Drug (Kassidy Bell Series Book 1)

by Lynda O'Rourke

  I wondered how Doctor Middleton had kept all this secret. The staff seemed unaware of what was going on. Nurse Jones hadn’t had a clue and Charlie and his mate, Steve, seemed unaware of the true horrors that were happening inside the hospital. They had only heard whispers – rumours. Neither seemed to really care as long as they were getting paid well. And besides, they believed it was us who had killed Nurse Jones, Fred Butler, and the other volunteers. They had no idea what Middleton, Wright, and Ben were all about. They just thought they were covering up another experiment gone wrong. Keeping up the good name of Doctor Middleton and Cruor Pharma so they could keep their jobs and good pay. I let my fingers slide over the photograph of my dad inside my pocket. Had he been the same? Had he happily worked for Cruor Pharma as long as he got paid? Had he known the true horrors that went on inside Cruor Pharma and kept its secrets? Is that why he had drunk so much – to blot out the nightmares and his own guilt? He had certainly done a good job of keeping his employment hidden from me. But why had he left? Was he sacked? Maybe he had found out what Doctor Middleton was up to and had left. Yes, that must be it. My dad had been a drunk but I’m sure he wouldn’t have played along with messed up experiments that turned people into monsters. Still, that uneasy feeling that all was not quite right where my dad was concerned tore away at me.

  The pain in my ankle had got worse. I needed to sit and rest for a few minutes. I plonked myself down on a fallen branch. Making sure I was alone, I lent my head against the trunk of a tree. How much further until I reached the road? It felt like I had been walking down Strangers Hill forever. I looked back at the way I had come. I couldn’t tell how far down I was. The fog was like a thick blanket.

  My thoughts turned to Raven. I hadn’t seen her with Max and Jude at the fence. Maybe she had already fled? After all, she had been pretty pissed off – pointing her finger at me, Max, and Jude. She still blamed us for persuading her to have the drug test. My heart thumped in my chest as I thought about what she had said to me back at the chapel.

  Something bad is gonna happen to you.

  What had she meant? How did she know? Something bad had happened to me. I wasn’t sure if I could cope with anything more. And what about the strength Raven had shown in the locker room? That was unnatural, even Max and Jude couldn’t lift a guy up by his throat and hang him in the air. Maybe it was because of VA20? Could I end up like that? I dropped my head into my hands. There were so many questions and no answers. I wished I could curl up into a ball and hide away forever. But that was a long way off from happening – if ever.

  The sound of a branch snapping pulled me out of my daze. I looked up to where I had come from. I held my breath. My heart started to race. My eyes strained to see into the fog. Shadowy shapes seemed to lurk in the mist. I froze. My brain screamed at me to run, but my feet seemed glued to the ground. I listened. Still nothing. The shadowy shapes stayed frozen to the spot. They were just trees shrouded by swirls of fog. The snapping branch had probably just fallen from one of the trees – broken by last night’s storm. Even so, it had scared me. I pulled myself up. That anxious feeling making me tremble. I had to get going. I hobbled down the hill. This time at a quicker pace. Fuck the ankle, I thought. I would be in worse pain if Middleton got his hands on me. I looked back over my shoulder every couple of minutes. I was sure I could hear something in the distance but I couldn’t make out what it was. Facing front again, I came to a sudden stop. I had reached the road. Leaning cautiously out from the treeline, I peered left and right. The road was clear of vehicles. Silent, foggy, and shrouded on both sides with fir trees. If I followed it to the left, it would lead me down toward Holly Tree. I stepped out. It was hard work trying to walk through all the trees. If I stuck to the road then maybe I would reach the town quicker. I could always step back amongst the fir trees if a vehicle came by. I had only gone a few steps when I got that feeling of being watched. A shiver ran down my spine. I didn’t want to turn around. I was scared to know what was there. I could hear a low rumbling coming from behind me. I took a deep breath and spun around. A black van had stopped in the middle of the road. Its fog lights cut through the gloomy morning. The exhaust pumped out thick, black clouds which churned and swirled amongst the patchy fog. It reminded me of the Cleaners and their shadowy forms. I felt for the cross in my pocket. I held it tight in my hand. Did the Cleaners ever leave Cruor Pharma? Surely not. You couldn’t have them wandering around. No, I was just being paranoid. But who was in there? It wasn’t a police van. I took a step back, scanning the treeline for a quick escape. The van rolled forward – slowly. The cloudy fumes from the exhaust drifted up like a black marble effect swirling in the fog. I stumbled back, knocking into a tree trunk. I gasped when I saw the words written over the bonnet of the van. Cruor Pharma. Shit. I spun around. No sooner had I taken my first step, I knew I would never be able to outrun the van. The pain in my ankle was too much. I looked over my shoulder. The van had moved closer. The windscreen was covered in dirt. Just a tiny gap for the driver to see out of. I staggered forward. The van crawled past me and stopped. I felt sick. Unable to move, I stood and waited – my eyes fixed on the van. All my strength and determination drained away like a plug had been pulled from me. I waited for the jury to step out from the van and give me my sentence. Was it going to be life or execution?

