The Black Ibis Case - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
McMillan Exports’ old warehouse didn’t look any more inviting in daylight than it had at night. In fact, daylight made it more ominous than before, the worn concrete, rusted steel and broken windows made this eye sore stand out from the rest of the scenery. Yet, the building’s dilapidated state was only the second thing I noticed as I drew closer. There was a feeling of dread in the air, one I had felt on my first visit and felt even more now. I couldn’t have said where it came from, or what caused it, yet it lingered in the air as surely as the cold wind had announced a fresh layer of snow since this morning.
I forced myself to cross the threshold and watched the rats scurry off in the rays of sunlight beaming down from the windows and holes in the ceiling. I couldn’t see any signs of new activity, but I decided to go further in.
I checked the wooden crates as I passed by, all made of acacia, and all emptied. Eventually, I noticed that the final crate had no dust on it at all, and there were fresh tire marks on the ground leading outside. The box seemed no different than the others I had seen, and its former content just as mysterious. I wondered aloud what could be so special about these crates.
I followed the tracks to a rusty bay door that was completely sealed with rust. I used a nearby door and followed the tracks in the fresh but melting snow, until they faded away into the street. I retreated inside the warehouse, feeling validated in my hunch that this warehouse was not as abandoned as someone had wanted it to seem.
I thought about trying to cover my tracks outside but realized it would be pointless. Either the snow would melt and leave no trace, or a new storm would hit and cover them up. I searched the rest of the building for hours and found nothing amiss, so I decided to hole-up in one of the second-floor offices for a while.
Hours passed in the dusty office, and I felt my mind turn to jelly as time went on. I tried to steer my thoughts to my work, but they inevitably circled back around to things I should have done or done better. A few sips from my flask helped to calm the spiraling thoughts but failed to make them go away entirely.
Around midnight, I was surprised awake by a door squealing on its hinges. I silently crawled from where I was leaning against the wall to go see what caused the disturbance. The general darkness seemed to amplify every careful movement until I was at the window, crouching like a jungle cat gazing down at the warehouse floor, except I felt like the mouse being stalked.
Six flashlights pierced the darkness tracking boldly across the ground floor. No words were exchanged while four beams stopped scanning near the middle of the room, where the last crates were. The other two steady streams of light kept walking until they reached the bay door. I could hear a lock pad being opened, then rusted wheels crying out against the movement as the door was wrenched open.
The sky must have been overcast because I couldn’t see any moon light from the opening. Just then, I saw red lights swiftly approaching the bay door, finally letting me see who was below. I forced back a gasp as the tailgates illuminated a group of people wearing purple robes with their hoods up.
The truck soon entered the warehouse, and the driver stepped out of the cab wearing the same purple robe, though he only pulled up his hood after he had come out. Even in that faint sickly glow, I immediately recognized him as the man who had jumped me at the phone booth the other night. The crowd gathered at the back of the truck and opened the tailgate, completely uninhibited, as though nothing could possibly bother them in this warehouse where they felt safe from prying eyes.
The driver climbed into the truck bed and began to push out a large object while the other six pulled from the edge of the bed, eventually letting it slide off gently, coming to rest on the ground as delicately as they could manage. Some sneezed and coughed, which meant that the crate kicked up dust as it landed.
I watched with bated breath as they shone a light on top of the box, prying it open with a crowbar that appeared out of nowhere. The heavy wood creaked loudly, refusing to give for what seemed like an eternity, until the nails holding it fast finally gave way with a whine. The top was removed, and as the lid was set to the side, I noticed that one of the members quickly snatched up the shipping label and hid it in their pocket.
The cultists gathered closer, and I could hear their marveling “oohs” and “ahs” painfully clearly. One reached in and pulled out a dagger in a scabbard. I couldn’t see detail well from this distance, but I easily recognized the gleam of gold running the length of the item, and I could also faintly see some blue and green in places. Another took out a small dark shape and turned it around a few times to inspect it.
“This one’s useless, but at least it’s a nice piece,” said the cultist studying the object before hiding it inside their robe.
I couldn’t see the remainder of the crate’s contents as the cultists took turns grabbing the items and stuffing them inside their robes. Then, without another word, they turned around and went to leave as silently as they had come.
I knew I couldn’t let the opportunity to identify another member of the group slip, so I squeezed through the gap I had left in the door, holding my breath so as not to push the door handle when I passed by it. I crouched down and prayed the catwalk wouldn’t betray me. I forced myself to get close enough that I could see the license plate on the truck. I reached in my coat pocket and pulled out my notebook and pen in one swift motion. 681-KLY.
