“And did you – Quint go back?” I asked.
Ben paused, trying to remember and then said, “When Quint seemed satisfied that Middleton and the Cleaners were too busy containing the mess, he went back for you and your father. But then I took over and opened the door. Your father couldn’t wait to get out of there. He was pale – looked ill – he shook from head to toe. And I knew why. It wasn’t just because of what had happened on the ward. It was because of the room he had hid in.”
Feeling unsettled by the expression on Ben’s face, I swallowed and asked, “Why… what was in there?”
Lowering his voice, Ben whispered, “It was the room with the coffins,” whispered Ben. “It was only after I’d got you and your father out of Cruor Pharma that when I returned I found Middleton and Langstone going fucking crazy. They knew someone had been in that room.”
“How… how did they know… did you leave the door open?”
Ben shook his head. “No, I shut the door. I made sure of that. If Middleton had even the slightest idea that your father and you had been inside that room – well – you wouldn’t be here today.”
“So how did they know?” I asked again.
“Coffin number seven had been opened… that’s how they knew,” answered Ben, peering up at me.
“Ben,” I said, sitting down on the bed beside him, “Langstone spoke of coffin seven. Why did that one have to stay shut?”
The room fell silent except for the wind throwing rain up against the window. I recalled how Langstone had mentioned that this particular coffin was important to Quint. I was curious but beginning to understand why it meant something to Quint.
After a few moments of silence, Ben continued. “I never knew back then. Could never understand why that coffin, out of all of them, had to stay shut. Didn’t have a clue who the deceased was. It was only on my way up here that I got an insight into the mystery of coffin seven. I’m still not sure if Quint had meant for me to see or whether it had been a moment of weakness on his part.” Ben broke off and stared into the darkness of the room as if lost in thought.
“Well?” I pushed. It was obvious to me whose body lay in that coffin, but not why it had to stay shut.
“I saw what happened, I told you, through Quint’s eyes,” said Ben, slowly buttoning up his shirt. “It belongs to Etta but all I can guess from the small snippets I’ve seen of Quint’s past is that they were in love and it was because of that reason they were all punished and sent to their deaths. I don’t know why – we may never find out. If Quint doesn’t want me to know then he won’t tell.”
Picking up the photograph of my father, I looked at Ben and said, “It must have been my dad who opened up the coffin. Why would he do that? If all the other coffins were open, wouldn’t that be enough to tell him that he wasn’t going to find anything new other than another body?”
Ben thought quietly for a moment. “Maybe he panicked. Perhaps he thought he could hide you inside just in case he was discovered in that room. Maybe he even did put you inside that coffin – who knows? But one thing we do know from all this – is that your father, opening up Etta’s coffin must have released her from her prison. After all, that’s how all the other demons got out – isn’t it?”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Kassidy
I finished getting dressed. I shivered at the thought that perhaps my father had placed me beside a rotting corpse. But then wouldn’t anyone else do the same to save their child? It had been in extreme circumstances, after all – more than just an emergency – not your average crisis. No one would think straight after witnessing such horrendous sights and I knew how my father must have felt. I had ended up in the very same situation as he – only I hadn’t had to watch a member of my family turn into a killing machine and then get taken apart by something that resembled dark shadows. But still, I couldn’t ignore that my father had put my poor mother into that situation, knowing full well that the tests had a past of not being successful. In my eyes, I couldn’t help but think that my father had been a coward. It should have been him to volunteer himself, not push my mum forward for it.
I crossed over to the sink and turned on the tap. Splashing cold water over my face, I braved looking in the mirror. It only took a quick glance for me to turn away. I had seen enough. But my looks were the least of my troubles. I needed to speak with Raven, Max, and Sylvia. I had to tell them about Jude and who he really was. I knew that would bring on the pain once Raven knew he wasn’t Doshia but still a demon all the same. And of course, the arrival of Ben would cause a stir. Jude had never liked Ben. Probably a little jealousy going on there but perhaps it ran far deeper than that. They did have a very long past with each other, and from what Ben had told me, Quint may well be responsible for all of them being placed inside those coffins. I suspected the tension within our group would rise.
