Seth defiantly turned away and started up the stairs. Hugging the wall, he moved as quietly as possible until he eventually neared the second floor landing.
Screams hemorrhage the silence; explode through the trees surrounding him in squealing waves of agony and terror.
Trying to clear his head, Seth hunched low and squinted through the darkness to a large open area where two more lamps had been lighted and left on the floor. But for a small circle of eerie light provided by the lamps, the room was draped in pitch-black.
Sounds of skin splitting and clothes tearing trail the screams still echoing through his mind, screams from familiar voices…and…and Christy…visions of Christy running through the snow ahead of him…and the blood—so much blood—blood in the snow and those horrible sounds of suffering…
The memories of that night dissolved but lingered in his mind, hanging on now and drawing him back, deeper each time.
As his head cleared he saw Doctor Farrow standing in the pool of light.
From his position on the stairs Seth was closer to her than he’d been the entire time, even closer than when he’d first spotted her on the street, and whatever vague uncertainties he may have harbored to that point vanished instantly.
There was no question. The woman was Connie Farrow.
If she knew Seth had followed her she gave no indication. In fact, she seemed preoccupied, her expression one of deliberate contemplation coupled with her usual smug air of superiority.
She removed her beret, slipped it into her coat pocket, then despite the cold, opened her coat, pulled it off over her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
But for the knee-high black boots, she was dressed as she might have been at her office, in an attractive sheer silk blouse and a black skirt. Without her coat she should’ve been freezing, but instead seemed unaffected and completely in control.
As shadows crept from the darkness surrounding her, skulking closer toward the pool of light, she turned to them, smiled, and slowly began to unbutton her blouse.
CHAPTER 28
The shadows closing on her from the darkness became men, filthy and scarred and dressed in threadbare clothing. They reached for her with grimy hands, their faces eager, eyes wild and ravenous and looking as if they could hardly believe this beautiful woman was there for the taking.
One man circled behind her, pulled her blouse back off her shoulders and down to her wrists, pinning her arms back behind her in the process. But Doctor Farrow gave no indication of fear or resistance. Instead she laughed seductively, threw her head back and leaned into the man while the others in front of her ran their hands over her body greedily, jockeying for position with one another.
Her bra was torn free and thrown aside, and another man began fumbling with her skirt, at first attempting to pull it off but then opting to simply hoist it up over her buttocks until it was a tangled mess around her waist.
“Get her on the floor,” one man said as he opened his pants.
While one ripped a gold necklace from her throat and stuffed it in his pocket, a third man violently yanked her panties down and off over her boots. The man behind her pushed a knee into the backs of her legs, collapsing her.
She sunk to the floor with him, lying on top of him as he held her, arms still pinned behind her back. Two men each took one of Doctor Farrow’s legs, holding them up and open as the lead man, now fully erect, fell across her.
Seth sat in the darkness on the stairs, unable to fully process what he was seeing. He contemplated helping her, stopping this, but not only was she not resisting, she was clearly enjoying it.
The man on top of her slammed into her repeatedly, his guttural laughter quickly turned to moans of ecstasy. The men released her legs as it no longer seemed necessary to hold her, and one dropped his pants and straddled her face while the others laughed and encouraged him. As the man on top of her finished with a loud groan and rolled off, another quickly took his place.
Seth shook his head, trying to clear it. He had to stop this. But that man had told him she was spreading the sickness, she was…
The second man finished, stood up and staggered off into the darkness, still laughing. The other man finished as well, then pulled free of her mouth and crawled away, gasping.
The man beneath her rolled Doctor Farrow off and got to his feet. He reached down, grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her knees. She looked up at him, grinning maniacally. She whispered something through heavy breath Seth couldn’t make out, her breasts rising and falling, nipples full and erect in the cold air. She took her breasts in her hands and crushed them together enticingly.
Seth watched as the man turned her around so that she was facing away from him and on all-fours. He mounted her from behind in the dull yellow pool of light, her body nude but for her boots and the skirt still tangled up around her waist, her flesh covered in gooseflesh and grime from the dirty floor.
Sounds began to emanate from the darkness, where the others before him had disappeared to.
And then someone began to scream.
Seth had heard those screams before…in the woods, in the dark, in the snow.
Something brushed against his leg.
He glanced back down the stairs. The lamp at the base on the crate had either gone out or had been taken away. A syrupy darkness washed up the stairs from the first floor at him, but even through the solid black, he was able to make them out.
There were at least eight or nine of them—including those who had watched him from across the street when he’d entered the church—slowly crawling up the stairs toward him, silently emerging from the darkness, their eyes dead, their hands reaching for him, tugging at his legs now, fingers fastening on his flesh.
He kicked at them, catching one man full in the face. As he fell away Seth kicked again and again until he had enough space to stand. He got to his feet but nearly lost his balance as one man yanked at his coat.
