The Beast Inside

by David Horrocks

  As Katherine strode forwards into the warehouse with confidence, Alice saw that no one else followed in her wake. She had come alone and had left her own followers behind for a reason that wasn't yet apparent. She was wandering into the trap that had been set for her by her spiteful child and she seemed none the wiser.

  As Katherine made her way towards the brazier, she hummed a lullaby that Alice hadn't heard since she was a little girl. The classic song of ‘Rockabye Baby’ echoed in the acoustics of the massive room, haunting the entire place with its eerie tune. It wasn't until she stepped into the light that Alice knew that her mentor had a plan.

  Katherine was dressed in the black fabric of a bespoke suit, with a bright red shirt beneath that gave her the deadly appearance of a black widow spider. It was a sign that she hadn't fallen into a trap at all, but that the McKay family were now caught in her carefully spun web instead. They had underestimated her at their own peril.

  Caitlyn took a step closer to the brazier, lowering her hood to reveal the cascading curls of her long red hair. She spoke in a cynical manner that was designed to disrespect someone who she viewed as a false god and an imposter.

  “We knew that you would come. The fanged goddess had promised as such. I wel…”

  Katherine cut Caitlyn's speech short with a dismissive wave of her hand.

  “Enough of the theatrics. Show yourself, Renée.”

  Caitlyn appeared to be furious at the blatant disregard that Katherine had shown to her, but before she could speak she caught sight of something stepping out of the shadows and dropped to her knees in reverence. Her sons followed suit, oversized stakes still gripped tightly in their hands as they kneeled.

  A lone figure approached from somewhere near the door, dressed from head to toe in a veiled black gown that gave her the appearance of a widow attending a funeral. She took her time walking towards the fire, cloak billowing out behind her. It was a look designed to inspire dread in those who laid eyes on her, but it had no effect on Katherine who had turned to stare her down.

  “You always did have a flare for the dramatic.”

  The woman in black circled the the edge of the braziers light before taking her place next to Alice, in between Katherine and her high priestess. She left the veil down, covering her face as she spoke with a hiss.

  “As did you, Katherine. I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away.”

  Chuckling softly, Katherine flashed her fangs.

  “It's true. I never could resist a reunion.”

  Renée raised her hands to her head, lifting the veil to reveal the face beneath. It was exactly as Alice remembered. Perfectly symmetrical and free of flaws, with yellow eyes of the serpent that now seemed to glow as she leered at the woman who made her.

  “I can't allow you to leave this place. The girl is mine, not yours. She is my chosen one!”

  Renée had raised her arms in the air, giving the signal for an attack that never came. She paused like that for a moment before turning her head to peer at her priestess, who returned her gaze with a look of confusion and horror.

  Katherine’s smile widened into a grin.

  “It appears that you had me at a disadvantage. I assure you, that’s no longer the case.”

  A panicked Caitlyn called for her sons to take up arms, which they did immediately, moving towards Katherine with alarming speed and aggression. They didn't get too far though, as a gunshot rang out, a bullet striking the closest brother square in the chest. It didn't kill him, but the shock caused them both to stop dead in their tracks.

  A second shot penetrated his skull, leaving a gaping hole in the back of his head as the hot lead exited. He dropped his stake, collapsing to the ground with blood trickling down his surprised face. He wasn't dead, but the bullets would put him out of commission for a while. His brother rushed to help him, dropping his own weapon as he ran over. He barely made it a few steps before he met a similar fate, his chest and head riddled with holes.

  The bodies of both men lay there motionless, waiting for the blood in their bodies to heal the wounds. Whoever the marksman was, he was a crack shot with a high caliber rifle.

  Caitlyn had witnessed her sons being gunned down, but stayed kneeling with one hand outstretched towards them and the other covering her mouth in trepidation. She wailed hysterically as she believed that her two remaining boys had been killed, unaware that a simple bullet wasn't enough to do the trick.

