The Monster of Creasy's Hollow (Defenders of the Rift Book 1) (9 page)

One more to go,
Chip thought to himself as he
began the final stanza. He was able to recite the last stanza by rote
memory, which in turn allowed a small part of his mind to keep track
of what the beast was doing. He was fairly certain that his father
had just distracted the monster somehow, and was quietly thankful.

Chip watched Monusuol move to investigate this latest
affront as he finished the final stanza. He fought back a sigh of
relief as he realized that his part was finished. As long as everyone
else did their part, things should be okay. They would have gotten
rid of the monster they had mistakenly summoned.

He promised himself, then and there, that he would never
again delve into something like this. He knew that his intentions had
been good, but good intentions were the cause of many a problem. You
know, like summoning an angry, hungry, hideous, eight foot monster
from another plane of existence into their world. Good intentions had
caused them to do that. And no amount of good intentions could make
up for the fact that they had drawn this vicious monster into their
presence.

Thing happen for a reason
,
he reminded himself of Alvin's words before they had performed the
ceremony. Maybe the reason
that Waldo had died was to prevent one of the gang from being hit by
the car. Waldo's death might have saved one or more of his friends,
or himself. By trying to undo that, they had belittled that
sacrifice.

And now Chip was looking at the ugly,
misshapen result, standing right in front of him.

*****

Chuck heard Donny finish the last stanza, and allowed
himself a silent breath of relief. They were done. Now all that
remained was keeping the monster inside the trap until he could be
pulled back to his own plane, and away from Creasy's Hollow.

Simple. Right
?

Chuck winced as the thought came to him unbidden.

Way to jinx yourself, Chuck.

And sure enough, right at that very thought, the monster
threw his head back and roared a challenge to whatever being was
messing with his meal time.

*****

The hideous sound startled everyone in the wood, some
more than others. Belinda, to no one's surprise, screamed aloud right
along with Monusuol, her fear over taking her.

The monster's head snapped again to look in Belinda and
Donna's direction, and this time he didn't pause or hesitate.
Instead, he began to stride purposely toward the spot where the two
were concealed.

*****

Donna jumped as Monusuol bellowed his challenge out,
then again as her mother's answering scream erupted right behind her.
Donna was about to turn to glare at her mother again when she saw the
monster look their direction and then start toward them.

We finished the chant
,
she thought to herself, her mind going slightly numb as the monster
bore down on her position.
Why is he still here?

That thought left her in a hurry, however, as Donna
realized the danger her mother had placed them in. He panicked mind
warned her that they couldn't flee, at least not yet. If they ran,
and the beast pursued, then he would be outside the trap in seconds,
and the spell to re-bind him would fail. Even as that thought
occurred to her, she felt her mother grab her arm, pulling her.

“
We have to go!” Belinda told her daughter.

“
We can't!” Donna hissed back. “He has
to stay inside the trap!”

“
I don't
care
!”
Belinda all but screamed. Donna shrugged her mother's hand off her
arm. The sudden release cause Belinda to stumble backward, and then
fall, hitting the ground with a loud clatter of dried leaves and
broken branches.

No way he missed that,
Donna
thought bitterly. She turned to see Monusuol almost on them. He
apparently still didn't know exactly where they were, but. . .he was
close.

Too close.

Donna closed her eyes, not wanting to see the end.

*****

Chip watched the monster heading toward Donna, and then
heard Belinda scream. There was no way Monusuol wouldn't find them.
Worse still, he knew that Mrs. Johnson lacked the courage to stay
put, and quiet, while the binding worked.

It was all going to be for nothing. And the monster
would be loose and free on the world, starting with Creasy's Hollow.

Despite his fear, Chip's eye was drawn from the scene
playing out before him to a small point of light in the center of the
trap his father and Mister Thomas had created. A small ball of blue
light had appeared from somewhere, or nowhere, and was glowing a
brilliant blue. Glowing, and growing at the same time.

It's working!
Chip thought incredulously.
That's got to be what that is!
It's working!

He looked back to see
the monster almost on top of where Donna and her mom where, and
realized that
he had to keep
Monusuol inside the trap. If he didn't, then blue ball of light or
no, the trap would fail, and the monster would stay here.

Without a second thought, Chip stepped out of hiding,
ignoring his mother's frantic whispering.

*****

Donna was holding her breath, waiting for the end. She
didn't know what else to do, and to be honest, her legs wouldn't
listen to her anyway. She had tried to move away, but her feet stayed
put as if she'd taken root in the ground around her.

Monusuol was almost on top of them when she heard Chip
call out;

“
Yo! Big nose! Over hear you ugly cretin!”

The monster stopped less than twenty feet from her
hiding place, and turned. Donna looked out to see Chip standing in
plain sight, waving at the beast.

“
Yeah, you!” he called, nodding. “I
can see you over there. Come and pick on someone your own size!”

Donna almost laughed aloud at that. There was no one
Monusuol's 'own' size, at least not here in these woods. But Chip was
willing to risk himself to save her and her mother. Her mother who
had caused all this by being too afraid to just sit still and be
quiet.

The monster turned to face Chip's challenge, and Donna
held a breath, afraid to let it go and draw his attention back to
her. Silently she thanked her friend for being brave enough to come
to their rescue. Although part of her wanted to scream at him for
being so stupid, too.

