The kitchens smelled as bad as the other rooms they’d been in. The equipment had been mostly left in place. Two great industrial oven units were freestanding in the heart of the tiled area. Fridges, and stainless steel cupboards formed maddening reflective surfaces that their torches delighted in catching. The back door was locked, but it didn't look sturdy. There was no sign that anyone had tried to reinforce the door lock or the frame. He raised his foot and gave a tentative kick at the lock. The wooden frame jolted but held firm.
“Here, try this,” Judy said, holding up a key for him to use.
“Where?”
“On the shelf, under these tins,” Judy replied dryly. “Don’t you keep a spare in your house?”
Seth didn’t feel the need to tell her he’d not lived in a house for over five years.
“Good find,” he said, and tried the key. Seth was surprised when it fitted perfectly and he was able to pull the door toward him.
The rain lashed down onto the cobbles, forming small rivers where the surface wasn’t level. The drains wouldn’t have been cleared for years and there was evidence that the courtyard might be a significant source of flooding issues.
Seth led the way outside to the garden set at one side of the courtyard. The rain soaked him within seconds and he shivered from the abrupt change in temperature. Judy followed, cursing at the weather, then turned to face the main building and panned the camera slowly from left to right.
“Anything?” Seth asked, peering at the image on the screen. The rain intensified, and he didn't want to be out here for any longer than necessary. Although there were a few specks of red appearing on the screen, it was difficult to determine whether they were anything of consequence.
“Do you think those shadow creatures give off heat?” she asked.
“I don’t think so,” Seth replied although he’d never tried pointing a camera at an entity before.
The screen abruptly went dark and Judy fiddled again with the buttons.
“Auto shutoff?” Seth suggested, but nothing Judy could do would get the camera to come back on again. Seth’s torch flared then died. Judy looked concerned. “What’s it mean?”
“The doors can cause electrical interference. I’m amazed they lasted this long.”
Without needing to remind each other, they both reached for their phones at the same time. Seth’s screen appeared briefly then shut down. He could tell from Judy’s expression that she was having similar difficulty.
“Phone’s dead,” she confirmed.
“We need to get you out of here. You can get to a phone box, get through to directory enquiries. Ask to be put through to the vicarage on Southport Road, Ainsdale. Tell Malc I need him here.”
"I can't leave you on your own. I'm not going anywhere."
"One of us needs to find Johnny." And Seth didn't want that to be Judy. It might even make things simpler if she wasn't around for him to look after.
"Johnny can look after himself. It's his fault we're in this mess."
"It's not just Johnny I'm worried about. I want to keep an eye on the disturbances."
"You'll get yourself hurt, or ambushed by whatever trapped the others on the Correction Floor."
"I'll be careful." And that was a promise he intended to keep. He was concerned about Johnny: not about his wellbeing, but as to what other damage he could do unattended. He didn't think another visit to the Correction Floor without Malc's help was a smart move but he wouldn't put it past Johnny to try. His cluelessness as to what was going on was maddening.
Judy nodded, admitting this was an argument she would not win. “OK,” she said and headed for her car.
The gates were sealed. Seth remembered Johnny had locked them and now he had a bite of doubt. He jogged over to them and took in the thick chain and padlock linking them through a heavy set central post. He fished out the keys he'd taken from Johnny and sifted through them for any likely candidates.
A car engine came from behind and Judy drove up, stopping a few metres behind him, left the car idling and stepped out.
“What's the problem?”
“Johnny locked up. I’m trying to find the right key.” But after a few more failed attempts he looked up at Judy. “I don't think it's here.”
“It must be.”
“Trust me, it's not. None of these fit. Shit.” He seized the chain and yanked it uselessly.
“Maybe I can drive through them. Force them open.”
“That central post is four-inch steel. Drive through that and you’ll smash your engine and still not get out.”
“A ladder then. There’s got to be ladders in here somewhere.”
Seth paused, reflecting. Had they passed any on their way outside? “I'm not sure climbing over that is a great idea.”
He shone a torch up at the top of the gates. Thick coiled barbed wire looped over and over in a tangle of vicious barbs. It wouldn’t be impossible, but it would make things trickier than they should. The chains were thick but a decent pair of bolt cutters would get through them.
“We need to go back inside. We’re not getting anywhere out here.”
Seth ran to the kitchen entrance, past caring about the rain. He didn't think it was possible to get any wetter.
“Where are you going?” Judy called.
“To find some tools.” He looked at Judy, her eyes were alarmed, glistening. “Come on, we’re safer together.”
She turned the ignition off and slammed the door shut and ran back with him towards the kitchen. He took her hand and felt her trembling.
“Don't worry,” he said, “nothing can hurt us.”
“Do you hear that?”
Judy’s eyes had a glazed over look about them and before Seth could stop her, she was rushing over to the outbuilding nearest the gates.
“There’s nothing there.”
“You’re wrong. There’s a girl. She’s crying out for someone to help her.”
17
“Don’t,” Seth called, not wanting to get any closer to the outbuilding than he had to.
