Lady Jessica, Monster Hunter - Episode 1: Heart Of The Empire

by Keith Dumble

  'SOUNDS LIKE THE show is finally over.' Flint cocked his head. The applause and cheering from the auditorium had stopped, as had the music which had seemingly hypnotised the audience.

  'Then I would imagine Mephisto and his troupe will be returning to their crypt,' said Jessica. 'We should tread carefully, William. I want it to be us who has the advantage of surprise.'

  'How many of them do you think there are?'

  'It is difficult to be certain. Mephisto, Salome and the nymphs, definitely. The flaming man: I am not sure if he is a vampyre or an efreet. And of course, there may well be more. I doubt all of the bloodsuckers are as talented as those we witnessed from our seats.'

  'Talented or no, they all die the same.'

  'Just remember, our priority has changed. We must ensure Atsu's safety at all costs. Then the barkeep's daughter and any others who we are certain have not been turned. No innocents need perish tonight, William.'

  'That's not in the rules though, is it? How is it Appleton refers to it? Acceptable losses?'

  'Damn his rules! It's not Appleton or others hiding behind the safety of their desks who risk their lives for the Empire, is it?'

  'The last time I saw Appleton take a risk was when he drank his tea without milk in it.'

  'Precisely!' Jessica leaned down to retrieve her top hat from beside the vampyre's head. Its bloodshot eyes gazed lifelessly up at her, its body turned to a pile of dust. 'Now, let's find this crypt and put an end to this nest once and for all.'

  The panel in the wall was still open. They slipped through it and found themselves in a brick-walled corridor, phosphor lights dangling from the ceiling at regular intervals. There was a door at the far end: plain and wooden, unlike the one they had been unable to open last night.

  'I doubt they have many uninvited guests coming this way.'

  'Yet I expect it to be guarded, nonetheless. Ready your weapons, William.'

  They crept forward. Jessica removed her hat and put her ear to the door. She nodded at William to ready himself, then pushed.

  She froze. At first, Jessica thought they were facing an entire army of the undead. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw instead that the room was filled with mannequins, their lifeless forms draped with a multitude of costumes and theatrical outfits.

  'Enough here to dress the entire Elite Corps,' said Flint, prodding the dummy closest to him. 'And I'd love to see Roman in this here bonnet and pinafore, wouldn't you?'

  'Focus, William. We must be on our guard.' She glimpsed the hint of a movement from the corner of her eye. 'Hold, did you see something?'

  'No, it must have been a trick of the light, nothing more.'

  'Tread carefully, William, I'm not convinced we're alone.'

  'Indeed you are not.' One of the so-called nymphs stepped out from behind a mannequin. 'Are they, sisters?' The other two members of the ghastly trio appeared. Still wearing their stage costumes, their naked bodies were clearly visible beneath the shimmering fabric.

  'My,' said one. 'Isn't he handsome?' She caressed the curves of her own body. 'And this girl here, so pretty...' She turned to her companions, her voice child-like. 'Can I touch them? I promise not to break them this time.'

  'Be patient, sister.' The nymph who had first appeared glided closer to Jessica and Flint. 'They have an odour about them. I do not think they are our normal type of guests.'

  'Then it is settled,' said the third, her voice old and cracked, at odds with her youthful appearance. 'They must die.'

  Slowly, the three figures embraced, their limbs entwined. As they opened their mouths and sang, their voices blended into a harmony which seemed to seep into Jessica's head. She turned and looked at Flint. His mouth was wide open, his eyes fixed on the trio in front of them.

  'Flint!'

  He didn't move; not a sign to indicate he'd heard her. The nymphs continued their song, their bodies pressed close, their red lips parted. Jessica concentrated, willing her mind to block out the enchantment. The dreadful sisters crept closer, opening their mouths wider to reveal their slick, pointed fangs.

  Jessica was somehow still in possession of her senses. As the vampyres continued their approach, she decided her best tactic was to pretend to be as incapacitated as Flint. She stood stock still, staring straight ahead.

