HIVE

by Taylor, Dan

  The man stood next to Lydia filled Abel with sorrow too but for different reasons. The man wore dirty grey cotton bottoms which were stained with pee spots around the crotch. His white sleeveless vest didn't quite cover up his pot belly and a bristle of black pubes stuck out the top of his bottoms which looked like they could fall down at any moment. He was short and had the proportions of a large Winnie the Pooh. His face was thick with bristly grey stubble which extended over his cheeks and almost touched his whispery eyebrows. His receding hairline didn't help to make him look any more normal too and Abel knew from experience as a police officer he would have to prepare himself for the smell. As Abel approached, the man stood up a bit straighter realising he was in the company of a police officer.

  Abel met Lydia's sweet brown eyes and gave a half smile forgetting his desperate situation for half a second. Lydia was slim built and had her long, straight black hair tied back into a ponytail. She had inherited her dark hair from her grandfather who was Japanese, making her a quarter Japanese. She had also inherited his porcelain skin and slightly slanted eyes which gave her an appealing exotic look.

  "Hello Officer Abel" Lydia smiled. "Dave Jones has kindly offered for us to use his barn to discuss how the police plan to tackle the pheasant poaching that has been going on in these woods." She turned to smile at the dirty and hairy Winnie the Pooh, who stared back glumly.

  Abel immediately understood the lie and played on it. "Thank you, Mr Jones. You wouldn't know anything about the pheasant which have been going missing? You know that the game season doesn't start until October and you are required by law to have a hunting license?" Abel wasn't entirely sure of the laws and regulations but it all sounded correct.

  The dirty Winnie the Pooh giggled in a high sequel and revealed the few teeth that he had in his mouth which were black and yellow. "Evy anmal I's find is alweddy dead officer. Ain no law stoppin me eatin dead anmals. I's knows the law." He spat the words out unable to articulate due to the lack of teeth. " Yous two can use the barn. I ant got no tea or cwoffe so can't give yous a drink." With that he spun one hundred and eighty and waddled back to his grimy house, all too pleased to move away from the police officer. The moment he shut his door Abel grabbed Lydia, who was still smiling sweetly, by the forearm and dragged her sharply into the small empty barn.

  "Lydia, I'm in serious trouble," Able said gravely. Lydia's smile faded and was replaced by sincere concern. "You look like shit," she replied, "What happened?"

  "I was on patrol and got a call to go to The Royal Duchess. When I got there, it was pandemonium. It looked like all the guests and staff had turned feral. My Sergeant and about twenty officers were barely able to keep these weirdos in the place. They were crazed and were snapping and clawing at us. Sergeant Green theorised that they were some devil worshiping cult but I’m not so sure. The one I saw had a strange look in his eye like he didn't know what he was doing, like he was on drugs or something. I went off to explore the grounds to see if any of there were any other feral people around the property. I ran into one. A big one. Who ran off into the woods," Abel decided to omit the part where he got knocked flat on his arse, "I then got called back to the hotel. When I got close enough to see the building, I notice the Army had arrived and before I got back, I saw them line up and shoot everyone dead."

  "They killed all the civilians?" Lydia asked out of curiosity as much as shock.

  "Not just civi's but the police too. All except my Sergeant who was dragged into the back of ambulance and that was the last I saw of him."

  "So, you ran into the woods?"

  Abel blushed. Even though he knew she had asked this factually he wondered if she was questioning his manhood. "Well yes. I figured I would rather take on the mental devil worshipping druggy than have to face an army. I had to call you. They are bound to know who is missing. I don't think I can go home and I don't know what to do."

  "Then what happened?"

  "That was it, except I did see the army set the hotel on fire, trapping and killing anyone who is potentially innocent."

  Lydia stared at her former boyfriend and thought deeply. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and said. "This all sounds, how do I put this nicely? Like either this small rural town has a dark secret of satanic worshiping believers which only the Army knew about and who decided to exterminate them on the same day the cult decided to have a get together in the tearooms of the Royal Duchess Hotel or my ex has called me up out of the blue and given me a story to mess with me or make me feel sorry for him."