  Only Alice remained, but she belonged to the fanged goddess. The same one that had now bolted for the door, frantically running for her survival.

  Renée Girard was terrified. She had almost made it outside when she felt herself being pulled backwards with some force. She may have been fast, but Katherine was faster. There was no chance of outrunning someone who was so much older than her. She had hoped to outnumber her maker with the cultists that she had gathered for protection, but that hadn't happened either. She may have been cunning, but Katherine was more so.

  Renée was spun around with force to see the same woman standing before her, stake in one hand as she held her in place with the other. She grabbed at the wooden weapon with both hands, trying to push it away or disarm her maker in her desperation. She should have been strong enough to do so, but Katherine was stronger still. The sharp point pushed through soft flesh and cracked ribs, burying right into her cold, dead heart that hadn't beaten in decades and never would again.

  The pain that followed was excruciatingly real, as Renée’s body began to shut down, pushing her into a state of unconsciousness. But she wasn't dead yet, and likely wouldn't be for a while. Knowing Katherine, the event of her death would be drawn out for some time and it would hang over her like an executioner's axe as her spirit remained imprisoned in her body.

  If only her priestess, Caitlyn McKay, hadn't failed and had succeeded in providing her with the chosen one that fate had promised. Riley McKay’s visions may have been exactly what she needed to predict this very moment, and they could have helped her find a way to avoid this fate. The very object of her salvation had been denied to her a second time by her own maker and it pained her to admit it.

  There was no escaping from Katherine Louviere once she had set her sights on you and her talons had sunk in. When they first met, Katherine had tasted sweet like sugar, with promises of a better world and wonders beyond imagination. But after a few years the sweetness faded and only a sour aftertaste remained. Katherine used people. She chewed them up and spat them out, gaining everything she wanted from them in the process, before leaving them empty and drained. Renée had seen it happen to many others and had felt it happening to her too. It had gradually driven her insane, and it took years for her to regain even a small part of that lost sanity.

  However hard Renée tried, there was no escape from her maker. No release from Katherine Louviere, not really. Even the McKay family, her own personal cult, had been slaughtered by her maker’s forces the night that Alice was taken from them. It had been a challenge for those that survived to find the girl before Katherine did, but Caitlyn couldn't even keep her own nephew in line and her chosen one was whisked away once more. Riley had been sent on her way, straight into the waiting arms of the one Renée had hoped to use the girl against. Fate was a cruel mistress, but it still wasn't quite as cruel as the one who made her.

  Only the death of her maker would mean freedom, but Renée’s plans for that had now failed too. Katherine had seen to that herself. Her own chosen one had been used as a tool against her. The act left an awful taste of bitter disappointment in Renée’s mouth, but it didn't matter anymore. It was far too late to do anything about that now. Katherine held her in her clutches again and there was no hope of a quick release.

  Alice had watched helplessly from her seat, still bound to the chair as the fighting broke out. She saw her brothers getting shot and her mother cry out. She saw Katherine give chase to the fanged goddess, who had run in fear before she was taken down with surprising ease.

  The fight
was over in just a few short seconds and might have been missed altogether had Alice blinked. Katherine stood triumphant over Renée Girard as her body slumped to the ground, a stake imbedded in her chest. The fanged goddess was no longer beautiful, but gaunt instead, with skin stretched tightly over bone. She wasn't dead, merely sleeping as Alice had been until recently.

  Completely focused on Renée, no one had noticed Caitlyn recovering from her grief as she pulled a dagger from the sleeve of her robe and crept up behind Alice. It was already too late to stop her once the cold steel was held to Alice's throat, its point drawing a pin prick of blood.

  Caitlyn fumed with anger as she screamed at Katherine.

  “Impossible! The fanged goddess cannot die!”

  Katherine turned to face the tenacious priestess, glaring with disapproval.

  “Don't even think about using your daughter as a hostage, you foolish woman. You can't leverage her against me.”

