Deceived

by Lynda O'Rourke

  “Jude… Raven… where are you?” My voice sounded muffled in the fog and I wondered if my friends could hear me. “Jude!”

  “Head towards our voices,” shouted Jude. “We’re on the other side of the fence!”

  I found the strength to keep going—to pick up pace. We ran together, still blinded by the fog, but guided by Jude’s voice. And then the silence of the fog was shattered. Ben hit the iron fence, followed by myself. I stumbled back and fell down. It had appeared out of nowhere. The ugly black fencing towered over us. I grasped the iron bars and pulled myself up.

  “Kassidy,” cried Jude, his face suddenly appearing between the bars. “You have to climb… do it… do it now. They’re coming!”

  I looked at Ben. He stood beside me and shouted, “Hurry up.” He crouched down behind me, gave me a leg up, and then began to climb himself.

  Holding tightly to the fence, I began to pull myself up. But the iron bars were wet and slippery from the damp fog and I could feel my grip slide.

  Ben looked down at me as I lost my footing and began to slip. “No!” he cried out, reaching down and grabbing hold of my wrist. “Come on, Kassidy… you can do this!”

  I stared up into his face. Something trembled in his voice. The look in his face told me that I didn’t have long. His eyes stared out behind me and I could feel the panic inside of me as his eyes widened.

  “I’ve got you,” shouted Ben, pulling me up by my wrist as my feet slipped up and down on the iron bars.

  I looked over my shoulder. The fog tumbled toward me like a giant ash cloud.

  “Don’t look at the goddamned Cleaners!” shouted Jude, snatching at my feet through the bars. I could feel him try to push me up while Ben clung onto my wrist. “Look up at the bars and fucking climb!”

  “I’m trying!” I snapped, gripping on with my left hand. I could feel the presence of the Cleaners behind me.

  Raven appeared beside Jude. She took hold of the fencing, shook it violently, and snapped, “You’re gonna get us all killed if you don’t get a move on… can’t you see what’s behind you? The devil’s hands are coming. They’re coming to get you!”

  “What the fuck are you doing?” shouted Jude, knocking Raven’s hands away from the fence. “She can’t climb up while you’re shaking the fucking bars!”

  Ignoring Jude, Raven continued with her rant. “You’re dragging us all to hell. We’re all going to die… my blood will be on your hands, Kassidy. They’re coming… they’re coming!”

  “Shut up!” I screamed, an angry rage suddenly rising up within me. “Shut the hell up, Raven!” I could feel the VA20 rush through my veins like a violent tirade. The poisonous voices reared up, screaming and shouting at me.

  Kill her! Tear her fucking throat out. Kill the bitch and then throw yourself down to the Cleaners!

  “No!” I yelled, wanting to cover my ears and block out their noise. Their words were like lightning, piercing and grating the inside of my head. They made me feel ill—infected. I hated them and their voices made me hate everyone around me. I did want to rip Raven’s throat out. It would shut the bitch up—quieten the voices inside me.

  I glared down at her. Thank your lucky stars, Raven that you’re on the other side of the fence, because if I could get to you right now, I’d…

  “Stop it!” I snarled at myself. I have to stop thinking like this. I can’t become what those voices want me to be. I have to block them out. I yanked my hand away from Ben, reached up, and grabbed the iron bars. My feet found their grip. I climbed across the bars like a spider in its web as if it was second nature. The slippery iron was no longer a problem. The murderous rage I felt seemed to help move me. I reached the top and straddled the fencing. My heart beat furiously and my black veins seemed to boil and seethe under my skin. The Cleaners reached up with their unnaturally long arms like creaky vines. I took hold of the crucifix around my neck, pulled it out, and held it up. The voices screamed in my head to stop, but I screwed my eyes shut and pushed them away.

