Warlock, page 1
–Warlock
By Yevhen Busiiok
Foreword.
(Excerpt from the diary. Two handwritings)
Bad one: think that you can trick them? You took my life, took my hands and head, and now – you took my dreams and right to write them down. You think that someone believes that it was my dream?
Good one: It’s no matter in what do you believe, if you want to. Necronomicon – was your idea. You are believed in that religion that you had created. What the difference? A reader of this diary would believe in anything.
BO: Religion?
Chapter 1
Black mini-van with the gold stripe on board and two men inside stopped in front of mental hospital. A car slowly drives to the opposite side of a street, and when engine was turn out, driver ask his passenger:
"Well, Alex? How long we must be here?"
The passenger attentively shrugged looking to the building of the asylum:
“I don’t know, Jim. My contact said that usually chief of this entertainment institution goes home to sleep.” He looked at his smartphone. “If I had understood him correctly, we haaave… About an hour. Or two.”
The driver knocked his forehead to the wheel:
“Or three.” Another knock. “I’m sick of this town. I want to go home. You had said that it will be light case, for a couple of days.” He straightened and looked to his friend: “And we here for a week by now”
Alex pulled out from the back seat bag, and said:
“A couple of hours. It’s a finish, dude.”
“Uh-huh. Looks like I had heard this ones, just before you find…” – He pointed on a notebook that Alex took out of the bag. “…that thing.”
Alex smiled took out of bag hands-free set and throw bag to the back of the car:
“Are you afraid, Jim? This diary frightened you?”
“No!” answered driver, looking offended. “It’s not … fear or something like this… It’s…” Looks like he tried to find words to describe his feelings. «I found this thing disgusting, or… Filthy…You know… I’m not religious, but this… Something wrong was with this guy… And his small...confession.”
“To put it mildly,” Said Alex. “But I promise to you, that today it would end. I need to see him. I want to know the end of the story.”
Jim looked to his friend and asked seriously:
“Are you sure about this?”
“Jim…” Alex tries to interrupt but Jim stubbornly continued:
“Alex, it gives us nothing. Really. We have material for a season of our show. And even if your words about book – is not a joke…”
His friend before waving his head, put the notebook and headphones on his knees, turned to a driver and said seriously:
“Of course it was not a joke. Imagine how our ratings will grow! We looked for such opportunity for a long time, and all that we were find before this case” – He pointed his finger to the notebook. – “Was worth for a set of jokes. But here…”
“Pure madness” ended Jim.
“Yeah! “Agreed Alex. “It would be awesome, it will be series of books, cases like that, and… What are you doing?”
Jim takes a cap of his friend, revealing a baldhead, and put on his own head.
“I haaave… About an hour.” He mocked Alex. “Or two. Hate to see you in such mood. If it would end faster – wake me.”
The driver lowered a visor to the nose.
“After all, I have a sleepless night ahead at the wheel. Wish you a good reading and good visiting.” Saying that he curled up and turned away from Alex.
Firstly, Alex wanted to wake his friend, but after a minute dropped this idea. At least Jim right about sleepless night, and will not disturb him in revision of all case. He’s not kidding about idea of the book – he found that this material suits perfectly. However, he also knew, that book – Is more complete thing, unlike their web serial about paranormal things that they make together. Alex was a narrator and screenwriter in their tandem, and Jim was a cameraman and responsible for video editing. There were many people except them, but Alex thought that they were an engine of this show. However, book… Book needs more attention, and putting things for right places. Moreover, Alex understood that sooner or later they would need to find another format, to reach a new level. And this case could serve as a good springboard. Moreover, Jim was right – Alex have a that same spirit, that they call “kerosene mood” between themselves. It meant that Alex was so turn on about some idea, that there one sparkle may make him a live torch. However, all their company also knew that the best things happen when Alex is in such mood.
He looked on the sleeping Jim, and thought about iteration of life – week ago, they came in this town, but that time Alex was sleeping. His smile became wiser, when he thought that maybe he had slept in just the same position, as Jim now.
---
“Diary entry #....
…
I’m sorry … “
---
Mini-van that saw in his life then more than some Utah citizens turn on the city road of this state. The passenger, that slept curled and leaned to the door was asleep. By this sharp turn, he jerked and put up his cap visor. “Where are we?” the passenger asked and yawns. Driver look at him and answered, “It’s not a Kansas.”
The passenger and it were Alex, put down his cap, and rubbed his eyes. “Toto, I’m serious”, he yawned again. “Where are we?”
“Utah.”
Alex touched his bold head with a scratch sound, and looks like totally awake. “Really? That was fast.”
“Uh-huh”, answered Jim ant put down shade. “We’ll have all day for your insane search,”
He smiled looking his friend, who was covered himself from down light, and put shades too.
“I had told you – that’s not insane search. This story may be more real that all we did before”.
“Uh-huh”
They had driven a couple of minutes in total silence.
“You had told that we have three addresses,” said driver.
