The Hand of the Devil

by Dean Vincent Carter

  ‘I can see that. But I don’t think—’

  ‘Please. Humour me.’ I looked into her eyes. ‘Our lives depend on it.’

  ‘Don’t forget that creep in the pit. He could be on his way here right now.’

  ‘Him we can deal with. This one could be a little trickier.’

  So Mather is alive?

  ‘Just about,’ I said.

  Gina turned to me, shaking her head. She must have thought I was delirious. ‘Look, we really need to get going,’ she said. ‘Regardless of how dangerous that thing is.’

  You are not leaving! If you value the life of this woman, you will remain on the island.

  I looked at Gina, who returned my gaze, as if trying to read my thoughts.

  ‘If we stay, what’ll happen to her?’

  The insect was silent for a while, thinking of a response.

  Gina whispered to me, ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘We’re trying to come to some sort of arrangement.’

  ‘Look, I don’t understand what’s going on but right now I don’t care. Ash, we have to get off this island. That maniac could come back any second and kill us!’

  ‘Look, trust me. This is something beyond our understanding. We have to be very careful.’

  ‘How dangerous is it?’

  ‘If she gets her feeding tube into you she can inject a toxic saliva that’ll dissolve the flesh around the wound.’

  Gina said nothing, but merely stared open-mouthed at the mosquito.

  That’s good. Make her fear me.

  ‘So,’ I began, facing the Ganges Red. ‘What will happen to her?’

  I am considering it.

  I thought of lunging for the creature. Maybe there was I chance I could crush her in my hands before she could retaliate. I didn’t like the idea of getting her saliva all over me, but it might be the only way to stop her from attacking Gina. She wouldn’t be expecting me to take such drastic action. But then, as if to remind me that she could read my thoughts, she flew up into the air and over our heads, stopping behind us.

  Into the house! Now!

  It was clear to me then that any attempt to surprise her would be fruitless. She would be aware of my plans almost as soon as I was. There was no other option. I had to do as she said.

  ‘Come on,’ I said to Gina, the desperation no doubt evident in my voice. ‘We’re going inside.’

  ‘What? This is ridiculous!’

  ‘Please, just trust me. There’s no choice.’

  ‘Ash, for God’s sake, come on,’ she said, turning back towards the beach. ‘We’re going now, even if I have to bloody drag you!’

  The mosquito darted at Gina’s face, just missing her with its feeding tube. Gina screamed and ran into my arms.

  Watch her – or next time I’ll give her more than just a warning.

  ‘All right, all right,’ I said, holding a hand out at the mosquito. ‘Gina, please, just trust me. I won’t let her harm you.’ We returned to the house in silence, the Ganges Red following close behind.

  I had hoped never to see the interior of that building again. It seemed strangely different when we walked inside. The shadows appeared denser, more secretive, the light less substantial. From the look on Gina’s face, it was clear that she shared my discomfort.

  The mosquito instructed me to lead Gina into Mather’s bedroom, perhaps because she herself felt more comfortable there. This was, after all, her home, her sanctuary. I sat on the bed next to Gina, while the Ganges Red hovered in the air before us. I could see no sign of Mr Hopkins. The struggle must have ended elsewhere in the house.

  I watched the mosquito for a short while, trying to gauge her intent, then asked: ‘What now?’ Gina looked across at me, even though she knew I was addressing the insect.

  I’m sorry. But this has to be done.

  ‘No!’ I had to be mindful of what I was saying. Gina was unsettled enough; it would be so easy to make things worse.

  It is the only way.

  ‘Please. Whatever you think might happen between us – it’ll never work.’

  At this the insect laughed, then hovered closer to me. Gina’s face contorted into an expression of complete incredulity. I could only guess at the thoughts that were going through her mind.

  Perhaps, but I have the gift of persuasion. In time you will see things my way, and you will love me.

  ‘You’re wrong. You can’t force someone to love you.’

  You underestimate me. Everything Mather has done since I found him has been by my direction. You are both strong-minded men, but as his mind bent to my will, so will yours. If I want you to love me – then you shall!

