Colm & the Lazarus Key

by Kieran Mark Crowley

·•·

  They reached the front door of the hotel.

  ‘They have at least a ten minute head start. How are we going to find them?’ Lauryn asked.

  ‘I don’t suppose you know where they were going,’ he said.

  ‘No,’ she replied.

  Colm sighed. Were they defeated before they even started?

  ‘I know,’ The Brute shouted from the top of the stairs.

  Sixteen

  Carrying the Key was taking its toll on Colm. He felt dizzy from time to time and it was difficult to shake it off. He tried to concentrate, but it wasn’t easy. He didn’t feel right.

  The Brute, on the other hand, was in good spirits. He almost had a spring in his step. Whether this was because he was feeling better or because he was finally getting his walk in the woods with Lauryn, Colm wasn’t sure. All he knew was that it bugged him.

  They’d been walking for twenty minutes and he wasn’t convinced his cousin knew where he was going. He’d take a left and then suddenly turn back and go in the opposite direction. Then he’d turn back again saying that he was right the first time. He sensed that Lauryn was just as fed up as he was because she kept sighing and tutting, but she hadn’t said anything. Not yet anyway.

  The forest was dark and cold, and mist swirled about their knees. Colm felt like he was in a horror film. Some of the moonlight filtered down through the trees but they still needed the torches. Every so often the beams from the flashlights would land on a pair of black eyes and Colm’s heart would leap into his mouth, but it always turned out to be a fox or a badger and it was just as spooked as he was.

  They walked in silence, partly because there wasn’t much to be said, but mainly because they were listening out for any sound of Rat Face and Mrs McMahon. Rat Face and Mrs McMahon. Sounds like a bad television series, Colm thought.

  ‘Here,’ The Brute whispered.

  They stopped.

  ‘Shine the torch over here. To my left,’ he said.

  He meant his right.

  Twin beams alighted on a nest of broken brambles.

  ‘I think this is where I first went wrong,’ he said as quietly as possible. ‘I broke down these thorns.’

  ‘How far from here is the place?’ Colm asked.

  Lauryn slapped her hand against her forehead.

  ‘What is it?’ The Brute asked.

  ‘I’m so dumb,’ she said.

  ‘No, you’re not. Don’t ever say that,’ said The Brute before he’d stopped to think what he was actually saying.

  ‘What? No, it’s not a confidence thing. Just something I should have thought of earlier. How did you know where we were supposed to go?’

  ‘I heard a noise outside and when I looked down from the hotel window I saw your grandmother and this weird little man going into the woods,’ he said.

  ‘But how did you know where they were going?’ she asked.

  ‘I just assumed they were looking for the chamber. The place where I was earlier.’

  His face dropped. As if he’d blocked out his memory of his trip to the woods and now, in one horrible moment, he’d suddenly remembered everything.

  ‘W-w-why are we going there?’ he stammered. ‘That place is awful. There’s … we can’t go there.’

  ‘You were in there,’ Lauryn gasped. ‘So you saw the Key, didn’t you? A diamond …’

  ‘… with a skull inside,’ The Brute said finishing her sentence. ‘I think I’m going to puke.’

  He didn’t get sick, but he didn’t look great either. It reminded Colm of a phrase his mother used. What was it? Oh yeah, she’d seen healthier corpses. Now why did he have to think of the word corpse at a time like this.

  ‘Did you touch the Key?’ Lauryn asked. Her voice was anxious.

  ‘Yes,’ he said.

  ‘He took it,’ Colm said.

  ‘He what?’

  ‘It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t mean to. I just … I felt … I had to take it. I don’t know why. I just had to,’ The Brute said.

  ‘Where is it?’ Lauryn asked.

  ‘I have it,’ Colm said.

  ‘You what?’

  ‘I said, I have it,’ he repeated.

  ‘I heard you the first time. I just couldn’t believe my ears. Give it to me. Now.’

  ‘What are you going to do with it?’

  ‘I’m going to destroy it,’ Lauryn said.

  ‘Destroy it? Why? What is it?’ The Brute asked.

  ‘I’ll explain later, Brute,’ Colm said.

  ‘Brute? There’s no need to call me names.’

