The Brothers Locke, page 4
“So, we wait then? She’ll get him back, right?”
“She’ll try,” Bando smirked.
“It’s really not funny.”
“Calm down, boy. I’ll tell ya one thing about that girl. She’s tougher than all of us put together, believe that. If anyone can get your brother back, it’s her.”
Echo wanted assurances. “And if she doesn’t?”
Bando looked over to Bulk Brown who in turn gave the Locke Brothers a glare.
“We leave in ten minutes, with or without them. If we have to tie you up, we’ll tie you up.”
Mouth curled his lip and marched towards Bulk Brown. Even though this man was built like a bull and twice his size, Mouth was not intimidated. This was his brother they were talking about. Sharp was perhaps the best soul of the three and without him, they were nothing. No creature, man, law, or threat would ever separate them and it was high time he let this man know what the score was.
“I’d like to see you try. I really would.”
***
It took several hours to travel from Avidity to Icagoro, but the journey was without incident for Perry. Under the orders of his superior, Sim Sam, Perry had been tasked to deliver an envelope to a particular address within the downtrodden city just north of his home in Avidity.
On the way, he passed a number of brigands and road gangs that dominated the desolate roadways between the two cities. None of them bothered to stop him; all were either already preoccupied with victims or didn’t see him as anything worth pursuing. As he approached the city in his company vehicle, Perry had a sinking feeling in his gut.
“Simple. Yeah, right.”
Avidity had all means of communication, especially electronic. Even though Icagoro had limited and dilapidated resources, they were still capable of sending and receiving electronic messages by various means. So why did he have to hand deliver an envelope? There wasn’t anything simple at all about his task, regardless of what Sim Sam had told him earlier in his office.
He entered the city limits and followed a map that was attached to the vehicle’s console. It showed him a path through the dirty streets to his destination: 2311 Ota Street. As he got closer, he noticed it was not in a residential part of the city but its industrial area.
Icagoro-proper was dirty, but the industrial area had a cloud of black pollution hanging overhead, towering smokestacks coughing even more fumes into the atmosphere, and so many warehouses in a state of disrepair that it was a wonder any of them actually functioned.
There it was, 2311 Ota Street. The place was the biggest dump of them all. It was only two stories high with barred windows and a rusted metal facade that had seen better days. Perry stepped outside the vehicle and was immediately overwhelmed by the stench of waste coming from the nearby buildings and an even greater scent of rot coming from his destination. He took a minute to compose himself and then headed towards the entrance. He knocked three times before he got an answer.
“Who are you?” a female voice came from the other side.
“I have a delivery here from Sim Sam of Avidity. I was sent to drop it off.”
Perry looked around at his surroundings while he waited for an answer. The area was devoid of anything living, just trash and broken machinery left to rust. He hadn’t received an answer, but he came up with an idea that might speed up the process.
“Can I leave this here with you? Do you have a mail slot I can slip this in?”
He thought this would get him out of his task, but it didn’t work. With a screech and a groan, the metal doors slowly opened, leaving enough of a crack for Perry to walk inside. Perhaps he could just leave the envelope there in the doorway.
“Hello?” he called out to no answer.
Inside he couldn’t see much, but the smell of rot came rushing at him with a burst of hot air. He turned and squinted, his eyes stinging from both the scent and the heat. As he went to kneel down to leave the envelope there, he heard the voice again.
“Come down the hall. We are waiting for you, Perry.”
His name on the voice of this woman made him more unsettled than the sickening fumes of the factory. He looked in all directions, trying his best to locate the source. To his left was the faintest hint of an amber light some distance away. He thought briefly to turn and leave. After all, he had done his job and delivered the envelope. For a second, his body turned back to the entrance, but then he stalled.
“Simple,” he repeated to himself.
With envelope in hand, Perry reluctantly headed down the hallway towards the amber light. The closer he got, the brighter the light became, illuminating the end of the hallway. An open door awaited him and he stepped across the threshold into a storage room that had been converted into a laboratory.
The walls were lined with man-sized glass containers, filled with bubbling liquid and bathed in the amber light he had seen from outside. Most were empty but a few contained organic material he couldn’t readily identify. At this point, the stench was overwhelming and Perry had to cover his mouth and nose with his hand.
“I almost forgot how unsettling it must be to outsiders,” the female voice came again, referencing the smell.
“I have the envelope,” Perry called out, still unable to see the owner of the voice.
“Leave it on the desk beside you, please.”
Perry carefully placed the envelope next to a set of empty beakers, a metallic scale, and a few medical tools. He heard the click of footsteps on metal grating from behind him. He turned and looked up to see an elderly woman descending from a spiral staircase, clipboard in hand. Her face was weathered, unnaturally tanned orange, and half covered by a surgical mask. She wore a pair of glasses with thick black frames that she tilted down her nose as she approached Perry.
“So, you are Sim Sam’s contribution?” she asked.
“Contribution?”
“I asked for a simple man and he sent you. And you come and hand me this,” she picked up the envelope briefly and then let it drop back onto the desk.
Perry had no desire to continue this conversation. “If that’s all, I’ll be going now—”
“How is he?” she interrupted.
