As she removed her sunglasses only the dolls were witness to the milky white eyes that had been hiding behind them. Her eyes might never experience the daylight or the contrast between the shadows in the room but that didn’t matter, through the eyes of the dolls she could see just as clearly as before.
A solitary tear of gratitude trickled down her cheek and Dee raised the champagne glass in salute to her silent watchers before taking a sip and heading upstairs to her flat.
As she left the room the dolls closed their eyes and waited for her to return.
Enslaved
As the time dragged closer to three thirty, Ashley stood by the primary school gates and checked his phone for messages. At his feet a small, fluffy black puppy sat dejectedly, the long lead hanging limp as it waited to be ordered to move on again.
The mothers who were waiting for their children examined Ashley keenly, some surreptitiously but most were open with their curiosity. In this neighbourhood fathers were often only present for the conception and to have one actively taking an interest in a child was a novelty. Stomachs were being sucked in and more than one woman deftly reapplied her lipstick when she thought he wasn’t looking.
Ashley wore a wedding ring but he was used to this type of attention. Having a puppy helped, of course, as did his carefully chosen outfit of slacks and a checked shirt that didn’t match. His hair and shoes were clean but there was a smear of engine oil on his right trouser leg. At forty-two years old he looked slightly out of place but he’d aged well and his appearance hinted at divorce or bereavement.
He could feel the women getting braver and impatiently checked his watch, he wasn’t in the mood for conversation today, he just wanted to do what he had to and leave.
Suddenly, a door crashed open from somewhere inside the school and a stream of small children erupted out of the building. There were two playground supervisors at the gate, chatting to the parents and reminding people about the cake sale next Wednesday. Ashley looked out at the mass of children and wondered if he had misjudged his choice in school.
One of the mothers caught his eye and smiled; he nodded back but quickly returned to scanning the faces flooding in front of him.
A small girl spotted the puppy and with a delighted ‘ooh!’ ran over and started petting it, she was quickly followed by her friends and soon Ashley was surrounded by eight year old girls asking questions.
This was a nightmare. One or two coming over was fine, but a flock of them? Disaster. Already the mothers were watching him with a keener interest than before because he had morphed from Quite Cute into Strange Male Who Was In Close Proximity To My Daughter. A girl to his left was taking out her iPhone from her bag to do a selfie of her holding the puppy. When she asked if he’d take the picture for her he stepped backwards so fast he almost moved into traffic. Selfie’s mother came up at that point to rescue him.
As the mother came closer it was clear that Ashley’s appearance from a distance had been slightly misleading. His clothes were worn and in bad condition with a few buttons missing from his shirt. There was a vaguely stale odour that hung around him, sweat mixed with old cigarettes.
The mother smiled sympathetically at Ashley’s discomfort and told her daughter to stop bothering the nice man. He breathed out with a small laugh.
“Thanks. I don’t want to be rude to the kids but whenever I come out with Thor they want me to take pictures of them with him. They don’t understand when I say no!”
“You’ve called your puppy Thor?” She gazed down at the tiny bundle of fluff. It looked like it could do with a good meal but it was clearly a mongrel so perhaps it was crossed with a whippet?
“My ex-wife called our last dog Mr Cuddles and I swore that I wouldn’t do that to the next one.”
“Oh, right. You’ve got children here? I don’t think I’ve seen you at the gates before.” She bent down to give the dog a stroke, trying not to sound like a quiz mistress.
“Not mine, I promised my sister I’d pick my nephew up. I hope he’s not going to be too much later.”
“Which year is he in?”
Ashley ran his hand through slightly greasy hair and looked embarrassed. “He’s nine and in Mrs Bantage’s class but apart from that I haven’t the faintest idea. Becky, my sister, talks about him all the time and I tend to zone out. I haven’t even been here before.”
“There isn’t a Mrs Bantage on the teaching staff. I help out at lunches so I know all of them. Are you sure you’re in the right place?”
“Oh absolutely, St Mary’s Primary School, no doubt about that.” He looked over her shoulder at the children coming out, trying to find the one he had come for.
“Did you know there are two of them in this town?” The mother was smiling wider now with the confidence that comes from knowing more than someone else. She was also thinking that there weren’t many single men around and maybe Ashley could be fixed-up, given the right encouragement.
“You’re kidding?”
“I’m afraid not. The other one is about ten miles away.”
“Damn.” He pretended to smack his forehead in exasperation and was rewarded with laughter.
Ashley left with the postcode of the other school and the mother’s number ‘just in case you get lost’. The scrap of paper with both on was discarded as soon as he was safely in his car. He knew there were two identically named schools in the area and had no intention of calling the woman: she wasn’t his type.
He did, however, find what he was looking for as he drove slowly back to his house. He’d all but given up on his search when he saw a boy with a large satchel and instantly, with an instinct that came from experience, he knew that his hunt was over.
The boy trailed behind a larger group of school children that wore the same secondary school uniform. He guessed his age at somewhere between eleven and thirteen but poor diet had stunted his growth to that of a nine year old. He would do nicely.
