The Gated Trilogy

by Matt Drabble

  It felt deeply strange to be speaking in such a manner to the monster that he’d hunted for so long. It was an entity that had only ever given destruction to the world, but he instinctively knew that this was the inner child of the beast, an innocent part of a would-be deity, and this child before him might be his only silver bullet against the larger animal.

  “Are you alone?” he probed gently.

  “Never alone,” Tolan replied sadly. “He’s always here somewhere… they all are.”

  “Who’s there, Tolan?”

  “The man in the dark. He hides in the shadows but I can hear him.”

  “The monster?”

  Tolan nodded and his thumb crept towards his mouth.

  Denton watched on, trying to separate his feelings towards Tolanson and the boy inside of him.

  “Tolanson is there,” he stated.

  “I can’t find him,” Tolan suddenly said, afraid.

  “That’s good,” Denton soothed.

  “No, no it’s not,” Tolan replied, panicked. “He keeps the monster away; without him he’ll get me, he’ll hurt me again!” he wept.

  Denton desperately tried to understand what the scared boy meant as time was short.

  “Tolanson isn’t the monster?”

  The boy shook his head vigorously.

  “Who’s the monster, Tolan? It’s okay, you can tell me. I can help.”

  “Daddy… he’ll make me… do things that hurt,” the boy whispered and the pieces all fell into place in Denton’s mind.

  The great mystery surrounding Tolan Christian was that he was another abused child who’d somehow managed to take all of his hurt, shame, guilt and pain and unleash it on the world.

  While he wanted nothing more than to destroy the monster that had grown in the stunted rotten roots of an abused childhood, he still felt pity for a lost scared little boy.

  He had spent his childhood hearing tales of death and pain caused by a creature of infinite evil. His parents had only been his introduction to those who had suffered at the monster’s hands. T

  here were graveyards around the world filled with victims and many more walking wounded. This abomination had to die and his twisted ideals had to be stopped.

  “I tried to pray but no one ever came to help me. God wouldn’t listen… he doesn’t care. I’m tired, so tired. I just want to sleep now,” Tolan said sadly.

  “You can, it’s all okay now,” he said peacefully. “I promise you that you can rest in a place where the monster can’t reach you.”

  “Really?” Tolan asked nervously.

  “I promise,” Denton replied, looking down at the gun still in the now boy’s hand.

  “What you’re holding is the key, Tolan; it is a weapon that will slay your monster once and for all.”

  “Is it magic?”

  “That’s right - it’s magic, Tolan; just put it to your head and squeeze and everything will be okay,” Denton said, feeling himself starting to well up.

  Tolan nodded and raised the gun to his own temple and closed his eyes.

  ----------

  Avery staggered out onto the main stage, struggling to keep on her feet as what felt like an earthquake shook the auditorium. The fire now had encircled the stage area, cutting off any source of escape either out the back or up through the audience seating area. For better or for worse, the three of them were going nowhere.

  She limped out. Her leg was aching badly where she had landed when McDere had thrown her like a ragdoll.

  Denton and Tolanson were in the centre of the stage and she moved slowly towards them, wondering what was about to happen.

  Denton had hold of Tolanson and appeared to be speaking to him gently as Tolanson remained almost motionless.

  The earthquake beneath her had faltered slightly now and the blissful feeling of water suddenly hit her as the sprinklers came on at last to try and douse the flames.

  Through the fog of water, smoke and her own blurred vision, she limped closer and suddenly saw Tolanson raise a gun.

  Ignoring the pain that ran throughout her body, she ran as fast as her battered limbs could manage. Somehow Tolanson had taken Denton’s weapon and was now about to shoot him dead.

  She staggered forwards, desperate not to lose anyone else. Tolanson had already taken enough lives and there was too much of their blood on her hands for her to sit by and watch as he took another.

  The screwdriver was still in her hands, slick with McDere’s black blood. She let out a scream and charged towards the monster, eager to slay another. But just as she leapt with her sword aiming at the back of his neck, it was Denton whose face turned pale as he screamed for her to stop, but it was too late.

  ----------

  Denton saw Avery charging like a wild banshee too late to stop her. All she could see was Tolanson and not the boy that he’d been talking to and now Tolanson was raising a gun but she didn’t know that it was to his own head.

  She landed on Tolanson’s back and started to stab him violently in the neck.

  As he was facing him, Denton saw the adult suddenly flood back into the boy’s face and Tolan disappeared in a flash.

  Tolanson roared and threw Avery off his back and over his shoulder forwards so that she crashed into Denton, sending both of them sprawling.

  Tolanson reached behind and pulled the screwdriver free from his neck. Denton could see now that the bright light inside his body was raging again, opening more splits in his skin. His mouth opened and Tolanson screamed hard enough to blow the glass windows out of the entire building beyond the TV studio. The flames that had been dying under the sprinklers now roared higher, defeating the water. The ground shook harder now, sending more debris falling from the gantry above.

  Denton rolled out from under Avery who stirred, dazed and confused. He tried to stand and had to bear witness to Tolanson’s full fury.

