Patches and Eyes

“Fuck!” Cas yells from under the Mustang. “Solace, you hit something and your front suspension is shit out of luck.”

“Cas, we have a problem with this one, too.” Allan calls out from under Andy’s Charger. Both walk over to Solace and show him the metal cylinders that caused the damage. “This was in the gas tank.”

“That there is one of our safety measures. Sorry about that, but it just so happens we have the parts you need.” Agatha, the leader of the Patchworth’s. She is a woman in her early fifties, her stern face and hard ass personality has kept her clan safe for the past few months.

“Tell me Agatha, how did all this start?” Solace asks.

“Well ever since the Arrives House blew up over in Richmond, all these mercenaries been spilling in. Ain’t no police either, some turned tail and ran and others joined the damn mercs. But like a good Texan girl, I do my part when I’m needed.”

“What have you been up to? Apart from blowing up my cars.” Solace decides it’s better to get all the information before telling her who he is.

“The few that stayed behind have tried smuggling in military folk, just last week we helped a few take down the Scatter-heads, a group of rapists and heathens who used to run this area. But with them McWrither brothers in charge there ain’t much we can do.”

Solace looks over at Jacob, and says simply “we are here to take them out of Virginia, and hopefully the rest follow.”

“Kid I don’t see you knocking cans over with that pea shooter, let alone killing a group like the McWrithers.

“Let us buy the parts for our cars from you and I’ll personally bring one to you.”

Agatha looks him over, she can tell when someone is beating themselves pretty. “Money ain’t what it used to be around here, and I need a long term investment. How about fixing a little problem for us and we’ll give you the parts?”

“What do you need?” Solace says. Jacob and Cas look at each other, normally he consults with them when things like this come up.

“There is a well about five miles south, more like a fishing hole. Some wild dogs have been attacking the kids, we even lost little Stevie Jones. Bring me the eyes of the pack leader and you can have the parts. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Solace looks over at the rest of the team, “Cas, Jacob, Teller, Allan, you’re with me.”

“If Cas is going I should stay, someone needs to work on the cars while you go play.” Allan says getting back under his car.”

“I’ll come.” Andy jumps out of the back seat and makes his way to Teller, who is already geared up.

When the rest are ready, the five head south towards the well. Andy, not used to this, tries to make conversation but is quickly shushed by Solace. Teller quietly explains what is expected, resolved Andy keeps his MW Rod at the ready.

When the smell of muddy water reaches them, solace stops and sends Jacob and Teller into the trees. Cas stalks to the left and Andy to the right. Solace heads forward, slowly making his way into the clearing where the fishing hole sits quietly. From where he stands he can see small bubbles forming at the water’s edge. The moment his reflection appears in the water the bubbles stop.

Solace throws himself to one side and narrowly misses getting bitten by what looks like an alligator’s mouth on a pit-bull body. It rears its head and latches itself to Solace’s leg. Cas runs in from his hiding place and takes aim but has no clear shot. Andy bounds in from his hiding place and jabs the Rod into the thing’s eye. Solace feels a warm sensation in his leg as the dog’s skin boils, it slumps over dead.

Another two dogs rush out of the water and run at Andy. One doesn’t make it two feet from the bank before Andy boils it where it stands. The second, takin advantage, grazes his teeth against Solace’s good leg but doesn’t latch on like his brother.

Solace Takes out his gun and unloads a round into the dog, it yelps but remains standing. Jacob fires an arrow and misses the dog, the ground explodes and the beast runs for the water, yelping in pain. Teller leaps out of her tree and lands next to the bank as the wounded animal submerges itself.

“Teller, Stay back!” Solace Yells.

She turns to him for instruction just as an enormous creature brakes through the water. It slashes at her back with razor claws, and she returns an attack with three blades to the chest. The creature is a seven foot tall biped covered in albino scales and has the same pit-gator face as the smaller ones.

Andy runs directly up to it, “That’s my girlfriend!” the blistering skin on its face snaps like popped corn.

Cas runs into both Teller and Andy just as the monster takes another swipe, pushing them to relative safety. Solace misses with two shots, his vision blurs from the blood loss. He stays awake long enough to see Jacob fire two arrows into its abdomen and in the blackness he can hear them go off.

A few hours later Solace comes to, back in the Patchworth camp. His right leg is wrapped and clean, but he has a sick feeling that purple toes is not a good sign. He can hear the others outside, he can hear them arguing about who’s turn it is to check on him.