The truck’s engine roared to life, startling me ever so slightly. It was enough to make me drop my pen as I moved to tuck it and my notepad back into my pocket. The pen dropped silently at first, my heart stopped, the pen bounced off the grate below with a high-pitched tinny sound. My stomach sank and I held my breath to see if the engine noise had covered up the sound. It was quiet apart from the truck engine, and I let out my breath as quietly as I could in relief. That was a close one. Suddenly, I was blinded by a light shining directly on me, I held my arm in front of my eyes as stars winked across my vision, I could hear someone below shout “Intruder!” signaling it was time for my speedy and immediate exit.
More lights shone on me as I ran at full speed along the catwalk. I glanced over my shoulder towards the stairs and saw the cultists all climbing up as fast as they could in those robes, cutting me off from an easy escape. I thought about jumping over the railing, but it was high enough that I could have broken my leg. I kept running straight and went through the only other means of escape I saw: a half-opened window.
I slid under the window and was glad to find a solid roof on the other end. I kept running to the end of the rusty structure, hoping the metal wouldn’t give way under me. When there was no more roof to run on, I was once gain faced with jumping down or facing the approaching cultists.
Calculating the distance separating me from the roof of the next structure, I decided I’d take my chances. I walked back a few steps, took a couple of tense breaths, and bolted as hard as I could. I launched from the edge of the rusty warehouse roof with both feet, desperately and fervidly running on the air itself to reach the other side.
With some miracle, I landed on the other roof like a sack of potatoes. I stayed where I had landed, behind the lip of the roof’s edge, for a few moments catching my breath and admiring my stunt as the angered cultists stood yelling and waving their lights around on the warehouse roof. If it hadn’t been for the hoods, I might have been able to identify some of them, but their faces were shaded and at most I could only see a small part of their chins.
“Where’s that dog at?” bellowed one of them.
I had contemplated staying put and hoping they wouldn’t see where I had landed, but, hearing them mention that strange creature from the other night, the “dog”, sent ice through my veins and I just took off running. I jumped to another roof a shorter distance away, no build up this time, I was in full flight-mode. Then another roof before I started clambering my way up a fire escape. A short way behind me, I could hear heavy thundering steps and loud wet snorts getting louder with every second.
I scrambled up the steps as fast as I could and busted out at the top, not looking behind me as I heard my pursuer start up the ladder. The jump to the next building was a little wider, but it was lower. I again took a running start and leapt off. I landed chest first against the side and had to pull myself up while trying to get air back in my lungs.
I rolled over the ledge, scrambling back to my feet to keep running as I heard loud snorts sniffing the air from the roof where I had just been. I glanced a door leading inside the building and pulled on it, believing it to be locked. Unexpectedly, it opened. In that instant, I snapped back into the moment, the fear subsiding to the pain and tiredness of my worn-out legs and screaming shoulders. I knew I had only moments to decide before this creature would be on me. The adrenaline was coursing through me, telling me to run, but instead I swiped the sweat from my brow, ran that hand across the inside of the door, leaving it slightly ajar and threw myself behind some nearby vents.
I had just landed behind the crates, pulling myself into as small a ball as I could when a heavy thud shook the whole roof. I could hear it sniffing the air wetly, and loudly, following my steps all the way to the door. The creature sniffed and snorted as it approached the door, then peeked its head inside. Relief washed over me as it sniffed the door, moving inside and out of my vision. I let out a thick sigh, stretching out slightly from my curled-up posture, basking in the moment, when a crocodilian face busted back out from the door and snapped straight at my hiding spot. The creature let out a loud growling, hissing, scream and began to run in my direction.
I felt the whole world wash away, my senses blurred, I could only hear an echoing distance, like I had just been through an explosion. I scrambled back into a full run, away from the vents just as the creature collided with them, snapping its jaws violently. I could hear the metal creaking and bending under its weight as it inched towards me. It seemed to be enjoying the terror it caused in me now as it walked slowly, cornering me more and more towards the edge of the roof. I looked around frantically as I ran but saw no escape; it was too high to jump down, the other roofs were now too tall to jump to, and the stairs were behind this so-called ‘dog’.
The creature stepped into the beam of one of the roof lights, and it looked just like it had in my nightmares, except this was all too real. Calling it a dog was some sort of cruel joke against man’s best friend, as it resembled a dog in obedience only. This was some type of chimera that would best be described as a long-legged crocodile with the teeth of a hippo.
