Monster Death

Hannah's mom, Prudence, had died two weeks ago. They had found the body lying in bed with the blankets shreded and bloody on top of her. The police had been summoned. Evidence on the scene was baffling.

There was nothing to suggest either a struggle or forced entry. Yet Prudence's corpse had obvious wounds. Her entestines looked like they had ruptured and there were deep gouges and slashes on her abdomen. There was of course blood but CSI said it all appeared to be arterial spray and smeared transfer marks. More confusing was the lack of any shoe prints. There were, however, some sort of paw marks leading to a broken window. Confusingly, all the broken glass was on the outside; as if something had crashed through the pane from the room.

Based on what evidence could be found, it was determined some wild animal had attacked and killed Prudence. For investigators, it was clearly the only answer. Hannah was not so sure. What about the glass? And the lack of shoe prints? Hannah frowned as she thought about this. Prudence had lived in the subburbs; how would something that dangerous be so far away from the woods? Hannah's heart was still aching over her mother's death, but she needed answers.

Hannah called the local police department's reccord office and got a copy of the police report and since she was a friend of the evidence clerk, Howard, he supplied Hannah with coppies of the crime scene. After what seemed like weeks, the manilla envelope containing the doccuments arrived.

She hastily opened up the doccument and perrused it. It was lucky Hannah had been both an NCIS agent and a private investigator, otherwise she might have been too shocked to examine things properly. The one thing that caught her eye most was the shape of the footprints.

They were very odd, not like a canine or cat or any other animal she recognised. There were five marks like claws or tallons in front and some toe prints and what looked like an oblong, textured round bit at what she assumed was the back of the print. It kind of reminded her of a sponge with odd veins or something running through the large circular area.

In her mind, Hannah knew the most important task was to identify what or whom had made the prints. She headed to the public library to see if she could find an animal signs identification guide. On arriving there and searching the catalogue, she pulled the volumes she thought necessary for her task. Having found a quiet, isolated table, she sat down and commenced her search.

The light changed and Hannah had gone through all the books she could find. None of them had any prints that matched what was in the photograph. She let out a quiet growl of frustration before standing up and heading towards the library's exit.

She was walking past the front desk when a somone called out to her. "Hannah?" A quiet yet strong voice said her name. She turned in the direction of the speaker; it was the librarian, Claire. Hannah walked over to the elderly woman who stood resolutely at her desk.

"Yes, I thought that was you. It's been a while since I've seen you;" Claire said. "Are you investigating your mother's death?" Hannah was taken abback by such a blunt question. "How did you figure it out?" The librarian pursed her lips and adjusted her thick framed glasses. Now that they were adjusted properly, the lenses made Claire's eyes seem large, lending her an owl like appearance. "I saw you walk in here with a file;" Claire pointed out. "Given the horrible way your mother died, I assumed you came here to find more information. No luck so far?" Hannah let her head bow; "No;" she confirmed. "I'm about ready to give up." Claire nodded, as if some suspicion of hers had been confirmed. She pulled a yellow sticky note off its pad and picked up a pen. She wrote down a title and reference number which she handed to Hannah. "This book should have the answers you seek;" Claire told her. "We'll be closing in an hour so just bring it up here for checkout when you find it."

Hannah thanked the librarian and looked at the note. It read, Writings of The Order of Brigid, non-fiction, 251.8. She easily located the book and carefully removed it from the shelf. It was a large blue, hardbound book with gilded letters and a fancy border reminicent of Celtic knots.

She wanted to read it right in the aisle, but she mustered the restraint to walk to the checkout counter. She thanked the clerk and headed home.

Once she had gotten inside, Hannah sat down at her kitchen table and began reading. The book was the writing of a folk-lore expert from the University of Cambridge. It detailed the knowledge and belief system of a secret society that had its origins in Ireland but had come over to North America during the potato famine of the 1840s. Most of it was devoted to healing energies and various remedies that the Order of Brigid found to work. Some of the entries were darker though, detailing supposed curses and monsters. There were even illustrations included with these sections.

