Demon Town, page 29
“This is as far as Waffles goes, fellas.” Mac sniffed and wiped his cheeks with his coat sleeve.
Mikey limped over and rubbed the top of Waffles head. “We owe you, big fella.”
Milo still wasn’t sure what to make of the big cat and just gave it a couple of quick pats.
“Thanks Waffles. You saved our bacon.”
The two of them moved off and left Mac alone with Waffles. The big cat continued to purr as Mac scratched underneath its chin.
“Thanks furball. You saved our lives.” Mac hugged his pet once more. “I’m probably not going to see you again, am I?” He let go of the big cat and Waffles started to walk away, but stopped after a few steps and turned around and rubbed his head against Mac’s and then padded off silently into the shadows of a back alley and disappeared.
After flagging down a cab, the 3M’s took Mikey to the Emergency at the nearest hospital and got him stitched up. If the cut had been any deeper he might have had some serious issues. As it was, he received 22 stitches and was sent on his way and warned not to do anything strenuous for the next two weeks. They were questioned about the stabbing by a couple of police officers, but all the 3M’s told the authorities was that some guy wearing a clown mask and a trench coat tried robbing them with a knife, but after a quick skirmish the would-be robber ran off into the park empty-handed.
It was a subdued taxi ride back to Milo’s aunt and uncle’s place and by this time it was almost four o’clock in the morning. They hadn’t discussed the night’s events at all, but by now had plenty of time to digest everything that had happened. They settled down in the rumpus room and even though they were dead tired, none of the three were able to sleep.
“You know that Diane and Brittany set us up, don’t you?” Mikey said in a low voice as he lay on one of the couches.
“Yeah.” Mac answered. He was curled up in his sleeping bag on the floor. There had been no more headaches since their skirmish at the park and he hoped that there would be no more. This one had almost cost him and his friends their lives.
“So, if the demon was waiting for us in the park, how did he know where we were, anyway?”
“How did he know that we were in the city to begin with?”
“Because somebody back home told him.” Milo answered from the other couch. Mikey and Mac thought that he had fallen asleep. “The demons are on to us.”
“So, why not come after us in Paradise Flats?” Mikey sat up and turned a lamp on. “Why send someone after us here in the city?”
“I’m not sure, but we’re really going to have to watch each other’s backs now. They must be pretty worried if they’re sending psycho clown demons after us.” Mac rolled onto his side as he tried to get comfortable.
Mikey reached up and shut the light off and laid back. “I think that they’re going to be a lot more worried once they see that we’re still alive and that their hitman got shit kicked.”
The three of them lay there in the darkness thinking about what had happened and what lay ahead. Within a few minutes, exhaustion overtook them and they all fell asleep.
The following morning the 3M’s picked up the supplies for Uncle Pete and made their way back home. There was not a lot of talk between them on the trip back to Paradise Flats. So much for walking away from all of this. The demons had made it clear that the 3M’s were a threat that needed to be dealt with. What would their next move be?
Bob Peterson broke the news of what took place in Southby that same morning that the 3M’swere returning back to Paradise Flats. The demons had been discussing the Olson brothers actions at Quincy’s last night after Don Lawrence had called an emergency meeting. News had spread quickly about the bar room brawl and the damage that Dawg and Bear had inflicted upon Tyson Williams and his football teammates.
“They put four of them in the hospital.” Charlie Russell stated. “Fractured skulls, broken bones and that’s just for starters. Tyson’s two knees are shattered; the doctor’s don’t know if he’ll ever be able to play football again. Three others are pretty banged up, but they’ll survive.”
“What started the whole thing?” Jonathon Neale asked.
“Nobody knows or if they do, they’re not saying.” Charlie replied. “It sounds like the Barons were being assholes in the bar when the Olson’s showed up. Details get pretty sketchy after that, but some witnesses said that the football players have had it coming for a long time now.”
“Regardless, the Olson’s were told to keep a low profile and they go and do this? They’ve gone too far. Where are they now?”
“They were holed up in the house out at their place. My men went out there to get their side of the story, but they refused to come out of the house. Needless to say, my officers were scared shitless about trying to enter the house, so they called me after the Olson’s told them that they would only talk to me.”
“What’d they say?”
“Some garbage about Tyson starting it all in the Red Basket.”
“Do you believe them?”
“Does it matter? There’s a real shit storm brewing here, especially if these kids decide to press charges. The Olson’s are out of control and all the bullshit that they’re pulling is bound to catch the attention of the rogues.”
“What about our other problem?” Larry McGwire interrupted. “Did it get taken care of? Please tell me that we have some good news there.”
Everyone turned their attention to the mayor, who had just got off the phone five minutes earlier. He struggled to find the right words to sugar coat what he had just found out and simply shook his head.
“You’re telling me that they beat Manson?” There was worry in Brian Jamison’s voice and try as he might, he couldn’t disguise it.
“From the sounds of things, they damn near killed him.” Bob Peterson replied. “Manson’s pissed right off because I didn’t tell him about the tiger.”
