Serial Novel: Salem Chapter 3

Say hello to Raven

Drake’s eyes fluttered open as the cargo plane hit turbulence on its descent into San Francisco airspace and the private airstrip connected to the Thorn Industries main building. Rubbing his eyes, he peered out the window and watched the downtown buildings slip past, the city awash in lights that turned night into day.

He slid the window cover down and snatched up the radio from the pocket on the seat in front of him. “How are things looking down there, Givens?”

“All the little ones are asleep and dreaming.”

“What about Rankin?”

“Still out, but it’s a little weird.”

“Weird how?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, small bursts of static punctuating the silence. “That thing is cuddled up to Rankin.”

“What do you mean?”

“The bitch is spooning him. It’s somewhat romantic,” Givens said with a chuckle.

“You are one hundred percent sure she is still out?”

“Like a light. Relax, boss. We are almost home.”

Stuffing the radio back in the pocket, Drake slid out of his seat and walked to the back of the plane, where Bits and Bytes sat, hammering away at their laptops. The tech guys usually stayed in their van down in the cargo hold during flights, but Bytes seemed unwilling to spend any more time in the presence of the Aswang.

“What’s the word, guys?” Drake asked.

Bytes seemed to ignore the question, choosing instead to focus on the lines of code on his laptop screen. Bits was more open to conversation. “Not bad, boss. Bytes is working on fine-tuning some of our tracking software, and I’m doing some research on our next target.”

“Which is?”

“Our field personnel have been looking into stories of an alleged vampire in New Orleans. Not sure yet if he’s the real deal or just some guy that likes his meat extra rare.”

“What about our target here in town?”

“Still quiet there. If that girl knows what she is, she’s keeping it to herself.”

“Okay, good. Keep me posted.” Drake moved back to his place, holding the tops of the seats for support as the plane banked and made its final approach to the Thorn airstrip. He had barely sat back down when the plane landed with a thump, the engine roaring as the pilot engaged the brakes.

Drake stood at the top of the steps and watched as the ground personnel unloaded the vans from the cargo hold and sped off in the direction of the main building. He bounded down the steps intending to hitch a ride to the warehouse to help with the intake of the creature, but he barely made it off the bottom step before Spencer Thorn appeared as though from out of thin air, arm extended.

“Mister Thorn. Good to see you, sir,” Drake said, shaking the billionaire’s hand and trying to avoid grimacing at the feel of the ruined appendage.

“Likewise, Lionel. Any problems in bagging my girl?”

“Nothing we couldn’t handle, sir. We do need to talk about Rankin, but I will break all of that down when we have our debriefing.” Drake eyed the vans as they entered the vast warehouse off in the distance, desperate to get there and make sure that the Aswang made it to her assigned cell with the minimum of fuss.

Maneuvering his powerchair between Drake and the warehouse, Thorn blocked any possible exit. “I’d like to have that meeting now, Lionel. I’m keen to hear more about the beast you captured.”

A knot of frustration began to form in Drake’s belly, which he tried to swallow down to no avail. “If it’s all the same with you, sir, I’d sooner get that thing squared away first.”

“Nonsense. Givens can handle it. He has plenty of men at his disposal. I think you have earned a break, so meet me in my office in ten minutes.”

“Of course, sir.”

***

Givens stood with his back to the freight elevator doors and kept an eye on his men and the prisoners they held captive. Both Rankin and the Aswang were still out cold, but he wanted to make sure they stayed that way before they were locked up.

The elevator descended slowly, no numbers marking their descent. There was only one stop on this trip, which came at the bottom of an elevator shaft that descended a mile or so below ground to a warren of cells where all manner of creatures called home. It was a place that was almost certainly the wet dream of any serious cryptozoologist, but no one except a select few knew anything about Spencer Thorn’s extraordinary collection.

The elevator reached its destination and stopped with a muffled thump. Givens turned as the door slid open and made his way to the guard room at the head of a long hallway that stretched off into the distance. Rapping on the glass door, he stepped inside and shook hands with the guard on duty. “Are the inmates behaving, Shane?”

The guard nodded as he scanned a row of monitors on the panel in front of him. “All quiet on the western front. Did everything go to plan in San Fran?”

Givens grunted. “All except for Rankin. Idiot lost his cool and left us a man down. Did you manage to get a cell set up for him like we asked?”

“I did. What do you think Thorn is going to do with him?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he became the next meal for the meg, but who knows.”

Shane threw his head back and laughed. “Sooner him than me. Rankin is in cell number sixteen down the hall. I have cell thirty-eight for our new guest.”

“Shit, that’s right by Raven,” Givens said, suddenly looking nervous.

“That’s where Thorn wants it.”

“I’m convinced that creepy fucker does this shit to mess with me. Thorn knows I hate being anywhere near her.”

Shane shrugged. “I’m just following orders, mate. Are you ready to take them in?”

“Yes. Initiate door opening sequence.”

The guard placed his hand on a biometric scanner and punched a code into the keypad beside the screen. Givens repeated the process on a second scanner and watched as the heavyweight door to the facility slid open. He wrinkled his nose as the smell of shit and dead animals used as food wafted out from the cells.

