horrors2

LesterGroans.Dream_Hyen.tex

  1\chapauth{LesterGroans}
  2\chapter[Dream Hyena]{Dream Hyena: A Bavarius Tale}
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  8Luke Bavarius checked his watch and rolled his eyes as the radio
  9vomited some Stones track that the kids listened to these days. He
 10tapped his foot mindlessly on the gas pedal and honked his horn
 11again.
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 15``Dammit, woman,'' he mumbled to himself. His ex-wife had promised to
 16have their kid waiting for them when he got there. It would be the
 17first time he'd see the little brat in weeks. It was hard being a
 18cop, even harder having a home life when you were one.
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 22Bavarius grunted like an ape and got out of his Camaro, rounding it
 23to the suburban sidewalk and up the stone walkway to Carrie
 24Bavarius's bungalow. He knocked on the door.
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 28``Let's go, champ. Kids who are late don't get ice cream,'' Bavarius
 29called through the door. Still no answer.
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 33A thick, meaty thumping came from inside, like a pudding-stuffed
 34side of beef was being smacked against a milk bag. Bavarius
 35furrowed his expansive brow and rubbed his chin, stubbled and
 36gritty like the streets he swore to protect.
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 40He kicked the door in, it splintered against the far wall. His
 41Baretta was out faster than a synapse as he lunged into the
 42foyer.
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 46There were smears of body ketchup leading down the hall. Bavarius's
 47eyes narrowed, he started to sweat.
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 51``Carrie?! Lukie Junior?!'' He called out, steadying his firing hand
 52as he moved down the hall. The walls were streaked with scratch
 53marks. There were gouges in the wall up to an inch deep -- two
 54inches in some places. Three inches in others.
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 58As he passed a four inch deep scratch mark he rounded the corner
 59and there, at the end of the hall, was a thing that could only be
 60described as a dream hyena. It was on two legs, a scorpion tail
 61jutting from its distended, mangy belly, wiggling towards Bavarius.
 62Its jaw hung loose, almost broken, vomiting sickly metal smelling
 63saliva onto the floor, ruining the hardwood. Its eyes were gone, in
 64their place were throbbing boils of pus, what looked like a
 65cockroach had been stuck in the festering eye-wound, its leg
 66twitching out the side of it.
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 70The sharp scorpion tail had made fast work of Carrie, dicing her
 71body into so many pieces. Her entrails hung from sconces, the dream
 72hyena was wearing her hands on the top of its heads like the horns
 73of Pan.
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 77Bavarius gulped, his adam's apple bobbing. He took a stance and
 78made sure his voice was steady before calling out, ``You're under
 79arrest!''
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 83The dream hyena didn't respond. It lurched forward, its legs moving
 84awkwardly, its clawed hands dicking gouges into the wall, the pads
 85of its feet squeaking on the glugging, bubbling blood bile that
 86spewed from Carrie's severed throat. It was already scabbing in
 87gobs around her neck{\ldots} not the kind of necklace she used to pester
 88Luke for, that's for sure.
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 92``Where's Lukie?'' Bavarius asked, holding his ground as the thing
 93lurched again, the umbilical scorpion tail wiggling hypnotically.
 94Bavarius smirked, ``You don't scare me{\ldots} bringing in punks like you
 95is my Baretta and butta!''
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 99He opened fire, ripping apart the dream hyena's belly. It hissed as
100it vomited disgusting, rotten entrails and a thick gaseous smell
101like someone had run over a dead raccoon in a lawnmower.
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105The dream hyena fell to the floor and darkness flooded over
106Bavarius. He blinked, stepping back, dropping his gun. What was
107going on?
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111When he opened his eyes he looked at the floor in front of him.
112Little Lukie Bavarius lay holding in his guts as they tried to
113snake out of his grasp like loose Swedish sausages.
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117Bavarius's neck was thick with corded veins, his eyes so wide they
118almost blew out of their sockets. He dropped down beside Lukie,
119cradling him in his arms, hearing the plopping splash of more guts
120tumbling from Lukie's belly.
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124``Daddy?'' Lukie looked up, his pale face round and innocent. He
125looked so wise now. ``I just wanted to see you more, daddy? Y-You
126always said you were too busy finding the bad men{\ldots} I-I thought
127maybe you'd come if you had one to find here{\ldots}''
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131Lukie's lower half tore off like wet tissue as Bavarius tried to
132pick him up. He held his son's top half like a broken pi\~nata and
133sobbed into his son's collar.
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137This was a helluva thing. 
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140\illustration{Ghost Hat}{Dream Hyena}{art/Ghost_Hat-Dream_Hyena.jpg}