I stood and rounded the corner. Although the dark was terrifying, at least it had kept us hidden.
Stepping down into the cave, I waited for the steam to clear.
“Try the chamber next to the net.” Skaw pointed his head in the direction of it. “Hurry!”
I darted across the floor, flattening myself against the rock. Once satisfied Sully Tarn wasn’t in sight, I poked my head into the chamber, which was cooler and unlit.
I slipped into the blackness.
“Hold on, Coral! Wait!” Skaw went rigid.
I hesitated, reaching out for the damp rock to steady myself. That was when I felt someone else’s fingers underneath mine.
I squealed.
A hand clapped over my mouth and my arm was pinned behind me. As I struggled, the grasp tightened and I was lifted off my feet. My leg shot out to kick my captor but struck stone, bringing tears to my eyes.
“Yell and rocks will come down from the ceiling. You won’t even know what has hit you.” The man spoke as though his voice had rusted in the sea air.
I wondered if the noise of my thundering heart could make the entire roof collapse.
Sully Tarn pushed me into the cave and hauled me over to the tarpaulin sheet. He tore it off to reveal a cage and bundled me inside it. I darted to the far side, desperate to get away from him. The ground was smooth as sea glass and there were scratch marks on the rock. As my eyes travelled upwards, I noticed the bars were made from Sail Cloth–coloured bones, lashed together with fishing wire. I gasped, panic rising up in my chest.
Skaw had vanished from my shoulder. I hoped he hadn’t been squashed in the scuffle. All the steam and shadows made it impossible to tell if he was on the floor. Maybe the thought of the tide rising had been too much for him and he’d scarpered!
Sully Tarn crouched to peer through the cage at me. “By the state of you, you’ve had quite the journey getting here. Quite the journey.”
My soaking clothes clung limpet-tight to me. I brought my knees up and hugged them.
Sully Tarn’s skin was paler than fish bones and his eyes were the same shade as Pond Frost.
Every part of me was paralysed with fear.
The cannibal walked over to the fire to put some wood on it. The flames crackled, licking the base of the keg. He emerged from a fresh cloud of steam to sit across from me. His hair was shaved to his scalp, which was criss-crossed with raised scars. He wore a Bolt Grey shirt under Sunflower Yellow oilskin dungarees. On his feet were a brand-new pair of White Ash trainers. Most people think the colour represents goodness and cleanliness, except I read in some parts of Asia, white is associated with death.
“What’s your name?” He dug his heels into the ground and pushed his chair back.
My lips were as dry as dune sand. “Coral.”
“How did you know I was here?”
“According to Saltbay Library you don’t even exist.” I tried and failed not to shake.
“In this world, it’s better to be invisible.” He let his chair drop and leaned on the tabletop. “The tide cuts the cave off; most people don’t risk it. But you did. Why?”
“Carline Deedclathes said you’d be here.” The door to the cage had been lashed shut with fishing line too.
“What did you do to upset her?”
I raised my eyebrows.
“She knows what I am. Think you do too.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “I brought the witch to life and then returned her to the grave.”
He thought about what I’d said for a while. “My family goes back many generations – they despised Carline Deedclathes. Grand-Papa Tarn would have done away with her; however, the good townspeople of Saltbay got to her first. The witch accused him of killing some of the local children – she should have known we’d never only remove the hearts. Such a waste of good flesh. Unthinkable, really.” Sully Tarn devoured me with his eyes for a second, as though I was a rack of ribs smothered in BBQ sauce.
Sweat trickled down the side of my face as I worked my way around each of the bars, pulling at the bones to see if any of them were loose.
Sully Tarn half cocked his head. “Nobody gets out of there alive, Coral.”
I searched along the base of the cage for something I could use to cut through the wire, but there was only grit and dust.
“If you let me go,” I said, “I won’t tell a soul about you.”
Sully Tarn shrugged. “Maybe you’d keep your mouth shut for a while – but me being here would eat away at you, and then you’d start fretting about the safety of your family and friends. The next thing you know, you’ll have confided in one of your pals and the rumour would spread through the whole of Saltbay. Then people would start showing up, ruining everything. The only reason my family survived here for so long is because we’re a secret. I was taught to cast the net far and wide when I’m hunting, and always cover my tracks.”
