From The Dark

by Tobey Alexander

  Mounted atop the fence Logan paused and considered how best to answer.

  ‘Everything we did in Africa was for nothing.’ Logan said. ‘Before he died Viktor told me one of them survived.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Two of the Nivags took an infant Magdon from the chamber and fled once we were gone.’

  ‘Nahem said nothing about that.’

  ‘So she came to you, interesting.’

  ‘Meaning?’

  ‘She never thought you could do what was needed to stop Viktor yet now when I am set on a path where I can end all of this, she drops me and comes crawling to you.’

  ‘Come with us.’ Gabe pleaded.

  ‘You need to go, if they catch you here, the Polish police will lock you up for trespassing on a crime scene.’

  ‘I’m not leaving you, Logan.’

  ‘No dad,’ Logan said as he dropped off the fence. ‘Yet again, I’m leaving you.’

  Saying nothing more, Logan dropped behind the fence and disappeared.

  Staring at the space where his son had been, Gabe once again felt lost. It was only Claudia’s pleading voice above the approaching sirens that snapped him back to the moment.

  ‘Dad, come on, we need to go.’

  9

  On The Radar

  Gabe stormed into the hotel and sprinted up the stairs to their room. Throwing open the door he looked around as Claudia scrambled into her own room and gathered up her belongings.

  ‘Reg?’

  Screwing up a handful of clothes Gabe stuffed them into his rucksack and listened for Reg’s reply.

  ‘Reg, where are you?’

  Still getting no answer, Gabe stalked around the room checking the small bathroom. Frustrated there was no sign of the old man Gabe gathered up all the belongings he could and stormed out of the room.

  ‘I will check the breakfast hall, Claudia,’ Gabe bellowed across the hallway. ‘See you at the car.’

  Taking the stairs three at a time Gabe reached the ground level in seconds. Following the odd layout of the building, Gabe entered the huge breakfast room. It had the feel of a former ballroom for the grand house. The high vaulted ceilings were dominated by a dusty chandelier that glimmered in the morning sunlight.

  ‘Reg,’ Gabe said as he caught sight of his companion.

  Reg was sitting by the bay window looking out at the world. A cup of steaming tea in one hand he sat poised and looking very much at home. The sudden interruption of Gabe’s voice snapped him back from whatever he had been thinking, and he turned to look in Gabe’s direction.

  ‘What is it, my boy? Take a seat, and I’ll order you breakfast.’

  ‘We need to go!’

  Reg looked up at Gabe for a second as he sipped the steaming tea.

  ‘What is it that needs us to pack up and leave?’ Reg quizzed. ‘I noticed you and Claudia were gone when I woke this morning, has it got something to do with that by any chance?’

  ‘Now!’ Gabe interrupted and guided the tea in Reg’s hand to the tabletop. ‘Please.’

  ‘Now let’s not waste a ...’

  The look on Gabe’s face silenced Reg in an instant. The look was a mix of sternness and concern, brow furrowed and eyes peering at Reg.

  ‘I’ll explain in the car,’ Gabe pleaded as he scooped a slice of toast into his mouth. ‘But we need to go.’

  Knowing Gabe was desperate and panicked Reg lifted from the chair and grabbed his walking sticks. Shuffling across the room, they emerged from the door as Claudia bounded down the stairs. Reg noticed the same look of concern on her face as her father’s and the gravity of the situation sank in.

  ‘It must be bad.’ Reg muttered as they moved towards the main door.

  Dropping the room keys into a box mounted on the wall Gabe opened the door and held it for the other two. As Claudia helped Reg down the steps, Gabe shuffled past them and popped the boot of the hatchback. Tossing the bags into the boot Gabe froze as he slammed it shut.

  In the air, the familiar sound of sirens carried over the rumble of traffic.

  Eyes wide Gabe was relieved to see Reg had made it to the bottom of the steps and onto the pavement.

  ‘I take it they are for us?’ Reg asked as he shuffled to the passenger door and Gabe helped him in.

  ‘More than likely,’ Gabe replied and swung Reg’s legs in. ‘Buckle up.’

  Claudia took her seat in the back as Gabe ran around the car to the driver’s side.

  He was in the seat and had the engine on in a heartbeat. Looking in the mirror Gabe’s heart sank as two silver Policja cars sped down the road towards them.

