Black Forest, Denver Cereal Volume 5 (50 page)

Tanesha helped Heather get Mack from her
backpack baby carrier. Cam took the carrier and tossed it into a
corner. Sandy wrapped her arms around Rachel. They linked elbows.
The dogs kept the monster in place.

“
Think light,” Valerie
said. “Mom always said, ‘The deepest darkness can be broken with a
single thought of light’.”

A brilliant bright white light emanated from
the group. As if drawn to it by a magnet, the light struck the
slate grey creature.

“
Duck!” Charlie
yelled.

“
Cover your face!” Jill
yelled.

The creature’s torso exploded. Grey dust,
black blood and tissue spewed around the room. The dogs skittered
away. The monster’s tail blew up and its head fell to the ground
with a thump. After all the chaos and confusion, a silence drifted
over the basement.

“
Everyone okay?” Jill
asked.

Feet pounded across the upstairs floor and
the door jerked open.

“
Honey!?” MJ
yelled.

“
I’m here.” From her
position near the middle of the room, Honey waved. “I’m
here.”

MJ ran down the stairs to her. Jacob and
Aden followed close behind. Delphie stood at the landing. She
looked from the bullet holes to the dark grey dust, black blood and
tissue until she spotted Saint Jude laying on his side pressed
against the side wall. Almost to herself, she said:

“
He’s alive.”

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FIFTY-TWO

Fire

Tuesday night — 9:40 P.M.

State Attorney General Aaron Alvin made his
way to the front of the crowded room. As if he was a bride walking
to the altar, the reporters and television crews stood and turned
to watch him walk the aisle. This was his show and they were
waiting for him.

“
We are here to discuss
the Saint Jude serial killings,” Attorney General Alvin
said.

Before he could say another word, a voice
from the back yelled:

“
We were instructed not to
talk about the serial killings.”

The reporters began talking at once. The
noise was deafening.

“
Please!” Attorney General
Alvin raised his hands over his head. “I have a statement to make
and then I will answer all of your questions.”

The reporters settled down to listen.

“
A serial killer has been
working the Denver streets for over three decades,” Attorney
General Alvin said. “He has preyed upon homeless children. So far,
the Denver Police Department and the Coroner’s office have
recovered forty…”

“
Forty-six,” the Denver
Police Chief said.

“
Forty-six bodies of young
people ranging in age from ten to twenty-two years old,” Attorney
General Alvin said. “You may remember when my own daughter, Amelie,
was taken. She was held by the cretin the police are calling Saint
Jude.”

The reporters began hurling questions like
grenades. It was a few minutes before Attorney General Alvin was
able to speak again.

“
In a desire to maintain a
level of secrecy necessary to apprehend this criminal, the Denver
Police asked me to keep quiet about this case. Even when my
daughter was taken and tortured.”

“
I have chosen to break my
silence today,” Attorney General Alvin cleared his throat. “Earlier
this evening, Saint Jude was within the reach of a joint task force
which included Homeland Security and the FBI. I had hoped to be
able to tell you that this serial killer, this monster, was in
custody.

“
However, due to
significant errors on the part of the officer in charge, Saint Jude
is at large.”

Attorney General Alvin looked out across the
reporters. He was going to bury everyone involved in this case.
Sure, when they’d asked, he’d kept his peace about their
investigation. No longer. Saint Jude’s arrest and prosecution would
ensure his reelection in November. This was now his
investigation.

“
Sir! Baxter Gaston,
Westword,” the young man said. “Are you referring to Detective Seth
O’Malley?”

“
O’Malley asked me
personally not to write about this case,” a reporter from the
Denver Post said.

“
Me too,” the Denver
reporter for the Huffington Post said.

“
He asked us too,” the
Denver News Bureau chief for CNN said. “When Magic O’Malley asks,
we obey.”

The reporters nodded and murmured their
agreement.

“
Detective O’Malley was in
charge of the investigation,” Attorney General Alvin said. “His
errors in judgment resulted in Saint Jude’s escape. He has been
relieved of his duties.”

