The Beast Inside

by Monique Singleton

  When they finally arrived at the pub there was no one there other than Paul—the owner. He glanced at them as they pushed through the door that connected the pub to the hotel. Paul locked the door behind them and went to get the first aid kit.

  In her room, Anadi fell back on to the bed. Gideon closed the curtains and turned on the lights. He grabbed towels and some new clothes just as Paul come in the room.

  ‘What the hell happened?’ he asked Gideon, looking at the bloody figure on the bed.

  ‘Azazel was here, he’s got Panat.’

  ‘And the blast?’ Paul was carefully stripping Anadi of her jacket and shirt.

  ‘One of his Acolytes probably. He had a bomb.’

  ‘Obviously. How close was she?’ he indicated Anadi.

  ‘Not close.’ She answered herself, taking over. Paul knew that they were fellow Watchers. But he was ignorant to the fact that she was one of the forces. She wanted to keep it that way, at least for now.

  ‘I’m ok.’ She said. ‘Just off balance because of the blast.’ He wasn’t buying it. ‘The blood is not mine. Someone else fell on to me—he was dead. Bled out. I guess his body protected me from the brunt of the damage.’ To prove that she wasn’t wounded, she sat up. It took a lot of effort, but she got there. Pushing the pillows behind her back, Paul turned his attention to Gideon, he had some bruises and a bit of caked blood on his forehead.

  ‘You ok too?’ he asked.

  ‘Nothing a few aspirins and some antiseptic won’t heal.’ Gideon smiled. He was used to scrapes and bruises. Nothing new there.

  ‘Ok’ Paul said reluctantly. ‘Now what?’

  ‘Now we contact Joseph.’ Anadi said. ‘But first I need a bath.’

  Soaking in the steaming hot water, I replayed what I could remember of the past hour.

  So it was Sarah.

  Next time I would trust my instincts.

  No use berating myself now. Getting Panat back in one piece and alive was all that matters now. Azazel had been one step ahead of us all the way. The ambush we thought we had sprung, was his. He’d turned the tables on us in a major way. And now he had an enormous advantage. He had Panat.

  Panat knew so much more than Sarah. He was privy to the inner council’s meetings and decisions. And now Azazel would be.

  One part of me was itching to get after him. Run him down. Go out into the open if that was what it took. I would hunt Aze down and kill the bastard. The other, more realistic part, cautioned me not to act impulsively. That was probably what Aze was counting on. That the Primal side would win. Well it was close, but caution prevailed. After all, it wasn’t just me. There were more involved here and the fall out was potentially enormous. If I went berserk then God help the world. Besides I was still reeling from the effect that I had experienced in the alley. The paralysing feeling, not being able to do anything. It scared me. Was that Azazel? Or was it something else? And what would happen next time I saw him.

  The aspirins didn’t help as much as the triple whisky that Paul brought up. But slowly, aided by the bath and some clear thinking, I started to feel better physically. Mentally I’m was in turmoil.

  First things first though. We needed reinforcements, or at least intel, and that meant Joseph.

  I dried myself off, dressed in clean clothes, put my hair in a band and opened the bathroom door. We were in the room that Sarah and I had shared, and Gideon had been going through her things while I soaked, just in case there were any clues as to where they might have taken Panat.

  We knew that Aze had gone underground a few days ago. And now we knew why. He had been planning this.

  Gideon handed me his phone. It was already on speed dial with Hans’s number. I took it and hit the call button.

  The phone rang, once, twice, three times, and I hung up. After that I rang again and repeated the procedure. This was the simple code we had agreed on before we left Holland. This particular sequence meant that there was trouble and we needed to speak to Joseph.

  Sure enough, five minutes later the phone rang. It was Joseph.

  ‘He has Panat.’ I told Joseph. The dark man was silent. I could feel the tension over the line.

  ‘Shit.’ He finally said. ‘That changes everything. We have to find him. Panat knows too much, Azazel will read his mind.’

  I was astounded. What about Panat himself?

