Hunting Down the Darkness

by European P. Douglas

  Muc was in the pigpen when they came though his gate. Mullins had often wondered but never asked how Muc had acquired this huge plot of land, the house and the sheds to go with it. He doubted he’d ever get a straight and truthful answer on the topic from Muc, however so he knew he was going to let another day go by with this still a mystery.

  “Here he is, Muc,” Mullins called from the fence. Without looking up Muc answered,

  “Send him in here.” Larry looked at Mullins who nodded into the pen,

  “In you go.”

  Larry looked at the muddy ground, saw the pigs running around as Muc tried to corner one and then looked back to Mullins.

  “In there?” he asked and Mullins nodded.

  With clear distaste, Larry clambered over the fence and planted himself firmly in the deep stinking mud.

  “Help me corner this beast,” Muc called waving a hand at Larry but still not turning to look at him. Larry started to walk over but it was quite difficult with his feet sinking in so deep and getting bogged down. He could feel the wet sluicing inside his shoes and it was a horrible feeling.

  Suddenly Muc’s arms were around him and he pushed the boy to the ground and laughed heartily. Larry stared up at him in amazed horror from the soggy ground; his feet still stuck in the mud.

  “Lesson one,” Muc said lifting one of his feet to show Larry he was barefoot, “Your footing is always the most important thing in a fight. Get that wrong and you’ll go down like a sack of spuds every time. Ask Mullins if you don’t believe me,” he laughed.

  Larry looked at Mullins and then down to his own feet. He smiled broadly in the way that Mullins has seen him when he discovered something about blacksmithing he’d never known.

  “I’ll look out for that,” he said. Muc smiled down and offered him a hand. Larry took it and was pulled to his feet. At the last second Mullins saw the boy rush at Muc but the veteran seemed to know it was coming and he sidestepped to let Larry fall face first into the mud this time. Muc roared with laughter,

  “I like this one!” he said to Mullins cocking a thumb at the boy. Larry sat up and looked back at his opponent. “Lesson two; watch your opponent's body before he makes a move. It’s easy to read a man’s intentions when you know how.” Larry nodded and scrambled back to his feet.

  “So, what does he need?” Mullins asked as Muc leaned on the fence and Larry started to wipe some of the slop from his clothes.

  “If he comes here every few days after your shop closes, I’ll teach him a new thing and set him some practice,” Muc said.

  “He’ll be tired after working all day,” Mullins said.

  “He’ll be even more tired when I’m done with him,” Muc smiled.

  “Treat him well, won’t you? I don’t want him getting hurt. His Madame will cut in to me I’d say if he’s hurt.”

  “You can’t learn to fight without getting some knocks,” Muc said, “Look at you afraid of a woman anyway!” he laughed again. Mullins thought about Melanie just then and saw that it wasn’t that he feared her; for some reason he was worried about letting her down. He didn’t understand this feeling at all.

  “Just go easy,” Mullins said.

  “No,” Muc said flatly, “If he learns from me, he learns my way.”

  “I’ll be alright, Mullins,” Larry said stepping closer to the men. Mullins looked at him and smiled. He’d finally called him Mullins, without the Mr before it.

  “I know you will, Larry,” he said.

  “Speaking of that Melanie woman,” Muc said, “I saw your little sailor pal coming out of there yesterday.”

  “Who?” Mullins asked,

  “The little sailor who knocked the shit out of you a while back!” Muc was roaring laughing now and Mullins vaguely recalled the incident. He smiled at Muc’s laughter hoping this would be enough to end the topic.

  Chapter 32

  “That’s quite a night to be out riding your horse,” Edwards said to Daniel Deek who was now standing by the fire in an effort to dry off.

  “I was on a boat, heading for the harbour when this storm came in,” Deek said, “We were lucky to land, and even luckier that my horse survived as well.”

  “It must have been very scary for you,” Lady Stapleton said. Deek bowed to her and answered,

  “It is not an experience I would like to repeat,” he smiled.

