The Massacre Mechanism (The Downwinders Book 5) (5 page)

I think
it was Daniel something or other,
Jackson replied.
Oh, shit!
he expelled, throwing
himself from his chair and running to the window. His hand went to the handle
on his revolver once again.
Forgot to watch. I gotta catch these guys before
they get to me first!

We gotta
go,
Awan said,
walking to the nightstand to replace the gun he’d taken earlier.
Thanks,
Jackson.

If you
fellas see those Sorenson boys on your way out, do me a favor and shoot ’em
between the eyes, will ya?

Sure,
Awan replied. Winn replaced his gun,
and the two of them dropped from the River, walking out of the room. Once they
were in the hallway, Awan turned to Winn.

“Want to go
up to Tonopah?” he asked. “It’s only a half hour up the road.”

“Might as
well,” Winn replied. “If we can find this Daniel, we might get some answers.”

Winn
followed Awan back through the hotel, leaving via the roof. As they climbed
down the metal fire escape, he asked Awan, “What happened to Jackson? Did the
Sorensen boys ever show up?”

“They came
in the back and surprised him right in his room,” Awan replied. “Shot him so
full of holes they had a hard time keeping the body in one piece.”

“Jesus,”
Winn muttered. “Were they ever arrested for his murder?”

“I don’t
know if he really jumped their claim or not,” Awan replied, leaping from the
fire escape to the ground. “But that’s what the Sorensens claimed, and jumping
a claim was like horse stealing; everyone knew it could get you killed. The
county magistrate was the Sorensen’s cousin, so no one bothered to arrest them.
They’d never have been convicted.”

They got
into Winn’s Jeep. “Fascinating story,” Winn replied.

“Rumor was
the Sorensens dropped a bag of silver on the front desk as they walked out,”
Awan said. “Payment for whoever had to clean up the mess.”

As they made
their way up to Tonopah, Winn asked Awan how he’d come to know Jackson.

“He’s
renowned,” Awan replied, “but he doesn’t appear to many people. I used to
explore the building as a kid, before they made the renovations. My brother
would come up here to meet friends; they liked to ATV out in the desert, by
where the car museum is today. My brother’s friend had younger brothers I’d
hang out with. We were too young to ride the ATVs, so we’d ride bikes around
Goldfield all day. That hotel was a frequent stop for us because it was a lot
of fun to play in. Dangerous as hell, but we were too young to know. Whenever
we were on the third floor I could smell pot coming from Jackson’s room, so I
knew something was going on. The other kids weren’t gifted and they couldn’t
smell anything.”

“Funny,”
Winn replied. “So it’s like he has an endless supply in there?”

“Yeah, it
never seems to get used up,” Awan said. “He’s on his loop, always watching for
the Sorensens, smoking a little pot while he waits. He would say it was to calm
his nerves. The Sorensens would pop in every half hour and shoot him to
ribbons.”

“That must
have been brutal to witness,” Winn said. “As a child.”

“Come on,
I’m gifted!” Awan replied. “Saw much worse in real life. I suspect you have,
too.”

Winn thought
of Brent trying to escape the hole as he pulled on his young friend’s arms. In
his mind he could see what the creatures on the other side were doing to
Brent’s legs, clawing at them, shredding them.

“Yeah,” Winn
replied. “You’re right.”

“I don’t
know why he decided to open up, to appear to me and talk. He’s more lucid than
most ghosts, and his loop is long enough that you can have conversations with
him before he’s killed. I got to know him over the years.”

“A pot-smoking
claim-jumping symbol expert getting shot to pieces over and over,” Winn said.
“Not what I was expecting.”

“Interesting
about the time shifting, though, huh?” Awan asked. “I wasn’t expecting that
either.”

The desk
clerk hadn’t been helpful. They’d asked for information on any Daniel from
Spokane, and were met with a firm rebuke and lecture about hotel policy.

They stood
in the lobby, midway between the front desk and the Wyatt Earp bar, with its
ornate, antique dark wood and every seat occupied by a tourist. “What now?”
Awan asked. “We’re not getting anywhere with staff. And I’m not going to jump
into the River and start invading rooms.”

“No, of
course not,” Winn replied. “Didn’t Jackson say Daniel had driven down from
Spokane?”

“Yeah.”

“Parking
lot?” Winn asked. “License plates?”

“Why not.”

They walked
out the front of the busy establishment and around back to a dusty, unpaved
parking area. Winn glanced in all directions to see if they were being watched.

“This makes
me nervous,” Winn said. “We look like car prowlers.”

“Be cool,”
Awan replied. “We’re just walking through the parking lot. Try not to be
obvious.”

There were
only thirty cars to check out, and Awan quickly spotted the older van with
Washington plates in the far corner of the lot.

“So we
wait?” Winn asked.

“If you want
to meet him,” Awan replied. “We could park your Jeep in the spot next to him,
and wait until he comes out.”

“What if he
doesn’t? What if he stays in the hotel for days?”

“Could
happen. Depends on how bad you wanna meet him, I guess.”

