The Land of the Dead: Book Four of the Oz Chronicles (16 page)

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t talk to me,” he begged. “Please.”

I giggled. “Oh, this is fun. The big bad boogeyman is afraid of little old me.”

He cowered as I moved in closer. “Yes, I’m afraid. I’m afraid. I’m afraid.”

I looked at the dead boy. “You finally made this worth my while.”

The dead boy motioned for me to look inside the pawnshop, but I was enjoying myself too much.

“Listen to me, old man, you go anywhere near any kids, I will haunt the crap out of you.”

“They need me. I do them good. I save the kids, but I can’t anymore. She gave it away. She sold it. It wasn’t hers, but she sold it.”

“Who sold what?”

“She sold it. My fat ugly wife. She sold what’s mine and left with that man.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “You had a wife? You mean someone actually married you?”

The dead boy grabbed my hand and tugged.

“What?” I asked, irritated that he would interrupt my fun.

Again he motioned for me to look inside the shop.

I groaned and did as he asked, but not before I raised my fist and pretended I was going to throw a punch the old man’s way. He had the reaction I had hoped. He whimpered and covered his head with his arms.

I looked inside the pawnshop window through cupped hands It took me awhile to spot what the dead boy wanted me to see, but when I did, it made sense to me. On the back shelf behind the counter was the old man’s canvas-wrapped package.

I turned to the old man. “She sold your package. She knows what you are.”

“She had no right. I have to save the children. I need my package to save the children.”

“Save the children? You call what you do saving the children?”

“It’s mine. It’s mine. It’s mine,” he repeated over and over again.

I stepped toward him, but stopped when I noticed Throwaway Stevie staring a hole in me. “What’s with you?”

“I’m just trying to see it.”

I raised an eyebrow. “See what?”

“It. The magic.”

I raised both eyebrows. “What?”

“She said there was magic in you.”

“Who said?”

“Lou. In the basement.”

“What?”

“She whispered in my ear about your magic.”

“She whispered in your ear…”

“Yeah,” he said excitedly. “She said ‘You were right to choose Oz. There really is magic in him.’” He hesitated and said, “What did I choose you for?”

“I’m not sure,” I said.

The old man growled. “She had no right!”

Stevie looked at him and then back at me. “Maybe you can use your magic to get his property for him?”

The Land of the Dead went completely silent. The people on the streets vanished in the blink of an eye. It was just me, the old man, and Throwaway Stevie, whose words still hung in the air.
His property
.

DAY 5

SIXTEEN

An echoing roar stirred me out of my sleep or whatever state you call it when you go to the Land of the Dead. I sat up with a jolt and had to wait a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the extreme darkness. I felt around for my flashlight, found it, and clicked it on. I was back in the small dressing compartment.

Another roar.

I twirled around. Where was Throwaway Stevie?

A scream.

I threw my shoulder into the door to the dressing room and headed for the bowling alley. The commotion was in full swing. There was a thunderous roar followed by another. The beam of my flashlight zoomed across two furry animals pounding on each other. It was hard to make out what was going on in the sliver of light, but as soon as I saw the silver hair on the backs of both animals, I knew what was going on. Ariabod and Ajax were involved in a knockdown, drag out brawl.

“Hey!” I shouted.

They ignored me and continued to pound away on each other.

“Stop!”

They rolled on the floor in a tangled mess. I couldn’t tell one from the other.

A scream came from behind me. I turned to see Gordy on top of April, his knees pinning her arms to the floor. She was snapping her jaws like a wild animal. He was holding his injured shoulder.

Gordy laughed a horrible, maniacal laugh. “You bit me! It’s my turn now!”

I started trembling with anticipation. He was going to eat April. I couldn’t wait to see. I couldn’t wait to taste. I inched towards them, the light from my flashlight bouncing as I walked. The beam fell on the faces of Throwaway Stevie and June huddled together just beyond Gordy and April. They were terrified. The looks on their faces snapped me out of my bloodlust and hunger.

I barreled across the room and grabbed Gordy by the back of his collar. He reached up and tried to slap my hand away. His knees lifted off of April’s arms enough for her to work them loose. She shifted and maneuvered her head next to his calf and bit down, sending Gordy into a shrieking frenzy. He twitched and bucked like a mad man until he worked himself free of my grip and jerked back, pulling his leg away from April. I could hear his flesh tear from his calf. It sounded as if someone was ripping a plastic bag open.

The cry Gordy let out at that point was as loud as anything I had ever heard. He clutched his leg and writhed on the floor. April was chewing away on the piece of flesh she had bitten off Gordy’s leg. Blood was dripping from the corners of her mouth and was smeared across her chin. My stomach burned. I wanted a taste so badly.

