Sean pulled his hood over his head, switched on the torch and held it up, illuminating the path ahead. He could feel the weight of the container in his pocket with the liquid sloshing about inside. Would it work, or would it be too little too late?
‘Can you hold this?’ He passed the torch to Waites, who took it with a slightly puzzled expression. ‘I found this tape recorder in Morrow’s office. There might be something important on it.’
‘You reckon?’ Waites asked doubtfully. ‘Besides, you’ll be lucky to hear anything in this storm.’ He shone the beam round the edge of the lake; on the hillside ahead he glimpsed another light.
Sean took out the Dictaphone and held it to his ear, pressing the ‘play’ button once more.
‘… in trying to find an explanation for it being here. I don’t know how it could survive so long unless it has been completely dormant, asleep somehow for millions of years. If so, why wake now? I am sure this creature is intelligent. It moves cautiously, with deliberation. When I study it I am sure I can see it calculating, predicting. It never acts or reacts instantly. It considers, like a human being would. What if this thing and man are from the same original organism that swam around in the primordial ooze? Could it have evolved to our level mentally, if not physically?’
Sean shuddered. The implications of what Morrow was suggesting were sickening. The idea that the creature could think like a man seemed ludicrous, but then hadn’t it already shown itself to be clever, devious?
‘There!’ Waites said, shouting over the din of the rain. ‘On that rise over there.’
Sean followed the torch beam and saw the other light, bobbing up and down above the lake.
‘There must be a path that leads up away from the water. Come on, this way.’ Waites limped off through the mud.
Two questions kept circling around in Sean’s head. What if they were too late to stop that thing? And what if they were too late to save James? Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he didn’t care. Even if Waites turned round and looked at him, the tears would have been indistinguishable from the drops of rain.
Then, suddenly, the rain abated, then ceased altogether. Sean and Waites stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky, as if waiting to see if it was too good to be true. An incredible silence surrounded them, a strange sense of peace that was horribly misleading.
It was laughing again, but more from the excitement and anticipation than anything else. The exhilaration it felt extended out into its host body, fuelling it with adrenalin, helping it move faster and faster towards its goal. It wasn’t too far now – maybe half a mile, then a bit of searching in the darkness. But they were so close now, within reach after so many years…
It climbed over a rock and slid down a small slope towards a ditch. It had barely registered the fact that the rain had stopped; it could now just about make out the entrance to the system of caves. It grinned. It inhaled air into its host body and strode forward, never once taking its eyes off the entrance. To think that the others had been so close all this time. The years had clouded its memory, wiped the reason why it had been separated from them in the first place. But it would find out soon enough…
CHAPTER 34
‘ Our closest relation – in terms of intelligence at least. If so… I really don’t know whether to be overjoyed at this discovery or terrified. Considering what it did to the fish, if it can do that to any species it could be dangerous. I certainly don’t want to touch it. But what if it could communicate? What if apparatus could be set up to allow it to communicate with human beings? I wonder what it would say…’
Sean already knew the sort of thing the creature would say if it could talk to humans. And it was nothing they wanted to hear. His boots were now caked with mud, making each step heavier than the one before. Waites seemed to have found a trail that led up the side of the hill. Sean was feeling drained, ill and battered, but he thought Waites must be in a far worse state after being brutally attacked twice. Were they up to the challenge of stopping that creature now that it inhabited a stronger body? And without harming James? If it was to be killed it would have to be forced to leave his body first. That meant getting him to swallow the salt solution.
Suddenly Sean heard the yapping of a dog. He turned back towards the study centre, but could see nothing in the dark. If the dog had survived its ordeal, there seemed no rational reason why it would want to follow them – they hadn’t exactly been nice to it. He listened carefully, but could hear nothing more, so he turned and concentrated on following Waites.
It was a hunger now, an insatiable yearning that drove the creature on, pushing its host body ever forward, tripping and sliding in the thick mud several times, but always getting back on its feet, never allowing its thoughts to deviate from its objective. The young man’s body moved awkwardly, as if it was drunk, exhausted or on the verge of collapse. When it reached the cave mouth, it didn’t even stop to read the warning sign: it just climbed over the thin chain that had been strung across the entrance and stumbled ahead into the darkness, the torch seeking out each nook and crevice. They were here somewhere – but where?
Waites had to stop for a moment to get his breath back. He turned to look at Sean and was about to say something, but changed his mind and started limping off again. Sean could imagine a number of things that Waites might have said, but none would have really helped them at this point. He retrieved the tape recorder and played the last of the message, holding it up now so that they could both hear.
‘… but one thing is for certain. This creature, whatever it is, cannot co-exist with other animals. Whatever capacity it has for actual thinking, it does not take even a second to consider the consequences of possessing another creature: it just does it, as if it’s natural. With both the fish and Sally’s python, it used their bodies to try and escape, assimilated all the information it could, then departed, leaving behind a corpse. Either it is incapable of understanding morality, or sympathy, or it just doesn’t care…’
If Waites had heard it all, he didn’t give any indication. Sean put the Dictaphone back in his pocket and waded on through the mire. Once over the rise, they stopped briefly to look for signs of the creature’s progress. At first they saw nothing: the countryside around them was pitch black… then there was a flicker ahead of them. Waites shone the torch towards it and they saw a dark opening in the rock face.
