Inanimate

by Deryck Jason

  Connor laughed.

  “I do admire you for asking the big questions right away Sergeant so I’m going to be truthful with you. You can’t! You can’t stop them; they are conscious beings now, moving on their own free will.”

  Jacobs realized he wasn’t going to get anywhere with that question so he moved on.

  “Ok, why did this all begin?”

  Connor’s smile faded.

  “Come on Sergeant; don’t play dumb with me now.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I said, don’t you play fucking dumb with me!”

  As the boy’s temper rose so did the worry in Jacobs, there was something unnatural in his anger, something inhuman in his voice.

  “Now Connor, please remain calm.”

  “You only have yourself to blame for this Sergeant, all this mess. If you had been honest with me instead of telling me some bullshit lie...”

  “Connor I don’t know what you mean...”

  “You cops are no different from these cunt doctors! The so-called truths you tell people are thinner than the walls of that pathetic excuse for a room they keep me in.”

  Suddenly Jacobs was aware of what Connor was referring to and it showed in his face, guilt spread across him like a rash. He couldn’t hide anything from the boy right now.

  “What? You didn’t think I would hear you? Right outside my fucking room?”

  MacNamee and Crass stood in an all too familiar pose, gritting their teeth as another revelation came to light.

  “What is he talking about?” Oates blurted nervously.

  “You came into my room” continued Connor “And you told me my dad’s death was an accident, and I believed you. I believed you because you’re a cop. And little kids are supposed to believe cops. Then as soon as you left you admitted your lie to the people who are supposed to be helping me. My dad’s death wasn’t an accident, it was a murder, covered up by small minded people, and now, you and them will pay as one.”

  “Are you fucking kidding?” Oates screamed at the two Doctors. “All this time you haven’t believed my report, and worse, you let the boy hear that you didn’t believe it? What kind of idiots are you?”

  Crass would not be spoken to like this, not by a Sheriff willing to partake in such criminal acts.

  “How dare you call us idiots you damn hick! If you had told the truth in the first place none of this would have happened! Christ, anyone could see the glaring holes in your report!”

  “You arrogant bastard!” Oates yelled back “I should put you in your place right here!”

  Crass stepped towards him.

  “Do you see me stepping down?”

  A small part of MacNamee wanted to see the two sturdy men go at it but he knew that wouldn’t solve anything. So he stepped in-between them.

  “Guys, guys please!” MacNamee yelled, thankful that the room was sound proof. “It’s done now, Connor knows. We have to deal with that. But we have to work together on this. You heard the boy, we’re all marked.”

  The reminder of the ominous threat was enough to diffuse the situation between the two men. As they parted, MacNamee couldn’t help but smirk at Crass. He had never seen the old guy lose his temper like that, truth be told he was glad to see he could handle himself, even if it did make him all the more intimidating.

  As all this was going on behind the scenes, Jacobs simply sat looking across at Connor.

  “Your move Sergeant.”

  “I think that will do for now” said Jacobs as he got to his feet.

  Connor returned his gaze to Frieda and grinned. Frieda was unable to look away as Connor said quietly:

  “Dixie can’t wait to meet you.”

  Frieda’s eyes widened as his fear exposed itself. He hoped dearly there was no substance to this threat.

  MacNamee didn’t sit behind the desk in his office; that would be too formal given the circumstances. The four men stood, discussing options for containing the situation.

  “I’m not saying the boy isn’t telling the truth, I just wouldn’t know how to stop these dolls he’s talking about.” Jacobs stated bluntly.

  “I think right now what we have to do is find the dolls that were in his room and destroy them” said MacNamee.

  Jacobs chuckled “You make it sound so easy Doc, what are you suggesting? That the Sheriff put out an APB on Buzz Light-year? If these things were easy to stop there wouldn’t have been murders in the first place.”

  MacNamee was annoyed at Jacobs’ comment.

  “Well, what would you have me do about it?”

