by Matthew Roys
The dream shifted. They were all in an SUV driving through the countryside. She blinked and the surroundings warped into a city street. The car pulled up in front of a house. As the engine died the front door of the house opened. Elizabeth stood behind the door but her emerald dress was black and she wore a pointed hat atop her ginger head. A wart was visible on the tip of her nose and a black cat circled her feet. In her hand was a cup of tea that bubbled and frothed.
KT’s eyes snapped open. It was still dark, but then it was Scotland in winter, so that was no indication of time. A fierce rage burned through her body, dispelling the sleep like flames through a wheat-field. She leapt from the bed.
“The bitch drugged us!”
Kai muttered something in his sleep. KT grabbed the zip to his sleeping-bag and pulled it down. He stirred, opening his eyes wearily as the cold hit him.
“Just once, couldn’t you wake me up with gentle words or the smell of breakfast,” he grumbled dryly. He stood up to face her, yawning loudly.
“Do you remember Déaþscúa?”
“Déa-who-a?”
“The blond haired man with the sword who saved us!” KT pressed desperately.
Kai scrunched up his face in an effort to remember something but he shook his head slowly. “No. It’s all fuzzy. I…I think you just had a strange dream. Yeah, a dream.”
“That’s what she wants us to think! She’s been drugging us. That’s why the tea smelled funny. Every time we drank it we lost a bit of our mind,” KT hissed. Kai pulled himself up, swaying slightly where he stood. He clutched his head in pain.
The door opened and Elizabeth strode into the room. She wore a flowing white nightdress that clung to her shapely figure. “What’s with all this noise?” she demanded.
Kai gaped at the faintly transparent material that hinted at flesh beneath. It was as though KT’s revelations had already been forgotten. She rounded on the woman in a fury.
“That noise is the sound of your plans failing, witch. I can remember everything.”
A look of surprise flittered across Elizabeth’s face but she was quick to regain her neutral expression. She stared down KT without emotion. She glanced across at Kai. He was making no move to back his sister up.
“What are you babbling on about, girl?” she said sternly yet not unkindly. “Have you had disturbed dreams?”
“Nice try. You can’t trick me. Nothing you do could erase the memory of my mum crucified on a cross with the lodge burning behind her. Your little trick with the tea won’t work again.”
Kai furrowed his brows. “I remember. It's all coming back.” He started to shake and his muscles tensed.
Elizabeth shook her head sadly. “I had hoped that we could avoid any unnecessary conflict. The herbs should have worked but there is more than one way to get the job done. I am a witch after all.”
She raised her hands to weave a spell. Blue light snaked around the two teens. KT slammed her fist into the woman’s nose with a powerful right hook. Elizabeth stood for a moment, a bewildered look on her face, then dropped like a rag doll. She smashed her head into the corner of a small table on the way down then lay motionless over the door’s threshold. Blood dribbled from her nose.
Kai look stunned but shook off the last vestiges of his drug-induced stupor. “We have to leave. Find our old clothes and I’ll get mum.”
KT made no move to go. Her face was set in a grim frown. “We can’t take her with us, Kai.”
Kai whipped around to face her. “What are you talking about? Of course we’re taking her. Is your mind still messed up? We can’t leave her here.”
“Think about it,” she said. “Mum is injured pretty bad. We would have to carry her wherever we decided to go. It is freezing outside so she’d just get ill on top of everything else. She has to stay here to recover.”
“We could call a taxi and take her straight to a hospital. She’d be safe there,” Kai insisted.
“Déaþscúa brought her here. He seemed to trust Elizabeth.” KT paused for a moment in thought. “She never tried to hurt us, just make us forget. Maybe…Maybe she and Déaþscúa are right. Maybe she would be better not to remember. That is her though, not us.”
Kai weighed their options up. A stirring from Elizabeth below them sped along his thinking. “I suppose you’re right. We don’t have time to wait and she would never last outside. We will come back for her though.”
KT nodded. “We won’t leave her long. We won’t abandon Dad and Aunt Susan either.”
“Agreed.”
With that said, they grabbed their old clothes from a rubbish bag and dressed. After paying their mother a final visit, they left the house, entering into the frozen dark of Glasgow’s streets.
Chapter 7.
The two teens walked briskly through the early morning streets toward the city centre. They had no real destination in mind but the shops seemed like a sensible start. Their breath misted in the air and their footsteps sounded unnaturally loud in the near silence of the sleeping city. The occasional car drove past while a few windows were lit but on the whole the place felt deserted.
They walked without speaking for what felt like hours. Their pace was brisk to ward off the cold and they lost track of the amount of times they had to backtrack. The sky slowly began to brighten and signs of humanity started to appear more frequently. The shadows around them resolved themselves into brown and grey stone buildings. By the time they reached the city centre, dawn had broken and people were increasingly populating the streets.
It was still a wait until shops opened but before too long had passed they were seated in a small café over a cup of coffee and a bacon butty. Neither were overly fond of the bitter drink but the idea of more tea was off-putting. It was just lucky that both of them still had their wallets on them.
“What’s the plan then?” Kai asked. “We can’t exactly just wander the city and hope that we find out something useful.”