  She stood with her index finger on her lips and looked to the side mimicking a deep thinker.

  "You got to believe me. Why else would the Army and Police be there?"

  "Well I guess I will find out in the papers tomorrow as I have probably missed the press conference. You know you have the worst timing. If you wanted to talk to me that's fine but don't mess with my career and make up some cock and bull story. You left me for your career after all."

  Lydia turned to leave. She knew she should not have made that comment. It was her, who betrayed his trust after all. Her eyes had turned glassy as she fought back tears of anger and pain. Why would he mess with her like this? It wasn't fair. As she turned to leave both her and Abel heard a high pitch squeal. Abel's instincts took over and he grabbed Lydia by the arm, pulled her close and crouched down by the window. With one hand, he reached for his truncheon and the other he wiped away the dust and cobwebs from one of the window panes and peered through. The dirty Winnie the Pooh man ran past the window about five meters away. He was holding onto his cotton bottoms with both hands to make sure they did not fall while running. He tripped over a risen root, landing flat on his hairy face. The fall broke his nose and instantly stained the forest floor red. Behind him walked the large man who had bested Abel and run into the woods. He walked at an unnaturally fast pace until he was towering over the scared whimpering man. Before the forest hermit had time to wipe the blood from his face, the monstrous man swooped down and took and took a bite out of his jugular. The hairy Winnie the Pooh tried to scream but the air in his lungs could only spray blood from his throat and make a small whistling noise as it evacuated his body. Within seconds he was dead and the large man had taken bites from his cheek, his left arm, his belly and his right leg. He seemed to savour the bite from the belly and licked his lips like it was strawberry ice cream. As quick as he had arrived, he sped off into the woods again at his unnatural pace.

  Abel turned to Lydia and she too was staring out of the window pane. Her mouth ajar in utter shock.

  Chapter 18

  Dr Leitner and Jason were busy working in the lab. It had taken around forty minutes to get from Downing Street all the way back to their research facility but the doctor knew they had much work to do and judging by the concern on the General face, time may be running out. The body from the autopsy had been transported with them strapped to a medical gurney. He was supposed to have disposed of the body by now but he had other plans.

  The lab was simplistic. A large room deep within the research facility at Imperial College London. They had passed the body through a decontamination area and placed him in one of the many clinical white washed rooms. Paper notes, both hand written and printed, covered one wall. In the far corner was a row of PC's with sticky notes and pad and pens sprawled across a large L shaped glass desk. On the adjacent wall was a large centrifuge, a fridge and many tubes and beakers and Petri dishes. Jason pushed the gurney to the middle of the room underneath the large circular medical lights. He had been a very good assistant so far. He did exactly as he was told and did not question his instructions. Jason sensed these were qualities which Dr Leitner admired in his assistants.

  The body still wriggled and moaned. The cloth which covered its chest was stained red as the chest flap stitches had burst.

  "Thank you, Jason. Now we can work on Mr Robert Fisher's corpse," said Dr Leitner.

  "What are we doing doctor? Are we not disposing of the bod
y as the Prime Minister asked?" Jason asked.

  The doctor gave Jason a warm smile "Please Jason, call me Schaf." Through the slit of Schaf’s smile, Jason could make out a set of sharp, shark-like teeth that he hadn't noticed before. Although strange they were inviting like the light from an angler fish luring in small sea creatures and gave him a pleasing Cheshire cat grin.

  "Schaf, what are we doing?" Jason corrected himself.

  "It would be pointless to destroy this specimen when there is so much we can learn from him. Plus, there is the chance we could actually cure him," the excitement in his voice bubbled out, "I have plans for this corpse to make him more than just a mix of dead tissue attached to a virus. Do you remember when we were giving that talk to the Prime Minister and we were asked how long it would take for the virus to replicate every cell in the body. Three months. What I did not tell them was that it would take three months if the infected has a small dose of the virus in one area i.e. if the infected has been bitten once. If we were to infect a person in multiple locations at the same time it would give a much better chance for the virus to spread and replicate the human cells. I want to give Mr Robert Fischer multiple doses of the virus in all areas around his brain to see if the virus can replicate a whole brain and thus maybe the specimen will regain some consciousness."

