Authors: Christopher C. Payne
“Please don’t tell anyone about the ring. I’m begging you. I don’t understand what’s happening. But please, just don’t tell anyone,” Stefani said as she entered the squad car.
She had never actually been in a police car, and she wasn’t sure she was excited about doing so now.
“Sure, no problem. The last thing I want to do is cause any more issues,” Matt said. “I think you-- or should I say we, at this point -- have enough to deal with.”
Stefani snickered at that comment. It wasn’t as though Matt didn’t seem like a good guy. He did. But, Dennis had also seemed like a good guy. She’d spent her entire life getting by on her instincts, trusting her intuition. Now, it failed her at every turn. Nobody was who they said they were.
Matt drove through the streets of San Francisco, heading to the Financial District. A few years ago, his father’s company had taken over most of the office space in Shaklee Terraces. He thought about buying the building outright or at least renaming it. The Shaklee Corporation had not occupied the building in 10 years.
“So, if your father is so wealthy, what are you doing working as a police officer?” Stefani inquired. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t know if I can answer that, really,” Matt replied. “I just never fit in with my father. We’re different people. I respect what he’s accomplished, but he and I have never been that close. Since my mother passed away, it’s only been the two of us. But, I was reared by the house staff for the most part, sent away to boarding schools, etc., up until I finally dropped out.
“My father tolerates me, but we’re not connected by much more than name. I guess I was looking for something to bring sanity to my life. To keep me grounded. I joined on a whim, and I just seemed to fit in. There’s only one guy on the force, a good friend of mine, who even knows I come from money. Everyone else just treats me like any other young cop. I like that.”
They pulled the car into the parking garage, and Matt zipped into one of the reserved spaces. Even if he were one of the guys, he still took advantage of the perks now and then.
As he stepped out of the car, he asked Stefani to give him a minute. “Just let me make sure my dad’s in his office,” he said.
With that, he walked in the building, dialing his cell phone as he entered.
Stefani stared at the concrete walls and the sporadic cars spread throughout the parking structure. The lack of movement suddenly struck her. My God, it was so late. She’d spent most of the day in the hospital, and it was now well past 10:30 p.m. She really just wanted to curl up in a ball and pass out.
She was 48 hours into this freakish fantasy, and she still had no idea what was going on. Her birthday was only eight days away, and it seemed like everyone was extremely interested in her turning 21. It must hold some importance. The ring, which was also the focus of everyone’s attention, seemed to be real. She wondered what her birthday had to do with anything.
“Jesus!” she yelled to herself as a car alarm went off on the other side of the garage. It was a blue BMW, probably the 700 series, judging from the look of the cars that surrounded her. She could tell it was a BMW from the shape of the trunk. As she looked around again, she began getting nervous. Sitting alone in a parking garage wasn’t what she had in mind after everything she’d been through. Even though she felt strong under most circumstances, sometimes it was nice to feel as though someone were taking care of her. She hoped Matt would find his way back very soon.
Why did the car alarm go off, anyway? Alarms don’t just go off by themselves. Her doors weren’t locked, so she slammed down the driver’s side lever and then clicked the button on her own door. She was now secured – probably not safe, but secured. It made her feel a little more comfortable at least.
All of these freakish things she kept encountering seemed as strong as she was. But, they were matured in a way she had not yet experienced. She felt a tear falling down her cheek again at the thought. Did that mean she really was one of them? When she turned 21, would she sprout wings, would her skin turn grey, would her teeth and face smash into some warped fairy tale version of reality?
“Holy crap!” she yelled out as Matt tapped on the window. “Do you mind? You scared the living heck out of me!” she said a little too forcefully.
Matt stood by the window, smiling. “You are a little jumpy, aren’t you? My dad’s inside. We can go up and see him now. Sorry it took me a few minutes. I had trouble tracking him down; but once I gave him a synopsis of our situation, he seemed anxious to see us. He thinks he can help answer some of our questions.”
Stefani flipped open the locks and stepped out of the car. As she did so, she felt her legs grow weak. It was hard for her to stand up.
