Mystic Moon Warriors

Mystic Moon Warriors - book excerpt

Prologue

Napoleon Mahamyd Smyith remembered vividly the little bookshop he had waited in, which was a safe distance from where he had placed a bomb. It was one of his brilliant diversionary tactics—causing chaos in one area, while stealing the nuclear bomb in another.

He wanted to watch the death and destruction his well-placed bomb would ultimately bring about. The ensuing blast shook the little shop violently causing everyone to run shrieking from the building. Dust rained down on him covering his hair and clothes like a gray-hooded shroud.

A small glimmer caught Smyith’s eye. He followed the sparkling lights to a loosened wood beam. There, nestled in the dry-rotted wood, was a small crystal ball, about the size of a tennis ball. He brushed away the wood chips that had fallen on it and picked up the tiny glass object.

Smyith walked outside and smiled. The memory of the mayhem and death was burnt into his mind. He quietly turned and strolled casually away with the little glass orb stashed in his pants pocket.

He rented a cabin cruiser and was headed toward his own private island, which was safely tucked away in the vast Pacific Ocean. Mesmerized by swelling waves and darkening skies, Smyith realized an unexpected storm had kicked up. Undauntedly, he marveled at the power of the waves and the deadly lightning bolts as they slashed jagged blazes of silver across the blackened skies.

Suddenly, he heard a deep, ominous roar from a distance. A brilliant flash engulfed the horizon and was quickly followed by a mushroom-shaped cloud that billowed high into the cold, black sky.

He brought his arm up to block the bright light from assaulting his eyes. He knew then that his comrades, his fellow terrorists, had set off his nuclear bomb. “Imbeciles! They have ruined everything. Stupid, mindless, idiots!” He screamed into the blackness now surrounding him with his fist clenched tightly in the air.

Slowly, the water began to churn into mammoth swells. Mountains of water pulsated around him as it took the cabin cruiser on endless slides and ebbs. The cacophonous roar, fraught with doom, increased until it ripped the air with a tumultuous, ear-deafening clamor.

The terrorist watched transfixed, as the horizon seemed to be swallowed up by a dark shadow that was rushing toward him. Smyith stared as if hypnotized by a giant mass of water growing before him. He gasped in awe.

Smyith watched a mountain of raging, seething water, collapsing in on itself as it built up higher and higher. He watched as it raced toward him with incredible speed. It amazed him that so large a mass could move and grow with such power! Oh! The envy … to have such power.

He knew there was no way to stop it. He was going to die. No time for regrets.

Smyith stood exultantly on the bridge of the dwarfed cabin cruiser. He reveled in the superior force all around him. His senses were alive with the beauty of that power.

Napoleon Mahamyd Smyith threw his arms out wide and welcomed the massive wall of water as it closed in on him. He felt the advance spray drench and beat on the puny boat that would soon become his coffin.

Now, the water hung above his head as if for a second, it was suspended, frozen in place.

Smyith felt something hit against his hip. He brought his arms down as his fingers sought and grasped the little glass object in his pocket. They would share the ride of death together.

He watched with serene calm as the mountain of water rushed toward him.

A large swell jolted the cabin cruiser up into the air at the same time lightning struck. Let me feel the power, the ultimate power of death; his mind screamed. As if on command, the wind and water hit the boat smashing it apart. He felt his body flying, soaring.

So, this is death, he rhapsodized. He could feel the helplessness of his fragile body being slammed and twisted, thrown up into the air and then pulled down into the roiling, berserk, and turbulent waters. Smyith’s nostrils burned as water filled his air passages, while at the same time strange, little, flickering lights danced crazily in front of his eyes.

Suddenly, the reality of his situation took hold. The terrorist began to scream and shriek. “No, I don’t want to die! No! No!” It was his last thought before darkness, complete and total darkness, took him under.

