Jude came and stood beside me, his eyes on Langstone. “Look… if Robert isn’t here, and if you can’t help my friends with the removal of VA20, then we’ll just be on our way…”
Jude glanced at me. His eyes seemed sad. Was he feeling sorry for us? No. It had to be an act. Doshia wouldn’t want the drug removed from us – it was needed for his domination. Doshia needed us to be infected with VA20 so he could call on the Cleaners and allow them to dwell in our bodies. But still, that didn’t make sense. Why would Jude suggest we just go without Robert? Robert was the last body needed.
In the flickering light from the lantern, Doctor Langstone came forward and rasped, “I am a despicable creature… and for that I do not care… it’s who I am… it’s what I am. I always kill… I always lie. I enjoy seeing others suffer. But… I will tell you two things that are true…” He paused for a moment before continuing. “The first truth is… you cannot leave here – I will not let you leave – and the second… the most important truth that you should know… the drug in you… it cannot be removed. Now it’s in you, it’s a part of you, and there’s no turning back. Your whole makeup has changed. You are, in fact, damned!”
CHAPTER TEN
Kassidy
As Doctor Langstone’s words rushed through me, ringing in my ears like an alarm bell, I stared down at my hands. Looking at the black veins filled me with despair. Everything had been riding on getting here – this had been my only chance – my only hope, but now, it seemed it had all been snatched away from me.
Apart from the wind and rain rattling the windows, the room had fallen silent. I stared numbly at my friends. That heavy, sinking feeling weighing my heart down had almost reached the bottom of the ocean. My mouth opened to speak, but words failed me. I didn’t know what to say. What could be said? Perhaps I could plead with Doctor Langstone – beg him to help us? But I knew that was useless, you couldn’t plead with a demon.
My eyes wandered over to Sylvia. She sat up tight against the wall, knees up to her chest and her hair matted over her face. That was my future – that would be me soon. But there was more to come. Where Sylvia was now was just one step away from the next stage in this nightmare. Soon we would have our bodies taken against our will.
Cutting into the silence, Max asked, “What do you mean by damned?”
Raven, with an exasperated look across her face, stared at Max and snapped, “Damned as in… we’re going to hell! Damned as in… we’re all gonna commit dreadful things against innocent people – we will become the Devil’s hands! What do you think it means, Max?” She stood with her hands on her hips, face screwed up.
Doctor Langstone suddenly broke into a crazed laugh. Almost losing his balance, he steadied himself by resting his free hand against the table. The laughter soon stopped and was replaced by a more serious glare. He held the lantern high, its light defining his scorched and blistered body even more. His bluish lips parted and he rasped, “I like you!” He frowned at Raven. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet… you think I want what Middleton wants, don’t you? You think I’m going to invite the Cleaners in and let them consume you… you’re wrong! I’m not interested in that kind of power. I don’t want our servants to become you. There are enough demons already… I don’t have any need for them… not yet, anyway.” He scratched at his body, his nails piecing the scalded flesh, causing blood to trickle down between his fingers. “The Cleaners are waiting. They long for your bodies. They have gathered outside the walls. They will wait and wait. And when Middleton is tired of waiting for their return with you all, he will come here. That’s what I want.”
“But why?” I asked. “I thought you wanted what Middleton has always been after – you both worked together at Cruor Pharma on those drug tests. You were a part of those awful experiments – if that’s not what you want, then what is it and why won’t you let us leave?”
“If I let you go now, then what’s to stop the Cleaners from taking you?” Langstone frowned at me. “You can’t protect yourselves against them… you may have made it this far… but your luck won’t last forever. Now that I have you, you will stay here with me until Doctor Middleton arrives.”
“And then what?” glared Jude, stepping in front of me.
Langstone smiled and whispered, “Its late… we will talk in the morning.”
Straightening up the satchel that had become tangled across my shoulder, I said, “We’re not staying… I’m not waiting here for Middleton to arrive. How do we know Doctor Langstone isn’t just going to hand us over?” I stared at my friends.