And what about me? How did I feel now I knew what had happened between my parents? And how did I feel toward Ben and Jude? They had all done their bit in destroying my mother and messing up my father’s head. But I had to remember that it was Quint and Eras who had been behind their actions, and that seemed the hardest to get my head around. I wanted to blame the people – the faces that were in front of me, but it was what was inside them that should carry the guilt. But this was something that would have to wait. I didn’t have the time to lick my wounds and point the finger. Time was surely running out. Doctor Middleton could already be on his way and I knew that I could never trust him. I believed that Jude – Eras didn’t mean me or my friends any harm and as for Ben, well, I had no doubts about his trust, but Quint? He had shown a wickedness – an evil side to him, but he had also demonstrated some loyalty toward me, Raven, and Max. He had helped me escape from Cruor Pharma and had stopped us from getting killed on several occasions. I just couldn’t tell if he was being devious with an alternate motive – this Etta could be what was behind his help, and if that was the case then where did that leave me when Quint finally came to his senses and realised that I wasn’t her?
I pulled my boots on and placed the photograph of my father back inside the satchel. I turned to Ben. He was peering out of the window, staring at the ruin. I wondered where Quint was. It wasn’t like him to keep such a low profile. I wanted to ask Ben but decided not to. Instead, I placed the strap of the satchel over my shoulder and said, “Come on, we need to speak to the others.” I turned and opened the door.
Ben followed me out into the hallway, and taking hold of my arm, said, “I need to get them all together. Quint, before he did a disappearing act on me, told me to gather you all.”
“And what else did he ask you to do?” I said, heading for Jude’s room.
Ben shrugged his shoulders and replied, “That’s it. I know no more than you.”
Stopping outside Jude’s door, I held my arm up to knock, thoughts of what had happened between me and Jude played through my head. I wondered if he would still be willing to help me, especially now that Ben stood beside me. I knocked on his door. It opened straight away. Jude appeared, mouth full of sweets.
“Still eating?” I said, feeling a mixture of emotions rush through me.
Jude’s mouth dropped open when his eyes fell on Ben. “How the fuck did you get in?” He flashed Ben a glare and stepped out of his room. “Langstone came out with all this bollocks about some powerful border that no one could get through. What a load of shit!”
Leaning against the wall, Ben shot Jude a glare and within a blink, I watched as Ben’s eyes turned from blue to black. I stepped back, my heart racing. The sudden transformation shocked me. I had seen it happen before, but because Quint had been so quiet, it must have surprised me more than usual. The whole atmosphere in the hallway suddenly changed. I could feel the shadow of Quint expand his dark aura, from the floor to the ceiling. His claustrophobic depression hung over me like an overbearing misery. Quint turned from Jude and stared at me. I stepped back as he walked forward. I hit the wall behind me and came to a stop.
Quint grabbed my hand and yanked me toward him. I stumbled forward, falling into his arms. Holding me close, he said, “I’ve never stopped looking for you, Etta.”
I stared up into Quint’s eyes. The silence between us was suddenly broken as Jude stepped forward and said, “Are you still harping on about her, Quint? When are you gonna let it go? She’s gone. If Etta still wanted you then why did she do a runner the moment her coffin got opened?” Taking hold of my arm and pulling me away from Quint’s grip, Jude continued, “This is Kassidy – not Etta.”
I looked at the pair of them, confused. I had never seen them both talk to each other and acknowledge their past in front of me. I stared into Jude’s eyes and noticed that they looked a little cloudy like a stormy blue but that was as far as it went. He still looked like Jude and didn’t carry the sense of harm or evil that seemed to swarm about Quint.
I stared down at my arms. Jude held the left and Quint clung onto the right. I wondered if I was about to become a game of Tug of War?
