The Adventures of Lazarus Gray by Barry Reese Read Free Book Online Page A

Pemberley wanted to warn Lunt again about the danger but the
German would have simply ignored him again. The man had the air
about him of someone who considered all others to be inferior. He
was an occultist, one whose knowledge of the hidden worlds dwarfed
even Pemberley’s. The group he headed had no name, or at least it
was one that hadn’t been shared with Pemberley, but it was
pervasive, with members spread throughout the world.
    "You’re quite potent,
aren’t you? And always so hungry." Lunt was speaking not to Wilma
but to the aquaas that lurked behind her eyes. He pushed her away
so hard that she tripped over her own feet and fell to the dusty
floor. She screamed as she landed in the pervasive rat droppings.
"You have more of these things? Or are you waiting for this one to
lay eggs so you can harvest them?"
    Pemberley gestured to one
of the boxes nearby. "I’ve collected nearly ten of them. Three were
damaged when I got them and one of the aquaas died when my son
perished. But that stills five in addition to the one that Wilma is
carrying."
    "May I see
them?"
    "Of course." Pemberley
moved away from Lunt, grabbing the lid of the box. He yanked on it,
pulling it loose. "I’m hoping you’ll let me accompany you back to
Germany. Things are getting far too tense around here. A local
meddler sent some of his men to my house today. They’re on to me
again."
    "You’re saying the police
know you’re back in Sovereign?"
    "Not the police." Pemberley
tossed the box lid to the floor, where it landed and sent up a
cloud of polluted dust. "There’s a group in town called Assistance
Unlimited. They make a living out of sticking their noses where
they don’t belong. Their leader’s some mystery man named Lazarus
Gray."
    Lunt gripped Pemberley hard
about the shoulders and spun him about. "What did you
say?"
    "His name’s Lazarus Gray.
What’s wrong? Haven’t you heard of him before? The guy’s
famous!"
    "Why would I keep up with
your local politics?" Lunt said with annoyance. He looked past
Pemberley into the box, where the rest of the alien creatures lay
in their immobile states. "Lazarus Gray," he repeated. "How long
has he been active in this city?"
    "Less than two years. But
they’ve been busy ones. He’s responsible for the troubles that got
me banished from the city for awhile."
    "Intriguing." Lunt smiled
then but it was cold and reptilian. "I’m impressed with you. You’ve
kept your word to the letter. You’ve successfully grafted one of
these creatures to a human being and kept them both alive. And you
have more to spare."
    "Then I’ll get my
funding?"
    "You’re going to be a very
important man in the days to come, Melvin." Lunt turned back to
Wilma, who was back on her feet now, her eyes downcast. She looked
broken and tired. "Did the aquaas make her like that? Or was she
always so weak-willed?"
    "A little of both,"
Pemberley said.
    The door to the warehouse
opened suddenly and two figures stepped in, pistols held in hand.
Pemberley growled, recognizing Lazarus Gray immediately. The
stoic-faced man was virtually impossible to forget, even if
Pemberley hadn’t possessed a mind like a steel trap. Lunt also
reacted with recognition, his eyes widening in shock.
    Gray noted both men’s
reactions but it was the man with the scarred face who most
disturbed him. Not only did he seem strangely familiar but the
lion’s head on his walking stick looked eerily like the half-man’s
head on the back of Gray’s medallion.
    Samantha noticed Gray’s
hesitation and stepped up. "Both of you need to back away from the
girl and put your hands up."
    Lunt noticed that Pemberley
did so, though he was muttering under his breath. The German,
however, did something far more surprising. He slammed the butt of
his walking stick down hard on the floor and then tossed the stick
away from him, throwing it with all his might toward Samantha and
Lazarus.
    Gray somehow sensed what
was about to occur. He shoved Samantha behind him