  ‘Not while I draw breath I won’t.’

  At this she just laughed again.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Gina had been straining to hear something. Perhaps she thought I was sane after all.

  ‘A disagreement.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Oh, nothing.’

  ‘Nothing my arse! Why are you talking to it?’

  ‘It wants me.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘It’s hard to explain.’

  ‘Is this thing going to hurt us or not?’

  ‘Not if I can help it.’

  You cannot save her. You may as well tell her the truth. She will be dead soon.

  ‘You won’t touch her!’ I blurted it out, and straight away cursed my stupidity.

  ‘Ash,’ Gina said. ‘Look, I think that blow to the head has confused you. You’re not thinking straight – and I’m not surprised – but—’

  ‘It’s all right. Just leave it to me.’ I tried to think of a way out of the situation. The Ganges Red was silent. I didn’t want to tell Gina the truth, but I lacked the energy to lie to her. Given the surreal nature of our predicament though, it was unlikely that she would believe me anyway. But I had to say something.

  ‘Well,’ I breathed deeply.

  ‘Hey,’ she said, taking my right hand in hers. ‘It’s OK. I know you’ve been through a lot.’

  I stared her straight in the eyes. ‘Yes.’ I smiled. ‘But you’re still not going to like it.’ Something landed softly on one of the windowpanes. I didn’t take any notice to begin with; neither did Gina or the mosquito. I supposed it must have been a leaf or something. ‘Look, I know how crazy this sounds, but you’re just going to have to humour me. You see, that thing wants to kill you because she thinks she’s destined to be with me.’

  Gina’s eyes widened even more. ‘Oh.’

  ‘I know, it’s ridiculous.’

  ‘Well . . . it’s going to take some beating, that’s for sure.’

  ‘There’s a possibility that once she drinks my blood she’ll become a woman again.’

  ‘A woman! My God! Can you hear yourself? Wake up! We really have to get out of here, Ash. We haven’t got time for this.’ She made to stand up, but I grabbed her arm firmly, pulling her back down onto the bed. The mosquito buzzed angrily at her.

  ‘Look,’ I told her. ‘I believe it. Well, bits of it . . . I think.’

  ‘OK,’ she said, clearly not believing any of it. ‘So why does it need your blood?’

  ‘She says I’m a descendant of her late husband. I carry his blood, and she needs his blood to lift the curse.’

  ‘I see . . .’

  ‘She thinks that once she’s human again, we can be together . . . as a couple.’ I didn’t have to look at Gina to know what expression she was wearing.

  ‘And it wants to kill me because it thinks I’m the competition?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad that’s cleared up. The first thing we need to do when we get back home is take you to a doctor.’ She looked towards the window. ‘Is that thing a friend of the mosquito’s?’

  ‘What?’ I followed her gaze to the window and saw it for the first time. Attached to the glass, looking straight into the room at the three of us, was a huge dragonfly. It was slightly smaller than the Ganges Red, but no less striking.
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  Only then, when she realized she had lost our attention, did the mosquito turn to face the window. Almost instantly there was a reaction. She darted backwards like a bullet and hit the wall by the door, then dropped to the carpet, thrashing about for a second or two, as though trying to regain her senses. She then rose into the air and faced the window again, this time positioning herself further from the glass.

  No . . . not now!

  She continued to scream, but this time in a language that made no sense to me. She zipped about the room, unable to keep herself steady. The dragonfly remained motionless. It could have been an ornament for all the life it displayed. Then, as if hearing my thoughts, it detached itself from the glass, its wings humming into life, and moved away from the house, to hover some metres away. The mosquito’s scream grew louder and louder until it became a high-pitched whistle. I looked at Gina, who was rubbing her ears. Then suddenly the window shattered, spraying the two of us with thousands of tiny shards. Instinctively we turned away, worried that the glass would shred our faces, but thankfully we were unharmed. We stood, while the Ganges Red continued screaming her distress. She had been caught in the blast of the glass shower. A red liquid was now oozing from one side of her abdomen. I looked through the hole in the window at the dragonfly outside, convinced that it was watching me. Then I heard a voice, a voice more commanding, more insistent than the mosquito’s. It spoke only one word, but it was enough to spur me into action.