Meanwhile, Ajax and Ariabod were still going at it. I grabbed April by her hair and yanked her to her feet. She yelped in pain.

“You’re coming with me,” I said.

She fought me as I dragged her towards the two gorillas. I got as close to them as I dared and hollered as loud as I could, “Help!”

That stopped them. Their instinct to save a human in distress was greater than their desire to kill each other. They both looked at me panting and wide-eyed.

“Now, I get why frick and frack were going at it, but what is up with you two?”

Ajax began to sign, but I waved him off. “Don’t bother. I only know a few signs. I’d need Lou to translate.”

“I can tell you what happened,” April said.

I still had her by her hair. One look at her and I could see that I was dealing with somebody who was completely out of her mind. I slowly loosened my grip and backed away from her.

She started licking her fingers like she had just eaten a greasy drumstick. “I broke the pact.”

“You what?”

“I took a bite out of the king of the jerks over there and gorilla ‘A’ tried to break me in half. Gorilla ‘B’ came to my rescue.”

Gorilla ‘A’ was Ariabod. “You were going to kill her?”

April was licking up as much of the blood on her chin as she could reach with her tongue. She took time out to defend Ariabod. “He was only doing what he was asked to do. Something Chicken-Little gorilla was too wimpy to do.”

“Chicken-Little just saved your life.”

“And allowed me to get a second bite, thank you very much,” she said taking a bow.

I shook my head. “Ajax, next time let Ariabod kill her.” I didn’t mean it. At least I don’t think I meant it. It was hard to think straight with the smell of human blood so strong in the room.

Gordy continued to moan. She had taken a big chunk out of his leg, and I didn’t think he was going to recover any time soon.

April smiled and I could see a piece of skin hanging from her teeth. “Oh, man that was so yummy.” She started for Gordy, but I pushed her back.

“Not a chance,” I said pushing her toward Ariabod. “Hold onto her. Don’t kill her.”

He growled.

I took one step toward Gordy, but stopped. I could smell his open wounds from where I was standing. They were mouthwatering. I imagined myself sinking my teeth into the open wound on his calf and tearing the tender muscle from the bone. It was sweet and savory. I couldn’t imagine anything that could taste better.

Sensing what was on my mind, Gordy demanded that I not get near him. He clutched his calf with both hands and did his best to stop the bleeding. His shoulder was bleeding, too, but he didn’t appear to be as concerned about that injury.

I heard a cackle over my left shoulder and wheeled around to see the old gray man hovering near the doorway to the dressing room area.

“Soup’s on,” he screeched.

Ajax growl-hooted but didn’t advance.

The Flish flashed an awful yellow grin at me. “Go on, young pup. Have your breakfast. I’ll be having mine soon enough.”

I wanted to step towards him, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I knew he couldn’t hurt me… rather, I was pretty sure he couldn’t hurt me, but still, I couldn’t work up the courage to confront him, not here, not like I could in the Land of the Dead.

“Not if I have anything to do with it,” I said.

He giggled. “Time’s running, my boy. I’ll have what’s mine soon enough.”

The word ‘mine’ triggered the memory of my latest trip to the Land of the Dead. He was terrified and panicked because he didn’t have his package. “Your property?” I asked.

His face lit up. “That’s right. My property. Do you know where it is? Give it to me.”

I had him. He needed that package. I didn’t know why or for what, but he needed it, and as long as he thought I knew where it was, maybe I could use it to my advantage. “I know where it is,” I said hoping he couldn’t read lies.

He lumbered towards me which didn’t make Ajax happy. Ajax roared and moved between me and the old man.

“Give me my property!” the old man insisted.

“Ask me nicely,” I said.

The old man ground his teeth. I said, “Give me my property!” He kept coming in spite of Ajax blocking his way.

“It’s mine now!” I yelled.

The Flish picked up the pace. Ajax roared! The old man ignored him.

“It’s mine! You have no right! The children need me!”

Ajax charged the Flish and plowed into him with a powerful thud. The old man disintegrated on impact.

“Whoa!” I barked.

Ajax twirled around looking for the Flish, but he was nowhere to be found.

Gordy managed to sit up. His head darted from left to right. “He’s not gone.”

“I know,” I said. “I feel him.” I zoomed the flashlight around looking for the creepy old ghost.

“Give him his property,” April screamed. She was trying to work herself free from Ariabod’s grip.

“It’s not his any more,” I said. “It’s mine.”

