The Sergeant spun around and faced Dave, obviously annoyed by the constable’s interference. “I have been waiting for three months to interview this girl. She has no relatives, no known address, and right before she was arrested, a young man was seen running away from her on the Millar’s Dale Bridge. I need to identify this man, as it is believed he was trying to push her off.” The Sergeant took a breath before carrying on. “Every time I have called the asylum for an update, I have been told she’s unfit for interview. So, when I received a call from the asylum a little before you turned up, to say she could be interviewed, I jumped at the chance and told them I would send two officers over to collect her. I’m no medical man but I trust a doctor’s opinion.” The Sergeant pulled a sheet of paper from out of a tray. Running his finger down the page, he stopped, “Ahh, here it is, the doctor who called was named Ben Fletcher.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
My mouth dropped open. Raven, who was still standing behind me, gripped my shoulders, a gasp escaping her lips.
“Did you hear that?” she mumbled in my ear.
“Yes,” I breathed, feeling slightly stunned and not quite sure what to make of the sudden announcement that had come from the Sergeant.
Max slowly sidled over to stand beside me, his watchful eyes never leaving Sylvia Green.
“I thought Ben was on our side?” he whispered. “What’s going on?”
My eyes moved from the Sergeant, to Dave, and then satisfied that they were caught up in their own conversation and not listening to us, I whispered, “He is on our side.” But was he? What was Ben playing at, getting Sylvia released from the asylum? How did he know we would be here, at Carden Police Station? Maybe he didn’t. I shook my head, feeling deflated. What the hell was going on?
“Told you,” Raven gloated. “You can’t trust any of these filthy Hell worshipers! Just because he got Doshia away from us doesn’t mean he’s our best friend!” She leant over my shoulder so her face was just inches from mine. “He got her out so she could kill us!”
“No, that makes no sense,” I argued. “If Ben wanted us dead then he could have done it already. He’s had plenty of opportunities to kill us, but he hasn’t.”
“You wanna know what I think?” whispered Max, his eyes wide as Sylvia let out a deep chuckle. “I think we’ve been played – had, not only by Jude but Ben, too. Both Demons want us and both will be against each other. Somehow, this has all been planned – getting us three here with another VA drug victim. We know that we alone aren’t enough for a Demon to have full control over the Cleaners – now there’s four of us.” He nodded his head in Sylvia’s direction.
“Yes, but look at her. Can she really be good enough to house a cleaner?” I asked. “I thought that was why Middleton hadn’t bothered with her – she was another failed VA experiment.”
“Maybe Middleton isn’t aware of Sylvia’s release and still believes her to have gone crazy like the others did?” suggested Raven, still leaning over my shoulder. “The Demons are working against each other, remember? I’m pretty sure Ben hasn’t told Middleton that he’s just had Sylvia released. It’s like a sneaky race against time to get us all together. Think about it, we’re probably a Demon’s wet dream, all here as a group.”
“I still don’t think that Ben is playing us,” I whispered. “Quint, maybe. But Ben? No.”
“You never thought Jude would turn out to be one of them,” Raven reminded me. “But how wrong were you? You’re not gonna make that same stupid mistake again, are you, and get us all killed?”
I glared at Raven. “Hey, you were fooled too!”
“Are we even sure that Jude is really a Demon?” questioned Max. “You could be wrong, Kassidy. Ben could have told you anything just to make you trust him.”
“No… no, I’m sure… everything made sense. We’ve already gone over this,” I said. “Everything points to Jude being Doshia. Haven’t you noticed how since we’ve been apart from him there hasn’t been any creepy Demon shit happening?”
“I guess,” sighed Max. “But the same could be said for not having Ben with us.” Max stared at me with a look of doubt.
“Jude is definitely Doshia,” piped in Raven. “That I do believe!”
Our whispering was cut over by a loud wailing screech from Sylvia. She shuffled forward, arms outstretched and fingers opening and shutting like pincers.
