horrors2

leb388.The_Girl.tex

  1\chapauth{leb388}
  2\chapter{The Girl}
  3
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  5
  6The night was cool and dark, unusual for summer. But then again, it
  7was a night for unusual things. Slashes of rain whipped at my face
  8as I navigated the alley. Fireworks vomited sparks of blue and red
  9into the sky. The booms sounded more like gunshots from Berettas. I
 10should know; I have one. I am a private detective.
 11
 12
 13
 14My name is Bavarious. Luke Bavarious.
 15
 16
 17
 18I'd been at the bar, kicking back a few martinis, when I got a call
 19about a noise complaint. I work every night if I have to, even the
 20Fourth of July. The job sounded easy enough, and after all, the
 21people need me. I am their protector. I am Luke Bavarious.
 22
 23
 24
 25But on this night, I wasn't as alone as I thought. As I walked
 26along, I heard the sound of footsteps. I stopped. ``Who's there?'' I
 27yelled, raising my Beretta.
 28
 29
 30
 31No response.
 32
 33
 34
 35I tensed. ``Come out where I can see you,'' I ordered. ``Now.''
 36
 37
 38
 39A child stepped out of the shadows and into the trashy street. I
 40say that because the street was littered with trash. The people
 41there were usually nice.
 42
 43
 44
 45Most of the time.
 46
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 49I holstered the Beretta, at ease. The girl looked young. Maybe six,
 50could even be seven. Who knows, in this town. Probably lost. She
 51clutched a doll and wore a dark raincoat. Not like that was any
 52help, in this torrential weather.
 53
 54
 55
 56``Are you okay?'' I asked her. ``Do you need help?''
 57
 58
 59
 60``I need to find my mommy,'' she whimpered. She was crying.
 61
 62
 63
 64A girl that young shouldn't be alone in an alley off 42nd St. in
 65New York. Especially on a night like tonight. I pulled out my phone
 66to call to see if anyone reported her missing, but something was
 67wrong. I looked up at the sky. Fireworks still going at it like
 68crazy missiles exploding in the air. That's what they were.
 69Missiles. And that's when I saw it. The creature. The item the girl
 70was holding wasn't a doll after all--it was a monster. It had
 71buttons for eyes. There was no mouth, just stitches. The hair was
 72yarn.
 73
 74
 75
 76``Get out of here, fiend of hell!'' I screamed.
 77
 78
 79
 80I grabbed it. If you can call it an it. The hands were soft. At
 81least until I flung it into the puddle. Then they were wet. I
 82screamed, shooting at it with my Beretta. I felt a fear no one
 83should ever have to experience, a fear of the worst possible
 84things, a fear of death and everything around it. It was taking
 85hold of me, drowning me, and I kept spinning and spinning in the
 86abyss of its grip. I felt like vomiting. Maybe that was just from
 87the martinis. I shot it again and again, and so on. And then I
 88stopped.
 89
 90
 91
 92A flash of light made me see its face. Kind. Adorable. Just a doll
 93after all.
 94
 95
 96
 97Why do I always investigate noise complaints when I'm drunk?
 98Suddenly, the girl was sobbing. And I felt like an asshole. 
 99
100 
101
102\illustration{Discount\_Bees}{The Girl}{art/Discount_Bees-The_Girl.jpg}