“
By relieved of his
duties, are you referring to Detective O’Malley being in critical
condition at Denver Health?” Baxter asked.

“
O’Malley’s at Denver
Health?” The CNN bureau chief asked.

“
Yes,” Attorney General
Alvin said. “I am aware of that. In his absence, my office is
taking over the Saint Jude case. We are working with the FBI to
ascertain the whereabouts of this dangerous criminal. We will bring
him to justice. And we will do it quickly and
efficiently.”

Baxter got up. The video team for 9 News
began packing up. When the Denver Post reporter opened the door, a
uniformed police Captain made his way across the room to the Denver
Police Chief. The two men pressed their heads together.

“
We’ve prepared the
details of this case,” Attorney General Alvin said. “I will go
through the details in a few minutes. If you have questions at this
time, please feel free to ask them.”

“
Denver Post,” a man stood
up. “We’re supposed to believe Magic O’Malley botched this
case?”

“
CNN,” the grey-haired man
sitting next to her stood. “O’Malley has a national reputation. He
solved the St. Louis bomb for hire case, the New Orleans lost boys,
the…”

“
Isn’t it more likely the
FBI screwed up?” a young man near the back jumped to his
feet.

“
All I can say…” Attorney
General Alvin started.

Desperate for a break, he turned to the
Denver Police Chief when he approached. The Denver Police Chief
spoke in his ear.

“
Really?” Attorney General
Alvin asked.

The Denver Police Chief nodded.

“
Saint Jude has been
apprehended,” Attorney General Alvin said.

The reporters jumped from their seats. There
was a general press at the door as reporters and crews jostled to
get out of the room. Attorney General Alvin turned to the Denver
Police Chief and smiled.

“
That went well,” Attorney
General Alvin said.

