A Very British Witch Boxed Set

by Isobella Crowley

  “Goodbye, Amanda, see you soon.”

  +++

  Secure Facility, RAF Bicester, Launton

  Scarlett glanced up at the church clock as they drove along the deserted roads through town. It was a clear night, with a bright moon and a sprinkling of stars. Scarlett rubbed her arms.

  Tabitha glanced at her. “You cold, dear? I told you to wrap up warm, didn’t I?” she said, from the back seat.

  It was ten to two. By the time they’d pulled up at a lay-by on the road leading to the base, it had turned five to.

  Karl brought an end to the constant rumbling noise and turned to address Scarlett, who was on the passenger seat. “So where is he, then, the man of the moment?”

  “Tim? Oh, he’ll be here, don’t worry about that.”

  Karl looked over his shoulder to face Tarquin, who was on the back seat beside Tabitha. “You sure we can trust him?”

  Tarquin nodded. “I think we can, yes.”

  The sound of a distant car engine drifted along the road. Scarlett smiled. “See, this is most likely him now.”

  The engine grew louder and louder until a car drove by. They watched the red lights fade into the night until the car turned and disappeared from view altogether.

  “That was him,” Scarlett confirmed for the others. “Looks like Operation Rescue is a go.”

  +++

  Through the windscreen, Tim watched the base, fully lit, growing closer by the second as he drove on. He showed his ID to the night guard and continued on in the direction of the research buildings. Even at this time of night, there were several cars in the car park. As he pulled around to park in his usual spot he noticed Moseley’s car.

  Good, he thought. That’s going to make this easier.

  Although they couldn’t have banked on him being here, it was certainly a likelihood. And much easier than the alternative plan he would have to implement if he wasn’t around.

  He pulled up, turned off the engine and got out of the car. The cold hit him, sending a shiver down his spine. He chose to believe that it was the cold and not the job in hand that was making him uncomfortable. Taking care to close the car door firmly yet quietly, he headed towards his building.

  He swiped his card that granted him access to the main doors. After taking the two steps from the reception desk to the second elevator Tim swiped his card again to access the only way in and out of the basement research facility.

  The elevator felt sterile. The harsh lights hurt his eyes after the dark of the road outside. In stark contrast, once he’d reached the lower level he was out in the darkened corridor that was more like a tunnel than anything civilized.

  This was a journey he made every day, but it never failed to give him the creeps. And at night, when he might as well be walking with his eyes closed, it felt worse than ever. He let his mind wander as he tried in vain to walk quietly. He couldn’t help but think about the fate of the hostiles that were kept down here. Tonight, he was going to save one of them, but there were others. Who was going to save them?

  Approaching the corridor’s end, he entered into the open plan research area.

  Tim squinted in the bright light as he stepped into the vast arena.

  The air was full of strange noises. Along the far left wall were the current experiments: hostiles that Moseley kept up here so that he could keep an eye on them. That was where he was going to find Ronnie.

  Taking a look round, he noticed all the hostiles were either asleep or behaving themselves, which was the first stroke of luck he’d need if he was going to pull this off. He could also see Moseley in his larger cornered-off cubicle, hard at work in front of his computer.

  He wandered over, trying to figure out how he was going to make this approach without raising suspicion. He didn’t like Moseley, and normally was polite, but bordering on dismissive about him and his demands. If this was going to work, he was going to have to believably make up for all of that.

  “Good evening, sir,” he chimed as he approached. “You still at it?”

  Moseley looked up, startled. “Yes—err, what are you doing here?” He glanced up at the clock.

  “Oh, you know. Couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d drop by. See if I can’t put a few things in order, give me less to do in the morning. Yourself?” He quickly noticed that Moseley wasn’t wearing his security pass, which meant that it was either in his pocket, desk, or somewhere nearby.

  Moseley eyed him suspiciously. It wasn’t unusual for Tim to be working, but to be talking to him voluntarily was odd. The man clearly wanted something. A favor in a report. Probably something to do with not having been able to track down the were in the first instance, he surmised skeptically.

