Chapter 18

Lydia felt like a truck had hit her as she opened her eyes and moaned. Looking around she saw she was in the hospital in a room. Liz moved to her side first. "Penny!"

George had been leaning forward silently praying sitting by his daughter's side. George stood up and moved to his daughter's side, "Hey Baby welcome back."

His words were soft and uttered with love. Lydia blinked confused, "Welcome back where did I go?" She tried to sit up and found her body was not going to allow it without protest. "What the hell happened?"

Liz leaned over the other side of the bed and looked with concern that a mother would have for her child. "Darling, you have been in a coma for a week."

Lydia felt her reality had slipped away and she was in someone else's body. "What do you mean? I was going to get something to eat and someone attacked me."

Thomas moved through the door carrying two cups of coffee in styrofoam cups. "That was a week ago sis. You had a skull fracture. We have kept vigil over you for a week."

Connie bounced in the room carrying two more sytrofoam cups and stopped. "Holy crap, she is awake!"

Thrusting the cups into Liz's hands she turned and rushed out of the room. A short time later Tim Stokes followed her back in the room with his mother Julia. "Look who is awake."

Connie proudly announced as if she had affected her conscious state all by her self. Julia wearing her white lab coat with her name embroidered on the breast, hands in the pockets moved to Lydia's bedside, Julia's son who excused himself to move George out of the way, followed his mother.

"Lydia I want you to follow the movement of my finger and not move your head." Tim spoke to his patient having her eyes follow the movement of back and forth and up and down. Pulling his pen light from his pocket, he did a quick assessment and smiled. "We have equal and reactive pupils."

Julia smiled at the younger woman, "Penny, can you tell me what is the last thing you remember?"

Lydia thought a moment then relayed her side of what she recalled, "I went to the café because I was hungry and I got out of the car, walked to the door and someone physically picked me up and drug me into the ally, I fought with them and they were really strong, they threw me against the wall and I think I hit my head. I don't remember much after that."

Julia nodded and noted that her version of what had happened had been carefully observed and head by her father and her brother. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I do remember whomever it was had a horrible body odor about them. It was as though they had been sleeping with the fish parts from the cannery. They had a horrible body odor and bad breath too. I don't know much more than that."

Thomas looked at his Dad and then turned to leave the room. Connie seeing that look on her husband's face followed him out into the hallway.

"Babe?" She had to quicken her steps to catch up with her husband.

"Con, call the family and tell them that she is awake and I will be home later. I have to go and check out the docks and the dives around the docks."

The look of guilt and anguish on his face was enough to tell her he was on the hunt and he was not happy. "Honey, its not your fault."

Thomas looked down at his feet then to his wife and was once again caught up in the lovely care filled face that had made him fall in love with her so long ago. Cupping her cheek with his palm he spoke softly, "I know but she is one of mine and more than that she is my sister and if some punk ass son of a bitch thinks he can take my sister and use her for a punching bag, they have not seen the day they can get away with it."

Connie having to peer up at her tall husband, tip toed up and kissed him lightly on his lips. "Don't get hurt yourself. I can only take one at a time when it comes to family."

He tucked the blond wisp of hair behind her ear, smiled into those incredible blue eyes and nodded. "Will do General." That was his nickname for her when she was giving orders. She was so damn cute in her scrubs that did not do her figure justice. He knew hidden underneath those undefined lines were compacted curves to make a man loose sleep or drive him wild with his imagination.

Connie smiled as she watched her husband's tall form, wide shoulders and cute butt move down the hallway. Marge the second shift nurse moved to stand next to her. "The only man I have ever enjoyed watching more than your husband move away was Kurt Russell when he stared in that Best of Times Movie. He sure looked good and so does your husband."

Connie laughed, "He would die if he heard you say that Marge he really is kind of shy; took me a whole year to wear him down enough to have him ask me out. After that well three kids later here we are."

Marge nodded, "His brother Jason isn't bad looking either he had a nice butt that makes a girl's heart beat a little faster when watching him." Connie nodded, "Yah he does come from good stock."

Connie laughed then sobered thinking Jason, "Poor Jay did not have much success with his marriage, hey would you like for me to introduce you and maybe you could double with us some night?" The nurses chatted about Thomas brother as Connie moved back to her sister in law's room.

Thomas put his car in gear and headed straight for the pier, he did a swing through and doubled back then asked for a meeting with the shift officers. Warren and Ben both met with him on the docks. Two man units were required on second shift only so he had been careful to make sure that his men were treated fairly it was bad enough that he had to hear about his sister Detective nepotism and he was not going to have that can of worms opened.

"Hey guys."

They looked at the Sheriff and nodded, "How is Lydia?"

Thom smiled for the first time that week. "She is awake and she gave me some information. The guy that attacked her had a bad body odor like he had been sleeping or living around the chum the cannery throws out, she said he had bad breath and body odor and that he was big and strong, so you know what to do."

They nodded jotted down his description. "So how are things going?"

Warren and Ben shrugged almost simultaneously, "Slow nothing going on. Had nothing since the night your sister was attacked." We have been keeping our ears low to the ground and no one is talking and nothing is happening."