  Jason was almost lost for words as he was taking in the madness spewing from the Doctors shark like mouth. "So, you want to bring this man back from the dead," he said this as a statement rather than a question.

  Jason got an exaggerated shrug in reply. "Who knows? Many years ago, when I was much younger and I was gaining my PHD at university, I was watching my team, Ludwig-Maximillian’s Munich University, play Heidelberg University in the University football league. It was an exciting match, the cup semi-final in fact, but things got really exciting when our star forward collapsed on the half way line. No one knew what to do, the players and the referee froze, but my instincts told me he had a cardiac arrest. I rushed onto the pitch and banged on his chest. In those days, we thought mouth to mouth resuscitation was used only for victims of drowning but I had to do something. His ribs made a terrible noise as they cracked but I could feel his heart better and began to pump and pump and pump. I screamed for an ambulance and could see the players of Munich were crying. They knew their forward had a heart condition but under his instructions they had not told anyone so that he could play. In my head, I knew he was dead but something inside me told me to keep going. Keep pushing the blood around his body. So, I did, and twenty minutes later the ambulance arrived and brought a stretcher. They tried to pull me off but I refused. My arms were so tired and I was drenched in sweat. When suddenly he opened his eyes. He was dead for twenty minutes but now he was alive. After some time in the hospital for monitoring and for his cracked rib to heal, he was released. He met me to thank me after he was released from the hospital. He told me the last thing he remembered was taking the kick off from that game and then waking up on the pitch looking at the sky and me above him. Why am I telling you this? Because he was dead for twenty minutes and had fully recovered his memory up until about forty minutes before his cardiac arrest. Now I'm not saying Mr Fischer here is going to be the same person as when he died. But what if we can get some of him back. Wouldn't that be worth it?"

  Jason thought carefully before answering, "You are completely right Schaf," saying Dr Leitner’s name felt funny on his tongue, "The thing I do not understand, and this may be a silly question but, why don't we try to kill the virus and recover the parts of the brain which have not been infected?"

  "Unfortunately, that would be impossible. The tissue is dead and as you know from your career, you cannot bring dead tissue back to life. However, if we can copy that tissue using the virus and mutate the virus to make it not contagious, then we have a cure for almost everything. The ramifications of this study will change the world forever. This could be used to help the brain in patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s. It could be used to grow organs for transplants maybe even re-grow missing limbs. It may even stop death entirely." He paused for dramatic effect and this was not lost on Jason whose eyes had widened at the possibilities. "Do you see how important this study will be?"

  Jason nodded enthusiastically. His mind was racing with the possibility of being the person to help rid all kinds of diseases and ailments. This wasn't the standard career route for a coroner but who could resist. He eagerly asked for instructions.

  "One the desk, next to the centrifuge is a silver briefcase. Inside should be about thirty syringes marked with a label that read EWS-26. Please can you get those for me?"

  Jason checked the desk up and down but with no luck. "I'm afraid I can't see it."

  Schaf Leitner didn't bother to double check. The odd question from the General about how to destroy the virus and the missing briefcase added up. He gritted his shark like teeth and growled "Callum!"

