Post by buck on Feb 10, 2012 18:25:10 GMT -5
Ultimate Jonah Hex #4
The House of the Rising Sun
The House of the Rising Sun
Issue by Buck
Story by Jack and Buck
“Jonah, my boy. Come on in.” Jonah enters Turnbull’s office. “How is the missus? She’s not to shaken up about the whole Mexican ordeal is she? And don’t worry about the issues down there I’m taking care of all of it. I got a couple of my top men down there and they are going to iron out all the details.”
“Thank ya, Mr. Turnbull. What’s got ye calling me down here? I told you I was going to need some time off when I got back.” Jonah growls towards the elder man.
“I know, Jonah and you know it would only be under the most extreme circumstances that I would ever call you down here when you were on leave. Unfortunately, the issue I need you to take has already resulted in the deaths of six of my best men. Only one man has made it back alive; if you want to call it that.”
“I’m sure it can’t be anything that grim. Is he talkin’ any?”
“Yes, Doc says he’s not going to make it long term, but he’s got a bit of time left before he passes.”
Turnbull leads Jonah through to another part of the complex. The moans of pain can be heard before they even open the door. Bill Jenkins lays in a bed propped up so he can talk Jonah can’t see it for sure, but he’s positive Jenkins has lost a leg. Jonah takes off his hat as he enters the room. The facial scarring looks like someone sawed at Jenkins’ face one of his eyes has been replaced by a marble.
“Jonah Hex, I thought Mr. Turnbull would call you in. I got to tell you though this one might be too much for ya Jonah. This ain’t no man.”
‘What do you mean man, Bill?”
“He’s a monster. Half-Man and Half something else I just ain’t ever seen before. He ripped all of the other six to bits within seconds. We were huntin’ him down on the Bayou we had us one of them airboats and we were stirring up quite a racket. He took out Williams first just leaped right out of the water and took him under. Williams’ blood darkened the water so when the thing doubled back we didn’t see it till it flipped the boat. We all took off in different directions.” He pauses for a second as he remembers the fearthat they all shared. “He just picked us off one by one. I was the only one who ever made it out of that water. I saw him Jonah I looked him right in his cold, dead eyes and I knew he was gonna kill me. I pulled out my plasma pistol and I shot him over and over as he ripped away my leg.” He flips the sheet to show his missing appendage. “ He wised up right quick though he let go of the remnants of my leg and knocked the gun out of my hand. We locked eyes one last time before he started trying to chew through my skull. I kept punching him in the head after that and the last thing I remember after that was being dragged back into town by the barkeep of The House of the Rising Sun.”
Hex nods to Turnbull, “Thanks for your time Bill. I’ll get that son-of-a-bitch for ya. Don’t ya worry about that.” Hex and Turnbull leave the room and walk back to Turnbull’s office in utter silence. As they enter the office Turnbull speaks,
“Jonah, I’m going to pay your regular fee plus any expenses that occur. I’ll keep guards posted outside of your apartment at all hours of the day and arrange for an escort for Tallulah at all times. I want you to set off as soon as you can. My men have set The General up with full stocks for the travel. We’ve packed extra ammunition sense you have to cross the plains. I know there are some out there that still don’t care for ya. And then you have the walkers.”
“I want out. I can't keep doing this forever one of these days sooner than I care to admit someone is going to catch me slipping some new young hotshot. So I want out of this life. I want a quarter of a million in gold pieces before I leave.” Jonah demands.
“Now Jonah you know I can’t do that. If you want when you get back I can fit the bill for some rest and relaxation a visit to somewhere you’ve never been before for you and your woman.” Turnbull throws out.
“That’s my fee. I’ll keep working for you, Mr. Turnbull, but I don’t want as many missions; my new fee is a quarter of a million and all expenses paid. I’m tired of being sent all over the damn country chasing down bottom of the barrel serial killers and taking out mutated members of the werenation. I want only those missions that seek to lower our quality of life out here. I’ll take this mission because it’s giving you quite a bit of difficulty, but you’ll pay my fee.”
Turnbull mulls over his options as Jonah stares unwavering.
“Alright Jonah you go say goodbye to your lady and I’ll have the money delivered within the next half an hour. Soon as you get the
money; you set of for New Orleans.”
Jonah walks briskly from Turnbull’s office. Jonah calls his assistant into his office. “Jed, I’m going to need some money pulled from the coffers. I need a quarter of a million dollars pulled and delivered to Mr. Hex. I need you to organize a supervision team for Miss. Tallulah as well.”
