Gargoyles I, II, III: Dark Angel Alliance Read online

  “Help!” Awilda cried, but the man didn’t hear her. “Please help me!” She pleaded again. The man turned his head and squared his shoulders, acknowledging her. He reached his hand out but it was too late. Awilda could feel the long, boney fingers wrap around her ankle and pull her feet off of the ground. Her body fell forward and crashed into the dirt road. The creatures began pulling her back as she tried desperately to grab onto something; anything to stop them. The man ran toward her with his arm still outstretched, but the creatures were too fast. Awilda screamed as she watched the man grow further and further away. She could feel a sudden heat rush her body as the creatures pulled her around the corner into a dark, hellish void.

  Awilda woke suddenly, her heart racing and her breathing rapid, but she quickly grounded herself. There was a time when she would wake screaming from her nightmares; now she’d mastered the art of recovery. For a second she didn’t know where she was; definitely not in the asylum. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the studio apartment and remembered she was in the bed of Sunders Harper; but the man under the covers with her was not Sunders. Her eyelids still felt heavy, but she forced them to stay open and look at the beautiful man lying on his back beside her.

  Simon has shirtless; the bedspread lifted only to his abdomen. She could see his bare, strong chest and his now dried hair lying loosely on the pillow. As if he heard her wake up, his eyes flipped open and he turned his head to look at her. “Good morning.” He smiled; his teeth still perfectly white.

  She smiled sweetly, “Hi.”

  “Did you sleep well?”

  She nodded.

  “No nightmares?”

  She shook her head; a silent lie. She had officially been off of her medication for over two days now; there was no more escaping her demons.

  The fiddling of keys could be heard from outside the front door. A moment later it swung open and a very tired and disheveled Sunders entered, “Morning.” He said without glancing at the couple in bed.

  “Morning,” Crisp answered with a forced enthusiasm. “Glad you decided to come back.”

  “I had a lot of work to do. I’ve requested the aid of Protectors.”

  “Who?” Awilda asked as she sat upright in the bed.

  “They’re a faction of the DAA who are trained to handle unnatural creatures. I should be hearing from them very soon.” He walked into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He left the door open and called out to the main living area. “Now, Awilda, the Protectors are going to have some questions for you. They’ll want to interview you to see how much you know. You might have some information that can help them.” He blotted his face with a towel and walked to the dresser. “Is there anything that you haven’t told me?”

  Awilda crinkled her nose. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Anything that your grandma might have told you that you’ve forgotten about?”

  “No.”

  “You might have disregarded it as useless information but it might help…”

  “She said ‘no’.” Crisp interrupted.

  “I’m sorry,” Awilda lowered her head, “but I don’t think my grandma knew any more than you do. Other than insisting my demons were good her speech was almost incoherent on the subject. It got worse with age; you saw the walls in her house, she had lost her mind.”

  “I see.” Sunders nodded, “if you think of anything, I mean anything, let me know, alright?”

  “She will.” Crisp answered for her, obviously perturbed with Sunders’ questioning, “So what’s the plan while we’re waiting on those Protectors?”

  Sunders pulled out a light blue button-up and a black tank top. He turned to the bed and took a deep breath as if trying to exhale the bitter mood he was in. “Shopping.”

  “Shopping?” Crisp asked, “For what?”

  “Well neither of you had a chance to pack before coming here. I don’t mind if you just want to borrow some of my clothes but all Awilda has is a pair of scrubs from the loony bin. I figure she might enjoy something new to wear.” He smirked.

  Awilda smiled and blushed as she pushed her hair behind her ears. “Thank you.”

  An hour later, a newly showered and dressed Sunders headed out of his flat followed by Crisp in a pair of borrowed jeans and a black sweatshirt, and Awilda in a pair of scrubs hidden beneath an oversized trench coat. The sun was shining but the air was still chilled. The city center wasn’t far away and Sunders assured the girl they would find something for her to change into very soon. Awilda glanced toward the alley where she’d encountered her first Limrid the night before. The space seemed so innocent and light now. She couldn’t see any sign of the monster as Simon placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her in the right direction. The three walked shoulder to shoulder down the sidewalk, none of them noticing their audience.

  Sitting at the bus stop at the end of the street, Kingsley lowered his newspaper to look at the three walking in the opposite direction. Junior sat beside him in a baseball cap. There’s wasn’t too much they could do to make him inconspicuous. The kid stood out in a crowd like a sore thumb. They would have to keep their distance.

  The original plan of meeting with the Vanderburen family and creating an alliance to combat the DAA hadn’t panned out. The last Vanderburen died years ago without an heir. An entire shifter’s lineage had come to an end and it saddened Kingsley only slightly. He couldn’t afford to think too much about it. He and Junior needed to realize the scope of danger they were getting themselves into by pursuing Awilda Rose. They had yet to see any Protectors, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Now she was being escorted down the street towards the city center. They calmly stood from the bus stop bench and casually began heading in the same direction.

  Contrary to original belief, Awilda was not being brought to the DAA headquarters for some devious planning on how to capture a gargoyle. Instead, Kingsley and Junior found themselves tailing the young girl during a shopping spree.

