The Howardsfield Horror

by Jay Mason

  She’d landed badly and the base of her spine flamed with pain. Alex lent forward and put a hand on the ground. Her fingers sank into the mud. Water. She was lucky it hadn’t been worse. She rose shakily to her feet. Which way did she go? She’d lost all her bearings. I’m in shock, she thought. I need to move. Her feet stayed still. She swayed and lent against the corn stems. They gave way and she went down again. Her feet slid from under her. The jolt of pain that shot up her spine as she landed took her breath away.

  This time it took her a lot longer to get to her feet. Her legs were on fire, but they were obeying her. That’s good, she told herself, it can’t be permanent damage. She knew there was no way she was going to be running. She took a few steps forward. The effort and pain took her breath away. Her balance was shot. The effort to stay upright was enormous.

  Carefully, Alex slid back to the ground. A brief memory of flying above the corn came back to her. If the thing was out there it would have a good idea where she was. Her best option was to crawl sideways through the corn rows. Despite her situation Alex gave a slight grin. She was doing exactly what she had told the others not to do. With luck the throw had brought her nearer to the edge of the field. If she could reach the lane beyond, there had to be a chance that a shout might attract someone from the film set. That was all she needed.

  Grunting with effort Alex turned onto her front. It’s as well this has happened to me, she told herself. If it had to happen to anyone, I’m the one most able to cope. I’ve been through worse. Or at least I think I have. Damn my mother. If I get out of this I need to sit down and talk with my parents. The stuff that happens to me is real. Joe, Rusty and Cat can testify to that — to this. It will serve them right if I get eaten by this thing.

  On which comforting thought Alex broke out of the cornfield and into the lane. She had taken the right direction. She flopped forward and breathed deeply for a moment. She had to get her breath back to shout. She could crawl across the lane, but the delivery vans that turned up at the set tended to take the road too fast. At least fast enough that it was unlikely she’d get out of their way in time.

  She lifted her head and prepared to shout. The sound died before it had begun. Inches before her face hung two glowing red eyes. Huge jaws parted showing jagged rows of metal teeth. A hiss of mist obscured her vision.

  Alex didn’t wait to see more. Ignoring the pain in a way that had seemed inconceivable before she shot to her feet and ran. But she could not run past it. She could not run towards the film set and the people there. Instead she ran into the open field. Behind her she heard the pounding of the creature. Through the soles of her feet she felt the vibrations. Whatever it was it was big, it was heavy and it wasn’t friendly.

  Pure survival instinct carried Alex forward. Her mind disregarded the pain surging through her body. She had to escape. Her mind formed no plan more complicated than away. But nausea rose up within her. She might be able to overrule her injuries for a time, but she could not run for ever. Even terrified Alex’s mind ran through her options. Her best chance remained to find others. Either the creature would flee or they could help her. Or even if they didn’t the creature would have a new and confusing choice of prey. Sweat ran down the back of Alex’s neck. That was it, she was prey. She could still hear and feel it behind her. Her only choice was to try and double back towards the lane and seek help.

  On a bright day she might have rated her chances, but as the twilight slid towards darkness this lethal game of prey and hunter became no more than strange shadows in the night. How many times had she dismissed a scream at night as one of a fox or a hunting owl? How many times might she have been wrong?

  Alex looped back in a wide arc towards the lane. She kept her face forward. There was no point looking behind. Looking behind would only slow her and if it was that close it was better not to know.

  She saw the lane ahead. She aimed for a gap between two large trees lining the edge. Beyond it she could see the edge of one of the crew’s trailers. She was so close.

  Then she caught her foot in a rut and fell. Her ankle became a ball of pain. Bile shot into her mouth. She knew she had at least sprained it if not broken a bone. There was no point trying to stand.

  She could hear the creature behind her. Alex did not give up. She rolled onto her front and pulled herself along. She could make it.

  Above her came a rush of wind and the little light there was, was blocked by a shadow. She caught a vague glimpse of something above her. Then the creature landed in front of her. Alex froze.

