Slaughter Series

by A. I. Nasser

  “Mother,” she greeted coldly.

  Sunlight poured into the hospital room through the windows, warm rays caressing Deborah’s cheeks as she pushed herself up. She had no idea when she had fallen asleep, the back of her neck strained from the angle her head had been resting in, but she felt like she could use some more rest.

  “How is he?” Rachel asked, genuine concern in her voice.

  Deborah looked down at Alan Carter as he lay motionless in the hospital bed, his eyes wide yet unresponsive. She felt a sharp pain in her chest at the sight of him, and gave her mother an accusing look.

  “This is your fault,” Deborah hissed. “Take a good look at him, mother. This is your fault.”

  Rachel recoiled from her daughter’s words and gazed at Alan. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” she muttered.

  “Really?’ Deborah snapped. “It wasn’t? Why don’t you tell me exactly what was supposed to happen? Because honestly, I can’t make heads or tails of any of it.”

  Rachel looked at her daughter solemnly, sighing as she contemplated what to say. She had hoped for a better time to tell her daughter the truth, always having had used the excuse that Deborah was simply not ready yet. Looking at Alan Carter now, seeing the way Deborah had spent the last few days by his side, Rachel quickly realized that she had been wrong.

  “I’m so sorry,” Rachel said to Alan before looking at her daughter with tear-strung eyes. “I never meant for this to happen.”

  Deborah fought to restrain herself from comforting her mother, angry at the woman’s involvement and deceit.

  “I don’t expect you to forgive me, Deborah,” Rachel said, her voice cracking.

  “Good,” Deborah replied. “Because it isn’t that simple.”

  Rachel nodded. “No, it isn’t.” She sat down heavily on a chair beside Alan’s bed and sighed heavily. “It’s much too complicated.”

  Rachel gestured to the chair by her side and waited as Deborah reluctantly sat down. She took her daughter’s hands in her own and looked into her eyes.

  “This is going to take a while.”

  Deborah listened intently, and as the sun set outside and the room was cast in shadows, she looked over at Alan Carter and burst into tears.

  Epilogue

  Daniel Cole sat alone.

  The house was empty. His wife had left him, packing her stuff the day after he had told her everything. She had quickly passed by his daughters on her way, sharing the story he had told her and making sure they followed suit. Daniel didn’t mind. He wanted his grandchildren as far away from Melington as possible.

  Now there was only him. And Michael, of course, but that meant very little now. After what had happened, he doubted there would be any way to clean up the mess and fall back into the old routine. It was over. Everything was over. Melington was over.

  He closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head in dismay, wondering how he had been naïve enough to let Alan Carter ruin everything. Daniel wasn’t a young man anymore, and he thought back to twenty years before when he had been ruthless with his decisions. When Alan’s father had threatened to break the truth to the world, Daniel had not hesitated to give the girl’s name to Copper.

  It had been cold, but effective.

  He should have let Fiona kill the Carter boy the minute he had learned about his arrival in Melington.

  Daniel scoffed. Not that it mattered anymore. Let them deal with the beast as it tore the town apart. His duties were over, the task that had been assigned to him now useless and unneeded. He was dispensable, and for the first time since taking on his father’s mantel, Daniel Cole felt a deep sense of relief.

  The lights of the house flickered, then went completely out. Daniel smiled to himself, knowing what was coming. He had expected as much. It was the only reason why he had made sure he was alone when it happened.

  “Cole,” the raspy voice came from the darkness surrounding him.

  He could smell Copper Tibet well before the beast spoke his name. Daniel braced himself for what was coming. He tried to stay strong as red eyes lit up in front of him, the beast’s silhouette barely visible in the scant light coming through the living room windows.

  “I am free, Cole,” the raspy voice chuckled as a hand reached out and wrapped around Daniel’s neck, squeezing.

  Cole opened his mouth to speak, but the grip was too tight, blocking his vocal chords and cutting the supply of air to his lungs.

  “I have been denied what is mine,” Copper Tibet smiled in the darkness, forcing a shiver down Daniel’s spine. “Our deal is broken.”

  Daniel gasped for air, but it was of no use. He shook in fear as the eyes came closer and Copper’s rotting breath filled his nostrils. Daniel Cole was almost glad he couldn’t breathe it in.

  Daniel looked into the blazing reds of Copper Tibet’s eyes as the hand gripping his neck tightened, nails piercing flesh and drawing blood in torrents. He could feel the life escape him, and the last thing he heard as his eyes closed was the soft chuckling of Copper Tibet.

  “Your children will never be safe!”

  * * *

  Bonus Scene Chapter 1

  “Alan!”

  Alan Carter woke up to the screaming.

  It took him a few seconds for his eyes to focus, still engulfed in darkness, his mind trying to make sense of his surroundings. He waited, but nothing changed.

  He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t respond, as if he were held down by some unbearable weight. He wiggled his fingers, slowly, the effort excruciating, and when he finally got a hang of it, tried to lift his arms. They felt like lead weights. Alan couldn’t discern whether it was a lack in strength or the sheer heaviness of the nothingness around him.

  “Alan!”

