The Scarlet Mongoose

By Charlie Fincher

In the middle of a rise in crime, a city struggles to control its criminals and keep its citizens safe.  But one vigilante decides to take a stand and protect the innocent.  The Scarlet Mongoose, bat in hand, begins to rid the streets of crime, much to the dismay of the authorities.  Meanwhile, tensions rise amongst the members of

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hill-Park Publishing
• Release date: Jul 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9780990611622

Book preview

Chapter 1

"Scarlet Mongoose! Scarlet Mongoose! Savior of the weak! Hero to the meek! Scarlet Mongoose! Scarlet Mongoose! Let your wrath loose! Tremble, fiends who dare pick on the innocent! For the Scarlet Mongoose will…uh…what rhymes with innocent? Umm…"

Connor! Keep your voice down!

The boy winced and turned towards the direction of his mother’s voice. "I will not keep my voice down! I’m celebrating the godliness that is the Scarlet Mongoose! Woo! He waved his plastic sword around above his head. Evildoers beware! The Scarlet Mongoose is aware!"

What is the ‘Scarlet Mongoose’ anyway? Is it a new TV superhero or something?

Don’t compare the Scarlet Mongoose to something as low as a fake hero in a cartoon!

The boy’s mother was surprised by this response; Connor had always loved watching superheroes on TV and would throw a fit if anyone dared to insult them. She became curious of his sudden transition in interests; little boys didn’t grow up that fast, right?

"So who is the Scarlet Mongoose?" she asked again from the kitchen, setting plates down on the table as she spoke.

The hero of the weak, duh! her son responded irritably, but she could hear the excitement in his voice. "The best hero on the face of the planet!"

Well, excuse me for not knowing, she muttered in a low voice. When she spoke again, her voice was louder in order for her son to hear. So if you didn’t see this hero on TV, where’d you see him?

"He’s everywhere, Mom! No one knows where he’ll show up next!"

She stared at the wall with a confused look. Okay, so where did you see him?

Oh… He sounded abruptly disheartened. I’ve never actually seen him before…but I know he’s out there somewhere! he added with more enthusiasm.

Uh-huh, right.

She figured this was another one of his imaginary friends. He was always dreaming up new illusory friends to play with, since he could rarely find any real friends to be around. She frowned as she thought about this; perhaps she should be more involved in this matter than she currently was.

She opened the refrigerator, almost entirely empty save for the leftover boxes of last week’s Chinese take-out dinner, which would be tonight’s dinner. She knew her son wouldn’t like it, but what else was she supposed to do? They couldn’t afford any decent meals lately, so they had to settle for leftovers. She made a mental promise to herself that her next paycheck would be used for a nice dinner for Connor, just to cheer him up a bit.

His singing continued abruptly. "Scarlet Mongoose! Scarlet Mongoose! Savior of the weak! Hero to the meek! A badass version of Robin Hood!"

She winced and looked towards the living room. Language!

"Oops! Sorry! Anyway, the Scarlet Mongoose comes when the bad guys least expect it!"

She reached into the refrigerator and picked up the square take-out box from the Chinese fast-food place a few blocks down.

"The Scarlet Mongoose swoops in when we least anticipate it!"

She opened the box, and a foul smell exploded into her face from it, making her nose wrinkle in disgust.

"Weapon in hand, the Scarlet Mongoose beats up those bad guys real good!"

She grimaced down at the food, peering down at it closely, holding her breath while doing so.

"The Scarlet Mongoose then drags them away, leaving…uh…blood! …That doesn’t rhyme, wait…"

The food had gone bad. How long had it been since she last checked it? Apparently, she’d had this in the refrigerator for longer than she’d originally thought. She checked the other boxes, slight panic settling in her stomach.

"The Scarlet Mongoose is awesome! Awesomeness in human form! Wooo!"

Shit… she muttered as she realized all of the food in the refrigerator was bad.

"The Scarlet Mongoose…umm…I can’t think of anything else to sing…"

She slammed the refrigerator shut. She grabbed her purse from the coat hanger and stepped hastily into the living room to see her son standing on the coffee table, plastic sword in hand.

