The Castrator by Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov (short books for teens txt) 📕

HIS HEAD, AND HIS FACE ADORNED QUITE A FEW ROADSIDE POLES IN AT LEAST FIFTEEN STATES.

AS THEY WATCHED THE UNRESOLVED CLASH BETWEEN THEIR LEADERS, THESE SAVAGE DEMIHUMANS REALIZED THAT SOME ATROCITY WAS ABOUT TO OCCUR THAT WOULD GO BEYOND THE REALM OF THE NORMAL.

IN SUCH A SITUATION, A GANGSTER GANG COULD EASILY HAVE BROKEN UP, BUT SOMETHING INEXPLICABLE SEEMED TO HOLD THEM TOGETHER. THEY DIDN'T PULL OUT THEIR GUNS IN AN ATTEMPT TO SEIZE THE LOOT - THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN STUPID AND POINTLESS.

WE ONLY WATCHED THEIR STRANGE, HALF-HUMAN, HALF-DEMONIC REACTIONS OF BAKED RECIDIVISTS.

SUDDENLY, SOMEONE TURNED TO DURAITH AND GAVE HIM A PARTICULAR LOOK:

- IF YOU'VE ARRANGED WITH GUS HIMSELF TO SHARE. AND EVENTUALLY THE COPS WILL BRAZENLY NAIL US. THESE DOGS! BETTER DEATH THAN TO ...

DURAITH REALIZED HE'D HAVE TO SAVE HIS LIFE - HE COULDN'T FACE EVERYONE ALONE. DESPITE THE MORAL SUPERIORITY HE IMAGINED HE POSSESSED. THE MACHIAVELLIAN SYNDROME WAS PERFECTLY APPLICABLE TO THIS SORT OF PERSON, SINCE HONESTY LED NOWHERE AND DECEIT CARRIED AT LEAST SOME CHANCE OF SURVIVAL.

THE OTHERS DIDN'T ATTACK HIM, BUT THEY DIDN'T DARE APPROACH HIM EITHER. IT SEEMED ABSOLUTELY UNNATURAL. PERHAPS THEY WERE LIKE A PACK OF HYENAS, AFRAID TO ATTACK A DOOMED LION THAT MIGHT WELL PROVE VERY DANGEROUS? BUT DURAITH GAVE NO SIGN OF WANTING TO FIGHT - YET HIS WEAPON WAS AT HAND.

AT ONE TIME THE ROCKERS DID NOT ENDURE, AND IT WAS JEREMY EIL, THE OUTLAW OF SAN QUENTIN, WHO ASKED HIM SIMPLY

- ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP LEADING US OR NOT?

HE LOOKED EVEN MORE HAGGARD. THE MEN DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT EACH OTHER. THEY JUST GOT ON THEIR MOTORCYCLES AND CONTINUED ON, BEFORE LETTING TWO OF THE FORMATION CHECK FOR A POLICE AMBUSH.

ARLO'S MIND CRYSTALLIZED THE CORPSE OF ELLAR, STRUNG LIKE A PIECE OF FOOD ON A SKEWER. THE CONSUMERIST NATURE OF SOCIETY HAD PERHAPS LED TO THIS DOWNFALL? ALTHOUGH THESE SOCIETIES HAD THEIR ORIGINS IN THE 1930S IN THE PRESENT TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED TIMES THIS TENDENCY HAD INCREASED ENORMOUSLY.

ARLO'S MIND CRYSTALLIZED THE CORPSE OF AN ELLAR, STRUNG LIKE A PIECE OF FOOD ON A SKEWER. THE CONSUMERIST NATURE OF SOCIETY HAD PERHAPS LED TO THIS DOWNFALL? ALTHOUGH THESE SOCIETIES HAD THEIR ORIGINS IN THE 1930S IN THE PRESENT TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED TIMES THIS TENDENCY HAD INCREASED ENORMOUSLY.

WE THEN WENT OUT ON A CIRCUITOUS ROUTE AND DECIDED FOR EXTRA SECURITY NOT TO REFUEL FOR NOW.

WE MANAGED TO REPLENISH OUR WATER SUPPLY FROM PELICAN LAKE ITSELF, WHICH HAD NO VISITORS AT THE TIME, AS WE WERE AFRAID OF BEING RECOGNIZED AT A GAS STATION.

MANY PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE BELIEVED IT, BUT I WONDERED WHERE THE GAS STAYED. IN THE END THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING KEEPING HIM ON THE RESERVATION, AND HIS FRIEND WAS FATALLY SHOT. HE COULD HARDLY DO ANY BUSINESS WITH THE LOCALS ANYMORE EITHER - SO HIS PRESENCE THERE WAS RATHER IRRELEVANT.

