Mystic, Connecticut - 22nd of July
Erin Keller walked down the street, enjoying the morning sunlight as she headed towards the free clinic where she worked. Mystic was always beautiful, but something about the early mornings were exquisite.
Passing a businessman talking on the phone, heading the other way she smiled and nodded, Bryn Murphy was just one of the people she classed as 'regulars' on the way to work. Usually Bryn at least said hello, but this morning he seemed to be busy. Continuing her walk Erin passed the 'Lucky Shamrock' betting shop, old man Chester O'Toole already sitting on the step waiting for the shop to open, his clothes torn and ripped making him look like a vagrant.
Erin no longer talked to Chester, he was beyond saving even if she had no one else left to worry about in this world.
Passing another doorway Erin saw a woman with long green hair dressed in slacks and a blouse setting out a table and a sign reading 'Paige Hanover - Street Therapy' in block capitals.
"How's it going Paige?" Erin asked as she walked past the table.
"Pretty good, although they say it's going to rain this afternoon." Paige replied with a slight German accent, a holdover from her parents immigrant status. "See you on the way back?" She asked as she placed a bowl on the table.
"Maybe, it depends on what my shift's like." Erin answered as she walked around the corner and almost instantly bumped into a man dressed in a red hazmat suit, his respirator silent despite the figure inside obviously having to breathe.
"I'm sorry." Erin stated as she began to back away only for two more figures wearing hazmat suits to swagger up and grab her, forcing her to hold her left hand out. "Hey stop that!" Erin yelled, "HEL..." Her cry was muffled as the figure in front of her pulled its hood off and placed it over her head.
"Oh my god HELP!" Erin screamed as she saw her assailant pull out a cleaver from inside its suit. If on cue the other suited figures slammed her into a wall, seconds before the clever slashed through her out stretched wrist, cleaving the hand straight off.
"You three turn around and drop the weapon!" A voice ordered as the suited thugs turned around to look at the police officer standing on the corner, gun drawn at them. "Holy shit!" He swore as he caught a look at one of the attackers as Erin was dropped to the floor. Opening fire, the officer swore as the attackers fled down the street, bullets passing through them to no avail.
Erin Keller walked down the street, enjoying the morning sunlight as she headed towards the free clinic where she worked. Mystic was always beautiful, but something about the early mornings were exquisite.
Passing a businessman talking on the phone, heading the other way she smiled and nodded, Bryn Murphy was just one of the people she classed as 'regulars' on the way to work. Usually Bryn at least said hello, but this morning he seemed to be busy. Continuing her walk Erin passed the 'Lucky Shamrock' betting shop, old man Chester O'Toole already sitting on the step waiting for the shop to open, his clothes torn and ripped making him look like a vagrant.
Erin no longer talked to Chester, he was beyond saving even if she had no one else left to worry about in this world.
Passing another doorway Erin saw a woman with long green hair dressed in slacks and a blouse setting out a table and a sign reading 'Paige Hanover - Street Therapy' in block capitals.
"How's it going Paige?" Erin asked as she walked past the table.
"Pretty good, although they say it's going to rain this afternoon." Paige replied with a slight German accent, a holdover from her parents immigrant status. "See you on the way back?" She asked as she placed a bowl on the table.
"Maybe, it depends on what my shift's like." Erin answered as she walked around the corner and almost instantly bumped into a man dressed in a red hazmat suit, his respirator silent despite the figure inside obviously having to breathe.
"I'm sorry." Erin stated as she began to back away only for two more figures wearing hazmat suits to swagger up and grab her, forcing her to hold her left hand out. "Hey stop that!" Erin yelled, "HEL..." Her cry was muffled as the figure in front of her pulled its hood off and placed it over her head.
"Oh my god HELP!" Erin screamed as she saw her assailant pull out a cleaver from inside its suit. If on cue the other suited figures slammed her into a wall, seconds before the clever slashed through her out stretched wrist, cleaving the hand straight off.
"You three turn around and drop the weapon!" A voice ordered as the suited thugs turned around to look at the police officer standing on the corner, gun drawn at them. "Holy shit!" He swore as he caught a look at one of the attackers as Erin was dropped to the floor. Opening fire, the officer swore as the attackers fled down the street, bullets passing through them to no avail.
