The Hive

by Stephen Jarrett

  Naked, Julia and Melissa fell to the floor. It was as if the puppeteer that was controlling them, making them stand straight and tall, had suddenly let go.

  Julia looked down at her small hands and wiggled her fingers. They were so small and delicate. She grabbed Melissa by her slim shoulders and stared at a face that she had only recently seen in old photo albums.

  “Melissa, we have to go. Now!” For a second she paused, aware of how young her voice sounded.

  Pulling Melissa’s hand, Julia attempted to run but then tripped and fell over, scraping her bare arms against the gravel floor. Her legs felt weird, as if they were the wrong size and shape that she was used to.

  “I can’t stop crying,” Melissa said between large sobs.

  Julia attempted to stand but her legs shook and she fell back on her butt. She looked over and saw Lillian Fox slowly standing, shaking her head.

  “We have to get away, Melissa. Can you crawl. I think I can crawl.”

  Melissa took a deep breath and swallowed back tears. “I can try.”

  “Follow me.”

  Julia crawled as the gravel poked and pricked her palms and knees. Melissa followed and together they disappeared into the darkness of the closest tunnel.

  A hybrid stepped towards Lillian Fox. Its smooth black head split into two, revealing jagged teeth and a thick black tongue. It roared, forcing Lillian Fox to take a step back. She glared back at the hybrid. Its mouth resealed, forming once more a smooth black head. It turned and stood back with the others.

  Lillian Fox looked up at the crumbling ceiling. The explosion was unexpected, it had made her lose control. Was it Keel? Or that creature that attacked her on the street? She could sense something old and ancient lurking inside that creature, wanting to hurt her.

  Closing her eyes, she reconnected the paths in her mind. The hybrids were once more hers, the residents were still possessed, the shrouds had resumed their feeding and the twins, the twins! Lillian opened her eyes and scanned the room. Where were the twins? She flicked her tongue in and out of her mouth tasting the air. They were alive, she could feel that. Calling forth two hybrids, Lillian Fox imbedded the image of the twins into their minds.

  The hybrids pushed past Lillian and walked off into the darkness in pursuit of the girls. It concerned her that she had so easily lost control of the hybrids. Even now, the way they pushed past her, daring to touch her flesh, showed insubordination. She made a mental note of the two hybrids and planned to kill them when they returned. It would be a sign to the others, that whether she was in control of them or not, they would obey her and her brother.

  No. Not her brother.

  Was it a good idea to bring Somerset Mills to her hive? For him to leech off everything she had built. Somerset Mills was a powerful angel, not as powerful as her but strong enough. Why did she feel the need to bring him here? She knew the answer. It was to show him that she had created something that no other angel had achieved in thousands of years, that she was the greatest angel that ever lived. She wanted him to see that. She wanted them all to see that. She smiled to herself. Once he had regained his strength and saw how powerful she had become, she would command the hybrids to tear him apart. The look on his face would be delectable. But first he needed to regain his strength as there would be no joy in destroying such a weak form. She knew she was playing a dangerous game but it was games like this that alleviate the boredom of immortality. Once his form was destroyed, she would send his life-force back to limbo. Maybe she would allow him back to her hive in a hundred years or so. Maybe.

  Lillian Fox walked towards the train carriage, her white gown dragging behind her, kicking up gravel and dust around her bare feet. The hybrids standing before the carriage moved to the side, allowing her to enter. Inside the carriage, her brother’s naked, weak form was laying across two metallic seats. The bodies of six residents were dead on the floor, drained of energy. Lillian Fox saw that their shrouds were also dead, shriveled and decayed.

  “You drank too hard and too fast. You killed the shrouds.”

  Somerset Mills opened his eyes, they still looked dull and weak, “They are just shrouds. We can create more.”

  “In this town, there are a limited supply of humans. You have to drink slowly, enjoy their energy and their sorrow, allow them to recuperate and then drink more.”

  Somerset Mills closed his eyes and shivered, “I am sorry my sister. I was too eager.”

  Lillian Fox sat on the edge of the seat and stroked the blonde hair on her brother’s face, it was thicker and his body, though still gaunt, looked stronger.”

