Ash Return of the Beast

CHAPTER 51



The Next Morning…

Ravenwood twitched and squirmed as she lay curled up in the back seat of the old Nissan. A horde of demons howled and squealed as they gathered around her but she couldn’t hear them. She could only see their animated faces, writhing, twisting into grotesque contortions, mouths gaping, eyes like half-dead creatures hungry for flesh, glaring at her from dark, loose sockets. The vile things had trapped her inside a glass cage. They were swarming around the enclosure, taunting her and tap-tap-tapping on the glass with the nails of their long, gnarled fingers.

Something awakened Tocho from a fitful sleep in the front seat. Tap-tap-tap. He looked up from his uncomfortable position to see the barrel of a pistol tapping on the glass of the driver’s side window. Oh, Jesus. He froze. “Ro,” he whispered. Then louder. “Ro. Wake up. We got company.”

The demons scattered as Ravenwood’s eyes fluttered open. She raised her head slightly to see Tocho sitting up with his hands raised. She looked out the window and saw a thin-faced, dark-skinned man, perhaps in his early 30s with a mound of dangling dreadlocks and beady black don’t-f*ck-with-me eyes. His brightly colored short-sleeved tropical shirt revealed a thin but muscular torso and both arms were covered with tattoos. He was saying something and motioning with the gun for Tocho to step out of the car.

Ravenwood thought maybe the man hadn’t noticed her lying low in the back seat. Her first instinct was to go for her gun but that wasn’t going to happen. As an FBI agent, she wasn’t allowed to carry a firearm in a foreign country without a special permit and she’d had no time for that before leaving the States. Her second instinct was to utilize her acting chops and play a role that had worked for her more than once in sticky situations with bad guys. If there was an Oscar for playing a helpless dumb chick, she could be at the top of the list of nominees.

Thinking quickly, she unbuttoned her shirt, revealing a pastel pink Victoria’s Secret bra. She knew it would come in handy for something. She just never thought it would be something like this. She sat up slowly, her hair a tousled mess, and cast a doe-eyed look out the window at the stranger.

Her movement caught his eye. A gleaming white grin lit up his dark, narrow face.

She tilted her head and gave a pained smile with a look that clearly said please don’t hurt me.

He pointed the gun at her and then back at Tocho. “Both of you, out of the car. Now!”

Tocho stepped out and the stranger shoved him against the car. “Get on the ground. Face down. Hands behind your head. Do it!”

Tocho glanced at Ravenwood. She nodded for him to comply with the stranger’s command.

Tocho hesitated. He wasn’t keen on giving in to this thug but he finally decided to play it safe. Reluctantly, he got down on the ground. Maybe Ravenwood knew what she was doing. He sure as hell hoped so.

The stranger looked down at him and then pointed the gun at Ravenwood. “Don’t move,” he told Tocho, “or I’ll put one through her.” His voice sounded much lower than Ravenwood had expected and the British lilt to his accent was unmistakably South African. “You, lady. Out.”

Ravenwood pushed the front seat forward and squeezed out of the car, making sure her shirt fell open just enough for the stranger to get a good look.

“Well, now,” the stranger said, “looks like this be my lucky day. You and me, lady, we gonna have a good time.”

Tocho raised his head. “No, wait…”

The stranger turned quickly toward Tocho, pointing the gun at him and Ravenwood saw her chance.

In one swift move, she disarmed the stranger with a flying kick. The gun flew into the car through the opened door, landed on the backside of the tilted front seat and slid down onto the back floor. The stranger rushed Ravenwood and sent her flying backward with a massive head-butt to her midsection. Tocho scrambled to his feet and tried to get to the gun but the stranger shoved him away and ducked into the car, reaching for the firearm. Before the stranger could back himself out of the car, Tocho slammed the door on the man and leaned against it, trying to trap him. The stranger heaved himself backward against the door, knocking Tocho to the ground. The stranger wheeled around, gun in hand, but Ravenwood was back up and running at him. She got off another flying kick. The effort dislodged the gun from the stranger’s hand but not before he got off two fast rounds. Tocho let out a yelp. Ravenwood whirled around a full three-sixty, her right foot expertly landing a solid blow to the side of the stranger’s head. He went flailing backward and landed on top of Tocho. Tocho gasped as the air was knocked out of him. The stranger struggled to his feet, his beady black eyes drilling holes through Ravenwood. They stood, staring at each other and then he lunged toward her. She briskly stepped aside and let the stranger’s own momentum carry him past her like she wasn’t even there. He slammed into the side of the car but quickly recovered and turned around to face his opponent. She stood her ground, legs spread, body tensed and ready.