Issue #7
(July 2019) Written By John Cheese The Enforcer
Zombie Master
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THE GIFT OF MAGIC: PART ONEMystic, Connecticut - 5th August 2013
"Why are we heading to Connecticut of all places?" Mike Nero asked as his protégée Sarah Hannigan yawned in the passenger seat. "You've heard of the Keller family right?" Sarah replied as the beat-up Toyota thundered down the road past a sign welcoming them to 'Mystic, Connecticut.' "As in the Keller's who own large tracts of land in the Mid-West, yeah I know them." Mike answered as he slowed down and parked in a little general store car-park. "Why do they want to see us?" He added as the pair of them got out of the Toyota. "According to Senor Magico, the grandma is a powerful prophetess who asked for us personally." Sarah answered as she reached into the rear compartment and pulled out a book wrapped in cloth. "Senor Magico also told me to give you this." She added as she handed the book to Mike. "Thanks." Mike replied as he looked around the car park. "Small towns often possess a different rural magic to the big cities." He informed as he took a deep sniff of the air. "This one is overflowing with it, but something about it feels tainted." "It tastes tangy, almost like when you cut your lip and taste your own blood." Sarah added as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Okay so we're meeting the Keller's at 'the Cosy Kott' across the road from here." She announced as she and Mike walked to the edge of the street and looked at the cottage style building. "Right it's those Keller's." Mike moaned under his breath. "The ones who build cheesy highway restaurants on sacred land, I hate these guy's already." Kern Keller was greying, rotund and loud, even when dressed in the muted grey of his suit. Lana Keller, his mother had aged gracefully and was dressed in a peacock blue dress the same shade as her piercing eyes. "Mr Nero, Miss Hannigan." Kern stated before pausing and glowering at Mike. "You weren't involved with that Nero who blew up one of establishments claiming it was built on an Indian burial ground?" "No sir." Mike responded even as Lana shot him an amused knowing smile. "Now can I ask why you hired us?" "I was going to use my regular guys, but mother insisted on hiring the pair of you." Kern hissed bitterly. "Never even heard of you but she claimed she had a way to contact you." "My granddaughter Erin was attacked." Lana announced as she looked at Sarah. "One of her hands was cut off. I'm sure you both have felt the atmosphere of this town, and know that you'd likely be unsurprised to learn that Erin had the gift of magic, much like you do dear." She added turning to Sarah and smiling a worried smile. "This again, her aptitude with medicine is the reason for her supposed healing powers, not magic!" Kern snorted as he slammed his hands on the table, "Bottom line, I'm going to pay you two-hundred a day for seven days, with a completion bonus and expenses, to find who did this. I expect results by then, do you understand?!" "Understood Mr Keller." Mike replied coldly as he looked Kern in the eye. "I don't suppose you have any idea where to start?" "Well there is that police officer Charlie North. A real head-case, he was there when my daughter was attacked." Kern gulped as he turned away from Mike to look at Sarah. "He was babbling about invisible men in suits. If he wasn't insane, I'd sue him for everything he has!" It hadn't taken long to find Officer North's home, the words 'coward' spray-painted on the side suggesting what the local community thought of him. "Got your alias ready?" Mike asked as the pair of them walked up to the door. "Yep." Sarah replied as she rung the bell. "Officer North, FBI open up!" She yelled as she gave her glamor pad a quick once over to go over her alias. After what seemed like an age, the door opened a crack, a tired looking dark-skinned man staring out through the slit. "Officer North, I'm FBI agent John Sullivan, this is FBI agent Dana Fox," Mike announced showing North the badge, "we're here to investigate the Keller attack." "Have you read the report?" North asked suspiciously as he began to back away from the door. "Do you think I'm crazy from what I told my captain." "Officer North, the FBI is a little more accepting of the 'unusual'. Why only recently we were investigating an unscheduled zombie march in New York." Sarah stated as she smiled a disarming smile at Charlie. "Invisible assailants are not too farfetched for us." "Hell, there's that Invisible Woman right?" Mike added. "The mechanics are proven to exist." "You...you actually believe me?" North stammered as he unchained the door and opened it slightly. "But I don't think they were invisible anymore, it doesn't make sense." "Well Officer North, what do you think the assailants were now?" Mike asked as he tried to gauge what North's actual mental state was. "Well I was thinking why would an invisible man wear a hazmat suit? It makes no sense to stop being invisible when attacking someone." North mused as he looked at Mike and Sarah, half expecting them to burst into laughter. "I know think that the suits were robots or controlled by computer, I mean I shot one at point blank range, the bullet went straight through and it didn't react." "Interesting." Sarah hummed as she looked at Mike. "Officer North the Bureau thanks you for your cooperation." Mike stated as he shook North's hand. "If we need any more information, we'll contact you." "Wait you have my phone number?" North asked as Sarah and Mike walked back to their Toyota. "We're