Blood Water (17 page)

'Run!
. . . Run! . . . Run!
' The echo continued to travel
through the network of caves as Sean and James moved
away from Waites's body. Sean had the torch now,
and he took his brother's hand as they made their way
through the passage Sean had seen Waites emerge from
earlier. James was still gagging and spitting salt water as
they went, his head pounding, his vision blurred and his
thoughts in chaos.

'Sean—'

'Come on, we have to move. What happened in
there? In the water?'

'It wanted to join them.'

'So what went wrong?'

'They weren't interested.'

'Why?'

'Because they exiled it thousands of years ago. They
cast it out because it wasn't like them. It was bad. But
I don't think it's going to be bothering them or us for
much longer though.'

'Why?'

'I think it's dying. It's been exposed to too much
salt.'

'That mixture I gave you?'

'No.' James spat again. 'It had already taken a lethal
dose in the pool.'

'The pool was salt water?'

'Yes. I think that's why it had such a reaction to salt
before. It associated it with the rest of its kind and what
they did to it.'

'Did you say they "exiled" it? How?'

'I'm not sure. It couldn't remember. It was so long
ago. But I sensed the thoughts of some of them. I got
the impression it was like a criminal and they had to
remove it to stop it poisoning the minds of the others.
That's why it was found alone in a separate pool. They
found some way of casting it out.'

'And it was hoping they'd join it in taking over the
world?'

'Yes. But instead they gave it death – the punishment
for returning.'

'So why did it jump to Waites if it was going to die?'

'Because it's angry. It wants someone to blame,
someone to punish. So it's going to punish us. It's going
to do as much killing as it can before it dies—'

And then, perfectly on cue, they heard a dreadful
roar from somewhere behind them, like that of a feral
beast.

'But what about the disease?' Sean asked. 'It was
inside you for so long.'

'Maybe the salt does something to it. We're both still
alive, aren't we, with no lasting after-effects? Let's worry
about that later.'

'What about Waites?'

'Well, I don't know. If we can get that thing out of
him he might be OK, provided it doesn't make him fall
to his death or get lost for ever down here. But that's the
problem: even if we survive, we still have that creature to
worry about. It won't stop until it kills us or kills itself.'

'How do you feel now?' Sean asked as they stopped at
a junction to decide which way to proceed.

'I feel like death.'

Waites – or more accurately, the thing inside him – felt
so angry, so resentful and so cheated, that it wasn't
thinking clearly. It wasn't taking enough time to make
rational decisions. It felt the increasingly agonizing pain
from Waites's ankle, but it kept on running regardless.
It knew it didn't have long now. It had discovered far
too late that the beings it had dreamed about for so
many years were not really like it at all. They were the
same species, but that was it. They didn't think the same
way, they had no interest in power; to them it was an
evil force that had to be expelled. The creature was experiencing
the extremes of sadness and fury. The cruel
rejection had left it feeling more alone than ever. It
roared its frustration and tears fell from Waites's eyes as
it shook his head. It pushed on, using the man's memories
to trace the trail back through the caves, praying it
would catch the two brothers before they found a way
out. It had plans for them – plans that didn't involve
them leaving the caves alive.

Sean had the terrible feeling that the monster was getting
nearer. They had taken a couple of wrong turns and it felt
like the creature could sense them, smell them. Every
now and then they heard its roar, and each time the
sound was closer. James bent over with another wave of
nausea and was relieved to see that Sean hadn't noticed.
Now more than ever he had to be the strong big brother
and ensure that they both escaped. The residue of the
salt was everywhere – in his mouth, his nasal passages,
his stomach. It had probably saved his life, and yet the
creature's hatred of it must have lingered, as it felt like
poison in his system. He spat out a mouthful of salty
saliva and pressed on, checking Sean was OK, and then
they both felt a cold blast of air and saw moonlight.

It was almost upon them. The faster it went, the hungrier
it got, or was it the other way around? It couldn't be sure
any more. But it could almost smell the vapour they left
behind them as they ran, processing it to gauge their
state of mind, their state of health. They would soon
be in sight, and it would tear them apart, destroying
their world. Just like its own world had been destroyed.
Utterly.

It limped on faster and faster, ignoring the pain from
Waites's ankle. It hoped that he would die – another
victim in its new war. But until that moment, until its
host collapsed, it would destroy every bit of life it could
find.

The fields around the lake and the cave system were
now almost completely water-logged. In front of them,
the long ridge of high ground had become an island in
a vast, shallow sea. In many places the water was only a
few centimetres deep, but in the darkness it seemed like
they were looking out over a huge black ocean. How
had things got so much worse in the time they'd been
inside the caves?

