Dead Souls Volume One (Parts 1 to 13)

by Amy Cross

  ***

  “I used to come out here as a child,” Alice replied as she and Kate reached the stone circles a couple of hours later. A fair wind was blowing in across the top of the cliff, rustling the long grass and offering some relief from the heat of the midday sun. In the distance, a light sea haze was threatening a hint of mist. “My friends and I used to pretend we were sacrificing each other.”

  “Sounds kind of morbid,” Kate replied.

  “We used to steal tomatoes from Ephram's shop,” she continued, “and squish them against our fronts to make fake blood. It seems silly now, but at the time it was a lot of fun.”

  “So people on Thaxos have always just accepted the stones?” Kate asked as they approached the edge of the circle. “Did no-one ever try to work out who put them here?”

  “Of course,” Alice continued with a faint smile, “but I think most people just assumed they were something to do with... Well, you know Baron Le Compte's predecessors weren't exactly popular. A lot of people were scared of them. As children, we weren't supposed to leave the town at all, but of course we did. There was a lot of superstition, even though there were no Le Comptes around at the time. They still cast a heavy shadow. Although they were gone, they were never really gone, if you know what I mean.”

  “And now they're back,” Kate pointed out. “One of them, anyway.”

  “It's almost as if he never left.”

  “I'm starting to think that this site might be the key to discovering a whole new culture,” Kate replied, placing a hand on the nearest stone. “This place doesn't fit with anything else I've ever seen. There are stone circles in other places, of course, but certain aspects of this particular site just stand out.”

  “What do you mean by a new culture?”

  “I mean a group of people, maybe a society or a religion, who don't appear anywhere in the history books.”

  “Is that even possible?”

  “I would never have thought so,” Kate replied, making her way to the center of the stone circle. “Sure, there are always new discoveries to be made, but the idea of a group of people existing in the margins, never being noticed by the rest of the world. It's hard to believe they could do that, unless...”

  She paused.

  “Unless what?” Alice asked.

  “Unless they did it deliberately,” she replied, turning to her. “They'd have needed a lot of skill, and some luck, and probably a huge amount of money. Then there's the question of why they'd bother. If they'd been persecuted at some point, there'd be a record. These people must have slipped like shadows through history, dodging every shaft of light.”

  “And then they ended up on Thaxos?”

  “Or they started here. I doubt they were entirely contained on one island, though. Thaxos isn't exactly the biggest place in the world.”

  “But you think they're gone now?”

  “I don't see anyone around, do you?”

  “These are just stones, though,” Alice replied. “I mean, what would be the point?”

  “I'm sure they built more,” Kate continued. “Maybe this is all that remains, or maybe we just...” She paused. “Are you really interested in all of this?”

  “The history of Thaxos fascinates me. My family has lived her for generations. I've never even thought of leaving. If something has been hidden here all this time, I want to know.”

  Kate stared at her for a moment as she tried to work out whether or not she could be trusted.

  “If I show you something,” she said eventually, “could you keep it to yourself? You wouldn't be able to tell anyone, not even your parents, and especially not anyone at the house.”

  “What is it?”

  “First you have to promise.”

  “Of course.”

  “This way,” Kate replied, leading her out from the circle. Although she was worried that this might be a mistake, she felt that Alice had a good heart and an honest soul, and she figured that it would be useful to have someone with her as she explored the stones a little further. Even though Alice was by no means a historian, she knew a lot about the island and she seemed genuinely curious.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Here,” Kate said as they reached the entrance to the subterranean tunnel. “When you came up here as a child, did you ever stumble across this?”

  Peering into the opening, Alice was clearly shocked.

  “Hard to believe that no-one ever noticed it,” Kate continued. “When kids play, they don't exactly stick to one spot. How could you not have found this thing?”

  “I...” Alice paused, before turning to her. “I have no idea. I swear, we played here so many times, and we always...” She paused again. “It can't have been here. Someone must have dug this recently.”

  “Impossible,” Kate replied. “I found a diary written by a man who came to Thaxos almost a century ago. He found the tunnel too, so it must have been here when you were a child.”

  “But we'd definitely have found it,” Alice continued. “We must have spent hundreds of hours up here, and there were other children too. If even one person had found something like this, everyone would have heard about it.”

  “Then we'll add that to the pile of mysteries,” Kate replied, taking a step into the mouth of the tunnel. “Trust me, that pile is really adding up.”

  “Are we going in there?”

  “I've been in before. It's totally safe, but I think you'll be interested when you see what's under the stones.”

