“That’s quite alright my child. I just hope you don’t have to use it.”
“We should really be making our way now, Mrs Bellingham,” Luke broke in. He’d only just managed to tear his eyes away from the preserved head and was eager to leave the room.
“Yes. Of course. Forgive me. I just wanted to wish you both all the luck in this world. Alexander is a very dear friend of mine. I suppose if we’re honest we should have done something ourselves a very long time ago.”
“I don’t think you should blame yourself, Mrs Bellingham. I think the people we’re up against are a very powerful bunch,” Luke continued.
“Thank you young man. That’s a kind thing to say. I just want you both to know how very grateful we are. I hope…I hope everything goes well for you this evening,” Margaret continued. “Well, come on then. That’s enough chatter. It’s time you both made a move. The others are waiting for you,” she finished ushering them both out the room.
~ ~ ~
“Do you have to drive so fast?” John complained not five minutes into their journey. Andre had decided to take the wheel of the jeep. John sat next to him, while Andrew, Lena and Luke had been relegated to the back seats.
“You want to get there or not?” Andre snapped back. “We don’t have much time.”
“I should have been the one driving. I know these roads. You’ll get us all killed at this rate!” John snapped back. Luke leant himself forward, putting a hand on the shoulder of each man. Squeezing their shoulders gently, Luke said, “Fellas. If you don’t stop bickering I’m going to throw you both out the jeep and take the wheel myself.”
“And what makes you think I’d listen to a whippersnapper like you?” John replied brushing Luke’s hand from his shoulder. Andre grinned.
“You’d better listen to the young man, John.”
“Oh really? And why would that be, Andre?”
Andre threw John a knowing glance. He gave John the sort of look that explained everything pretty clear. Luke wasn’t the sort of man to go picking fights with. John registered the silent warning very quick and mumbled something under his breath. Andrew who’d been about to wade in had picked up on the hint too. Like his father, he forced himself to bite his lip.
“It shouldn’t be too long now,” Luke spoke, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence.
“Maybe ten minutes at most,” Lena went on hugging Luke’s arms tighter as Andre pushed the jeep harder along the narrow country lanes.
“How are you feeling now?” Luke asked a few seconds later. Lena had almost fallen asleep in his arms. She was looking even more pale than usual and Luke was growing concerned. Raising her head from his chest she replied, “I’m doing fine, Luke. I’m just happy to be with you. I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this. I want you to know that.”
Luke kissed the tip of her nose and smiled.
“It was my choice. I’m here to help you now. Whatever happens after this point was my decision. You need to understand that.”
She smiled in return, caressing his chest gently.
“I won’t let them hurt you.”
“You let me worry about that,” Luke replied.
Lena buried her head back into his chest. She felt safe in his arms. He made her feel that everything was going to turn out just right even though she knew deep down their fate that evening was far from certain. If they could just get through the night. If they could defeat Chatterton and all the evil that surrounded him, she promised herself one thing: She’d make Luke the happiest man on Earth. She hugged him tighter, feeling his strength, and knew she would never leave his side. She was about to speak when she felt sudden pain racing up her wrist. For a split second she could see herself once again in the bedroom glaring down at her arm and sudden melancholy struck her. She began to weep slowly at first. Soon the tears were streaming down her face. Whatever future she and Luke had it would be short.
“Luke…Luke. I need to tell you something important.”
Luke was looking ahead. Something in the road had caught his attention. Andre had spotted it too and had begun to slow the jeep.
“Luke? I need to say something to you,” Lena repeated. She was looking up at him hoping he’d turn to face her.
“What is it, sweet?” Luke replied, his eyes still on the road ahead and not really paying attention.
“I have to tell you something about me. You need to know before we get to the house,” she began, wiping away her tears. “Something happened to me earlier. In the cottage. I found something, Luke, something terrible and you need to know everything.”
Luke turned to look at her. He noticed the tear stains across both her cheeks and looked suddenly concerned.
“Why are you crying? Everything’s going to work out, sweet. You’ll see. I’ll make sure.”
“Luke. My arm. I found something.”
“Your arm? What about your arm? What are you talking about, hon?”
Lena had begun to roll up her jacket sleeve. She’d begun to weep once again. Luke was helping her to remove the jacket when Andre, slamming the brakes sharply, suddenly roared, “Jesus Christ, man!”
The jeep shuddered to a standstill. Andre, Lena and Luke were thrown against the front seats.
“Chris! Christ! Christ!” Andre continued to boom, his own head having struck the steering wheel. His lip was now cut and blood had begun to pour from the wound. John had been hurt too having cracked his own head against the windscreen. There was no blood, only a large bruise across his forehead.
“The bloody idiot!” John now boomed throwing off his seatbelt and flinging the jeep’s door wide open.
“What the hell happened?” Andrew demanded to know.
“What’s going on Andre?” Luke asked still a little dazed from the sudden halt. “Are you okay Lena?” he continued, glancing towards her.
“Yes. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. What about Andre? He looks hurt.”
“Andre? Are you okay, friend?”
Andre was busy wiping the blood from his lips with a piece of used tissue. Andrew had leapt from the jeep too in hot pursuit of his father.