His unkempt short blonde hair hung limply over his eyes and Ashley saw his uniform trousers were starting to ride up his ankles. Perhaps he had no older siblings for larger hand-me-downs or maybe his parents just couldn’t be bothered to take him shopping for replacements.
Ashley tingled with anticipation. He could almost smell that familiar odour that would no doubt be clinging to the child. An erotic mix of warmth and neglect; it got him every time.
The boy turned into a side road towards the local housing estate and Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. So he had no-one at home to walk the few yards to school with him? Perfect. If no-one cared enough to get off their sofa and check that their child had a safe journey then no-one would worry unduly if he was late. Ashley had a soft spot for latch key kids, they were almost too easy.
There wasn’t much time. He deftly scooped up the puppy and pinched its soft underbelly, hard. The dog yelped and fought to get out of Ashley’s grip. Ashley opened the car door and the dog ran at full speed towards the boy.
Then he went back in his car, watched and waited. The dog ran up to the boy for safety, the boy dropped to his knees and petted the creature that was so starved of affection it stood in shock. Ashley tucked a syringe up his sleeve and stepped out of the car.
“Cupcake?” Ashley called out to the dog as he ran over. “Hey sweetie, I almost lost you there. Have you been playing with a new friend?” He turned to the boy as he scooped up the puppy and in one smooth, and well-practiced movement he injected the dog with a mild sedative.
“Is that your dog?” The boy spoke softly; it was almost hard to hear him. He had unusually pale blue eyes, almost a pastel colour and milky white skin.
“My wife’s actually. She asked me to take him to get his teeth checked but I think he likes the dentist less than I do. Thanks for stopping him, I really appreciate it. You’ve got a real way with animals.”
“S’alright.”
“No really, the way you stopped him was impressive. Have you got pets at home?” Ashley felt the shift, slow and almost imperce
ptible – but it was there. All children these days are told not to speak to strangers; it was getting harder to find occasions that kids would think of as exceptions to the rule.
The boy looked ahead and behind him and found no-one there. He looked up at Ashley and shrugged. “Adrian won’t let me have one.”
“Shame.” Ashley smiled down at him sympathetically, his mind whirring with possibilities. Adrian was probably a boyfriend, split family, arguments, if he went missing they’d give it more than twenty four hours before reporting it. That would be quite long enough.
“I always wanted a snake.” The boy moved from foot to foot, staring at the puppy, until Ashley passed him over. “Thanks, your dog’s cool. Shame about his name.”
“Tell me about it.” Ashley dropped down so he was level with the boy. “Like I said, this ball of fluff is my wife’s but I’m with you, snakes are the way to go. I have a python and a baby boa at home and they’re my pride and joy. You should see them at feeding time, wow!”
The boy’s face lit up with a thousand Christmases. “Can I see them?”
Ashley rocked back on his heels. “Aren’t your parents going to be expecting you home?”
“Nah, I can be as late as I want.”
“Do you need to ask permission first?”
The boy shrugged again. “Mum won’t mind.”
“Well, alright then, if you’re sure you won’t get into trouble. My name’s Ashley by the way.” He held out his hand, hoping the boy wouldn’t notice his dirty fingernails.
The boy paused for the first time. “Call me Neph.” He shook Ashley’s hand and they both smiled at the formality.
“OK Neph, I’m parked a little way down the road, since Cupcake has fallen asleep on your shoulder would you carry her over to my car?”
“Yup, no worries.”
Ashley kept up a stream of small talk while they walked to the car and was careful to keep a distinct distance between him and Neph. He didn’t offer to open the car door and even though he struggled with the seatbelt and the dog on his shoulder, Ashley left him to it. If he was ever taken to court no one would ever be able to say that Neph was coerced or touched in public.
From the main road Ashley deftly took a quick left and drove through a maze of identical houses, an estate that began to dissipate after a solid ten minute route. The pair chatted about animals and sports, anything that passed the time.
The rows of homes melted into the suburbs with their front gardens and driveways. Neph had his attention firmly on the puppy and didn’t notice the change in scenery; it was only when the country lanes opened up that he showed any sign of interest in the journey.
“Where did you say you lived?” Neph was sitting upright in his chair, one pale hand on the dog and the other resting on the side window.
“Almost there. If you want to call your parents when we arrive you’re more than welcome to use the phone.” Ashley kept his eyes on the road but his attention was focussed on staying calm and not letting his inner turmoil show.
“Maybe. Is that it?” The boy pointed to the large brick farmhouse that had come into view and smiled as Ashley nodded. “It’s big.”
“It’s been in the family for a long time; my great-grandparents used to be farmers. I don’t have any of the land now, that was sold off before I was born, but the house is great. I keep my snakes and reptiles in the basement because my wife won’t let me have them where she can see. I told her they’re perfectly harmless after feeding but she doesn’t believe me.” Ashley led the way up the front path and unlocked the door into a gloomy hallway. “Would you like a drink before you see them? I think I’ve got some hot chocolate or there’s tea?”
Neph spotted a vivarium containing a fat tarantula and made a bee line for it. “Whatever.” He said as he went further into the house.
“Two hot chocolates it is then,” said Ashley, turning right into the kitchen.
