Demon Town, page 26
The phone line went silent for a moment before Lisa spoke again. “You’re kind of scaring me, Mac.”
“Good, you should be scared, Lisa. Really scared.”
“Why? What have they done?”
What to say, what not to say? Mac was scrambling for the right thing to tell her as Lisa was in enough danger already. Anything that he let slip about the murders could get her killed, as well.
“I can’t say. You going to just have to trust me that as long as you’re with Kyle and he has any kind of connection with those two, you are in serious danger and I don’t want to see you get...”
Lisa started crying on the other end of the line. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Mac.”
“Get away from here. Get as far away as you can, Lisa.”
“I...I can’t.”
“Why?” Mac replied, but as he did so he could hear a door close on Lisa’s end of the phone line.
“Hey Lis, where are you?” It was Kyle.
“I’m in the bedroom.” Lisa sniffled and then whispered. “Mac, I’m going to have to go.”
“Wait, I’m not hanging up until you promise me that you will get away from them.”
“I don’t think I can. Listen, I’ll call you when I can.”
“It may be too late then.” Mac pleaded as he heard Lisa sobbing.
“Hey babe.” Kyle was right there now. “Are you crying? What’s going on?” There was no response from Lisa. “Who are you talking to?”
Mac could hear some rustling and a muffled exchange between Lisa and Kyle.
“Hello?” Kyle’s voice sounded in Mac’s ear. “Who is this?”
Mac hung up at once and buried his head in his hands. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” he whispered to himself.
Two days later Mac was still moping around when he and Uncle Pete stopped to have their morning coffee break at work. He hadn’t heard from Lisa and as much as he wanted to call her, he knew that he shouldn’t. There had been no word from Mikey or Milo which was part of their plan to lay low, but Mac needed someone to talk to. Paul still hadn’t showed up, Mac still remembered everything even though he hadn’t used any of his powers and he didn’t know what was happening with Lisa.
“So, how about that Sam Malone?” Uncle Pete asked in an attempt to break Mac out of his silence. “He is one smooth ladies man.”
“Sorry, what?” Mac replied as he checked back into reality.
“Sam Malone. Cheers? The TV show?”
“Sorry, I must’ve missed it. I’ve been a little out of it lately.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” Uncle Pete rolled his eyes and smiled. “What’s her name?”
Mac stared at Uncle Pete who sat there with a cheshire cat grin on his face
. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Uncle Pete shook his head and gave Mac a funny look. “Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, Mac.”
“Fine. Lisa Thomas.”
“Ooh. Cute lady. Is it serious?”
“I don’t know what it is.” Mac just wanted to be left alone.
“One of those, eh?” Uncle Pete waited for a witty comeback and was disappointed when he didn’t get one. “Okay then, how about this? I have a business proposition for you. I have a bunch of things that need to be picked up in Southby from my suppliers. The freight company would charge me an arm and a leg to haul it down here, so I’m wondering if you would be interested in taking my truck up and picking it all up for me? See if Mikey and Milo want to go with you and make it a road trip if you want. The suppliers are open on Saturdays, so you can go up on Friday night and hit the city bars first and then pick everything up the next day. What do you say?”
Mac was going to say no, but the more that he thought about it, the more that he liked the idea. He could use a change of scenery even if it was for just a couple of days. “How soon do you need to know? I’ll have to talk to Mikey and Milo.”
“The sooner the better. Some of the stuff can wait, but I have a couple of customers waiting for panel boxes.”
Mikey and Milo thought that it was an excellent idea. They had been cooped up long enough and were both starting to go stir crazy. Like Mac, they wanted to get out of Dodge for a couple of days and leave Paradise Flats in the rearview mirror.
“We’re in.” Mac told Uncle Pete when he showed up for work the next day.
“Perfect. I’ll get everything lined up in the next few days and get you addresses for all of the suppliers. Thanks Mac, I appreciate this.”
