Chapter 18
Salvation had found a large sinkhole in the middle of Wyoming. It was hundred one miles southeast from what the humans would call Devils Tower, located in Bear Lodge Mountains. Salvation managed to ghost to the sinkhole he couldn’t believe what he saw the hole appeared in a middle of a large Buffalo ranch. He appeared over the side on the hole it was pitch black, but the heat coming off it was insane. Like it had unearthed a hot springs which wasn’t uncommon in Wyoming. The animals in that where close by it seemed unbothered by the large hole, like it was an everyday thing. He watched the traffic of the small town he was in pass by him. He wonder if he was the only one who could see the large hole. Surely the humans would panic at this. They panic over everything.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and it was dead. Cursing he decided maybe he could find some place to charge his phone or just maybe check out the locals here in this small town. He couldn’t remember the name of it till he started over the wire fence that kept the animals in. He started walking up the side of the road towards a small mini mall at the top of a hill. There was a sign that said Latigo Hills Mall. It was lovely walk for the mostly part he passed an RV park and a trailer park. What looked to be local school and at the bottom of the hill that building sat on was small clinic. “Well isn’t this place cute as button.” He said not sure what to make of this place.
Looking at the clinic it said Wright. He remembered this place now, he was in small town called Wright, Wyoming. The people here were a coal mining and oil field working community. He tried to think of the last time he was here as he headed for the large building. He took sideway and crossed the lanes or traffic and made his way up to the building. When got he there were signs on the door to the building. One said please use other door. The other door said caution the door will slam due to the wind. His brow arched as he pulled the left door opened an headed inside the small entrance that held to already open automatic in and out doors. He went in the in door and looked around off to his left a small grocery store and to his right a small café of some sort. He saw a place where a pay phone use to be once a upon a time.
He kept walking up the hallway he passed beauty shop as he was walking he didn’t noticed a human walking the other way. Her face was lost in her phone though. She looked up when she slammed into his large body. Salvation looked down at her. “I’m sorry.” He said to her.
She blinked looking up at him. “No its my fault was to busy texting.” She said with a sad tone in her voice.
There was something about this human female he couldn’t put his finger on it. She stood just barely five foot three with glasses and shoulder length strawberry blond hair with dark roots. She was dressed in a black tee shirt that read The Pit on the front of it. His brow popped at the shirt. It was the same as the staff wore from The Pit back in NOLA. If she had ever came into The Pit he’d of known her. On her left shoulder she had a small backpack. He was curious about her. “My name is Salvation!” He said offering her hand to him.
Looking at him she gave him a look like he was cracked. She took his hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you.” She said still staring at him. She’d never seen anyone as handsome or as tall as him before in her life. If she wasn’t weirded out by his name she might be inclined to drool over him a bit. His long dark hair was pulled back he wore a navy blue shirt and black jeans with leather boots. They look liked they were made out very old, but still in good condition.
“This is the part you give me your name.” Sal said still holding her hand.
She blinked at him. “Right, where are my manners.” She said taking her hand back from him, that was he noticed was handicap.
He could feel how uncomfortable she was at him staring at her. She put her phone in her left hand an put it in her pocket. Her right arm was a shorter than her left.
“You can take a photo it’ll last longer.” She snapped at him as he stared at her. “Yes I know I’m circus freak.” She said as she went to move past him. Just what she wanted was someone else pointing out how much of a freak she was.
He reached out to her, touching her shoulder. “I’m sorry that was rude.” When he connected with her this time his power took hold. He saw her life past, present, and future. He was shocked at the horrors he saw.
She turned and looked at him. “It’s fine. Shit happened. My name is Misty. “ She said started away again.
“Wait!” He called to her.
“Yes?” Misty stopped in the hallway.
“I’m new here and I’m looking for a pay phone or away to make a call.”
“Well you won’t find a pay phone here or any place here in town.” She thought a moment and offered him her phone. “You may use mine. It has internet on it took so whatever you need.” Handing her phone to Salvation her phone went off in her hand.
He looked at the screen it was a text. And the text message he read was super rude. He swiped the phone open and looked at the text message he scrolled up reading the conversation she had been having with this person. The things he’d saw when he touched her he realized who it was, her husband. In the next few days she and her children would be in danger, because of the sinkhole not far from her house. And the reason would be her husband. Biting his lip he backed out of her text messages. Misty watched him curiously.
“If you need help with it.” She said as he smiled.
“No I got it.” He said finally dialing Brian with no answer he left him a quick voicemail to meet him here as soon as possible. Then he dials another of his Enforcers and told him to bring everyone that wasn’t busy to where he was. Hanging up the phone he handed the phone back to her. “Thank you again. You live here right? Can you answer some questions for me?” Salvation asked.