He swung the pipe down and hit him on the side of the head. It made an odd clanging sound as it smashed against his skull, and the man howled and fell back, tumbling down the stairs and into the dark. The others hesitated, still lying on the stairs, many of them frozen in mid-crawl, watching him but still now.
Seth looked back at the pool of light, the sick stage where Connie Farrow was still performing. Her head snapped up, her hair flying up and back, away from her face.
She looked directly into Seth’s eyes and smiled.
More screams pierced the darkness.
Memories flashed in Seth’s mind.
He darted down the stairs, swinging the pipe wildly as he went, bringing it down and across in front of him in wide arcs, knocking men out of the way with each step and moving quickly enough to pull free of those grasping at him.
At the base of the stairs he fell, and threw his hands out in front of him to help break the fall. The pipe flew off into darkness and he landed hard, the air leaving his body as his chest crashed to the floor. He slid a few feet forward on his stomach and rolled over, through the fall as best he could, scrambling back up to his knees and struggling to draw breath.
Seth got to his feet and ran through the dark room toward the only source of light he could find, light from the door he’d entered the building through. It provided a beacon of sorts, and he followed it until he had nearly reached the exit.
Just inside the door, the old woman was still sitting on the bench, the basin and scrub brush at her feet. She looked at him, expressionless, and released whatever she’d been holding in her lap. It dropped to the floor and moved toward him quickly, making strange squeaking and scratching sounds as it scurried closer.
Seth moved laterally, slowly inching toward the door. The thing stopped, as if anticipating his next move.
Shuffling noises came from behind him. The others were giving chase.
The thing in the dark crept closer.
Two red eyes materialized first, followed by a hairy body and long tail.
A r
at, one of the largest he had ever seen.
Seth was within a foot or two of the door when he saw the rest of them.
The light from outside revealed dozens of them in the darkness just beyond the woman, waiting and watching him, along the floor, perched on beams and along the piles of debris, an army of rats poised to strike in a single wave.
We’re just game pieces.
Beyond the rats, deeper in the corner of the building, almost entirely concealed in darkness, other entities watched in silence. Small beings the size of children huddled like dark statues, waiting. Right there with him and yet…not quite.
The woman parted her lips as if to speak, something fleshy dangling from the corner of her mouth. Like rare beef, it hung in thin pink strips, dripping blood.
When it began to move he realized it was her tongue…or what was left of it.
The old woman’s body convulsed and she vomited it forth, spitting it out onto the floor as she began to pick at the loose skin on her face, tugging, peeling it away like clay to reveal the raw network beneath.
Seth looked back at the room from which he’d come. The others were coming, running now through the darkness toward him.
Darting for the doorway, Seth launched himself through and into the alleyway with such speed he nearly fell forward and tripped from the sheer force of his momentum. But he managed to catch himself on the fence, crashing a shoulder into it. It bowed but held him, then sprung back, pushing him further along the alleyway as he continued running for the back door to the church building. Though he heard things behind him, chasing him, within reach and snapping at him, he ran on without looking back, crashed into the door and fell into the hallway. He slammed the door shut behind him and leaned his full weight against it, bracing himself for the impact he was certain would follow.
But no one or no thing tried to open the door.
Seth held his position nonetheless, struggling to catch his breath.
The choir down the hall had again begun to sing.
He stepped away from the door carefully, and once certain he was no longer being pursued, moved quickly down the hallway toward the exit.
When he hit the street he broke into a full run until he’d reached the outskirts of the theater district. He slowed his pace to a quick walk and headed back to his car, looking behind him every few seconds just to be sure no one was following him.
His head still spinning, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed Peggy’s number, watching the people in front of him now, those that passed him on either side, moving in the opposite direction. Most walked by without noticing him, but every third or fourth person seemed to look directly into his eyes, as if to let him know they had seen him, were aware of him, were watching him. He pressed on, blinking away the snow as it hit his face.
Peggy answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Peggy,” he said excitedly, “listen to me, I need to talk to you.”
“Seth? Are you all right? What is it, why are you out of breath?”
“Just listen to me,” he snapped, moving along the increasingly congested sidewalk. “I want you to stay there, do you hear me? Stay right there, in the house. Don’t go out and don’t talk to anyone. Just stay put until I get there, all right?”
“For God’s sake, what are you—”
“Goddamn it, Peggy, just do what I tell you for once, will you?”
“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?”
“Sweetheart, please, I—”
“Oh, now it’s sweetheart suddenly.”
“This isn’t a fucking game!”
“No, I don’t imagine it is,” she said. “Though I almost wish it were.”
The people passing him took closer notice. One man winked at him, mouthed something he couldn’t quite make out.
“Please, for the love of God, just listen to me.” He brushed past a small group of people waiting for a light, hurrying even faster once he had his car in sight. “Promise me you’ll stay put until I get there. I’ll explain everything then.”
“I don’t need this drama. I can’t take much more of this.”
“I’m sorry about earlier, I didn’t—you don’t understand—I didn’t mean to—”
“Calm down, Seth, please just take it easy.”