Connor, get down from there. She didn’t sound like she was scolding; she just sounded tired. We’re going out.

He turned to look at her. Going where?

To the restaurant down the street for our dinner.

He looked disappointed and let out a long, Aww! He stared up at the ceiling in exasperation. Again?

I’m sorry, Connor, but that’s all we can afford right now. You know that.

He didn’t answer but hopped off of the table. He gloomily walked over to his mother without looking up. He dropped the sword to the floor.

She smiled a little. Come on, don’t act like such a grouch. I promise things will get better soon. She held out her hand to him. Let’s get going before it gets too dark.

He waited a moment before finally looking at her hand. He took it. Okay…but will you promise to buy me some gum?

She grinned. Of course I will.

The small joys in life matter the most, after all, she thought a bit sadly as she opened the door out of the apartment.

__

It was dark by the time they left the Chinese restaurant. The paved roads were like long, black voids of nothingness in the night’s darkness, despite the streetlights. This street was one of the few not crowded by people and cars; hardly anyone came down here. No one really liked the slums, if it was bad enough to be called that, so perhaps the emptiness made sense. The sidewalks were littered with wrappers of all kinds and burnt out cigarettes, making the grayness look somewhat colorful in a sad sort of way. The air was thick with the pollution from the cars that zoomed by in the distance; the hum of busy traffic could still be heard, even at this late hour. The buildings that lined the streets were all sad sights as well. They were all in poor condition; most of them hadn’t been cared for in years. The bricks seemed to be drained of color, as if the pollution itself was turning them gray. Broken windows were a regular sight on each building as well, most of which had already been boarded up; no one wanted thieves to get in.

Of course, it seemed as though nothing stopped thieves around here. A robbery took place almost every night. In fact, thieves were the reason the windows had been broken in the first place.

She shuddered at the thought of the frequency of crime in the area. Luckily for them, they hadn’t been victims yet; richer people were usually targeted, if they could even really be called that. No one was really rich around here. The richest person in the neighborhood could probably afford air-conditioning maybe, but that was it.

She continued to walk down the dimly lit street, holding boxes of leftovers for the refrigerator at home. Connor was humming by her side, chewing his gum happily as he hummed. She eventually noticed the tune he was humming.

Scarlet Mongoose? she asked.

Mm-hmm, he answered as he chewed, and then continued to hum.

Did you come up with that yourself?

He shook his head. Not all of it. I heard one of the big kids at school singing it. He only sang ‘Scarlet Mongoose’ over and over again, though. And he thought up of ‘Evildoers beware; the Scarlet Mongoose is aware!’

So that’s where it came from, she thought to herself.

They continued their progress down the street. She adjusted her arms a bit into a more comfortable position for carrying boxes. Connor continued to hum cheerfully. She was glad to see him happy, even during these sad times. She worried for his health though; she couldn’t remember the last time they’d had a doctor’s appointment, and they rarely had a chance to eat anything healthy.

The streets were abandoned except for the two heading back to their apartment and the sudden shadow that appeared from around a corner. He watched the two and their progress for a moment before following them. She didn’t realize they were being followed until it was too late.

As she turned, he drew out a knife and slashed it threateningly at her. She let out a scream and dropped the boxes to the ground, scattering the contents all over the pavement. Connor stared in silent terror without being able to move, his face going entirely pale. He swallowed his gum without being able to stop himself.

She backed up a few steps, hands shaking as she held them up, palms forward. She swallowed hard. P-Please, d-don’t hurt us. I d-don’t h-have any m-money on m-me.

He stepped closer, knife still pointed towards her. She stepped back again, and Connor clung to her leg, whimpering quietly.

Please, l-let us g-go. I w-won’t say anything to the police, I s-swear, she stammered, though she knew it was a fruitless attempt.

The man abruptly grabbed her by the arm with his free hand. She let out a shriek. Connor glowered up at the man.

