Mersey Dark

by Michael Whitehead

  “What’s occurring out there?” a man asked in a broad Irish accent, from one of the cells. His hands were clutching two of the bars in his cell door and Tanner saw a crop of red hair and a pair of red-rimmed eyes looking at him. He sounded drunk and was probably only in there until he sobered up enough to be let out.

  “Keep quiet and stay back from the door,” Tanner barked at him. The hands remained where they were and were joined by a nose as the man tried to press his face out far enough that he might see what was causing the commotion.

  A dark streak passed the open door at the far end of the cell block. It was gone in a flash but both men knew what they had seen. Tanner thought again about the letter that now sat on his desk. If Davidson had planned this attack it showed a lot of bravado to send Tanner a warning in advance, no matter how cryptic. Not for the first time, he wondered just who this man was.

  Templeton was unscrewing the top of his cane when Tanner turned back toward him. He withdrew the slender blade from its interior before reattaching the heavy silver ball to the top and tucking it into his belt.

  More shouts and a scream carried to them from somewhere close, just as a rat prowled around the corner and through the door in front of them. It was huge, bigger than any of the creatures Tanner had seen previously. If this had once been a man, he must surely have been big enough to appear in a freak show.

  It did not charge as some of these monsters did, instead it sniffed the air and watched the two men from a distance.

  “What the fuck is that?” the Irishman said, suddenly sounding sober.

  Tanner didn’t answer, he stared into the dark, wet eyes of the thing in front of him and suddenly felt the truncheon in his hand wasn’t nearly enough of a weapon. They had surrendered their sabres on their return to the bridewell, as they always did after using them, but now Tanner wondered why. They had known there would be more of these things, should they not have expected them to attack the station?

  The head of the huge rat swung from side to side as it stood watching them. Strength rippled through it, bunched muscles barely hidden under its dark, coarse fur. It began to omit a low, rumbling growl from deep in its throat.

  Tanner felt his heart hammer in his chest. This was not a good place to get into any kind of fight, there just wasn’t the room to manoeuvre. Normally, that was a good thing, it gave prisoners no space in which to cause trouble. Now however, they faced a foe that was much stronger than both of them and agility would count for little.

  When it finally attacked it came in low and fast, barrelling into Tanner’s shins. Templeton, who stood behind the detective, had time to step backward but Tanner was sent spinning over the thing’s body. The fur on its back felt like a thousand fir tree needles as his face brushed against it.

  He hit the floor hard, but rolled onto his shoulder, managing to use the momentum to find his feet quickly. Pain shot through the joint, but it was as brief as it was sharp. He turned while rotating his arm, testing it.

  The rat was turning too, ignoring Templeton and coming back for its obvious target. The older man took the opportunity to drive his blade deep into the rat’s back. The creature didn’t scream, it simply let out a “umph” as if it had been punched in the stomach and came on.

  Tanner swung his truncheon, a foot-long length of wood which carried the crest of the Liverpool police. It had stopped countless would-be runners in their tracks over the years, but when he made contact with the side of the rat’s head it barely seemed to slow it down. He swung twice more, backing away as he did, but the rat kept coming.

  It snapped its huge jaw at his hand the last time he attacked, and only luck saved him from losing a finger or three. Behind it, Templeton drove his blade into the rat again and this time the animal turned to snarl at him, belatedly understanding that it was in a fight with two people.

  Tanner took the advantage and hammered his stick hard on the back of the thing’s neck, over and over. The rat was finally feeling the blows, it turned back and forth trying to decide who to attack first and in the end choosing neither.

  As it turned to Tanner one last time, Templeton’s blade found the back of the creatures neck and slipped into its brain. It slumped to the ground, causing Templeton to let go of the blade.

  As he bent to retrieve it, an officer fumbled his way into the corridor of the cell block. His face was torn down one side, his ear hanging loose and his eye gone. Blood soaked the front of his uniform, and he stumbled with arms outstretched into the wall. He slid down and came to rest, not moving.

  Tanner rushed forward to check that the man was still alive. His breath was shallow and fast, coming in short gasps. There was little they could do for him, except try to make sure this attack was repelled as soon as possible.

  They turned out of the cell block and into a second corridor. This one led straight to the front desk and round in a circle to the main part of the station, which they had just left. There was no sign of an enemy so they hurried toward the sounds of fighting.

  In the reception area two rats had three men pinned into the corner. They had upturned the desk and retrieved a couple of sabres from lock-up, now they were defending their position but barely.

  One of the rats was climbing the high ceilinged wall, coming at the three men from above at the same time as the second was attacking from the ground. One of the officers was swinging wildly with his blade at the lower enemy while his two companions stabbed at the higher one. It was a stand-off, with the rats either unable or unwilling to dive in on the entrenched men. The men, had nowhere to run.

  Templeton did not hesitate, he understood the rat on the ground had not seen the two newcomers. He stepped in behind the standing rat and stabbed his long blade into the same spot that had felled the huge rat a moment ago. The damage to the rat’s brain must have been huge and it dropped to the floor instantly. There it lay, twitching and convulsing, causing the second creature to turn and hiss at Templeton.

