by D P Wright
“Yes, doctor.” Doc said sarcastically as he popped a couple more pills from his bag and began to wipe down the wound with antiseptic wipes. He winced at the sharp pain, “Who knows what I may have caught from these monsters.” He took out a syringe and injected himself. “I’ll admit though, you have got my interest, I have never seen a creature like this before. Fascinating. I would like to get this body back to my lab.”
Kessler’s head spun, “Give me some Ox.” Doc threw over an inhaler and he took a couple of hits before his attention returned to the whimpering innkeeper, “Now I want you to listen carefully, Mute. Think before you speak because if I hear any trash talk I will end you right here.” Kessler’s head was ready to explode and his temper was at breaking point. “Who, or what, are they?” He held up the gore-sodden robe, “And why did they attack us?”
Beck stared at both the doctor and Kessler. Moments passed in silence before he spoke, “I am only a struggling businessman, I don’t know anything,” barely audible words came babbling out of his mouth.
Images of Bethany and her blood-stained necklace flashed in the detective’s head and he roared, “Wrong answer!” He pressed the trigger of his Luther, blowing a hole in the wall, just inches away from Beck’s head.
Curling up into the foetal position, Beck screamed, “Please, please don’t hurt me! I have creds downstairs, take what you want.”
Kessler hit Beck across the face with the butt of his weapon spraying the wall with his dark blood. “That filth you were trying to feed me downstairs was Lux, wasn’t it? Your eyes tell us you take it. The last person I saw with those ended up in the wrong end of this carbine. It wasn’t pretty. Now, unless you tell us all you know you will suffer the same fate.” Beck nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the nozzle of Kessler’s Luther. “Who are these creatures and why did they attack us?”
Beck seemed to regain some composure. His eyes darted quickly from side to side and he dabbed his sweating brow with the frayed end of his poncho, “About six months ago they came to Baron’s Town from below, up through the old service tunnels.” He leaned forward and spoke in a lowered voice, “Strangers began to appear all over town, not uptowners like the Merryll docs or your good selves but strange folk who kept to the shadows. Sometimes you could catch them moving in the corner of your eye, hear them whispering in the dark. People say they came from the fires deep down below. They weren’t like anybody I’d ever seen.” Beck nervously looked around him, his large black eyes wide with fear, his bald head shining in reflected light.
“Go on.”
“They’re everywhere, there is no escaping them. They’ll kill me for telling you…”
“Go on.” Kessler repeated, gesturing Beck with his Luther to continue.
“Soon people started disappearing. First only a couple a week began to go missing but not many noticed, in this place people disappear all the time. They wander off into the dark never to return. However, soon more began to vanish and business began to suffer so we reported it to the district governor. After that, Lux appeared on the streets and those that were left all used it. Nobody had seen anything like it. It… it’s amazing, lets you forget, lets you escape the dark. It shows you the light.”
Doc had finished applying his bandages and grabbed his rifle, “And then, when all those addicted to Lux started dying the Council sent in Merryll docs to try and figure out what this stuff actually was? There was no disease was there?”
“There’s always disease in these parts of Dis, doctor, but,” Beck tried to smile but his swollen, bloodied face stopped him, “but none that interested the good citizens from Merryll. No, they were here for their own ends until Lux caught their attention.” He squealed a laugh, “And they had their hands full. Lux gives a lot but takes a lot in return. The flame that burns brightest lasts half as long.”
“And did Merryll discover anything?”
“No. Soon they were either on Lux, dead or had gone missing. Nothing can stop it.”
Kessler spoke with grim urgency, “Why do they take people?”
“To help them produce more of it, of course. Only the best, those with a good soul. Though,” Beck shook his head with concern, “there were not many of those around here. Very hard to find, indeed.”
Kessler turned to Doc, “I’ve heard of this happening before. Judecca spoke of them taking the other priest to help make it and Bethany spoke of people disappearing around St John’s. The lost she called them. I saw their pictures, so many missing, just disappeared right off the streets. That would explain why this town is dead.”