'Which way is the centre?' Sean asked.

James was about to answer, but then realized that
everything looked different; though he knew the general
direction of the study centre, he didn't recognize his
surroundings. But there was no time for hesitation: they
had to keep moving.

'I think it's this way. Be careful though.'

They splashed their way across the small channel
and up the rise. From here they could just make out the
centre beyond the trees below them. But the path was
nowhere to be seen, and they had to slip and struggle
their way down the muddy slope.

'How are we going to get back to town, James?' Sean
asked his brother. 'Waites's car's wrecked, isn't it?'

'Yeah, we'll have to take one of the others at the
centre.'

'Do you know how to hotwire them?'

'What? Of course I don't. There's a car that belongs
to the centre that people borrow from time to time. I
noticed it earlier. I'll get the keys from reception.'

They pushed on, unaware that their pursuer was
already emerging from the mouth of the cave.

Sean's shoes were full of water – there wasn't a dry
patch of material anywhere on his body. He was shivering
and fantasizing about being dry and warm at home.
He cast his mind back to that morning, lying in bed, stir
crazy. It seemed like days ago.

They splashed across the car park and into the study
centre. James went behind the reception desk and retrieved
the key.

'Here we go. Right, come on, let's get out to the car.
I don't know how we're going to get back to town, but
we'll manage it somehow,' he said.

They staggered back out into the night.

'The car's over there,' James said, pointing. 'I hope it
works – it'll need to—' He stopped dead.

Waites was standing in the middle of the car
park, staring directly at them, his expression showing
both pain and fury, his hands clenched by his side. The
brothers were rooted to the spot in terror.

'Sean . . .' James said, turning the keys over in his
hand.

'Yeah,' Sean whispered back, trying not to move his
lips.

'When I say "go" . . .'

'I don't know if I can.'

'You have to.'

They could hear Waites's breathing now – almost a
hiss – but he just watched them, waiting for them to
make the first move. Then he spoke.

'You think you've won . . .' The unfinished sentence
hung in the air, then: 'But it's already over. Don't make
it difficult.'

'Look,' James replied. 'We just want to get home.'

'Yes!' There was a laugh. 'Home. You have a home.
What joy.' It came towards them now. The two boys
tensed, ready to run, but it stopped again. 'I had a glimpse
for a while. A glimpse of what home meant. To belong,
to be safe and loved.' A shake of the head. 'I don't hate
you because of what you are, because you're different
to me. I hate you because you're happy, because you are
not alone. Because you have everything that I do not.
And while others of my kind may feel guilty, ashamed
of such feelings of jealousy and hatred . . . I do not.'

'That's right,' James said. 'That's why they cast you
out. You're a freak, a monster . . . Even to them.'

'Yes.' It was smiling now. 'A monster . . . That's exactly
what I am.' Then it looked up, opened its mouth and
roared, charging towards them . . . And all at once
everything shattered.

Even as they ran for the car, Sean glimpsed the showers
of water sent up by the monster. The sound that came
from its lungs was horrible, unearthly. James scratched
the paintwork of the car door in his hurry to get the key
in the lock: the monster was coming for them, eager to
murder, to destroy.

James opened the door, got inside, then realized he
had to stretch across to open Sean's side. Looking up, he
saw that Waites was almost upon his brother.

'Sean!' James reached for the door, but it was already
too late. Waites launched into his brother, slamming
him against the car with a sickening crunch. Sean
collapsed like a sack of potatoes. James watched in
horror, screaming inwardly as what had once been his
teacher picked up his brother's body and flung it up into
the air; it crashed down into a puddle and lay still.

The monster turned to face the car once more and
growled. James locked his door and put the key in the
ignition, feeling sick to his stomach: how was he going
to retrieve his brother and escape? He turned the key and
the car started. The creature banged furiously on the roof,
incensed at being deprived of its prey. Suddenly the glass
of the passenger window shattered, but the car was moving
now. James brought it round to where his brother lay.

The monster watched and shook its head. How could
these creatures be so stupid? How could they risk their
lives so selflessly? They didn't appreciate the importance
of self-preservation. It would simply kill them both now.
Surely one of them escaping alive was better than neither.
That had to make sense. But the older brother hadn't just
driven away. He had stayed. What utter stupidity.

The monster marched over to the car, shaking his
head and wishing that the end could have been more
of a challenge.

