It had only been a few weeks since Queen Katherine Louviere’s reign had begun, but she was already off to a worse start than her predecessor. Alice had come to realise that they had removed one tyrant from the throne only to replace her with another, and this one was a hell of a lot worse.
Katherine's first executive order was to round up all those who had either supported Renita Marquette or who had sat idly by on the sidelines during the war, refusing to lend their aid. Everyone had been brought before the new queen in the royal court where they were slaughtered in a mass execution that served as a warning to others. It was a staging point from which the rest of her reign would only grow increasingly more barbaric.
Even the powerful Hank Wilson couldn't escape the queen's wrath. She seized all of his assets for herself, before having him burned alive ceremoniously. As awful as it had been to watch him writhe in pain upon the pyre, it was a darn sight more pleasant than what Katherine had planned for the former queen and her enforcer should Vincent manage to track them down.
No one knew the true fate of the spymaster, Antoinette Dupont, other than the man who kept her captive. The eccentric Harold Fletcher, had taken her away from the queen's estate the night she had been captured and she hadn't been seen since. However, when in close proximity to the man, Alice received brief, yet horrifying images of cruel experiments and worse tortures than she could physically stomach.
It seemed that the old spymaster was still alive, if you could call it that. She was trapped in a constant state of torment within the halls of St Mary's Asylum. From her own experiences there, Alice knew that there was no hope for Antoinette or anyone else that had been labelled as a 'patient’ and sent to the abandoned institute.
Morgana, Vincent, Mr Fletcher and all others who had been unwavering in their support of Katherine were rewarded with positions of power and given their own slices of the territory to rule over. Even Katherine's own child, Nadia Djorkaeff, had been given high praise for her part in the takeover, with the Arts District becoming her own piece of Calgary to own.
Any vampires at the bottom of the hierarchy became nothing more than lowly slaves and were to be treated as such. They could be punished or killed without repercussion from the queen, so long as any of the higher members of society willed it. In Calgary, only the strong survived and the weak were downtrodden. They were less than nothing in the eyes of their new queen.
As for the creation of new vampires, any would be makers who turned mortals without Queen Louviere's express permission, would be caught and their offspring killed in front of them. Their fangs would then be torn from their mouths and put on display for all to see. Without their fangs they would starve, but they would also learn their lesson and could feed again once they had grown back. A second offense would result in more severe punishments that were chosen on the queen’s whim.
Alice and Matty’s role in the new order had already been chosen for them as promised. Katherine had appointed them as members of her royal court, with Alice as her seer and Matty as the city’s enforcer. Truthfully, neither of them wanted to be a part of it, as they were both disgusted by the acts of the woman they used to think of as a friend and part of their family. However, they were wise enough to keep their thoughts between themselves as the price of refusing Katherine's wishes was death, or worse.
Matty couldn't face murdering anyone else just because the queen willed it and was ashamed of the atrocities that he had already committed in her name. It wasn't what he had originally signed up for and was one of the main reasons he had left Baltimore to come to Calgary in the first place. It seemed that history was doomed to repeat itself and that his only choice was to get out of this city too.
Alice found herself in a similar predicament. She was being slowly broken down by the horrors she had witnessed, both in person and through the pictures that she saw in the minds of others. It seemed that the older vampires were, the less they cared about the well-being of other people and the more willing they were to commit their own atrocities just for the thrill of it.
Alice was quickly losing faith in vampire kind, with the only shining light in the form of her constant companion, Matty. She was aware of his plans to leave Calgary and pledged to leave with him. Both of them kept their decision a secret from everyone else they knew and planned to leave the very moment Katherine was distracted by her royal affairs. Everything after that had gone a little too smoothly, which made Alice feel paranoid. With her luck, something bad was bound to happen sooner or later.
**********
Matty had pulled over at a gas station about a hundred or so miles away from the city so they could take a quick break and refuel. The pair of them dismounted the motorcycle, using the kickstand to rest the vehicle by a pump as they took a moment to stop and stretch their legs.
Before heading inside, Matty placed his large hands on Alice's shoulders, smiling warmly as he looked deep into her eyes.
“I'm glad you came with me. I'm not sure I could have found the courage to leave Calgary if you hadn't come along.”
The moment was perfect. Alice paused, biting on her lip as she thought about her words. They felt strange leaving her mouth, but she spoke them nonetheless.
“I couldn’t have stayed there without you… I love you, Matthew Walker.”