Dave stepped forward, and using his arms to herd her back, he said to the Sergeant, “Sarge, do you want me to take this one down to the cells?” It was obvious that Dave felt uneasy having Sylvia on the loose. I couldn’t blame him. Just the sight of her had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge. I shuddered as she snarled at me.
“In all good time,” answered the Sergeant. He turned to Eric, who was now chatting to Grace over by the whiteboard. “Eric, I want you to make that call to Holly Tree Police Station. Find out what they know about these three.” He opened up the flap in the counter and stepped back behind it. “Grace, have you made that call for a doctor to attend?”
“Yes, Sarge,” she smiled. “But he won’t be able to get here until later tonight. He’s held up at Gum Brook Station.”
The Sergeant tutted and then turned his attention to us. “You have the right to speak to a solicitor free of charge, read a book called Pace, Codes and Practices, and you are entitled to make a phone call. Do any of you want to do this?”
I rolled my eyes. A solicitor was not going to be of any help – not unless he was trained in performing exorcisms. As for a phone call, we all looked at each other and shrugged. None of us had anyone to call. We were loners. All we had were each other. We shook our heads at the Sergeant.
“Very well,” he said. “Dave, take them down to the cells.”
“No!” Raven suddenly shouted. “You can’t lock us away! We need to go. Haven’t you listened to a word we’ve said? That fog will get here soon. You’re all in danger!”
“Do you really think I’m just going to let three people arrested on suspicion of murder walk free?” The Sergeant frowned.
“We didn’t murder anyone!” shouted Max. “And if you make that phone call to Holly Tree Police Station then you’ve just signed our death warrants.”
The Sergeant waved his hands in the air as if to brush us away. “I’ve heard enough. Take them down, Dave.”
“No, I’m not going!” shouted Raven, she kicked out at Dave as he tried to restrain her.
“You’re just going to make this harder on yourself,” Dave grunted, trying to get a hold of Raven. “Listen to me! Nothing’s going to happen to you. You’re quite safe here at the station. I promise you!”
“No, we’re not,” hissed Raven.
“Dave, I’ve got someone else being brought in,” glared the Sergeant. “I want this custody suite cleared.”
I grabbed hold of Raven’s hand. “I don’t want to be put in a cell either, but if you don’t go quietly they’re gonna put you back in handcuffs.”
“Listen to your mate,” puffed Dave, finally in control of the situation.
Raven pulled away from Dave. She glared out from under her hair. “Fine!” she snapped, folding her arms tightly about her.
I took one more look over at Sylvia. Her coat had been removed and her bare arms were riddled with a weave of black veins. She saw me watching her. Her crazy eyes lit up and she flexed her hands, stretching out her fingers. I recoiled at the sight of them. She had no fingernails, just bloodied stumps. Had the asylum removed them?
“My meds are dead… I’m waking up!” she spluttered, like her throat was filled with bile.
“What did she say?” asked Eric, pushing Max forward towards a cell door.
“Fuck knows,” answered Dave. “Maybe the asylum has had her on some kind of drug… you know… something that keeps her calm. Maybe it’s running out?”
I looked at Raven and Max. I didn’t fancy being around Sylvia if the effects of her medication was running low. What would she be like without
it? I shuddered at the thought. Part of me was relieved to be going into the cells out of her reach, even though I knew we would be trapped when the Cleaners caught up with us.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
“Right, this way,” Dave ordered. He had opened up a door and was now waiting for us to follow him. He took us through another door and into the cells. It was a room with a central corridor and the cells ran along both sides. They were each sectioned off with bars, allowing me to see into each of them. Cell number 8 was occupied by a man sleeping on a bunk. The rest were empty. The rattle of keys echoed through the room as Dave opened up cell five.
He gestured to Max. “You’re in here.”
Max walked in and stood behind the bars. Dave locked him in. I watched as cell six was opened.
“In you go,” said Dave, holding out his arm like he was inviting us into his home. Raven stomped in and slumped down onto the bunk. I followed her in and turned to look at Dave.