“What tiger?” Bryan Jamison’s confused look was mirrored by everyone else at the dining table in the mayor’s house.
“That’s what I said.” Bob was on the hot seat now. It was his idea to bring Manson in on this and now that he had failed, the group was worried about the repercussions that they would be facing once the news broke about Manson’s failed attempt to kill the three stooges. “Apparently, some kind of black and grey tiger came out of nowhere and ripped him up pretty bad.”
“Manson?”
“Yeah, he said that it was no ordinary tiger, though. He said that he’d never seen one like it before.”
“So, what do we do now?” Bryan Jamison asked the question that everyone was thinking, but were too afraid to ask. “Do we sit and wait for them to come after us with this tiger now that they have most likely figured out that we sent Manson after them?”
“And what about the other angels?” Larry McGwire asked. “I’m sure that reinforcements must be on the way now that they know of our presence here.”
“Do we cut our losses and run then?” Bryan Jamison didn’t like that he was the one asking the majority of all the questions and that no one else was stepping forward with any ideas.
“I say that we stand our ground.” Surprisingly, it was Don Lawrence who spoke and everybody turned their attention to him. “Don’t you think that their reinforcements would have shown up a long time ago by now? When you think about it in the grand scheme of things, Paradise Flats is but a drop of water in an ocean of concerns for the angels. Do you really think that this little backwoods town is a real priority with everything else going on in this world right now? And when’s the last time that any of you have had to deal with a ‘rogue’? They are few and far between anymore. I think that most of them have given up on this world. It’s a lost cause for them, it has to be. Don’t you think that they would’ve been here by now if they had the resources?”
There was a stunned silence. Don Lawrence rarely had anything to say and now he suddenly unloads all these tidbits of wisdom?
“So, what about these three assholes?” Sid Williams asked.
“What about them?”
“Are they rogues?”
“I don’t think so. I think that they’re just regular humans who have stumbled across something that has given them a few special abilities.
“Yeah, special abilities that almost killed Manson.”
“Perhaps Manson isn’t as formidable as we thought.” Uneasy glances were exchanged at Don Lawrence’s comment, but he continued on. “Think about it. They know what we are, they’ve witnessed two murders and what have they done about it besides starting some small town gossip? I think Manson simply got careless and started something that he couldn’t finish. I think that he backed them into a corner and they fought back and somehow got the better of him.”
“Again, where does that leave us?”
“I suggest that we watch them, but leave them alone. I really think that they’re on their own here.” Don Lawrence tapped a bony finger on the table, but then stopped as he appeared to have an epiphany. He raised the finger to his face and tapped his bottom lip.
“What?” Sid Williams asked impatiently.
“I was just thinking what if we were to set our young friends here on a collision course with the Olson brothers? Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”
“I like what you’re thinking.” Jonathon Neale smiled. “Continue.”
“Nothing too complicated. Give them both a little push and watch the carnage unfold.”
“Sure. We tell the Olson’s that the three stooges witnessed the murders and word on the street has it that they’re thinking of alerting the authorities.”
“I like it.” Jonathon Neale grinned. “The Olson brothers are loose cannons and have worn out their usefulness. If we do this right, it will be such a blood bath that they will take each other out.”
The group all smiled and nodded in unison, except for Larry McGwire. “I hate to put a damper on the party, but if the stooges almost killed Manson, what chance do the Olson’s have against them?”
“None, really.” Don Lawrence answered. “Hopefully, they kick the shit out of each other so bad that they’ll need body bags to pick up the pieces.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then we swoop in and finish off what they started and then leave as quickly as we got there. They were all casualties of some long simmering feud unfortunately. I’m sure that Charlie and his boys can whip up a good story. The best part is that we were never there, so there should be no worries about the rogues.”
Judging by the grins on all of their faces, Don Lawrence wouldn’t have been surprised if his fellow brethren gave him a standing ovation.
“I didn’t realize that you were such a devious old bastard.” Sid Williams said with a chuckle.
“I come by it naturally.” Don shrugged.
“Okay, let’s figure out how this is going to go down.” Jonathon interrupted. “Nothing’s left to chance this time.”
Uncle Pete’s truck was dropped off at his place as soon as the 3M’s got back to Paradise Flats. His van was gone, so Mac assumed that he was out on a job, which was good because Mac didn’t really want to see him right now. The drive home from Southby was troubling as Mac replayed the previous day’s events over in his mind. They had been set up. The clown demon knew where they would be and had been waiting for them. It would have killed them all if it hadn’t been for Waffles. Only a few people knew that they were going to Southby. Only one person suggested that they should go to Cosmo’s. Uncle Pete.
Mac was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his own uncle would do something like this. Why? It didn’t make sense. His uncle Pete wasn’t capable of this...was he? Yet, he was the only one who suggested that they go to this particular night club. They might have found it on their own, but it was more than a coincidence that a demon lay in wait for them near a bar that was specifically suggested that they go to. Mac wondered what Uncle Pete’s facial expression might have been if he had been at home and found Mac standing at the front door. ‘Mac, you’re... alive!’
