Gothic

by Steve Hester

CHAPTER 24

  The police station was empty and apart from the constant ringing of the alarm and the splatter of the sprinklers it was also very quiet. Annie looked out of the door leading from the cell corridor, checking the coast was clear. She waved for Rob and Smithy to follow her, the flashing lights from the emergency vehicles outside sending odd shadows across the walls as they moved.

  “Where is everyone?” asked Rob.

  “We sent in a fake fire alarm to try and clear the building. They're all out front in the car park.” Said Annie.

  She heard a gasp from behind her. Rob had seen the bodies and was holding his hand over his mouth.

  “He's going to pop!” said Smithy. “Get him out of here, quick!”

  Rob turned and staggered out into the corridor beyond and crumpled to his knees he could hear Smithy telling him from a distance to breath but it was too late. There was a spasm and he threw up.

  “Can you move?” asked Annie.

  He nodded weakly, wiping off his mouth. Smithy could see he was looking pale in the low lighting but Annie snaked an arm under his and hauled him to his feet.

  “Then move.” She said before moving to check ahead.

  Rob leant against the wall trying to catch his breath, the bloody sight now etched permanently into his mind.

  “You alright?” Said Smithy. Rob shook his head. “Don't worry you get used to it.”

  Rob couldn't take his eyes off the door leading back to the room full of bodies.

  “H... How do you get used... to THAT?” he mumbled.

  “That? No, I meant Annie. You never get used to the other stuff... Now we need to move.”

  After waiting few moments for Rob to try and gather himself they made their way along the darkened corridors until they'd caught up with her. The inside of the station was like a maze and the group had ended up doubling back on themselves until they came across evidence of a fight.

  A very familiar gun was lying on the floor next to a pile of debris. Annie picked it up and ran her fingers across the strange writing along the barrel.

  “Jacob's been here.” she said.

  “Yeah... Think that's obvious.” said Smithy from just behind.

  The place was a wreck with a look like a trailer park after a tornado. Massive holes had been punched through the walls into the offices and despite the sprinklers there were pockets of light blue flames spreading across it all.

  “Phantom fire.” said Smithy.

  “What fire?” said Rob.

  “Phantom fire. Well it's not its proper name but it's a damn sight easier to say.”

  Rob leant forward and held his hand out.

  “No heat.” He said.

  “Just don't touch it.” said Smithy. “Came from a flaming sword. It doesn't behave like normal fire; the sprinklers won't be able to do a damn thing and without the right protection it'll roast the flesh right off your bones. It'll burn itself out eventually but this place won't have long before it spreads and properly goes up.”

  “How long?” Asked Rob, eyeing the flames as they danced.

  “Twenty minutes, maybe fifteen.” Smithy leant into the hole in the wall and saw another one in the ceiling. He could see a light blue shimmer through it. “Maybe less. We need to get a move on!”

  Annie jammed the gun into her belt and they moved on. They passed a body lying in a twisted heap against one of the walls, its spine bending at an unnatural angle.

  “A few of the poor sods got caught by the thing that's after you.”

  “Look, just what the hell is going on here?” said Rob. “I deserve some kind of an explanation!”

  “Hell is going on here. For the moment it is anyway.” Said Smithy. “We wait around here too long and the other lot will be showing up.”

  “Hell is...?” Rob stopped. “What does that mean? What does any of this whole thing mean? Right! That's it! I want to know what is going on, right now!”

  Annie spun round to him. “We haven't got time to explain it right now!”

  “Yes! Yes you have! Because I'm not moving another step until you do. Who was that guy that was after me? Who the hell are you people anyway? What's Gothic?”

  “We’re a secret society who polices the forces of heaven and hell on earth and you’re the key to making sure the world doesn’t end before chucking out time.” Said Smithy. He turned to Annie. “Actually I like that, summed it up quite nicely!”

  Annie glared at him without a trace of humour and carried on walking. The other two found themselves following, dragged along in her wake.

  “Sorry about Annie. She lost someone. Well, we all lost someone.” said Smithy. “That's pretty much the reason why this mess is happening to you. When we get out of here, we'll tell you everything. I promise.”

  “Wait a second...” Rob eyed Smithy. “You're the guy who was talking to me earlier!”

  “Yup, guilty as charged.”

  “Where did you go? The guard came in and said I was on my own.”

