Subterfuge

By Omar Daniels

John Carter and his partners are tasked with keeping our world safe from demons while trying to stay ahead of 'The Guard,' an organization that wants the opposite. Along the way, things get shaky, and John must figure out who his friends are, who his enemies are, and how to save the world.

 

His journey doesn't have an ending..

• Language: English
• Publisher: Omar Daniels
• Release date: Jan 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9781005330637

Omar Daniels

Omar Daniels has spent most of his life in and around Chicago, Illinois. For the better part of two decades, he’s worked mostly in the construction and repair trades. He’s written a few novels, a few short stories, and a tiny variety of screenplays.All of his works dwell within the realms of Crime, Sci-Fi, and Horror. His protagonists are usually do-gooders who’ve been pulled off course or sucked in due to a grander scheme. Every now and then, a Comedy magically appears before his eyes.Over the years, he’s lent his distinctive vision to the darker divisions of Hip Hop music, thriving in the culture’s shadows where he’s most comfortable.Omar likes food most of all, beer, computers, TV, media of all kinds, and of course books and good writing. He has an Associate's of Applied Science Degree in Electronics from DeVry University, formerly DeVry Institue of Technology, Chicago Campus. He uses his vast knowledge of electronics and the Internet to weave together his stories.He's a known techno-geek around the way even though he's way too old for such associations. Spending most of his time writing, lately, he'll sometimes whip up a pretty tasty egg sandwich to keep him going.It's safe to call him a junk-food junkie while in his presence.Full versions of all my books can be found in many online bookstores.For more about me visit https://bookmotives.com

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SUBTERFUGE

sub·ter·fuge | ˈsəbtərˌfyo͞oj |

noun

deceit used in order to achieve one's goal

PART I

CHAPTER ONE

It usually didn’t take long for them to start. A lovely autumn day like it was early morning sun still bouncing off the dew…

Anything yet?

Nope. Not yet.

It wouldn’t be long. Once our patience had worn thin and the morning heat picked up, they would start. They always did. They loved it when those around me were agitated.

punk

see

We were in the woods, which was common. Sometimes our travels took us to more modern, urban locales, even some suburbs, but not often. Usually we were in the sticks, the boonies, neither here nor there, and almost always S.O.L.

What? Did you hear something?

Naw, did you say something?

Nope. Not a word.

See?

the fuck?

Yeah, got 'em. Down in that ravine. I said while pointing past Kent to the small stream a few feet back.

Perfect,

He was off to get our gear and all the equipment we needed to spend the day. If nothing happened by dusk, we would pack up and head home. We might come back and try again, but that’s only if we get another hit on the Visitanter. Otherwise, it was a dead end.

bitch

Should I panic now?

I liked to joke around with them when I could. I was really talking to myself since they’ve never responded logically, as you would expect in a conversation. No what’s up? with these guys. Just mean, vile, putrid, threats, and intimidation. All the time, every time. Yeah, now would be an excellent time for a cigarette.

My name’s John. A few years ago, I woke up in a hospital from a coma with no memory of who I was or why I was there. As I was told, the injury occurred from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The bullet grazed and curved around my skull but also took a chunk of it on the way out from the rear.

I woke up with a massive headache and a new fascination. A fascination with sounds and voices that, for some reason, only I could hear. From that point forward, I was never more than 10 feet away from the Dicks.

The Dicks were two guards who had been assigned to me. For the last two years, we’ve been traveling together all around the world, investigating strange and unusual phenomena.

I call them Dicks because that's what they were. Dick, as I was told, stands for Dedicated. Individual. Combat. Killer. The Dick I'm working with now is Kent. Kent handles the gear since he’s a bit more tech-savvy than Lucas, but not by much. Lucas is the mechanic in the crew.

Camera's rolling, Kent said.

All right,

One more cigarette, and I’ll be fired up.

The thing about these creatures, or Demons, or whatever you choose to call them, is they’re not here to entertain. If they are, they are enjoying the show without a doubt. This is because of the other side of the equation, the side I'm going to share with you in just a moment...

Bitch!

Check,

Nothing, John, Kent said while looking into the visitanter.

Now, the other side of the equation.

Keep in mind that I'm sharing this with you, but I haven’t with anyone else. Even Kent and Lucas, who have become pretty good buddies of mine over the years, don’t know. Not only can I hear these voices, but they can also hear me. And not just my voice but my thoughts as well. It's how I can track them. It’s also how I attract them. I think a thought, and they counter with something vile and offensive. Sometimes it’s not a thought but a gesture or one of my body movements that seems to enrage them.

You see, these things can see me, they have a shallow opinion of me, and every single one I’ve ever encountered hates my existence.

Fuck

Check. That was a loud one.

Nope, nothing, Kent said.

I never told the Dicks about it. The part about them seeing me. I figured I might want to have at least one card up my sleeve since I still hadn’t regained my memory, and the Dicks didn't seem to know anything about me before we met.