  Joseph noticed my sharp intake of breath and changed his demeanour. ‘We need to rescue Panat. That’s the main thing. We need him back safely, quick. He must have felt that I’m wasn’t really buying his change of attitude. ‘And we need to change our plans. Azazel will not kill him. He needs him for now.’

  ‘We need intel?’ I said.

  ‘Yes, but I have the feeling that Azazel will take the first step. We will hear from him very quickly. Now tell me, what happened.’

  I filled him in on the situation here, gauging his reaction. I still didn’t trust him. And after being proven right with Sarah my suspicions were all the more prevalent. But I needed his help. Gideon was the only one aware of the whole picture, he was helpful, but he had his limits. I needed to find out where Aze was. And Panat. For that I needed the technical backing of the Watchers systems. Their ears and eyes.

  ‘He’s coming here.’ I told Gideon once I hung up. The call had been short. ‘He’ll be here as soon as possible.’

  Joseph had told me to leave the hotel because Azazel would know where we were. I had argued that the location was moot. Azazel knew where we were all along. He had gone after Panat, not me. Moving wouldn’t make any difference, so we stayed put.

  Gideon nodded and continued to search through Sarah’s belongings.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  ‘Well, well.’ Azazel said to Panat. ‘Look at the predicament you’ve gotten yourself into.’

  Panat was still reeling from the beating he’d received from the acolyte. ‘Looks like Rafael really went to town on you. Quite the enthusiastic type is our Rafe.’ Azazel was enjoying himself. ‘Your girlfriend will receive the stream I sent her quite soon. So, now the waiting begins.’

  He pulled a chair over to where Panat was chained to the wall.

  ‘I could kill you now I suppose. You have played your part, outlived your usefulness more than likely. But where’s the fun in that? Who knows, there might even be a small role you could play in what is to come. I could probably squeeze you in there somewhere.’

  He leaned back in the chair, silently observing the battered and bleeding man in front of him.

  ‘You’re resilient. I’ll give you that.’ He finally started talking again. Panat stayed mute. ’Still intent on escaping, are you? No matter the circumstances. Won’t work though. Not while I’m here.’ He smiled that sickening smile again.

  ‘The human mind is such a wonderful thing. So easily manipulated. All I have to do is say something like “don’t think about your girlfriend”, and there you go, thinking about her. You see, the mind, and especially the unconscious one, doesn’t know the meaning of “don’t”, so it will automatically think of what you are trying to avoid. Being able to tap into your unconscious mind is a great bonus for me. It’s delivered the greatest secrets and unearthed all the plans. Not to mention the hidden agendas and deepest longings. Good or bad. Now that’s another great discussion subject—good and bad. It’s all in the definition and your perception, as you will no doubt soon find out.’ Aze was enjoying himself.

  ‘Joseph is the master manipulator. You think I’m a megalomaniac, you should open your eyes and look closer to home.’ He continued. ‘Joseph and I go back a long time. I believe he was in his early thirties then.’ He looked at Panat, a smile on his lips.

  ‘How old do you think Joseph is? What ninety, a hundred? Well you’re nowhere near. He just had his one-hundred and fifty-fifth birthday which is not bad for a mortal. You see our immortality rubs off. Not that it makes you immortal, even we can’t do that, but being near us does lengthen your pathetic lives, and then there is the Omeyocan.
Joseph could easily reach two-fifty if he keeps up what he’s doing now.

  Aze picked up a stick and started drawing circles in the sand under his chair.

  ‘He’s the main man in the clans, you know that, don’t you? Well you had your suspicions, that much is clear. But you just can’t wrap your head around the idea that your leader is not the good guy you need him to be. He isn’t you know? He’s dark. Almost as dark as I am.’ Bored, he threw the stick at Panat, hitting him hard on the chest and leaving a welt.