  “We just have to find them” Crass interjected, stroking his chin; this was the first he or Oates had spoken since the incident in the interview room.

  “No disrespect Doctor but you’re simplifying this as well, we just find them? That’s it? It’s not going to be that easy!” Jacobs stated while the others listened.

  MacNamee was aware how savvy Crass was, if he was prepared to make an obvious statement like that, he was sure there would be follow up. Oates stood quietly, listening to suggestions before stepping in with some of his own.

  “Let’s think about this logically fellas”

  “Here we go” thought MacNamee, admiring his mentor.

  “The murders that have taken place, there were the two in the motel, the two in the house, and the bar owner, each had something do with Andy Williams’ death either directly or indirectly am I right?”

  “Yes” Oates confirmed.

  “You said there were seven. Who were the other two?”

  Crass was on a roll here, and the men could feel it

  “Stephen Benchley. He found the bodies in the house, he shot one of the cops at my station, and then he got shot himself. They both died.” Oates said softly

  “I’m sorry to hear you lost one of your own Sheriff but it seems those were the only two deaths unrelated to the others. What were the circumstances surrounding the shooting?”

  Oates sighed, having to relive the events didn’t please him one bit.

  “Stephen was basically catatonic until he saw the little girl Jessica, Lucy Ellis’ niece. He freaked, grabbed a gun from one of the other officers and tried to shoot her. I guess she reminded him of what he saw and it ended up being too much for him.” Oates paused “It’s too much for anyone to take.”

  “Where are you going with this Doc?” Jacobs asked.

  “The victims who were killed by these dolls were targeted, and with the exception of Benchley and the Sheriff’s colleague they weren’t random. As Connor said, he has a list of people who the dolls are going to kill. So instead of going and finding them, we could make them come to us.”

  MacNamee suddenly tuned in to Crass’s idea, so excited that formality slipped away from him.

  “Good thinking Ben. So if we could figure out who’s on that list and keep them together, we would have a better chance of catching the dolls.”

  “Exactly” stated Crass, “And here’s the best part, we already have a list of what dolls we’re looking for.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Oates.

  Crass turned to Jacobs

  “Sergeant, remember when you brought the toys from Connor’s house, what else did you bring?”

  Jacobs clued in suddenly.

  “An inventory list!”

  Crass smirked slyly.

  “And I have that very list in the drawer in my office.”

  “We’ll need to get working on a list of targets. But at least now we have a plan” said Oates

  “That we do Sheriff. That we do”

  In the parking lot of Hallcombes a security guard was having a smoke break when he spotted something. A door left ajar on a cruiser.

  “Damn cops!” he mumbled to himself, secretly bitter he never joined the force, instead spending his days walking around a mental institution. He walked over, had a quick peek inside and then closed it once realizing there was nothing exciting in there. He stood, puffing on his cigarette as Oates came to th
e door, chatting with MacNamee and Jacobs.

  “Ok I got some stuff to organize at the station” said Jacobs “But I’ll be down in the morning, I’ll bring Doctor MacNamee here with me.”

  Jacobs was talking to both men, but directing himself towards Oates who nodded.

  “Ok, that sounds good; Doctor Crass and I have paperwork to finish for other patients here before we leave. So tomorrow it is.”

  “Tomorrow then, I’ll have my guys keep on patrolling till then, just hope no more bodies show up” Oates said morbidly.

  “I’m sorry it can’t be sooner Sheriff, but we can’t just leave at the drop of a hat, we have over fifty other patients here, and we’re stretched thin as it is.”

  “I understand your reasons Doctor” said Oates, “But that doesn’t mean I have to like them.”

  With that Oates headed into his cruiser and pulled out of the parking lot.

  “Nice guy” Jacobs said sarcastically. “How did he react when Connor gave away our thoughts on Andy William’s murder?”

  “Not well” MacNamee said, deliberately playing down the situation.

  “Ok Doctor, well I’m gonna go, I have some things to do at the station, gonna see if I can get a couple more guys in on this too.”

