by Jacob Rayne
Wells gulped, unprepared for more obscene sights like those he’d found in the garage.
He turned the key that sat in the lock, took in a deep breath and shoved the door open.
A small, pale child was curled up in a ball on a filthy mattress in the far corner, sobbing his heart out. He didn’t seem to notice as the torch beam flicked over his tiny frame.
‘Caleb?’ Wells whispered. ‘Caleb Walker? Is that you?’
The boy’s crying abruptly shut off and he turned to face Wells, staring up at him with tear-rimmed eyes. He nodded solemnly and beckoned Wells forward.
‘Shhh, he’ll hear you,’ he whispered, his voice laced with a fear that Wells found contagious.
A floorboard creaked on the landing just outside the door. Wells spun, the torch beam picking out the shape of a second child who lurched forward on unsteady legs like some unholy hybrid of Frankenstein’s monster and Tiny Tim.
‘They’ve heard us,’ Caleb cried.
While Wells shone the torch on the doorway, more dark shapes rose up from the gloom. He swung the torch around, picking out the faces of children. Most of them were deformed, one even had a fully articulated bottom jaw like that of a ventriloquist’s dummy. He let out a maniacal laugh as his jaw jumped up and down, making harsh clacking sounds as the teeth hit together.
More children came in through the doorway.
They all moved towards him, staring at him with a cold detachment that made it clear they wanted to hurt him. He swung the torch at the nearest one, further splitting a hare lip that ran most of the way to the kid’s nose.
Warm blood splashed onto his hand.
The torch beam picked out the figures who shuffled ever closer. There were about a dozen of them now, freakish things that were as pitiful as they were terrifying. He lashed out with his feet, knocking one of the unfortunate children to the floor.
His booted foot crushed the skull of the floored child, but it stood up, its lopsided grin never wavering.
He turned to Caleb, wanting to protect the boy as best he could, but Caleb was smiling now. He held a kitchen knife which he thrust at Wells’s leg with terrifying speed. The blade sunk into Wells’s thigh, making him cry out.
The ventriloquist dummy kid’s mouth clacked together again, the maniacal laugh issuing from his deformed lips.
One of the other kids dragged the stump of his right leg behind him, but his hand was a murderously sharp pincer which he sunk deep into Wells’s knee.
Wells tried to drag himself forward, but his knee buckled. The flashlight rolled out of his grip, wedging against the mattress where it cast silhouettes onto the ceiling.
He saw the shadows of tiny heads and arms as the children crowded around him, eager to be the one who administered the killing blow.
The knife that Caleb held glinted in the light, the shadow of the blade projected on the ceiling by the flashlight’s beam. Wells lashed out, his fist breaking the jaw of a toddler girl whose eyes were just empty holes in her head. Wells rolled to his side, but the ominous children fell upon him, pinning him with their numbers and their freakish strength.
Then Caleb’s blade came down, opening Wells’s chest and sending blood fountaining out onto the crowd of children gathered around him.
14
Josh was a few hours into his sleep when his phone started vibrating on the bedside table.
He almost ignored it, until he realised it was probably Laverick. Not wanting to wake Marsha, he crept down to the kitchen and carefully shut the door behind him, then called the doctor back.
‘It’s done,’ Laverick said. ‘Do you want me to carry out the modifications while I have Caleb?’
‘Yes,’ Josh said. ‘This violence has to end.’
‘I know. Things have kind of spiralled out of control.’
‘You’re telling me. We just want to have a peaceful life.’
‘I hear ya. I will carry out the modifications to Caleb and have him back to you before morning. I’ll call you when I’m on the way so you can let us in.’
‘Ok,’ Josh said. He felt shitty sneaking around behind Marsha’s back, but he knew that it was for the best.
Laverick left the children to dig a hole in the back garden for Wells’s body. He used the master device for Caleb to put him in a deep sleep and took him into the upstairs workshop for modification.
