.

“Good,” The Spectre said.

“W-what do you want? W-why are you here?” Tammy questioned fearfully.

“Are you unharmed?” he asked.

“Y-yes, they didn’t touch me. I think the Mayor just wanted to scare me,” Tammy answered.

“And did he?”

“Not as much as you are right now,” Tammy replied truthfully.

“Then I will leave you. Once again I mean you no harm and you have nothing to fear from me. But I suggest you stay away from Mayor Winston. Leave him to me, I will handle him,” The Grim Spectre said.

He turned to walk away and began to fade from sight when Tammy said, “Wait, did you do this tonight? Make him free me?” she asked.

Without looking at her, he slowly nodded his head positively and said, “I did. I could not bear the thought of you held against your will by that corrupt man for simply doing your job.”

“Thank you for freeing me. I-I’m sorry I hit you earlier at the crazy ape-man’s place,” she paused a moment and then added, “Does it hurt yet? Your head I mean.”

“I am an avenging spirit, Miss Thomas. No, it does not hurt. Even if you were able to somehow harm one such as myself you would find the effect would not last.”

“I-I see,” she replied, shivering slightly at the sound of his voice. “But how was I able to hit you? I mean you
are
a ghost right?”

“To exist in the world of men, I must abide by some of its rules. I must be a part of it, not totally distanced from it. It causes me some…vulnerability at times,” he replied, slightly above a whisper.

He turned toward her then, his terrible countenance still in half shadow and his eyes glowing brightly. Tammy inhaled sharply and felt herself press backward against the back of her seat involuntarily at the sight.

“Miss Thomas, are you…interviewing me?” The Grim Spectre asked suddenly.

“I-I, well why waste a good opportunity, right? Whaddaya think? I mean er, what do you think? Sorry, sorry I always go back to contractions when I’m nervous. My boyfriend nags me about it, but he
is
right, I guess,” she finished reluctantly.

The Grim Spectre thought,
‘She called me her boyfriend, that’s a first. Maybe I can play with this angle a little bit.’

He stared at her in silence a moment and then said, “This boyfriend, are you in love with him?”

She looked at him incredulously and replied, “What business is it of yours? You’re some kind of ghoul or ghost, heck, I don’t know what you really are.”

“I am an avenging spirit on the side of the angels sent to right a terrible wrong and to clean up this city,” he said.

Tammy looked at him, still with fear gnawing at her heart, but then said bravely, “You should mind you own business. Why do you wanna know anyways?”

The Grim Spectre shrugged and answered, “You seek to learn of me, to understand me; I merely seek the same of you. It is easier at times to learn from whence the heart speaks. So again I ask, do you love this nameless man?”

“I think I do, and his name is Bobby Terrano,” she answered.

The Grim Spectre nodded in agreement, “Ah, the trumpet player. I recognize his name.”

“I’m not surprised; you’ve been in town long enough to hear it I guess.”

“Yes,” was the Spectre’s simple reply.

In the distance fire sirens sounded. Both The Grim Spectre and Tammy turned toward the sounds. The Grim Spectre moved toward the window, where an orange glow could be seen in the distance.

“I must go,” he said.

“What can you do?” Tammy asked nervously.

He turned his terrible face toward her and said, “I can save lives.”

Without another word he walked through the wall and disappeared. Tammy raced to the window and looked out, but The Grim Spectre was nowhere to be found.

* To see what befalls The Grim Spectre next, make sure to read the aforementioned story contained within the pages of the ‘Legends of New Pulp Fiction’ anthology.