  “Same,” he responded, “right off to a tee.” He started back to his computer screen. “Well, Clarke, it’s nice to see someone else around here showing the right attitude.”

  Tim’s gaze discreetly scanned Moseley’s desk. “Yes, sir,” he responded. He hovered, searching for a segue, or a way to just complete his mission. Coming up blank he nodded, and strode purposefully in the direction of the reinforced glass cages. He stood peering into the confined spaces, pretending to study the creatures.

  A moment later, he heard a sound behind him, back over in the direction of Moseley’s cubicle. He saw Moseley over the cubicle top stand up, coffee mug in hand, shuffling off in the direction of the rec room.

  Seeing his chance he moved fast back to Moseley’s desk. He searched for the pass on the top, then quickly opened the top drawer of the desk. It was there – attached to a dark blue lanyard.

  BINGO!

  He grabbed it, dropped his card in its place, and closed the drawer quietly. Without a second to lose he headed back in the direction of the darkened tunnel, and was getting into the elevator as fast as he could. His heart beat hard in his chest. He felt a moment of gratitude that he kept himself healthy otherwise he’d be concerned about the prospect of a heart attack.

  After what seemed like an eternity he reached the top level, and the foyer. As fast as he could without risking drawing attention to himself he made his way out of the building and back to his car.

  It was only a matter of seconds before he was leaving the facility and heading back along the outside road. Hopefully, Scarlett and company would still be in the lay-by where he’d seen them earlier. Some headlights appeared in front of him and he decelerated. He drove just past them, and then turned in the road and pulled in, coming to a halt behind them.

  His heart beat had almost returned to normal, although the brief minute in the open air had given him another chill which seemed to resonate with the anxiety he felt in his body.

  He stepped from his car, grabbing a small backpack he’d packed earlier, and shut the door before looking over his shoulder as he wandered along the deserted road towards the car in front of him. He relaxed when Tabitha and Tarquin, still thick as thieves, turned around to acknowledge him through the back window.

  He opened the passenger door for Scarlett to step out. It was hard to see in the dim light, and his night vision hadn’t properly adjusted yet. Her breath on his face and the smell of her perfume were good clues that she was standing in front of him, though.

  “Well, did you get it?” she whispered.

  Tim nodded, slid his hand into his trouser pocket and produced the pass. “We’re on.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Outside RAF Bicester, Launton

  “I still don’t trust him,” Karl said as he watched Tim and Scarlett walk towards the base.

  “Why not?” Tabitha said, leaning forward. “He’s done everything he said he would.”

  “I know, but—I still don’t trust him.”

  Tarquin looked up from what he was doing. “Oh, have it your way, Karl. We’ve no choice but to trust him,” he sighed. “You’re not helping matters, you’re just making us all anxious.”

  “Fair enough.”

  A candle lit up in the back. “What the—” Karl swung around to
see what was going on.

  “We’re starting the spell, Karl. You’ll just have to bear with us for a while.”

  Another candle lit, soon followed by a smell. Then another candle, and another until the car was full of flickering flames and strange smells.

  Karl, staring through the window, strained to get a look at the base in the darkness. He could just about make out the lights and the odd car dotted around in the car park. No sign of any people though. They were most likely tucked away somewhere out of view, he surmised.

  Trying to visualize what was happening to Scarlett and Tim, he closed his ears to what was happening on the back seat.

  Tabitha started chanting. Karl stared straight at the road ahead, oblivious to what was going on around him. Tarquin joined in and before he knew it, the car resembled some kind of late 1980s rave scene, with bright lights and sweet smells enveloping him.

  The chanting got louder by the second, forcing Karl to cover his ears and protest. “For heaven’s sake, is all this really necessary? You’re giving me earache, here.”

  Tabitha smiled and ignored him. Tarquin waved a hand and told him to shush.