It was when they were about to pull away an alarm sounded over the radio. "Warren, Ben we have an audible alarm going off at Rucker's."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Probably the wind."

Warren keyed the microphone, "Is Jess on his way down to reset?"

Karen the dispatcher acknowledged she had him on the phone and he would meet the officers. Thomas smiled and waved them off. Putting his car in gear he drove around the town one more time, just to see what and who was moving along the streets.

Rolling to the pier he navigated his car to the end of the pier and got out. A strong fog was beginning to roll in from the sea and he sighed, "Gonna be one of those kind of nights."

Moving back to his car, he slid in and slipped his gearshift into reverse when he heard what he thought was a strangled cut off scream. Frowning he exited his vehicle. Moving along the barrels and crates he advanced towards a darken entryway and paused. "Hello?"

He drew his weapon and continued onward when he heard a moaning sound. "Ohhhh, someone help."

Thom moved in the heavy fog cover until he felt something grab his ankle looking down he saw one of the regular prostitutes lying on her side. "Sadie?"

He bent down and checked her and noticed her throat was torn and bleeding. Grabbing his walkie-talkie he called off his location and requested an ambulance. "It's ok Sadie hang in there honey, help is on the way."

Sadie closed her eyes as he held his hand over her wound. "Sheriff, he was a big guy, he had a bad body odor and he smelled like fish. He, he," She closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

Thomas was feeling his anger beat him up; this was the second week a woman was attacked by a big bad odor man only this time he had cut her throat. He could hear the wail of the fire truck as they arrived ahead of the paramedics approached the docks. He could hear Jason's voice calling out, "Thom?"

Thomas glanced over his shoulder and called out, "Over here Jay, she is bleeding from the throat." Jay followed by the men from the fire station moved in with the medic case. Slipping on his gloves he looked at his brother. "Here let me get one of the guys to hold the gauze on her neck, and I will get some alcohol so you can rinse your hands."

Jay put the heavy gauze to her throat and noticed she was bleeding out. "Must have hit an artery, Jake, see where the ambulance is, we may need to roll her to the hospital or she may bleed out."

Jason turned to Harry and nodded for him to take over for him with pressure on the wound, while he reached for the alcohol and popped the lid and poured it over his brother's hands. "Grab some of those bandages to dry your hands."

Jake came running down the pier, "They are at least fifteen minutes out Jason, they said they had a run on Brittle Bank Road."

Jason nodded, "Bring the back board we are going to transport, let them know and let the Emergency Room know we are on our way."

Thomas stood back and looked down at his pants soaked in blood. Walking back to the car he arrived just in time to hear Warren going ballistic, "Sheriff! We need back up, we need the National Guard, we need help, and Ben's been hurt officer down."

Thomas groaned, jumped in his cruiser flipped on the bar lights and siren and was in route headed to what Warren made it sound like Armageddon happening at Rucker's.. "Karen, see if State has a unit nearby and have them respond to Rucker's, show me on the way."

He could only imagine what was happening as he rolled down the streets at break neck speeds to come upon a scene he could only describe that appeared a bomb had exploded on Rucker's. The front of the building was ripped apart and merchandise from inside the store looked as if it had been sucked out of the building to land across the street.

Thomas looked at the damage and frowned as he walked up to his second shift squad car turned on its side. "Warren!" He had drawn his weapon when he heard a huge crash and felt the ground tremble. From the building a huge green slick skinned being smelling like fish and having a horrendous body odor exited carrying a freezer of beef stopped roared at Thomas, who fired all 12 rounds into the body of the creature.

The skin of the creature must have been made of armor the bullets seemed to ricochet off the creature's body. Dodging one ricochet Thomas made a dive for the back of the overturned squad car. Rolling to his stomach he reloaded his weapon laid hearing his heart beating loudly in his ears. Slowing his breathing he noted the air smelled of fish and bad body odor.

When he took cover, he missed the appearance of four humanoids dressed in a grey suit with sensors webbed over their suits wearing mesh-covered mask. The leader a slender female stepped forward aimed her cylinder weapon at the beast and watched it fall into a slipstream of blackness. Its howl of rage was cut off when the door closed and then the four humans turned and moved back into the doors that had appeared from the very air around them.

The only thing to show that they had been there was the air around where they had entered had taken some of the fog with it. Thomas sat still and listened to the silence he looked over to Warren. "How bad?"

The officer was shell-shocked by what he had witnessed. "It took Jess and just flung him like he was nothing, then Ben started to shoot it but it bounced off of the thing and that just seemed to annoy it so it charged Ben and it threw him. Then I got in the car and it picked the friggin car up and dumped it. It bent the car like it was paper mache. And the stink god it was horrible."

Thomas pressed his back to the roof of the car looking at the bar lights they valiantly tried to turn and the siren was a pitiful little half wail and then it like the lights and car gave up having been bested. Thomas put his finger to his lips. "Listen."

Warren had looked around then to his boss. "To what?"

Thomas nodded, "Exactly, nothing, you don't hear a thing do you?"