“Yes sir. I’ll get right on that.”
The Plains were hit the hardest and still remain the most dangerous place in the Fallout Lands. The werenation has found themselves a nitch feeding of the walkers though consuming their meat turns them crazy sometimes. The last time that one of the few werebears left went crazy it took a combined effort of over twenty five bounty hunters and the local Indian tribes to take it down.
The Indians of the Plains were vicious savages if you asked some; Hex knew better though. They know the land better than anyone and if you are hospitable to them they will return the favor. Hex had witnessed some of the campsites of those who didn’t adhere to the Indians way of life. Wasn’t a pretty sight.
The Walkers were the biggest danger to anyone trying to transverse the Midwestern Plains. Walkers were so named as they couldn’t move beyond a slow walk. After the fallout set in everyone expected those who were infected to just die from radiation. Unfortunately, they didn’t; they became the walking dead. Ravenous for human flesh they numbered in the millions. Parties had spent years sweeping the plains seeking to make them safe for travel for all and they barely put a dent in them. Eventually the people of the wastelands learned that anyone attacked by a walker would eventually convert into one. All shelters built in the wastelands had a large fenced in area around them to alert people of walkers and prevent attacks on settlers.
Hex and General trot into New Orleans. It was burnt to the ground in the riots that happened after the first bombs dropped. In recent years, a new building has risen from the ashes. A lone building stands in the middle of the burnt and charred remains of the city: The House of the Rising Sun.
Hex dismounts General not even bothering to tie him up. The Horse neighs gently as Hex slides him a carrot. “I’ll be right back.” The horse nods towards Hex’s with a sense of understanding. Hex climbs up the few steps to the building towards the loud and raucous noises exiting through the door. As Jonah enters the whispers start, then the music stops, and everyone turns to look at the door.
“Jonah Hex, I didn’t think I’d ever be seeing you round these parts again. Not after the last time we saw ya leave here.” A raven, haired man says as he pulls his gun out and cocks the hammer back. Jonah stares the man down with an uneasy coolness, “You going to sit there fondling that trigger all day or you goin’ to pull the damn thing?” Jonah growls with his normal gravelly voice.
Everyone looks on in fear as the man points the weapon at Jonah. The man lowers his weapon as he screams, “Come on over here! First, brew is on me. As a matter of fact this rounds on me.” The music starts back up as Hex sets down next to his friend, John Toney. The two clanks there mugs together, “To old times made new.”
A few beers later…
“And I swear this next part happened exactly how I’m describing it. This eight foot tall mutant caught us when we went through D.C. we woke up and this mutant is setting up a fire. Jonah sits there and challenges the mutant to an arm wrestling match saying he’d get him ten more people if he lost. Jonah warned the mutant before the fight started that he’d never lost an arm wrestling match before. Jonah’ whole arm is barely bigger then this mutant’s palm. Jonah tells him to smile as soon as the match begins; he pulls out his gun and just put six bullets right between the mutants eyes. Then as the thing is falling over he just says looks like I’m still undefeated.”
Many Beers Later…
“Aye, aye, aye,
Off to the wastelands,
Aye, aye, aye
Box of bullets and a trusty stead,
Aye, aye,aye “
Many More Beers Later…
“John, I came here to find out what’s been taking out Turnbull’s men.” Jonah manages to get out between sips of beer.
“Ahh that mean son a bitch. You better head back west Jonah this one is a bit more then you can handle.” Toney slurs back to Hex.
“I’ll decide rather I can handle it or not alright, John. Just let me know what you know.”
“Well he’s not quite all human for one thing, Jonah. He’s part crocodile. They say he’s with some extremist who think the Bayou is the key to restoring life to the Wastelands. He doesn’t come up here often. They say he leaves out there in the Bayou with the Gators. Somewhere just shy of the ocean. Only way to get in or out is with an airboat.”
Jonah gets to his feet and grabs his hat; John is slow to respond, “Where you goin’ Jonah you’re too drunk to go out there tonight.”
“Nah, I’m not drunk. You’re drunk. I can drink one of those Russian werebears under the table so getting you to the point that you’re talkative barely phases me. Now I got a Croc to find and the Bayou is pretty big.”
