Chapter 36 – Floor 4: Part 4

After a quick discussion with ‘Uncle Jimmy,’ who revealed that he had taken a box of odds and ends to the pawn shop while his nephew was out of the house on Monday morning before the teen returned home, Mathew and Albert drove to the Pawn Shop in downtown Arlen.

Downtown was where Mathew had appeared, and the pawn shop was a small brick building a few streets over from the bank ‘Aurora Trust.’ Shaded by a large, leafy green tree, it had a yellow sign that read “Pawn.”

“Alan Garcia, forty-five. His family reported him missing when he didn’t come home on Monday evening for dinner. One of my deputies came by to check it out and found the door unlocked and not a soul inside. Worse still, one of our other victims, Elizabeth Alvarez, was traced back to here as well.” Albert explained as he shut the door to the police cruiser, and they made their way across the small parking lot to the pawn shop.

“So Alan was working here on Monday and went missing after Jimmy pawned a box of things. Do you think Elizabeth was a customer and in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Mathew asked.

Albert took out a set of keys, fumbling with them momentarily before finding the right one for the front door.

“That’s the theory. Her husband pawned her ring a few months ago for some cash, and she told her family she would be coming here on Monday to get it back. Mrs. Garcia lent us her keys in case we needed to check out the shop again.” Albert replied, fitting the key into the lock and turning it.

The door was glass, with a metal frame. A sign said ‘We buy gold’ on the front. Going in first, Albert flipped the light switch.

The interior was tidy and clean, with an array of luggage on a shelf that ringed the entire place. There were typewriters on a table to the right of the entrance and a wide assortment of other items. A large jewelry case dominated one wall, while a weapons locker with firearms in a cage covered another.

Stepping inside, Mathew froze immediately.

“So, from what we can piece together, Garcia used the cash register at 3 p.m. That’s the last transaction for the day. What’s wrong?” Albert asked as he stood by the counter and turned to look at a stiffly standing Mathew.

The ‘Buzz’ had returned with a vengeance. Mathew’s instincts were screaming at him to fight or flee. His head was pounding with a headache, and goosebumps covered his skin. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. His eyes darted around the store, looking for the threat.

But he couldn’t see a thing out of place. It was only a regular store, with a mishmash of items and the Sheriff.

“There’s something here.” Mathew whispered, and with that statement, he could move again. The feeling of the ‘Buzz’ faded slightly, leaving him the ability to act.

“What is it?” Albert asked with his hand on his holstered pistol at his hip.

“I don’t know. We get a feeling called the ‘Buzz’ when anything dangerous is nearby. Something more powerful than ourselves. I wouldn’t be feeling it if there wasn’t something here that could harm me.” Mathew confessed, carefully stepping into the room.

His hand was ready to act, prepared to summon a fire to destroy whatever was threatening him. At his words, Albert drew his firearm. It was a silver revolver with a six-bullet chamber, cocking back the hammer, Albert nodded to Mathew to tell him he was ready.

“How do we find it?” Albert said quietly, slowly panning his weapon around the room. Nothing stood out. The place was completely empty.

“I’m not sure what ‘it’ is, let alone how to find it. Stay close to me. Is there a back room or an employee’s area?” Mathew asked.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“In the back.” Albert gestured to another door behind the counter. Walking slowly and stealthily through the room, Mathew was on edge the entire time. Pushing the door open, he saw that it led to a small area with a desk, a file cabinet and a small iron safe.

The feeling of danger lessened slightly as he left the central area of the pawn shop, alerting Mathew that the threat was in the main room. Stepping back out into the shop, Mathew tried to think of anything that could give him a clue as to what he was looking for.

“Alright. We know that whatever it is that is taking people, it’s an item. Either it's magical, cursed or has some other means of abducting them. Is there anything here that stands out?” Mathew asked Albert.

“Things look exactly the same as when I was last here. The feds searched the place pretty thoroughly and turned up nothing. Are you sure about this ‘ability’ of yours?” Albert asked doubtfully.