The door we had earlier entered through suddenly locked. I spun around to see the key turn by itself and fly across the room to land in Langstone’s hand.
Under his scowl, his eyes gleamed. “You will not leave!” he ordered. “And besides…” he looked defiantly at us, “You won’t leave without Robert… will you?!”
We stared at Max. Robert had been the driving force in keeping Max going. I felt sure that Max wanted Robert more than a cure to his black veins. I couldn’t blame him. Robert was all Max had left in this world. But what would we do now? I couldn’t possibly expect Max to leave without his brother but then we couldn’t stay either.
Doctor Langstone turned his back on us and started to walk away toward the other door at the end of the room. His voice trailed out behind him in a wheezy, whispery flutter. “I can make your stay here comfortable… or… it’s up to you… but let me show you something first… follow me.” He reached out, stretching his charred arms at the door. It creaked open.
Max started to follow but Jude reached out and grabbed hold of his arm. “Max… we can’t stay here… we need to leave. I know you want your brother but… well… that puts all of us at risk if we stay.”
Max shrugged Jude’s hand away and said, “You go then… I’m not leaving without Robert.”
Running his fingers through his hair, Jude looked at us and said, “This was a mistake coming here… we should have just gone off on our own… we’ve walked straight into a load of shit! Come on, Max, you know it… I’m right.”
I couldn’t help but feel confused. What was Jude playing at now? He wouldn’t leave here without Robert, Doshia wouldn’t let him – why the change of plan?
Sticking her head in between Max and Jude, Raven looked stony-faced and said, “We can’t split up – we stay together. We’ll find a way to escape with Robert!”
“Are you fucking dumb?” sneered Jude. “Can’t you see what we’ve walked into here?” He lowered his voice to just above a whisper and checked over his shoulder at Doctor Langstone. “You are in danger… we have no idea what Langstone really has planned for us. I’d rather take my chances with the Cleaners than hang out here with fucking Guy Fawkes! I mean, look at him! The freak has been playing with fire way too much – one too many fucking bonfires!”
I looked back at Doctor Langstone. If Jude was just Jude, then I’d be running away from here as fast as I could with him, but suspecting that Jude was Doshia, I couldn’t trust his warnings – there had to be an ulterior motive, and for that, I was staying put – for now at least.
“He’s locked the door anyway,” argued Max, taking another step toward Doctor Langstone, who now waited for us at the end of the room. “We couldn’t leave even if we wanted to. He’s not just gonna let us go – is he?”
Jude angrily kicked out at a chair. The frustration across his face was evident. “Why did I agree to let you all come here?!” He threw his hands up to his face and closed his eyes.
“It wouldn’t have mattered whether you agreed or not,” I whispered, “I’m here to get rid of this drug… It’s all I want… although, I don’t think that’s what I’m going to get. But Max… he wants his brother. He is the only one out of us who has any family… well… family that’s worth having… worth fighting for. I don’t want to be the one to stand in his way.” I turned my back on Jude and walked slowly away toward Doctor Langstone. Whatever was going on insid
e Jude’s head, I knew that it had to be a safe bet to go against anything he suggested.
With Max and Raven opposed to leaving without Robert, Jude had no choice but to follow, as we left the room and entered a dark hallway with a rickety, old staircase.
We trailed behind Doctor Langstone as he led us up to the next floor. He turned to the left and continued to climb another staircase. Looking over my shoulder and down toward the ground floor, my heart jumped as Sylvia suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs. In the gloom she stood out in her white hospital gown. With her pale face covered in black veins, it looked like she had been scarred from a knife attack. I shuddered as she began to climb the creaking staircase. Not wanting her to be right behind me, I quickly followed the others until I had reached the top.
It was cold. I could feel a strong breeze blowing from underneath the door we had stopped in front of. Doctor Langstone held up the lantern. His face looked like it was on fire as the light danced flickering shadows across his seared skin. The landing creaked and groaned as the wind pummelled against the door we waited behind.