  “You rode up from the coast, then?” Stapleton asked.

  “Yes, but as it turns out, I think my journey here was less than it would have been from the harbour,” Deek said. Stapleton nodded and James supposed he couldn’t answer since he did not know where Deek had come ashore.

  “Forgive me, Mr Deek,” James said, “Did you say that this house was your intended destination?”

  “Yes,” Deek smiled looking to James now. “I have heard of this house for many years and it has been on my list of places to visit.”

  “Why is that?” Fredrick said, “If you don’t mind my asking?” Deek smiled at the question and answered,

  “Not at all, though perhaps it would be preferable if only the men here were to discuss this topic.”

  James raised his head at this, what could be the reason for that he wondered. Victoria was instantly frightened and clung harder onto her mother, who for her own part looked nervous now.

  “Why might that be?” Stapleton asked eyeing Deek with suspicion now.

  “It pertains to the diabolic legend of the house,” Deek said.

  “I’m scared,” Victoria whimpered into her mother's shoulder.

  “Please be assured, I mean not to scare anyone,” Deek said looking to the young girl, “I just thought the nature of the conversation might be upsetting to the ears of a lady.”

  Lady Stapleton stood up and took Victoria by the hand,

  “Come, dear,” she said, “Let’s go and brush your hair and get you ready for bed.” Victoria was more than willing to go with her. They said their goodnights, with Deek apologizing once again for both his intrusion on their evening and his scaring them, and then only the men were left in the room.

  Hodges freshened the hot port and brandy they were all drinking and he left to carry on with his other duties. Deek was still standing by the fire, his giant frame imposing on the mantle.

  “So, Mr Deek,” Stapleton addressed him, “What is it about the legend of the house has made you come here in such terrible weather this evening.” Deek paused a moment and looked thoughtful and then spoke,

  “I should be honest with you Gentlemen from the outset,” he said, “I am not a believer in God, but I am a believer in the Devil.”

  “You’re in good company, then,” Fredrick laughed, “Edwards here is a member of the Hellfire Club, and I myself was in a similar club before.” James sighed; another of these Devil worshipers.

  “I’m afraid I have to interject there, Sir,” Deek said, his manner as polite and affable as before, “But I believe that members of those kinds of clubs have no more belief in the Devil than they do in God.”

  “That sounds about right to me,” Edwards said. Fredrick thought a moment and seemed to come to the same conclusion. He nodded his head and took another sip of his drink.

  “So what is your belief then?” James asked him.

  “I believe that the Devil does indeed exist, independent of God. I believe he has walked the earth with man since the dawn of time and traces of him remain wherever he has been.”

  “You don’t believe God exists but you believe the Devil does?” James asked to be sure this was what he was hearing. He’d never heard anything like this before. You couldn’t have a Devil if there was no God!

  “Yes,” Deek said mildly.

  “Do you worship the Devil?” Stapleton asked warily. At this Deek laughed a little,

  “No, not at all. I see his evil everywhere I have been. I travel from place to place where people claim to have seen him, seeking out his work, or any message he may be trying to leave us.”

  “What have you found?
” Edwards asked.

  “Nothing that I can show to a non-believer that will make him change his mind,” Deek said. “But I can assure you, when you are in the presence of his work and you are sensitive to it, you can feel it deep inside of you. I feel it here, in this house.”

  “Don’t say that in front of the women!” Stapleton laughed. Everyone in the room smiled at this but James couldn’t help but notice Deek’s eyes lingering on Edwards as he spoke of these things. Edwards wasn’t making any outward show that he noticed this but James felt there was something missing from his usual bravado since Deek had come here. Was it possible they knew one another? Was there perhaps some bad blood from a shared past? James made a mental note to ask Edwards about it when he could.

  “I take it from what you say that you believe the legend of Wild Boar Hall actually happened?” Edwards asked.

  “I feel that a lot of evil deeds have been carried out in the house, on this land even for a very, very long time.”