This brings me to another point. You could call it a piece of the puzzle, but it's also a wonderful highlight of the story.

Whomever I was before my injury, I still can't remember. What I do know is that I was strong, I was smart, but I might’ve also been a crook. The Dicks weren’t as savvy as you would probably imagine. All it took was a little observation, something I've learned that I am also very keen at, and many of the pieces fell into place.

I learned that these guys are not just ordinary soldiers. They're knowledgeable in a book sense kind of way. I'm almost certain Kent has been trained in some psychological profession. I know this because I worked with him the most and noticed he is the most observant of the two. Knowing this and going over some of our conversations made me realize that I also have a large amount of intelligence.

As for Lucas. He’s worked with machines for most of his life. He wasn’t very fond of computers, but he loved his smartphone. We haven't had a breakdown yet that he couldn’t get us out of, quick, fast, and in a hurry.

This leads me to yet another point and the real reason for this story. Although we are on a highly classified mission to save all of humanity, as the Dicks put it, we are also being hunted.

We’ve had a few different scrapes and scenarios since we’ve been together. There’s another group, an entity of individuals involved with the same thing we were dealing with.

We knew them as the Guards. They were individuals, soldiers, and psychics, who were on the same paths, and pursuing the same objectives we were, except for one thing. The Guards knew a little more about what we were all trying to attain. They were in league with the demons that taunted me long before we approached the scene.

We’ve stumbled across them a few times in our endeavors to scout out and gather evidence of these demons, and they’ve always seemed a step ahead.

It wasn’t long before an encounter emerged before us.

CHAPTER TWO

A FEW DAYS LATER...

The weekend had finally arrived, and we were looking forward to it. It had been a long one, with little data to show for it. The demons we had been tracking kept themselves hidden mostly, with only a few pings here and there on the visitanter. We figured the site was dead, so we marked it on the maps and decided to move on once we were back on duty the following week.

Since we weren’t far from the Palladium, a famous club in the area, we decided to head there. It was time to party, and no demon or guard was going to deny any of us any of that. Kent was friendly with quite a few people who worked there, and we were usually more than welcome to have a few drinks and share some good times whenever we were in town. That night was different, however. On that night, something happened that hadn’t occurred so far.

We were all pretty much experts on how to impress a lady. Besides our work, it was the only real entertainment we had. No game consoles, no cable. We were never anywhere long enough to make getting a subscription worth it.

Sometimes, and there were plenty of moments, we weren't lucky enough to join any of the festivities. Some sites were so dangerous to be in that we often camped out in our vehicles for days at a time.

It was always the same routine. We would drive some miles from the work location, pull off the road, hide the vehicle, and then Lucas would place a little RF jamming device on top of the car. It didn't hide us from scanners or more sophisticated equipment. It just ensured our devices wouldn't be able to broadcast out or be pinged while we slept. It provided only a thin layer of security which we appreciated no matter how feeble or frail it appeared.

Tonight, however, was one of those good nights we were looking forward to. We had been doing this long enough to know the site we were at wouldn't amount to much. Primarily because of the low security, but mainly because of the blood. There wasn't any I could tell at the site, and most of these Demons or Spirits needed a lot of blood to get excited.

For the moment, things were chill. We all had drinks in hand, enjoying the warmth and camaraderie. Lucas was on his third drink already. He was the least loquacious of us all.

What’s wrong with Lucas?

Nothing, just doing his mellow man thing. He'll turn up as soon as the ladies do. Kent said.

What's this place called again? Kent then asked.

The Dragon’s Pit, I said.

It had a relaxed vibe, and the place smelled great. I noticed many people had tattoos, mostly tribal markings, and some were intentionally meant to be taken as demonic. Things such as pentagrams and the blatant deviled beast, looked like a gathering of Vlad the Impaler’s legion, which wasn’t their usual clientele, as far as I could tell from their google page.

Man, I'm starving, I said.

Yeah, I'm sure they have a decent hamburger, being it's called the Dragon's Pit, Kent said.

The waitress came over, and I spotted something else a little strange. The tattoo on her arm looked just like the ones worn by the...

Suddenly, there was a roar from the crowd as a man entered the pub. I assumed he was merely well-known, a habitual customer I understood from the friendly welcome that was returned from his appearance. I shook my head for a second, then returned to scanning the menu and the waitresses’ tattoos.

Nice tattoo, I said.

Thanks, she said, being professional but enjoying the extra attention.

What is it? I asked, this time holding back a little. I didn't want to scare her, but I needed to know. We all did. The waitress smiled again.

Just something between my guy and me, she said. That’s why she was smiling. She had something to swat me away with now.

She took our orders and left, promising to return soon with another round. Kent was swirling his drink, looking at the table and me simultaneously

Something on your mind Kent? I said, kind of jokingly. We both knew what was going on.

