by Andy Briggs
“Yes,” Boris backed slightly as the two women rounded on him. “I saw what had happened... but I knew something could be done about it.”
“If you told me from the beginning then we wouldn't be here. Instead you lied to Dan, lied to your own daughter. Lied to me and set me up with the cops to take the fall instead of telling the truth.”
“Who'd believe me?”
Officer Janet finally staggered back from the window and took a moment to compose herself. “If somebody doesn’t tell me what is occurring here I'll have you all arrested for... for....”
“Shut up!” Marlow turned to Bryony and wagged the blunderbuss at Boris. “He owes you and me a huge apology.”
Boris knelt at Dan's side and gently caressed his hair. “I thought I could solve this... yes, I had the same issues as a child. I channelled nightmares, just as my father had done beforehand. It is a family curse.”
“Wait, nightmares?” began Officer Janet, but nobody paid her attention.
Boris continued with a gesture to Bryony. “You were my only child and apparently my form of the ability is only inherited to the male family line, so it skipped a generation until you had Dan.”
Bryony frowned as she processed the revelation. “Why did it stop happening to you?”
Marlow chimed in. “My grandpa gave him a remedy that stopped the Infiltrators from using him.”
Boris nodded. “I secretly tried them on Dan, but they did nothing more than make his narcolepsy worse. He got that from your mother's side of the family,” he added defensively, “I suppose it countered the remedy. That's when I knew I had to turn to professional help.”
“But without the facts what could I do? Dan thought the only solution was to run away.”
Officer Janet held up her hand to intervene and turned to Bryony. “Sorry, but does this make any sense to you?”
“Sadly, yes.”
Marlow turned to the Officer. “You have nightmare, right?” The cop nodded. “Good, then all you gotta know is their realm is spilling onto our streets and that kid is the tap that’s allowing them to do it. The plan was to get gramps here to open the portal so I could lure the Darkmare out and kill it.”
“What the what?” stammered Officer Janet.
Marlow waved her hand dismissively. “Don't worry about it. Seems we were all wrong to think that Boris could ever be useful.”
“I still can be.”
“Oh yeah? What? A couple more guns are only useful up to a certain point.”
“I have the answer that eluded your family. I spent my life looking into this. It was automatically assumed that my ability physically opened the tear between worlds.”
Marlow shrugged. “Seems like Dan can do that all without ya. Talented kid.”
“Which means whether it was me or him, the portal is now open for you to do what you need to do.” Marlow blinked in surprise, that hadn’t occurred to her. “But my point is, all this - it's not him. It wasn't even me. Granted we channel the creatures better than anyone else can, but the reason they come through here more than anywhere isn't to do with our affliction. It's an environmental issue.”
A faint explosion from outside sent Officer Janet running to the window again.
Marlow's attention was fixed on Boris. “Okay, just pretend I'm dumb...”
“That is very easily done. After my injury in the police force, I turned to civil engineering. Part of that involved a geological survey of land where permits were to be issued. I found a high quantity of quartz around here. A significant quantity in fact.”
Officer Janet pulled away from the window. She was ashen. “Whatever's out there is heading this away! I think I just saw the shopping centre go up in flames.”
“Quartz?” said Bryony. “How does this help any of us?”
“Quartz is used in speakers to amplify the sound,” explained Boris. “Any form of energy waves in fact.”
“My dad always thought the Infiltrators use waves, inter-dimensional frequencies we can't ordinarily detect, that travel between worlds, to fix onto a Conduit and create the connection between them.”
“Exactly,” said Boris. “The land beneath us, this entire region, is acting as a huge oscillator and magnifying the signal. Dan's abilities are being replicated a hundredfold - enough to open the portal.” He shook his head sadly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Bringing him back was the worst thing you could have done.”
Marlow wanted the ground to swallow her whole. She had just played straight into the Darkmare's clutches. Was the beast really that cunning?
“So what d'we do?”