“I hear her,” Judy said, as she walked to the small building’s door. Seth glanced at the doorway and shook his head quickly.
“There won’t be anything in there. I wouldn’t bother.”
“How can you know if we haven’t even looked?” And she went to try the door anyway, ignoring Seth’s objections.
Seth shivered. He couldn’t help. He’d been here once before, a long time ago. But the memories still felt recent and the nightmares all too real.
“It’s locked,” Judy called.
Seth grabbed her and dragged her away. She yelped in shock at the roughness of his touch. "Keep away from there." And now, he couldn't bear to look at her face, the flash of fear raw from her startled face hurt him.
She yanked her arm free. "What the hell?"
Don‘t be angry. He needed her to stay calm and together. There was no room for messing up now.
"There's nothing in there."
"And you'd know that how?"
"What did you hear?"
“A girl. She was crying.” Judy sniffed, then wiped some of the rain from her cheeks. She glanced at Seth. “There was something else. She said your name.”
"Don't let it get inside your head."
"I don't—"
But she knew. The hospital was needling under their skins. He could feel it too. At first, gently, like the sigh of a lover, but as the night had worn on and they'd been exposed to increasingly extreme events, the mental intrusions had become far worse. And if they stayed here long enough, Seth thought, what might it do to them then?
"I heard a voice. A cry. I don't know." Judy shook her head, clearing away the cobwebs. "I don't like this."
"Good. Remember that. Don't let it seduce you. It wants you to be its puppet. You've got to fight it."
From the hurt expression on her face, Seth could see that his words had had the desired effect. She drew herself up straighter, but still, this was a shadow
of the confident woman he'd met out here only a few hours ago.
He took her hand, noticing how cold her skin was, and then squeezed. "We'll get out of this. We'll get the others out too. Trust me."
She nodded and a thin smile drifted over her lips before dying.
Great words, Seth. Wonderful stirring stuff. Now all I have to do is come good on my promise.
His eyes gazed over the other vehicles in the car park and he wondered whether any of those might be tough enough to smash through the gates. The white van that Johnny had arrived in might be the sturdiest of the lot. Worth a try. Quickly, he checked the keys Johnny had given him and saw that there was indeed a van key on there.
He ran across the car park, his feet getting wet as they splashed through the spreading puddles.
“Hey, wait for me.” More footsteps as Judy chased after him.
But before he could reach the van, there was that familiar nudging at his stomach. He’d learnt to trust that sensation and slowed to a walk. Still several feet away from the van, he checked out the vehicle warily, concerned that Charlie was warning him against it.
“What’s the matter?” Judy asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“What’s not to be sure about?” And Judy strode up to the van, going to the passenger door and trying its handle. Seth had an urge to grab her and pull her away from the van, but Judy had noticed a problem. “I think you should look at this.” She’d taken a step back and turned her head, inviting Seth to come and look at her discovery.
Seth obliged.
“Do you see that?” And when Seth shook his head, Judy pointed out the unusual stain on the edge of the frame where the side door slid open for access. The stain could have been anything. It could have been muddy water that had splashed up from a pothole, but Seth suspected it was something far more insidious. He hadn’t noticed it earlier, and he was kicking himself for that mistake. Likewise, Charlie hadn’t reacted negatively towards the van earlier, but Charlie couldn‘t always be trusted. Earlier, his hitcher had been keen for Seth not to come to Ravenmeols, but since he’d arrived, Charlie had been subdued, like it was waiting to see what might happen tonight. Maybe the hospital was affecting him as well.
Seth unlocked the van and slid open the door. It was as murky as the rear of any van. Rags and bags and boxes. A small tool chest caught his eye, and he reached to grab it when Judy put her hand on his sleeve and pulled it back.
“Look,” she said.
She was pointing at a wide cardboard box tucked to the right of the opening. Seth tracked the stain they’d noted on the door frame along the chassis and leading to the corner of the box that was dark and saturated with whatever the substance was.
Carefully, Seth slid the box towards the opening where they’d both be able to see inside, then he lifted the flaps and folded them back down against the sides. They both stared in.
“Holy shit,” Judy exclaimed. “What the hell is that?”
A severed goat’s head peered back up at them from the box. The stain belonged to the blood that had in turn once belonged inside the head of this animal. But, Seth was less concerned with the goat’s head than he was with the other items in the box. Gingerly, he picked through them, making a mental note of the contents at the same time as addressing the question of why they might belong in Johnny’s possession.
There were several candles, dark coloured and coarse in texture like they’d been homemade. Some had already been partly burnt through and the wax had drizzled down the sides to form a skin of broken veins. A number of glass bottles, all partially filled with liquids, took up another side of the box. Seth lifted one, unscrewed it, sniffed it, and crammed it back. He didn’t know what it was but it smelt vile and potent. There was one other thing that Seth was interested in and he felt a fleeting sense of unease from Charlie as his fingers reached out to touch it.
A book.
