Nightmares Rise Read online

  “So . . . Freeley liked your work? You made some contacts?” Makani leaned against the jeep, her handbag dangling limply from her wrist. If her feet could hurt any worse, she would cut them off and be glad she did.

  Flynn grinned. “Few contacts, few glasses of bubbly, I mean bubbly. I shouldn’t drink that shtuff . . . stuff. I even got a bit of work. That was before the bubbly. I wrote it down.” He patted his back pocket, frowned and then patted the other one. “Oh, there it is. That was lucky. It took long enough to get away the first time, I’d hate to go back in.”

  “You were all kinds of fun back there, of course, they’d want to keep you.” She smiled indulgently and rolled her eyes. “Come on, y’lush. Let’s get you home and tuck you in. Life is gonna suck in the morning.”

  “Did you say tuck or fuck?” He laughed. “Or one and then the other? I’m not that drunk you know.”

  She opened both doors and tried to make sure Flynn didn’t fall on his face trying to get in. He still managed to slip before sitting heavily in the passenger seat.

  “Maybe I shoulda stuck to beer,” he said. “The boys back home would laugh their bloody heads off. As if they wouldn’t be fuckin’ maggoted as well.”

  He closed the door a bit too hard, making Makami wince. It was barely hanging on as it was.

  “My brothers would laugh, too,” she said. “Buckle up, my sweetheart, the drunk.”

  “I’m not a drunk,” Flynn yawned and clicked his seatbelt. Leaning back, he half closed his eyes. “My bill’s gonna be huge, isn’t it? For all these tours” he sounded sleepy. “S’worth it anyway.”

  She looked over at him, a smile on her lips. “Yeah. It’s worth it.”

  She punched the jeep into reverse, and nearly took out the gallery sign. The road away from the Haleiwa was long and dark, and there were few cars on the road at the late hour. They drove for miles along the road, the night air clearing her head and making it easy to stay awake. It was a surprise when Makani’s trusty jeep stalled out halfway between Whitmore Village and Wahiawa. “Crap.” She sighed and got out. Popping the hood, it looked like her engine had overheated. “Yeah, that’s what I need right now.”

  A light from up the road caught her attention, and she squinted at what looked like a flashlight’s beam. “Flynn . . . hey, Flynn.” She shook his arm to wake him.

  He stirred a little. “Just wanna sleep in a bit longer, Mum,” he murmured.

  She shook him again. “I’m not your mother, wake up.”

  His eyes opened. He blinked, looking momentarily disoriented.

  “Makani, what’s wrong?” He sat up and looked around. “Why are we parked here? It’s dark. Except that light.” He pointed.”It’s getting closer.”

  “Yeah. Hopefully, it’s someone who can help us. My radiator needs water, and I’m fresh out.” She waved her hand in the air, using her phone as a beacon, “Hey! Hey, can you help us, please?” The stranger drew slowly closer, the beam catching Makani in the face, so she had to cover her eyes.

  “What the?” Flynn asked. “What is that? Not another Will O’ the Wisp? I’ve got my swear words handy.” He no longer slurred as he spoke and he sounded more awake, if confused.

  “Ummm—stay here. Don’t move.” She started down the road towards the stranger, her pumps crunching on loose gravel. All she saw of the figure was a short man with a wide brimmed hat. “Hey, man! You got any water? My car’s overheating, and . . . ”

  The man lowered the flashlight for a moment, before slowly bringing it up to illuminate his face.

  The beam of light revealed the man had no eyes, no nose, and no mouth. His face was as smooth as an egg.

  Makani screamed, the way she had in her dream, and felt a very real terror freeze her in place for a long moment. When she finally got herself to move, she turned tail and ran back to the jeep.

  “Flynn! Flynn!”

  Flynn leaped out of the jeep. He grabbed her around her waist as she reached him and put himself between her and the—thing. “It’s not really real, right? Can you wish it away or something?” His words were frantic.

  “Uhhh . . . ” She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them, only to see the faceless man continuing towards them. “Yeah, nope! Doesn’t work!”

