Typecast
The waters of Lake Okanagan are stirring, forcing the BPRD to investigate.
Notes – This fic is based off the Animated Universe. This is the last chapter of this story. I hope to write another later on. I apologize for any grammatical and spelling errors. A special thanks to all who reviewed, alerted, or put this story in their favorites.
Disclaimer – All characters are ultimately copyrighted Mike Mignola, and are the property of Darkhorse Comics.
Rating – Rated T.
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They were wrong.
Ogopogo was far larger than they had expected it to be. It towered from Lake Okanagan with unmatched physique, knowing it owned the land, its home. Its voice overpowered the beating thunder, releasing a cry of rage as it stretched out of the water. Disturbed once again upset it, and the beast grew tired of being distressed.
Liz Sherman's eyes widened, dilating from the flashes of lightning silhouetting the monster from the lake. Her hesitation caused her to forget the old man behind, and as she watched a figure being hurtled across the pouring sky her skin froze. "Abe!" she called out, running against the rushing tides.
The fire within her stirred, calling out in panic as soon as her body hit the water. It hated it, because with its body surrounded by its natural elemental opposite, it had little way to ignite, despite how angry it continued to grow. Liz could not stop to listen to it, to listen to reason. She did not stop at all until she started paddling out into Okanagan, and only then because of the roaring sea serpent.
Ogopogo's horse-shaped head darted down, and it submerged itself back into the water. Its actions were smooth, and it hardly made a noise. It was a master of its component, and nothing within distance could compare to its majestic movements. It was a stealthy, silent monster.
She stopped for an instant, coughing up the water that threw itself in her face. That thing was down there, waiting. Was it waiting for her?
Liz hated water. She could not swim well, and the Ogopogo could easily pounce up and snatch an easy meal if it so desired. She was clumsy and it was not. She might as well have gone ahead and held an "attack here" sign, because if it got a hold on her, then nothing could stop her from drowning when pulled over. This time there would be no one there to breathe life back into her.
Still, even with all of that stacked against her she could not stop. After an onslaught against the rocky hills, Abe had to be hurt. She would not leave him there.
Pushing on, Agent Sherman tried to keep her eyes focused on the land ahead of her. The swim would not have been so bad if not for the storm, because it was not too far off. However, as the lake's tide kept rising, she found it increasingly difficult to keep pace. Occasionally it even pushed her below, where she would have to shove her head back above the surface.
Her body was already screaming from the cold, but the fire inside would not let it stop working. It was her natural protector, and even she could never appreciate how much it was influential to her being alive. No matter how tired she was growing, it continued to serve its boss's purposes in hopes of reaching solid ground.
Her worst problem lied in her belt, which weighed her lower torso down considerably, but she never thought to remove it as her determination kept steady.
She panicked as she felt herself suddenly pulled down. Instinctively diving into her flight-or-fight instincts, Liz hammered her boot down on whatever had her by the ankle. "Oh God, it's got me," she thought frantically as her lungs started to burn. Opening one eye, she caught sight of her attacker.
It was not the Ogopogo.
Instead, another dead cow held onto her, dragging both down into the depths. "I hate these damn things!" Feeling her oxygen starting to run out, Liz pulled out her knife and began stabbing at the deceased beast's skull, hoping it would either give into pain or have its mouth cut off.
Could use those ghosts' help about now, she thought in her mind.
At first, it held on tight to its capture, but Agent Sherman's assault on its face from both boot and weapon proved too much. It released, and Liz broke back for the surface, leaving the dagger to sink to the bottom. Throwing her head up, she coughed violently when she tried to inhale much-needed air.
Gulping back the dread, Elizabeth's arms and legs continued to paddle out, and she once again found herself at a one-on-one battle against Lake Okanagan.
She did not care anymore, because she would take anything it had to offer. The needling knowledge that Ogopogo was waiting, the fact that she had almost drowned would only weigh her down so much.