Bound in leather or something like leather, old though—the size of an A5 notebook. About one hundred pages long, the paper felt rough on its edges as he flicked through, and there was a stink of incense or spice he couldn’t quite recognise.
The smell reminded him of Kelly and her boyfriend.
Seth trembled at the memory and almost fell but Judy grasped him under the arms and settled him back against the side of the van. She took the book from Seth’s hands.
“What is it?” she said, concerned.
“It’s Johnny’s,” Seth replied. “I think he and his father knew all along what they wanted to do tonight. This is part of his kit.”
She raised an eyebrow even as she continued flicking through the book. Seth recognised the hand-inked pages and depictions of rituals and practises. He’d seen one of these before, a long time ago and had hoped to not come across one again.
“It’s the Book of the Fourth. It’s a book of occult rituals written by a man called Adam Croft. They’re used by a cult called the Adherents of the Fourth.”
She dropped the book into Seth’s hands as if the book were burning her hands. “The Adherents? The same cult we’ve been hearing about this evening?”
Seth nodded. “Yes,” he said as he slipped the book into his satchel.
“And you didn’t think it necessary to share this information with the group earlier?”
“I didn’t know there would be a copy of the book in Johnny’s van,” Seth countered.
“You‘re suggesting Johnny is one of these Adherents?”
“I can’t think of any other reason for him to have these objects here.”
“And the Adherents are dangerous. You said they were here when the hospital was closing down. That people died.”
“Yes. They did, and it’s widely thought the Adherents were behind that.”
“Widely thought by whom? I’ve never heard of them before tonight.”
“You‘ve not been mixing in the right circles.” Seth scratched the back of his neck. He was having the most unpleasant feeling of being watched. They were too exposed out here. If they had to run, they had limited options.
But Judy wasn‘t impressed by Seth‘s flippant attitude. She eyed him up, readied herself for the fight. “Johnny’s been lying to us the entire evening. He knew this place was dangerous.”
“Yes.”
“And you knew this place was dangerous as well.” There was hurt in her eyes. “Why did you let us go in there?”
Seth considered lying to her like he’d done throughout the evening. It would be easier if he just continued with the story that he was a medium paid to come along and help with the ghost hunt and whilst that might be true, it wasn’t the whole truth. Not anymore. Not now they’d found this.
“I think they’ve sought us out.”
“Who?”
“Roy Oswald and Johnny. They knew Ravenmeols was important to the Adherents, and they wanted to pull a group of us together to stir up some activity.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know. No one has heard from the Adherents for almost twenty years. We assumed they’d disbanded after what happened here.”
“It looks like your hopes were a little premature.”
“Yeah.” Seth sighed. He glanced up at the attic windows again and tried not to think about what could be happening to the people trapped up there. If Johnny was orchestrating this whole situation to whip up activity, then he had a ritual in mind. “The rest of the group are safe for now.”
“You can’t know that.”
“OK, I’m guessing, but let’s assume that Johnny is in control of what’s happening, and that would make sense. He’s decided where each vigil was to be held and in what order. And let’s assume that like you, and me, and Glenda, that our presence here isn’t random—we were chosen—then that leads to us being valuable in some fashion.”
Judy looked sceptical, but she was frowning and listening, keeping up with Seth’s logic.
Seth went on, “So, it stands to reason that we haven’t just been brought her
e to be killed. We’re wanted for something else. The others are captive, but I’m guessing they will still be OK.”
“But for how long? He can’t keep them there forever. They have family, they’re going to be reported missing.”
Seth checked his watch. 11:40. “No one will raise the alarm until dawn. I think Johnny’s got a good eight hours before there’s any danger of that. And if he needs us all, then it’s even more critical that he doesn’t have us all. We need to get you out of here.”
Judy shook her head. “No chance. He’s not going to just let the others go because he can’t find me. They’ll report him to the police.”
It wouldn’t get to that stage. Seth considered and had to agree with Judy. “OK. You’re right. We can’t wait. We’ve got to get them out somehow.” He looked again through the back of the van, looking for something that would help them get past the gates. The tool chest had a few basics in there, but no chain cutters or metal saws that could break that chain.
“We’re going to have to go back inside,” he said finally. He passed her a crowbar from the chest and he took out a weighty claw hammer.
She balanced the crowbar, swung it gently through the air. “Can we break the gate chains with it?”
“No chance. Those chains are too thick. But, it should get you back into the Delinquents' Corridor. And failing that, you can always use it to defend yourself.” She didn‘t look convinced. “We’re not splitting up. There’s one of him and two of us. And he doesn’t yet know we’re onto him.” She nodded, then forced a determined smile on her face, only to Seth it appeared as more of a grimace. Judy was full of surprises. Everything he’d told her tonight, she’d taken in her stride. Out of the group, he realised there was no one else he’d sooner have by his side.
Back inside the dry kitchen, Seth felt colder than he had outside. Judy shivered beside him, her hair damp and flat with water dripping down her forehead. She wiped what she could aside with her sleeve before propping open the back door with a fire extinguisher she found on the wall.
The Dark Corners Box Set Page 11