  'Look, sisters!' said one of the vampyres, stopping her song. 'They are powerless before our beauty. And this one,' she said, looking at Jessica, 'is mine. I long to discover what she tastes of.'

  Jessica risked a glance to her side. The other two creatures writhed towards Flint. One of them reached up and stroked his face, whilst the other ran her hands across his chest. He didn't react, hardly even appearing to breathe.

  The vampyre's tongue darted out to lick her lips as she leaned close to Jessica's face. 'Divine,' she said. 'Such a pretty flower.' Jessica continued to stare straight ahead. 'Sisters, I demand first kill, as is my right as eldest.'

  Jessica heard disappointed groans from her left. The creature's hands were upon her shoulders now, the fanged mouth close to Jessica's neck. With her eyes still fixed ahead, Jessica closed her fingers around the hilt of her sword. She tried not to shiver as she felt the vampyre's icy breath, waiting for the right moment.

  And when the teeth pressed down upon her flesh, she waited no longer.

  The vampyre's head whipped back as it let out a hideous wail. Jessica stepped back quickly, withdrawing her blade from the creature's side. The wound was not enough to kill it, of course, but it had broken the beast's grip.

  And, as she started from the retort of the revolver, she realised it had obviously broken the enchantment as well. One of Flint's attackers thudded back into a row of mannequins, sending them toppling like ninepins. The creature was scrabbling at the smoking hole in its chest, directly above its heart. As Jessica watched, the vampyre disintegrated into dust.

  Jessica's opponent had recovered and was glaring at her. It reached down to its side, then brought its hand back to its mouth. Jessica's stomach heaved as she watched the creature lick the sticky black blood from it fingers.

  'Damn it Mary, don't jam on me now!' A click from Flint's revolver.

  The second of his attackers screamed, a look of fury on its face. It spat, its saliva landing short and hissing on the wooden floorboards at Flint's feet.

  It leapt towards him, fingers and teeth bared. At the same instant, the vampyre facing Jessica attacked.

  Jessica glanced to her left, then whipped out the pistol from her jacket pocket.

  A single shot; a single thrust with her blade. The first through the neck of Flint's attacker; the second piercing the throat of the vampyre bearing down upon her.

  'Finish them, quickly!' Jessica sliced sideways with her sword, half-severing her foe's head. A gurgling shriek from the monster, then it collapsed to its knees. To her left, Flint's knife was already deep in the heart of the other fiend.

  'Back to hell with you!' Flint staggered forward as the vampyre crumbled to dust.

  Jessica turned to the remaining creature. Its hands groped at its ruined neck. Almost a mercy killing, thought Jessica, as she swung her sword in a shining arc.

  Almost.

  'Christ, Mary!' Flint knocked his revolver against his leg. 'Never do that again!' As if in response to his words, the chamber of his gun spun obediently. 'It's these bloody needle bullets of Cottingley's. They may be designed to pierce a vampyre's heart, but they keep jamming the mechanism!'

  'The gunshot will have alerted them to our presence, William. I fear our troubles this evening have only just begun.'

  'Trouble and I have always been easy bedfellows. Let's get this over with.'

  Jessica wiped her blade on a nearby costume and pocketed her pistol. 'Agreed. Let us lower the curtain on this hellish masquerade for good.'

  Beyond the room with the mannequins, another brick-walled corridor led deeper into the theatre. It ended in yet another door. Flint turned the handle, but it was locked.

&
nbsp; Before Jessica could say anything, he lowered his revolver to the keyhole and pulled the trigger. The explosion echoed through the corridor.

  'You said they would already have been alerted by my gunshot,' he said, kicking the door open. 'I didn't think another would make any difference.'

  They stepped into the small room, empty apart from a ladder leading down into the darkness.

  'To the crypt?'

  'Most likely,' said Jessica. 'Come on.' She lifted the hem of her skirt and prepared to descend.

  'Ma'am?' The faint voice rattled in her head.