  “Under the stones?”

  As Kate led her alone the tunnel, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small torch. It didn't take long before they reached the door, and once it was open Kate stood back to let Alice go first.

  “This is impossible,” Alice exclaimed as she stepped into the chamber. “How could something like this be here?”

  “Hidden,” Kate replied. “Like so much else on Thaxos.”

  “What do these words mean?” Alice asked, running her hands across the carvings. “They're not English or Greek. I've never seen anything like them before.”

  “Neither have I, and I've studied European root language structures. This text is unrelated to any language that has ever been studied. It has its own letter-forms, its own syntax, its own everything. I can't even be sure whether it's supposed to be read from left to right or right to left. It's another thing that points to this culture having existed in isolation, away from the rest of the world.”

  “Is this an altar?” Alice asked, making her way to the center of the room. “Is that blood?”

  “The dark stain might be blood,” Kate told her. “I'd need to run some tests to find out for certain, though.”

  “Does that mean they sacrificed people here?” Alice asked, turning to her. “My friends and I used to play games like that in the circle.”

  “I'd like to speak to those friends.”

  “You can't,” Alice replied with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I'm afraid they died. They both drowned one summer while swimming off the western point.”

  “At the same time?”

  “The police thought Elizabeth got into trouble first, and then Karya went to rescue her. They were both such good swimmers. I never understood how something like that could happen. They were nine, the same age I was at the time. Their bodies were never found.”

  “I'm sorry,” Kate replied.

  “I was supposed to be with them that day, but I was sick. If I'd gone...” She paused again, as if the memories were overwhelming her, before she forced a smile and reached out to touch one of the wooden panels on the wall. “So what's this?” she asked, clearly trying to change the subject. “It looks like an image of someone in a fight.”

  “Looks more like a war to me,” Kate told her as she took a camera from her pocket and lined up the first shot. “One of my jobs today is to get photos of everything I can. I know people back in London who might have a better idea of how this all fits into the history books.” With the ph
oto taken, she lowered the camera. “At the same time, I don't want to draw too much attention to this place just yet.”

  “You're worried about someone coming and damaging it?” Alice paused. “Or do you want all the glory for yourself?”

  “It's not that,” Kate said, gesturing for her to follow as she crossed the chamber. When she reached the door at the far side, she tried the handle but found that it was still locked. “It's this.”

  “Can't you get through?”

  “No, and look at the door. Notice anything about it?”

  “It...” Alice stared at it for a moment. “It looks new.”

  “Exactly,” Kate replied, turning to her. “If I didn't know better, I'd say this isn't entirely a historical site. It's almost as if someone's still using it. If that's the case, I don't want them to know that we've been here, and I also want to find out what's on the other side of this door. Maybe this secret society isn't quite ready for the history books yet. Until we've managed to find a way through, no-one can know we're down here or -”

  Before she could finish, she heard a coughing sound from nearby. As she and Alice turned, they were both shocked to see a figure standing on the other side of the chamber, silhouetted against the dim light of the tunnel.

  “I wondered why you two were sneaking out of the house,” Didi said after a moment, grinning mischievously as she stepped forward. “Looks like this day suddenly got a lot more interesting.”

  II

  “I think she'll be okay,” Doctor Young said as he set his empty glass of brandy on the table. “Well, as okay as someone can be after such an ordeal. That scar on her chest is the real giveaway. I don't think it's going to heal any time soon. We can fool her mind, her organs... but her flesh seems to know the truth.”

  Sitting at his desk, Edgar continued to study his papers. He'd made no attempt to even acknowledge Doctor Young's arrival, and he hadn't even touched the glass of brandy that had been placed next to him. It was as if he had absolutely no interest in anything he was being told and was, instead, lost in his work.

  “You have to feel sorry for her,” Doctor Young continued, taking a sip of brandy before holding the glass up to admire his fingerprints on the side. “I imagine she has nightmares. Death separates the body from the mind, and it's not so easy to squash them back together like this. The bungled autopsy didn't help, either. Old Doctor Burns had trembling hands, and the cuts he made were crude at best. The man was an oaf.”

  He turned the glass, marveling at the fingerprints before turning to Edgar.

  “Of course,” he added, “Alice isn't the one who matters. She's sweet, and I suppose she's reasonably intelligent, but she's not smart enough to really dig deep for answers. When it comes to questions, we need to be more worried about Kate Langley.”

  At the mention of Kate's name, Edgar finally looked up.

