Tanners Dell: Darkly Disturbing Occult Horror

by Sarah England

  Jes grinned. “Never better. I heard Paul Dean had his balls accidentally detached from his scrotum during the fight.”

  Toby stared after him, as the man then turned and vanished into the night with a jaunty wave, the dark outline of his retreating figure stark against the now fast falling snow.

  ***

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Doncaster Royal Infirmary

  New Year’s Day

  WHERE ARE YOU?

  ON MY WAY. DRIVING!

  CALLUM’S TALKING!!!

  THERE IN TEN

  DID U GET THEM???

  YES

  SERIOUS?

  YES

  I’M DYING HERE – TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED

  JUST PARKING UP

  In the end it was almost midday by the time Toby burst onto the ward, ashen faced and splattered in mud from his hiking boots upwards.

  “Sorry, it’s chaotic – every room at the station is full of chief police officers, lawyers, the press…” He sank onto a chair unable to keep the grin off his face. “We fucking did it, Becky!”

  “Nice work,” said a familiar voice.

  Toby glanced over at Callum. Although he still had an oxygen mask in situ and was struggling to breathe, his eyes were open and he could talk. “Well it was good of you to turn up, DI Ross. Better late than never, eh?”

  Callum groaned as he tried to sit up more. “Ouch! Ouch! Oooh… Ha, bloody ha. Tell you t' truth, Toby, I can’t remember a thing. I were just telling Becky the last memory I’ve got is running like hell down a track through the woods with a pile of blokes after me. That’s it.”

  “It’s just fantastic to have you back, mate, it really is.”

  “Got the kids coming this afternoon, as well. They had a bit of a skid on black ice the other day, but they’re on t' train now so…”

  “Ah, that’s brilliant news.”

  Callum tried to smile but winced, his facial tissue still bruised and swollen.

  “Toby, no offence but I can’t believe you pulled this off,” Becky said. “Everything feels better too - look at the light coming through the windows!”

  Stardust was dancing in the air, sparkling in the January sun.

  She turned to him, alive with excitement. “I’m dying to know what happened, but first, I want to tell you that Noel is going to be okay. He still has a lot of numbness in his legs but they say it’s a temporary paralysis and he’ll make a full recovery, thank God. And Kristy’s been moved to a normal ward. Apparently her ex-husband is there now, so…you know, it’s odd isn’t it? I mean extremely odd…” She shook her head. “But it really is like a spell of darkness has been lifted. The last few weeks have all been in a kind of half-light – I’ve been plagued with fear and worry, constantly watching my back and expecting the worst to happen to the people I love and care about.”

  Toby sat forwards with his elbows on his knees, enjoying watching Callum breathe. “Never in a million years would I have believed in all this dark magic stuff. Never. But it touched me last night and I’ve never been so shit-scared in all my life, Becky. By comparison, what we did a few hours ago rounding up a nasty bunch of sadistic paedophiles was easy.”

  “What happened?”

  “And I’m sorry I didn’t take you seriously when you told me what to do to protect myself. All that white light stuff? I locked me sen in t' bathroom for two flaming hours this morning.”

  “Why?”

  He told her and she blanched.

  “Anyhow, it worked so…”

  “It certainly puts a new dimension on life when it happens to you, doesn’t it?” Becky said, patting his shoulder. “Either that or we just go mad.”

  He nodded. “God, I’m shattered. I still couldn’t sleep though. I’m not sure I’ll ever sleep again.”

  “You will. Now for the love of God would you please tell us what happened. Oh…” She waved to Anna. “Anna, can I bring some coffees in please – would that be okay? Only this police officer’s been up all night – he’s done an amazing job - it’s going to be in the news today.”

  Anna’s face twitched very slightly. “Okay. But I bring them to you.”

  “Wow,” said Callum when she was out of earshot. “You’ve really charmed her.”

  Becky smiled. “Let’s just say we have an understanding. Now spill, Toby, or I will be forced to slap your legs. Very hard!”

  He spilled.

  “Ernest Scutts!” said Callum, taking off his mask for a minute. “Flaming Nora! I’d heard stuff about him being a nasty bastard – couple of blokes disappearing off the Force – that sort of thing – but paedophilia and Satanism?”

  “And the rest,” said Toby, elaborating further on the torture chambers and graves.

  “Who else was there in the coven?” Becky asked.

  “The ones you’d expect – Paul, Derek and Rick Dean; the GP – Crispin Morrow; Kathleen Dean; Reverend Gordon. On top of that there are those whose names you won’t know yet but they’re currently under arrest – let’s just say one is a highly prominent lawyer specialising in child abuse; another is a private school teacher for kids with special needs; there’s a couple who’ve worked in a children’s home for over thirty years; several members of the police service both locally and from further afield, and most shockingly of all… well it was to me – a senior paediatrician. ”

  When Anna came back with a tray of coffees all three were sitting in stunned silence.

  “Thanks, Anna,” Becky said, handing Toby his. “That’s really kind of you.”

  Anna lingered. “Is everything okay? I just heard the radio.”

  “Do you know, Anna, I don’t think anything will be okay again, really, but at least the rot’s stopped. Well, that is… Oh my God, I’ve just had a thought.”

  Toby had his cup half way to his lips. “What?”

