The Creator (Scarrett & Kramer Book 1)

by Neil Carstairs

  ‘They’re dead,’ Delta One said after a beat of hesitation.

  ‘Oh, my God.’ Madeline took a half step back.

  ‘We need to find another way out of here,’ Kramer said. ‘We don’t want to hurt the children by forcing our way past them.’

  ‘You’re the American who was here yesterday,’ Madeline said.

  ‘Is there another way out?’ Kramer ignored Madeline.

  ‘Yes. Why are they acting like this?’

  ‘The toxins have put some kind of chemical imbalance into their brains,’ Delta One lied.

  ‘Could they be a danger to us?’

  ‘We’d rather not find out,’ Kramer said.

  ‘We can go this way,’ Madeline moved between Kramer and Delta Three.

  The social worker led them along a narrow corridor that took a left and a right turn. It ended at a glass panelled door that let out onto a gravel path. Madeline led them forward onto an area of grass that ran flat to the woodland where Kramer and Ben had hidden. They were a dozen yards across the grass when they heard the door crash back on its hinges. The children stormed out. No longer emotionless they moved with a speed that frightened Kramer.

  ‘Run!’ Delta One shouted.

  He grabbed Devon’s hand and pulled her along. Delta Five lifted Connor from his feet and the group sprinted towards the woodland. After twenty yards Kramer remembered Madeline and looked back. The social worker seemed caught between running and waiting to help the children. Kramer ran back a half dozen steps. The kids came closer and those black eyes scared Kramer. The depth they held seemed limitless, as did the hate on the faces of the children. ‘Madeline!’ Kramer called to her. ‘Run!’

  Madeline recognised the danger. The kids had grabbed weapons; a couple of lamp stands, umbrellas, a hammer and three golf clubs. They came on. Kramer took another step closer to Madeline and drew her gun as she said, ‘Run!’

  The first boy to reach Madeline carried a golf club. Kramer aimed but couldn’t pull the trigger. He stood too close to the social worker and he was a kid. How could Kramer shoot a boy down? The golf club swung in a short, vicious arc and hit Madeline in the back of the head. Her eyes widened in shock and she took one involuntary pace forward. Two more children, a girl of fifteen and a boy of fourteen struck out with a knife and a lamp stand. They didn’t shout or scream. The only sound the children made came from the force they put into the blows. The whack and slap of weapons hitting Madeline sickened Kramer. The social worker disappeared under a scrum of bodies. Blood splashed up and covered the kids. It painted them like nightmare clowns.

  One boy rose, his grin wreathed in a smear of red. He held a knife and he came for Kramer. She watched him in the vain hope he would turn away. She watched him close on her like a lion upon its prey. Kramer wanted him to stop and when he didn’t she shot him in the face.

  The gunshot echoed back from the house. The children stopped their mutilation of Madeline and looked up. They stared hard at Kramer and then at the body of their friend. They started laughing. A girl came next. She carried no weapon other than her hands. Her fingers twisted claws that dripped Madeline’s flesh and blood to the grass. Kramer almost vomited. She killed the girl with one shot to the chest. Kramer stared hard at the body. She tried to see the girl as an adult, or at least as close as possible, but failed. Tears began to fill her eyes as she realised what she had done.

  ‘Jo!’ A hand grabbed her shirt and pulled Kramer back. Delta One forced her to turn and propelled Kramer towards the tree line where Five waited. The others had moved on into the woodland. As she pushed into the perimeter of the undergrowth Kramer looked back. The children were coming again. They left behind a bloody smear of meat and bone upon the grass that had once been Madeline Fall.

  As Kramer stood under the low branches of the trees Delta Five fired a short burst from his MP5. He aimed above the heads of the children. For a moment they hesitated, frightened by the noise, until some inner force lifted them to their feet and they came on. Five looked at Delta One and said, ‘They’re kids.’

  ‘I know,’ One said.

  The two men stepped back into the woodland. They followed a path of crushed vegetation until they reached the others waited. Delta Three, Natalie and Kramer stood around Devon and Connor, ready to protect them from any danger.

  Taking a breath, Delta One said, ‘If we move fast enough we’ll lose them.’

