Tainted Souls

by Alice J Black

  “We’ll get Vaughn to butter Tom up,” Luka said.

  Delta grinned. “I’m sure Tom will be putty in his hands.”

  Just as I smiled and shook my head, my phone rang. I fished into my bag and pulled it out. It was Becca.

  “I’ll just be a minute.” I pressed the green button and walked away.

  “I’m still debating whether to go and meet Jake,” she said. “It’s not until tomorrow night.”

  I sighed. “Becca, it’s a terrible idea. You know it is.”

  “I know, but I just…I want to know.”

  I had to give her that. If it was me, I’d want the same.

  “I know. I just don’t think you should. It’ll only lead to heartache.”

  “I’m already hurting, Ruby. What’s a little more?”

  “Listen, if you do go, I want you to call me straight away.”

  “I promise I will.” She sighed.

  The line went quiet for a minute. I heard a TV in the background and figured she was in the common room.

  “So anyway, about this long story,” she said.

  “What?”

  “You and Vaughn in the same room at stupid o’clock this morning.”

  “Oh, that.”

  “Yeah. That. Spill.”

  I smiled. I knew she was conjuring up images of us being wicked together in bed.

  “When our rooms were booked, there were only two left and the hotel is full, so we’re sharing a room.”

  “You’re sharing a room with Vaughn?” she shrieked. “Oh, my God! How have you not pounced on him?”

  I laughed. “Becca, I’m not an animal. And I’m working.”

  “But let’s face it. You like him and he’s hot, and he’s probably been very naked in the same room as you.”

  “I know.” I slapped my forehead. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

  “Then do it. What do you have to lose?”

  “Well, my dignity for starters when he pushes me away.”

  “Listen, Red, the guy likes you. Maybe he’s just as shy.”

  “I’m not shy!” I yelled.

  “Take the initiative and make the move. This is the 21st century.”

  “I can’t, Becca.”

  I heard the murmurs of Delta and Luka around the corner and then their footsteps.

  “I have to go. Work.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Keep me updated on the pouncing.”

  “Bye.” I hung up and sighed as they walked around the corner.

  “We’re going to head back to the inn,” Delta said. “There’s nothing more we can do here until tonight.”

  “What about Vaughn?”

  “I’ve let him know. He’ll meet us there.”

  “Okay.”

  My gut dropped at the thought of leaving him there with Summer, but I didn’t have a leg to stand on, so I followed Delta and Luka out of the community centre.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Despite not wanting to leave Vaughn at the community centre with Summer, a few hours to myself was just what I needed. I took a long shower and settled down with my book after making coffee with the travel kettle stashed in the wardrobe.

  Vaughn arrived with dramatic flair. The door flung open, and he paused for a moment, hand pressed to his head and a distant look in his eye.

  “What do you think?” he finally dropped the charade and entered the room, breaking into a grin.

  I laughed. “If that’s your acting, then you’re in trouble. How was it?”

  “Long.” He dropped onto the bed. “I still can’t believe I have to do this.”

  “It was a long day for us, too. We didn’t find out anything else.”

  “No? So we just came to Bridgendale so I could act in a play?”

  “Looks that way.” I grinned.

  A knock on the door interrupted our conversation, and then it was pushed open.

  “You guys ready for dinner?” Delta asked.

  “Am I ever?” Vaughn stood up. “They’re working me like a slave.”

  Luka appeared behind Delta’s shoulder. “You can tell us all about it downstairs, diva.”

  Vaughn lunged at him, but Luka disappeared, laughing. I heard him running down the corridor and rolled my eyes. As much as I loved going away on cases, sometimes I wished Becca was with me. I pulled the door shut behind me and could smell cooked beef as I went downstairs. I inhaled deeply, and my stomach grumbled. I was hungrier than I thought and so ready for a decent home-cooked meal.

  As we took our seats among the other diners, at the same table as breakfast, a young girl set steaming hot plates in front of us. A beef dinner complete with the trimmings. My stomach grumbled again as I picked up my cutlery. The tender beef fell apart as I put my fork to it, and the mashed potatoes were to die for. Quiet chatter filled the room, along with the soft lull of classical music coming from above. The perfect atmosphere, and it made me wish I could stay in for the night. But we would be heading out soon. I glanced out the window and saw that dusk was drawing in.

  Meal complete, I set down my cutlery. Vaughn finished his last bite and copied my actions and then leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach.

  I grinned. “Enjoy that?”

  “Just a bit. Dad, that’s even better than your cooking.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Delta wiped his mouth with a napkin before relaxing in a post-dinner haze.

  “I could go for a little more, but it was lovely,” Luka said.

  We sat in silence for a long while, content with our full bellies. I listened to the murmuring around me, soaked up the ambience. I envied those people who would be going on to the bar or perhaps up to their room. Instead I would have to kit up and head out into the darkness to a place that made me feel like I was being swallowed. At least at that hour the community centre would be shut for the night, so it would just be a scout around outside. Still, it didn’t settle the unease that rose in my stomach.

  “Was everything okay with your meals?” The young girl reappeared.

  “Yes, thank you,” Luka said.