  The creature turned to face her. It had a dog-like body, but stood a good meter and a half at the shoulder. It’s jaws gaped. Alex could all too easily imagine the metal teeth clamping, twisting and tearing her flesh. Frightened though she was, seeing a red fleshy tongue inside those jaws took her fear to a new level. This was not some kind of drone. It was alive.

  The creature swung its head from side to side. The red eyes glowed. Where it’s ears should have been were a pair cylinders on each side. It’s skin though dark had a blue luminescent. Implanted bio-luminescence, analysed the scientific part of Alex’s mind. Part dog, part sea organisms, part technology — Alex experienced both terror and awe.

  The creature lowered its head slightly. Is it thinking what to do with me, she wondered. “Friend,” she said gently. “I’m a friend.”

  At the sound of her voice the creature’s head came up. A whirling sound came from a cylinder on each ear. Alex rolled to one side, curling into a ball. The missiles landed bare inches from her. This was it. There were no other options. The next shots would kill her.

  10. Nothing to see here

  Alex wondered if it would hurt very much. She curled up tight and closed her eyes. What upset her most, she realised, was now she would never know if aliens were real. Trust me to have the weirdest last thoughts, she told herself. I’m caught. I’m cornered. Just like an animal in nature when it knows there is no escape, I am not frightened. It is all over.

  Alex neither screamed nor cried. She waited and focussed on the saying of a writer she had read in college, who had described death ‘as the last great adventure’.

  But the final shots never came. Instead Alex heard the sound of running feet. Lots of them. She unfurled at once, to shout a warning about what her rescuers were about to encounter, but the words died in her mouth. Running on to the field, surrounding the creature were a group of a dozen or so men dressed head to toe in black and carrying rifles. Helmets obscured their faces, but all of them had a military bearing.

  The men raised their rifles and began to fire. The creature reacted immediately. It dodged and rolled, only coming to its paws to fire missiles at the newcomers. Alex began slowly to move backwards. With luck they would be too busy to notice.

  One man went down, the front of his suit smoking where a missile hit. Another barely escaped the giant swinging jaws that grabbed his weapon and snapped it in half. The creature’s head whipped from side to side as it fired at its foes. At the same time it moved with a lightening and unnatural grace evading the bullets fired at it. The military formation of the group was breaking. None of them seemed able to get in a decent shot.

  Then a single shooter knelt down on the ground and raised his rifle to his shoulder. He did not fire, but waited. The creature continued its barrage, but this man did not move. A large paw reached out and another man went down. This time his armour was clawed open and blood surged from the slices. Then amid the battle the creature seemed to notice the immobile man, who had not fired. Whatever passed for intelligence in its head was clearly intrigued. Still moving so fast it practically flickered, it surged forward, jaw agape to rip this enemy in two.

  The creature came within a foot of the man before he fired, straight down it’s open gullet. The creature’s head tossed back. It reared in the air for a moment, then fell with a crash on its side. The remaining men surged forward. Alex decided this was definitely the time to get away. If she could get to one of the t
rees maybe she could hide in the shadow.

  As she readied herself to move, the man who had brought down the creature took of his helmet and Alex saw her father’s face.

  “Alex, don’t you even think of trying to go anywhere,” said Lewis Morgan in a stern and commanding voice.

  ****

  When Alex opened her eyes she was sitting in a wheel chair in a white corridor. On a seat next to her sat her father alternatively eating a cheese sandwich and sipping from a plastic cup. He was dressed in his usual baggy brown corduroys and shirt with the button down pockets. He hadn’t seemed to notice she was awake yet. Her foot felt strange. She glanced down to see it was encased in plaster.

  “How did I get here?” said Alex. Her heartbeat raced. She waited for him to say she had tripped on the stairs. She remembered the creature and that he had shot it, but she knew it couldn’t be true. Her mother had been right all along. There was no way in hell her father could be part of some elite task force. She’d known him all her life and knew of the two of them her mother was the stronger character. Her father was weaker. He was more diplomatic, more conceding. He was the last man on earth to pick up a gun. She had imagined it all. Were even Cat, Rusty or Joe real? How far did her psychosis go?