  ‘We’re heading for the village?’ Kramer asked.

  ‘Yes, we can link up with the others when we get there.’

  ‘Have you checked your phone for connection?’ Kramer asked.

  Delta One stopped as he looked at the phone’s screen. ‘Signal’s back,’ he said.

  He speed dialled a contact and listened to the ringing tone with mounting concern.

  ***

  Ben huddled behind the boundary wall of the church grounds. An eerie silence lay over the land. A stillness that seemed to turn trees to unmoving statues despite the gusting wind. Delta Two and Delta Six were on his left, Emily and Jane on his right. The church, its grey stone seeming to grow darker with every passing minute, formed an imposing shape against the blue of a cloudless sky. The wall came to about chest height if Ben had been upright. Squatting on the narrow grass verge gave Ben a chance to peer over the uneven top of the wall. He saw no movement at the church, and heard no sounds from within.

  Delta Two had a look as well before he said, ‘So are we sitting here like muppets or going in?’

  ‘Going in, I guess,’ Ben said, wishing the British soldier wasn’t so gung-ho.

  ‘Stay here, keep your eyes open. Any threat either kill it or run,’ Delta Two said to Six. He and Ben moved along the road to the nearest gate.

  Two had no concerns about danger. He set off up the gravel path leaving Ben in his wake to reach the oak door of the south transept. Delta Two took up a position to the left of the door, Ben to the right. Ben watched the soldier take a stun grenade from his webbing. Two pointed at Ben and said, ‘Get one ready.’

  Ben took a grenade from the webbing he now wore. He watched Delta Two prime his before Two said, ‘Wait for mine to detonate, then get yours in as well. When we go in I’ll cover left, you cover right.’

  Ben nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Now they were at the church he could hear sounds from within. Voices maybe? Definitely the sound of claws on stone and a nerve stretching noise like the howl of an out of tune choir.

  Two stepped out. He threw the stun grenade in a smooth motion. Ben primed his grenade as the first blasted out a wall of light and sound. He copied Delta Two’s throw and pressed his body against the rough stone wall. When the flash-bang detonated Ben followed Delta Two into the smoky world of the church.

  Delta Two moved left into the centre of the nave as Ben ducked to the right towards the narthex. Nothing moved. Ben glanced over his shoulder. Delta Two had walked the length of the nave and now came back. Ben waited. He scanned every corner of the church. He expected to see movement but saw just stone and shadows.

  Delta Two stopped just short of the well. Ben heard a sound. The same one he that had reached him when he stood outside the church. Voices whispered. Ben edged forwards. He faced Delta Two across the lip of the well. Two looked down first. He swore and pulled a grenade from his belt. Ben risked a quick peek as Delta Two tossed the grenade into the well. The mass of bodies that clustered in the dark pit writhed like a nest of vipers. Ben saw some details in the split second he looked down. Claws, tusks and fangs, scales and long, whip-like tails. And eyes. Eyes that burned with a crimson red and wanted to feed upon him.

  Ben turned and ducked behind a pillar. The explosion sent a plume of body parts up into the roof space of the church. The screams of the dying creatures tore at Ben’s nerves. He stepped out from behind the pillar. Delta Two already stood at the well head. He fired down into the hole. Ben checked for other threats. He saw no sign of Scieppend. Had the demon left the church? He thought of Emily and Jane outside.


  Delta Two stopped firing. He looked up at Ben and said, ‘There’s still movement down there.’

  ‘We need to find Scieppend,’ Ben said. ‘That’s the only way to end this.’

  ‘So where is it?’ Two asked.

  They got their answer when the church bells began to toll.

  ***

  Devon held Connor’s hand as they ducked beneath low hanging branches. The woodland seemed to conspire against them. It filled the path ahead with vegetation that resisted their every step. Devon guessed this was nature joining in with the evil that hunted them. She came to a halt and watched Delta One and Kramer tried to find a way through the trees. Behind her Natalie and the other two Delta soldiers set up a defensive line.

  Connor gave her hand a tug. She looked at him and tried to smile in reassurance. He surprised her when he leant close to her and whispered, ‘I need to leave.’

