by Amy Cross
Copyright 2020 Amy Cross
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, entities and places are either products of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual people, businesses, entities or events is entirely coincidental.
Kindle edition
First published: March 2020
Annie Mackenzie is just an ordinary girl, or at least that's what she thinks. On her way home from a party late one night, she realizes she's being followed by a mysterious figure. By the time the night is over, Annie's life seems to have been changed forever. Or has a long-buried secret simply caught up with her?
At the edge of Middlewych, a secret testing facility hides a series of shocking experiments. For centuries, humanity has been fascinated by tales of vampires, werewolves and witches. Now one scientist believes he has found a way to reverse-engineer these creatures, creating an army of nightmares. Some of these experiments, however, are none too pleased by their treatment. And one of them in particular has a plan for revenge.
The Middlewych Experiment is a horror story about mankind's darkest fears, and about a girl who discovers that her entire life is a lie.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Epilogue
The Middlewych Experiment
(Chaos Gear Annie book 1)
Chapter One
If this is how I die, it's ridiculous.
As I perch in the tiny bathroom window and look down at the ground below, I find myself reconsidering my options. I can still hear the party raging in the rest of the house, with loud music thudding so hard that the window's frame is shuddering. The last thing I want is to go back in there and spend even more hours pretending not to be bored, but I'm not allowed to drink because of my medication. Plus, it's not much fun being the only sober one in the middle of loads of drunk friends. I've tried leaving the party the conventional way, through the front door, but Carrie or someone else always drags me back inside, which is why I've resorted to climbing out of the bathroom window.
The drop isn't that big.
Ten feet, maybe?
I can do this.
“I can do this,” I say out loud, but my hands are still clinging to the frame. “I can do this. I will do this.”
I take a deep breath.
I try to steady my nerves.
“I can do this,” I say again, hoping that I'll get a little extra bravery from somewhere. “I will do this.”
I swallow hard.
“You can do this,” a voice says.
Startled, I let out a gasp as I turn and see a girl sitting on the toilet with her pants around her ankles. I vaguely remember seeing her earlier at the party, but I don't know her. I guess with all the noise, I didn't hear her coming into the bathroom behind me. I knew I should have locked the door, but I didn't want to leave it locked for the rest of the night in case someone else needed to come in here. Damn me for being so considerate.
“How long have you been there?” I stammer.
“A couple of minutes. Are you going out or not? It's just, it's getting pretty cold in here.”
“Have you...” I pause. “I mean, are you...”
“Not yet,” she replies. “I'm kinda bustin', though, so if you could make up your mind, that'd be grand.”
***
Limping along the path that leads past the edge of the forest and down toward the road, I wince a little at the pain in my ankle and I find that I can't help muttering a few obscenities under my breath.
“I hope you enjoyed your pee,” I say through gritted teeth. “I hope it was worth me hopping out the window and damn near breaking my foot.”
That's not fair, though, and I know it. I was going to jump anyway, and the girl on the toilet only gave me a little extra encouragement. Without her, I'd still have jumped, and I'd still be limping along like this at – I check my watch – 3am on my way home from a party that I didn't even want to go to in the first place. At least the girl was nice; she even complimented me on my shoes, which admittedly are ruined now after the right heel broke when I landed in that bush. She also asked me about Grandma's silver necklace, which was considerate, although I wasn't really in the mood to tell her the whole story. Note to self: next time you don't want to go to a party, don't go to the party.
Sighing, I reach the crossing and prepare to step out over the road, but then I stop as I realize that I'm not alone. This might seem crazy, but I'm absolutely certain that somebody is watching me, and I slowly turn to look back the way I just came.
Nothing.
No-one.
Just an empty street, bathed in the yellowish light from a couple of street lamps.
Huh.
That sensation of being watched is still very strong, and I can't help looking the other way, up toward the line of trees that mark the start of the forest. I have a can of mace spray in my bag, of course, but until this moment I never seriously considered the possibility that I'd actually need it one day. Still, I'm tired and pissed off and I quickly tell myself that of course there's nobody watching me. I look around one more time, and then I cross the road and set off once again on my way home. If I keep up a good pace, I'll be safe and sound in my room in thirty minutes' time.
I should never have come out tonight.
Why do I always let Carrie persuade me? It's like I have no will of my own, it's like I can just be talked into doing anything. It's like -
“What?”
Suddenly I turn and look back again, and I reach up and touch the back of my neck. This time, the sensation of being watched was stronger than ever, it was almost a physical itch on my skin. I look all around, half expecting to see a pair of eyes staring at me from the shadows somewhere, but there's really no sign of anyone. My heart is racing a little and I'm feeling all out of sorts, but I quickly tell myself that I need to pull myself together and just focus on getting home.
