Halton Cray (Shadows of the World Book 1)

by N. B. Roberts

  ‘Thanks for the warning.’

  He pulled up at the bottom of a dark street, outside a little shop all closed up for the night.

  ‘Is this the street?’

  ‘This is it,’ sang Seth, nervously.

  Thom was silent.

  ‘Considering the house you described him at in Boston,’ I said, turning round in my seat. ‘It’s not what I expected.’

  ‘Nor I,’ Thom replied. ‘I expected to find him in some ostentatious place, in a haughty part of town. Perhaps, unlike some things money doesn’t last forever. He’s staying in a one-bed apartment on the third floor, up there.’ He pointed out the windshield towards the far end of the street, which was uphill. ‘It still costs a degree to live here, but pittance compared to what he’s accustomed. Testament to his boldness of character, Alex, there’s a police precinct round the corner. Not that they could do much, even if they should discover his practices.’

  ‘Are we all going?’ asked Seth.

  ‘I’d rather you both stayed here.’ Thom turned up the collar of his black coat and opened the door. ‘I only want a quick look.’

  I unbuckled my belt and got out after him.

  ‘I’ll stay here then,’ Seth whispered through my open door, before turning off the engine.

  Thom frowned at me.

  ‘I’m glad someone takes notice of what I say,’ he said, grabbing my hand and interlocking our fingers. ‘You’re no clodhopper, Alex, but you’ll need to be nimbler than ever, and don’t breathe a word.’

  I nodded as he led me across the road and along the sidewalk. He stopped at length and scoped the quiet street.

  ‘This is where we climb. I’ll lift you up to that wall. Stay there and then I’ll pull you onto the fire escape.’

  I nodded.

  No windows faced the red-rusty stairway from the neighbouring building. It was a plain brick wall and good cover. Thom lifted me up before climbing to the fire escape above, where he pulled me effortlessly to the first level. It began to rain violently, perfect for collars up and eyes down. I drew my hood up, hoping the rain would continue. It would mask the slightest noise I couldn’t help but make, and add to the cover of darkness from the street below.

  We reached the third floor. Thom put his arm out to keep me back. He kept low and stared through the window nearest him, past the venetian blinds on the other side. He didn’t allow me to move beyond the air-con unit, which served to obscure me completely. But I used the vent as a spyhole and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness within. A lamp came on inside. It was a surprise; Johan had no need for artificial light. He was in his living room and reaching into a black case, pulling from it a violin. Over his coffee table he spread a supply of cleaning miscellanies. I saw Johan’s shape clearly. Thom once described him as swollen looking with ruddy skin. But this man was slender and his flesh ivory, paler even than Thom’s. I wondered if we had the right man, but the answer formed itself in Thom’s expression. Disgust. Hatred. Vengeance! I then saw in Johan’s angular face what perhaps others saw in Thom’s. A fierceness that cast unaccountable feelings in me to beware. How much of my own knowledge influenced me here, I couldn’t say. Aside from the dark dead eyes, much like a sharks in this particular specimen, Johan’s features were small. His pointed chin and thin sharp nose – in fact all his features – were harsh; even his hair as a thatch of flaxen with a perfectly circular bald patch.

  A faint clinical smell met my nose at the vent, which reminded me of bleach. Despite its cleanliness, it didn’t seem to belong to that apartment. The affluent furnishings and black sofas looked like they might smell of new leather. A top of the range entertainment system spread round one corner. Each wall displayed the same awful artwork: geometric abstraction, tinted with unblended straight-from-the-tube colours, like a paint by numbers set.

  Satisfied that he was still here, Thom motioned for me to retreat. I obeyed, descending the stairway as quietly as when I came up. As we gained on the ground the smell of rain washing dirt from the streets increased.

  We were drenched on entering Seth’s car. I sat there like I’d just climbed out of a pool. Thom dried off slowly before my eyes.

  ‘He’ll never venture out in this,’ he said confidently. ‘He hates the rain. And on that subject of venturing out, I need to get going myself; once I see you back to the hotel.’

  Seth started the car.

  ‘How did it feel,’ I asked Thom, ‘to have him within your reach again?’