  “Go back to fucking hell!” I screamed, as the fog seemed to lift the Cleaners up. They shrank back. The fog tumbled away, but not far. I swung my leg over the top of the fence and slid down the bars. With my feet now back on the ground, I could feel my anger begin to decrease. Even the sadistic voices had disappeared. I stared up at the fence, stunned that I had suddenly found it within me to climb up so easily. But then again, was it so strange? After all, I had found myself, on several occasions, climbing across ceilings. I glared at Raven and she stepped back. The urge to hurt her was still there, but not as strong as it had been. I breathed deeply and tried to calm my thumping heart.

  “Your eyes,” she mumbled, looking confused, “and how the hell did you climb that fence so easily?”

  “Huh? What are you going on about now?” I snapped. “What does it matter, anyway? I climbed it, didn’t I? That’s what you wanted. That’s what you were screaming at me to do!” I avoided her piercing stare, suddenly aware that she had no idea I could climb across ceilings. I didn’t want her to know. I hadn’t wanted any of my friends to know that I was turning into some freak. I sure as hell didn’t want Raven to start up again with her beliefs that I was hiding Doshia inside me.

  “No time for chatting,” said Jude, stepping in between us. “We’re not out of this fog yet.” He went to turn away, but his eyes caught mine and he hesitated like he had seen something. Something in my face—something hidden behind my eyes.

  “What are you looking at?” I asked, suddenly feeling unsure. I touched my face with my hands. Was it the veins? Had they spread all over my face?

  Jude glanced at Ben as if to see whether he had seen whatever it was he’d noticed. They looked at each other, but neither said a word. Frustrated with their silence, I looked back at the fence. The fog was beginning to churn up its dark, grey mass and move back toward us.

  “Where’s Max and Robert?” I asked, spinning around only to be confronted with more fog.

  “We lost them,” answered Jude. “I don’t even know if they’re on this side of the fence.”

  “Or whether they’re dead!” spat Raven, wrapping her arms about herself and shivering.

  “Alright,” said Jude, facing Raven. “No more of your bullshit talk of death, hands of hell, and whatever other crap you’ve got floating around inside that twisted head of yours.”

  Stepping forward, Raven said, “It’s not twisted crap, though… is it? You can’t shut me up anymore with your lying and deceitful ways. You’re one of those hands of hell.” Taking a quick breath, she then stared at Ben and said, “And that’s what you are, too. A filthy liar of a demon!”

  “Yes!” shouted Jude. “I’m one of those hands of hell who has just helped you through the fog after you fell over and started screaming!”

  “Enough!” I shouted at them both. “We haven’t got time to keep going around in the same old circles pointing the finger of blame. We have to get out of this fog. We’re not safe until we do.”

  As if to prove me right, the tall iron fence shook. The fog had pushed up against it, only this time it wouldn’t hold the Cleaners back. Dark, moving shadows were beginning to work their way through, between the iron bars.

  I looked at Ben and said, “I don’t know which way to go. How will we ever find our way out of the fog?”

  “The fence is behind us,” he began, “If we keep moving forward then hopefully we’ll find a way out.”

  “Exactly what I was going to say,” said Jude. “Let’s go now… before it’s too late.”

  Pushing past Ben, Jude took the lead. Raven, her shoulders slumped forward, began to follow. I took hold of Ben’s hand, determined this time I wouldn’t lose him again in the fog. I peered back over my shoulder. Were the Cleaners still behind us? Or had they moved somewhere else amongst the fog, waiting, biding their time for us to walk right into them? I shivered. But it wasn’t just the Cleaners and the demons that scared me. My eyes fell upon the back of Raven. I was scared o
f myself.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Kassidy

  Picking up speed, I made sure to keep Jude and Raven in sight. Every couple of seconds, they would disappear, swallowed up by the Cleaners’ lair. It was cold and damp within the fog, and the silence was terrifying. Every swirl of mist had me on edge. Knowing that the Cleaners could be anywhere, but not being able to see further than an arm’s length, meant that every step taken could be my last. All I wanted to do was run. Run away out of this damp pit of hell. But we couldn’t run. Not yet. We would lose each other again in the fog if we didn’t stay calm and keep our nerve.

  I clung onto Ben’s arm with both hands and whispered, “I just want to get out of here. I don’t like walking blind.”