  “Awake,” said Lewis. “Excuse me. These night time manoeuvres always leave me ravenous.”

  “Manoeuvres?” said Alex.

  “I told them it wasn’t ready for a proper field test yet, but does anyone listen to me?” He gave her a quick smile. “Sometimes talking to my colleagues reminds me all too much of talking to your mother. You think they’ve heard you, but they go and do the opposite of what your advise anyway.”

  “What was it?” asked Alex.

  “Ah, yes, I must admit I’ve wanted to tell you about it for ages,” said Lewis. “It’s the project of a lifetime. It’s a search and rescue cyborg.”

  “But it shot at you.”

  “Yes, well,” said Lewis, swallowing the last of his sandwich, “it’s not meant to do that. The missiles are for breaking ground. You know, like when you’re rescuing earthquake victims. There’s still a hell of a lot those programming guys need to do with the code on their bits. I keep telling them the wetware is fine, but that syncing it to the hardware isn’t that easy. But you know how it is in industry. Everybody wants everything yesterday.”

  “So that creature does exist? I’m not mad.”

  Her father nodded. “Oh yes, the cyborg is real. As to whether you are mad or not — I’m afraid the jury is still out on that one. Who else was with you?”

  The question was so sudden Alex answered without thinking, “Rusty, Cat and Joe.” Her father frowned. “I don’t think they saw much,” she said. “We heard it and saw a shadow. Nothing else.”

  “Hmm,” said Lewis.

  “Cat thought it was the Howardsfield Horror,” she added in an attempt to convince him the others knew nothing.

  “I’m glad to know the time unearthing that grave wasn’t entirely wasted then.”

  “That was you?” asked Alex.

  “Not personally,” said Lewis. “As head of my department I do have my own minions. It was one of them who let the creature get out before and started all these rumours off in the first place.” He patted her knee. “It’s a pity you’re so curious, Alex.”

  Alex swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “What are you going to do with me?” she asked.

  “I’m not going to do anything to you,” said Lewis, looking confused. Then he laughed. “Oh, you mean because you’ve seen our secret project! For heavens sake Alex you’re my daughter. I’d never harm you.”

  “Does Mum now?”

  “About my project. No, it’s above her pay grade.” He sighed. “You can’t tell her anything about this. In fact you can’t tell anyone. I’m sure you see that.”

  “Yes,” said Alex.

  “And we do owe the Centre and Straker in particular a debt for helping you.”

  “Mum thinks I’m a schizophrenic who lives in a fantasy world,” said Alex. “Is that true?”

  “Straker doesn’t think so. He thinks you’re hyper-perceptive and thinks you notice things most people miss. That coupled with what he calls a ‘genius level’ imagination means that unchecked you can weave fantasies out of thin air. It’s not that you’re mad per se, but that your brain needs something to occupy it. If it isn’t given enough stimulus it will sometimes create it, and you generally don’t know the difference.”

  “Oh,” said Alex. “Does Mum know this?”

  “No, it was my and Straker’s secret. Now it’s yours.” Lewis levelled his gaze at her. “I know you’re very, very smart whatever you pretend. Your mother still has no idea. Straker had you on a dose of drugs to help you navigate reality. That and his talking therapy brought you to a very stable state. I came to him, because I thought he was the only one who could help you. We moved here because of you. Your mother would do anything for you, Alex. She loves you too.”

  “But she doesn’t know?”

  “The methods Straker uses are of an advanced scientific perspective. I wasn’t entirely sure your mother would approve. Besides Straker wants to keep all this quiet. He doesn’t want other patients. His other work is too important. We traded working here for his help. Your mother didn’t realise how very special that help was.”

  “This is a lot to take in,” said Alex. “What happens now?”

