The Odd Cases

Case 3: Not Quite Time

"Who the hell are you?" I asked. "Vortex. At least, that's what they call me. It's because I manipulate the atmosphere. You guys never really gave me a name." I stared at him dubiously. "The kid with the skull? That's you? Weren't you smaller?" He chuckled. "Yeah, almost eight decades ago. I haven't been a child since the forties."
"Eighty years? What year is this, then?"
Vortex glanced at him. "Twenty sixteen. It's August." I hung my head. "Twenty sixteen?"
"Yeah, you missed a lot." I looked up. "So, Vicky? And Ted? And Jimmy? They're all gone?"
Vortex glanced at the floor. "Yeah, but see the thing about Jimmy-"
All of a sudden, a something crashed outside the window. Two abnormally large men were fighting and wrecking the city. "What'd you say you can do again?" I asked Vortex. He looked up. "I can manipulate the atmosphere. Lift things, make tornadoes, you name it."
"We need to evacuate the city. Now."
We ran outside as the beings fought relentlessly. People were trapped in their car in the street. I ran over to help them out and a pile of rubble flew toward me. It stopped just as it reached me. I turned to face Vortex. "Thanks!" I broke the car door and let the civilians out. The grey one had just killed the other one. A smaller one was fighting now and they crashed into a building. "Vortex!" He glanced at me as I pointed toward the building. "I need up there, now!" Vortex nodded and lifted me up through the air to the hole in the thirteenth floor. The big one was talking. Why do they always talk so much? I pulled my gun out and blew him through the wall. "I've been saving civilians with that other guy. Take care of the problem. Don't worry about pedestrians, we're taking care of it. Here's my card." I gave her my card and she started talking. "Sorry, no time!" I hopped out the hole I came from. Vortex caught me. "I heard gunshots."
I laughed. "We're okay." I said. "We need to keep saving civilians." Then an enormous hole appeared in the sky and the city lifted off the ground. "I don't have a spell for this." I lost my footing and was dragged towards the black hole. The city that had just been torn apart floated above the ground. Vortex was holding it in its place. It was slowly returning to the ground. The girl was doing something with her hands around the black hole. It grew smaller and smaller until the city fell. I looked below and realized I was falling a great distance. I screamed at Vortex for help. He turned his head and sprung into action. He fumbled towards the ground before quickly catching himself and I and lowering both of us to the ground.
I sat down on the cracked pavement.
"Do not ever do that again." We walked back to the house and turned on the television.
"They're speculating on the event."
Vortex said. He was sat in the office, watching the news. "What're they saying?" He turned. "They haven't said a word about the big red corpse. They're saying it was an apocalyptic event that was stopped by a miracle."
"Miracle is one way to say it. Extremely powerful robot girl is a more accurate way. Anyway, I think it was the product of some intergalactic spat."
"You're thinking aliens?" Vortex snickered. I flicked him in the head. "They definitely weren't human. Didn't look like any demon I've ever seen. Anyway, doesn't matter. It's over now. We gotta start calling these clients."
Vortex groaned. "You already want to start working? Didn't you have like five or six near death experiences just today? We're lucky this place is even still here."
I smiled. "Yeah, you're right. This place is always getting trashed. Which is why we have to call our clients so we can get money." Vortex groaned again. "Tomorrow? Please?" I sighed.
"Fine, but you better be here early tomorrow."
I turned to leave but Vortex spoke up. "Howard,"
I turned around. "You didn't even ask." He said. I stared at him. "Ask what?"
He hesitated. "You didn't even ask if you could go home. I mean, you can't, but you didn't even ask." I looked down. "I don't think I want to. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends but," I paused. "I just can't shake the feeling that I'm supposed to be here." Vortex nodded, and I layed down in my office.
I woke up to a knock at my door. "Come in," I said, wiping my eyes. Vortex opened the door. "So, who do you wanna call first?" I smiled, then I pointed to my desk. "The one on top."
I quietly got dressed as Vortex read the case. "Howard, this guys missing. The police should be involved."
I laughed. "Says right there, at the top, the police wouldn't help." I said, sliding my pants on. "Besides, our cases usually end with me shooting someone. I've got an itch."