A wail echoed through the long room, and we could hear running feet, but it was impossible to tell which direction they were coming from.

“Did you hear me?” I asked. “It’s my property now!”

“Nice going,” Gordy said. “That’s not helping.”

“I know what I’m doing…” the words no sooner left my mouth than I heard a horrible hiss as I was pushed to the ground. The old man’s stinking hot breath struck me in the face as his knees jammed into my chest. His dingy yellow teeth glistened as the old man snarled. “It’s mine. You have no right.” I struggled to get him off me. Ajax roared and the old man groaned with frustration. “You’ll pay for this.”

With that, he was gone.

***

I radioed Lou and asked her to come to the basement without Kimball and the Throwaway version of me. They could stay with Archie and Bobby.

She still wasn’t feeling the effects of the Flish, which meant that she was in less danger than any of us, which also meant that she was going to have to be the go between for all of us until we either figured out a way to lift this curse or ran out of time and ate each other.

She cleaned and dressed Gordy’s wounds. He moaned and complained the whole time. He wanted to know why he was the one who always got injured.

“Karma,” Lou answered.

“I don’t even know what that is,” Gordy replied.

“Means you should try to be nicer in the future,” she said.

“Good luck with that,” I said sarcastically, standing about ten feet away.

“It could happen,” Lou said.

“No,” Gordy said. “He’s right. It’s probably not going to happen.”

“Let me go!” April shouted. Ariabod still had a tight grip on her. I sensed that he was really confused as to why I wouldn’t let him kill April. After all, she had broken the pact by taking a bite out of Gordy.

Lou stood. “What are you going to do with her?”

I thought it over. “I’d put her with you, but I need you to be able move freely among us. She would complicate things for you.”

Lou agreed. “Lock her up.”

“What?” I asked.

“Put her in jail until we figure this thing out.”

“Jail?”

“Saw a utility closet in the Halloween room with a key hanging on a hook next to it. Lock her in the closet and give me the key. That way no one can get to her and she can’t get out and take a bite out of anyone else.”

“No, no,” April said. “You’re not locking me in a closet.”

I smiled at Lou. It was brilliant. “Actually, we are,” I said.

“That’s not fair!” April yelled. “How come no one else has to be locked in a closet?”

“Karma,” Gordy yelled back. He looked at Lou. “Right?”

She walked toward the Halloween room with Ariabod dragging April along. “Basically.”

***

“So,” I said talking to Lou in the stone-walled hallway. “What did Bobby have to say?”

She rolled her eyes. “What didn’t he say? It’s hard to get him to shut up once you get him started.”

“About Fish’s Storyteller? Did you get anything from him about that?”

She smiled. “Connie Robbins. She was the youngest in the group.”

“Did Bobby know her?”

She crossed her fingers and held them up. “They were like this. Bobby couldn’t really cross his fingers, but I’m pretty sure that’s what he meant.”

I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.

“And?”

She shook her head and rubbed her brow. “Oh, sorry. It’s just a little confusing. I talked about it with… you know… you early this morning,” she pointed up.

“Me?

“Not you,” she said sounding frustrated. “The other you. The Throwaway you. He and I talked. I’m all turned around.” She thumped her head with her index finger.

I was disturbed to hear that she had confused me with the Throwaway version of me. I got angry that he was having my conversations with her.

“Connie was only the second girl in the group,” Lou said. “One of Dr. Bashir’s favorites. Took her longer to master the Hyper Mental Imaging. She didn’t like to draw, so she kept a journal.”

“A journal?”

“Well, an HMI journal. She didn’t write what really happened. She wrote what she wanted to happen. Same principle as the comic books, but without pictures.”

“Why Fish?”

“That’s a little unclear. Bobby didn’t think it was her idea. She didn’t like making up monsters. Didn’t have it in her.”

“Who gave her the idea?”

“Well,” Lou said. “That’s what we… Throwaway you and I were talking about this morning. It’s got to be Bashir. Like you said, what are the chances she’d know about this creep? He had to plant this stuff in her head, which kind of confirms what I already thought about Bashir.”

I wanted to cringe at the notion that she talked to Throwaway me about this already, but I didn’t. “Which is?”

“He’s not a nice guy. I mean Bobby already told us he hit some of the members in the group, but this takes things to a whole new level. He planted a real life monster in Connie’s head. What kind of sick freak would do that?”

“One we need to find out more about,” I said. I told her about the Nathan Bashir who used to work at the mansion in the ‘30s. It was too much of a coincidence. There had to be a connection.

“Can’t be the same guy,” she said.