by Eli Ingle
“Started acting crazy?” Rona said. “No, to do what he was doing, it’s obvious he’s been doing it for months or years. He’s not gone crazy. He is crazy.”
They looked uncomfortably at each other.
“We were looking through his photos and well … it looked like he came out here with his family and lost them. They died. And being all on his own must have been really hard. I think this was his way of coping with the loss,” explained Rigel.
“Poor guy,” said Jhoan, after a pause. “I suppose being left here on your own would be enough to send anyone around the twist.”
“It’s a lesson not to judge people on first meetings at any rate,” said Erdiz, looking uncomfortable that that is what they had done.
Dinner took around a quarter of an hour to prepare. A strange red and green bread, twice the size of loaves Rigel was used to, sat in the middle of the table. It tasted as though it was baked with tomatoes and herbs. Surrounding this were several other dishes, including some kind of mashed tuber and a selection of vegetables that tasted as though they had all been salted. Whilst not used to the food, Rigel enjoyed what he ate – it made a change from the endless tinned food they were eating on the cart.
The clock struck not on the hour, and Ludo jumped to his feet, reaching for a string of keys kept by his waistband.
“Nightfall,” he announced and hurried over to the door.
Looking out of the window, Rigel could see the sky starting to darken, but it still seemed to be relatively light to him. He mentioned this to Uncle, who looked distracted as he began bolting the door. Rigel could make out at least ten locks.
“Always better to be prepared before night,” he replied. “I’ve found that out for myself the hard way, oh yes.”
Done with the door, Ludo began closing the curtains, making sure the windows were completely blacked out. Rigel could not help to be reminded of his own nightly rituals when he lived alone. He felt a sudden understand and empathy with Ludo, but at the same time, could not help but wonder if someone had observed him turning on all the lights and listening to his cassette tape, would they have thought he was as crazy as they thought Ludo was?
Once that was done, Uncle finally seemed satisfied and sat down at the table with a fresh glass of wine.
“Is that a nightly ritual?” Laurie asked as he pointed to the door.
“It has to be,” replied Uncle. “Only way I’ll stay safe.”
“And we’re definitely safe with the windows shut and the door locked?” asked Rona, looking frightened now the time had come.
“Oh yes.”
“Good.”
“Now what?”
“It’s up to you, really,” said Uncle. “You’re my guests but you’re welcome to do what you want. I have music, books, games … enough to keep you entertained for the night at least.”
“How long until nightfall?” asked Rigel, not really listening to the conversation but trying to look out of the window by peeking through a gap in the curtains. Uncle jumped to his feet and dragged the boy away from it.
“Don’t you ever do that again!” he scolded.
“Alright!” replied Rigel, stung. He pulled himself away and moved over to the corner. “I was only looking.”
“Well don’t. That’s all it takes.”
Erdiz and Laurie shared a look before turning to Uncle. “I really think it’s time you told us what is going on,” said the Captain. Uncle pressed his lips together and shook his head, his eyes wild. “The least you owe us is an explanation. If there’s something dangerous out there then we need to know about it in case we have to deal with it.”
The old man shook his head again. “No, no. It’s best not to talk about these things after dark … they can sense it. No, we will remain vigilant and cheerful, and should the night go without a hitch then I will be more inclined to tell you about it in the morning, although sometimes it’s not safe even then.”
“Ominous,” commented Laurie. Uncle shrugged.
“It’s just the way it is.”
“Evidently ....”
“So what do you want to do then? I would suggest that at the least we put some music on to lighten the atmosphere.”
“If you say so.”
Uncle stood up and moved over to one of the cabinets. He lifted the lid to reveal a device that looked like an old sewing machine except instead of a needle that moved up and down to stitch, the needle was higher up, suspended over an empty slot. Rummaging around in the cupboard, he pulled out what looked like a canister with a thin coil of wire wrapped tightly around it. He slotted this into the empty space and flicked a switch. The canister began spinning around and the needle dropped towards it before resting lightly on the surface. A hissing filled the air and was then replaced by music that sounded to Rigel like jazz violin. Bobbing his head, he began to feel better about their situation already. Looking around, he saw that the others seemed to share his sentiment. Ludo emerged from the cupboard, pulling out several boxes with printed pictures on the front.
“These are some games for you to play. The instructions should be inside as well … and there should be some more wine around if you want it. I’m just going to go and wash up.”
“Okay.”
“And if you hear anything at the door, don’t answer it. And by answer it I mean, open it, call out to it or knock back. Be silent and it will go away.”
Rigel began shivering. What on earth could be out there?
No-one particularly wanted to ask again so they nodded silently and watched him shuffle out to the kitchen.
“Looks like we’ve got a long night ahead of us, then,” said Jhoan as he pulled one of the boxes towards himself. “Might as well settle in for the long run. Now let’s see … this one is called … Herteguerndenflerpeteur ....”
“What?”
“Herteguerndenflerpeteur. You know what? I’m not repeating it again. I can’t read it. Whatever that says. No! Don’t try to read it.” He said to Laurie, who frowned and closed his mouth again.