You know what's on my mind. You got that look again.

He was right. The waitress's tattoo was too coincidental. All the other tattoo's being displayed didn't make me feel any calmer. I just wanted to enjoy the night, the drinks, and the ladies and was hoping nothing wrong would go down.

Well, you saw the tattoo, I said.

Yeah, yeah, I did, replied Kent. He then finished his drink, and although there was another round on the way, Kent would probably have no more. He was on duty, and so was Lucas. I was on duty, but the alcohol only dampened my ability. It didn’t silence it in the least.

You think this is a hive? I asked, referring to the venue I had picked for us to party.

Could be, he said. He took a quick look around and then focused on Lucas, who was starting to relax.

The cool air breezing through the open windows of the pub was refreshing. It smelled good like it always did at this time of year, no matter where on Earth you are. Soon the snow will fall, the streets will close, and there won't be a lot to do other than work and come home to whatever's playing on the TV back at the hotel.

Still, things were starting to add up like they sometimes did. Why we didn't find a single check back at the work site only meant we were too late. Yet the feeling was there. The suspicion and the dread were light but steady, as those feelings sometimes were. We might’ve found another spot somewhere else in the area but close, but it wasn’t in the prior recon, so we had to accept the lack of confirmation at the site for what it was. However, the proliferation of tattoos donned by the patrons of this pub made it increasingly clear something was about, of that I was sure.

Lucas was already aware of what we were thinking since he was looking directly at us when Kent turned and nodded to Lucas. That was his sign that we were departing early. He put his jacket back on, got up and paid his bill, then left the venue to check the vehicle and prepare for our departure.

Kent and I stood up to put on our coats, and then Kent waved for the waitress. While he was studying the waitress, it was then that I again noticed the tall man who had come in earlier.

A very loud presence, he was wearing an overcoat with jeans and had on work boots. His hair and beard looked maintained but dis-shelved for the moment as if he ran from where he was to here. I had to assume this was one of his usual hangouts.

He looked directly at us from the bar where he and his apparent cohorts dwelled.

I paid it no mind as I was putting on my coat and trying to finish my beer. It was then that Kent received a text from Lucas letting us know we were clear to leave the Dragon's Pit. It also became apparent that you can't leave a Dragon's Pit without experiencing some heat.

Hello mates! Not leaving too soon I hope? he said.

It was the patron we had noticed earlier, the guy in the trench coat. After he made his introduction, he patted me on the shoulder and then began to put his arm around Kent, who dodged it in just enough time. Kent continued the motion by putting out his arm to let the man know not to get too close.

He was drunk and probably had a few before he had arrived. He was also no doubt covered with tattoos, except his were covered for the most part by his overcoat.

"Hey! Where are you guys from?

Nothing, replied Kent, while not looking at the tall man and instead observing the rest of the patrons. He knew the guy was drunk out of his mind and was only shooting off trying to put on a show for his friends at the bar.

No worries, mate. he sounded off, trying to keep his composer more than hide his embarrassment.

Let’s go, Kent said as he sidestepped the tall man and headed towards the door.

Well, please, please come back again!

As we walked past the drunkard heading towards the front door, I noticed the real reason we were leaving. I saw it as the tall man steadied himself and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to catch his breath. It was on his inner forearm, mostly covered by his coat until he raised his arm.

He was one of the Guards. Except he was alone and seemingly enjoying himself.

I got it, I said.

"Yeah. I don't know how you do it John. We know there's got to be a hive around here somewhere.

Yep, I said.

We all got in the car and pulled off slowly, looking into the Dragon's Pit's windows as we drove by.

CHAPTER THREE

Even with all the scooters and bikes piled onto the streets, traffic moved exceptionally well. I was impressed, as usual whenever I was in this part of the world. People knew how to move their vehicles, even with all the congestion. If it weren’t an unspoken respect for pedestrians alike, I would guess they had a little more concentration on the road. Lucas seemed to think so. He usually had nothing but good to say about his fellow drivers no matter where in the world we were. At least, he usually did.

Fucking get out the way! he yelled so loud as he honked his horn; I couldn’t help but notice the other driver was a little shaken.

Don’t feel bad, I thought. At least it's a living human being cursing at you. It could be a lot worse.

no, you didn’t

Are you picking up anything? Kent asked.

Ah yeah, a whole lot. We must have stirred them up back there at the bar.

Well, you know what that means? he said as he shifted in his seat so that he was facing the back of the SUV.

Kent was going through the bags in the back, looking for the visitanter. If the voices got loud enough, I mean unbearably loud, we'll mark this spot and possibly return later for further investigation.

I was finishing a cigarette when I heard another one, which sounded like it was screaming at the top of her lungs. I had to look around to make sure it wasn't coming from outside.

Bitch!!

Just got a ping. A strong one. Kent