  “If you brought me the twins, I could regenerate quicker. I could feel their power. We could have one each. Do you not want to share your playthings?”

  How I hate you, thought Lillian Fox. Maybe right now I should grab your tongue and pull it hard, tearing it from your weak jaw. “In time brother. In time.”

  “Why did the room shake?”

  “It was an explosion. There are things in the tunnel that want to hunt us.”

  Somerset Mills lifted up his hand and twirled his fingers. Six of the metal seats in the carriage broke free from their brackets and lifted in the air. Eyes still shut, he continued to twist his fingers as the metal chairs collapsed and turned, their metal stretching and compressing until six shiny metal spheres the size of bowling balls floated in the air. Somerset Mills clicked his fingers and thick blades protruded from their smooth, metal surfaces.

  Lillian Fox stood up, “You are stronger than you look. You seek to deceive me.”

  “Creating nemesis spheres was always my specialty. But it has weakened me considerable. Command them for me sister, let me help you destroy these intruders seeking to hurt us. The angel’s breathing became shallow and his golden skin dulled.

  Lillian Fox, placed her hand on his forehead. He was resting, or so he looked. You are still not one to be trusted, she thought.

  “Destroy the intruders in the tunnels,” she commanded the spheres.

  One by one, the nemesis spheres sped from the carriage and entered the antechamber, whereupon they split up, two spheres speeding down each of the three tunnels. As they flew, their blades started to spin, casting out a loud high-pitched squeal.

  TEN.

  Julia’s eyes were finally becoming accustomed to the dark. She sat with her naked back against the cold tiled tunnel and picked gravel from her palms and knees. She couldn’t see the full red rawness of the skin but she could feel it.

  Melissa stared at her, “Have you noticed we don’t need glasses?”

  It was true. She remembered when they were fifteen, that they both got their first pair of glasses. Julia choose red and Melissa choose black. Teachers were relieved, as it was a much easier way to tell the twins apart as they had the same prescription, though they would often swap glasses to fool their friends.

  Julia looked down at her skinny naked body, “We’ll have to go through puberty again.”

  “Ugh. Is any of this even real?” asked Melissa staring at Julia’s face like a mirror.

  Julia smiled, “I hope not. I really do.”

  A high-pitched squeal echoed from the tunnel.

  “Did you hear that?” Melissa said, shivering.

  Julia nodded and once more tried to stand. Her muscles were strong, just her balance seemed off. Holding onto the wall, she took a step forward and then another.

  Melissa clapped hard. “Sorry. Not sure why I did that,” she whispered.

  Julia held out her hand to Melissa and she too stood upright.

  “We just need to think small steps,” she said.

  Melissa copied her sister and together, while holding onto the wall, they moved further down the corridor. Little stones stabbing the soft soles of their feet.

  The high-pitched squeal returned, this time closer.

  Julia pushed her sister back against the wall as a large metal sphere sped past them.

  “What was that?”

  Melissa tug
ged her sister’s hand and pointed behind her. Another sphere was floating quietly by Melissa’s head, it’s four large blades retracted and silently turning.

  The sphere moved over to Julia’s legs, extended its blades and slowly moved up towards her neck, gently scratching her skin. Julia placed a hand over her mouth and tried not to scream.

  The sphere floated backwards, spun its blades once more to the high-pitched squeal and sped down the corridor away from the twins.

  “What was that?” Melissa asked, holding onto her sister.

  “I don’t know but it wasn’t looking for us.” Julia held her sister’s hand and together they moved down the tunnel, taking small but steady steps. The metal spheres weren’t looking for them but she knew, soon, something would be.

  ELEVEN.

  As Canopus spoke, Keel stared at the condensation of his breath; visible puffs of air attached to his words.

  “Are you even listening to me?” he asked.

  Keel pointed at her breath as she spoke, “Something is drawing the heat from our bodies, making it cold.”

  Canopus held his blade tight and looked around, “A flicker?”

  “Highly likely. See that?” Keel pointed to the sodium lamps, they were starting to dull.

  “Something is coming, very soon.”