I backed away as far as I could and the monster mirrored each step, forcing me on the very edge of the roof. I could swear I saw its lips curl into a grotesque imitation of a smile just before it lunged at me with unhinged jaws wide enough to swallow me whole as I stood there in horror.
I stood frozen, watching this mass of teeth, muscle, and horror rush towards me in slow motion. More calmly than I could have anticipated, I stood there until it was almost on me, and in the last moment, I sank to the floor, ducking out of the way. I watched as those vicious jaws snapped at the air where I had been, then I saw its clawed feet sweep over me, and finally its thick tail as it rose higher and higher until it was out of sight. I laid there, staring at the sky in disbelief as I heard no footsteps, no crunching and felt no pain. Instead, I could hear the creature panic and wail as it fell off the roof, crashing heavily against the concrete and garbage cans below.
After it was quiet again, I managed to pull myself up to the edge and looked down. I broke into hysterical laughter upon seeing the beast’s motionless body in the alley below, a pool of dark blood slowly growing from it. As fearsome as it was, it clearly wasn’t very clever and must have been so sure it had me in its grasp that it kept advancing until it felt something fall in its maw.
Reality came back to me slowly, and I remembered I still had to make my escape. I got back up and made my way down the stairwell in a flash, only stopping to brush myself off before getting out of the building and onto the street. The beast’s fall must have alerted some people, as a crowd was gathering in the alley near where I exited.
I went the opposite way from where people were coming from and walked around the block to make sure no one was following me and to calm my nerves, as the adrenaline went away and was replaced by the realization of what very nearly happened to me. I took a sip from my flask to help with the shaking before lighting a very wobbly cigarette. My hands only stopped trembling just before I got back to my car. I turned the engine on and drove away just as lights started flashing behind me and came to a stop where the crowd was.
I turned the corner before I could see what was happening, and I had no desire to have any more involvement in anything else tonight. My limbs started aching again from the pursuit as I drove on, which got me to thinking about where I would sleep tonight. I was sure at least one of the cultists had seen my face at this point, and they almost certainly knew who I was, and where to find me wouldn’t be difficult either.
I patrolled a neighborhood that seemed quiet enough on the south side of the city and found a spot to park my car inconspicuously. I grabbed a few old newspapers from the back seat and bundled them to put inside my coat. I leaned my seat back and went to sleep. For the first night since this case began, I slept a dreamless sleep.
I woke up with a growing bustle all around me, and the aches in my joints howling as I stretched out in the early morning rays. I removed the newspapers from inside my coat and rubbed my hands together. I cleared my throat and coughed as the cold air formed a mist that escaped my lungs and added to the layer of frost in my windows.
I turned the car on and let it heat up for a few minutes. The engine’s roar was second only to the roar of my stomach as I realized it had been a whole day since I had had anything to eat. I headed over to Bernie’s as soon as the windows were clear enough to drive.
I wasn’t usually out and about at this early hour, the traffic is just so dense it takes an eternity to get anywhere, and this morning was no exception. The distance should have taken maybe twenty minutes to drive with a clear road, but with the traffic it took nearly an hour and a half.
I parked my car outside Bernie’s as the last of his customers came out. It was five after ten o’clock, the time I usually got here so I can avoid having to wait after the indecisive customers.
Bernie looked up from polishing his counter as I entered, smiling in his usual friendly way. “Morning Sam! Looking better today!”
“Yeah, I’ve been working out,” I joked.
“You have? You going to a gym now?”
“No, just jogging really,” I kept on.
“Well, seems to be doing wonders for you then. The usual?” he asked as he started cutting into a bagel without waiting for my answer.
“Sure. Looks like you had a busy morning,” I indicated to his nearly depleted bagel stock.
“Yeah, it was a good one today,” he turned to me after he popped the bagel into the toaster. “Some guy came by earlier asking for you, by the way. He said he had some information about a case you’re working though he wouldn’t say what.”
“Really? What did you tell him?” I realized I had been right to be wary of going back to my office.
“Nothing really. He was a big guy and looked a bit odd to me, kinda fidgety and sketchy, so I said you only come here once in a blue moon, and we don’t talk much. Not a friend of yours, I take it?”
I realized I had been frowning, betraying my worry. “No, not a friend. I think I’m going to have to make myself scarce around here for a bit.”
Bernie looked as worried as I was. “Look, if you ever run into too deep of trouble, make sure to give me a call, pal. I’ll show those guys not to mess with my worst client!” he joked as he punched into his palm. The bagel halves came up then and he buttered them without even thinking. He looked serious about what he was saying.
