\chapauth{LesterGroans}
\chapter[Dream Hyena]{Dream Hyena: A Bavarius Tale}





Luke Bavarius checked his watch and rolled his eyes as the radio
vomited some Stones track that the kids listened to these days. He
tapped his foot mindlessly on the gas pedal and honked his horn
again.



``Dammit, woman,'' he mumbled to himself. His ex-wife had promised to
have their kid waiting for them when he got there. It would be the
first time he'd see the little brat in weeks. It was hard being a
cop, even harder having a home life when you were one.



Bavarius grunted like an ape and got out of his Camaro, rounding it
to the suburban sidewalk and up the stone walkway to Carrie
Bavarius's bungalow. He knocked on the door.



``Let's go, champ. Kids who are late don't get ice cream,'' Bavarius
called through the door. Still no answer.



A thick, meaty thumping came from inside, like a pudding-stuffed
side of beef was being smacked against a milk bag. Bavarius
furrowed his expansive brow and rubbed his chin, stubbled and
gritty like the streets he swore to protect.



He kicked the door in, it splintered against the far wall. His
Baretta was out faster than a synapse as he lunged into the
foyer.



There were smears of body ketchup leading down the hall. Bavarius's
eyes narrowed, he started to sweat.



``Carrie?! Lukie Junior?!'' He called out, steadying his firing hand
as he moved down the hall. The walls were streaked with scratch
marks. There were gouges in the wall up to an inch deep -- two
inches in some places. Three inches in others.



As he passed a four inch deep scratch mark he rounded the corner
and there, at the end of the hall, was a thing that could only be
described as a dream hyena. It was on two legs, a scorpion tail
jutting from its distended, mangy belly, wiggling towards Bavarius.
Its jaw hung loose, almost broken, vomiting sickly metal smelling
saliva onto the floor, ruining the hardwood. Its eyes were gone, in
their place were throbbing boils of pus, what looked like a
cockroach had been stuck in the festering eye-wound, its leg
twitching out the side of it.



The sharp scorpion tail had made fast work of Carrie, dicing her
body into so many pieces. Her entrails hung from sconces, the dream
hyena was wearing her hands on the top of its heads like the horns
of Pan.



Bavarius gulped, his adam's apple bobbing. He took a stance and
made sure his voice was steady before calling out, ``You're under
arrest!''



The dream hyena didn't respond. It lurched forward, its legs moving
awkwardly, its clawed hands dicking gouges into the wall, the pads
of its feet squeaking on the glugging, bubbling blood bile that
spewed from Carrie's severed throat. It was already scabbing in
gobs around her neck{\ldots} not the kind of necklace she used to pester
Luke for, that's for sure.



``Where's Lukie?'' Bavarius asked, holding his ground as the thing
lurched again, the umbilical scorpion tail wiggling hypnotically.
Bavarius smirked, ``You don't scare me{\ldots} bringing in punks like you
is my Baretta and butta!''



He opened fire, ripping apart the dream hyena's belly. It hissed as
it vomited disgusting, rotten entrails and a thick gaseous smell
like someone had run over a dead raccoon in a lawnmower.



The dream hyena fell to the floor and darkness flooded over
Bavarius. He blinked, stepping back, dropping his gun. What was
going on?



When he opened his eyes he looked at the floor in front of him.
Little Lukie Bavarius lay holding in his guts as they tried to
snake out of his grasp like loose Swedish sausages.



Bavarius's neck was thick with corded veins, his eyes so wide they
almost blew out of their sockets. He dropped down beside Lukie,
cradling him in his arms, hearing the plopping splash of more guts
tumbling from Lukie's belly.



``Daddy?'' Lukie looked up, his pale face round and innocent. He
looked so wise now. ``I just wanted to see you more, daddy? Y-You
always said you were too busy finding the bad men{\ldots} I-I thought
maybe you'd come if you had one to find here{\ldots}''



Lukie's lower half tore off like wet tissue as Bavarius tried to
pick him up. He held his son's top half like a broken pi\~nata and
sobbed into his son's collar.



This was a helluva thing. 
 

\illustration{Ghost Hat}{Dream Hyena}{art/Ghost_Hat-Dream_Hyena.jpg}