The Devil Inside

by Heather Atkinson

  So now she was all alone, rotting away in this hellhole with nothing to look forward to. At least she was still top dog around here. After finding out about Seth’s betrayal and abandonment she’d lost the plot a bit, ending up in the healthcare unit, doped up to the eyeballs to stop her from going on a murderous rampage. She’d finally been allowed back into the main prison population two weeks later to find that another woman - a fat ugly bitch in for GBH - had stolen her place as top dog. After Sarah had battered her head in, leaving her a permanent vegetable, she’d regained her status.

  The four women who were her main muscle sat at a table a few feet away, chatting. At first she’d been furious with them for not fighting for her position while she’d been absent but when they’d hastily switched allegiance back to her she’d decided to forgive them. Besides, they were feared almost as much as she was. Seeing what she’d done to the woman who had replaced her had ensured they would always stay in line. They also made sure Sarah had access to the prettiest and youngest prisoners who gave her the sexual relief she required on a daily basis in exchange for not having the living shit beaten out of them. Since Seth’s death she’d let herself go, piling on the weight and neglecting her appearance, as well as her hygiene, so she was aware it wasn’t the most pleasant job but she had an incredibly high sex drive that demanded satisfaction. If she didn’t get it she became twitchy and angry, which made all the prisoners nervous, as well as the guards.

  “Creegan,” yelled Prison Officer Walker across the room. “Visitor.”

  Sarah frowned. She hadn’t had a visitor in ages. Her parents, as well as her two daughters were mortally ashamed of her, so they’d never bothered to visit.

  She got up and followed Walker, wondering who the hell wanted to talk to her and hoping she could use their visit to her advantage.

  As she exited the room, one prisoner who was curled up in a chair physically jumped when she saw her, shrinking in on herself, shaking. Sarah had seduced Terri when she’d come in as a remand prisoner for assault. Using her wealth and contacts, Sarah had ensured the charges against her had been dropped so she could incite her to kill Jess O’Hare on the outside. The stupid tart had failed, only managing to injure her, the attack sending her straight back to prison. Terri had been very attractive once, before Sarah’s four friends had punished her for failing. Now her face was a mess of red scars after it had been repeatedly slashed with razor blades. Because of her nerves she’d become a target for the bullies and predators. Sarah would be surprised if she hadn’t topped herself by the end of the year. That was a day she was looking forward to, she loathed failures.

  “Hands behind your back Creegan,” Walker told her.

  Obediently Sarah put her hands behind her, the innocence in her blue eyes failing to fool the screw. This was how she was escorted around the prison on the Governor’s orders, who understood that she was their most dangerous inmate.

  Sarah followed Walker out of the recreation room and along a series of corridors before coming to an interview room, the same one she’d talked to that slag Jess in so many times. She was disappointed when the door was opened to reveal a man she’d never seen before. Her disappointment was quickly overridden by first curiosity than pleasure. He was a handsome man, tall and dashing with remarkable eyes that were almost golden.

  “Who are you?” she said.

  “A friend,” he replied.

  Sarah took the seat at the table opposite him, patiently waiting while Walker attached her handcuffs to the chain ready and waiting on the table.

  “There’s no need for that,” said the stranger in an alluringly deep voice that made Sarah tingle. He was making her realise just how much she was missing male company.

  “There’s every need with this one,” replied Walker. “She’d rip your heart out soon as look at you.”

  “I specifically requested I talk to her alone,” the man told Walker when she took up sentry duty at the back of the room.

  The officer shrugged. “It’s your funeral,” she said before leaving, closing and locking the door behind her.

  “Who are you?” opened Sarah, taking in his handsome face and even white teeth, the faint sheen of stubble on his cheeks.

  “My name is Malachi,” he replied in a voice that felt to caress her. “Perhaps you’ve heard of my church, Higher Light?”

  Disappointment filled her. “Piss off you God botherer, I’m not interested in being converted.”

  “That’s not my intention Sarah. May I call you Sarah?”

  “Makes no difference to me.”

  “It seems we have a mutual enemy.”

  Now he had her attention. “Enemy?” Already she was trying to work out how she could use this man to her advantage.

  “Brodie MacBride.”

  Malachi sat back to watch the result of his words. Sarah glowered from beneath her unkempt blond fringe, chained hands clenching and unclenching, grinding her teeth together. The devils in her had full possession and were very close to the surface. This would make for an interesting conversation. He’d never spoken to a serial killer before and it was a unique opportunity to spread more light.

  “Why the fuck are you asking me about him?” she snarled.

  “Because he’s causing me no end of trouble.”

  “And you want to stop him?”

  He nodded.

  “You’ll have a hard job, the man’s a cockroach. No matter how hard you stamp on him he keeps coming back.”

  “So I’m discovering. He is very persistent but he’s interfering too much with my church.”

  “Why? What have you done?”

  “He believes I’m brainwashing people into following me, treating children as slaves and killing people.”

  “Are you?”

  “No.”

  She rested her elbows on the table and leaned closer, peering at him curiously. Malachi didn’t flinch at this close scrutiny from a serial murderer.

  “Liar,” she hissed at him.