Sean was drifting in and out of consciousness. One
moment he was underwater, bobbing along with the
creature's memories; then he was in the office, guarding
the headmaster's body; then watching Titus's stomach
explode; then he was seeing his brother plunge into
the pool, consumed by several thousand wriggling black
creatures. He felt everywhere and nowhere. He opened
his eyes and saw a night sky, darkness. His body felt
twisted, broken. His head pounded, his heart beat madly
in his chest and there were stabs of pain when he
breathed. Blinding light now, and the sound of an engine.

James knew he had to get out of the car to help
Sean, and the sooner he did it the better. If the monster
couldn't reach him, it might attack his brother again.
He opened his door and climbed out, running round to
where his brother lay. He knew that moving him was a
bad idea, but there wasn't time to be careful. There was
the yapping of that dog again – the one that had been
in the centre. James realized that the monster was only
metres away now; he looked down at his brother. Sean's
eyes stared up at him, then flicked down towards his
left hand, which held something that protruded from
his coat pocket.

'The only way . . . ' Sean gasped weakly. 'It's all we
have.'

James took the container and stood up. The little dog
was barking at the creature, challenging it. James turned
the container over in his hand and wondered how on
earth he was going to do what he had to.

In no time the creature was right in front of him; it
slapped the container from his hand, sending it flying
to land in a puddle. It then gripped James by the neck
and hoisted him into the air.

James choked and struggled; he kicked his legs out at
his attacker while his hands tried to free the grip on his
throat. But the monster's strength and determination
were too great.

Yet even as it squeezed the life from him, something
shifted in the body it inhabited. So far it had managed to
contain the feeling of pain from the ankle. Now though,
with the added stress, Waites's foot was rending, tearing.
The creature groaned and staggered backwards, closing
its eyes to block out the agony. Out of nowhere, the
dog rushed in and sank its teeth into the wound it had
opened earlier.

The monster screamed and tried to shake it off, but
the little dog was clamped on with all its strength, made
all the more determined by the noise. It began moving
its jaws from side to side, destroying the already torn
ligaments of the ankle. And then, suddenly, the ankle
gave way completely; there was a crack as the bone
fractured. The dog darted out of the way as the monster
collapsed, releasing its prey.

There was a splash followed by more cries, and James
lay there, massaging his neck and gasping for breath. He
could see Waites's foot – it was seriously damaged if not
destroyed. There was no way that thing would be chasing
after anyone now. He glanced around for his brother, and
was surprised to see him crawling towards the monster,
which was still writhing and crying out in agony.

'Sean! Keep away from him!' James could do no
more than gasp; he doubted his brother could hear him
over the screams of agony. Sean's face was a mask of
pain and exhaustion, but he crawled on – and James
suddenly glimpsed the bottle in his hand.

'Careful . . .' he whispered, feeling like he might pass
out at any second. 'Be careful, Sean.' Watching was all
he could do now, much as he wanted to help finish off
that awful creature.

As Sean twisted the top off the container, the eyes of
the host fixed directly on him. The creature growled.

'You have no hope. There are more of my kind,
thousands more—' It broke off and roared again in pain.

'Yes, I know,' Sean said weakly. 'But they're not like
you.' And he poured the remaining liquid into the open
mouth, clamping his hand over it and holding the nose.
There was a convulsion as the creature tried to disgorge
the salt water, but it was forced to swallow the toxic
liquid. It thrashed around in pain, then flung out its
arms and pushed Sean away.

'You'll all die,' it spat as it sat up. 'Every single one of
you miserable creatures.'

Then Waites's mouth opened wide and the black slug
emerged like a snail from its shell. It was foaming and
hissing from the salt. As Sean and his brother watched,
it oozed out and plopped onto the wet ground, where
it curled itself up into a ball. The salt continued to eat
away at it, turning it to liquid. Almost casually, the little
dog trotted up to it, sniffed it, then started idly chewing
it to pieces. It soon decided that the salty treat wasn't
such a treat after all and let it fall into a puddle, where
it lay still.

Sean crawled over to James and slumped down beside
him. 'James?'

'Yeah,' his brother croaked.

'We'll never make it home like this.' Sean was surprised
to hear his brother attempt a laugh.

'No, you're right. We won't.'

'You know what?'

'What?'

'I wish I'd stayed in bed this morning.'

Now they both laughed and James managed, with no
little discomfort, to put his arm round his brother. For
several minutes they just sat there, leaning against the
car, hoping the rain really had stopped.

'What's that game you got the other day?' James
rasped. 'The one with the zombies in it?'

'
Undead Platoon
,' Sean told him. 'Why?'

'Fancy a game later?'

'Yeah, sure.'

'I won't beat you too badly.'

'Won't beat me at all.'

'Yeah I will.'

'Nope.'

'Yep.'

Sean shook his head.

James nodded his and they both laughed again.