by Adams, Guy
‘On the twenty-ninth of November 2011,’ he said, ‘I took a blind girl in the house of God and made her beg for her life.’
‘Anna!’
‘Not Anna. Never Anna. I took a blind girl and I squeezed the life out of her,’ he grabbed her by the throat, ‘squeezed the life out of her slowly … so she could see again, looking into the face of God.’
‘Please Anna!’
‘Not Anna. Not Anna.’ But his voice was changing, becoming softer, more feminine.
‘You leave her alone,’ said Soft Mother, ‘you’ve had your day, just leave them all alone.’
‘I killed you once, woman,’ Bad Father replied. ‘Wait your turn and I’ll gladly do it again.’
‘In a church!’ shouted Father Legion, ‘how could you do such a thing in a church? Have you no shame?’
‘Your God is not the same as my God,’ insisted Bad Father, ‘mine loves what I do.’
‘If you squeeze like that,’ warned Nurse Sleepnow, ‘you’ll irreparably damage her windpipe.’
‘Precisely the point!’ Bad Father shouted. ‘Now will all of you leave me alone?’
But they wouldn’t. He fell back against the wall, the whispers swooping in from both sides. Every voice he had ever shared a head with, swooping around the cool plaster like nesting swallows.
LEAVE HER ALONE! KILL HER! KILL YOURSELF! SHUSH NOW! MAD FOOL! BAD BOY! CRAZY BITCH! DIE NOW!
‘Shut up!’ he screamed.
GOD’S DEAD! YOU’RE DEAD! MUMMY’S DEAD! ALL DEAD! WE ARE THE DEAD! WE ARE THE DEAD! COME AND JOIN US! WE ARE THE DEAD!
He was drowning in a sea of ghosts.
Laura began to move, climbing to her feet meaning to run past him. But he swung his foot into her shins and she fell back against the balustrade.
‘Don’t kill her!’ Anna screamed. ‘Please! I can’t bear it! Don’t kill her!’
But Bad Father was stronger and he reached forward, eager to topple the blind girl over the edge where she could crack open on the tiled floor beneath, spilling out like the filthy bag of offal they all were.
Then John Pritchard shouted.
He was on his feet, one of the security guards actually helping him now they could see he was no threat.
‘Now, John!’ Jane shouted, ‘everything you’ve got! Now! Now! Now!’
He roared in pain as he pushed the security guard aside and ran into the main body of the cathedral.
‘Anna!’ he shouted, ‘Anna!’
Above, Bad Father looked down and, as John looked up, their eyes found each other’s.
‘Not Anna,’ Bad Father whispered. ‘Not Anna.’ He took hold of Laura’s shoulders and squeezed, pushing her back against the railing. She screamed.
‘Anna!’ John shouted again. ‘Please listen to me! It’s me, it’s John, and I need you. Can you hear me?’
He fell to his knees, no more strength left in his legs. ‘Oh God,’ he toppled to the floor, aware of people running towards him. He looked up at the dome way above him. ‘I’m dying.’
‘Yes, darling, said Jane, lying down next to him and taking his hand. ‘Now tell her that.’
‘I’m dying, Anna,’ he shouted, ‘but that’s OK. Sometimes there are worse things aren’t there?’ He convulsed in pain, unable to speak for a moment. Jane squeezed his hand until he got his breath back.
‘Keep talking,’ she said, ‘you can do this my love.’
‘I used to be scared all the time, Anna’ he continued. ‘I saw death in everything. And I ran from it, terrified.’
‘John?’ Anna’s voice. Finally, Anna’s voice, calling down from above. ‘I get scared too.’
‘I know you do,’ he replied. ‘I know.’
Out of the corner of his eye he became aware of the security guards pushing back the crowd and barking into their radios. They’ve seen her, he thought. See, Porter, I wasn’t so mad after all, was I?
‘I know you get scared, Anna,’ he said. ‘But you don’t have to be. Not any more. Not now I’m here.’
Anna sobbed and the noise bounced around the dome like a trapped bird. ‘I just want to be free,’ she said. ‘I want to be empty.’
‘I know, love,’ he said, holding out both of his hands to her. His vision growing darker and darker.
‘Nearly there, baby,’ said Jane, resting her head on his shoulder, ‘we’ll look after you.’
‘Come here, Anna,’ he said, his hands shaking as they reached out towards her. ‘Come here and let me make it all right.’
He saw her let go of Laura, climb up on the railing and hold out her hands. ‘Thank you, John,’ she said. ‘You’re a nice man.’
‘You are at that,’ said Jane and blew him a kiss.
Anna jumped and he prepared to take her in his arms.
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Published by Arrow Books in association with Hammer 2012
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Copyright © Guy Adams 2012
Guy Adams has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work
Based on the classic Hammer film, Hands of the Ripper, directed by Peter Sasdy and released in 1971
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance between these fictional characters and actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Arrow Books in association with Hammer
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ISBN 9780099553854