  'Atsu? Atsu, is that you?'

  'Yes, ma'am.... please... please hurry.'

  'Where are you Atsu?'

  'I... I don't know, ma'am. It's dark. I'm lying down. I can't move, ma'am.'

  'Are you hurt?'

  'No, I don't think so. Just scared.'

  'Don't worry, Atsu, we're coming for you.'

  'Please... please hurry. I am finding it hard to breathe.'

  'Stay calm, Atsu. Conserve your energy. We're close by.'

  Silence. Then a scream which chilled Jessica's blood. 'Atsu? Atsu!'

  There was no reply.

  'What did she say?' Flint was at her side, his tone grim.

  'I think she's in the crypt, William. And I fear they've decided she's not worth turning.'

  'You mean...?'

  Jessica didn't answer. She was already climbing down the ladder into the darkness.

  __________

  The ground was uneven; the walls hewn roughly from the earth. Jessica heard Flint land behind her.

  'No time to waste,' she said. 'Load your revolver, Flint. They will be waiting for us.'

  The tunnel sloped down. They hurried along it, no longer caring about being silent. The passageway turned to the right, then opened up into a large cavern.

  'Oh good Lord.' Jessica stared, aghast.

  The cavern was lit by dozens of flickering candles: thick, greasy stumps of wax which belched billowing black smoke. They cast a sickly light on the dreadful scene. Hanging from chains suspended from stalactites on the ceiling were six bodies. Men and women, naked. Dead.

  Eaten.

  'Sweet mother of God, those poor devils,' said Jessica. The bodies had dreadful wounds at their throats, blood dried on the edges of the deep gashes. Two of them had been eviscerated: though again, the mutilations did not appear fresh.

  'Thank Christ. None of them are Atsu.' Despite Flint's previous bravado, his voice was unsteady. 'Where is she?'

  'I think she was being held in one of those.' Jessica pointed to a row of coffins lined up against one wall. Their lids were sealed, bar one. It was empty.

  'Where have they taken her?' Flint's voice was filling with anger.

  'I don't think they kill their prey here, William. There is no blood beneath those bodies. I think they hang them here... to mature, like game.'

  'Disgusting bastards. They must suffer for this, Jessica.'

  'Much as I agree, William, we must remain focused. We must slay these fiends quickly in order to stand a chance of escape.'

  A dragging sound from the shadows at the far end of the cavern. Jessica pressed a finger to her lips and crept forward. As the light from the candles receded, her eyes adjusted to the gloom. There, with one hand around an unconscious Atsu's neck, was Mephisto.

  Or a creature which resembled him. His stage apparel had been cast off, his naked body covered with thick strands of matted hair. His face appeared to have elongated, his jaw distended in a bestial gape which revealed twin rows of jagged fangs. More animal than human, he did not react to Jessica and Flint approaching, his attention focused on his prey.

  'Stay still, William,' Jessica whispered. 'In this form, they cannot be reasoned with.'

  'Can they ever?' Jessica heard the click of Flint's pistol. The beast's eyes were black, his maw dripping saliva onto Atsu's exposed neck.

  'Bullets will have no effect, William. This one must be dispatched in a more traditional manner.'

  Jessica looked around the cavern. On the ceiling high above them, more stalactites hung down, tapering to jagged points. She nudged Flint and pointed up.

  Flint nodded. Jessica inched forwards, stopping directly beneath one of the sharper-looking formations. Flint held up three fingers, then two, then one... then fired.

  Mephisto spun round at the noise, his teeth bared. Atsu's body slumped to the ground as the vampyre readied itself to face this new threat.

  Jessica caught the falling stalactite in her outstretched hand. 'This ends now,' she said, and drove the point straight into the beast's chest.

  Mephisto's eyes widened as he stared down at the stone stake protruding from his heart. Then, with a guttural moan, the vampyre crumbled to dust.

  'Atsu!' Jessica was at the girl's side. She was unconscious, but breathing. 'Atsu, thank God! We'll get you out of here, I promise!'

