by Paul Berry
‘No time to smooch him tonight,’ Smith jeers. The rest of the orderlies laugh with him.
‘Perhaps I prefer you,’ I say, fangs sliding over my lips, and his face goes pale. The vampire’s control is oscillating from weak to strong, and I can feel myself becoming less distinct as it subsumes my personality. Part of me has stopped caring, relishing its power, the melancholy that has always controlled my life withering away, replaced by its hunger and hatred.
‘Don’t converse with the rats,’ my mother says. ‘They never have anything interesting to say.’ Smith grips the handle of his knife and glares at her.
‘I’ll put you down in a second if you come near me,’ she says, and he relaxes his hand. ‘And I’m sure my son needs a snack before the ritual starts. Any volunteers?’ The orderlies look away. ‘I thought not.’
Opposite the plinth is a tall metal cage which is meant for Adam, its roof bolted to the ceiling and the floor inscribed with a concentric pattern of symbols my mother has taken from The Travellers Between Spheres cartouche.
‘You’re certain it will hold him?’ I ask.
‘The symbols should bind him if the configuration is correct,’ she says. ‘If not, we’ll have to subdue him.’ I remember how Adam snapped down trees like toothpicks pursuing me after I escaped from the house. The orderlies will be like boy scouts threatening a charging lion with penknives. ‘Remember, you need to transport him next to the cage, otherwise things could get messy.’ The plan is for me to pull Adam from the house the same way I did with the book. When he arrives, they’ll force him into the cage, like Gretel pushing the witch into the oven. Except they’ll be trapping the wrong witch.
When Adam is destroyed, I will take my place at Hastur’s right hand, the new ruler of the house of vampires.
What horror, what delicious terror I could bring to Preston, every bully, every despicable person that has ever teased me bending to my will and snapping in two. And the blood, so much blood will be spilt …
‘Sam,’ my mother says. ‘Your face.’ I touch my cheeks and feel the sprouting appendages wrap coyly around my fingers. I take a deep breath, forcing the vampire back down and the tentacles melt into my flesh.
‘I’m fine,’ I say, the bracelet itching so furiously that I want to rip it off. The circle of orderlies look at me with a mixture of loathing and fascination.
The last time they confronted Adam, he killed most of them. Once I find him and try to shift back, he might simply tear through me trying to escape. And what about Marcus and Philip? They aren’t going to let me take their master without a fight.
The smell from the damp concrete of the floor and walls is cloying, and the claustrophobia of being deep underground makes me ache to be outside and breathing fresh air. The fluorescent lights on the ceiling irritate my scalp, and I have to focus on controlling the vampire as it scrapes frenziedly under my skin, pleading for release, knowing that ultimate control over me is almost within its grasp.
The chamber becomes quiet. The only sound is the chain around the Frankenstein creature’s neck clinking against the floor as his body continually spasms. Everyone is staring at me, and I feel like I’m about to give a presentation in class, almost laughing when I remember my dad’s toilet advice. My mother stands next to me and pats my shoulder reassuringly.
Am I her son or just a soulless monster desperate to please her by bringing about her war?
‘This will be a momentous night,’ she announces to the room. ‘It’s been a long and arduous road, but we will finally capture Adam and free the world and my family from his curse.’
‘And if we can’t restrain him?’ Dr Stone asks.
‘Then you all know what to do,’ she says, raising her knife. She motions towards the plinth and I walk towards it, every gaze in the room burrowing into me. I stand in front of it and pluck the crystal tetrahedron from the box. I let my mind flow through my hands and merge into its shifting facets.
Nothing happens.
The crystal doesn’t vibrate with energy like it did before. I close my eyes and concentrate harder, feeling the cold angles against my palms. Still nothing. I look at my mother and shake my head.
‘He’s pretending he can’t do it,’ Dr Stone hisses, pointing his knife at me. ‘Maybe I should motivate him like I did before.’ My mother grabs his wrist and squeezes. He cries out and drops the knife as the creature strains angrily against his chain.
‘Sam, clear your mind,’ she says. ‘Concentrate on Adam’s face.’ I hold the crystal in front of my eyes and ignore her presence, instead picturing myself sitting on the sofa with him in front of the fire. Despite what he did, there is nowhere else in the world I want to be, the place where I felt real love for the first time in my life even though it was ersatz and hollow and conjured from an enchantment.
A dim spark ignites in the centre of the crystal. I focus on it, and the shape of Adam’s face starts to form in the motes of light. The crystal starts to unfold, facets sliding over each other as it begins to change shape into a polyhedron. I can now see his face clearly, the golden lustre of his brown skin, the black curls of his hair, his dark eyes and the curve of his lips. He is standing next to the fireplace in the mansion, staring into the flames.
‘I’ve found him.’
‘Excellent. Now bring him here,’ she says.
Adam turns to look at me.
There is a figure standing next to him. The face is blurred, but then the features start to become clearer. My heart paralyses in fear.
It’s my dad, his face blank as though in a trance.
I am gripping the crystal so tightly that its sharp edges cut into my palms.
‘Sam, what’s happening?’ my mother asks, her voice crackly as though coming from a radio. Adam lifts up his hand, his fingers bristling with black talons, and holds them against my dad’s neck.