  “The Devil was in this house?” Stapleton asked.

  “He never left,” Deek said ominously, “He never truly leaves anywhere he had been.” Stapleton smiled in relief; for a moment he had been startled by what the visitor had said but was then quickly placated by the qualifier at the end.

  “You look like a man who does believe in God,” Deek said addressing James.

  “I do,” James asserted proudly.

  “Despite everything you see around you?” Deek asked but his manner remained calm and polite.

  “The Alderman is one of the ‘God moves in mysterious ways’ kind of men,” Edwards laughed.

  “It’s important that a man believes in something,” Deek said. Each man in the room weighed this up his own mind as the storm continued to pulse outside.

  Chapter 33

  Ever since Mary Sommers had visited Spencer at Swifts Hospital, he’d been in a better mood. He could practically feel his freedom like it was growing closer to him already. Food tasted better and even his clothes (he’d been permitted to bring his own clothes and wear them- except his military ones) seemed to fit him more comfortably. He had such faith in Mary, feeling that she was such a good person anything she was involved with would turn out for the best.

  Such was his buoyant mood, that when the guard asked him if he wanted to go outside to the enclosed courtyard, Spencer said that he would.

  “Did you say yes?” the guard asked in surprise. Not once had Spencer gone outside to mix with his fellow inmates since he arrived at the hospital.

  “Yes, I think some fresh air would be very good this morning.”

  “Alright, come with me then, same rules apply as in the rest of the hospital, you understand?”

  “Yes, yes, I understand perfectly,” Spencer smiled.

  The courtyard was not large but there was enough room to take a short walk around the periphery of it. Spencer did his best not to look too closely at the unfortunates who shared this exercise period with him. A couple of people came up to him spouting some gibberish or other, but Spencer merely smiled at them and an attendant led them away from him.

  ‘How did I end up in the same boat as these people?’ he wondered. It all seemed like a dream to him now, how nervous and tetchy he’d be before going anywhere outside of his house. How the dark cloaked Devil would always be out waiting for him, even if Spencer could not see him. It seemed astounding to him that these thoughts could have been in his head for so long before he was arrested. And how unfortunate it was that there was a string of murders to pollute his mind so that he ended up confessing to them! Still, all that was in the past. Mary Sommers was going to come back soon and be his saviour and then it would only be a matter of time before he was released.

  Spencer dived to the ground at the familiar sound of a cannon blast at close range. There was a short whistle in the air before suddenly one of the walls of the courtyard erupted into fragments of brick and mortar. Spencer had covered his head and protected his ears as best he could and when he looked up, he saw the carnage that had been done all around him.

  The wall across the courtyard from where he lay had a new gaping hole in it, some masonry still crumbling after the blow. Four of the inmates of the hospital lay on the ground, three of them writhing in pain and the other ominously still and silent. Of those who were still on their feet, all were in a panic and running around. The staff of the hospital, what few there were, rushed to the fallen men to see how injured they were.

  Spencer saw one inmate look around and then seeing his chance to escape absconded through the gap. One of the attendants spotted him, however and yelled after him before setting off in pursuit. More staff from the hospital appeared through the gate to the building and started to round up the more manic of the inmates who shrieked and flapped their hands in panic.

  As all this was going on, Spencer felt the lure of the gap in the wall for himself. He knew he shouldn’t try to go out, that he should wait for Mary to come back and gain his freedom in the right way, but nagging thoughts were coming to him that he couldn’t push away. What if she doesn’t come back? What if she can’t find the information he needs? Wouldn’t it be best for you to get out of here and clear your name on your own? The temptation was too much for him. He walked to the other side of the courtyard, feigned help calming some of the inmates and then when he saw a chance he leapt through the gap and set off at a run down the slope towards the river.