  ‘The sight of him, Alex, had rage coursing my veins like a fresh supply of blood. He’s changed a little from how I remember him, never so thin and pale. He’s been less successful in finding his meals for some reason. This convinces me he still hunts credulous people, attempting to lure them back to that apartment. Probably so he can take his time and enjoy the kill. It wouldn’t be easy, though, to convince just anyone to return with him.’

  ‘I don’t get why he doesn’t just order a takeaway, and, you know, there’s someone at his door.’

  Thom gave me a confused smirk. ‘Who are you and what have you done with Alex?’

  ‘I’m not saying that’s what he should do. I’m just wondering why he wouldn’t do that. If he’s hungry, I mean, and can’t lure anyone in.’

  ‘Thom, she’s got a point.’

  ‘If someone went missing having just delivered food to apartment 3b, well – Seth, what would happen?’

  ‘Alex, he’s got a point. The cops would be all over that place. Johan would have to move on. If he wants to stay there, he’s gotta be careful.’

  Seth dropped us outside The Poole, before driving off, saying he would run a few of his errands now.

  Thom walked me to the entrance canopy.

  ‘Now hurry upstairs and out of those wet things,’ he said, kissing me several times before shooing me inside. ‘Please don’t catch pneumonia. I’ll be back in a short while.’ He turned away.

  ‘Where is he?’ I asked quickly. ‘Do you have a fix on him, or a target?’

  ‘It’s not difficult to find Death in NYC, Alex.’

  ‘Do you know what’s going to happen, I mean, how they’ll… die?’

  ‘Alex, are you seriously asking me about this?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I can’t explain it. I want – I need – to know things. It feels like curiosity, but it’s beyond that.’

  He looked down the street, sighed, and back to me.

  ‘I’ve sensed Death, yes. There are a few choices to go with, but I won’t know what’s practical until I’m in plain sight of them. The strongest fix is the one I’ll go for, because it will probably be in the next hour or so. – I’m hungry, Alex, and that means I have to go and kill someone – and yes, you knowing that makes me wonder when you’ll take flight of me again.’

  ‘I’m not going anywhere, Thom. I’m dealing with it. Even if I’m half in denial and half losing my mind, I am dealing with it. I just feel like I need to know things. I should know them.’

  ‘I have to go.’ He kissed me again, opening the hotel door. I went inside and watched him through the glass as he crossed the road with his hands in his pockets. I saw him get to the end of the road. Then, without much thought, I hurried after him, silently as I could manage.

  Thirty-two

  THE CEMETERY

  ‘Father, I firmly do believe – I know – for Death, who comes for me, from regions of the blest afar, where there is nothing to deceive, hath left his iron gate ajar, and rays of truth you cannot see, are flashing thro’ Eternity.’

  – Edgar Allan Poe, Tamerlane

  How exactly did all this work? Would Thom feed too quickly for my eyes to grasp? Would I see Death again?

  I knew the likelihood of seeing anything was next to zero, even if I managed to keep up and elude Thom’s sharp sense to anyone’s presence.

  On turning the corner, I saw him ambling through the mist. He didn’t disappear into the night yet. I continued after him, trying
to keep close to parked up cars, phone boxes – anything I could use for cover. As I crossed at the next set of lights, I noticed I had now passed 103rd Street. I followed him round another corner, then another, where – late as it was – people hung around in doorways and shelters. A few of them looked at me, but I felt safe, so long as Thom was still up ahead. I followed him to the next corner and I should have predicted what would happen. On turning it after him, I entered a narrow and completely deserted street. I shielded my eyes from the rain and looked far up the road. He wasn’t there. He’d gone. I suddenly felt very stupid and quickly turned to go back.

  ‘Argh!’ I screamed, bumping straight into a man. ‘Jesus!’

  ‘Guess again, you nut!’

  ‘What the hell, Thom! You scared the life out of me!’ I smacked him instinctively on the chest. ‘Don’t sneak up on me like that.’

  ‘You little hypocrite! Why are you following me? And didn’t you listen to Seth about the streets?’

  ‘I wanted to see you–’ I cut off.

