“Lee!” Lena spoke, beating Luke to it.
She went to move for him, but Luke pulled her back.
“Not yet Lena. Be patient. We have to pick our time to fight this thing.”
Chatterton, or what remained of Chatterton’s human form, had now turned to face Lena and Luke. In the time it had taken him to reach the chamber it appeared that Chatterton had undergone a rapid transformation. He was no longer the elderly Lord who Luke had first been introduced to. The creature who stood before him now was a terrible hybrid.
“I want you to get out,” Luke ordered.
“I’m not going anywhere Luke.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Slowly, Chatterton began to remove his hood. Lee, seizing his opportunity, raced for safety of the chamber’s shadows.
“Jesus,” Luke mumbled as Chatterton’s hood fell back. “He’s changed.”
The hood, not content to simply reveal its master’s head, now continued to fall free from the lizard’s neck and torso eventually landing in a heap across the chamber’s floor.
Instinctively, Luke and Lena stepped back towards the door. They might very well had run except for the animal’s piercing eyes which seemed to keep them both cemented to the chamber’s floor.
The reptilian stood his ground eyeing them both, daring them to make the first move. His body, standing well over seven foot in height, towered above the pentagon at its feet. Its legs, a dark brown in colour and built from pure muscle, flexed slightly as they began to prowl the pentagon’s perimeter. The animal even smiled at one point revealing a set of razor sharp teeth. There was nothing left of the creature’s physical appearance that could be associated with Chatterton. His lordship had vanished.
“So, what now?” Lena mumbled. She’d almost forgotten about her sword resting limply against her right leg.
“We need backup,” Luke replied, his eyes fixed on the reptilian’s giant claws. These claws, like the owner’s teeth, were as sharp as blades and probably twice as powerful as anything Luke and Lena had brought along that evening. They were, Luke knew, no match for this creature alone. If Chatterton was going to be slayed they needed the whole gang and quick.
“Luke?”
“I’m thinking.”
“Can you hurry it up?”
On cue, the giant reptilian took its first step striding clear of the pentagon, its thick, scaly tail licking at the chamber’s cobblestones from left to right in one continuous, unsettling motion.
“We have to get the others, Lena.”
“It’s too late for that. You know it.”
The animal knew it too. Lapping up their fear, Chatterton’s lizard began to stride towards them letting out a terrible guttural roar as he approached, his arms and claws raised to the heavens.
Lena was the first to strike the animal aiming the sword at one of its outstretched arms. Her blow connected first time taking a large chunk of flesh from the animal’s arm. The beast roared in unexpected agony and, surprised by her bravery, retreated. Seizing on this momentum, Luke now raced forward and, using all the strength he could muster, sunk his blade deep into the creature’s upper chest. Again, the animal roared in agony, lashing out at its new attacker and catching Luke firmly across the shoulder with a swipe from his extended claw. As the blow had connected, Luke was flung across the chamber landing heavily against the wall. Lena rushed towards him.
“Luke!”
“Get out!” Luke yelled still dazed from smashing into the wall and from the force of the earlier blow. He tried to climb to his feet but, his legs were having none of it. Behind Lena, he could see the reptilian approaching. He grabbed hold of Lena’s arm and looked straight into her eyes.
“Just go now. Please. Get the others.”
His hands, having grabbed at her shirt, had now torn a large section. Beneath the cloth, Lena’s soft, white skin suddenly revealed itself. More than this, Luke could now see a collection of tiny brown scales littering her wrist.
“Lena?”
Her eyes filled with tears. She tried to speak, but her words simply wouldn’t come out.
“Don’t ask.”
“Lena…”
Chatterton was nearly upon them both when, from outside the chamber’s walls, the sound of the jeep’s engine roared. A fraction of a second later, and the jeep, with Benny at the wheel, had smashed through the dilapidated right wall and into the chamber itself.
“Get down!” Luke screamed reaching out for Lena but missing her arm by an inch. He continued to grab at free air watching as the chamber was engulfed by dust and falling debris. He caught a glimpse of Chatterton, perhaps only a foot from where he’d collapsed, being sucked up into the giant cloud of dust and then, as the jeep had struck him, catapulted high into the air and against the far wall of the chamber. Lena had vanished momentarily within the same cloud. He could hear her coughing desperately trying to catch her breath. He could see the jeep too as the dust quickly settled. Benny’s arm was hanging limp from its open door. The jeep itself had imbedded itself into the far wall only inches from where Chatterton now lay. There was smoke pouring from its engine. Luke could see no sign of the child.
