Iron Quill - Obsession - Ready Or Not...

[Grendel-Khan]

First time gang, be gentle with me 

 

Ready Or Not…

 

 

“Working late, Eddy?”

 

Edward Duarte nodded without taking his eyes off the ledger.

 

“Someone has to get the work done,” he replied with equal measures joviality and spite.

 

His co-worker caught neither as he made for the door.

 

“Well, don’t stay too late, I’m sure there’s somebody waiting for you.”

 

Edward sighed as the man slammed the door behind him. Even after 3 months, nobody in the accounting division knew anything about him. There was no one waiting for Edward. No wife, no children, not even a dog to speak of. Just his modest house buried amongst the dwellings of the other drones in the housing district.

 

Edward closed the ledger and ran a hand through his thinning blonde hair. He glanced out the window as the sun cast its last gasps of orange illumination before settling into sullen purple twilight. The familiar ache pulled at his heart as darkness closed in. Dusk was a time of wonderment for Edward, when the magic and mystery of the world were closest to revealing themselves. In the dying light, the hidden truths of the world danced for a fraction of a second before being lost to the dark.

 

The accountant had come to Malifaux hoping to witness some of the fantastic things which remained hidden back Earthside. He longed to explore this world that should have existed only in the pages of the most outrageous fantasy. Even here in this bizarre and protean world though, he was reduced to experiencing nothing more than abnormalities in lines of numbers. The occasional Peacekeeper stomping past was the only thing to separate his new life from the tragically dull one he had left in Chicago.

 

Edward stood and stretched his back. He went through his nightly routine, shuffling his papers, stacking the ledgers, arranging his desk. With a groan, he put on his overcoat and bid farewell to another day wasted in this drab prison.

 

Stepping into the street, he was surprised to see a woman in an ornate ball gown standing across the cobbles. She twirled a red parasol, in silence, under the gas lamps. Despite her lace veil, which covered even her eyes, Edward could feel the nebulous woman staring at him.

 

“Evening, ma’am,” he said, locking the office door behind him.

 

The woman offered only a crimson tinted twirl in reply. Edward shrugged and turned south towards Bleaker Street. As he walked, he noticed the light coming from the lamps lining the street looked dimmer than normal, almost as if their fuel supply was choked off. The dancing light cast longer shadows than usual and a twinge of nervous excitement ignited in his belly.

 

Edward glanced across the street, and to his surprise, the woman in the gown was opposite him, petulantly twirling her parasol. She was at least a hundred yards from where she had been without having paced him. A quizzical look flashed across Edwards face. He was not entirely sure if he had seen the woman move or not, but he wanted to indulge this new mystery a moment longer.

 

He turned off the street into Gold Tooth alley. Strange shadows and curling steam filled the narrow corridor between tall administrative buildings. Edward cast a glance over his shoulder, but the strange woman hadn’t left her vigil under the flickering lamp. A smile pulled at the accountant’s lips and he stooped low to scoop up a plank of wood about two feet long. Turning the broken end out, he wielded the splintered board like a dagger.

 

As Edward crept down the alley, he realized that what he had taken for steam was in fact spider webs wriggling in the soft breeze. Fear crept deeper in his mind as he got closer, his resolution dwindling with every step. When the figure of a man appeared at the far end of the alley, he stopped.

 

A voice slithered to him through the webbing that was ethereal and cold. The kind of voice that drew a shiver across the spine on even the hottest of days.

 

“My, what beautiful eyes you have.”

 

A deep dread took hold in Edward as the gangly man shuffled towards him. He thought about turning to run, but couldn’t find the locomotion in his legs. He tried to raise his board, but his arms refused all commands.

 

A gasp escaped him and Edward fell to his knees, unable to control the fear rampaging in his mind. Each echoing footstep brought his tormentor closer and drove the black spike of terror deeper. His mind recoiled as the pungent stench, like an unearthed corpse, washed over him. The curious accountant was moments away from the killing stroke, and he had never been more terrified in his life.

 

Edward smiled.

 

He had been waiting for this feeling since he had crossed the breach on that screaming, smoking train. He embraced the fear, let it wash over him with resounding joy.  Edward rode the wave of exploding adrenaline straight through the terrified stupor.

 

He leapt to his feet and swung the plank in a wide arc. The wood connected with a solid thunk, and Edward caught a glimpse of wriggling tentacles where a mouth should have been as the man-thing collapsed.