the FBI," Sarah whispered as she tried to wipe a massive grin off her face. "We have everyone's number." Crouched on the pavement, Mike opened the duffel bag and removed an EMF recorder built from an old mobile phone and waved it over the concrete. Behind him Sarah swung a pair of divining rods around, occasional bronze sparks spitting off the ends. "So, there is a trade in magical body-parts." Sarah stated as Mike placed the EMF recorder down and checked the reading against a laminated sheet attached to the strap. "Problem is, away from a beating heart the organ's power is not only reduced but finite." "So basically, Erin's healing hand has a shelf life?" Mike asked as he put the EMF reader back in the bag. "There are too many Electro- Mystical Frequencies round here, I'm getting to many false positives." "Same here." Sarah sighed as a homeless looking man walked past and tossed a crumpled betting form into the duffel bag. "Hey this isn't a trash can!" She yelled as the man walked around the corner and away. "You must forgive Chester, he's a little unhinged." A man dressed in a Van Vile print shirt and jeans coming the other direction stated. "Jacob Keller, you must be the detectives my father hired." "Your father and grandmother never mentioned Erin had a brother." Mike stated cautiously as he mentally scanned the man for concealed weapons. "Of course, they wouldn't, my father hasn't come to terms with my narcolepsy and my grandmother is disappointed that I don't have a magical gift like my sister." Jacob sighed, unaware that Sarah was mentally scanning his butt from behind, an odd-looking smile on her face. "Erin was the only person I actually liked in my family, but after the attack she's become cold and distant." "Did Erin have any enemies?" Mike asked as Sarah put her hand over her mouth. "No but I can't say the same about the others who were attacked." Jacob announced as he turned to look at Sarah. "Others?" Mike asked. "Yeah, Bryn Murphy was killed two nights after Erin was attacked, his tongue cut out. Paige Hanover had her skull caved in a week after that and her brain was missing." Jacob stated before coldly adding. "Bryn was a property developer who was targeting old businesses in town while Paige was a con-woman and a fraud." "Well if you think of anything else let us know." Mike stated as he shot a look at Sarah. "Yeah you can reach me at Cobalt Comics when I'm awake, it's only a few blocks down towards the waterfront." Jacob yawned as he headed off towards the aforementioned comic book store. "Remind me to ask Mr Keller about him next time we meet." Mike announced as he walked over to the duffel bag and fished out Chester's discarded betting slip. "And remind me to throw a bucket of water over you." "Something about him seemed..." Sarah sighed as she waved her hands the rods passing over the note, the bronze sparks flashing purple for a second. "...wait what was that?" She asked as she positioned the rods over the slip. "It's an indicator for a low-level psychic message." Mike announced as he placed the slip into the bag. "My guess is that someone sent the old man as a messenger, but why." "Let's ask." Sarah stated as he gestured to the 'Lucky Shamrock'. "After all, our delivery boy didn't have far to find us." Ethan narrowed his eyes as he looked Chester's betting slip up and down. While people often tried to pull a con of 'finding' a winning slip, the pair of 'tourists' seemed to believe there was a hidden message there. "Can't help you sorry." Ethan grunted before checking his ear-piece. "What, yeah okay boss." He sighed as he looked at Mike. "Boss wants to see you for some reason, told me to give you your ticket and to warn you not to cause trouble." "Or what?" Mike asked, only for Ethan to light his hands up bright red. "Oh wow, you have 'the Touch of Death'." Sarah gushed as Ethan walked over to a door leading up to the second floor. Heading up the last thing the pair was expecting was the room to be decorated like a Shinto temple, or for the owner to be a pudgy Japanese man with a big hooked nose. It was even more surprised when, in flawless English he introduced himself as 'Jimmy the Nose'. "Let me see that." Jimmy announced as he snatched the betting form from Mike. "Ah yes, this is Chester's work, he and I created this together." "So, you can read the message psychically attached to it?" Sarah asked as Jimmy ran his fat fingers over the betting slip. "No, it's Chester's message, he's a low-level clairvoyant he just needed some assistance putting the message in a tangible form." Jimmy explained as he waddled off to his desk. "Take a seat and I'll find Chester's address for you," Ethan Healey flipped the form over and read the other side of the job application. Letting out a small chuckle he thought back to the red head and how impressed with his magical gift she'd been. In reality the 'Touch of Death' was less impressive, and simply put those affected by it into a paralytic state. Returning his focus to the form, Ethan heard the door open and looked up to see a pair of figures in a hazmat suit swagger in, both holding cleavers. "What the hell?!" Ethan swore as he got to his feet, his hands glowing. "Who the fuck are you guts?!" He asked as he tapped both suits on the shoulder, only for those inside to keep standing. Without delay the suits grabbed him with strength beyond what a normal human possessed, and slammed him into the desk before stretching his right hand out. Struggling to the end Ethan let out a scream as the cleaver cut through the bone, blood dripping over his application form. |