  ‘Anyway, back to how we met. Joseph and I. He was quite a dedicated Watcher then. Really old fashioned. One off the old block. Then he met me. He wasn’t so proficient at “watching” and I noticed him. So I set an ambush and picked his mind. Made for very interesting reading. That was the first time I came into contact with the whole Watchers concept. And naturally with the whole Nature’s balance mumbo-jumbo. I took all the information he knew and then I freed him from his restraints. Basically, I made him what he is now. And what do I get for all my trouble? You’d think he would be grateful, but nooo. Not Joseph. I must admit though, he exceeded even my greatest expectations in that respect. In going after me. Setting up the old Anadi so she would teach me a lesson, and get me back in the fold, ‘because I misbehaved. That’s what I do. It’s my nature. And now he’s doing it again. Setting us up against each other. Well it’s not going to work. Not this time. I know what he’s doing. I know what he wants to achieve. With me and with Anadi.’ He concentrated on Panat. ‘What’s that? You doubt that he has plans with Anadi? Well just pay attention, and we’ll see if we can’t change your mind.’

  He stood up and walked over to his prisoner. Nonchalantly flicking the dust from the bound man’s face he grabbed Panat’s chin viciously, forcing him to look him in the eye.

  ‘Where do you think your precious clans get their money from? You’ve wondered, I know, especially since Anadi broached the subject. Make a guess. Nope, not that. Think bigger. Much bigger.’

  ‘Think dark. Blood. What is the most lucrative business in the world? What is there always a market for? What products do humans consistently need? Something else than food… You’re getting there… Your unconscious knows. You just don’t want to believe the information it’s giving you. You need to be broad-minded. Let me help you.’

  He concentrated on Panat’s mind, on breaking the restraints—the critical blockades. He pushed all Panat’s reservations to the side. Letting the understanding flood into his conscious mind. He let go of his chin and watched the inevitable happen.

  ‘Yes, yes, you’re almost there … … Come on, let your preconceived assumptions go.’

  He observed Panat’s struggle to keep to his beliefs. The man’s pointless attempts to keep believing in Joseph’s goodness were amusing. He desperately wanted to stop the doubt and suspicion from taking the upper-hand. He failed miserably.

  ‘That’s right. You’ve got it. The best business in the world.’

  …WAR!

  Panat was devastated. What Azazel said seemed logical in all its horror. He couldn’t get the thoughts out of his mind. The more he thought about them, the more merit they seemed to gain. He shook his head, trying to knock some sense back into his consciousness, into his feelings. It didn’t work. So he fell back on his one security. He closed his eyes and went in search of Shanti, his inner peace.

  He was almost there, when Azazel once again flooded his mind.

  ‘I must admit you are a worthy adversary Panat. Inner peace—that is the one thing that could save you, so I can’t let that happen. I will disrupt your peace. Stop you from achieving that. Good move though.’ He concentrated on Panat, erecting a blockade. Panat could feel the closeness of Shanti, but it was just out of reach. Crashing down to earth again, he returned to the here and now and to Azazel’s ministrations of his mind.

  ‘You have the wrong idea about me you know. And about what I do. I don’t put ideas in your head. I just take away your inhibitions and beliefs so that you see what you already know. Oh yes, I do block things occasionally. But it is for your own best will.’ He smiled.

  ‘Gives you a totally different perspective, doesn’t it? I don’t corrupt people, not like you choose to believe. I just free them. Let them get in contact with their real selves, their more practical sides. Take away their inhibitions. Let them fulfil their real potential. It can backfire. Did with our old friend Joseph, but in all truth, he was my first. I enlightened him. And he took to it like a fish to water. And now he tries to outsmart the master. He’s good at it. But I’m better. We’re a strange couple, him and me. Not friends, and not really enemies. We need each other. But he insists on controlling me and I won’t be harnessed. Not by anyone. Ours is a delicate relationship.’