Leave my mommy alone, you bully! he shouted as loudly as his lungs would let him.

He threw himself at the man’s leg, clinging to it and biting right below the knee as hard as he could. The man let out a quiet grunt, though he didn’t sound in pain. He kicked Connor off and whacked him in the ribs with the side of his arm, sending Connor tumbling to the ground.

The woman let out another shriek. She glared at the mugger in sudden fury, tears streaming down her pale face. You bastard! Leave my son alone! Do whatever you want with me, just leave him alone!

He looked up at his mother from the ground, tears filling up in his eyes as well. M-Mommy, no…

She looked at him. Run! Run while you can, Connor! Don’t worry about me—

She was suddenly struck in the face by the back of the man’s hand, the one still holding the knife. Blood trickled out of the side of her mouth and dripped without sound onto the pavement. Connor stared at the little specks in horror, as if it at last dawned on him what was going to happen next. He couldn’t move; his joints felt frozen. And he realized with a huge wave of grief that he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his mother’s request….

He began to wail.

No, Connor! his mother pleaded. Run! Don’t cry!

He couldn’t make the sobbing stop. The mugger glared at the screaming child. He raised his knife as if in warning.

She saw this and cried, No! Don’t harm him! Do whatever you want with me! Just please! Her pleads hardly came out audibly past her sobbing.

The mugger seemed to take this plea seriously, for he suddenly tugged on her arm and began to tow her towards the alley. She let out a terrified whimper, knowing what this man had in mind.

Connor stood, staggering slightly as he did so, and began to follow her blindly.

She looked back at him. No! Connor, go home! I don’t want you to see… She trailed off, realizing she’d already said too much, and began to sob again.

Connor stopped short. He clutched his shirt tightly, at a loss for what to do as he watched his mother being dragged away towards the alley.

He thought of only one possible solution.

Scarlet Mongoose! he screamed at the top of his lungs. Please! Help us! Help mommy! HELP!

His mother screamed again, and he squealed in response; he thought she’d been injured. But that was not the case.

At the other end of the alleyway, facing the mugger and his victim, stood a silhouette holding a weapon.

The mugger held up his knife, pointing it in the direction of the silhouette. Get out of here, he growled in a hoarse voice. Who do you think you are?

The person did not answer but began stepping towards the mugger. The mugger, feeling fear creep up his veins, put the knife to his victim’s throat.

I-I’ll kill her if you come any closer! he threatened.

The person did not cease moving forward.

The mugger stepped back two steps. Stay back! I mean it! I’ll—

Before he could finish, the silhouette ran forward with blinding speed. It raised its weapon, and both the criminal and Connor’s mother saw what it was; it was a metal bat.

It swung down.

The impact sent the mugger tumbling backwards, and he let go of his grip on Connor’s mother, who also fell to the ground. Blood dripped swiftly to the pavement. The mugger let out a cry in pain and covered the gash on his head with his free hand. He glared at his attacker and held up his knife while gritting his teeth.

You son of a—

He, yet again, was not permitted to finish his sentence. The attacker lunged again and hit his hand, sending the knife flying with a loud crack. He cried out again, but even his shout was cut off by yet another blow, this time to the chest. He fell flat on his back, holding up his arms in front of his face in helpless defense. The attacker swung down once more, hitting his right arm. Then the attacker hit the mugger’s sides, each side getting three blows. He was no longer crying out; he was coughing and sputtering blood. He moaned in agony and lay motionless on the filthy pavement.

The attacker held the bat against his shoulder and watched the mugger moan, as if looking over a job well done. Connor’s mother backed away in fear on the ground from the attacker, using her hands behind her to inch away. But the attacker seemed to pay her no mind; he just continued looking down at the mugger.

Connor came around the corner. He gasped. Mommy!

She turned her head to look at him with wide, fearful eyes. No! Connor, stay back!

The attacker at last looked up. Connor ignored his mother’s orders and ran to her. He knelt beside her and hugged her arm tightly. He looked up at the attacker with terrified eyes at first, but he gradually squinted in curiosity instead.