“Sim Sam? He’s … good.”
“Still round?”
Perry laughed, “Yeah, still round. Not that I should be commenting myself.”
He patted each side of his round belly with his hands. She wasn’t amused, but Perry didn’t think she was offended either. The elderly lady instead extended her hand to him.
“I’m Doctor Psi. I’ve known Sim Sam for a few years and he’s quite the interesting specimen.”
“Specimen,” Perry noted. “Your use of words is …”
“Suspicious? Don’t worry, Perry,” Dr. Psi said.
Perry’s eyes darted to the glass tubes lining the wall. Dr. Psi offered him a mask to cover his mouth so he could remove his hand. Perry put it on and immediately felt relief from the stench of the room.
“You’d like to know what those are?”
Perry nodded reluctantly, his curiosity getting the best of him. The doctor smiled and walked towards the tubes. She slid her hand down the sleek side of one, the cold glass and her skin causing a squeak as she did.
“This is my work. My signature work. What I’m doing here is trying to find the link between technology and magic in the physiology of the living body.” Perry was confused and Dr. Psi recognized it. “To speak plainly, I’m trying to merge magic and science in a body to create something … new.”
“Huh,” is all Perry responded with.
“You don’t approve?”
“Ever hear about the Rensom? I’ve never seen one, but the word is they were created by similar experiments some generations ago.”
“I’m well aware of those creatures and their actual history. So, you believe I am doing the same?”
Perry tried to smile-away his disapproval. “I really don’t have much of an opinion. I’m just a security officer, right?”
“Right.”
“Sent here just to deliver this envelope. So, I think I can go now that I’ve done that.”
Dr. Psi continued to smile at him without responding. She held the pose as if frozen in time. Perry was becoming unnerved from her look, which went from genuine to frightening, the smile concealed beneath her mask but the curl of her grin just hinted at one each side of it.
“Right?” Perry asked.
The doctor continued smiling. Perry was done with whatever this game was and decided to make his exit. He turned on his heel only to come face-to-face with a pair of brutes. Both were much taller than him, built of solid muscle and covered in tribal tattoos. Their faces were the same shade of orange as Dr. Psi's, but mostly hidden behind long stringy hair. Some patches were on their forehead, others from their check, others beneath their ears.
Without warning, they grabbed both of Perry’s arms and hauled him off his feet. Perry began to protest but to no avail. He had clearly been sent here for something other than a package delivery. It was too late to do anything about it, though. As he was carried off, he began screaming to the doctor, asking her why over and over again.
“Why?” she responded just before Perry was carried from the room. “Because you are a simple man—”
Dr. Psi turned back towards the empty tubes along the wall and removed her doctor’s mask. This exposed her deformed mouth: three vertical slits just above her chin and two horizontal ones where normal faces would have cheeks. The outer openings curled into a grin while the center ones stretched, awkwardly displaying six rows of grey teeth. Using these slits, she finished her sentence.
“—and a simple man is exactly what I need.”
***
Sharp had been running for a few minutes before he realized that he was no longer being chased. Slowing down, he surveyed the area he was in and saw no sign of the Rensom that had seemed so intent on ripping him apart not too long ago. Instead, his enhanced vision outlined cold trees, swaying brush, and small insect life scurrying around the overgrowth of the forest floor. He turned his head upwards to search the treetops. Outside of a few birds, there was nothing above him that would pose a threat.
His biggest concern now was to find his way back to the group. Of the three Locke Brothers, Sharp was by far the most athletic. Despite his inability to talk, he had been a standout competitor in many sports.
But those days were long behind him. Now, he was lost in a forest with little ability to get back to his brothers. A boulder nearby provided a bit of elevation for him to get a better look at the landscape, so he took the opportunity. Once there, Sharp did his best to retrace his steps. Unfortunately, he had gone too far to be able to see where his group was, or they had already moved on.
Being so focused on trying to find his brothers, Sharp wasn’t aware of the danger that was creeping up behind him. The Rensom had tracked him down and using as much stealth as it could, the monster was crawling up through the earth in silence, zeroing in on its intended prey. Its funneled mouth began to salivate as it drew closer and closer to the boy. Only a few more inches and its spindly legs would be within reach.
Sharp adjusted his position on top of the rock and as he did, he sensed something was off. He turned quickly to see the encroaching Rensom just before it attacked. He wasn’t fast enough, though, to avoid its swipe. One quick flick of its legs and it managed to jerk Sharp off the boulder into the overgrowth below.
With stealth no longer needed, the giant pulled the rest of its loathsome body up from the dirt and continued its attack. Another swipe, this one managed to cut Sharp’s leg. He grimaced as he grabbed at the wound and watched in terror as the monster drew its blood-coated limb to its mouth, sucking the juice from it like it was honey. There was no escape now. Sharp had a pile of boulders behind him and the creature blocking any escape route.
He wouldn’t need it, though. Dana appeared out of the darkness and charged the monster. All she managed to do was distract it, but it was enough for Sharp to get out of its reach. While he scampered, Dana taunted the Rensom to follow her back into a cluster of trees. The monster went to swipe at her but the thickness of the forest caused its attacks to be blocked by tree trunks and branches. With each miss, Dana took her own swipes at its limbs. After a few attempts, the animal became frustrated, spitting its acidic saliva at the girl.