  The monster was in full force now and his body was starting to rise off the floor.

  His arms were outstretched in a seemingly mocking crucifixion pose. His mouth now hung open as the white light blasted forth as his entire body shook violently.

  His flesh was splitting at the seams as his shell struggled to maintain any integrity and Denton could see that he was about to explode in a blast that would take as many people as possible with him out of sheer spite. He could also see that there was no longer any chance of speaking to Tolanson or indeed the innocent child inside.

  Avery stood beside him and he knew that he had no more moves to make. Neither of them did.

  She leant her weight onto his shoulder and he supported her as they both cowered before the complete force of nature that Tolan the boy and Tolanson the man had become. The darkness that had created the monster now raged out of control as Tolanson’s body rose higher. A tornado built up around him, sending furniture and equipment spinning out of control. Tolanson’s entire body was cracking apart now and the light was shining free from a thousand holes in his shell. Shafts of blinding light were veering off in every direction as his body started to rotate.

  Denton hugged Avery close, knowing that any second it would be over. Tolanson couldn’t hold the remnants of his own power and he was going to explode, shattering the world around him. All he could do now was to die. The only small crumb of comfort was that at least Tolanson would be gone too.

  The world shook and lurched and the ground began to split and then open up beneath Tolanson’s hovering body.

  “LOOK!” Avery screamed above the deafening noise, pointing towards the widening hole.

  Denton looked down into the opening chasm and suddenly saw the source of her fear. There were shadows crawling upwards and out of the hole. Long arms were reaching up towards Tolanson’s feet and then claw-like hands were grabbing hold and pulling him downwards.

  For the first time in a while, Tolanson seemed to have knowledge of what was happening around him and he looked down. He kicked and struggled against his pursuers as they dragged him with shadow hands that
contained tangible strength.

  There were faces within the shadows - several he recognised from his research into Tolanson’s victims.

  Colin Murray had been a student in the US who had gone missing while picking up a rental car to return in Eden Gardens. His mother, Sheila, had died in an automobile accident while refusing to give up on his disappearance.

  Brian Thompson had operated a gardening business within the boundaries of Eden Gardens; his had been another disappearance that had, unsurprisingly, never been solved by the town’s sheriff.

  On and on the shadows formed into faces as they reached to drag Tolanson down - hungry spirits who had waited an eternity in darkness to taste their revenge when Tolanson fell.

  Darnell, the handyman from Eden; Dr Samuel Creed, the town’s doctor; Richard Duchamp, a worker with the passing carnival; all dead by Tolanson’s wish and word.

  The shadows were now coming so thick and fast that they were merging into one huge combined ball of blackness, but their faces were still visible within the squirming mass.

  Rosa Marsh had worked at a private school up north, a simple school cook who had been close to retirement when she’d been ended early. Hannah Marks, Maurice Duncan, Mavis Merryweather, and the headmaster - Alastair Barnaby - were among the staff to die at Ravenhill Academy. There had also been deaths among the students such as Danny Haim, James Corner, along with Mary-Jane Mears who’d survived Eden only to sacrifice herself to stop Tolanson at Ravenhill.

  The shadows continued to grow as they emerged to drag Tolanson to his judgment. There were both the innocent and the complicit but all were victims to one degree or another.

  The child Tolan had spoken of unrequited prayers but now, as Denton watched on, he knew that they had finally been answered.

  “RUN!” he yelled to Avery and together they staggered towards the exit doors, leaping through the ring of flames.

  The building stretched and groaned and he knew that it was going to collapse any minute. If this was finally God’s intervention then the big man seemed to have little discrimination when eventually showing up to finish Tolan Christian once and for all.

  He half carried, half dragged Avery up the slope towards the exit doors. When he reached the top he thrust her forward out into the atrium beyond. Only then did he pause and look back at the stage.

  The form of Tolanson was now completely obscured by the brilliant white light that consumed him. Only dark flecks on barely distinguishable limbs were visible as they dragged him down into the gaping hole.

  Denton watched on transfixed as what had once been an all powerful immortal being was finally extinguished. As the ball of light disappeared out of sight into the ground he could just make out the small slender silhouette of a child. The young boy stared back up at him as the roof gave way in large chunks of tile and masonry. The child held up a hand and Denton found himself waving back before strong hands dragged him backwards and out of the exit doors just before a large chunk of concrete hit the ground where he’d been stood.

  Avery returned the favour as she was now the one propelling him to safety as they staggered out of the large front doors, which were now glassless, and into the street.

  There was a large gathering of people as both the public and emergency service personnel watched on as the building collapsed in a monstrous cloud of dust and debris.

  The two of them were immediately smothered in blankets and led to a safe distance beyond the temporary barriers set up to keep people back.

  He had to flap away hands that were checking and probing him for injuries. He had to make sure that nothing emerged from the wreckage.

  The night was alive with small handheld lighting as people swarmed to film the disaster, many of who were whooping and cheering distastefully.

  Denton allowed himself to be led into the back of an ambulance. He perched on the edge with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and Avery joined him.

  “I’m sorry about your parents,” she said.