  “Oh, I get it, it all makes perfect sense now. It’s your time of the month, isn’t it? That’s it, every month there’s some kind of witchy-date isn’t there, when the whole lot of you, sorcerers and all, go raving mad, start lighting candles in people’s cars, doing strange chants and whatnot. Honestly, by the time you’ve finished, this car will smell like a brothel.”

  “Karl,” Tabitha said, breathing heavily, taking a break from the chanting. “If you don’t stop moaning, I’ll put a spell on you.”

  “Great. A short-tempered witch. That’s all I need, isn’t it?”

  The chanting cranked up a notch. Tarquin spoke in some strange and ancient sounding tongue, the car rocked from side to side, the candles flashed brightly, then suddenly flickered and died.

  Tarquin turned to Tabitha, grinning. “Well, that ought to do it for a few minutes.”

  Tabitha smiled. “You okay? You look a bit pale.”

  “Yeah, just tired. We put a lot of work into that, didn’t we?”

  “We certainly did, Tarquin.” Tabitha wound down the window, letting in a trickle of fresh air. “Let’s give it two minutes and go again.”

  +++

  Secure Facility, RAF Bicester, Launton

  “Come on, this way,” Tim whispered to Scarlett as they walked along the road towards the base. Scarlett pulled her arms around herself as she listened to their footsteps reverberate into the night as they hurried along. It wasn’t long before Tim and Scarlett spotted a group of soldiers. They were about to find out whether the spell had worked or not.

  Sure enough the guards stood still and motionless like zombies, neither noticing the duo, nor caring if they had.

  Tim and Scarlett noticed, relieved, and continued on. The light emanating from the front door lit up the car park as they approached the base in silence. It wasn’t until they were inside that either of them spoke.

  “Come on,” Tim whispered, more brightly than Scarlett had expected, “this way. This will be over before we know it.” He shifted the small bag on his shoulder and led the way.

  Scarlett smiled weakly, trying to make out that she wasn’t nervous in the slightest.

  Tim stepped through reception and led her to the elevator, again using the stolen security pass to access it.

  “You okay?” Tim whispered.

  Scarlett nodded. “Yeah.” No sooner had she finished speaking than a piercing scream shot along the dark corridor. “What was that?” she asked, her eyes wide with panic.

  “Oh, don’t worry. You’re completely safe.” He motioned with a hand indicating to the corridor around them. “This joins to a bunch of holding cells. We need the ones in the lab though,” he explained.

  Scarlett nodded, feeling decidedly unassured. Just then a triangle of light appeared towards the far end, Scarlett was about to ask Tim what was through the door, when a boot appeared in the light. Scarlett jumped out of her skin.

  Tim held out his hand, palm down, to calm her. He put a finger to his lips, then pulled her to stand against the wall next to him.

  A man in a military uniform stepped out of the light and headed towards them.

  Scarlett held her breath as the man walked towards them. As he got closer, she noticed he was looking right past them as if they didn’t exist. Tim thrust an arm in front of her and pressed his back to the wall to let him past. Relieved, they both turned to watch him continue along the corridor.

  Tim patted Scarlett’s shoulder, as if to tell her that all was well. Then he beckoned her to follow him as they moved on down the corridor.

  “We’re not out of the woods yet,” he whispered to her, confident the guard was out of earshot. “Moseley might still be in the lab.”

  “Oh right, but he won’t see us if all goes as planned.”

  “Just be on your guard regardless and everything will be okay.”

  With each step they took towards the approaching door, Scarlett’s heart pounded increasingly harder.

  Standing at the doorway, Tim took a second to glance around the open plan lab before beckoning her forward and into the light.

  “Tim, this place is giving me the creeps,” Scarlett confessed as quietly as she could. “Are you sure we will be able to get out of here?”

  “Yes, everything’s going to be perfectly fine. Looks like your aunt’s charm is doing the job, so just relax and it will be okay.”