“We just missed hitting a kid,” Andre then spoke. He’d managed to soak up most of the blood now. He was looking out the jeep window watching John and Andrew as they raced towards a second car. The car had driven into a nearby ditch. There was smoke billowing from its windows. Any second it looked as though it would go up in flames. Luke was following Andre’s eyes through the window himself now. He’d spotted a figure sitting not far from the upturned car. This figure sat with his head in his arms slowly rocking backwards and forwards.
“We’d better go see if that guy is okay,” Andre then spoke.
“I know him,” Luke then went on.
“What?” Andre continued.
“It’s Benny. It’s bloody Benny!”
~ ~ ~
“That kid could have bloody killed us!” John yelled again. He was now standing by the side of the road looking out across a vast corn field. Andrew and Andre were with him.
“He just ran out into the road,” Andre spoke watching as the young man in question continued to plough through the fields before them, the corn either side of him billowing out as he passed.
“I missed him only by inches,” Andre finished, still in shock and now covered in dry blood. Luke and Lena were tending to Benny. He was still sitting beside the upturned car.
“Benny? Benny? Can you hear me, mate?” Luke questioned kneeling down beside his friend. Lena knelt opposite holding Benny’s hand and squeezing it gently. Slowly, Benny raised his head. Luke noticed a few minor cuts and bruises littering his face but nothing too serious.
“You okay soldier?” Luke asked with a smile.
“We should get him some water,” Lena went on.
“There’s some bottles in the jeep’s boot.”
“Okay. I’ll be quick,” Lena replied racing over to the jeep.
“Benny? Can you talk mate?”
&nbs
p; Benny coughed and spat out a mouthful of dried blood, half of which covered Luke’s boots.
“Thanks mate. Nice one.”
“Sorry Luke,” Benny mumbled, clearing his throat. “I don’t feel so good.”
“I know mate. I know. What happened?”
“The kid. Your friend. He grabbed hold of the wheel and flipped us over.”
“Right. I had a bad feeling about him from the very start. Is anything broken? Can you stand?”
“I think I’m okay. I’d rather just sit for a bit if that’s okay with you Luke.”
“Sure. No problem. Take your time.”
“You don’t have a light on you, do you?”
Luke smiled.
“Yes. You’re alright. Always thinking about bloody fags.”
“Well, I’ve had quite a shock. Can’t a man have a smoke to calm his nerves?”
Luke fished around inside his coat pocket and pulled out a lighter. He didn’t even smoke but had always carried one on him knowing Benny had a habit of losing his own lighters.
“There you go,” Luke then spoke. He held the lighter close to Benny’s lips and flicked it into life. Benny sucked on his cigarette and closed his eyes. Luke could see his mouth and lips had been badly cut.
“Thanks Luke,” Benny spoke having taken his first drag.
“No problem.”
At that moment Lena arrived with the bottle of water. Turning open its top, she handed it to Benny. He grabbed it from her with his free hand and took several long gulps. Then he splashed some onto the same hand and dabbed his face and neck.
“Feel better?” Luke asked.
“Getting there,” Benny replied, taking another drag on the cigarette.
“We can rest here a few minutes. We’ll help you into the jeep after, okay?” Luke went on taking the bottle of water himself.
“I’ve seen some bloody strange things tonight, Luke. What the hell have you got me into?”
“What things?”
Benny took another drag on the cigarette and then snatched back the bottle of water.
“We drove past a group of people not half an hour ago. I thought they were all in fancy dress at first. It was their faces. Their faces were like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
Luke looked nervously at Lena who returned the concerned glance.
“They looked like bloody lizards!” Benny finished, swigging on the bottle again.
“Well, let’s just get you safely inside the jeep. What you saw wasn’t so crazy Benny. There’s a lot you need to be told. I should have said something sooner. I’m sorry.”
“You mean I was right? I wasn’t seeing things?”
“You’re in the same ball park, Benny. Let’s just say that much.”
“Ball park? What the hell are you saying? This place is swarming with giant lizards!”
“Now Benny. Don’t get upset. Let’s get you into the jeep and I’ll explain everything, okay?”
Benny didn’t reply. He was too busy scouring the fields for any sign of lizards.
“Benny?” Luke went on. “You know you’ve always been able to trust me, haven’t you? I just need you to keep an open mind on this one.”
“But they looked like bloody lizards, Luke!”
“I know mate. I know. You’ve said that one already. Come on. Let’s get you on your feet.”
“I’ll take his other arm,” Lena spoke placing her arm beneath Benny’s armpit.
Slowly, they both helped Benny to his feet.
“How many of them are there?”
“I said I’ll explain everything once we get you inside,” Luke went on, taking the first step forward. Carefully, all three headed back towards the jeep.
12 - The Great Owl
“Well, what do we do now?” Andre asked turning off the jeep’s ignition and resting his forearms against the steering wheel. “I can count twelve men from here.”
“I wouldn’t have picked the word men,” Luke quipped.