  Colm felt like laughing. And crying. But he hadn’t the energy for either. The sickness was consuming him and he hardly had the strength to keep going. He just wanted all this to be over and for things to go back to normal. Normal and boring. That seemed like the nicest thing in the world right now.

  He reached into his pocket and took out the Lazarus Key. Lauryn grabbed it from him.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell us that you had it earlier?’ she asked, annoyed.

  ‘Because I didn’t know what it was then. Not until Drake explained it in the kitchen. If you’d just told me what was going on instead of kidnapping us …’

  ‘Who was kidnapped?’ The Brute asked.

  ‘Not now, Brute,’ Lauryn said in a fierce whisper.

  ‘Everyone’s at it,’ he said huffily.

  ‘If you destroy it then that man might go mad. You don’t know what he’ll do to your grandmother,’ Colm said.

  ‘He’s not going to do anything to her. I won’t let him,’ Lauryn snapped, even though she didn’t have a clue as to how she was going to stop him. ‘We’ll destroy it first, then I’m going to go after him.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘No. But we have to do it anyway,’ she said coldly. ‘Get the box out of the rucksack.’

  She removed the rucksack from her shoulder and dropped it on the ground. Colm took out the ice box and carefully placed it in front of him. He unhooked the clasp. It opened with a hiss and a blast of cold air hit his face. It felt refreshing and for a moment his head felt clear again.

  Lauryn paused for a second. ‘Wish me luck,’ she said.

  ‘Good luck,’ The Brute said grumpily.

  She placed the Lazarus Key in the box and Colm closed it quickly. Even the sight of the Key disturbed him, but it felt good not to have to carry it anymore.

  ‘What do we do now?’ The Brute asked.

  ‘We wait,’ Lauryn said.

  ·•·

  The creature stirred from the tomb that had been its home for almost one hundred and fifty years. Its skin was deathly white and waxy and clung to its skull as if had been painted on. A few thin strands of white hair were scraped across its head. An eye patch covered what had once been its eye; the other, blood red, protruded from its socket. Its mouth was as black as a Hallowe’en night. Its aged and torn robes clung to its skeletal frame with a rotten aroma of must and decay. Its feet, withered like dead leaves, scraped along the forest floor.

  It made a hissing sound that might once have been laughter. It could almost smell the flesh. The life it would take tonight would be young and it would make it grow strong.

  The creature that was once Hugh DeLancey-O’Brien stretched out a hand, more skeleton than flesh, and screamed in delight. It would not be long now.

  ·•·

  ‘How long has it been?’ Lauryn asked.

  Colm shone the torch on his watch. ‘Ten minutes. How long did Mr Drake say it should take?’

  ‘Only a minute,’ Lauryn said. ‘I think. But I thought the longer we left it in there the better the chance of it working.’

  Three pairs of eyes stared at the box.

  ‘Should we open it now?’ The Brute asked.

  ‘Guess so. You want to do the honours, Colm?’

  Colm opened the box. Steam rose from it and mixed with the fog. It took a few moments to clear. They leaned in to get a better look. To their dismay the Lazarus Key was still there. I
ntact. Gleaming in the moonlight.

  ‘Maybe it doesn’t destroy it in the way we think it should,’ Colm said.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I don’t know. It mightn’t disintegrate or anything, but its power could be gone.’

  Lauryn was cheered by the thought.

  ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘You could be right. It’s probably useless now.’

  ‘Didn’t Mr Drake say something about burying it beneath a riverbed? Maybe that’s what we have to do?’ Colm said.

  ‘I agree,’ said The Brute even though he didn’t know what he was agreeing to.

  ‘You’re wrong,’ said the rat-faced little man. ‘Ice and rivers don’t do anything to the Key. Mr Drake was mistaken in that. Although I would like to thank you for finding it for me.’

  ·•·

  ‘How did you talk me into this?’ Cedric asked.

  The car whizzed around the bend so fast that it crossed the white line and sped along the wrong side of the road. Luckily there was nothing coming.

