The Bone Architect

by Ian Woodhead

He looked up into the woman’s alarmed eyes, feeling as if a part of him had just withered and died, leaving Joshua incomplete. They were too late. That bastard had already done his worst. He’d killed Clarice. Joshua growled low in his throat. He held the knife tight, making his way slowly down the remainder of the stairs, drawing on strength born from intense fury. No more would they run from this monster, no more lives would this bastard snuff out. Bryan had come to the end of his own life.

  “Please, wait for me,” she hissed.

  Joshua paused just enough for her to reach him before climbing down the rest of the stairs. Mavis took his hand, holding him tight as he peered around the edge of the damp stone wall. Joshua heard her start but ignored her protest, too intent on locating his quarry.

  Her other hand moved up, separating the side of his head from the wall. “That’s not water you have your hair in, Joshua.”

  He shrugged it off as irrelevant, already knowing these walls were seeping blood. It was just another fucking illusion sent by him to confuse and disorientate. Well fuck him. Joshua stepped out into the open, his vision finding the wooden pole; he breathed a sigh when he saw it empty. Then his stress heightened at the thought of what else that bastard could have done to her, an activity that required her to be lying down.

  The cellar stretched across the length of the building, empty of everything save for a stone slab held up by white columns. His girlfriend lay across the rough surface, Clarice’s head lying back, her accusing eyes drilling into him. Joshua could almost hear the words of betrayal spitting out of her mouth. He caught his breath, standing stock still, unable to move, the knife in his hand so wanting to cut out that monster’s eyes for defiling his beautiful girl.

  His entire body shook violently when he finally saw what he had done to Clarice. The last fragment of strength deserted him. Joshua dropped to the floor, seeing Mavis run across and cover the body with her top before his eyes closed.

  “Come on, Joshua, don’t you fail me now.” She pulled him back up, leaning his limp body on hers while she placed her hands on his face. “Look at me, Josh. It’s not over yet. We still have to finish this. Not just for our sakes, but for all of those whom he’s killed.”

  He heard her words yet no matter how hard he tried, Joshua couldn’t find any more strength to reply; he was completely drained, he felt like a block of wood covered in a thin layer of skin. All the anger, grief, and suffering had vanished, leaving him feeling totally numb and so very tired.

  “Come on!” she yelled. Mavis pulled back her hand and slapped his left cheek, “Don’t you dare fucking give up on me. Clarice has gone to a better place, but believe me, I don’t want to fucking join her.” She slapped him again. “If you don’t start showing some signs of life, then so help me, I’ll fucking end you myself.”

  His eyes flickered, the sharp pain from her two blows stripping off layers of lethargy, reigniting his rage. Joshua looked past Mavis, registering for the first time that apart from the pair of them and Clarice’s body, there was nobody else down here. “Wait, where is that monster? There’s no other way out of here.”

  Mavis walked in front of him, blocking his view of Clarice. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders, clenched her fingers, and began to walk backwards, pulling him along.

  “What are you doing?”

  “It’s called closure, Joshua. You have to say goodbye to her while she’s…” Mavis swallowed hard. “While she’s still recognisable.” She moved out of the way, allowing him to approach the stone slab.

  She had only covered Clarice’s head, torso, and the top of her thighs. He looked away from her ruined legs, feeling that fire grow hotter. Mavis took hold of the top of her coat.

  “Are you ready?”

  He nodded.

  Mavis pulled back the coat, revealing her serene features. The girl only looked like she was taking a nap. Gone was the look of terror etched deep in her face.

  “It’s very important that you remember Clarice like this, Joshua. This has got to be your final memory of the woman.” She re-covered her. “Now is it not time that we finished this? Bryan has to die for what he’s done to you and to me.” Mavis gently embraced him. “There’s only the two of us left now.” She kissed him lightly on the lips. “Please, help me find closure too. Avenge their deaths.”

  “Why do I now feel that you know more than you should?”

  She shrugged, taking both of his hands. “Only enough to figure out what to do next, Joshua, and only because my emotions have already been through the grinder. I’ve just had time to adapt, to come out through the other side. My path is darker but at least he can’t play with my feelings, not any more.” She kissed him hard, “But that will soon change if he comes back and rips you out of my arms, Josh.”

  “What do we do now, how the fuck can we kill something that can disappear into the walls?”

  “By taking away what he needs.” She placed his hand on Clarice’s arm, her flesh still warm even through the material. “Bryan will come back for her body, so we don’t let him get it. Bryan is only human. Don’t you get it yet? The bastard can’t walk through walls, how could he? It’s impossible”

  He stood in front of the stone slab, silently wishing that Clarice wasn’t dead under this coat and that she really was only sleeping. It felt like a complete travesty to see such a beautiful girl, both inside and out, end her young life being left on this slab

  “The bastard has just left Clarice here for me to find, hasn’t he. The bastard gets a kick out of torturing and humiliating his victims, mentally and physically.”

  He’d tossed her aside like thrown litter. It just wasn’t right, not after the pain and tragedy she had already lived through.