The stranger flashed his gleaming white teeth as blood trickled from his mouth and dripped down the side of his chin. Breathing hard, he lowered his head and put his hands up to acknowledge he’d had enough. “Okay, lady. Okay.”

“I guess this don’t be your lucky day after all.” She shot a glance toward his car. “Now get the hell out of here.”

The stranger nodded, wiped the blood from his mouth and started toward his car.

Tocho groaned.

Ravenwood turned to see if he was all right. He raised his arm and pointed. “Behind you.”

Ravenwood looked back to see the stranger coming at her with a blade in his hand. She spun around and landed a kick in the man’s groin that sent him stumbling backward. He recoiled, writhing in pain. Then, suddenly, he straightened up and looked as if he was about to lunge for her again. She didn’t wait to find out. She ran toward him and left the ground with both legs straight out in front of her. Both feet struck a thundering blow to the man’s chest and sent him flying. He landed with a dull thud and his head cracked like a melon against a large rock.

Ravenwood caught her breath, ready for more, then she realized it was over. She approached the body, cautiously, and knelt down to check his pulse.

Tocho struggled to his feet and came over to join her. He peered over her shoulder. “Is he dead?”

She nodded. “I sure as hell hope so.”

“Well, is he, or isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he’s gone.” She went through the dead man’s pockets looking for identification but found nothing. “Mr. Nobody.” She stood up and looked at Tocho. His arm was bleeding but not badly. “Lucky. The bullet just grazed you.”

“Yeah. How about you? You okay?”

“I’m fine. A little sore.” She stood up and stretched her legs. “I need to spend a little more time at the gym.”

“So when the hell did you become the Karate Kid?”

Ravenwood was walking around the car looking for something. “Hand to hand combat training at the academy.” She leaned down, looked under the car and then moved over to the bushes. She trekked slowly, methodically, through the tall grass by the side of the road. “You didn’t happen to see where the gun went, did you?”

Tocho shook his head.

“Well, we don’t have time to go searching for it. We gotta get your arm bandaged and get out of here.”

“Get out of here? How’re we gonna get out of here?”

Ravenwood pointed toward the stranger’s car.

Tocho nodded. “Oh.”

The car was a clean, late model, 4-door Mercury sedan with Ohio plates. Ravenwood ran her hand along the top of the car and looked in. “Just a guess,” she said, “but I don’t think our friend over there was from Ohio.” She got in and checked for the registration but found none.

Tocho opened the passenger door and leaned in. “Hmm… look here.” He handed her a wrinkled receipt from a McDonalds restaurant. “Not a lot of McDonalds around these parts.”

She read the items. “Two Big Macs, two fries, three drinks and three Happy Meals. Somebody with kids. Christ. I wonder what happened to them. Let’s see if there’re any suitcases, travel bags, something.” She twisted the key in the ignition and popped the trunk and moved around to the back of the car.

“Nothing,” Tocho said.

“Well, here’s something. At least someone was prepared.” She pulled out a small First-Aid kit. “Let’s get your arm fixed up and hit the road.”

Tocho glanced toward the body. “What’re we going to do with him?”

“Well, we’re sure as hell not going to take him with us.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Look, if we don’t hurry up and get our butt’s to San Cristobal and see that shaman then we’re all going to end up like our friend over there.” Flies were already buzzing around the bloody head. “Except it won’t be nearly as pleasant.”