  “What do we do?” said Drexel. He hated ghosts and flickers were the worst. Trapped angry spirits that wanted to lash out and hurt whoever they came across.

  “I remember the first time I came across a flicker. I was with your father and Canopus. You remember Chatterton?” Drexel asked.

  “I remember,” replied Canopus.

  “I’ve never seen that case in Father’s Grimoire,” said Keel.

  “It’s because it couldn’t be written down. Just reading the name would cause the spirit to haunt you.”

  “You could say it though, say it as much as you wanted. But when you read his name from a page, Chatterton would attach itself to you. Scared the crap out of me.”

  Keel pushed back an old desk that was blocking the tunnel, yellow stained papers fell to the floor. “Why when written down?”

  Canopus continued, “Chatterton was a farmer from the mid 18th century. One night he killed his wife, his mother and their three children with an axe. He then used a quill and wrote his name eighty-seven times in the family bible, using his family’s blood. Finally, he carved away at his own neck with the same axe. In the nineties, a new house was built on the land. A family moved in and one of their sons was digging in the backyard and found the bible. The child opened the book and read out the name. Chatterton appeared and haunted the family for about a year. He considered the family trespassers on his property. He would appear on the stairs and when looked at, would disappear into the shadows. At night, they could hear an axe, hitting wood. He eventually killed the son but your father, myself and Drexel saved the rest of the family.”

  “So, the flicker was destroyed?”

  Canopus nodded. “He won’t be back.”

  Hoping to find something made of iron or silver, Drexel pulled open the drawer from the desk that Keel moved, the papers inside shot upwards and stuck to the tunnel ceiling.

  “It’s coming!” shouted Drexel.

  Keel held up her machete and pressed her back against Canopus, “You see anything?”

  Canopus scanned the room, “Nothing. Wait. Drexel, slowly come towards Keel and me, don’t look behind you.

  Drexel stood still. Even though it was freezing around him, sweat appeared on his forehead. He really wanted to look behind him. “What is it?”

  “Don’t worry about that. Just take a step forward.”

  Keel stepped from behind Canopus and looked past Drexel. Her eyes widened and she took a step back, slicing her palm with her machete. Blood dripped from her closed fist to the floor.

  “Why is she looking like that? What is it? Did it just scare Keel? C’mon now, what is it?” asked Drexel. He had to look behind. He had to see what it was.

  Drexel started to turn his head but Canopus called him back, “You can look but come here first and come here fast. It’s getting closer to you.”

  Drexel felt something tugging the back of his jacket. Cursing, he tried to take a step forward but was pulled backwards at least four feet. He grabbed onto the desk but that too was pulled along with him. “It’s frigging strong.”

  Drexel turned his head and saw long bony fingers grabbing his jacket. He followed the fingers to a long thin arm attached to a bony emaciated body that snaked up to the tunnel’s roof. At the end of the body was a gaunt angular face of a man. Its eyes were hollow and long wispy translucent hair fell to its skinny shoulders. The man’s lips were blue and wide. The flicker must have been close to fifteen feet tall. The other hand was clenched into a fist.

  The flicker turned its head towards Drexel and said in a slow drawl, “They are crawling all over my face, eating my face.”

  Drexel tried to pull his jacket from the flicker’s grip but it was too strong. Before Canopus and Keel could warn him, Drexel grabbed the flicker’s hand. He screamed as his fingers turned red and blistered.

  “No touchy,” drawled the flicker, face bending down closer to Drexel’s

  Panicking, Drexel removed his hand. His fingers were hard and frozen. The flicker pulled Drexel closer and squeezed Drexel’s frozen fingers, crumbling flesh into into red cubes.

  Keel leapt over the desk and swung her machete, which sliced through the flicker’s left leg. The flicker screamed and disappeared, reappearing behind Canopus and shoving him face down to the floor.

  “Are you a dreamer?” screamed the flicker, it’s voice speeding up as it kneeled onto Canopus’ back.

  “Nobody teaches it, so nobody knows it exists,” it sang, its voice even faster.

  Canopus started to choke, he couldn’t breathe. The flicker’s force was so heavy it was pushing the air out of his body.