  ‘I know you, Ced,’ Kate said. ‘Deep down you’re a good man. Really deep down. Deep as the Grand Canyon deep. Way down to the centre of the earth deep. Not on the surface. Deeper than …’

  ‘I get it,’ Cedric said through gritted teeth. ‘By the way, you’re wrong. I just want you to know that. If I was on my own I wouldn’t be driving back to the hotel. I’m only doing this for you.’

  ‘Ah, that’s so sweet,’ Kate said with a smile.

  ‘Shut up.’

  ‘You shut up.’

  ‘So, what does your horoscope say about our chances?’ he asked.

  Kate picked up the tabloid newspaper from the floor and pretended to read.

  ‘Taurus. Here we are. Today will bring an unexpected visitor that will shake you from your dull routine. Embrace the change,’ she said.

  ‘I was wondering more about whether we’ll live or die,’ he said.

  ‘Chances of death – ninety per cent.’

  ‘Excellent,’ he said sarcastically.

  ·•·

  Once Lauryn had finished swearing there was a moment of quiet. A strange moment in which everything was still and peaceful. Everyone knew it wouldn’t last.

  Colm wondered how the rat-faced man had managed to sneak up on them like that. That’s twice he’s done it, he thought. A mute ninja would have made more noise than him.

  ‘Is my grandmother OK?’ Lauryn asked.

  ‘She’s alive. Or dead. I don’t remember which,’ said the man.

  Lauryn would have attacked him if The Brute hadn’t held her back. He had only ever seen the man from the bedroom window, but now that he was close to him he realised he was dangerous. He’d been in enough fights to recognise an opponent you didn’t mess with.

  ‘You win,’ said Colm to the man. Despite his tiredness there was a twinkle in his eye. He took the Lazarus Key from the box and held it out in front of him. ‘Take it.’

  ‘I’m going to,’ said the rat-faced man. ‘But not yet.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Colm asked.

  ‘There’s some hungry creatures in this forest. And it’s feeding time,’ he replied.

  ‘I think he means the creature from the trapdoor,’ said The Brute.

  Yeah, I got that, thought Colm.

  ‘I could just throw it away,’ he said.

  ‘You could,’ said the rat-faced little man, ‘but you won’t. First of all, I won’t let you. And secondly, it won’t do you any good. Your energy and life have already transferred into the Key. They’ll stay there until the creature comes and takes it or until the Key is destroyed. But that’s not going to happen tonight. Not unless you’re carrying a vial of hydrochloric acid with you.’

  Hydrochloric Acid. Why was that familiar, Colm wondered?

  The man cackled, then his face became serious again. ‘You’re going to hold it tight in your chubby fist until I tell you otherwise. You look like the sort of child who cares for his family and you know that if you don’t do as I say, then there will be repercussions for them.’

  He licked his lips and Colm almost gagged. He believed what the man had said. He was trapped and he knew it. He was going to have to do as he was told.

  ‘What about you? What do you care about?’ Lauryn cried.

  The man didn’t answer. He held a finger up to his lips.

  ‘Ah,’ he said. ‘We have a visitor.’

  ·•·

  The creature smelled them. Four. Three young. One that held the Key. It moved slowly, its robes dragging through the mud. Its sense of anticipation was growing. The youth it would steal tonight would replenish it. It knew it. It could escape that wretched chamber, its home, its prison, forever.

  It could hardly remember what it was like to be human. To drink cool, clear water. To eat fresh food. To feel the sun on its skin. It had been in darkness for what seemed like eternity and it longed for the light. It had been years since it had had a chance to escape. Decades since the last person had wandered by its lair. Then it had called out, but the person hadn’t responded. Too strong perhaps. It needed someone foolish. With a mind it could manipulate. And then this evening the boy had come. The one with the confused mind. Those were the easiest ones. The ones that had no true sense of self. Only minutes now. It felt a hunger where its stomach used to be before it had dried up.

  Soon it would be free and Hugh DeLancey-O’Brien would live again.

  ·•·

  Cedric slammed on the brakes and sent gravel flying. It pinged against the windows of the Red House Hotel. He got out of the car and ran to the front door, Kate just behind him. The door was open. Funny that, Cedric thought. Although he knew it wasn’t funny. In fact, it sent a chill right through him. There was only one explanation. The rat-faced man was already here. He knew he wasn’t that far away when he rang him, but he never thought he’d be here so quickly.

