Poe the Hunter- Bedlam in Baltimore Read online

  Poe the Hunter

  Bedlam in Baltimore

  Nathan Galion

  Copyright © 2019 by Dark Owl Publishing

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2019

  AN IMPORTANT NOTE

  To receive news regarding the latest releases and an upcoming prequel novella regarding Edgar Allan Poe’s plunge into hunting the supernatural and a chronicle of his life, from birth to the events of the first book, sign up for the email list at https://www.nathan-galion.com/

  Prologue

  1839.

  Edgar Allan Poe trekked through the forest, alone and without a soul following him or haunting his space. The forest stank of dead decomposers, rotten, wet tree bark, ruined leaves, and muddied soil and mulch. He soon entered a clearing awash with moonlight and proceeded to create a pentagram on the dirt of the forest floor. First, he drew a circle with the heel of his boot and followed it around until it was complete. Then, he etched overlapping and intersecting lines into the dirt within the circle until they formed a star. For the final touches, he snapped off a branch from a nearby tree and used it to draw magical sigils within the empty spaces between the edges of the star and the circle.

  Having finished the pentagram, Poe took a step back and recited an incantation: “I summon thee, O hound of Hell, to emerge from the dark domain where you thrive among never-ending shadows! Open the gates and manifest yourself before me, so I may command you to do my bidding and grant me all that I need! By my orders and powers, show yourself!”

  Seconds later, a figure in a black suit appeared inside the pentagram. His hair was dark as a raven’s feathers and his goatee framed around his mouth, ending in a sharp point below his chin. His soulless red eyes sparkled like the hot embers of an iron chimney. The demon took the form of a man who appeared to be in his late 30s. Without delay, Poe was the first one to speak.

  “I want to strike a deal with you. As you may well know, my wife, Virginia, was taken from me and this world nine years ago by a dastardly ghoul. I have been searching far and wide for her slayer but have run out of luck and patience. Therefore, I have called you forth to serve me in my quest. Reveal the location of the fiend who snuffed my wife and tell me where I can find a man by the name of Nathaniel Quincy. In return, I will gift you with my soul in ten years’ time.”

  The demon’s lips peeled back over his teeth to form a sickening grin. It aggravated Poe to see a demon taste and feel pleasure, especially at his expense. The demon must have figured out a way to get underneath Poe’s skin, which was thick as a jar of molasses. With a sardonic tone, the demon asked, “Would you like anything else, your highness?”

  Poe ignored his scornful tone and thought about his writing career, which had so far proven to be a major failure. Every piece he produced was a flop because Poe failed at garnering the exposure necessary to become a success. He thought about how he had to resort to demeaning activities to put money in the coffer and food on the table, and his stomach soured. Thus, Poe answered the entity’s question.

  “As a matter of fact, yes. There is something else I need from you. My success as an author. In addition to these terms, I want my writing career to be a success, so I may live a comfortable life until my soul is dragged into Hell.”

  The demon laughed so heartily at Poe’s demand that he stumbled and almost fell outside of the pentagram. Poe’s eyes narrowed in anger as he glared at the demon. He knew the entity was attempting to antagonize him, so he remained steadfast.

  The demon ceased laughing and said, “Mr. Poe. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alkazan. Seeing as you have been searching for a simple ghoul for practically a decade without success, I strongly advise that you add a fruitful hunting career to your list of demands. But alas, due to your daftness, I am refusing to participate in your demands because you are an incompetent hunter and, therefore, not worth my time!”

  Poe wanted to step inside the pentagram and throttle the demon but realized that doing so would only make Alkazan happy. Therefore, he stifled his emotions and remained calm. Poe formed an evil smile upon his face and wagged his finger at Alkazan as he drew a knife from the breast pocket of his suit. Although, this was no ordinary knife. Alkazan quickly recognized the dangerous weapon and his eyes grew wide with fright at the sight of the blade.

  Poe stepped closer to the pentagram’s edge. “Alkazan,” he hissed. “Do you know what I have in my hand?”

  The demon recoiled and took a step back. He no longer fathomed taunting the hunter and regretted in his mind ever doing such a thing. He spoke in a nervous voice, “Sir, the knife is not necessary. We can discuss your demands without violence.”

  “Answer my question!” Poe snarled.

  The demon tugged at the collar of his shirt and stuttered the words, “It’s a d-d-d…it’s a demon knife, sir.”

  “And what is a demon knife for?” Poe asked in a foreboding manner.

  “It is used for killing demons, sir,” Alkazan whispered.

  “I can’t hear you!”

  “It’s for killing demons!”

  Poe flashed the weapon in front of Alkazan’s eyes to scare him even more. The knife was carved with three pentagrams on its wooden handle and had flames etched onto the blade. The demon quaked at the dreadful thought of being vanquished with the weapon. Due to the fact he was a prisoner inside the magical pentagram, his weakened state essentially made him a mere mortal incapable to defending himself. His life was now in the hands of Poe, who played with it like a teddy bear.