He was immensely proud of Caleb, as he was the first of the digital children who were able to pass as normal. Even Martin, his own son, was mentally slow and very awkward in social situations.
Caleb was perfect in every way. He just needed to take the lessons he’d learnt when creating Caleb on board and he would have the secret to making hundreds, if not thousands, of perfect digital children. The thought brought a smile to his lips.
Caleb twitched a little as Laverick opened up the back of his head. He grimaced when he saw the state of the circuitry at the base of the child’s skull. The CAT scan had fried one of the circuit boards. He would have the devil’s own time replacing it as most of the other boards would need to come out first. He was looking at three hours of work, if not more.
He sighed and set to work.
Josh jolted awake as the morning light started to filter through the gap in the curtains. He realised that Laverick hadn’t been in touch yet, meaning Caleb was still out of the house.
Marsha would go into full meltdown mode if she didn’t know where he was. He panicked and dialled Laverick.
The phone rang to voicemail. Josh tried again. The phone rang a few times then Laverick answered.
‘Yes?’ he snapped.
‘What do you mean yes? Where the hell is Caleb?’
‘The damage was more extensive than I thought. I’ve been up all night trying to remedy it. I’m sorry, it’s going to be another hour at least.’
‘What the hell am I going to tell Marsha?’
‘I’m sure you’ll think of something.’
Josh’s furious reply was heard only by himself; Laverick had hung up.
Marsha was already starting to stir. He had no idea what to say to stop her worrying, so he decided he’d leave it to chance. If Caleb got back in time, so be it. If not, he’d tell her what had happened.
It was another two hours before Laverick got back in touch. By this point, Marsha already knew and she was an hour into an angry silence with her husband for going behind her back. He had gone out to avoid her reproachful looks.
Laverick turned up with Caleb in tow.
By the look on her face, he already knew that Josh had told her what had happened.
‘The work needed carrying out, Mrs Walker,’ he said. ‘Caleb needed some adjustments to make sure he doesn’t attack anyone again in future.’
‘I appreciate that but I don’t understand why you both did this without speaking to me.’
‘Because there was a chance that Caleb might not have been the same after the operation. He may have developed brain damage or mental illness. We didn’t want to panic you unnecessarily.’
‘But I should have a say in what happens to my son.’
‘Mrs Walker, if anyone had found out Caleb killed Cynthia and Guy he would have been destroyed. This technology hasn’t been approved yet, so legally Caleb shouldn’t exist.’
‘I’ll die before I let them take Caleb from me again.’
‘I know. That’s why we had to do this without your knowing.’
‘You should have fucking asked me.’
‘Would you have let us go through with it if we had?’
Marsha’s silence spoke volumes.
‘Exactly. Now, we need to keep a close eye on Caleb over the next few weeks.’
‘I need to be told of any developments, or I’m going to take Caleb and disappear.’
‘I suggest you don’t do that.’
Josh had kept a close eye on Caleb, paying attention to the behaviour patterns that Laverick had described, and had come to the reluctant conclusion that his son was still a danger to
others. His attempt to discuss it with Marsha had led to a blazing argument.
Josh wanted Caleb shut down whereas Marsha failed to see the danger he represented to others and refused to have him taken away from her. She stayed in bed, giving Josh the silent treatment until he decided to change his mind.
Josh called Laverick from the front room and told him his decision.
‘It’s a crying shame, as Caleb is probably my finest work,’ Laverick lamented. ‘But he is not safe. I understand that. The other digital children I have created must perish too. There is an inherent evil in this technology that I should have known would always be there. They seem to resent those who have natural life.’
‘What do we need to do?’
‘You have a setting on your device, it is hidden away in the back of the menu, as it should always be considered a possibility but is unlikely to be used. If you type “Last Resort,” in the menu box it will come up. The password is “COMA,” all caps. If you do that, it will put Caleb into a coma. I have a similar setting on my device, but it will decommission Caleb permanently.’