“What are the rules?” asked Rona.
The bandit read out loud. “In this exciting and complex game, players are expected to create an ecosystem to sustain the failing crop population and also the falling animal population. Both are required for life but both require different resources, many of which are needed by the other or are detrimental to the other. Players must balance their outgoings to maintain a healthy balance between both elements and help the ecosystem flourish. On top of that, there are pressures from the various local and national authorities, who impose restrictions on the players—”
“Stop!” begged Laurie.
“That’s no way to talk about Uncle’s board games,” said Erdiz, frowning at the bandit. “What’s the playing time?” he asked Jhoan.
“Ten hours.”
“Alright! Screw this, let’s play something else.”
Re-boxing that game, they opened another, which seemed to be a mixture of snakes and ladders and a question-and-answer game. They decided it did not look too bad and began playing, soon getting into it and becoming enthusiastic.
Uncle was still washing the dishes when Rigel’s and Rona’s sensitive ears picked up a noise coming from the street. They stopped and cocked their heads, listening. Laurie said something. He said something again.
“I said, it’s your go,” he grumbled to Rigel, pushing the dice into his hand. Rigel looked down at them, shaking his head. “What’s wrong with you?” Laurie asked.
“I thought I heard something,” he said, shaking the dice in a closed fist.
“I did too,” admitted Rona.
“What was it like?” asked Jhoan, leaning towards them over the table.
The children looked at each other, unsure how to describe it.
“Scratching?” suggested Rona. Rigel nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, like something scrabbling at the door and around on the street,” he confirmed. Jh
oan stood up.
“Is it still doing it?”
They cocked their heads again and listened. “Yes,” said Rona.
The bandit moved nearer towards the door, stooping as he listened for any noise.
“What are you doing, Jhoan?” asked Laurie, who had also stood up.
“Nothing, I’m just listening. Sit down! It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” snapped the Captain. “I might not be a paranoid person but I’ve got enough sense to know that when someone like Uncle tells you not to do something then you really shouldn’t do it and even going over to the door is potentially causing trouble. So sit back down.”
Jhoan turned to him slowly and gave him the incredulous look of someone who thinks the other (who is being completely reasonable) is being completely unreasonable. Rigel had never liked it when people did this.
“Alright, mother,” he said, sitting back down in his chair.
“Thank you.”
Rigel finally finished rolling the dice and took his turn, although only half of his mind was on the game. The other half was still listening for noises outside the door. It sounded as though they had stopped for the moment.
They played another round before the children were forced to stop again as the scrabbling outside increased. Along with it came raised voices speaking in a language they could not understand. Jhoan, however, appeared to be hearing something else, as he was mouthing something along with them.
“What’s that you’re saying?” asked Erdiz, pointing to the bandit, who shook his head and looked dazed.
“Sorry, must have got distracted. Is it my go?”
“It looked like you could tell what they were saying,” said Rigel.
“What who was saying?”
“Whatever it is that’s outside.”
“What? Oh, no ....”
“You’re lying,” said Laurie, scrutinising the bandit through squinting eyes.
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” said Laurie. “I can tell so just cut out the middle man and tell us what you can hear.”
“Well, what can you hear?” Jhoan asked Rona and Rigel.
“I’m not sure,” replied Rona. “It just sounds like something whispering words in another language.” Rigel nodded in agreement.
“So you can’t tell what they’re saying?” the bandit asked. The children shook their heads. “Oh great ...,” muttered the bandit.
“So go on then,” Rigel said, wanting an explanation.
“It sounds like they’re speaking our language to me,” Jhoan admitted. “I can’t hear it all but I can pick out odd words.”
“Go on then.”
“Well, will you let me go a bit nearer to the door?” Jhoan asked. “So I can hear it a bit better?”
Laurie sighed. “Alright then, but be careful and if you hear Uncle coming back in, don’t let on what you’re doing.”
Jhoan nodded and got up from his seat, creeping towards the front door. On reaching it, the street seemed to go quiet temporarily but then the scrabbling and whispering voices picked up their intensity, causing the bandit to jump back slightly.
“It sounds like they’re saying ‘Something’s there!’,” he reported. “Oh, wait … now it sounds like they’re saying that they can hear something talking … oh, that’s me ....”
“I think you should take up translation full time,” said Rigel.
“Yeah, ditch the bandit job, Jhoan. I think you’ve found your real calling in life,” sniggered Rona.
“Will you two shut up?” snapped Laurie. The children frowned.
The scrabbling at the door grew more insistent as whatever it was out there tried to get in.
“Now it’s saying that it can smell new people and that there are more of them than usual,” reported Jhoan, still listening by the door.
“How can you tell what it’s saying?” asked Laurie. “No-one else thinks it sounds like any language we know.” The bandit shrugged his shoulders.
A sudden bang on the kitchen door alerted them to Uncle’s return. Diving back towards the table, Jhoan hid underneath, pretending to have lost something. Laurie surreptitiously knocked the dice onto the floor.
