Army of Angels

by Marcus Brown

  Their mother arrived an hour later, and pulled the picture from her handbag, handing it to Adam. He looked down and smiled, then pressed the picture to his chest.

  “He hasn’t said a word since he asked for the picture.”

  “Nothing at all?” She looked concerned.

  “No, Mum. I'm really worried now. Maybe talking about Ash has set him back again.”

  “We’ll speak to the doctor and see what he thinks. Don’t worry, love. I’ve got a good feeling he’s on the mend.”

  “All right,” he stated. “But I don’t think we should leave that picture here, it might do more harm than good.”

  Jason walked over to Adam and tried to take the picture away, but he clutched it tighter to his chest and wouldn’t let go of it.

  “Leave him be, Jase. He doesn’t want you to take it away.”

  “Come on, we’ll go and find that useless nurse and ask when the doctor is doing his rounds.”

  Their mother cupped her younger son’s pale and drawn face in her hands and kissed him softly on the cheek. “We’ll be right back, my gorgeous boy. Mummy loves you, remember that.” She tried to pull him into a hug, but Ashley pushed her away.

  They found the doctor doing his rounds.

  “Can we have a word with you please, Doctor?” Jason asked, politely.

  “As long as you’re quick. I have other patients to see.”

  “We’re concerned about Adam,” his mum added.

  “There is very little change to his condition.”

  “It’s not that,” Jason said. “He told me there was a lady at his window last night. He’s worried, and scared.”

  “Your brother is on strong medication…”

  “That doesn’t mean he can’t see what’s going on,” Jason interjected.

  “I am well aware of that, but your brother is seriously ill and has problems distinguishing what is real and what is not.”

  “So, you’re saying he imagined it?” his mother asked.

  “In all probability, yes, but the fact he has spoken to you is a reassuring sign.”

  “He’s clammed up again now.”

  “Mrs Lee. Your son had a complete mental breakdown and there will be days he appears more lucid than others. At this moment, you have to take what you can get. Not one day will be the same. Your son has a long way to go yet.”

  “Will you move him into another room?” Jason glowered at him.

  “It will do your brother no favours in the long run. Buying into his delusions could set him back further.”

  “So, you won’t move him?”

  “No,” the doctor added. “Absolutely not.”

  Jason stomped off before he said something he might regret, leaving his mother to argue about her Adam’s care.

  Chapter Twelve

  Later that evening, a red Mustang pulled up on the country lane that ran parallel to Millfield Children’s Psychiatric Centre.

  Juliet stepped out of the car, her black stiletto heels clacking against the tarmacked path. Pressing the fob in her hand, the boot of the flashy sports car opened automatically as she stood admiring the doll peacefully resting inside.

  “It’s time.”

  Mabel’s eyes flew open. “Yes Mistress,” she whispered.

  She picked Mabel up carefully, smiling at the big blue eyes staring back at her and pressed the fob once again. The boot closed, and she walked towards the brightly lit building.

  Sandra had failed to bring the boy to her last night and Juliet made her suffer for that failure. This evening, she would do the dirty work herself. She approached the east wing of the hospital and headed towards the room where Adam Lee would be.

  Glancing through the window, Juliet rubbed her hands together. She could see the rise and fall of his chest and knew he was sleeping.

  “Ah, such a shame we have to wake him.”

  He would make a stunning addition to her collection. Nobody would stop her from procuring him.

  She lifted Mabel onto the window ledge and turned her to face the window.

  “Do you see him, my little one?”

  “Yes,” she whispered chillingly.

  “We must have him tonight. You know what to do–don’t fail me.” Juliet bent down and placed the doll back onto the floor. “Time is precious. Sneak inside and watch out for anybody close by. If all is clear, make your way into the boy’s room. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, Mistress.”

  Mabel pushed herself up off the floor and onto her tiny feet. She scurried off around the side of the building towards the main entrance.