  “Well, this is a business and they are very secretive about their products when they are in development. The best thing to do is to get you to sign a non-disclosure form and I’ll also vouch for you, but Alex you absolutely must not tell anyone any of this.” Lewis hesitated. “I can protect you, but this world is highly competitive. They wouldn’t look kindly on anyone else who knew the sorts of the things the Center specialised in.”

  “Where do I sign,” said Alex forcing a smile on her face.

  “Good girl,” said her father. “You stay here and I’ll be back with the form in a moment.” He stood up. “Really, I mean it. Stay here.”

  He walked off down the corridor. Alex sat and thought. She could remember every word her father had said, but believing it, making sense of it, was proving a challenge. At the end of the corridor a group of young children in white gowns filed past, shepherded by a uniformed nurse and a young man with white blonde hair. As they passed the man turned and looked at her. His eyes struck Alex as both amazing and familiar. But at that moment she couldn’t remember where she had seen him before.

  ****

  “So it’s actually only a search and rescue robot that went a bit off course,” lied Alex to Rusty. They were sitting in her garden, catching the last of the autumn evening. Alex’s ankle was still in plaster and she had it raised on a chair. Her mother had managed to make tolerable ginger beer. They were sipping some and eating the sherbet sweets Rusty had brought round as a get well present. “It looked so odd as it was designed as an all terrain thing — but you didn’t get that close a look at it, did you?”

  “Not really,” said Rusty. “I didn’t see more than shadows.”

  “Apparently the Center had got the farmer to agree to let them test it in his cornfield by buying off his crop. That’s why it was left so late on the stem. But the thing kept going out of control and wandering off on its own. They were so worried it was going to run into the locals because it looked so odd.”

  “So that was the lights — the drones we saw — were doing.”

  Alex nodded. “Yep. They were trying to bring it home.” She took another sip and turned her face to the garden. “Actually, there won’t be any more trouble. The Center are giving up on the whole idea. Apparently someone else has made greater headway on a similar design and they’ve already given a press conference. So the whole project is folded.”

  “I suppose that’s something,” said Rusty. “I can tell Cat not to worry.”

  “Exactly,” said Alex. “But I wouldn’t talk about it too much. The Center won’t like it to be kno
wn that they’ve failed.”

  “Still it’s a pity it wasn’t something more exciting,” said Rusty.

  “Oh, I think I’d have quite enough excitement for now,” said Alex with a grin. “Excitement generally requires running and I’m not too hot on that at the present.”

  “You could hop,” said Rusty.

  ****

  After Rusty had gone, Lewis came out to the garden. “You did well,” he said. “Do you think he believed you?”

  “I do,” said Alex.

  “Good,” said her father.

  “Dad, I saw some kids at the Center when you were fetching my form.”

  Her father poured himself a glass. “I’m not surprised. Probably Straker’s genetic project. He’s trying to eradicate genetic disease.” He studied the contents of his glass. “How is your mother’s lemonade?”

  Alex looked down at her glass in disgust. “I thought it was ginger beer.”

  Lewis laughed.

  Later that night Alex found c0numdrum in a chat room and told him everything that had happened.

  C0numdrum> I’m sorry Alex, but your father is lying.

  Alex> I thought he might be. He was a completely different person at the Center.

  C0numdrum> Very much so.

  Alex> Tell me

  C0numdrum> The Project Chimera remains active. Its design is purely for military application. But more than that some of its anatomy is out of this world … and I mean …

  C0numdrum’s icon vanished. Alex sighed. She was getting used to the way he would suddenly break off mid conversation. She stared at the screen for a while hoping he would reappear, but he didn’t. Eventually she cleared the records of their conversation and shut down the machine. Using her crutches she hopped over to her bed and climbed in. She lay on one side looking out at the night sky. She had lied to Rusty. She and her father were lying to her mother. Her father was lying to her. She would lie to Joe. Besides any day now Joe would be gone. The only person she hadn’t lied to was c0numdrum and she had no idea who he really was nor if he ever told her the whole truth.