The Beast (14 page)

battery-operated lamp flickered on, bathing the room in a stark white light. I blinked in the sudden glare.

‘Oh, sorry,’ said the man standing across from me. ‘Probably should’ve warned you I was about to do that.’

‘Joseph,’ I said, surprised to see him here. Of all the things that had happened to me recently, Joseph was probably the most mysterious. He had cropped up in all kinds of places over the past few weeks – dressed as a policeman in the police station on the day Mr Mumbles had returned, hiding behind the curtain in my school canteen, disguised as a ticket collector on a train I was on. He’d even left a message for me in the Darkest Corners, showing me how to find the cure I needed to get back home.

Although it hadn’t always been obvious, he’d been helping me the whole way through. But I still didn’t really know who he was.

‘What are you doing here?’ I asked him.

He rocked on his heels and smoothed out his thick moustache. The glow of the lamp reflected off his balding head. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’ he asked, gesturing around at the peeling wallpaper and the tatty furniture. ‘It’s my house, after all.’

I frowned. ‘No it isn’t,’ I said. ‘It’s Mr Keller’s house.’

Mr Keller was an old neighbour who had once saved me from drowning in his swimming pool. I’d been five years old and had just discovered Mr Mumbles’ dark side for the first time. Technically, I’d been dead, but Mr Keller had dragged me out of the water and performed CPR until I wasn’t dead any more. He’d walked out of his house the next day, and had never returned.

Until now.

‘You... You’re him,’ I realised. ‘You’re Mr Keller.’

Joseph smiled. ‘And at last the penny drops. Yes, that’s right. I’m Mr Keller.’

‘But... I don’t... Why didn’t you tell me?’ I asked, still taking it all in.

‘You didn’t ask.’

I held my hands out, palm upwards. ‘Well, why would I?’ I said. ‘I don’t go round randomly asking people if they’re my old next door neighbour.’

He shrugged. ‘Well, if you had done, I’d have said “yes”. I did tell you I go by lots of names.’

‘Yes, but you didn’t tell me Mr Keller was one of them.’

‘I guess I thought maybe you’d recognise me,’ he said. ‘Although I suppose I had more hair back in them days. Or was it less?’ He shook his head. ‘I lose track.’

‘You were in the Darkest Corners,’ I said. ‘You left me clues. How?’

‘I just wrote them on the skirting board in pencil,’ he explained. ‘It wasn’t difficult.’

‘I meant, how did you get there? What were you doing in the Darkest Corners?’

His eyes sparkled with mischief. ‘Leaving clues for you,’ he said.

‘Look, can we drop the mystery man act?’ I snapped. ‘I’m
really
not in the mood. Why can’t you just give me straight answers for once?’

Joseph walked over to a floral-patterned armchair and sat down in it. He brushed some dust off the arms, then turned back to me. ‘Honestly? I’m worried I might give too much away.’

‘No, that’d be a good thing,’ I said. ‘Give too much away. Give everything away. Whatever you know,
tell me
!’

He smiled, but there were pools of sadness in his eyes. ‘I wish I could,’ he said. ‘But I can’t risk changing anything.’

‘What?’ I asked. ‘“Changing anything”? What’s that supposed to mean?’

He looked at me in silence for a long time. Then, just as I was about to say something, he beat me to it. ‘I see the future.’

Normally, I’d have laughed, but the way he said it, and all the things I’d seen in the past few weeks made me pay attention. ‘The future?’ I said.

‘Not all of it,’ he replied, standing up. ‘Just flashes, really. Moments in time. That’s how I’ve known where to find you, and how I knew where to hide the cure in the hospital. I’d seen those moments before. All of them.’

‘What else have you seen?’ I asked.

He gave his head a shake. ‘Sorry, I can’t tell you that. If I tell you, you might do something differently, and that would change everything.’

‘Good!’ I cried. ‘I want everything to change!’

‘You don’t know that, Kyle,’ Joseph replied. ‘You don’t know what’s going to happen.’

‘Well tell me then. Tell me what’s going to happen.’

‘I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that. I can’t tell you. You have to find out for yourself.’

‘At least tell me about Nan,’ I demanded. ‘Do I find her?’

‘I can’t. I’m sorry.’

‘Come on, Joseph.
Please
,’ I begged. ‘Just tell me if I find her. Please.’

Joseph looked down at the swirly-patterned carpet at his feet. He gave a deep sigh, then met my gaze again. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘You find her.’

