Ash Return of the Beast

CHAPTER 60



Three Days Later…

7:32 a.m.

Lieutenant Kane’s hand came down heavy on the alarm clock like a wrecking ball falling from forty feet. He groaned as he threw the sheet back and rolled out of bed. Goddamn it, Ravenwood. Where the hell are you? It was the last thing on his mind when he fell asleep last night and the first thing on his mind this morning. How could she just up and disappear like that? And why hadn’t she called? It didn’t make sense. Here it was, eight days after the eighth ritual murder. The doomsday clock was running down quickly. Tomorrow all Hell could break loose. She knows that. So, where the hell is she?

***

A thin ray of morning sunlight filtered into the hut where Ravenwood had lain unconscious upon a woven mat for the past 72 hours. The strip of warm light moved slowly across the floor and rolled gently over the contours of her face. She moaned and raised a hand to shield her eyes. “Where––?” Her voice was hoarse, her throat dry. “Tocho––?”

At the same moment, in Seattle, the sun was filtering in through the window blinds into the hospital room and onto the bed where Rye Cowl had lain unconscious for the past nine days. The light moved slowly across the bedding and rolled up onto his face. He moaned and raised a hand to shield his eyes. “What the––? His voice was hoarse, his throat dry. “Where am I?”

***

Tocho was asleep on the mat next to Ravenwood when he was awakened by the sound of her voice. He sat straight up and leaned over her, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. “Ro! I’m here. Are you okay?”

She shook her head and tried to sit up.

“Stay down. I’ll get you some water.”

She sat up anyway and gave her head another shake. “What the hell happened? How long have I been out?”

Tocho handed her some water in a small drinking gourd. “Three days.”

It took a moment for those words to register. When they finally did, her brow scrunched into a look of complete disbelief. She must have heard wrong. “What?”

Tocho nodded.

Her eyes grew wide. “Three days? That means…” She struggled to her feet and looked around, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to assess the information. “Jesus.” She fired a look at Tocho. “That means tomorrow… Shit. We gotta get back. Now!” Her rubbery legs quivered and she nearly lost her balance.

“Ro, you’re not ready to go anywhere. Sit down. You just––”

“Do you not grasp the situation here? There’s no time. Get our stuff together.”

“Ro––”

“With me or without me, Tocho.”

“What did you see down there? They were there, weren’t they?”

“You know the old joke about the guy on the street wearing a sign that says the end is near? Well, it’s not a joke anymore. Get our stuff and let’s get the hell out of here. Where’s that bucket? I’m gonna be sick.”

***

Cowl’s body began to quake in a series of spasmodic seizures. A stunned nurse quickly notified Dr. Halverson. Halverson arrived within minutes and struggled to hold Cowl down but it was no contest as Cowl seemed to have the strength of two men. Halverson had never seen this kind of reaction from a patient coming out of a coma. He ordered the nurse to prepare a sedative and he administered it immediately. The sedative took effect and Cowl’s eyes fluttered to a close and he fell into a shallow sleep.

Halverson stepped back, his mind racing, trying to assess the situation. Then he noticed the bandage that had covered the wound on Cowl’s head had shaken loose. He attempted to adjust it but stopped when he saw something for which he was completely unprepared. In the small shaved area around the wound there were three raised marks on the scalp. He moved in for a closer examination. What the––? He traced the marks with his finger and then straightened up.

The nurse saw the look of concern on the doctor’s face. “What is it?” she asked, approaching the patient.

Halverson quickly lifted the bandage back into place. “Nothing. Nothing at all. It’s fine.” He tried to sound calm. “Go get nurse Tyler and bring him here. I want the two of you to stay here with the patient. I have to go to my office. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Right away, doctor.”

“And do not touch the patient. If he shows any sign of regaining consciousness I want you to buzz me immediately. Do you understand?”

“Yes, doctor.” She looked puzzled. “Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing for you to be concerned about. Just do as I said. I won’t be long.”