I knelt and peered through the gaps at him. “My mum and dad know where I am and if I don’t come home, they’ll go to the police. I left my coat and bag on the beach, where they’ll be easily found.”
Sully Tarn studied me, carefully.
“It’s the middle of the night. By the condition of your skin and hair, you’ve been well cared for, so I’ll hazard a guess you sneaked out of the house and your parents are fast asleep and don’t have a clue you’re here.”
My shoulders slumped. I was trapped like a fly in a web. Lashing out at the bars with my feet, I roared at the top of my voice.
The cannibal gazed up at the ceiling. “Silence! Or I’ll come into that cage and do it for you myself.”
I closed my mouth.
“You’re the first child I’ll have dined on in a while. You’re far too good for the pot – boiling is for softening tough old flesh. Tonight, I’m going to have me a roast.” Sully Tarn vanished off into the chamber at the rear of the cave.
“Pssst!”
My eyes swivelled down to the floor.
“Skaw!” I bellowed, before slapping my hands over my mouth. I flattened myself on the ground. “I thought you’d gone and left me.”
“Why is it you always assume the worst of a worm?”
My eyes welled up; I’d never been happier to see him. “You’ve got to get me out of here.”
“I’ll try to gnaw through the wire. You’ll have to distract him though, to buy me some time.”
“Please, please hurry.”
I pushed down the sick feeling inside me and willed my teeth to stop chittering. I had to do something; I was moments away from being served up as chops.
Sully Tarn reappeared with some salt and a carving knife, which he placed on the table.
“I guess I’d never imagined being alone when my time was up,” I blurted out.
Sully Tarn’s eyes glittered as he walked up to the cage. I saw his teeth, higgledy-piggledy like a shark’s. “But you’re not on your own, are you?”
In a flash, Sully Tarn ducked and his hand shot out to grasp Skaw. He pulled him back out through the cage bars, holding him between his thumb and forefinger. “You’ve got a worm for company.”
Skaw bit Sully Tarn on the finger. The cannibal flapped his hand so vigorously, the worm shot through the air, landing next to the trolley. Sully Tarn tore after Skaw, who had wriggled under a pile of clothes. He raked his way through them, determined to capture the worm.
With Sully Tarn’s back turned, I kicked against the door of the cage – it still held strong. Skaw hadn’t had enough time to chomp through the wire. In a flash, an idea came to me. I brought out Gran’s matches and struck one. My ragged breath blew the flame out and I cursed. With shaking hands, I managed to light another, and held it under the nylon line, which blackened, withered and snapped.
Sully Tarn clambered to his feet, holding Skaw aloft in the air. “You’ll make a tasty protein-packed starter. So you will.”
The worm bared his teeth at him.
I gripped the bars; Sully Tarn had no idea I could
get out of the cage.
The cannibal marched across to the keg and thrust Skaw out over it. The worm’s shrieks were so piercing, dust rumbled down from the ceiling.
I clapped my hands over my ears. I’d never heard such a sickening sound in my life. Skaw could have left, except he had stayed, attempting to rescue me. I had to do something to save him from the boiling water.
“What are the pair of you up to?” asked Sully Tarn.
“N-n-nothing! I’m just a worm!” shrieked Skaw.
“A worm trying to free a girl from a cage!” Sully Tarn narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on? Tell me, otherwise you’re for it!”
I smashed the door open and barrelled forward. “Let him go!”
Sully Tarn faced me, holding on to Skaw, his eyes widening for a second.
“We need one of your bones to stop an evil entity being released from Halloway graveyard,” I barked.
“You’re not leaving with any of my bones; it’s evidence that’ll lead back to me.” Sully Tarn swung Skaw out over the bubbling water. Steam hissed and billowed past us. “Get back inside your cage or it’s the end for the worm.”
“Let Skaw go, otherwise I’ll make sure every single person in Saltbay knows about you.” I set my mouth in a thin line.
“Let him go?” Sully Tarn’s lips twitched.