‘Must have gone that way,’ Waites said.
‘Do you think they’re in there?’ asked Sean.
‘Must be… At least, it believes they are. But what if this Holland guy was wrong?’
‘Doesn’t matter. We have to catch it either way. And I’ve got to save James,’ Sean replied as he turned to walk on.
Waites caught up and took his arm gently. ‘Sean… you know…’
‘I know. But we have to try.’
They shared an agonized look, then went on towards the cave. Sean’s boots were really heavy now, and each step was sapping his strength. He was beginning to wonder if he was actually up to fighting the monster, fighting for his brother’s life.
The creature had no concept of fear. Its natural sense of self-preservation made it cautious, but it didn’t feel the apprehension that a human might: it didn’t have the imagination to foresee hidden dangers. So as it made its way through the dank cave, it didn’t wonder what might be lurking in the shadows, didn’t question the source of the strange sounds; it just went on searching for its goal. It stopped and swept the torch beam around the cavern walls. There didn’t seem to be an exit. It must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. It backtracked to a fork, this time taking the other path. Somewhere around here, somewhere close perhaps, were its kin, others that would help it spread through the human race and then the rest of the animal kingdom like wildfire, until there was nothing left.
* * *
Not too far away, the creature’s pursuers stepped cautiously into the mouth of the cave, listening carefully.
‘Have you been here before?
’ Waites asked Sean.
‘No – but James might have.’
‘Well, it could be dangerous, so watch your step.’
‘How will it know where to go? This cave system could be vast.’
‘Maybe it found a map… Or maybe it’s a small cave. Either way we’d better catch up before we get lost. Come on.’
Waites moved the torch beam around the cavern until he was sure of the way. There were a number of small openings set into the wall, but luckily only one proper passage. They advanced, and as they did so, Sean reached into his pocket and made sure the solution was still secure. It was the only chance they had of getting that creature to leave James’s body. If he lost it, that was it. Waites stopped up ahead and shone the torch around again.
‘What is it?’ Sean asked.
‘I think there are two passageways here. It’s hard to tell… We’ll just have to eliminate them one by one.’ Waites led the way into the left opening. They were only a few paces in when he cried out and suddenly the rocks dropped away beneath them. Sean scrabbled frantically for something to hold onto, but it was too late – he was falling through thin air.
CHAPTER 35
The creature had entered a large round chamber. When it shone the torch ahead, strange patterns danced across the wall as the light reflected off a pool of water. It stood by the edge, looking down into the dark water through the young man’s eyes. Was it a trick of the light, or was there something moving down there?
Suddenly there was a crash from above, and it seemed as if the whole ceiling was falling in. The creature turned and looked up to see rocks and a body tumbling down towards it. The figure landed with a thud, winced, then looked around, startled. The creature watched as the cloud of dust settled, then turned back to the pool. There really was something moving in the water. In fact, there were a lot of things moving…
Waites had managed to get hold of a ledge of rock and avoid slipping down the treacherous, rocky slope towards the cave at the bottom. He hadn’t been able to grab Sean though; he swung the torch beam frantically around the sloping tunnel, but there was no sign of the boy. He couldn’t tell where the slope led to, or how long it was, but Sean might still be alive: he had to reach him fast.
He retraced his steps, hobbling painfully over the loose rocks and was soon back at the fork. The other passage was narrow at first, but it soon widened out. He hobbled along as fast as he dared, aware that there could be another collapse, shutting his mind to the pain in his foot. If Sean was injured or worse, it might take a very long time for rescue to come – and he had other more pressing problems…
The creature was aware of the boy scrabbling about in the rubble, panting, cursing and trying to get back on his feet, but all this was only on the periphery of its consciousness. It couldn’t tear its gaze away from the black shapes swirling beneath it. There were so many of them, swimming under and over each other. Tens of thousands perhaps. It knelt down and reached out to touch the surface of the water. Gradually it became aware of sounds, voices even, all talking at once, saying the same thing… although the meaning was unclear. Perhaps the language was unfamiliar because of the time the creature had spent in human minds. And perhaps this odd language had been forgotten over the millennia of separation. How joyous though, how wonderful to finally be here, with so many of its kindred, after so long. The loneliness, the isolation had been appalling. But now all that was at an end. The creature felt like crying with relief.
Sean was in pain – lots of pain. He didn’t try to get to his feet straight away; instead he moved each arm, then each leg and foot, just in case something was broken. Despite being banged about and bruised he didn’t think he’d suffered any serious damage, so he carefully stood in the darkness. He was shaken, and for a moment had no idea where he had landed, but it was clear it must be some large subterranean cavern. He saw a figure in the distance – could it be Waites looking for him? – and was about to call out when he heard it laugh out loud and realized who it was.
‘James.’
