Chasing a Beast
1
Cory Chase wandered into a mom and pop diner across the street from his hotel. He settled into a chair at a table, pulling out a menu from a stand on the linoleum top. He decided on pancakes and coffee before the waitress could come over to see what he wanted. Recent habits had forced him to choose a booth with a wall behind him and a view of the rest of the room.
Of course some of the things he had dealt with wouldn't be stopped by a brick wall. He could only hope it would get him a few seconds to get ready to defend himself.
"How can I help, Hon?" The waitress stood on rickety legs, hair a gray cloud in a visor with the diner's name on it. A name tag on her polyester dress top proclaimed her name to be Delores.
"I would like to get the five pancakes, and five bacon strips deal, with coffee." Chase put the menu back, already figuring that sooner or later he would have to do something about money. The insurance money from his boat wouldn't last forever.
Maybe he should have gotten something smaller.
"Anything else, Hon?" Delores wrote the order down in some kind of short hand with a ball point pen from behind her ear.
"Extra syrup for the pancakes, please." Chase held his hands together. The one with the ring kept moving north in the direction of the next shard.
"No problem." Delores tucked the pen away, ripping off the order sheet. "I'll have it out to you in a couple of minutes."
Chase watched her pin the order to a rail for the cook behind the counter before selecting a cup and pouring coffee in it. She brought the cup back on a tray with a selection of sugar, creamers, and a bottle of maple syrup.
Chase put the condiment basket to one side. He liked his coffee black, and adding sugar to it wouldn't help it taste better in his opinion. He knew people that disagreed with his position but since he was the one drinking, that was all that mattered.
Chase planned to go north, find the ring jewel, come back and either collect his duffle, or get some sleep and leave in the morning. It sounded easy when he wrote it down in his head. So far each jewel had been involved in something. That made him think that he was being optimistic.
He did know that he had at least one enemy trying to keep up with him. So far with the help he had gotten, he had beaten Tarot at every turn. Once he had the ring assembled, he would have to think about dealing with the trouble maker for good. He didn't plan to duck monsters forever.
The smell of cooked dough drifted closer, drawing Chase out of his ruminations. He looked over, smiled at what the waitress had on a tray. One big plate of pancakes surrounded five big slices of bacon and five pieces of toast. He rubbed his hands together.
His stomach rumbled in anticipation as Delores set the tray down. She placed the plate next to his empty coffee cup. He started unwrapping the silverware to dig in.
"More coffee?"
"That would be great." Chase passed the cup over before turning his attention to his steaming breakfast.
Delores took the cup away, then returned with it filled with hot coffee. She set it down, then the order page for Chase to take over to the counter, and the register sitting there when he was done.
Chase ate his breakfast like a starved man. Syrup drowned the pancakes, while the bacon went on the toast to make sandwiches. He slowed down when he spotted Delores and the cook staring at him.
Maybe he should eat more.
He finished up with another cup of coffee before paying his tab and leaving a tip. Delores smiled and told him to come back whenever he was in town. He planned to do that. The food was exceptional.
Chase struck out north, following the pull of the ring. He wondered what he would see when he got to where the jewel waited to be discovered. He had already met some interesting people who had helped him on his way. He had dealt with some horrible enemies the best he knew how. Hopefully this one time would be quiet so he could move to the next jewel.
He wondered if Hunt, and who else had the ring before him, had done the same thing. He wished he could talk to them and find out what they had been thinking when they were on their quests.
Probably let's get this done and go home.
2
Cory Chase walked along the old road, heading north into some hilly territory. The ring made him stronger with more endurance. The main thing of interest seemed to be an old building surrounded by a fence. The sign in front had been erased by someone taking the letters down.
Chase felt the ring pulling him toward the brick place. He wondered if someone was around to answer any question. Barging in was his style. He didn't want to have to deal with anyone trying to stop him.
He didn't see anyone moving with his far seeing.
Chase walked along, turning his gaze to the right and left. The trees on either side of the road were full of squirrels and rabbits but he didn't see anything bigger. That was good as far as he was concerned.
He wasn't in the mood to deal with bears, or a bigfoot.
Neither thing was out of the question considering the strange stuff he had already encountered just getting to this point.