  “You have a unique insight into Brodie and his character. I wondered if you could advise me?”

  “Advise you on what exactly? What do you want to do to him?”

  “He has certain skills that would be very useful to me. I want him to join my church.”

  “Fat chance of that if he hates you. That man is the most stubborn, annoying fucker on the planet,” she spat, banging her fists off the table, making the chains rattle.

  A slot in the door slid open to reveal the screw’s suspicious eyes. “Everything okay in there?”

  “Perfectly,” replied Malachi. “Thank you.”

  “Behave yourself Creegan, unless you want to end up back in segregation?”

  Sarah just glowered at her with her sharp blue eyes before looking back at Malachi.

  Malachi waited until the prison officer had closed the slot before speaking. “I understand that man does nothing he doesn’t want to do. However, I have certain techniques that could persuade him.”

  “They won’t work.”

  “I can assure you, my techniques never fail.”

  Sarah studied him before the corner of her mouth lifted into a smile. “You do brainwash people, don’t you?”

  “No. I free them from the devils possessing them that make them do bad things.”

  Sarah stared at him, wondering if he was taking the piss out of her before deciding he was serious. “And how do you do that?”

  “I have certain techniques that help people expel the devils that torment them and allow them to release the pain of the past and fear of the future.”

  “Yes but how do you actually do it? I bet you use that beautiful deep voice of yours.”

  “Yes, people do tend to find my voice soothing.”

  “I’ll bet. You’ve travelled around too, your accent’s Scottish with some other stuff mixed in but I couldn’t say where those places are.” Her own voice had dropped to a soft caress, which was almost as magnetic as Malachi’s. It was how she’d got her victi
ms to trust her. “No doubt you picked up some tricks on your travels. I’ve heard of Higher Light, you’re always on the news. You have hundreds of followers.”

  “I am fortunate enough to have touched many hearts.”

  “Yeah, right,” she replied with a humourless smile. “That’s a big army you’ve got. Plenty of people to go after the bastard MacBride. Well, if you want my advice, don’t mess around with him. I know he comes across as an idiot but take it from someone who knows, he’s harder to kill than your Scottish midgies. Use all those followers of yours to take the bastard by force. It’s the only way. If you faff about trying to pull mind tricks you’ll just waste your time and he’ll destroy you.” She leaned in even closer, so close she could have kissed him. For the first time in a long time she failed to inspire fear. It was an emotion she could smell and that she revelled in but it wasn’t emanating from him. Rather than anger her, it merely intrigued her.

  “You make a good point Sarah,” he replied. “I’ve tried reasoning with him…”

  “Reasoning with Brodie MacBride?” she laughed. “The man’s too fucking bolshie to be reasoned with. You need brute force. Tell me, when you do have him at your mercy, what exactly will you do to him?”

  It was his turn to smile. “I’ll take out the parts of him I don’t like and replace them.”

  “With what?”

  “Blankness. He will be a fresh canvas for me to paint on and make a brand new Brodie from.”

  “The rumours are right. You do brainwash people.” Sarah enjoyed the thought of Brodie being wiped out of existence, that stupid flapping gob of his being permanently silenced while his body still ambled around like some sort of zombie. That would cause his bitch of a girlfriend no end of pain - Brodie not wanting her anymore, not even knowing who she was. It would be agony for her. Fuck, this was even more satisfying than having them both killed. Her vengeance hadn’t been taken from her after all, it had simply changed form.

  “I prefer the word adjustment,” replied Malachi. “It brings people peace.”

  “I bet it does when there’s nothing left of them. There’s nothing more peaceful than nothingness.” She gazed into his eyes, enjoying losing herself in their depths. The colour seemed to constantly shift and change, the iris encircled by that ring of gold that made his eyes appear to glow. The corner of her mouth lifted lazily when she felt a warm fuzziness start to descend over her. “Are you trying to hypnotise me Malachi?”

  “No. My presence is merely bringing you the comfort and peace that has been denied you for so long thanks to the devils inside you.”

  “I don’t have any devils inside me anymore. They got scared and left.”

  He chuckled. “I admit, I’ve never heard that one before. You’re a very unique woman Sarah.”

  “That’s a nice way of putting it.”

  “But you’re wrong. The devils are strong inside you, as they were in Seth. It was what united you in purpose.”

  Her smile dropped. “Do not mention that pig.”

  “He hurt you Sarah, didn’t he? Your pain is so clear in your eyes, your voice, the way you move. He is a physical ache that will never go away, he torments you day and night. You thought you had no heart but you have and he shattered it.”

  Sarah wanted to tell him to shut the fuck up, that he didn’t know what he was talking about but that voice was like a balm, soothing the never-ending agony that constantly writhed inside her. The ring of gold around his iris seemed to enlarge and expand, until she was encircled in a ball of flame.

  “You think you’re free of the devils,” he persisted. “But you’re wrong. They’re inside you Sarah, making that pain grow until the day it destroys you.” A smile twisted his face. “But I can drive the devils out of you.”