  The blade cut a little deeper into Alice's neck as Caitlyn pushed, yelling over at the vampire who had disabled her precious goddess. The woman was so distraught that she was dangerously close to having a tantrum.

  “No! Not a hostage! A sacrifice for my goddess, so she can be reborn!”

  Katherine sighed, shaking her head. She couldn't reason with the fanatic or talk her down. There was absolutely no way of swaying the mad woman to her cause. Only one thing could stop the tragic state of affairs. Caitlyn McKay's death.

  As if from nowhere, a dark figure stepped out of the shadows from behind Caitlyn. Their thin blade was already drawn as they disarmed the priestess before holding the edge of their sword to her neck in one swift stroke.

  With a sword now pressing against her jugular, Caitlyn had no choice but to surrender. She found that the tables had turned and that she was now at the mercy of Katherine's loyal assassin. Quickly realising that there was no way out, she raised her hands to let them know that she was yielding.

  “Impeccable timing as always, Shani.”, Katherine said as she left Renée’s defenseless, sleeping body and made her way over to the brazier where the others were standing. Caitlyn was left speechless as she was held in place, unable to move without being harmed.

  Katherine proceeded to untie Alice, who she then helped to her feet. Removing the makeshift gag from her mouth, Alice spit out the fibres.

  “They killed Matty…”

  She could tell by the look on Katherine's face that she knew what had happened already.

  Rubbing her wrists where the rope had left burns, Alice stretched for the first time in hours. She was left feeling sore and uncomfortable from bindings that had been far too tight, only getting tighter the more she had struggled against them.

  Turning to look at her mother and the one who now held her captive, Alice saw the face of the woman who had rescued her and instantly recognised her from a photograph that she had seen in Katherine's apartment. She was a dark haired and exotic young woman, with olive skin and eyes as black as night. Her appearance fit the role of an assassin perfectly, with a skintight outfit made entirely out of black leather, all held together by a strapped corset.

  The assassin nodded an acknowledgement at Alice, her face expressionless and unmoving. It was a nod that Alice returned thankfully, accompanied with a weary smile.

  A hand rested on Alice's shoulder, causing her to turn to turn to see Katherine standing there with a soft smile of her own.

  “Alice… About Matthew…”

  She stepped aside to reveal a man armed with a military grade rifle that hung from a strap on his shoulder. His face and hands were skinless, with a broken nose that sat off to one side as if it hadn't been set properly. He wore the practical clothing of a soldier, with a jacket that was torn and stained red with blood.

  Alice didn't need the man to speak to know who he was, as she started running towards him at full speed, eyes streaming with blood. She knew that he was tough, but she had never imagined the true extent of it. Matthew Walker wasn't dead at all. Except for being a vampire, that is.

  Matty let out a slight yelp of pain as Alice lept into his arms. He didn't seem to care though as he wrapped them around her, squeezing her tightly with affection. She buried her face in his chest as he picked her up off the floor. Her voice was muffled as she spoke.

  “I thought I'd lost you.”

  Matty's voice was gravelly, likely still healing from the injuries he had suffered.

  “It takes more than a bus to stop me, Allie.”

  Alice pulled her head back, looking up at his face as she gently moved a hand to touch the exposed flesh. Matty winced a little, but couldn't help but smile back at her.

  “Don't worry. I'm still healing.”

  The pair of them had completely forgotten about the others who were present during their reunion until Katherine cleared her throat, regaining their full attention.

  Matty put Alice back down and let go, but didn't stray far from her side as they both returned to the brazier in the centre of the room where Katherine, Shani and Caitlyn waited next to two downed bodies dressed in grey.

  **********

  Alice had been given all the power and yet, as much as she despised the woman who had birthed her, she didn't want to kill her. Katherine continued to apply pressure in an attempt at making her carry out her bidding.

  “You need to commit to this. Once Caitlyn McKay is dead, you can dedicate yourself fully to our cause.”

  Matty had tried to interject, but had been quickly shut down by a vicious stare from the assassin, Shani.