This is Middlewych.
Middlewych's boring.
Nothing ever happens in Middlewych.
Cautiously, still a little on edge, I turn and start walking again. The streetlight ahead is flickering, going off for a few seconds and then back on in some kind of pattern. My right ankle's really hurting now, and I'm worried I'll need to get it checked out in the morning, but I can figure that all out when the time comes. Right now, I'm cold and tired and in pain and I just wa
nt to get home to my nice warm bed. I've got work tomorrow afternoon until late, but I can at least sleep in until midday, and I swear my bed is calling me through the empty late-night streets, asking me why I ever went out when I could – right now – be several hours into a good long sleep. Man, I can be an idiot sometimes. I need to learn to -
Thud!
Something slams into me from the side, knocking me off my feet and sending me crashing down against the grass verge at the edge of the sidewalk. Startled, I try to sit up, only for something to press down on me in the darkness, pushing me against the cold ground. I see a figure leaning over me, dark and silhouetted against the streetlights, and then a hot hand clamps tight over my mouth to stop me screaming.
I frantically try to reach into my bag and pull out the mace spray, and at the same time I try to twist my legs around so I can kick this asshole in the crotch.
He lets out a breathless gasp and leans down toward my face. I grunt as I turn away, but in that moment my fumbling fingers slip against the side of the mace can, which rolls away down the verge. I try to reach out and grab it again, but it's gone, and the guy has me pinned down too firmly for me to push him away. I try to bite the palm of his hand, which is pressed against my mouth, but I don't quite manage, and then I realize that I'm going to have to use brute force to get him off me.
Suddenly he bites the side of my neck, and I feel a sharp pain slicing through my skin and deep into my throat. I gasp as my body shudders, and in an instant I realize I can feel blood being drawn out from my jugular. I reach out with my hands to either side, scrambling to find something I can use as a weapon, but there's nothing. The pain in my neck is getting stronger and stronger, and at the same time I can feel myself getting weaker.
Finally, with the last of my strength, I reach up with my right hand and grab the guy's throat, and then I force his head back. He lets out a loud, angry snarl, and I'm just about to knee him in the stomach when suddenly the streetlamp above us flickers back on and I see the guy's face. His mouth is wide open, with blood smeared all around his bottom lips, and I'm frozen by shock as I see two sharp, needle-like teeth protruding from his gums. He looks like...
“A vampire?” I gasp, still not quite able to believe that this is really happening.
The streetlight flickers off again, shrouding us once more in darkness. I still have my hand on the guy's throat, but he's leaning down toward me again and I don't think I can hold him for much longer. I can hear his hungry, anguished breaths in the cold night air, as blood dribbles from the bite-mark on my neck. He's leaning closer and closer, and I'm straining with every sinew to hold him back, but I just don't think I can do this for more than a few seconds. With the guy's hand still pressed firmly against my mouth, I stare up at the silhouette that's moving inexorably toward my neck and I realize that I've tried everything.
My grip on his throat begins to loosen.
At that moment, the streetlight comes back to life. I briefly see the man's angry, twisted face and his razor fangs, but then a patch of extra light starts dancing across his features. He looks down at something on my chest, and then he shrieks as if he's in agony. He instantly pulls away, covering his face as he stumbles and falls, and I watch in horror as he tumbles down to the bottom of the verge.
Reaching up and touching the top of my chest, I feel Grandma's silver necklace, and I realize that the little metal cross must have caught the light and reflected in the vampire's eyes.
Stumbling to my feet, I turn and run, scrambling up the grass verge and rushing into the forest. I know it's crazy to go this way, but I'm too scared to go down onto the road where the vampire would be able to see me, so I figure my best chance to get away is to go into the forest for a short distance and then find my way out onto a different road. If I scream, the vampire might yet come after me again, so I try to stay as quiet as possible as I reach into the cold, damp darkness ahead.
Chapter Two
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn -”
My feet sink into another patch of mud, and I have to reach out and steady myself against the trees. Here in the pitch black heart of the forest, where the rain from a few days ago still hasn't dried up, I feel as if I'm lost. I must have been wading through the mud for at least half an hour now, and there's no sign of the vampire following me, but that's not much use if I'm completely lost. This forest stretches out a long way from the edge of town, and I'm not exactly an outdoorsy kind of person.
There's a faint glow of light in the distance, which looks like the first hint of sunrise, although I swear it's coming from the wrong direction. Either the sun has somehow managed to rise in the west, or I'm completely disorientated.