  His father wasn’t the only detective in their family. Using police equipment with his dad’s knowledge, Joshua had pieced together Clarice’s history, right back to her father’s arrest, all the way to her adoption and move into their home town. He had never told anyone of what he had found, least of all Clarice, partly because he wasn’t sure about just how much she knew herself. The girl was a fighter all the way through her short lived life. Tears ran down his cheeks.

  “He hasn’t forgotten about her, Josh. The bastard will be coming back. I can guarantee it. We need to take her with us. Look at me, Joshua.”

  He looked up, into her face. “Tell me how he walked through the wall.”

  “I think you have almost figured out the answer to that question, Josh. I don’t think that there even was a house here. Most of what you see, from the walls, floors, stairs and furniture is just some twisted dream made reality by some twisted and evil bitch thrown out from hell. The only bits that are real are the bones which she has collected from Christ knows how many poor bastards that have ended up trapped inside this vile place.”

  “She isn’t touching my Clarice,” he growled, lifting her off the stone slab.

  “The three of us are the only ones left now. Bryan is still as human as us; the only advantage is that mask he wears. It’s her conduit, giving her control over your friend. We kill him, we get out of here. It’s that simple.”

  He felt her arms slide around his waist. “Hold her tight, my darling,” she whispered into his ear. “Let’s get back above ground, back to the main door.” Mavis placed her mouth over the bottom of his ear, clenched the lobe between her teeth, running her tongue along the flesh.

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “Be quiet, Joshua. Hold her tighter.” She spun around and strolled across the stone floor, only turning around when she reached the bottom of the steps. “Come on, we don’t want to stay down here. This is where he’s strongest.”

  Joshua followed the woman as she disappeared around the corner, his mind reeling, not totally sure what had just happened. He lowered his head, pressing his nose against Clarice’s soft hair, breathing in her scent, smelling something else too; he lowered his lips to hers, detecting oranges on her breath.

  He jolted to a sudden hal
t; the muscles in his arms losing cohesion as the body held tight against his chest snapped open her eyes. She looked up at him. Joshua shrieked, dropping the body onto the floor, watching in horror as the dead girl sank into the floor like a stone dropped into quicksand. Those black eyes that caused him to release her blinked once before her head disappeared, leaving the scent of citrus hanging in the air.

  “I told you to keep hold of her, you dumb fuck!”

  Joshua fell to the floor, smashing his fists against the stone, feeling the unyielding material cutting into his flesh and not caring. He glared at the woman running towards him, her own face a picture of fury. How dare she accuse him of anything!

  “Unless you want me to use these fists on your pretty face, I suggest that you stay the fuck away from me,” he growled, watching her continue to approach him, not paying the slightest bit of attention to his warning.

  He reached for her, finding the woman already holding him tight, her arms wrapped around his body. Mavis pressed her lips tight against his, kissing him deep. Joshua ripped her arms off of him. “What the hell are you playing at?” he cried.

  Mavis took her wrist. “Come on, we still need to get up these steps before he comes back for one of us.” She half dragged his now limp body up the stone stairs, emerging into the reception hall. He shrugged off her fingers and leaned against the door frame, looking in terror at the figure standing directly in front of the main door.

  “Are you now ready to dance?” said Bryan, lifting his huge sword.

  Act Eleven

  From the relative safety of the banister, Conner watched Bryan charge forward, swinging the sword from left to right. Joshua dived to the side, rolling into the kitchen. The man followed, roaring like an enraged beast. Conner had to lean over the banister in order to see. A figure below looked up. Conner waved, but his greeting wasn’t returned. He shook his head at her rudeness, the ungrateful bitch. He sincerely hoped that Bryan would come back after dispatching the brat and stick that sword through her neck. That’ll teach her for ignoring him.

  He doubted that would happen though, his mistress had invested too much time into her scenario to throw it all away. Then again, what did he know? She’d kept him totally in the dark regarding her plans for the remaining players. He thought this was most unfair considering he had a stake in the outcome as well. He might only be an extension of her, but Conner still had some degree of freedom, and after all these centuries, he felt almost as independent as the creatures that his mistress hunted.

  One thing he did sense was that she would soon be moving to a new host, and as the players dwindled, it became easier to guess whom the lucky recipient would be to inherit such a revered role.

  Conner sure hoped that the new owner of the mask would help to influence his mistress to perhaps show him a greater degree of freedom. How fantastic would it be to see the outside world beyond the confines of the house again? He so missed leaving her territory to explore and drink in the sights and smells that this wonderful new world had to offer.

  The fighting continued in that kitchen. Joshua had taken temporary refuge under the table, rolling between the legs as Bryan smashed the table into matchwood. The smaller man raced out of the room towards his companion. It so amused him to see the players acting out scenes already performed throughout the eras by countless other actors, some performing their allotted parts better than others. Conner stifled a yawn, not all that surprised to find Joshua now had a weapon, no doubt mysteriously appearing leaning against the grandfather clock. It was the usual place that his mistress left the great equaliser.