Chapter 1

Blood-red clouds slithered across the sky, ravenously devouring the luminous white of the moons. A crimson shadow fell silently over a forest glade blackened and riddled with dead and dying foliage. In the middle of the glade, a tiny band of warriors waited expectantly … silently. Their bodies and minds readied for the attack. From deep in the forest, the ominous sound of demon drums grew louder. Then they came. Hundreds of grotesque forms poured out from between the trees. Swords clashed and claws slashed, until the sounds of battle were muted by the screams of the dying.

Officer Kess Tamer sat upright in bed. Her large brown eyes opened as she looked wildly around the room. Perspiration dotted her forehead, and her breaths were shallow and quick. She sighed deeply. It was only the nightmare. The same nightmare she had experienced intermittently since she was a child. A police psychiatrist suggested myriad reasons why the recurring dream would manifest every so often. Nevertheless, Kess didn’t accept any part of it, because none of the reasons made any sense to her.

She shrugged the dream off and threw back the warm comforter. Jolted awake by a chilly October day, she hastily made her way across the cold wooden floor to the bathroom and a hot shower.

After her daily routine in the bathroom, she slipped a white T-shirt over her bra, and over that went her bulletproof vest. The Velcro straps, attached at the sides of the vest, were pulled snuggly across her chest.

Kess pulled her uniform from the closet and quickly put it on. Her brown, naturally wavy hair curled slightly around her pale, heart-shaped face, barely brushing the dark-blue collar of her uniform. Kess snapped the last belt-keeper that secured her holster and gun, and with one final adjustment, pushed the leather handcuff pouch toward the back of the belt. She carefully studied her reflection in the floor-length mirror, satisfied that everything was perfect; she headed out the door.

Her partner, Sergeant John “Mac” MacQuinn, was waiting outside to drive her to work. She picked up a hand-held police radio and moved it off her seat. Kess looked at the police radio, scanner and other police equipment he had in his cruiser. “You have more equipment in your personal car than we have in our cruiser.”

“When I’m on call, I need red lights and sirens sometimes.” He said matter-of-fact as he pulled away from the curb and headed toward the police station.

After a brief roll call, they walked to their assigned cruiser to start their pre-shift checklist. Mac sat in the cruiser as he checked the cruiser's systems.

“Why do they have to have ‘toy’ cars for us to ride around in?” His tall 6’4” frame barely fit into the police cruiser.

“Gimme a break, my front seat is pushed back so far I have to hit the floor running to get to the shotgun on the dashboard.”

“Not true. Three or four steps at max,” he said stoically.

Kess rolled her eyes and laughed. She sat her 5’6” frame in the cruiser and began her normal routine.

Mac continued his check of the police car equipment. He hit the switch for the red and blue lights on top of the car, climbed out to check they were working, along with the other lights on the vehicle. Observing the red and blue lights and the other lights were all working he slid into the cruiser. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Yep, she said putting the tuning forks for the cruiser’s radar unit, back in their pouch. “Radar checks okay. I’ll bet other police departments have more modern equipment than this.”

“Probably,” Mac said adjusting the rearview mirror.

Kess shrugged and finished putting the notices for business checks, warrants for arrest, and nuisance calls onto a clipboard in priority order. The last sheet placed on top of the paperwork was their daily log sheet. “Did you know that the Sheriff’s department has laptops in their cruisers that do all of this … this stuff?” She said gesturing to all the paperwork on the clipboard.

“We’re lucky our department doesn’t slap the reds and blues on bicycles for us to ride around in,” Mac slammed the cruiser door shut as he reached back for his seat belt. “Well, this should be one long uneventful night.”

“We can only hope, especially since we’re both going on vacation for three weeks tomorrow. I don’t want to stay late filling out reports.” Kess smiled and checked that their Stetson’s were secured between the cruiser’s cage screen and the back of their headrests. She finished adjusting her seat belt tightly around her as Mac pulled out of the police station parking lot.

“Me neither,” Mac nodded in agreement. “There’s a big ole Salmon out there in the Alaska wilds with my name on it.”

“I’ll be thinking about you while I’m sunning myself on a tropical beach in the Bahamas,” Kess said. “Okay, not. I won’t be thinking of you or police work at all.”

