Heaven, Hell, and Earth

Chapter 14

Fifteen years later...

Beep! Beep! Beep!

An agitated groan came from the lump which was completely curled up underneath the covers of the bed. After five seconds of resisting, a long white arm came out from the blankets and shut off the alarm clock. Then the person who that arm belonged to dragged herself out of bed and into the nearest bathroom to where she stretched, yawned, and washed her face. Once she became fully awake she turned on the TV and began to fix her breakfast.

The first thing that came on the screen was a morning talk show about the strange and unusual. Now most people in the U.S.A didn't indulge in the idea of the paranormal but there were the few who believed in it and would go to great lengths to prove it existed. The owner of this show was among them, Katie Killjoy and her assistant Tom Trench.

The young woman normally didn't watch this show because it was basically garbage but a long time friend of hers had been asked to be on the show and she wanted to see how it went. In other words she hoped that these talk show hosts would get anything out of their guest.

"So Mr. Walker-" Katie started.

"Blitzo please." The guest requested.

"Whatever. Through out history government officials like yourself have been accused of secretly hiding evidence of the paranormal. Such as aliens and mutants. Rumors say that you're apart of an organization that keeps monsters."

"Well you can't rely on gossip." Blitzo said. "I mean if you did that then wouldn't everyone's lives pretty much be ruined?"

"Duh. How do you think my show works?"

"Well if gossip is as reliable as you say then that rumor about you being a blood sucking, soulless, leech must be an undeniable fact, huh?"

The live studio audience burst out laughing at Blitzo's burn. Katie still smiled but her eye twitched with inner rage and annoyance. Her voice-host Tom quickly took over.

"That aside Blitzo, we've interviewed several witnesses to the recent brewery explosion last week and a lot of them swear that they saw monsters fighting something from the inside of the building." Tom said. "Witnesses also say that you were with them. Is there any truth to that?"

"Well I was there Miss Killjoy." Blitzo said. "But I didn't see any monsters."

"But we were told there were three of them. That one had eight legs like a spider, one had moth wings, and another had antlers like a moose or something!"

"Extreme adrenaline, stress, and fear can cause people to have all sorts of freaky hallucinations." Blitzo said.

"Well what about this photo we received from one of the bystanders? They got a picture of one of those creatures."

On the TV screen there appeared a blurred photograph of a tall red figure.

"See?" Tom said. "See the antlers and the red fur? And the skin is that a grey tone?"

"I have a question." Blitzo said. "In the pictures of aliens, UFOs, the yeti, whatever the hell this thing is, why is it they're always out of focus?

"Well why don't you tell us?" Katie said. "Or better yet, tell us about the Bureau of Paranormal
Research and Defense?"

"The what?" Blitzo said.

"You know, the organization people say you're apart of."

"I already told you lady, I don't believe gossip and neither should you. Also don't you think it's a little unhealthy to be obsessed with this occult nonsense? Have you ever considered a hobby?"