Scarecrow Gods (51 page)

“Not so strange. Probably came upon the accident after it happened and then were killed by the gasoline or the fumes.”

The deputy shook his head. “Nuh uh. The coroner took a look at the animals too. He said they died from an impact. Each of the animals had glass embedded deep in their fur. The way the coroner figures it is that the animals hit the windshield while Ortega was driving.”

“Why would they do that? It’s impossible.”

The deputy shrugged. “Just the same, that’s what the coroner said.”

The Ghoul sat back, but before he could dwell upon the Deputy’s information, Rumsfeld spoke up again.

“Well, would you look at that. Now, ain’t that just the most amazing sight you’ve ever seen?”

The Ghoul glanced up and stared. Coming from right to left across his field of vision were two creatures, a pathetic scraggly mutt and a Great Horned Owl. At first glance, it appeared the owl was chasing the dog. At second glance, they seemed merely to be going in the same direction. As they disappeared around the side of one of the compound’s dormitories, The Ghoul could have sworn the creatures were working together.

* * *

All the way across the desert, they fed off each other’s excitement. The dog revelled in the union, accepting Danny heartily and thrilled with the companionship. Danny also enjoyed the communion, recognizing that even this old abused canine was a child in the animal world, appreciating things as only an adventurous soul could. Like the wall of mesquite that had risen before them—no caution, no hesitation. They’d gathered speed, claws digging into the hard-packed desert floor, and leapt, clearing by inches what could have killed the animal had they misjudged.

Like an adolescent boy, the dog sought only the mystery of the next rise, never dwelling on the present. This belief was what fueled them in their race. It wasn’t until the compound was in sight that they noticed the fatigue, and then it hit them like a wall. The dog ground to a halt before the creosote hedge bordering the compound’s manicured property. Barely managing to stay upright, the animal fell on its side, chest heaving, heart beating like captured thunder.

The owl landed several yards away, apparently unfazed by the journey.

Danny let the dog rest for a few minutes then he took over. With a promise of water, he pushed the animal’s spirit into the
back seat.
He stood, the dog’s legs wobbly. He began to lope forward, gathering speed as he went. He spied a rabbit hole through the creosote and dodged through, arriving in the arc-lights of the cult compound. On his left he could see police cars, vans, trucks and dozens of officers along the road. His right was clear, but he was certain there were more officers that way, these hidden and ready.

He headed towards the nearest building, oblivious to the shouts from several of the officers. Based on the map Simon had drawn, it was one of the dormitories. Maxom had confirmed that a number of girls lived there. If Elaina wasn’t in this one, Danny had three others to check. Once he found her, his plan was simple. Around his neck, tied to the top of his collar, was a rolled up letter marked with his sister’s name in broad letters across the top.

It had taken Danny a while to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. Some of his ideas bordered on rage. One day he’d have to come to terms with his feelings, alternately angry at his sister for running away and angry at whomever it was who’d abused her. But that day was far away. For now, he needed the letter to be convincing.

When they got near the side of the building they spun right and loped towards the end farthest away from the police. Just as Maxom had said there was a small animal door.

Inside were two rows of double iron bunks. Along the walls were desks and lockers. At least twenty people were in the room, most milling about in groups or glancing out the windows. Several had rifles pointed through the screens or hanging from shoulders. It was a child squealing
doggy
that brought all eyes to him. Several people pointed. One woman screamed.

Instead of stopping, he kept going, running under the bunks and between people’s legs. When he reached the end of the long building, he spied a cat’s water and food dish. He dove for the water, his dog’s tongue soaking up the liquid in seconds. Although he recognized the dog’s hunger and the reminder that cat food was
gourmet
, Danny ignored the extraneous desire.

Just in time too.

He dodged a pair of hands and sprinted down the other side of the dormitory. As he ran he inspected every face. He came upon a sleeping form and hopped onto the bed. Of its own free will, his tongue licked the back of a neck. The reaction was unexpected. The form twisted, hurling the dog off the bunk and into a wall locker. He felt the air leave him in a great
whoosh
. He let loose a yelp and stood painfully.

It wasn’t his sister, but an older woman whose eyes were as wide as saucers. Slightly unsteady, he ran the rest of the length of the room and shot out the animal door.

There were two more buildings and Danny sprinted for the one nearest him, this one perpendicular to the building he’d just left. He glanced back to see if the owl was still there and was relieved to see it take to the air and follow.

According to their briefing, the other two dormitories didn’t have animal doors. He was going to have to count on his ability to endear and the kindness of the occupants to let him inside. He slowed, noticing the face of a young woman watching him in the door’s window. Danny stood on his haunches and grinned his best dog grin. He spun in a circle and sat again. The young woman’s eyes widened appreciably, but still she didn’t smile. Danny licked the glass in front of her face, pouring on the love. Instead of smiling, she snapped the blinds back in place leaving him facing an empty window.

He dropped to all fours, spun around several times and sat. Before he could decide what the problem was, he heard an ear-shattering screech from behind him. The owl shot into the air and flew back the way they’d come. Something was going on back at the Scarecrow Gods and Maxom, who’d been checking the status of both worlds, was in a big hurry.

Danny returned his gaze to the window. Within seconds, another face appeared, this one all smiles. Danny decided that the other face must have belonged to a cat person. He replayed his routine, and with a snap of a lock, the door opened.

“I know what he said, Emily, but look at it. So cute. And
awwww
, someone’s been hurting it. Come in girl. Come in. Let Annie take care of you.”

Danny was so happy to finally be allowed inside that he didn’t mind being called a girl. When the door was shut behind him, however, he halted. His human mind had difficulty processing what he saw. At least a dozen girls stood or reclined, their gazes on him. All wore shapeless white gowns and all of them were bald.