The cold water continued to assault, and the swim seemed to take longer and longer and the land never within sight. Liz swam unlike she had in years, and did not stop until she felt rocks scrape against her knees. She stifled a hiss behind her teeth, sucking in the air as the skin was torn. She could not stop there, where the lake brushed her up against them harder.
In a matter too clumsy from mud and water, Liz crawled up onto the land, escaping Lake Okanagan alive. The Ogopogo lost that round, but Agent Sherman had no desire whatsoever of entering the water, again.
Throwing plastered, thick hair away from her face, she narrowed her eyes as forms began to take shape against the rocks. "You have got to be kidding me…." Liz Sherman found herself tired of the zombie creatures from the deep. As several cows and goats began to call out against the thunder and rain, her patience fell thin. She did not have time for this.
Hand retracting a gun from her belt, Liz took aim at one of the animals, and fired.
She cursed out loud.
Her gun clogged, ruined from the water of the lake after hanging loose on her belt. She hit the side of it and tried once more, but nothing came out of the barrel. Considering to just run for it, away from the things, Liz growled in annoyance as one of the cows came charging at her. Ducking, she rolled on the ground, and missed its horns.
Now covered in mud, Liz was steaming angry. She needed to find Abe, not get sidetracked by damn livestock. Putting her weapon back in its place, she reached over and retrieved her comrade's gun. Not knowing if it would fair any better, she tried firing multiple shots at the beast that threatened to attack, again.
Nothing happened the first time, but Liz smiled inside as she felt the gun discharge and seeing the cow recoil from having bullets blown into its head. As it fell to the ground, she turned around and aimed at the other animals that threatened to move towards her.
As if the heavens above took heart for Liz Sherman, the rain started to slow down. Suddenly, distinct shapes made themselves known, and she could get a better idea at where to aim. Making quicker work of the remaining beasts, Liz recoiled and took the gun away from her eyesight. At the very least, she hoped the sound of gunfire would keep any other possible ones away.
Putting the good weapon on her belt, she noticed the little flashlight was missing. It would not have helped much, but it still would have been nice to have on hand. The dagger was still in the water, long lost in the home of Ogopogo. Her communicator still worked, specially prepared for any kind of abuse. Grabbing it, she could see that the lights were twinkling dimly; it was not in sync with the other.
"Abe?" she called into it, but knowing that it was not reading his communicator. Her breath quickened. "Abe, answer."
Nothing. Not even static.
Liz took no time in running up the muddy hills.
The area may have been visually pleasing in the daytime, when the lush green backgrounds complimented its rocky exterior, but at night, it was a mess. The heavy amounts of dirt absorbed water too easily, and she was having a difficult enough time just keeping her footing against the slimy hills.
The rocks formed makeshift cliffs, and certain spots made good outlooks over Okanagan. When Liz came to the first, she glanced over just long enough to see the lake below. It was not a far drop off. Probably would not even hurt to hit the water. Fortunately, she had no want to.
She dug her hands into the mud and pushed herself up along the sticky sides, digging her heels in and out of gunk just to further her distance. It helped that the rain started to slow and lightning lit the sky, but the rough winds and loud thunder still made the search difficult. But Liz Sherman was tougher than a little mud and blood.
Her eyes kept alert for anything. Any movement, any physical shape that was not a plant or rock.
She searched forever. Even as the rain came to a complete halt, she looked. Her clothes soaked and clung closely to her damp, white skin. She was shivering, her teeth clattering together against the cold air. As the water stopped falling from the sky, it gave her opportunity to awaken the fire within that had been waiting to burn as soon as the rain started.
It warmed and dried her, yes, but she used it mainly as a better source of light. Minimizing it with control into a ball of flame that floated in front of her face, Liz continued her search in better hopes. It helped calm her, let her know it was on her side – not her enemy.
She continued to call out, "Abe?" Every time she failed to receive a response, concern escalated.
What if she could not find him?
The reinforcements from the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense would be there by morning. They had the labor to find both of them, but Liz knew her friend could be dead before they arrived if unchecked. She did not know what she would do, but she just needed to locate him.
