We Are Coming For You

Eb Haney gives Garvin Sterling a vigorous handshake, handing him the deed to Drucker Farm.

A spacious sheep farm, Drucker Farm has been in the Haney family’s hands since the 1800s. Suffering from arthritis and colitis, and with no heirs, Eb knows it’s time to move on. Drucker Farm is ten miles outside Nemo, Texas, a quiet village with slightly over a thousand people.

“Gonna miss this farm,” Eb says. “During the Second World War, my granddaddy helped the cause by building engines for Jeeps. I remember he had one Jeep he built from scratch. He mounted a machine gun on it. I sold it to Beavis Crowder. He used it for huntin’.”

“Very sporting. The closest I ever got to the real thing was G.I. Joe,” Fred Douglas responds.

“Men shouldn’t play with dolls, son,” Eb says. Tuning to Garvin, he adds, “So you’re gonna be the money man. Gonna leave the care of the sheep to this big fella.”

“You bet,” Garvin replies.

Eb is impressed with Fred Douglas’s solid physique and sunny attitude. The brawny thirty-eight-year-old Black man, a former college football star, still looks like he could score a touchdown. Conversely, thirty-seven-year-old Garvin was a video gamer in college. He has the wiry build, thinning hairline, and designer glasses typical of a bean counter, leaving Eb wondering if he’s made for farm life.

Still in a seller’s mode, Eb lies, saying, “You two seem like a righteous team. Made for each other.”

“We’re also family,” Fred says. “We married the McLaughlin twins. We all met while standing in line at the college cafeteria.”

“Ain’t that somethin’,” Eb replies. “I sure hope you can tell those two gals apart. If ya’ll are so close, I’m sure you’ll succeed. Family means everythin’ ‘round here. There’s just one more thing you should know about this place.”

“Here it comes,” Garvin says skeptically. “What is it? Locusts? Anthrax? Bluetongue virus?”

“Nah, nothin’ like that. It’s the caves. This area is full of ‘em. This farm’s got half a dozen alone. I never had time to explore ‘em all. One of the caves has a tunnel that leads into town. Another leads to a large cavern with a waterfall. Heck, you could fit a family of six in there. If you’re missin’ any sheep, I’d check the tunnels. Figured it was only sportin’ to tell ya. Matter’a fact why don’t I show ya one?”

***

Alannah pats a sheep on the head.

“You’ll make a nice sweater for someone.”

The sheep stamps on Alannah’s foot.

Frowning, she pushes the sheep into the pen, saying, “Lesson number one, Arden, don’t talk business in front of the kids.”

Alannah surveys her sister’s worried expression.

Alannah and Arden are natural beauties with silky dark hair, hazel eyes, and welcoming, freckled Irish features. And while Alannah is considered an optimist, Arden’s bouts of anxiety have turned her into a pessimist.

“You know what Nemo means?” Arden asks. “It means no one. I don’t like living in such a secluded, humid place.”

“It’s only been a few days, give it some time. Raising sheep isn’t as clean and prestigious as running a bookstore, but it’s the boys’ dream.”

“What about my dreams?”

“Try not to let the move grind on you, Arden. You’ll get used to it.”

“That’s what Mom and Dad said about my anxiety attacks.”

***

Eb narrates their descent into the cave. “This is the one with the waterfall. It’s about twenty feet underground.”

Fred shines the lantern on the wall.

“Hey, hieroglyphics.”

He moves the lantern closer to the wall.

“What are those, bats? Pterodactyls?” Garvin asks. “Who made these drawings?”

“My ancestors, and the people who founded Nemo,” Eb replies.

“There’s some writing here, too,” Fred says.

“It’s in Latin,” Garvin notes.

“You savvy Latin?” Eb asks.

“Yeah. French and German, too,” Garvin answers. “The four of us used to own a bookstore. I had plenty of time to study other languages and cultures. These are dates, 1825, 1925, 2025.”

Fred squints at the inscription. “My Latin’s rusty. What’s the message say?”

“We are coming for you.”

***

The couples cuddle in their new home’s game room, watching the western movie “Tombstone.”

“I love this scene,” Garvin comments. “Can you imagine two hardened types like Doc Holiday and Johnny Ringo squaring off and arguing in Latin?”

“Imagine. Sophisticated thugs,” Alannah chuckles.