  “She asks the right questions, too,” Doctor Young told him with a smile. “Questions that make me worry.”

  “You needn't concern yourself with Ms. Langley,” Edgar replied. “Leave her to me.”

  “Leave her to you. And...what exactly will you do with her? Or to her?”

  “Ms. Langley is not your problem,” Edgar told him. “I won't say this again. Don't interfere with her.”

  “She's wrong for you, you know. This is just another example of you going after the wrong person.”

  “Still bitter about your mother?” Edgar asked.

  “Why would I be bitter?” Doctor Young replied. “You explained what happened. She was weak, I accept that.”

  “Still,” Edgar continued, “I could understand if you were shocked by the way I treated her.”

  “That's just how the food chain works. The strong kill the weak and so on until... Well, here we are.”

  “What I think, or for that matter do not think, about Kate Langley is my concern,” Edgar replied, looking back down at his papers. “I would like to believe that you can accept my decision.”

  “I accepted your decision to take on Didi, and look how that worked out.”

  Edgar pointedly picked up another sheet of paper, as if he was keen to give the impression that he wasn't listening.

  “Fine,” Doctor Young continued, “I know it's not my place to interfere, and even if I wanted to, I couldn't get through to you. You'll do whatever you want, and if it all goes to hell – no, when it all goes to hell – you won't be the one who suffers. You'll toss them all aside, just like you did with my...”

  He paused before he made the mistake of finishing the sentence.

  Nevertheless, Edgar looked back up at him.

  “Kate Langley's smart,” Doctor Young pointed out. “I don't know if you've figured that out yet, but she's not like the girls you usually go for, my mother included. Kate's got a good mind and she's more than capable of seeing through your lies. Her biggest problem is going to be believing that certain things are possible. I think she clings a little too closely to the rules. She's already seen enough to make her question this place, but she insists on rational beliefs.” He paused, waiting for Edgar to respond. “There's something on your mind,” he added finally. “For once, it's not Ms. Langley.”

  “Do you know what I hate more than anything?” Edgar asked.

  “I didn't think you discriminated, father. I thought you hated everything equally.”

  “Stowaways.”

  “I see.” Doctor Young paused again. “Are we talking literally or metaphorically?”

  “Both.”

  “I can see how that would trouble you, but I find it hard to believe that your hands are tied. There's only one thing to do with a stowaway once they've been located.”

  “Throwing them overboard would not be enough,” Edgar replied. “It doesn't take long to drown, or to be eaten by sharks.”

  “Are we talking about Didi?”

  “Among others.”

  “Well, you know what I think about her,” Doctor Young pointed out. “I'm afraid you're going to have to accept, father, that humans are curious creatures. We tend to go where we're not wanted. If you put a sign on a door that reads 'Keep Out', I can assure you that any human will instinctively reach for the handle. It's what makes us special.”

  “I don't like it when people pry into my business,” Edgar replied.

  “Then perhaps you shouldn't be around people. I told you months ago, father, that if you came back to Thaxos you'd inevitably invite suspicion from the locals. Wouldn't you rather be out on the road still? At least in the old days you were able to move on whenever people began to annoy you. Monaco, Rome, Singapore... You have the money, so why not go traveling again?”

  “Because Thaxos is my home.”

  “And yet you hate it here.”

  “You don't know me at all.”

  “Yes I do. You feel drawn here because of the past, you feel as if you have some kind of duty to be the Baron of Thaxos and fill this pathetic little island with your spawn. I understand, at least to some extent, but at the end of the day this place does bad things to you. It twists you inside out and undoes all the good work of the past few years.” He paused, wondering how far he should go in this moment of truthfulness. “You're regressing.”

  “How so?”

  “You're becoming more like your old self.”

  “You don't know what you're -”

  “Talking about?” Doctor Young paused again. “I might not have your perspective, father, but I know enough about you. Mother told me before she died. All that time spend traveling, all those years when you were trying to turn yourself into a good man... You almost succeeded, too, by all accounts. But you have to ask yourself whether such a thing is possible. We are who we are, and we are what we are as well. Maybe the one thing you truly want is the one thing that is beyond you.”

  “You don't know what I want.”

  “Yes I do. You want to be a good man. You want the evil and cruelty to be washed from your soul.”

  Edgar looked back down at his pape
rs.