  The targets exited the first store without any bags in hand. Awilda however, was wearing newly purchased clothing. She wore a pair of faded jeans with a white knit sweater. She had pulled her hair back in a butterfly clip, exposing her face for the first time in years.

  Junior stood on the opposite side of the street, suddenly in awe by the girl’s new demeanor. She no longer hid behind blue scrubs and stringy hair. She walked upright and smiled as the sun brightened her pale skin. She looked older now, as if during her half hour in the store she aged five years and matured into her twenties.

  The trio continued walking and headed into a shoe store. Junior and Kingsley crossed the street and waited for them to reemerge.

  Awilda stood in front of racks of shoes ranging from outlandish styles to average runners. She didn’t know where to start and allowed the salesman to guide her to a pair of black and white Converse. She smiled and nodded her head when asked if she’d like to have them. They were a far cry from the maroon jellies she wore from the asylum.

  “Good choice.” Sunders smiled. “Now, why don’t you pick out some socks and see if there’s anything else you’d like. They have a rack of shades if you’re interested.” He followed the salesman back to the counter with the shoes and left Crisp and the girl to browse.

  Sunders looked over his shoulder to make sure the doctor and patient were out of earshot. He leaned in toward the salesman and whispered, “Take these to Chaz; tell him they’re for Sonny.” The boy looked confused for a moment before realizing there was more to this customer than met the eye. Cautiously, he grabbed the shoes, turned and walked into the back.

  After a half hour they were on the move again. Awilda winced slightly as she worked to break in her new Converse and proudly slipped a new pair of large, round sunglasses over her eyes. Junior and Kingsley stopped pretending to enjoy a street performer and his horrible acoustic renditions of oldies and continued their trek.

  One block later the trio approached a food truck parked along the sidewalk. They
took their place in line as Junior doubled back and sat down at an outdoor café to blend in.

  “Keep an eye on them. I’ll be right back.” Kingsley whispered to him.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To see if I can’t find a Protector or two.” He turned and crossed the street.

  Junior watched as Awilda stood patiently in line. Her gray locks of hair shined in the light and he could just barely see her long lashes behind the brown shades she wore. He watched as her eyes trailed and surveyed her surroundings. She looked over her shoulder at the store window behind them and smiled. She walked away from the two men and stood in front of a bright red dress with small yellow flower petals along the high hemline. It had a deep v neckline and was cinched in the middle with a matching belt. She lifted her sunglasses from the bridge of her nose and rested them on the top of her head. She stared at the dress, analyzing every inch. Her eyes were wide and longing, as if imagining herself in the garment. Junior had a feeling she’d look beautiful. Her long, lean legs could pull off the short skirt and the sleeves would give her an elegance that she lacked in her current faded jeans.

  Junior considered for a moment snatching the girl and disappearing into the crowd, but the blonde doctor suddenly appeared by her side; as if he sensed what Junior wanted to do. He pulled her back to the line. She glanced over her shoulder one last time at the dress before following his lead.

  Kingsley returned a moment before Awilda was handed her lunch.

  “Anything?” Junior asked.

  “No,” Kingsley sounded frustrated, “I don’t understand.”

  The trio continued their day of shopping and touring the city center without a single Protector in sight. Hours later they reached the apartment they’d started out in and walked inside. Junior and Kingsley stood at the end of the street.

  “What just happened?” Kingsley asked.

  “I think we spent the day window shopping.”

  “But where are the Protectors? Where’s the DAA?” Kingsley was confused.

  “Maybe they’re not keeping her as guarded as we thought.”

  “This doesn’t make any sense.” Kingsley thought for a moment. “I suppose it’s possible the Protectors have simply disintegrated over the years.”

  “Looks like plan B just got a lot easier.”

  The door to the flat opened again. Junior pulled Kingsley into an adjacent alley to get out of sight as the dark haired Finder emerged. He closed the door and locked it behind him before heading down the sidewalk.

  Junior and Kingsley followed the Finder for four blocks before he finally pulled out a set of keys and entered a darkened financial building.

  “A little late in the day for some banking,” Junior observed as the sun hung low in the sky.

  “It’s got to be a mask.” Kingsley said. “The DAA went underground almost immediately after their inception. Of course they would be working under the guise of another entity. This is probably their headquarters. He could be leaving any minute with a slew of Protectors.”

  “Maybe we should get the girl before that happens.”

  “No, let’s wait until dark first. If they haven’t emerged by then we’ll go.”

  A moment later Kingsley and Junior heard approaching footsteps. They stepped into the shadows and watched as the blonde doctor quickly walked up to the financial building. He surveyed the exterior, as if trying to decipher where the Finder was within.

  “What the hell is he doing?” Junior asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kingsley smiled, “but this means the girl is alone.”

