Part 7 (2/2)
She gathered herself, swinging the gear back, and as she swept forward, the cowboy sprang into view on the landing below her. The pistol came to bear on her, she felt her stomach lurch with the sure knowledge that she was going to die, and she tried to change the trajectory of the gear in mid-throw.
The gear left her hands, the pistol went off, she saw sparks fly as the bullet hit the spinning disk, and she saw that the gear was going to miss him. But his eyes went wide with panic and he tried to dodge back down the stairs. With only a split second to react he made the wrong choice and dove into the path of the gear. It slammed into his chest, knocking him backward, and he hit the railing behind him. The railing broke with a screech and he tumbled into s.p.a.ce, the pistol spinning away as he fell.
”You couldn't have dropped the pistol up here,” Colleen grumbled, dropping to a sitting position on her platform. The strength seemed to leave her limbs, and a sudden wave of agony from her toe filled her eyes with tears. She drew her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and let the tears flow.
Footsteps scuffed the concrete floor far below, and she lifted her head. A cowboy, his hand still clapped over his bleeding mouth, glared up at her, his face filled with hate. He lifted his pistol, taking careful aim, and she heard the thunder of a shot. The cowboy twitched, and two more shots rang out, somewhere behind him. He dropped his pistol, started to turn, and collapsed to the floor.
Colleen closed her eyes and murmured, ”Thank G.o.d.” Someone else was still alive. It hadn't all been for nothing.
A voice spoke directly below her, a clipped British accent in a voice dark with malice. ”You win this round, little girl. But it doesn't matter. We'll find Tanathos first. We'll be waiting when you get there. We'll kill you all. And then He will come.”
Footsteps rustled across the floor. Then the squeak of hinges, and silence. He was gone.
She stayed on the platform until Carter came looking for her. She climbed down to join him, and the two of them made a circuit of the warehouse, checking that all the cultists were gone. They tied up the unconscious man and went back into the main workshop area.
There were two dead cowboys on the floor, and Colleen grimaced as she stepped over a man's outflung legs. Maggie and Chris sat with their backs against the wall, pistols in their hands. Smith was still tied to the machinery, and Colleen stared at him, confused. She took a cautious step toward him, and Carter murmured, ”Don't get too close.”
Smith stared at her for a long moment without speaking. Then he said, ”Cut me loose.” When she hesitated, the veneer of sanity abruptly dropped away. His eyes opened wide until she could see the whites all the way around, his lips peeled back to expose his gums, he strained against his ropes until tendons stood out in his neck, and he screamed, ”CUT ME LOOSE! Cut me! Cut me! He's coming! He'll take us all! It's too late, it's been too late for a hundred years, cut me, cut me now, cut me.”
His voice subsided to a low mutter and he sagged in his bonds. Colleen drew away, aghast. Behind her, Carter said, ”Maybe something can be done for him. We're certainly going to try. The Dirk I know is in there somewhere. I think. We'll help him if we can.”
Chris left to summon police and an ambulance. Carter and Colleen joined Maggie against the wall. Maggie squinted through the bruising around her eyes and said, ”Thanks for coming for us, Colleen.”
Carter rubbed his bristling mustache. His bowler hat was missing, and Colleen could see sweat glisten on a balding spot on the top of his head. He said, ”I guess you'll be going back to Toronto now?”
”No.”
”No?” His eyebrows rose.
She shook her head. ”The Englishman's still out there, and I got his attention, not in a good way. I don't think I'll be safe back home. Not for a long time.”
”What will you do, then? We could send you into hiding, like we did with Jane.”
”Actually, I think I'd rather help you find Tanathos.” She glanced at Smith. ”These sc.u.m are more dangerous even than I realized. I don't think I can just walk away. Not when I can help.”
Carter nodded. ”Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but we still have no idea who Tanathos is, much less where to find him.”
”It's a place,” Colleen told him. ”Not a person. The Englishman told me that on his way out. And I think I figured out what that picture was, the one my uncle burned. I think it's a map.”
Carter frowned, staring into s.p.a.ce. ”A map. You could be right. That could have been a coastline, maybe with a river down the middle. If we go through enough charts and atlases, I bet we could figure out where it is.” His gaze switched to her face. ”Maybe you can be helpful, at that.”
Maggie snorted. ”Look around you, Phil. Did you really need more convincing?”
He grinned, then turned serious. ”Well, we do have an opening for a Canadian liaison to the team. I suppose you could be a candidate. You've seen what can happen, though. Are you sure you want the job?”
Colleen closed her eyes briefly, thinking of the life she could still have back in Toronto. But she thought of a little house in Calgary as well, and the life that Smith could have had, and she nodded. ”I'm sure.”
Carter's eyes searched her face. At last he nodded. ”Welcome to the team. Next stop, Tanathos.”
Author Notes.
Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear your comments. Go to brentnichols.blogspot.com to leave me a note or to learn about other stories. I can be reached by email at
Colleen's adventures continue in Dark Island, available now.
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