Parting his lips, Doctor Langstone’s voice, almost lost amongst the howling storm that rushed under the door and whistled along the landing, wheezed, “Watch your step… the floor is weak through here and what, with the wind, we don’t want anyone to take a nasty tumble now, do we?” He took hold of the handle and slowly turned it. The door, caught in a sudden violent gust, fought back. It pushed against Doctor Langstone’s hold almost slamming it shut in his face. Then another onslaught of wind ripped it from his grip. The door flung open, its hinges rattled and shook.
The landing was filled with a sudden roar as the wind forced its way through the doorway and into the hall. I felt myself stagger back. My hair swept up and whipped across my face. I watched as Max gripped hold of the doorframe, his blonde hair coiling and twisting like angry snakes.
As Doctor Langstone pushed forward, his dressing gown flying up and slapping back down against his legs, Max, followed by Raven, staggered out after him. Sylvia rushed by, almost knocking me flying. I watched as she disappeared around the corner.
I turned to Jude, who stood close behind me. He took me by the arm and shouted over the wind, “I’ve got you… just watch where you tread!” He urged me forward, out through the door and into the night.
I stared wide-eyed. We were standing on what was left of the third floor. As I looked up, I could only see the stormy night sky. Gone was the roof and the outer wall of the front of the building. The rain hit me like a thousand mosquitos biting my skin. I placed my feet carefully on the sodden floorboards. I could feel them bend underneath me with each step I took. There were large gaps in between each plank, and if it had been daylight, I would’ve been able to see down into the room below. Jude held onto me and we staggered together against the wind toward the front of the building. I gasped as I reached the edge. The sight of the ground below seemed to waver up and down as another gust of wind hit me.
Doctor Langstone swayed on the very edge of the floorboards. What little hair he had left rustled about in clumps on his burnt scalp.
Still holding the lantern, he held it up and pointed out across the dead trees. “There…!” he shouted.
I looked in the direction he was pointing. At first I had no idea what it was he was trying to show us. All I could see was the tops of trees and darkness. But then, as I allowed my eyes to travel a little further, I spotted what it was. Doctor Langstone had been right. That sinking feeling struck inside my stomach again. I stared out over the tops of the trees at the gathering fog around the perimeter of Cruor Pharma’s sister company. As far as my eye could see, it seemed that we were surrounded. The Cleaners had arrived. And they were waiting.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ben
I drifted in and out of what felt like a deep sleep. Only I wasn’t tucked up in some nice, warm bed. I was trudging along a dark, empty lane in the middle of nowhere, rain pounding my body, my clothes dripping wet, no longer able to soak up any more water. Instead it just ran down me in a torrent.
How far had I walked since Quint had last spoken to me? Had I killed anyone while Quint had me tied up inside myself? I looked down at my hands, heart thumping wildly, fearful they would be covered in someone’s blood. The tension in my limbs loosened a little as my hands revealed lightly tanned skin with no traces of death. My heart rate settled but sped up again as I realised that the rain could have washed away any blood stains. I could feel myself knot up inside. My eyes wandered down the length of my body franticly searching for blood. No, there was nothing. I let out a shaky sigh of relief. Yet that fear which tormented me wouldn’t leave. I was on edge. Something bad was going to happen, I could feel it. I could sense Quint’s mood. It was his emotions I was feeling. They seeped through me like poison, yet I couldn’t determine what exactly those feelings were. Was he angry? Out to kill just for the fun of it? What did he want? If it wasn’t anger, then what? Quint seemed to be on a mission. I was feeling his determination, could sense it through the way he had me pounding through the deluge of rain and wind. He wanted to get somewhere and he wasn’t wasting any time. The sudden memory of Kassidy broke Quint’s stride and I managed to stop.
“No time for rest, Ben,” snapped Quint, his voice echoing inside my head. “We’ve got a special lady to see, remember?”
The tension in my limbs came back and I pulled against Quint’s will to keep me moving. Using all my strength, I pushed my weight down, and standing solid, I said, “I won’t let you hurt her. I won’t let you kill Kassidy.”
