Horror Thriller Box Set 1

by Amy Cross

  "Fuck you!" I scream as loud as possible, determined to be heard for miles around. "You hear me? Fuck both of you!"

  Chapter Nine

  1925

  By the time the sun comes up, I have managed to scrub Albert clean. Standing naked in the yard behind the hotel, he seems ashamed of himself as I pour bucket after bucket of water over his body. I try talking to him, but he ignores me and avoids eye contact. I suppose I can understand such a response; after all, in little more than a week he has gone from being the most respected member of the community to the point where he is treated like a wild animal. Still, it is necessary to clean him, and only now can I begin the process of returning him to his former status. To be perfectly honest, even when all the mud and faeces has been washed from his body, he still looks rather primitive and pathetic. Whatever Dr. Collings did to him, it has had a clear and perhaps permanent effect. I cannot help but wonder if I will ever be able to undo the doctor's work entirely.

  "Can you hear me, Albert?" I ask as I start tidying the buckets away. "I hope you might consider speaking a few words, just so that I know you're still capable of organizing your thoughts."

  He doesn't reply, and he doesn't even look at me. It's as if he's a thoroughly broken man.

  "I owe you my gratitude," I continue. "If you hadn't pulled the doctor away from me, I don't know what would have happened." Smiling, I lean closer and kiss him on the cheek.

  He doesn't respond.

  "I must find you some clothes," I tell him, trying to work out where to make him wait for me. I cannot simply leave him standing here like this, yet I am unwilling to keep him tied up like some kind of common animal. "You must be hungry," I say finally. "I shall fetch you some food from inside, and then perhaps you can eat in the workshop while I'm gone. I shall only be a few minutes."

  Hurrying into the back of the hotel, I find that there is no-one in the kitchen at this early hour. I keep glancing at the window to make sure Albert does not move, as I search the cabinets and finally find a box of canned meat. Pulling one of the cans down, I decide that it will be better than nothing. The man needs to eat, or he is liable to starve.

  "Hungry, Ms. Paternoster?" asks a voice from nearby. Startled, I turn to find Mr. Porter, the owner of the hotel, watching me from the doorway.

  "I..." I start to say, "I just... I'm so sorry, please don't tell my uncle. I just wanted -"

  "Dear God!" Mr. Porter exclaims as he spots Albert out in the yard. Rushing past me, he goes to the back door and stares at the pitiful state of the man who was once Mayor of Devil's Briar. "What in God's name has happened to him?" he asks, turning back to me with a lock of shock on his face.

  "I didn't know where else to take him," I say. "Please don't make him leave. He just needs a little help."

  Stepping out into the yard, Mr. Porter approaches Albert but keeps a short distance between them. "I have known Albert Caster all my life," he says, "and I have never, ever seen him in such a state. What happened? Who did this to him?"

  "Dr. Collings," I say, deciding I shall have to trust Mr. Porter and hope that he will help me. "Mr. Caster was entrusted to his care, but the doctor's methods leave a great deal to be desired. I believe he was attempting to deconstruct Mr. Caster's personality so that he could rebuild him in a new form, but the results have been quite shocking. I cannot get through to him at all."

  "Does Dr. Collings know that he's here?" Mr. Porter asks.

  I nod. "There was something of a confrontation," I continue. "I'm afraid he wasn't very happy about my intervention."

  "You must be careful with that man," Mr. Porter says. "He's respected about the town, but he has a dark side, especially when it comes to young ladies. It's not safe to be around him."

  "I worked as his housekeeper for a day," I reply. "It was not an experience I wish to repeat."

  "Good," Mr. Porter says. "No woman should be alone with him. It's not safe. Your uncle should have more sense. Did Dr. Collings..." He pauses. "What I mean is, did he try to force himself upon you in any way?"

  "He tried," I reply, "but he did not succeed."

