Perigord

by Marc Lindsay

  “What’s going on?” Jason asked Hector, who gave him a knowing grin.

  “Hey bud, we’ve been having a pretty good time today, right?” Hector asked cryptically.

  “Yeah sure, it’s been a blast,” Jason replied.

  “It’s been okay, but it’s missing one thing,” Tiberius added cryptically.

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?” Jason asked.

  “I’m glad you asked,” Hector said and flung open the back of the van revealing cartons of Black River Cider.

  “Oh my God,” Mandy cried, which drew the attention of the others who were sitting on the edge of the bank. The group started to cheer and clap when they saw the payload awaiting them. One of Tiberius’s friends, a short skinny kid with a half grown mohawk whom everyone called Halo, started to chant “drink, drink,” and soon everyone else was chanting as well. Everyone except for Jason.

  “Okay, okay hold it down,” Hector said, addressing the crowd, a huge grin on his face. Selene was now joining the group and she saw the bottles of booze that lined the back of the van.

  “Holy shit,” Selene said, surprised at what she saw. Hector was instructing the other boys in the group to unload the van and within a short time there was a couple of chests sitting by the lake filled with ice and cider. Before long they were sitting in deck chairs and drinking liberally. Jason and Selene hung back from the group and it was now noticeable that they were the only ones not indulging.

  “You’re not drinking Jason?” Hector enquired dubiously.

  “Ah nah, I’m not really in the mood,” Jason replied, attempting to be disinterested. “One or two drinks aren’t gonna kill you.”

  “We know,” Selene said coldly. Hector walked over to the ice chest and retrieved two bottles. Cracking the tops off them, he handed them to the pair. Selene grabbed hers and took a long swallow from it.

  “There, that wasn’t so hard was it?” Hector said, watching Jason closely until he too took a gulp from his bottle.

  “Whoo hoo, now it’s a party,” Hector exclaimed, clapping his hands together and making his way over to the ice chest for another beverage.

  “He’s right you know, a couple of these won’t kill us. Hell, even the label says that they use all natural ingredients,” Jason said with a grin.

  “So what you’re saying is having a couple of brews is actually beneficial?” Selene replied.

  “Bingo,” Jason said and they both burst out laughing.

  Dusk had crept up on them as they sat around a campfire. Most of the kids had paired off and were making out in the flickering light. The ground around them was littered with empty bottles. Jason was lying on his back, his head resting on Selene’s lap as she gently combed her fingers through his hair. A light sheen of sweat had formed on his brow and Selene noticed his temperature was a little warmer. She was not sure whether this was due to the close proximity to the fire or the ciders Jason had consumed. Selene looked across the fire towards Tiberius who was telling a dirty joke to Jade, who had obviously drunk way too much and was laughing hysterically in all the wrong places.

  “So how were you able to get the alcohol?” Selene asked pointedly. Tiberius turned from his conversation with Jade and smiled, the glow from the fire giving him a creepy aura.

  “Let’s just say that our dads have a bit of pull with the local merchants,” Tiberius said smugly, indicating himself and Hector.

  “Yeah you’d be amazed what we can get or hands on,” Hector added, completely full of himself. “How’s the big fella there?” he added, clearly not concerned with Jason’s wellbeing.

  “Oh he’s fine, just resting. He was up pretty early this morning training,” Selene replied. This comment clearly annoyed Hector who barely tried to conceal his emotions. Jason sat up at the mention of his name and peered over at the two boys opposite.

  “Someone say my name?” Jason asked. This was met with laughter from everyone but Selene.

  “Yeah, we were just saying that you’re looking a little out of sorts,” Tiberius replied. This was also met with cruel laughter.

  “No I’m fine, just a little tired, been a big day,” Jason said. His pale sweaty face indicated that he was more than just fatigued.

  “So we’ve been told,” Hector admonished. “I hope you’ve got a little energy left for the surprise later on,” Hector added with a laugh. This time only Tiberius joined in. Jason wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to get to his feet.