C-Connor, his mother stammered, her voice a whisper. Please…run…

She knew she’d be next, and she didn’t want her son to be harmed as well.

But he suddenly smiled. Thank you, he whispered gratefully to the attacker holding the bat.

His mother almost jolted in surprise. Connor…that’s…

He pointed to the silhouette. Mommy…the Scarlet Mongoose saved us.

Her breath caught. She looked at the attacker again. The attacker looked back at her with blank eyes. She was surprised to see that the face of the attacker was quite young, maybe a teenager even. The hood the person wore hid most of his face in shadow, but she could see his blank, staring eyes looking right into hers. She could also see faint marks on either side of the person’s face, and she thought they were wounds. But with further scrutinizing, she realized they weren’t scratches or scars; it was red face paint, three marks on each side, resembling—oddly enough—whiskers.

The supposed Scarlet Mongoose appeared to tighten his grip on the bat. His fingers weren’t visible; he seemed to be wearing thin gloves. His torn jeans showed parts of his pale, skinny legs, and his sneakers were red and torn, most of the laces were absent.

He took a handkerchief out from the pocket on his red sweatshirt. He handed it wordlessly to Connor’s mother. She didn’t accept it; she was too stunned. But Connor took it with a grateful nod in thanks towards the Scarlet Mongoose.

He took out another handkerchief and used it to pick up the knife. He wrapped it carefully up and placed it in his pocket. He then grabbed the nearly unconscious mugger by the ankle and began to drag him away.

Thank you! Connor said again to the person’s back.

He didn’t cease his walking and soon disappeared around the corner on the other side of the alley.

Connor began to wipe the blood from his mother’s face. She didn’t respond; she only stared after the Scarlet Mongoose with a mix of awe and fear.

Connor began to sing quietly to himself as he cleaned his mother’s face. "Scarlet Mongoose. Scarlet Mongoose. You’ve saved the day. You keep evildoers at bay, hurray for the Scarlet Mongoose!"

Chapter 2

In local news, a radio crackled, "last night, police report that yet another injured man has been found secured to a lamppost with a bike lock. His injuries included a mild concussion, two broken ribs, broken bones in his right hand, and bruises covering his torso and right arm. A single note was, once again, left taped to his chest, saying, ‘This man attempted to mug and rape a young woman. If you would be so kind, see to it he gets a proper punishment.’ The suspect’s knife was also found on the pavement beside him, conveniently wrapped in a handkerchief. Only the suspect’s fingerprints were found on the weapon in question.

"The suspect confessed after being treated, and his testimony included the ever-mysterious ‘Scarlet Mongoose’, who seems to be the one responsible for attacking the man. This has been one of several similar events that have occurred in the past few months. The Scarlet Mongoose has intervened countless criminal acts, leaving the assailants assaulted and conveniently secured by bike locks until the police would arrive, evidence practically in the criminals’ pockets.

However, it is debated whether this person deserves true credit; we don’t know if all of these criminals are truly criminals and not just innocent people being framed for the Scarlet Mongoose’s crimes. Therefore, we ask the community to report any information about this ‘masked man’ to the police—

Boo! Let the Mongoose stay loose! Boo! a teenage boy shouted at the radio.

Pipe down! I can’t hear the story! a second boy scolded.

They’ve said enough bullshit as it is! I’ve had enough of their constant ranting over how Mongoose is a criminal too!

Quiet already!

The second teenager turned up the volume on the radio.

And that concludes this morning news report. Tune in this afternoon for—

Christ, Damon! You drowned out the rest of it with your ranting!

So?! Down with anchormen! Damon stood up on his chair and cupped his hands around his mouth. Down with anchormen and criminals! Up with the Mongoose! He held up his hands above his head and made a peace sign on each hand. Real superheroes for the win!

The other boy shut off the radio and glowered up at Damon. Will you calm down? How much coffee have you had today anyway?

Damon put one hand down and used the other to give his friend the finger. None, amigo.

Well, with that racket you’re making, Mrs. Fisher’s going to blow another gasket. She’ll never let us have our own study hall again.