“There’s got
to be a way to speed things up,” Winn replied. “Use his license plate to get
his last name, bribe a bellboy to look up a room number, something like that.”

As they
stood in the parking lot discussing options, a group of a dozen people emerged
from the hotel and began filtering through the lanes of cars.

“Something
must have let out,” Winn said. “We’d better go back to your car.”

As they
slowly returned through the parking lot, one man came toward them. He was tall and
lean, wearing glasses, and he had a satchel in his hand.

“Good
evening,” Winn said as the man passed, but the man didn’t reply — he seemed
deep in thought, as though he hadn’t heard Winn’s words.

They walked
a few paces more, then Winn stopped and slowly turned. The man was headed for
the van with the Washington plates.

“That’s
him!” Winn said.

Awan stopped
and looked back with him. “We’d better get to him before he drives off.”

They quickened
their pace, catching up to the man as he unlocked the van’s door.

“Are you
Daniel?” Winn asked.

The man
jumped when Winn spoke, as though the question shocked him out of a trance. He
turned to face them. “Yes, I’m Daniel.”

“My name is
Winn, and this is Awan. We were hoping to speak with you for a moment.”

“Can’t right
now, I have to get going,” Daniel replied. “I’ve got a long drive ahead of me.”

“Going back
to Spokane?” Awan asked.

“No, not
Spokane, I…” he paused. “Wait, how do you know where I live?”

“A friend
told us about you,” Awan replied. “We’re in need of some help. Said you were a
time expert.”

Daniel’s
eyes darted left and right, then settled back upon the two men. “Some people
think that,” he replied. “But I have to get going. I’m late for an
appointment.”

“Maybe we
could come with you,” Winn offered. “And explain our situation on the way?”

“I don’t
think so,” Daniel replied, opening the van door. “It’s more than two hours away
in a little town called Indian Springs. I doubt you’d want to go there.”

“I live
there,” Awan replied.

“Oh,” Daniel
replied, surprised. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by saying...” A blush quickly
spread across Daniel’s face as he stammered to a stop.

“We’re on
our way back there now,” Winn replied. “We could caravan. Make sure you get
there safely.”

“Actually,”
Daniel said, looking at his vehicle, “I wouldn’t mind that at all. This van
isn’t the most reliable thing, and it gave me some trouble on the way down.
Maybe…”

Daniel
paused, reaching into his pockets until he found a piece of paper. “Maybe you
could help me get to this address? The directions seemed a little crazy to me.
I don’t have a GPS and I noticed the signal for my phone is a little spotty out
here.” He handed a wrinkled piece of paper to Awan, who smoothed it out before
he read it. Awan turned back to Daniel.

“Why are you
going to this place?” Awan asked.

“Well,
that’s my business, isn’t it?” Daniel replied.

“Who are you
meeting?” Awan asked. “Are their names Ernie and Delmar?”

Daniel
looked surprised. “The one I talked to was named Delmar, yes.”

Awan turned
to Winn and they exchanged a concerned look.

“Can I ask
why you’re meeting them?” Winn asked Daniel.

Daniel
sighed. “It’s rather urgent, and I’m running late as it is.” Daniel got into
the seat of the van and reached for the door handle.

“Are they
selling you something?” Awan asked.

Daniel
pulled the door closed and rolled down the window. “They are.”

“I know
these people,” Awan replied. “You shouldn’t trust them.”

“I don’t
know that I have much choice,” Daniel replied, looking at his watch. “I need
what they’re selling before sunrise.”

Awan handed
the paper back to Daniel. “I know right where they live,” he said. “Why don’t
you follow us? We’re in the Jeep over there.” Awan pointed to Winn’s vehicle in
the other corner of the parking lot.

“I
appreciate that,” Daniel said. “Once I get what I need from them, I’ll be happy
to try and help you.”

“Can we
exchange phone numbers real quick,” Winn asked, “just in case we get separated
on the road?”

“Sure,”
Daniel said, giving Winn his number. Winn punched it into his phone and made a
call; they heard Daniel’s muffled phone ringing. Daniel fished it out of his
pocket and held it up for them to see. “Got it,” he said.

“Great,”
Awan replied, turning to go back to Winn’s Jeep. “Just follow us. We’ll get you
there.”

They ran
back to the Jeep and got inside. By the time they maneuvered out of the lot,
Daniel was right behind them, waiting for them to pull out onto Highway 95.

“Damn, we’re
lucky,” Winn said. “Another five minutes and we’d have missed him.”

“I’d say
he’s
lucky,” Awan replied. “Another five minutes, and he’d have been headed to Ernie
and Delmar’s on his own.”

▪ ▪ ▪

Winn stopped
his Jeep in almost the same spot he used when they last visited the trailer on
the outskirts of Indian Springs many months ago.

“Have you
dealt with these fuckers since we tainted them?” Winn asked.

“Nope,
haven’t heard from them at all,” Awan replied. “But I’m sure whatever it is
they’re up to, it’s not legit.”

