Part 37 (1/2)
”Pa.s.sword!” Aaron screamed into Brown's face.
”That's confidential...” Brown said.
Aaron punched him in the gut hard enough to cause intense pain. ”I don't give a f.u.c.k about that you little piece of s.h.i.+t.” He pointed his gun at Brown's eyeball, giving the accountant a good look straight down the barrel.
Aaron smelled fresh urine.
”L-O-V-E-N-Y-X”, Brown gasped.
”What is N-Y-X?”
”The G.o.ddess of the night.” Brown coughed.
Edward resumed his work.
Aaron hauled Brown out to the reception area and sat him on a couch. Ethel and Marina checked the rest of the office building. Aside from the receptionist, there was n.o.body else. They handcuffed the girl to a toilet in the bathroom to keep her out of trouble.
Ethel returned to the reception area. She glared at Brown and said, ”We're looking for the Order of Eternal Night.”
Brown swallowed. ”Never heard of them.” His pale skin indicated he was lying.
”You handle their money.”
”Just taxes and payroll! I'm not one of them!”
”They're a criminal organization. You're facing felony convictions for fraud and racketeering. That's serious prison time. Ever hear of the RICO Act?”
Brown started to cry. ”They'll kill me.”
”Once they find out we were here, they'll kill you whether you talk or not. These are paranoid, dangerous men. But if you start cooperating right now, I can put you into witness protection. United States Marshals will guard you twenty-four by seven. Do we have a deal?”
After a moment, he nodded. ”OK.”
Ethel smiled. ”You're an intelligent man. Where is the Farm?”
Smythe was sitting on a cold dirt floor in a barn. He had feigned heat exhaustion and delirium to buy some time, and the ploy had worked for a while. At least the Eternals had pulled him out of the compost heap.
He was bound tightly with his hands behind his back. He had bug bites all over his body, and he hoped none of them became infected, but that was probably the least of his problems. Two men in black robes with knives stood guard over him. His head was down as if he were too weak to lift it.
Somebody walked into the barn. Smythe peeked out of the corner of his eye without raising his head. The newcomer was Harbinger, and he was scowling fiercely.
”Status,” he demanded.
”No change,” one of the guards said. ”He hasn't moved.”
”Tie him to a post. The feel of leather scourging his flesh will wake him up.”
The guards wheeled in a tall, wooden post on a heavy base. Iron rings were bolted into the wood at several heights.
The guards transferred Smythe to the post and tied his wrists to the highest ring above his head. He thought about fighting them, but he didn't have the strength to defeat all of them at once. The soldier in him wanted to try anyway, but the doctor knew he needed to conserve his dwindling energy until he saw a better opportunity. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, yesterday. He couldn't afford a failed escape attempt.
Harbinger was given a whip made of black, braided leather. Gleaming metal capped the tip. When he snapped the air, it sounded like a gunshot. Smythe could tell at once that Harbinger was an expert.
Even though Smythe was mentally prepared, the first blow felt like molten iron had splashed onto his back. It took all his control to keep from screaming.
”Dr. Smythe,” Harbinger said, ”or may I call you Tim? I want to show you some pictures. You might have something intelligent to say about them.”
He came over and pulled out a stack of photographs from his pocket. One by one, he showed them to Smythe, who immediately recognized them as pictures of bomb damage. Burnt plastic and broken gla.s.s mixed with twisted sc.r.a.ps of metal. There were dead bodies, all charred or crushed horribly. The force of the blast had torn apart some victims like an insane butcher.
”What is this?” Smythe said.
”My carnival,” Harbinger said. ”My beautiful carnival. n.o.body survived.”
”Whoa.”
Smythe had seen enough bomb damage during his military career to know that it took a special weapon to create this level of destruction. He could hardly believe the Gray Spear Society had access to such firepower. His estimation of their capabilities went up two notches. He felt renewed regret he wasn't with them anymore. If only he had been a little more patient and obedient.
”You were a soldier,” Harbinger said, ”so I'm interested in your professional opinion. What kind of bomb did this?”
Smythe shrugged. ”A big one?”
Harbinger stepped back, and the whip struck again. Smythe grunted.
”As you can imagine,” Harbinger said, ”I'm very upset right now. I don't think I've ever been this angry. If you don't start giving me useful answers, I'll whip you until strips of raw flesh are hanging off your body. Then I'll cauterize the wounds to keep you alive, so we can do it again tomorrow.”
”I don't know anything.”
Two more blows landed, and Smythe felt blood trickle down his back. The pain was incredible.
An odd green light filled the barn. He twisted around and saw a ball of glowing mist in the air. It billowed as if blown by the wind, but the air was perfectly still. He had never seen anything like it, and he wondered if he were hallucinating. Flas.h.i.+ng, pulsing light streamed from the center of the dense mist.
The guards immediately fell to their knees and bowed their heads. Harbinger remained standing, and he stared into the light as if hypnotized. His eyes were dilated.
After a moment the light faded away. No trace of the phenomenon remained except for a lingering warmth in the air.
The guards stood up. ”Sir!” one of them said. ”Did it speak to you? What did it say?”
Harbinger frowned. ”It was a warning. Our enemy will be here soon.”
”What was that thing?” Smythe said.
”The Spirit of the Night, our true leader. All truth and wisdom flows from the Spirit.”
Smythe was certain he was delirious. He had just seen an impossible thing. Supernatural ent.i.ties couldn't just appear in the middle of the air and deliver warnings. However, impossibilities were becoming commonplace in his life lately. Maybe it was time to rea.s.sess his basic a.s.sumptions about the world.
”It communicates with you?”
”I can read the sacred light.” Harbinger turned to his men. ”This place isn't safe. Spread the word. We're leaving tonight.”