“Ill be sure to remember that, Bernie. Just don’t go picking fights if that guy comes back, though. See you around,” I said as I left the store. I wondered where I’d get my next meal from as I drove away and made sure to enjoy the bagel as much as I could. Even the awful coffee didn’t taste so bad that morning, as I chased away the thoughts of starvation from my mind.
I drove a few blocks over until I found a secluded pay phone. I took out my notepad and dialed Charles’s desk number from memory. I didn’t have much change to go around, and I had none of it to spare on idle chatter with the receptionist.
The phone rang three times before Charles picked up. “Detective Charles Cooper, how may I help you?”
“Charles, it’s Sam. I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sam? What’s going on?”
“No time to explain, just get yourself something to write on. I need you to run a license plate for me. 681-KLY. I’ll call you back tomorrow. Don’t bother calling my office, I’ll be out. Now repeat the plate number I gave you.”
Without hesitation, Charles repeated, “681-KLY,” he paused for a second, then asked, “What’s going on, Sam?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll call you back before noon tomorrow.”
Charles started saying something, but I hung up before he could get the words out fully. He didn’t need to get himself involved in this mess any more than he already was. I got back into my car and drove off without a clear direction in mind.
Streets passed by one after the next and I eventually found myself by the docks. I found a spot where I could drive off the road and kept going all the way until I found an elevated spot. I got out of my car then and sat on the hood, staring out at the sea. I had to wait now, and I figured taking a few minutes to clear my mind from the things I had seen would do me some good.
This case was turning out to be far more than what I thought at first. I had signed up to find a missing young man, not face some sort of cult with their strange monsters, but I couldn’t turn back now, not since they knew who I was. Part of me wanted to be like the waves hitting the sand, and just disappear gently, without a sound and be forgotten, but I knew I couldn’t do that. It simply wouldn’t be right to leave Marcus to wonder what became of his brother, and if the cultists were harming people, it was my duty to find a way to stop them, even if I had no real authority. Someone had to do it, so why not an old hound?
I stayed with my thoughts and the sea for about an hour and only left once my stomach rumbled too hard to be ignored. I found a nearby gas station and fueled up enough to keep my car going, though nowhere near full. Then, I got a discounted hot dog, which separated me from another precious dollar on top of the fifteen I had just put into the fuel tank. I stayed in the convenience store for a while to warm myself up and left when the clerk started watching me a little too attentively and got annoyed.
It was getting late when I finally left, and I found a quiet spot to sleep in my car as I had the night before. The sound of the waves eased me to sleep, but soon enough the nightmares found me again.
I was standing by a river, and at my back was a vast and empty expanse as far as I could see, with the other side of the river just as barren. The sky was black and starless, reflected in the still waters of the river as though it were a black mirror. I called for anyone to hear me, the sound died as soon as it came out of my mouth, no echo, nothing but silence. I walked along the river, then ran, and found nothing else here but sand.
I heard a rumble come from the river and the still water started to move. Gently at first, but as if something large and powerful was stirring deep below. I heard a growling hiss come from inside the river then. Somehow, I understood it as words inside my mind, “Why do you struggle?”
I panicked and started running away from the river as the question rang in my mind again. Behind me, the water was getting agitated as the question repeated over and over. I looked back after a moment and saw a dark shape emerging from the water. It was already taller than a three-story walk up and still rising. This thing rose endlessly from the water, shrouded in a dark mist, its form cloaked from my sight.
I turned back around and ran even harder, more so than I thought I could run, yet the growing dread didn’t diminish at all no matter how far I felt I had gone. Then, I heard another awful growl that made my teeth shake in their sockets followed by the most horrendous, soul shattering laughter that bubbled in my blood. I could hear it deep in my head, echoing so loudly off my skull, “This is pointless, why do you struggle? This is pointless, just let go, Sam.”
I woke up in a sweat, panting hard as mist formed out from between clenched and chattering teeth. Whatever that thing was, it knew my name. What did it mean by pointless? What is it I’m struggling against?
I turned my car on and waited for the windows to thaw, running these questions over and over in my head like a song you just can’t fully remember so you keep repeating the same verse on a loop until the words mean nothing anymore. Finally, I drove off very slowly, keeping an eye on the water behind me, fearing my dream would become a reality if I didn’t watch the water carefully.
About the Creator
Georges-Henri Daigle
Trying to make sense of the worlds in my head, since the one outside often doesn't.
I mainly write fantasy, sci-fi and mystery, though I see no reason to limit myself.
Comments (1)
I still run poor Sam he will be in great shape or maybe a hesrt attack with all these adventures. Good writing Georges H 👍👍