Chase reached the gate of the fence surrounding the building. A gatehouse stood empty and dusty to one side. It looked like no one had been around for quite some time. The place was closed which meant he could do what he had to do without bothering anyone.
Chase inspected the gate. A padlock chained the barrier in place. He exerted some of his strength on the chain and snapped it. He pushed the chain link door out of the way.
The ring pulled him toward the padlocked door leading to a lobby inside the building. He paused, but didn't see any type of furniture. That backed up his expectation that the place was deserted.
Chase pulled the lock off, pushing the door open with his foot. He was breaking and entering. Two locks were about what he expected to replace to avoid a vandalism charge. He stepped inside, trying to avoid dust and cobwebs.
Chase looked around, feeling the power had been cut off. The ring pulled his arm up. He went to the marked stairs door. He pushed it open, then started up the concrete steps. The ring glowed faintly.
Chase reached the top floor, stepped on the bare floor. He noted discolored tiles as he headed down the hall. He thought it was water damage from something. Maybe there was a hole in the roof somewhere. That happened sometimes.
The ring pulled Chase into a stripped office. It produced the line that he was familiar with connecting it to the piece embedded in the window. He pulled out a pocket knife and worried the jewel until it popped out in the palm of his hand.
"Can I ask what's going on?" The voice was deep, almost rumbling. It sounded uncomfortably close behind Chase.
"I'm just retrieving something lost." Chase turned, fitting the jewel in place while looking at the person who had snuck up on him.
What he saw looked like a cross between a bear and a lion, green fur, twitching tail, stuffed in an old suit. Tufts of what could have been eyebrows lifted at his expression which bordered on 'Why me?' Still Chase only sensed quiet puzzlement at the nature of his visit, but not anything that might lead to violence.
That could change.
"I don't believe we've met." The bear lion bowed slightly, almost theatrically. "Most people call me the Green Beast. What's your name?"
"Chase." Chase stuck out his hand to be shaken by the paw-like hand that took it. "Cory Chase. I have to be going. I have to think about getting my bag and heading west."
"Really?" The Green Beast humped his shoulders. "Could I ask for the explanation for the break-in? I did see the jewel you pulled out of the window."
"It's kind of complicated." Chase thought about jumping out the window to get away from the furred fury. He didn't want to have a fight now that he had what he wanted. "Maybe we can talk about it the next time I come through."
"I suppose you will send a check for the broken window." Chase noticed that the green fur had gray laced through it.
"I guess I can give you some money for it." Chase thought about it. "I have to get a ticket. I don't know how much I can spare."
"Let's go talk to my wife." The Beast gestured for Chase to lead the way with his stubby fingered hand. "She'll know how much it'll cost."
"You're married?" Chase pictured a lioness bear in a long dress. He idly wondered what colored fur she had.
"For a few decades." The Beast walked silently with Chase, but he could feel the amusement rolling around the green lion bear. "We had a private ceremony with a few friends."
"That must have been a sight." Chase imagined a scene from the Lion King, with dancing and singing animals. "Any children?"
"No." The Green Beast shook his head. "We decided it would be better not to. Even adoption would have been hard on any child we took in."
"I guess I can understand that." Chase paused at the stairs, then started down. "I'll have to pay for the locks."
"I thought you had used a bolt cutter when I saw them." The Beast nodded, moving silently behind the sailor. "My wife will give you a bill for them too."
"You seem to be taking this in stride." Chase sensed that his companion was calm about escorting a stranger through a vacant property, especially when the stranger had broken a chain and padlock with his bare hands.
"I used to work as a security guard here when it was going." The Beast scraped the rail with a claw. "I've seen my share of things."
"Security guard?" Chase scratched his head. "Okay I guess I can see that."
"I used to be a salesman, then I had this hair problem, so Crockett Chemicals hired me as a guard." The Beast nodded to himself. "I met my wife on the job."
"You're still guarding this place?" Chase thought about the empty space he had noted going up to get the jewel.
"I'm retired." The Beast laughed like a drum rumbling. "Crockett Chemicals was bought by a bigger company, and this place was shut down after the merger. I live nearby and when I noticed you, I thought I should see what was going on."
3
The Green Beast walked forward, back hunching as he moved. His tail whipped back and forth. Chase decided he was much older than he looked as they headed into the trees growing around the abandoned Crockett Chemicals building.