“Second time today we’ve come across something in Latin,” Fred recalls.

The picture on the wide-screen television fades in and out of focus.

“What the? Guess reception in the sticks sucks,” Alannah remarks.

“Might be mockingbirds messing with the satellite dish,” Garvin says.

Heavy footsteps cross the roof.

“Those must be some big birds,” Alannah observes.

“Everything’s big in Texas,” Fred jokes.

“Let’s get the elephant off the roof,” Garvin tells Fred.

The two men go outside, looking up at the roof.

A man-like, black, muscular, winged creature looks down at them, its eyes red and luminous.

It spreads its wings, soaring into the night sky.

“A barn owl,” Garvin concludes.

“Then why wasn’t it in the barn?”

The sheep in their pen bleat hysterically.

A coyote howls in the distance. Its second howl is cut off as it whimpers, then wails in pain.

***

The following morning, Garvin and Fred find the bodies of two dead sheep in the field.

“They’re hollowed out like canoes,” Fred notes.

“Yeah, just fur and bones. Just like the coyote.”

“Sheep eats grass, coyote eats sheep,” Fred says. “It’s the cycle of life.”

“Sure. So, what ate the coyote?”

***

That night in Nemo, eighty-six-year-old Kiki Kyler checks on the painful cries coming from her backyard.

Pixie, her Pekinese, yaps incessantly at a nearby Texas Hawthorn tree.

A large, shadowy figure peers out from behind the tree.

“I told you kids to stop partying on my property! C’mon out and face your punishment!”

A humanoid creature steps into view.

It’s holding the neighbor’s dead Doberman.

Throwing the Doberman at Kiki’s feet, it speaks in a deep, threatening, gargled tone.

“Locus semper est pluribus.”

“Wha… What?”

“There’s always room for more.”

***

Eighteen-year-old Seven-Eleven clerk Gregor Van Patten yawns as he checks the readings on the gas pumps.

His attention is drawn to the sound of loud swishing noises above him.

Hiding behind one of the pumps, he muffles a gasp as two massive, winged creatures land in front of the store. One kicks the door off its hinges, tossing it aside.

The creatures trash the store, laughing in guttural, sinister tones as they tear at the soda cases with their claws and toss the snack displays onto the floor.

They pause at the hot dog grille, greedily grabbing franks and stuffing them down their maws.

One of the creatures notices the taco display. Wolfing down three tacos at once, the creature howls angrily at the tacos’ spicy taste, smashing the display.

Tearing the lid off the Orange Julius fountain, the creatures lap at the beverage.

Laughing, they exit the store. One of the creatures lets out a loud, satisfied belch.

“Bonum!” the other says.

Gregor crouches lower.

The second creature sniffs the air. It paces back and forth, looking for Gregor.

The other creature smacks it in the chest, pointing upward.

Gregor stays behind the gas pump until the swishing sound of their wings disappears.

“No more gummies before work,” Gregor says. “Better yet, I quit!”

***

Early next morning, Arden investigates the noise coming from the barn.

Fred is inside, loading a shotgun, muttering, “We’re barely here two days and they’ve killed half of the flock.”

“Who?” Arden asks.

“Coyotes.”

“They’re dangerous. Maybe we should call animal control.”

“They’re a hundred miles away, and, before you say it, so are the cops.”

“At least wait for Garvin to help you.”

“He and Alannah are still asleep. They had too much wine last night.”

“Have you got another gun?”

***

Hours later, Garvin stretches, wiping the sleep from his eyes as he looks out the kitchen window.

“Have you seen Fred or Arden?”

Alannah sips her coffee. “Probably tending to the sheep.”

She drops her cup when she hears her sister scream.

***

Garvin and Allanah follow the sound of Arden’s screams across the field.

They find Arden sitting in the tall grass, her eyes glazed over with tears.

“They came out of the cave… They took him!”

***

“I told him not to go into that cave,” Garvin says, racing the car toward town. “Any response?”

“The cell service out here is the pits,” Allanah replies. Redialing Fred’s number, she leaves him a message that they’re taking Arden to the town doctor.

Alannah looks at her sister in the rearview mirror. Arden stares blankly ahead.

“Don’t worry, Allanah. She’s just in shock.”