Josh gasped at the idea of Caleb being killed, but he knew he was doing the right thing. He’d have to live with Marsha’s resentment.
‘I will come to you with the papers. You need to sign something before I can put Caleb down. I will bring the device with me, so you can press the button. I won’t be the one to destroy my finest hour as a scientist.’
‘How long will you be?’
‘I need to get the device out of the safe and pick up some papers from my office. I should be no longer than an hour. The digital children have a sixth sense for when they are in danger, so if I don’t get there in an hour come over and put Caleb down yourself. The password you need is his name and date of birth.’
Laverick’s voice became muffled. Josh heard him say, ‘Just go and play, Martin. Daddy will be there in a moment.’
‘Is everything ok?’ Josh asked.
‘Yes, but I’d best get things sorted out. They’re starting to get a little suspicious.’
‘See you in an hour.’
‘Yes. God willing.’
‘Jesus, are we really doing this?’ Josh asked, having last minute doubts. ‘It’s so final.’
‘You saw the photos of what Caleb did to Cynthia and Guy. I’m sure you can imagine what he did to the cop who was sniffing around. He’s a liability.’
‘But he’s our son,’ Josh sobbed. ‘Whatever else he is, he’s our son, doc.’
‘I know, but we need to do the right thing here, Mr Walker. Your wife will never approve of this, so you must do it without her knowledge. Now, you’d best get the device and put Caleb into a comatose state before he catches wind of what’s going on.’
Caleb moved into the room from the kitchen, making Josh jump. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked, looking up at Josh with those big blue eyes.
Josh found it hard to face him.
‘Nothing, son,’ he said.
‘What did Doctor Laverick want?’ Caleb asked.
‘Just to check up on you,’ Josh lied, not particularly convincingly.
Caleb looked suspicious but he nodded like he had bought it. He went into the kitchen again.
‘Right, let’s do this now before you change your mind,’ Josh whispered to himself. ‘Ok,’ he said, reaching for the device which he’d left on the arm of the settee by his side.
From the kitchen, he heard the sound of the microwave door slamming shut.
‘It was here a minute ago,’ Josh said aloud.
The microwave hummed as it started up.
‘Where the hell?’ he muttered, then a horrible thought hit him.
Caleb had been stood where the device had been. If he’d been suspicious then he might have—
‘Shit,’ Josh shouted and ran into the kitchen.
He looked for Caleb but he wasn’t there. The microwave was humming and illuminated, in the middle of a heating cycle. He scanned the kitchen benches for the device, but failed to see it. His wide eyes fell upon the microwave and the device inside that melted and bubbled and sparked.
He turned off the microwave and reached inside for the device. It was red hot to the touch, but he needn’t have bothered burning himself – it was obvious that the device was useless.
He heard laughter from behind him and turned to see Caleb standing in the doorway, a pair of kitchen scissors clutched in his tiny hand.
‘You can’t kill me, daddy,’ he said, fake tears running down from his brimming eyes. ‘I won’t let you.’
Josh froze, unsure of how to proceed.
Caleb darted forwards with terrifying speed, raising the scissors above his head in an ice pick grip.
Josh knew he had time to go for a weapon or get out of the way, but not both. He dodged to his left at the last minute. Caleb’s head smashed a hole in the cupboard door. He took a few seconds to get up. Josh used the time wisely and picked up the rolling pin that Marsha had left on the bench.
He swung it hard at the back of his son’s head. The blow connected with the base of Caleb’s skull and he slumped forwards but soon was back on his feet, swaying like a drunkard at closing time.
Josh swung again but the blades of the scissors dug into the meat of his forearm, making him cry out and drop the rolling pin. It clattered to the floor at his feet.
Josh lashed out with his foot, driving Caleb back. He turned to run but his foot landed on the rolling pin and he skidded backwards. He landed with bruising force on the kitchen tiles, the breath flying out of him in a devastating exhalation.