Doc raised his rifle at Beck, “He is talking nonsense, it just does not make sense. How can priests, Dregs and Mutes make sim? It is a very delicate and highly skilled process. Impossible.” Doc powered up his weapon, “Let’s kill him and go back home.”
Beck began to babble and shake uncontrollably, “They wanted people to help make it, so they could make more, the best people, those who had a good soul. That’s what they wanted. I couldn’t resist their voices. No one can!” His gaze moved between Doc’s rifle and Kessler’s carbine and his hand began to nervously stroke his neck. “They spoke to me, wanted my help finding the right people. It was difficult at first. People’s spirits are rotting away like everything else down here. I had to work hard finding them.” He turned around with a sudden jerk and curled up tight into the corner, “What was that? Please, please, please don’t let them near me! They mustn’t know I told you, I beg you! Please help me!” He broke down violently sobbing, each cry a shriek of sheer terror.
Kessler took hold of Doc’s shoulder, “Watch him.” He walked out onto the landing and peered over the stairs. He could see nothing but the flickering chem light on the table below and could only hear the dull pattering of the rain outside and the whimpering of Beck back in the room.
“No one’s here but us.”
“You don’t know them, they can disappear, come from nowhere, anywhere.” He pulled the covers of the bed half over his quivering body.
With the pictures of all those lost scattered at the foot of St John’s altar still fresh in his mind, Kessler spoke, “Where have they taken Beth?”
“Wait, you’re not taking this Mute seriously, are you? Souls, monsters that jump out of the shadows? Ridiculous.” Doc shook his head.
“Ah, yes your lovely lady friend. They’ve taken her to where you were headed, Acheron. Deep down by the heat of the furnaces. I don’t know how they make it, those secrets they keep to themselves, but what I do know is that she has a rare gift, especially in these parts, rarer than the finest air or the clearest water. Her soul smells so sweet.” The gills on his neck flared and a smile returned to make its way across his face despite his obvious pain. “The Malebranche is what they call themselves and they will so love her, such a sweet soul. That creature lying dead at your feet is one of their Seekers. They sniff out good souls from the shadows and drag them back down below. That’s your Beth’s fate.”
Doc leaned close to Kessler, “Clearly the toxins in the rain and the poisons in the air have got to him. It is a common side effect of prolonged exposure to these conditions. C’mon, what is the matter with you? He is just a crazy Dreg.” Kessler nodded and Doc continued, “His brain is soup. Lets finish him and head back up city.”
Kessler’s hands shook as he took aim at Beck, the high pitch squeal of the Luther’s power cells lighting up ready to fire. Staring directly at the detective, the innkeeper spoke quietly, “You don’t believe me but you hear the voices, don’t you? You must do as the Seekers only came for Miss Turner and only those whose souls are tarnished, broken and bent, hear the voices of the Malebranche.
“Insane. Just some chem-addled low dweller.” Doc shook his head and brought his rifle to bear on him.
“Have you been having trouble sleeping, doctor? Voices in the night keeping you awake, perhaps?”
Moments passed as Kessler’s shaking finger hovered over the carbine’s trigger, thoughts crashing around his m
ind as he tried to make sense of everything that had happened, try and decide what to do. Eventually he spoke, “It’s all beginning to make sense now. The presence of Merryll this far down and their encounter with Lux means that the Council must have known about this for months. They must know how addictive and lethal it is, must have heard about people disappearing. A Vent back at Sunset called Father Jacob a chemhead. When they discovered the priest’s body surrounded by empty caps of the stuff they had to investigate, they thought he was involved. That explains why they took such an interest in St John’s, explains why we’ve seen so many Vents this far down. It’s got them spooked. That’s why Stacey saw Councilmen with Jacob’s body…”
“Councilmen? What…” Doc stuttered in shocked confusion.
“You’re taking us down there, get ready.” Kessler interrupted Doc as he powered down his weapon, went over to his bed and took another hit of Ox.
“Wait a minute, are you crazy?” Doc took hold of him.