  “I know I'm speaking out of turn,” Doctor Young continued. “You're probably fighting the urge right now to get up from that seat and rip my head open. But I'm right. Every day, you fight the desire to go down to the port and kill every last one of those pathetic idiots in town. You feel your true nature bubbling up through your soul, but you tell yourself you can fight it, that you can dominate your instincts and somehow train yourself to be kind and caring and loving. It's rather sweet, father, but in the long run it's not going to work. Perhaps you can put on the mask for short intervals, but no-one can wear a mask forever. We both know that the cruelty is part of you. You can never be a good man for long. You're evil, through and through.”

  “You should leave now,” Edgar replied darkly. “Come back tonight.”

  “She won't help.”

  “Who?”

  “Ms. Langley.” Doctor Young paused, watching the hint of anger in his father's eyes. “You think she's the one who'll finally turn you into a good man. Is that because you think she's good herself? I'm not so sure about that.”

  “You know nothing about her.”

  “I know she's out on the north side of the island right now with Alice Marco,” he continued, “and I know Didi went running off after them.”

  At this, Edgar looked up from his papers with concern.

  “Kate Langley isn't on Thaxos at the moment because of you,” Doctor Young pointed out. “Don't fool yourself. She's here because she thinks she has a chance to make a name for herself if she comes up with some big discovery about the stones, and she's here because you stopped her when she tried to leave. If you think she has feelings for you, or that she'll ever have feelings for you, you're... Well, no-one's perfect. We all delude ourselves from time to time. I dare you. Let me tell her she's healthy and she can leave. Give her the choice and see what she does.”

  “Don't you have patients waiting for you?” Edgar asked.

  “As a matter of fact,” Doctor Young replied, smiling as he checked his watch, “I do. I'm late, but the wretches can wait. Still, I should probably head down there now.” He turned and headed to the door, grabbing his briefcase from the chair before stopping and turning back to his father. “There's one young woman who has a tumor in her belly,” he explained. “I've told her it's gout. I thought I'd be bored working as a doctor here, but it's rather fun giving them false diagnoses and watching them suffer. Mother always said that I take after you in some respects. She was right.”

  As he left the room, he couldn't help but smile.

  III

  “Girl guides,” Didi muttered as she continued to wiggle the nail-file about in the lock.

  “You learned to pick locks in the guides?” Kate replied, not even bothering to hide her skepticism.

  “That's my story,” Didi said with a smile, “and I'm sticking to it. Now could you both stop crowding me? If you want me to get this door open, I need a little space.”

  “This is the same man,” Alice said suddenly.

  Turning, Kate saw that she was examining another of the wooden panels.

  “It's a story,” Alice continued. “It's as if each panel tells another part of... whatever happened. There's a man fighting all these creatures. It's hard to make out exactly what's going on, but I think he and the wolf-headed things are trying to kill the huge spiders.”

  “So it's some kind of fairy-tale,” Kate muttered, walking over to join her.

  “You think?”

  “Well it can't be real.”

  “Obviously not, but -” Before she could finish, Alice let out a faint gasp and put a hand up to her chest.

  “What's wrong?” Kate asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

  “Nothing, I'm fine,” she replied, even though she was clearly struggling a little. “It's passing. I don't know, I just felt a kind of rush, as if something was pushing through my body.” She forced a smile. “Really, I'm okay. What do you make of the text? There's one part that's in English. Have you ever heard of any of these things? What's Gothos?”

  “No idea” Kate replied, “but it might be useful in a Rosette Stone kind of way.”

  “Rosetta Stone?”

  “A way for us to crack the language,” Kate explained. “The Rosetta Stone is a 'stele', a kind of stone slab, that was found a few hundred years ago in Egypt. It contains the same text in Demotic text, Ancient Greek and Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, which helped early scholars to understand the hieroglyphics part.” She reached up and ran a finger across a set of symbols that had been carved into the wooden panel long ago. “It looks like this symbol is the equivalent to the word Gothos,” she pointed out, “and this next one is Sangreth. It's not much, but it might help us work out how the other language is constructed.”

  “So you think you can read it?”

  “I'll need help,” she replied. “That's why -”

  “Damn it!” Didi called out

  “What's wrong?” Kate asked, turning to her.

  “I chipped a nail,” she continued, holding her hand up for them to see. “It was barely even dry! I spent all morning on the damn things!”

  “How's the lock going?”

  “Don't worry about the lock, I'll get it open. Worry about my nails!”

  “Do you trust her?” Alice whispered as Didi got back to work.

