Harbinger Ch. 1

Anything but Routine

(Jerry)

Have you ever seen an angel? I’m not referring to the false idols from movie screens and music videos we’ve grown so fond of putting up on pedestals. No, I'm talking about the sent from heaven, full wingspan type. You know… the genuine article. I'll never forget the first time I did. I was curled up into a ball on the floor of the dead woman's room soaked in blood and vomit. The blood was hers, the vomit mine. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, the type you wouldn’t look twice at on the street. The only thing that really caught my attention was his face. He looked hardened, but at the same time vulnerable with a touch of innocence that should have been lost long since childhood. Oh, and he had this stare. It penetrated you to your core, as if he could see directly into your soul. It chilled me.

It's funny how things work out sometimes. Well, maybe funny's not the right word, let's go with odd. Sorry, you'll have to forgive my inability to focus. I've lost a lot of blood and I'm not sure how much longer I've got. In my last moments I keep finding my mind drifting back to that night. If another car answered that call, I wouldn't be here now and I'd still remain blissfully ignorant of the horrors just over the horizon. And to think, I was almost home...

........................

“...and she actually expects me to let her stay with us! I mean, can you imagine a whole week with her mother? I swear, I was actually hoping I'd get shot tonight so that I wouldn't have to deal with this shit.”

My partner's been bitching about his mother in law for the last three hours now. I don't think I've said more than three words the whole time. Luckily, our shift's almost over and we're less than halfway back to the station. This job has been taking its toll on me and I've started getting burnt out. It's gotten to where I can't wait to take this badge off. But, 45 minutes from now, I'll be warm in my bed next to my wife watching bad reality TV. That thought always makes even the worst days seem OK. I'm already feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

“Car 67, car 67. Pick up.” It was Alex, our dispatcher and my soon to be least favorite person on the planet.

“This is Dalton, go ahead.” My partner answers.

“We've just got a call for a possible domestic disturbance. A neighbor said she heard weird sounds coming from the house next door. It's close to your area, can you check it out?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure thing.” Apparently, my partner isn't in nearly as big a hurry to get home as I am.

She gives us the address and we arrive at the house in less than two minutes. We find ourselves parked in front of a modest two story home that sits on a quiet suburban street. The only light in the entire place is coming from a television set in one of the rooms on the top floor.

“Let's just get this over with.” I mutter as I climb out of the cruiser.

Dalton makes his way to the front door and I decide to check out the rest. The door to back gate is lying off its hinges and I begin to get a very bad feeling. I follow the stone path that leads to the backyard. It's a typical setup, it’s got the grill, doghouse and some lawn furniture. I take one more step forward and almost slip on something slick in the grass. I pull out my flashlight, turn it on and aim the beam towards my feet.

“Oh, shit.” That's a lot of blood.

I follow its trail with my flashlight until I find the source, a medium size dog. I can't tell which breed, because in order to do that I'd need to see the head. Its stomach had also been ripped to shreds, the contents leaking out everywhere. The assailant, like the head, is nowhere to be found.

I aim the light back at the house and discover that the sliding glass door is shattered. Whoever did this was already inside. I unclip my holster and get my weapon at the ready.

“No one's answering the front door. Ready to...” Dalton starts to say as he enters the backyard. His face grows white as he puts all the pieces together for himself.

I put a finger up to my mouth, signaling for him to stay quiet and he pulls his weapon out of its holster. Silently, we make our way to the back door with me taking point. We step through the broken glass and I see the dog's head lying on the floor six feet in front of me. There's movement in one of the rooms above us. Heavy footsteps. Then, a muffled cry. We have to move, now.

Abandoning all sense of reason I fly through the kitchen and find the stairs. My partner doesn't even reach the foot of them when I clear the top. The second door on my left has a faint light drifting underneath it, making it easier to see the growing stain on the carpet.

“What the fuck are you doing, tearing off like that? Jesus, Jerry, that's how you get yourself killed.” My partner scolds me in a whisper. Then his eyes find the stain I've been staring at.

I take the left side of the door, he takes the right. Dalton bangs on the door and yells to whoever's inside. “This is the police. We're coming in. If you have any weapons or hostages, it'd be really smart if you'd relinquish them now.”

Something inside the room is laughing and I've never heard anything like it. It's guttural...and wet. My partner and I look at each other and he nods. He moves to the front of the door and kicks it. Once. Twice. Three times gives us entry and he steps inside. I follow quickly behind him and stop dead. I look around and my mind splinters.

The TV is showing only static. There's blood on the ceiling. The mattress. Walls. Everything. I didn't know the human body held that much. Resting on the bed is a woman and she's long since passed. Her face is covered in lacerations, her blouse has been ripped off and her stomach is hollowed out. Before this attack, she had been pregnant. My heart breaks. That's when my focus switches to...it.

It's covered in silver scales that reflect back the light from the TV. It's wearing a tapestry of human skin for clothing. The creature's eyes radiate a pale green light. The mouth opens and closes, revealing a set of teeth which are full of gore. Its fingertips don't reveal talons, meaning it used brute force to pull apart its victims. They also hold the remains of a still born child. The creature takes it up to its mouth and swallows the rest whole.

“Mmmmm…Jesus loves the little children.” It sings through its wicked smile.

“Mother of God.” I gasp.

“You can go ahead and save your prayers.” The creature says as it licks its lips. It then looks up and stares me dead in the eyes. “God’s not here.”

I didn't even see it move. In less than a blink, I'm knocked onto the floor and my partner is getting his throat ripped out. How can it be that fast? My partner is dead before he hits the floor and the monster's heading my way. Instinctively, I pull up my gun and empty the clip point blank into its chest and face, but the bullets just ricochet off without penetrating the scales. What the hell is this thing?

And then it’s on top of me and I’m taken to the ground. The creature sits crouched on my chest and it cradles my head in its hands gently and its head tilts, regarding me. Then, it smiles again as it raises a fist to deliver the first blow. I close my eyes, waiting for an impact that never comes. When I open them again the monster is frozen in place and looking towards the window, listening intently.

“Well,” it says mockingly as its head turns so it can look me into the eyes, “that was a lot of fun.
We'll have to do it again sometime, soon.”

Suddenly, the window behind it shatters outward and the monster gets sucked through it, disappearing into the night.

I can't control my breathing and I think my heart is about to burst. I start to cycle between crying and fits of vomiting. This is the last thing I remember before blacking out.