Kessler grabbed Doc’s arm, pushed him up against the wall and leant in close to his ear, “I can’t let those creds go, I need them.”
“Yes you can, she is already dead. Your creds are long gone. Listen, she was just another case to you, nothing else.”
“You don’t understand, Little Chi will not act kindly if I can’t find the creds I owe him. I can’t show my face in Midtown without the cash to pay him. My life might not mean much but Macy’s does.” He paused, still holding Doc against the wall as the image of Beth’s unconscious face, her flawless, fair skin blackened with soot from the burning church, took hold of him and an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of his stomach pulled him back into urgency. Kessler barked into Doc’s ear. “We continue down to D5.”
“Great.” Doc slumped onto the bed and lowered his rifle.
Kessler took out a bent cigar from his trouser pocket and lit it, “We leave in one hour. Beck, Doc will go with you while you gather all we need for the trip and,” he took a long draw and slowly blew the smoke into the air, “I still want that chem, Mute, and none of that Lux filth either, the usual street trash will do just fine.” Doc looked up at him in disgust but the detective did not give a damn anymore. He may be burned out Midtown trash but if he could find Bethany Turner then maybe, just maybe, his existence on Dis might just begin to mean something once again. Maybe.
MERRYLL INC·
The buzzing blue light of The Crow’s Nest Tavern faded into the dark as the three ventured through the rain and into the gloom of Baron’s Town. Doc Galloway led the way, his sullen face peering out from under his hood, his hunched figure bearing the weight of his pack as he walked cautiously forward holding his rifle close to him. Beck’s stumbling small form followed close behind, two large, bulging bags strapped to his back. With every step he groaned as he struggled with the weight. Kessler brought up the rear and, gripping his Luther tight, he kept a close eye on the dancing light of Doc’s torch up ahead and the swinging chem lamp hanging from Beck’s belt.
“You take my things, force me out of my home. I can’t leave The Crow. It’s not safe out here,” the innkeeper sobbed.
Kessler shoved him in the back with the nozzle of his carbine, “Just keep walking.”
“I tell you, I’m no good, can’t carry this weight. My muscles are weak, weak from years living deep. I’m quick to tire and slow too. I’ll only hold you back and you’ll need your speed if you’re to escape the Seekers.” Beck’s head darted quickly from side to side as he searched the darkness for unseen dangers.
The detective ignored his protest, “You better be taking us to a way down and no tricks innkeeper, if you lead us into trouble with any of your friends, these Seekers, I’ll shove my fist down that Mute neck of yours and rip out your guts. Now keep walking.”
Despite Kessler’s insistence, Beck came to a halt and turned to face him, “Friends? The Malebranche don’t react well to disappointment. I’ve seen first-hand what they do to those that displease them and I’ve so very much displeased them,” Beck growled angrily between sobs. “Nothing can save me now but,” his creased, bloated face relaxed suddenly and his stare fixed on Kessler’s large hooded frame, “there is one way to guarantee they won’t come for you. You know you want too. It’s inevitable. The voices get more and more persuasive until you cannot resist. Take Lux and all your worries, all the darkness, will disappear. The Seekers won’t harm you then.” Beck turned his head to the side, “Maybe you could spare poor Beck a cap? I can feel the itch coming on.”
Kessler went to rub his eyes at the mention of Beck’s irritation before stopping himself and gave the innkeeper another shove, “Just focus on getting us down to D5, that’s all you should be worrying about.”
Beck cradled his swollen jaw and, after adjusting the position of the load on his back, he continued walking towards the bobbing light of Doc’s torch in the distance.
After what felt like an age, Beck’s gruff Downtown voice cut through the constant crash of the rain, “Here,” he turned and walked over to his left where his lantern threw light onto a glossy piece of plastic sheeting which hung limply over a darkened entrance. Kessler shouted over to Doc to turn back around and join them. Beck took shelter in the doorway and slumped down to the floor with a sigh.
Doc approached them at a quick pace waving his rifle and torch erratically around him, “I don’t like this, Kes.” He whispered close to Kessler’s ear, “I can see things waiting for us out there. That Mute freak is right, it’s not safe here.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in monsters in the dark?”