  “Well in the line-up of arrests you didn’t mention Ida.”

  Toby flicked an apologetic glance at Anna and she took her cue. “Shout me if you need anything. You want a private room? Side ward?”

  “God, no!” Callum nearly choked. “I had bloody terrible nightmares in there… dead people coming out of the walls and stuff. I couldn’t shout or move or anything. It were 'horrible. No, they’re haunted, they are. Please don’t make me.”

  Anna grinned. “I think that is the drugs talking, Callum.”

  “If only…” Becky muttered under her breath as she walked away.

  “There were only one woman there and that were Kathleen Dean,” Toby continued. “She had these strange, pale eyes like glass – late forties but looked older, haggard like. There definitely weren’t anyone fitting Ida Dean’s description, though.”

  Becky frowned. “She’s the one who does the curses. She would have been there…the question is, did she escape, do you think? And if so how and where is she now?”

  Toby looked blank. “I’ll get a search out for her. But I’m telling you we had that place surrounded and there were a team up at the mine and combing the moors; plus more over at the abbey. When we got them the entire area was floodlit and—”

  “But those tunnels could come out at a mine shaft. She could’ve got out that way like Callum did?”

  Toby shook his head. “I’m not saying there isn’t another exit but me and me mate raided their parade when they were in full throttle and we got everyone there. Well…maybe she ran or flew or summat…”

  “What – turned into a bat?” Becky laughed. “Shit – she probably did as well!”

  “Well, we’ll not catch her if she’s done that. If she’s a normal human though, we will because there are hundreds of officers up there now combing the place. The old mine, the moors, the tunnel exits, and knocking on every door.”

  “The child that was found - was it Alice?”

  “Ah, this is the bit that’s difficult.”

  “What do you mean? Surely she wasn’t the sacrifice? That’s not what I understood was going to happen to her?”

  “N
o, it were a puppy they were gonna stab to death, poor thing. Oh God…” He covered his face with both hands for a minute. Eventually he looked up, unable to hide the smudges of tears. “They probably couldn’t get a baby in time. I feel sick to me stomach at what those bastards ’aver been doing.”

  “Was Alice there? Please don’t tell me she’s disappeared with Ida.”

  “No, we got her. She’s safe.”

  “Where?”

  “She were in another room, like an ante-room or summat… Drugged up because she were just lying there with her eyes wide open and frozen… I can’t…” He looked away, wiping tears away with his sleeve.

  “No, okay.” She patted his shoulder. “She’s alive though?”

  “Yes. She’s got a child protection officer with her and she’s in hospital.”

  “Badly traumatised like her mum, I suppose. Hopefully one day she’ll be able to give evidence though…”

  “I doubt it, Becky. This is what I meant about the difficult bit.”

  “Why? What do you mean?”

  “They cut her tongue out.”

  ***

  Epilogue

  Drummersgate

  August 2015: 1.11 am

  It’s a really hot and sticky night. Not a single balmy breeze, and here we are lying sweating on the bed with no need for sheets.

  There’s a slight weight on the bed as if someone has just sat next to us and after a while I see her; kind of like a ball of haze.

  “Lighter in the spirit than in the flesh,” she giggles.

  Her voice sounds like she’s talking from the bottom of a pond and it takes a bit of tuning into, like fiddling with a radio for a signal. Eventually I hear her better. I’ve learned not to try too hard – just to get an impression – and we talk in our minds.

  “Celeste?”

  A warm glow inside tells me I’m right.

  “I’m going to be your spirit guide,” she says.

  “I didn’t know I had one.”

  “Everyone has one, maybe more than one. But they know you won’t be allowed to find help so I’ve been given the job and we’ll work like this. I’m delighted.”

  “There’s so much I want to ask.”

  “And so much I want to tell you, child. But first there is a message. It’s for Becky…can you get this to her …?”

  Celeste’s voice fades out and then shouts, fades and then shouts…I have to practice this better…

  “Do you want me to take over now, Ruby?”

  “No, Eve. I’m doing this.”

  “But I want to talk to Celeste. I want to ask her loads.”

  “No. I am the host and you will stay there.”

  “Celeste, are you there? I need to know how Alice is. They say she’s being looked after but will I see her? When will they let me see her?”

  There is a lull and then the hazy shape grows and radiates more strongly. “Yes she is getting well. You will see her… have to use your energy… you have to develop it… There is a message for Becky…”

  “What is it?”

  “That’s better. It’s difficult…finally got through to you… I’ve been around but your energy has been draining away in here. It makes you vulnerable…”

  Again her voice fades.

  And then suddenly it’s back with a yell. “I am being told to tell you this. Becky…paint her new house in white and yellow and all the colours of summer. White and light everywhere… Lilith sees her.”

  “I don’t understand. “

  “Tell her to find out about Lilith – the demon, Lilith. Becky is with child, dear.”

  THE END

  Acknowledgements

  The author of this book would like to add that a considerable amount of research was undertaken in order to broaden her knowledge of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), which affects many people, and in 90% of cases can be attributed to child abuse. Thank you to those who helped with this research.

  If you enjoyed reading ‘Tanners Dell’- please would you leave a review? Thank you!

  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015NCZYKU

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015NCZYKU