  Makani pushed him back to the far side of the jeep, away from the lumbering monstrosity. She bit her lip and said, “No one ever told me what to do with these!”

  “Why does it have a torch . . . flashlight, if it doesn’t have eyes? Maybe it doesn’t like the dark? What is it anyway? I could google?” Flynn reached into his pocket for his phone. “Google has to be good for something?”

  “It’s good for finding movie times, not what to do when you’re in a horror movie!” She pulled him back as the thing swung the flashlight at their heads. “Oh! That’s why it’s got the torch . . . flashlight!”

  There was a roar from behind them, and Makani looked down the road. The Mach Five’s love child was speeding up along the highway.

  “Why? Never mind, let’s get off the road before they have to scrape us off.” He pulled her sideways, toward the bushes, his hand raised to shield his eyes from the lights and his face from the flashlight—turned—bludgeon.

  The shiny white car sped by, nearly hitting the monster, only to brake hard and reverse. This wouldn’t have been a problem, if Charlie had been sober. He would have avoided the figure with ease. But because he had much more to drink than Flynn, the maneuver was entirely too difficult to perform, and the creature became a speedbump.

  Makani looked at Flynn, then Charlie, in absolute horror. “Dude— seriously?”

  “What? He was in my way!” Charlie jumped out and stared at the lump under his tire. “Is he dead?”

  Flynn poked the body with his shoe. “I think it might be. Thanks.” He stepped back as the faceless thing started to bubble and hiss. “Suddenly I wish I hadn’t drunk so much.” In the glow of Charlie’s headlights, he was looking a little green.

  Charlie blinked hard, “And—we’re okay with this?”

  “Yes. Wait . . . you see it? He sees it!” She brushed hair back from her eyes, and looked at both men with fear.

  Flynn looked floored for a minute. “Oh, wait, what does that mean then?”

  “Probably not a good thing.” She looked up, and saw Charlie getting back in his car. “Where are you going?”

  “Getting my baby off that guy, before it hurts her!” He rolled the car off, just enough to leave bloody smears where his tires went. “Oh, so gross! We need to call the cops.”

  “No! No, don’t!” The faceless man had started to peel itself from the pavement, scraping its guts back into its crushed torso. A shadow passed over them, and Makani looked up. “Roll up your window, Charlie. Now! Flynn!” She backed away towards the jeep, although it offered little protection from what was coming.

  “Maybe we’d be better off in Charlie’s car. Because, you know, it’s working?” But Flynn was sticking close by Makani, trying to put himself between her and whatever was coming.

  There wasn’t time. The mananaggal swooped down like something from Oz, and not the continent Flynn was from. It came down hard on the crushed monster and started tearing into it, its long tongue snaking out to suck at the exposed organs. The faceless man batted at it, arms flailing, occasionally connecting with flesh, making the mananagaal hiss and redouble its efforts.

  The two monsters thrashed against each other, tangling in a macabre battle. It was a gruesome sight, that was only going to get worse. Charlie had panicked just enough to do something; he reversed, again. This time, he crushed both creatures, a sickening spew splattering the back of his shiny car, as well as Makani and Flynn.

  The next spew to join the road was from Flynn. He lost all the alcohol and everything he’d consumed since lunch, including the lunch. He staggered off to the side of the road and flopped down into a patch of grass that was struggling to survive on exhaust fumes.

  “What the bloody hell next?”
he murmured, throwing his hands in the air expressively.

  “I wish I knew.” Makani sagged against the jeep, wiping filth off her arms and face. “Charlie, you’re either a superhero, or a worst driver than me.”

  He opened the door and slid out. “A little of both,” he said, with tears in his eyes. “My poor baby! What the hell did I just kill?!”

  “Long story, I don’t know if you want to hear it.” She started towards the mess, and saw there were parts still twitching. “Shit! We need salt!”

  Flynn muttered something that might have been, “There was plenty of salty food at the gallery.” Not that that information was of any use right now.

  Makani dove into the back of her jeep, the short skirt of her dress riding up a little too high. She rummaged around, and found the last bit of salt in a container.”Think this will be enough?”