  ‘Stay near me, Kate,’ he said. He wished he had a gun. In America all the private detectives had guns. Well, they did in the movies anyway.

  ‘Maybe we should split up. I’ll take upstairs and you …’

  ‘I said to stick with me. I’m not letting you out of my sight. Not if he’s around here,’ Cedric said.

  Kate felt her heart warm. He was a good man after all. She was right.

  ‘Have you got a plan?’ she asked.

  ‘There’s only one plan that makes any sense and that’s to run away. Right now,’ he replied.

  ‘But we’re not going to do that, are we?’

  ‘No,’ he said gloomily.

  ‘Ced …’

  ‘Sssh. Do you hear that?’

  ‘Yes. It sounds like someone crying. This way.’

  They ran through the restaurant and into the kitchen. Marie was sitting on the floor. She looked groggy. She held a glass of water up to Drake’s lips, but he wasn’t drinking. He was still out cold.

  ‘Well, he’s got his man. We may as well go,’ Cedric said.

  Marie looked up when she heard his voice.

  ‘Who are you?’ she asked. A single tear ran down her cheek.

  ‘Us? We’re nobody. Just looking for a room for the night, but you’re obviously busy, so we’ll be on our way,’ he replied.

  ‘Shut up, Cedric,’ Kate said. ‘Is everything all right?’

  ‘Does it look like everything’s all right?’ Marie asked.

  Kate had to admit that it didn’t. It looked far from OK.

  ‘The children,’ Marie said. ‘I think they’re gone into the woods after him. Please help us. He has to be stopped.’

  Cedric Murphy didn’t need to ask who had to be stopped. He already knew.

  ·•·

  Colm heard the rustle of the leaves. The creature was getting closer. It got colder all of a sudden. It might have been the lateness of the hour or just a coincidence, but he didn’t think so.

  ‘Keep your eyes peeled children. You’re about to see something amazing,’ smirked the rat-faced little man.

&n
bsp; The Key felt warmer in Colm’s hand. It was almost burning now as he grew weaker by the second. His breath came in ragged bursts. Maybe Lauryn was right after all, he thought. If you touch The Book of Dread you don’t survive to see another day. Why wasn’t The Brute doing something, he wondered. He was a man of action. At least that’s what he’d always told Colm. He looked over at his cousin, whose face couldn’t hide what he was feeling. He was petrified. Lauryn wasn’t any better. Her hands trembled. Her face was ghostly pale in the beam of the flashlight.

  ‘Hey. Kids. Are you in there somewhere?’

  A man’s voice. Off to the right. Colm hadn’t the strength to respond.

  But The Brute and Lauryn had.

  ‘Over here.’

  ‘Help. Please help.’

  ‘If either of you speak another word then I will end this right now,’ said the rat-faced little man quietly.

  They shut up immediately.

  ·•·

  ‘Where did the voices come from?’ Cedric asked.

  ‘Just over there,’ Kate replied.

  ‘If we just … euurrggh.’

  ‘Ced. Are you OK? Speak to me.’

  ‘I’m fine. I just stepped into something slimy and … ah, man, my shoes are ruined. And some of it’s on my pants leg. This is my best suit,’ he said forlornly.

  ‘Ced. Focus.’

  ‘Right. This way.’

  He ran as fast as he could, but it was difficult to run through a forest at night with only a torch to guide the way. And Cedric was quite useless when it came to any form of exercise. Mainly because the last time he’d had a proper workout was in a PE class in primary school over thirty years previously.

  ‘I think I see something,’ Kate said.

  ·•·

  The creature couldn’t see it, but it knew it was near. It could taste it. Only minutes separated it from a new life. The world would be different now. But it would adapt. It didn’t matter what century it was. Humans never changed. Victory always came to the strong and the intelligent. Never the weak. Never the stupid. And it was going to be strong again. As strong as when it too had been human. People feared it. He could sense it. But they had feared it then too. When it had owned the house and land and everything around. It was coming home. Soon now.

  ·•·

  ‘What is it?’ Lauryn screamed.