  “Ah, well! I'm not just here as a pretty face, although I am a pretty face as you might have noticed. We've all got our own skills to bring to the table, mine...”

  Smithy suddenly realised that he was talking to himself. Rob had scurried ahead and was kneeling by a body. Hair was covering the face but the clothes were immediately recognisable.

  “She was one of the officers that arrested me earlier.” He said as Annie stood by him.

  “Leave her, there's nothing you can do for her now. We need to keep moving.”

  Rob stood sadly as Annie moved up ahead to scout the corridor but then a movement caught his eye. At first he thought he'd imagined it but then it came again. The hair on Sarah's face moved. She was breathing!

  “Wait!!” shouted Rob.”She's alive”

  Annie stopped.”We can’t help her.”

  “Can't help or wont?”

  “Won't. At this moment in time we have to keep moving, carrying her will slow us down. She's a liability.”

  “I'm not going to leave her here to die! If those flames spread she could be burnt alive!”

  Rob started to scoop her up as best he could but Annie grabbed him and held him against the wall.

  “Listen you idiot, you are special in ways you can't understand and if you die here then the consequences could be direr than you can ever imagine. We have a job to keep you safe and we're going to damn well do it! People died, all right? Look around you; this is all because of you! People died for YOU to stay alive and I'm not going to let them have died for nothing!”

  “Then I don't want her death on my conscience as well.” whispered Rob

  He clenched his jaw and there was a pause when the universe held its breath. Smithy's eyes flicked back and forth between them. At that moment a fly crossing their locked eyes would have been burnt to a crisp

  “Then you're carrying her.” Said Annie.

  …

  Jacob was getting tired, really tired. He tried to think of the last time he'd properly slept somewhere other than face first at his desk and he couldn't. Every move he made caused his muscles to scream out in pain but he couldn't stop. He had to keep going to buy the others the time they needed.

  With a screech, the Sympathetic Man brought his sword down. Jacob deflected it and the two blades connected sending sparks cascading to their feet. They clashed again, the two swords locking. Jacob was inches away from the hideous grinning face and smelled its rancid breath, knocking him sick.

  If he was getting weaker his opponent certainly wasn't. He could feel his knees beginning to buckle as the Sympathetic Man increased the pressure. Jacob twisted his body and the two swords snapped to the floor leaving the two adversaries shoulder to shoulder.

  There was a twitch and a blur of motion and Jacob felt the air get wrenched out of him. The blow from his opponent sent him and his sword spinning through the air. He landed in the corner of the room. When he tried to open his eyes, the world looked distorted and he was seeing double. He clambered slowl
y to his knees.

  “You call that a punch you pussy?” He said trying to catch his breath. “I took a bigger hit than that the last time I went drinking!

  The Sympathetic Man moved towards him, savouring every step.

  “Ssssooo defiant, even in deathhh!” He hissed.

  He stood over Jacob and lifted his sword over his head. The flames from the blade framed his face in dark shadows that seemed to obliterate everything apart from those teeth. Jacob saw the tension in the creature’s shoulders and wondered how it was going to feel when the blade cut through him.

  A telephone burst into life on the desk next to them. It was only a distraction for a fraction of a second but it was all Jacob needed. Willing all the energy he had left he drove his heels into the ground and charged up, shoulder first into the Sympathetic Man's stomach. The two lurched and there was a clatter from behind as the flaming sword landed on the floor.

  The two bodies quickly followed. Jacob knelt on the Sympathetic Man's chest and started to rain down punch after punch into its face. As he went for another, a hand snaked up and caught his fist and twisted it. There was a popping sound and Jacob howled as he felt his wrist dislocate.

  The Sympathetic Man guided Jacob off him and stood on his feet. He twisted again. Jacob felt the pain shoot up his arm and every cell in his body wanted him to pass out and escape it.

  He caught a glint of something through the tears that were filling his eyes and saw the handle of his sword just next to him. From this angle it was JUST out of reach, which left him only one option. He took a deep breath and pulled on his arm causing another wave of pain and nausea but right now he could see a way out. Jacob snatched up the weapon with his free hand and swung it round.

  There was a soft silken hiss as the blade sliced through the Sympathetic Man's forearm followed by an ear splitting screech. The creature staggered backwards clutching at the stump where its hand had been.