  “Hmm?” he replied, not really listening to her, his eyes never leaving the collapsed building.

  “Your parents. I heard you tell Tolanson that they were dead; was it him?”

  “Actually, they’re fine… living happily in San Francisco under false names and hiding from him.”

  “Really?” she asked, surprised.

  “My folks are no spring chickens now. Whatever fight they had in them got them and a whole lot of other people out of Eden; they saved lives and stopped Tolanson once.”

  “Are they… okay?” she asked him a little nervously.

  “They’re a little different. Eden changed them forever. I’d imagine that there are an awful lot of people who bear the scars of a man like Tolanson.”

  “Is he gone? I mean, for good this time?”

  “Yes,” he answered firmly, thinking about what he had seen on the stage as the darkness had taken him and the small boy, who had almost seemed grateful at the end. “There was a little lost boy inside the monster and I think that finally God decided to answer his prayers, however late.”

  “You really think that God did this?” she asked, waving her arms at the destruction before them.

  “Honestly, I think that God sees the big picture and isn’t all that fussed about breaking eggs along the way.”

  “I overheard some of the police talking to each other. Apparently there was some kind of attack at the police station where Sutherland went. At the minute they’re treating it as some kind of terrorist attack.”

  “In many ways it was,” he answered tiredly.

  “Do you think that Sutherland got out okay?”

  He looked at her and wondered whether or not to give her any false hope, but the very least that she had earned was the truth. “No,” he replied.

  “Donovan?”

  “Maybe,” he shrugged. “That kid’s a cockroach and they do tend to survive.”

  “What the hell do we do now?” she asked, looking around at the carnage and no doubt envisaging the questions that would start to come their way thick and fast once the investigation got rolling.

  “Home,” he replied.

  “Where’s home?”

  “I have no idea, but maybe it’s time that I started looking.”

  “Mind if I tag along?” she asked hopefully, and he turned to look at her.

  “Why the hell not?” He smiled.

  CHAPTER 33

  EPILOGUE

  Around the country there were various reports creeping in of violent outbursts as homes gathered around the television to watch the debate. Police were called to several domestics as arguments grew dangerous in nature, especially after Tolanson’s failed attempt to psychically blast the home audience. While his power had been weakened to the point of failing, there was still enough of his will to reach the most susceptible watchers.

  ----------

  Robert Ledger was watching the first half of the debate, transfixed. He was 21 and had never really shown much interest in politics before; that was, of course, before he’d attended a Tolanson rally at his university. The politician had spoken to a large crowd but Robert had instinctively known that Tolanson was calling him to arms.

  It had been a rousing speech designed to activate a base of support and Robert had joined the bandwagon wholeheartedly.

  He had done everything he possibly could to get a seat in the audience but they were like gold dust and as Tolanson had assured him during the speech, only the privileged succeeded in this country. But Robert knew that if anyone could change the country then Tolanson was that man.

  He’d watched the debate with his family gathered around the TV. His mother had made constant remarks about Knowles’ presence and smart suit. She didn’t trust Tolanson due to his age and felt more comfortable with a man like Knowles in charge.

  His father, meanwhile, had made his contempt for all politicians clear. As far as he was concerned they were all cut from the same cloth and Tolanson was just another wolf in sheep’s c
lothing.

  To make matters worse, his younger sister had spent the whole first hour constantly complaining about missing some reality show on the other channel.

  Robert considered himself a good man, a good brother and a good son, but he also considered himself a patriot. So during the commercial break, he had gone out to the garden shed and then battered his family to death with a sledgehammer he had found there.

  He had sat down to watch the final hour with his family now quiet and paying full attention around him and he loved them for it. He sat covered in their blood until the police, alerted by his neighbours to the screams, finally broke the door down and dragged him away.

  ----------

  Jacob Morrison was working the late shift at a petrol station less than a mile away from the TV studio. When the signal went out and the picture was lost, he flipped one of the switches on his desk and then left his small booth and walked out onto the forecourt. He picked up the nozzle from pump number 3 and sprayed the petrol over his head and body, ignoring the choking fumes.

  Three different cars pulled up just in time to watch him sit and strike a match. He remained motionless as the flames engulfed him in spite of the screams of the passers-by and they would later tell the authorities that he was smiling the whole time.

  ----------

  Samantha Cline was a marketing executive who owned a beautiful Chihuahua puppy called Trixi-Bell. The dog was her most prized possession and was in an almost constant state of demanding her attention. When Samantha had been engrossed in the debate, Trixi-Bell had been yapping for love. So Samantha had to shut her up.

  She had been horrified the next morning to find the love of her life inside the oven with the appliance still running at its highest temperature.

  ----------

  There were multiple other instances crisscrossing the country and the night would soon fall into infamy as one of the darkest times that the country had ever known.

  Experts were unable to comprehend or explain the violent phenomenon, putting it down to some kind of mass hysteria.

  The building was inspected thoroughly and no structural faults could be found. In the end, it had been Knowles who had pressed forward an explanation of a very rare, but not totally unheard of, combination of weak structural deficiencies combined with a large underground quake that had struck the building, causing its collapse.