The Dark Corners Box Set

by Robert Scott-Norton

  Wonder how much of a commitment he’s making to you, Lisa thought, taking another look at Nina. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she hadn’t taken off yesterday’s makeup.

  “There’s some cleansing wipes in my room if you want to borrow some before you head out,” Lisa offered.

  Nina’s eyes widened. “Really. Oh, that’s great. I meant to ask last night, but you were already asleep.”

  “Wait, you didn’t come into my room, did you?” Lisa’s chest tightened. She left the bedroom door open for Jasper to wander out and get to the cat flap, not so a stranger could spy on her.

  “Oh no. I just heard a noise when I came back from the loo. I thought you called for help. But when I looked in on you, you were asleep.”

  “Right,” Lisa said, her tone betraying it was definitely not all right.

  “Have I done something wrong?” Nina was genuinely confused, looking from Lisa to Ellis then back again.

  “Ellis, this isn’t OK.”

  Ellis looked like he’d just been batted on the back of his head. “What just happened? What’s the problem?”

  “Your girlfriend’s been in my room.”

  “No, I haven’t. Honestly. I just opened the door a bit and made sure you were OK.”

  “Were you here the other night?” Lisa remembered the figure she’d seen leaving her room in a hurry. “That was you wasn’t it? This isn’t the first time you’ve been in my room. I can’t believe this.” Lisa face burned. She felt like a child again. How dare they put her in this position.

  Nina looked at Ellis for support. “I didn’t. I don’t know what she’s talking about.”

  Ellis nodded. “I know. She’s just a little—”

  “A little what?”

  “You’re over-reacting. Nothing happened.”

  “Someone was in my room last night. They’ve been in my room before. Your girlfriend—”

  “I’m not his girlfriend.”

  “—admitted checking up on me.”

  “You were crying in your sleep,” she said with a condescending tone that Lisa did not care for in the slightest.

  “I was not crying.”

  Ellis raised his arm, gesturing that Lisa should calm down. “To be fair, Lisa, it’s not that uncommon for you to be talking in your sleep. I’ve heard you before now. I just don’t like to say anything. I know how much you like your privacy.”

  “So, you should have told Nina not to come into my room.”

  Nina dropped her plate on the counter. “I’m going. I didn’t come here for a row.”

  “Then what did you come for? Fast track to a promotion?”

  Ellis’s eyes became piercing dots of coal in a face of stone. “That is way out of order. You’re being ridiculous, acting like a child. Who I choose to bring back home is none of your business. I’ve always respected your privacy and I expect the same thing in return. If that’s too much to ask, then I’ll have to start looking for somewhere else to live.”

  No. That would not be acceptable. Lisa forced herself to breathe, then she lowered her head and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”

  “Jeez, we’ve all got to work in the same office together. Why did you need to kick up a stink?”

  Lisa looked up and brushed her hair away from her face. If only it was as easy to brush away the shame she was feeling. “Ellis, I’m sorry. I’ll apologise when I see her at the office. It’s just—”

  “Just what?”

  “I’ve not been sleeping that well. I’m having bad dreams. She probably did hear me talking in my sleep.”

  “Maybe you should go the doctor.”

  “I don’t need to see the doctor. I just need to ease up on the caffeine.”

  “You need to do something. I don’t want to fall out with you.” And Ellis turned to leave but something caught his eye. He gestured to her neck. “That looks nasty. Did the cat do that to you?”

  She reached a hand to her neck and rubbed. It did feel like there was something there. “I don’t think so.”

  “It looks sore. There’s some anti-septic cream in the bathroom cabinet.” And then he left. She heard him hurry to the front door and speak to Nina before running back up the stairs. A minute later he was gone, and she was alone in the house. Well, alone apart from Jasper.

  She made her coffee and checked the time on the clock above the fire in the lounge. It said it was two fifteen. Batteries had died.

  Great. In her bedroom she pulled off the hoodie and stood in front of the floor mirror. Ellis was right, there was a mark there, three marks. Scratches. It wasn’t Jasper. He’d only scratched her a handful of times, always on her hands, and always whilst playing. He’d never try to hurt her on her neck, and the marks were too far apart for cat scratches and parallel all the way along their length.

  These were fingernails.

  9

  St Anns was a picturesque church in the middle of Ainsdale. Built over a hundred years ago in an intensive red brick, it had stood as the centre of the village for decades until the community expanded, leaving it a silent sentinel on the edge of the current habitations. Its modest tower was still high enough to reach over all the surrounding buildings and pigeons sheltered from the wind on the deep-set ledges around the tower’s windows.

  Judy parked and nodded at a middle-aged couple carrying flower displays heading for the back entrance.

  Malc was waiting by the porch and embraced her warmly.

  It had been weeks since they’d last met up. Like Seth, Malc was also a member of the mysterious occult organisation known as the Vigilance Society, but unlike Seth, Malc was still willing to see her. From what little she understood about Vigilance, they were a force for good, fighting against those that would use the occult to harm. But they operated under a strict code of secrecy, so much so that Malc had kept his association with them hidden from his wife, a contributing factor to the breakdown of his marriage.