  The hand had stayed clutching Jacob's own. As he pulled it free, the fingers wriggled and still tried to grasp for him. He flung it across the room before forcing himself to stand and backed away towards the door, stumbling out into the corridor.

  The hand crawled its way across the debris coating the office floor until it came to its owner. The Sympathetic Man picked it up and held it over the stump. Veins and tendons snaked out of both wounds and wrapped round each other, pulling themselves together. There was a crunch as the bones knitted and finally the skin sealed itself up.

  His eyes examined the hand before they flashed to the door.

  …

  Jacob ducked into a room and panted. He looked down at his hand. The skin was starting to swell and darken; pretty soon it was going to be a very nice shade of purple. All in all it was pretty much useless. He flipped the sword round and put the grip it in-between his teeth and bit down hard. He winced as he put his hand in his armpit and clamped down with his free arm.

  He pulled.

  Light exploded across his vision, mixed in with dark splotches of purple as the pain coursed through his body. His teeth dug into the swords handle and were threatening to bite straight through. He fought the urge to scream but there was still a whimper that broke free of his mouth while tears coursed down his cheeks.

  He gingerly took his hand out and examined it. He was going to need medical attention but at least it looked like everything was back where it should have been. With his free hand, he took the sword from his mouth and wiped his eyes.

  There was an explosion just to the right of his head and an arm reached in and around his neck. It held him there, choking him. He spun his sword round and speared it through the wall, satisfied at the cry of pain that he heard. The grip loosened slightly but after a moment it tightened again. The thin wall behind Jacob crumbled and he was pulled through.

  He tumbled into the room beyond. Huge metallic cabinets lined the opposite wall, all nestled in close to each other. He caught a glimpse of plastic evidence bags poking out of the tops of some of the boxes on the shelves but more worryingly The Sympathetic Man stood blocking his only escape route.

  The creature looked down and regarded the blade sticking out of its stomach and pulled it free with a wet squelch. It examined the blade and licked the dark oozing blood from it with its long tongue.

  Jacob backed up and towards the shelving. There had to be something there he could use as a weapon! Something in one of the evidence bags on the shelves caught his eye. He grabbed the bag and inside was a handgun. The sound of metal scraping on metal filled the room as the Sympathetic Man advanced slowly on him, running Jacob's sword across the closed cabinets.

  It wouldn't stop this thing, thought Jacob, but it will slow it down! He tore at the packet with his teeth and wrenched it open. That hideous face emerged round the corner of the cabinet as Jacob swung the gun round and pulled the trigger.

  A hollow click came from the gun followed by another and the horrid realisation dawned that there was no ammunition in the gun! Why would there be, this is evidence!! Thought Jacob. He dropped it to the ground and scanned the shelves.

  The Sympathetic Man just stood watching him with sick interest for a few moments before its eyes locked onto the cabinets. Rails were set into the floor and ceiling so they could move and save space, rolling back and forth as needed. A small switch at the end of the row caught its attention and it grinned even more.

  It stabbed Jacob's sword into the wall and held out its hand to the switch. There was a few clicks and the cabinets started to move.

  Jacob looked about him as the small space he was in started to shrink. He put his back against the cabinet and tried to hold it back with his legs but he just didn't have the strength anymore.

  “You do know that it’ssss ending don’t you? All of it.” hissed the Sympathetic Man. “The gatessss will open and your world will be ourssss. Everything you fight for issss coming to an end and your precioussss keyssss will not be able to sssssave you from your desssstruction.”

  Veins bulged in Jacob's temple with the effort of holding back the shelves. His elbow buckled and still the cabinet kept moving. He turned sideways and felt the metal shelves start to gently pin his chest. In a moment he wouldn't be able to breathe and then...

  “I will hold a sssspecial place in hell for you and you will witnessss the end and your failure to prevent it over and over for all time. It'ssss the leasssst I can do.”

  “Uh... I think we may have made a wrong turning.” Said a voice behind them.

  Smithy was looking through the hole. The Sympathetic Man turned on him. With one last creak the shelves stopped moving as his attention was drawn to the intruder.

  “Wanna come finish what you started earlier, ya gobshite?” Said Smithy and ducked back into the other room.

  The Sympathetic Man had just put his leg through the hole when Annie grabbed him and pulled him all the way. She spun him round and slammed his head into the wall before yanking him back out, wrenching his arm up his back and locking her other arm around his throat.