YES, BLUEBIRD'S WORDS THAT "THIS WINTER WOULD BE HIS LAST" PROVED PROPHETIC.

I WONDERED IF EACH OF US HAD SIMPLY BUILT A MICRO-WORLD OF OUR OWN IN WHICH TO SURVIVE - MUCH LIKE THE HOSPITAL WALLS OF A MENTAL INSTITUTION. WE FELT COMFORTABLE JUST FINDING EXCUSES.

ZONARE DIDN'T HAVE A PETAC NOW, AND THE GROUP HAD DECIDED TO EAT, SINCE TAKING THE WHOLE DISTANCE TO LA POINTE MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED THEM FROM KEEPING BETTER TRACK OF THEIR SAFETY.

SO WE FORCED OURSELVES TO SPEND THE EVENING LISTENING TO FAT JOKES AND BREATHING IN THE FLAVOR OF REAL NOMADIC LIFE.

IN THE MORNING, HOWEVER, DURAITH HAD WANDERED OFF TO PARTS UNKNOWN, AND THE MEMBERS OF THE GANG WERE GREATLY DISTURBED BY HIS ABSENCE. THEY ASSUMED THAT HE WOULD GIVE THEM AWAY, BUT A LITTLE LATER IT WAS LEARNED THAT EIL AND SHAMS HAD TRACKED HIM DOWN AND KILLED HIM IN THE NEARBY WOODS. STRANGE WHY, BUT THIS TIME THEY HAD BURIED HIS CORPSE SHALLOWLY, DOUSING IT WITH GASOLINE TO PREVENT WILD ANIMALS FROM CARRYING THE PIECES OF HIS CORPSE IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS - AND IT MADE THE BODY ROT MUCH MORE QUICKLY AND EASILY.

FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS PAYING ATTENTION - SO I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO EXAMINE THE BLUEBIRD MASCOT. IT WAS VERY SPECIAL AND OBVIOUSLY SERVED AS PROTECTION.

- "USE IT WISELY," THE INDIAN HAD CONCLUDED. "IN LIFE, EVERYONE USUALLY HAS ONE CHANCE, BUT MANY OF US DON'T EVEN HAVE THAT. AND THE GREAT SPIRIT ..."

THE BLUEBIRD'S EYES WERE STRANGE AS HE HAD IMPARTED THIS MAGICAL REMEDY - LIKE BOTTOMLESS WELLS IN WHICH YOUR PLUNGE MIGHT BE ENDLESS AND A SKY IN WHICH NOT A STAR REMAINED AND A MISTY GLOOM REIGNED.

IT WAS A MOST ORDINARY INDIAN DREAM-TRAP, WHICH WAS MADE OF BRIGHTLY COLOURED FEATHERS SUSPENDED UNDER A MASSIVE WOODEN RING DECORATED WITH BEADS - IN THE MIDDLE OF WHICH WAS VISIBLE THE WELL-TANGLED MANDALA THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO CATCH BAD DREAMS.

- IN YOUR DREAMS YOU WILL FIND THE TRUE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTIONS. AND THE ASTRAL WORLD WAS ONLY A TEST OF YOUR LEVEL OF SENSITIVITY - HIS MOUTH STRETCHED INTO A SEMBLANCE OF A FRIENDLY SMILE, WHICH FOR WHO KNOWS WHY I DIDN'T FIND SO FRIGHTENING.

AFTER THE MURDER OF DURAITH, APPARENTLY THE BIKERS NEEDED A NEW LEADER WHO HAD TO BE LESS PETTY ABOUT DIVIDING THE SPOILS AND THE "ADMINISTRATIVE" FORMALITIES.

THEY DECIDED TO VOTE LIKE A PRIMITIVE RABBLE ON WHO WAS THE WORTHIEST, AND SO THAT THERE WOULD BE NO MORE MURDERS - THEY ESTABLISHED A NEW SIMPLE RULE - THE ONE AMONG THEM WITH THE MOST SERIOUS CRIMES COULD BE CALLED A TRUE HELL ANGEL.

AFTER SOME HESITATION, THEY DECIDED THAT EIL HIMSELF MET THE STANDARD FOR SUCH AN HONOR - HE HAD A RECORD SO LONG THAT EVEN JUST LISTING THE CRIMES AT THE BEGINNING SUGGESTED THAT HE MIGHT BE THE TRUE INCARNATION OF THE ANTICHRIST - HE HAD MORE THAN A DOZEN MURDERS, TWO ROBBERIES, A BURGLARY, A DISTURBING THE PEACE, AND INVOLVEMENT IN A RACKETEERING RING - THAT WAS ENOUGH TO DECLARE HIM A WORTHY CANDIDATE.