Givens turned just in time to see something fly past his face. Whipping around, he saw the object latch onto Shane’s throat and begin to suck loudly. “What the fuck?”

One of the men transporting the prisoners screamed in pain, pulling Givens’ attention away from the guard, whose body was beginning to fold in on itself as all the fluids made their way up the feeding tube.

It took Givens a moment to react to what was going on. It was the fountain of blood splashing his face that snapped him back to reality. As he reached for his weapon, the Aswang, which was slowly shifting to look like Rankin, tossed aside one of the guards, his throat torn to shreds by razor-sharp claws as she grabbed for the other.

The real Rankin’s eyes fluttered as the tranquilizer wore off, and he stumbled forward, falling into Givens as the creature tore open the other transport guard. Pushing him aside, Givens raised his weapon, but before he could get a shot off, the Aswang grabbed his wrist and twisted it violently. Save for the tongue, which continued to suck the life out of Shane, the creature now looked completely like a grinning, maniacal version of Rankin.

It twisted Givens’ wrist again as it dragged him into the long corridor, smiling as it pulled him past cells containing creatures thought to be nothing more than the stuff of myth and legend. Some of them reached through the bars, trying to grab hold of them as they passed, but the Aswang stayed in the middle of the hallway and headed for the cell at the end, which faced down the long corridor.

This one was different from the rest in that it was made entirely of glass, like some sort of oversized killing jar. A woman sat inside, watching the events unfold with a smirk on her face. She stood and moved to the front of the cell, her long black dress hiding her feet and making it look as though she were gliding along the concrete floor. Her bright red hair was long and tucked behind her ears, revealing a high-cheekboned face that would have been at home on the cover of any fashion magazine.

Givens tried to wrestle free of the Aswang, but he screamed as the creature applied more pressure on his wrist, the sound of small bones cracking cutting through the screams and howls of the caged animals.

The red-haired woman pressed her hands against the glass and watched as the thing that looked like Rankin dragged its prey down the hallway, seemingly oblivious to the cells on either side. “Bring him to me,” she whispered.

As she moved down the corridor, ever closer to Raven’s cell, the Aswang returned to her true form and shot out her barbed tongue, recoiling as it hit the glass instead of the woman behind it.

“Well, aren’t you a feisty beast? I think I might like you.”

The Aswang reached the cell and placed her hand on the cool surface, raking her long fingernails along the glass.

Raven stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and nodded in the direction of the panel beside her cell as she pointed at Givens.

Head tilted, the creature looked at the panel and saw how it looked like the one she had seen at the front of the building. She forced Givens onto his back and placed her weight on his chest before wrenching his arm free of its socket and slicing his throat wide open to silence his agonized wailing.

“That’s my girl,” Raven encouraged. “Let me out.”

At the second attempt, the Aswang managed to get Givens’ hand flush on the biometric panel. She stepped back as the glass door opened with a whoosh, and Raven stepped out into the corridor.

“Come, Silas,” Raven called into her cell. A small, naked humanoid figure hopped off the bed and scuttled to her side, clinging to Raven’s dress as he trembled with fear. Reaching down, she patted the top of his bald, horned head and whispered words of comfort. “Eat quickly, little one.”

Silas leaped into the pool of blood spreading from Givens’ neck and lapped at the still warm liquid. His distended belly moved in and out quickly as he drank, his penis growing harder with each swallow.

The Aswang’s tongue shot towards Givens’ prone form, but Raven deftly grabbed hold before it made contact, pulling the creature in close. “My little one eats first, but you shall get your turn. You’ve earned a reward and your freedom.”

Raven reached out and snatched the severed arm out of the Aswang’s hand, never breaking eye contact with the creature, whose black eyes had glossed over in a hypnotic trance. “Now you can eat. We shall be leaving soon, but I think I might need a few more helpers.”

She moved down the corridor, looking into each of the cells as she passed. “Eenie meenie miney mo, which of you shall I let go?”

The imprisoned creatures threw themselves at the bars, sensing that they were about to be set free. They behaved like animals at a shelter, putting on a show of affection and adoration for the one with the power to let them out.

Deciding on three more, Raven pressed Givens’ hand against the biometric scanners of her chosen flock, making each of them kneel before her as they stepped out of their cells. “You are all mine now, and you will obey. Do you understand?”

They said nothing but kept their heads bowed in silent agreement.

“Arise, children, and let us take our leave. Silas, to me.”

They all fell in line behind her as she strode down the hallway in the direction of the still open elevator. Just before she reached the exit, Rankin crawled out of the guard room, a tablet clutched to his chest. “Stop right there,” he yelled.

“Or what, mortal?” Raven questioned, continuing to stride forward with purpose.

Rankin tapped at the tablet screen, gave it one final punch with his finger, and then smashed it to pieces on the floor. The overhead lights turned from white to red, and a siren began to wail, the sound sending the caged creatures into a frenzy.

“That’s all you have?” Raven sighed. She raised her right hand and turned her index finger in a circular motion, watching with glee as Rankin’s head turned one hundred and eighty degrees with a loud snap.

Raven and her motley crew of escapees stepped into the elevator. She placed Givens’ hand on the scanner and used it to wave goodbye to her prison as the doors slid closed and the elevator began to climb.