Dr. Reid and Director Templeton made their way to Ward A, where Adrian James and his fellow would-be escapees had been taken. And, per Templeton’s orders, they would be increasing the administration of the medicine in this ward as well.
Dr. Reid walked at Templeton’s side, completely silent. The encounter with the entity below weighed on him. Even if he was not wholly devoted to the cause of this Church—which he wasn’t—he was now questioning himself.
And that was a start, he supposed.
‘Penny for your thoughts, dear Doctor?’ Templeton asked.
Reid was slow in responding. ‘I’m not sure I can make sense of my thoughts.’
‘Understandable,’ Templeton said. ‘I know how overwhelming it all is. And believe me, I wish things could have been different. But, as you can appreciate, there is no easy way to reveal this kind of truth to people.’
‘Why even reveal it at all?’ Reid asked. ‘Why couldn’t you have just left me in the dark? Why did you have to bring me here in the first place?’
‘Because we need someone like you, someone with your expertise.’
‘But why? If you believe in what you say you do, then what good is my knowledge to you? Isn’t it primitive and useless to you and these… gods?’
‘In all honesty, when we know more, I expect it will be. But so far, our greatest findings have come through study and experimentation. It has always been that way. In fact, it was your predecessor who helped in our breakthroughs here at this facility. But as you can imagine, getting people with the requisite knowledge to join our cause is somewhat difficult. They usually find it hard to accept when we show them.’
‘So why me? What made you think I’d be any different?’
‘Frankly, desperation,’ Templeton said. ‘You were in a position where you had few options, if any. And that was to our advantage.’
‘So you preyed on me.’
‘If you want to be that dramatic about it, then yes. But let us not pretend that you are a victim here, Dr. Reid. You were cast out from medicine through your own actions, and I offered you a path to redemption. But now surely you realise that the things you can achieve with us here are orders of magnitude beyond anything you ever expected? Never lose sight of that.’
‘And if what you are saying is true, then what do you hope to get from that thing in the basement? If it is as powerful as you say, what use are you to it?’
‘It needs our help to continue in what it is trying to do,’ Templeton said.
‘And then what? You think you will survive it? You can’t trust that thing.’
‘We don’t need to. We just need to learn from it… for now.’
‘For now? What happens when you lose control?’
‘We won’t. This is a breakthrough the likes of which my organisation has never known: constant communication with one of these Great Beings, carried out through the vessel it inhabits. I am well aware there will be a time when things perhaps go too far, in which case there is a fail-safe.’
‘Which is?’
‘We burn the vessel. Scorch the link.’
‘That will work?’
‘It will.’
‘But then your connection with this Great Being will be no more.’
‘Which is why we need to learn as much as we can in the time we have.’
‘By turning patients into monsters?’
‘By learning how much the human body, and more importantly the human mind, can withstand. And then we wish to discover how to push beyond that barrier. To ascend.’
Reid stopped in his tracks. ‘Ascend? You mean to become one of those things?’
Templeton smiled and drew to a halt as well. ‘Possibly. I wish to gain their power and knowledge. Why restrict ourselves to these mortal coils? I believe that there is a way for us to evolve into one of these beings.’
‘You want to be a god?’
Templeton chuckled. ‘And you don’t? Regardless, I feel we are on the edge of something great. Increasing the distribution of the Great Being’s blood should lead to some interesting results. Time to pick a side, Dr. Reid. You can either stand with those who turned their backs on you, or join us in forging a new future for mankind. But choose quickly; this offer is not indefinite.’
The two walked on in silence until they reached their destination. Reid could hear the cries of the tortured and tormented in the ward around him. It was this torment, he knew, that the Great Being fed on, and drew strength from, thanks to the spread of its blood. The director felt a tingling in his body.
He had some of the sacred blood in his own veins, as all the believers here did. Not as much as was administered to the patients, but a sample nonetheless. Enough to give them a glimpse of the truth and power the entity possessed.
It was clear that Templeton’s orders were being carried out, and the medicine was administered with greater frequency and enthusiasm than ever before. He saw many drips—filled with that black liquid—connected to the patents as they walked down the corridor. The sight made him remember a term he had heard during his studies in school: that blood is life.
That may be true, but now he knew there was more to it than that, at least concerning the substance that was so coveted in this place.
The blood was the truth.
They reached the cell where Adrian James was being kept, and even though the man was restrained to the chair, a group of orderlies stood by to make sure there would be no repeat of his attempted escape.
‘Mr. James,’ Templeton said as they entered the room. ‘I want to say that things didn’t have to be this way. I was prepared to take things slowly with you, but you brought this on yourself. I guess I was wrong about you—I think you are very much a man like your father. More animal than human.’
Adrian glared at him, but did not respond.
‘What do we do with him?’ one of the orderlies asked.
‘First, what of the others who were with him?’
‘They are currently being treated,’ another orderly answered.