“How long will it be before the doctor sees us?” I asked, feeling suddenly anxious at being trapped inside this cell. Time was an issue for us and I knew we probably didn’t have long before the Cleaners showed up.
“Could be a couple of hours, maybe longer,” answered Dave. “Someone will be along soon with something to eat.” He turned the key in the lock and started to walk away.
I walked over to the bars which joined the cell that Max was in. He pushed his hair from out of his face and gave me a half-hearted smile.
“Not sure how we’re gonna get out of this,” he said, clinging onto one of the bars. He looked about. “There’s no way out except the way we came in. These windows are too narrow, and besides that, the glass is covered with bars. We’re trapped.” He walked over to the cell door and gave it a tug. Looking back at me, he said, “That was my brother they were talking about. It has to be. But I don’t believe for one minute that Robert was trying to push Sylvia off that bridge. Why would he? He escaped with her, got her to the Bishop’s, and got as far as we have. Why would he try to kill her?”
“They’ve got it wrong, Max,” I said. “Maybe from a distance that’s how it looked. It’s easy to misread a situation if you’re not a part of it. Robert was probably trying to stop her from jumping.” I looked away from his stare. I didn’t want to tell him that maybe Robert had tried to kill her. There was every chance that Max’s brother could be just like Alex and Sylvia. I feared that if I told Max this, then he would just give up.
“At least we know Robert is alive,” mumbled Raven, peering around the cell. “This cellblock is creepy, don’t you think?”
I stared up at the ceiling. The lights were pretty dim, casting the cells in an eerie glow. Looking up at the small square window I could see the daylight was beginning to fade. I climbed up onto the bunk, and standing on tiptoes, I peered out through the window. Tiny splatters of rain had started to fall and the wind had picked up. At least there were no signs of fog.
“We’ve got to think of a way out of here,” I said, climbing off the bunk.
“Well there’s no point in us being sent to the asylum now,” grumbled Raven. “Not now that Sylvia’s here.” She stood up. “We need to escape with Sylvia and take her to Doctor Langstone’s.”
“What? Have you lost your mind?” said Max. “She’s deranged. She’ll kill us before we even get outside this police station.”
“But she’s obviously wanted by the Demons. If Ben Fletcher thinks she’s good enough for a Cleaner then…” she trailed off. “Why else did Ben get her released? Probably because he wants us all to himself but if we keep her and get your brother, then we’re harder for them to take. We’ll be stronger together than apart. Think of Sylvia like a bit of a guard dog. We let her loose when the Demons come for us. She’ll rip them apart if she’s anything like Alex was.”
“You can’t use people like that!” I glared. “It’s wrong.”
“Is it?” snapped Raven. “It’s only what’s happened to us! We’ve all been used and abused. Let someone else get it for once instead of us always being the target. I nearly got stabbed to death on that train, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, I almost got run down by a bloody train.” Raven paced up and down, her face like thunder. “Sylvia’s had it easy tucked away out of sight in that asylum while we’ve been chased, lied to, and attacked. Let Sylvia get some of the action – she won’t get hurt. She’s probably a lot stronger than us.”
“You’re crazy,” I said, shaking my head.
“No, I just want to survive – I want to win for once!” Raven sighed, slumping back down onto the bunk.
I looked at Max. “You don’t agree with this, do you?”
“Not with using Sylvia as a punching bag, no.” Max shook his head. “But if there is a way of taking her with us, then I think we should.”
I gasped, surprised by Max’s sudden change of mind. “But you said yourself that she’s deranged!”
“I know, but… if Robert tried to take her with him then I think I should try.”
“How?” I asked. “I admire your good will, Max, really I do, but how can we take someone along with us who might kill us?”
“I don’t know,” shrugged Max. “I just feel like she’s one of us and needs our help.”
I clung onto the bars with both hands and rested my head against the cold metal. The whole idea seemed insane. We were already up to our necks in it, why add more baggage? But however much I argued about this, inside my head, that little part of me, the one that told me right from wrong, nibbled away at my heart. Sylvia was still human. Somewhere deep inside her – the real Sylvia – still existed. Alex had showed me that. How would I feel if I was left behind? If I became like her, would I want to be disowned? Left to the mercy of god-knows-what? But still, I just couldn’t see a way of taking her with us and keeping the rest of us safe.
