Waites approached him, mouth open with horror, but before Sean could shout out a warning, the black creature, covered in a fizzing white foam, shot out of James’s mouth and landed on the teacher’s face before forcing its way inside. Almost gagging with revulsion, Waites tried to bite down, but the creature’s body was as tough as leather now. Somehow it had adapted: it had learned to survive. In no time it was sliding and squeezing its way through the man’s sinuses and up into his brain.
CHAPTER 36
‘Run!… Run!… Run!’ The echo continued to travel through the network of caves as Sean and James moved away from Waites’s body. Sean had the torch now, and he took his brother’s hand as they made their way through the passage Sean had seen Waites emerge from earlier. James was still gagging and spitting salt water as they went, his head pounding, his vision blurred and his thoughts in chaos.
‘Sean—’
‘Come on, we have to move. What happened in there? In the water?’
‘It wanted to join them.’
‘So what went wrong?’
‘They weren’t interested.’
‘Why?’
‘Because they exiled it thousands of years ago. They cast it out because it wasn’t like them. It was bad. But I don’t think it’s going to be bothering them or us for much longer though.’
‘Why?’
‘I think it’s dying. It’s been exposed to too much salt.’
‘That mixture I gave you?’
‘No.’ James spat again. ‘It had already taken a lethal dose in the pool.’
‘The pool was salt water?’
‘Yes. I think that’s why it had such a reaction to salt before. It associated it with the rest of its kind and what they did to it.’
‘Did you say they "exiled" it? How?’
‘I’m not sure. It couldn’t remember. It was so long ago. But I sensed the thoughts of some of them. I got the impression it was like a criminal and they had to remove it to stop it poisoning the minds of the others. That’s why it was found alone in a separate pool. They found some way of casting it out.’
‘And it was hoping they’d join it in taking over the world?’
‘Yes. But instead they gave it death – the punishment for returning.’
‘So why did it jump to Waites if it was going to die?’
‘Because it’s angry. It wants someone to blame, someone to punish. So it’s going to punish us. It’s going to do as much killing as it can before it dies—’
And then, perfectly on cue, they heard a dreadful roar from somewhere behind them, like that of a feral beast.
‘But what about the disease?’ Sean asked. ‘It was inside you for so long.’
‘Maybe the salt does something to it. We’re both still alive, aren’t we, with no lasting after-effects? Let’s worry about that later.’
‘What about Waites?’
‘Well, I don’t know. If we can get that thing out of him he might be OK, provided it doesn’t make him fall to his death or get lost for ever down here. But that’s the problem: even if we survive, we still have that creature to worry about. It won’t stop until it kills us or kills itself.’
‘How do you feel now?’ Sean asked as they stopped at a junction to decide which way to proceed.
‘I feel like death.’
Waites – or more accurately, the thing inside him – felt so angry, so resentful and so cheated, that it wasn’t thinking clearly. It wasn’t taking enough time to make rational decisions. It felt the increasingly agonizing pain from Waites’s ankle, but it kept on running regardless. It knew it didn’t have long now. It had discovered far too late that the beings it had dreamed about for so many years were not really like it at all. They were the same species, but that was it. They didn’t think the same way, they had no interest in power; to them it was an evil force that had to be expelled. The creature was experiencing the extremes of sadness and fury. The cruel rejection had left it feeling more alone than ever. It roared its frustration and tears fell from Waites’s eyes as it shook his head. It pushed on, using the man’s memories to trace the trail back through the caves, praying it would catch the two brothers before they found a way out. It had plans for them – plans that didn’t involve them leaving the caves alive.
Sean had the terrible feeling that the monster was getting nearer. They had taken a couple of wrong turns and it felt like the creature could sense them, smell them. Every now and then they heard its roar, and each time the sound was closer. James bent over with another wave of nausea and was relieved to see that Sean hadn’t noticed. Now more than ever he had to be the strong big brother and ensure that they both escaped. The residue of the salt was everywhere – in his mouth, his nasal passages, his stomach. It had probably saved his life, and yet the creature’s hatred of it must have lingered, as it felt like poison in his system. He spat out a mouthful of salty saliva and pressed on, checking Sean was OK, and then they both felt a cold blast of air and saw moonlight.
It was almost upon them. The faster it went, the hungrier it got, or was it the other way around? It couldn’t be sure any more. But it could almost smell the vapour they left behind them as they ran, processing it to gauge their state of mind, their state of health. They would soon be in sight, and it would tear them apart, destroying their world. Just like its own world had been destroyed. Utterly.
It limped on faster and faster, ignoring the pain from Waites’s ankle. It hoped that he would die – another victim in its new war. But until that moment, until its host collapsed, it would destroy every bit of life it could find.
The fields around the lake and the cave system were now almost completely water-logged. In front of them, the long ridge of high ground had become an island in a vast, shallow sea. In many places the water was only a few centimetres deep, but in the darkness it seemed like they were looking out over a huge black ocean. How had things got so much worse in the time they’d been inside the caves?