“You know nothing of Etta!” snapped Quint.
“I know enough to realise that it’s because of Etta we all died!” yelled Jude, “Isn’t dying once enough for you – for us? You want to do it all over again? Because that is what will happen.”
“What’s wrong, Eras… afraid I might ruin your fun with the living?” hissed Quint.
Still holding my arm tightly, Jude leant forward and said, “You ruined my fun a long time ago – and for what? All because of a woman you knew you should never mess around with. You stepped over the line and continued to step over it even after you were warned to stay away from that clan.”
I stood frozen to the spot, both arms held tightly by two different demons. And over their argument, as loud as they were, they didn’t block out the voices that seemed to have woken inside my head.
“These two will kill you if you don’t kill them first!” the voices spat. “You can do it… get in there first and finish them off!”
I shook my head as if trying to dislodge them from my mind but their grating rasps continued.
“Slice open their skin and tear them apart – do it – do it!”
The voices grew in strength. Filled my mind up like my head would explode until a noise at the end of the hallway cut over Quint and Jude and the voices. We spun around, my arms finally freed. Max and Raven stood at the top of the stairs almost falling over each other to get to the top.
“Kassidy!” shouted Max, his eyes widened at the sight of Quint and Jude. “How did he get in?”
I rolled my eyes, relieved that the interruption had shut down the voices in my head and said, “It doesn’t matter how. What matters is what we do now.” My eyes fell on Raven. She loomed just behind Max, her eyes glaring. She didn’t need to say anything – her face said it all. Turning, I looked at Jude and Quint and said, “Whatever your differences are – whatever’s gone on in the past – now isn’t the time to drag it all up. We have to get out of here.” I stared up at Quint and said, “I’m not Etta. I’m Kassidy, and if you feel anything toward me then use it for the good of everyone here. Because we need all the help we can get. Doctor Langstone wants you both dead and every other demon whose body lies in that room at Cruor Pharma. And he won’t let us have Robert until we go back there and destroy you all. So,” I breathed, “what are you going to do about it?” I stopped talking and turned away from them.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Kassidy
I had carried on walking, breezing right past Max and Raven. I took hold of Sylvia’s arm. She had been sitting at the bottom of the stairs so I led her out into the early hours of the morning. I couldn’t hang around here anymore, waiting for instruction from Doctor Langstone or anyone else. Time was short and I could feel it on the air – something pressing – bearing down on us all. I shivered as the morning chill nipped at my skin and shuddered before the looming ruin with its burnt, crumbling walls.
Storming past me, I was suddenly overtaken – Jude on my left – Quint on my right. Both seemed to be determined to get to Langstone before the other.
Pulling on my arm, Sylvia looked at me and said, “Will they save us? Will they get us out of here?”
I followed her gaze as she stared after Jude and Quint. “I think that’s their intention.” I tried to sound positive for Sylvia’s sake. She stared intently into my eyes looking for hope.
“Can I go back to the asylum after we get out of here?” she asked.
I looked away suddenly feeling upset. No one should want to go back to an asylum that rips out your nails and injects your gums to rot your teeth. But I guessed that said everything about our situation. Life to Sylvia was better in a padded cell than out here.
“No, Sylvia,” I said. “You won’t need to go back there and hide. We’ll get this mess sorted, I promise.” My eyes fell to the ground. I knew I shouldn’t make such promises, not when I didn’t have much hope myself. But Sylvia had suffered the most and I didn’t want to kick her further down than she already was.
Seeming satisfied with my answer, Sylvia fell silent.
Max caught up with us. “What is going on? I thought you were going to kill Jude – I thought we would be finally rid of him?”
“There’s no time to explain,” I said, picking up speed. “Jude isn’t Doshia – he’s Eras, and although he’s another demon, I believe he’s on our side.”