KT chewed thoughtfully at a string of rubbery fat. “We’ll buy some supplies then get a ride as close to the lodge as we can. From there we can see if we can track where dad and the others were taken. Moving that many unwilling people must have left a mark. Even with the snow there has to be something.”
“You think we could buy weapons anywhere?” His tone told that he was sceptical of that.
“I doubt it. We’ll need warmer clothes, some extra food and water, some camping gear and as much information as we can gather.” She finished off the butty and washed it down with the still steaming coffee. Kai had already finished. “Come on.”
They left the café and it wasn’t long until they found a store selling thick winter clothing. Thermals and coats were heaped into Kai’s arms along with two sets of sturdy boots. KT paid, wincing as the man behind the till told her the total price. They changed into these new clothes in a nearby pub’s toilets then ventured back out to find a place to buy camping equipment. After another hour, both teens were laden down with bags strapped to their backs containing a tent, sleeping bags and a small stove.
Next they asked around the locals, their questions varying from transport north, the wilds and local myths. Most brushed them off but they did manage to learn of a man who taxied people across Scotland for a cheap price. They followed the directions they were given and found themselves in a shady looking estate. The streets were almost empty except for smoking youths and dark figures in huddled conversations who fell silent as they passed.
The building in question was in sight now, a small, single story structure with an attached garage. Kai came to a halt sniffing the air. He looked around then pointed out a different building across the street. It had a grubby looking exterior but a glass counter decorated with cuts of meat was visible through the window. A sign above the door read ‘The Bean and Crook Butcher’.
“You said we need food, right?” Kai began.
“Food that will last and can be easily stored,” KT countered.
Kai grinned. “Yes, but t
hink about what Déaþscúa told us. Bacon is resistant to magic. We're heading into dangerous territory and might be facing off against all manner of magical foes. A shield against their powers would be pretty damn useful. Imagine it: marching into Annis’ lair without fear as she hurls fire at us. We hold out our arms and it burns our sleeves away revealing bacon wrapped around our arms like bandages in an anime. It would be badass as hell.”
“I seriously doubt that it would ever play out like that. It’s not like we can trust what Déaþscúa tells us. I’m not sure when he was being honest, openly lying or just screwing with us for his own amusement.”
“But bacon…”
KT relented under Kai’s puppy eyed look. “Fine. Just don’t go crazy. I don’t have much money left and I doubt you have anything.”
“I actually earn more than you,” he commented airily as they veered toward the butcher’s shop. “I’m a private tutor. All the girls who need some help with their studies come to me. My brains, looks and charm are a winning combination.”
“You disgust me at times, you know that?”
They stepped into the shop and were met by the thick scent of fresh meat. Carcases hung from hooks around the walls. Kai eyed the meat like a child would with sweets. The decor was simple and dull, all of the room’s focus being diverted to the brightly lit cuts of animal. The main room was devoid of life other than them but a bell had rung above the door upon their entry and now footsteps could be heard from the room beyond.
The door opened and a man stepped into the shop from a gloomy corridor. He was a strange looking man with a small head and tall, gangly body. His eyes were beady and dark while his nose was tiny and pointed. A matted mane of long black hair draped down his hollow cheeks and across his shoulders. His mouth was wide and his lips a vivid red, its size looking unnatural on such a small head. Despite the spindly body and legs, his arms were thick and powerful. He watched them wearily as he made his way behind the counter. Once there he simply stood staring at them as they examined the cuts of meat available.
The KT and Kai continued their conversation, trying their best to ignore the man. “Should we really go looking for him?” Kai asked with a frown. He cast a glance at the man then lowered his voice. “He did give us to the witch and told us not to follow. I mean, we don’t actually know anything about the man. Maybe we should look for Dad ourselves.”
“We don’t actually know anything about everything at the moment. All we can work from is that we're in a completely different world that is alien to us and that Déaþscúa is our key to understanding and fighting against it. He saved us and taught us what bits we know. He may not want us to be involved in all of this but I don’t think he wants us to come to harm either. We just need to prove to him that we can help.”
“Did ye say Déaþscúa?” A thick highland voice cut in. It was the butcher. “As in the hunter?”
Both teens turned their full attention upon the man. He looked nervous but also now paid the two more notice than the near annoyance that had shown on his face before.
“You know him?” KT asked the man.
“Aye. I ken ‘im,” the man answered. He licked his lips constantly between speaking. “I’d heard rumblings he was back in the area. What do two runts like ye have to do wi’ him?”
KT and Kai gave each other a quick look. Kai gave the slightest shake of his head. He addressed the man.
“What does a back-alley butcher have to do with him either?”
The man offered them a toothy grin. His teeth were sharp and yellow. “The world is a small place for men like ‘im. Everybody who is nae…normal kens Déaþscúa the death bringer. Ye are nae one of us are ye?”
Kai still looked suspicious. Anyone who knew of Déaþscúa could easily be a threat to them as Elizabeth had proven.
“We have business with him,” Kai told him simply.
The butcher nodded knowingly. “A hard man to keep track of,” he said quietly. “Ye two are nae the first to want to find ‘im. I may be able to help ye.”