Liz caught her footing as she almost slipped on a curve. She was starting to get altitude, climbing higher and higher with no track of time. There was so much land…. "Can't stop," she told herself, pushing on.
She checked her communicator again. Nothing. He had probably lost it in the water when Ogopogo attacked.
"Damn." Agent Sherman's body was aching horribly, and everything in her cried for a rest. The scrapes on her knees burned, not from fire but from exposure to filth. Her legs were getting weaker. She was exhausting herself, and nothing was coming out of it.
Her determination occupied every inch of her mind. Had Mr. Parker just been patient and not stressed that Abe search the waters…. No. She mentally berated herself for not listening to her instincts earlier. She knew something had been wrong about the entire situation, but she had talked herself into false comfort.
No. No use for self-pity now. It was never reliable, anyways.
Rustling from nearby brushes and sloshing from mud tracks resulted in Elizabeth's withdrawal of the gun. She was on complete edge. Her eyes widened, allowing the flame to lead forward before following behind. "Abe?" Checking over proved a disappointment as there was nothing there.
So preoccupied was her attention, that she never saw the object come from behind and strike her head.
Liz Sherman fell backwards, crying out as she slipped down the hill. She only stopped as her body collided against one of the rocks.
Don't pass out, don't pass out, don't pass out, she frantically instructed to herself as she opened her eyes. Her vision was moving, and as the fire had been put out with her being hit she could not see much.
The BPRD agent groaned as she tried to pick herself up off the ground. "What in the hell…" she muttered, rubbing the back of her head. At first, she was concerned when she felt something wet, and thought she might be bleeding from her skull, but was satisfied to see at close glance that it was only mud.
A hum came from the dark, a cryptic-sounding yet familiar melody. "'I'm looking for the Ogopogo. His mother was an earwig, his father was a whale. I'm going to put a little bit of salt on his tail.'"
The tune stopped. "I must say that you now look terrible, young lady."
Liz's head snapped up, throwing herself up off the rock. She whipped around, recalling her fire in time to see the old man standing in front of her. Twenty questions filled her head, including how such a feeble-looking person could make it up the rocky hills, and how he even crossed Okanagan to get there. Not meaning to speak, Liz's voice spurt out, "How…?"
The old man smiled.
She hated that smile.
"My Naitaka's subjects offer their master's worshipper assistance." He picked up his cane and stepped frontward. Every stride he made closer to the flame, the more it was evident that he was covered in just as much soil as Liz herself was. He barely had a face under all of the dirt.
Annoyed and aggravated, the agent withdrew the gun, again. "Don't get in my way," she warned, prepared to shoot the worshipper if he moved closer. She was tempted to shoot him on the spot, knowing very well that he was responsible for the deaths of the four victims, responsible for the Ogopogo attacking her teammate.
Her finger tightened on the trigger at the thought.
Suddenly, pangs of pain sparked through her arm, and Liz dropped the weapon. Twisting her limb around, she spotted a skeletal mule had bit down, hard, on it. Teeth gritting, Liz redirected her fire at the creature in defense, igniting it instantly. It roared, releasing its hold long enough to take off running away from the fire-starter.
It would die again before it got very far.
The victory was small, as Liz found herself butted against the rock again, this time by a very disturbing-looking bull. "Son of a…." She grasped hold of her chest, but before she could maintain her vision long enough to find the animal, it threw its head back at her.
The corners of her eyes grew dark, and Liz fell to the ground.
She stretched her hand out to try to get a hold of Abe's gun, but a shoe came in the way and kicked it out of reach. Damn it.
The old man, not stopping his assault, let the bull butt the woman across the mud once more before raising a hand for it to halt. Out of the side of her visualization, Liz could see she now rested by the edge; she could see Okanagan's waves crushing below.
He leaned heavily against his cane, his limp leg throbbing at all of the action he had taken. "My Naitaka's subjects are usually docile. You angered them, because they sense that you aim to harm my Naitaka."
Liz Sherman coughed and tried to flip over. God, her body hurt so much. "You…killed those…people," she managed to say, only receiving a sigh in response.
