Arcadian Orchards Story Sampler 001
All was peaceful and quiet at the Garland family fruit farm, as evening with its shroud of satiny darkness enveloped the secluded rural neighborhood. Most of the family members were busy doing other things; watching cable TV, doing homework, or simply relaxing before turning in. Up on a second floor bedroom of the ranch-house, two young sweethearts waited for the approach of deeper darkness, where their impending activities would not be viewed by others who wouldn’t understand— wouldn’t or couldn’t understand that what they were about to do was for the greater good, even if it went unheralded, unacknowledged. It was better left that way. It was the way of things for Tanya Garland, the Shadow-Seeker. Clay Warrener sat on the edge of Tanya’s bed while she looked out of the opened bay window, the linen drapes rustling gently in the cool night breeze. Music was playing from a small digital radio on the bedside table, turned to a classic 70s rock and pop station but the energetic tunes failed to dispel the uneasiness Clay was feeling at the moment. Tanya felt no such uneasiness. In her mind’s eye, she cast her thoughts beyond the plentiful stands of trees, northward past the rural roads leading out from the comfort and security of her home toward the area of downtown to Five Elms Square, the section of town where from reliable reports from friends with secrets of their own that a thing of terror was stalking the streets. So far, the unholy creature was responsible for a small series of hideous deaths. Tanya thought it was past the point where the creature should be found and sent back to the hell from which it came. She ready to do just that. Clay knew once Tanya mind was made up, nothing and nobody, short of otherworldly intervention, could change it. He dug into the pocket of his khaki pants, took out a polished silver pocket-watch which Tanya had given him, unsnapped its cover and checked the time for the fourth time so far in the past hour. This time around, it was thirty minutes to nine o’clock. He flipped the watch over to glance at its back, with its esoteric five-pointed star glyph Tanya had someone especially skilled to etch the image onto its surface. He ran his thumb along the sign, feeling its impressions and somehow felt some measure of comfort by it.Strangely enough, it had helped him in the past, when he spent his years estranged from her. Through some means he couldn’t fully understand, the watch and its arcane glyph helped warn him of impending danger to himself on a few occasions. Tanya took attention away from looking outside, glancing over her shoulder toward Clay, sensing his tension. “Hey, peach, are you okay?” A ghost of a smile played on Clay’s lips. Tanya used her favorite childhood nickname for him, a reminder of happier times when they were little kids growing up on the Garland family fruit farm. “Yeah, guess so, Cherry.” Clay wrung his hands briefly, then rubbed them on top of his thighs. Tanya turned from the window, pushed aside the vintage oversized leather jacket she loved to wear, and sat down beside him. “Is something wrong?” She asked. Clay made no immediate reply, sitting there, gulping down what only could be considered a lump of nervousness. Reaching out, Tanya gently cupped Clay’s face in her hands and gently turned his face so she could look at him. “What’s wrong?” she asked softly. “I guess I’m just a little worried and a little concerned, that’s all.” “About what? About what we’re about to do?” “No, not that. I don’t know why but I’ve got this impression of dreading to fail you, somehow—of failing you when you need me the most.” “You could never do that, Clay. I know you too well for that to ever happen.” Tanya regarded her boyfriend with tenderness and warmth, looking deeply into his inquisitive blue eyes. “When I wanted, needed you, to be back in my life again after all those years apart, I told you about the risks involved in being with me, and you know what? There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation when you said yes—that’s when I knew I could trust you, no matter what.” Clay reached up and took Tanya’s hands in his. “I don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.” “Hey, trust me, Peach, that’s goes double for me, too.” Tanya let out a tiny laugh, recalling some wisdom her Grand-Father, Emmett Garland passed down to her. “Do you remember when Granpa kept saying to me whenever myself or my brother or sister would get bullied by some obnoxious little asshole?” Clay smiled, and nodded. “Yeah, I remember; ‘We all get hurt but we find the courage to get up, dust ourselves off, and come back with all guns blazing and blast the bully right in the nose.’ Nothing quite like an ex-Marine’s tough-as-nails words of wisdom, huh?” “In this case, it’s no different; Whatever scary monster we happen to go against, we’ll just pop it in its nose, so to speak.” “Heh, that is, if whatever we’ll be chasing down has a nose.” “C’mon, babe, now you want to get technical?” Tanya joked, and the young lovers shared a laugh to break the tension. Once again, she cupped the face of her friend and lover tenderly, leaning into him so she could place her full lips on his, then enfolded her arms around him in an affectionate embrace. Tanya whispered, “Don’t be afraid.” Clay jolted slightly in her embrace, like he had been given a mild electric shock. She repeated the encouraging phrase, her mouth moving from his ear, softly brushing his cheek and then returning to his lips. It was like a thunderclap rending a storming sky, the heartfelt plea like a prayer of courage sweeping into the heart and soul of the young man she loved. Clay felt a tingle of energy along his lips and mouth as they kissed. After a moment, he found renewed strength and courage within him—his moment of doubt, of fear of the unknown, was gone form his mind and from his heart. After another moment in each other’s arms, they parted with a start, heeding the authoritative knock on the bedroom door. Clay and Tanya straightened up, composing themselves or at least trying to when they seen the tall, broad-shouldered figure of Emmett Garland, the gritty, tough-minded and big-hearted patriarch of the Garland family opened the door and stepped inside, holding a silver medallion in his hand. He saw neither his grand-daughter, nor the young family friend were eager to let go of each other just yet. He chose to disregard what was obviously an interrupted moment, smirking at them good-naturedly. “Okay, you two kids can play slap-and-tickle some other time. Right now, it’s time you get your keisters over to Five Elms, pronto.” Tanya got to her feet, and with a mischievous twinkle in her green eyes, snapped off a mock salute. “Yes, sir, Major, sir.” “I’ll ignore the clowning for the moment, kiddo. Here, take this.” He handed the mysterious medallion over to his beloved grand-child. Clay sidled up beside Tanya, as she gave the medallion the inspective once-over, raising a curious eyebrow at the intricate design engraved on its face. “What is it, Granpa? A protective charm?” she asked, snapping the chain in place and slipping it underneath the neckline of her sweater. “Negative, kiddo. Think of that fancy trinket like it’s supernatural radar equipment. That medallion can detect evil essences, especially if it’s using shadows to camouflage itself, which I think that thing is doing.” “Nice, thank you.” Granpa Emmett handed over another item, this time a small green felt sack tied closed with a thin golden cord. “What’s this? A powder?” Tanya asked.Emmett beamed with pride at his grand-child’s cleverness. “Yep, go to the head of the class, pumpkin. It’s that shriveling dust for when you’ll be sending that slimy bastard back to hell where it belongs. You know how to use it, right?” Tanya nodded in the affirmative. She handed the little sack over to Clay to hold while she snatched up her jacket and slipped into it. It was Clay’s turn to satisfy his curiosity. “Do you think this dust will work to get rid of that thing out there roaming loose in Five Elms?” Tanya and her Granpa exchanged a knowing glance and then said, “Don’t worry, Peach. That stuff will work—trust me.” “Hey, not so fast, darling,” Granpa Emmett wanted to remind his eager grand-daughter about being over-confident. “Remember about what I kept drilling into that cute head of yours about your knowledge and capabilities, right?” Letting a gentle smirk play on her lips, Tanya assumed the manner of a bored student and repeated what she heard so often. “ ‘You might know the name of your enemy, you might even know what weapons you need to defeat it but always be prepared for the unexpected.’ Yeah, I know, Granpa.” “And don‘t you forget it, ya little smart-ass.” Emmett said affectionately, a slow smile deepening the wrinkles and lines on his chiseled, clean-shaven face. Taking the felt sack back from Clay, Tanya stuffed it into an inner pocket of her jacket, then zipped it up. Taking his hand, she led Clay to the door. “C’mon, Peach, we’ve got a monster to send to oblivion.” “That’s my little solider.” Granpa Emmett said with pride. Tanya moved away from Clay momentarily to give her grand-father an affectionate peck on his cheek. “Thank you, Granpa. Wish me luck, okay?” “You won’t need it, kiddo. I know you’ll destroy that sucker.” As an afterthought, Emmett dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, offering them to Tanya. “Here, take my Range Rover; It’s all equipped, gassed up and ready to roll.” “You sure about this?” Tanya grinned teasingly as she jingled the keys in her hand. “Wow, this is quite an honor. I mean, you rarely let anybody but yourself ride that gun-metal gray Sherman Tank of yours. I promise, before I get to kick some monster-ass. I will guard your baby with my