  Juliet patiently waited at the windowpane to the boy’s room. She peered inside, excited by what was to come.

  Moments later Mabel crawled along the floor of Adam’s room. Smiling like a proud parent, she watched as the little one made her way onto the window ledge inside the room. Juliet waved her hand in front of the lock and heard it click open. She pulled the window gently open, careful not to be discovered.

  “Well done my beautiful one.” Juliet pulled the window open wide enough for her to climb through. “Hide yourself under the bed, we don’t want to frighten the boy…too much.”

  Quietly, she climbed inside and stood over him. She watched as he stirred in his sleep.

  “Little boy.” She tapped him gently along the shoulder. “Wake up.”

  He turned around slowly and looked up at her. He was groggy–the medication he was given was obviously meant to keep him sedated throughout the night. The confusion in his eyes pleased her.

  “Adam. Don’t be frightened,” she said, in a low soothing voice. “I’m here to speak to you about Ashley.”

  She knew it would grab his attention and smiled. He groggily forced himself up into a sitting position.

  “Ashley’s dead.” His eyes glazed over. It seemed the memories of his dead brother were too much for him to cope with.

  “No. He’s not. I can bring you to him, if you’d like.”

  She had his attention once more. “Ashley’s dead. I saw him die.”

  “You’re wrong. He's been waiting for you. If you come away with me, I’ll make sure you can be together forever.”

  Adam closed his eyes and shook his head. “You’re not real. I’m having a bad dream.”

  “Listen to me. Ashley has been waiting for you. You’ve been very sick, but it won’t be long until you feel much better,” she said, flashing her perfect white teeth.

  “No. I don't believe you. You’re trying to trick me and stop me from going home.”

  “Don’t you want to see your brother?” She could see he was wavering. “Open your eyes and come with me. He isn’t far away from here.”

  Adam opened his eyes. “You swear you’ll take me to him.”

  “I swear,” she lied. “You need to be quiet though, we don’t want anybody to hear us.” Juliet held out her hand.

  He kicked the blankets away and leaped out of bed. She was glad he was so easily manipulated and guided him to the window, helping him down to the ground. “Wait for me,” she said in a hushed voice, worried about being heard. Leaping down from the windowpane, she held out her arms as Mabel crawled from under the bed and scurried across the floor, leaping out of the window into her arms.

  “Good girl,” she said planting a kiss on the doll's head.

  “Thank you, mistress,” Mabel replied.

  Juliet could see Adam’s surprise. He stared at Mabel and rubbed at his eyes, believing he was seeing things. Then, the sudden realisation he was in danger hit him. He made to run, but she caught hold of the material at the back of his pyjamas and yanked him backwards, throwing him viciously onto the hard path. He cried out in pain as his head struck the floor–the sound of his skull striking the pathway pleased her enormously.

  He lay on the ground, writhing and moaning as she sat astride him.

  “I need you to be quiet now, little boy,” she whispered, leaning in and flicking her tongue across his ear lobe.

  “Ashley.�
� He groaned, holding onto the side of his head.

  “Quiet, I said.”

  “Please take me to Ashley,” he begged.

  Angered by his disobedience, she backhanded him across the face. The diamond in her ring cut a deep gouge in his cheek. He cried out again. She slapped him once more, then raised her finger to her lips.

  He didn’t make another sound, but his lip quivered.

  She climbed off him, smirking. The sight of the blood pouring from his face and nose–mixed with the metallic smell made her tingle down below. She rubbed her breasts, pinching her hard nipples, yearning to taste his flesh and blood. Sadly, he wasn’t being procured as a meal, but a faithful assistant.

  Juliet revelled in Adam’s terror, but time was against her. She had to do what she came for.

  “I want my Mum.” He tried to sit up.

  She stood over the injured boy and kicked him square in the chest, forcing him flat onto the floor. “You wanted to see your whining brother again…” Juliet paused. “…Soon, I promise you that.” She was lying, but he didn’t know that. She had no intention of allowing his soul to escape into the light.

