“Am I right in thinking you feel as if you’re wasting your time? Quite the contrary, my dear. Let me reassure you that your investigation is nothing of the sort. If it were the case that anything substantial had come from your interviews, then I’m sure we wouldn’t be having this conversation now. However, I don’t think you should just focus on the big picture. Through your work, you’ve already achieved more than you’re giving yourself credit for. First, we can now say that it is very unlikely that the three people you’ve already talked to were directly responsible for the attack. Second, if one of the three had wanted to tell us something, we would now know what it was as we have given them the opportunity to talk. With these points in mind, and I imagine that you can guess what I’m going to say next, you ought to go back down again and continue with your work.
“Perhaps, though, it would now be good of me to extend a little gratitude to you for your efforts on behalf of the school. I can see that you’re quite tired from all the excitement today, and so why don’t you remain here for the night. I’ll get someone to prepare a spare bed for you very soon. While you wait, why don’t you make your way to the cafeteria and get a little sustenance.”
Amanda had to admit that she was tired, even more so since beginning her conversation with the deputy. Indeed, all she really wanted to do was to eat and go to sleep. She shrugged her shoulders and slowly nodded her head to agree to the deputy’s suggestion.
***
When Amanda checked the time on her phone, she discovered that over an hour had passed since she had settled down on one of the school canteen’s orange plastic chairs to have a drink. She had long since finished the contents of her polystyrene cup, but as no one had yet come to find her to say where she could stay for the night, she just remained where she was.
She was alone in the room and had been so ever since the recently unburied body of a middle-aged man, now a zombie, had wandered off after finishing a portion of scrambled pig’s brain. If she had been more awake, she would have gone to look for someone to find out whether her room was indeed ready, or if the deputy had forgotten about his promise. But she was not more awake, so she just rested her head on the hard surface of the cheap, institutional table before her, listened to the gentle buzzing of one of the room’s faulty fluorescent lights and waited for sleep to come.
As she was wavering between a state of semi-alert drowsiness and true sleep, the sound of a woman’s voice beside her slowly brought Amanda back to the waking world.
“Miss Blake?” came the voice. “It is Miss Blake, is it not?”
With great effort, Amanda raised herself back into a sitting position in her chair to find a female ghost in a wide brimmed hat, purple skirt and white shirt standing directly opposite her.
“So sorry to disturb you, but you are Ms Blake, aren’t you?”
“Amanda,” she mumbled, drowsily, before attempting to straighten herself up. “Please, call me Amanda.”
“Amanda, so nice to meet you. I’m Ms Halford. I know you attended the school, but I’m not sure if we have ever crossed paths before.”
“I’m sorry, what’s going on?” replied Amanda, who was finally get a grasp of the world around her. “Are you here to take me to my room?”
“Your room? No, dear, unfortunately, I’m not sure if I can help you there. It was just… I heard that you found him. You found the boy.”
“What, Brenden?”
“News spreads quickly enough around the school. I don’t want to intrude, but how is he?”
“He’s mostly fine, I guess. Well, when last I saw him anyway. He went back to his room.”
Though it was difficult to tell due to the light shining through the teacher, Amanda thought that an expression of relief passed over the ghost’s face. Even if it was only reasonable to expect those who cared for the students of the school to be glad about the safe return of Brenden, Amanda’s experience with the deputy ensured that she did not take such a thing for granted. Consequently, she was more than pleased to see the reaction of Ms Halford as it suggested that there were some in the ageing building around her who were still concerned about more than just the physical location of the students.
“Where did he go?” asked Ms Halford. “Did he say anything about why he decided to leave?”
“He had only made it to Caldborough, though his intention was to go back home. He had no money, poor kid, and I’m not sure his heart was really set on carrying out his plan by the time I found him.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Well, when I caught up with him, his only question was whether he was in trouble here at the school for running away. I think this was the main thing that prevented him from coming straight back: poor guy was worried about being punished. He also made no effort to avoid me or anyone else who may have been looking for him.”
“But, what about why he left?”
“He didn’t really say anything.”
Once again, Ms Halford seemed to become suffused with relief. This time, however, it was clear to Amanda that it was not just concern about the boy that was causing the ghost to react in this way. Indeed, it was obvious that Ms Halford was somehow involved with Brenden’s running away. Amanda did not press the woman, though, to tell her how. This was not just because the ghost would probably just disappear as soon as it became apparent that Amanda was trying to determine if she, or someone close to her, was somehow culpable for the boy’s departure, it was also because she did not really want to know if Ms Halford was somehow involved: she just did not want the responsibility of such knowledge. Furthermore, Amanda was aware from her time at the school that the walls had ears, usually those of the ghosts working for the deputy.