  Mr. Porter smiles. "I cannot ban the man from these premises. He's far too well-connected in this town, and I would have a problem on my hands. But I consider Albert Caster to be a friend." He sighs. "Fortunately, Dr. Collings is a coward. He'll most likely stay away from you, Ms. Paternoster, at least for a few days. I would strongly suggest that you tell your uncle what has happened. As Mayor of Devil's Briar, he might be in a position to warn the doctor about his conduct. At the very least, it would increase your safety if the doctor understood that you have allies. The problem with cowards is that, while hiding in the shadows, they often plot revenge. You will have to be careful."

  "I understand," I reply. "I must help poor Mr. Caster, though. Can he stay here, at least for now?"

  "He can," Mr. Porter says. "Don't give him that canned meat, though. It's barely fit for an animal. I'll prepare a proper breakfast for the man. Perhaps if we treat him more like a human being, he'll act like one again." He stares at Mr. Caster for a moment. "Albert, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

  Mr. Caster takes a step back, as if he's scared of Mr. Porter.

  "It will take time," I say. "I dare say that Dr. Collings has already caused a great deal of damage, and it will not be the work of a moment to restore poor Albert's sanity."

  "Go to the storage room," Mr. Porter says. "We have some clothes that have been left behind by guests over the years. I'm sure something will be suitable. I'll stay down here and find some food for him."

  Thanking Mr. Porter for his help, I hurry inside and head up to the storage room. It takes me quite some time to find the right door, but eventually I discover a small room filled with various trunks. After a quick search, I locate a collection of clothes that would seem to fit Mr. Caster's somewhat outsized girth. Holding the items up to the light for a quick inspection, I find it hard to stop thinking about the cruelties that Dr. Collings has inflicted. I'm quite certain that Albert cannot be the only person to have fallen victim to his methods, and I wonder - for example - whether the doctor's daughter might have died as a result of something more sinister than an accident.

  With the clothes in my hands, I hurry back downstairs. As I'm about to go through to the back, I hear a sound from the saloon. My uncle and I are the only guests in the hotel at the moment, so I decide to go through and speak briefly to my uncle and let him know what has happened. I fear that Dr. Collings will be keen to convey his side of the story, and I would prefer to get in early and ensure that my uncle knows the truth. When I walk into the saloon, however, I find that there is no-one there. I glance around, convinced that I heard a noise, but finally I accept that I must have been mistaken. Just as I am about to leave, however, I spot movement over by the window. Looking across the room, I see an unfamiliar figure sitting in one of the chairs.

  "I'm sorry," I say, "I didn't mean to disturb you."

  The man doesn't reply. In fact, he doesn't even acknowledge me. As I stare at him, I see that he is engaged in some activity with his hands. I take a step forward and see that he appears to be slowly tearing off his fingernails and placing them on the table. It's a most shocking and distasteful sight, yet I find that I cannot look away. The man has a crazed, slightly manic look in his eyes as he removes another nail and sets it with the others, before starting on the next. His clothes are rather strange, like nothing I have ever seen before, and he continues with his work as if he has no idea that I am watching him.

  "Ms. Paternoster!" calls a voice from the reception area. I glance at the door, and then back at the window. The man has vanished, and so have the fingernails that were laid out on the table. A cold shiver runs through my body. I have seen spirits before, and they are usually harbingers of dread times. I sincerely hope that such is not the case on this occasion.

  Deciding to tell no-one of my experience, I walk through to the reception and find Mr. Porter waiting.

  "Is Mr.
Caster okay?" I ask, worried that perhaps Dr. Collings has come to reclaim his victim.

  "He's fine," Mr. Porter says. "I prepared him a quick breakfast."

  "Is he eating it?"

  He nods. "I don't think he's eaten for some time. He's ravenous."

  "I have the clothes," I say. "I shall take them to him." Turning to go through to the back of the hotel, I pause for a moment and glance back at Mr. Porter. I want to ask him about the hotel, and to find out if there have ever been any reports of strange sightings. Then again, perhaps now is not the best moment.

  "He's probably cold," Mr. Porter says. "You should take those clothes to him."