The phone rang and as his Uncle Pete went to answer it Mac wondered if this excursion was more for him and not Big Mac Electrical. Uncle Pete could’ve easily driven up to Southby and picked up everything himself if he wanted to, but knowing him, he probably figured that Mac could use some time away from Paradise Flats. Maybe he was right. Mac was looking forward to it already.
At noon that same day, Jonathon Neale called Bob Peterson at work. “Everything’s been arranged. Contact Manson and tell him to be in Southby in two days. We’ll get him the details of where they will be.”
“Okay, I’ll tell him. He’s going to want to know what he’s dealing with, though. What do I say to him?” Bob was sitting in his office with Sid Williams.
“As far as we know, MacIntosh is the one with the powers. The other two haven’t shown anything out of the ordinary from what we can tell, but we can’t be certain.”
“And we’re sure that these are the guys that we’ve been looking for?”
“99% sure.” Jonathon didn’t like being second-guessed. “We’re positive that they were the ones that witnessed the Olsons murder the two bikers. The red notebook matches that Campbell asshole’s writing apparently and MacIntosh always seems to be around when something strange happens. Yeah, we’re sure.”
“Okay. So, is he an angel?”
“We’re not sure on that. Tell Manson to treat him like one, just to be safe. I don’t think so myself or he would have had back up here by now.”
“Okay, proceed with caution. Anything else that he needs to know about?”
“He’s freaked out by clowns.” Sid interrupted.
“Clowns?”
“Yeah. Greg Turner was dressed up like one at the Halloween Howler and MacIntosh was pretty much shitting his pants when he was around him.”
“Clowns?” Bob smirked. “Manson won’t have any fun with that.”
“So, you’ve got it covered? Tell him that he will be handsomely rewarded for his efforts.”
“I’ll phone him right now and make it happen.”
“Good.” Jonathon hung up feeling much better. The sooner that this was taken care of, the better. He considered getting a status update from Manson when the job was finished, but decided against it. It would all work out.
Once Mac had finished work that Friday afternoon, he loaded his overnight bag into Uncle Pete’s truck and drove over and picked up Mikey and Milo. They hadn’t even made it out of town when Mikey decided that they needed some munchies for the road. After out voting Milo two to one, they stopped at the Red Basket for their treats. The Red Basket was Turbo’s main rival for fuel along Highway 19 as far as Milo was concerned, but Mikey felt that they had a better selection of junk food than Milo’s place of employment.
Mac and Milo were content with a pop and chocolate bar each, but Mikey could have used a grocery cart for all of the snacks that he was carrying. They made their way up to the counter to pay for everything when Tyson and his entourage walked in.
“Hey MacIntosh, been to the emergency room lately?” Tyson grinned as he walked by. He had all of the regulars with him, so he was feeling pretty cocky even with Mikey standing only a few feet away. Archie and Jughead chuckled, but did their best to avoid eye contact with him as they walked by. They reeked of alcohol and must have been drinking the afternoon away, Mac deduced, which explained why they were so brazen around Mikey.
“Let it go, Mikey.” Mac said as he noticed him glaring in the direction of Tyson and his cronies. “It’s not the time or place.” He pointed outside as a police car was driving past the gas station. “Let’s just go.”
As they paid and were walking out the door, Tyson yelled from the back of the store. “Hey, MacInqueer! We’re going to Quincy’s tonight if you want to come. I hear they’re looking for someone to mop up the floor in the men’s pisser. Is your face available?”
Mikey stopped dead in his tracks and started to turn around. The laughter from the back subsided as it looked like he was going to lose his shit on them.
“Keep moving, Mikey.” Mac prodded him towards the door. “We can’t afford any trouble here, especially if the police get involved.”
Mikey backed out of the Red Basket, but he made sure to take a mental image of Tyson and each of his buddies as he walked away.
“I’m going to kill those fuckers.” he said as he jumped into Uncle Pete’s truck.
“Mac’s right, Mikey. It’s not the time or place.” Milo had been quiet through all of this, which was not like him at all. “Holy shit, this day is just getting better and better!”
