Untitled (31 page)

       "Shit!" Harrison cursed, looking at the gate, then to the edge of the woodland. "Shit!" he made a decision and began heading back. He couldn't leave Kaci and Peter.

       He quickly realised that he wouldn't be leaving anyone.

       Kaci ran from the tree line, Peter thrown over her shoulder. Her back was hunched under his weight but her legs pounded up and down, fuelled on by the inhuman creatures snapping at her heels.

       "Kaci!" Harrison yelled.

       "I know," Kaci panted. "Run!"

       Harrison turned as Kaci shot passed him, hesitating at the sight before him. The woodland was alive with those things, the came charging out into the moonlit field like a wave of distorted flesh and muscle.

       "Run!" Kaci screamed over her shoulder and Harrison obeyed.

Kaci was already at the gate and placed Peter down as carefully as the situation allowed, raising a pained moan from his unconscious form. She spun around and stood in the opening watching as Harrison tore towards her, his face red with exertion and eyes bulging from the sockets.

       Kaci held out a hand and Harrison grabbed it, a lifeline offered and taken. Kaci yanked him inside and slammed the gate in the face of the creatures, not for one minute thinking that it would stop them.

       The Slavis slowed and formed a vast wall of snarling faces and reaching claws, eager to be fed, yet holding back. Kaci gave them the finger and then turned to Harrison.

       "What you thinking?" She grinned at him. "Holy ground must be safe."

       In reply to Kaci's statement there came a deep laugh from the courtyard. Harrison and Kaci turned away from the hordes of Slavis and faced the source of the merriment.

       Dr Adrian Chappell stood at the top of the stairs and grinned at his visitors.

       "Look at his eyes," Kaci whispered.

       "Sick fuck," Harrison added and stepped forward, searching for Megan.

       She hadn't gone far and was in the centre of the courtyard, unmoving, her head tilted up to look at Chappell. Harrison stepped passed Megan and addressed her ex-lover.

       "What's so funny?" he asked.

"You and your friend." Chappell chuckled. "Hallowed ground, indeed." the chuckle became a manic laugh that eventually subsided.

       "The only thing keeping you safe... is me."

       The Slavis seemed to ooze into the courtyard, slipping over the walls and through any openings they could find. All eyes were on Harrison, Megan and Kaci, eyes that glowed with insatiable hunger. A small group huddled around Peter's unconscious form, sniffing at him with interest.

       Chappell stood above them, watching their fear through the eyes of the Slavis. He stretched his arms out wide, fingers spread as if ready for the cross, a grinning messiah of evil.

       Harrison and Kaci moved cautiously, edging their way towards Megan as the Slavis formed a circle around them, a constricting noose that grew tighter as more of the once human creatures entered the courtyard. The Slavis hissed and snarled at their prey, but held off from attacking. They despised Chappell and the control he had over them but, for now, they had to abide by his rules.

       Chappell felt the hatred brewing within the Slavis and fed on it greedily, taking power from the dark energy swirling throughout his subconscious. The more he absorbed the hungrier he become. This was his destiny, what his entire life had led him towards. And it felt pretty fucking good.

       Chappell tilted his head downwards, as if looking at the new arrivals. His eyelids flickered with movement, straining against the coarse thread stitching them together. Tiny droplets of blood formed and trailed down his cheeks, red tears that stained his cheeks.

       "Megan, my dear," Chappell exclaimed with a grin. "What a lovely surprise."

       Megan felt the spell that had held her dissolve to nothing and the feelings of love she thought she'd felt evaporated into nothing and her anger towards Chappell flared anew. "You bastard," she yelled at him. "You let me think you were dead... that I'd killed you." She took a step forward but the Slavis instantly blocked her way.

       "Is that anyway to greet an old friend?" Chappell rebuked. "I think not."

       "Fuck you," Megan replied with venom.

       "It would do you well to show some respect." Chappell dropped the

pretence of welcome, his voice taking on an animalistic snarl. "I'd hate to see anyone suffer unnecessarily." To punctuate the threat Peter began to moan as a Slavis ran a talon along his cheek, slicing open the skin with the ease of razor wire.

"No!" Megan spun around, searching for Peter but the courtyard between them was filled with the Slavis. "What do you want?" she addressed Chappell once again.

       "Isn't that clear, my dear?" Chappell began to descend the steps. "I want you."

       "What if I say no?"

       "You don't understand do you?" Chappell tilted his head to one side. "You can't say no to destiny," he sighed. "I am meant to be a King and you are the sacrifice destined to anointed me."

       "You sick bastard," Megan tried to back away.

       "Your death will announce my coronation," Chappell sang, arms wide as he continued down the stairs.

       Without warning the Slavis became agitated and Chappell stopped in his tracks. He hadn't ordered them to react this way. This was not his doing. Something was wrong. He looked around blindly as a new sound filled the air.

       The Slavis pulled back, clambering over one another in an attempt to clear the courtyard. They sensed the same wrongness as Chappell, but they understood the source. For the first time since their rebirth they experienced true fear.

       Harrison heard and recognised the sound a split second before the speeding truck smashed through the gates with a grinding screech of bodywork against ancient iron. He pushed Kaci away and followed, dragging Megan by the arm as he went. Kaci stumbled and fell forward, hitting the ground hard, and then slammed down as Harrison landed on top of her.

       The truck came to a grinding halt, the rear doors swinging open on well maintained hinges. The occupants appeared to flow from the truck, a fluid motion of brown robes that hid the wearers identity well. They split up, taking their places with the precision of a well trained team, forming the points of a pentagram without pausing to look at their comrades.

       The Slavis had retreated to the ruined ramparts, lashing out and hissing at the intruders yet making no move to attack. The creatures fell back further as hoods were thrown back to reveal tattooed faces, the black inked inscriptions bringing silence from the Slavis.

       The front passenger door of the truck opened and Father Jacob climbed down, no hood in place to hide his face, the tattoos on the lower half covered by a grey goatee.

       "What is the meaning of this?" Chappell howled, retracing his steps unsteadily.

       "The Ministry," Harrison supplied the answer, studying the tattooed faces and remembering the rough drawings in the notebook he still had in his possession.

       "What the fuck are you talking about?" Kaci asked, pushing Harrison to one side.

Harrison sat and waited as Father Jacob approached him, hand outstretched in assistance.