  The two players continued to battle, their swords clashing, shouts, cries, pleas, and cursing filled the reception hall. Conner settled back, leaning his back against the wall. From their movements, he didn’t think it would be long now before the final act would be upon them all. Personally, he couldn’t wait. The mistress had tested the pair of them to the limit on this occasion.

  ***

  Joshua felt the sword fall from his numb hand when Bryan threw a kitchen stool at him, the leg striking his wrist. The man charged him, holding his own sword above his head, closing in for the kill. Sweat poured out of Bryan’s body, flowing along the creases made from his thick muscles. The excursion seemingly had no effect on the man’s stamina. He dived under the man’s legs, desperate to get back his sword. His action failed spectacularly since, unlike Bryan, his body wasn’t built for long periods of intense activity.

  The man above him sensed victory within his grasp and closed his legs, trapping Joshua’s stomach. The man squeezed tight, constricting his guts. He couldn’t move. Bryan arched his back, turning his head. Madness showed in those dark orbs, showing no recognition at all. The man brought the weapon down, resting the razor sharp blade against Joshua’s throat.

  He punched up, both fists slamming into Bryan’s genitals. The sword slipped out of the man‘s hand, landing across Joshua’s chest. He didn’t wait for the man to recover; Joshua punched him again in the same place before squeezing out from between his thick legs.

  Joshua crawled away, his fingers folding around his own sword. It felt too heavy to even lift.

  “Finish him!” screamed Mavis.

  He used the blade to get onto his feet, then limped back towards the other man, rolled up in a tight ball. Bryan gazed up into Joshua’s face. All he saw in those eyes now was sorrow, confusion, and fear.

  “Where the hell are we, Josh?” he whispered. Bryan curled up, groaning. “Oh, fuck me, that hurts. I think something down there is well and truly broken.” The man looked in confusion at the large sword Joshua rested on. “What the hell is going on? Where are the others. Where’s Tommy?”

  That baffled looking expression showed no sense of malignant intent. All Joshua saw looking up at him was the dozy brother of his best mate, a guy with a quick temper but wouldn’t purposely harm anyone, let alone murder them. He turned around, looking at Mavis, not knowing what to do.

  Her face changed from fury to terror. The blood drained from the woman’s face. “Look out!” she cried.

  Joshua spun around expecting to see Bryan charging at him, but instead he saw another man, this one wearing a plain, dark blue mask rushing out from the cellar entrance. His clawed hands found Bryan’s ears and he yanked him backwards, his sharp fingernails digging into the side of Bryan’s head.

  His friend’s jaw opened wide, an inhuman high pitched scream leaving his mouth as the killer pushed his fingers deeper into his head. Like a puppet with its strings cut, Bryan’s muscles went limp. Joshua heard the sound of a sharp crack as the rest of his fingers disappeared inside Bryan’s head.

  Joshua growled deep, he picked up the sword and ran at him. “You bastard,” he shouted. “I’ll kill you!”

  The killer pulled out his fingers, and the body slid to the floor. Thick, blood streaked grey matter dripped off his flesh. Yet he didn’t retreat nor did he prepare to defend himself. Instead, the masked man raised both his hands and gripped the edge of the mask and pulled it forward. The sound it made similar to when he removed his fingers from Bryan’s head.

  Joshua felt the weapon fall to the floor when the killer lowered the mask. “Oh Jesus, no, not you.”

  “Hello there, son.” whispered his dad. The man ran his tongue around both lips. “You’re the last one left.”

  Joshua felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and watched as Mavis walked past him. She took the mask out of his father’s hand. The woman’s face melted like boiling wax, the features swiftly reshaping, until the face of the other house avatar took form.

  “You didn’t expect that, I see,” said Arnold. “I took special care of the girl back when you were both instructed not to leave. Oh, don’t look so upset, my future master. The house is taking good care of what you gave her.” He smiled at him, reshaping into the form of the girl. “Don’t worry. I’ll soon be yours to do as you please.”

  Joshua tore his eyes off them, sensing movement behind him. “Why are you do
ing this to me,” he whimpered, watching Conner reshape, taking the form of Clarice.

  His father strode over the body of his friend and stood inches from Joshua. He placed his hands around Joshua’s and lifted them. “You are now hers, my son. The house avatars will guide you, and she will ensure you come to no harm.” The man sighed. The workshop is crying for you, Josh, don’t ignore the cries.”

  “I don’t want any of this!”

  “You have no other choice,” he said, pushing the mask onto Joshua’s face. “Oh, I’m going to be your first kill.”

  The mask fused onto the skin.

  You are so beautiful. Together we will fill this world with our structures. Together, we shall create more of our kind, more sisters to enjoy the flesh we part.

  Two floors above, the lump of bloodied meat that was Mavis Longheart split from one end to the other. The ragged tear opening wider as a pair of rat-sized claws emerged from the hole. It pulled its spindly skeletal frame up, sliding down the side of the wet meat, landing in a thick pool of congealing blood. It lowered its head down to greedily lap at the fluid, only pausing to watch as another of its kind crawled out from the bloated corpse. It coughed once, then giggled when its companion lost its footing and fell back into the hole.

  The End.

  Thank you for reading.

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