  She cleared away the plates. Diners began to move, heading to the next part of their night.

  “I think it’s time we got ready,” Delta said in a low voice.

  A chill had come with the night, and I shivered as we stepped into the darkness. Everything I needed was stashed on my person, and I walked with my arms free. Vaughn was on my right, and Delta and Luka led the way. We strode towards the centre in silence, and the building’s tall spires soon came into view. It wouldn’t be long until we were there. My stomach felt like a lead weight had been dropped into it, and my heart raced. We hadn’t passed a soul since leaving the inn, although signs of life were heard in the pubs we passed. The shops were dark, their glass fronts showing only blackness, as if everything disappeared when night arrived.

  We reached the edge of the road, where the roundabout became visible. Delta paused, and the rest of us did the same. My vision slid to the huge building that rose from the centre of the roundabout. It cut the sky with its jagged steeples. The weather vane at the topmost spire spun in the wind, its dark silhouette reflecting against the midnight sky. The clock on the furthest tower was lit from within.

  “Let’s get a bit closer,” Luka said.

  I swallowed. So far, I had only seen the normal shadow that the community centre was steeped in, but I knew something else was there. I could feel it deep in my core, the shadows hiding within the darkness.

  We crept around the roundabout. Each of us watched the building with keen eyes, and our hands at the ready for any action. I was beginning to think that the man had been mistaken, that perhaps my instincts were all wrong, but then I saw it. A shadow slinking against the building. It was so dark I could barely make it out, but I knew what I’d seen.

  “There.” I stopped and pointed.

  All gazes followed my hand, and then everyone nodded.

  “I see it,” Vaughn whispered.

  “Let�
��s keep going.” Delta led us further around the roundabout, towards the front of the centre.

  The glow of the street lights didn’t permeate the darkness in the slightest. Their beams were swallowed by the night. As we crept towards the front, I didn’t need to look hard this time. Hundreds—thousands—of shadows crawled around the building. They moved as a writhing mass of worms, their limbs tangled. They crawled across each other, scaled the wall of the centre, lurked around the doorway.

  Luka gasped. “Holy shit.”

  “There’s so many of them,” Vaughn whispered.

  Every square inch was taken up as they scrambled for purchase and tried to get inside.

  “What now?” I whispered.

  “Now we report to Sheila,” Delta said. “And then we figure out what the hell to do.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I was startled awake by a sharp knock. I flew up from the bed, my head spinning. The covers fell down around my waist as I oriented myself in my surroundings. After last night, I was glad for the flood of light that lit the room. I rubbed my eyes as I turned my head towards the door. Vaughn had done the same.

  “What time is it?” he grumbled, as he stretched.

  His hair was messy, and the stubble on his chin was a little longer.

  The door opened and Delta was standing there. “Are you two still asleep? Put the news on.” Then he left.

  “What the hell?” Vaughn moaned, as he looked for the remote.

  After grabbing it off the nightstand, he turned the TV on, and I leaned back against my pillows. The news came on screen, and my jaw dropped when I saw a woman standing in the centre of town, an enormous building behind her.

  “That’s the centre, isn’t it?” I asked.

  Vaughn nodded and turned the volume up.

  “…another disappearance last night in Bridgendale. Mother of three, Kristen Wells, was having a night out with colleagues. It is reported that she left around eleven and didn’t have far to walk home. However, she never made it. Police have launched an investigation this morning after her husband reported her missing. If you have any information, please call.”

  A number scrolled across the bottom of the screen.

  “Shit,” Vaughn said.

  “Do you think…”

  Our eyes locked.

  “That it’s the Cursed,” he said. “Or something else. Yes.”

  After what I’d seen last night, there was no doubt in my mind that the Cursed or something bigger was behind those disappearances. There was no logical way to explain away all those abducted people. And when things weren’t logical, they became our responsibility.

  “Come on, let’s get dressed and meet everyone for breakfast.” Vaughn said.

  I pushed the covers back and rummaged through the drawers for something to wear. When I turned around, I saw that Vaughn’s gaze had settled on my legs, and heat rose up my neck. He stuttered over a few unintelligible words and turned away. I hurried into the bathroom and locked the door. Had Vaughn just been staring at me? I glanced down at my legs and saw that my shorts had risen high during the night, barely containing my decency. God knows what view he got while I was looking for clothes. I could ruminate on it, or I could get on with it.

  I stripped and had a quick wash, then got dressed. Leaving the bathroom, I hoped I’d left enough time for Vaughn, only to find that he was ready and waiting for me on the bed.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” I stashed my pyjamas under my pillow and straightened my bed.

  Downstairs, Delta and Luka were already seated and talking over white mugs of tea. I took a seat opposite Delta, and Vaughn sat beside me. We’d had the same places since the first day.

  “Did you see it?” Delta’s mouth closed in a grim line.

  I nodded. “Another disappearance.”

  I glanced around. Some of the tables were still empty, and there was no music to accompany our breakfast.

  “We’ve been talking,” Luka said, “and we think it has to be linked. I mean, it’s too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?”

  “That’s what we think, too.” Vaughn nodded.