‘He has Dad!’ I shout. A drop of blood dribbles down his throat.
‘Come and get me,’ Adam taunts.
‘Sam, stop!’ my mother shouts.
All I can think about is saving my dad, and I grit my teeth, wishing I was with him. Blinding white light, brighter than the fluorescents, bursts out of the crystal, filling the chamber, and all I can hear are screams. My mother tries to prise it from my hands, but I grip tighter.
The air vibrates in time with the vibrations from the crystal and I feel weightless, a gushing sensation in my ears as though I’m standing in a waterfall. The pressure builds until my head feels about to explode, and I scream in agony.
Chapter 24
I am standing in the hallway of Adam’s house.
The orderly with the creature is vomiting on his shoes. My mother is on her knees, holding her head in pain. I wipe blood from under my nose and Dr Stone grabs the collar of my sweater.
‘You did this on purpose!’
The creature jerks into life and lumbers towards him.
‘Call it off!’ he yells, his eyes bulging with fear. The orderly tries to pull the chain, but the creature yanks it from his grasp and fastens his hands around Dr Stone’s neck, lifting him until his shoes scrape uselessly against the floor.
‘Let him go,’ I say. The creature looks at me quizzically, then releases him. Dr Stone drops to the floor, coughing and clutching his throat.
‘I warned you this was too dangerous!’ he rasps at my mother.
‘It was a trap,’ she says, shakily getting to her feet. ‘Adam knew we were coming.’ I start frantically looking around the hallway for my dad.
‘How did you do that?’ she asks. ‘Teleport us all here?’
‘I don’t know. After you disappeared all those years ago it started happening.’
‘You should have told me. We could have accounted for it.’
‘You taught me to lie. You probably should have accounted for that instead.’
‘Take us
back,’ Dr Stone says, his voice constricted by panic. I’m still holding the crystal tightly in my hand.
‘No. I have to save my dad.’
‘I’m done with you,’ he says, brandishing his knife.
‘If you kill him, you’ll never leave this house alive,’ my mother says, and I’m not sure if she’s threatening to kill Dr Stone herself. He lowers the knife and curses under his breath.
‘Our mission is still the same,’ she says. ‘We’re just in a different location. Adam must still be eliminated.’
‘What about Dad?’
‘Adam is our only priority.’
‘You were never going to capture him,’ I say angrily. ‘That cage was nothing but a prop. You were never going to cure me either.’
‘What did you think we were going to do? Invite him to dinner? Of course we were going to destroy him.’
‘And then me, right?’
‘Your son catches on fast,’ Dr Stone says.
‘Sam … stop,’ my mother says, taking a step back. They’re all staring at me. I touch my face and feel my skin bulging against my fingertips. The bracelet snaps and clinks to the floor. I breathe deeply and suppress the rage.
‘I’m not sure how much longer I can control it,’ I say.
The vampire howls triumphantly behind my eyes.
I’m home! Soon I will be you. I will be Sam.
‘Keep it together,’ my mother says. ‘You’re strong.’ Her encouragement sounds as insincere as her promises. ‘We need to search the house. It’s a pity you didn’t bring the rest of the team. Sam, come with me.’
I shake my head. ‘I can take care of myself.’
‘You always were headstrong.’ She motions to the orderly.
‘Follow me.’ She clutches the knife and walks up the stairs. The orderly pulls on the chain, but the creature refuses to move, instead looking at me expectantly.
‘It’s ok,’ I say. ‘Go.’ He grunts and follows them, tentatively climbing the steps as though it’s the first time he has ever done it. When they reach the top, my mother looks down.
‘Sam … I …’ The growths around her mouth twitch as though she’s about to say something else, but she sighs and disappears down the corridor towards the library, the orderly and the creature close behind her.
Dr Stone eyes me with contempt. ‘Looks like I’ve got the short straw.’ He must have been handsome once, but his features have been twisted by a lifetime of venom.
‘Why do you hate me so much?’ I ask.
‘Not only because you’re an abomination, but because you’re her son.’
‘That I can’t change, unfortunately.’
‘You were a fool to ever trust her. She only cares about her own survival.’
‘And you’re not? I’ve seen the Syncret’s pathetic plans to seize control of the Datum.’
‘I can see the bigger picture.’
‘I don’t think you see anything beyond your greed for power, like her.’
‘We should have killed you the moment we knew you were infected.’
‘Maybe you should have,’ I say, feeling less human with every passing moment.
He looks around the hallway. ‘Your lover has a flair for over-decoration.’
‘I wonder if your son was ever brought here,’ I say, smiling as I watch his face crease in fury. ‘I know where Adam is. In the lounge with my dad. The crystal showed me.’
‘More secrets? You’re definitely your mother’s son. Though I doubt she’ll mourn when you die here.’
‘You’re probably right.’
The chandelier casts fractals of light on the marble as we cross the hallway to the heavy lounge door.
‘Are you ready?’ I ask. Dr Stone nods. I grasp the handle and the door creaks open.
The lounge is empty.