  Devon frowned. ‘Leave?’

  ‘On my own.’

  ‘No.’ She clutched his hand tighter in fear. ‘It’s too dangerous.’

  ‘Mum,’ Connor said. ‘I have to.’

  Devon glanced at the soldiers. They concentrated on the woodland around them. She could hear movement out there. The sound of the children as they pursued the adults. Devon knew the murderous kids would be here soon. She saw Delta Three and Five go down on one knee with MP5s ready. Natalie stood a little behind them. She felt Connor try to free his hand and she said, ‘I’m coming with you.’

  ‘No,’ Connor echoed her words from a few moments earlier. ‘It’s too dangerous.’

  ‘I’m your mother,’ Devon said. ‘I love you and I’m coming with you.’

  Connor’s dark eyes filled with tears for a moment. As the first of the children emerged from the undergrowth he said, ‘Now.’

  They were children but their eyes were midnight black. Delta Three pushed their size out of his mind. He saw targets carrying weapons intent on killing him and his team.

  He fired.

  The high-velocity rounds tore through the four leading kids. Blood and flesh rained down with leaves and branches as Delta Five joined in. The children died in the same silence that had haunted all their movements in the last few minutes. The soldiers ceased firing. Gunfire echoed back to them. Delta Three turned away and puked into the bushes. None of the others blamed him.

  Natalie wiped her eyes. She blamed the gun smoke on her tears. She walked away to stand next to Kramer and stare at the gnarled back of a tree. The group took a few minutes to recover. No-one spoke because there were no words. Finally, Delta One said, ‘Okay, time to move on. Three, you lead.’

  Delta Three moved to the front of the party and pushed into the vegetation. Natalie glanced back and felt her skin freeze. She did a quick check. No, they weren’t in front of her. She stepped into the clearing again, deliberately keeping her eyes up from the ground. She heard Delta One say, ‘Natalie, we’re moving out.’

  ‘They’re gone,’ she said.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Connor and his mother. They’re gone.’

  That brought everyone back. Delta One summed it all up. ‘Oh, fuck,’ he said.

  ‘Did they run?’ Kramer asked.

  ‘I didn’t see them go,’ Natalie said with a gesture towards the dead children. ‘I had my eyes closed.’

  ‘Connor!’ Kramer shouted. ‘Devon!’

  Her voiced echoed back. There was no reply.

  Delta Five pointed to a break in the foliage and said, ‘They must have gone this way.’

  ‘That’s not the best way to the village,’ Delta One said. ‘We’ll split up. Natalie, you and Three go after Connor and Devon. The rest of us will head up into the village to try and find the rest of the team. You’re bound to leave the woods at some point. When you do, work your way back and we’ll rendezvous at the church.’

  As Natalie and Delta Three vanished into the undergrowth Delta One took point. He pushed on hard now after the delays. He kept Kramer behind him and Delta Five at the rear. They kept a regular check that they hadn’t missed any of the possessed children still hunting them.

  ***

  Natalie led Delta Three on a sprint through the woodland. Vegetation and branches swept past her eyes as she jogged down the narrow trail. Sunlight burst through the canopy and illuminated the path with bright beams. Her feet moved on instinct, finding the right places to land as she ran. She heard Delta Three close behind, his footfalls heavier and his breathing harsh.

  A thick tree branch appeared ahead, she ducked it and followed the curve of the path. Through the trees, she caught a glimpse of open farmland. Grass, cows and a distant hedgerow but still no sign of Connor and his mother. Had they taken another route?

  Something swung towards her. She saw a narrow shaft and a bulbous head in the instant before her brain said danger and she dipped beneath it. She glimpsed a figure in jeans and a sweatshirt. Natalie’s feet slipped and she tumbled to the ground. As she fell she heard the wet thud of impact and as she rolled she saw Delta Three falling.

  The kid who had hit him turned as he pulled the gold club back behind him. He came for Natalie with dead black eyes and a twisted grin. She clawed her Sig-Sauer out of its holster and thrust it at the kid. He looked about sixteen and big for his age. Strong as well as the golf club set at the arc of its swing. Natalie remembered the gunman at the cabin. She’d fired too soon with all her training forgotten and let the guy get the upper hand. If it hadn’t been for Delta Five and his rifle she’d be dead and gone.