“Do you smell that?” She said. “I smell something. It smells like dog. It smells like some dogs I met yesterday – the kind of dogs you don’t want to meet again.”
“I don’t smell anything,” Matt responded. “I think you just need to relax. Just try and breath; it’s all going to be ok. Let’s go upstairs and see if we can figure out what we should do. My dad will be able to help us.”
They entered the elevator and headed directly to the top floor. Matt needed a special key to get through the entryway as the elevators responded; but once they passed through the opening, Stefani gawked at what she saw. The room was vast. It expanded out on almost all sides, and the view from the windows was breathtaking. She’d never seen anything like it.
“It is amazing, isn’t it?” Matt asked. “I think my dad had this designed specifically to intimidate anyone who happened to venture up here. Let’s go find him.”
As they walked around the elevator bank, Stefani took in her surroundings. There was a glassed-in office off on the other side of the room. There was some furniture, a very large desk, and a man standing with his back to her. He was talking on the phone. On the way to his door, they passed by the restrooms attached to the back end of the elevator bank.
“My father wanted to keep the entire top floor open. He had the building completely redesigned when he moved in. He keeps a reception desk for his assistant, but the only other thing up here is his office. He’s completely isolated. We’ve had a few parties, business meetings, etc., up here. But other than that, this is his sanctuary. The only way in or out is through the elevator, unless you can fly.”
With that, Matt smiled and opened the door to his dad’s sanctum.
Without turning around, Matt’s father motioned for them to sit, pointing to the phone. It sounded like he was coordinating something. Asking somebody to come and join them.
The room was sparsely furnished, but there were a couple of black leather couches and a bar against one of the interior glass walls. Stefani figured Matt’s dad was not worried about privacy. What did it really matter since he was the only person occupying the entire floor?
“There’s also a security device on his desk,” Matt said. “Nobody can actually exit the elevator until he authorizes it. He really does have the entire floor all to himself, except for his assistant. It’s a little odd she isn’t here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without her. The woman’s entire life revolves around my father.”
“When I was growing up, she was always the one directing my activities. She made sure I was dropped off or picked up or dumped wherever I needed to go. My dad was a little too busy dealing with more important matters than a child’s needs.”
Matt seemed to be recanting his childhood with a level of sarcasm in his voice. Stefani began to wonder if this were really a good idea. How could they rely on this man for help if he’d never even taken the time to deal with his own child?
“Hello, and how are you this evening, Stefani?” Matt’s dad walked over, holding out his hand in greeting. It was almost as if he were meeting her for the first time, but the closer he moved toward her, it was obvious that assessment was incorrect.
Stefani felt the color drain from her face. She tried to talk or move, but she couldn’t. She found herself immobilized, frozen in time. She just stared at the long scar protruding from his face. It started at his forehead and wandered down, finishing on his chin.
“My name is Greg – but, you might remember. I’m pretty sure we’ve met before. You do look so familiar. I am pretty good with faces. Can I get you something to drink?”
What was she supposed to do? She looked at Matt, then back at Greg. Was Matt in on this, as well? He had to be. This thing was his father. Didn’t that mean that Matt should be a monster? Why did he talk about killing gargoyles if he were a gargoyle? What was she even saying? Gargoyles – did she now believe in all of this crap?
“It’s him,” she stammered. “This is the guy that’s trying to kill me, Matt. How could you do this to me?”
She cried again. She tried to control the tears, but she failed miserably.
“What are you talking about, Stefani?” he replied. “This is my father. This is the guy that will help us,” Matt said.
“Stefani, my dear, Matt isn’t privy to all of my business dealings. I can assure you he has no idea what you’re talking about. But now that you’ve included him, he will shortly become aware. There is a lot both of you don’t know.”
As Greg talked, he pushed a button on his desk, walked over to the couch, and sat down next to Stefani. Her skin crawled as he touched her shoulder. In any other situation it would’ve been a friendly gesture, but now it seemed like he was just toying with her.
