Demon (Kassidy Bell Series Book 3)

by Lynda O'Rourke

  “Don’t you think I’ve already tried that?” snapped Ben. “I went to see a Father Peter. I met him in the grounds of Cruor Pharma one morning. I was feeling strong that day, I had more control over the Demon, so I asked this priest if he could help me.”

  “What happened?” I asked, remembering what the Bishop had told us about the priests he had sent to the chapel and what had become of Father Peter.

  “The priest was shit scared of me, he stood there like a quivering wreck, clutching his rosary beads in his hands.”

  “What did you do?” I whispered, fearing that it had been Ben who had finished off Father Peter at the railway station.

  “What did I do?” Ben almost laughed. “I didn’t do anything, my Demon decided to make an appearance, and the last I remember of Father Peter was him running away down Strangers Hill reciting some prayer over and over again.”

  “So it wasn’t you who pushed him in front of that train?” I asked, staring into Ben’s eyes, trying to see any sign that he was lying.

  “That would have been the Cleaners, but I’m sure my Demon played a part in that.” Ben crouched down so he could see out of the window. “So, there is no getting the Demon out of me, and even if it were possible… I still wouldn’t be of any help. This body of mine only exists while the Demon is in me. No Demon – no more Ben. As much as I long for that day to come, for now, I’m here and I will try my best to keep you safe.”

  “You want to die?” I asked, my heart sagging.

  “Life isn’t worth living when you’re not really living, Kassidy,” whispered Ben. “There’s no peace for me – probably won’t be any peace when this Demon finally gives me up either. I’m hell-bound – alive or dead with what I’ve been a part of. There’s no place in heaven for me.”

  “My heart bleeds for you,” Jude cut in. “What a load of emotional bullshit! Don’t fall for this crap. It’s just another way of getting around you. Can’t you see he’s playing you? The Demon wants you to trust him – to feel sorry for him.”

  “Jude, it’s not Ben’s fault…” I began.

  “Yes, it is! Don’t forget who pushed that needle into you… don’t forget…”

  Ben stood up and leant over Jude. His eyes had darkened a little. “Are you to be trusted? Are you…”

  The train suddenly swayed and jolted. The overhead lights flickered. The morning glow vanished as the train entered a tunnel.

  “It’s okay, just a tunnel,” Jude said, staring out of the window.

  The carriage had become gloomy. I looked up at Ben but it was too dark to see the colour of his eyes.

  “Ben, are you still with us?” I asked, hoping Quint wouldn’t be the one to answer.

  “I’m still here,” whispered Ben, taking my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  I peered down the carriage. It was like a dark tunnel within a tunnel. The train rocked left and right as the wheels clacked over the rails. The door to the next carriage suddenly slid open making me jump. I perched on the edge of my seat. Watching. Waiting. There was nothing there. I could just about see into the first half of the next carriage. I could see the gloomy shapes of the four passengers still sitting on their seats. Feeling a little more relaxed that everything seemed to be all right, I settled back into my seat and watched the tunnel walls go by. As I looked out the window, I caught sight of Raven’s reflection. She was staring at me. I shuddered. It reminded me of how she had been on Ward 2. I twisted round in my seat and faced her. “Why are you staring at me?”

  Her gloomy face came nearer as she shifted across to the seat next to her. “Can’t you feel it?” She looked over her shoulder down the carriage towards the open door.

  I swallowed hard as I followed her gaze. “Feel what?” I couldn’t see anything – couldn’t hear anything other than the echo of the train passing through the tunnel.

  “The train is slowing,” she muttered, still staring at me. “Why is it slowing down?”

  “Probably some kind of speed restriction when the train passes through a tunnel.” Jude leant forward and shoved his hand into the satchel. I could feel him rummaging through the crisps. He pulled his hand out clutching a chocolate bar. “Want some?” He waved it in front of my face.

  “No, thanks,” I muttered, trying to concentrate on the speed of the train. I turned to Max. “It’s slowing down a lot, don’t you think?”

  Before Max could answer, a muffled voice sounded from over a speaker system. The train came to a juddering halt.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, there appears to be something blocking the track up ahead. Please stay seated while I check it out. Thank you for your patience.”