The Olson brothers had just pulled in off of the highway in their jacked up 4 x 4 truck and had parked across the lot from them. The passenger door opened up and Bear’s massive frame emerged as he made his way into the gas station. Dawg remained behind the steering wheel in the truck and an idea popped into Mac’s head.
“Maybe this is the time and place, after all. You guys need to be quiet for a second. I need to concentrate.”
Mikey and Milo didn’t need to be told twice. They were quite content in the safety of Uncle Pete’s truck and wanted nothing to do with the Olson brothers. Not now or ever.
Mac watched through the windows of the Red Basket as Bear made his way along the chip aisle. He glanced over to where Tyson and his crew were still standing at the back of the gas station.
“Let’s party, assholes.” Mac said as he turned his attention back to Bear and focused in on him.
“Hey fat ass! You ever thought of going on a diet?”
Bear had just grabbed a couple of bags of barbecue chips when he heard Tyson Williams. He wouldn’t be talking to him, would he?
“That’s right, lard ass! I’m talking to you! Have you ever come across something that you didn’t eat? Have another donut, you fat pig!” Tyson and his football teammates all laughed at Bear’s expense and proceeded to squeal like pigs.
Bear was enraged, but couldn’t figure out why that Tyson mother fucker was laughing at him. He must know that Dawg and him work for his old man, didn’t he? Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he didn’t even know that his old man was a fucking demon. He was undecided about what to do. Nobody fucking laughs at him, but he didn’t want any more trouble with the demons either. Still, he had never liked Tyson, the superstar athlete. He should go over and kick his and his buddies’ asses, but there would be hell to pay if he did.
“What’s the matter, you fat fuck? Are you going to start crying? Boo-hoo, you baby Beluga mother fuck!”
As Mac was planting the image of Tyson’s verbal attack in Bear’s mind, he noticed that the real Tyson and his crew were walking towards the cashier. He didn’t have much more time to do what he wanted.
Bear watched in confusion as the group of football players moved to the front of the store. All the while they laughed and pointed at him. It would be easy enough to walk over and rattle all of their skulls together, but what would the demons do to him?
“Come on.” Mac muttered to himself. “Why aren’t you going over and kicking the living shit out of them?”
Tyson and his buddies were in the midst of paying for their goods and getting ready to walk out of the Red Basket. They had all seen Bear in there, but as intoxicated as they were, they were smart enough to stay away from the big man. Mac watched as they started to exit the gas station and realized that his plan wasn’t going to work out like he had hoped. He remembered Tyson’s insults that had been directed at him earlier, though and refused to give up quite so easily.
“Hey, Bear shit, we’re partying at Quincy’s later if you feel like getting your ass kicked! I thought somebody said that you were supposed to be a real bad ass, but you look like a fat piece of shit to me. Bring that halfwit, inbred brother of yours and we’ll show you who the real bad asses are!”
Bear watched as Tyson gave him the finger and then followed his teammates outside. They all continued to laugh and ridicule him with more obscene gestures before they drove away. He paid for his snacks and then proceeded out to where Dawg sat waiting for him and told his brother of his encounter with Tyson and his football buddies.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dawg asked.
The 3M’s left for Southby immediately after Mac informed Mikey and Milo what he had just attempted to do. They shrugged off the missed opportunity for payback and were happy to be on their way. It was about three hour drive to the city and they found themselves laughing and joking around right after leaving the town limits of Paradise Flats. They talked about their jobs and the current movies and television shows, but they avoided the topic of angels, demons and murder. It was still there in the backs of their minds, but they chose not to discuss anything related to it.
“So, where are we going first?” Mac asked as they neared Southby. It was a big city by their standards with a population over 500,000 people. He had driven in the city twice before, but he wasn’t comfortable navigating his way around. Milo had arranged for them to stay at his aunt’s and uncle’s place, but the 3M’s wanted to hit a fast food restaurant along the way first and take in some fine dining cuisine that they couldn’t experience back home.