You expect me to care, Miles?

He thought for a moment. No.

Good. Thought you were suffering amnesia for a second there, bro.

Damon sat down again, putting his arm over the back of the chair. He turned the radio on again and tuned it until it reached a music station. Loud rock music began to fill the empty classroom. Damon turned the volume up until the desk the radio was sitting on was vibrating from the noise.

Damon laughed. Oh yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! He began to play an air-guitar and propped his foot against the rim of the desk, pushing himself back slightly as he played.

Must you do that? Miles asked, sounding annoyed.

Yes, I must. He began to make inhuman noises, mimicking a screeching guitar as he began to play with more vigor.

Dear God, Damon…my ears…

Can’t stop the music, bro! He sang one last screeching note before speaking again. By the way, Miles, you up for baseball today, bro?

Sorry, I can’t make it today.

Damon almost fell backwards from jolting in surprise. Seriously?! Man, you can’t ditch us!

Miles straightened his glasses as he looked at last night’s homework in front of him. Sorry. I have to do something for my mom.

Aww! Damon said mockingly. Little mama’s boy gotta do work? You poor, poor baby.

Shut up. Trust me, I’d love to play today—really, I would—but mom wants me to apply for a job.

Damon made an exaggerated gasping noise. Speaketh not of the greatest evil!

Ha ha, Miles muttered sarcastically. Unlike you, I’m not some lazy jerk that sits on his ass all day. I prefer to help my mom in any way I can.

Oooh, that smarts, truly, Damon responded sarcastically back. What about tomorrow, huh?

Probably.

"Awesome! We’re so gonna kick some major ass!"

Quiet down. Other kids can probably hear you. No wonder they’re so corrupt.

They’re corrupt because of this damn city, bro. I mean, I’m the perfect example.

Yes you are.

They sat in silence in the empty classroom for a few minutes. Miles continued to look over his homework while Damon began to clean his ear with his pinky.

So what’d you think of the news? Damon asked casually without ceasing his cleaning.

I think they’re taking the Mongoose story in the wrong direction.

Glad you agree.

But it’s perfectly understandable why they think Mongoose is a criminal. You must understand that too, at least.

Damon thought for a moment. Yeah, I guess. It sucks big time, though, knowing the authorities want to catch Mongoose. I mean, the one job they want to get done involves catching a fellow crime-stopper, you know?

The police don’t like vigilantes.

I know, but still! God! I wish adults had more sense, you know?!

They do; they’re just using it in all of the wrong ways. Besides, if I were a policeman, I’d think Mongoose was a pretty dangerous individual. And also, if I were a policeman, I’d want more than anything to catch Mongoose and be a hero to the neighborhood.

"Dude, Mongoose is a hero to the neighborhood."

I know, but they don’t know that. Even witnesses have stated how terrified they were when Mongoose showed up. Most of them thought Mongoose was some other dangerous criminal.

Damon crossed his arms. Maybe we should send a petition out and get people who like Mongoose to sign it.

Good luck with that. There aren’t many adults who like Mongoose; they’d rather have the authorities handle everything ‘officially.’

"The authorities—he made authorities sound like a dirty word—don’t do anything ever. They just sound ‘safer,’ whatever the hell that means. The kids love Mongoose," he added after a slight pause.

That’s because they like someone to look up to. Mongoose is real, so they have a real hero that makes them feel safe. Besides, you were the one singing that repetitive tune over and over again. It was like you were trying to spread war propaganda.

Damon grunted and folded his arms behind his head. The tune was catchy and kids picked up on it and liked it. I’m spreading positive vibes about the Mongoose through children’s brains.

Sing it over the intercom then, why don’t you? Miles muttered sarcastically.

Damon considered this, and a slow smile eventually spread across his lips. You know…that actually sounds like a fantastic idea!

Miles glared at his friend. "Good God, Damon, you’re just asking to be expelled, aren’t you?"

Damon stuck his tongue out of the left side of his mouth carelessly. That doesn’t sound so bad.