“Go on.”
“The hunter always has his wee phone on ‘im, ye see. He has to be easy to contact or he’d never get jobs, would he? I have his number in a book somewhere in the back. Come on through and I’ll see if I can find it.”
He moved to usher them into the corridor that he had come from but neither of the twins complied. He looked at them sourly.
“The offer is there if ye want it. If nae then ye can buy me goods and be gone. I do nae care which so long as ye no wasting me time.”
Kai frowned but nodded. “Fine. Lead the way.”
The butcher stepped into the corridor and the twins followed. The narrow passageway was poorly lit and the wallpaper was shabby and worn. There was no ornamentation at all, the faded yellow walls only broken by plain wooden doors and a staircase leading up. He opened one door which revealed a small room with an armchair, a few shelves and a table with an old fashioned telephone on it. Beside it was a leather cased book.
“The hunter’s number should be in that book,” the man told them as he held the door open. He offered them a toothy smile as they passed him.
KT entered the room first. There was a sharp click sound then she was gone. Kai jolted to a halt and stared dumbstruck at the black square that had opened up in the ground where his sister had been a second ago.
He span, fists clenched. “You bastard! I’ll-”
The butcher slammed a wooden bat into Kai’s face and the room flashed white then spiralled into darkness.
* * *
KT hit the ground hard. All of the air was driven from her body and her every muscle felt jarred. She groaned and tried to open her eyes. It was dark but faint light spilled down from above through the hole that she had fallen through. She struggled to her feet and stared up at the square of light. A shadow fell across the gap, outlining the figure of a man.
“Kai?” she shouted.
Laughter met her words, high and unhinged in tone. Then a voice spoke, his words echoing through the darkness. “Your brother cannae hear ye. The poor wee bonny lass fell intae the dark wi’ no one near to hear her scream. I wouldnae want to be ye right now, girl. I am however very glad to be me. I do so love it when they scream.” More laughter followed but it was abruptly cut off when the trapdoor was slammed shut once more.
KT was in complete darkness now. Even her own hands were hidden from her as though she had been fully robbed of her sight. The only sound was that of her own panic tinged breathing. She started forward slowly, her arms out before her searching through the darkness for objects and walls. After a few moments she was already disoriented beyond recovery. From what she could tell, she was in a small room that had several passageways that led off in every direction. Her mind instantly crafted the place as an underground labyrinth that could span for miles of total dark.
She crouched in a corner, her body shaking too much for her to control. She desperately tried shouting again but got no reply beyond the repeated echoes of her own voice. That sound alone filled her heart with dread. The place had to be big to throw back her voice in such a way.
There was a sudden sharp metallic clang somewhere in the distance that filled the tunnels with its unnaturally loud noise. Cold laughter chased the clang. The laughter subsided then changed into a guttural singing that sounded as though it came from every direction at once.
“The meat is fresh, the blood is warm, the flesh is sweet, the bones I’ll gnaw, the tender skin I’ll peel away and revel in the screams galore. She’ll cry, she’ll shout, she’ll scream, I’ll sing, the rape and death fresh joy will bring, until her body fades away, forgotten underground.”
Terror rolled over KT unlike anything she’d ever known. For the first time in her life her senses had become useless to her. She couldn’t see anything while sound was deceptive and unreliable. Everything smelt stale, musty and slightly rotten, and the air was still and undisturbed by breeze. Only her touch was intact but that would be useless i
n detecting her psychotic hunter until it was too late.
Knowing that she couldn’t stay where the man knew her to be, KT made the snap decision to pick a path and run. She stood and staggered through one of the passages, bouncing off of walls constantly as she tried to walk straight. Her left hand brushed against the rough stone of the wall with the logic that any maze was conquerable by simply picking a direction and following a single wall.
She stumbled blindly along, following the seemingly random twists and turns of the wall, all the time hearing nothing but her own echoed footsteps and laboured breathing. Time seemed to loop, losing all meaning beyond an overwhelming sense of fear-laced urgency.
A slight stirring of the air behind her made KT spin. All was dark. She felt it again, a stroke of cold across her back that caused all of her already tense muscles to go into overdrive. She turned again, lashing her arms out but they didn’t connect with anything.
“Do ye fear the dark?” came a whispered voice in her ear.
KT yelped and tried to run but barrelled straight into a wall. She staggered back only to feel icy fingers brush across her face. She struck out again but still failed to hit anything. Her arms whipped around in every direction seeking her pursuer.
“So yer a fighter, are ye? I love it when they struggle.”
The voice seemed to come from directly beneath KT. She kicked out frantically as her arms flailed around her.
“I’m going to enjoy ye. Slowly…”
The voice was above her now. Panic overtook her senses. She ran, slamming and sliding from wall to wall, no longer paying attention to which directions she took. All the while harsh laughter surrounded her and seemed to fill the entire tunnel network. Tears streamed down her face.
Her foot clipped the corner of a wall and she fell. What little breath she had left was torn from her lungs, leaving her gasping for air. Silence hung heavily once again. After the maniacal laughter it seemed even more surreal and empty. Slowly she stood and tried to regain her bearings. It was a hopeless task.