“Let’s find a burger joint and then go to my aunts and uncles and drop our bags off before we go out to the bars.”
“Uncle Pete says we have to go to Cosmo’s. Somebody was telling him that it’s a rock bar with lots of eye candy.”
“I’m in.” Milo replied giving a big thumbs up.
“Sounds good.” Mikey grinned.
By the time that they ate and had a visit with Milo’s relatives, it was just after nine o’clock. Cosmo’s was about a 15 minute drive from their house, so they decided to play it safe and take a cab.
“They’re not going to wait up for us, are they?” Mac asked on the ride there. “Your aunt and uncle don’t expect us back early, do they?”
“Nope, they gave me a key to let ourselves in. We’re good to go.”
Milo was decked out in his Don Johnson Miami Vice outfit with the white pants and jacket and orange T-shirt. Mac and Mikey bit their lips and kept their comments to themselves. It didn’t matter tonight. It was good to get out of Paradise Flats and just be normal again. If being normal meant getting shit faced at Cosmos tonight, then so be it.
As the cab pulled up in front of the nightclub, the 3M’s could see what all the hype was about the place. A massive flashing neon sign greeted passersby and a group of people were lined up outside waiting to get in. Judging by their attire, Mac realized that Milo would fit in more than Mikey and himself with their blue jeans and T-shirts. They weren’t sporting enough neon or using enough hair spray like everyone else in the crowd. Mac and Mikey grinned at each other and shrugged as they tried to keep up with Milo who was already making his way to the lineup.
Manson sat in a blue Ford Mustang that was parked across the street from Cosmo’s. He had been waiting here for an hour now with the two girls who sat in the backseat. He didn’t know their names and didn’t care as they had been recruited to help him with this job. Most likely, he would never see them again after tonight, which was fine with him as he fought every instinct to kill them then and there. Their very presence repulsed him, but for now they would serve useful in helping to identify his intended targets. He had been warned that the three individuals that he was after could see demons through their human disguises, so it would be best if he stayed out of sight for now. He had been given the names and descriptions of the people that he was to eliminate, as well as the name of the nightclub that they would be going to. Cosmo’s was a busy place, however and finding these three people might be tricky. That was where the girls would come in handy. They would do the leg work and identify the three and lead them to him where he would take matters into his own hands.
As they sat there in the car waiting, Manson wondered how easy it would be them to find the three targets in such a busy nightclub. There were people everywhere as they made their way into the nightclub. Fortunately for him, a taxi pulled up across the street and let three young men out. Manson smiled and pointed them out to the two girls.
“I believe our guests have arrived.”
“Talk about hicks from the sticks.” The blonde with the tussled up hair replied with a disgusted look.
“Total rednecks.” her redheaded counterpart agreed.
“Okay, you know what you have to do.” Manson said. “You have their names. Identify them and make sure they are who we are after. It would be a pity to kill the wrong individuals. I will park two blocks up the street by the park. Lead them to me and I will do the rest.”
The two girls nodded and climbed out of the car on the passenger side. He could see that they were quite relieved to get away from him. They were scared of him, which was good. They should be very scared of him.
“You have the other set of car keys?” he asked as they were about to cross the street.
The blonde reached into her purse and pulled out a keychain and held it up for him to see. He nodded and watched them join the line-up. He studied the three young men for a minute as they stood there waiting. They didn’t look dangerous and he wondered why they had been targeted. For a moment he wondered if perhaps these weren’t the right people, but the more that he watched them, the more convinced he became that they were the individuals he sought. They didn’t quite fit in with the humans around him. Rogue angels never did.
These three may have deceived the demons in Paradise Flats, but he would not be fooled by them. He would not underestimate them. Manson had encountered his fair share of the ‘rogues’ in his lifetime and he hadn’t lived this long by being careless. He shifted the vehicle into drive and made his way down the street to the little park. It was quiet and secluded and nobody would hear the screams out here. He turned the vehicle off and waited.