  “Did you kill The Key?” she whispered into his ear. “Did you kill Connor?”

  “Ssssuch passssion in that quesssstion. I wonder why that issss?”

  She tightened her grip. “Answer me you slimey little bastard! Did you kill him?”

  “Oh! He was yourssss, wassssn't he?? I can ssssee it now. I can feel the anger and hate inside you.” He licked his lips and smiled. “Yesss... I killed your love. He died mewling like a child and begging for mercy! Assss will you.”

  His head snapped back, catching Annie in the temple. A second later there was a pop as the Sympathetic Man's arm popped out of its socket and he spun round in her arms. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back exposing her neck. His jaw opened ready to bite her throat out but she whipped her hand up and jammed her gauntlet into his mouth.

  She could feel the pressure build on her wrist. She pushed him and the two staggered back. The bite continued and Annie could feel the tiny pinpricks on her wri
st as his teeth started to poke through the gauntlet. Blood started to trickle down her arm.

  She swung her free arm round tried to punch him in the head but the Sympathetic Man caught her hand. He flicked his dislocated arm out like a whip and it slotted back into place. With his arm fixed he grabbed the wrist that was in his mouth and pulled it out.

  He started to twist both of them. Annie could feel arcs of pain shooting up her arms. Her gauntlets glowed with the power in them but even so she couldn't twist free. She dropped to her knees as the Sympathetic Man continued to twist.

  “Beg me.” He said. “Beg me for mercy...!”

  “Let her go!”

  The Sympathetic Man looked up. Rob was standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the flames further down in the corridor and he was holding Jacob's gun.

  “The key...” Said the Sympathetic Man.

  “I said, let her go.” Yelled Rob, pointing the gun at the creature.

  A laugh like a death rattle filled the air as the Sympathetic Man wrenched Annie to her feet and held her as a human shield between the two of them. One of the nails on his fingers slithered out and he pressed it to her neck.

  “I can ssssee inside you! You are weak and wretched like the rest of humanity but we will change that. My masssster hassss planssss for you! You will come with me. If you don't then your new friendssss will die.”

  Blood oozed out from Annie's throat.

  “Don't listen to the sack of shit!” she grunted.

  “You can ssssave her life. You can ssssave all their livessss. Come with me.”

  “Get out of here! Run!” gurgled Annie

  Rob stood with the unfamiliar weapon in his hand. The whispering in his head was the loudest it had been. He was tired and wanted nothing more than to go home and all these voices were making him woozy and confused. The barrel of the gun wavered as he fought to silence the noise, the howling cacophony echoing around inside his skull.

  He looked up at Annie with tears in his eyes and could see she was telling him to run but he couldn't hear what she was saying nor could he hear the offers from the creature holding her. The voices in his head were too much, he felt like he was going to explode.

  “LET HER GO!!!” he screamed.

  The Sympathetic Man looked at him for a moment.

  “If you inssssisssst!!”

  He grabbed Annie and flung her like a rag doll towards Rob.

  He blinked. There was a noise like all the air being sucked out of a room followed suddenly by a moment of peace. Rob felt silence descend all around him and when he opened his eyes again, the world was still. Water droplets hung suspended in the air like a fine silver curtain. Annie was frozen flying across the room and just behind her the Sympathetic Man was stood, one leg off the ground, ready to follow her.

  Rob could see the creature for what he was now. He recognised the demon in front of him, all warped, twisted and vulgar; glowing red against the monochrome walls.

  Rob blinked again and the world started to move slowly. Annie tumbled through the water slightly faster with every passing second. She was almost on top of him when Rob reached out his hand. As she landed in his arm, a snarl echoed round the room as the Sympathetic Man charged in behind her, ready to snatch him away.

  Rob focused as hard as he could. He tucked Annie into his chest and used the momentum to spin round, bringing the gun up as he did. It slid into the Sympathetic Man's mouth and he pulled the trigger.

  Time came crashing back. The top of the Sympathetic Man's head exploded, raining a shower of embers behind him. The body started to split apart as it burnt from the inside outwards and it sank to the floor in a pile of hot ash, scattering about Rob and Annie's feet.

  Rob looked at the mess on the floor as the ash mixed in with the water and saw the coloured remains of the demon slowly washing away and vanishing. He looked at Annie and then at the gun.

  “Awesome.” He said flatly.

  She was ready when he fainted.