door and into the front room. It was a shambles. The window on the side, which was the biggest in the whole trailer, had been smashed inwards. Glass was everywhere.
So was blood. Lots of it. It was drying, turning dark brown. The smell made her stomach roll uneasily and she swallowed hard.
There was a gargoyle lying on the threadbare carpet. Lying very still. It was one of the bigger ones and Tally glanced at what was left of the picture window. She was surprised the thing had been able to squeeze through it. But it was there and from its stillness she knew it was dead.
Then she saw Jimmy. She hadn’t noticed his much smaller body at first. The gargoyle had taken all her attention.
Jimmy lay next to the gargoyle and it was very clear how he had died. The gargoyle’s claws were still hooked inside his chest and stomach. There were more cuts across his legs and arms. His jeans and tee-shirt were ripped open and the blood from the cuts soaked him and the floor around him.
Donna sat on the edge of the old La-Z-Boy that Jimmy had found discarded on the sidewalk and rescued. Donna’s head was in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking.
Connie and Joy stood back in the far corner by the kitchenette. Their faces were white.
Tally closed her eyes.
“What do you see?” Carson whispered.
“The blood is too widespread,” Tally murmured. “It’s all over the place. He fought even after they had cut him up. The toxin must have slowed him down, but he kept fighting.” She opened her eyes to look at the window once more. “There was more than just this one. They left this one because Jimmy killed him and dawn was too close.”
“I think this one was Doroth,” Carson said, studying it.
“Lirgon’s senior lieutenant,” Tally murmured. She looked around again. It was easier to concentrate on the minutiae, to focus on working out what had happened, than to consider the body at her feet. “Jimmy used the leg from the coffee table. You can see the end of it, jutting out under Doroth’s chin.”
The raw wood from the broken table leg was white against the dark, dirty brown of the gargoyle’s hide, a deadly punctuation mark. The coffee table had been another cast off, the spindly legs clawed and scratched. It had been shattered in the fight and Jimmy must have picked up one of the legs to defend himself. When that had failed him, he had got close enough to shove it up into Doroth’s brain, even as Doroth had been ripping and tearing at his stomach….
“They smashed in the window and came through, catching him by surprise,” Donna said, her voice husky. “He keeps his weapons in the bedroom. He didn’t get the chance to grab them, so he used whatever he could….” She drew in a breath that shuddered and hid her swollen face again.
Tally turned away, facing the door and the growing light of dawn outside. “We need to clean this up before anyone sees it.”
“Why do you know there was more than Doroth?” Carson asked. His tone was gentle.
“Valdeg…his chest was covered in blood.” She said it softly, hoping Donna was too upset to listen to her. “I thought he had been hunting, but now, seeing this….”
Carson’s jaw rippled. “And Lirgon, too?” he asked.
“Valdeg said Lirgon would find Jimmy on his own.” She dropped her voice even lower. “He said that Lirgon didn’t think we would give Jimmy up, even if we knew he had been…” She drew in a deep breath and glanced at Donna. “You know,” she finished.
Carson nodded.
Miguel cleared his throat loudly behind them. “There’s trees for miles, starting just across the road. We could set it up so it looks like a bear attack.”
“It won’t stand up to investigation,” Carson said. “A bear breaking into a trailer?”
“As long as it sows doubt, it will do,” Tally said. “We just need to get rid of anything to do with gargoyles and let the authorities try to figure out something from what’s left.”
Connie came forward,
So was blood. Lots of it. It was drying, turning dark brown. The smell made her stomach roll uneasily and she swallowed hard.
There was a gargoyle lying on the threadbare carpet. Lying very still. It was one of the bigger ones and Tally glanced at what was left of the picture window. She was surprised the thing had been able to squeeze through it. But it was there and from its stillness she knew it was dead.
Then she saw Jimmy. She hadn’t noticed his much smaller body at first. The gargoyle had taken all her attention.
Jimmy lay next to the gargoyle and it was very clear how he had died. The gargoyle’s claws were still hooked inside his chest and stomach. There were more cuts across his legs and arms. His jeans and tee-shirt were ripped open and the blood from the cuts soaked him and the floor around him.
Donna sat on the edge of the old La-Z-Boy that Jimmy had found discarded on the sidewalk and rescued. Donna’s head was in her hands. Her shoulders were shaking.
Connie and Joy stood back in the far corner by the kitchenette. Their faces were white.
Tally closed her eyes.
“What do you see?” Carson whispered.
“The blood is too widespread,” Tally murmured. “It’s all over the place. He fought even after they had cut him up. The toxin must have slowed him down, but he kept fighting.” She opened her eyes to look at the window once more. “There was more than just this one. They left this one because Jimmy killed him and dawn was too close.”
“I think this one was Doroth,” Carson said, studying it.
“Lirgon’s senior lieutenant,” Tally murmured. She looked around again. It was easier to concentrate on the minutiae, to focus on working out what had happened, than to consider the body at her feet. “Jimmy used the leg from the coffee table. You can see the end of it, jutting out under Doroth’s chin.”
The raw wood from the broken table leg was white against the dark, dirty brown of the gargoyle’s hide, a deadly punctuation mark. The coffee table had been another cast off, the spindly legs clawed and scratched. It had been shattered in the fight and Jimmy must have picked up one of the legs to defend himself. When that had failed him, he had got close enough to shove it up into Doroth’s brain, even as Doroth had been ripping and tearing at his stomach….
“They smashed in the window and came through, catching him by surprise,” Donna said, her voice husky. “He keeps his weapons in the bedroom. He didn’t get the chance to grab them, so he used whatever he could….” She drew in a breath that shuddered and hid her swollen face again.
Tally turned away, facing the door and the growing light of dawn outside. “We need to clean this up before anyone sees it.”
“Why do you know there was more than Doroth?” Carson asked. His tone was gentle.
“Valdeg…his chest was covered in blood.” She said it softly, hoping Donna was too upset to listen to her. “I thought he had been hunting, but now, seeing this….”
Carson’s jaw rippled. “And Lirgon, too?” he asked.
“Valdeg said Lirgon would find Jimmy on his own.” She dropped her voice even lower. “He said that Lirgon didn’t think we would give Jimmy up, even if we knew he had been…” She drew in a deep breath and glanced at Donna. “You know,” she finished.
Carson nodded.
Miguel cleared his throat loudly behind them. “There’s trees for miles, starting just across the road. We could set it up so it looks like a bear attack.”
“It won’t stand up to investigation,” Carson said. “A bear breaking into a trailer?”
“As long as it sows doubt, it will do,” Tally said. “We just need to get rid of anything to do with gargoyles and let the authorities try to figure out something from what’s left.”
Connie came forward,
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