I crossed my arms in front of me to let him know I meant it.
Sully Tarn opened his hand and released the worm.
I watched in horror as Skaw disappeared into the keg.
It didn’t matter Skaw couldn’t swim; the liquid would be hotter than molten lava. There would be no way he could survive that.
“Why so sad?” Sully Tarn observed me with interest. “You told me to let go of the worm – I did what you asked.”
I screamed at the top of my voice.
An avalanche of dust rushed down from the roof of the cave.
Sully Tarn dived towards me, knocking me flying. The full force of him landing on me flattened my lungs and I lost my breath.
“You’re trouble, Coral,” hissed Sully Tarn. “No wonder Carline Deedclathes wanted rid of you.”
Just at that moment some rocks tumbled from the ceiling, the tip of a stalactite smacking him on the back of his head. His eyelids fluttered and he fell to the side. I wriggled out from under him and leapt to my feet.
I didn’t want to, but I had to check inside the keg for Skaw. I stood on my tiptoes, waiting for the steam to clear, and peered into it, frightened of what I might find.
There, clinging on to a thick strand of seaweed stuck to the side of the pot, was the worm.
“Skaw!” I plucked him out of the water to safety. I rushed over to the table and laid him out.
His skin was the colour of Cajun Shrimp, but he blinked at me.
“Don’t ever give me a fright like that again. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
The worm’s voice came out a whisper. “Thanks for telling him to let go of me.”
“I didn’t know he’d do it for real! Can you move?”
Skaw winced as he wriggled his tail. I ripped the sleeve of my top and wrapped him up in it. “The hurt you’re feeling now won’t be anything compared to the sting of the salt from the seawater.”
Skaw’s eyes widened.
“I know, I know – I’ll try my best to keep you dry.”
He shook his head.
“What? You don’t trust me? I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Behind you!” he croaked.
Sully Tarn had propped himself up, woozily. I scooped Skaw up and shoved him into the fold of my beanie hat. Sully Tarn rose and lurched towards me, furious.
If we were to get out of here alive, there was no time to snatch a bone. I bolted towards the exit, where I charged blindly along the corridor. Hearing the thud of feet behind me, I collided into a solid wall of rock, pain shooting through my skull. Too terrified to cry out, I sank to my knees. As I dragged myself through the other side of the gap, a hand grasped my ankle, hauling me back. I lashed out with my other leg until there was a yowl of pain. I bucked with all my strength and scrabbled forward through the hole.
Without a bone, we’d lost the chance to release Lyart from his hiding place!
Careering out the cave, I seized the cider bottle and pelted towards the churning sea, which now covered the rock pools. It was so deep, I was going to have to swim ashore.
“Hey! Don’t forget me!”
I spun round to see a skull perching on top of a plastic crate, clacking its jaws together.
“It’s Moonzy!” Skaw rasped.
I eyeballed the bottle in my hand and then the skull. That was when it dawned on me; Moonzy had changed herself into one of the skulls of Sully Tarn’s victims and we had the cannibal bones that we needed!
I bombed over to her, opened the empty bottle, dropped Skaw inside it and screwed the lid on as tightly as I could. If I had to swim, it would need to be watertight to keep Skaw safe.
“Moonzy, you’re a genius,” I said, flashing a grin.
I put both the skull and the bottle inside my sweatshirt and zipped it up.
A clattering sound made my head jerk up.
Sully Tarn was clambering over the rocks towards us, swinging a rope over his head. Platinum hooks flashed on the end of it as they twirled in the air.