“She hasn’t said a word since we found her. What do you think she meant by ‘They took him?’”

“Probably some locals took Fred into the cave to show him the waterfall. Fred is fascinated with the caves and tunnels on the property.”

“Do you think he’s safe?”

“That big galoot can take out two men, smoke a cigar, and punch out two more. So, yeah.”

A shadow crosses in front of the car.

Opening the window, Alannah looks out into the glare of the sun. “OH MY GOD! STOP!”

Dust flies as Garvin slams on the brakes, pulling the Land Rover off the road.

Garvin and Allanah bound out of the car.

“That’s not a barn owl,” Garvin observes.

A winged creature hovers above them. It looks down at them, licking its sharp teeth as its mouth forms a taunting grin.

“ERGO PRIAM! REX GARGOYLES! VENIMUS AD TE!” the creature yells, flying off.

“Did it say what I think it did?” Alannah asks.

“Yeah. I am Priam, King of the Gargoyles… We are coming for you.”

***

Garvin’s Land Rover circles Main Street. All the buildings in the small town are boarded up or closed.

“Even the Seven-Eleven is shut down,” Alannah observes. “Maybe that Latin-spewing mutant scared everyone away.”

“I hope so, for their sake. Where would you go in a little burg like this in a moment of crisis?”

“The local bar.”

***

A bedraggled, bearded man peers out from behind the door of Hector’s Bar and Grille.

Two other men, pointing rifles at the door, slowly lower them.

“Is there a doctor here? I need one to look at my sister-in-law.”

The bearded man points at an Asian American man in a white linen suit leaning against the bar.

“Take her to Doctor Lin.”

Garvin and Alannah approach Dr. Hiromi Lin, pulling somnambulistic Arden behind them.

“Can you look at my sister?”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I was hoping you’d tell us. We found her sitting in our field, saying something had taken her husband.”

“Are you the people who bought Eb Haney’s farm? I’m surprised you were able to get through,” Hiromi says.

“If you’re talking about getting past that Latin-speaking flying dragon, so are we,” Alannah says.

“Most of the town evacuated a few days ago. I should have left with them, but I’ve only been here a few years. My pride got the best of me. I wanted to show everyone that I belong in Nemo. That may prove to be a mistake. But I also figured the two dozen of us trapped here might need a doctor. We came here for protection.”

Hiromi reaches into his jacket pocket. Pulling out a .45, he gives the gun to Garvin. Garvin passes it to Alannah.

“Protection,” Hiromi says, giving Garvin a despairing look. “At first, we laughed about what was happening, figuring the stories we’d heard were just Texas folklore. So what if we were missing a few cows and some sheep? Then the pets started disappearing. Now it’s people.”

“What’s going on, Doc? Why are we being hunted by these things?”

“They come back every hundred years.”

“Who?” Alannah asks.

“Not who. What. They’re gargoyles. And they’re hungry.”

Waving her arms, a suddenly animated Arden shouts, “They took him! They took Fred!”

Alannah hugs her sister, who rocks back and forth in her chair, whimpering.

“THEY’RE COMING FOR US!”

***

Garvin finds Ed Haney sitting alone among the crowd, polishing off a bottle of Jameson Whisky.

“You’ve got guilt written all over you, Eb. Do you know something I don’t?”

Eb swigs from the bottle. “I know what’s gonna happen…Two hundred years ago, when my family and several others founded this town, they came across the gargoyles in that big cave on your farm. They nearly wiped out the settlers but finally listened to their pleas for peace. The gargoyles promised to leave and live elsewhere, but it was agreed they would return to Nemo every hundred years to spawn. In exchange for their lives, the townspeople also pledged to provide them with food. We thought the legend was some tall tale until last week when our animals began disappearing.”

“You sold me your farm knowing this would happen?”

“Would you have believed me? ‘Sides, we got a bigger problem.”

“The animals aren’t enough. We’re on the menu, too,” Garvin says.

“Yep.”

“You strike me as an ambitious, resourceful man, Eb. Would you rather go down swigging or swinging?”

“What do you mean?”

“Beavis Crowder.”

“A few nights ago, he saw one of them gargoyles lookin’ in his bedroom window. He booked the next day.”

“Did he take his Jeep?”

***

Eb loads the Jeep’s machine gun.

“You sure that thing still works?” Garvin asks.