The creature heard the name and knew what it meant, but still it didn’t turn round. It could feel as well as hear them now. It felt like it was absorbing energy from them – some kind of force that was generated from their mass.
‘James!’
Again the creature paid the call no heed. It was so close to its goal now. But suddenly the sense of familiarity was gone and it experienced an odd feeling of disassociation. Now it was actually questioning what it was doing, and what these creatures really were. Had it really been spending too long inside the minds of these human beings? Was its true identity becoming lost? It started to panic. It couldn’t allow itself to have second thoughts: this was something it had to do, this was what it had been yearning for.
‘James, it’s me, Sean…’ The voice was closer now – it was irritated. But it didn’t matter, it could put up with it for now. All those dark bodies down there, all twisting and writhing together. Family. The creature wanted to belong more than anything else, more even than conquering the human race and spreading through them like a virus. It now knew with absolute certainty that it was never meant to be on its own, it was meant to be with them; now it could return to its family for good.
‘James, I know you’re in there. Please listen to me. It’s me, Sean, your brother. You have to fight it.’ The voice was right behind it now, and louder than before. The creature was having difficulty ignoring it, its thoughts confused. It could feel the boy, hear his breathing.
‘James, please just try—’
The creature turned and pushed the boy over with as much force as it could muster.
Sean went flying across the hard rocky cave floor. He felt his whole frame shake. His back hurt the most, followed by his head, but pretty much every part of him groaned in pain. He looked up to see that James and the thing that controlled him had now turned back to the pool. James was holding his arms up, opening them wide as though ready to embrace some invisible friend. A prolonged gasp seemed to issue from his mouth and he was swaying on his feet, in danger of falling forward into the pool. Sean hadn’t actually seen what was in the water, but now he realized that the creature must have found its kin down there. Was it going to free them somehow, let them loose? This could be the end, he thought. Unless I do something right now, this could be the end for everyone.
He tried to push himself up onto his feet, but the effort required was too great. Most of his strength seemed to have left him. He looked across at his brother in anguish and frustration. Had welts started to appear? He had to do something before the disease took hold. Sean put everything he had into moving his battered body, but as he regained his feet a wave of dizziness came over him and he had to put a hand on the cave wall to steady himself. He tried to focus, and just as he turned to look across at his brother, the worst happened. With a loud, echoing splash of water, it was all over.
Waites was lost. The path had led over jagged rocks and through narrow, claustrophobic tunnels. He could well be getting further and further away from Sean, and if he came to a dead end he might never be able to find his way back. He swore and decided to carry on for another minute or two before turning back and finding another way. Suddenly, in the distance, he heard an awful scream. A cry of denial, of horror. He stopped to listen, but it wasn’t repeated, and he had no idea where it had come from. He walked on, praying he was on the right track, but stopped when he heard another noise behind him somewhere – a movement. Something had disturbed the rocks. He turned and shone the torch into the darkness, hearing his breathing quicken. Nothing. Must be that dog, he thought. Must have tracked me all the way down here.
Sean rushed towards the water’s edge, ignoring the protests of his muscles. When he reached the pool he picked up the torch his brother had dropped and was awed and repulsed to see the teeming mass of black creatures, so numerous and so animated that he was reminded initially of television static. Of James there was no sign, and despite the overwhelming urge to do somet
hing to save him, he could only gaze at the pool of death from which his brother would surely never return.
But just then a hand reached up through the surface of the water, scrabbling for the rock. It was followed by the head, hair dripping, eyes bulging, with several black, wriggling creatures squirming all over it. Sean could see the desperation in his brother’s eyes. He dropped the torch, reached down and grabbed both his brother’s hands, pulling him up with every ounce of strength he had left, until they both lay gasping on the floor of the cave. Immediately Sean began to help James tear off the slug-like things and throw them back into the water. James was spluttering with horror. ‘Get off! Get off me!’ Finally his body was free of them.
Sean retrieved the torch and pointed the beam across at his brother, who now lay staring at the ceiling, slowly shaking his head.
‘James?’ Sean asked. ‘Are you OK?’
‘I remember now,’ James said, looking beaten, dejected. He was shaking and crying. ‘I remember all of it.’
‘Remember what?’ Sean asked.
‘They’re not like me. Not one of them.’
Sean was confused.
‘They have no interest in power…’ James growled angrily. ‘Why must it be like this?’ He turned to Sean with open, searching eyes. ‘If only they could see how I see, then this world could be ours. How can they possibly be content here, in the dark, for all this time?’
‘Sean!’ It was Waites’s voice. Sean turned to see him limping over from the other side of the cavern.
‘Pathetic,’ James said. ‘Every one of them.’ Suddenly he sat up and roared at Sean, reaching out to grab him. Sean knew he had to act fast. He pulled the container of liquid from his pocket, screwed off the lid, then rolled onto his brother’s body before he could react, and poured some of the liquid into his mouth. He clamped one hand over James’s lips, the other pinching his nose, and forced him to swallow. James bucked beneath him, his eyes bulging as he easily pushed his brother off. He was soon able to get to his feet, where he stood coughing and retching.
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