life.” “Heh-heh, very funny, darling. Just remember, don’t screw around with the driver-seat adjustments and please, for the love of all that’s holy, do not under any circumstances futz around with the satellite radio pre-sets; I’ve got that damned radio set to my favorite oldies station, okay?” “Roger that, Major, sir.” Tanya snapped off another funny salute and beat a hasty retreat with Clay out of the bedroom and downstairs before her Granpa had any notions about giving her a playful swat. *** Clay rode shotgun while Tanya guided the gun-metal gray Range Rover out of the southern neighborhood of Founder’s Fields, turning off Abundance Road and motoring down the hilly tree-lined roadway leading onto the main street of Kingston Avenue, on their way northward to Five Elms Square. Motoring at a moderate clip along the main thoroughfare, Clay listened while Tanya quickly touched based via her smart phone with one of their mutual friends, Zachary Forbes.Zack was the one who alerted Tanya to the potential threat the unearth monster posed to the town. As luck would have it, he, along with a small circle of associates, managed to keep something of close tabs on the creature threatening to turn Five Elms Square and its surround area into a open-air charnel house. “Hey, Zack, any updates on that Shambling Lurker and where it might be?” Tanya asked, pulling up to a stop at an intersection halfway to her destination. The voice on the other end of the connection came in loud and clear from the phone’s speaker mode. Zack sounded a bit nervous. “The latest info’s kind of sketchy at this point, Tanya. The best myself and my buddies could come up with was that that thing is near the southern section of the square.” Zack paused before speaking again. “Looks like you and Clay will have your hands full trying to track that thing down.” “You can say that again, pal.” Clay said, sitting up in the leather-covered seat beside the driver-seat. “Since that beastie is using the sewer system to travel, using manhole covers as entry and exit points, it can go anywhere, even escaping from Five Elms and head for adjacent eras.” “Which is why we’ve got to stop the Lurker before it can do so.” Tanya turned her attention back to their helpful friend on the phone. “Old man Garland gave me something that I think will help get on its trail.” “So Emmett Garland comes through in the clutch again, huh?” Both Clay and Tanya detected a slight hint of envy in Zack’s tone, perhaps even a smidgen of jealousy. They couldn’t understand why. After all, weren’t they all on the same side? “Is that green-eyed monster I’m hearing coming form you, buddy?” “Nah, Tanya, nothing like that. It’s just that I’ve always wondered how old man Garland can get his hands on so much occult stuff? I’d sure like to get my hands on some of the items he’s got hoarded away.” Clay glanced over at Tanya. He could see her hands tensing up on the steering wheel. It seemed Zack struck a nerve. It appeared that all she wanted to do was drop it, so she opted to say nothing. Only a chosen few knew that hidden behind a screen of invisibility in a private chamber inside the Garland family ranch-house, was a vast storehouse of arcane and eldritch knowledge and material, guarded with Emmett Garland himself. As much as Tanya wanted to involve Zack Forbes and other friends from her small inner circle she maintained, the risk of such potentially dangerous knowledge falling into the wrong hands was far too great to simply take for granted. She also knew full well, as did Clay, that there were people with sinister intentions would stop at nothing to gain such knowledge. Outside of the five-member Elders Council, of which Emmett Garland was its leader, Tanya and Clay were the only other people who had intimate understanding of what that chamber contained and as fas she was concerned, it would stay that way. “Listen, Zack, my grand-father has his reasons for what he does, and as far as I’m concerned, they’re good enough for me, okay?” “Whatever, Tanya. Suit yourself. As long as you and Clay end the nasty nightmare’s killing streak, then all’s right with the world.” “Listen, thanks for the update, Zack. I’ll keep in touch.” “Heather and I will be waiting for good news. As soon as you get done destroying that thing, give us a call, okay? Good luck.” “Yeah, thanks.” Stopping at another intersection before heading toward Five Elms Square, Tanya impatiently jabbed at her phone to shut it off, then clamped her hands harder on the wheel. “That fucking guy. What the hell is his problem?” Tanya muttered but loud enough for Clay to hear. “Well, that was awkward.” “Zach means well, and he’s a good guy, Clay, but he’s got serious blinders on for why some things should stay left alone and out of sight, particularly if it helps to keep him and others safe.” “Granted, I know what you mean but even so, Zack’s done some pretty good work for