  Prison Officer Walker watched Sarah like a hawk as she escorted her from the interview room to the library to begin her work, the one place the Governor could find where she would be unable to unleash carnage. She was just too damn quiet. Usually she was full of sarcastic remarks, disgusting sexual comments and threats. Now she was silent, walking with her head bowed.

  “Here you go Creegan,” said Walker, removing her cuffs as she turned her over to the care of her colleague, Prison Officer Ryder.

  Sarah nodded once before meekly walking over to the stack of books she was in the middle of cataloguing.

  “What’s up with her?” said Ryder.

  “She had a visit with some bloke called Malachi from Higher Light.”

  “Why does that name ring a bell?”

  “He’s from that cult up in Scotland.”

  “She was allowed to see a cult leader?” exclaimed Ryder.

  “Well, technically it’s a legally recognised church but the rumours say they’re a cult.”

  “How the hell did he get a visit with our guest of honour?”

  “We can’t deny a prisoner access to their faith representative, you know that.”

  “That bitch doesn’t have a spiritual bone in her body. Something’s wrong, I’m telling you.”

  They looked round at the sound of a thud. Sarah was bashing her head against the wall so rapidly and violently blood had smeared across the cream paint.

  “Get them out, get them out,” she screamed.

  “Jesus,” said Walker as she and Ryder rushed to restrain her.

  Sarah was small but she was strong and they had to fight to wrestle her to the floor, Walker holding her down while Ryder hit the alarm and got on her radio to call for medical help. Blood poured down Sarah’s face from the lacerations she’d opened up on her scalp and face.

  “Get them out,” Sarah continued to screech, flinging herself from side to side. “Get them out of me.”

  “Get what out?” said Walker, struggling to restrain her.

  “The devils, the devils. Get them out of me. I can’t fucking stand it.”

  Her eyes rolled back in her head as she began to fit.

  By the time the medical team arrived Sarah Creegan was barely clinging onto life.

  CHAPTER 14

  Brodie frowned when he and Cass returned to the office to find Pete waiting for them. “You’re here more than you are at the station.”

  “Because I have minions I can fob the crap jobs onto, leaving me free to grace you all with my presence. Besides, I wanted to see how your investigation’s going.”

  “We spoke to Brett Martins,” said Brodie. “What a spineless wee fud. He was greetin’ like a wean when we left him.”

  “To be fair on the prick, you do have that effect on people.”

  “He didn’t tell us much but we gave him food for thought, didn’t we hen?” he said, looking at Cass.

  “We did that. He’s probably still crying. And his favourite fruit is now the subject of his nightmares.”

  Pete smiled when Brodie looked like he was going to fall at his girlfriend’s feet and worship her.

  “Where’s Christian and Ross?” Brodie asked Elliott.

  “Out. They found someone they thought might know something about Malachi,” he replied.

  “Who?”

  “The local MSP.”

  “The local MSP?” exclaimed Brodie. “You let that pair of fannies go and talk to him? What were you thinking?”

  “Hey, I didn’t have a choice. I was out and Christian called to let me know where they were going.”

  “Where have they gone?”

  “To his office. He has a surgery today.”

  “Let’s get over there hen,” he told Cass.

  Brodie shoulder-barged his way through the people waiting to go into the office of Frederick Dyke MSP, ignoring the complaints and insults hurled his way, Cass smiling apologetically as she followed. However she could understand Brodie’s urgency. The shouting emanating from within Mr Dyke’s office had been audible out on the street.

  “Oy, you two,” barked Brodie as he burst in, trailing off when he realised the two people who had pinned the MSP up against the wall weren’t Ross and Christ
ian, especially as one was a woman who resembled a malignant rat.

  “Who the fuck are you?” demanded the man, gripping the MP with one huge hand.

  “Who the fuck are you?” retorted Brodie. “And why are you no’ who I was expecting you to be?”

  “Eh?”

  “Just bugger off, okay? We need to talk to this walloper,” he said, gesturing to Frederick.

  “Well piss off back outside and wait in the queue like everyone else. We were here first.”

  “Help me please,” squeaked Frederick. “They’ve run mad.”

  “Only because you won’t get my bins emptied,” said the man.

  “I don’t do that. You need to talk to your local council to sort that one out.”

  “What a load of keech. It’s your doing. It’s a plot against us.”

  “A plot?”

  “First we have the funny smell in our back yard, then the rats and now the bins.”

  “Maybe it’s because you’re a pair of manky bastards,” retorted Brodie, noting the aroma wafting off them. “Now piss off home and take a bath. We’ve got important stuff to do.”

  “You’re no’ the only one…hey get off me,” yelled the man when Brodie twisted his arm up his back and dragged him to the door.

  Cass looked to the woman, who was preparing herself to attack. “Don’t even think about it love. Not unless you want your head bouncing off the desk.”

  The woman took one look at the steel in Cass’s eyes and decided against it. Instead she looked to Frederick. “You’ve no’ heard the last of this ya wee diddy.”

  “Right, you’ve said your piece,” said Cass. “Now get out.”

  “I’m off you English cow.”

  “What did that munter call you hen?” demanded Brodie.

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Cass. “Let her go. We’ve more important things to do.”

  “Aye we do,” he replied, slamming the office door shut behind the couple, whose smell still lingered.