  ‘Clearly you can’t do without me!’ he boasted.

  ‘I wanted to see you… eat!’ I admitted, without much thought or constructiveness to the sentence.

  ‘What on earth for?’ He frowned. ‘It’s nothing glamorous, Alex! Quite the opposite in fact. It’ll probably be some half-naked drug addict behind a dumpster, if I’m lucky, – there are many worse things, believe me, I’ve seen them and run!’ He almost shuddered. ‘You’re going to catch pneumonia and– what? You think because you can refuse to die, it’s okay to run the risk of debilitating yourself with crippling illnesses. There are such things as fates worse than death, Alex. I’m proof!’

  ‘Oh, stop it. It’s just a bit of rain. Look– I can’t explain it. But bearing in mind the role I’m going to play, I want to see more – I need to come face to face with the darkness of it.’

  ‘You do realise that the one I feed off is going to die and I don’t know in what way yet. Do you see what I’m getting at?’ He grabbed my shoulders. ‘I’m not going to save them, Alex. I’m going to capitalise on their death! I might even do nothing, determining it a useless sacrifice – from my own perspective. My victim needs to lose a lot of blood in their chosen departure; otherwise, they’re unpractical to me. Then I’ll have to select another. But my point is it’ll be upsetting, probably scarring to you witnessing it.’

  I lowered my head. I hadn’t thought of all the possibilities, because I couldn’t know them. It was precisely why I wanted to go and learn more.

  ‘Thom, since surviving death, I’m not exactly the same person. I know where these people are going.’

  ‘Alex, there might be violence!’

  ‘A violent end is upsetting. But knowing what’s coming afterwards and how quickly they’ll forget it, I feel I can take a different view.’

  He thought a moment in silence.

  ‘I won’t say you didn’t warn me, Thom.’

  He ran his eye over me and sighed, ‘Since you’re already drenched and we’re close by – this way.’

  I walked by his side, looking over to him occasionally. He didn’t say a word, just stared forwards. I wasn’t going to change my mind about this.

  We approached a small unloved parking lot, or loading area, with a tattered wire fence and numerous signs. It contained two cars and the back entrance to some shady establishment, possibly a bar. Dumpsters flanked the darkened doorway at the top of half a dozen steps.

  ‘Its already lurking nearby,’ said Thom. ‘Here –’ He pulled me down behind one of the cars, which aligned with a brick wall. ‘Stay low. Don’t bother looking for Death; you won’t see it this time. Its not coming for you. Its coming for–’ He pointed through the car window above us, to the doorway, where a young woman hurried through the rain in a red coat and jeans.

  She was perhaps mid-twenties, and rummaged through her handbag as she ran to dodge the downpour. I hoped she didn’t head for the car that hid us. Thom sat on the flooded ground next to me, with his forearms on his knees. He barely looked round – I believe, until he felt Death take shape.

  I shook at the thought of witnessing whatever Fate had in store for the woman. I saw my reflection in the hubcap. Who had I become? Could I sit here, listen, and do nothing?

  ‘Hey!’ a man’s voice yelled from the doorway where she’d emerged. ‘Wait up!’ His feet sounded down the wet steps. ‘You can’t walk out now, Marnie, c’mon! Don’t make me drag you back. We had a deal.’

  ‘Just leave me alone, Dwayne. I’m finished with you and this place.’

  ‘You’re finished when I say you’re finished.’

  ‘Hey– get off me! Get off me!’

  I started. Thom flung his arm out to keep me steady, shaking his head doggedly. I obstinately believed in the natural way of things. But not preventing a murder seemed unnatural, even with all I knew. I wrestled with it mentally. Clenched my jaw. Sealed my eyes tight.

  I barely heard anything more from Marnie or Dwayne, due perhaps to the downpour. I used that peace to imagine the place I’d been, where she’d be going. I remembered how at first she would forget.

  Thom’s arm had gone when I opened my eyes. I turned and slowly raised my head to look through the car’s windows. I heard someone running away, but couldn’t see anyone on the move. For a moment I thought Thom had intervened because he held Dwayne in his arms. In fact, his mouth was at his throat and he drank steadily from a wound inflicted there. I’d assumed Marnie was the victim, when in reality she’d taken no prisoners in self-defence.