us in the recent past by way of feeding us street-level info we’ve needed. Don’t you think maybe you should cut him a bit of slack, huh?” Tanya adjusted her sitting position in the driver-seat, then tugged lightly at the front of her jacket. “Yeah, maybe so.” It sounded from Tanya’s brusque reply that she wanted to drop the matter. A moment of tense silence passed between them. The traffic changed green and the SUV pulled ahead. A little air was needed. The air was getting a little bit too heavy for Tanya’s liking. She pressed the button to lower the drivers-side window and allowed the nicely cool breeze to enter the stuffy interior. After a few minutes of getting into a calmer frame-of-mind, Tanya began reciting something under her breath. Clay couldn’t quite figure out what it was. It sounded almost like verses of Latin but he wasn’t sure, but judging from how she was concentrating on getting whatever it was she was saying right, it sounded important. After a few more minutes of steady driving, the outline of five massive elms peaking their tops above the buildings encircling the eight city block making up the Square finally came into view. The SUV turned onto Collishaw Drive, a street running along the Southern side of Five Elms Square. The massive vehicle and its occupants parked on the curb beside the municipal park. Tanya was the first to get out, followed by Clay, joining her at the back of the SUV.Unlocking the trunk area, Tanya grabbed a utility bag lying near the door, handing it over to Clay while she opened a large storage bin, rummaging through it until she found a 6-cell Maglite flashlight. “Cherry, what’s the flashlight for?” “This thing is specially rigged for the kind of monster we’ll be fighting.” Tanya slammed the storage bay door shut and pressing a button on the key tag, all the locks in the SUV clicked electronically shut. “C’mon, let’s not waste any more time. We’ve got a monster to hunt.” Without saying another word, Tanya gently brushed past Clay as she strolled quickly toward the iron and stone archway entrance to Five Elms Square. Looked like the Shadow-Seeker was serious. If nothing else, Clay had to admire his girlfriend’s plucky determination. “That’s my girl.” He said to himself, struggling to lug the utility bag while trying to catch up to Tanya. The young adventurers walked in tandem along a wide cobblestone path connected to a network of walking paths snaking along all sides of the square, passing by a small strip mall, then entering onto the main concourse. The five tall and broad elms planted in sections inside the main area cast inky shadows in every direction. The breeze began to pick up gradually in strength as Clay and Tanya continued their walk, the shadows moving and dancing in time to the gentle agitation of the trees’ limbs. The unique fountain built to contain one of the massive trees was shut off to conserve water during the fall and winter seasons, its troves at the moment empty and dry. They stopped at a section of the weather-proofed oak benches encircling the fountain to get their bearings. Setting aside the cumbersome bag on the bench for the moment, Clay gestured toward Tanya, and said, “So, cherry, where do we start?” She tucked back a few stray locks of her dark-brown hair behind her left ear, then pointed left-ward to the side-street behind the downtown municipal bank. “How about that way?” “Right—lead the way.” Puffing out his cheeks while exhaling a breath, Clay slung the bag’s carrying strap on his shoulder and commenced following Tanya, The Shadow-Seeker, as she made a cautious approach toward the suggested spot. She stopped in her tracks on the sidewalk across from Billington Drive, detecting a faint but perceptible warmth on her skin underneath her clothing at the place where she wore her Granpa’s medallion. The little enchanted object was doing its job. It meant evil was nearby. Too bad it couldn’t show where the bastard was hiding. Best to keep going and continue looking. The only really pertinent question still remained; how long could the intrepid young hunters continue their search for the elusive Shambling Lurker before it would claim more innocent victims? Glancing about at the different shops and establishments in their general area, the question of where the creature would strike next was foremost on Clay’s mind. “So, Cherry, if you were a blood-thirsty monster bent on destruction and terror, what spot would you choose to strike next?” “Good question.” Tanya made a mental list of the shops and stores along the side-street: a flower shop, a jewelry store, a video game shop, a convenience corner store and a tavern named the Lucky Star. In her less-inhibited days as a rebellious teenager, on weekends, Tanya and a small knot of pals would gather at the Lucky Star to hoist a few cold ones, then go out to the alley at back of the bar to have a cigarette or two before returning