I pull my feet out of the mud, and a moment later I'm lucky enough to find a firmer patch of ground. There's juts enough moonlight for me to be able to see the trees all around now, although that doesn't really help in terms of figuring out which way to go. I look over my shoulder, then ahead again, then to the left, and to the right, and over my shoulder, as I desperately try to make a decision. For all I know, however, I might have been going round and round in circles for the past thirty minutes.
I really am lost.
“Please,” I whisper, “help me. Somebody help me.”
What am I doing? Am I praying? I don't even know anymore. I think I might be losing my mind.
Reaching up, I touch the side of my neck. The two little bite marks don't seem to be bleeding anymore, which is good, although I'm totally freaked out by what I saw back on the side of the road. I know vampires aren't real, so I guess that guy was just some kind of cosplayer who went a little too far, but the little incisions in my neck are certainly real and I swear I actually felt the guy sucking blood out of my body. I run a fingertip against the dried trail of blood that's caked down the side of my neck, and I start to realize that the guy actually might have killed me.
No.
No, I can't think about that right now. Right now, all that matters is that I get out of here, and then I can call the police and tell them what happened. They'll hunt that bastard down.
Picking my way between the trees, I realize that pure adrenaline must be keeping me going. My foot hurts and my neck hurts and I'm close to tears, but I refuse to let myself break down like some sad-sack loser. My name is Annie Mackenzie and I'm not the kind of person who gives up. I'm going to find my way out of this forest and then -
Suddenly I stop as I realize I heard a twig snapping nearby.
I listen, and sure enough I can hear something moving. Whatever it is, it's over to my right, but I don't see anything so far. My first thought is that the vampire guy must have somehow found me, but then a moment later I spot a silhouette stumbling between two of the trees and I realize that this other person looks to be hurt. Whoever he or she is, I guess it's possible that I'm not the only one who got attacked tonight, and I watch as the person stumbles again and bumps against one of the trees. He – or she – is almost doubled over, as if in extreme pain.
“Hey,” I stammer finally, figuring that I have a duty to help. “Are you hurt?”
The figure hesitates for a moment, before taking a couple of quick, stumbling steps toward me. Again, this ends in a trip and a fall, and the figure barely manages to steady itself against another tree. This time, I hear a faint creaking sound.
“Hey,” I say again, picking my way between the trees, “it's okay, I'm a friend. Do you need help? Are you -”
Before I can say another word, I stop as I realize that there's an absolutely horrific smell coming from this person. As part of my job, I sometimes have to clean rotten meat out of the containers behind the restaurant, and this smell now is like that but on steroids. I want to go over to the person and try to help them, but after a moment I have to put a hand to my mouth as I realize that I'm in danger of throwing up. I start gagging slightly, and if anything the foul stench just seems to be getting worse.
A moment later, the figure takes another step toward me before bumping against
a tree. The smell intensifies, and I realize I can hear a buzzing sound, as if there are quite a lot of flies in the air somewhere nearby.
“Uh, hey,” I say cautiously, still struggling to keep from vomiting, “do you know the way to the road? I can help you, but I think we really need to get out of here. Like, quickly.”
I wait, but there's no reply. The figure seems to be regathering its strength a little as it leans against the tree, and the buzzing sound is getting louder. Suddenly, with no warning, the figure takes another tottering step forward, then another, and I instinctively step back as the smell becomes overwhelming.
“It's okay,” I say, holding my hands up, “I'm only -”
He takes another step toward me, and finally I see him in the moonlight. He's rotten from head to toe, with discolored flesh still just about clinging to his bones. There are maggots crawling through what's left of his meat, and flies are buzzing all around him. He reaches out with his right hand, as if he's trying to grab me, and I see patches of bare bone all along his arm. For a moment, too shocked to know how to react, I watch as his bulging eyes fix on me, and then his bloodied mouth opens and he lets out a snarling, hungry growl. He looks almost like...
“A zombie?” I whisper, convinced that this has to be some kind of prank. “Are you kidding me, are you -”
He stumbles forward and tries to grab my arm. I pull away, but in the process my injured right foot sinks deep into a puddle of mud. I feel a sharp pain, enough to make me cry out, and then I try to turn. The pain intensifies, and I drop to my knees, and then I have to push through the agony as I pull my foot out of the mud. Getting to my feet, I suddenly fall forward, but I manage to steady myself by reaching out with both hands and grabbing the side of two trees. For a fraction of a second, I have to really focus on steadying myself, so that I don't fall back down.
The zombie snarls and lunges at me, coming from my right. I turn to run, but I'm too late and the stinking rotten mess slams against me and presses me against a tree. I feel flies buzzing against my face, and when I reach up to push the zombie away I feel my fingertips digging into the putrid, maggot-infested flesh on his shoulder. I push as hard as I can, but I'm not quick enough and the zombie manages to bite down on my right forearm.