"You still taking care of the old building?" Chase decided that he wanted to hear some noise. His companion was naturally silent in his movements.
"The new owners want to do something with it but they are not sure." The Beast cleared a stand of trees. A house that didn't look big enough for a closet stood there, painted green and brown. "Welcome to my lair."
"Looks like a nice place." Chase saw a silhouette moving in front of the window. "How long have you guys been here?"
"A couple of decades." The Beast walked to the covered porch. He opened the door, the hinges making more sound than he did. "Since the fifties."
"Fifty years is a lot of time." Chase stood on the porch. "I don't think I have stayed in one place more than a week, much less a year."
"I'm home, dear." The Beast's voice cracked a little.
"In the kitchen, honey." The voice sounded smooth to Chase, the feeling attached calm and serene. "I'm making sandwiches."
The Beast led the way to the back of the house, pulling out glasses and putting them on. Chase didn't laugh at the comical sight. This was still a civil meeting. Why ruin it?
"This is Cory Chase." The Beast waved at their visitor as he bent to check out the tuna salad in the bowl. A brown hand like smooth stone slapped his nose. "He broke a window and some locks. How much does he owe?"
"Not now, Quin." Mrs. Beast looked around. "I'm Diana Morgan. It's a pleasure to meet you. Sit down, young man."
"I have to get back to Troy and get a ticket west." Chase felt the pull of the ring on his hand.
"We'll drive you into town after we're done." Diana Morgan was tall, graceful, and seemed to have a skin that resembled a statue's. "I don't think a little lunch will kill you."
"Go ahead and sit down, Chase." The Beast sat down. "The faster we eat, the faster you can leave."
"I could stand a lunch I guess." Chase sat down. "It's been a while since breakfast."
"That's good." Diana used a butter knife to spread the tuna salad on bread, using up most of a loaf on a plate on sandwiches. She got down three glasses and went to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of tea. She put down three plates for them to eat from on three doilies.
"You want to tell us what's going on?" Quin Morgan grabbed half the sandwiches with a paw-like hand. "If you'll forgive an old man some prying."
"I inherited something." Chase pulled out two of the sandwiches, leaving six on the serving plate. "Only it came in pieces, so I'm looking for the rest of it."
"That's typical." Diana pulled one for herself, dropping it on her plate with her smooth fingers.
"Typical?" Chase had a lot of descriptions for his situation. Typical wasn't one of them.
"We used to call it the enchanted princess problems." Diana nibbled on her sandwich.
"Lee came up with that." Quin nodded, jamming a sandwich in his maw, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "It was that thing with Ivanhoe."
"A couple of others too." Diana frowned at the memories. "A magic inheritance that's scattered over a wide area that has to be gathered by the heir to work properly. Usually the heir is a school girl who doesn't know what's going on."
"I'll have to remember that." Chase almost laughed. "So you two have had experience with this?"
"A little." Quin smiled. His smile looked like a bear looking happy with how a camper tasted. "We used to do some heroing back when we were younger."
"I should have expected that." Chase pulled two more sandwiches onto his plate. "I have run into several heroes and retirees since this started."
"Another example of the enchanted princess." Diana shook her head. "You'd think that sort of thing would go out of business."
"Making other people jump through hoops never goes out of business, dear." Quin wolfed down the rest of his lunch, then daintily wiped his muzzle. "It makes the world go round."
"How much do I owe for the food, and property damage?" Chase pushed his plate away.
"Let me check." Diana got up from the table, sweat clothes flowing around her stony form. She headed out of the kitchen.
"We'd be glad to help you with your problem." Quin sat back in his chair, sipping his tea through a straw.
"Thanks, but it's better if I do this alone." Chase pushed back from the table. "I have already had to deal with some things that's showing me this is more dangerous than I thought. I don't want to put anybody else at risk."
"Danger is my middle name." The Green Beast smiled.
"It better not be, buddy." Diana came back into the room with her announcement. "We're too old to be gallivanting off to save the world."
"Yes, dear."
"A window costs about five hundred dollars according to the book, locks two dollars." Diana put her expense book on the table. "Can you pay it?"
Chase pulled out his wallet with a sigh.