"He is hungry." There was that awful, yet genuine, smile. "Is my Naitaka supposed to starve?" When noticing Liz's disgruntled features, he continued to try and explain himself. "You call it murder, young lady. My Naitaka merely has refined tastes. You cannot expect a god to eat everything that is offered. Yet, oh, he waited so long for me to bring him an offering more up to par with his superior standards."
That's it, keep him talking.
Liz tried to concentrate on recruiting the flames within once more.
She shook her head, both in reply and to try and clear her sight. "No…Didn't eat…."
He chuckled. He actually laughed, seemingly at himself. "I was a fool to think my first offerings were what my Naitaka required." A hand reached down and rubbed his weak leg. Lake Okanagan called for him; it howled deafeningly, but he was now above it once more. No distractions. None, because his master required something else of him now.
"You must understand, young lady," he continued, "that my Naitaka chose me." He stopped massaging his leg. "Three months ago, he grew unhappy with his treatment by these barbarians who dare live by his land. They disgraced him. That dreadful children's song! Ogopogo? Bah. My Naitaka destroyed their water vessels, their boats that treaded his lake.
At the time, I foolishly preoccupied one of those dreaded homes, and would have surely drowned if my Naitaka had not rescued me. My leg had to be sacrificed in return for the greater awakening." His hand gripped his walking stick, and he swallowed the blood back that was forming in his throat. "The greater awakening."
Liz took his daze as an opportunity to attack. Like a lynx, she jumped up. Strained muscles wailed in response, but her eyes glowed brightly, flashlights against the black sky.
The old man's wrinkled features retracted, gasping in response as his sweater spontaneously caught on fire. He grunted as he slapped his hand violently against it, but not before screaming out for help. The bull rampaged, and had Liz not ducked, it would surely have tossed her from the edge, straight down into the waters.
Fortunately, her reflexes paid off, and the deceased animal fell instead. It crashed, and sank back into its original crypt.
By the time she turned around, the walking stick slammed back down. The iron-embedded end struck her temple, forcing her in the ground. She was tired of getting bested by farm animals and an old man.
"It's rude to interrupt people when they are talking," he scolded.
"Go to hell," she managed to say, even with her ears ringing intolerably.
His eyes blinked. Singed flesh caused a horrible smell, but he never even thought twice about the pyrokenetic abilities that came from the girl on the floor. Apparently, neither did decrepit beasts rising from the sea, because he had no trouble asking for help from them.
"There is no hell for me. My Naitaka will grant his most loyal admirer immortality when I satisfy his hunger." He slammed the end of his cane against Liz's harmed arm. Ignoring her cry, he reached under his sweater and pulled out an object.
Straining to pull her head up, Elizabeth had to wait until the next strike of lightning for it to become clear.
A gun.
"The first meal." He reflected for a second. "Amanda Cooler. Quebec did her well, and I remember her searching my Naitaka then. I thought for certain he would appreciate one who knew so much about his royal status. Alas, I am not ashamed to admit I was wrong. To keep me in check, my Naitaka kept her in the lake as a reminder. I then knew such shabby qualities would not please him."
He removed a couple of bullets from his pocket, and loaded them into his weapon. "Unfortunately, I have continued to be off on those I choose to feed my poor Naitaka. He must be growing so tired of my incompetence, for his waters are so angry with me. You hear their callings?"
He slammed the revolver shut. Liz tried to squirm away, but he only struck her arm again with the cane, insuring that she would stay put for at least few moments longer.
The barrel of the gun pointed down, and the elder took aim. The power from before now shifted, the two switching places. "My Naitaka can surely appreciate the trouble you have caused him. You will certainly satisfy his impatient appetite, one so pure and dominant. Then, my Naitaka will grant me the gift I will have deserved."
A single shot fired.
Liz's eyes flew open at the sound of the noise, and her face froze in shock.
The old man pulled his hand up, and massaged his chest. Reporting to his eyes, he saw. Blood.