 

The inquisitive part of Edwards mind shrieked for a closer examination, but the cold instinct of his gut out-weighed the curiosity. He turned and bolted, letting the raw adrenaline fuel his long strides. He hacked at the webs as he tore through them, letting the fear wash over him in euphoric tidal surges.

 

As he sprinted, he heard slight laughter drifting through the alley, almost like that of a child. He ignored the mocking giggle and pushed all his will into his churning legs. He took a hard left at the first junction and a right at the next. A scrabbling of nails on stone and a dry cackling let Edward know his pursuer was closing on him. He fought to keep his legs moving as the pale lamp light glowing at the end of the alley drew near enough to taunt him.

 

With a hoot, the accountant erupted from the alley onto the uncaring cobblestones of Bleaker Street. He risked a look over his shoulder and saw the creature loping down the alley on all fours like a predatory animal. His eyes wide in fear and delight, Edward turned and ran towards his house. He was no more than fifty yards away when he heard the child’s voice.

 

“He’s going to make it! You have to stop him Chompy!”

 

 From the darkened alley behind him, a monstrosity from the depths of his worst nightmare exploded. He saw the dark blue skin and bright red eyes, but the rest of the horror’s anatomy was lost in a blur of gnashing fangs and frenzied claws. Delirium filled Edward’s mind and he fought to keep his feet from tangling. With the last of his strength, Edward fired his legs into screaming overdrive and slammed into the hard oak of his door. His fingers trembled violently as he fished for the key in his waistcoat. The ground shook as the monster stormed towards him, teeth grinding in anticipation.

 

Edward focused on the lock, knowing he had only one chance. He reached the key out. It inserted smoothly and turned with a sharp click. Edward could feel hot breath on his neck and hear the whisper of scything talons as he pushed the door wide and fell in. He rolled and kicked, slamming the door as the monster dove at him.

 

Edward pushed himself back, waiting for the door to explode inward, but the assault never came. Instead, what floated through the hard oak was a sound that shattered the last remnants of his assumed reality.

 

Laughter.

 

“Yay!” Came a child’s excited declaration through the door. “Nobody has ever beat me! That was fun!”

 

Edward blinked in confusion as hot tears welled.

 

“But you’re supposed to say ‘Olly-Olly-oxen-free!’ when you make it to base,” the child chided. “Just remember for next time.”

 

“N-next time?” Edward stuttered.

 

“Of course, silly,” the boy said. “You’re the only person to ever win one of my games, and you didn’t cheat or anything! We have to keep playing until I can beat you.”

 

The boy paused as if listening for something.

 

“But I don’t want to go home! I want to keep playing!”

 

Another pause.

 

“The graveyard? That place is smelly. Let’s go to theater and watch the dancing ladies!”

 

The young boys chattering faded as he departed with his unseen friends, “Bye Edward! See you tomorrow!”

 

The tears came then, fierce and strident, terrified and joyful.

 

***

 

“Working late, Eddy?”

 

“Nope, not tonight,” Edward said, closing the ledger.

 

 “We’re going to the Ol’ Crow if you care to join us,” the man said.

 

“Sounds good,” Edward replied, grinning. “I have to run home for a few minutes, I’ll join you there.”

 

The man strode out the door, leaving Edward alone. Without a motion, he took off the mask he wore during the day and put on his real face. His smile took on a predatory malevolence as anticipation for the nights game twisted his thoughts.

 

With a grunt, Edward pushed aside the bookshelf behind his desk. He rapped on a particular part of wall and the wooden paneling fell away. Reaching into the hollow behind the wall, he removed a large rucksack. A .45 caliber revolver and a leather gunbelt were also extracted and strapped to his hip. He put the ruck on his back and tightened it. Opening the locked drawer on his desk, he retrieved a map of Malifaux he had notated.

 

In the two weeks since the game had begun, Edward had charted out different routes for escaping to his house each night. Tonight however, the game changed. Tonight, he stopped being the prey and became the predator. Accordingly, he had planned a particular route.

 

He traced the red line on the map through a tangle of alleys, over Hofferman bridge, past the railroad tracks and into the Quarantine Zone. Edward had been taking long lunch breaks for a handful of days to sneak to the zone. Finding a row of abandoned houses, he had created a rat’s nest of booby traps to confound and torment his pursuers. Confident in his preparation, he knew there wouldn't be a better time. 

 

Rolling up the map, he doused the lights and left the cold confines of his normal life behind. Edward Duarte stepped into the night with a smile.

 

“Ready or not, here I come.” 

 

Edited October 30, 2015 by Grendel-Khan