  One of the men behind the desk took the initiative and stabbed at the rat while it’s attention was caught by the death of its friend. He half stabbed – half sliced into the creatures exposed throat, spilling its blood all over the upturned desk. The rat lost hold of the wall but not before it struck out with one of its deformed front claws and raked the officer across his chest.

  The man fell back, clutching his abused body, but the uniform seemed to have absorbed the majority of the blow. Tanner stepped past the now dead rat on the floor, and thumped his truncheon into the wall-climber’s face, once, twice, three times. As it fell from the wall, he swore there was a human look of distress and anguish on its face.

  The rest of the officers fell on the creature without hesitation. They stabbed and clubbed it until the life went out of its eyes.

  “Make sure he’s okay, then keep fighting,” Tanner said, gesturing toward the bloodied officer, but the man’s eyes looked bright and determined. “How many more are there?”

  “Three went that way and one into the cell block,” the injured man said through gritted teeth.

  Tanner nodded, and the two officers joined him and Templeton as they moved back toward the centre of the bridewell. Two short flights of steps led back down to the the main corridor, from which they could hear the sound of fighting, but it was less than it had been.

  One rat lay dead at the door of Tanner’s shared office. It was punctured a number of times and a pool of blood was soaking into the herring-bone wooden floor. They stepped over it to see a second animal had been brought to a stop just inside the door. As with its companion, it had taken a number of wounds to bring it down.

  The last, oh god let it be the last, was actually standing on Tanner’s desk. It hissed and slashed at anyone who came near it with lightning speed. Four men were keeping it at bay but no-one could get close enough to land a significant blow.

  Tanner turned to Templeton to see the older man produce the same pistol he had used on the frigate from somewhere behind his back. A moment of exaspe
ration struck him that he hadn’t used the weapon earlier. This was replaced by the realisation that he simply hadn’t needed to, neither of them were injured.

  Templeton took his time, he levelled the pistol, a fine looking machine. Closing one eye he sighted down the length of his arm and waited for the perfect time. There was a flash of powder and a plume of smoke, then the rat fell from Tanner’s desk lifeless. The shot had taken one of its eyes and killed it instantly.

  The men around the desk simply stood and stared down at the animal for a moment, unable to understand what had happened, then they turned and saw the smoking weapon in Templeton’s hand.

  Tanner took control, “Two groups of three, one go that way, one that. Check each room then close the door. Check the prisoners. I want the first group to the main doors to check outside. Try to figure out how these bastards got in here.”

  For a moment the men just stood there and looked at him, shocked and weary. Eventually, one man then another began to move. Soon the office was empty except for the two men and the corpses of the rats that had been sent to kill them.

  “These were meant for me, weren’t they?” he asked Templeton.

  “I do believe that at least two of them were, yes detective. The one in the cell block could easily have attacked me but it turned back to you. Then this one here,” he jabbed at the shot-blinded rat with his foot. “This one came straight to your desk. I have no doubt that, however he does what he does with these creatures, our friend Davidson is able to direct their attention toward an individual.”

  “Two questions.”

  “Yes, detective?”

  “Firstly, have you ever come across anything like this before?”

  “I’ve seen possession, where the victims were compelled to act against their wishes. I’ve seen charms and spells that have made people more...evil. This however, I feel is unique. To change a person to something entirely new and have it do his bidding. That is powerful magic, powerful indeed. What is your second question, detective?”

  “Will you ever call me anything but detective?” Tanner asked with a smile, sitting down on his desk, exhaustion from the fight catching up with him.

  “Do you know, Nelson? I believe I may,” Templeton said, the smile he reserved for the few times he made a joke crossing his face.

  “We have to stop this man, whoever he is, and we need to do it fast,” Tanner said, rubbing his face with both hands.

  “Agreed, it appears he is acting out of anger,” Templeton nodded.

  “Wasn’t he always?”

  “It seems to me that the first murders might have been planned. For whatever reason, he had a list and he was working through it. Now he is lashing out, at you for now, but who next? The police in general? The people of Liverpool? We have no idea who he is, where he is or how many of those creatures he is capable of creating.”

  “Someone out there knows something about him. Micky Flynn told me as much the other day.”

  “May I suggest we go back to Mr. Flynn?” Templeton suggested.

  “A tad difficult, he swung from a rope yesterday,” Tanner shrugged.

  “Then I guess we need to find someone else to speak to. How does the saying go? We need to crack some skulls?”

  Tanner laughed and nodded, “First though, it’s dark outside. How about I show you the better side of Liverpool? Let me buy you a drink.”

  The older man stood up, brushed off his already immaculate suit, “Lead the way, Nelson. Lead the way.”

  Chapter Twenty One

  The hospital was large, and crowded, as Billy walked through the front door on Brownlow Street. From the moment he stepped inside, the place seemed to swallow him up and make him feel small. People jostled past him, all seemingly knowing exactly where they were going and what they were doing.