  He struggled to get up again and kicked out at her, the last of his defiance before all the fight had left him. Juliet was too strong for him. She knelt, her legs holding his arms in place. Sniffing deeply, the scent of his blood was almost hypnotic. She was hungry and bent down to the blood from his cut cheek. He flinched as her tongue aggravated the open wound.

  Juliet shivered and forced herself back to the task at hand. “Now we’ve both had our fun, it’s time to give you what you want.”

  His sobbing echoed into the night, but there was no time and she couldn’t take the chance of somebody hearing them.

  She had to get him away from there.

  “Be quiet, little boy,” she warned, “or I’ll make you sorry.”

  “I want my brother,” he cried. “You said you’d bring me to him.”

  “Silence.” Through gritted teeth, she grabbed a fistful of his hair with one hand to keep him still. Adam cried out, and to silence him, she pushed her fingers into his mouth and with one downward pull, his jaw dislocated. His eyes widened in shock, but the worst was yet to come. She took hold of his tongue and ripped it clean out. Adam moaned and writhed on the ground. She used her magic and rose to her feet, a heeled foot pressed down on his chest, forcing him to remain still.

  She marvelled at the fleshy, muscular organ in her hand and looked forward to tasting it when time allowed. A quick taste of the bloody tongue was enough to satisfy her cravings.

  “Mabel. Look what I’m having for dinner,” she joked.

  Mabel reached out her tiny hand and took the organ from her mistress and sniffed it. A smile stretched across the partially rotted quasi human-looking face.

  She lifted her foot from his chest and laughed chillingly as Adam rolled about the ground with his hands clamped to his mouth, blood pouring through his fingers, his eyes still wide in shock, groaning and unable to form the words he so obviously wanted to speak.

  Flashes of her beloved nephew’s face flew through her mind as she bathed in Adam’s appearance. His jaw, now hanging loose was eerily similar to that of her Luke’s, when he was preparing to feed.

  Juliet silently clapped her hands together, thrilled at the unfolding events. This was supposed to wait until she got the boy back to the house on the lane, but there was no reason why now wasn’t as good a time as any.

  Shuddering with anticipation, she shut her eyes and began to chant in the lost language of her ancestors. Once finished, she opened her eyes, and looked down imperiously as Adam continued to writhe and moan. With a wiggle of her finger, he became still, but his moaning agitated her. “I warned you to be quiet, didn’t I? But like most children you refuse to listen so...” Juliet stopped mid-sentence, raised her foot then pressed her stilettoed heel against his throat. “Now, you will be silent.” With alarming ferocity, she dispensed her cruel punishment, pushed down and heard a crunch as the heel of her designer shoe pierced his windpipe. She laughed as the boy’s gurgling sounds echoed through the night. “I told you to be quiet, little boy…” A cruel smile stretched across her face as she watched the light fade from his eyes. “…and now you will be.”

  Mabel whispered her approval.

  Juliet lifted her foot and shook the gore from the heel of her shoe.

  “Now we can begin.” Juliet gazed lovingly at her faithful companion sniffing the bloody tongue in her little hands. Then, she turned her attention back to the dead child lying on the ground.

  She bent down and, with ease, lifted Adam from the cold, hard ground and carried him towards the car.

  Juliet glanced to the skies and muttered an incantation. As if by magic, rain poured from the sky, which only moments before was cloudless. The water would eradicate the pool of blood beginning to clot on the ground.

  “Come, Mabel. We’ve much work to do.”

  Mabel obediently followed her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jason paced the floor. He was frantic with worry for Adam.

  “I’m sorry, but we’re doing everything we can to find out how your brother managed to escape the grounds.”

  “That isn’t good enough,” Jason roared. “He was supposed to be safe here.”

  Doctor Richards, the Director of the hospital, clearly didn’t know how to respond. “We’re doing all we can, I promise you that.”