“I thought you would know the answer to that,” said Boris bleakly.
Bryony cradled Dan’s head, wiping the film of cold sweat off his forehead.
“You have to save my son, Miss Cornelius. Do whatever it takes, but you must save him.”
Marlow fought against the smothering sense of despair and utter defeat. An unnatural smile crawled across her face but failed to reach her eyes.
“Sure. Not a problem.”
Multiple coloured auroral hues rippled across the sky as two worlds collided with such titanic force that the laws of nature were torn asunder. Purple lightning struck, hammering craters into the ground.
The portal slowly expanded, crumbling buildings caught in its path and dissolving the landscape like acid as it encompassed street after street. Creatures poured from the opening, all manner of shapes and twisted forms that could only originate in the darkest recesses of a fevered dream.
There was an exodus of people. Some took to their cars, which were effortlessly chewed apart by the more colossal creatures. Wrecking ball fists struck buildings, knocking them aside and flames from leaking gas mains formed geysers, setting neighbouring properties alight. The air was alive with clicks and harsh screeches that jarred primal nerves and formed pulsed of dread through the spine. The sibilant drone and high-pitched chittering of the invaders was an orchestra of madness.
Beyond the shimmering mist of the portal, something colossal moved. An unseen intelligence on the edge of consciousness and sleep. From there it commanded events. This was only a small town, the first fracture into a reality whose warmth had attracted it for eons. But it knew even a small fracture could grow to topple a mountain.
Marlow and Boris hunkered down behind a white van, the front half of which had been partially crushed. They had spent that last ten minutes pushing towards the portal and evading Infiltrators. They had only passed a handful of people and the closer they got, the emptier the streets became.
Marlow had armed herself with the blunderbuss and a bandolier of exotic ammunition over her shoulder. The katana crossed her back and the reliable baseball bat hanging from her waist. Boris selected a sawn-off shotgun from the weapons cache Marlow had discarded in the garden, but felt uncomfortable wielding it. He had wanted to stay behind with his family, but Marlow had pressured him to come.
She didn't relish the man's company and loathed him for what he had put her and Dan through, but she suspected the old man's latent powers would still prove useful. Another factor was Marlow needed backup. She hadn't slept well for days and every time she closed her eyes she was convinced she’d fall sleep. That terrified her. What made it more frightening was the thought that her onerism would send her into a timeless oblivion. A costly mistake that could lead to the end of the world. No short nap was worth that.
Before leaving, Marlow had lain Dan on the sofa and had assured Bryony that they were safe to stay put. The Infiltrators needed Dan asleep, so they shouldn’t attack the house. She was in the safest place on the planet - although Marlow had advised her to barricade the doors and windows after they had left, just in case. Officer Janet had agreed to stay with her.
Staring at Dan, Marlow had felt an oddly fierce desire to do anything to protect the kid. The last time she had ever experienced such an intense feeling was with her own children...
Would she ever see them again?
Probably not.
That revelation had struck her hard. She would never see them again. This was a suicide run.
The idea had stubbornly took root in her mind. If she wasn't around to tell them, they would have no idea how she felt about them; her actions sure as hell didn't tell them. She took Dan’s mobile phone.
“Gotta make a call,” she’d mumbled and hastily left the room.
In the kitchen Marlow had made a pretence of checking the other windows had been securely barricaded as she tried to recall her old home number. Luckily Trebor still replied on the old landline so it was unlikely to have changed. She dialled the number, but hovered over the call button for several seconds pondering who would answer? What would she say? What would...
She thumbed the button, knowing it was the only way to silence the nagging doubts. Her heart had skipped as it rang. It was answered on the third ring by a quavering girl’s voice.
“Yes?”
Marlow had tried to speak but only a wheeze hissed out.
“Hello?” the voice now sounded wary.
Marlow's jaw worked but only guttural sounds emerged past the ball of emotions choking her.