“Where are they? Where are they? Aha! There they are,” Jhoan said, standing up and showing everyone the dice. Uncle ignored them, his suspicion obviously not aroused. He sat down at the table with them to watch the remainder of the game.
“Who’s winning?” he asked.
“Erdiz, I think,” replied Laurie. “Erm … Uncle?”
“Hmmm?”
“Do you know there’s something outside scratching at the door?”
Uncle sighed and barely gave it a glance. “Yes, I suspect there is. It doesn’t usually take them long to come scrabbling but this is early even for them … perhaps they picked up on your scent and were wondering why you were hanging around here or even where you came from.”
“What are they?” asked Rigel, knowing it was a fruitless question even as it left his mouth.
Uncle shook his head and pressed his first finger to his lips. “I’m not telling you. Just ignore them and carry on with your game. I always find it helps to do something to try to block them out. Here ….” He moved over to the music cabinet and turned up the dial so that the music blared even louder.
“Won’t that alert them to us?” asked Laurie. Uncle shook his head again.
“They already know I’m here,” he said. “They’ve known it for years now, so it’s not going to make any difference, so we might as well have a more pleasant time about it.”
Finishing the game, they played another with Uncle, but Rigel was already losing interest. It was not engaging and he had no idea how to play properly or how to answer any of the questions. Sulking, he declared he was tired and ready for bed. Rona concurred and so both of them were shown their sleeping arrangements and sent to bed whilst the adults stayed up longer.
The bedroom was as dark as the rest of the house – windows covered with blackout blinds sealed off any light from outside. The beds were simply made up but comfortable enough. Despite this, Rigel had trouble drifting off to sleep; he could not help but keep thinking about the creatures that were lurking around outside.
“What do you think they are?” Rigel whispered to her in the dark sometime later. He heard the rustle of the sheets as she turned in his direction. “Those things outside in the street?”
“Do you think we should be talking about it?” he asked, sounding nervous. “Uncle said it was dangerous to talk about it.”
“Small talk costs lives,” he muttered. “But I don’t see how talking about it is going to do any harm when the door’s locked.”
“I suppose …. Alright, well, if I’m honest, I have no idea what they are but from the way Uncle talked about them and from what I heard and Jhoan translated, whatever they are, they sound very unpleasant.”
“Do you think …,” Rigel hesitated, something in his mind holding him back; then he pressed forwards regardless. “Do you think they have anything to do with The Darkness?”
Horrific screaming filled the air and glass exploded inwards as the bedroom window was blasted from the outside. Rona screamed as two black smoke-like shapes floated in through the window and materialised before them. The children jumped to their feet in a blind panic and scrambled for the door, slipping on the blankets. Grabbing the handle, Rigel managed to open it and dive out. The light from the hall briefly illuminated the two figures, which flinched in the glare. Casting a look over his shoulder to make sure they were not being pursued, Rigel felt ice chill his veins as he recognised the figures that stood in their bedroom.
Fallen Ones.
Creatures like the one that had followed Laurie and his crew through the void when their airship had travelled to Earth to collect him.
Chapter Seventeen
With a soft thwump, the lab doors swung shut behind the group. Zeph was strappe
d down to a gurney pushed by Vegalior, who had resumed his human form. The Three followed behind, solemn in the face but with an enormous sense of anticipation within.
Unlike normal operating rooms, this one was black and glossy, lit with a single spotlight that pointed at the table in the centre of the room. A handful of orderlies and surgeons stood to attention at the far end of the room. Zeph was unfastened and laid across the table before being restrained again. He struggled and cried but the sounds were weak, almost as if the habit of resisting was still in his body, but he no longer had faith in the motivation behind it. With a click, Vegalior summoned forth the orderlies, who were already cleaned and dressed for the operation. The Three were invited to watch from outside while the professionals did their work. Frivlok considered pointing out that they had as much right, if not more so, to stay where they were, but decided against it. There would be time to gloat later. Anyway, he would get as much of a decent view from behind the glass as he would standing in the room.
Passing out of the room, the orderlies watched the Three leave and felt the tightness in their chests diminish and their heartbeats settle down to something like normal. Sometimes it was impossible to tell how scared you were until the fear had passed.
Vegalior watched over the operation, issuing instructions and comments occasionally. Frivlok overlooked with an amused gleam in his eye as they began the operation on the fallen Light One without anaesthetic. Cutting open his chest, they removed his heart with a few quick slices of the scalpel. The boy did not die (Frivlok’s resurrection had seen to that) but instead lay gasping and squawking as the motor of his body was removed. No blood circulated and his skin first grew blotchy and then began to become tinged with blue. Still, he lay there gasping, his eyes bulging, veins prominent against the restraints. Frivlok smiled. Vegalior was good. Very good. Frivlok was pleased with his past self for picking him out for the mission. He was honed and precise, practical and efficient. Lesser demons seemed to have so much irregularity about them and the disorder disturbed Frivlok. Had the Three not been so tightly bound together by ancient laws, Frivlok would have added him to their ranks.