“Look, Jez, I can see how this is getting to you. Stay at mine tonight. Or for the next few days. We’ll have a beer. Watch some films. It’ll be good, mate. What do you think?”
Jez looked around. Nervous that their conversation had been overheard. On top of everything else, he didn’t need his workmate thinking he was scared. Mark was different. They went way back. He was the reason Jez had got the job. Answering calls on a helpdesk might not be considered glamourous, but, it paid the bills, and Jez was grateful. Happy that no one was paying attention, he said, “Yes mate, just for a bit, till I get my head sorted. Thanks, Mark.”
“Nice one, mate. Take my spare key, and I’ll see you later.”
Jeremy let out his breath. He hadn’t realised he’d been holding it. He nodded at Mark, not trusting himself to speak. Putting the key in his pocket, he walked back to his desk.
***
Jeremy woke up. He looked around confused. It took him a moment to realise that he wasn’t in his own bed. He was in Mark’s spare room.
His mouth was dry. It had been a good night, a lads night. They’d watched the latest Star Wars film, ordering a pizza and knocking back some beers. It had been like old times. Good times.
Jeremy cocked his head. There it was. That’s what had woken him. A shuffling from downstairs.
Jeremy walked to the door, opening it, just a bit, enough for him to reach his hand out to turn the hall light on. The top of the stairs was empty. There was a crack as something light was knocked over. Then a voice. “Shit!”
“Mark, is that you?” Jeremy made his way downstairs, peering ahead. There was Mark. Stumbling around the hall, tripping over a mop he’d knocked over.
“Bloody hell, Mark. You scared the crap out of me. How much did you knock back?”
Mark dropped onto the floor. He sat looking confused. His head swayed, then turned towards Jeremy.
“Not that much. Just had one of my turns.”
“Come on, mate, let's get you up.” Jeremy reached under Mark’s armpits and gently helped him stand. Supporting him, they went into the kitchen. Jeremy lowered him into a chair and got an energy drink from the fridge.
“Have this, pal, it’ll bring you round. What’s this about turns?”
“Not sure, mate. I just get confused sometimes. I forget where I’ve been, how I got there. It’s not serious. I’ve been checked over. I thought it was epilepsy, or dementia. To be honest, I thought I was losing my marbles, but the doctor says it’s just exhaustion.”
“Exhaustion? You? You do bugger all, mate.” Jeremy laughed. “No, seriously though, you ought to take some time off. Get some sleep. I’ll cover for you, don’t worry about it.”
***
Jeremy opened his eyes. It had been three nights since Mark’s episode. Mark had called in sick, he’d been resting all day and watching films with Jeremy at night. It had been good, but Mark couldn’t hide his unease from Jeremy, his oldest friend.
Jeremy pulled the bed sheets back and walked to the landing. Something was wrong. Something had woken him again. Mark and Jez had an almost twin-like bond. They could finish each other's sentences, and knew when the other was in trouble.
Mark’s bedroom door was open. The bed was empty. Jeremy made his way downstairs. The lights were on, and the front door was open. Jez could hear voices outside, they were raised. The crack in the door was occasionally lit up by blue flashing lights. Blue lights? Jez grabbed a coat to cover himself and rushed out of the door. A few doors down the street, was a small group of people, he headed towards them. As he got closer, he could see between the people. There was someone on the floor. Blood was pooled around them. Looking at the injured person, Jeremy could see a viscous head wound. There was a split in the head, hair was matted with blood around the wound.
Then Jeremy saw the man, standing above the body. He was holding an axe, it was covered with blood. He was shaking, as if he was fighting to control himself.
“Armed Police! Drop the weapon and turn around slowly.”
There were two policemen. Stood with vests, and holding pistols. They were aimed straight at the axe man.
“Move back, sir, for your own safety.”
Jeremy hadn’t noticed the other policeman. He was trying to clear the small crowd that was forming.
“Where to? I live here.” Jeremy had turned to point to Mark’s front door. Two gunshots rang out, then a scream, then time appeared to slow down.