  "Of course," I say, turning and hurrying through to the kitchen. I find Mr. Caster sitting naked at a table, eating a plain loaf of bread. My heart almost breaks as I recognize how far he has fallen, and how hard it will be to return him to his former state. Nevertheless, I am determined to ensure that he recovers, and I am absolutely certain that one day he will be able to walk back to his office and reclaim his position as Mayor of Devil's Briar. Without saying anything, I walk over to him and start laying out his clothes. We don't speak to one another, but after a moment I realize that he has put the bread down and seems transfixed by the clothes, almost as if he is starting to remember his old life. Smiling, I start unbuttoning the shirt, ready to help him get dressed. Whatever else happens, I will get him back to full health. What we will do about Dr. Collings, however, is another question entirely.

  Epilogue

  Today

  I can't see them, and I can't hear them, but I know they're out there. Watching me, laughing at me, plotting to take all my work away from me. Even now, Paula and Ed probably think they can outsmart me. I'm quite sure they believe they can drive me insane and push me beyond the brink of insanity; they probably think they can leave me to die in this dusty old town. They're wrong. I'm onto them already, and I'm not going to let them succeed. When they eventually come to get me, I'll be ready for them. I've found some knives in the kitchen, and I'm armed. If anyone tries to force me out of this place, I'll defend myself to the death. I refuse to be betrayed.

  I have turned the hotel into a fortress. All the entrances and exits, including the windows, have been boarded up. The reception area is now heavily fortified and extremely defensible. If anyone should try to enter without my express permission, they will swiftly regret the impertinence. I have rigged up a series of complex systems that are designed to incapacitate any intruder. I'm quite certain that when they see what I have done, they'll laugh. They'll think I'm a fool. But they're wrong, and they'll learn their mistake as they writhe in agony on the floor. Given their actions toward me, I feel that I am fully within my rights to respond with maximum force.

  I am willing to spill blood.

  So now I wait. I wait for them to summon up the courage to come for me. I wait for them to make their move. I'm sure they have some great strategy planned out, and it probably hasn't even occurred to them that I'm capable of fighting back. That's fine, and their confidence will only add to the sweetness of my victory when I cut them down to size. Sitting at the window in the saloon and looking out across the empty town square, I await the first sign that they are coming. Perhaps it won't be today; perhaps they'll come in the night, or they'll wait until tomorrow. It doesn't matter. When they come for me, I'll be ready, and I'll give them the war they want. Devil's Briar is mine, and I will never let them steal it from me.

  Holding up my hands, I peer at the red flesh where my fingernails used to be. Slowly, the nails are growing back, but I'll keep an eye on them. I put my thumb against my teeth and feel with my tongue. Feeling the first hint of new growth, I start biting, determined not to let even a millimeter of nail return. The most important thing here is discipline; even as the blood drips down my chin, I must ensure that I remain in complete control of my mind and body. Never again will I allow myself to be weak and easily led. Everything is starting to come together, and soon I'll be ready to uncover the mystery of Devil's Briar. Once I have dealt with the intruders, I'll be able to resume my proper work. After all, the work is what matters.

  And so I wait for them to make their move.

  Finally, though, I realize that this is ridiculous. Why should I waste my time sitting here, hoping that they'll make a mistake? The best way to defy their stupidity would be to get back to work. Moving some of the traps aside, I walk back out into the town square and then I head over to the Mayor's office. I'll start the whole process again, and this time I'm damn well going to get some answers. Taking one final glance around, to make sure there's no sign of Paula or Ed, I walk into the building and head up to the office. I need to get back to work, or I'll end up losing my mind and going round and round in circles.

  Figuring I need to reset my brain and start from a rational, fact-based position, I decide to go over the basic facts. At a rough estimate, there are approximately 270 buildings in Devil's Briar. They can be divided into three different groups: first, there are the large communal sites, such as the hotel or the mayoral office; second, there are the shops, such as a pharmacy, an ironmonger and a grocer's store; and third, there are the private residences, which are the most numerous. It's quite clear that, rather than being a ramshackle little town with no real form, Devil's Briar was a fully-functioning community. It's hard to estimate how many people must have lived here, but if we assume there were two people to every dwelling, we're easily looking at five hundred residents. I can't tell what the main local industries were, and there seems to have been no mining activity in the area, so the economic basis that supported the town remains unknown. Nevertheless, Devil's Briar was clearly a large and thriving community.