  Chapter 19

  Klutz bumped into the bank on the far side of the lake with his accidently stolen boat. From here the hotel was just a speck in the distance. A smouldering black speck with a long black trail which dissipated into the sky. There was no reason for him to go back to the hotel now. Emergency services were there and he was sure they would have taken care of the situation. After all he wasn’t feeling quite himself and knew he would have to go to the hospital. He felt like he was slowly getting better but he hadn’t fully gotten control of his body yet. The hospital was where he needed to go. However, he wasn't quite sure how he would get there. The hotel, although surrounded by miles of woodland, did have several small villages on the outskirts with Bayhollow being the largest. There was a small A&E in Bayhollow and he may be able to get there through the woods and then hopefully he could get a lift off a passer-by to the hospital. Regrettably the Royal Duchess Hotel had a policy of no mobile phones whist on duty to stop employees playing on their mobiles in front of customers during quiet shifts. This meant Klutz phone was in a box behind reception which had probably burnt down by now. In any case, he was in no condition to talk. He had been trying to force himself to speak whilst floating on the boat but with no luck. All he could manage was moans and grunts. He sausage rolled onto his belly. During his voyage in the lake the boat had been splashed by a passing swan and the cold lake water sunk into his uniform. His legs were now working, sort of, but standing up in the boat was too much trouble and he definitely did not have his lake legs yet. He crawled on his belly dragging his legs behind him. He felt them knock against the wooden seats but could not feel any pain. Like a sea lion on a rock he slid out the boat and onto the bank. The force of his push sent the stolen boat adrift and left his legs in the water which soaked up the murky liquid. He could feel the squelch and coldness which he took as a good sign but he was still annoyed to be dirty and wet. It also upset him to think that the boat was now be adrift and someone else would have to have to work out how to collect it. He made a mental note to return once he was well to find and thank the person who return the boat to the boathouse.

  His concern for his health suddenly dispersed as he smelled the most wonderful smell. It came from not far off in the woods and was joined by the sound of a male voice. The voice was soothing and joyful. In response he heard another voice, this time female and also joyful and happy. The smell picked him up onto his feet and he shuffled into the woods towards the smell and sounds. He was swift and direct like a bloodhound following a fox’s scent. The smell was like nothing he has smelt before but filled his mouth with saliva and panged his stomach with hunger. Even though he was sound of mind, something from deep within him drove him closer and closer to the smell. He had no choice his body was choosing for him. He stumbled once or twice but managed to keep himself upright, desperate to smell, and taste, whatever was at the end of his journey. The trees were thick and ground covered in a green moss but his body kept pushing him forward. Through the thickets, he could see a clearing and he passed at the tree line. A campsite was pitched in front of him. Th
ere was a young man and woman sat on two logs outside a purple tent. Red bloodied saliva dripped down Klutz's chest adding to the wetness of his clothes. The couple must have been around thirty and been on a camping trip together. They were handsome and fit. The man wore khaki shorts with a matching khaki cap and had designer stubble which covered his chin. The woman wore a grey loose-fitting t-shirt and denim jeans. She had long black hair, sensibly tied in a ponytail and clutched five playing cards in one hand. Klutz could not hear what they were saying over a pounding noise which formed in his brain. Forcing his body to stop moving caused him much pain. The man turned towards the thicket where Klutz was standing and making pained noises. His tone just audible to Klutz was no longer happy and he stood up and faced him. A wave of red filled klutz vision. Unable to take any more pain from his brain, Klutz gave in and strode straight through the thicket, unaware he was scratching himself on thorns and branches. The man took a step back but was not quick enough for Klutz's lunge. He dived face first and landed a bite on the man's hip. The woman fell backwards off her log and, throwing a confetti of cards in the air, screamed. The man repeatedly beat Klutz on the back of the head prying the mad man’s teeth off his skin. Klutz face down on the floor responded by taking a large bite out of the man’s calf. The flesh tore off with ease and was swallowed in one gulp. The man then fell over backwards as Klutz rapidly crawled up his body to take a killing blow out of the jugular. The terrified woman had just had enough time to get on her feet. She stared at the monster in front of her and then at a green land rover parked five meters away. Whilst running for the car she patted down her pockets for keys which were in her tent. Klutz stood up quickly. The feast had given him vigour and liveliness he had never know. In a mad dash, he had caught up with the woman who was desperately fumbling the locked car door. All too soon, she felt the same fate as the man. A bite to the jugular ended her terrified screams and left only gurgling and then silence.