‘Which way is the centre?’ Sean asked.
James was about to answer, but then realized that everything looked different; though he knew the general direction of the study centre, he didn’t recognize his surroundings. But there was no time for hesitation: they had to keep moving.
‘I think it’s this way. Be careful though.’
They splashed their way across the small channel and up the rise. From here they could just make out the centre beyond the trees below them. But the path was nowhere to be seen, and they had to slip and struggle their way down the muddy slope.
‘How are we going to get back to town, James?’ Sean asked his brother. ‘Waites’s car’s wrecked, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah, we’ll have to take one of the others at the centre.’
‘Do you know how to hotwire them?’
‘What? Of course I don’t. There’s a car that belongs to the centre that people borrow from time to time. I noticed it earlier. I’ll get the keys from reception.’
They pushed on, unaware that their pursuer was already emerging from the mouth of the cave.
Sean’s shoes were full of water – there wasn’t a dry patch of material anywhere on his body. He was shivering and fantasizing about being dry and warm at home. He cast his mind back to that morning, lying in bed, stir crazy. It seemed like days ago.
They splashed across the car park and into the study centre. James went behind the reception desk and retrieved the key.
‘Here we go. Right, come on, let’s get out to the car. I don’t know how we’re going to get back to town, but we’ll manage it somehow,’ he said.
They staggered back out into the night.
‘The car’s over there,’ James said, pointing. ‘I hope it works – it’ll need to—’ He stopped dead.
Waites was standing in the middle of the car park, staring directly at them, his expression showing both pain and fury, his hands clenched by his side. The brothers were rooted to the spot in terror.
‘Sean…’ James said, turning the keys
over in his hand.
‘Yeah,’ Sean whispered back, trying not to move his lips.
‘When I say "go"…’
‘I don’t know if I can.’
‘You have to.’
They could hear Waites’s breathing now – almost a hiss – but he just watched them, waiting for them to make the first move. Then he spoke.
‘You think you’ve won…’ The unfinished sentence hung in the air, then: ‘But it’s already over. Don’t make it difficult.’
‘Look,’ James replied. ‘We just want to get home.’
‘Yes!’ There was a laugh. ‘Home. You have a home. What joy.’ It came towards them now. The two boys tensed, ready to run, but it stopped again. ‘I had a glimpse for a while. A glimpse of what home meant. To belong, to be safe and loved.’ A shake of the head. ‘I don’t hate you because of what you are, because you’re different to me. I hate you because you’re happy, because you are not alone. Because you have everything that I do not. And while others of my kind may feel guilty, ashamed of such feelings of jealousy and hatred… I do not.’
‘That’s right,’ James said. ‘That’s why they cast you out. You’re a freak, a monster… Even to them.’
‘Yes.’ It was smiling now. ‘A monster… That’s exactly what I am.’ Then it looked up, opened its mouth and roared, charging towards them… And all at once everything shattered.
CHAPTER 37
Even as they ran for the car, Sean glimpsed the showers of water sent up by the monster. The sound that came from its lungs was horrible, unearthly. James scratched the paintwork of the car door in his hurry to get the key in the lock: the monster was coming for them, eager to murder, to destroy.
James opened the door, got inside, then realized he had to stretch across to open Sean’s side. Looking up, he saw that Waites was almost upon his brother.
‘Sean!’ James reached for the door, but it was already too late. Waites launched into his brother, slamming him against the car with a sickening crunch. Sean collapsed like a sack of potatoes. James watched in horror, screaming inwardly as what had once been his teacher picked up his brother’s body and flung it up into the air; it crashed down into a puddle and lay still.
The monster turned to face the car once more and growled. James locked his door and put the key in the ignition, feeling sick to his stomach: how was he going to retrieve his brother and escape? He turned the key and the car started. The creature banged furiously on the roof, incensed at being deprived of its prey. Suddenly the glass of the passenger window shattered, but the car was moving now. James brought it round to where his brother lay.
The monster watched and shook its head. How could these creatures be so stupid? How could they risk their lives so selflessly? They didn’t appreciate the importance of self-preservation. It would simply kill them both now. Surely one of them escaping alive was better than neither. That had to make sense. But the older brother hadn’t just driven away. He had stayed. What utter stupidity.
The monster marched over to the car, shaking his head and wishing that the end could have been more of a challenge.
Sean was drifting in and out of consciousness. One moment he was underwater, bobbing along with the creature’s memories; then he was in the office, guarding the headmaster’s body; then watching Titus’s stomach explode; then he was seeing his brother plunge into the pool, consumed by several thousand wriggling black creatures. He felt everywhere and nowhere. He opened his eyes and saw a night sky, darkness. His body felt twisted, broken. His head pounded, his heart beat madly in his chest and there were stabs of pain when he breathed. Blinding light now, and the sound of an engine.