There had to be an explanation for this, but he wasn’t ready to hear it from Uncle Pete, at least not yet. Maybe they had been followed, but Mac doubted it. After they had unloaded the truck of all of the supplies that they had picked up, the 3M’s hopped into Mac’s truck and headed to Milo’s. They were just over a block away from their destination as they rounded the corner towards Milo’s house when they saw Paul standing by the side of the street.
“Son of a bitch!” Mikey barked.
Mac pulled over and parked. “Don’t take your eyes off of him. Make sure that he doesn’t disappear.”
They jumped out of the truck and at first glance Mac thought that Paul was disguised as the old drifter again. Upon closer inspection they noticed that Paul was looking a little worse for wear. He beckoned for them to follow him into the shadows of the back alley.
“Nice of you to finally show up!” Milo growled. “Thanks for dragging us in to this mess and almost getting us kill-” Milo gasped when he saw Paul up close. Fresh scars crisscrossed his face and a crimson dot was visible at the end of a scar on the angel’s left cheek.
“Can angels bleed?” Milo asked as he leaned in closer to examine Paul’s face.
“Yes. We can bleed, I’m afraid.”
“What happened to you, Paul?” Mac asked.
“Your little town isn’t the only place where there is demon activity, unfortunately.”
“How bad is it?”
Paul paused for a moment and shook his head. “It’s not good. I apologize for not getting back here sooner.”
“Do you have any idea what we’ve been going through here?” Milo asked as he pointed a finger at Paul.
“Somewhat. I took the liberty of reading your notes.”
“My notes? You went into my room?”
Mikey elbowed Milo in the ribs. “Dude, he’s an angel.”
“Yeah, but that’s my private sanctuary.”
“Your guardian informed me about last night.” Paul turned to Mac. “I came as soon as I possibly could.”
“My guardian?”
“Waffles.” Paul replied.
“Waffles is my guardian?” Mac said with a puzzled look.
“Yes, he has been watching over you in my absence. I enlisted his aid to protect you from any demonic danger. He wanted to help you like you helped him all those years ago.”
Mac grinned. His guardian angel was a large black and grey cat that could kick a demon’s ass.
“So, where is he at now?” Milo asked suspiciously. “How come his cat’s the size of a freaking tiger? And why didn’t he save Mac’s ass from Tyson and his buddies when they beat the snot out of him?”
Paul took a deep breath and shook his head. “He can only appear in a time of need. There are rules that he must follow...like myself. His size is determined by the size of threat that he is up against and by that I mean demon activity. He will not attack humans. Again, there are rules we must adhere to.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem like the demons have any rules that they have to follow.” Milo mumbled.
“No, we are at a disadvantage there, I’m afraid.”
“So, now that you’re here and you know who the demons are, we can go back to our normal lives and you can take care of things from here?” Milo said it not as a question, but more as an order.
Paul shook his head. “Not yet, unfortunately.”
“Are you freaking kidding me? Why the hell not?”
Mac and Mikey both stepped away from Milo for fear that Paul would strike their friend down with a lightning bolt or something to that effect.
“I am currently involved in a crisis much larger than yours. When it is resolved, I will return and take care of things here.”
Milo kicked an empty garbage can over, stomped off down the back alley and then turned around and rejoined the group. “So, what do we do in the meantime? Just wait for the demons to come and kill us? Can’t you call in the cavalry or something?”
“There are only a select few of us and right now we are stretched out too thin.”
“But, you’re angels. Aren’t you omnipotent?”
“Even we have our limits. We can’t be everywhere at once. I wish that I could help you, but I’m needed elsewhere.”
Mac noticed how quiet it was all around them. There was no traffic or passersby and the neighborhood was absent of all noise. It was peaceful and he wished that he could stay in this moment longer to escape reality.
“How much danger are we in?” Mikey asked.
“I can’t be certain, but with Waffles dispatching Manson, I’m thinking that the demons will be very leery of you.”
“Manson?”
“Yes. He was the demon that they sent after you last night. Very nasty piece of business... bordering on psychotic. He’s not afraid to go head on with anything.”
“But, we’re not exactly out of the woods yet, are we?” Milo wasn’t going to let this go.
“No.”
“So, how about this? Seeing how you’re here right now and you know who the demons are, why don’t you take them out and make everyone’s life a little easier?”
“I wish that it was that simple.” Paul ran his hands over the scars on his face. “These are the results of clashing with two demons and I’m not finished with them yet. Even if I was 100% healthy, there is little chance that I could defeat eight demons by myself. I will have to bring reinforcements and that won’t be easy to do.”
“So, we just sit and wait in the meantime and hope that Waffles saves our asses again if things go south?”
Paul turned his attention to Mac. “I’m leaving you in capable hands. Darien will also protect you.”
“Me?” Mac said in surprise. “Sorry Paul, but I might be able to see through the demon’s disguises, but I can’t make them see things like I can with us humans. I don’t think that I would be much of a protector.”