"Sometimes, but it's not the same. You can't just shoot a guy anymore. There are rules. And If those buildings hadn't fallen down, You'd have a lot of explaining to do with the police." I sighed. "Fine, now let's take a drive. I've got to get my identity in order. Social security and such."
"You gotta get a learner's permit."
I groaned. "Why can't I just renew my license?"
He laughed at me. "And tell them what? That you were fighting a psychopath and were teleported 80 years into the future? I don't think so."
"Fine, I don't even care. Let's go see the client. She lives on the outskirts of the opposite side of the city.
We walked down the stairs and out the front door. "Didn't you lose your license in the forties, anyway?"
I smiled. "Yeah, after Oswald. We were investigating demonic activity and I ended up crashing into a power plant. I may have been intoxicated. This was around the time my assistant quit." We sat in the car, Vortex was at the wheel.
"They didn't arrest you?"
"I didn't get any prison time. I knew the judge."
Vortex parked the car outside of the house. "Why didn't the police help?" Vortex asked. I glanced at him as I removed a cigar from the glove box. "No evidence. Let's go." I lit the cigar and we walked up to the building.
Vortex knocked on the door. "Come in." A man's voice came from behind the door. Vortex went to open the door but I stopped his hand, putting my cigar out on the wall. "What is it?"
My hand reached for my gun and removed it from the holster. "The file,"
I said. "Said her husband is missing remember?." I slowly opened the door.
The room was nicely kept. An ash tray say on a glass table surrounded by a nice couch and matching chairs. A dark haired man sat on the couch, smoking a cigarette. "Millennia, I've been seeing the same shit. Guess I just got sick of it." The man spoke with a Scottish accent.
I stared at him. "Where is she?" I asked. He glanced at me before taking a large drag of his cigarette, and then putting it out. Smoke blew from his mouth. "She's fine. I saved her from that monster."
"Her husband?" Vortex asked. The man looked up, his eyes were red. "Her husband," He said. "Has been getting handsy in more ways than one, and he's quite stubborn. Never knew when to quit. I took care of it. Put her and her child far away from here, then put him six feet under." I raised my gun and shot at him. The bullet hit where he was but he wasn't there. "I'm too fast for that, you dinosaur. Honestly, humans age like milk." He scorned at me. "Demons must've improved in the last eighty years." I said. He laughed and grabbed my gun from my hand. He took me by the collar of my shirt. "Good one. I'm no demon, my man. You seem like a nice guy, so I'm not gonna kill you today. Cross me, and that may change. Have a nice day." He dropped me and my gun, and turned to walk away. He stopped. Vortex had him caught in the wind. He turned around, smiled, and quickly made his way to Vortex. "Uh, that's not right. Howard!" Vortex swiped at him but the man kept dodging. I picked up my gun and aimed. The man turned around. He grabbed Vortex and brought the both of them to the ground as I shot, narrowly missing both of them.
Vortex looked up at the man, surprised by the man's actions. He stared back and kicked Vortex in the head. He was unconscious. I hesitated in shooting him. The man picked up Vortex and threw him at me. We both crashed through the window, and hit the ground. I groaned in pain. The man stood over me. "Who are you?" I asked, slowly raising from the ground. He smirked. "See you around, Howard."
I shot at him and missed. He punched the car through the hood and put a hole in my engine. "That's for shooting at me." And he was gone.
I nudged Vortex. "Hey," he raised his head. "We're taking the train home, today." He sat up. "Howard, I took a big hit. I think I need to go to the hospital."
"Alright, hospital first. Then home." We walked the busy streets to the nearest hospital. Mercy hospital was the closest. We walked up to the nurse at the front desk. "Listen, my friend might have a concussion. Do we wait here or?" She didn't even look up at me. She just grabbed a bag of ice and some aspirin from the desk, handed it to me, and pointed at the chairs next to the entrance. I sat Vortex in the chair. I placed the ice on his head. "Hold this here." He held it up to his temple. "What was that guy?"
"I don't know," I replied. "But we're gonna get him."
I gave him two aspirins and sat back in my chair. "The train?" He said. I glanced at him. "I don't trust cab drivers. Been ninety years, still don't trust 'em." He laughed. "What about uber?" I squinted at him. "What the fuck is an uber?" A nurse walked in and pointed at him. "I'll catch you at home, later. Good luck with the train."