“Same here,” Mac laughed

The police radio broke in, “We have a 10-56 at Blinko’s Bar on Windy Road.

“10-4,” Kess respond. “Friday night and another drunk. What a surprise!”

A little while later Mac pulled the cruiser into the parking lot where a lot of people were gathering and shouting.

As they got out of the cruiser someone spotted them and yelled, “Hey, the pigs are here. Who called the pigs?”

“Soo-ee, soo-ee,” someone else yelled.

“This is gonna be a fun time,” Kess said sarcastically.

“There must be fifteen or more,” Mac responded. As he walked toward the unruly crowd, he reached up to the radio clipped on the shoulder of his uniform and gave the code for immediate backup.

“Oh, looky,” a drunken man yelled. “What’d you do call up your pig buddies for help? You afraid, Copper?”

“No, I called for body bags,” Mac remarked confidently.

“Huh?” the startled heckler said, as he stepped back away from the imposing stance of Mac.

Sirens loomed in the distance, as other police officers were in route to back them up.

“Dem officers ain’t gonna get here in time to help you,” a man shouted at them.

Kess slid her PR-24 out of its holster. She trained, and trained hard, with her night stick. It was about three feet of solid, hard wood, with a nubby handle jutting out of the side near the top. She had no idea why they called it a PR-24; she called it her equalizer.

Mac had his PR-24 out and watched warily as the crowd now turned their anger toward them.

The crowd was beginning to circle behind him. Immediately Kess and Mac separated and stood back-to-back.

A man, holding a beer bottle upright in his hand, rushed toward Kess. Instantly, she brought her PR-24 up and knocked it out of his hand, and kicked the man solidly in the groin. She whirled around to fight off one of the attacker’s female friends. The woman rushed at Kess with her long nails formed as claws. Kess side-stepped away and the woman missed her. As she went by Kess picked up her foot and planted it firmly on her butt, and shoved her away. The woman’s arms flayed wildly around, as she staggered forward and fell to the ground.

Mac was fighting a man who was wielding a heavy, long chain. The muscular, tattooed man was smiling as he snapped and whipped his chain toward Mac, much to the amusement and enjoyment of the cheering crowd. But he made a big mistake when the chain wrapped around Mac’s mid-section. Mac immediately grabbed the chain in front of him and pulled the man closer to him. The sneer on the man’s lips disappeared as Mac doubled up his fist and slammed it into his face. The man fell heavily to the ground and did not move.

Now the angry crowd charged Mac and Kess; just as other police units arrived.

Mac and Kess fought off more attackers who were becoming leery of the black night stick the two officers were wielding with great expertise. The loud sound of sirens and screeching tires brought Mac and Kess the much-needed help, as several police officers joined in on the fracas, and within minutes, the scene was subdued. The attackers who were injured were taken by paramedics to the hospital, accompanied by police officers, and would be taken to jail later,

Mac and Kess thanked the responding departments that came to assist them, and were relieved the other officers had only minor injuries.

Kess, still slightly winded, sighed, “Oh brother, we’re going to have a lot of reports on this one.”

“Yep,” Mac shrugged. “Let’s head back to the station and get this over with.

“Yep,” Kess said. “You okay?” She asked without looking over at him.

“Yep, and you?” he asked as he climbed into the cruiser.

“Yep, me, too.” She said stoically and slid into her seat in the cruiser.

When they arrived at the station, a young, pretty girl walked up to Mac. “Hi,” she said sweetly. “I was wondering if you could take my statement first. I have a babysitter at home and need to get home as soon as I can. I wasn’t involved. I was so scared.”

“Sure,” Mac smiled down at the slim, tattooed, pretty girl, as she flipped her long pink and purple dyed locks at him. “Follow me. What’s your name?”

“Peggy,” she said softly as she smiled up into Mac’s face.

He looked at Kess, “I got this one. Go get yourself a cup of coffee.”

Mac walked down the long corridor to the interrogation rooms. He nodded to a police officer who passed him in the hallway. He didn’t see the police officer stop, turn around, and shake his head.