  “What surprise?” Selene asked, her eyes narrowing in concern.

  “Well we were going to show you later, but I think we’re about to wrap things up here,” Hector said. This was met by groans from the group.

  “Don’t worry we’re going to continue at my place. Dad’s out of town for the night, so we can kick on there” Hector added. The group cheered and got to their feet. They went about packing their vehicles, their industriousness driven only by their desire to continue drinking.

  After the campsite was packed, people climbed into their cars.

  “Mandy, head on to my place with the others. Tib and I will be along shortly we just want to show Jason and Selene something first,” Hector instructed Mandy and threw her his keys.

  “Don’t be long,” Mandy said sweetly, then blew him a kiss.

  “I won’t,” he said with a grin and a wink.

  “Selene was watching this with trepidation, thinking that Hector had made it clear only he and Tiberius would be going back to the party. She looked at Jason who was having trouble standing, his features were pale and slicked with sweat. Even his eyes looked slightly glazed.

  “I don’t know if Jason’s up to it,” Selene said, concerned.

  “Nonsense, he’ll be fine, it won’t take long then we’ll drop you both off,” Tiberius replied.

  “Okay,” Selene said, though she didn’t believe him, but thought with Jason not well, her options were limited. The four of them got into Tiberius’s van and he drove them down a track that ran parallel with the edge of the lake. It was completely dark now and the van’s headlights cast thin beams through the vegetation, covering the seldom used track.

  “So, um, how long is this going to take?” Selene asked an urgent edge to her voice. Both Hector and Tiberius looked at each other and chuckled.

  “What’s your rush?” Tiberius replied cockily.

  “I’m just concerned about Jason,” Selene responded. Jason had his head resting against the passenger side window his breathing was coming in deep rasps.

  “He’s not going to spew is he?” Tiberius asked, a look of disgust on his face.

  “He can’t handle his booze, can he?” Hector added, slightly amused by Tiberius’s reaction to possible vomiting and the fact that alcohol had` proved to be Jason’s Achilles heel.

  “It’s not the cider, I think he’s sick, like food poisoning or something,” Selene said hotly. Just then the van came to a halt.

  “We’re here,” Hector announced. Selene looked out her window but couldn’t see anything in the darkness.

  “What the hell am I supposed to be looking at?” Selene demanded.

  “You can’t see it from here, plus we’ll need this,” Tiberius replied and produced a large torch.

  “Well let’s get this over with,” Selene sighed.

  “That’s the spirit,” Hector said laughing.

  The four of them walked down a narrow path toward the lake. Both Hector and Tiberius were on either side of Jason, gripping his arms to prevent him from falling over. Jason was deathly pale now and Selene was pretty sure he had no idea where he was. As they got closer to the lake Selene could make out a large shape ahead of them which she assumed was an old shack of some kind.

  “What’s that supposed to be?” Selene questioned.

  “It’s the water plant for the Black River Brewing Company, where they conduct the initial purification,” Tiberius explained.

  “And you thought we’d like this because?”

  “Well It’s hard to explain, but easie
r to show,” Hector replied. They led Selene and Jason through a hole in the security fence and towards the small brick utility which appeared to be locked up tight.

  “It’s a locked building,” Selene said, agitated.

  “And I have the key,” Hector said and produced a screwdriver.

  “Are you planning on breaking in?” Selene said shocked.

  “Relax, I’m not going to vandalise or steal anything.” Without waiting for Selene to respond, Tiberius helped Hector scale the wall and reach a small, closed window. After a moment, perched on the window sill, Hector was able to pry the window open with his screwdriver and crawl in. Selene could see the beam of the torch bouncing around inside and after a few minutes the back door opened and Hector emerged, the torch directly perched under his chin, giving him a rather ghoulish appearance.

  “Walk this way,” Hector said in a bad English accent. Tiberius and Selene helped Jason through the door as they followed Hector with the torch. Machinery and pumps were running inside and a faint glow of display lights cast the surroundings in an eerie green glow.

