Monster Rundown Part One Chapters 1 and 2

Monster Rundown Part One Chapters 11 and 12

Chapter 11

As usual, sleep did not come easy for Henry Crane that Halloween night. Actually, it was the morning of the first day in November by the time he reached his bed. Over and over, all he could think was that necromancers were in the city. Why? First, they happen upon Solus' ritual and now this. It was too coincidental.

And revealing themselves through these obvious worldwide attacks didn't make any sense. It was so widespread it seemed impossible. His thoughts jumped and turned, too confused and tired to be useful.

He stemmed the tide by thinking about Beatrice, trying to remember how she looked, the feeling of her arms around him when they danced, her lips, her smile, her breasts pressed against him. Eventually, he turned on the lights and read The Great Gatsby, the new book in English, until the sun rose, and the morning report about the night's events became available online.

Those bastards at the police station just had to credit him with Eli's kill. The memorial service was on Sunday, which Henry and the others fortunately didn't have to attend because who wants the killer of their loved one at the funeral even if that loved one had become a flesh-craving monster?

It was not going to be easy to convince people that Eli's and the other's deaths were not related to necro activity after all the news. The key to a coverup is to stick to the story no matter how suspicious people act. One tiny little hint and they will never let it go. No one believed in coincidences, and the suggestion that this attack was not connected to the rest of the worldwide attacks was, frankly, a little ridiculous.

The story was weak, but something told him that they wouldn't have to stick to it for long. The necros weren't done and hiding their involvement was already looking like a waste of effort.

Albert Cunningham called with information about the statue after breakfast on Sunday, giving them a reason to get out of the house. When Mel and Henry made it to the store, a closed sign hung on the front door. Albert didn't answer their calls. "How long ago did he call you?" Henry said.

"Half hour or so." Mel took out his lock-picking set. Henry stood in front of him as casually as possible, but it wasn't necessary so early on such a cold morning. "Bam. Twenty-three seconds," Mel said.

"You're getting better," Henry said, opening the door and looking into the shop. Light barely shone past the first shelves, the shadows making the once cheerful touristy shop feel almost sinister. Henry pointed at a rack of keychains on the floor near the back of the store. Everything else was immaculate. They drew their guns.

"Maybe he's just busy in the back," Mel said.

"Definitely."

The handle to the office door was broken, and the tipped-over bookshelf partially blocked it from the other side but left enough room for them to squeeze through. The office was trashed in the traditional manner of one who is looking for something.

Looking darker than the last time they saw it, the tunnel seemed to absorb the light of the office. Henry stepped to the edge and said, "Hear anything?"

"No. Let's go." Before descending the stairs, they holstered their weapons and drew their daggers. Henry covered the light on his phone but flashed it occasionally to make sure there wasn't anything in the way that could cause him to fall or make noise. If whatever trashed the office was still here, he needed to do his best to surprise it.

When they reached the entrance to the cave, they crept forward and waited for a few moments. Nothing but silence and darkness, so they entered the collector's shop and shone their lights around quickly. It was empty.