  “I think we’re going to need a lot of help Sergeant.”

  As Jacobs eagerly headed into the car park he called back to MacNamee as he walked.

  “Come by the precinct about eight, we’ll leave from there.”

  MacNamee simply waved from the doorway as Jacobs disappeared into his car.

  CHAPTER 30

  Thunder cracked above the city thanks largely to the lingering fall heat. Rain poured down hard creating large puddles all over the large parking lot. Hallcombes was prepared for weather like this. Despite the fact the electrical systems were old; they hadn’t flickered during any storm the city had seen yet. MacNamee worked quietly in his office as the rain beat down outside, unflinching while lightning took over the background. When he was a kid, his two sisters used to be afraid of the thunder, but he never was. It fascinated him, he was amazed by the idea that this great rumbling sound that could dwarf an entire city could appear out of nowhere. He used to read books on weather systems, amazed by even the simplest things other people never thought much about; like the wind. As a kid, he would actually encourage people to think about the wind.

  “How did it blow?”

  “In the middle of a huge wide open space, what powers it?”

  Every now and again one of the adults he spoke to would come back and tell him something about pressure systems and such, but the scientific explanation never really satisfied him. He was always more interested in watching other people think about it. His fascination with the science of meteorology was what led him into the science of the brain. Really there were a lot of similarities between the two. For instance, a dense fog that blankets a city’s streets could be compared to amnesia, or a great flood brought on by a hurricane could be like being in a coma. Or a violent thunderstorm could be what Connor Williams’ went through in his life. There were periods of calm in him, but also great rumblings, then flashes of pure energy, causing damage where it struck. The thing was, most of the weather patterns had been explained away by science, but many matters of the brain had not, and MacNamee did always enjoy the mystery. So tonight he sat amongst the thunderstorm, filling out paperwork and signing off on medication treatments for the numerous patients under his and Crass’s control. He didn’t call home tonight, he was too busy. He meant to, but he got sidetracked, he knew Greta would wait up for him anyways.

  The front door of Greg and Greta MacNamee’s townhouse opened and closed. The figure shook the water off its body and looked around. The bottom of the house was dark; only a dim light could be seen, emanating from beyond the top of the stairs. Quickly, silently, the figure jogged up the stairs, searching out the light. Light trickled in from high windows in the hallway. Street lamps combined with moonlight painted the floor with long yellow rectangles, forming only where light met shadow. From the bedroom door, the longest of these rectangles was created, coming from the large windows facing the shining moon. It was there, in that oblong yellow space where the figure was illuminated for the first time since entry to the house. A creature that has nothing to fear does not fear the light. And so, this creature made its way towards the source. Greta lay with her back to the door.

  “Hey baby. You were working late tonight?”

  The bedroom door squeaked as the figure entered, approaching the bed. Greta lay in her silk black nightgown, low-cut in the chest and cut just below the buttocks. Too hot for blankets she lay with them coiled down below her feet. The storm raged outside but she didn’t take any notice. She was not a little girl. She was not afraid of just a little natural chaos. Moonlight illuminated her figure. It washed over her body, accentuating her natural curves and toned physique. She lay awake with her eyes closed, she knew her husband like to play games, and she was more than happy to play them too. Something scratched her back, just hard enough to create white lines on her tanned skin.

  “Baby, you need to cut your nails.”

  She remained still with her eyes closed and back turned. Only, she was smiling now. Another arm moved round and stroked her underneath her chin, fur pressed up against her back.

  “Since when do you wear a sweater in bed?”

  Her voice was husky, her breath quickened. A claw slipped under the strap of her nightgown and slid it gently over her shoulder blade. There was no noise except her breathing as the strap slid down her arm. Greta moved up a hand and pushed the strap back over her shoulder, smiling still.

  “Oh no, you don’t get the goods that easily.”

  Playfully, she rolled over and opened her eyes only to find an empty bed

  “Baby?”