4
Cory Chase walked back toward the abandoned chemical lab. He liked the old caretakers. He realized they had shown him something important. He just couldn't figure out what. He had plenty of time to think about it on his way back to town.
From there he would have to get transportation west across the ocean.
Chase paused when he saw a car outside the empty building. The Beast, Quin, indicated that few people bothered with the old installation since it had been shut down. Now it had two visitors close together.
Chase felt the tug of fate. He had been brought here to get the jewel, perhaps meet the two retirees, and to fulfill what they called the enchanted princess syndrome. Now it looked like he would have to deal with trouble like the rest of his journey.
So be it.
Chase decided to wait by the car. He could feel cold malice inside the building. He thought it would be better to be in the open when he did meet whomever was inside. Then he could make a better decision on how to handle things.
Maybe simply talking would do the job even though he didn't believe that for a moment.
A woman that looked a lot like Diana came out of the building, marching toward the car. She saw Chase standing there with his hands in his pockets. Anger and hate didn't move her face more than a fraction.
"How's it going?" Chase tried to keep a friendly face despite the emotion he was picking up from the woman. "I was wondering if I could hitch a ride into town."
"Get away from my car." The woman crunched heavily toward Chase. Sunglasses covered her eyes, but he imagined smooth marbles in the sockets. "I don't have time to deal with bums."
"I was wondering what you wanted with the old place." Chase indicated building with a nod of his head. He didn't trust her enough to point. "It's been shut down for quite a while according to the caretakers."
"I don't think that's any of your business." The woman closed within arm's reach of Chase. He backed up, not liking the look on her face.
"I think you're wrong about that." Chase kept his hands in his pockets. He had the urge to punch this woman in the face. He had to exert effort not to do that. "I just had a pleasant lunch with them and it's their nap time, so I think you should move on and come back some other day."
"I wonder how they would feel if I put your head on their porch." The maliciousness flared in the ring's sensory ability.
Chase took a moment to look at this strange woman. She was shorter than he was, seemingly older, with smooth dark skin like a deep tan. Her hair hung behind her like a stiff mane. She wore a collarless brown shirt, khaki pants, and what he thought of as grandma shoes. No jewelry marked her person. The dark hatred around her belied her appearance.
"Probably a little sad." Chase shrugged. "It doesn't matter. My head is staying stuck to my neck."
"I don't think so." The punch came in low and fast, aimed for his stomach. He saw it coming and caught the fist. The strength of her arm lifted him off the ground and flung him next to the Crockett Chemical property fence. She seemed surprised that he had blocked her blow without serious harm to himself.
"I was going to let this slide and put it down that you were an angry witch." Chase stood up, brushing off his pants. "But you just tried to kill me. I can't let that go."
"I don't think you can stop me." The woman walked toward him with heavy steps. "I'll make sure Diana has enough to bury. That might be better than simply hurting her, and her furry husband."
"Last chance to back off, lady." Chase felt his skin harden under the threat. "You don't know what I'm capable of doing."
"I don't think that will matter in the next few seconds." She swung again, aiming for his head in the hopes of knocking it off his shoulders with her tremendous strength.
Chase caught the arm with his own, trapping it against his body. She started to bend the arm to lift him off the ground again. He kicked her in the ribs as she grabbed his coat with the other hand. She went down, the heavy weight of her body dragging him forward until he braced himself.
Chase struck with his elbow. He brought it down on the side of her head, cracking the skin with the force of the blow. The woman was on her knees, dazed by the impact. Chase shook his head. She was a lot tougher than a normal woman.
There was no way he was going to let her get close to the old couple. She would kill them both easily.
The woman struck his leg at less than full strength. It was still enough to make his skin ring like a bell, dropping him to one knee. She tried to follow up with a grab for the family jewels. The ringbearer stepped into the move, swinging his elbow down again. Half of her face cracked under the blow. She fell face first into the grass on the side of the access road.
"I hope Quin and Diana understand." Chase opened the car door, and popped the trunk release. He emptied out her pockets on the seat before going to the trunk and pulling out the tire iron and jack. "There was no way I would let you do anything to them while I was standing there."