“I think it's one of them,” said the voice, slightly more distant as it spoke to somebody in the same room. Another faint voice answered, “Hang up, honey!” Marlow had no problem in identifying Trebor’s voice.
“No wait!” Marlow had exclaimed in a rush of words. “It's me... it's your mum.”
Silence.
Marlow wondered if the line had been disconnected then heard shuffling from the other end.
“Molly, it's me, sweetheart. Your mum.”
“Hi mummy.” Molly's voice rose an octave with unmistakable delight. “Are you coming to save us?”
“What?”
“They're here, mummy, I–”
“Give me that! Marlow?” snapped Trebor. “You pick a hell of a time to call!”
“What's happening?”
“Look outside! You tell me. They're everywhere!”
Marlow had been so focused on the immediate problem that it hadn't occurred to her that the creatures outside had already spread to the suburbs. Placing her own children in jeopardy.
“They already got Mrs Hitchcock from next door and the Freemans were hiding out in the tree house when something ate it whole!”
“Calm down,” Marlow had been amazed at the commanding tone of her own voice, as fear escalated Trebor's.
“I barricaded the downstairs windows and got the kids upstairs, but I can still see–”
“SHUT UP, TREBOR!” roared Marlow, years of repressed frustration coming to boil. To her surprise, he had complied. “They're Infiltrators, Trebor. Nightmares. You know, the things you didn’t think I should deal with...”
His reply was low, “I know. Marlow... I’m... sorry. I was wrong. We... we need you.”
At last, the long awaited apology. Marlow had been surprised that it didn't fill her with the smugness and satisfaction she'd imagined. After waiting so long for it, it felt pointless.
“You did well heading upstairs. Make sure the chimney and the loft hatch is secure and get every room well lit. If they do come in hit them with everything you’ve got - right in the eyes.”
“I already have. They shatter when–”
“Good. And whatever you do, don't go asleep. Don't let the kids sleep either. That's how these things can get in. Now the portal’s open I suspect they might be able to use anyone. Tell me you understand.”
“Y-yes. Marlow, I'm so sorry. Sorry for everything. You were right...” Trebor was choking with emotion. “We're so scared. The kids... they need you here... I need...”
A loud boom from outside had gently shaken the building, reminding Marlow that time was running out. Every fibre of her being wanted to race to protect her children - but a rational part of her brain knew that would be an endless battle. The only way to stop this was at the source. Face the Darkmare.
Easier said than done.
“I have to go and stop this thing.”
“How? That's impossible!”
“Impossible's what I do. Now put the kids on. I wanna speak to them.”
Trebor handed the phone back to Molly, and she’d heard the sounds of bickering as she and Jamie wrestled the handset between them in their eagerness to speak.
“Mummy?' came their voices in unison. “Are you coming to help us?”
That was a knife in the heart. “Your dad’s looking after you just fine. I am coming but I just got to do something first. I’m gonna help everyone.”
Jamie's voice had wavered. “The Darkmare?”
“You remember?” Marlow felt proud that they remembered the twisted stories she used to tell them.
“'Course. I miss our stories”
“Then you know what I'm gonna be doing. I'll see you straight after. Deal?”
“Deal!” they chorused.
“Love you guys. Don't forget that.” Marlow’s eyes tightly closed as she spoke, her knuckles white as she squeezed the blunderbuss’s barrel.
“We know,” Molly had said. “Come quickly!”
When they hung up, Marlow pocketed the phone and returned to the front room where Boris and Bryony were saying their farewells. Marlow watched Dan asleep on the couch. The boy who was inadvertently responsible for the encroaching end of the world and for bringing Marlow closer to her estranged family.
“Bloody kids,” Marlow had mumbled, throwing her backpack over her shoulder.
“I pray you know what you're doing,” said Boris as he followed her outside, pausing only to rub Dan affectionately on the head.