  She looked around, puzzled, knowing someone was in bed with her just a moment ago.

  “Oh, you want to play do you. Well lucky for you I like these games.”

  She giggled as she crawled cat-like out of bed, pouncing onto the floor then stood tall, scoping the room. Lightning flashed outside, periodically adding to the much more dim light trying hard to illuminate the room. She tiptoed over to the en-suite bathroom and peered round the corner. Although the bedroom lit naturally, enough for her to see, the bathroom was not. But turning on the light would spoil the fun of hide and seek. So she moved, in the darkness of the windowless bathroom straight towards the shower curtain.

  “Gotcha!”

  She was yelling at an empty tub. Moving back into the room she noticed a teddy bear. Smiling, she approached it. It sat with its arms by its side, its stare was vacant.

  “Aww Greg, he’s cute! But you won’t distract me that easily!”

  Greta didn’t lose track of the game. She thought about where he could be while announcing her plans to the intruder she believed to be her husband.

  “So if he’s here, you must have put him there when I went into the bathroom, which means...”

  While Greta tried to figure out the place MacNamee could be hiding her eyes drew her to the closet.

  “You’re in here!” she exclaimed, opening the door, just as lighting flashed outside, revealing nothing inside.

  “Hmm!” she said loudly, tapping her chin. “Where else could you be?”

  Quickly, she moved to the bed. She got to her knees in front of Bear and grabbed the cloth which concealed the gapped area underneath the bed.

  “Ah-hah!”

  Still nothing. Lifting her head without returning to her feet she looked at Bear and sighed.

  “Ok, let’s ask our little friend here. Do you know where Greg is sweetie? No?”

  She figured Greg must be watching her so she offered a little teaser, wiggling her bum she moved in closer to Bear.

  “Maybe it’s a secret. Will you tell me now?”

  Greta was so close to Bear that she didn’t notice razor sharp claws flicking out from his paws one by one until ther
e were four three inch metal blades on each paw. Confident Greg would jump out at her at any moment she moved her body backwards and her heart froze. Bear’s once vacant expression was twisted into an expression of pure rage, its eyes glowed a deep red. Fear almost paralyzing her she managed to utter three words.

  “What the hell?”

  In an instant Bear thrusted his left arm up under her chin, driving four claws deep into her head, pain rooting her firmly to the spot. As she choked in uncontrollable agony she was unable to scream. Bear’s mouth started to open; the furry monster had her exactly where he wanted her. All she could do was watch in horror as the creatures head widened, its jaws expanding like a snakes’, able to fit her whole head in his mouth. She flailed her arms in excruciating pain; her brain was not working properly. She could not manage a single defensive act to stop what was going to happen to her. The Bear’s mouth opened so wide she could not see past his head, only a black hole was in front of her. As her arms desperately swiped at the creature in front of her, the only sound of her demise was a soft gurgling as blood leaked into her windpipe. Bear slammed his right paw into the side of her head, securing her brain like an axe in wood. Then he took his left paw out her chin and slammed it into the other side of her head. Greta had only seconds to live. But as the gaping black mouth closed in around her, those last seconds were to be her most horrifying.

  “Look boys I know how this sounds, but have you ever known me to lie to you?”

  “No”

  “No sir”

  Came the responses.

  “But come on Sergeant, you have to admit it seems pretty ridiculous.”

  “I know” Jacobs said sympathetically. “And to be honest, I’ve yet to see any hard evidence myself. But there are bodies, and I’ve met the boy, honestly it’s hard not to believe him.”

  “But sir, this kind of thing doesn’t happen in real life, dolls don’t come to life. I don’t think it matters how convincing someone is, let alone a child”

  “Look guys…” Jacobs sighed, “…As I’ve said I know how this sounds. You don’t have to tell me. All I’m asking is that you come with us tomorrow. There is probably a worldly explanation for all of this, but the fact of the matter is there are still multiple killers on the loose in Staunton and we need to catch them or they will just keep on killing.”