  “This is it!” Hector exclaimed and pointed to a large pit with a steel grill covering the top. Hector and Tiberius went right away, flipping some nearby switches. The steel grate started to lift, hoisted up by thick steel chains. The noise was deafening. Hector shined his torch into the pit. A strange blue glow could be seen coming from the bottom.

  “Have a closer look,” Hector urged. Selene, who was holding Jason, looked uneasy.

  “Take a look, I’ve got him,” Tiberius repeated and grabbed a hold of Jason’s shoulder. Selene reluctantly released her hold and stepped forward, peering into the dark abyss. What she saw in the pit was water slowly flowing in through a large pipe, obviously being fed from Greymeade Lake and through a large steel sleeve that filtered any mud and muck, preventing it from getting into the pumps. What really caught Selene’s attention was the blue glow which emanated from hundreds of blue luminescent rocks lining the bottom of the pit.

  “What are those rocks, they’re beautiful,” she whispered.

  “Ah girls and their sparkly things,” Tiberius chuckled.

  “They’re a mineral that apparently helps with the purification process. Hard to get anywhere else but can be found in abundance this side of the lake. Oh yeah, in the absence of UV light, it emits a blue glow. Pretty cool hey?”

  “Actually it is pretty cool, however I’m sure seeing this could of waited for another time,” Selene said, pointing at Jason.

  “Yeah I suppose, but that’s not the reason we brought you,” Hector said cryptically. Selene gave him a puzzled look. Hector nodded to Tiberius who was holding Jason up, then without provocation, pushed him into the pit. When Jason hit the water he proceeded to sink like a stone.

  “No!” Selene screamed and struck Hector with a right cross. She dove into the pit after Jason. Selene was able to find him easily at the bottom due to the strong blue glow. Jason was floating, his body moving back and forward to the rhythmic pulsing of the pumps. She grabbed him by the t-shirt and dragged him to the surface. She was gasping for air but Jason was unconscious and not breathing.

  “Thanks for jumping, saved us pushing you in as well,” Tiberius called out. They both broke into more laughter.

  “You bastards get us out of here, right now!” Selene screamed angrily. This was met with more laughter from above. Selene ignored them as she struggled to keep herself and Jason afloat. She cradled his head in the crook of her arm and proceeded with a great deal of difficulty to start giving him CPR. Hector and Tiberius watched passively from the top. After several tense minutes of performing mouth to mouth, Jason convulsed and spewed up a gutful of water and alcohol, his eyes slowly opening.

  “Hey beautiful anything for a kiss, eh?” Jason spluttered weakly. Selene gave him a weak smile back, then hugged him fiercely.

  “You asshole, you had me so worried, I thought I was going to lose you,” she said, her eyes full of tears.

  “Well I’m still here, wherever that is. The last thing I remember was getting into Tiberius’s van,” Jason said, the strain evident in his voice. Selene pointed to the top of the pit.

  “Those shitheads up there planned this, but if they don’t get us out right now they’re gonna get their asses kicked,” Selene yelled.

  “Please, spare us the feisty girl speech Selene. You two aren’t going anywhere, ever again,” Hector said coldly.

  “Hey enough’s enough. You’ve had your joke. This is no longer funny, get us out now,” Jason rasped.

  “That’s not happening. You know I haven’t stopped thinking about that beating you dished out. Nobody could have done what you did, both on the basketball court or the cafeteria. I’ve been following you around lately, things don’t appear right and I’ve come to a conclusion,” Hector stated calmly.

  “And what’s that?” Jason asked, exhaustion and concern on his face.

  “Why, you’re not human, that’s what.”

  “What?” Jason and Selene exclaimed incredulously. Even Tiberius looked uncomfortable.

  “You heard me, I know your secret. My dad told me about that freak Ulysses and all the strange stuff that happens around him, and then you show up and become his number one disciple. You, him and that library are all evil. And it’s about time somebody did something about it,” Hector concluded righteously.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Selene screamed.

  “And let’s not forget about you, the goth girl who’s shacking up with that abomination,” Hector spat.