“Lena?”
No answer.
Luke tried to stand, but a terrible pain in his left leg sent him crashing back to the ground.
“Lena? Are you okay?” he yelled again.
He could see Benny’s arm twitching now. The smoke was billowing out into the chamber.
Luke was beginning to drag himself across the floor when the first strong scent of petrol struck him. The sudden smell choked him. He tried to cover his mouth from the stench, but it was of no use. He began to gag and almost passed out. Through the smoke and dust he then spotted Benny staggering from the jeep. He could see Lena too. She was still holding the sword and was standing over Chatterton preparing to raise the blade. Benny had spotted Luke now and had started moving towards him kicking out at all the fallen pieces of debris to clear his path. At this point the jeep’s engine exploded. The force of the explosion sent Benny flying through the air and careering into Luke. Both men landed in a heap next to the entrance door. Luke was the first to regain his senses. Benny was out cold but was still breathing.
“Benny? Can you hear me mate?”
Benny mumbled something and slowly began to open his eyes.
“Just stay where you are, mate. Don’t move. I’m going to get us out of here.”
Luke began to look across the chamber. The jeep was still engulfed in flames. Beyond its wreck he spotted Lee. The boy had managed to secrete himself into one of the chamber’s far alcoves. He was clutching an old rag and was trying in vain to blow the billowing smoke from his eyes. The chamber’s tapestries were already well alight. Parts of them had begun to fall away and land across the floor. It wouldn’t be long before the entire chamber was alight. Luke forced himself to stand using a long piece of broken wooden beam to help him stand. Lena had almost reached Chatterton by this point. Luke could see her just through the smoke inches away from her prey. Chatterton had been badly injured. The reptilian writhed about the chamber’s floor in agony, its claws flaying wildly at the air as if this would somehow stop the pain. Luke could see that its left arm had been torn off during the blast. He could see that the creature’s left leg had been sliced to the very bone. The animal continued to wail as Lena stumbled over to him, her sword now raised in preparation for the fatal blow. They stood beneath one of the chamber’s alcoves. Above them a series of wooden beams ran across the alcove’s roof. The beams were already well alight and looked as though they would collapse at any given second. Already parts of the beam were beginning to crumble and fall free, often missing Lena by inches.
“Lena!”
She turned slowly to face Luke. She then glanced over to where Lee sat huddled in the far alcove and then back to Luke.
“Get out of there! The roof’s about to collapse!” Luke yelled pushing himself across the chamber as best he could. His
legs fought him all the way preventing him from picking up any real pace.
“Lena!”
They locked eyes. She then shook her head slowly and waved her arm towards Lee. Luke glanced back towards her brother. The jeep’s flames had spread right across the chamber’s floor. They were licking now at the boy’s feet. He could see the terror clearly in the child’s face. He then turned back to find Lena chopping at Chatterton’s body. He could see the beams above were about to collapse. It was at that moment, as the beams began to break away, that Lee screamed out. Luke tore his eyes from Lena and found Lee once more. The flames were already at the boy’s feet.
“I’m coming mate. I’m coming,” Luke then whispered pushing himself forward. He reached the jeep and the flames and threw off his jacket. He took out the bottled water from the pocket and covered himself with its contents from head to toe.
“I’m coming mate,” he repeated, diving into the flames.
“Help me. Please help me,” the boy pleaded as Luke reached him.
“I’m here mate. I’m here.”
He scooped the boy up into his arms and held him tight into his chest. Lee then grabbed hold of Luke’s shirt. Together, they began to inch their way back through the flames, Luke using his hands as best he could to protect Lee from them. Benny was waiting for them on the other side. He looked dazed but free from any real injury.
“Take the boy,” Luke instructed, handing Lee over to Benny.
“Where are you going?”
“To get Lena of course.”
~ ~ ~
What remained of Chatterton remained motionless. Lena stood over him, her knife held firmly in her right hand. Parts of the roof had already collapsed, some of the pieces having smashed into Chatterton’s body. A large chunk of wooden beam having split away from the entire beam had sliced itself into Chatterton’s skull.
“Finish it,” he mumbled as a small pool of blood began to bubble from his mouth.
Lena placed the tip of her knife over Chatterton’s right eye.
“I decide when your time is up now. You don’t call the shots anymore.”
