American Monsters

Milo narrowed his eyes. “You’re talking about being a hero.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are,” said Milo. “Doing good deeds. That’s what heroes do. That’s what Kelly and Ronnie and Linda and Warrick do.”

“And the dog.”

“We’re not heroes, Amber. We don’t have that luxury.”

“But … but, if we don’t at least try to be, then I’m going to be a villain,” she said. “I don’t want to be a villain, Milo.”

He glared at her. “Yeah,” he said. “Okay.”

“Be right back,” she said, drawing a talon across her palm. She let the blood drip, forming a circle around her. The circle flashed into flame and Milo was gone and the Charger was gone and she was back in the Shining Demon’s castle.

“Fool?” she called. “Fool, come on, I haven’t got all day.”

When she got no answer, she left the chamber, picked the corridor with the windows to hurry down. She was halfway along when Bigmouth came shuffling out of the shadows.

“Where’s Fool?” she asked. “Hello? Edgar? Listen, it doesn’t matter. Can you take this to it?”

Bigmouth shook his head.

“Just hand it over – it’ll be fine.”

He scribbled on the slate around his neck, and showed her.

Can’t. Not allowed.

“Then where is Fool?” Amber said angrily. “I’m in a hurry, Edgar. Bring it here, now.”

Bigmouth scribbled again.

Not Edgar. Bigmouth. I am only Bigmouth now.

She sighed. “Fine. Bigmouth. Could you get Fool, please? Could you do that?”

Bigmouth nodded, and shuffled away.

Amber looked out of the window, over the forest of twisted trees, across the river, to the palace of the Blood-dimmed King that stood high and proud in the vast city, with steeples like daggers slicing into the dark sky. A cold wind came from that palace, and it brought the screams with it. She could only imagine the suffering going on behind those walls.

Footsteps made her turn, as Bigmouth guided Fool towards her.

“Finally,” she said. “Where were you? Never mind, I don’t even want to know. Here, I have an offering for you.”

“Not for me,” said Fool. “For the Master.”

“Yes, that’s what I meant, for you to give to him.” She held out the pouch. “This is from Elias Mauk.”

Fool bared its glass-shard teeth. “Don’t like Elias Mauk. He shouted at me and kicked me.”

“He is a bit of a tool, all right. You’ll take this to Lord Astaroth?”

“Of course,” said Fool, accepting the pouch with both hands.

Amber didn’t bother to thank him; she just turned and hurried back to the chamber. She stepped into the circle of fire, stomped her foot on the flames and the fire went out and the castle vanished and she was back beside the Charger.

She walked back up the trail, past the point where they’d met Mauk, and carried on. She found Milo standing at the treeline, looking at the corpses shuffling around the cabin. Even from here, she could hear the raised, panicked voices of the kids inside.

“Where’s Mauk?” she asked.

“Got bored and went home,” said Milo, and looked at her. “Everything go well in Hell?”

“Fine. What’s the plan here? How do we stop them? Destroy the brain?”

“That won’t work.”

“How do you know?”

He jerked his thumb to the left, where a headless corpse was walking into a tree. “It’s not the brain that Mauk controls,” he said. “It’s everything.”

“Well, okay,” Amber said, her hands growing to talons. “I guess it’s lucky I’m in the mood to slice and dice.”

She strode over to the nearest corpse. “Hey there,” she said, and it turned, and she slashed at it until every muscle was severed, and it lay on the ground in a moaning, trembling heap.

One down.

(#ulink_a6475ee4-e29e-5d85-9264-cf30d7dcc551)

THEY HEADED NORTH-WEST, PASSING through Nashville, St Louis and then on through Kansas City. With every roadside marker and town sign they left in their rear-view, they drew closer to Amber’s parents. She could feel it in her gut. She could feel them, their presence, a heavy sensation that kept on building. She hoped they were running. She hoped they were hiding. She hoped they knew someone was tracking them down. She couldn’t wait to see their faces when they realised it was their own daughter.

Somewhere outside of Topeka, they stopped off for food. Amber had no intention of confronting her parents on an empty stomach. As she ate, she focused her mind.

“They’re a few hours away, that’s all.”

“And you’re sure you’re ready?” Milo asked.

“Of course I am. What kinda question is that?”

He shrugged. “It’s just there’s a difference between chasing them down and actually catching them.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Catching them will be a lot more satisfying.”

“Okay.”

Amber sighed. “You obviously don’t agree.”

“I neither agree nor disagree.”