Late that night, after a few breaks to eat and stretch, Hannah found something. There was a picture of a footprint that matched the one found in her mother's room almost exactly. The accompanying paragraph described an entity called a Tumcern. It was a mallicious spirit that attached itself to older individuals. Once inside the victim, it could lay dormant for weeks, months or years. Then the Tumcern would use its host to build itself a body. After it had grown itself large enough, the Tumcern ruptured the person's organs and clawed its way out. If not found and killed immediately, the Tumcern would go after the victim's family, killing until there was no one left and then would return to spirit form and wait to infect a new host. The only way to destroy a Tumcern was for someone to find its Carbhat, burn it in fire, and toss the ashes into a body of running water.

There were two other illustrations; one of the monster and another of the Carbhat. Tumcerns looked pretty disgusting. About the size of a large dog with overly long hind legs that bent the wrong way, each toe tipped with sharp claws and fore limbs that were like sickles. Its skin was a gross, mottled mauve and brown, criss crossed with large veins and bumps. What passed for a head was attached directly to the body and had glowing yellow-green eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The Carbhat was comparitively small, it looked like a medalion made of some sort of bone with a small circle with a dot in the center painted on with some sort of blue pigment.

Something, about the Carbhat looked familiar to Hannah. What was it? She somehow remebered! The talisman looked exactly like a necklace her mother had bought in a shop in Ireland! The owner had claimed he'd never seen it before. He let her have it for five Euros, far cheaper than any other item on display.

Where had Hannah's mother put that souvenir? She was almost certain her mom had hung it on a nail above her nightstand. Prudence's earthly possesions had been boxed up and stored at her brother, Earnest's house. Fortunately, Hannah had labeled each box according to contents and location it had been in their mother's house.

She picked up her phone and dialed Earnest's number. It rang several times before her brother picked up. "Hannah?" He asked groggily. "Why're you calling at 2 in the morning?" She was overly anxious. "Earnest, I need mom's necklace from Ireland!" She blurted. "Wait, what?" He said. "Why do you need that? Now?!" Hannah was already impatient. "Yes now!" She exclaimed. "It's urgent I can't explain! I am coming over now! Have the door open, I'll be there in ten minutes!" She hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

Speeding in her cherry red Corvette, Hannah made the drive in five minutes. She briefly greeted and hugged a sleepy Earnest before continuing down to the basement. The box wasn't hard to find, after a moment's digging, she located the Carbhat and pulled it out.

Her brother waited for her at the top of the steps. "Now will you tell me what's so important?" He inquired irritabily. Pausing to think, she glanced out the living room window. There, Hannah thought she saw a pair of yellow-green eyes in a shrub a few feet from the house.

She had to unstick her breath in her throat before speaking. "I'll explain when I can;" she promised. "But right now I need to get going! I owe you one, Bro!"

Hannah ran out the door and drove to a campsite she knew a few miles ouside of town. It was perfect, the sites were right next to Grouse Run Creek. Soon she drove up the gravel road and parked her car next to a fire pit in the campgrounds. She carefully, gathered some dry wood and pine needles. A couple of times she heard rustling in the underbrush. Looking around, she saw nothing. Once she had built the logs and tinder the way she wanted, she pulled out the lighter she always had with her and the Carbhat.

Just as she had coaxed flames into life, Hannah looked across the clearing she was in; she saw what could only be the Tumcern amble out into the open. It growled menacingly. Hannah froze for a second and then dropped the Carbhat into the fire.

As the necklace was burning, the Tumcern let out an unearthly howl and charged at Hannah with its scythes raised! It was nearly to her when it stopped let out a loud groan and exploded in a cloud of greyish white smoke.

Relieved, Hannah let out a sigh and went to the creek to get water to extinguish the fire. Once the last embers had died, she went to her car, got a piece of scrap paper and collected the ashes from the fire pit. Carefull not to loose any, Hannah dumped the ash into Grouse Run Creek. The danger was gone, she had her answers, now home and to bed.

She slept for a few hours, then called Earnest. He was alive and well; although it looked like somone had taken a knife to his front door. He complained about kids these days. Hannah decided to lie, no need to panic Earnest. "I needed to take the necklace to a friend of mom's;" she said. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight earlier. I'll take you out for breakfast sometime."

Later that day, Hannah bought a wreath and placed it on her grave. She stood there for a moment, then decided to speak. "I did it mom;" she said. "I destroyed the monster that killed you." As she walked back to the car she could've sworn the sun shone a little brighter.