Stopping me dead in my tracks, Max snapped, “What’s wrong with you? You’re putting your trust in two demons! Now we have three of them to contend with this side of the border and a whole fucking bunch of them on the other side! This is not good, Kassidy. We’re just adding more and more barriers.”
Keeping my voice low, I said, “I know it’s risky, Max, but what else can we do? Fight Langstone and the others by ourselves – you, me, Raven, and Sylvia? We don’t stand a chance.”
Shaking his head in anger, Max said, “Alright, have it your way but I’m telling you now, they’d better not get in my way of seeing Robert. I’m not doing anything they tell me to do until I’ve seen my brother and know that he’s okay.”
Max stormed off ahead of me and Sylvia. I glanced over at her, worried that Max might have disturbed her with his outburst, but she seemed oblivious to the conversation. She appeared to have retreated into herself once more. I looked over my shoulder. Raven trailed behind. Judging by the look on her face, she had heard what Max had said. I stopped and waited for her to catch up but instead of stopping beside me, she carried on by, avoiding eye contact. It was more than obvious that she didn’t approve of me or my trust in Jude and Quint. I shrugged it off and stumbled through the burnt rubble where everyone waited.
Looking at Quint, I hoped I would see the return of Ben’s blue eyes, but he was gone for now and I wondered if maybe that was a good thing. We would need Quint for sure to go up against Doctor Langstone, especially if Eras had no intention of showing himself. It seemed that the demon was quite content to be Jude. I glanced over at Max. His words had worried me. Was I being stupid to put my faith in two demons? After all, they could turn on each and every one of us should they choose.
My eyes wandered back to Quint and my heart skipped as my stare was met by his dark eyes. I had no idea of what he was thinking but his look seemed murky – suspicious – like I was hiding something from him. I felt uncomfortable and turned my attention to Jude, who now opened the door into Doctor Langstone’s hovel.
As usual, the room was cast in a joyless shadow. A few candles flickered and the curtains were drawn. Holding my breath, my eyes fell upon Langstone, who sat at the head of the table. His charred hands were clasped tightly together, and I waited for his reaction as Quint finally entered the room.
My stomach felt knotted up as I stood in the silence and watched, waiting for the turmoil to unfold. But it didn’t. Langstone remained seated, face blank, eyes staring at Quint. Mr. Shackleton stood in the far corner, face covered with his cloak.
Pulling up a chair, Quint s
at down opposite Langstone. He smarted down his waistcoat and shirt and made himself comfortable. He seemed more than relaxed and calmly said, “It’s been a long while, Vectis. What the fuck have you done to Langstone’s body?” Quint’s voice was smooth and one could have quite easily mistaken his talk for a pleasant chat between two old friends. But I knew different. There was an edge to his voice and I could tell that Quint hadn’t come for a friendly catch up.
Sitting still, Langstone, face remaining blank, wheezed, “I no longer go by that name. I’m Doctor Langstone.”
Quint raised his eyes, nodded his head and asked, “Well, Langstone, where are your staff and how is it that Cruor Pharma’s sister company has almost been burnt to the ground?”
Langstone chuckled and whispered, “I set fire to my staff and the ones who didn’t die in the flames I fed to my dogs.”
I swallowed down hard. Just the thought of it made me feel sick. I fought the urge to ask why but needn’t have bothered as Raven suddenly blurted out, “You sick, evil fucker. You killed all your staff and fed them to your dogs? Why?”
Doctor Langstone shrugged as if he really didn’t care. “I didn’t trust them anymore – didn’t believe that they wouldn’t go running off to Middleton and tell him what I was up to. We both know, Quint, that Middleton has his spies – they’re everywhere. What better way to get rid of spies than to just remove them – burn away their existence? Especially now I have the volunteers – successful specimens from the drug trials. These four, plus Robert, are worth everything to me – my life.”
Finding my voice, I glared at Langstone. “Four? So you knew all along that Jude was really Eras and not a volunteer like us?”
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