“Sure I do…”
“I thought you had a plan!” Boris yelped as Marlow grabbed the man's lapels and dragged his head below the cover afforded by the van just as a nine-legged insectoid creature scuttled past. It resembled a praying mantis with spiked writhing arms. Blood dripped from its maw and Marlow regretted staring hard enough to notice the remains of somebody's foot lodged between its mandibles.
As it drew close, it suddenly stopped. Compound eyes scanned the wreckage for more food as its jaws clicked rapidly together. Boris peeked from behind the vehicle and gasped. The faint noise was enough to catch the creature's attention. Its head snapped sharply in their direction and the clicking stopped. It cocked its head quizzically, then bobbed low as it cautiously approached.
Marlow's hand clamped across Boris's mouth as he whimpered in fright. She increased the pressure as the creature drew close. “Shut up,” she growled - but it was too late. The beast had heard them. It clicked excitedly as it gained speed. Marlow risked a look, just in time to see its bowed head slam into the door of the van they were hiding behind.
The powerful blow shoved the vehicle sideways. Tyres moved with ease over the snow, pushing Marlow and Boris a few feet before the wheels butted up against the kerb. The creature continued pushing – and the van slowly tipped onto two wheels.
Boris was frozen to the spot, gawking as the vehicle threatened to pancake him. Marlow sprung to the side, gripping Boris' elbow to drag him along – just as the van teetered and fell onto its side with a crunch.
Marlow rolled. Her left knee threatened to give way as she stood in one swift motion. The Infiltrator leapt on top of the van. Its siren roar was louder than ever as it shot a pair of scything limbs at lightning speed in a series of experimental punches that could decapitate anything within reach.
But Marlow still had her edge. The blunderbuss's stock rested against her cheek as she nestled it against her shoulder and fired. There was no need to aim - not with the close proximity of her target.
Dozens of pellets split the Infiltrator apart in a shower of blue gore. The hole in its chest was so wide the torso ripped in two.
“I can't believe it was so close,” whispered Boris.
Marlow pulled Boris by the arm and they marched across the street. She constantly checked for an attack from any direction. “After a noise like that we'll be seeing a
bunch more real close soon. Move it!”
They crouch-ran across the street, Marlow's boots trampling the creature's evaporating remains. The snowfall increased as they made progress through several adjacent roads, cautiously peering around each corner to check the coast was clear.
Ahead, their destination loomed. The rip between worlds was expanding, and the view beyond it was a hybrid between the engulfed town and the Nightmare realm, dominated by jagged mountains. Unidentifiable growths covered every building on the periphery of the tear and vehicles were cocooned in tough gelatinous shells. The material pulsed under Marlow’s fingers as if it were alive, or at least a hitherto unknown version of life. More biomechanical gunk dripped from buildings and crisscrossed the streets like a fungus. As they advanced, the human screams diminished until all they could hear was a cacophony of chittering.
Boris did not say another word, even when they were forced to roll under a lorry as a gigantic thing undulated past them, leaving a trail of hissing slime. The creature had been so tall that they couldn't see the top of the slug body that towered above the homes either side of them. It paused only to eject the putrid smelling biomechanical ooze over several nearby vehicles to cocoon them. Once the immediate danger had passed, they headed to the end of the road, which opened up into the main high street.
Here, everything was covered in the tough organic substance. Snow was already settling on it and it cracked like bubble wrap when stepped on, making a stealthy approach impossible. Festive decorations were coated in gunk, the Christmas tree in the middle of the street had been chewed in half - the displaced section landing through a clothing store window. It was here they also saw the first signs of what had happened to the missing population.
Ant-like creatures, each about the size of a refrigerator, sprouting a mass of seething tentacles across their backs, hauled large biomechanical crystal shards down the main thoroughfare. Marlow had first assumed they were carrying some kind of Infiltrator junk, until Boris pointed out movement from within the semi-transparent shards. They watched in mute horror as a human hand pressed against the opaque cocoon wall, trying to claw their way out.