‘Excellent,’ Templeton said, clapping his hands together. He took a step closer to Adrian. ‘You know, I’m well aware that you did not tell me everything there was to know about you during our sessions. Killing your father was only the start of your misery, and there is more that you haven’t shared—that you are desperate to keep secret. Well, know this, when the blood is in your veins, as it already is, there are no secrets from the Great Ailing One. It already knows everything about you… about what you’ve done. I have a feeling that you are going to face that unpleasant truth very soon, in ways you can’t imagine. It will likely destroy you. I want you to remember that as you lose consciousness, Mr. James. I want it to be the last thing you think of while you leave this world and arrive… somewhere else. All because you dared to cross me.’
With that, Templeton swung his hand and struck Adrian across the cheek. He then turned to one of his colleagues.
‘I think it is high time we make use of the device we recently received, don’t you?’
One of the orderlies smiled and nodded before running from the room, taking another two with him. Templeton turned back to Adrian. ‘I have not had the chance to use this as yet, you see. Bit of an experimental method where volts of electricity are pumped into your body. The power of the surges can vary, I’m told, depending on the condition one is treating, and I think that yours is most serious. So, let us see just how high the device will go, shall we?’
The director smiled as fear crossed the face of Adrian James. Soon the orderlies returned, wheeling in a control board filled with switches and dials. From this board, multiple wires ran out, with electrodes at the ends. The orderlies took their time taping these electrodes to the patient’s head, chest, fingers, and even his groin. Reid knew what this would do, and also assisted in the placements of the electrodes after seeing the haphazard way the other orderlies were applying them. This drew a smile from Templeton, and Reid felt a momentary sense of pride.
Then he admonished himself—was he really trying to please this man?
‘No, don’t do this,’ Adrian James pleaded. ‘I’m sorry, I really am.’
‘Too late for that,’ Templeton replied and stood at the controls. Each electrode could be activated individually, so he chose the one connected to Adrian’s left temple and turned it up, not all the way, but enough for a good shock. Adrian convulsed, his body jerking up and down, and veins formed on the man's face as he tried, and failed, to push out a scream.
‘Oh, I like this toy very much,’ Templeton said, and flashed a smile over to Dr. Reid. ‘Shame I don’t have time to utilise it. There is too much to be getting on with. But I will leave it to my colleague.’ He waved over one of the orderlies to take over. ‘I have work to do,’ he said. ‘And so does everyone else. Get to it.’
There was a buzz of activity as those not needed left the room, with only two orderlies remaining. Reid and Templeton left as well, as Mr. James screamed in agony—the sounds of pain accompanied by the crackling buzz of electricity.
Reid looked up to Templeton, who was smiling, as some orderlies gathered around, making Reid feel distinctly threatened and uncomfortable.
‘Well then, Dr. Reid,’ Templeton said, ‘what is it to be? Are you with us, or are you against us?’
Chapter 34
Adrian was in agony.
Seething, white-hot pain stabbed through his skull and threatened to burst it open.
He was faintly aware that he had been left in the company of a single orderly now, and that the man was controlling the device that sent waves of agony coursing through Adrian’s body. So absolute was the torture, that it was hard to focus on anything other than the pain.
Eventually, however, the suffering subsided, and Adrian was allowed the opportunity to scream. He felt drool running down his chin.
‘Please,’ he mumbled, but he could tell that his speech wasn’t clear. The orderly laughed—a spiteful, mocking chuckle.
‘Sorry, friend,’ the man replied, ‘under strict orders here. Can’t say I’m not enjoying it, though. But I’ll vary things a little bit for you, how does that sound?’
Adrian didn’t answer.
Instead, he tried to ready himself for the pain that was coming; but no matter how much he braced, when it came it overwhelmed him completely. And this time the relentless, pulsating shocks did not explode into his skull—instead they centred on his groin, causing excruciating spasms, as if a thousand stinging needles were penetrating his testicles. Adrian bucked and writhed involuntarily before vomiting down himself.
No pain that he’d ever previously experienced could have prepared him for this.
And then it increased.
The orderly sent volts coursing through Adrian’s arms and chest, but did not let up on the pain centred on his groin. Adrian wanted to call out and beg for this to end, to kill him if need be, but to just stop the torture. Yet speech was impossible, as he could barely control a single muscle in his body.
The orderly then turned down the electric current, but the effects remained with Adrian, and he continued to convulse. His vision slowly came back into focus, and he saw another orderly staring over him, fixing a clear bag of black liquid into the drip stand. Somewhere in his tormented mind, Adrian knew what that was.
The medicine.
A large needle was lifted to Adrian’s arm, ready to penetrate his skin to fix the cannula and administer the poison into his bloodstream.
But the orderly stopped.
‘What the hell was that?’ he asked.
Adrian had heard it too. It was an almighty roar, coming from somewhere outside the room. Then other voices could be heard, panicked shouts and screams, as well as other inhuman noises, reminiscent of what Adrian had heard in the underground ward.
‘Go and see what’s happening,’ the orderly at the controls ordered. ‘I’ll stay here with him.’
The second orderly seemed to hesitate, but did as instructed and walked out to the hallway.
‘Don’t think you are getting out of this so easily,’ the remaining orderly said. ‘I’m still under orders.’