“Look, if you can think of a plausible and safe way of taking Sylvia then I’m all ears,” I said. “But before we can even consider such a thing, we need to be coming up with ideas of how to get out of this cell.” I shook the bars and they clanged loudly. The sound of keys suddenly jangled and the door to the cellblock opened. I peered through the bars and saw Eric stroll in, Sylvia shuffling behind him, followed by Dave. They walked her down and stopped in front of cell 7. I watched her closely. On first appearance, she appeared to be nothing more than someone who had lost their mind – oblivious to what was going on around her. But as I stared closely at Sylvia, I could see she was taking everything in. Her bloodied eyes twitched from left to right. It was like she was checking out every little detail – storing information. But why? For what reason? I shuddered as she turned her head. Those eyes of hers stared back at me.
“Come on,” said Eric, prodding Sylvia in the back. “In you go.” He shut the gate on her. “That’s another fucked-up smack-head locked away.”
Dave was quick to turn the key in the lock. I smiled to myself as I heard him let out a sigh. You should be afraid, I thought to myself, afraid of what’s to come.
“Take a good look!” laughed Eric, coming to stand beside our cells. “That is what you’re gonna become. Dumb kids! Think you can just jack-up and kill a bunch of people! Well I guess that’s gonna be your punishment.” He laughed again.
“Enough, Eric,” Dave barked.
“Yeah, why don’t you just fuck off, pig!” hissed Raven, coming to stand beside me. “You’ll get yours – just you wait and see!”
“Yeah?” snapped Eric. “And you’re gonna give it to me, are ya? From behind those bars?” He laughed again. “Not so able-bodied now, are ya, locked in there?”
I could feel myself knotting up. Anger seemed to consume me like a raging bull. Right now I wanted nothing more than to rip his fucking head off. “You’re so fucking blind!” I sneered from behind the bars. “Laugh it up, you arrogant twat, because when we get out of here, we’re gonna come and find you and I’m gonna rip that ugly little grin from your face!” I lunged at the bars causing them to rattle. Eric jum
ped back.
Regaining his composure, and acting like he hadn’t been frightened, Eric glared at me. “You’re nothing but a dirty little skanky bitch who would drop her knickers for anyone as long as they had drugs.”
“Eric!” shouted Dave. “Leave it, will you? Enough!”
I stood my ground and smiled back at Eric. His words meant nothing. They couldn’t hurt me. There was a lot worse out there than people like Eric. I knew it. Soon, he would, too.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
The cellblock fell silent. Dave and Eric had left. I felt the anger drain from me as quickly as it had started.
“That guy’s a knob!” said Max, peering at me through the bars.
I nodded my head in agreement and looked down at my black veins. It had to be this stuff in me that caused my anger. I was never someone who just lost it before. It kind of made sense, really. After all, I had some kind of Demon stuff in me – Demons weren’t nice, they were kind of angry. So didn’t it make sense that I would feel their emotions – behave like them?
“Umm, Kassidy!” I heard Max whisper.
“What?” I looked up at him. Max had his face pressed against the bars, his eyes wide.
He tipped his head back as if to use it to point me in the right direction. “Behind me.”
Sylvia. I had forgotten she was in here, what, with the row that had just taken place. I peered over Max’s shoulder. “She’s just standing by the bars staring at us,” I whispered.
“Say something to her,” mumbled Raven, standing behind me. “Go on!”
I looked past Max again. Sylvia hadn’t moved. Her eyes seemed to penetrate right through me. I shivered and shot a sideways glance at Raven. “You say something,” I pushed. “You want to take her with us – it should be you who tries to communicate with her.”
“Hi, Sylvia,” whispered Raven, forcing a smile which looked more like a grimace. Raven didn’t do smiling well. “Are… you all right?”
Demon (Kassidy Bell Series Book 3) Page 12