Warren finally had to admit his boss was right. "Yeah do you think its gone?" In the distance they could hear the responding back up as the units had the whelp of their sirens on making their approach. Carefully Thomas stood up and looked around.

"I think it's gone." He stood up more fully and looked around. From across the street he could hear a long low moan as Jess laid broken and hurt.

"You stay here, I am going to go check on Jess."

Thomas bearing low to the ground ran towards the sounds of the moaning as he looked in the fog and the area had seemed very surreal as he moved to the sounds of painful moaning. Thomas called out, "Jess, where are you?"

He stopped and listened again. There it was softer and weaker but a moan. Moving forward he saw Jess, his arm-twisted his body battered and broken. "Holy crap Jess." Thomas dropped to his side. "Hang in there buddy. I am going to get you some help."

He glanced up to see the lights breaking through the fog and the sound of tires squealing to a halt as two State units arrived. "What the hell happened?" Trooper Walden stopped in his tracks and looked with disbelief upon the destruction that had happened.

Thomas shouted, "Hey we need an ambulance for two transports. I have an officer down and the owner of Rucker's is really hurt bad."

Walden moved towards Thomas while Hart moved to Warren and Ben. "Hate to tell you this Sheriff, you have two men down, looks like Warren has a broken arm."

"This night just keeps getting better and better." He muttered as he tried to find a pulse on the now silent Jess.

Hart used his radio to call for ambulances. "I think the fire department is leaving the hospital, they are on their way Thom, they said the paramedics are dropping off their patient and would be behind them."

Thomas was relieved but he was not sure what he had witnessed. Could this thing have been what had hurt his sister? Things were not adding up right, if this thing was here attacking Jess and his officers what had attacked Sadie on the docks. He had two mysteries on his hands and he was not going to back off of them until he had some answers.

Jason moved out of the fog back to knell next to Jess. "Man he looks fubared big time." Thomas nodded, "You should have seen what did this, I am not sure I can believe what I saw."

Jason directed his men to load and secure the two officers, as the paramedics arrived to take over transporting Jess. Jason had seen his brother's face when he talked about what had attacked them and decimated the area. Thomas had a mess on his hands and he was now down three personnel.
" Jay can you guys come back after you drop off Warren and Ben and maybe stick around to kind of block the gawkers from interfering with the crime scene?"

Jason nodded stepped back had the boys load up. "We will be back shortly, we will do a drop and then come back." His brother looked at him with more than gratitude, he almost looked relieved that he did not have to face this one alone.

Thomas used his car to partially block the area until crime scene could make it to the location. The two state troopers used their cars to block the other end of the street and they stood watching, as the fog made the area seemed more of a scene out of a horror picture show. Walden leaned against his squad car and folded his arms but kept an alert eye around the fog filled street. The silence was almost painful as he observed, "This place is eerie. Almost expect to see Godzilla come up out of the bay."

Hart nodded, "Yeah this place has had a reputation bizarre things happening for sometime."

The two men shuffled back and forth making small talk and trying to find humor in the whole situation. Jason directed the truck to the opposite end of where his brother had blocked the street. Jumping down from the truck Jason nodded to the two Troopers that looked spooked.

"Evenin gents." He walked towards his brother who was leaned against his car waiting and watching. He was still unsure if the thing had left or was waiting to come back and finish what he had started.

He leaned against his squad car, his arms crossed, his ankles crossed and his eyes darting around the fog that swirled and gave off false impressions of figures moving about. "Hey Thom, so what the hell happened?"

" If I told you, you would think I had lost my rabbit assed mind." Jason stood about equal height next to his brother, wearing his fireman pants with suspenders over a t-shirt and his boots rolled part way down he looked around.

"Try me I might believe you." Thom studied the fog-shrouded area and sighed.

"I think I am loosing it bro. Do you remember in college when we played Dungeons and Dragons?"

Jason swore he would keep an open mind. "Sure, why?

" Thomas looked around to make sure no one was close to them and he dropped his voice. "Because that thing that came out of the building looked like an Orc."

Jason chuckled, "You're kidding."

Thomas looked at him with such serious intent that the smile Jason had faded and he leaned sideways onto his brother's squad

car. "Thomas do you realize how you sound?"

He nodded, "Yes, I know how I sound and I am deadly serious. It was huge, green skinned with tusks, scraggly hair patches and stunk like five day old fish and bad breath."

Jason folded his arms together as he bent over the car and looked at his brother. "Well unless you can come up with something to the contrary, I would say you keep that bit of information to yourself before they cart you off to Wyndcliff."

Thomas pushed off his car and nodded, "Mum is my word."

Lights pierced the fog as two white vans rolled to a stop. "Forensics is here. Looks like I am going to be tied up here for a while. "Thanks Bro, appreciate the hand."

Thomas offered his hand to his brother who grabbed it then pulled his brother in for a hug. "Anytime Bro, see you later."

He waved his brother off and moved to the new team that had arrived. "Good gracious Patterson what happened did a bomb go off?"

Thomas smiled, "That is why I called you so you could tell me what happened."