  Go.

  I grabbed Gina’s coat sleeve and hauled her with me as I made for the door. We had almost made it to the threshold when the Ganges Red flew across to hover before us, still dripping blood onto the carpet. She held her position with what seemed to be a great effort, proving how desperate she was to keep us under her control.

  Get back! Away from the door!

  ‘No. It’s over. We’re going.’

  You’re going nowhere. I haven’t waited this long to be cheated!

  ‘He won’t let you get what you want. He’s been on this island watching you for some time now. If he wants to put an end to this tonight, he will.’

  I won’t let him! I—

  Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the dragonfly had now entered the room. It remained close to the window, moving up and down slightly, its attention concentrated on us. Suddenly the Ganges Red started shrieking again, and fell to the carpet, twisting this way and that.

  Go!

  I looked down at the Ganges Red as I moved to the door. Gina lifted her foot up as it moved in front of her, and gritted her teeth.

  ‘No! Don’t do it!’

  ‘Why not? I can kill it right now!’

  ‘No. It’s not up to us. That dragonfly has come for her – let him do it.’ I pulled on her arm to get her moving and she followed me out of the room.

  Instants later we were heading down the hall. Behind us I could hear the mosquito squealing from the pain of its injuries and the torture the dragonfly was inflicting. It could only be a matter of time before the killing blow was delivered. I followed Gina out into the night, heading straight across the clearing in the direction of the beach and her boat.

  Looking up, I could see that the sky was clear. I hoped there would be no more rain, no more rough weather, so that we could get across the lake unimpeded. The nightmare had to end soon. The island’s horrors had already taken their toll on me, and I was worried that my mental health was in jeopardy.

  We attacked the trees in our fury to get through, not even bothering to stick to the rough trail. I heard the fire before I saw it: it made loud cracking sounds as the wood buckled and snapped. Then, once we were through the trees and on the slope leading down to the beach, we could see the wild conflagration.

  ‘Nooo!’ Gina screamed, filling the night with her chilling indignation. The two boats, Gina’s and the harbour master’s, were now some fifty metres from shore, both aflame. They seemed to be drawn toward each other, as if feeding some joint fury. Even if we could have reached them, it would have been useless by now. My heart sank even further.

  ‘There’s another boat on the island,’ I said, trying not to sound too defeated. ‘It’s Mather’s. I don’t know where it is, but I’m sure we can find it.’ I was panicking. I knew the tunnel might have been a better option, but if Mather was after us, he’d be coming from the direction of the forest.

  ‘This can’t be happening! I knew we should have come straight here. Look where your whole Doctor Dolittle talking-to-the-bloody-animals routine has got us!’

  I had a horrible feeling that at any moment the terror, as though a monster itself, would consume us both.

  ‘All right, I’m sorry, let’s just try and make our way round the outside of the island. We’ll have to be careful – but I can’t think of any other way—’

  Suddenly my words were cut off by the sound of laughter.

  ‘Oh dear, oh dear,’ Mather said, emerging from the cover of the tree-line behind us, where he’d been hiding. ‘What the devil are you to do now, Mr Reeves? You seem to be finding yourself in predicament . . . after predicament.’ He just stood grinning at us, his face and clothes filthy from the grime and gore he’d no doubt disturbed during his fall into the pit. The look of glee and childish mischief on his face made me furious.

  I walked towards him, feeling the frustration within me turning to anger. In that instant I no longer cared about any knife he might be carrying. I meant to hurt him, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  ‘I’ve had enough! You hear me? Enough!’ I curled my hands into fists, ready to strike.

  But as always, Mather’s confidence was justified. I don’t know where he’d been hiding it, but just then he raised a large shotgun and levelled it at me.

  ‘Please. Calm yourself. And I’d prefer you both to keep your distance, if you don’t mind.’