  ‘Did he tell you all the sob stories of how he lost his clan? Yep those stories. Thought so. Well in basis they’re true. He did lose most of his clan. Though why, when and how are not exactly correct. You see, his renewed insight into human nature wasn’t very popular with most of his clan. They wanted to keep the status quo. Keep up the good work. Joseph had a new vision. One that involved a lot of money and status. Humility went out the window. He wanted the luxury and benefits that money would bring. He wanted recognition, even if it wasn’t out loud. He wanted the spoils. So, he basically took out the opposition. The only ones left are the like-minded ones. And now he’s consolidating his grip on the whole Watchers community. Opulence and luxury suits most of them more than the ancient way of life. They warmed to his idea that they deserve it all for the work they do. Given, it’s a difficult job, keeping the balance. And in itself, it frankly doesn’t really generate much direct income. He looked to the spin offs. And the major spinoff comes from War. The timing he told you is off too. He met me a long time before we started killing off the clan. We were in on that together. It was actually his idea. One I was happy to agree with. It cut down on the surveillance. And I thought it would free me. That turned out to be a miscalculation on my part. He tried to control me all the more after that. But that’s all ancient history and as it always does, it’s now repeating itself. Once again, we are standing opposite each other, and once again he has enlisted the help of another force, of Anadi. Last time it didn’t end well for her, and it won’t now. I know more about her now. I’m better prepared.’

  He stood up to leave. Turned around and walked to the door. Then as an after-thought he turned to face Panat again.

  ‘Remember I said he had a plan for Anadi? What do you think that is?’ he waited a few seconds. ‘Nope, wrong again. Think deeper. Take in to consideration what I have just told you, and what you deep in your unconscious know to be true. That’s right…Now think about the threat that Anadi poses to Joseph’s way of life. I’m not the only one he wants to get back in line. She’s dangerous to him. Her morals are dangerous to his position. Mull on that for a while.’ He did that exaggerated bow again.

  ‘It was great talking to you, even if you were reluctant. Always interesting to be able to open up someone’s mind to what is really happening in front of him. You were quite a challenge Panat. I take my hat off to you. Haven’t had so much fun in a long time.’

  ‘That’s one of the drawbacks of immortality. Everything gets so very boring. You have brought back some excitement. You and Anadi. I’m looking forward to meeting her.’ With that he left the room, closing the door on Panat and all the seeds of doubt that he had planted.

  He had something else he wanted to do now. During the conversation Azazel had picked something else out of Panat’s mind—Anadi’s mobile phone number.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  I was infuriated and confused.

  Azazel had Panat, and he wanted me to come after him. That was clear.

  He was bound to have read Panat’s mind by now. He would have all the information that Panat had. And that was a lot. We had spoken often. Panat and I. About my history, my demons, everything. Things I only shared with Panat.

  And now Aze knew. That gave hi
m an advantage over me. He knew way more about me than I did about him.

  He would also know about the bond that Panat and I had. That we were more than friends. Another disadvantage.

  What would he not know?

  And how would he torture Panat? I was sure that he would do that. Maybe it was the depressed side of me, or maybe the part that believed that nothing good would happen to me or anyone connected with me. Especially not if I loved them.

  I was so submerged in my thoughts that I just picked up the phone when it rang and answered it automatically, without looking at who was calling.

  ‘What?’ I barked.

  It was quiet on the other side of the line.

  I was just about to hang up when he started talking.

  ‘Finally,’ he said.

  Instantly I knew who it was. And every hair on my body stood on end.

  ‘I’ve been anticipating this moment for a long time’ Azazel continued.

  I stayed silent. But I didn’t hang up either. Why the hell not? What was I waiting for?

  I could feel him on the edge of my mind. Not really evasively, pushing softly, but still trying to get in. I pushed him back. He pushed harder. Looking for gaps in my defence.

  ‘Get out.’ I said.

  He gasped as I violently threw him out and closed my mind. He had only just tickled the edges, but it was more than I was going to allow. No one, absolutely no one, gets into my thoughts. They are mine and mine alone.

  He laughed. ‘You are strong’ he said. ‘There are not many who can keep me out. Congratulations.’

  I stayed silent. But I still kept the phone line open.

  ‘Anadi? Right. That’s what you’re called now. A nice name. It suits you. And very appropriate. It means “eternal” in Nepalese, did you know that? He was turning on the charm now—his second weapon. ‘Are you going to keep up the silent treatment?’ he laughed a little. ‘No matter, I’ll just talk then. Feel free to chime in whenever you want.’