for more liquid cheer. If memory served, which she suspected was the case, there was also a noticeably large manhole cover in that alley. No doubt about it—the tavern’s got to be the spot where that living nightmare will strike next. Tanya turned to Clay, her tone filled with quiet apprehension. “It’s going to appear here.” “You sure? Gut instinct?” There was no percentage in Clay doubting the Shadow-Seeker’s battle-hardened intuition. Tanya favored Clay with a serious look, then nodded in response, waiting with growing apprehension for the inevitable to occur. Neither said another word, gathering up their courage for the battle to come as they crossed the street, Tanya taking the lead while Clay followed close behind, taking up the rear. Thus far, two elements have presented themselves to solidify the truth of her convictions; all that remanded was a third, one which sadly would present itself in due course, with or without much prodding from fate. Sure enough, Clay and Tanya’s hearts sank with dismay as they seen a drunken couple exiting the tavern’s entrance, a tall man with a short blond crew-cut and his willing companion, a curvy redheaded woman, making an unsteady stroll toward the open mouth of the alley next door. The drunk couple stopped near the dimly lit opening, the redhead allowing the blond man to hold her up against the wall, and not wanting to waste any more time, proceeded to grope and kiss each other sloppily in the gloom. A loud clanging issued from the pitch darkness at the back of the alley, like a metal cover being tossed violently onto the pavement. The abrupt noise made the pit of Clay’s stomach tighten. He hoped Tanya heard the same thing and by the subtle way she readied herself for action, it mostly certainly appeared that she did. Unfortunately for the unwary lovers, they were much too busy in the heat of their boozed-up passion to do much of anything else, much less hear anything. Clay called out to the would-be targets, “Hey, get out of there, now!” The crew-cut blond looked over at Clay, flipped him the bird and went back to playing sloppy bump-and-grind with his all-too willing sexual conquest for the evening. The ungrateful asshole, for all he and his equally senseless lover knew, it could’ve been a stray cat upsetting a trash can looking for scrapes to eat. A totally different sort of creature was on the prowl tonight, and not the cute, furry variety. For a tense moment, Clay and Tanya stood by, focusing their attention toward the darkness beyond the two would-be victims, then a distinctly nauseating stench, like that of rotting meat combined with brimstone, came wafting out on the night breeze. Clay was the first to notice the stench; he wanted nothing more than to immediately throw up as the smell and his mounting fear threatened to overwhelm him but Tanya swiftly came to his side, gripping his arm tightly. Like earlier, before they made their way to Five Elms Square, he felt that comforting surge of gentle energy running through him, bolstering him. From out of the fouled gloom, thick, glossy tentacles came out, probing the air for a brief moment before looping around the upper torsos and heads of the drunk couple. In the blink of an eye, they were yanked off their feet and swallowed up into the pitch-black darkness. Mere moments, which felt like an eternity in the late Spring air, passed by as Clay and Tanya stood in mute dread as they heard the sickening flesh being ripped apart and bones being broken. Neither Clay nor Tanya could do nothing for them now; they were now dead food for a living nightmare. As if in mockery of the two humans which it no doubt sensed was witnessing it, the Shambling Lurker sent out the remains of its meal out of the alley, bones and shreds of clothing clattering like twigs on the hard concrete. Before the youthful adventures could make another words or utter a word to each other, the creature came shambling out of the darkness and into full view, its sickeningly greenish gelatinous mass glinting int he moonlight. All over its hideous form were eyes of various hues and an equal number of gaping mouths, closing and opening hungrily in search of satisfying its hunger. In what seemed to be the upper portion of its mass was a large single crimson eye like that of a lizard, and directly below it was a large mouth filled with yellowish fangs dripping gore. Just then, another form of unwanted trouble was making its appearance; a small group of patrons, followed by two burly bouncers, stood near the alley, blind terror etched on all their faces at the horrific sight they were witnessing. Tanya had to think fast to avoid potential problems arising from this unexpected development. The last thing she need, nor wanted was to have witnesses asking questions about what they were seeing. She spun around toward the crowd, snapping on the flashlight, aiming its intensely bright beam on