Free The Massacre Mechanism (The Downwinders Book 5) by Michael Richan

one and
who knows what. My body would have gone into a coma.”
    “And the
monster?” Winn asked.
    “It would
have emerged and stayed here, I guess,” Daniel replied.
    “Sounds
dangerous,” Awan said.
    “No, I’ve
done it many times, this was the only fuck up,” Daniel replied.
    “No, I mean
bringing these hitchhikers into our world,” Awan replied. “Who knows what it
might have been, or have done.”
    “Add it to
the lot,” Daniel replied dismissively, taking another bite.
    “The lot?”
Winn asked.
    “All the
crap that The Dark River brings into existence,” Daniel replied. “The evil they
produce far exceeds any threat these hitchhikers might present. Most of them
die the moment they arrive, anyway.”
    Winn looked
at Awan. “Dark River?” he asked Awan.
    “I’m not
gonna talk about that,” Awan said, looking down at his plate of food
uncomfortably. “Moving on.”
    “Wait, you
know what he’s talking about?” Winn asked Awan. “A Dark River?”
    “Not gonna
talk about it,” Awan said, stabbing at his food.
    “Why not?”
    Awan placed
a forkful of pancake into his mouth and began to chew, not responding.
    “Many people
don’t talk about The Dark River,” Daniel said to Winn. “Verboten. Sometimes
it’s a cultural thing.”
    “We’re very
familiar with the evils certain cultures inflict upon others,” Awan said.
“That’s plenty for me.”
    “Let me
guess, your parents warned you to never talk about it, right?” Daniel asked.
    Awan began
to look perturbed. “So what if they did? I’ve done pretty well following the
advice of my parents.”
    “I’m not
saying you haven’t,” Daniel replied. “Just pointing out that fear of it is
something that’s taught.”
    Winn could
see that Awan’s body was completely tensed up. “I’m fine with talking about
something else,” Winn said, Awan relaxing considerably in response. “That
device you mentioned, Daniel…the one that could help translate the symbols?”
    “Yes?”
Daniel asked.
    “Do you still
have the picture on your phone?”
    Daniel dug
in his pocket, pulling out his phone and swiping through it until he located
the image he’d shown Winn earlier on their drive to Mesquite. Winn took the
phone and studied it.
    “It’s so
familiar,” Winn said. “I know I’ve seen something like this before, I just
can’t place it. These pictures are so fragmentary…it’s like I’m looking at
pieces of a puzzle unassembled.”
    “Well, keep
in mind the images you’re looking at are of a salvaged mechanism that sat at
the bottom of the ocean for two thousand years,” Daniel said. “It’s hard to
conceive of how it must have looked before it became so deteriorated. But, I
think…” He gestured for Winn to hand the phone back.
    Winn passed
the phone and Daniel began swiping and typing. Eventually he turned the phone
back around, showing Winn a new image.
    “Here’s an
artist’s attempt to show what they think the entire mechanism looked like
before it was ruined,” Daniel said. “Of course it’s just a guess.”
    Winn’s face
lit up as he examined the image. “I know!” he said, rising out of his chair so
quickly he bumped the table, causing the dishes to shake.
    “Whoa!” Awan
replied. “Sit back down for a second. What do you know?”
    Winn forced
himself to lower into his chair. “I know where I’ve seen it before! This
device!”
    “Where?”
Daniel asked, surprised.
    “Deem’s
house!” Winn replied. “There was one sitting on the mantel in her living room!”
     
    ▪ ▪ ▪
     
    Winn slipped
the key from the lock and replaced it in the hide-a-key tucked behind a
planter. He pushed the back door open, and the three of them slipped inside
Deem’s house.
    “Anyone
home?” Winn called, walking into the kitchen. His voice echoed through the
house. “Margie? Virginia?”
    “You knocked
for five minutes before we came in,” Daniel said. “I doubt anyone’s here.”
    “Just makes
me a little