  Gina and I exchanged glances. There seemed to be no way out of this living hell.

  Mather marched us back through the trees to the clearing, then ordered us to stop. From where we stood we could see the left side of the house. Glass was twinkling on the ground in the light from Mather’s bedroom.

  ‘What happened to the window?’ He moved round to our left.

  I smiled. ‘While the lovely Scarlet Lady was entertaining us, we had an unexpected visitor.’

  Mather’s face twisted into a look of disgust. He grunted in disappointment. ‘Moth-eaten ratbag! I’ll throttle that mangy thing’s neck!’

  ‘If you’re referring to Mr Hopkins, he wasn’t the one who broke the window.’

  Mather looked across at me. ‘Then who did?’

  ‘Who’s Mr Hopkins?’ Gina looked from me to Mather.

  ‘He’s a cat.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Well? Who was it?’ Mather was getting angry now.

  ‘The dragonfly. He—’

  ‘Dragonfly? Pah! You’re lying.’

  ‘No I’m not. Go and see for yourself. Before we left, your precious Lady was fighting for her life.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Yes,’ Gina replied.

  Just then something flew out of the front door. It was smaller than before, and looked drained, deflated even. It flew straight at Mather, emitting an ear-piercing shriek.

  Mather was stunned. His beautiful specimen had been badly, possibly fatally, wounded. He kept the shotgun pointed squarely at Gina and me, but his eyes were on the approaching insect.

  ‘Oh, my Lady,’ he said. ‘Whatever has happened?’

  The genie! Tien Thai! He has come for me.

  ‘No.’

  Yes! It’s your fault for opening the tank. He wouldn’t have been able to get to me otherwise. Now you’re going to help me defeat him.

  The red monster hovered before Mather, studying his face, perhaps seeking answers.

  ‘But I don’t know if I can kill it. I—’

  Your blood. I must have it now. It is the only way.

  I wondered then why she didn’t just take my blood. But if sh
e thought she’d become a woman again by drinking my blood, perhaps this would make her vulnerable to the dragonfly.

  ‘No!’ Mather stepped back, visibly shaken, and aimed the shotgun at the insect.

  What do you think you’re doing? Point that away from me, fool!

  Somewhat reluctantly, Mather did as he was told.

  I won’t hurt you. I’ll just take what I need to recover my strength.

  ‘I don’t . . . I don’t want to.’

  Don’t want to what?

  ‘I don’t want to give you my blood.’

  What are you talking about? I told you, it won’t hurt. Now tie these two up while we deal with the dragonfly.

  ‘Why can’t I kill them? It’s pointless to—’

  You will not kill them!

  ‘What about the girl? Surely you don’t need her alive! Take her blood.’

  I need him to be compliant. She needs to be unharmed – at least for now . . .

  This last remark stung, but it was hardly unexpected. I knew the Ganges Red would try to remove Gina at some point. I just hoped I’d be ready at the critical moment.

  ‘What’s going on?’

  I had forgotten that Gina couldn’t hear the insect. ‘She wants his blood, so she can heal herself.’

  Gina looked at Mather, then at the insect. Mather gave her a dirty look in return.

  ‘Right . . .’ Gina wasn’t accepting all I was telling her. Not that I was surprised. But she did seem to be playing along. After all, however surreal the situation, it would be obvious to anyone that something with serious consequences was about to take place.

  ‘Look, it’s not the pain I’m worried about,’ Mather said to the insect, a strange look on his face. ‘I just—’ He seemed threatened by the Ganges Red, perhaps for the first time.

  I must have your blood. It is the only way for me to regain my strength and fight Tien Thai. Now put down that weapon and GIVE ME YOUR BLOOD!

  ‘No!’ Mather remained defensive.

  The insect was furious now. Gina took hold of my elbow and pulled softly, drawing me backwards with her, away from Mather.

  ‘Let me deal with the dragonfly,’ Mather said. ‘Then you can drain these two dry.’

  No! If you don’t let me have your blood then I will take it by force – and then it really will hurt.