| Fiction |
Tomorrow's Light
Written by Drew Clements
Conceptualized by Drew Clements and Bryan Hester
(Part Six)
The back door to the
Hawthorne residence burst open under the pressure of
Jackie’s fists. Before he could even begin to step one foot
inside, his massive hound, Laelaps, thrust its muscular body
inside the kitchen, its shoulders crushing the frame of the
door to make room. Smoke fumed from its snout and the
glowing, red eyes of the dog that could only have been
created by the Gods of the Underworld scanned the room. The
beast was just a bit above three feet in width at his
shoulders and its height came to just under four feet; its
breed was nothing similar to anything of this world.
“Put your dog on its leash.” Copper pushed past the two.
Laelaps snarled at the decaying body of the Zar leader.
“I wouldn’t speak down to the pup if I were you.” Jackie
warned.
“Whatever. He can tear this body up; I’ll just find
another.” Copper smiled, the skin at the sides of his mouth
cracked and tore.
“Looks like it’s almost time for that anyway.” Jackie shook
his furry head.
“Yeah, and it’s high time you had your bath this year, Yetti.”
Copper leaned up against the island in the kitchen, “They’re
not here.”
“Yetti? Why I should tear yer limbs off for that one.”
Jackie finally stepped inside the home, taking care to duck
in order to clear the door. Keys rattled in one of the
pockets of his triple-extra large blue jean overalls as he
stepped past Laelaps, who looked on in anticipation of a
fight, toward Copper.
“So, there is a difference between Yetti and Sasquatch?”
“A Yetti might think twice about killing you.” Jackie picked
Copper up by his neck and squeezed, “I heard if the body
dies, you guys get trapped inside. Any truth to that?”
Copper, if he could have at the time, would have gulped.
Instead, his eyes showed Jackie’s words to be the truth.
“S’what I thought.” Jackie squeezed harder.
Laelaps grunted and Jackie turned to see what had the dog’s
attention-inside, though, he already knew. Standing just
inside the door was Bella Shame, the only being in the world
that made both Laelaps and Jackie recoil in fear. Her soft,
black cloak fell about her lean, athletic body; the hood was
draped low over her head, revealing only bright, blonde
curls on either side of her blank face.
Her voice, stern and yet soft, entered the mind of Jackie,
“Put him down. We have no time to bicker amongst ourselves.
Keep in mind that you’re on just as short a leash as this
dog of yours.”
Jackie slowly lowered Copper to the floor, “Bella, Laelaps
isn’t getting anything here. They’re gone.”
“Actually, I said that. The red-eyed brute
indicated nothing of the such.”
“I don’t care which of you figured it out, I just care that
we pick up where they’ve gone. Jackie, you and Laelaps find
the scent. That’s what you’re here for. Copper, get your
minions’ bodies off the street. We don’t need to cause any
more commotion than needed.”
Her voice left their minds as she exited the house. It
spooked Jackie that the girl had no face; nothing but flat
skin where one would normally be; it spooked him even more
that she could get inside their minds to communicate. But he
knew and respected that she was the leader on this little
adventure; he was also just plain ol’ very afraid of her;
the freak that she was.
Jackie looked at Laelaps, “Let’s do what the ol’ girl wants,
‘fore she has us lickin’ her boots.”
The dog’s head seemed to nod in response; the two began
searching the kitchen for a proper scent. Before they could
get into the living room, Copper burst back in, “Found them.
They’re on their way out of the neighborhood!”
Maybe the dead meat was worth something after all, Jackie
thought. Also, it might not actually be too bad to lick
Bella’s boots…