them and quickly reciting another phrase in Latin while making gesturing at the onlookers. “Per divinam gratiam, et omne obliviscaur te vidmus…” By divine grace, you will forget all you will see. The incantation worked; a spur-of-the-moment act but at least the damned spell worked. Thank goodness. However, the stern admonition about using her powers needlessly against civilians her Granpa and her late mother often repeated came flooding back to her instantly. Clay realized Tanya had no choice but to use a small portion of her eldritch ability to wield energies to thwart the crowd of seeing what they should not and his heart went out to her in sympathy, seeing the anguish clouded her face as she realized what she did. It couldn’t be helped. What choice did she have? What good were the forces she controlled as an apt adept in defense of good and light if she was thwarted from doing her job simply by the unwanted attention from ungrateful public who at nay time could let their curiosity overwhelm them and turn the Garland family’s relative peace and tranquility be upended by relentless questions and examination of their lives. Nevertheless, Clay was amazed to see the small knot of onlookers completed frozen in their tracks. “Wha—what happened? What did you do to them?” he asked meekly, struggling to gain his sense of himself and his surroundings amid the perilous chaos. “Look, Peach, the mesmerism enchantment I cast on them won’t last long—maybe fifteen minutes at the most, and we’ve still got big, ugly and menacing to deal with, okay?” She noticed Clay still wasn’t quite with the situation. She grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him. “Damn it, Clay, we’ve still got that unholy monster to destroy, remember? Get with it, babe. I need you!” Clay finally out of his temporary dazed state, just in time as the Shambling lurker lashed out, wrapping a tentacle around Tanya’s ankle, its filmy filth soaking the lower leg of her baggy jeans. She let out a terror-stricken scream, instantly loosing her balance as the lurker yanked her off her feet. She crashed onto her side, the flashlight tumbling out of her grasp and clattering on the ground. “Help! Clay, HELP ME!!” The unholy menace took its time in slowly hauling its newest intended victim slowly toward it, taking a perverse delight in inflicting horror. “NOO!!” Letting his own fighting instincts take over, Clay dropped the utility bag on the ground, unzipped it and found among its various items a very sharp, short-handled camping hatchet. Dashing to Tanya’s side, Clay whacked at the slimy tentacle, cutting it off above Tanya’s ankle in two swift chops. The Shambling Lurker made no outcry of pain but signaled its intense hatred for the pair of adventurers by the intense glare of its crimson eye. Its would-be victims were courageously fighting back against it, and that it couldn’t abide. It would slay the two without mercy. Kicking off the vile remnant of the Lurker’s tentacle away, Tanya quickly dug into her jacket and took out the velvet sack. “Clay, quick, grab the flashlight, twist its bottom and shine the light at that thing!” “Okay, will do!” Clay was about to do what Tanya instructed when he was unexpected slashed at by another tentacle, cutting open his golf jacket and slicing into his arm. Before he could react, he was knocked down to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. Tanya struggled in the grip of another of the Lurker’s elongated appendages, wrapping itself around her wrist where her hand held the sack. She sensed the monstrosity detected the sack’s contents as being a powerful ward against it. “C’mon, shine the light on that bastard, will you?!!” “Okay, okay, I’m working on it.” Clay said, sucking in a few deep breathes to gain his strength back, getting up to his feet. He twisted the flashlight’s bottom until he heard a faint click, then turned its beam on it. If it could have roared its hatred in that moment the Lurker certainly would have but all that it did in the flashlight’s eerie brilliance was remain transfixed, its baleful crimson eyes and its mouth held wide open. For the moment, the unholy terror was frozen in place. Tugging off the golden cord enclosing the bag, Tanya tipped its glittering contents out onto the palm of her free hand. She gave the monster one last loathsome glance before she blew the dust at the entity. The spreading cloud of silvery bluish powder glittered in the air before landing on its intended target, spreading its sparkling cloud over it until it was completely enveloped. Clay ran up to Tanya as she began chanting the Latin incantation she recited earlier. I cast the light of truth to banish dark evil… The powder continued to spark and shimmer, and in the space of a heartbeat, the Lurker’s captured form began to writhe and warp in the power of the developing enchantment. The incantation was repeated again, this time