  “No, but we could always burn the evidence.” Charlie had a bottle of cheap vodka and a lighter, one for each hand. He shrugged, “I stole this from the party.”

  Flynn looked up at them both. “You people are insane.” He pushed himself to his feet, grabbed the salt and tipped what was left of the remains. It sizzled and writhed like a giant, disjointed worm. He stepped back and looked at Charlie. “Be my guest. We might as well set a fire to finish it off.”

  “What exactly am I burning? Anyone wanna tell me?” He started pouring out the vodka over the withering things, and looked at Makani for answers.

  “Mananaggal and Mujina.” She sat back against the jeep, and sighed. Makani closed her eyes but opened them when she realized how tired she was. Sleep was a bad thing, now.

  “Right,” Charlie drew the word out in disbelief. “Those are campfire stories to scare kids.” But the evidence was burbling on the ground. He flipped his lighter open and tossed it on the mass. It went up in blue flames, and smelled like sulfur and pork. He gagged, stepping back from the pyre.

  Flynn turned his face away, looking up the road. “We should go, there’s another car coming.” He got to his feet and rubbed his eyes.

  Makami nodded and got back in the jeep, sticking the wires together, but sure it wouldn’t turn over. “Jeep still isn’t working. You got some water in that death machine, Cha . . . ” The engine roared to life and revved, and Makani didn’t know whether to laugh or scream.

  “Have you ever read Carrie?” Flynn looked dubiously at the jeep but got in anyway. “The only thing we haven’t seen yet are zombie horses, so why not a haunted car?”

  “Don’t mention anything like that! Before it crawls into my head and comes to life!” She shot a look of pure terror at Flynn. There was a good chance that might happen, seeing as how her mind brought things more sinister and surreal into being.

  “Maybe we should get somewhere other than here then?”

  “Good idea.” She let Charlie screech away first, and punched the accelerator hard to follow him. Makani looked in her rearview mirror, and saw the fire had become a smoldering pile of ash, already. “We’re going back to your place,” she stated, the adrenaline starting to fade from her system.

  “Good idea, I’m running out of clean clothes,” Flynn sounded sleepy. “It should be safe from my family by now too. I hope.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Flynn should probably have had a hangover. He deserved to after all the champagne he’d drunk the night before. Champagne and something else, he couldn’t remember what. Something potent. He vaguely recalled the taste of something fruity and tropical but with a kick. And no umbrella.

  Mercifully, he didn’t have a hangover. The inside of his mouth tasted like a cat had vomited in there and he was thirsty, too dry to swallow comfortably. He could smell wood smoke, either on him or Makani. At least the scent of her was laced with something more pleasant. Flowers maybe. With a sigh, he got out of bed, considered a run and decided to go into the shower instead.

  He made the water nice and hot, breathing in the steam as he stepped inside. Reaching for the almost-empty shampoo bottle, he squeezed a blob onto his palm and started rubbing it into his scalp.

  “Have I told you that you have the cutest butt, ever?” Makami’s voice came from just outside the shower, surprising him so water drained shampoo in his mouth. He spat it out and rinsed his face. “I don’t think you have.” He stuck his face around the shower curtain. “There’s plenty of room in here for two, you know, and I don’t mind sharing. In fact, I prefer it.”

  “We discovered that fact the other day.” She untangled herself from the sheets and made her way under the water. Sliding in behind the man, she pressed herself against his back, reaching up to help him rinse his hair. “What are we doing, today?”

  He leaned back into her. His body quickly responded to her touch. He couldn’t imagine a time when he wouldn’t want to put his hands all over her.

  “I thought we’d do something fun and go to a cemetery,” he spoke lightly. “Remember that guy last night in the purple suit? Not the dark purple one with the black frilly shirt. The one in the bright purple. What was with them and that color?”

  He shrugged and got back off that tangent. “Anyway, he wanted me to take some photos. A contrast between life and death, you know, how a cemetery fits into the modern landscape and all that.” Cemeteries so often lay side by side with urban or suburban or even rural areas, becoming landmarks in their own right, as well as places to visit the deceased. Older cemeteries often had life growing up around them, combining the past with the present in unexpected ways.