“Coffee – for the first, then – The job. There”, he thrust his hand and put on his cap again. “Best bay café” – he said, reading the sign with the smiling lobster on it. “Ridiculous, but I can live with it, if they hand us coffee.”
Driver nods, and mini-van had another sharp turn with scratch of the protectors.
In five minutes, two men entered a café that was full of orange morning light. They make order, which consist of two sets of eggs, bacon and coffee, and when the waitress moved to the kitchen, driver leant forward.
“So, Alex. Tell me, please,” he said, “Why do we have this crazy drive, and why do you clutched this case?
They received their order and thanks to waitress. After a woman went, away Alex looks around and told in a low voice: “Look. It’s not a common case. Yesterday, Janine called me and said that we had received an email.”
Jim opened his eyes widely:
“No way! An email!”
“You know, my friend”, said Alex, “A lack of sleep has a strange effect on you.”
“Especially, when I don’t know the reason,” Jim said.
“So”, said Alex sipping coffee, “This email was from a local boy and was in a spam folder. We had received it two weeks ago, but Janine saw it just yesterday. This boy told that he probably would die soon, but he afraid that his knowing will… How he had said…Erase from a history. Something like this”
Saying that Alex began to eat his breakfast, not watching on his driver friend in front of him. Jim was sitting in silence awaiting, but not for long:
“And? We both know how many nuts people writes to us. It is our profile - schizo, abnormal and just idiots. And we have a lot of stories that doesn’t need to night ride.”
Alex nod, and swallowed piece of beacon, after that he sipped coffee and watch in eyes of his friend:
“We had received email from this schizo two weeks ago, right?” Jim nodded, “But he had died a week before this.”
After saying, this Alex continue his breakfast with a calmness, which suits a man, who read menu a second ago.
Jim without touching his plate spread his hands:
“So? Maybe it’s not his email, maybe it’s just his friends, maybe…”
Alex finished his eating, and move cutlery to the right side of a table:
“We had checked it. It was his real email, and it was his account, and he really died a week before this. But!”
“Yes?” asked Jim, who just recalled about his breakfast.
“But we hadn’t found the obituary. Just a piece of information about murder in local school.”
“Our boy?” asked Jim with full mouth.
“Yep. Moreover, two girls, his classmates. Nothing else - just a line about his own death. And that’s all. Three deaths and no info about. Just date and names. But Janine found that that night in their school was dance night,”
Jim finished his breakfast, and put empty plate near his friend’s one:
“Male variation of Carry?”
Alex opens his wallet leave money on a table and stand up:
“Hope not. If my feeling is right – we fond real deal.” He opened café door, and walk out in warm morning light. “It’s not a story about aliens in a barn, or creatures in a sewer that eats a hobo. Nope, my friend, we find our David, like Michelangelo does, but just as great artist, we must put him out of stone.”
They sit into mini-van, and
“You had said the same nonsense when we did our first season, and you find that woman, who said that she keeps chupacabra in her basement,”
Alex begins to laugh:
“Oh, that was fun! House full of rats, even cat was afraid of them”
Jim started engine, and roll up to the road:
“Yeah, fun. One of them had bite my shoe. Hoping this case will be out of vermin’s.”
“Hope not”, smiled Alex, “Audience like vermin’s, look on politics show ratings”
Jim refreshed his navigator and yawned:
“At least politics don’t spoil my wardrobe.”
---
First, that someone can see, if he opened a diary was words, wrote in a red pencil with a large, unstable script:
”BEWARE!! Burn it! Nobody must know that I know, and nobody must not open doors that I found. This diary is cursed! Bew…”
But then, when shock of a reader will pass words that are a little much more accurate will emerge from the blood pencil massacre:
“Diary entry #1.
My name is Call me Antony. Antony Tychov.
So… Hello, my little diary. I hope you’re strong and healthy, because I manage to spit at you all my life. Shrink told me to do this. Yeah, my little diary, I have a shrink, because of our family was moved out from our country to US. I’m an alien here. It’s a strange world for me, and my parent’s decide… They decide to hire a psychiatrist, who can (as they hope) help me… He said that writing my minds and thoughts would help to see them, and understand them better, and to learn language either.
So, this is kinda “Hello world!”
Hm.
What statement I want to give to the world and write here…
FUCK YOU, WORLD!!! Fuck you, my former country! Fuck you, my new country! Fuck you, streets, where I need to live now! Fuck you, aliens around me! Fuck you, my new language! Fuck you, shrink! Fuck you, my parents! And especially large, thick and hard FUCK YOU, my little diary!!!
How’s was that? Huh? So fuck you too!”
Chapter 2
"Seriously?" Jim asked. "How many times cops refuse you?"
"Million", shrugged Alex, "Maybe two, or two and a half. I didn't count."
Jim turned off the engine:
"Ha-ha. You just like when people fight at you, right?"
Alex smiled, put his cap with a logo of their show on, and went out of a van:
"Yeah," he said enthusiastically, "But, you have no idea, how many information people told when they refuse something."