At the sound, Jeremy had turned back to the axe man. He had been shot, turning as he fell, so for the first time Jeremy could see his face. It was Mark. Mark looked straight at Jeremy. He looked like he was smiling. But the smile didn’t stop. His mouth just kept on opening, and opening. Wider, then wider. It was unnaturally wide. No one was reacting. What’s wrong with these people? Then his head was almost folded back on itself. Two dark hands appeared to come out of Mark’s mouth, grabbing the sides of his jaw, pulling. A shadowy man was pulling himself out. No one’s reacting, am I dreaming? The dark form was all the way out, looking straight at Jeremy, who was rooted to the spot. The figure came closer. No one seemed to see it. No! One man was looking at Jeremy. He felt an electric shock as the dark form grabbed his face. Terrifying images flooded Jeremy’s mind. Fire, then swords, slashing, blood, laughing. He tried to scream, but there was no sound. Pressure was building in his head. Then, when it felt like his skull would burst, it was gone.
Mark was on the floor, one policeman kneeling beside him, another covering with his pistol. Two paramedics stood to the side, waiting for the police to wave them over.
The man from the crowd was walking across to Jeremy.
“You saw him, didn’t you? You saw Hibach?” the man said.
“What are you on about? Leave me alone. My mate’s just been killed. Just piss-off, will you?”
“I understand. I don’t want to upset you. But I can explain what is happening to you. My name is Nurullah, just come with me. I’ll buy you a coffee. It will calm your nerves. All you need to do is listen. Then if you still want me to, I’ll go. Come. Please.” The man had put his hand on Jeremy’s arm. It felt reassuring. Jeremy looked at Mark. He wanted to run to him, check him. But what could he do? He felt pressure. Nurullah was encouraging him to move. He allowed himself to be led away.
***
The coffee was strong and sweet. Jeremy was sat in a corner of the cafe. He looked across at Nurullah. “What did you want to tell me?”
“First. Did you see him. Did you see Hibach?”
“I don’t know what I saw. Probably just shock or something. It didn’t make any sense.”
“OK! I’ll tell you what I think you saw. You saw something crawl out of the man with the axe. Yes?”
“Mark. His name was Mark. He was my friend… Yes, I saw something. Did you see it? What was it?”
“In time, my friend. First, did Hibach go into you?” Nurullah looked straight at Mark as he spoke.
“I think so. I don’t know. Something happened. I saw… horrible things.”
Nurullah smiled and sat back. “Good. That's good, my friend. We have him.”
“You’re not making any sense. You said you’d explain, so explain.”
“OK! Just listen. It started a long time ago. When the earth was new and man was but a dream. God made man and was pleased with his creation. However, one of his angels was angry. God no longer had time for his first children, he just had time for man. This angel was Hibach. He was angry. He felt ignored. He felt jealous. He raged at God, demanded that he destroy man and devote his time to the angels. But God replied in kind, casting Hibach out of heaven for ever more.”
“Mate, I don't want to be rude, but that’s all rubbish. I don’t believe in God, or angels. They’re just fairy tales.”
“And yet you saw Hibach. Just let me finish. Hibach was angry to be rejected by his God and went on a rampage. Killing men in their hundreds. He vowed to wipe them out. God weeped at the de
struction and sent down an angel, Vaoboch, to end Hibach’s tyranny. Vaoboch searched in vain for Hibach. Always, he was too late. After many years, Vaoboch entrusted his mission with a group of men. They made a vow to help Vaoboch find the demon, and destroy him if they could. They called themselves, The Order of Vaobock. His trust was repaid, and The Order located Hibach’s lair. There was a mighty battle. The very Earth itself shook, the sky burned. When the light subsided, and the smoke cleared, only Hibach remained, Vaobock was no more. The Order Of Vaobock swore to continue the fight. They once numbered in their thousands, now less than a hundred. I am of that order.”
Jeremy stared at Nurullah. “That’s a lovely story, mate. Make a good film plot, that. I’d watch it.”