The consequence of this line of reasoning for Amanda was for her to have nothing more to say to the teacher. Ms Halford, meanwhile, found she had no further questions and the two fell into silence. The teacher maintained a slightly hard smile and waited calmly for the situation to change, while Amanda, who was starting once again to feel the weight of her tiredness, found the tension created by the end of the conversion to be more of a strain. Amanda was, therefore, glad when Ms Halford looked over her shoulder to greet someone entering the room.
“Adam,” said the ghost. “I’ve just heard that Brenden is fine and well.”
“That’s good to hear,” came the slightly frosty response from behind Amanda. “Who do we have here?”
“This is Miss Blake, the former student who managed to track down our missing boy.”
“Really,” continued Adam in a cool voice, before coming a little closer. He stopped just behind the back of Amanda, who up until that point had consciously not turned around to greet the teacher for fear of having to deal with the terrible visage that she remembered from her time at the school.
“So, where did you find him?” asked Adam.
Amanda decided that she could no longer refrain from facing the man, but determined not to let Adam know her thoughts, she turned and started to speak at the same time, hoping that by concentrating on her words, she would not flinch. However, when she finally came to rest her eyes on Adam, she was surprised to find that he no longer seemed to cut the terrible figure that she remembered. He was still just as grotesque, but this no longer stung her in the way it had done when she had been in his class.
“He was in a WH Smiths,” she said with a gentle smile, brought about by her realisation that she need not have feared her reaction, or for Adam’s feelings, after all. “Sorry, I mean, a shop. They sell magazines and books. He was looking at some sweets when I finally found him.”
“So it was all just as simple as that?” responded Adam.
“Well, almost,” said Amanda, who hesitated before going on. “Just after I caught up with Brenden, someone working for the school tried to grab him. I mean that almost literally. Is that how things are done here?”
“What do you mean? They were working for the school?” asked Ms Halford.
“I’ve just been
talking with the deputy and found out from him that this guy, that tried to physically drag Brenden out of the shop, was actually one of the people sent out from the school to find the missing boy.”
“Well, that’s the first I’ve heard anything about that,” responded the ghost.
“Matilda, you shouldn’t be so naïve. Do you really think that our great deputy would only have our young Amanda out there? And anyway, don’t you remember what I said about him sending his hacks? I bet the task of looking for lost students is probably the most satisfying thing they get to do, tasked as they are sometimes with the drudgery of shuffling people off down the Tunnels.”
“But Brenden could have been hurt,” asserted Amanda. “Or, what would’ve been just as bad, the people in the town could have tried to stop the man, causing him to lash out and injure them in the process. He could’ve even alerted the locals to this place.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” said Adam. “Though a lot of the people in that town know nothing about this school, you’d be surprised to find out how much influence this institution has over Caldborough. If there’d been any hint that word could have gotten out, a few calls to the authorities and the local paper, which also happens to be the property of the school, would have ensured that it would go no further than the mouths of a few locals.”
Amanda considered reasserting her point about the chance that someone could have been injured in the incident as well as saying something about the power of social media, and how just an ordinary person could upload a video that could capture the world’s attention, but suddenly she just felt exhausted once more and the fight went out of her. She looked up and found the eyes of Ms Halford, who instantly recognised the marks of tiredness that were becoming ever more present on Amanda’s face.
“Ah, Amanda dear,” said the ghost, kindly. “You’ve been waiting such a time for someone to get you. My guess is that it’s been quite forgotten about. How about I go and see if I can find someone to fix the situation. No, no, don’t get up. You just rest here for a while, you’ve done enough for us today, now it’s time for someone to do something for you.”
Completely oblivious to the exhaustion of Amanda, Adam became a little bemused by the words of the ghost - a state he decidedly did not like to be in – and consequently attempted to start a new conversation with the Amanda on the first topic that appeared in his mind. However, he did not get very far before Ms Halford interrupted him just as she was leaving the canteen.
“Oh, and Amanda,” said the ghost. “Thank you again for finding the boy. If what you say about that man is true, then you did Brenden and me an even greater favour than I’d first thought.”
“Huh,” exclaimed Adam, “sometimes that woman is a little strange, don’t you think?”
Amanda regarded the man before her and thought, after wondering if she detected a certain tenderness in his words, that though he could have been describing almost anyone in the school, it was probably true that Ms Halford’s kindness did mark her out as unusual.
“So,” continued Adam as he settled himself down in the seat next to Amanda, “you’ve been working for the school? Searching for something down in Radcliff?”
“I have.”
“Does it bother you at all that you’re feeding off the school’s supplies while carrying out a next to useless task?”
Amanda bristled a little at these words, mainly because she felt there to be truth in them. Nevertheless, she still felt she had to defend herself. In fact, she conceded to herself, perhaps the need to defend herself was all the stronger as she did believe at times that she was just receiving a handout from the school.
“Look, I didn’t ask the school for anything, it was the deputy who contacted me.”
“Of course, of course. That’s how it always starts. He gives you a job here, and another one there, and eventually you find you cannot get one anywhere else. Soon enough, you might just be eligible to become another one of his hacks.”