  “I think she's hiding something,” Kate replied, keeping her voice low. “She acts like this stereotypical party girl, but -”

  “I know you're talking about me!” Didi continued. “I can't hear what you're saying, but I can hear you whispering to each other. It's annoying.”

  “We were just talking about your surprising skill-set,” Kate told her. “Have you got any other tricks up your sleeves?”

  “That's for me to know and you to find out,” Didi muttered. “This lock is tough, though. Someone really doesn't want anyone getting into the next room. They've used something called a double tumbler, which I've read about but never actually come across before. Must've cost a bomb!”

  “They taught you that in the guides?” Kate replied.

  “Absolutely!”

  “But can you tell how old the lock is?”

  “Definitely after 2011. The type of tumbler wasn't in use until then at the earliest.”

  “Not bad security for an ancient site,” Kate pointed out.

  “What about the blood on the altar?” Alice asked. “If it is blood, I mean... If it was old, wouldn't it have faded away by now?”

  “Not necessarily,” Kate replied. “I mean, it depends on the type of stone, but it could easily be a few centuries old or more. Still, that's pretty recent in the grand scheme of things.” She made her way over to the altar and looked more closely at a small hole on one corner. “This was probably used to secure the chain,” she continued, “assuming that sacrifices were carried out. I know it sounds kind of ghoulish, but that kind of practice definitely occurred in parts of Europe. Blood cults have been found in almost every country.”

  “But not these days, right?” Alice continued. “No-one does that anymore.”

  “Try looking in the darker parts of the internet,” Kate told her. “I wouldn't be too surprised if there are some strange people out there who'd be interested in something like this, but...” She turned to look at the door that Didi was still trying to open. “Not here,” she added. “This is too organized, too controlled. I'm pretty sure that the altar hasn't been used for a long time, but someone has taken care to protect the chamber, probably for its historical value.”

  “You think it's Edgar?” Didi asked.

  “He's the only person on the island with enough money,” Kate pointed out.

  “He's never mentioned this place,” Didi continued. “Not that he tells me everything, but still, I thought I'd got most of his kinks figured out.” She turned to Kate and smiled. “It's kinda hot, isn't it?”

  “Hot?”

  “A hidden chamber. An altar. I could totally get down to some kinky stuff in a place li
ke this. I don't mind telling you, I've had sex in a lotta different places, but never on a real-life altar in a real-life underground chamber. Add a load of candles, maybe get some scented oils going on, and I reckon I could easily spend a fun night in here.”

  “Finally,” Kate muttered, “we've managed to get you interested in history.”

  “You think sex isn't part of history?” Didi replied. “Sex drives history. You keep things dry, you're missing out on half the story and -”

  She let out a gasp as the lock made a sudden clanging sound.

  “What?” Kate asked.

  “I think I've got something,” Didi continued, fiddling with the nail-file a little more. “Hang on, I've almost got this baby open. One tumbler, then the other, and finally -” She smiled as a clicking sound was heard from the lock, and finally she reached up and turned the handle, which this time allowed her to swing the door open with a dull creaking sound. “Ta-da! How impressive am I, huh? Thank you, you can pay me later in vodka!”

  “You're a genius,” Kate replied as she hurried over and peered into the darkness on the other side of the door. “I owe you. And you owe me an explanation for how you managed it.”

  “Long story,” Didi replied. “Damn, there's some cold air through there. What do you think's in there? No offense, but I'm not gonna be the first one inside.”

  Holding her torch up, Kate stared ahead.

  “It's another tunnel,” she said after a moment. “Stone walls this time, though. It looks like it goes straight rather than down.”

  “Straight where?” Didi asked.

  “Only one way to find out,” Kate replied, taking a step forward. “You're right, though, it is cold in here.”

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Alice asked.

  “We're just going to see where it leads,” Kate told her. “If you're scared, you can wait right here and we'll be back in a minute or two.”

  “No, I...” Alice paused, and it was clear that although she definitely didn't want to go with them, she didn't want to stay in the chamber alone either. “Of course I'll come.”

  IV

  “How long has it been since you were out of this bed?”

  Anna didn't respond. She merely stared at the window as Doctor Young put his stethoscope away.

  “If you don't get out of bed,” he continued, “you might find one day that you no longer have a choice. Your body is weakening and your mind will go with it.”

  He paused, watching the old woman's aged face. There were so many lines and wrinkles in her skin, it was as if time itself had left a message on her body.

  “Who are you waiting for?” Doctor Young asked.

  At this, the old woman turned to him.

  “If you're waiting for my father,” he continued with a faint smile, “you'll be waiting an awfully long time. He's not coming back.”