FATE HAD SURPRISES IN STORE FOR US...

THERE WASN'T TOO MUCH LEFT ON OUR ROUTE, AND NOW I NOTICED THAT THE FACES OF THE OTHER MOTORCYCLISTS HAD BECOME MORE PECULIAR.

THAT NIGHT THEY WERE BUSY DISTRIBUTING THE SPOILS - AND THEY WERE VERY INTERESTING. THEY DECIDED BECAUSE OF EIL'S ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE LIQUIDATION OF THE DURIGHT - HE WOULD GET THE EIGHT SMALL GOLD BARS AND ALL THE OTHER MONEY WAS LEFT FOR THE OTHERS.

ROBERT CHAMPS - HIS AVER RATHER ODDLY SHUFFLED OFF AND SAID NOTHING.

THEY HAD BOTH SHARED THE ADVERSITY AT SAN QUENTIN, WHICH WAS PRACTICALLY THE OLDEST PRISON IN CALIFORNIA. IT ALSO HOUSED THE SO-CALLED DEATH CHAMBER. BUT BOTH CHAMPS AND EIL PREFERRED TO FORGET THIS EPISODE IN THEIR LIVES. IN THEIR DREAMS, GLIMPSES SOMETIMES APPEARED OF THE OUTLINE OF THE HUGE PRISON THAT HAD BEEN THEIR HOME FOR MORE THAN SIXTEEN YEARS.

THERE WERE NO DISSATISFIED PRISONERS.

BUT ZONARA HAD BECOME SIMPLY UNRECOGNIZABLE, AND ARLO HAD MANAGED TO KEEP HIS MONEY BY INEXPLICABLY INSERTING IT INTO THE BARK OF A TREE. YES, HE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THEM SHORTLY BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE, BUT HIS WIDE CLOTHES WITH MANY POCKETS WERE AN EXCELLENT HIDING PLACE.

NATURALLY, ARLO HADN'T BEEN SEARCHED FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT, AS A HIPSTER AND A RATHER DEFT MANIPULATOR, HE WAS ADEPT AT MAKING CONTACTS WHEREVER HE WENT - GENERALLY, THE WEED HE'D SMOKED WITH THE OTHER GANG MEMBERS HAD CEMENTED HIS CONTACTS FURTHER.

ON THE MORROW WE SET OFF, AND NOW HAD THE LAST PART OF THE JOURNEY BEFORE REACHING OUR FINAL DESTINATION, AS WE THEN THOUGHT, THE LA POINTE CEMETERY.

THE ROCKERS DECIDED TO TAKE ROUTE EIGHT, THEN FIFTY-ONE, BUT OUR GROUP WOULD SPLIT INTO TWO SEPARATE SUB-GROUPS TO REASSEMBLE AT IRISHWOOD - OF COURSE, THIS WAS ONE OF THE MORE OBVIOUS ROUTES, BUT IT HAD TO BE CONSIDERED AS WE WOULD NOT BE SUCH EASY TARGETS THIS WAY.

WE SET OFF AGAIN. THIS TIME I DIDN'T FEEL ANYTHING - THERE WAS NOTHING SO STRANGE. I ASSUMED THAT ARLO HAD MANAGED TO COLLECT HIS SMALL FORTUNE FROM THE BARK OF THE TREE WITHOUT THOSE BANDITS SENSING IT - THE TAREKAT COULD STEP LIKE A CAT ON TIPTOE.

BUT AFTER THAT ASTRAL WALK IN THE PRESENCE OF THE NOW-DECEASED BLUEBIRD, I WAS CLEARLY AWARE THAT SOME PART OF THE WHOLE PICTURE WAS STILL SLIPPING AWAY.

I DID MY BEST TO KEEP MY FACE IMPENETRABLE, AND THE ZONAR NEVER ONCE LOOKED AT ME. THERE WERE SOME QUIRKS THAT DEFINITELY SEEMED TO HAVE BUILT A NEW MICROWORLD - THE EXTREMELY UNEVENTFUL MURDER OF THE DURAITH WAS JUST ONE OF THEM.

AT THE END OF THE DAY WE WERE IN AYRENWOOD - HERE THE HELL'S ANGELS GATHERED IN ONE OF THE LOCAL PUBS AND BEHAVED MORE THAN MANNERLY - THEY COULD AFFORD A BIT OF A 'HOLIDAY' AFTER THE HUGE HIT ZONARA'S MONEY HAD TAKEN. THEN I SENSED THAT AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT WAS BEING MADE AGAINST ME - AFTER ALL, ARLO AND ZONARA WERE IN A SEPARATE LEAGUE, AND I'D BEEN GIVEN THE BLUEBIRD AMULET, AND HE'D PROMISED THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING WOULD BE REVEALED TO ME VERY SOON.