  Whatever the decision, I wished that it would just be over with. I had tried so hard – come so far to get away from Cruor Pharma, but here I now stood. I had failed. The passenger door swung open, its creaky hinges sending shivers through me. I swallowed hard, blinking away the tears that had started to fill my eyes. I awaited my fate.

  Nothing.

  No Cleaners.

  No Middleton.

  A spark of courage seemed to wake me up. That human desire to survive raced within me. I wasn’t going to get in the van. I had a choice. I was going to walk straight past that open door. Fuck Cruor Pharma. Fuck Middleton, and fuck the Cleaners. If they wanted me then they would have to fight me. I took a deep breath and started to walk. I passed the open door. My eyes fixed on the road ahead. I didn’t want to see who was in there. As I cleared the van a voice made me jump.

  “Get in.”

  I ignored it. I carried on walking, determined to show whoever was inside I had no intention of getting in willingly. The van rumbled as it crawled forward passing me again.

  “You need to get in if you want to escape everyone who’s after you. You’ll never outrun them.”

  I turned sharply. I recognised the voice. Ben Fletcher. He peered out. His blue eyes fixed on me. He patted the seat next to him as if to entice me in. A smile spread across his lips.

  “I’m here to help you, Kassidy,” he said, stretching out his arm, offering me his hand.

  I thought back to how Ben had been with me last night. One minute helpful, and then really angry, taking hold of me by the throat and slamming me up against the wall. Hot – cold – nice – nasty.

  “You said you were evil. You said you weren’t safe to be around,” I whispered, taking a step back from the open door.

  Ben let out a huge sigh and stared out through the windscreen. “I’m not safe to be around. But I’m offering you my help and if you don’t accept it, they’ll get you, take you, and then you’ll be lost forever.” He turned to face me again. His eyes had clouded over like the exhaust fumes that swirled up amongst the fog.

  Ben’s eyes sent warning bells rushing through me. From the short space of time that I had spent with him, I knew that look. I needed to get away from him.

  “I’m going,” I said, turning away from the van. “I need to find the others.”

  I had only gone a short distance when I heard Raven’s voice call out. I swung around – searching the treeline. I couldn’t see her.

  Her voice cried out again. “Kassidy.”

  My eyes fell upon the van. Was she in there? No, she couldn’t be. I stepped to the side. Maybe she was coming down the road from behind the van. I still coul
dn’t see her.

  “She’s in here.” Ben stuck his head out from the driver’s window. “I picked her up further up Strangers Hill.”

  I started to walk back toward the van, reluctant to go back to Ben but relived that Raven had been found. Maybe she would know which direction Max and Jude had gone in. Something caught my eye. A movement among the trees. I glanced to the side. That distant sound I had heard earlier had crept nearer. Dogs. I could hear dogs.

  “Hurry up,” shouted Ben, “The police are coming. If you don’t get in here then…”

  “Then what?” I glared at him, trying to pick up pace. The urge to just run was overpowering. If only I hadn’t twisted my ankle.

  “You’ll end up back inside Cruor Pharma,” he muttered as I reached the van.

  Not knowing if I was doing the right thing or not, I climbed in, slamming the door shut. The ripped leather seats creaked as I sat down. Ben slammed his foot down on the accelerator, the wheels span as he pulled away. I looked out the window. A pack of dogs were running down the side of the hill toward us, followed by a group of policemen. I clung onto the dashboard as Ben swerved the van tight around the sharp bends, throwing me from one side to the next. I came off the seat, hitting my head on the roof of the van as we dipped down into a pothole.

  “Get your seatbelt on,” Ben ordered as I slammed into him, knocking the gearstick.

  “I’m trying,” I snapped, as I was flung against the window. “Raven, I hope you’re holding onto something,” I shouted over my shoulder into the back of the van.

  I felt dizzy. The van continued to spiral down. I reached for the seatbelt and clicked it shut. Looking to my left, I peered into the wing mirror. I could see Strangers Hill disappearing behind me. We were speeding along the road which led into Holly Tree. Cruor Pharma sat concealed behind a wall of stagnant cloud, hidden from view, hiding its evil secrets.

  “Are you okay?” whispered Ben, taking his foot off the accelerator a little.

  “I’m just hoping I never have to see that place again,” I said, staring into the wing mirror. I turned to speak to Raven. A black curtain hung behind me, separating the back of the van from the driver’s compartment. I pulled it open.

  “Are you all right, Raven?” I began, but fell back into my seat – stunned. The rear of the van was empty. The floor was covered in blood. I looked at Ben. He turned. His eyes were that cloudy black colour again.

  “I told you I was evil,” he grinned, slamming his foot down on the accelerator.

  I shot back in my seat, heart racing, scared at the thought of where Ben was taking me. What did he have planned for me? Was he going to be my protector, or killer?

  ‘DWELL’

  (Kassidy Bell Series)

  Book Two

  Now Available to download from:

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