Kess was in the lunch area getting a cup of coffee when the police officer strolled in.

“Hi Kess,” he said reaching for a cup. “Mac can take care of himself pretty good.”

“Has there ever been any doubt?” Kess asked defensively.

“Well, no,” he fumbled with his words. “But that girl with the pink and purple hair. You know the one he was taking to the interro room; she was a vicious, nasty piece of work during the fight. Scratched up Fackler pretty badly. She had a knife, and I haven’t a clue where it came from. Her boyfriend, husband, or whatever, was the guy with the chain that Mac took out.”

Kess slammed her cup on the counter and raced down the corridor. She burst through the door startling Mac.

“What’s up?” Mac asked perplexed.

Kess never took her eyes off of the young girl as she raced over to her.

Peggy had just asked Mac if she could moisten her dry lips and had the lip stick in her hands. Kess roughly grabbed her hand, and the two began to fight over the lipstick tube.

“What are you doing?” Mac yelled.

“Get that lipstick tube from her,” Kess yelled back.

Mac reached over and pried the lipstick from her hand. “What? You like her shade of lipstick that much?” Mac sat back and stared at Kess.

Quickly, Peggy grabbed her purse and stood up glaring at Kess and Mac. “You want my purse. Here,” she said, with a strange smile crossing her face. She threw her purse on the table and stepped back.

Kess grabbed the purse off the table keeping it out of reach of Peggy.

“She’s just a witness.” Mac looked hard at Kess. “Okay, I trust your instincts, partner. What’s up?”

Suddenly, Peggy lunged across the table thrusting a long stiletto at Mac. Instinctively, Mac pushed his chair back and away from the thrust knife.

Kess reacted quickly. She clasped both her hands together, making a tight fist, and brought it down hard on the girl’s arm that was holding the long knife, causing her arm to hit the table.

“Arghh,” the girl screamed in pain dropping the blade on the table in front of a startled Mac.

Kess grabbed her by the hair and pulled her away from the table and threw her up against the wall. The girl turned around to attack Kess, but was met with a doubled up fist to the jaw knocking her to the floor.

Mac was out of his chair in a second and was standing over the splayed purple and pink hair of the young woman on the floor.

Kess opened the door and called for assistance. A couple of officers responded to the call. “Watch out! She just tried to kill Mac with a hidden knife.”

“Well, that was interesting,” Mac looked down at Kess as she picked up the purse that had fallen off the table in the scuffle.

“Where’s that lipstick tube?” Kess asked trying to find the rather large lipstick case.

“Here it is,” Mac said, gripping the lipstick tube still in his hand.

“Look,” Kess took the small, cylinder item from Mac’s hand. Slowly, she turned the tube and a small, sharp knife appeared. “Her purse is a virtual weapons item, too.” She pointed to where the dagger had been hidden in the design of the purse. Perfect concealment. No one would know it was there, unless you knew where to look.

“What? How did you know about this?”

“I like purses,” she shrugged. She went on to explain how Peggy was the significant other of the man with the chain.

“Well, I learned something new today. I think I’m gonna start looking at purses.”

“Absolutely, one for each outfit,” Kess laughed as the two walked back to the office. “We still have a ton of paperwork to do here.”

“At least the rest of the night should go without a hitch,” Mac said.

Kess nodded in agreement, yet something wasn’t sitting right. Something was going to happen. A foreboding was creeping into her psyche. Something… something just felt off.

Chapter 2

A couple of hours later, reports finished and filed, they were back on duty, finishing up nuisance call and business checks. No one was around to arrest on any of the issued warrants.

“Well, at least the rest of our shift was uneventful,” Kess sighed. She finished writing the last entry onto their log sheet.

“No more lengthy reports to write up. That’s a good thing,” he smiled down at her as they pulled up to a red light. He looked at his watch. “Only an hour to go. I think it’s time to head back to the station. We can stall around for time there.”

Kess nodded in agreement just as their police dispatcher’s voice blared out from the radio, “Medirea County to Sixteen-Seventeen.”