  “Me too,” he whispered back, his eyes focused ahead. “Just stay quiet and hopefully we can pass through with no unwanted attention.”

  I could hear that tremor in his voice again and his eyes held a fear in them like the dread I felt in the pit of my stomach. “You’re talking about the Cleaners… right?” I asked, wondering—hoping—there wasn’t anything else that was going to jump out at me.

  Ben glanced at me, shook his head, and kept his voice low, “There are other things that travel in the fog.”

  I gripped his arm and whispered, “What other things?” I could hear my heart begin to thump and the tremor in Ben’s voice could now be heard in mine. What else was in the fog?

  “Victims,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder.

  “…Victims… what do you mean?” I shivered, following his gaze.

  Ben sighed, lowered his eyes, and said, “There are so many… so many of the dead trapped within the fog. The Cleaners bring their victims with them… wherever they go… the dead go, too.”

  I gasped, eyes wide and stared about me. “Can they hurt us?”

  “I’m not sure,” replied Ben. “I don’t think they can hurt me. Remember, I have Quint… but you…” Ben trailed off and fell quiet.

  We continued to tread with caution and hadn’t gone very far when Raven turned around and whispered, “There’s something in the fog.”

  Standing on tiptoes, I tried to see over Raven’s shoulder. I could see the back of Jude. He had stopped and was now bent over something on the ground. He suddenly stood up and spun around. A bright light shone across my face and I realised he was holding a torch.

  Stepping forward, Ben said, “That belonged to Cropper. That’s his torch. Turn it off before it attracts something nasty.”

  Jude switched it off and said, “I’m guessing Cropper never made it out of the fog?”

  Ben shook his head. “Does anyone ever make it out of the fog?”

  Jude stood silent for a moment as if sifting through past memories and said, “I guess not.” He shrugged his shoulders, and then, seeing the look of despair in mine and Raven’s eyes, he added, “But… that doesn’t mean it has to be that way now.” He fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out a packet of sweets. Popping a couple into his mouth, he said, “Anyone want one?”

  Raven scowled. “Why don’t we just sit down and eat a fucking picnic while we’re here lost in the fog? Maybe the Cleaners might join us?”

  “There’s no need to be bitchy,” said Jude, “I’m just sharing what I have.”

  “Well, don’t bother! I’m not touching food that’s come from a demon.” Raven turned her back on Jude, folded her arms across her chest as if in defiance, and hung her head low so her greasy, damp hair covered her face.

  “Can we just keep going?” urged Ben. “We’re wasting time and we haven’t even come across Max and Robert yet. The longer we spend in the fog, the less chance we have of getting out.”

  Turning on her heels, Raven hissed, “It’s not me stuffing my face and wasting time!”

  Waving the torch in Raven’s direction, mouth loaded with sweets, Jude said, “What is your fucking problem with me? You’ve done nothing but give me a hard time ever since we met. Why…?” Jude stopped talking. The torch slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Even in the muffled fog, it made a clatter.

  We all stood silent, aware that something may have heard us. I swallowed down hard and held Ben’s arm tightly.

  Seemingly satisfied that nothing was heading our way, Ben pushed on, brushing past Jude as he went.

  “Wait!” called Jude. “Are you sure that’s the right way? I thought we were heading in that direction?” He pointed into the fog.

  Turning on my heels, I realised it was useless to even try to believe we were going the right way. It didn’t matter. Everywhere I looked was the same. The dense drifts of fog just swallowed up everything out here.

  “I think we should just move—go anywhere,” I whispered, tucking a damp strand of hair behind my ear. “As long as we’re not heading back towards the fence.”

  As I turned to follow Ben, I caught something in the corner of my eye. It moved slowly, but in a jerky kind of way. The figure was obscured, its body hidden by the secrets of the fog.

  Rushing past me, Raven shouted, “That must be Max or Robert.”

  I tried to snatch her arm to stop her from running into the unknown, but it was too late. Raven came to a sudden halt. The clouded figure, having heard Raven call out, turned and emerged through the fog.