  'Jessica!' Flint's voice sounded odd.

  She whirled round. He was gazing at her helplessly as Salome sunk her fangs into his neck.

  'William!'

  Flint grimaced, the pain scarring across his face. Salome raised her head, her face covered in blood. She licked her lips, then dipped her mouth back to the wound on Flint's neck.

  Jessica held out her sword, pointed at Salome's heart. The vampyre looked up again, her mouth a bloody sneer.

  'You stupid bitch,' she said. 'You are too late. If it is any consolation, your friend tastes extremely good.' The vampyre bit deeper into Flint's torn flesh.

  'Jessica...' Flint's revolver trembled in his hand.

  'William... No.'

  'I'm...sorry.' He raised the gun to the side of his head.

  'No!'

  'It's no use, Jessica.' He pressed the barrel to his temple and closed his eyes. Salome sucked greedily at the bloody mess of his neck.

  'William...'

  'Goodbye, Jessica.'

  She forced herself to watch as Flint pulled the trigger. The bullet ripped straight through his skull.

  Straight into Salome's face.

  The vampyre screamed, her hands at her ruined eye socket. Jessica was beside her in an instant. She pushed the creature to the floor, pressing down on her neck with the sole of her boot.

  Salome stared up at Jessica, hatred blazing from her remaining eye. Her mouth was covered in blood. Flint's blood. 'You will never defeat us,' she said. 'We are legion.'

  Jessica said nothing. Instead she knelt down on the vampyre's chest, staring into Salome's face as she pushed the blade of her sword down hard onto her throat. The metal bit into the vampyre's cold skin: through artery, through bone, until it came to a stop against the hard rock of the cavern floor.

  Jessica closed her eyes, feeling the vampyre's body disintegrate beneath her. She let go of the sword. Her tears fell, raising tiny clouds as they splashed into the dust.

  'Ma'am...?' Atsu groaned. 'Where... where am I?'

  Jessica rose, trying to avoid looking at Flint's body. Atsu was sitting up, rubbing her neck. Then she saw what remained of Flint and screamed.

  Jessica placed her hands on Atsu's shoulders. 'Mr Flint... William... He gave us life for us, Atsu.'

  'He is dead?' Atsu's hands were over her mouth, her eyes streaming.

  Jessica pulled Atsu towards her. 'He died a hero, Atsu.'

  They held each other, their sobs echoing through the empty cavern.

  'Jesus, Mary and Joseph.'

  Jessica turned slowly.

  Flint was rubbing the side of his head with his palm. 'Now that bloody well hurt.'

  She stared at him in disbelief. Flint's right eye watered as he touched the gaping wound at his throat.

  His left eye was completely black.

  __________

  'William?'

  Flint was slapping at his temple as if he had something stuck in his ear. The needle bullet had bored a hole straight through his head, but Jessica could see no trace of blood on either the entry or exit wo
und. Similarly, the gaping gash at his neck was dry, the ragged edges already congealed.

  'William? Are you... alright?'

  'I appear to be so, Jessica.' He tried to wink with his good eye. 'To be honest, I wasn't sure if that was going to work.'

  Jessica realised her fists were clenched, her nails digging into her palms. 'You could have died, William!' She tried to balance the overwhelming sense of relief with the anger rising in her chest. 'I thought you had died!'

  'I was as good as dead. I could feel it.' He nodded to the pile of ash beneath Jessica's feet. 'She was turning me, Jessica.'

  'But you... ' Jessica stopped. She would have done the same thing had it been her. Death was preferable to becoming a vampyre.

  'I had no choice.'

  'And it has stopped? The turning?'

  'I think so. I can feel my heartbeat. The cold is no longer spreading.' He shivered. 'Though I can still feel it, like ice.'

  'But your head, William. You shot yourself through the head!'