On the train that ran above ground, I sat in the middle of about ten of the creepiest bastards I had ever had the misfortune of meeting. The railings and floor were covered with filth. "D'ya know what I think?" A Scottish accent approached from above. I aimed my gun at his head. "You, again?" I said, visually irritated. He was hanging from the baggage railing. "I think they don't clean the god damn things." I sighed and put my gun away. "What do you want from me? I don't even know you."
He smirked. "Name's Duncan. Duncan Alastair Scott. As I said before, I'm no demon. Oh, no. I'm a vampire." I laughed. "Vampires aren't real."
"You believe in demons but not vampires?"
"I've seen demons, I know demons. Vampires are a fairy tale." He opened his mouth to reveal incredibly sharp fangs. "Now, I'm no dentist, but I think something's abnormal about that, don't you think?" Gunshots erupted from the other side of the train car. Suddenly, the car was empty and I was standing up a few feet from my previous location. A man wearing a face mask with a skull on if in all black stood across from me. "Silver bullets," Duncan said. "He's after me. I'll take care of this." Duncan sped around the guy trying to hit him but he effortlessly avoided all of Duncan's punches. Duncan sighed. "Alright, plan b."
Duncan quickly brought the both of us to the top of the train. "Did you save the passengers?" I asked, staring at the beautiful lights of the city. "They'll be fine, we won't be if he keeps coming."
I glanced at him. "Y'know, for a vampire, you're not so shitty." He laughed. "Thanks, you are." A hand broke through the roof of the train and grabbed my leg. "Shit," I was pulled into the train car, ripping an even bigger hole. My body slammed onto the floor. I groaned as I tried to sit up. Click.
A gun was pointed in my face. I gazed at the masked man, stunned from the impact. He stared at me, bewildered. Suddenly, he was thrown out of the train car, tearing the wall down. Duncan sat next to me, laughing. "Oh, that was good. He almost had you."
I rubbed my head. "I wonder why he didn't shoot me."
Duncan stared at me. "Must've thought you were cute." I glared at him. "Shut your fucking mouth. I think I've seen him somewhere before." The train stopped at our stop and I walked off. Duncan followed close behind. We walked into the HQ and up the stairs where a familiar figure stood next to the window. "You probably remember it like it was yesterday. Oswald. All the problems that asshole caused."
I looked at him. "Jimmy," I said. "is that your voice? It's been so long. How have you been?"
He walked into the light. He pulled his skull mask from his face and dropped it on the ground. Duncan fled and hid away somewhere. Jimmy had several scars across his face. "Not good, Howie."
He removed a gun from his pants. "No good at all. See, we thought we got Oswald but really we didn't. You didn't. All because you couldn't do your god damn job." A tear ran down Jimmy's face. "He owns me, Howie. Killing you will bring me no joy, but it might bring me freedom."
"Jimmy," I said, "you're not gonna kill-"
He shot me in the chest three times. Then three bullets hit Jimmy in his leg and shoulder. Jimmy yelled in pain and ran down the stairs. Duncan revealed himself. "Forget something?" Duncan brandished a dagger and stabbed Jimmy in the chest. He coughed up blood and fell down the stairs as Duncan removed the blade. Jimmy laid on the floor seemingly unconscious. Duncan quickly picked me up and ran me to the hospital. I looked around as Duncan layed me on a hospital bed and scurried around for supplies. "Hold still now, Detective. I will only be a second." He disappeared and reappeared with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. "Bottoms up, Howard." I took a large swig as my vision started to blur. "Fuck,"
Duncan smacked me. I looked into his eyes. "What the fuck.. the fuck?" I coughed up blood into my hand. "Whoa there, Howard, calm down or you'll rip my stitches out. I mean you probably won't live through this anyway but shit, I tried and you should respect that."
I looked around. We were in an alleyway. "Why aren't we in the hospital?" I asked.
"We're a block away from your building." he answered. "we're scoping it out to see if it's safe." I stood up and walked up the empty street to the HQ. Duncan silently groaned, shrugged and followed. I opened the door. The lobby was trashed as usual but there was blood on the floor. It must've been mine or Jimmy's. "Glad you decided to come back, asshole." Vortex said as he walked down the stairs. "You brought that vampire with you?"