Taking back the phone she saw the text message from her husband and the look on her face was a mix of anger and pain. “Sure, but would you mind walking with me to the store.”
“Of course.” He said following her. “The field across the road with the buffalo and cattle in it. Have you noticed anything odd happening in it?” Sal asked as they walked.
“Yes as a matter of fact. Though no one would believe me if I told them.” She said looked up at him.
“Try me!” He said as they passed the beauty shop again.
“Well, the other night when I was walking my dog I could of sworn I saw some kind demon flying around in the skin.” She said in a hushed voice as they entered the grocery store. She got herself a cart and dropped her bag into the front of the cart.
“A demon? How do you know that was it?” Sal asked.
“Well I’ve watched enough movies and read enough books to know what a demon is. Plus I got photos of the thing.” She said.
Sal’s mouth dropped open. She was a smart woman. “And have you showed any of these photos to anyone?” He asked.
“I thought about it, but I don’t want people to think I’m bat shit.” She said pushing the cart a long the isle past the newsstand by the freezer section.
“May I see them?” He asked.
She stopped and fished her phone from her pocket an pulled up the photos. The first photo all you could see was a black shadow flying across the moon in the sky. “They call this place Big Sky Country. Not a lot of tall buildings and all that to block your view around here.” The next photo she got a better shot of it.
Sal’s heart stopped a moment she had a photo of Gore. What the hell would Gore be doing there in Wyoming? Was he trying to work his way to the mountain? The last photo was of Gore and two other demons in the field he has something in his hands, but Sal couldn’t make it out. Licking his lips his mouth was so dry all of sudden.
Misty watched his turn a little white a moment. “So I’m not crazy then?”
Sal took his head no and handed back the phone. “No you’re not crazy. They were demons, but you can’t tell anyone about them. Could I get you to email me those photos.”
“Right so you can use them for something. Nice try pal.” Misty said putting her phone in the cart and she started away from him.
Sal followed behind her. “No its not what you think. I’m trying to help.”
She ignored him and kept going.
“I swear it. I can prove it to you. Please stop.” He said as other people in the store looked at him.
She stopped short making him bumped into her. “Look there is enough crazy in the world we don’t need anymore.” She said giving him a look.
Salvation decided to try an show her some of his power or prove he wasn’t the bad guy. “The shirt you have on you know it’s a real place right?”
She looked down at it and laughed. “Yes in my mind it is.” She shook her head. “I created it well I helped create it.” She said looking at him.
His brow arched a little confused. “Then you should know how I am.” He said.
“I do yes I’m having an aneurism from stress and my mind is bring to life my characters. Though you’re way hotter than I thought you’d be.” She said laughing.
“I’m serious the things you’ve seen are real. I need those photos. If know who I am, then you know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
She grinned at him. “See that’s the thing I know you’ll do whatever it takes, but okay I’ll give you the photos. On one condition you let me know your picture with me, because no one is going to believe me that I found you in real life.”
He nodded.
“Great.” She snapped a few photos of him or the best she could at her short height.
Salvation gave her a email address to send the photos to. “I have to go wait for some friends, but I’ll be seeing you again soon.” He said.
“Of course you will.” She laughed. “The email has my number in it too. Whoever put you up to this did a great job.” She said shaking her head an pushing her cart away.
Salvation decided he should head back to the field do some more checking around if Gore and his minions where there it could mean more trouble than he thought to start with. He headed out of the store and out of the building looking around he ghosted to the field and appeared as the rest of his Enforcers.
“We have a real problem Gore and his men were here. I don’t know why, but add this sinkhole to it. We need to close it and its not to far the mountain.” He said looking his Enforcers. They were all different species of shifters. They had been with him since the beginning. Brian was the newest member to his team, but only by accident. He was wondering where the hell the bear was. “Has anyone seen Brian?” He asked them.
“No, he’s been busy with his own personal things.” One of them said to Sal.
“Lovely we got our own problems and he’s dicking off on something petty.” Sal said as he heard the voice in his head screaming for help. He couldn’t ignore it. “Stay here and figure out how to close this damn thing.” He said. “I have something urgent to take care of.” He said ghosting out.
Once Salvation was gone the sky over The Enforcers turned dark. They looked up thinking it was a shadow covering them. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
“Its not coming from the sky its coming from the ground.” Tanner said as he looked at the sinkhole.
“How in the hell?” Another asked as they ground started to shake.
The Enforcers started moving back from the sinkhole. The ground started to feel hot.
“We need to get out of here.” Tanner said trying to figure the best way out it felt like they were trapped in a dome of darkness. Tanner was the oldest one there of the Enforcer next to Nocona he was Salvation’s third in command.