“Sharp, can you walk?” Dana called out to the boy as she continued to do her dance-of-avoidance with the animal.
She had forgotten that he couldn’t speak, so when she got no response she feared the worse. Between avoiding swipes, Dana continued to scan the area for the boy. He had vanished from her sight.
“Fair enough,” she thought. Now she could focus on the monster.
That would be easier said than done. While the density of the forest was working to keep her from being attacked, it was also limiting her ability to get a clear shot at the creature. The Rensom was getting better at taking its swipes, waiting for Dana to get in an area where it wouldn’t be impeded by tree trunks. This was its chance. The Rensom charged Dana, squeezing through four trees to get at her, but that would be the animal’s undoing. It had to turn its coned head to fit in between, and when it did, Dana stabbed its left eye socket. The Rensom howled in pain and immediately began to retreat. With another grunt, the Rensom burrowed back into the earth, whimpering as it retreated.
“Sharp!” Dana called out again.
The best place to start looking for him was the boulder where she had found him. There was no sign of him. For a moment, she feared he had run off again. It was then that an acorn fell on her shoulder. She brushed it off dismissively and continued her search for the boy. Another one fell, and again she brushed it off. The third acorn hit her with a bit of force, as if it had been thrown. She rubbed the back of her head where it had hit and turned around to see who was throwing them. A rustling could be heard from the canopy above and Dana looked up to see the waving hand of Sharp. He had climbed into the thick foliage of the evergreens and found himself a nice seat in the crook of a large branch.
“There you are,” she said.
He began signing to her. From this distance, she couldn’t read what he was saying. Instead of protesting, she just decided to climb the tree and join him. It had been years since she had climbed a tree. The feeling of crumbling bark beneath her fingertips, the sweet smell of fresh pine filling her nose, the rough texture of the trunk against her stomach as she climbed all reminded her of her youth. To be a kid again and just climb a tree! But the past was the past, and there was no time to enjoy such things in her life now.
“I forgot you can’t talk,” she said as she reached his spot in the canopy. “Are you hurt?”
Sharp didn’t answer but just gave Dana a downcast look. He then removed a thatch of leaves and twigs from his leg to reveal the cut he had suffered from the Rensom. It wasn’t deep, but it was clearly infected. An orange puss had begun to form around the jagged edges of flesh and the bleeding had not stopped.
“Looks painful,” Dana said to him. “I’ve got something for it. I have to warn you, this is going to sting. You’re not a little boy I hope.”
“You mean ‘Am I going to cry like a girl?’” Sharp signed.
“I can read sign language, you know. No, I mean like a little boy. Girls, at least girls like me, don’t cry over stuff like this. Now hold your leg straight and take it like a woman!”
A wide smile crossed Sharp’s face as he braced himself for the sting. He liked her moxie. Dana was not like most females Sharp had encountered, and the one’s he had were few and far between. The Locke Brothers were raised by more domestic women, always providing meals and comfort. They lacked any interest in things like climbing trees or tending to wounds.
“Just one more second,” Dana warned him as she took a bottle from her bag and slowly poured a few drops of its contents onto the wound.
Sting wasn’t quite the word for it. Burn was more appropriate. His leg was on fire and the sensation lasted for more than an instant. He began blowing on his leg, hoping it would provide some relief.
“I said don’t act like a little boy!” Dana playfully snapped at him.
Again, Sharp tried to smile through clenched teeth. After a few more seconds the pain was receding. Now it was just a matter of covering the wound. Dana had two rags in her jacket. They were clean but not quite big enough to cover the entire cut, but it would have to do. Neither of them had any string, but the more pliable vines from the tree would work just the same. They managed to get his leg bandaged and, afterwards, took a moment to rest.
“So now what?” Sharp signed.
“Now? We wait. You’re not going anywhere with that leg the way it is now, it’ll start burning again if you walk. Give the medicine some time to work and we can get out of this tree and find the others.”
“You want to stay here in Black Harvester Forest?”’
“What other choice do we have? Let’s just hope that the monsters have other things on their mind tonight.”
***
A few miles away, the remainder of the Solas crew and the other two Locke Brothers were packing up the last few items that were not destroyed or lost in the melee earlier. Although the Rensom had not returned, it didn’t mean they or other forces would not eventually see this stranded group as a meal or worse. Bando watched the perimeter while Jocelyn and Kale did their best to check off what supplies they still had. Mouth and Bulk Brown had come to an agreement to not discuss the matter of Sharp any further. However, this didn’t mean that Mouth was okay with the situation.
“Mouth, you talk a good game and all,” Echo said to his brother as they loaded containers into the repaired jeep, “but that’s a grown man who is three times your size. I wouldn’t push it too far.”
“What do you want to do, Echo? Leave Sharp out there?”
“That Dana girl has probably found him by now. I wouldn’t worry.”
“Yeah, but what if she does and they can’t find us? This ape doesn’t seem too concerned with it.”