Duncan smiled. "Name's Duncan, Skullfuck."
"Vortex," I said. "Jimmy is alive."
He stared at me. "Yeah, I know. Did he come after you?"
I glared at him. "You knew?"
"Yeah, I tried to tell you and then aliens attacked the fucking planet."
"Okay, Okay. What about Oswald? Did you know about him too?"
"I thought he died with you."
I glanced away. "I didn't die."
"You seemed pretty dead."
"Whatever, we just need to find Oswald. Which means we need to find Jimmy."
Duncan cleared his throat. "I killed him."
"Apparently, you fucking didn't. No corpse anywhere to be found."
Vortex chuckled. "Guys, how about we all go upstairs real quick?"
We went upstairs to find Jimmy compressed in the air. "Got him, boys." Vortex said. I walked closer. "Jimmy," I said. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, Howard, I can hear you."
"Where's Oswald? I can get rid of him once and for all so you and I can both be free."
Jimmy laughed. "Howard, I thought you were a detective. You'll never understand. I'll make sure of that." He reached his hand out to grab me. Vortex put more pressure in the air but Jimmy grabbed my head and pulled it into the air cell. "No!" Vortex yelled, as he let the air cell go. Jimmy and I fell to the floor. As Jimmy went to stand, Duncan tripped him and he fell to the ground. I crawled to my desk and rested there. My stitches had started to rip. Jimmy punched Duncan in the nose and knocked him to the floor. Vortex shot a straight left hook into Jimmy's jaw, breaking it almost immediately. Jimmy looked astounded that anyone could've hurt him that bad. Jimmy drop kicked Vortex knocking the wind out of him, landing on his back and neck. Vortex lied stunned. He glared at Jimmy, who was standing up now. Jimmy looked at me. He rushed towards me with an intense anger in his eyes. He stopped just short of me. His fist centimeters away from my face. Vortex stood holding him with air once more. Duncan was only now standing back up. "I love you, Jimmy." I said.
Vortex started to pass out and fall to the floor.
Jimmy's fist started to come close to my face. I shot him six times in the chest, as Vortex fell the floor. Jimmy looked down at his chest as blood spilled from his wounds. "Bye, Howie," Jimmy said. his eyes started to drop. "I guess I got my freedom after all, huh, Howie?" Jimmy dropped to ground and died.
Tears dripped from my eyes as the life faded from Jimmy's. I walked over to Vortex and woke him up. "Passed out, loser," I said, as Duncan crawled over. " That sucked, boys." Jimmy's hand started to move. We all stood, ready to fight once more. The skin fell off of Jimmy's hand until it looked almost like just bone. Then the hand stabbed Jimmy and ripped his ribcage open, exposing Jimmy's blood, muscle, and organs.
Something started to expand in Jimmy. A man's head ripped through Jimmy's organs and his blood covered hand came out of Jimmy's stomach and reached for something to grab onto. Vortex, Duncan, and I stared in shock at this disturbing event. The man propped himself up with his hands and pulled his left leg out. Then he removed his other leg and wobbled for a second as he regained his balance. He reached back into Jimmy to grab his glasses from Jimmy's ribcage. "Detective Walters," he said, cleaning his glasses. "Long time, no see."
"Oswald."
"I'll be back," he said, as he walked down the stairs and out the front door.

I paced around in my office, carefully constructing theories on where Oswald could be. Vortex walked in. "Howard," he said. "it's been six months. we need to start calling these clients." I stared off, still concentrating. "Maybe investigate that school that collapsed in January?" Vortex said. I looked up, slightly interested by the prospect of investigating a demolished high school. I looked up at Vortex. "We should start calling our clients." I said. "When we get some time, we'll check out the files on the school collapse." Vortex smiled. "Let's get started." Then the phone rang. I looked at Vortex. "New client?" I said. "I'll get it!" Duncan grabbed the phone and put it to his ear. "Hello, Love," He said. "What can I do for you?" His smile faded from his face. he looked at me. "it's for you."
I took the phone. "Hello?"
"I need your help. You're the one who gave me the card?" It was a female voice. A teenager's. "You're talking about the Bone City Incident. You were in the armor?"
"Something is coming. Soon."