The Mountain - X

X.

                “Come in Arthur, have a seat.” Captain Vincent motioned for Thorne to sit when he entered his office.

                “I got your message from Wilson.”

                “Yes, a new case.” Vincent tossed over a folder.

                Throne opened it up and was taken aback.

                “Greed? What?”

                “He’s been acting strangely and we want you to tail him.”

                “What? Why?”

                “He came in here not two days ago with a couple of feds and hasn’t reported in since.”

                “Feds?” Thorne asked tossing down the folder.

                “I made a few calls and none of my contacts knows about the woman heading the team he brought in.”

                “A woman? Wait, we were chasing down a woman, the one who stole his car.”

                “You think it’s the same woman? That doesn’t make sense. Greed might be off his rocker but kowtowing to someone like that? What would be the reason?”

                “I don’t know.”

                “Well you’re going to find out. Effective immediately you’re to find and report on all Greed is doing. But first, what have you been doing? It was a bitch to get a hold of you.”

                “I was asked by Dr. Cairn to assist him.”

                Vincent scoffed.

                “Not that stuffed shirt. He hasn’t been around here, which I’m not too upset about. The mayor keeps calling me to ask for progress reports. Can’t tell him much, both of those bastards have yet to file any reports. And now Greed is out there with some ‘feds’ doing god knows what.”

                “I request to keep assisting Cairn.”

                “What for?”

                “If it is true that Greed is off the deep end then no one is currently working the Butcher case.”

                “That’s a little much for you Arthur.”

                “Damnit Vincent, I’m not a child.”

                “Don’t you start with me too. It isn’t your case. I’ve already handed it over to Miller. Just do this tail job. No more questions. Go.” Vincent said dismissing Thorne with the back of his hand.

                Thorne left the office and bumped into Wilson.

                “Hey boss.”

                Thorne sat down hard at his desk and rubbed his eyes.

                “What’s the new case?” Wilson asked.

                “It’s bullshit. I have to tail Greed.”

                “What? Why?” Wilson said leaning in close to keep the conversation between them.

                “Vincent suspects Greed is losing his nerve. Wants me to tail him and the feds he brought in.”

                “But what about the murder case?”

                “It’s been transferred to Miller.”

                “What about Cairn?” Wilson asked.

                “Vincent doesn’t care about him either. You know what, screw this.”

                “Where are you going?”

                “To do my job. Take my advice Wilson, don’t become a detective. Politics are too much to handle.” Thorne left the station and headed to Cairns. He didn’t care about the case changing hands, he was doing this off the books. He wasn’t some P.I., he was much more than that. And if Greed wasn’t working the case then he’d do it himself.

                Cairn welcomed Thorne in without a word, he seemed uneasy.

                “Doctor.”

                Cairn motioned for him to take a seat but Thorne dismissed the gesture.

                “We don’t have a lot of time. The Captain has put a new detective on the case.”

                “I see.”

                “How much do we have to do? How many more of these dreams?”

                “I’m sure we can complete this in one night. If we can indeed make progress. Tonight will be enough.”

                Carin moved away from Thorne back to his room to get settled in.

                “I’m not sure how long the journey will take but we need to finish the initial test. I will put myself to sleep and then we will resume where we left off. It it’s a success let me sleep and we’ll simply proceed. If it’s a failure, wake me up.”

                With that Cairn led Thorne back to the bedroom, the same setup as before, Carin laying on his back uncovered, Thorne sitting at his bedside with his notes.

                Cairn drifted off to sleep and was instantly transported to the twilight plane once again. He looked around his surroundings to see if the markings he made were retained in this place or if it was indeed reset. At his feet he saw nothing which made his heart drop until his feet started to move. They seemed to be retracing steps previously taken, moving sporadically until finding the path they desired. Before long he was only a feet from where they had left off. It seemed that being transported to the plane was somewhat random but the progress they made was clear. Cairn urged his mouth to speak and he repeated the word “success” over and over again.

                As time flowed he heard a reply from above. Thorne’s voice was carried to him on the wind.

                “Good…doctor. We…shall…proceed…are…you…facing…the…mountain…”

                “Yes.” Cairn answered.

                Moments passed again until Thorne's voice returned.

                “Doctor…march…”

                With that Cairn felt his feet start to move and the twilight plane moved about him. Now with Thorne’s guidance he moved with purpose his feet no longer going where they may. The mountain loomed in the distance and he felt even if this was a dreamworld it would take hours even a day to reach the top. He felt no fatigue but while his feet moved he let his mind wander. One did not need the other now that motion was achieved and motion towards the objective. For now he would set his mind on observations and contemplations.

                He remembered the woman who confronted him at the bar and her strange words. Whoever she was, whomever she worked for, were looking for the Butcher, not only that, something he possibly had. He wished now that he could speak with Greed about how the case was progressing. From Thorne it seemed that much had changed in his absence. That Greed had gone in a wholly unsavory direction. Cairn wasn’t against including the federal government in the investigation, the more the merrier as far as he was concerned. All he cared about was the knowledge, looking into he man’s eyes and discerning what made him tick. Now with the inclusion of this place, and the things he’s read he was more intrigued to understand and to know all he could from the addled mind.

                Hours whittled away as Cairn’s legs moved while his mind was a flutter with theories and ideas for his forthcoming book detailing the events thus far about the case. The state of the crime scenes, the bodies, the shrines drenched in blood. The texts and books he had poured over and the idea that something beyond normal human comprehension was at play. It made his skin tingle to think about the possibilities. The realm of the occult was foreign to him indeed but it wasn’t unpalatable to him. In it was a grim fascination with the unknown and what these things can do to a person’s mind. Whether it already be broken or healthy when encountered. He surely was susceptible to its influences more so than Thorne at any rate but he was sure that if anyone was to traverse the dark twilight plane and scale the mountain it would be him. He had the mental fortitude, he had the drive, he had the burning curiosity that brought him time and time again back to this cold desolate landscape teeming with shadows that loomed and fawned over his lifeforce.

                In intervals Cairn would take heed of the distance. Leagues seemed to be traversed in the blink of an eye, the landscape shifting subtly to attune to the changes. The mountain however still felt miles and miles away no matter how long he walked no matter how far his feet took him.

                Perhaps I’m going about this the wrong way. Cairn thought as his feet beat a path ever forward. He set out to stare and concentrate at the ground before him and set his will out in all directions. With the blink of an eye he jumped forward to where he was looking not a second before. He teleported himself in the dream forward. He concentrated again and moved forward even farther. At this rate he would reach the mountain in no time. With a blink of his eyes and his mind he shifted forward farther and faster than his feet would move. Though each time he opened his eyes his feet still moved him forward. He would be at the top soon. He smiled as he blinked ahead.

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