Four men quickly approached from the elevator, two of them holding large chains attached to a couple of drooling, horse-like dogs. They seemed to smell their prey as soon as they turned the corner from the elevators. Buckets of saliva fell from their lips as they both growled and barked in anticipation.
Was she going to be fed to the snarling animals? Was she some kind of late evening snack? The two men holding the large chains bent over and latched the leashes to a metal loop built into the floor. The dogs lay down as if they were familiar with this routine.
Maybe this is their dining room, and they eat here often
, Stefani thought to herself.
“Dad, what the heck are those things?” Matt asked. “What’s going on? Who are these guys?”
“You see,” Greg said. “Matt is a son that you could say I reluctantly claim. He’s actually not even my son. I’ve found it useful to pluck boys out of the world and raise them as if they were my own. It really does come in handy. Surprisingly, it’s not even hard to do once you ship them off to boarding school. They get used to my missing holidays. As long as I provide for them and they prove useful, it works out well for everyone.”
“What are you talking about?” Matt asked.
Stefani could see the questioning look on Matt’s face as he sat there staring at this monster he’d thought was a loving parent. Well, maybe not loving, but at least his parent. She wanted to reach out to Matt, to hold him. His world was imploding around him, and all Greg did was laugh.
He sat there chuckling like he’d accidently spoiled Easter by admitting he was the one hiding the eggs throughout the house. It wasn’t a funny laugh, but some kind of sick, eerie heckling. It chilled her bones, and she finally reached her limit.
She launched her right hand, heading in the direction of Greg’s face, but he caught her arm in midair.
“Not this time, sweetie. You see, I’m a touch older than you. You might have surprised me in your apartment, but I won’t let that happen again. Actually, Matt is not the only one I have a present for. You are the main course. My little baby Matt was only the appetizer.
As Stefani glanced back at Matt her insides curdled. The bile was rising in her stomach, and it was all she could do not to throw up again. Matt sat there stoically; his world crushed. He’d begun this day with a family. It wasn’t a perfect family, but it was, at least, a family. It reminded her of how she felt when she lost her mom. He looked alone, all by himself. Sadly she was all too comfortable with that feeling and knew exactly what must be going through his tortured mind.
Greg stood up from the couch and walked over by his desk again. Stefani thought she saw him push another button. Maybe he was bringing more dogs up, but Stefani couldn’t imagine she and Matt would be enough of a meal for the two animals already present. The overwhelming odor emanating from the beasts was really getting to her. She wondered why her senses were going into overdrive.
This time, a lone woman exited the elevator. She approached Stefani from the darkened distance. She had on a business suit, mid-level heels, and her hair hung down past her shoulders. Stefani couldn’t see her clearly until she entered the door to Greg’s office. Then the light hit her directly on the face, illuminating her all-too-familiar features.
Stefani fell off the couch, down on her knees, losing all control of her frail inner being. She gagged and couldn’t breathe. Her legs, her arms, her entire body betrayed her. She raised her head again and just stared. She tried to speak, but no words came out. It felt as if she were in some spinning vortex from which there was no escape. She wondered if she were dead or possibly dying. Maybe somebody had drugged her.
“Stefani, I believe you know Jade, do you not? If I remember correctly, and I don’t always get these things right, it seems to me the two of you had some kind of relationship. Do you remember Stefani? Stefani? Why, I do believe she is going into shock,” Greg muttered.
He seemed to be talking as much to himself as to anyone else in the room.
“Mom?” Stefani said. “Mom, I don’t understand….”
She barely got the words out. The tears flowed so quickly. She threw up again more violently than ever before. Matt sat there like he was encased in stone. As if he had become a statue and would be immobile for the rest of his life.
“Mom?” she muttered again. “Is that you? Can you help me? Mommy. Mommy, please. I don’t understand. I don’t understand. Mom?”
Stefani blacked out. Her head hit the floor, and it bounced a few more times before resting on the wood surface. She fell into the middle of the inky black pool that had erupted from inside her only seconds before. The last thing she felt was the heated liquid seeping through her shirt, warming her with its black, sticky, disgusting wetness.