The hole in his torso began to bleed faster, nothing to stop the flow, and Liz Sherman collected her senses enough to look passed the old man. A black mass stood behind him, and for a moment, it almost looked like another subject of the Ogopogo.
A familiar voice came through.
"Shut up…."
Abe stood, his shaking gun still pointed at the Ogopogo worshipper. He did not bring it down until the old man fell to the ground, quickly starting to die from his injury. His body was too aged for the hit to even try to survive it.
Liz shoved the man's cane from her injured arm, but immediately directed her attention back up. "Abe."
Abraham Sapien's buckling legs gave out, and he collapsed, dropping the gun on the ground beside him.
Gasping, Agent Sherman managed with might to bring herself up to her knees. Feverously, she crawled over to her fallen friend. Worry and nervousness crossed her face as she tried to call on her fire to see.
Like the previous victims of the sea serpent, his legs were bitten and mangled. The assault from the pointed rocks faired the rest of his body no better. She could not recall the last time she had seen him look so bad. At first glance, Liz could not spot a patch of skin not already covered in blood or disturbed earth. It pained her to see him like this, and hearing him groan as he breathed concerned her more. "Abe, don't worry," she assured, as she tried to remove his Kevlar vest.
That helped, but Liz could spot the distance in his eyes. "You need to stay with me," she remarked strongly. She tried to wipe away the soot and blood from his gills and face, attempting to be as gentle as she could. He remained unresponsive. "Abe?"
Elizabeth recoiled as she heard the waves' boom below, and she could only watch in awe as a mighty form revealed itself from the waters. The sea serpent of Okanagan drew itself as before from its domain, its body curling to support lifting its huge neck up into the air. Its grey skin glistened with gothic splendor, and its eyes reflected the lightning that struck behind. The fins around its mouth bristled, its gills flared out as they were exposed to air.
Ogopogo hissed down, expelling air from its lungs as it glared at the three forms on the hills.
Liz did not remember it being so gargantuan, but seeing it up close put the situation into perspective for her. There was no way they were prepared to deal with such a thing.
She could not let it attack.
She could take Abe and try to get to higher ground; it was essentially a giant fish, it could not follow them.
Too tired for that.
Defiantly, Liz Sherman put herself in Ogopogo's eye range as her own pupils began to glow orange. Days of frustration, fatigue, and fury built up, fueling the fire inside. Her hands ignited, and the warmth was welcomed into the damp sky. Her brows narrowed, and she inwardly dared the beast to even think about moving.
Even though she knew that with all of the crap she took it was unlikely she could match against it, she was not going to let it near her or her teammate without at least trying to fight it off.
Its eyes peered at its adversary, and its gills fluttered with grace. It could feel the power coming from the being that made contact with its eyes, the pulsating flames threatening to ignite at a moments notice. For a moment, it was mesmerized, but that was not why it was there.
Growling low deep behind its throat, the Ogopogo lowered its focus down at the dying worshipper that rested by the edge of the hill. It huffed, gills rustling with their sandpaper-like sound, and tilted its head in a mighty heave. It took the man in its jaws with a harsh movement. In the blink of an eye, the worshipper and his Naitaka sank back into Lake Okanagan.
The waters hummed their lullaby, accepting both into its waiting arms. Somehow, a certain order felt restored.
The monster swallowed its loyal follower.
At first, Liz was uncertain if she had seen what had happened right in front of her. How could it be explained?
The unneeded fire died, absorbing back into its host until it would be called for, again. Liz Sherman dropped back on her scabbed knees, brushing off the serpent that had decided not to bother them. Abraham's eyes were dull, and the markings on his skin were losing their color. She held onto him, trying to do what she could until help would arrive.
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The zombie animals were all dead by the time the reinforcements from the BPRD landed in British Columbia. It caused a massive reek across the beaches of Lake Okanagan, and anywhere the Kelowna police had housed the critters. But, putting things into perspective, they were lucky that was the worse they had to deal with now.