  'Low enough to miss my vitals,' he said, touching the hole beside his eyebrow. 'I reasoned that if I was turning into one of them, then perhaps the wound wouldn't kill me. And the needle bullet: it went straight through me.' He grinned lopsidedly. 'It was a gamble, I admit.'

  'You need to be checked, William. There are doctors in the Department.'

  'Doctors who would put me down like a rabid dog, Jessica. You know that.'

  'Cottingley, then. Surely he'll be able to do something?'

  'Perhaps. We shall see.'

  'Talking of which, William. Your eye...it's...' She opened a pocket in her jacket and brought out her mirror, handing it to him. 'See for yourself.'

  He popped open the case and brought the glass to his face, holding it there for some time.

  'Well,' he said, 'it looks as though I had better get myself one of those tinted monocles all the toffs are wearing, doesn't it?'

  'I am glad you are alive, Mr Flint.' Atsu's throat was bruised, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.

  'Not half as glad as I am, lass. Come, let's check the rest of those coffins.'

  One by one, they prised open the lids. Jessica fought back bile at the sight of the first corpse: little more than a mangled mess which it was hard to believe was once human. By way of contrast, the next body was untouched, save for a pair of fresh circular wounds in its neck. Jessica clenched her jaw and plunged her sword tip into the chest, watching as the body crumbled to dust.

  In the third, lay the motionless form of a young girl, her red hair loose and spilling across her throat. Gingerly, Jessica moved the strands. Her neck was untouched, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.

  'Cathy? Cathy Frogg?'

  The girl's eyes flickered, then widened in fear. She clutched at the sides of the coffin, her feet scrabbling at the wood.

  'Be calm, Cathy. We are friends. Friends of your father's. You are safe now.'

  She sat up, slowly shaking her head as if awakening from a dream. 'What happened?'

  'Nothing you need try to remember,' said Flint. The girl recoiled at the sight of him.

  'It's alright, Cathy. You are safe with us.' Jessica extended her hand. 'Come, let's get you home.'

  They returned the way they had come. In the small room before the auditorium, Flint caught hold of Jessica's sleeve, pulling her back. Atsu continued on, leading Cathy determinedly by the hand.

  'Jessica,' said Flint. 'I want you to promise me something.'

  'Of course, William, if it is in my power to do so.'

  'It is indeed.' He stared at her, his left eye black and lifeless. 'If I am wrong,' he said. 'If the turning has not stopped. I want you to do it, Jessica.'

  'William...'

  'Please, Jessica. Promise me. If I turn, I wish it to be you who finishes me.'

  __________

  The foyer had a different atmosphere now that it was empty. The crimson tones took on a far more sinister appearance, a reminder of those horrendous things which had taken place deep within the bowels of the theatre.

  Jessica noticed Flint was shaking. 'We should hurry,' she said. 'We must return to the Zephyr as soon as possible.'

  The foyer appeared to brighten. Jessica blinked.

  It was no trick played by her tired eyes. The light came from the figure of The Great Infernus, standing in front of the exit.

  'You scum.' His voice boiled with anger, as if it burned with the same fire which was blazing around his clenched fists. 'This place was my sanctuary. And it shall be your tomb.' The fire spread up his forearms, the flames curling around his muscled flesh. Cathy screamed, cowering behind Atsu. William was trying to aim his revolver, but his hands were trembling too much.

  'You,' said Jessica, stepping forward, 'must get out of our way.' She could feel the heat on her face. The flames were engulfing his body now, covering his chest and abdomen. A blast of white-hot air buffeted her face as the efreet opened his mouth to laugh.

  A laugh which extinguished in his throat as Jessica took Cottingley's phial of acid and threw it inside. The efreet let out a hissing noise, like steam escaping from an industrial device. Then he toppled backwards, his body a raging inferno of bright yellow flame. The fire spread across the deep pile of the carpet, licking up the walls and igniting the curtains.

  'Let hell take the whole cursed place,' said Jessica, stepping over the burning corpse of The Great Infernus and pushing open the doors of the theatre.

  As they walked down the street, not one of them looked back, not even for a moment.