He wrapped the solid metal instruments around the woman's limbs to truss her up so she would have to work to get free. He didn't know how much of a damper he had put on her, but didn't feel like having her break free before he was ready. He loaded her weight into the trunk and shut the lid.
Chase got behind the wheel after he tossed her stuff on the floorboard. He turned it around and headed south toward Old Troy. He would stop in town and pick up his stuff, then carry out the rest of his plan. He didn't think the woman needed to breathe but he hoped he could ditch her with no problems.
Chase doubted the extenuating circumstances would mean much if he was caught with the body in the trunk. He hoped she took the hint and stayed clear of Diana and Quin. He couldn't protect them forever, but maybe this once he had done something to make someone realize he could and would do things to shield someone else.
On the other hand, he might have accidentally killed her and was now dumping evidence of a crime.
5
Cory Chase arrived at the beach, pulling into Old Troy from the north. He drove to the edge of the sand. No one was around as far as he could see. That was good.
Chase popped the trunk and went around to the back of the car. He opened the lid. The woman tried to pretend she was asleep. Chase wasn't fooled by the closed eyes. The feelings from her were palpable.
"Do you want to talk about this?" Chase stood ready in case she wanted to come out swinging.
"I'm going to kill you." The woman opened her eyes, glaring at the ringbearer with them. The side of her face had cracked off to reveal the teeth and part of the jaw underneath the flesh.
"Wrong answer." Chase checked to make sure the makeshift handcuffs and anklets were in place. He was impressed that she had been able to pull the bent tire iron apart a little. He tightened the metal again with one quick move of his hands. "Can you swim?"
"What if I can't?" Doubt crept into the strong hatred she radiated. "What are you going to do?"
"I should smash your head open like a ripe pumpkin." Chase knew that he could do that. He had smashed open the skull of a giant sea serpent already. He didn't think this was much different. "I'm not. This what I am going to do. I'm going to leave you in the trunk of this car and throw it out in the middle of the ocean. Now if you can get out of that and want to look me up, I'll be in Japan, then China, as Cory Chase. Of course, I don't expect you to be that brave. After all you have to be the biggest chicken I have ever met."
Chase slammed the trunk lid down on the invective scorching the air. He had never lifted a car before. He wondered if the ring gave him that much strength. The bumping against the metal hood bothered him a little.
At least he was giving her more of a chance than she would have given the old folks he had met.
Chase picked up the car by the back end first so he could get a grip. Then he worked his way up under the main body so he could lift it over his head. His skin armored up as he placed most of the weight on his ring arm. He took three running steps and threw the car like a javelin made to kill a dinosaur.
The car sailed out over the beach, headed across the wave line, and flew until it was a tiny dot before it hit. Sea water flowed into it slowly, pushing the air out as it sank. Chase watched it descend under the ocean from the shore. Then he turned and walked away from the scene.
The rest was on her.
He still had to assemble the rest of the jewels. On the other hand, he had set himself up as an avenger of wrongs. Telling her where he was going to be would hopefully point her to coming after him first if she made it to shore. He didn't want her focusing on Quin and Diana as long as he was around.
It was a risky gamble to set himself up as a moving target.
On the other hand, it was the only thing he could think of that would keep her thinking about wanting to keep the caretakers alive as long as he was out there to hunt her down.
Besides mercy, even the implied mercy he had just shown, would eat her guts more than anything. He hoped it would anyway. That was a big gamble to place on a chance meeting with a psycho stone woman.
Chase had collected his belongings and stored them at the airport north of town. He planned to walk, maybe hitch, or flag a taxi back up there. Then he would be on the next plane to connect to Honolulu, then Japan. Everything seemed to be going his way.
He might even learn what the latest jewel did somewhere along the way.
He saw a bus going the same direction he wanted to go. He waited until it passed, then ran out and caught the back of it. He dropped off right at the entrance of the drive heading toward the terminal. He brushed off his clothes as he headed to pick up his duffel. He would clean up in the public restroom when he had a ticket in his hand.
It was a good thing that he had his passport with him. That made travel simpler. He could imagine having to think of clandestine ways out of the country if he wanted to get to Japan from Hawaii.
Chase bought a ticket, selecting coach for the next plane out of town. He went to the bathroom and cleaned up as planned, placing his dirty clothes in the trash after he finished. The bag went on the conveyor for luggage. It was just too big to be placed in any kind of overhead.