  The scream cut through the darkness like a knife, and in the back of his mind, the voice sounded vaguely familiar. He had heard it before. That very same scream, calling to him for help, to save her. He frowned, his head suddenly throbbing as he searched his mind for the memory that seemed just out of reach.

  Alan tried to move again. It was like everything around was moving at a much slower pace and only his mind working at full capacity to take it all in.

  He sat up, pushing against the cold floor with hands that tingled. He tried to listen for the screaming again, but it did not come. He was alone in the darkness, lost with the voices inside his head.

  Move. You need to move.

  Alan pushed himself to his knees, suddenly he felt faint. He balanced himself with one hand while the other massaged the back of his head, trying to shake the nausea away. He tried to stand up, his legs wobbly as if he were a newborn colt learning to walk.

  He swayed in the darkness, head spinning as his feet tried to find a stable pose to prevent him from falling back down.

  Move, Alan. Move now.

  Alan took a step forward, placing his foot squarely in front of him and waiting to see how the rest of his body would react. He felt like he was walking a tightrope, arms stretched out as he tried to maintain his balance, his eyes blinking rapidly in hopes that he could see more than just black. A few seconds later, he risked taking another step, and was relieved when he didn’t collapse.

  He remembered when he was nine and his parents had taken him and sister out to the ice skating rink. He had felt the same way, skates on his feet as he took tentative steps forward, still oblivious to the fact that he was supposed to glide, not walk. His sister had laughed at him. He remembered the envy he felt towards her.

  His sister.

  “Alan!”

  He recognized the voice now. He remembered the last time he had heard it calling out to him that way. He had been in a sandbox, feet planted in front of him as he had pulled at his sister’s hand. She had screamed out in fear the night the hand had taken her away, and the sound of her voice calling to him had haunted him since.

  “Kathrine,” he whispered into the darkness.

  There was a gentle rumbling beneath his feet, a vibration
crawled up his legs and sent shudders throughout his whole body. The vibration intensified, and soon the rumbling became a raging roar as the world around him shook uncontrollably. Alan staggered, fighting to keep his balance against the shaking. His body slammed against a wall, and he braced himself on the cold stone.

  He was going to go mad.

  Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Alan felt dust fall onto his head, and he instinctively looked up. The darkness was absolute and he saw nothing of the ceiling above. He brushed the sand from his hair, feeling its moistness on his fingers, and pushed away from the safety of the wall. If dust had fallen from above, what was to say that the floor had not fallen below?

  “Alan!”

  Her voice was clearer now. Kathrine. Who else could it be? He was sure of it, as much as he was sure this was all a dream, and he would wake up as always, screaming and thrashing about.

  Alan felt himself move further from the wall, now only the tips of his fingers feeling its chill, his feet moving on their own as if knowing where to step. The sound of a loud click pierced through the silence, a shattering sound came from his right, and Alan’s head snapped towards it.

  Thin beams of red light poured through a crack in the wall, and as the light grew brighter, he could see it came from beyond a door swinging open slowly, as if on its own. The light broke through the darkness and threw shadows onto the walls, and Alan finally began to make out where he was.

  It was a small room, the size of a dungeon cell. He noticed how the walls rose into the darkness above as if continuing for eternity, the stones shining red with the protruding light. Except for a small cot to one side, the room was empty, and Alan began to wonder if he really had been imprisoned here, and if so, for how long?

  “Alan!”

  The scream was louder now that the door had opened, and Alan began to move towards the light, slowly, head cocked to a side as he tried to see through the opening and into the hallway beyond. The light was pulsating, vibrating the way the room had vibrated before, and Alan immediately felt nauseated. He closed his eyes, standing completely still as he fought back the vertigo, waiting for the feeling to pass.

  When he felt that he had gotten a hold of himself, he opened his eyes and continued forward. Alan reached out and grabbed the door, slowly pushing it further as he stepped into the red light.

  ***

  The hall stretched on forever.

  Alan Carter stood outside the door, looking right and left in bewilderment. Never in his life had he come across anything like this. On either side of him, the hall seemed unending, continuing on until the furthest his eye could see before disappearing. It reminded him of the ocean, how the horizon formed a line where sky and water kissed.

  The red light pulsed, and Alan couldn’t tell whether he had escaped one prison or stepped into another.

  The hallway was lined with doors similar to his, hundreds of them stood side by side like wooden soldiers waiting to be addressed. They were all closed; only his, stood open, and he felt an eerie sense of satisfaction at this. He considered the possibility that there were more like him, lost in complete darkness, unaware of how close they were to relief.

  Was this relief?

  Alan couldn’t tell, but he knew he would rather be standing in this hallway than shuddering within the cold nothingness he had just been in. He turned to his right and took a few steps forward, running his hand against the cold wall as he walked. There was not much to see here, but it felt good to be able to look out through his eyes and make out shapes and colors around him.

  Alan Carter hated the dark.

  “Alan!”

  He froze in his place, feet planted where he stepped as the shuddering sound of Kathrine’s voice echoed across the walls from behind him. Alan turned, and what he saw almost made his heart stop.

  She had not aged.