“Absolutely sure. What we’re looking for is in this room.” Mathew nodded, making a decision.

“Get ready. Shoot first and ask questions later. If this thing is giving me the ‘buzz,’ it’s going to be powerful. I don’t know if a gun will affect it, but it won’t hurt to try.” Mathew advised.

“Oh, and I’m about to make a mess.” Mathew added, not waiting for the Sheriff to respond. Picking up the cash register, Mathew threw it as hard as he could against the far wall, where it slammed into a stacked pile of travel trunks.

“Have you lost your gods' damned mind?!” Albert hissed, and Mathew flashed him a grin.

“You got a better idea? It’s either this, or I burn the whole place down to the ground, and we root through the ashes. I may be a Champion, but I don’t have a lot of Blessings to deal with this thing.” Mathew replied.

Easily hopping over the counter, he walked over to the table of typewriters. Picking up the largest one, he threw it at another wall, where it crashed into a cabinet of knick-knacks. They clattered to the ground, and the place was filled with the sound of shattering glass.

“I can’t just let you trash the place.” Albert protested.

“It’s not as if-” Mathew was cut off suddenly.

He had been walking toward a tall, standing lamp. He had been intending to pick it up and use it like a stick to clear some of the tables. But as soon as his hand touched it, the brass surface began to wriggle and twist.

Like a snake, the lamp wrapped around his arm and body while the crystal shade morphed into a mouth with long, razor-sharp teeth and a spiked tongue dripping with greenish venom.

Shouting, Mathew stumbled backwards. Trying to rip it off his arm, he was forced to grab the lamp’s head with his other arm. Using all of his strength, enhanced beyond human limits by his Level-ups, he barely managed to keep it from biting his face. Even then, the wriggling creature was inching its way closer.

“Shoot it! For Christ’s sake, shoot it!” Mathew yelled, trying to rouse Albert from his stunned stupor. The Sheriff never expected that a lamp would suddenly transform and try to kill his young partner.

Albert was aware of the supernatural. Everyone on Earth was after the appearance of the Pit and Champions. But being aware of something and having it leap right out into your face were two different things.

Spinning around, Mathew slammed the transforming lamp into the wall as hard as he could. Not harming it, he lifted it high into the air and hit it onto the table with enough force that the wooden surface cracked in half.

“Hold still!” Albert shouted, finally moving. Aiming carefully, he waited until Mathew stopped moving and drew a bead on the lamp’s monstrous head.

Bang!

With a loud crack, the gun discharged. The bullet shattered the lamp’s shade and left a significant dent on its brass surface. Otherwise unharmed, it was enough of a shock to the creature that Mathew was finally able to rip it free and toss it across the room.

Like a coiled serpent, the lamp fell to the ground on the other side of the counter.

Not hesitating, Mathew snapped his fingers and summoned a fire. The blazing flames erupted around the creature, and Mathew pumped as much mana into the bonfire as he could. The ‘lamp’ began to scream, and he could see its form shift in the fire. It was a lamp, then a trunk, until finally, it was a twisted lump of metal.

Panting, Mathew let the flames die out. The counter, the wall and the floor behind it were scorched black. The room smelled strongly of smoke, and Mathew coughed as he collapsed against the remains of the table he had destroyed. He was temporarily out of mana and would need a minute before he could cast his Blessing again.

“Can I borrow that?” Mathew asked, pointing to the Sheriff’s gun. Nodding mutely, the Sheriff handed over the revolver.

Despite never having fired a gun before, Mathew was aware of how they worked. Cocking the hammer back, he walked to the burnt remains of the creature as it rested behind the counter. Raising the gun, he aimed carefully with both hands and pulled the trigger.

The bullet buried itself in the remains, and the creature didn’t move at all.

Finally satisfied, Mathew nodded and handed the weapon back to the Sheriff.

“Now we know what happened to your missing people, Sheriff.” Mathew stated grimly.