“You don’t have to believe the legend. You don’t have to believe in the order. But Believe this. Hibach is real. You’ve seen him. You will soon feel him. Only I can help. It will take him three to five days to gain control of you, then it is too late. I can train you to resist, to stop him using you as an instrument of murder. He can only leave your body on your death, so he will be trapped, powerless. We will have time to learn how to destroy him. All I ask, is that you consider all I have said. When you are ready, come to us and we will help.” Nurallah placed a card on the table, and stood. “But don’t take too long, my friend, time is the one thing we don’t have.”
Jeremy watched Nurullah leave, then looked at the card. It had an address, in Wales. Slipping it into his pocket, he stood to leave.
***
Jeremy was in bed, his own bed. He had gone to Mark’s to collect his things, only to be stopped by a policeman. Blue tape was across the entrance. On hearing that Jeremy had been staying there, and was Mark’s friend, the officer had taken his details. He had to remain available for interview. He felt trapped in a nightmare. He had returned home. Since the incident, he had felt numb. Going about, appearing to do all the normal things, but his mind was elsewhere. Now, in the privacy of his own bed, he felt overwhelmed. Tears tickled his cheeks as they ran down. He sobbed uncontrollably, until sleep and exhaustion overcame him.
***
The next day, Jeremy went to work, as usual. It seemed comforting, somehow, to carry on with the normal routine. Walking into the open plan office, that all changed. There was a noticeable reduction in the general chatter, and a few people glanced his way then quickly turned away as he looked back.
He went to his desk and logged onto his terminal. He would usually have made a coffee first, but, looking at the people gathered around the kettle, changed his mind. He really couldn’t face it. Putting on his headset, he readied himself for his first call.
Thou shalt kill!
He turned round, there was no one. His terminal beeped. First call of the day. He forgot his unease as the humdrum of work life began.
***
The morning had passed without incident. The calls had taken his mind off Mark, workmates had left him alone. It was all going better than expected. He had braved the walk to the kettle and was busying himself making a coffee to have with his dinner. He heard footsteps behind him. It was Sally from the other side of the office. Short, plump, with tight permed red hair, she was the mother hen of the group. Jeremy sighed, he knew he wouldn’t be left alone for long.
“Oh, Jez. Terrible about Mark. Never saw that one coming. You two were friends, wasn’t you? You had no idea?” Sally stood at the side of him, one hand on his shoulder, squeezing in support. But to Jeremy, it felt more like she was trying to squeeze information out of him. In some ways she was like an emotional vampire, feeding on the misery of others.
“Sal, nothing's been proven yet. Maybe he came across the body and picked up the axe. They’re still investigating.”
“That’s our Jez, always looking for the good in others. I think it’s pretty straightforward. What happened, I mean. The police don’t shoot people for nothing.”
Thou shalt kill!
Jeremy couldn’t face it. He was fighting to keep his thoughts under control, and now Sally was poking away at his emotions. “Just fuck off, Sal. All right? There’s nothing for you here.” Jeremy released Sal. He hadn’t realised. He’d grabbed her and was shouting in her face. She was shaking, her eyes glistened. She pulled away and ran down the office. The room was silent, apart from the ringing of unanswered calls. Everyone was staring at Jeremy.
On the far side of the room, was a row of offices. One of the doors opened and his boss, Jason stood there, looking at Jeremy. Jason was his boss.
“Jeremy. A word, Please.”
Jeremy walked across. He felt ashamed for losing control. He’d lost his friend, now it felt like his mind would be next. Everyone stood watching.
“Back to work you lot, those calls aren’t going to answer themselves.”
Jeremy sat down opposite Jason. The office was small and sparsely decorated. Just a leather chair for Jason, a desk and two wooden chairs for visitors. At the other side of the desk, sat Jason, looking at Jeremy.
“Look. Jeremy. I know you’ve been through it. I know you and Mark were friends. I understand that Sally is not helping, but we can’t have that kind of behaviour at work.”