  As soon as he was outside the wall of the courtyard, he knew he was making a mistake but no voice called to halt him and he didn’t hear the pounding steps of anyone in pursuit. He ran on feeling his chest burning and his thighs ache, he hadn’t done any exercise at all in so many months and he wasn’t sure he was going to get far before his body gave out.

  Before this happened, however, he came to the long grass at the riverbank. He went straight in until he felt he was covered enough and then turned to look back the way he’d come. Still there was no sign they had missed him. ‘Best not to wait for them to come after me,’ he thought and then waded out into the river. When it was deep enough he swam a little until he could wade again on the other side and then climbed out onto the bank.

  Looking up the hill on this side, he wondered where the cannon had been fired from, and for what possible reason. The army barracks was just up the hill beside the Phoenix Park but he couldn’t imagine they would have fired on the hospital. It made no sense for anyone to fire on the hospital, but whoever it was had done Spencer a service.

  There was no time to dwell on this, though, and he set off towards the city under the cover of the growth along the riverbank.

  Chapter 34

  Kate had been out shopping for needle and thread to mend some older clothes when she turned the corner and came face to face with her former employer.

  “Kate!” Madame Mel said touching her softly on the shoulder and looking her up and down. “You are looking well!”

  “Hello, Madame Mel,” Kate said already wishing their conversation was over. She felt in the woman’s gaze how little she regarded Kate. She didn’t mind when Kate was making her plenty of money but she wasn’t happy when she’d left to marry Mullins. It didn’t help that as ever Melanie was dressed in the latest fashions and looked as beautiful as Kate had seen her.

  “I was in with your husband very recently,” Mel said with a smile, “He is doing some work for me and he has also taken on an apprentice for me.” A pang of jealousy ran through Kate at the idea of Tim dealing with this woman at all. This turned to anger quickly, though, as Kate felt Mel was well aware of her current marital status.

  “Oh, yes?” she said, “He’ll do very good work for you and he’ll be glad to have a new apprentice; he’s been working on his own for too long now.” She wanted her voice to sound positive and happy but she didn’t think she was pulling it off.

  “Do you remember, Susan? It’s her little boy.” Kate had heard that Susan had passed away and had been sorry at the news.

  “She was a lo
vely girl,” Kate said.

  “Yes, it was a terrible shame,” Mel sighed though Kate was sure she would have been more upset about the loss of revenue than about the girl’s actual death. “Anyway, her boy is in good hands now, and I will be in contact with Mr Mullins frequently regarding his progress and wellbeing,” she went on with that dazzling smile.

  Kate was sure this last sentence had been intended to make her jealous; there was little chance she was actually interested in what happened to that boy at all. In fact, she thought it was quite out of character for Mel to have even arranged this apprenticeship for him.

  “That’s very good of you,” she answered, and then to change the subject asked, “How are things with you?”

  “I’m very well, thank you for asking,” Mel said, “My brother was here for a visit a little while ago but he’s gone now—he’s a sailor.”

  “I see, did he enjoy his visit?”

  “I think so, but it’s hard to know with him,” Mel said with a furrowed brow. “He’s an odd fellow; he used to be in a circus you know! Can you imagine?”

  “The circus?” this had taken Kate by surprise and Mel was laughing now,

  “Yes, he was some kind of acrobat; I don’t really know what he did to tell the truth!” Kate smiled at this too; it seemed so absurd and ill-fitting with Melanie’s apparent refinement. Kate could only imagine the Frenchwoman was happy when her brother went back to sea.

  “How incredible,” she said smiling.

  “Speaking of sailors,” Melanie said, “There are more ships in the harbour and river each month, do you ever think of coming back to work?” Kate flushed with shame and looked around hoping that no one passing had overheard this.

  “No,” she said looking at the ground, “I don’t do that kind of work anymore.”

  Memories of those dark days after Tim had thrown her out came back to mind and she recalled going back to Melanie’s house to look for work when things were at their lowest for her. Thankfully at the sight of the house and Melanie outside it herself, Kate had decided to turn back and it was a decision she knew she would never ever regret.