  A nun in a light grey habit and wimple almost walked over him, gently moving him to one side with guiding hands as she passed. A doctor in a white coat was talking to a nurse, pointing to something on a piece of paper. Had he stood where he was for the next hour, he doubted very much if anyone would have asked him what he wanted, or if he needed any help.

  He wandered further into the reception area, feeling as much like an invader as the few times he had broken into houses to lift a few valuables. As at those times, he steeled himself, not for his own wellbeing, but for the good of his family. Somewhere in this vast array of corridors and rooms was Lily, his precious Lily. He had to find her, just to know she was being cared for.

  A thin lipped lady sat behind a huge desk at the far side of the reception, she was talking to a couple who looked to be about the same age as his mother. The woman looked like she had been crying, and the man had his arm around her shoulders. The mere sight of him giving comfort to his wife filled Billy with a sense of loss he didn’t know he could feel. The few memories of his father had always been of a caring man who would think of his mother before he ever considered himself. His death had left a huge hole in all of their lives.

  Billy waited, as patiently as a ten year old boy can, hoping from foot to foot. The couple finally finished speaking to the woman behind the desk, and he stepped forward.

  The woman frowned down her long thin nose at him, “Can I help you?”

  “I’m looking for my sister, miss,” Billy answered, blurting out the words in a rush.

  “Do you have an adult with you?” She asked.

  “No, my mum is at home with my brothers and other sister,” Billy said. He didn’t add that she probably couldn’t have come here even if she had wanted to. He couldn’t remember the last time she had been outside for longer than it took to buy a bottle of gin.

  “Very well, we don’t usually let children roam the hospital, but as long as you don’t go anywhere you aren’t supposed to, I don’t imagine it will matter this once. What’s your sisters name, young man?”

  “Lily, Lily Gerrard, miss,” he said, feeling a little more confident now that she had shown him a kindness. She began rifling through a number of sheets of paper, paused and then looked through a second sheaf. Finally she said, “Ah yes, Lily Gerrard, aged six. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, miss,” he replied, happy just to know she had found Lily.

  “Very good, she’s on Ward three.” She stood up from her seat and pointed down a long corridor that ran away from the reception to the right. “Now, you need to go along here until you reach a set of stairs. You need to go up two floors, that’s four sets of stairs. Can you count to four?” she asked kindly and held up the appropriate number of fingers. Billy said yes, but behind his back he held out the same number of fingers so that he might count them off while he was climbing the stairs. “Very good, at the top there is a door straight in front of you, that is ward three.”

  Billy grinned and thanked her, receiving a warm smile in return. He didn’t want to say any more, in case he forgot her directions. He set off at a run, eager to see his Lily, and not to get lost.

  Half way along the corridor a doctor stepped out of a room and was almost bowled over by the charging child. He managed to get two hands out and laughed as Billy came to a halt.

  “Slow down, young man. We have enough people who’ve been in accidents, we don’t need one more.”

  Billy looked up at the doctors kindly face and flushed, “Sorry, sir.”

  “No harm done, just take it steady, okay.”

  Billy smiled, nodded and set off once more, jogging instead of running. The stairs weren’t too far ahead and he began the climb, marking off each flight as he went. After the second set he got a glimpse of a corridor much like the one he had just left, it was less busy and much quieter, but looked almost exactly the same.

  At the next floor he stopped and looked at the door ahead of him. It had something written on a plaque on the wall, but Billy had no idea what it said. He tried the knob and stepped inside when it turned.

  The room was long, much longer than any he had ever been in before. On each side the walls were lined with beds
, in each bed was a lady or a girl. Somewhere sleeping, some sat up in bed drinking or eating. One bed contained someone whose face was covered with a white cloth mask, it made Billy think of monsters or ghosts. For the first time in a few hours he thought of the men under the city, and the creatures he had seen.

  “Can I help you?” a nurse in a white uniform asked him, pulling him from his memories of the previous days.

  “Please miss, I’m looking for my sister Lily,” he answered. He was quickly becoming accustomed to speaking to strange adults.

  “Lily Gerrard?” she asked, and before he answered was walking down the room. He followed in her wake, having to run to keep up with her long stride. About three quarters of the way along the left hand row of beds Billy saw his Lily, sitting up in bed looking much better than the last time he had seen her. She was dressed in a clean white night gown and her hair had been washed and brushed. He had never seen her looking so beautiful.

  “Billy!” she cried, then a bout of coughing had her doubled over for a minute which spoiled Billy’s first thought that she looked better. The nurse who had shown Billy to her bed gently patted her on the back and waited until the coughing had subsided.

  “Now Miss Gerrard, what have I told you about making too much noise. There are ladies on this ward who are really sick, not like you, you little malingerer,” she said, eliciting a giggle from Lily. Billy felt a beaming smile break out on his face, he had rarely seen Lily so happy.

  “Is she okay then?” Billy asked the nurse.

  “She will be, she’s had a lucky escape. If she had waited many more days she would almost certainly have had pneumonia.”

  Billy wasn’t sure what pneumonia was, but he remembered his father telling him that he would get it if he played outside in the rain for too long when he was younger. He smiled gratefully at the nurse and sat down next to Lily.