Somewhere behind her Lena could hear Luke calling out her name. She didn’t turn to respond knowing she had little time left. Her head was already streaming with blood where the ceiling had fallen and struck her. Her shoes, ankles and lower parts of her legs were already alight too. She didn’t feel the pain anymore. She was numb and had accepted her time was drawing to a close.
“What are you waiting for?” Chatterton goaded trying his best to sit upright. It was no use. The animal’s spine had already been crushed. Like Lena, he no longer felt any great pain. He’d accepted his fate too.
“This is for my childhood and for all the others,” Lena whispered, slowly pushing the blade through Chatterton’s eyeball. The reptilian squealed in agony but was unable to move his paralysed body. Only his head rocked violently from side to side as the blade sunk deeper and deeper. Indeed, the knife slipped easily through Chatterton’s eye socket, slowed very briefly as it met his skull, then jolted to a stop halfway between his brain and the back of his skull.
“Now it’s finished,” Lena muttered pulling the blade free. It was at that point, as she turned from Chatterton’s body, perhaps wanting one final glance at her brother and Luke, that the entire roof collapsed. Lena was killed instantly.
~ ~ ~
“Get out Benny. I mean it. Take the boy and get out.”
Luke turned from his friend. He was about to head for the alcove when he felt Benny’s heavy hand around his waist.
“Let me go Benny!”
“She’s gone Luke. I can’t let you do this.”
Luke brushed Benny’s hand free. He would have planted a punch to his friend’s face, but he was so weak he’d been barely able to knock his hand away.
“Luke,”
“Leave me be,” Luke continued, beginning to drag his weary frame once again towards the alcove. This time Benny did what he knew he had to. Luke felt a hard thud to his temple. Instinctively, Luke had spun around in time to watch Benny’s fist flying towards his face for the second time. Exhausted and stunned by the previous blow, Luke had had no time to react. A second later, he was out cold across the chamber’s floor. Still holding Lee in his arms, Benny used his free hand to drag Luke from the house. Moments later, the entire wing had collapsed.
~ ~ ~
Luke had woken with Lee clinging to his arm. For a moment, he thought the boy was Elliot. Lee had the same light-brown hair and the same dimples when he smiled. They were lying in the estate’s tall grass half way up the hill which overlooked the Chatterton House. Benny was asleep a few feet from where both of them lay. Luke had been the first to sit himself upright, having been careful not to wake Lee who had fallen into deep sleep.
Chatterton House had been engulfed by flames. Luke could see the fire raging from each one of its windows and, every so often, being unable to withstand the inferno’s building heat, parts of its masonry would crumble away to be lost forever.
“When is Mum coming to collect me?”
Lee was looking up into Luke’s eyes now, his own face smeared in black ash. Luke licked the tips of his fingers and tried to clean the boy’s face as best he could. It was a thankless task and he soon gave up.
“Is Lena with her too? Is my sister coming to collect me with her?”
Luke held Lee close to his chest. Benny had already begun to stir. Soon, they would have to leave. Below them, the bodies of Andrew and his father could be seen sprawled across the fields not far from the Chatterton House. Andre had been the only one to survive their assault. Even now, as Luke cradled Lee, the giant Russian could be seen strolling through the fields picking off Chatterton’s wounded animals one by one, often with his sword, at times with his pistol.
“We have to go soon, Luke,” Benny spoke, having recovered enough from his earlier exertions to crawl over to his friend. “We need to leave this place now.”
Luke nodded clutching Lee even tighter to his chest. He was looking at what remained of the Chatterton House. Somewhere buried deep beneath its smoking rubble would be Lena and her mother. He wondered now if, after his moment of death, Spencer would have morphed back into his human form. The though lingered long after he’d managed to turn his eyes from the Chatterton House.
“Luke?”
Luke turned to face Benny and smiled. Andre, having finished his cull, was approaching them now slowly and carefully climbing the hill. He was still clutching his sword, its handle and blade now covered both in blood and bits of flesh. He didn’t acknowledge Luke or Benny as he reached the summit of the hill. Instead, he continued to walk in silence back towards the trees and didn’t stop walking until he’d vanished completely into their bowls.
Luke and Benny turned one final time to face what remained of the Chatterton House and its grounds. They watched in silence as the smoke continued to billow high above the fallen bodies and the fields which cradled them. Luke placed his hand gently against Lee’s head, the boy having begun to cry. This time, he swore, he’d make sure the chid would be safe.
THE END
The Devil's Blue Eyes Page 27
