The Four Perils: A Monster Slaying Urban Fantasy Adventure (The Geomancer's Apprentice Series Book 4) by Yin Leong

Author:Yin Leong [Leong, Yin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Junie shoveled cereal into her mouth. She stopped occasionally to let loose yawns so wide it was a miracle her lips didn’t split at the corners. Even the cat looked tired as it slumbered in her lap.

Joe was almost as exhausted as the two were. He waited patiently for her to finish her breakfast before he started the meeting with everyone.

He had explained the entire situation to Elsie and Sze Ho last night. It was Elsie, after all, who tipped him off about the deformed animals.

After the two left for the day, he paced all around the apartment and office while waiting for Junie to return from Montrose Park.

He fell asleep on the couch at 3 a.m. He awoke when she entered the apartment at almost 4 in the morning.

She was drenched and bleeding, and her clothes and backpack were torn.

“Oh my God,” he said. “What happened to you? Did you take care of the dogs?”

“Let’s just say things didn’t go smoothly.” Her tone was testy. “I had to wade across Rock Creek to get away from the cops. And then the Lyft driver refused to take me because he said I reeked and would soil his seats. So I walked home.”

She scowled and lifted her arm to sniff at her sleeve. “Ewww, I still smell like rotting garbage. Can I tell you the rest tomorrow? Right now I need to get out of these stinking clothes and take a hot shower. One of the darn things bit me and I need to clean and dress the wound. And oh, I need to thoroughly scrub the bell.”

Joe’s half-awake brain tried to process all the information. “You got bitten?” he finally asked. “How bad is it?”

“I’m okay,” she said. “The wound is superficial. It’s a good thing I had on my cargo pants and thick socks. The brown dog also scratched my leg.”

“Do you need rabies shots?”

“I don’t think so. The dogs are dead and rotting, not rabid.”

Junie needed rest for her healing powers to kick into high gear so he let her sleep in the next morning. When she was ready, he called everyone to the dining table. He started the meeting by having her describe how she dealt with the dogs at the park last night.

Sze Ho spoke up after she finished. “I’ve been thinking over what you told us,” he said to Joe. “And now, hearing Junie’s account … This is disturbing. These blobs—they started appearing about six weeks ago?”

“That’s when Junie and I first set eyes on them,” Joe clarified.

“So they’re attracted to sites of tragedy,” the scholar said. “And they’re somehow possessing the ghosts of suicide victims as well as dead animals?”

“Yup,” Joe said.

Sze Ho turned to Junie. “Can you describe the dogs from the park again?”

She did so, trying to be as detailed as she could. The academic mulled over what she said. “Have you thought about ‘guishen,’ or Chinese monsters and gods?” he asked.

Joe was flummoxed. “No, can’t say I have.” He frowned.

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