I launched myself into the sea, the iceberg coldness squeezing the breath from my lungs. All of a sudden, something caught my sweatshirt and I was tugged back. A hook must have attached itself! If I couldn’t get rid of it, I’d be landed like a fish. As I was reeled in towards the rocks, an almighty wave lifted me up and threw me down, sucking me under. The force of it snapped the line and I drifted free. Another hook splashed into the sea beside me. I yowled as it embedded itself in my hand, clawing at my skin as it was yanked sharply. A wall of water crashed over my head, and I rolled forward, losing all sense of which way I was facing. The last of my breath escaped from my mouth in Silver Marlin bubbles. Crashing against rocks, every bone in my body felt on fire. Weakened by pain, I gave one last push with my feet. My head shot up through the water and the beach came into view for the briefest of seconds. I flailed my arms, using my legs to propel me towards it. The sea coughed and I climbed high on a wave, before rushing forward at breakneck speed to be spat out on to the shore. I heaved myself over seaweed and shingle, checking behind me to see if Sully Tarn was following, but he’d gone. I unzipped my sweatshirt. Moonzy tumbled out and landed on top of a pile of driftwood – but the bottle had vanished.
It must have slipped out when I got hit by the wave!
I waded back into the sea, crying out Skaw’s name. With these currents, the bottle could be halfway across the ocean by now.
“Don’t risk your life for that wretched worm, Coral. He’s not worth it,” Moonzy hollered.
The waves knocked into me, making it impossible to get past them. I stifled a sob. Scaw had a misplaced loyalty to Muckle Red but I wouldn’t have survived this far without him.
“Coral! Over here.” Moonzy sped towards the water.
I waded in the direction of the skull, the waves trying their best to slow me down.
That’s when I saw a glint of plastic. The bottle was tumbling on to the beach and being pulled back out to sea, again and again. I stooped and grabbed it, frightened to peer inside. If water had seeped into it Skaw couldn’t have survived. I twisted the lid off and Skaw blinked up at me, his face Sea Kelp green.
“I’d never have forgiven myself if something had happened to you, Skaw.”
The worm raised his Slate in the Rain eyes up at me. “Think I’m going to puke.”
The relief we were all alive and safe swept through me stronger than undertows. I collapsed on the shore, unable to move.
As the part of the sky that touched the ocean blushed Spiced Rum, Caramelized Peach, Soul Blue and Lantern Glow, a thought occurred to me. I propped myself up on my elbow. “You guys, you know what this mea
ns?”
The skull and the worm glanced at each other.
“We’ve only got ourselves a wrecker bird to catch now.”
A lone seagull cried out above our heads, crabs scuttled sideways, anemones closed their tentacles and fish dived deeper into the ocean’s depths.
CHAPTER
14
“I’d rather be eaten by a cannibal.” Skaw whacked my hand with his tail and then groaned. “It’d be less painful.”
You’d think the worm would have been overjoyed we’d all made it back home, safe and sound.
“Hold still,” I said, attempting to dab disinfectant on his wounds. He was lucky to have suffered only minor burns, after what had happened in the cave.
“If you don’t do as she says, Skaw, it’ll become infected with oozy pus and then you’ll stink worse than roadkill and nobody will marry you because you’ll be dead,” said Moonzy, nodding.
Skaw squirmed on the tissue paper I’d laid down on the kitchen table. “That’d make your day, wouldn’t it?”
The skull stayed silent, sniffed a cauliflower, took a nibble from it and spat it out. I’d placed her in the vegetable rack, in case Dad waltzed in unannounced as parents have a knack of doing. Mum had gone to work and Dad had written a note to say he’d only be twenty minutes. Thing was, I’d slept in and had no idea what time he’d left.
When I’d woken up, I’d checked God’s bowl, but it was still full. It took all my willpower not to march straight round to Miss Mirk’s, kick her door down and demand she handed him back. My grip on Skaw tightened at the thought.
“Ow! Do the world a favour; never become a nurse.” Skaw stuck his nose in the air.
I held my hands up. “OK, I’m done. I’m stepping away from the ungrateful patient, although you heart me really.”
Skaw opened his mouth to protest but I cut him short. “I know: you only saved me because you want to get out of Halloway.”
The worm tried to wriggle off the tissue, except it stuck to him. I put my finger on it so he could free himself.
I fetched a glass and opened the fridge.
“What do you suppose Sully Tarn will do?” asked Skaw.
“He knows we can blow his cover. I reckon he’ll be long gone by now and good riddance to him.” I poured out some cherry juice, spilling some as I remembered the hooks twirling in the air. It must have been how he’d caught his victims.
The True Colours of Coral Glen Page 12