  They had liveried the two silver Kia estate cars with the familiar blue strip from front to back, and Gabe watched.

  ‘We need to go.’ Claudia declared from the back seat as she watched the police cars.

  ‘Not yet,’ Gabe said as he slipped the car into gear. ‘They might not be here for us.’

  Gabe had seen it before. That desperate desire to flee in criminals when the police drive past. It could be conceivable that they were on a tandem run to an unrelated job somewhere else.

  Watching in the rear-view mirror, Gabe found the bite point between the accelerator and the clutch and held it with the pedals.

  ‘They’re slowing down.’ Claudia commentated.

  ‘I can see.’

  Gabe knew they were here for them as the two cars skidded to a stop side-by-side a short distance behind them. The two officers from each vehicle were out on foot and barking commands towards them.

  ‘What are we going to do?’

  ‘Belt on Reg!’ Gabe barked as he decided.

  Grabbing the seatbelt, Reg secured the belt in the coupler as Gabe released the handbrake and the wheels spun on the tarmac.

  Claudia watched as the policemen ran back to their cars as Gabe pulled away in a cloud of smoke. Tyres screeching Gabe fought against the torque as he revved the hatchback far beyond its capabilities.

  ‘Hold on.’

  Throwing the car along the road having caught the police by surprise gave Gabe a little edge. He was not familiar with the specification of the Polish police cars but expected the extra weight of kit and equipment would at least give him a little edge as he fought to escape.

  Coasting around the first turn, Gabe caught the engine again straightening the back-end in time to see the two cars set off behind them. Lights and sirens blaring the two police cars thundered along the streets behind them in hot pursuit.

  Although it was early, the traffic on the roads was minimal. What there was, Gabe could negotiate safe enough. Once or twice he brought the nearside of the car close to another as he zigzagged through the traffic to put distance between him and the pursuing cars.

  The police drivers were as skilled, more than likely aware of the same tactics as Gabe. Casting aside the thought of matched skill Gabe allowed his concentration to focus on the road.

  Having spent years driving at high speeds, it was a strange sensation to feel the world almost slow around him. Other cars seemed to amble, and by scanning the road far ahead he could predict what other road users might do.

  Ducking and weaving the car through narrow gaps Gabe soon put some considerable distance between him and the now single pursuing police car.

  ‘Where’s the other one?’ Gabe shouted over the strained engine sounds.

  ‘Don’t know,’ Claudia replied, her voice frantic as she looked for the second car.

  A flash of light caught Gabe’s attention at the last second as they passed a narrow side street. The pursuing car had been guiding the second car as it emerged from the alley, timed to perfection.

  All three of them jolted as the front end of the police car slammed into the rear quarter of theirs. Gabe fought with the steering as the braking system kicked in, trying to keep them straight.

  Feeding the steering into the turn, Gabe struggled to keep control as the opposite side of the car smashed into the rear of a stationary SUV. The glass from t
he rear window shattered, spraying Claudia and the back seat in safety glass.

  Unable to keep control Gabe’s foot slipped from the accelerator and engine coughed and died, the engine stalling.

  ‘Damn!’ Gabe cursed as he fumbled to restart the engine.

  The engine spluttered but refused to turn over. Gripping the key Gabe settled his shaking hands and waited for a second before trying again.

  Looking out of the window the damage to the sacrificial police car had disabled it. The front wing was bent beyond repair, and the front wheel was sat at a jaunty angle. The dazed driver staggered from the car rubbing the back of his neck trying to wash away the expected disorientation from the crash.

  As calm as he could be, Gabe turned the engine and watched the dashboard light up like a Christmas tree. Twisting the key the engine grumbled, rumbled and kicked into life.

  ‘I don’t think the car’s well after that.’ Gabe declared as at least two-thirds of the warning lights remained illuminated on the dash.

  ‘At least you’ve got rid of one.’ Reg added with a wry smile.

  ‘For now,’ Gabe hushed. ‘Backup will be on the way.’

  Slipping the car into gear Gabe lurched the vehicle forward with the sickening screech of metal on metal.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ Claudia shouted from the back.

  As Gabe moved the car forward, the remaining police car drove towards them with a purpose.

  ‘Hold on!’ Gabe bellowed and floored the accelerator.