Shadows tremble over the furniture, the only sound the popping wood from the fire, and I remember how good it felt kissing Adam on the sofa. I bite the inside of my lip, trying to stop the remnants of the spell from clouding my mind.
‘You first,’ Dr Stone says nervously. I step through.
The door slams shut.
I rattle the handle. At first I think Dr Stone has locked it, but then I realise.
It’s the house.
It will not let me escape again.
‘Where are you going, gay-boy?’ The voice comes from a high-winged chair turned towards the fire.
‘Hello, Terry,’ I say. He peers around and grins at me, his eyes black.
‘Glad to see you’ve returned. I’m a new man now, thanks to Adam and his friends.’ He sniffs in my direction and furrows his brow. ‘I see you’ve also been changed.’
‘At least we have something in common now.’
‘Enough chit-chat, Sammy. Adam sent me to retrieve your trinket.’ He gestures towards my hand clutching the crystal.
‘Take it.’ I hold it out towards him. He leaps out of the chair and swaggers towards me. ‘I’m sorry they did this to you.’
‘About that … I haven’t thanked you for leaving me here to die. But it worked out for the best.’
‘I tried to save you.’
‘Another thing you’re useless at, besides being a proper man.’
‘At least I’m not their plaything.’ Claws extend from his fingers.
‘You think you can save your daddy? He’s going to die screaming.’
I concentrate on the creature inside and release all the shackles I have bound it with. It screeches in jubilation, and I feel a web of darkness wrapping around my bones and suffusing my flesh. The skin on my face puckers and stretches as I begin to transform.
‘How cute. Sammy thinks he can stop me.’ His mouth widens into a jagged smile.
I drop the crystal and lunge at him, tackling him to the floor, and rake my claws down his neck. He bellows and pushes me off, throwing me against the wall.
‘This is too easy. You fight like a faggot.’ He grabs one of the iron pokers from the fireplace and swings it. I duck and the poker burrows into the panelled wall. As he tries to pull it out, I hook my arm around his neck and start choking him. I squeeze tighter, the tendons in his neck pressing into the crook of my arm, and his vertebrae start cracking.
‘What are you waiting for?’ Dr Stone is standing behind the open lounge door. ‘Kill him!’
‘Do it,’ Terry croaks. ‘Please.’
I let go and he drops to the floor, gasping for breath. His face has returned to normal and he looks up at me, scared, his black fringe falling into his eyes.
‘I just want to go home,’ he wheezes. ‘I don’t want be one of them anymore.’ As I help him to his feet, I glimpse a flash of metal, and Terry falls moaning to his knees.
A knife is embedded in his chest.
‘You pathetic idiot,’ Dr Stone says, walking into the lounge. ‘As usual I have to clean up the mess.’ His lips turn up into his mocking smile.
I launch myself at him, giving in completely to the creature.
He holds out a hand defensively. ‘Get the fuck away from me!’ I bite off his index finger and spit it out. He screams, looking at the white bone shard protruding from the stump, and tries to run towards the door, but I grab his shoulders and pull him towards me. I bite open a ragged gash in his throat, hungrily gulping down the blood which cascades out. I feel lightheaded as my body throbs with pleasure. I shove him to the floor and straddle him, pushing my fingers between his ribs until my claws pierce the skin. I think about tearing into his chest cavity until I can feel his heart beating against my palm. He whimpers, his eyes rolling back in his head.
Kill him, rip him apart! The creature forces my hand lower and Dr Stone screams louder.
‘No.’ I wrench back control and grab him around the neck, lifting him off the floor. ‘You don’t deserve mercy.’ I flin
g him against the wall and his skull cracks against the wood. He slides to the floor, his body motionless, blood coursing down his face.
‘Sam … don’t leave me,’ Terry wheezes as I run over to him, sprawled against the wall and trying to pull out the knife, his face contorted in agony. ‘It hurts.’ The puddle of blood under him is spreading across the floor.
‘I’ll get help,’ I say, picking up the crystal and staring into its facets, the image of the hospital the ambulance took me to blazing in my mind. Light flares in the centre of the crystal and I see doctors and nurses busy with patients, porters pushing gurneys across disinfected floors and worried parents clasping their heads in waiting rooms. I scream for help. One of the nurses looks blankly in my direction but then shakes her head, a puzzled expression on her face. The crystal grows dim and I’m back in the lounge.
‘It’s not working,’ I say, looking down at Terry.
His lifeless eyes stare back at me.
I pull out the knife, the glyphs on the blade glowing with blue fire, and toss it across the floor. I rip open his shirt and press the wound closed between my fingers.
‘Wake up!’ His body is motionless as blood oozes thickly around my fingers.
I cup my palm over his eyelids and close them. There is laughter from the hallway and footsteps patter up the staircase. I slide the knife under the carved lion foot of the couch and pull back the handle, snapping the blade in half.
You pathetic human fool!
As I walk out of the lounge, I catch sight of my face in the mirror. It’s streaked with blood, and a map of black veins criss-crosses my forehead.
I look like one of the monsters from my nightmares.
Chapter 25
‘Dad!’ I shout, his name echoing around the hallway. ‘Where are you?’
‘Come and find me,’ a voice whispers back.