Chase boarded the plane when called, settling in as best he could with the mass of humanity around him. He wondered if he should have given the stone woman a chance. Maybe he should have dealt with her permanently instead of leaving it to chance.
He looked out the window, watching the sky fly by. He decided that wasn't his call unless he ran into her again. Then what happened, happened.
epilogue
Cindy Taggert felt the salt water wash in around her as the car sank to the bottom of the ocean. She struggled with the metal around her wrists until she finally pulled the manacle apart. She bent down and pulled the metal wrapping away from her ankles with a little more effort.
Air whistled through the hole in her face as she took stock for the next part of her escape.
The trunk had a release switch built in the top in case anyone got locked in by accident. Cindy took a breath, holding her hand over the blowhole in her cheek. At least she wasn't bleeding. That had stopped some time in the seventies. She pulled the handle on the release. The trunk popped open. She kicked out in a flurry of bubbles.
Better than that, her stone body could hold air for her lungs for a long time. She just had to keep her face covered to plug the leak so to speak.
Cindy hit bottom and started walking away from the car in the direction the trunk pointed. The shore had to be that way. Soon enough she would reach the riptide, and have to fight it to get to the beach.
The car had flown far according to the mental count in her head. It might take a while for her to reach shore. Her heavy body made it difficult for her to swim. She started thinking about running out of air as slow as she was walking along the ocean bed.
Cindy kicked up from her footing as hard as she could. She broke the surface for a few seconds. That was enough to get a breath of fresh air and make sure she was going in the right direction. She still didn't know if she could reach that distant shore which was a line on the horizon with bumps behind it.
She was going to try until she ran out of energy and will. She needed to pay that upstart back for what he had done to her face, and for what he was doing right now. He was probably laughing at her struggles. She thought of smashing that grinning face as she drifted down and forward from the surface.
That Chase probably expected her to give up and simply drown. She would show him a thing or two.
Cindy kept her hand over the hole in her face as she launched herself toward the surface again, angling forward so she could cover more ground as she fell. She descended down and forward. She did a brief calculation and thought two, or three, more bunny hops and she would start hitting the shallows.
Chase had picked a good time to sink her car. There was no boat traffic anywhere that she could see. There was no one on the beach. There was nothing but empty sand ahead of her.
She would make it.
She had tricked Diana for the longest time until that furry freak had got in the way. Then they had battled each other off and on for many years. She had wanted to deal with the both of them finally before they died of old age.
She still wanted to do that.
But now she had a new target for her anger. She knew that Diana and her strange husband weren't going anywhere. They hadn't moved more than a hundred yards from where they had met. That wouldn't change anytime soon.
Chase, on the other hand, seemed to be traveling fast and light. If she wanted to catch up with him, she needed to catch him before he was lost among the wilds of the world.
She could always come back and deal with her sister and the Green Beast at her leisure.
No one humiliated Cindy Taggert like this and lived to tell about it. She still had a reputation as a dangerous woman among those in the know. She had to maintain it.
Cory Chase had to die to protect that reputation.
Once she had decided what she had to do, Cindy started working on what she needed to do to make that happen. That ate up some time, taking her mind from the motions of leaping, breathing, landing, leaping again. She hit solid ground with the top of her head just inches above the water without realizing it. She slogged onto the empty beach, air whistling through the hole in her face.
That whistling sound was even worse than the attempted drowning. It reminded her of how easily she had been handled. That hadn't happened in years.
Cindy slapped her pockets, frowned when she realized all of her identification, and money was now at the bottom of the Pacific. She eyed a bank of public phone booths. There was more than one way to get money if you were strong enough.
She walked over to the first one in line, checked it for a dial tone. Then she ripped the coin box out with a twist of her hand. The first thing she had to do was put someone on Cory Chase until she caught up with him herself.
That would take a couple of calls to set up. Then she had to get her other papers together so she could follow as fast as possible. That would take a couple more calls.
The coin box had more than enough change for that.
Cindy decided that she was going to get some plaster from the local hardware store and plug the hole in her face before she did anything else after she made her calls. The whistling every time she drew breath bothered her.
Then she was going to kill Cory Chase with her bare hands.