Leviathan (Fist of Light Series) (25 page)

Jas shot me a worried glance. “You're practically a zombie, dude. You might have a bunch of juice under all that flab, but that doesn't mean you don't need sleep.”

Zack placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “We're not going anywhere, bro. Lead on.”

We'd visited the scene of the crime and had no luck. Police had already come and gone, leaving only a dark spot on the pavement as evidence that something unseemly had occurred. From the looks of things, it had been a popular place to beg at the freeway off-ramp. Homeless, beggars, you can call them whatever you want. But at the end of the day, we're all part of that thing we call humanity. There hadn't been anyone manning the post, which had immediately set off alarm bells in my head. If no one was congregating at a top contended spot, things had gotten ugly. Finding a safe place to crash had always been harder than getting the things I needed to survive. One day I came across a collective of sorts, located just outside the city.

If you've ever been to Tijuana, you probably have a good idea what the place looks like. Ramshackle houses were built out of sheet metal and mud was used as improvised mortar. Some of the more well-off groups had used two by fours as braces to make the building less prone to falling apart. These houses, if you were optimistic enough to call them that, weren't equipped with all the amenities of the home, but they would protect you from the elements. No air conditioning or heaters, but on the worst of nights a fire could be built, smoke escaping through a hole in the ceiling. Shaking my head to clear it of the memories, I stared down at the encampment below.

“What is this place?” Monique asked.

“A collection of people short on money and luck,” Kathryne replied.

“We're going down
there
?” Mary shivered, looking uncomfortable.

“You think we came for the view?” Jas chuckled.

“We came here for answers,” I said. “They don't care for outsiders.”

We were on the side of a cracked and pitted length of pavement, standing before a chain link fence. Someone had taken wire cutters to it, chopping a makeshift entrance. Leading the way, I squeezed through the opening, stopping once to detach a projection of metal that had caught on my jacket.

“Don't do anything stupid,” I told them. “We need these people to talk, not run us off with pitchforks.”

“I'm offended that you would think me capable of making mistakes,” Jas huffed before scraping his way through the gate.

“Yeah, because you're practically chiseled perfection.” Mary blew a lock of hair away from her face.

“Aha! My Werevamp abilities are already beginning to kick in. Feel that undeniable urge to kiss me?”

“I'm not sure. Could be you have some kinks to work out. Feels more like an urge to throw up.” Mary demonstrated, convincingly acting the part.

I turned to walk down the hill towards the camp, smirking.
“Looks like Mary doesn’t root for either team.”

The houses were only a couple hundred feet away, just far enough to be invisible if you didn't know where to look. Not that the police weren't aware, but it did a lot to keep them from rounding them up and bulldozing the encampment. People didn't like seeing the dirty side of life. It made them realize that anyone might be in the same position, given the right circumstances. A few children emerged from a dirt causeway, skipping into view. Mud covered their clothes and faces, evidence of their recent play.

“Strangers,
strangers
!” they called, sticking out tongues while pulling on their ears and making faces.

That provoked a chorus of laughter, while I bent a knee to speak to the ringleader. “Can you help us find someone?”

The boy couldn't have been older than seven, with wild hair and dark brown eyes. “Maybe,” he squinted at me, measuring. “What's it worth to you?”

I grinned, sticking a hand into one of my many pockets. “Here.” I presented him with ten dollar bills, to be distributed at his discretion.

He looked me up and down slowly, shaking his head slightly. I got the hint, flashing another ten before putting it away. He wouldn't get that unless he and his friends delivered. The kid got the message, latching onto Kathryne's hand and tugging her along insistently.

“Who are you looking for?” a young girl asked when she was no longer entranced by the intricacies of her braid.

“I'm looking for anyone who's seen or heard anything about the murders,” I announced seriously to our guides.

The giggles of play and laughter ceased. “Who are you, mister? A cop?”

“No, he's too short. That guy over there's the cop,” another boy asserted, pointing at Herk.

“Don't be dumb, Hank. They're too young to be cops. Plus, they don't have a badge. Cops have badges.”

The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon, meaning we only had an hour or so left before things dark and muddled. People were still about in droves on the dirt streets, more often than not sporting ragged clothing and bare feet. Luckily California's climate was so accommodating, or these people would freeze to death come winter. Suspicious gazes fell on our party, tracking us down the street. I could feel the heat of their glares burning into my back, questioning our presence here. No doubt, they expected only trouble to follow on the heels of strangers. I hoped I'd be able to disprove that notion.

“We're not cops,” I told them. “Although we
are
on a mission to save the world,” I whispered enticingly.

The ringleader frowned for a moment before lifting a hand imperiously. “No way. You'd have a cape for sure.”

“She has a cape.” Jas indicated Kathryne's ensemble. “We left ours behind. If we walked into the enemies’ base with our suits and masks, they'd be onto us from the start.”

His logic worked.

“I guess that makes sense,” the ringleader said, his expression lifted and a smile graced his face.

“You think you can help us?” I asked.

The older girl spoke up, clenching her little fists impotently. “I'm scared. Every morning another person doesn't wake up, no matter how hard we shake. The monster stole their soul.”

“Shh! Don't talk about it. It'll hear and eat you next!”

The kid tugged Kathryne down a side street and she smiled endearingly at him. “A guy got here a couple weeks ago. Said he's on a mission to find the monster, but he's always too late. That's why we're taking you. Maybe you could kill it together. Then everything can go back to how it was before.” A glimmer of hope shone in his eyes.

I don't know what was more surprising: Kathryne smiling and acting the patient mother or that someone else was looking for the Leviathan. “We'll do our best.”