  I felt my legs go weak and my heart almost stop. It wasn’t Max. It wasn’t Robert. It was like one of Cruor Pharma’s victims had escaped from one of the wards or the morgue. Its bulbous eyes stared with such pain and torment, that I felt its utter terror.

  “Help… dear God… save me…” It staggered forward, mouth hung open, a brown discharge squirting from its neck as it reached out with a jerky arm, fingers snapping at Raven.

  I wanted to look away. The suffering in its voice was too much. My stomach churned and I stood motionless. Its shaven head had strips of scalped flesh that flapped about, making a moist sound as it hit the sides of its face. I could see that it was male, and as it staggered toward us, I realised I recognised this abysmal creature.

  “Cropper,” I whispered, my eyes travelling down the length of his shredded police uniform. His overbearing height dwarfed Raven as he loomed over her.

  Pulling open his shirt, he cried, “Look… look what those things have done to me…”

  I retched, recoiled back as he revealed his chest and stomach. There were holes all over his body like someone had taken an electric drill and used it on him. They oozed blood as each jerky movement stretched open the holes. As I continued to stare, fixed to the spot, Jude rushed forward and pulled Raven back.

  “Let’s go,” said Ben, his voice soft, but urgent.

  Like I hadn’t heard Ben or seen him, I watched Cropper shuffle forward. How many more hideous sights would I have to see before they would no longer get to me? I turned my head slowly, looked at Ben, and asked, “How is he even alive?”

  Matching my stare with his black eyes, Quint replied, “He’s not!”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Kassidy

  “Quint,” I whispered, stepping away, then moving back toward him. I decided I was probably safer for now, at least, with Quint than with Cropper and the Cleaners.

  “Doctor Fletcher,” choked Cropper, his hand holding his throat as blood gushed between his fingers.

  I stared at Quint and then back at Cropper. The Inspector obviously had no idea that someone else dwelled in Ben’s body.

  “You have to get me… out of here…” Cropper coughed up blood and then fell to his knees. “Those things… those creatures…” he cried, and covered his eyes.

  “I thought you said he was dead?” I looked at Quint. “He’s not dead. He’s still alive.” I felt sick to the stomach at the horrors that had been imposed on Cropper’s body. The awful sights I had seen at Cruor Pharma came rushing back to me. But not just the sights. The noises—the cries—the screams. All of a sudden, I felt like I was back on the ward—blood everywhere. Howard climbing over me—Carly hiding under the bed. I shook my head, desperate to b
e rid of the noises that plagued me. I hated Cropper. I hated what he had done and what he was—an evil, greedy, murdering bastard. But the pain I could see him in and the suffering in his voice was too much to bear. It reminded me of a place I never wanted to see ever again.

  Quint smiled at me, and then his black eyes looked down at Cropper. “Maybe I exaggerated. I guess he’s a little alive still.” Turning, he looked at Jude and Raven and said, “Let’s go.”

  “No… I beg… please… don’t leave me with these… these… monsters,” gargled Cropper on a throat full of blood. He struggled to get up, swaying from left to right, his chest leaking blood through the holes.

  “My god…” whispered Raven, staggering back, her face whiter than the fog. “He’s a spawn of the devil himself!”

  “Jude,” I called, my skin crawling with goose bumps as another gargled cry escaped Cropper’s lips. “We can’t leave him here… not with the Cleaners.”

  With his arms folded tight across his chest, Jude shrugged his shoulders and said, “Nothing to do with me, Kassidy. The Cleaners have unfinished business with Cropper. He’s trapped now in the fog. We couldn’t take him with us even if we wanted to. He’s stuck between life and death. That’s what the Cleaners want. He’s just another victim for them to torture. It’s what they do… you know that.” Jude turned his back on Cropper and began to walk away.

  I snatched hold of Quint and pulled on his arm. “Wait… can’t you do something? Can’t you help him in some way?” I cringed and covered my ears as Cropper let out another agonising scream. “You’ve put people out of their misery before. I know you have. I’ve seen you do it. You finished off Alex at the Bishop’s house. Why can’t you do that now?”