  “How did you come in possession of this knife?” the demon asked with curiosity tinged with trepidation. “These weapons are rare to obtain and no human has ever dared search for and possess a demon knife without living to tell the tale.”

  Poe replied in an icy manner, “How I came to own this knife is none of your concern. All that matters in this moment in time is if you decide to accept my demands. Should you decline my terms, I will have no choice but to use this knife to slice out your tongue and slit your throat. Afterwards, I will feed your carcass to the next dog I find.” Before continuing, Poe suddenly burst out laughing. He, then, spoke again. “I would use it to cut out your heart, but we both know you do not have one!”

  “Alright, alright, I accept! Please, do not kill me! I’m just a simple demon!”

  Poe walked inside the pentagram and broke it by stepping on the lines and smudging the barriers of the symbol. He, then, ruined a few sigils in the area of his feet by stomping on them. He shook hands with the demon and the deal was made official.

  “The ghoul you seek is hiding in Annapolis, Maryland. He is with a pack, however, so you must kill the pack before you can vanquish him. The man you seek, Nathaniel Quincy, resides in Baltimore on Ramsey Street. Your career as an author will earn you a substantial living starting tomorrow.”

  “Very well. You are free to go.”

  With this command, the demon vanished, and Poe destroyed every trace of the pentagram with his boots. He exited the forest and headed to his next location: Annapolis, Maryland.

  • • •

  In Annapolis, the ghouls were in a forest eating the body parts of their latest victim. The meal c
onsisted of the arms and legs of the lifeless body and an occasional liver and kidney served as the appetizers. Among the pack was the assassin who killed Poe’s wife, proving the demon to be right.

  The ghouls struck up a conversation about the latest events in their life, starting with the leader. The leader of the pack was a man in his fifties and had a filthy, curly gray beard. He took the appearance of a miner, which explained the dirt and stench around him. He was wearing dark blue overalls that were stained with grime and mine debris. The pack leader spoke with a croaky but booming voice, and it was strong enough to capture the attention of everyone around him.

  “I was in Connecticut two weeks ago and I experienced the best hunt of my entire life. It was a woman, beautiful as a mermaid. Her husband, however, was ugly as a frog. She did not deserve a man of his looks. I think she would have rather died than be with him any longer. Therefore, I granted her wish. Her hair was the most splendid I have ever seen. It was yellow as a sunflower and was bright as a mine explosion. I fondled her body as I began chewing on her neck, then I ate her arms. Finally, I chomped down on her head because I wanted a taste of her stunning hair. Do you want to know what happened next?”

  The ghouls looked at each other with widened eyes that were full of suspense. They, then, focused their gaze on the leader, who was ready to tell them the next part of his story. In a collective voice, all the ghouls shouted, “What?”

  The leader said, “I slaughtered the ugly man because I did not want him to spread his horrid looks to the rest of humanity.”

  The men began to hoot and chuckle after the leader burst in laughter. Suddenly, their laughter was disturbed by the sounds of rustling foliage and heavy footsteps. They rose from their bloody meal and prepared for a potential showdown as they investigated their surroundings for the suspected intruder.

  The ghouls looked under bushes, around trees, on top of trees and anywhere in the forest an entity or animal can hide. After finding no threats in the forest, they walked back to their dinner when, in an abrupt second, one of the ghouls from the pack was decapitated by an unseen force, which shocked and frightened the other ghouls. Before any of them could react, another ghoul was swiftly decapitated, then another, and another until the only one left standing was Virginia’s murderer. The leader of the pack was killed last before the unknown assassin ceased his activity.

  The surviving ghoul demanded in a panicked voice that the mysterious cutthroat cease being a coward by showing his face. The killer emerged from the shadows. It was Poe, equipped with a double-barrel shotgun that could blast the feathers off a bird with one shot.

  “State your identity at once, you villain!” the ghoul shouted nervously.

  Poe stared at the ghoul with a confused expression. He assumed the ghoul would have recognized him after making him a widower. “You don’t know who I am? You need me to remind you? Fine, so be it! I am the victim who remains from your sinful deed. You killed my wife and the child inside her womb nine bloody years ago! For that, you will pay dearly, you maniacal creature of Hell!”

  The ghoul considered Poe’s words, then a flashback entered his mind and he was swept back to the night he murdered a pregnant woman by biting her arms, legs, stomach and neck. However, he did not know that the woman was married to Poe, until now. The ghoul smiled after remembering the murder, but as he was about to speak, Poe aimed his weapon at the ghoul’s head and fired. This single shot removed the ghoul’s head from its body. The hunter proceeded to fire multiple shots at the carcass out of anger and frustration.

  Poe felt the adrenaline drain from his body as he fell to his knees and began to cry. His energy was replaced with emotions and the sweat on his face combined with newly-formed tears. He looked up at the sky and saw the millions and millions of stars that resided above. He did not know which star the soul of his wife was and instead, just addressed all of them at once. He said, “My mission is complete. I have avenged you, my dearest! I love you so much and I hope you are in God’s greatest protection!”