  There was a pause, as Anna's eyes widened in shock.

  “Yes,” he added, “Edgar Le Compte is my father. I'm surprised you hadn't spotted the resemblance already, although I concede that I look more like my poor mother. You see, Edgar finally found a human woman who was stupid enough to carry his child. Things didn't work out too well for her, but hey, I'm still here. Don't you see a little of him in my eyes? I'm sure you do. My mother told me all about you, Mrs. Kazakos. I know that you and my father were close once, and that you pushed him away. I'm surprised he didn't... punish you.”

  Slowly, Anna raised a trembling hand to touch the side of his face.

  “Stop that,” he replied, pushing the hand away. “It's pathetic.”

  “How...” She paused, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. “Are you... Are you like him?”

  “A bastard? Yes.” He smiled. “In other ways? No. He has not seen fit to bless me with that particular curse. Not yet, anyway. I'm only telling you these things because I know you don't have long left, and I'd hate for you to spend your final days staring at that window, waiting for a man who has already forgotten that you even exist. My father isn't going to come and see you again. You're old news to him, and besides, he doesn't like seeing old humans. They sicken him.”

  “There is...” Anna stopped short, as if her dry throat no longer allowed her to get more than a few words out at a time. “You're wrong. He'll... come...”

  “No. He won't. Why would he want to see a dry old prune again?”

  “He will... I know he will...”

  “I'll give you something for the pain,” he replied, opening his briefcase and taking out a syringe and a small bottle.

  “He comes every night,” she continued.

  “No,” he replied as he filled the syringe and then tapped its side. “He doesn't leave the mansion.”

  “In my dreams,” she continued. She paused for a moment as the pain became too much. It passed after a few seconds, but she knew it would return soon. “He comes and... I rarely dream now, but when I do, it's because he comes and talks to me. I don't remember what we talk about, only that he was here again.”

  “My father is capable of visiting people in their dreams,” Doctor Young told her, “but in this case, I fear you are simply dreaming in the old-fashioned human way. He cares nothing for you.”

  “You don't know everything,” she whispered. “Your father is a good man.”

  At this, Doctor Young couldn't help but laugh.

  “He is,” Anna continued. “I've seen his true nature. Underneath the cruelty... His heart is good. I once hoped to help him, but... It must be someone else.”

  “My father is a killer,” he replied, “and a torturer, and a cruel man. If he pretends to be good around people, it is only so that he can manipulate them, or so that he can lure them closer. Trust me, I have seen him literally strip the flesh from a screaming woman while she begged for death, and while her blood ran into the drains by her feet. Do you know the sound that flesh makes as it's being torn apart? The screams, the begging, they were one thing... but the sound of flesh being ripped will always be with me. And that is my father's fault. Do you still think he's a good man?”

  He took a moment to double-check the syringe.

  “This mixture will ease the pain you're experiencing,” he explained. “It'll last for approximately twenty-four hours.” He rolled up her sleeve and then used a cotton pad to quickly clean her skin. “The pain is bad, isn't it? You suffer in silence.”

  “Agony,” she whispered.

  He placed the tip of the needle against her arm.

  “You're wrong about him,” she continued. “He is a better man than even he himself knows.”

  “Why do you care?” he replied. “You're just...” Staring at her, he finally understood. “You still love him, don't you? After all these years, you still have all those silly feelings. Have you spent your whole life like this, in love with a man you know you can never have?”

  Anna didn't reply, although a single tear ran down her cheek.

  “How utterly pathetic,” Doctor Young continued. “More so than I ever could have anticipated.”

  He paused for a moment, and then finally he moved the syringe aside and depressed the plunger, squirting the liquid harmlessly across the bedsheets.

  “Enjoy the pain,” he said finally. “Why should I help you when you're a fool? I truly was going to give you something to make you more comfortable, but now I think I'd rather let you suffer.” Dropping the needle into a nearby bin, he began to gather his things. “My father brings nothing but pain and misery to all those around him, and it would somehow feel wrong for me to undo some of his work. If you want to delude yourself into believing that he's a good man, then good luck to you, but I won't lift a finger to alleviate your physical agony. My mother was right about him, and I won't have you or anyone else claim the contrary.”

  He made his way out onto the landing, making sure to pull the door shut as he left. For a moment, he was tempted to go back into the room and give the old woman an injection that might actually increase her pain. Figuring that
he could always come back and do that another day, he turned and headed downstairs.