  “Wow—that’s so cheerful.” She snorted, her hands following the trail of bubbles as it slid down his back. “These hipster artist types keep getting weirder and weirder every year.” Her fingers slid over his hips and ventured down to wrap around a particularly inviting piece of flesh.

  “As long as they pay.” He might have shrugged, but he didn’t want to dislodge her hand. On the contrary, he was more than happy for it to stay there forever. “Someone has to help me to make the lifestyle to which I want to become accustomed. But this is a great start.”

  “Set your sights on being the rockstar photographer of this decade?” She laughed low in her throat.

  “Why not? They have to have something to spend their ridiculous amounts of money on.” Damn, she had magic hands. “You drive me wild, woman,” he breathed.

  “I try,” she said, and sighed. “You make it very easy to get into the mood.”

  “You make it easier. Or hard.” He chuckled. It was getting harder to think and harder to breathe too.

  “Hard for you, maybe. Very, very hard.”

  He moaned softly. “So . . . about that suk suk . . . ” He trailed off, hoping she’d be merciful. And generous.

  Her hands let him go, only to travel up his sides, and turn him around. She gave him a soft smile and whispered, “Where do you want me? Right here?” Her dark eyes locked on his, as she licked drops of water off her lips.

  “Anywhere,” he breathed. “Everywhere.” Anything she could do to him or with him, he knew she’d blow his mind.

  She wrapped her thigh around his hip and pulled him close. “Right here, then. Right now.” She angled his lips down into a long, searing kiss.

  “Mmhmm.” He exhaled. There was certainly no time like the present. He ran his hand down her wet face and over her belly. “You always amaze me.” His heart was pounding. The anticipation was too compelling to give in to too soon.

  “You must not have interesting girls, where you’re from.” She gave him that naughty smile. She nipped at his collarbone, fingernails digging slightly into his back.

  “Of course we do,” he agreed. “Apparently. I just don’t get to meet them. Or if I do, they don’t go for nice guys like me, usually. But I can be wild.” Occasionally. He ran his hands down her back, cupped her rear. “With the right inspiration.”

  She angled her hips forward, offering herself to Flynn. Her arms wrapped tight around his shoulders as she sighed against his neck. Makani got onto her toes and pressed closer to
his body.

  Flynn groaned softly. He could happily stay like this for days, her clinging tight to him, nails gouging into his back. Panting, she ran her tongue over the hollow of his throat.

  Flynn’s hands tightened on her rear, holding her closer and steady. His eyes closed as he concentrated on making this enjoyable for them both.

  Makani set her jaw and tried not to scream. Instead, she let a long moan escape her her lips. She shivered against him, and he had to hang onto her to keep from sliding down in the tub. Leaning against the side of the shower, he held them both up. Only when his breathing finally returned to normal did he loosen his embrace and let the shower water rinse them both clean.

  Makani finally let him go, and reached for the soap. “Y’know, we need to take a day to stay in bed and not get out until the next morning.” She smiled as she ran a washcloth over her skin.

  “Let’s pencil that in for tomorrow.” Flynn really needed to make some money, if only to pay for his tour guide. He watched her wash. He could happily start the day this way for the rest of his life. She was extraordinary in ways he’d never imagined possible. Her strength, her guts, even her driving was endearing. He’d never felt this way about a woman before. He opened his mouth to tell her. Instead, he closed his mouth and stepped out of the shower.

  Grabbing a towel, he started to dry himself. Without knowing how long he’d really be able to stay, how could he even ask her to start something? He should probably walk away before he hurt her, but even zombie horses couldn’t drag him away from her.

  “So.” She wrung her hair out before wrapping a towel around herself.” Where do you wanna go? Got anything in mind?” Makani started rummaging around in Flynn’s drawers and eventually pulled out a clean shirt and tossing it to him.

  “I was hoping you’d know the most interesting cemeteries around?”Flynn asked. He pulled the shirt over his face, momentarily hiding his eyes. He didn’t want her to see what he’d been thinking only moments earlier. His expression would give away the turmoil between his mind and his heart and he couldn’t do that to her, not now.