Doc stared at Kessler for a few moments before speaking, “There are dangers lurking this far down, this close to the Fringe that I do not need to remind you about. There is no law down here, you know that. We would disappear and no citizen would know. This deep down no one would come looking for us.”
“What’s the matter, doctor? Beck grinned, “You shouldn’t worry, Seekers don’t want your soul. Not good enough for them I’m afraid but they still may pay you a visit unless, of course, you take some of their delicious chem. It’s easy, your friend has some in his pocket, then you’ll have nothing to worry about.”
Doc wiped his brow of rainwater, “Just shut up, will you?”
“Don’t let him get to you.” Kessler turned to Beck, “You say this place has a route down to D5?” Kessler spoke with scepticism as he peered into the dark interior of the building.
“Oh yes. This is one of the many labs Merryll have dotted around this sector. The butchers needed more power for their experiments than what they could find around here so each has their very own direct connection to the furnaces. The Council deemed their work that important.” Beck spoke with venom.
“And these connections will take us down?”
“Yes, if I remember correctly they have service tunnels. If this one is still operational an elevator will take you right down.”
“Ok. Doc, I’ll lead the way, you follow up behind and don’t let him out of your sight.” Doc stood stock still, staring into the dark as Kessler forced Beck to stand and pick up the large, heavy bags he was carrying.
Kessler’s torch moved around the entrance hall, its beams revealing rows of smashed monitors and overturned tables and chairs. The doctor’s light lay still on a flickering image of Dr Fredrick Merryll. The renowned mega-corps founder stood smiling above his famous words ‘Life. Quality. Survival.’
“I hate that grinning face of his,” Kessler spoke as he took a hit of Ox.
“He has a lot to be happy about, he’s not stuck down in this hole with us for starters.” Doc shoved Beck forward and they followed Kessler deeper into the building’s interior.
Through an entrance in the far wall, Kessler could make out a shaft of pale light. He turned to Beck who gestured the detective forward, “The tunnel should be straight ahead through that doorway, just beyond the labs.”
“If the tunnels are still operating then the building must be still connected to its supply.” Kess
ler waved his torch around trying to find his way in the dark.
“Do you smell it?” Doc coughed between words.
“Yes.”
“The same stench that spewed from that beast back at The Crow’s Nest.”
“I know.”
The group continued to fumble around in the dark for a few moments when suddenly the room was flooded with light. Doc shouted triumphantly, “Found it! Luckily for us all Merryll labs have the same lay… out…” Doc stood by the wall, his hand still resting on the panel as he looked on, open mouthed, at what the light revealed. The only sounds that filled their ears were the static crackle of the strip lighting and the low quivering sobs of Beck. The three stood in the centre of a large room filled with devastation and horror. Amongst the saws, syringes, drills, clamps and the usual trappings the Merryll docs used to ply their trade, lay decaying bodies. Some were still strapped to the operating table, all tubes and guts, others hung from the ceiling, attached to large metal chains which creaked as they swayed. Over by the far wall, bodies were piled high in huge cages, their arms, like tiny match sticks, reaching out between bars in one last desperate attempt for freedom. The tiled floor was awash with grime and what looked like pools of blood which hundreds of foot prints had rampaged through.
Just by Kessler’s feet, a corpse lay still with its lab coat on, the now familiar black eyes staring angrily back at him. Kessler turned to Beck, “Another one of your lot then. This trip just gets better and better.”
“Absolutely fascinating.” Doc had his back turned to the group and was staring at a large wall covered in hundreds of images of Dregs, Mutes and citizens of all ages. Some had the rags of the street, others wore District boiler and work suits and a few the more expensive clothing you would normally find above the Rim. Most had mutations of varying degrees and all were positioned, some obscenely, to give the best view possible of their abnormality. “Each image has notes on the pros and cons of each genetic anomaly.” Doc’s hand waved across a monitor and, from it, he began sifting through reams of text, “Amazing. Fascinating.”