  Drexel sat on the floor, staring at the three red raw circles where his fingers used to be.

  Keel ran back towards the flicker, machete high above her head. The flicker swung a long limb towards her but she ducked and the arm soared past her head.

  Keel jabbed the machete into the flicker’s armpit. For a second it flashed and then once more disappeared. This time appearing behind Drexel. It grabbed Drexel’s shoulders and lifted him in the air

  “Mamma’s got cramps and look at your hand it aches. Ain’t you proud you still got faces,” the flicker said, in its slow drawl.

  Drexel kicked his feet, trying to hit the flicker’s legs. “Go! Leave me, I’m done for,” he shouted to Canopus and Keel.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” shouted Keel as she lifted Canopus up from the floor. “I’ve got this.”

  “What-yer-got little girl? A sock on the jaw?” The flicker laughed. It sounded like a donkey.

  It dropped Drexel to the floor and stepped towards Keel, its body was hunched, its arms extended high above its head, slapping the tunnel roof. “You’re a little tramp. Daddy teach you a lesson.”

  Keel and Canopus stepped back. Blood continued to drop from Keel’s closed fist to the floor

  “The gloves are off. The wisdom teeth are out,” said the flicker, its voice once more speeding up. It stepped forward and then froze, as if time had stopped.

  On the floor, the sigil surrounding the flicker and painted in Keel’s dripping blood, glowed softly with blue light. Keel held her bloody palm in the air as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a bandage, which she then wrapped tightly around the wound.

  Canopus and Keel maneuvered past the frozen flicker, carefully trying not touch it and disturb the spell.

  Drexel smiled, “Clever girl.”

  Keel smiled. “Just a basic binding sigil. Works well on flickers. It actually takes a second and stretches it to infinity.”

  Drexel held up his hand with the three missing fingers, he wiggled his pinky and thumb. “Hang loose.” He smiled weakly.

  Keel pee
red closely at the hand, “I can’t fix your hand. Also, as it’s been cursed it will take a long time to heal.”

  “Dammit. It’s my shooting hand too, I’m shit with my left. If you remove the curse can you regrow the fingers? With magic?” asked Drexel.

  Keel shook her head. There are some witches that can reattach body parts but yours froze and broke. I’m not very good at removing curses either. Nothing we can do right now.”

  Canopus lifted Drexel up from the floor. “Sorry buddy.”

  “Forget about it. I’m getting old and sloppy. Knew I may lose some limbs here and there with the diabetes. Didn't think it would be from a frigging ghost.”

  “Flicker,” corrected Keel. She couldn't help herself.

  He gestured to the flicker, still frozen in the sigil, “We going to leave it like that? What if the sigil breaks or wears away.”

  “Unless we find the flicker’s bones and burn them we can’t exorcise it. We’ll have to leave it like this for now,” replied Keel. “Let’s just remember where it is, in case we have to run back through here while being chased by an angel and her hordes of hybrids.”

  Drexel pulled out his magnum and held it in his left hand. “Feels odd but I was never into precision. That’s why I have a magnum. If I just point and shoot, I’m going to hit something.”

  Drexel walked past the flicker and held up his damaged hand, “I can’t even give this fucker the finger,” he grumbled.

  Keel tilted her head, “Stop moving.”

  Drexel and Canopus stood still.

  “You don’t hear that?”

  “What?” whispered Canopus.

  “Something like a whistle but higher.”

  “Another flicker?” asked Drexel.

  “I don’t think so -” Keel stopped mid-sentence and quickly drew her handgun.

  At the end of tunnel, two large metallic balls were gently hovering with large spinning blades.

  TWELVE.

  “Be careful with those now,” Hall said, tapping Skyclade’s hands. “I only offer a thirty day, money back guarantee.”

  Skyclade ignored Hall and walked down the corridor stopping outside what looked like a large heavy wooden door but with no obvious handles. Skyclade pushed at the wood, it didn't open. Stepping back, it examined the door. It looked old and heavy with big rivets around the edges. To the right were five deep holes carved into the rock wall. Skyclade reached out to place a hand into the top hole but Hall grabbed his wrist.