  Her mind flashed back to earlier when she’d persuaded Tim to do this. Thinking things through had never been her strong point. She’d gone rushing in without stopping to think about what it might be like and now there was no going back. There was a lesson to be learned from the experience, whatever the outcome.

  Tim stepped back a few paces into dark of the corridor. “By the looks of things, Moseley’s still at his desk,” he reported.

  Scarlett took a deep breath. “Is there no other route? Do we have to go right past him?”

  “Yes, afraid we do. Just follow me and you’ll be okay. And try not to make a sound.”

  Tim led her onwards, keeping as close to the outer wall as possible, and as far from Moseley’s cubicle as they could be. Just as they had advanced to a point where they were level with him though he put down his mug and got up from his desk.

  “This way, quick!” Tim grabbed Scarlett’s arm and ducked down, gesturing with his hand for her to do the same.

  Standing behind the door, heart pounding in her throat, Scarlett looked up at Tim relieved he was by her side.

  Standing with her back and head flat against the wall, Scarlett tried to catch a glimpse of Moseley without turning her head. As afraid as she was, something in her compelled her to get a look at the man that, if what she’d heard from Tim was true, she was going to find utterly repugnant. She wanted to see what pure evil looked like when represented in human form.

  Heart pounding, she waited for him to leave the lab, fighting off her curiosity. When he rounded the far corner and was out of sight, Scarlett relaxed, taking a stifled gulp of stale air.

  “You okay?” Tim asked.

  Scarlett nodded. “Let’s just get Ronnie and get out of here.”

  “Come on then, follow me. We don’t have much time. I’m guessing he’s just gone for a leak.”

  Tim led her further into the lab. When he glanced over his shoulder to beckon her forward, she felt a warm current of relief flow right through her. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that she’d be walking through a military base in the middle of the night, completely invisible to anyone that might be a danger.

  They came to the cages, where curiosity got the better of her. “Are these— you know, Moseley’s specimens?”

  Tim nodded. “They can’t hurt you, relax.”

  Scarlett grinned, still unable to believe she was invisible. “I know, I was just… ”

  Ronnie came into view an
d her grin evaporated.

  Scarlett nodded. The light shone through the glass, revealing a trail of dried blood stretching to the back of the cage where a shaggy figure lay naked and shivering.

  Tim held the card against the lock, making the light flash green and the doors slide open. Something in the cage behind stirred.

  “Ronnie,” Scarlett whispered, “Ronnie! What have they done to you?”

  “Scarlett, is that you? Or am I dreaming, again, that I will ever get out of this place? “

  “Ronnie, no. You’re not dreaming. Come on, get up. We’ve come to rescue you.”

  “Who’s we? How did you get in here?”

  Tim stepped forward. “Come on Ronnie, let’s get you out of there.” He took the clothes from the bag he’d been carrying. “It’s safe for you to shift into your human form again, we’ve used a spell to hide us all from the cameras. Here put these on. And be quick!”

  “We’ll explain everything once we are safe, but for now put on the clothes and let’s go.” Scarlett was ready to go before she melted down from the sight of all the other specimens in the room.

  Tim shifted his weight from foot to foot as they watched Ronnie get dressed, expression void of all emotion.

  “Come on, Ronnie, follow me,” Scarlett told him, taking charge now she needed to be strong for someone. “Stay close, keep quiet and we should all be fine.”

  +++

  Outside RAF Bicester, Launton

  The strange noises and flickering candles made the interior of Karl’s car resemble some kind of disco, minus the music. Tabitha and Tarquin had started another ritual almost straight after the first one.

  Karl continued to stare through the windscreen at the car park in front of the base, doing his best to ignore the growing pain in his ear.

  Tabitha produced some kind of weird humming noise then started gasping for breath. “You okay?” Tarquin asked, his voice full of concern.

  Karl swung round just in time to see Tabitha nod and continue with the chanting. Something compelled Karl to observe them. They were making exactly the same noises as before, but there was something different about their expressions. Tabitha’s smile had already tightened, wrinkles surrounded her eyes and her breathing sounded shallow.