Matty’s face couldn't conceal the surprise that he felt, even though he must have known her true feelings all along. He stepped forwards, not talking at first, but still staring into the blue of her eyes. It took a minute for him to find the words himself.
“I love you too, Allie.”
Alice could almost swear that she felt her dead heart beat for a split second, and there was a slight flutter in her stomach. She knew that if she was still mortal and her body was alive, her pulse would be racing.
Matty leant down towards her, pursing his lips as he awkwardly moved in for a kiss. Alice was about to do the same when her pocket began to vibrate and her phone rang loudly, the sparkly ringtone way more annoying than it had ever sounded before.
Grumbling, Alice took the phone out of her pocket apologetically, but Matty didn't seem to mind. She was tempted to dash her phone against the hard ground to make it shut up, but he simply shrugged his shoulders and laughed it off, knowing full well that they had all the time in the world.
Sighing dramatically and rolling her eyes, Alice looked down at her phone's screen. She didn't recognise the number that was shown and it was an international call from the United States, so it couldn't have been Katherine keeping tabs on them. It dawned on her that they should get replacement phones, so the GPS couldn't be tracked by the queen or her people, but that could wait for now.
The phone rang a seventh time and was in danger of going through to voicemail when she eventually answered and raised the phone to her ear.
“Hello?”
There was a short pause before a man's voice answered. It was a little gruff, but something about it was familiar, as if she hadn't heard it for a long time. It was difficult for her to place as the reception was poor and the sound kept crackling with static.
“Alice? I need your help.”
Alice still wasn't sure who was on the other end, but they knew her by her old name instead of Allison Green, so it had to have been a while since they last met. She watched Matty walk into the gas station to pay with cash as she stayed next to the motorcycle talking.
“I'm sorry, but who is this?”
She sounded a little distracted and distant as she spoke, too busy staring dreamily.
“It's me, Alice.”
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded exhausted, but Alice still didn't have a clue who they were.
“Who?”
The words that came next almost caused her to drop her phone in shock. She wasn't at all prepared for the revelation, especially as he had been dead for years. She had attended his funeral and seen his body in person. She had even tossed a handful of dirt into his grave.
“It’s Sam.”
Only when he said his name did she recognise the voice, but it was older now and sounded weary of the world.
Alice's whole universe had been turned on it's head and she no longer knew what to believe. Somewhere, somehow, Sam was alive and for some reason he needed her help. She owed him that and so much more. There was no way she would let him down. Not again.
Alice stayed on the phone, silent and unsure what to say next as Sam had left her speechless. She could tell he was still on the line, waiting for the news to sink in. She had turned to face outwards and away from the building, taking a few more seconds before chiming in once more.
“Sam, I've missed you so much. I thought you were dead… How did you get this number?”
Alice did genuinely miss him. He was after all the best part about growing up in Birchfield.
Sam's response was a little perkier than he had sounded at first.
“It's a long story, and most of it you won't believe.”
Alice chuckled quietly, feeling overjoyed at the prospect of being able to see her friend again. Something about talking to him made her feel calm and relaxed. It was almost as if they had never been apart. She replied with renewed enthusiasm.
“Sam… You have no idea…”
Something inside her stirred, but it took a moment for Alice to work out what it was. She felt a dull ache in her stomach that let her know what was happening. The beast inside had awoken once more, and it was hungry for blood. It demanded to be satisfied and would require feeding soon.
As if summoned by her hunger, a car pulled into the gas station with a lone driver who was none the wiser as to what they had stumbled upon.
“Sam, please stay on the line. I'm going to grab a quick bite to eat.”
A Thank You
From The Author
I truly appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read through my book, so thank you for doing so. I put a great deal of time and effort in to this novel, so I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
This is hopefully the first of a series of books that will tell the tale of Alice Delaney and other characters who cross her path. For details of upcoming novels, please keep an eye on The Beast Inside Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/TheBeastInsideNovel/
If you have the time, please leave a review of the book on the Facebook page or on Amazon.
Thank you once again for reading The Beast Inside!
The Beast Inside by David Horrocks
When they stumble upon a feral girl on their farm, the Delaney's dreams of having a child come true. However, there is something about her that seems a little odd as nightmares and reality collide.
The adventures of Alice Delaney begin in her early years and continue through to adulthood, as newly discovered powers lead her down a path filled with supernatural dangers. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts and witches.
Alice's struggle to maintain her sanity will test her at every turn. Will she choose her own destiny or resign herself to an existence dictated by fate?
Can she overcome the beast inside?
The Beast Inside Page 28