Kess picked up the mike from the police radio console bolted between the two-front seats. “This is Sixteen-Seventeen, go ahead.”

“Check out the alley behind the abandoned brewery off Kaitlan Lane. Passer-by said he heard something strange going on back there.”

Kess tried to hide the annoyance in her voice. “Copy that. We’ll check it out.”

The dispatcher’s response was distorted by static as Kess slipped the mike back into its holder. An aggravated look crossed her face. “So much for killing time at the station. Go figure.”

Mac turned the corner and headed for the brewery. “The only thing going on back there are probably a couple of kids breaking windows again,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, but so close to the end of the shift it could have stayed quiet,” she shook her head and gave Mac more of a grimace than a smile.

The patrol car nosed into the alley with its headlights piercing the inky blackness ahead. They rolled down their windows and played the cruiser’s side spotlights around the tumbled boxes and garbage cans that choked the passageway.

“What was that?” Kess asked as she caught a glimpse of a moving shadow.

“Don’t know, yet. You cover the right. I’m up the left. Let’s take it nice and easy.” Mac positioned the cruiser at a slight angle across the wide entrance, leaving enough room for them to maneuver around it.

The cruiser headlights splayed haphazardly along the wall, while the red-and-blue overheads pulsated into a kaleidoscopic barrage of refracted color.

Mac opened the door with his left hand, and his right hand automatically unsnapped the holster strap that held his gun securely in place. He didn’t have to look to see that his partner’s hand duplicated his move.

Cautiously, they exited the cruiser and made their way forward. The tall buildings on either side of them seemed to stretch out to form a menacing tunnel of murky black ahead.

Cruiser headlight beams cast their shadows that flowed in front of them as they entered the alley; one shape appeared tall, broad in the shoulders and one petite, and slight.

An incandescent flash of lightning etched the scene in front of them followed by an ominous, deep rumble. “Oh great! Now I can’t see anything,” Kess said in a low voice. Her eyes blinked to adjust from the sudden brightness to the darkness that surrounded them.

A scuffling, scurrying sound brought their flashlights to bear on several large rats that escaped into the black inkiness ahead.

Mac and Kess moved farther into the darkness that seemed to swallow the thin beams from their flashlights.

“It was probably the rats that caused a ruckus back here. What they need down here is some feline security,” Mac said as they walked toward the end of the alley and the tall, crumbling wall that sealed it off.

“Whoa, it sure stinks back here. It smells like rotten eggs.” Kess’ nose wrinkled at the foul aroma.

“Smells strong of sulfur to me.” Mac’s eyes narrowed as they swept the area one more time.

“Whew, it’s causing my eyes to burn. Let’s hurry up and get out of here.” She moved deeper into the dark alley.

They stepped over loose papers and garbage strewn in their path as they continued to check out the cluttered area. Suddenly, a blast of frigid air hit their backs with astonishing force, accompanied by a high-pitched shriek. They spun around in shock and disbelief.

“What the heck was that?”

“Whoa, don’t know,” he replied, studying the high brick wall. “Look there,” he pointed the beam from his flashlight at two buildings directly across from each other. “Two buildings and two open doors.”

“Yep, they sure are,” she heaved a sigh of resignation. “Which door is mine?”

“Door number one,” he pointed to the door nearest her on the right.

“Cripes, I’ve got goose bumps on top of goose bumps. That blast of air and creepy screech…well, it sounded so unearthly.” Kess shivered involuntarily.

“Unearthly? Unearthly, now that’s a new one.” Mac laughed as he looked down at Kess. “You have one vivid imagination, partner.”

“Let’s get this building sweep thing done already.” Kess liked the sergeant, but sometimes his matter-of-fact attitude grated on her nerves. She figured it was probably the biggest reason why she was never attracted to him in a romantic sense. She continued to study his ruggedly good-looking face. His brown hair looked almost black at night, but turned a reddish-brown color in the sun. However, it was his piercing, blue-gray eyes that were his most commanding feature.