  After speaking these words, Poe gathered his weapon and raised himself up from the ground. He left the forest with a combined feeling of victory and sadness, sad that his wife was no longer with him and that he had to slaughter the ghoul to avenge her instead of killing the monster as part of his normal duty.

  • • •

  Nathaniel Quincy sat in the parlor of his quaint home, drinking tea and reading the morning newspaper. Startled by a knock at the door, he put the paper down and hurried to see who would be calling so early. Upon opening the door, he saw a gentleman standing on the stoop. He slipped on an expression of astonishment and wonder at the man who stood at his door.

  “Edgar? Is that you? Or am I staring at an illusion?”

  “Hello, Quincy. You have guessed correctly, and I promise you that I come bearing no tricks or illusions.”

  The surprised look on Quincy’s face did not disappear, but he welcomed Poe inside his domain to discover the nature of his visit.

  “It has been a year since we met at the pub! But what are you doing at my house? I did not expect to ever see you after we met. But on a more important note, how did you find where I lived? Who tipped you about my location?”

  “It does not matter how I found you. Some residents of Baltimore who may know you told me where you lived.”

  “But I know nobody in Baltimore…”

  “It does not matter! I am here to accept your request, Quincy. If you recall, you invited me to form an alliance, a partnership of sorts, with you. I came here to tell you, I am ready to oblige.”

  “I forgot all about that! But what changed your mind?”

  “I am lonely, Quincy. I desire to complete my life free from the binds of solitude. Waking up tomorrow is never a guarantee; thus, I have decided to make the most of my life while I still breathing and walking freely on this planet. Also, I figured you and I would make quite a team as we are both hunters with excellent senses for the supernatural who terrorize our kind. Will you form this partnership as you originally intended?”

  Quincy understood his words and nodded his head. Not needing to consider it a moment longer, he accepted the offer and shook Poe’s hand to signify the official beginning of their alliance.

  Chapter 1

  Three months later.

  The bright white glow of the full moon illuminated the city of Baltimore after the city had been drenched in a torrential downpour. At night, the dominant sight was of buildings whose bricks were soaked with the day’s downfall, homes and businesses alike. Horses were neighing and gruffly snorting as their hooves touched the moisture of the puddles, which reflected the moon and the dark clouds drifting over it. The air was filled with the sweet scent of dew and the pungent odor of bacteria-filled spores from the storm. The temperature got colder, well below the average.

  All that could be heard along the city’s streets besides the horses and their angry carriage drivers were the clomping footsteps of the citizens as they navigated around puddles trying to keep their shoes dry. They tightly clutched at their coat collars to keep the night air’s clammy fingers from curling around their necks. As they hurriedly opened the doors to their shelters, a cacophony of creaks and slams immediately added to the flurry of noises ruling over the city. But such wasn’t the case for everyone.

  In the forest near the Patapsco River, just beyond the city limits, two lovers were seated on a log underneath a vibrant, ever-growing tree, making love to each other. They ran away from their parents to rendezvous in the forest in secret, alone and away from prying eyes and ears. They were of a youthful age; the male was twenty two and the girl was twenty one.

  The fellow worked as an apprentice for the Baltimore Visitor, a weekly periodical. But his father wished he would work a serious job, such as a glass blower, a wielder, or a factory worker. The father had a passionate distaste for his son’s career because he thought it made him l
ook weak compared to other men; he thought his son was a pansy boy. He wanted a physical job for his son so that he could brag about him to the fathers of other sons. But the lad’s mother was different. She supported him in any endeavor he wished to pursue. She wanted her son to succeed and enjoy what he did. Therefore, he favored her more than his father.

  The lady’s mother ran a clothing shop and she helped her parent as her job. Children of all ages visited the shop where the woman worked at and they enjoyed her company. She enjoyed their energy and their youth, as she wished she would go back in time and relive her childhood again. But perhaps the best part about the lady’s job was providing clothes to those who could not afford such a commodity. The young girl experienced bliss and relief of mind when her charitable work, along with her mother, would help an individual and affect their life in a positive way.

  As the gentleman grasped a handful of his lover’s luscious raven-colored hair, he felt the silky texture of her cobalt blue dress pressing against him. The woman sighed as she squeezed the gentleman’s shoulder, then started to rub his back. She liked how his coat’s rough fabric felt against her fingertips.

  The man’s shoes were caked with mud and debris from the forest’s landscape and his pants were dirty all the way to his ankles, but he paid this no mind as he was mesmerized by the scent of his lady’s perfume. It was a hypnotic combination of citrus and lilac flowers.

  The couple ended their display of affection and gazed into each other’s eyes. While the lady’s smile let the gentleman know she was happy, he could see conflict in her eyes. Something was troubling her. His fears were confirmed as she breathlessly said, “Oh, Joseph, how much do I love you? Ever since the spark of our relationship was ignited last summer, I have been enamored with you. However, I must admit that I am plagued by guilt because we have to meet under these circumstances. As long as our love is forbidden by our parents, we have no choice and must continue meeting this way.”