THE ROCKERS ENTERED AN INTERESTING BREWPUB, WHERE AS MUCH AS IT WAS NOT TO BE BELIEVED, THEY TRIED TO OBSERVE SOME DISCRETION THAT WOULD MAKE THE OWNER'S EYES GLAZE OVER AND HE WOULD NOT ACCIDENTALLY PRESS THE PANIC BUTTON.

ARLO, ZONER AND I HADN'T SAID A WORD TO EACH OTHER THE ENTIRE TRIP, BUT I FELT I HAD TO RELY ON MORE THAN THE BLUEBIRD MEDALLION. SO TONIGHT I WAS GOING TO GET READY AND STAY ONE STEP AHEAD OF THEM.

THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE BIG BROTHER WAS GOING TO GAIN EVEN MORE POWER AFTER BLUEBIRD'S DEMISE - SO THE UNKNOWNS IN THE EQUATION WERE BECOMING TOO MANY AND ANY PREDICTIONS WERE TOO DANGEROUS. MAYBE BIG BROTHER HAD A DARK SIDE THAT HE WAS JEALOUSLY HIDING FROM ALL OF US, AND A SINGING SHADOW WAS GOING TO ATONE FOR WALKING AWAY FROM HIS SON IN SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE. YES, LIFE WAS FOR LIVING AND IT WAS NOT ABOUT LOVE!

I SUSPECTED, HOWEVER, THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES THE INVISIBLE SUPERNATURAL HAND THAT WAS AFTER US - AND THIS ENTITY WAS OF A PURELY HUMAN NATURE.

ZONARA WAS NOT HELPLESS AT ALL - THOUGH WITHOUT FINANCIAL MEANS, SHE STILL HAD MASTERY OF HER MAGICAL RITUALS, AND ARLO COULD TIP THE SCALES AT THE APPROPRIATE MOMENT, OR EVEN PLAY SOLO, WHICH WAS ALL TOO LIKELY.

THE LOCALS PRETENDED NOT TO NOTICE THE RESPECTABLE APPEARANCE OF THE MEN WHO JUST PASSED BY. AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER NO ONE BOOED EITHER. IT WAS AS IF SOME CHILL HAD PASSED THROUGH THE TOWN AND LIFE WAS ONLY POSSIBLE IN THOSE THIN ETHEREAL LAYERS WHERE THOSE EXTRAORDINARY CREATURES DWELT. THE WIDE STREETS WERE UNUSUALLY DESERTED, BUT THE AIR REMINDED ME OF THAT BLUE SPRING I HAD EXPERIENCED ON FELISTER'S FARM - EVEN THOUGH THE TEMPERATURES OUTSIDE WERE BELOW FREEZING AND IT WAS FEBRUARY. THE FEW PEOPLE WE MET AT ALL, CRUISING BY ON THEIR POWERFUL MOTORCYCLES, HAD THEIR HEADS BOWED - AS IF AWAITING THE DREADED JUDGMENT.

I HAD ONCE WATCHED SOME ALIEN ON A TV SHOW WHO SAID THAT THE UNIVERSE DIDN'T WANT OUR SURVIVAL, AND WE HAD TO ESCAPE TO ANOTHER UNIVERSE IF NECESSARY - AND SO ON AD INFINITUM, AND IF WE COULDN'T GET THERE BEFORE THE END OF THE CURRENT ONE, OR THERE WAS NO SUCH UNIVERSE YET, WE WOULD PERISH. QUANTUM PHYSICS HAD SIMILAR EXPLANATIONS, AND A NUMBER OF PROMINENT SCIENTISTS TALKED ALONG SIMILAR LINES.

WE DECIDED TO STAY IN A MOTEL, WHERE I TRIED MY HARDEST TO CLOSE MY EYES IN AN ATTEMPT TO SLEEP. THE ROOM WAS SPARTANLY FURNISHED, AND I BEGAN TO APPRECIATE FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT FELISTER HAD NEVER SPARED ANY EXPENSE TO KEEP HIS WORKERS WELL-EACH OF THEM HAD ACCESS TO A SPECIAL BATHROOM TO WASH AWAY THE PIG FILTH-BUT COULD WE WASH THE FILTH FROM OUR SOULS? I DIDN'T AT FIRST. I TRIED NOT TO LOOK AT THE DARKNESS ABOVE ME, AS I KNEW IT WOULDN'T HELP. THEN I GOT CARRIED AWAY. AND I DID INDEED GLIMPSE GUS BENZOUR - HIS FACE WAS CHANGED AND HE MOVED STRANGELY -