Free The Savior Rises by Christopher C. Payne

entire floor all to himself, except for his assistant. It’s a little odd she isn’t here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without her. The woman’s entire life revolves around my father.”
    “When I was growing up, she was always the one directing my activities. She made sure I was dropped off or picked up or dumped wherever I needed to go. My dad was a little too busy dealing with more important matters than a child’s needs.”
    Matt seemed to be recanting his childhood with a level of sarcasm in his voice. Stefani began to wonder if this were really a good idea. How could they rely on this man for help if he’d never even taken the time to deal with his own child?
    “Hello, and how are you this evening, Stefani?” Matt’s dad walked over, holding out his hand in greeting. It was almost as if he were meeting her for the first time, but the closer he moved toward her, it was obvious that assessment was incorrect.
    Stefani felt the color drain from her face. She tried to talk or move, but she couldn’t. She found herself immobilized, frozen in time. She just stared at the long scar protruding from his face. It started at his forehead and wandered down, finishing on his chin.
    “My name is Greg – but, you might remember.  I’m pretty sure we’ve met before. You do look so familiar. I am pretty good with faces. Can I get you something to drink?”
    What was she supposed to do? She looked at Matt, then back at Greg. Was Matt in on this, as well? He had to be. This thing was his father. Didn’t that mean that Matt should be a monster? Why did he talk about killing gargoyles if he were a gargoyle? What was she even saying? Gargoyles – did she now believe in all of this crap?
    “It’s him,” she stammered. “This is the guy that’s trying to kill me, Matt. How could you do this to me?”
    She cried again. She tried to control the tears, but she failed miserably.
    “What are you talking about, Stefani?” he replied. “This is my father. This is the guy that will help us,” Matt said.
    “Stefani, my dear, Matt isn’t privy to all of my business dealings. I can assure you he has no idea what you’re talking about. But now that you’ve included him, he will shortly become aware. There is a lot both of you don’t know.”
    As Greg talked, he pushed a button on his desk, walked over to the couch, and sat down next to Stefani. Her skin crawled as he touched her shoulder. In any other situation it would’ve been a friendly gesture, but now it seemed like he was just toying with her.
    Four men quickly approached from the elevator, two of them holding large chains attached to a couple of drooling, horse-like dogs.  They seemed to smell their prey as soon as they turned the corner from the elevators. Buckets of saliva fell from their lips as they both growled and barked in anticipation.
    Was she going to be fed to the snarling animals? Was she some kind of late evening snack? The two men holding the large chains bent over and latched the leashes to a metal loop built into the floor. The dogs lay down as if they were familiar with this routine. Maybe this is their dining room, and they eat here often , Stefani thought to herself.
    “Dad, what the heck are those things?” Matt asked. “What’s going on? Who are these guys?”
    “You see,” Greg said. “Matt is a son that you could say I reluctantly claim. He’s actually not even my son. I’ve found it useful to pluck boys out of the world and raise them as if they were my own. It really does come in handy. Surprisingly, it’s not even hard to do once you ship them off to boarding school. They get used to my missing holidays. As long as I provide for them and they prove useful, it works out well for everyone.”
    “What are you talking about?” Matt asked.
    Stefani could see the questioning look on Matt’s face as he sat there staring at this monster he’d thought was a loving parent. Well, maybe not loving, but at least his parent. She