  “Hector, whatever you think your problem is, it’s with me, not her.”

  “I saw you change,” Hector said frankly. Jason and Selene went quiet. “No, nothing to add? Your silence says it all” Hector continued.

  “I don’t know what you think you saw,” Jason said hastily.

  “Don’t even try to deny it, I know it’s true.”

  “You’re crazy,” Jason whispered.

  “I thought so too the first time. You brazenly changed shape running to school,” Hector replied. Jason remained silent which made Hector smile. “That’s what I thought,” Hector added.

  “Hector, don’t do this,” Selene said angrily.

  “I was late for school too that day, algebra test,” Hector continued with his story in a robotic tone. Everyone was watching him strangely, including Tiberius. “I saw this blur in the distance. You. I didn’t know it at first, but I stopped and tried to get a better view at what it was. Then BAM, you came rocketing past. It was you but it wasn’t. You’re arms and legs were longer and your face, my God your face was distorted, longer, streamlined. But it was definitely you. You were jumping and running and landing like a cat, it was incredible,” his voice trailed off. Tiberius put his arm on his shoulder. This seemed to shake Hector from his trance, a furious look appearing on his face.

  “But it was wrong. WRONG!” Hector screamed. Everyone flinched except for Jason who was too tired and exhausted to react. His self-preservation meter was going into the red.

  “Okay I’m willing to concede that since coming to Perigord I have undergone some changes, but I’m human and definitely not evil. Now you have to listen to reason,” Jason said calmly, trying in vain to reason with Hector.

  “I don’t want to hear your lies and I don’t want to have your presence, your infection around anymore. This ends tonight. You end tonight,” Hector said with finality and walked back over to the switchboard.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it,” Jason pleaded. Without warning the machinery started up and the large steel grate that had been covering the pit was hoisted into the air once again. As it appeared over the pit Selene screamed in realisation, watching helplessly as it slowly lowered into position.

  “No!” Jason and Selene screamed in unison as the grate clanged into position, sitting atop the pit. Hector and Tiberius looked down one last time, smiling coldly, their eyes black and lifeless in the darkness. Jason felt total despair for t
heir situation. Then they were gone, the sound of their footsteps echoing as they left the building. The last thing they heard was the door slamming shut behind them. Selene gripped Jason tight, her eyes we’re wide with fear and the dawning knowledge of where they were.

  “OhmyGod,” Selene said, panic stricken.

  “Relax, we’re going to be fine,” Jason said, trying to sooth her, despite the fact that he was feeling weaker than ever.

  “Don’t you understand, nobody knows that we’re here,” Selene said shrilly.

  “There’s bound to be someone that comes out to check on this place,”

  “On the weekend?”

  “I know, this seems pretty screwed up, but we can’t give up can we?” Jason said strained. “I don’t know why I feel so goddamn useless,” he added. His last comment proved to be the mental slap Selene needed to get a hold of her emotions. Her jaw set in grim determination.

  “Can you tread water on your own for a minute?” Selene asked. Jason nodded. She released her grip on him and padded her way to the side of the pit. Jason watched her closely, his head barely above the water line, his movements slow and laboured. Selene ran her hand up the concrete wall trying to find an edge or imperfection allowing for a grip or a handhold. She tried several times to scale the side of the pit. Each attempt failed and resulted in a yell of frustration and a loud splash.

  “Shit, shit, shit!” Selene cursed as she swam back over to Jason.

  “This pit was definitely not designed to be climbed out of,” Selene added as she grabbed a hold of Jason’s arm.

  “I don’t mean to ask a stupid question, but why don’t you just turn into a giant eagle and fly us out of here?” Selene said deadpan, Jason let out a sigh.

  “Well for starters there’s that grate above our head,” he replied.

  “It doesn’t have to be an eagle, I’d be pretty much happy for a flying squirrel that shoots lasers from its eyes if that helps,” Selene quipped.

  “I’ve been trying to change, from the moment that you revived me, but I can’t,” Jason replied exasperated.