Read Online The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two by Barry Reese - Free Book Online

outside her home, two men seated within. They were watching her, waiting for her lights to go out. That she was under surveillance was not particularly surprising to her, for the man for whom she sometimes worked was often the target of criminal enterprises, and this led to Sally’s own endangerment from time to time. Sally didn’t mind this, as her own father had taught her that the needs of the many always outweighed the needs of the few. If she could help people, it was worth the risks to herself.
    With steely resolve, she’d dressed and snuck out through the back door, intending to make it across town on foot. Twice she thought she’d detected the sounds of pursuit but as reached the heart of the city, she finally began to relax: it seemed that she had, indeed, escaped the men who were chasing her.
    A sudden burst of shrill laughter echoed throughout the darkened street, making Sally jump. It sounded high-pitched and slightly mad, as if the laughter came from someone both deranged and dangerous.
    Sally looked about in a panic but could see nothing. As she was looking over her right shoulder, still plunging headlong down the street, a massive figure jumped from a nearby rooftop and landed directly in front of her. She ran into him, grunting from the impact, and fell onto her rump. The file she’d been carrying fell to the ground, its contents scattering.
    Sally’s eyes slowly rose, taking in the horror that now stood over her. The male figure was well over six feet in height and heavily muscled. He wore strapped sandals on his legs and feet, a purple loincloth with yellow trim, and heavy gold wristbands. His skin was a golden color and his face was misshapen, with razor sharp teeth and a flat, pug-like nose. He smelled like brimstone and sweat, making Sally gag in revulsion.
    The Golden Goblin bent low and snatched up several of the scattered pages, crumpling them in his oversized hands. “Are these all of them?” he asked in a rumbling voice. When he saw that terror had momentarily sapped Sally of her ability to speak, he laughed again, that same eerie high-pitched sound that chilled the blood of anyone unlucky enough to have overheard it.
    Sally found herself staring into the creature’s malevolent eyes, but instead of continued fear, she began to feel a surge of adrenaline. Her life hung in the balance, she was sure of it… and she hoped that she could somehow make her father proud. He had taught her how to handle herself in a tight spot, and they didn’t come any tighter than this, she reasoned.
    Without bothering to answer the brute’s question, Sally kicked out with a high heel and caught the Golden Goblin in the knee. The blow would have crippled a normal man, but the Goblin didn’t even blink an eye.
    The monster grabbed hold of her ankle and gave a powerful squeeze. Sally screamed as the bones rubbed together within her foot. “I’m only going to ask you this one last time, little girl. Is this everything?”
    “Yes!” Sally managed to squeak, her vision nearly blinded by pain.
    The Golden Goblin dropped her foot and Sally rolled over onto her side, fighting the urge to vomit. The Goblin bent to retrieve the rest of the papers, but a bright light suddenly shone upon him, and the villain found himself staring up into the headlights of an Atlanta police cruiser, which had pulled to a stop nearby.
    “Hey!” an officer was shouting, stepping from the vehicle. His partner was doing the same, and this second man already had his gun out and in his hand. “What’s going on here? Are you bothering this woman?”
    The two officers came to a sudden stop when they got a good look at the figure in front of them. The Goblin was shielding his eyes from the bright glare but was still clearly visible.
    “What the hell is that ?” one of the officers whispered. “Jake, get back in the car and call Chief McKenzie…”
    As his partner followed orders, the cop took a few steps towards the Goblin, who was