The Naitaka worshipper, Rudolph Hudson, was never found. The final victim of Ogopogo was the one it wanted to consume; unfortunate for Hudson, Ogopogo detested false idol worshipping. The others had only been in its way on its path to trying to eat its subject. The dead beasts tried to drag the old man down with them into the deep, but now their purposes were fulfilled and they all could rest. All of the ghosts could.
With Ogopogo satisfied, no one else had to fear swimming in the waters with the great beast, anymore.
At least, not until some other nut developed the delusion that worshipping the sea serpent was a good idea.
Mr. Parker, in the names of both representing Canada and the families of the victims, thanked Director Manning profoundly for sending his agents to help. While the mission could have run smoother, it had been completed with a relatively low body count. That was what ultimately mattered.
Liz Sherman was fortunate.
The medical team at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense told her so. Apparently she had a hard head, because the blows she had been dealt could have cracked her skull if the attacks had shifted more over. Apparently, the zombie farm animals had caused worse damage, but it did not start to really hurt until they bandaged her ribs up. Now she just felt restricted.
The cots in the medical bay were not uncomfortable, but she never enjoyed her visits there. She didn't know who did.
She had been there all day, and now nighttime hung low. The lights were almost all out, the nurses thinking Liz would want to sleep off her wounds. Instead, her mind wandered off and she picked at the bandages around her arm.
Hard footsteps clicked on the tiles.
The white cloth felt alien to her fingertips, but she found herself thinking more about Abe. The doctors specialized with working with the fish man were still trying to stabilized his condition.
He was really bad. The onslaught did more damage than Liz had thought, and the last clash against the Naitaka worshipper took everything he had left. The specialized medical tank was not helping as well as they had hoped, and Abe's state seemed at the mercy of the moment.
She could not see him. She understood why, but the least the doctors could do was keep her updated on his condition. The dark was unnerving, and she wanted comfort. Abe Sapien had been wrong. That console he had tried to give Liz before proved to be ill said. A deep-rooted irritation fired from Liz against the superiors. They had to have known that Ogopogo was more dangerous than that. Had they really just assumed that since Abe could swim well that anything involving water was in his capabilities.
Liz Sherman hated typecasting.
"Little late, but I snuck you in some coffee."
She opened her eyes, and looked up. A well-known red hand held a steaming cup out, almost in a matter of peace. "H.B." She stopped picking at the cloth, and retrieved her gift. The smell caressed her senses, and her took a sip of the drink. It tasted so good.
The hulking agent scooted a chair up closer to the cot. His frame was so large that it was a miracle the enforced chair could even hold his weight. "All right, kid," he announced, scratching his gargoyle-like chin. "Talk to me."
Liz knew Hellboy was there to listen. His golden eyes almost glowed in the dim lights. Behind a face that could barely show emotions, Hellboy seemed unsettled. Liz could read him, years of working close together forming a mutual bond. "Is Manning mad?"
Hellboy smirked. "A little, but he'll get over it. You know how he hates extra work." The Bureau's Director never liked any loose ends from missions, and he had to be the one to assure the Canadian government that despite there being a gigantic snake in the water, it was not a danger to anyone. They were not so quick to believe Tom.
He watched Liz drink more of her coffee. "Heard you kicked the crap out of some zombies up there."
Even Elizabeth surprised herself when she smiled, but she remained silent.
"Abe's going to be fine." His stone right hand rested on his lap, and he scratched his chin again with his left. Maybe it was his own nervous habit, but he did not make it known. Liz's eyes lingered down with uncertainty. "Come on, you think he's going to let some fish kill him? Abe's tougher than that." He did not speak with medical knowledge, and he did not have to. He knew Abe, just about better than anyone else.
That resulted in a response. Liz shrugged, but shook her head before holding the cup of coffee in her hands.
Reaching over and patting Liz on the back, Hellboy stood up, his chair squeaking with relief as mass weight lifted off it. "Get some sleep, kid." When she gave him one last smile, he turned to leave the room.
"H.B.?"
He turned around, eye ridge arched. "Yeah?"
"Thanks for the coffee."
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