  The car handled terrible, something had knocked the tracking way off as Gabe held the steering at forty-five degrees to travel in a straight line. Dragging the car up to thirty Gabe watched as the police car negotiated the wreckage of the other and then slammed on the brakes. Giving the policeman no time to react Gabe slammed the car into reverse.

  They already committed, hurtling backwards down the road. Although the driver tried to brake, the momentum dragged him forward. The hatchback slammed into the front bumper of the police car, and the consequence was what Gabe had wanted.

  In a puff of smoke and exploding airbags, the police was disabled. Although the entire back end of Gabe’s car was crumpled and dented the car was just about driveable. Pulling away from the police car Gabe paid no more attention to the crash as he limped the vehicle along the street and out of sight.

  ‘We need to get out of Warsaw,’ Gabe mused. ‘But we need to get rid of this car first.’

  Ignoring the curious glances from pedestrians at the battered car Gabe found a narrow side street to dump the car.

  Parking between two larger cars it was impossible to see the car unless you drove along the street. Happy he had done the best he could to disguise the car Gabe helped Reg and Claudia from the car and looked around trying to come up with a plan.

  ‘How are we going to get home?’ Reg asked as they walked along the street and ducked into a small patisserie shop.

  Leaving the two men at a tall table by the window Claudia ordered drinks and pastries.

  ‘How are we supposed to get home from here?’ Reg asked as he leant against the tall table.

  ‘Not sure,’ Gabe answered, distracted. ‘It’s not just that.’

  ‘Meaning?’

  ‘It’s a rental car in my name, home address and all.’

  ‘But we’re in Poland.’

  ‘It takes a phone call for a foreign enquiry considering we’ve just totalled two police cars and fled from a murder scene.’

  ‘Will they be waiting for us?’

  ‘I expect so.’

  The two fell silent until a thought dawned on Reg.

  ‘Everything of Archy’s is at the house is it not?’

  ‘All except the journal.’ Gabe’s eyes went wide.

  ‘The swords?’

  ‘In a safe in the cellar.’ Gabe sighed. ‘But one problem at a time, first we need to get home from here.’

  Setting three coffees on the table Claudia smiled having caught the end of their conversation.

  ‘I’ve got an idea,’ she said with a wry smile. ‘Drink and eat then we’ll see what we can do between us.’

  Offering nothing else she tucked into a warm croissant and sipped her black coffee.

  10

  Recovering

  Logan couldn’t feel his left arm and felt utterly unsure where he was. The last thing he remembered was driving the rented quad across the rough terrain of the field beside the country road.

  Seeing the police cars chase off after his father and sister, Logan had managed to escape unnoticed by the police. Ducking behind the fence, he waited until the sound of sirens had wholly faded before he started the engine of the quad.

  With all of the action behind him, he had made good his escape across the field without incident.

  ‘Where am I?’ His voice was hoarse and dry, a throbbing pain in his head told him not to open his eyes.

  There was no answer, and he tried to work out where he was and why his body ached.

  There had been something in the field that had caught his attention, something out of place that had distracted him.

  Logan had crashed.

  He recalled feeling the front end of the quad bury into a deep crevice in the ground and flip him up and over the handlebars. Fighting against the foggy memories, Logan chased the memory.

  Why had he crashed?

  The harder he pushed to find the memory, the more it danced just on the edge of his concentration. With every ounce of effort, Logan fought to keep the image in his mind’s eye and play it back.

  It wasn’t something it was someone that had snatched his attention.

  Thundering across the uneven terrain, Logan had caught a sense of movement and turned his head to look. Stood less than ten metres away on a mound of earth not had been a robed figure. A length of heavy crimson fabric slung over one shoulder and where a face should be sat a mask.

  A mask he had seen before.

  ‘VIKTOR!’

  Logan sat up instinctively and immediately his body swam with pain and his vision span. The room danced around him which added to his confusion. What Logan could make out was stone walls and high ceilings reminiscent of some medieval castle. The room was a mix of grey stone and wood.

  ‘Hello?’ Logan pleaded as he held his head still in an attempt to steady his vision.

  Closing his eyes a wave of nausea washed over him and without warning he was sick over the side of the bed.

  ‘Shizer!’ A woman’s voice declared. ‘You could have found the bowl.’

  Her accent was thick and similar to Viktor’s.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Logan apologised. ‘I couldn’t see the room never mind the bloody bowl.’

  The acidic taste of sick hung in his mouth and before he could ask a cold glass was thrust into his hand.