Page 5 of Sinistram
“Good point,” Matthew conceded. “But we also want you and Brent to remain among the living.”
“Much appreciated.” Travis took a sip of hot chocolate and savored the warmth and taste, ignoring the sudden craving for a shot of Kahlua. “How’s the house tonight?”
“Nearly full,” Jon replied, knowing Travis meant St. Dismas. “More than usual for a nice night. Glad we can help, but I’m sorry so many folks need it.”
“Those contributions from the antique shop in Charleston and the ghost tour company in Cape May came through,” Jon said. “Please tell your friends, ‘Thank you.’”
“I will.” Travis and Brent had gotten to know others with supernatural skills who also helped fight off paranormal predators. Some of those friends had become regular donors to St. Dismas, which Travis deeply appreciated.
“And I know you probably had your phone ringer turned off all night, but check your messages,” Jon added. “Your friend from Conneaut Lake called looking for you, so it must be important.”
Travis reached for his phone, unlocked it, and saw that his one and only message was from Mark Wojcik, another monster hunter who covered territory north of Pittsburgh.
“Hey, Travis,”Mark said.“Hope you and Brent are alive and kicking. I know it’s a drive to Franklin, but there’s a wake tomorrow for Al Saunders. Don’t know if you ever hunted with him, but he’s one of ours, and he got taken out by a rougarou. Strange circumstances. I’ll explain when I see you. Let me know, and I can text directions. Thanks.”
Travis had played the message on speaker. He looked at Jon and Matthew after it ended and checked his watch. It wasn’t too late to return the call, at least, not by hunter standards. “Guess I’d better find out what’s going on.”
Mark picked up on the second ring.
“Thanks for returning my call.” His voice sounded scratchy, but whether it was from the weather or whiskey, Travis couldn’t tell.
“No problem. I didn’t know Al personally, but I heard him mentioned on the hunter grapevine. Sorry to hear he passed. A rougarou? Seriously?”
He knew that particular type of monster had to hit hard for Mark. A wendigo killed several members of Mark’s family, getting him into the monster-hunting life and breaking up his marriage.
“I hate to sound more paranoid than usual,” Mark said with a bitter laugh, “but I think there’s more to it.”
Travis frowned. “What do you mean?” It was a joke among hunters that being paranoid didn’t mean things weren’t out to get you, something that proved true more often than not.
“I can fill you in if you and Brent come up, but the short version is I think something is hunting the hunters.”
Travis exchanged a glance with Jon and Mathew. “Say what?”
“Al is the third hunter in as many months just in my corner of PA,” Mark said. “None of the guys who died were rookies or thrill-seekers. Two of them had been at it longer than I have, because they showed me a trick or two back at the beginning. Al had been hunting longer than any of us, but he wasn’t old, and he wasn’t slow. He was one of the craftiest bastards I ever met, so if something got the jump on him, it wasn’t normal, even for us.”
“Anyone piss off a coven lately?”
“Not to my knowledge. That’s just it…they could be coincidences, but my Spidey sense is telling me there’s more to it,” Mark replied. “If I were the superstitious type, I’d blame it on the black moon.”
Travis knew enough about astronomy to know that meant the second new moon in a month. Some people considered it to be an omen. He had learned long ago to trust intuition, even from people who didn’t have his psychic or medium abilities. Hunters who went with their gut tended to live longer than those who played by the book.
“Okay. Text me the time and place, and I’ll let Brent know. I’ll get a room for the night so we can do the wake right and not have to drive back to the city.”
“Father Leo is going to do the service. He went on several hunts with Al over the years,” Mark said.
“Thanks for letting us know. I hope you’re wrong…”
“So do I. But I’m really afraid I’m not. See you soon.” Mark ended the call, and a moment later, his text came through with directions. A quick call to Brent gave a condensed version of what Mark said and gained agreement to meet early and drive up together.
Travis put down his phone and looked to his friends. “Well? I know you’re thinking something.”
“On top of Brent’s suspicions that something is stirring up the ghosts and creatures around here, it’s worrisome,” Matthew said.
“We just did a smackdown with CHARON not long ago. I would have thought it would take longer for them to get their mojo back,” Travis said.
“Sinistram?” Jon asked.
Travis tried not to squirm at the thought. “In the past, they couldn’t be bothered with local hunters. Or hauntings and monsters that didn’t come with world-ending curses. I can’timagine why they would care now—changing their minds didn’t come easy.”