Miles rolled his eyes.

The radio played commercials for a minute before they were abruptly cut off. Static sounded from the speakers, clicking mildly and making Damon grimace at the device. He jiggled the knob on the radio a bit.

C’mon, you piece of old—

Wait, go back one, Miles said suddenly, looking quite interested for once.

What?

Go back. I heard something.

Damon shrugged and did as instructed. The radio stopped playing static and an anchorman’s voice became audible instead.

Breaking news report, he stated in his official-sounding voice. The police just released more information concerning the recent ‘Scarlet Mongoose’ event.

The two boys exchanged looks.

"Authorities say that a young mother—who requested that she not be named—visited the police station this morning. She claimed to be one of the victims in last night’s attack and said that she wanted to identify the criminal as her attacker.

She identified the man as the one that had, indeed, attacked her and her young son. She told the authorities what had happened the previous night and claimed that the Scarlet Mongoose had saved her and her son. She declined to comment on whether she agrees with the Scarlet Mongoose’s past actions or not, but she stated that she was ‘grateful for the man’s help.’

Damon laughed; Miles shot him a look.

"The police have said that her story is credible. They asked if the Scarlet Mongoose had left evidence of any kind, and she stated that the Scarlet Mongoose gave them a handkerchief to clean up their wounds. Her son took it from the scene, and she cannot find it, to the police’s disappointment. Her son, and I quote, ‘refuses to give it up and has hidden it somewhere.’

That concludes this breaking news report—

Miles shut the radio off. Neither of the two commented for several minutes; they sat in silence, not moving the slightest bit.

We got another fan, Damon said at last.

What, that kid?

Yup. He won’t give up his little ‘souvenir.’

That’s good. We don’t want the police getting their hands on it and testing it for any traces of DNA.

"Like they’re really going to find anything on a piece of cloth."

You’d be surprised.

Okay, smart guy, what about the handkerchief they found wrapped around the knife?

I’m sure Mongoose was careful about that.

Damon grunted and shook his head. Right. Let’s all assume everything’s still safely undercover.

A sudden, digitalized ringing noise sounded. The notes rang clearly along with a slight buzzing sound. Damon pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"u cool 4 basebal?" the text message read on the little glowing screen.

Damon began to type swiftly with his thumbs on the keypad. "yup but milez a no-go"

Who was that? Miles asked as Damon hit the send button.

Tuck.

Shit.

I know.

Did you tell him?

Yep.

Bastard.

What? He was gonna find out eventually, like how—oh, I don’t know—we’re one man short on our team?

I know, I know. Tell him I’m sorry.

Damon’s phone pinged again. He checked the screen and laughed a second later.

What? Miles asked.

Damon pointed at the screen with a huge smirk. Miles read the text message:

"milez is a prick"

God… Miles muttered while covering his face with his hands.

Should I give him your message?

It won’t help, but go ahead.

Damon shrugged and began to type. "milez says he’s srry"

He hit send and put his phone away. Expect ‘presents’ from Tuck in your locker tomorrow.

I get it, Miles answered irritably.

The bell rang. Damon shot up from his chair in an instant and grabbed his backpack off of the floor. He looked over his shoulder at Miles, who was still sitting in his chair and looking sulky.

Rules of baseball, bro, Damon said while grinning. Ya gotta be there for your team.

No, these are the rules of high school. ‘Don’t show up for a game involving your team and the captain—who happens to be the most buff guy in school—will beat the living shit out of you.’

Damon laughed. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him.

Good luck with that.

Damon smiled and gave a salute with his free hand. Until next study hall, bro. And with that, he disappeared into the hallway.

Miles sighed and began to pack his things. As he began to put the radio away, his phone began to ping. He was afraid to read what the text message said, worried it was Tuck bashing him again for dropping out of the game.

He took out his cell phone from his backpack with an anticipating scowl. But his features softened a bit when he saw the name.

He unlocked the phone and read the message.

"outta snax. usual place. thanx in advance"

Miles swallowed, feeling