  Kathrine stood in front of him with the same look of dread he had last seen her in, her hands outstretched, reaching for him, her eyes begging him to save her. She was only a few yards away, and Alan immediately raced to her.

  He was too late. Just as he was about to grip her hands, she was snatched back, quickly, suddenly, without warning. Alan fell hard to the ground, still reaching for his sister as he watched her being pulled away from him by an invisible hand until she disappeared into the distance.

  Alan screamed for her, his calls echoing off the cold walls and continuing forever.

  He scrambled to his feet, kicking up dust as he pushed forward and raced after her. The adrenaline coursed through him like wildfire, burning in his veins as he sped down the hallway after his sister. His fists were clenched tight as his muscles flexed with the pumping of his legs, picking up speed as the doors beside him seemed to blur out of focus.

  Alan had no idea how long he had been running when he finally stopped, out of breath with a pulsating pain in his side. He dropped to his knees, tears stinging his eyes and rolling down his cheeks as he mercilessly punched at the floor with his fists and drew blood. He only stopped when the pain finally kicked in, the adrenaline washing away and opening the gates to Hell. Pain wracked his body, and he fell to the cold floor screaming in frustration.

  ***

  “Wake up.”

  Alan’s eyes flew open at the sound of the strange voice above him, and he scrambled from where he lay before turning around and gazing at the woman standing before him.

  Her black hair was tied back in a long braid, and she stared at him with eyes so blue it was like staring into a cloudless sky. Her dress was pure red, pulsating with the red light around her as if she herself were the source of it all.

  “Get up,” she said, calmly yet firmly, her tone demanding respect. “She wishes to see you.”

  Alan didn’t move, his eyes fixated on the woman as he flexed his muscles in anticipation. He wondered how fast he could get to his feet and run.

  “It is not safe for you out here,” the woman seemed to read his mind. “You are safe with her.”

  “Who are you talking about?” Alan asked, his voice hoarse. He coughed to clear his throat. “Who is she?”

  The woman only stared at him, waiting for him to do as he was told. Alan weighed his options. She didn’t seem to be much of a threat, and from the looks of it, she obviously knew a lot more about this place than he did. Besides, he was beginning to feel a little curious about her, whoever she was.

  “We do not have any more time to waste, Alan Carter,” the woman in red said.

  “How do you know my name?”

  “I know the name of all the children here.”

  Alan frowned. “Children?”

  The woman nodded slowly and turned, slowly moving away from him. She seemed to be gliding down the hall, her dress hiding her feet as she gracefully moved.

  “He returns soon,” the woman called back to him. “He will not be happy if he finds you outside.”

  Alan pushed himself to his feet. “What the hell are you talking about?” he called after her. “Who won’t be happy?”

  The woman turned to look at him, and her face seemed to shift and change, her features altering before settling back into place. Alan felt a chill run down his spine as he watched her, and decided the best option was to walk in the opposite direction, away from her.

  “You do not want him to be unhappy with you, Alan Carter,” the woman said. “he is rarely forgiving to those he is unhappy with.”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  The woman stared at him for a brief moment before finally saying, “Copper Tibet.”

  ***

  Alan followed the woman quietly, the mention of Copper Tibet’s name enough to convince him that his chances were probably better with her.

  He vaguely remembered his last encounter with the man, or at least what remained of him. The rot in his breath, the claws that tore at his skin, the grotesque disfigurement. It all came rushing back, but nothing as strong as the feeling of helplessness when he looked in Copper’s
eyes. It was as if staring into the pits of Hell, as if Death were behind those eyes.

  Alan had felt those eyes bore into his soul, through the backdoors of his mind where they grasped onto the threads of sanity there and tore away at them. He had almost felt his mind shatter like glass before the darkness took over. There had been nothing until he had woken up in his cell, to the same cold nothingness he had felt when he had last seen Copper Tibet.

  The woman led him down the corridor, barely a whisper as she moved. Alan began to feel anxious, and just before he could ask her how long it would be before they would reach their destination, the woman stopped. She turned, almost mechanically, to the door to her left and reached out a thin hand to knock twice.

  The door clicked open, and Alan watched as the woman opened it wide and stared at him, waiting.

  Alan hesitated. “Where does it lead to?”

  “It leads to her,” the woman replied.

  “Will I be able to come back?”

  The woman stared at him silently for a few seconds. “Where you are going, I believe you will not want to come back.”

  Alan stepped up to the open door and looked inside.

  The room was much larger than his, almost as big as a gymnasium, the floor invisible underneath mounds of earth and grass, trees popping out in random places. The ceiling was lost behind what looked like a clear blue sky, and he could almost swear he saw birds flying across it.

  He saw her in the distance, a small blonde girl swinging joyfully on a tire swing tied to one of the trees. She was wearing a red dress similar to that of the woman beside him, and her bare feet rose and fell as she rocked up and down in her swing.

  “Who is she?” Alan asked, walking into the room.

  “That is for her to tell, and for you to find out.”

  Alan turned to the woman, but she had disappeared, the door where she had stood, closed and replaced by nothing but air. Alan frowned in confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening, doubting his sanity more than ever.