“Don’t compare me to that man who attacked Brenden. I’m not like him at all.”
“Well, I don’t want to dissuade you from carrying on, but I can tell you I’ve seen it all before. He always knows which ones to pick, those who go out into the big wide world, but just find it a little too difficult to get along on their own. One day, he’ll be asking you to just go that little bit further, to do the tasks that you told yourself you never would. It’ll all be for the good of the school and the community, he’ll say. And you’ll tell yourself that you need the blood because that’s what it always comes down to in the end. Then you’ll convince yourself that even if it is a little wrong, whatever it happens to be, it’s still for the school, a place that’s given you the chance to continue on, living your half life out there. Finally, you’ll come to the conclusion that despite your reservations, it’s right to just do what he says.”
“If the deputy is so terrible, Adam, then why are you here? How can you justify working for a school that you clearly seem to have considerable doubts about?”
“It’s a good question, and to an extent, I’ve also gone through the process I’ve just described. But, there is one minor difference, I feel. The reason, in the end, that I’ve stayed on - and not joined those who live where we all should - is that I see it as a duty to try and convince those who come to this entryway into our community to join those others who’ve made the right decision to make their way into the Tunnels and not remain up here. One day, maybe when the argument is finally won and this place just becomes somewhere to prepare for the next step, I’ll happily give up my position here and go myself. In fact, I look forward to such a day, when I’ll be able to meet all the friends I’ve made through working here and that are waiting for me down there.”
“You make it sound as if it’s some sort of heavenly afterlife on earth down there. That doesn’t match the stories I’ve been told. Sure, I can’t know unless I go down there to see for myself, but the idea of living with the hunger just seems abhorrent to me. It’s different for you. For a vampire, to be cut off from blood: I fear what I would become. So, I’ll take my ‘half life’, as you call it, out there as I see no reason why I should gamble on what may be waiting for me in the Tunnels. You know, I’ve even heard stories, about how there’s no order and no structure in that place. Some even say that if you’re not careful, you can end up being banished by one of the groups down there. Then where do you go? You end up in the ancient darkness, in the passageways created hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago where there’s no blood, no light and only the occasional sound of your fellow exiles.”
“Don’t tell me you still believe those stories: there just that, no real foundation to them at all. Of course, there are still uninhabited areas down there; there needs to be space for those who are yet to come. But the idea that anyone has been exiled to the undeveloped areas is preposterous. If there is anyone in those dark corners, and I’m sure that’s not the case, it’s probably just those strange few who’ve chosen to go it alone.”
Frustrated and exhausted, Amanda started to wonder how Adam had dragged her into the conversation she was in and had no real intention of continuing. Instead, she turned her attention to her polystyrene cup and began to slowly tear the thing apart from the top. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the gentle buzzing of the lights, but Adam could not remain quiet for long.
“Have you found anything down there on your errand for the school?” said Adam.
“Look, I’m really tired here. I’m not sure I really have the energy to talk about this right now.”
“Come on Amanda, be honest with me.”
“Well, if you really must know - and if it makes you happy - then I can tell you that you’re right. I’ve not really found anything out about Brenden’s attack. It’s all just as much a mystery to me now as when I was first told about the case. God, I don’t know, I don’t even have any leads.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Do you know how many people are caught w
ho commit these attacks? Practically none. As far as I’m concerned, the deputy has a lot to answer for when it comes to these investigations. Indeed, I have often suspected that he uses such investigations as a way to get a few poor, down on their luck ex-students, such as yourself, under his influence.”
“Please, don’t start with that again.”
Despite his desire to press the point, Adam fought with himself to stop. With a degree of effort to comfort his former student, he forced something akin to a conciliatory smile to develop across his lips, revealing the slightly too white teeth that were usually hidden beneath.
“Have you already come into contact with Milch?” asked Adam, demonstrating that he was willing to give into Amanda’s wishes by changing the topic.
“I managed to track him down just outside of the town, yes.”
“Is he still trying to track down his attacker out there?”
“I would say so.”
“That poor man. And such a shame too. He has been given such a gift in his ability to go without human blood and not pay the usual price. Oh, don’t look so surprised that I know about a former student of mine, especially when they happen to be as interesting as Johann.”
“He told me of his attack and how no one here would believe his story about what happened.”
Adam fixed Amanda with a quizzical look.
“That’s not quite right, Amanda. It was his insistence that it must have been someone from the Tunnels that none of us, even the most forgiving, could believe. There are tales about many things to do with the Tunnels, but never have I heard one before about someone escaping. There are also quite a few other holes in his theory. For instance, did this escapee just vanish after their attack on Johann? Also, if it is indeed the case that the attacker managed to find a way to escape, then why has no one followed in his footsteps since? Surely there are many vampires, who, under the influence of their hunger, would be driven to leave so they could feed.”
The School of the Undead Page 12