  The carriage fell silent. The lights flickered dimly, casting an eerie, flimsy glow. I stood up. “I don’t like this. Something’s wrong.” I looked at Ben. He was still standing in the aisle. I could tell by the grim look across his face that he felt the same.

  “Something vile is coming,” whispered Raven. “I can sense it.” She stood up.

  “It’s called Raven,” sniggered Jude, popping the last bit of chocolate into his mouth.

  I kicked him in the leg. “Stop it! This isn’t the time for jokes.”

  “I can’t see anything outside. Just the tunnel walls,” whispered Max. He had his face and hands pressed up against the window.

  “Who says it’s something outside?” muttered Raven as she peered down into the next carriage.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  We followed Raven’s gaze. The aisle up ahead leading through into the next carriage was empty, except for the four passengers who had been seated in there when we had first got on. No shadowy figures or anything had appeared out of the dimly lit train.

  Max pulled open the small pane of glass across the top of the main window. He pressed the side of his face up against it and listened. The drip-drip sound of water echoed in the tunnel. Nothing else could be heard apart from the heavy breathing coming from us.

  “I think we should get off this train,” I whispered. My legs and arms felt shaky. That horrible feeling in my stomach had returned.

  “Sit down and chill,” said Jude, pulling on my wrist. “You’re just feeling paranoid – that’s all. Quite understandable after what we’ve been through. You heard what the driver said – the track has something on it – he’ll be back in a minute and then we’ll be off again.”

  I looked at the end of the carriage and wished there were windows into the driver’s cab so I could see what it was the driver had spotted on the tracks.

  “What if it’s the Cleaners out there?” whispered Raven. She stood with her arms wrapped around her.

  “Why the fuck would the Cleaners be out there? Playing chicken on the railway tracks now are they?” scoffed Jude. “If the Cleaners were here then they’d be inside with us.”

  I began to look around the carriage. Where were the exits? I felt sick when I realised there were no doors except for the one out in the vestibule in-between this carriage and the next. That only left the door into the driver’s cab but everyone knew that always stayed locked.

  “It’s okay,” said Max, coming away from the window, “Listen, I can hear the driver’s footsteps. He must be coming back to the train.”

  I went to the window. Sure enough, I could hear the crunch of boots walking slowly back toward the train. Still, it didn’t lift that feeling that something wasn’t right. I looked at Ben. “I want to get off. This doesn’t feel safe.”

  “Me too,” whispered Raven. “The dead are coming – they want to take us.”

  “Led by the Grim Reaper himself, eh Raven?” said Jude, his tone sarcastic.

  “We need to stay on this train if we’re ever to get to Doctor Langstone,” said Ben. “If we get off now, it could take us a while to get there.”

  “I don’t care,” I said. “Look where we’re sitting. It’s a dead end. The only door behind me is the one into the driver’s cab but that won’t help us if something comes down that aisle from the carriage up ahea
d. The driver’s cab will be locked. We’re trapped.”

  “Let’s move to the next carriage then,” said Ben. “At least in there we can exit either end. I know what you feel, Kassidy. I feel it too. But let’s hold off on here as long as we can. We don’t want to be getting off into this tunnel in the pitch black and get run down by another train.”

  “I’d rather take my chances with another train than with the Cleaners,” I said, pulling Father Williams’ rosary beads out from under my top.

  “Come on,” whispered Ben, holding out his hand for me to take. “I’ll keep you safe.”

  “Of course you will,” glared Jude. “But who’s gonna keep us safe from you?”

  Ben didn’t even acknowledge Jude. He continued to keep his eyes on me.

  I looked up into his face. His skin had an eerie glow about it from the flickering lights above. The lower half was still shadowed by stubble but his blue eyes had a glimmer about them. Those lips of his could melt mine with one smouldering kiss. I took his hand, and the fragrance of his musty aftershave sweetened the fear I felt eating away at my insides.

  “Can you keep me safe? Can you really keep away everything and everyone that’s after me – after us?” I whispered. “Or do you have to be Quint to do that?”

  I felt Ben flinch at my comment and immediately I regretted saying what I had. He must have felt insignificant. Like I was comparing his strength to that of Quint. “I didn’t mean that like it sounded. I meant, do you have those powers – if that’s what you call them – when Quint is silent? Can you hang from ceilings and open doors without Quint taking over your mind?”