  “Great to see you,” she said, and meant it.

  “You’re looking well.” A polite lie but she appreciated it all the same.

  “How’s Joe?”

  “Doing good. He had his last session with the counsellor last week. He’s making friends again.”

  “Are you getting enough support from the school?”

  “On the whole, they’ve been good. But, it’s tough. There are things Joe can’t talk about without things getting worse for him.”

  She could imagine that it would be difficult.

  Joe was Malc’s son and had been kidnapped by an infamous occultist called Adam Cowl, an experience that they were all still trying to process.

  Malc led Judy inside. It had been months since she’d been in a church. The last time had been for Phil’s funeral and despite not being a religious woman, she found the surroundings offered her some comfort.

  The pews had recently been replaced as part of a refurbishment and rows of comfortable seating had been arranged in readiness for the evening service. Bibles had already been placed on the seat of each chair, and an overpowering aroma of furniture polish hit her as they walked down the nave. That smell, with the remnants of the incense from the last service tickled her nose, and she resisted the urge to sneeze.

  Behind the altar, the couple she’d seen in the car park were replacing floral arrangements, whilst the sunlight streamed through the main window above them, hitting the crossing in front of the altar with a rich golden blaze.

  “How’s Georgia?” Judy asked. Malc’s wife had moved out of the vicarage and into a flat with Joe. When Malc’s secret life with the Vigilance Society had come out, it had proven one thing too much for her to handle.

  “She’s doing better.”

  “Good.”

  “What about you? What’s going on with you and Jemma?”

  “Jemma’s doing well in school. She seems to have made a few new friends. Keeping on top of her homework.”

  “And there’s not been anything strange happening in
your house?”

  “It’s been quiet.”

  “No doors?”

  She shook her head. “It’s hard to think that was only a few weeks ago. Do you think they’ve gone for good?”

  “The Adherents were excellent at knowing when to take a step back and regroup. Adam will be holed up somewhere, deciding on his next move. Now that he knows that Vigilance is looking for him, he will be even more cautious. Remember, the adherents kept off the radar for thirty years. He’s used to waiting for the right time and choosing his moments.”

  It bothered her that he was still out there with his followers. So far, there’d not been so much as a sniff they were seeking retribution for Judy being involved in thwarting their latest plans. If she had the funds, she’d leave the area for good, but her financial position didn’t make that easy. Perhaps if she could make a go of this new venture, she’d be better able to make a fresh start somewhere else. But that would also mean saying goodbye to friends like Malc who understood her situation. Who else could she talk to about all of this? Who else would protect her when the Adherents came after her?

  “And have you heard from Seth?”

  “I hear he’s doing well, but he’s still being as difficult as ever to work with.”

  “He’s not returning my messages. I worry that he’s in something bigger than he can handle.”

  “Vigilance are good people. They understand where he’s coming from and they will make sure he’s comfortable.”

  “But what’s he doing with them? Are they going after Adam and his Adherents?”

  Malc shrugged. “There’s more out there than one cult. More dangers that you don’t want to know about.”

  “I don’t see how any of it could be any worse than what I’ve already experienced.”

  “You went through a lot. I know that. If Vigilance were in a stronger position, Ravenmeols would never have happened. But now that they have Seth, they might have a chance to stop something like that from happening again.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Have you been in touch with the others?”

  He meant the others at Ravenmeols, the survivors. The ones that had seen all that the Adherents had thrown at them. They’d paid to attend a ghost hunt at Ravenmeols, an abandoned psychiatric hospital, but instead they’d witnessed blood, ritual, and murder. They’d made it through to the other side, but they were far from unscathed. Whilst Judy had the benefit of a friendship with Malc and Seth, people who knew what was happening, the survivors didn’t. All they understood was that a group of psychopaths had tried to hurt them.

  “We’ve reached the point in our relationships where they would sooner not keep in touch. It doesn’t help that they see me as someone still in contact with the man they partially blame for what happened.”

  “Understandable, I suppose.”

  “Unfair.”

  “Whatever helps them cope. I guess we should be grateful. They could make things very difficult.”

  “For whom? For Vigilance?”

  “They did help save them.”

  “They weren’t there. There was only you.” Then she realised what she’d said. Obviously, Malc was part of Vigilance. In a way, Vigilance had saved them.

  Malc suggested two seats in the middle of the church and Judy accepted. “It’s very peaceful here.”

  “Always is. And you’re welcome any time. You don’t need to be religious. No one will try to convert you.”

  “How do you do it? You’ve got your beliefs laid down for you in the bible. The last I heard, there was nothing in there about the Almost Realm and Almost Doors. Nothing about cultists and possessed paintings. How does this fit into your worldview?”

  “None of this conflicts the bible. Just because it doesn’t mention these things, it doesn’t mean I can’t experience them. There are a lot of things I have to deal with daily that aren’t covered by the bible.”