Tears filled his eyes as he desperately tried to summon the air and the energy to move.
Caleb’s face was grim as he approached.
‘It’s time for you to be decommissioned,’ he said, a sickly smile creeping onto his lips for the merest second. He brought the scissors down, penetrating Josh’s gut with an agonising tearing sensation.
Josh puked blood as he bent double. Still unable to breathe, he curled up in a ball, moving one of his legs weakly in an attempt to fend off his murderous son.
Caleb easily dodged the flailing limb and sunk the scissors into the meat of his father’s thigh. Josh screamed as blood coursed down his leg.
Raising the scissors high, Caleb moved in for the kill. He paused for a second, his eyes fixed on the bulging veins in his father’s neck. Josh watched the scissors come down, but they stopped their descent an inch from his throat.
Caleb went limp and fell on him facefirst.
Josh was too weak to move. His son’s forehead caught him heavily in the face.
Behind where Caleb had stood was Marsha, the second device clamped in her clammy hands.
‘Thank Christ for that,’ Josh wheezed. ‘Get him off me.’
Marsha grabbed her son’s legs and pulled him backwards off Josh’s chest.
‘Still think we’re making a mistake?’ Josh asked, his furious glare burning into Marsha’s eyes.
She sadly shook her head and started to dress his wounds.
‘The one in your leg is the worst,’ she said. ‘We’ll have to get you to a hospital.’
‘Later,’ he nodded. ‘I want to make sure Laverick gets here first.’
Marsha frowned but knew there was no reasoning with her husband when he was in one of these moods. Also, in the back of her mind, she knew he had made the right decision.
The allotted hour passed and Laverick had still not turned up. Josh had a horrible feeling that his plan had been rudely interrupted. They gave it five minutes then put Caleb’s limp body in the boot and set off for the doctor’s house.
The house seemed eerily quiet. Laverick’s car was still in the driveway, the driver’s door half open. Things certainly didn’t look good.
‘How are we going to do this?’ Marsha asked.
‘I’ll go in. You should stay with Caleb. We don’t want him getting loose.’
‘What if you get into trouble?’
‘Give me ten minutes the
n burn the place to the ground. You’ll have to finish Caleb on your own. Or I can do it now, if you prefer? I could quite happily wring his neck after the incident with the scissors.’
‘No,’ Marsha said, looking distraught. ‘I want it to be painless.’
‘I understand.’ Josh got out of the car, taking the knife and the rolling pin he’d brought from home. He had no idea what to expect when he got inside the house, but from his experiences with Caleb, he had a feeling he was in for a wild ride.
He limped forwards, the belt bound tightly around his leg restricting the bleeding but also slowing his movement even more than the injury.
His heart pounded, partly from the effort of moving with his injured leg, but mostly from the terror that was already consuming him.
He reached the front door and saw that it was slightly open. Unease washed over him when he shoved it open to see a trail of blood spots spattered on the laminate flooring in the hallway.
He gulped and stepped inside.
15
The house was dark, despite the light from outside. It was as though Laverick’s house of horrors shunned the light by choice. The blood spots again drew his eyes, but he heard a noise to his left that made him turn. He saw a small boy with leg callipers doing his best to hide under the stairs.
Josh would’ve felt sorry for him if he hadn’t been so frightening and repulsive. He was tempted to cave his skull in with the rolling pin, put the poor mite out of his misery, but he knew he was best off getting the device and getting the hell out.
His instincts drew him to the stairs, his eyes bulging as they took in the drying smears of blood that led up to the first floor. As an omen it was certainly not a good one.
As he set foot on the stairs, a small shape lunged at him from above. His heart almost leapt out of his chest, but he reacted fast, swinging the rolling pin like Babe Ruth in his prime.
The kid’s temple gave way beneath the crushing blow and he fell onto his back, his eyes rolling back into his skull, blood seeping out of his mouth and nose and ears.