  “I don’t know,” shrugged Ben. His eyes had grown cold and he let go of my hand and turned away.

  Cursing myself for coming across as being tactless, I looked at the others. “What do you all think? Should we stay on the train or get off?”

  “Off,” Raven grumbled from beneath her hair.

  “Stay,” answered Max. “But let’s move to the next carriage.” He stood up and squeezed past me.

  “It’s too dangerous to stay,” argued Raven. “We’re not alone on here.”

  “Stay!” Jude jumped up from his seat. “There’s no sign of the Cleaners – just some dead animal on the tracks probably – that’s all. If you want to get to Langstone’s then travelling on the train is the quickest way to get there – not on foot.”

  I looked at Raven and shook my head. I couldn’t help but feel that staying was the wrong move to make.

  A loud bang had my heart leaping into my throat. I spun around. Was that the driver’s door? Had he finally finished on the tracks? I waited with my breath held. If the train started moving then maybe I would feel more at peace with staying.

  The carriage was suddenly filled with the sound of static coming from the loud speaker. I lingered in the aisle, waiting for the driver’s voice to inform us that the train would be moving on. I looked at Raven. She remained frozen to the spot. The others waited at the end of the carriage. Still nothing from the driver. I walked slowly down the aisle towards the others. The static got louder. Something in the corner of my eye made me stop. I stared intently through the window to my right. Had I just imagined something swirl past the glass? A reflection maybe? I paused. Nothing. No – there it was again. Just a flicker – just a wisp. A tendril of smoke. I swallowed hard. No – not smoke. Fog.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “Fog,” I breathed, reaching the others. “There’s fog out there.” I pushed past Jude and Max. “Let’s go, now!”

  “Are you sure?” asked Max, crouching a little so he could peer out through the window.

  “Yes I’m fucking sure!” I snapped, squeezing past Ben. I reached for the button to release the door but Ben snatched my arm and pulled it away.

  “What are you doing?” I glared. “We need to get off this train.”

  Taking hold of me by my arms, he shunted me to the side and looked out through the window of the door. “I can’t see any fog.”

  “Look, I don’t give a shit whether you can see fog or not,” I snapped. “I saw it, so I’m leaving.”

  “No, you’re not,” ordered Ben.

  Without answering him, I reached out again for the button.

  Ben grasped my wrist and yanked it away. “Until I see fog for myself, we all stay put. And besides, if they’re out there, wouldn’t you rather be in here?”

  “No, I wouldn’t, because while we’ll stuck on a train that isn’t moving, we’re easier to get! At least out there we can run,” I spat, trying to wrench my wrist from his grasp.

  Ben turned to the others and said, “Have any of you ever tried to run on train tracks? In the pitch black through a tunnel?”

  They shook their heads.

  “You’ll all have broken ankles before you even make the end of the tunnel – that’s if you don’t get mowed down by another train on the other track. It’s too risky to be stumbling around out there.” He turned back to face me. His cold look softened a little. “Now let’s just go and sit down in the next carriage with the other passengers and try to stay calm. If the train doesn’t start moving soon then we’ll rethink our next step, okay?”

  Max and Raven turned away. Jude hovered, his eyes lingered from me to Ben. I knew what he must be thinking. He didn’t like leaving me alone with Ben, especially after what had happened that night at the Bishop’s. He left with a glare spread over his face. I heard the door slide open as Jude entered the other carriage. I scowled up at Ben. “Why do you speak to me like I’m a schoolgirl? If I want to get off this train then I’m old enough to make that decision without your consent.” I tried again to shake off his hands that still gripped my wrists. But Ben was too strong.

  He pushed me gently up against the vestibule wall and leant against me. His lips brushed over my ear. “Because I’m in charge, and you invited me, remember?”

  I turned my head and glanced into Ben’s face. His eyes wavered with ripples of black. He pushed his muscular body against me. He felt muggy – scorching. His fiery lips pressed fiercely against mine. His tongue hot like a flame licking from a furnace. I tried to push him away.

  “Don’t pretend you don’t want me, Kassidy.”