  “You’ve got to admit, it’s an unusual position to find yourself in.”

  He shrugged. “I wouldn’t change anything, though.”

  Except perhaps the relationship with Georgia. I’m sure you’d change that if you could, she thought.

  He tried to smile, but it was an effort and she wondered whether he was thinking along similar lines to herself.

  “Why did you want to see me?” he asked. “I don’t wish to put you off coming here, but when you called me earlier, I got the sense that there was more going on than you wanted to say on the phone.”

  She shuffled on her seat and considered how best to broach the subject. It’s just advice, you’re not asking him for anything more than advice.

  “What’s up? You know I’ll help with whatever I can.”

  “Something unusual is happening with my sister-in-law. I went around to her house a couple of nights ago and sensed a presence.”

  Malc leaned in. The smile faded. “What kind of presence?”

  “It was belligerent. It wasn’t happy that I was there.”

  “How did it show itself?”

  “It didn’t. I was alone for only a few moments, but during those moments, I wasn’t actually alone. Nothing visible. Just a feeling.”

  “You think it was a spirit? A shadowman?”

  She shook her head. “No. Not a shadowman. It was curious. It felt like it was checking me out. Seeing who this different person was in her house.”

  “Her house? You think this entity lived in your sister-in-law’s house previously?”

  “I don’t know. Possibly. There was definitely a sense of entitlement, like it belonged there when I didn’t.”

  “Did you talk to your sister-in-law about it?”

  “Not then. Not that evening. I was surprised, to be honest. It had been a stressful night, and I was tired. I didn’t know if what I was feeling was real or just a result of tiredness.”

  “But you’ve changed your mind.”

  Judy slowly nodded. “Lisa spoke to me the next day. She’s been worried about someone coming into her room at night.”

  “You think it’s this entity?”

  “I’m concerned that it might be.”

  “Does she live with anyone else?”

  “A guy called Ellis. They’re housemates.”

  “Could it be him?”

  “She doesn’t think so.”

  “Why has she spoken to you about it? Does she know about—”

  “My abilities?”

  “I didn’t want to put words into your mouth, but yeah.”

  Judy brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. Her abilities? What even were her abilities? “Malc, I feel out of my depth here. Lisa knows some of what happened with Adam. Jemma doesn’t seem to know when to keep her ideas to herself.”

  “That must be tricky for you.”

  “How does Seth manage this?”

  “That’s he’s a medium? He’s never tried to hide it. It would be difficult to keep quiet about it and make a living from it at the same time. But he’s cautious about who he shares that with. The internet is a great place to advertise. Only people looking for people with his abilities will find him.”

  “And it never caused trouble with his parents?”

  “They had his sister to deal with. Seth grew up under their radar. They noticed nothing different about him, and he didn’t tell them.”

  “And now?”

  “Seth doesn’t tell me much about it. I saw his dad after he got discharged from hospital. He asked me how things were going with Seth and his thing. He knows. No doubt about it. And I don’t think they are particularly bothered.” Malc lent back in his chair. He looked older than when she’d last seen him. These last few months hadn’t been easy on him. The stresses of dealing with Adam and the Adherents would have been enough for most people, but Malc still had his congregation to consider. She suspected that it couldn’t have been much fun knowing how small-minded some church goers could be, with his wife leaving him. Tongues would have wagged. “Seth will be OK, as will his parents. Bu
t, what about you? I’m getting the sense that you’re not about to let this thing with your sister-in-law lie.”

  “How can I? She’s asked for help, and I don’t know who else to turn to.”

  Malc stayed quiet for a moment. She looked at him for some reassurance that she wasn’t crazy in contemplating this.

  “If you want my advice, which I know you don’t, you’d do better to keep out of it. If there is an entity and you can sense it means you harm, tread warily. You don’t know how strong it might be.”

  “She’s family. How can I keep out of it?”

  “You should at least be careful.”

  “We’re talking about one entity.” And as she said the words, she meant it. She’d taken on far worse and survived. How hard could it be to investigate? “If there is any trouble, I’ll call you.”

  “Yes, you must.”

  “But in the meantime, I don’t suppose you can spare some holy water?”

  10

  The morning was long and dragged on for at least a week. Lisa could barely keep her eyes open as she slaved over her computer, trying to find a new way to promote double-glazing for one of their regular, albeit lower-paying clients. Nina had kept to her own side of the office and Lisa timed her coffee breaks to make sure there would be no awkward encounters in the kitchen area. Ellis had glanced in her direction a few times but hadn’t yet stopped by. If he didn’t come over by the end of the day, she’d have to go and break the ice or that evening would be even more awkward.

  Lisa had tried applying some foundation to conceal the scratches on her neck, but that experiment hadn’t been completely successful. A light scarf had been the only option and, so far, no one had noticed nor commented on it if they had.

  At lunch, she left the office, not stopping to chat to anyone, and drove over to her parents’ house. Her dad’s car wasn’t up the driveway. Good, as she wasn’t ready to speak to him.