“I’d bet my life on it. Dang. That’s exactly what I’m doin’,” Eb returns.

The worried crowd assembled outside the bar looks up at the darkening sky.

“They see better in the dark,” Eb offers. “They’ll come for us tonight.”

***

The crowd whispers nervously as the last vestiges of sunlight sink over the horizon.

“I don’t like using people as bait,” Garvin admits.

“It’s the best way to flush the creatures out,” Eb replies.

The sound of flapping wings draws closer.

“They smell us! Everybody inside!” Eb yells.

Six gargoyles descend from the sky.

Eb fires at the closest one, shredding its wings. It pulls up, trying to figure out how to stay aloft. Eb hits it in the chest with another volley of bullets, and it crashes to the earth, its tongue lolling in its mouth.

A second gargoyle swoops down, pulling Gregor into its grasp. Gregor struggles, beating at its reptilian features with his fists. A swipe of one of its claws tears Gregor’s head off.

A volley from Eb’s machine tears into the gargoyle. It dies in a spiral of feathers and gore, falling next to Gregor’s broken body.

Priam swoops down on the panicked crowd, swatting aside a family trying to reach the bar’s door. Priam and a smaller gargoyle block the entrance, eviscerating people with their claws.

The sixth gargoyle slips through Eb’s cloud of bullets, knocking him from his perch. Jumping onto the Jeep, Garvin swings the gun back into action. The gargoyle stalks Alannah, who pulls out the .45 only to have it swatted aside.

Garvin riddles the gargoyle’s back, and it falls forward, dead.

Enraged, Priam crushes two men begging for life in his grasp.

“Accipe mulierem!” Priam shouts above the mayhem.

Priam snatches up Alannah and a terrified Arden. Garvin trains the machine gun on Priam but knows he can’t risk firing at him.

The remaining two gargoyles grab a pair of screaming women, taking flight.

“Mulieres nostras occiderunt! Accipe eorum!!” Priam shouts, following them.

Holding his aching head, Eb asks, “What did it say?”

“They killed our women. Take theirs.”

***

“You’re sure this is their home?” Garvin asks Eb.

“Yeah. I gotta admit, Garvin, I had you pegged as a faint-hearted accountant. This is a pretty bold plan.”

Garvin turns to the men holding his remaining six sheep.

“Just make sure those gags stay in their mouths. I don’t want them bleating and giving us away.”

“Don’t worry, I sedated them,” Hiromi says. “By now, they think they’re sweaters.”

Garvin continues issuing orders. “You men with the gas cans, don’t splash any on the floor of the cave until we get to Priam’s lair. I don’t want us going up in flames as we’re trying to escape. And for God’s sake, Eb, don’t drop the dynamite.”

The men give Garvin a half-hearted thumbs up.

The would-be rescuers descend into the cave. Garvin crosses himself when they encounter Fred’s mutilated corpse.

The tunnel widens. The sound of a splashing waterfall deepens the men’s anxiety.

Garvin halts the men outside Priam’s lair.

Priam and his two gargoyles are sitting in a circle in front of the waterfall, eating cans of ham they stole from the general store.

The four women cower near the cavern’s entrance.

Garvin’s heart breaks when he hears Alannah whisper to her sister not to worry.

Priam sniffs the air.

“I SMELL YOU HUMAN!”

“NOW!” Garvin shouts, and the sheep are released.

The sheep scamper down the path toward the gargoyles.

Garvin and Eb run to the women, leading them back up the path.

The two smaller gargoyles greedily ravage the sheep, ignoring the women as they escape.

Priam’s blood-red stare finds Garvin.

“I will come for you!”

“Not today, Your Majesty,” Garvin replies, as he and the other men empty their gas cans on the path ahead of Priam.

Garvin and Hiromi smile at Priam as they strike a pair of matches, dropping them on the path.

A blinding wall of flame covers the rescue team’s retreat.

By the time the flames die out, Garvin and his rescue team have escaped.

Reaching the surface, they blow up the entrance to the cave.

***

Back at Hector’s Bar, the families celebrate their victory over the gargoyles.

Hiromi exhales sharply as he approaches Garvin.

“I’ve examined the women. They’re in good health…”

“I sense you’re not telling me everything…”

“They’re growing wings… And they’re pregnant.”