  Something in me had changed since I met Death and returned from limbo, on account of wanting to see this. But I was glad I hadn’t been so desensitised for what I now witnessed. It was gruesome, but necessary for Thom to do.

  I watched through the rain until Thom pulled his head back. There I noticed his extended eyeteeth exiting the man’s flesh. The sight of them, strangely, brought upon me a strong feeling of possessiveness over him. He carefully laid the man on the ground. Walking round the car, I saw a knife on the concrete, which the rain was washing clean. He approached me, wiping his mouth.

  Grasping my arm, he turned me about and led me away quickly. He didn’t look at me or speak until we were halfway back to the hotel, by which time the rain had stopped.

  ‘You’ll think differently of me now you’ve seen that. I regret letting you. I should’ve raced on ahead from the hotel.’

  I didn’t think differently of him, but for the present I couldn’t talk. He saw this and wrapped me in his coat, before carrying me the rest of the way. Then up to my room.

  He ran me a warm bath and placed me in it fully dressed. I needed it; the shock numbed me as much as the cold. He gave me a brandy from the minibar.

  After perhaps an hour he coaxed me out. I dried myself off and got into bed with my hair wrapped up in a towel.

  ‘Try to sleep, Alex.’

  ‘Stay,’ I said. ‘Your scent is about the only thing that could help me close my eyes tonight. The drink was good, but anymore and I might vomit.’

  ‘Okay.’ He seemed relieved, and in his shirt and slacks, he climbed on the bed to lay next to me. He stroked my arm soothingly until I soon fell asleep.

  I woke to an image of Dwayne vanishing. I sat up. It was early morning. I looked round and saw Thom asleep next to me on the bed.

  He roused merely because I had.

  ‘You were sleeping, Thom.’

  ‘First time since you left me that Sunday morning.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Going without sleep became easier than trying to close my eyes.’ He sat up. ‘It’s not necessary to me, Alex, for strength or otherwise, but it can improve my mood. How are you feeling?’

  ‘I’m okay. I needed to see that. Do you understand why?’

  ‘Yes. I had all night to think about it. When it comes to the dark work ahead, you needed some of the shock and horror to have already passed over you. I get it. I have to wake Seth, find out how far he got with o
ur preparations. Last week when we came, very little was done. – Order yourself some breakfast. I’ll be back in a moment.’

  I wasn’t at all hungry, but I forced myself to eat something knowing that later I would rely on the energy. When Thom returned he sat down next to the window, which had a view of a busy four-lane road.

  ‘Seth made progress last night,’ he told me, with a pained grin. ‘It is falling into place, and you will very soon, quite literally, be putting your lovely neck on the line for me.’

  ‘That is the plan, Thom.’

  ‘Yes, but I am now the one having second thoughts.’

  ‘I’m not even going to entertain them. This is happening. What can I do to help today?’

  ‘You don’t need to do anything. I must return to Johan’s apartment, to watch him. Seth has other things to do.’

  ‘Well, I can’t come with you in the daytime, right?’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘So can I go with Seth and help him?’

  ‘If you like. He’s gone out already to get some things, but later he has a job that’s not dangerous. In fact, knowing you, you’ll probably enjoy it.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘I’m not going to spoil the surprise. Wear something you don’t mind ruining and I’ll tell Seth to come back for you.’

  I got a hearty kissing before he said goodbye.

  Seth knocked at my door within two hours.

  ‘Ready?’

  ‘Where to?’ I followed him down the corridor to the stairs.

  He laughed. ‘Thom told me not to say. He said that this was the kind of thing you’d really like, which is weird, but then you Brits kinda are. So I’m not saying a word till we get there.’

  We got in the car and Seth pulled away.

  ‘Shall I wear a blindfold?’ I joked.

  ‘We’re heading for route 25, east, out of Manhattan. That’s all I’m saying for now.’

  I watched out the window, looking at the immediate differences between this city and my own. The shop names, the people, the cars and buses. The skyline wasn’t unlike London’s, the tall buildings just spread farther.