Suddenly Monusuol moved away, leaving Donna and her
mother alone.

Heading toward Chip Douglas.

*****

Chip fought down the urge to panic, and the almost
overwhelming need to look toward the blue orb of light. If he looked,
Monusuol would look. If the monster recognized the trap before it was
sprung, then he would run away, and all of this would have been for
nothing, and the beast would be loose.

Oh please, little ball of light, do your thing, and
do it quick,
the scared teen
thought to himself, mentally trying to urge the trap to close shut
around the monster. And do it quickly.

“
Stay back,” he told his mom, hearing her
walking behind him. “All I need to do is keep him focused on me
and inside the trap. Don't make it harder.”

Stacey stopped, looking at her son's back in amazement.
He sounded so calm, almost detached. Where was he finding the courage
to do this. She held back, her instincts warring with each other. Her
maternal drive demanding that she go to her son and help him, protect
him, while her rational side warned her to heed what Chip was saying,
and not make his job any harder.

In front of her, Chip was also wondering where he was
getting his courage. He sure didn't feel brave, with his knees
trembling, threatening to fold beneath him. All he knew was that this
was his fault. The other adults had been right about that. He was the
one who found the book, and the spell, and he was the one who had
brought it to the others. And convinced them to try it.

All for a stupid dog,
the thought came to him unbidden. He had loved Waldo as much as any
of the gang had, but he realized, standing here looking at what he
had done, that no dog was worth the trouble and risk he had brought
to his family, his friends, and his town.

We should have left well enough alone
,
he realized. Well, it was too late now. All he could do was try and
make things right.

And this was all he could think of. Distracting the
monster, and willing himself not to look at the small blue orb still
growing inside the wood.

How long would it take to work?

*****

Chuck looked at the orb wondering the same thing his son
was. He realized what Chip was doing, and was very proud of his son.
He was also scared out of his mind with worry that his young son
would suffer for his bravery.

But Chuck and the
others were helpless to assist him now. If they attracted the beast's
attention, then he
would see
the orb, and know that he was inside a trap. Monusuol had seen such
traps before, after all. Had been victim of them before. If he
realized what was happening before the orb was ready, then he would
flee, and their trap would fail.

Chuck realized that his son recognized the same thing.
He also was beginning to realize that Chip blamed himself for
everything that had happened, and was assuming responsibility for
making it right. Even while scared silly for his son's safety, Chuck
couldn't help but feel immense pride in his son. Chuck doubted that
he would have been so responsible himself at that age.

Watching the events play out in front of him, Chuck
silently urged the orb to hurry, even though he knew that it wouldn't
do any good. It did make him feel better, though. A little.

*****

Chip tried to get a look at the orb from the corner of
his eye, but couldn't see it. He didn't dare look at it directly. He
turned his attention to Monusuol instead, holding up a hand in front
of him.

“
That's far enough!” he called in a loud,
stern voice. Surprisingly, the beast stopped.

There's no way that should have worked,
Chip thought to himself.

“
You don't belong here,” he said forcefully,
looking the beast in the eyes. “You were called here by
mistake. My mistake. I know I made you mad, but it wasn't on purpose.
There's no place for you here, Monusuol, and no way you can stay. You
have to go back where you came from.”

The giant beast cocked his head to the side, obviously
recognizing his own name.

I wonder if that's good or bad?
Chip thought.

*****

Monusuol heard the man-beast call his name in it's own
language, and stopped. He had seen others, long ago, holding a hand
up in that fashion, and calling him by name. Those occasions had
never worked out well for him. Seeing it again, here, made him
hesitate.

How did this puny human know his name? Why was it
standing before him instead of fleeing in horror? What did this human
know that gave him the courage of a knight of old?

This human was pathetically small, the beast noted.
Wouldn't even make a good snack. Yet he dared stand before Monusuol
with his hand raised, calling the beast by name. Suspicion tugged at
the corner of the monster's mind. When things shouldn't be, but
where, there was usually danger.

The small man-thing was speaking again.

*****

“
You can't stay here!” Chip called strongly.
He had no idea if the thing could understand him, but it didn't
matter, as long as he could keep his attention.

“
You have to go!” Chip said firmly. “I'm
sorry I brought you here, but I did something stupid, that's all. I
wanted something that I wasn't supposed to have, and, well, I messed
up. You're a mistake, Monusuol, and that's all there is to it. You
have to go!”

*****

Monusuol heard his name again, and took a step back. Not
out of fear, of course. But from confusion. This human, small as it
was and with no armor or weapons, should be running in fear,
screaming loudly for help.

But it wasn't. And that bothered Monusuol. Things that
should be but were not. Things that should not be, but were. Too many
things out of the norm. Was there something wrong? Some danger he had
overlooked? Or was it simply because of the changes in this realm
since his last visit.

A visit that had ended with his being banished to
another plane. One without goats to feast upon. Or humans to prey
upon.

Monusuol wasn't stupid. Despite his anger and
aggravation, he hesitated, trying to understand what was so
different about this place, this time, that it caused his instincts
to make him cautious.

That hesitation would cost him.

*****

Chip realized that Monusuol was hesitating, and almost
yelled in triumph. That was all he needed. He just needed Monusuol to
stay dumb and hesitant a little bit longer. . . .