“I know, I’m sorry, Jason. It just got to me. I’ll buy Sally some flowers and apologise.”
“Jeremy. Mark was your friend. I can’t give you compassionate leave, but you’ve got a perfect attendance record. Take a week off. Go off sick. No one's going to say anything in the circumstances. See someone, grief counselling. We want you well. We want you back. But we can’t have you like this.”
***
Nurullah looked at the bare factory walls. This is what passed for their home these days. They’d bought it seven years ago, after they had been forced to move. Inside had been modernised and turned into living accommodation. The outside had intentionally been left alone. It made the building look abandoned.
Nurullah went inside. The door opened onto a small corridor. Doors leading off on either side. His footsteps echoed. He went through the furthest door, it opened into a bedroom. It was small and bare, almost like a monk's habitat. Sitting at a plain desk was Adam.
“Welcome back, Nurullah, We’ve finally found him, again. How long has it been? Ten? Twenty years?”
“It’s been a long time coming, Adam. That’s why I think we need to try something different this time.”
“I hope you’re right, Nurullah, but I’m not sure. We know that Hibach is getting weaker. Once, he roamed the Earth in his true form, killing at will. Then, after a thousand years, he was weaker, he needed a host to continue. Eventually, he will fade.”
“So, you think we should just wait him out. How long, another thousand years? Two thousand? How many more will die?”
“No, Nurullah, I’m saying that, just because killing the host didn’t work last time, it might this time. Before, he was stronger, he surprised us, he ranged hundreds of miles as a spirit, before he needed another host, this time he may only range a short distance.”
“But even a short distance covers hundreds or thousands of people, we can’t be sure he will choose one of our order, so we will be back to square one, having to kill the host. No. We try my way this time.”
“Do you think this man, this Jeremy, is strong enough to resist him?”
“With our training, yes. Yes, I am sure of it. We can trap Hibach in this host, then we have years to work out a way of permanently trapping him. It is the only way, my friend.”
“And when will he arrive, Nurullah?”
“I gave him my card. It has a tracker on it. I checked earlier, he is on his way. Come, Alan, we need to prepare everything.”
***
The rocking motion, combined with the clackety clack of the train, was sending Jeremy to sleep. Thou Shalt kill! It was getting worse, louder, more frequent. He looked around the carriage, an irrational fear that the other passengers could hear the voice, sense his inner conflict. No reaction. Everyone was carrying on as
normal, reading papers, sitting with earphones nodding their heads in time to their music, some were sleeping.
Jeremy laid his head back into the head rest. He had another hour to go. Looking out of the window, he admired the countryside rolling by, blue lakes, green hills.
***
“Wake up! Wake up, man!”
The fog of sleep was snatched away from Jeremy. He had been dreaming. Nightmarish images flooding his mind. He had seen a Beast, lurking through the world, tossing people around like toys, twisting heads until they came free, then sucking the juices from their necks. He had seen a centurion in the Roman army, walking into a barracks block in the dead of night. Slitting the throats of other soldiers as they slept. Laughing like a madman. He had seen the streets of London, shrouded in mist as a man sawed at a woman’s stomach with a sharp knife. Then he had felt shaking. He opened his eyes to utter confusion. The carriage was in turmoil. People were standing looking shocked. One man was holding a handkerchief to his face. It was red, as was his shirt. A train guard was leaning over him.
“Sir, wake up. There’s been a very serious allegation.”
“What? I don’t understand. I’ve not done anything.” Thou Shalt Kill!
“You bloody liar. You attacked me for no reason. I think you’ve broken my nose,” the man with the handkerchief said.
“It’s not broken, sir,” the guard said. “Let’s not make a bad situation worse.” The guard turned to face Jeremy. “This gentleman claims you attacked him, for no reason. Several people witnessed this. Well, sir, what have you got to say for yourself?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember any of this. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do anything. I’ve not been myself. My best friend was killed recently.”
“Look, I should really report this to the transport police. But there’s no real damage, I think it would be best for all concerned if you got off at the next station.”
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