  The kid skipped forward. She saw his muscles contract. Natalie ignored his eyes as she breathed out. She aimed into the mass of his body and fired twice. The shock stopped him. The golf club lifted above his head as his legs stumbled. Natalie shot him again, a little high this time as the round ripped through his neck and he fell in a welter of blood.

  Natalie ignored the boy as she climbed to her feet. Delta Three lay spread-eagled on his back. Natalie knelt next to him. The head of the golf club had left a depression in his forehead deep enough for both of Natalie’s thumbs to fit into. Natalie swallowed the bile that filled her throat. She rested back on her haunches and watched as his chest stopped moving. The woodland returned to silence. No birds sang. Nothing moved. With heavy hands, Natalie took Delta Three’s MP5 and a sling of spare magazines.

  Back on her feet, she stepped over the body of the boy. She walked at first, her legs heavy. Then she heard the church bells toll and knew she needed to run.

  ***

  They came out onto the road, from dark to light, and for a moment Joanne Kramer became disoriented. She stood with her hands over her eyes and wished she was anywhere else but outside the village of Darlford.

  Delta One gave them no chance of respite. Kramer heard his snarled order to move out. She followed Delta Five as they trailed One along the narrow country lane. Hedgerows clustered close, leaving only a view ahead of tarmac road. Kramer fixed her eyes on Delta Five’s broad shoulders as she pushed all thought of Ben from her mind. She needed to be ready for whatever they would find in Darlford. If the children in the home could be possessed then could the villagers?

  Delta One held up one hand. They stopped, still in line with maybe five metres separating each of them. The group had reached the outskirts of the village. Rows of cottages began on either side of the road with thatched roofs and painted walls. They could have come straight off the lid of a biscuit box. On any other day Kramer may have thought it a beautiful setting. Not today.

  ‘There’s the other camper van,’ Delta Five said. He pointed ahead to the pub.

  Delta Five took them forward at walking pace. As their angle changed Kramer saw the first body. It lay in the pub car park next to the camper. Delta One stopped them again and Five went ahead alone. He crossed the road, gun braced to his shoulder. Kramer could see two more bodies over there. She watched Five as he checked the scene and confirmed the deaths. He came back at a jog and Kramer moved up alongside Delta One to hear the report.

>   ‘It’s Delta Four,’ Five said. ‘Plus two civilians, one male and one female. Looks like the male was armed with a shotgun and the female with a knife.’

  ‘You think they killed Four?’ Delta One asked.

  ‘Looks like he’s got a stab wound in the thigh. There’s a lot of blood so it’s likely his artery got cut.’

  ‘No sign of the others?’

  ‘No, but his personal weapon’s gone.’

  Delta One looked down the road into the village. ‘We’ll follow the road, see if we can spot them. I don’t want to get involved in a house to house search.’

  ‘Try the church first,’ Kramer said. ‘I think that’s the centre of everything.’

  Delta One nodded and said to Five, ‘Your backup rifle’s in the VW. Get it now and give Captain Kramer your MP5. That’ll give us some extra fire power.’

  Five passed his sub-machine gun to Kramer and jogged over to the VW. When he came back he hefted the long rifle over his shoulder and said, ‘There’re more bodies up the road.’

  They moved on until Kramer realised the bodies lay at the gate to the bed and breakfast. She pushed past Delta One, ignoring his shout for her to stop. She ran in through the open front door. By the time she was halfway up the stairs he caught up with her and grabbed her arm. ‘Slow down, we don’t know what’s around the next corner.’

  Kramer took a breath and nodded. He was right. One took the lead until he reached the landing and said, ‘There’s a body. Elderly female.’

  ‘Margery,’ Kramer said as she came high enough on the stairs.

  Delta One ignored Margery and cleared the rooms before he returned and checked her. ‘Looks like high-velocity rounds so most likely our guys did it.’

  ‘So she was possessed?’

  ‘Can’t say for certain, but why else shoot her?’

  ‘And there’s no one else here?’