Winn saw
Daniel’s van come to a stop behind him. He turned off the Jeep’s motor and
reached for the glove compartment, removing a pistol. As they got out of the
Jeep, he tucked it under his belt, behind his back. They walked to Daniel, who
rolled down his window.

“Why are we
stopping here?” Daniel asked.

“I want to
talk to you before we walk up to their house,” Awan said. “I’ve had dealings
with these two before. I don’t know why you’re out here to meet them, but you
should know they’re not reputable.”

“Why do you
say that?” Daniel asked suspiciously.

“Well,” Winn
replied, “the last time we dealt with them, they were blackmailing locals with
hauntings if they didn’t pay up. We put a stop to it.”

“So we
aren’t very popular with these two,” Awan said.

Daniel
sighed and turned off the motor to his van. He opened the door and got out,
looking at Awan and Winn. “Listen, they said they could sell me Caller residual.
Do you know what that is?”

“I know
Callers,” Awan replied. “But I’ve never heard of Caller residual.”

“It’s a
trace substance Callers leave behind whenever they move, like footsteps. It
fades quickly, but if it’s harvested properly before it disappears, it can be
kept in small vials lined with lead. I need some to stop a timeslip that will
initiate at the first light of day.”

“A
timeslip?” Winn asked.

“No time to
explain it all right now,” Daniel said, looking at his watch. “It’s nearly
midnight, and I was supposed to be here at 11. If they have any, I need to buy
it and get on with things. It’ll take me a little while to make the compound I
need. I don’t want to cut this too close.”

“These two
have had dealings with Callers in the past,” Awan said, “so it’s possible they
really do have some to sell you. But they’ll try to scam you somehow. I suggest
you let us come with you when you meet them. Otherwise you might be walking out
of here with nothing, or worse.”

Daniel
looked perplexed. “How do I know you two are telling me the truth?” He glanced
at each of them. “Maybe you’re waiting until I have the residual, and intend to
jump me.”

Winn pulled
the paper from his pocket and unfolded it, exposing the symbols. “We need help
translating this. A ghost in Goldfield told us that these symbols are time
shifted, that the only way to decipher them is to time shift to the same
differential that was used to create them. That’s why we need your help. That’s
our only motivation here.”

Daniel took
the page from Winn’s hands. The light from the nearly full moon overhead
allowed a dim reading of the sketches. He tilted the paper to one side and
squinted his eyes at it.

Winn watched
as Daniel’s image began to shake slightly, as though he was suddenly viewing
the man through a piece of glass that had begun to vibrate. It subsided
quickly, and Daniel handed the paper back.

“Yes, it’s
time differentiated,” Daniel said.

“You can
tell just by looking at it?” Awan asked.

“I can shift
an increment either way on my own,” Daniel said. “I saw it change when I
shifted.”

“Can you
read it?” Winn asked.

“No, it
shifts to garbage,” Daniel said. “You need the right differential.”

“Wow, no
pot!” Awan said. “You can shift without pot?”

“I developed
the skill many years ago,” Daniel said. “Trust me, I started with pot.
Eventually I learned how to do it on my own.”

“Amazing,”
Winn said.

“Not
really,” Daniel replied. “I can only do it for a moment, and half the time it
gives me a headache. I only learned how to do it to prove to myself I could.”

“Let us go
with you up to Ernie and Delmar’s,” Awan said. “We’ll make sure they don’t take
advantage of you. The only thing we ask is that you point us in the right
direction to get these symbols figured out.”

“Alright,”
Daniel said. “How much farther up this road?”

“Not more
than a minute,” Awan replied. “Just over a hill. We go on foot so they don’t
see us coming.”

“Lead on,”
Daniel said, and Awan turned to head down the dirt road.

It didn’t
take long for the lights of the trailer to appear in the distance, and as they
got closer to it, the sound of a thumping bass increased. The music inside was
so loud it was vibrating the trailer’s windows, causing the patches of light
cast onto the ground surrounding the trailer to shake as if an earthquake were
occurring.

Winn
recognized the music. “
Dark Side of the Moon,
” he said to Awan. “I
wonder what they’re doing inside.”

“That’s an
easy guess,” Awan replied. “I’ll go up to the door and knock with Daniel. You
stand back and stay ready for anything.”

“Will do,”
Winn said, reaching for the gun behind his back.

“What’s that
for?” Daniel asked upon seeing the firearm.

“In case
things go south,” Winn replied. “They’re unpredictable.”

Winn saw
Daniel gulp, then turn to follow Awan as they walked to the door of the
trailer, stepping around metal lawn chairs and a rusted BBQ.

Awan
knocked, but the volume of the music easily drowned it out. He pounded on the
door with his fist, and kept pounding. Suddenly the music quieted, and Awan
stepped back behind Daniel.

The door
swung open, and light from the trailer spilled out, illuminating Daniel. Smoke
billowed out and down the steps, filling the air with the pungent aroma of
weed.

Everyone’s
high tonight,
Winn
thought, remembering Jackson.

“You
Daniel?” came the voice from the shadow in the doorway.

“I am,”
Daniel replied.