A Fishy End

Chapter 67

Ethan followed Jack as far as his front door, but the man didn't go farther inside, so Ethan watched and waited while he punched a code on a small lockbox. The door popped open and revealed three pistols inside. Jack selected a black semi-automatic. He inspected it, shoved it into his belt at the small of his back, and then straightened himself. "Just in case, you know," he said.

He marched across the street, Ethan hanging a couple steps back. On the far side of the block, Lydia, the two lesbians, and some redheaded girl were standing and talking. They glanced in their direction, and one of them gestured at the two of them.

The rest of the street seemed so still, empty. It was hard to believe that, just a few feet away, his dad and the other men were plotting murder, if they hadn't already done it. He shoved the thought down.

Jack knocked on the door, a solid, authoritative knock. If Ethan strained his ears, he could hear the chanting. He'd heard it plenty before, but this time it had an ominous tone to it. He looked up at Jack, who gave no indication that he could hear the chanting.

Jack knocked again.

The door came open a crack, and Caleb's face peered out. "Go away," he said.

"We've not time for interruptions," Rick's voice snapped from behind the door.

"I need to talk to Ryan," Jack said. "And I need to see his daughter, Ruth."

"You can't," Caleb said.

"Get rid of him," Rick growled.

Ethan heard his dad break off his chanting. That should have left only the one man, but it sounded like many voices droning on and on. Ethan shivered.

Caleb backed away from the door to let Ryan past. Jack used the momentary opportunity to throw himself against the door, popping it open. He stood, half in and half out.

"Now is not a good time," Ryan growled, trying to push Jack back and slam the door on him.

Jack stood his ground, one hand going to his gun. "I can see that," he replied, his voice terse. "I'm going to need you to untie that girl and let her come out."

"She's my daughter," Ryan said.

"She's Maggie's daughter too. And I suspect her mother neither knows nor would approve of whatever it is you are doing."

"We don't have time!" Rick yelled from inside the house.

There was a flash and a loud bang. Jack stumbled backward. A dark crimson splatter was on the door when Dad pushed Jack out and slammed it shut.

Jack fell to his knees. Blood stained the back of his shirt from the exit wound.

The women from catty-corner across the street came running. The redhead was the first to arrive, and Ethan was shocked to discover it was not a girl at all, but Lydia's son, Devon. That shock was quickly subsumed by the shock of realising that Dad had shot Jack.

"He's dying," Devon said as his mother came up.

Lydia looked at the closed door. "We've got to get him away. Zoey, grab his shoulder." The two hoisted Jack up as best they could and partially dragged him across the lawn, heading back toward Lydia's house. One of the lesbian women rushed to help. The other was on her cellphone.

"My sister," Ethan protested, feeling helpless as he followed after them. "They have my sister. They're going to sacrifice her."

Devon paused and listened. "It's still early in the ritual. There's some time yet."

Ethan wasn't sure how Devon knew that, or why Lydia had called him Zoey. He looked around nervously.

The sound of feet running up the block caught his attention. Mom was coming, with Danielle and Justin at her side. Not far behind was the male nurse. Michael, Ethan thought his name was.

"We heard shots," Justin said.

"Mom!" Ethan screamed and ran for her. "They've got Ruth. Esther too, but Ruth . . . Mom, they're going to sacrifice her. Jack went to see, to get her out, and they shot him."

"Did anyone call 911?" Justin asked.

"I'm trying," the taller of the lesbians said, joining them. "Listen." She held out her phone. On the other end they could hear chanting in deep, sonorous voices.

The short, dark-haired lesbian startled. "That's it! That's the chant."

"Dagon," Devon said with a grim nod. "They've blocked the lines. There will be no help from the mundane world coming."

"Set Jack down, let me check him," Michael said.

"Let's get him inside first," Lydia said. "They might come back out and start shooting again. My place is right there."

"No," Michael said, nodding across the street. "Take him to Dr. West's."

The doctor had come out on her porch.

"Come on," Michael barked. He grabbed one of Jack's arms. The boy, Devon, had already dashed off across the street for his house. Ethan leaped in and grabbed Jack's other arm. Lydia and the dark-haired lesbian each grabbed a leg, and together they lifted Jack.

Ethan was sweating by the time they got up the stairs, but they weren't done. "Inside and down to the basement," the doctor ordered. It was hard to navigate through the small house with Jack in their arms. The number of cats didn't help.

One side of the basement was covered in wire cages. An assortment of animals were housed inside: squirrels, possums, and a couple of raccoons. They all seemed to have injuries somewhere. They hissed and rattled the cages at the humans' intrusion.

The other side of the basement was a medical room of some sort. There deposited Jack on the lone cot in the middle of the room.

"We've lost him," Lydia said with a small sob.

Ethan looked at the lifeless body in front of him.

"Like hell we have," Michael growled. "What's the latest serum?"

"The bullet nicked an artery and punctured a lung," Dr. West said. "We must fix those first."

"Let's get cracking," Michael said.

Ethan sat back and watched while the two medical personnel jumped into action.