He switched on the electricity, and Adrian’s pain began again, this time throughout his whole body.
The pressure and pain that built up inside him penetrated to his very core, to his bones, and he was sure he would die.
To add to his humiliation, Adrian felt his bladder release.
Thankfully, this round of torture, while the most extreme yet, did not last as long. When he was able to refocus, finally, Adrian saw that the other orderly was back, and he looked terrified. He was speaking to his colleague in frantic tones.
‘What do you mean?’ the first man asked.
‘I don’t know how else to describe it, but I’m telling you it’s true. We’ve lost control. It’s hell out there.’
‘It can’t be.’
‘I’m telling you, it is,’ the second orderly insisted. ‘We have to go. If we don’t, we’ll die.’
The other man seemed to consider the words as the nightmarish noises outside increased in volume. ‘Fine,’ he finally said; then he turned to Adrian. ‘What about him?’
‘Forget him,’ the other man said. ‘Leave him here.’
The first orderly nodded. ‘Let's go,’ he said, and the two of them ran out of the door, leaving it ajar and Adrian alone.
Adrian took the time he had available to him to try to compose himself. Slowly his spasming body began to calm, and the pain, though still throbbing, started to ease and become somewhat bearable. He could now concentrate fully on the noises outside.
Something was indeed happening out there. Something serious.
Screams, cries, and monstrous bellowing sounded out. Some noises closer than others.
Then he heard panting and approaching footsteps, the slapping of bare skin on the tiled floor coming closer and closer.
Adrian held his breath. He knew that whoever—or whatever—was approaching would not be friendly, and to make matters worse, he was completely immobile.
Then he saw the shadow on the floor of the hallway outside, one that approached with uneven movements. The silhouette looked human, but swayed on unsteady legs. Eventually, the form appeared in the open doorway and looked inside.
Adrian breathed a sigh of relief.
It was a patient. Not one Adrian knew, but he looked terrible. His skin was grey and covered with welts and lumps.
‘Hey!’ Adrian called, alerting the man to his presence.
‘What… happened?’ the man replied, but his voice was strained, and he was clearly in pain.
‘I don’t know. What’s going on out there?’ Adrian asked him in return, as the man staggered into the room.
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘They tortured me and put that… stuff into me. Lots of it. Then… something happened. Everybody ran. And now people are changing. Everything is changing.’
The lights in the room, and in the corridor beyond, began to flicker.
‘Okay, listen,’ Adrian said, ‘I need you to free me. Understand? I need you to get me out of these restraints.’ The patient didn’t seem to be listening, instead lost in a faraway gaze. ‘Hey!’ Adrian yelled, startling the man back into focus. ‘Let me out of here!’
Eventually, the man gave a slow nod, and he began to undo the straps on Adrian’s arms. When those were free, he started work on Adrian’s legs, but stopped as he began to cough. It was light at first, but quickly rose in intensity until the patient could barely control himself.
‘Are you okay?’ Adrian asked, but the man stumbled to the floor, hacking up spit and bile. He began to convulse, and a stream of blood erupted from his mouth, even running from his nose and seeping from his eyes.
‘Help… me,’ the man croaked, reaching up from the floor.
His skin began to change. It twisted and melted, pulling itself into a different form as he started to scream.
Adrian quickly began to undo the rest of his b
onds, all the while keeping his eyes on the transforming patient. The lights continued to flicker, leaving Adrian with flashes of the painful change that the man was now going through.
His sores grew more substantial and opened at their heads, taking on a more distinctive form: small, puckering mouths. Tiny, needle-like lengths of pink flesh wriggled free from these mouths, and rolled around their edges, licking the skin, before disappearing back inside.
Tongues.
The patient’s skin turned a sickly yellow, and his limbs began to stretch out as he continued to scream—elongating as his fingers melted together. Eventually, his arms and legs extended to form long, sharp appendages.
‘Help!’ the patient screamed, looking desperately to Adrian as his eyes expanded, pooling wider like the yolk of a cracked egg.
Adrian knew that he could do nothing for the man, and he had seen enough in that ward-from-hell underground to know that the patient was becoming something else: an ungodly creature that would act in only one way.
Adrian finally freed himself and jumped down from the chair. His legs were still unsteady, and strength evaded him, nearly causing him to fall into whatever the struggling man was now becoming; but he managed to grab the chair and steady himself. He then moved as quickly as he could and ambled from the room, leaving the screams of his fellow patient behind as the transformation continued.
Once out in the hallway, Adrian pulled the door shut and secured it with the thick deadbolt that was fixed to its outside face. He allowed himself a moment to lean against the wall and gather what little strength he could.
Then he looked up and saw how everything had changed. It was no longer the same asylum.
It was hell.
Chapter 35
Things had been quiet for a while. The body of his former colleague still lay outside of Jonathan Stevens’ cell, and it didn’t look like anyone was going to be coming down anytime soon to clean it up.
Which meant that this was as good a time as any.
He knew had to act before he lost his mind entirely to whatever was taking over his body and soul.
The Extreme Horror Collection Page 35