  16

  Sunders entered his dark office and turned on his computer. He pulled up his e-mail and suddenly grew very anxious at the notification in his inbox. He clicked on the message that had the headline: Response to Claim #445. A huge smile plastered across his face as he read the acceptance of Request for Aid. The Protectors would be responding by the end of the week. He just needed to keep Awilda and the pain-in-his-ass doctor happy until then. He leaned back in his chair and imagined the praise he would receive for collecting a real gargoyle; the reverie and awe he’d instill in his colleagues made his chest swell with pride. He wouldn’t need that new recruit like Bill thought. He’d have his mission completed before they even started with the Finders. He closed his eyes and pictured Darla. He knew she’d see him in a new light and maybe her new life would suddenly seem less perfect knowing she could no longer have him at a whim. The thought made him smile even wider.

  Sunders wheeled his chair to a file cabinet that stood against the wall. He opened the bottom drawer and sifted through a pile of books before drawing out The Complete Works of Arav Dave. He stared at the old, dark blue hardcover with raised gold lettering for only a moment before flipping to the literary masterpiece, The Ultimate War. He placed the open book on his desk and scanned the text. He had been baffled when he found this very same book in the home of Awilda’s grandmother. Not too many people were aware of Arav’s work; even less knew of his literary mind. They mostly knew him as the painter of gargoyles. Some even regarded him as the inventor. It was, after all, his ten foot stone sculpture of a praying gargoyle that gave him notoriety in the first place. It sat just off the Seine River in Paris, France for decades before being demolished by the Catholic Church, who regarded the statue as an insult to God. Ironically, it was The Praying Gargoyle that inspired more monstrous sculptures to be constructed and placed inside churches across Europe. They were sculpted to act out biblical stories for a large sum of the population who, in the sixteenth century, were illiterate. Some began perching them high on ledges to scare away evil spirits. It wasn’t long before they were widely regarded as religious creatures; even though to this day so many still misconstrue their monstrous appearances as demonic.

  Sunders wished he could have seen The Praying Gargoyle in person, but its destruction occurred centuries ago, some time after Arav’s death. The most widely accepted story was that he drank hemlock, poisoning himself as a tortured artist; but conspiracy theorists would tell you otherwise. There were some that said he was poisoned by the Catholic Church; others would say he was killed by the very monsters he depicted; and then there was the theory that he was hunted and murdered by natives from his homeland of India. He had fled the country years before to escape the traditions forced upon him; the biggest one being arranged marriage. He was disgraced and his name cursed as his arranged wife remained trapped in her home, waiting for him to return; never seeing the light of day. When the news finally reached her that he had perished she emerged only to take part in the ritual of Sati; a tradition that took place in the event of a husband’s death. His body would be lit and burned in a public display and his wife would throw herself on the pyre; burning alive for all to see.

  Sunders continued scanning through The Ultimate War before he was interrupted by a clinking sound outside. He got up and headed to his window. He pulled back the heavy curtains and looked through the pane to see Dr. Crispin climbing the fire escape. His heart jumped as he threw open the window and yelled, “Where’s Awilda?!”

  17

  Awilda once again sat alone in Sunders’ apartment. He had said he needed to go to work for an hour or so and would be back soon. She figured she and Simon would stay in and maybe watch some television. Simon had other plans, however.

  “I don’t trust him.” Simon had said.

  “Why? He seems pretty nice.” Awilda observed.

  “Exactly; you two just met and already he’s taking you shopping and offering you his bed.”

  “To be fair he’s offered to do the same for you too.”

  “Only out of obligation; he’s going out of his way to keep you happy.”

  “Is that such a bad thing?” Awilda asked. It had been a long time since she’d had such a bright, carefree day. She’d even forgotten about the Limrid from the night before. After so many years of nightmares she was an expert at suppressing memories.

  “Depends,” Simon continued,
“why is he doing it?” He grabbed his handgun, “I’ll be right back.”

  “Wait, where are you going?”

  “To see what he’s up to. I can’t just blindly let him put you in danger.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No, you’ll be safer here.”

  Awilda thought of her monster. “No, please don’t go,” she begged.

  Simon looked into her dark brown eyes. He lifted the gun from the waist of his pants and placed it in her small, slender hands. “I won’t be gone long. Lock the door behind me and don’t open it for anyone but me, understand?”

  Awilda nodded as Simon leaned in and kissed her forehead. She could feel his lips softly graze over the bridge of her nose and press against her cheek. She wanted him to continue downward. She wanted his lips on hers, but he stopped there. He pulled away and left through the front door.

  Now she was alone and feeling a little rejected. She knew Simon still looked at her like the twelve year old girl going to therapy for the first time. She had spent her formative years becoming dependant on him as a stable male figure and it wasn’t until she was fifteen that she suddenly realized she wanted more from him. At first she assumed it was nothing more than a school girl crush; it would dissipate after time. But over the years it only evolved and grew into a deeper appreciation. She had never known love before, but she was pretty sure this was it. Now if only Simon would reciprocate.

  The sun had completely set, removing any semblance of warmth the city had to offer. Awilda sat in deafening silence, anxiously awaiting the return of her doctor.

  A small rustling sounded from outside, causing her head to whip towards the window, “Simon?” she called, hoping he would answer but knowing he wouldn’t. She recognized the sound; it came from the dumpster in the alley across the road. With a shaking hand she lifted the gun and walked to the window to peer through the blinds.