A woman emerged from the crowd, moving toward him. She too mouthed something, and this time he knew exactly what she was saying.
Let Them Out.
He watched her, sliding further away from her toward the curb until she had passed by him and vanished, absorbed by the snow and a blur of moving cars and hustling people.
“I’m sorry about before, losing my temper like that. It won’t happen again, I promise.”
“You’re really frightening me. You’re acting like you’re out of your mind.”
I am out of my mind.
“Please wait for me, just—just please wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”
There was a pause so lengthy he thought for a moment she had either hung up on him or the signal had been interrupted.
“Peg? Peggy, are you there?”
“Yes,” she finally said. “Yes, I’m—OK, I’ll be here, fine. When are you coming?”
“An hour or so,” he told her. “I’m in Boston, not far from the office, but I’ll be leaving the city soon and coming directly there. Just wait for me, and don’t let anyone else in the house. I mean it, no one but me.”
“I’m not expecting anyone, why would—”
“I’ll be there soon as I can.”
“OK, drive carefully, I’m not going anywhere. The weather guy on TV said this storm’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. They’re saying we’ll get well over a foot by the time it’s done.”
Seth reached his car, leaned against it and took a series of deep breaths. He hadn’t even noticed until then how heavy the snow had become. It was accumulating rapidly now, swallowing the city. He was within a few blocks of the office, and in these conditions walking would be easier than driving, so he started in that direction on foot. “One more thing—just in case—I know it sounds strange but please listen. If for some reason I’m not there within an hour or so, I want you to take Petey and get the hell out of there, all right? Don’t go to family or friends. Go somewhere anonymous, like a motel or something, and don’t tell anyone where you are. Then tomorrow, I want you to go to where I proposed to you, the exact spot, OK?”
“What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Go there and wait for me in the morning. If I’m not there by noon just leave. Get as far from the city as you can, just go. Promise me.”
“I don’t—I don’t even know what to say to you at this point, honestly.”
“Promise me you’ll do it. I know it sounds crazy but you have to believe me and trust in me. I’ll explain everything when I see you. OK?”
A heavy sigh and then, “OK, Seth.”
“I’ll be with you soon.”
After another lengthy pause, Peggy softly said, “All right.”
He snapped the phone shut and walked on through the snow. Visions of soiled hands reaching for him through the darkness, leering rats and Doctor Farrow nude and laughing still filled his mind, but memories of the night at the cabin pushed them aside. Before he could fully comprehend them, they too had slipped away, though they were no longer simply nightmares or disjointed phantoms drifting through his mind.
These were real memories of real things.
He knew that now, could no longer deny it. He could no longer hide behind vague explanations and systematic disbelief. It no longer mattered what he believed or disbelieved. Perhaps it never had.
It was all there, all in his mind, and at last almost fully within reach.
And all of it was real.
CHAPTER 29
Seth entered the Severance Building and made his way to the first floor bathrooms, which were right around the corner from the elevators. Like all bathrooms in the building it was immaculately clean, wit
h large mirrors positioned over a series of shiny sinks, floors polished to a literal glow and urinals and stalls along the opposite wall that sparkled. The innately unflattering fluorescent lighting always left him looking washed out and deathly pale, but this time his reflection was as accurate as the mirrors suggested.
Dark bags hung beneath his eyes, his hair was mussed and his face, hands and clothes were soiled from when he’d fallen. He’d torn his lapel and a portion of one coat pocket when he’d collided with the chain link fence. Seth looked at his hands. Both palms were scraped from his slide on the cement but neither was still bleeding. Despite his best efforts to stop them, they continued to tremble. He turned the water on and ran them under the faucet.
The door opened and George Walker, one of the young lions from the sales department, hurried in toting his briefcase, a cell phone to his ear. “That’s not the point, Jimmy,” he said, catching Seth’s eye in the mirror and shrugging, like doing so would somehow allow Seth to understand what he was referring to. “I had fifty pieces ready to ship and your department blew the deal because somebody down there can’t process a standard credit agreement within a reasonable amount of time.” He went to a urinal, put his briefcase down and began fumbling with his slacks.
Seth did his best to ignore the conversation. He’d dealt with Walker several times and found him relentlessly arrogant, not terribly bright and difficult to stomach. He finished washing his hands then bent down to the sink and splashed a bit of warm water on his face.
The urinal flushed and Walker joined him at the sinks. “Fine, Jimbo, you tell him that when he’s tearing you a new asshole, OK?” He flipped his phone shut, returned it to his belt and nonchalantly inspected himself in the mirror. “Douche Bags in the credit department,” he said, rolling his eyes at Seth. “Fucking Mongoloid Central down there. Like this goddamn snow shutting everything down isn’t a big enough pain in my ass, I have to deal with those pencil-pushing dip-shits taking money out of my pocket, too.” He smirked then seemed to notice Seth, really notice him, for the first time, and his demeanor changed. “Jesus, Roman, what the hell happened to you? You look like shit.”
Deep Night Page 29