“Look at this,” came a voice from behind him. “There’s a message attached to the collar. Elaina, it has your name on it.”

Excitement surged through him at the mention of his sister’s name. He felt his tail wag furiously. A voice he recognized like no other sent it into wild revolutions of joy.

“A note for me? Isn’t that the strangest thing?”

Danny spun and spied his sister. Like the others she was bald. So strange for her hair to be gone. Still, he was so happy that he launched himself. Landing on her chest, he allowed the dog to lick her.

He missed the tingling sensation that began at the base of his skull as he touched her. He didn’t know anything was amiss until suddenly he found himself in
The Land of Inside-Out
with no way to return to the animal.

* * *

The Scarecrow Gods

Danny tried to return to the dog’s life pad. He saw it below him, just as he saw the life pad of his sister and the other women. Some of these were very dim. But he couldn’t get past a screen of luminescence that was between him and his goal. It was as if someone had placed a sheet of impenetrable glass between him and the dormitory. Try as he might, he always came up against it.

Finally, he slowed, his panic flowing from him as he took a moment to think. His sister was alive—she had the letter and would read it. There wasn’t much he could do in the form of a dog, anyway. He’d had notions of writing in the dirt or scratching words on the wall, but those had just been notions. This wasn’t some Disney movie—if an animal started doing something like that in real life, it would scare someone to death. After all, he’d experienced the very same thing.

Reluctantly, Danny turned away from his sister and headed back towards the Scarecrow Gods. The nexus glowed brightly in the distance. As he drew nearer, he noticed that the Chill Blaines that had been huddling hungrily at the edge were gone. He sent a prayer out for the crazy rocket scientist, Billy Bones. Within the nexus he saw four life pads. Four was the wrong number. He merged with his own and arrived in the midst of screams, blood and bestial fury.

“Jesus Christ give me strength!”
screamed Simon standing over him.
“Beast, you shall not have the boy.”

The mesquite cross was bent and broken. Blood and tan fur clung to its length. Brother Simon’s clothes were ripped. The sleeve had been snatched from his left arm. Claw marks ran its length, inch deep furrows in the skin. Danny felt a stickiness on his head. He reached up and his hand came away with blood.

An animal scream like he’d never heard before came from several feet away. Part growl, part shriek, it filled the air and sent chills through his body. Danny twisted to a sitting position and saw the mountain lion that had made the sound. One eye was missing. The side of its face was horribly lacerated. A deep gouge ran down one side of its six-foot length, blood leaking across the already matted fur and onto the ground.

As Danny watched, the owl piloted by Maxom, dove like a fighter jet, finger-long talons raking grooves along the cat’s flank. The mountain lion spun and swatted at the owl, missing by only inches as the owl soared again into the air.

“Danny, thank God. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold the thing off. Get behind me! See if you can find something to protect yourself.”

Danny scrambled back behind the Brother.

“It’s not normal. It just keeps coming like it’s controlled.”

The owl shrieked as it dove again. This time the mountain lion was ready. At the last second it dodged and brought a paw up in a deadly swipe. Tail feathers danced in the air, the only casualty of the cat’s offensive. The owl shrieked as it soared up and into the night.

Danny found himself being pushed backwards as Simon backed up. The brother’s right hand gripped the mesquite cross, white knuckles banded with red pinstripes of blood.

“The lion came out of nowhere. One minute everything was quiet, the next I was fighting for my life. Thank God your friend arrived when he did, or else I would have—
duck
!”

Danny felt himself shoved to the ground. He watched in horror as the mountain lion took Brother Simon full in the chest, both of them disappearing from view as they rolled and tumbled coming to a stop at the base of one of the Scarecrow Gods, rattling the great saguaro to its roots.

Both the brother and the animal screamed. Danny joined them as he realized that the man was being eaten alive. Scrambling to his feet, he added his own shouts to the chorus of pain as the creature sank its fangs into Simon again and again. It was the most terrifying sight he’d ever encountered—to watch someone mauled, eaten, consumed. The mountain lion had a hold of Simon’s left arm, its head shook twice, and it came away with a chunk of flesh.

“Oh my God!” screamed Danny. “Oh my God!”

The sight was almost too much. Adrenaline hit him as he spied the mesquite cross lying on the ground. He scooped it up and charged towards the mountain lion. Danny swung with every ounce of his newfound strength, aiming for the cat’s head.

When the cross hit, it snapped. The upper half lodged in the animal’s fur, thumb-sized thorns digging in as the mountain lion spun and Danny stared into the face of death. A single yellow eye pulsed with exertion. The other was a jellied mess of crushed orb. Blood and saliva dripped from the animal’s great jaws.

The cross had wrapped itself around the cat’s neck and hung down so that the beast stumbled with each step. It crouched as if to jump, then faltered as it got caught in the thorns.

Danny backpedaled furiously, barely able to stay out of the animal’s reach.

His only chance was to climb one of the Scarecrow Gods. Although the thorns looked wicked, he knew that their tines were nothing compared to the claws and jaws of the mountain lion. He gripped the saguaro with both hands and hauled himself up, too scared to feel any pain. He was halfway up, when his foot slipped. He tried to throw his arms around the Scarecrow God, but was too late. He fell in a twisted tangle of thrashing limbs.

He screamed hysterically as he saw that he’d landed within a foot of the mountain lion. He pushed himself to a sitting position, his back against the saguaro. The great cat grinned as it crept closer. Then his scream was matched and multiplied by the sound of the Great Horned Owl as it returned, hurtling downward from the heavens, a bolt of taloned vengeance.