They tried to ghost out and couldn’t. Tanner tried to throw blasts of fire at the dome and nothing happened. The ground stopped quaking long enough for the sky to open. Dragons and other winged creatures filled the sky. They began to rain down on the Enforcers. They started driving them towards the sinkhole. Tanner and the rest of the Enforcers opened fire with everything they had.
The Dragons began to pluck them one by one from the ground and drop them into the sinkhole that was a black pit of fire. Some of the other creatures attacked the Enforcers as the Dragons held on to them. Pulling some of them apart blood started to fall from the sky as Enforcers bleed out and died. One by one the once mighty Enforcers felt to their deaths.
Tanner was the last one standing. He started to chant in Kiowa pouring all his powers into the chant. With his last breathe he used the power of his soul to kill all the dragons and winged creatures or so he thought as his body imploded into a ball of fire. One Dragon manage to survive the blast.
Salvation appeared at the foot of Devils Tower to see a female demon.
“Well you are just as stupid as I thought you were.” She said laughing. Salvation was confused. “It’s a trap stupid. You have just lost your arm oh great Salvation.” The demon laughed started to get louder.
“What do you mean?” Sal said.
“Go see they are dead!!” She said vanishing from his sight. Salvation ghosted back to the sinkhole just in time to see the lone Dragon attacking a black Dodge Durango. It took the vehicle into the sky. Salvation heard screaming the female from early was in the vehicle. “Fuck!” He didn’t see any of his Enforcers either.
Looking at her husband Misty screamed as the Durango was lifted from the ground. “What’s happening?” She asked trying to see out the side windows, but all she saw was claws. Dragon claws! “What the fuck?” She said. “We have to get out of this car!” She said to her husband who was to busying turning white and literally shitting his pants. She slapped him in the face. “Snap out of it! We need to get out of here. Before we are to high up to jump.” She hit the window control on the door next to her rolling the window down.
Salvation blasted the Dragon’s wings it screamed in pain. As it screamed it tightened its hold on the vehicle. The Durango form started to bend and creek.
They were gonna be crushed to death Misty’s mind screamed. Unbuckling her seat belt she started climbing out the window but the Dragon’s claws blocked her fully. She headed for the back of the Durango. “Come on!” She yelled at her husband. He was frozen in fear. She had a choice try and make him move or save herself.
Everything in her life flashed before her eyes and the only thing that really came to mind was hers children. Opening the hack of the Durango she saw the tie down straps that were in the back of the Durango. She hooked one to the back of the seat in front of her and the started putting the others together like a rope. The Durango jerked hard to the right making her loose her balance holding on to the make shift rope she fell out of the back on the Durango hold on with both hands she saw she was flying over her own home. She let go just as the roof over her home came into view.
Salvation saw someone fly out of the back of the vehicle as they dangled from it he realized it was the female. Trying to get the Dragon to land wasn’t working so he used his power to push it to a place she could fall safely.
Misty said a small prayer as she let go of the straps hoping she hit the roof and no the porch or sidewalk by the house.
Salvation watched her fall and hit the roof hard. The Dragon dropped the Durango into the street it hit the ground with a bounce. Salvation blasted it again this time aiming for its face. Blinding the Dragon it screamed again an fall to the ground. It’s large body fell on The Durango crushing it flat as pancake. Salvation rushed towards the still living Dragon making a sword appear in his hand. He swung his sword cutting into the Dragon’s neck. It didn’t kill it.
Blind and in pain the Dragon started screaming and thrashing his wings and tail. Taking out the buildings around it. The wind from its wings knocked Salvation back into the open garbage door. He fell into boat that sat in the shop. On the ground next to him was a chainsaw. If a sword couldn’t do it, maybe a chainsaw could.
Hitting the roof hard Misty couldn’t breathe and she felt like her body was smashed to bits. Even if that wasn’t true it felt like that. The pain was horrifying the last thing she heard before passing out other than the scream of the Dragon was the sound of a chainsaw.
Salvation picked up the chainsaw and pulled the cord it started up. He ran at the Dragon like Christian Bale in American Psycho only not naked and wearing boots not sneakers. He started for the Dragon’s throat he lunged at it. The chainsaw cut into the tough dragon skin chewing a hole in it. Blood sprayed out like a broken dam. Choking on the blood as his sprayed into his mouth he gaged and kept cutting. Finally the blade of the chainsaw came out the back of the Dragon’s throat. He used all his strength to pull the chainsaw to the left and finish off where his sword started. With a whine the chainsaw cut the Dragon’s head off.
As soon it the head hit the ground Salvation heard sirens. The humans were coming. He ghosted himself to Misty picking her up in his arms he ghosted her to the ground. He used his powers to heal her as much as he could before the humans came. He ghosted himself back to NOLA covered in Dragon blood and throat fluids. His mind was spinning with that just happened, and he still wasn’t sure the sinkhole was closed.