  “How the fuck did he manage to get out?” Jason was struggling to keep himself from tearing the place apart.

  “We had no reason to believe he would run away.”

  “He’s unstable, you know that.”

  “The police are here and checking the grounds as we speak.”

  “If anything has happened to my son, I’ll kill you.” His mother came charging down the corridor and launched herself at the doctor. Jason managed to restrain her. “He’s the only one I’ve got left.” She collapsed and wailed into Jason’s chest.

  “Mrs Lee. Please calm yourself.” He brushed his suit off with his hands. “I understand you’re upset, but hysteria won’t get us anywhere. Now, Adam is a very disturbed little boy and we need to focus our attentions on finding him, not apportioning blame.” The Director looked worried.

  Jason guessed his job was at risk.

  “Adam told me there was a lady banging on his window the other night and the nurse wouldn’t listen to me when I tried to tell her.”

  “He probably dreamt it.”

  “And what if he wasn’t dreaming and somebody’s taken him?” Guilt ate away at Jason. “I failed Ash, and now I failed Adam.”

  “Jason. I don’t think anybody was at your brother’s window. It’s all a figment of his imagination, something he believes to be true, but it’s another reaction to losing his twin. Why do you think I refused to authorise his room move?”

  “I dunno, you tell me, you’re supposed to be the expert.”

  “Adam needed help to try and differentiate between fiction and reality. To accept what happened, and to find a way to move on with his own life, but by indulging his fantasies, we would have pushed him further back into himself.”

  Jason kept his temper, but quietly seethed. He watched as a uniformed policeman approached alongside a well-built red-haired guy wearing an ill-fitting suit. “Mum, the police are here. Come on, they might have some information for us.”

  “Mrs Lee. I’m Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Hope. I’d like a private word, if you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Have you found him?” she said, trying to hold back her own tears.

  “Not yet, but we have some questions.”

  “Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of my son.” She gestured towards Jason.

  “Very well. Doctor, do you mind if we use your office?”

  “Not at all,” Doctor Richards said. “This way.”

  Jason grabbed his mum’s hand as they walked into the office and took a seat.

&nb
sp; The detective didn’t waste any time. “Mrs Lee. I’m investigating the disappearance of your son and as I said, I have a few questions.”

  “What sort of questions?” Jason asked.

  “I’m aware you stopped Adam’s father from seeing him. Is that correct?”

  “That man doesn’t deserve to see my son,” she spat.

  “I’m not here to debate his merit as a father, but do you think your ex-husband could have visited without your knowledge?”

  “Look. There’s no way that dick head could ever get in here to see Adam,” Jason said. “We haven’t seen him for years and it’ll stay that way if I have anything to do with it.” He was trying hard to control his temper. “Why are you asking about him anyway?”

  “Because we know for certain your son is not within the grounds. We’ve searched the entire building and surrounding areas and he’s nowhere to be seen. We’ve had our highly trained dogs looking for him, but they only seem to pick up his scent within the building. Granted, we had a lot of rain last night and that can cause us problems, but I really don’t believe he’s still here.”

  “I want my baby,” Jason’s mother wailed.

  “We’re doing our utmost to find him, Mrs Lee, but I have to be honest with you and tell you that I’m concerned for his well-being.”

  “Do you think somebody took him?” Jason asked.

  “From what I understand, Adam will be in a fragile state right now and certainly won’t be thinking straight. If he walked out of the hospital and the grounds by himself, he wouldn’t be thinking clearly enough to try and conceal himself. My gut instinct is he went with somebody he knew, which is why I asked about his father. As I said a minute ago, it rained last night, but we did find footprints in the dirt outside his window and I believe whoever he left here with either carried him or drove him away.”

  Jason felt like he had been stabbed through the heart–he couldn’t lose Adam as well. “Why do you think that?”

  “We also found fingerprints on the windows and we’re running those prints now to see if they match up to anything in the national database. The doctor mentioned your brother was worried someone was at his window.”