Tales from Portents - A Greystone Collection by Lou Paduano

Author:Lou Paduano
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy short stories, fantasy superhero, urban fantasy thriller, supernatural thriller, paranormal thriller, occult horror, myths and legends, supernatural suspense, murder mystery, short story collection
Publisher: Eleven Ten Publishing
Published: 2017-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“I need the Greystone, Loren. Now.”

Soriya cursed under her breath, the chill in the air surrounding her. She had been too slow to act. The request for Loren was meant to expedite matters but his lack of trust surprised her. Their limited time together offered her a rich connection. Something about him brought a smile to her face, a level of comfort she only shared with a short list of people in her life. Yet to him, she remained a complete stranger.

Another mistake? Possibly, and one with little time to rectify. The attempt was made, however, by letting Franklin Hayes share his story, but whatever lead time they had between the car accident and now was gone. Gremlins were in the building, trapping them inside.

“Loren?”

He continued to sit, waiting for more. “The stone? Why? Just tell me what the hell...?”

“Dammit, Loren,” she spat, slamming her hand against the bars. The bikers adjacent to them shuffled away from the drama unfolding at the end of the holding area. Loren remained still. Refusal resided in his eyes, refusal to accept what she had alluded to in the interrogation room. What Franklin Hayes’ story truly meant. What was coming for him and now them. All stemming from a lack of trust she never saw coming.

“He’s being hunted,” Soriya said, slowing her breath. Anger, impatience, would do little here. “You might think of it as a sleight, an impolite rube taking credit for someone else’s work but to them it’s worse than a slap to the face.”

Loren shook his head. His hands clasped tight to his knees, squeezing with each mention of the threat. “But the stone? I’ve seen it do some bizarre things, sure, but it can’t help here. We’ve got manpower on our side with whatever the hell you say is coming. Gremlins or fuzzy little puppets, it doesn’t matter. I can have—”

“Won’t matter. Whatever you think is coming, you’re not prepared. You can’t see them. You can’t hear them until it’s too late. And the numbers are very much against us.”

“You’re saying...”

“How big is your extended family, Loren?”

He sat up, surprised at the question. “No idea. Couple dozen. Why?”

“When gremlins take offense, they call everyone. Every single member of their family. This is personal to them all. And I’m not just talking brothers and sisters—cousins, second cousins, family friends...everyone. Hundreds upon hundreds. Already in the building.”

“Gremlins,” he sneered. “I’ve seen the movie.”

“What movie?”

Franklin rolled his eyes. “Seriously?”

“This isn’t a movie,” Soriya snapped, ignoring the kid. She stepped close to Loren. “You know their history, Loren.”

“Those old tales of pilots during World War II with engine trouble?” Loren asked. “Mechanical errors chalked up to little pests throwing a spanner in the works? Those are stories, Soriya.”

“Facts, actually. They’re everywhere and tinkering is all they know. It’s all they do. They fix, they tweak, they build, they rebuild. Ever misplace a tool? Find a problem solved overnight and wonder why you couldn’t figure it out after staring at it for hours the previous day?”

Loren stood, rubbing his neck hard.

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