When he opened the fridge to get the milk the stench of rancid meat was overpowering. He really should have tidied up before going out, he thought, closing the door quickly. Unwashed plates were stacked in the sink, encrusted with a week’s worth of microwaved dinners and reheated lunches. Dead flies lay undisturbed and gathering dust along the window ledge.
He poured milk into a pan and reached into a cupboard for the cocoa powder.
“I’ve never seen it made like that before.”
Ashley jumped at the unexpected voice behind him. “I prefer this to the ones from packets.”
“Fair enough. What’s the spider called?”
“Petra, although she’s a grumpy thing most of the time so I tend not to take her out too much.” Ashley increased the heat on the hob slightly and stirred the milk before turning around.
Neph was standing in the corner of the room with the tarantula on his hand, stroking it. “Mate, I don’t think you should be holding that one, like I said, she’s not friendly.”
“Seems OK to me.” Neph moved the spider from his hand to his shoulder and turned his head so his nose was millimetres away from the spider. There was a pause before the spider gently outstretched one of its legs and touched Neph’s cheek before creeping with stiff legs closer to his neck and resting there.
Ashley looked on in amazement. “That’s never happened before.”
“He’s cute. Got any food? I’m hungry.”
“There’s some brownies in the fridge, I’ll put some on a plate; help yourself.” Ashley found a clean plate, served them up and went back to the hot chocolate. Normally he would lace the drink with a tranquiliser and that would be enough but if he could get the boy to self-medicate with hash brownies then that was just peachy by him. He opened the cupboard again for two mugs and made sure that one of them was the one with the tranquiliser he’d put in earlier. Ashley poured the drinks and went to join Neph at the kitchen table.
There was something not quite right about the current scenario although he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. The tarantula was bothering him. He’d only bought the creature as a prop to lure small boys and never did more than throw some food at it when he could be bothered to remember. There were no reptiles downstairs and certainly no snakes, he had quite a phobia of them, and without question there was no wife. The dog seemed to have woken up and shuffled off somewhere.
Neph ate three brownies with great enjoyment and drank his hot chocolate quickly before announcing that he was ready to see the basement and the animals down there. He giggled, yawned and put the spider back in its cage, to Ashley’s great relief.
The door to the basement was locked. Palms damp with anticipation, Ashley reached into his shirt and pulled a key out from a string around his neck. The lock turned with a loud click. Ashley motioned for Neph to go down the stone stairs first, which he did.
When Neph was at the bottom, having weaved down the steps slightly uncertainly, there was the sound of another click as Ashley locked the door behind them.
Neph appeared not to notice and made his way down a corridor to a cool large room. Wine racks lined three walls; against the other was a bed, bookcase, a chest and a large chain secured into the stone wall.
“You’re probably wondering what’s happening…” began Ashley.
“Not really.” Neph wandered over to one of the racks and pulled out a bottle of red. “Hmm, an excellent vintage.”
Ashley watched the strange boy examining the label and holding the bottle to the light to check the depth of colour. The fact that he was interested in the finer points of wine was less out of place than his lack of fear.
“You’re not frightened?”
“Not even slightly. How about you Ashley, are you starting to wonder what’s happening?”
Ashley paused; this wasn’t how this went. “You’re probably feeling light-headed. I drugged you. It’s what I enjoy doing to pretty little boys and if you’re nice to me I’ll keep drugging you. If not then you’ll be punished, and trust me, down here no-one is going to hear you.”
“Ah, the spiking of the hot chocolate.” He put the bottle back and took out another for inspection. “A bit unoriginal but the brownies were a nice touch.”
“You knew?”
Neph smiled and Ashley felt a nervous spasm in his stomach. “You probably thought it was too good to be true didn’t you? A poor little neglected waif and stray who would get in your car without a murmur and put themselves in such a ridiculously vulnerable position. Poor Ashley,” he replaced the bottle to the rack, “So trusting.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m a little older than you think I am, well, to be honest I’m a lot older. Ever heard of the Nephilim? Nice to meet you.” The boy arched his back in a stretch and his bones cracked noisily. “Mum was pretty normal but dad was a bit of a demon which makes me special, not unique mind, but special. Are you following me so far?”
“Your dad drank or hit you around, is that what you’re saying? You think you’re a tough little kid who’s going to get out of this situation?”
“No, pay more attention. I think my father was a demon which means I share your secret side of having individual tastes that aren’t approved of by society. You go for paedophilia and I go in for extreme sadism. We each have our little character quirks.”
“Are you on medication?” Ashley’s forehead broke out in a sweat. “What kind of fantasy books do you read?”
“Trust me, this is very real and I want you to remember that you invited me in. Are you ready to begin?”
Neph opened his arms and Ashley watched in horror as the boy appeared to expand. His fingers became claws and muscles stood out of his previously scrawny frame. The light grew darker and a shadow spread across the room, plunging Ashley into darkness. He tried to move back towards the door but terror had frozen his legs to the floor. He opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a pathetic whimper.
“So Ashley,” Neph’s voice was deep with undertones of strength and debauchery; the slow clip-clop of hooves on the stone floor came closer. “Come play with me now…”
Twist and Scream - Volume 5 (Horror Short Stories) Page 4