  So where the hell did everybody go? And why does it sometimes feel like I'm going round and round in endless fucking circles, doing the same thing over and over again?

  Book 5:

  The Face at the Window

  Prologue

  1925

  Hey Albert, how you doing today? You feeling all sweaty and pervy again? Look at her, scurrying around as she tries to save your sorry ass. What's the point? Can't she see that it's a total waste of time? You're just a sad-sack piece of shit, sitting on a chair and waiting to die. Not much fun, though, is it? Hey, you know what you should do? You should find some way to get hold of a knife, and then you should slice your throat open. The world would be a much better place without your lumbering, oafish presence. Think how good it would feel to have your warm blood flow across the floor, and to know in your dying moment that you'll never have to worry about anything ever again.

  Wait! I've got a better idea! Before you go through with this mercy killing, there's one other thing you could do. Wouldn't you like to bend Victoria Paternoster over and stick your pudgy little dick up her pussy? Wouldn't you like to make her yelp and moan as you fuck her like an animal? That'd sure be a way to go out, huh? You could just fuck her and then, as soon as you start to cum, blow your brains out with that pistol old Mr. Porter keeps in reception. What do you say? Let's do this together. One last big fucking hurrah! I mean, do you have a better plan? Look at you, sitting on that chair, staring into space. What's the point, Albert? The people of Devil's Briar don't need you. Let's end this right now. Let's grab a gun, grab Ms. Paternoster, and go out in a blaze of glory. I can see from your quivering little cock that you're tempted. Don't be a chicken, Albert. Let's get on with it. First, we need to go get that gun. Then the fun begins.

  Chapter One

  Today

  "You're kidding," Ed says, staring at me with a look of total shock in his eyes. "Paula, tell me you're kidding."

  "It's all true," I reply, sitting back and taking a sip of my beer. It's late at night and we're in a small bar, close to the university campus. I've spent the past few hours telling Ed all about Devil's Briar: about the abandoned town, and about the giant cross, and about the way Bill seemed to become obsessed. I didn't tell him about some of the other stuff, like the banging sounds and the
unexplained footprints in the snow. I figure there's no need to make Ed doubt my sanity. Right now, I just want to make sure he takes the whole thing off my hands, so that Devil's Briar - and Bill - won't be my problem.

  "So Bill was right," he says, clearly struggling to take it all in. "I swear to God, I thought he was losing his mind. When he came into the office and said he thought he'd found a lost ghost town, I thought..." He pauses. "I mean, come on, did you really believe him?"

  "I thought he'd lost his mind," I say, smiling. "I only went up there to humor him. You have no idea how surprised I was when we suddenly found the place out there in the middle of nowhere."

  "And Bill's still there?" Ed asks. "All by himself? Just hanging out and waiting for someone to go and get him?"

  I nod. "He's fixated on the place. It's become this kind of obsession. I guess he's been looking for a way back into his work since he recovered from the accident, and he sees this as his big break. I think he half expects to win a Nobel Prize or something."

  "He might not be far off," Ed replies. "If he's really discovered a lost town, it's one of the biggest stories for years. We have to get a team up there."

  "Not we," I say firmly. "You. I'm done."

  Ed pauses. "You're done with Devil's Briar?"

  "I'm done with Bill," I say, "which means I have no choice but to be done with Devil's Briar. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the mystery of the place, and in normal circumstances I'd love to go back. But I think I have to step back and let Bill have this one." Sighing, I feel a huge sense of relief now that I'm starting to tell people about this change in my life. "Now that Bill's got this huge project," I continue, "he doesn't need me. He's gonna be working on Devil's Briar for the next decade, at least. He won't even notice I'm gone."