with firm conviction. I cast the light of truth to banish dark evil… Clay remained speechless at Tanya’s side, amazed by the effect the enchantment was having on the vile creature, as the shimmering silvery blue sheath of light continued to shrink it out of existence. He caught her attention for a moment, sharing a knowing look with him, giving him a wink before going back to reciting the enchantment one final time. “Quick, Clay, do as I say—shield your eyes! Things are about to get awfully bright awfully fast around here.” “Right.” Clay did as he was told, covering his eyes and turning away just as Tanya did the same. In a space of seconds, the field of shimmering glow surrounding the Lurker briefly bent and warped the fabric of reality until it exploded in a final eruption of light. The Shambling Lurker was gone. Clay waited for a few moments before he sensed it was safe to open his eyes. Blowing out a sigh of relief, he cleared his throat and said, “It’s gone, let’s hope forever.” “Yeah, it’s gone, hopefully for good.” Tanya replied, then drew her attention to the ugly remains of the two heedless patrons devoured by the Lurker. She swallowed hard, trying to tamp down the grief she suddenly felt and tears starting welling up in her green eyes. Clay wanted to pull Tanya away from the ghastly scene, wanted to take her in arms and hold her close to comfort her. “C’mon, Cherry, there’s nothing more we can do here. Our work is done. Let’s go back home.” She chose not to go with him, still staring at the hideous remains. Wild desperation flickered in her eyes as she looked pleadingly at him, her voice quivering. “We’ll—we’ll need to call Zack. He’ll — he’ll now what to do… about this.” “What about Emmett?” Tanya shook her head emphatically. “No, no way, not him. Oh, God in heaven, I fucked this up so badly.” She held her hand over her mouth and started crying. “No, Tanya, you didn’t.” Clay gently drew the heartbroken Shadow-Seeker. She resisted at first but then her grief and sadness made her sag in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, shedding more tears. “Tanya, there was nothing we could have done for them. They ignored us, that thing attacked, and there was nothing more we could have done. It’s over.” Tanya resigned herself to the grim reality of the past situation, realizing beating herself up over their deaths was needless. Besides, getting frantic over what she couldn’t control would end up resulting in an unwanted stay in a padded cell at the Arcadian Orchard’s Havenwood Mental Health Facility. Nah, screw that. The last thing she needed was to be fitted for a straitjacket. No thanks. She had enough problems to deal with. Noticing the nasty cut Clay was sporting on his upper-arm, plus the shredded sleeve. she tenderly held his injured arm and said, “Hey, that’s quite a battle injury you’re sporting, Peach. You okay?” “Nah, nothing major. Stings a little but nothing to worry about.” “Even so, there’s a special first aid kit in the back of the Range Rover. As soon as we get back to it, I’ll fix you up.” Clay draped his uninjured arm around Tanya’s shoulders and they started making their way away from the scene. “Ahh, just what I needed, my very own field nurse to aide and comfort me.” Gathering up the utility bag, after a few minutes of walking to cool off and get some measure of control back, Clay and Tanya headed back to the area where they parked the Range Rover. Opening up the back storage bay, Tanya dug out the first aid kit and treated Clay’s wound, applying some special ointments before wrapping the arm. With treatment done, she dug into her jacket, handing over the keys and the smart phone to Clay. “I’m in no shape to do any driving, nor to ask Zack for help in getting things cleaned up over at the tavern. You better do it.” “He’s not going to like what we’ll have to tell him about what happened.” Tanya shrugged, leaning against the frame of the compartment bay. “Tough noggies on him. He’ll have to come up with a last-minute plan get that site cleared away. So he’ll have to call in some favors from a few of his other friends—I mean, so what? At least he’ll enjoy playing squad commander for a little while, won’t he?” Clay sighed, then tapped on Zack’s number listed on the phone. In seconds, Zack called and was given a proper run-down of what happened and what was expected to be done. Even though he wasn’t too pleased, after finally thinking it over, Zack said he’d agree to make arrangements to proper dispose of the remains back at the tavern before the mesmerized crowd could see them. Tired, sweaty and sore but very grateful to be alive, Clay and Tanya decided it was past time to return home. Besides, they would have quite a tale to tell Granpa Garland, minus a few inconvenient details, of course. All in a night’s work for the Shadow-Seeker....
CharmingCurmudgeon
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