“That one there.” He stretched out a dirty hand.

Sheet metal adorned the rooftop, most rusted and pitted with holes, while a piece of cardboard acted as a door. The dwelling looked no different from any other hovel, but I doubted the kid was wrong. He seemed sincere in his hope that we'd be able to solve their problem. Extracting the promised money from my pocket, I gave the bill to him.

“Thanks for the help, kid.”

The bill disappeared. “I'm not a kid. I’m a Texas Ranger and this here is my town!” he announced.

They raced off in a chorus of renewed laughter, on their way to find something else to occupy their time. “Good kids.” Xavier cracked a smile. “You think we'll be able to help?”

“I don't know about you, but I'm getting a feeling we're standing at ground zero.” Jas shivered.

“It's
horrible
that children are reduced to living in this terrible place.” Monique latched more firmly onto Xavier's arm.

Xavier nodded. “It's the way of our world that some will live in poverty while others are blessed with good fortune. That doesn't make the pill any easier to swallow.”

“I'm surprised the police haven't been here already, if people are dying. It sure does seem like this place is the center,” Mary said

“You think anyone would believe a group of homeless declaring a bunch of bums are showing up dead each morning because a soul-sucking monster had eaten them in the night. If anything, they'll write the report off as drug induced,” I said.

“Well, we just going to stand here?” Zack shifted restlessly from foot to foot.

“Might as well see if we can figure out what this Leviathan is all about.” I kicked at the up some dirt from the road and walked up to the door.

It took me awhile to figure out the best course of action. Finally I just decided the hell with it and knocked on the metal exterior, rather than the cardboard door, which was sagging alarmingly.

“Anyone home?” I called loudly.

We waited a few anxious seconds before anything happened. During that time, I listened intently, extending both natural and preternatural senses into the surrounding area. I narrowed my eyes at a fleeting brush against my consciousness, but it was gone before I'd managed to locate the source. I heard movement inside the house, pieces of metal being kicked loudly out of the way as someone charged their way to the door. I figured that was a security precaution. If anyone snuck up on you in the dead of night, they weren't there to pay a friendly visit.

“Who's there? I'm not in the mood for more trouble. I already told you I'm not leaving. Get that straight and we can…” The voice trailed off abruptly when the giant stepped into the light of day, blinking as the sun beat down on him.

My eyes widened at the sight of him. Big, brawny, but his hair was a bedraggled mess, although that could only be expected when you didn't have access to running water. His clothes were torn and re-sewn inexpertly, while his whiskered face was in dire need of a shave. Everything about him was different from the person I knew. The thing that finally clued me in was the spiked collar around his neck, his earthen arm and the eyes that had seen more than they'd ever wished to.

“I thought you'd be on the other side of the world by now, Razor.” I stepped back and looked to my friends, who were slowly recognizing the much-changed man before us.

“What up, bro!” Jas moved in to clasp arms. “Ah, gross,” he backed away. “Ever heard of this thing called a shower? You reek, dude!”

“You know this guy?” Herk sized him up.

“Yeah,” I told him. “We go
way
back.”

“Caleb, everyone. I was wondering how long it'd take you to show up. Longer than I figured.” He scratched at his beard.

“You knew we were coming?” Mary asked.

“He can't resist The Call any more than I can.” Razor swiped a fly away. “Eventually, you give in.” He shrugged. “Otherwise I'd still be on the other side of the country.”

“I'd give you a hug, but...” I plugged my nose and waved a hand ineffectually, trying to keep some of the putrid air from entering my nostrils.

“Who are they?” Razor fixed his attention on Kathryne and Herk, who both introduced themselves.

Razor rumbled a greeting before turning back to me. “You've felt it, then.”

I nodded grimly. “You have a place we can talk without being overheard?”

He looked dubiously at his small shack. “Nothing close. We'd better move a ways off.”

There was an outcropping of boulders not far from the encampment, and we'd all positioned ourselves on top of them. They weren't too comfortable, but it was better than lying in the dirt. Jas dislodged stones as he situated himself. The shadows were beginning to lengthen alarmingly, but this had to be done before we retreated to the safety of the Order. I had gotten Razor up to date on our knowledge regarding the Leviathan on our way, which wasn't much to begin with. Then I'd filled him in about the intervening information as concisely as possible, breezing through as fast as I was able. He nodded and rumbled responses in the right places, allowing me to flesh out all the details in a quick pass. Razor didn't bat an eye at hearing of Jas peculiar lineage, which was a relief. You never know how people will react.

“I can tell you one thing for sure. This
Leviathan
as you called it— it's here,” he rumbled with grim certainty. “Whatever it is, taking it alone is suicide. As it is, I've spent days working to ferret out the beast or catch it feeding, but no dice. Bodies appearing every morning like clockwork, but I couldn't even catch a
glimpse
of it. But then everything changed. I saw it rip the soul out of a man with my own eyes, kill another when he resisted before disappearing into the woodwork without a trace.”

“You sure that's what you saw?” Herk asked, the disbelief obvious in his tone.

“I know what I saw,” Razor said, anger tingeing his voice.

“The man knows what he saw,” Jas repeated. “He's not about to make something like this up.”

“What does this thing look like, exactly?” Simon asked. “Kind of hard to track something down when you don't have a basic description.”

“That's the problem. No matter who I ask, there's always a different perspective. No one sees the same face. It's like it’s got a thousand disguises.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Or it’s one of a thousand,” Herk grunted.

“Do you think it can sense you're here? I wouldn't think a baddie of this caliber would just allow someone to go snooping around in their hunting grounds.”