  I could feel myself shudder from his touch. His body pressed up against mine made me feel like I was drowning in lava. Yet I wanted him. I needed to feel him. His body was like a magnet pulling me in. Small trickles of sweat ran down the side of my face. Hot fingers pushed down the insides of my jeans, snatching at the flesh on my arse. For a moment I was lost within a bubbling volcano. All fears of the Cleaners had melted away along with any rational thoughts I’d had before. I was sinking in temptation. Pleasure came first. I reached up and grabbed the sides of his face, pulling him towards my lips. I was hungry for him.

  Quint ravenously covered my soft lips. “It’s been so long that I’ve felt like this,” he breathed. “You bring out everything that a Demon has within him – everything bad yet it feels so good.” His hands slipped out from my jeans and glided up my sides – his fingers teased under the fabric of my bra, rubbing my breasts.

  My heart pounded in a frenzy as my flesh sizzled from his touch. My nipples responded to the stroke of his fingertips. I pushed my hands up under his shirt and let my hands slide over his tight muscles. My body shook. I was on a high. Nothing had ever made me feel like this. I was floating in indulgence. If this was a sin, then I wanted more.

  “I never thought I would find the love I once had – so long ago – so many decades have past. But you – you bring out the devil in me,” Quint whispered as he nipped my ear.

  I stared up into his black eyes. They were like two fervent pools of tar, drenched with lust… with… desire… no. Sadness?

  “Etta,” Quint whispered. He was so close yet his mind had drifted far away – lost in a memory that halted his interest in me. His hands dropped away from under my top and grasped me by the face, tilting my head up so he could look upon me.

  “Quint?” I h
ushed, suddenly unsure of what was happening. What was going on inside that head of his?

  Quint blinked, and the two pools of tar were replaced with crystal blue.

  “Ben?” I gasped.

  “No! We can’t do this!” Ben pulled away from me like I’d stung him. He backed away, his body pressed against the door.

  With a cold sweat now instead of that lustful heat that Quint had made me feel, I stepped towards Ben and whispered, “Why? Why can’t you?” I didn’t understand. I’d gone from high to low within seconds – up there one minute – slapped down the next. “You kissed me – you touched me. Now you’re giving me the cold shoulder.”

  “That wasn’t me! It was Quint!” snapped Ben. “I can’t get involved with you, Kassidy. I’ll end up killing you! Quint will kill you! He’ll make me do it. I think I did it before… I… I think I killed someone I loved… I’m not sure… my memories have faded…” He turned away from me and stared out the window.

  “Do you have any feelings for me at all?” I whispered, closing my eyes to the rejection I feared was coming.

  “No!”

  The reply was firm enough, yet he couldn’t face me. A cold barricade had been put up and I knew I couldn’t break it down. I let out a deep sigh and slumped against the wall. “I can’t deal with this… two people in one… it’s crazy. I have no feelings for you, so I guess that makes us even.” I turned away. Rejection didn’t feel so good.

  CHAPTER NINE

  I straightened up my clothes before entering the carriage. Jude, Max, and Raven had chosen to sit halfway along, just past one of the other passengers. The other three commuters were dotted along the left side, two reading newspapers and the other one listening to an iPod. I could hear, “Big Love” by Fleetwood Mac, playing rather loudly and I was surprised that no one had complained about the volume, although it did help to drown out the static that still hissed from the speakers. Taking the seat next to Max, I sat quietly listening to the music. I was in no mood to talk. Quint had left my brain sizzling and Ben had left me feeling cold. Who was Etta? Someone Quint had loved long ago? What had happened to her? I could only imagine the worst – it did involve Quint, after all. Did Demons really love? I had always imagined them to be evil through and through – not able to have true feelings for anything or anyone. Weren’t they just creatures that manipulated and tempted us? Quint had already shown me how good he was at that. And then there was Ben. If Quint wasn’t inside him, what would he be like? Would he still reject me? Would he make me feel like Quint had made me feel out in the vestibule? Would I ever get to find out? I felt my heart sink as I knew that Ben and Quint stayed as one. Without Quint, there would be no Ben. If we were to get rid of the Demons then I would lose both of them. I slumped back in my seat. I felt deflated. How could I ever have any kind of relationship with Ben? And wasn’t I just being bloody stupid for even having such thoughts? What rational person would even consider getting involved with someone like Ben, or something like Quint? I tutted out loud.