  Delta looked at both of us. “I think we need to—”

  Mary-Anne came out, bearing a tray laden with plates. “Sorry for the delay, folks.” She began setting the dishes out in front of us.

  “We saw the news,” Delta said.

  Mary-Anne looked up. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and her skin was sallow. Her cheery smile disappeared, and her shoulders sagged. “The woman who went missing. She’s Emma’s mum. The girl who served you last night.”

  I threw my hand to my mouth.

  “If there’s anything we can do, just let us know,” Luka said, with a warm smile.

  “Thanks. I’ll pass it on. Forgive me if things don’t run as smoothly the next few days.”

  “Of course.” Delta shook his head. “Don’t worry about us.”

  Mary-Anne gave us a weak smile, turned, and scurried back to the kitchen.

  “Okay, as I was saying.” Delta cleared his throat. “We carry on with the day as planned. Vaughn does rehearsals, and—”

  “Surely they’re going to call the play off,” Vaughn said.

  “Possibly.” Delta shrugged. “All we can do is go and find out. Something tells me that Tom will insist it continues. So we continue as normal, fill in our day. And tonight, we need to get into the community centre. I told Sheila what happened last night and sent another message, but I’m sure she’s been watching the news. We should hear back soon.”

  “Hang on.” I held my hand up. “You want to be in the community centre tonight?” The idea of being stuck in that building while those things hovered outside made my stomach roil. I wasn’t sure it was such a good idea.

  “I think we’re all in agreement that the disappearances and the Cursed are interlinked somehow,” Delta said. “We saw the way they swarmed the building last night.”

  “Like a nest,” Luka muttered.

  “We have to get in there and search it thoroughly after dark when we have complete freedom.” Delta looked around the table at all of us.

  I swallowed a piece of toast and felt it stick in my throat. The thought of being in that place after dark made me feel sick. I didn’t want to be anywhere near that place when night came, let alone in it.

  “Definitely.” Luka nodded. “Vaughn is our reason to be at the community centre. When rehearsals are over and they’re locking up, we hide out.”

  “You make it sound simple.” I shook my head. “There’s nowhere to hide in that place.”

  “We’ll play it by ear,” Delta said. “We have to get in there.”

  As much as I agreed with him and his reasoning, I didn’t want to be there. I wanted to forget I was even here on a Hunt. Fear knotted in my stomach. Being stuck in that place overnight—because let’s face it, once we were in there, we wouldn’t be able to leave while the Cursed were swarming all over the building—would be a nightmare.

  “How will we know we’re safe?” I asked. “I mean, they could get in. We have no idea what it’s like in there at night.”

  “We’ll secure the entrances with salt,” Delta said.

  “I don’t know.” I bit my lip.

  “Ruby, I know you’re scared. So am I.” Delta stared into my eyes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything like what we saw last night, and I know it points to something big. But we’re Hunters. We have to do this.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek.

  If Delta was scared, then surely it was okay for me to be. But he was willing to face his fear. Finally, I nodded, agreeing to trust my colleagues just like they would trust me.

  “Okay. We go in tonight,” Delta said.

  As I set my cutlery down on my barely touched breakfast, I wondered what I was getting myself into.

  The police presence in the town had multiplied overnight. Yellow jackets were everywhere. They questioned people and searched nearby loc
ations for any traces of the most recently missing woman. The town was locked in a semi-mourning period, and all feared the worst. None of the other missing people had turned up yet, and it was speculated that they were dead. I couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to be a part of this community, to live in constant fear of going out after dark. Of living my life.

  We walked past a sombre couple talking to some officers, pleading for any information. The woman pressed a tissue to her mouth, while the husband wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. We reached the centre and entered the open doorway. Tom was there, ready to greet those who still chose to come. As the minutes ticked on, the numbers grew. Everyone milled about as if not quite sure of how to react or what they should be doing.

  Tom still wanted to go ahead with the show, and as the performers arrived in dribs and drabs, he rounded them up and gave them a pep talk, which riled everyone up and made them ready to go.

  When Vaughn disappeared off to the back hall with the rest of them after throwing a despairing look over his shoulder, the three of us were again left alone together. I longed to go outside, get some fresh air, get away from that building and the darkness that lurked around it like a cloak. But we sat there and waited it out. I stood and paced, checked out parts of the community centre I’d seen several times, except the café. I was keen to stay away from Pete.

  My phone beeped around halfway through the afternoon, and I scrabbled for it, eager for something to occupy my mind. It was Becca.

  I’ve decided I’m going to meet him tonight. I have to know.

  I twisted my lip as I typed my reply. For the record, I still don’t think it’s a good idea, but fine. Keep me updated. If I don’t respond immediately, I’ll get back to you.

  You better.

  By the time rehearsals were finished, it was after tea time and I felt like I’d spent an entire day doing nothing. I was ready to call it a day, wishing we could walk out those doors with everyone else, rather than being stuck inside, trying to slink away to find a hiding spot.

  Delta nodded back towards the stage, and we took the cue, shuffling backwards, pretending to chat and look at something interesting. It was the perfect place to hide. Delta began to climb the stage. I pulled myself up onto it and sat. Vaughn was on his way to the curtains, when a voice rang out.