Jim looked on a ghost that was printed on cap of his friend near the title "ABnormal", and said:
"You are abnormal, you know?"
Question hit Alex's back. He waved with the hand to his driver and goes across with a sleepy street to the police station. He was in thousands of such places and knows perfectly their schedule. First part of the day – morning routine with coffee and local rumors, then – Paper work, and evening was full of drunk people, family fights and other entertainments of small towns. Robbery or homicide was sensations and the smaller town – the stricter these rules are.
Alex opened the door and in a minute was covered in coffee aroma. The uncontrolled smile occupied his lips – he liked when simple rules of life takes their place. With this smile, he comes to the reception:
"Good morning"
"Morning", he received as an answer from a woman in green blouse and cup of coffee in front of her. «Can I help you?"
"Yeah." His smile became wilder. "My name is Alex Barns. I'm a journalist, and I want to talk with your chef."
Alex was so hard trying to make a good look of himself, that he does not noticed big man with a chef badge, who entered station.
"You can talk with me, young man", he groaned, and when Alex had turned to him and open his mouth, lifted his huge hand and continue, "Before you said something, I must warn you that time of your conversation depends on ratings of your employer. So, you work on..."
Alex grimaced and looks on the chest of a chef:
"Look, Mr. Colonel... Really? Your name is Rick Colonel?"
"Employer, Mr. Barns,"
Alex deeply breathes and responded with to exhale in one word:
"It’s-Spooky-Channel-mister-Colonel-But..."
Moreover, just as he expected and just as he saw in million with a half times, face of his visive becomes sculpted from stone and he hear:
"Have a nice day, Mr. Barns."
Rick Colonel turned and walk into the station, to his office as Alex assumed.
"Come on, mister Colonel!" Alex says to the huge back of a chef, smiling. "Don’t judge by the cover!"
Alex waved by his hand and goes outside. He winced to the woman in a green blouse behind the glass and opened the door. Despite this scene, he had good mood. He saw Jim on the other side of the street, who put his thumbs in the air. Jim, better than anybody knows what usually happens in the police stations, and dropped this part of show making year ago. When Alex came to the van, Jim looked to his smartphone:
"Nope." he made a sad face. "That wasn't a record. Sorry. "
"You should see his eyes." - say Alex instead of answer to the friend’s joke. "Something interesting here, I feel it."
Jim seriously nodded:
"Yeah! Here we have two million with a half, and one refuses! Really, really serious. Well, where do we go next?"
"School, I think..."
"And you see nothing there, I promise you that."
The makers of "ABnormal" turned to the voice, and saw young man in a police uniform. Young man with the badge that says "John Colonel", continue:
"But I know whom you need to find."
Jim smiled:
"Colonel? Seriously? Alex, do you saw it?"
"A couple of minutes ago." Answered Alex. "On the chief’s chest. But just for a second – next he turned and went away."
Young man nodded:
"That’s my father. He hates journalists, press and all slyboots, as he said."
"And you want to help us because..."
"Because I'm your fan," said John. "I had seen all your shows, and editorials, and last year bought your second DVD", his smile became less. «First was better... Sorry, guys"
Alex put his hand to the shoulders of the young police officer and goes with him to the other side of a van, "We don't want to become the reason of fight son with his father", Alex nodded theatrically, "And you have a thousand percent right to say critic for us! Only you, our viewers and fans – Reason for doing you and this makes us better". He stopped little farther driver door, and turned to the young man. "So, John Colonel, tell us all you know, and I promise you – you'll have your digital copy of this special for free."
Colonel Jr. looked around and hissed a little: “Are you out of your mind, guys? Not here and not now. «He made one more look, and lowed his voice. «There is a dinner, called “Nancy's”, be there on seven p.m., and I’ll tell you all I know…”
Saying this, he crouched a little, releasing himself from the Alex’s hand, take a fragment of paper, and write down something. After that, he gives it to Alex: “Here, when you’re going to school – find him in first place.” Then John Colonel goes to the station.
---
Half an hour later, Alex and Jim stand's in front of local school. They were glad that summer holidays had started two weeks ago – nobody would disturb them. They were not serious show reporters, but even they did not like teenagers, who show their faces behind the beck of a narrator. Alex pointed one negative side of emptiness of the school – they cannot talk with the schoolmates of their guy. But now they have another goal – John Colonel gives them the name of a man, who must to know something.
Despite the unusual and not common nature of this case, local police done their job excellent – crew of the “ABnormal” can’t find more information that they know by this moment. And they hoped this man could help with this problem.
They lift up three steps and pull doors. It was not move.
“Closed,” said Jim. “As our case, I think?”
“No! «Alex said, and knocking at the door. Then he slammed it. Nothing happened. Warm summer air took this noise and dissolved them into himself. Alex grabbed the handles and throbbing doors like a mad: “Over my dead body!”
“And if you continue to do this, I guarantee you one!”