“Who said I was gonna kill her? It might be you,” laughed Quint. “Or maybe it might be someone else that does it.”
Feeling panicked, I said, “What the fuck does that mean? Who else is going to kill her?”
Quint was silent for a moment and then he spoke up. “Well, let’s just have a quick think, shall we? The list is long… There’s Doctor Middleton… the Cleaners… that lovely police inspector, Cropper… Langstone… or perhaps one of her so-called friends who escaped with her. And… Sylvia Green could be a potential murderer.”
Turning my back on the onslaught of wind, I said, “I helped Sylvia Green escape. Why would she want to kill Kassidy? She’s just another one of your victims. If anything, Sylvia should want to pull together with Kassidy. They’re both stuck in the same fucked up nightmare thanks to you. And anyway, Sylvia’s locked up inside an asylum. She can’t reach Kassidy.” I paced back and forth waiting for Quint’s reply.
As the cloud that so often filled my head seemed to part allowing some light in, my mind’s eye watched myself standing in a red phone box. It was in the middle of nowhere and I could see myself dialling a number. I felt my heart jump as I heard myself asking for the release of Sylvia Green. My words sent chills right through me. I could hear quite clearly the whole conversation of me stating that Sylvia was well enough to be taken to Carden Police Station for questioning.
“What the fuck have you done?” I shouted, “Why did you make me do that?” But before I could say anything else, another memory seeped into my head. I was watching Kassidy and two of her friends, handcuffed and being placed into the back of a police van. There was fog swarming around bare trees and I seemed to be standing on top of a hill. I didn’t need to figure out what had happened. With my head now almost clear of Quint’s thoughts, my memories came flooding back. I had left Kassidy with Max and Raven by the railway tracks. I’d timed it just right as a train went past, leaving myself with Jude, stuck on the opposite side of the track to Kassidy. I had done it so as to give Kassidy a head start away from Jude.
I shuddered as a strong gust of wind hit me. Quint had fallen silent. Was that deliberate or was he helping me to remember? His silence always seemed to clear my head, allowing me some insight into my memories and what he’d been up to. Make the most of the quiet, I thought to myself. I wanted to remember, I needed to know what the fuck was going on. Jude came to the forefront of my mind. Kassi
dy had suspected that Jude was really Doshia. But why? I searched my memory. Did Quint let Jude leave? Why did he allow Jude to get arrested by the police? I wished I could remember the past – remember anything about Jude. But all my mind revealed was as far back as the last drug trial. As far as I could tell, Jude had turned up with the rest of the volunteers and I couldn’t remember if I had ever seen him before.
I felt frustrated that I couldn’t remember. There had been a conversation between Quint and Jude just before Jude had let himself get arrested. But that memory seemed hazy. I knew Quint was blocking it from me. And what about Sylvia? These recent events seemed well orchestrated. Quint must have seen the arrest of Kassidy, Max, and Raven coming. He knew it would only be a matter of time, what, with the police close behind, before they were caught. So for some reason Quint must have wanted Jude to stay with them. Why? I didn’t know. Quint couldn’t believe that Jude was Doshia. There was no way he would put Doshia with Kassidy unless the two were working together. The phone call he’d had me make to the asylum was made after their arrest. I could remember it quite clearly now. I had watched them leave in the police van and then cut down the hill to where a phone box stood. Quint knew that on Sylvia’s release she would be taken to Carden Police Station for questioning. That put all five together.
“Why have Sylvia released from the asylum? Why, after all this time? You could have done it sooner. I thought Doctor Middleton had no interest in her anymore. He didn’t see her as a threat to his work at Cruor Pharma. She was deemed as insane, another failed drug test volunteer. Yet you got me to make a phone call and she’s released, just like that.” I shook my head and silently cursed the haze inside my mind. “If she was of any use to Middleton, he would have got her out of there in a flash. So if she means nothing to him, why is she so important to you, Quint?”
Quint broke his silence and said, “Maybe I have kept you too blind. The cloud inside your head has been dark, I know, as it is me who puts it there, but… I’ll show you something.”
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