Voynich Shift - Pars Duorum (COMPLETED)

Part III - Cornucaprae, 1:1, 2:14 - Missing The Mark

As Arthur clawed helplessly at the beast's iron grip, he could see though his darkening vision a shadow appear in the open doorway just behind the creature's right shoulder.  He felt his consciousness waning as it came closer.

            With the loud discharge of a rifle, Arthur fell to the floor on his hands and knees gasping for air. His frightening enemy, who only seconds before held him dangling by the neck, now lay motionless, black blood pooling around their body. Arthur glanced up toward his savior and blinked in disbelief. Before him stood a striking woman with an olive complexion, Creole if he had to guess, with the face of a goddess. She held Bernie's rifle with one arm and kept the smoking weapon trained on him. Arthur wanted to look away, but could not. It almost felt as if her two, piercing blue eyes were clawing their way into his soul, and it unnerved him.

            "Who are you?" he inquired.

            "Get up!" the woman said and dropped the rifle clattering to the wood floor. She stumbled over to help Arthur up. "Where is the Horologium?"

            "The what?"

            "The Horologium! I heard you and the old man talking about it..."

            "Old man? Oh no, Bernie!" Arthur exclaimed and spun around to check on the elderly couple. He was stopped by the woman's unusually strong grip on his upper arm.

            "No, don't look...just leave them. They are dead, as we both will be if you do not return my Horologium to me!" the strange female said, her voice raspy. Sweat was beading across her forehead as she extended her hand. "Time is running out!"

            "Look lady, I just can't leave them like this!" Arthur said, defiantly.

            "You called it a watch, correct?" the woman asked shakily and leaned against the kitchen counter to keep herself upright.

"You mean the pocket watch?" Arthur watched the stranger turn on the water faucet, grab a mason jar from a shelf, and fill it with water. With a wince, she took a long gulp of the clear liquid and then set the glass container down, wiping her mouth with her one-piece uniform's gray sleeve.

"Yes, please, where is my 'pocket watch'?" she replied, grabbing her bloody shoulder. Her pretty face was now a mask of pain and her breathing growing shallow and rapid. "It's the only thing that can save us both right now! I am sure their reinforcements with be forthcoming to clean up the mess!"

Arthur moved to catch the woman before she hit the ground. "You are some kind of crazy, whoever you are," he said and eased her pretty head to the floor. He paused for a second to examine her face and shook his head in astonishment. "Here I go again..."

The telephone on the wall rang unexpectedly, startling Arthur. He stood and slowly lifted the receiver. "Hello?"

"Arthur?"

"Sheriff? Is that you? Oh, thank God, Jim, I was just about to call you!" Arthur exclaimed into the telephone's mouthpiece.

"Is everyone okay?" the man on the other end of the phone asked in his thickest Cajun accent.

"No. Bernie and Claire, they're both dead."

"What about dat woman?"

"Excuse me? How did..."

"Just wait dere, Arthur. We're on our way. Stay put and whatever you do, don't you let dat dere woman leave! You hear me?"

Arthur paused.

"Junior? I asked if you heard me?"

"Yeah, Jim, I hear you. Don't let the woman leave and stay put."