The Bayou of Louisiana
Hex cuts through the bayou waters with aboard the airboat. Beside him sits his trusty shotgun ready for whatever the night might bring. Hex slows to a halt as he senses movement in the water. Hex flicks on the high powered light mounted on the boat and moves it around searching for the reflection that would give away an alligator or in this case a crocodile man. The light rips through the darkness and reveals a small ripple on the water surface. Hex grabs the shotgun as he feels the boat shake meaning that something is displacing a lot of water.
“Come on show me that ugly mug.” Jonah moves the shotgun side to side waiting for the creature to surface. Jonah fires of a blast too let the creature know he wasn’t going to get the jump on him. Hex powers up the motor again and flies off into the night. The Bayou is one of the few places where you can clearly see the stars in the night sky. Hex braces himself as he feels water being displaced around the boat once again. Hex fires off a round into the water as the creature comes up and stops yet again.
Jonah reloads quickly and readies for another go around with the beast. Hex steadies his aim as the creature breaks the water getting fully out of the water. The creature lands on the small boat and gets onto it two feet. Jonah pulls the trigger sending the crocodile man flying into the water with a massve splash. Hex peers over the side of the boat trying to confirm the kill. Hex barely notices the boat flipping over; he dives into the water pulling his knife out as the boat flips.
The water is cool as his body hits the water. Jonah slips his hat under a clip on his belt as his eyes adjust to the murky darkness of the water. Hex splashes his around trying to get aware of his surroundings he begins trying to head to dry land now that he’s got the cannibals attention. Hex makes it about halfway through his first stroke before he’s pulled under. Jonah struggles with the creature whose strength seems to know no bounds. Jonah manages to connect to the snout with a solid strike from his knife, causing the creature to release it. Jonah uses the brief moment to his advantage latching on to the creatures back grasping tightly around its neck. The creature begins using its tail to spin the two around in a death roll Jonah begins to lose consciousness. Jonah using the last bit of sense he has stabs the creature in the shoulder with the knife. The creature cries in pain and races to the surface as water enters its lungs. As they reach the surface the creature tosses Hex to the shoreline. Hex groans as he tries to get to his feet. Like lightning the gigantic, scaly creature is upon him.
“What are you doing here? Nobody comes here; Uncle told me let no one come here.” The Croc dressed in a duster and chaps throws his hat on his head as he stands over Jonah. “Who are you? No one is supposed to be here? The green baby needs time to heal and grow.”
“I’m here about the men you killed, son. Their boss wasn’t too happy they didn’t come home.” Hex growls
“You’re one of them?” Croc questions
“I ain’t one of them, but I need questions answered and I think you are the only one who knows the answers to them.” Jonah sparks back.
“What kind of questions?” Croc voice cracks as he speaks.
“My employer was awfully keen on getting rid of you. Those men you killed were his best guys that means something is out here that he wants. What is it?” Jonah asks
“Only one thing brings men like him into this place. Only reason anyone has ever come to these parts. Power. He seeks to control that which would give him ultimate power in the world that surrounds us. He seeks to control the fate of the world this place isn’t the only green place left in the world by accident. The Swamps have a protector.”
“You did all of this?” Hex asks with a sense of wonder and awe in his voice.
“No, not me. Greenie did this” Croc states.
“Greenie?” Hex’s raspy voice repeats.
“Follow me. I shall show you.” Hex follows the crocodile man through the brush of the swamplands. Hex feels like he is being cleansed as they approach an opening in the forest. “This is Greenie. I am his protector and he is my guardian.” The Croc motions towards a small humanoid creature sleeping on the ground its entire body covered in vines and leaves. “He is the only hope for the future of everyone without him all will fall in the end. He shall be the greatest champion Earth has ever known. That’s what Uncle says anyway.”
Hex looks down at the creature sleeping on the ground. As Jonah leans in closer the small, green creature opens its eyes. Hex looks the thing in the eyes and it reaches out to him. Jonah feels compelled to extend his on hand. As Jonah touches the creatures he feels a rush. He feels the rush of a million plants crying out to him. He feels the waters of this last wild place rush through him. Jonah feels at peace for one of the few times of his life. He turns back to the crocodile and lowers his voice.
“I don’t know why, but I believe you. You need to protect him. I’m going to buy you and your peoples time to bring your plan together. I’m going to tell them I killed you. You two need to keep a low profile which means no more dead men. I can’tpromise ya forever, but I’ll do what I can. You step out of line once and I’m coming back and ending it. Understand?”
“Yes sir, Mr….”
“Hex. Jonah Hex.”