Andre had parked the jeep at the forest’s edge. A handful of trees now stood before them and the unsettling view below. As the trees came to an end, a steep hill began. At the foot of this hill a vast rolling field could be seen with Chatterton House standing at its very heart. Between the house and the hill a huge bonfire had been built. Luke and the others could see several men in ceremonial robes standing around the still unlit bonfire.
“So the rumours were all true,” Andrew spoke, standing himself a little closer to John.
“It certainly looks that way son,” John replied.
“So, what’s the plan boys?” Lena then questioned. She was looking beyond the bonfire now and towards Chatterton House. Something had caught her eye.
“I guess we could charge down there all guns blazing,” Andrew continued.
“We have to be smarter than that, Andrew,” Andre replied softly. The giant Russian was standing with his sword to hand, gently caressing its gem encrusted handle.
“I have an idea,” Luke spoke.
“Well, go on lad. Spill the bloody beans!” John pressed.
“If we’re going to get the upper hand we’ll need an element of surprise.”
“Meaning?” John continued. All three men had now turned to face Luke, having formed a neat semi-circle. “I hope this is going to be good,” John finished.
“We’ll use the jeep. We’ll plough into them. We’ll put the buggers on the back foot and then take them on one by one!” Luke finished with a flurry.
“That’s a big leap of faith,” Andre then spoke. “It could backfire.”
“What other options do we have Andre?” Luke replied, a little upset that Andre had failed to back him up. “Do you have any bright ideas?”
Andre remained quiet and began to tap the sword’s handle repetitively with his fingertips.
“I’m thinking. Give me time. I will have the answer soon enough,” he then replied.
John had taken a few steps forward towards the trees and leant himself against one of them.
“No. I think Luke’s idea could just work fellas. I think he could be onto something.”
“Dad’s right, Andre. The jeep is our best weapon.”
Andre continued to tap the sword’s handle, only this time quicker and harder.
“I am not convinced,” he then said glancing towards the jeep and then back towards the fields. “We can’t just rush into making a decision. We have our lives at stake here.”
Lena was also standing at the edge of the forest now. Her eyes were still on Chatterton House.
“I think we need to make up our minds very quick, gang,” she then spoke turning back to face the group of men. “I think you should all come and look at this.”
One by one, they joined her.
“Look,” Lena said pointing towards the Chatterton House. From one of the back doors, at the base of one of the turrets, a second, smaller group of figures could be seen leaving it. They were carrying what looked like two stretchers with two figures either side.
“What are they carrying?” Andrew asked squinting his eyes. Andre had already taken out Napoleon’s telescope. He pressed the antique against his right eye and began to study the newly discovered group.
“Oh my,” he then muttered, lowering the telescope.
“What is it?” Lena demanded to know. “What’s wrong?” she went on grabbing the telescope for herself.
“It’s a young child. I think the mother is with him. They’ve tied them to the stretchers,” John continued, the colour from his face having washed away.
“They have Lee…” Lena mumbled, dropping the telescope to the ground. Luke rushed over and picked it up. Holding it to his eye he began to look for them himself. Sure enough, Lena was right. He could see Lee strapped to the stretcher. Claire had been strapped into the second stretcher. Together, they were being carried towards the bonfire.
“We have to make our move now. Right now!” Lena pleaded, turning and running back to the jeep. Luke threw the telesc
ope back to Andre who caught the instrument first time. John and Andrew were already opening the jeep’s doors and climbing inside.
“Come on Andre. We don’t have time to argue now. We have to act and just pray for the best,” Luke ordered, turning for the jeep himself. Knowing Luke was right, Andre was quick to follow. Benny had fallen asleep in the backseat of the jeep and only woke when its engine was fired into life.
“What’s going on? Where the hell are we?” he began to yell trying to regain his bearings.
“We’re about to have the scrap of our lives, Benny, the scrap of our lives,” Luke replied.
“You need to wake up fella and get your fighting head on. I’ll be needing my wingman for this one,” he went on, turning to face his old friend.
Benny was squashed between Andre, Andrew and John. He held Luke’s gaze and smiled sleepily. Giving his broad shoulders a quick shrug he then said, “Well, I’ve never fought a bloody great lizard before, Luke. But I’m right with you. You know that.”
“I know,” Luke replied holding out his fist. Benny replicated the gesture with both men cracking their knuckles against one another.
“You ready fellas?”
“I am ready,” Andre coolly replied. Both John and Andrew sat quietly in comparison. Luke turned away from all four men. Lena, who’d so far been sitting silently next to him, now gave Luke a sharp dig to his ribs.
“What was that for?”
“For what you were going to say.”
Luke paused and then began to shake his head slowly.
“No. You can forget about it! This is where you get out and wait for us.”
“To hell with you, McGowan.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You heard. That’s my family down there. I’ve come this far and I’m not backing down now.”
“Lena…”
“No! Whatever happens from this point on happens to us all. You understand?”
Luke took hold of her hand and leaned in to her. He then spoke to her softly, “Lena. I understand. I hear what you’re saying. But I can’t have you down there with those things. Please understand that. I couldn’t live with myself if anything…”
Lena pressed her forefinger hard against Luke’s lips and didn’t let go until he’d stopped jabbering.
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