James knew he had to get out of the car to help Sean, and the sooner he did it the better. If the monster couldn’t reach him, it might attack his brother again. He opened his door and climbed out, running round to where his brother lay. He knew that moving him was a bad idea, but there wasn’t time to be careful. There was the yapping of that dog again – the one that had been in the centre. James realized that the monster was only metres away now; he looked down at his brother. Sean’s eyes stared up at him, then flicked down towards his left hand, which held something that protruded from his coat pocket.
‘The only way… ‘ Sean gasped weakly. ‘It’s all we have.’
James took the container and stood up. The little dog was barking at the creature, challenging it. James turned the container over in his hand and wondered how on earth he was going to do what he had to.
In no time the creature was right in front of him; it slapped the container from his hand, sending it flying to land in a puddle. It then gripped James by the neck and hoisted him into the air.
James choked and struggled; he kicked his legs out at his attacker while his hands tried to free the grip on his throat. But the monster’s strength and determination were too great.
Yet even as it squeezed the life from him, something shifted in the body it inhabited. So far it had managed to contain the feeling of pain from the ankle. Now though, with the added stress, Waites’s foot was rending, tearing. The creature groaned and staggered backwards, closing its eyes to block out the agony. Out of nowhere, the dog rushed in and sank its teeth into the wound it had opened earlier.
The monster screamed and tried to shake it off, but the little dog was clamped on with all its strength, made all the more determined by the noise. It began moving its jaws from side to side, destroying the already torn ligaments of the ankle. And then, suddenly, the ankle gave way completely; there was a crack as the bone fractured. The dog darted out of the way as the monster collapsed, releasing its prey.
There was a splash followed by more cries, and James lay there, massaging his neck and gasping for breath. He could see Waites’s foot – it was seriously damaged if not destroyed. There was no way that thing would be chasing after anyone now. He glanced around for his brother, and was surprised to see him crawling towards the monster, which was still writhing and crying out in agony.
‘Sean! Keep away from him!’ James could do no more than gasp; he doubted his brother could hear him over the screams of agony. Sean’s face was a mask of pain and exhaustion, but he crawled on – and James suddenly glimpsed the bottle in his hand.
‘Careful…’ he whispered, feeling like he might pass out at any second. ‘Be careful, Sean.’ Watching was all he could do now, much as he wanted to help finish off that awful creature.
As Sean twisted the top off the container, the eyes of the host fixed directly on him. The creature growled.
‘You have no hope. There are more of my kind, thousands more—’ It broke off and roared again in pain.
‘Yes, I know,’ Sean said weakly. ‘But they’re not like you.’ And he poured the remaining liquid into the open mouth, clamping his hand over it and holding the nose. There was a convulsion as the creature tried to disgorge the salt water, but it was forced to swallow the toxic liquid. It thrashed around in pain, then flung out its arms and pushed Sean away.
‘You’ll all die,’ it spat as it sat up. ‘Every single one of you miserable creatures.’
Then Waites’s mouth opened wide and the black slug emerged like a snail from its shell. It was foaming and hissing from the salt. As Sean and his brother watched, it oozed out and plopped onto the wet ground, where it curled itself up into a ball. The salt continued to eat away at it, turning it to liquid. Almost casually, the little dog trotted up to it, sniffed it, then started idly chewing it to pieces. It soon decided that the salty treat wasn’t such a treat after all and let it fall into a puddle, where it lay still.
Sean crawled over to James and slumped down beside him. ‘James?’
‘Yeah,’ his brother croaked.
‘We’ll never make it home like this.’ Sean was surprised to hear his brother attempt a laugh.
‘No, you’re right. We won’t.’
‘You know what?’
‘What?’
‘I wish I’d stayed in bed this morning.’
Now they both laughed and James managed, with no little discomfort, to put his arm round his brother. For several minutes they just sat there, leaning against the car, hoping the rain really had stopped.
‘What’s that game you got the other day?’ James rasped. ‘The one with the zombies in it?’
‘Undead Platoon,’ Sean told him. ‘Why?’
‘Fancy a game later?’
‘Yeah, sure.’
‘I won’t beat you too badly.’
‘Won’t beat me at all.’
‘Yeah I will.’
‘Nope.’
‘Yep.’
Sean shook his head.
James nodded his and they both laughed again.
EPILOGUE
The study centre was quiet when morning finally came. The birds had emerged from hiding and were filling the air with their raucous song. The electricity was still working and the two brothers were able to find a couple of heaters to warm themselves and dry their clothes. They’d bandaged Waites’s foot as best they could, but it was in a terrible state. James was no expert but he thought the teacher might have to lose it. They’d given him painkillers, fed him, washed him and put him to bed. Then they’d showered and found some food in the canteen. Their fatigue got the better of them: even though they had intended to leave the centre at first light, they soon collapsed on a bed, drifting very quickly into a deep sleep.
When they woke it was almost lunch time. They ate again, then agreed that they should wait until the waters had receded significantly before trying to get back into town. The land lines weren’t working, and James’s mobile phone showed only a very weak signal, but he had managed to send his mother a text before he lost it altogether. As long as their parents knew they were safe, they could stay at the centre for a while longer if necessary.
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