Monster - A. Lee Martinez [51]
“My legs have gone numb,” said Chester. “I think that ride damaged my nerves.”
“You don’t have nerves,” said Monster.
“Must be psychosomatic then,” said Chester. “Still isn’t a pleasant sensation.”
Monster knocked on the door, noticing several unseen things rattling in the bushes on the front lawn. One unfortunate gaborchend clung clumsily to a high tree branch. Its disgruntled bleats showed it wasn’t happy to be stuck up there.
Monster knocked harder.
Judy threw open the door. “Jeezus, all right already. Give me a… Hey, you’re yellow.”
He stepped inside and shut the door. Then locked it.
“I didn’t invite you in,” said Judy.
“Recon, Chester. There could be more in the house.”
Chester folded himself into hummingbird shape and flitted away.
“Is that a paper man?” asked Judy.
Monster scanned the peephole. Five gaborchends were making their way across the lawn now. “Let’s not get distracted. This would be a lot easier if you hadn’t removed that memory glyph.”
“What?”
Several goat creatures pounded against the front door. Déjà vu struck Judy then. Not quite strong enough to help her remember everything, but a few things fell into place.
“You’re the guy who catches weird things!”
“Cryptobiologicals.”
Chester flew back. “There was something in the closet. Didn’t take a close look, but figured it would be safer to put a chair under the knob. Also, there’s a couple more in the backyard, and I’m pretty sure there’s something in the attic too.”
A gaborchend slammed into one of the long windows on either side of the front door. Judy pulled back the curtain. The goat-headed creature ran its lips and tongue across the window, spreading drool.
Monster quickly scrawled out a memory rune on a sticky note and tried to place it on Judy’s forehead. She blocked.
“What are you doing?”
Several things thumped around in the attic.
“We don’t have time for this,” said Monster. “Stick this on your head so you can remember.”
“Remember what?”
A creature pounded from the inside of the oven while another bleated from beneath the living room couch.
“This could become a problem,” said Chester.
Monster attempted to put the note on her face. Judy slapped his hand away.
“I didn’t want to do this,” said Monster, “but we just don’t have time to screw around. Sorry if I accidentally hurt you.”
He tried to pin her arms. Judy punched him in the breadbasket. In the middle of his painful exhale, she kneed him in the groin. Gasping, he collapsed.
“Take it easy on the poor lady,” said Chester.
“Hey, where’d he go?” asked Judy.
Monster, eyes closed and invisible, managed to drag himself across the floor and behind Judy. He reached around and slapped the rune on her forehead.
“Ow, you poked my eye, you son of a…” She lashed out, catching him in the cheek with her elbow and knocking him to the floor again. “Hey, I remember! I remember everything!”
“Great.” Monster thought he tasted blood, and he wasn’t sure, but maybe a couple of teeth were loose. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Judy rubbed her closed eye. “You could’ve been more careful.”
The gaborchend under the couch had managed to pull itself halfway out. It bleated and snapped at Monster.
“The master bedroom was all clear last time I checked,” said Chester, leading the way.
They shut the door and listened to the increasing volume of the growls.
“What’s going on?” asked Judy. “Where did all these things come from?”
“You did something,” said Monster.
“Did what?”
“We don’t know,” said Chester, “but we think this is all related to you, so you might be the cause of it.”
“Actually,” said Monster, “I didn’t think you had anything to do with it.”
The growls of gaborchends increased in volume and ferocity.
“But I’m beginning to change my mind.”
“Cause of what?” asked Judy.
“All these creatures,” said Monster. “The trolls and the yetis, the walrus dog, the kojin. And now these gaborchends. You must have done something.