The Denver Police Chief glanced at the
politician’s face. He gave him a curt nod and left the room.

~~~~~~~~

Tuesday night — 9:40 P.M.

Delphie kneeled down beside Saint Jude. In
spite of his history and evil deeds, Delphie’s heart went out to
the broken man. She touched his shoulder.

“
Henry?” Delphie
asked.

Henry James opened and closed his eyes. When
the creature sloughed off Saint Jude, it had broken almost every
bone in his body. He was in tremendous pain.

Shortly after Jacob and Aden had arrived, a
Denver Police officer had stopped by to investigate a report of
gunfire. Jacob had let him in and explained what was going on. The
police officers took one look at the basement and began calling for
back up. MJ took control of the premises to keep the officers from
tearing Saint Jude apart. He flashed his Department of Defense
identification badge, called his team for back up and escorted the
officers out of the salon.

There were at least fifty Denver Police
officers standing outside the salon waiting to get their suspect.
The wall of officers’ bodies and their bloody intentions kept the
paramedics from entering to assist Saint Jude.

Another siren raced up to the salon and
Delphie looked up. Henry James touched her arm.

“
I’ve lived a horrible
life,” he said. “I’ve been a horrible man.”

Delphie’s eyes took in his pain and
remorse.

“
I never wanted this,” he
said. “I never wanted this to happen.”

“
You must have asked the
creature to come inside,” Delphie said. “It can take over a host
when it’s injured or dying but it cannot stay without
permission.”

“
I wanted to protect
myself from… my father… bullies…” he said. “I never meant to hurt
anyone.”

His eyes pleaded for understanding.

“
That thing…” Saint Jude
gasped. “I’ve looked for the one who would set me free. The
scripture says only a child could do it. I looked for the
child.”

“
Why did you have to kill
them when they didn’t?” Delphie asked.

“
Kill them?” he said.
“Kill who?”

“
You’ve taken more than
forty human lives,” Delphie said. “Children. You killed your
officemate Beth and tortured her roommate, Amelie.”

The man looked baffled. Shocked by his
denial, Delphie couldn’t help but bring up his greatest loss.

“
You killed
Celeste.”

“
No,” he said. “No, not
Celeste. Never Celeste. I love Celeste.”

Delphie shook her head in disbelief.

“
I would never hurt
Celeste,” Saint Jude said. “She’s everything to me.”

Every fiber in her being said he was telling
her the truth. But every fiber in Delphie’s being rarely agreed on
anything. She looked up to see Sandy staring at them. Sandy’s
beautiful face reflected her revulsion for this broken man. She
gave Rachel to Charlie and walked over to Delphie.

“
I bet you remember me,”
Sandy said.

There was no mistaking the look of
recognition and horror on Saint Jude’s face.

“
Filthy
bastard!”

Sandy pulled her foot back to kick him but
Aden pulled her away before her foot landed. Delphie jumped from
where she was sitting.

“
Get away from him!”
Delphie screamed. “Get away! Get away!”

As Delphie pushed Sandy and Aden away from
the man, he began to laugh.

“
Everyone!” Sandy yelled.
“On the other side of the room!”

“
Grab the dogs!” Delphie
yelled.

The children and adults scampered away from
the man. Jacob grabbed Sarah’s collar and Aden took Buster’s
collar. Jill whistled for Scooter and he came to her side.

The man continued his deep and evil
laugh.

Mid-laugh, he gave a single cough. Then
another.

Saint Jude vomited up hundreds of eggs.

Before their eyes, the eggs turned into tiny
black male and slate grey female creatures. The baby monsters
raised their snouts in the air and sniffed. A few began to move
toward the people. Saint Jude continued vomiting eggs until blood
poured from him. He collapsed into his own vomit and blood.

“
They will take anyone as
a host,” Delphie said. “Once they’ve grown they will escape into
the world. We cannot let them.”

The eggs continued hatching. The hungry
parasites sniffed and began to shuffle toward the nearest
human.

Jacob scooped up Katy.

“
Not a fucking chance,”
Sandy said. Pointing to Jill and Jacob, she said, “Keep those
things there.”

With Tanesha on her heels, Sandy ran into
the hidden apartment. She dug around in a cabinet until she came up
with a case of hairspray. Cam pulled open the box and Tanesha
yanked out the canisters.

“
Charlie! We need your
lighter,” Sandy said.

“
I don’t have a lighter,”
Charlie said. “Why would I have a…”

Aden pinched and poked him until Charlie
came up with his lighter. Charlie tossed the lighter to Sandy and
Aden ruffled his hair. Tanesha began throwing cans of hairspray to
the adults.

“
Not the children,” Sandy
said.

“
I’ve lit hairspray on
fire before,” Teddy said. “Lots of times.”

“
I have too,” Nash said.
“With him.”

“
I’m not a child,” Charlie
said.

“
I’m not a child either,”
Pete’s oldest son said.

“
If they can do it,”
Noelle said.

“
We certainly can,” Sissy
said. Pete’s daughters nodded.

“
Plus, I know where
there’s another case,” Charlie said.

Jacob created a mental circle and worked to
hold the creatures within it. Beneath his concentrated focus he
felt Jill doing the same.

Charlie ran toward the hidden apartment. The
kids followed him into the space. A few seconds later, they
reappeared with canisters of hairspray.

“
Look what I found,”
Charlie flicked a lighter on. “They’re child proof.”

He tore open a box of plastic cigarette
lighters. He passed them to the kids near him and threw them to
everyone else.

“
Ready?” Valerie
asked.

She looked from person to person.

“
Get them lit!” Sandy
said. “Just spray and light.”

“
Don’t stop spraying,”
Valerie said.

“
Let ‘em go,” Aden
said.

“
Here we go,” Jacob said.
He moved Katy to his left hip. “I’ll keep them from running off.
Go!”

The people attacked the small creatures and
the few remaining eggs. The hairspray flamethrowers caught the baby
monsters’ wings on fire first. They screeched with pain as the fire
spread to their tiny arms and legs.