  “This pathetic excuse for a mother has been the bane of your life. Remove her from the equation once and for all!”

  The fangs in Alice's mouth were protruding, causing her to lisp a little as she spoke with a mousy whisper.

  “I don't want to…”

  Katherine grabbed Alice by the arm and pushed her towards Caitlyn with force.

  “Do it. Kill her now.”

  The robed woman was kneeling there with fear in her eyes as she realised that she wasn't getting out of the warehouse alive. Alice considered doing as she was told in order to end the standoff, but she then remembered the voices of Sam and her parents from her dream. They had reiterated what the witch of the woods had told her as a child. That she didn’t have to do anything she didn't want to do.

  Alice ultimately had the choice to do as she pleased, and no one else could do it for her. It wasn't up to Katherine to make those choices on her behalf. Giving in to her mentor's demands would give the beast inside the opening that it needed to break out of its glass cage and take charge. Alice wasn't about to let that happen, especially not for something so petty as revenge.

  “I won't do it. I won’t kill her in cold blood.”

  Katherine grit her teeth in frustration. She was exasperated by Alice's refusal to follow her orders, and had never expected her protege to be so defiant.

  It was Matty who stepped in to diffuse the situation, trying not to upset Katherine while wanting to protect his beloved Alice from her wrath.

  “I’ll do it.”

  Katherine raised both eyebrows in surprise.

  “Oh?”

  He moved forwards, towering over Caitlyn who now seemed so small and pitiful.

  “I'll kill her for you. Then we can get back to your war.”

  Katherine frowned, letting go of Alice's arm.

  “My war? It's our war, Matthew. We fight for freedom from Queen Marquette's tyranny.”

  Alice could tell that Matty didn't believe a word of it, but he bowed his head obediently.

  “Yes. I just meant…”

  “I know what you meant.”

  There was a brief pause before Katherine spoke again.

  “I'll permit you to kill her in Alice's stead, but I expect unwavering loyalty from the both of you from now on.”

  Both Alice and Matty nodded in acknowledgement, neither making eye contact with the other. They knew not to push Katherine further, as her wrath was as destructiv
e as an apocalypse and twice as terrifying.

  Alice couldn't stay to watch what happened next and Matty didn't want her to either. Katherine had protested, but she eventually let Alice leave the warehouse as long as she stayed within earshot, which she reluctantly did.

  Standing out in the dark, Alice folded her arms in front of her chest. For the first time since she was turned, she felt the cold of night and actually shivered from it. Either due to that, or due to the chilling screams of Caitlyn McKay that could be heard emanating from inside.

  The brazier projected shadows onto a brick wall across the yard, showing Alice what was happening in there. The large, lanky form of of a man was holding down a much smaller woman who was trying to fight back without much success. His head lowered until it met the woman's neck, shadows adjoining as the screams intensified.

  Alice trusted that Matty would end things quickly, only draining Caitlyn under orders from Katherine. He wasn't the type to draw out someone's suffering needlessly. In fact, he wasn't the type to make someone suffer at all, favouring a quick and painless death if he could help it. True to form, the screaming ended almost as quickly as it had begun with the woman's shadow ceasing all movement.

  Closing her eyes, Alice forced a sigh of relief from her lifeless lungs. She thought she would feel free now the threat of her mother and the McKay family was gone, but she didn't feel that way at all. She felt more oppressed now than she ever had. Katherine was slowly breaking her down piece by piece and there was nothing that Alice could do to stop her. Her one time saviour was now her jailer and a terrible force to be reckoned with.

  Chapter Fifteen: The end of the line.

  Katherine's faction war against loyalist forces had been ramping up for weeks now. Her personal assassin, Shani, had hunted down most of Queen Marquette's supporters that were still outside of the palace, killing each and every one of them without mercy. The brutality of it all had Alice doubting her own loyalties, but Matty had convinced her to go along with it for now, at least until a victor had been decided.