‘I do? Well, that’s... Is she alive?’

‘Look, this really isn’t a good idea,’ he began, but I cut him off before he could go any further.

‘Please, Joseph. When I find her, is she alive?’

He gave a single nod of his head. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘She is.’

Everything inside me suddenly felt light. Despite everything, I wanted to leap into the air and cheer. Nan was OK. She was OK!

‘When?’ I asked. ‘When do I find her?’

‘Soon,’ he said quietly. ‘Not long now.’

‘Well, where is she?’ I asked. I was babbling now, excited at the prospect of finding Nan. ‘Is she close by?’

‘Closer than you realise,’ Joseph replied. He pulled on a grey suit jacket, and I realised for the first time that he was wearing a shirt and tie. ‘But I’ve already said too much.’

‘You can’t go yet,’ I told him. ‘It’s too dangerous. And I need your help.’

He began to button up the jacket. ‘You’ll figure it out, Kyle. You always do. You’re becoming quite the hero, if I do say so myself.’

‘What about my mum?’ I asked, trying to get as much information from him as possible before he did his usual disappearing trick. ‘Will she be OK?’

‘Again, I can’t tell you that,’ he said. ‘And anyway, even I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know everything that’s going to happen. I just know what’s going to happen at certain moments. Moments like when we met in the police station, and at your school.’ He cleared his throat, and for the first time ever he sounded afraid. ‘And moments like this one. Moments like now.’

He walked over to the window. The glass was still in the pane, but a wooden board covered it from the outside. Joseph ran his fingers over the glass, then turned his back on it. He adjusted his tie, then looked over at me.

‘I don’t know everything that’s going to happen,’ he repeated. ‘But I know, if you’re going to have any chance of winning and doing what you need to do, the things I
have
seen need to play out exactly as I saw them. No matter what the cost might be.’

‘Doing what I need to do? What do I need to do?’

He smiled at me shakily. ‘Save the world.’

I took a step towards him. ‘What? What do you mean?’

‘Stay there, Kyle,’ he said. ‘Don’t come any closer.’

I stopped walking, but kept staring at him, waiting for an answer. ‘What do you mean?’

‘The only way I can know you’re going to save everyone, is if everything I saw happens
exactly
the way I saw it. It’s my job to make
sure
it happens the way I saw it. I daren’t change anything, or who knows what the cost might be?’

‘Change anything? Like what? I don’t understand,’ I told him.

‘You’re a fine boy, Kyle,’ he said. He had a watch in the pocket of his jacket. He took it out, looked at it, then put it away again. His voice suddenly sounded raw with emotion. ‘One day, I hope, you’ll be thought of as a fine man.’

‘Um... thanks, but—’

‘Goodbye, Kyle,’ he said. He touched his forehead just above his right eyebrow and fired off an informal salute. ‘And good luck.’

Before I could ask him anything else, something tore through the wooden board that covered the window. I ducked and stumbled back as the room was filled with flying fragments of shattered glass.

A monstrous shape, all teeth and claws and wide, flared nostrils filled the broken window frame. Joseph closed his eyes. A split-second later, a long, bone-like spike burst through his chest, and then he was gone, dragged out into the darkness by the Beast.

My abilities flared. I felt the electrical tingle across my skin as I rushed to the hole in the wall and looked out into the gloom.

A spray of blood covered the snow just outside the house, but that was the only clue that anything had happened here. The darkening night was quiet, and neither Joseph nor the Beast were anywhere in sight.

was slumped on the floor ten minutes later when the door opened and Ameena stepped through. Other footsteps hurried into the house behind her. Billy and Rosie. All three of them were safe. In my head, I knew this was good news, but the hollowness in my chest wouldn’t let me feel relief, or happiness, or anything else for that matter.

He had known what was coming. He had known what was going to happen to him, and he had
let
it happen. And why? So he didn’t mess things up for me. So he didn’t ruin my chances of “winning”, as he put it.

He had died. He had died protecting me. And I didn’t even know who he really was.

‘Hi honey, we’re home,’ Ameena said, closing the front door. She looked down at me, slumped on the carpet. ‘Don’t get too excited, will you?’

‘Sorry,’ I said, doing my best to hide the tremble in my voice, ‘I’m glad you’re OK.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘What happened?’ she asked.

I swallowed, fighting back tears. ‘I... I don’t know,’ I admitted. ‘I mean... I just don’t know.’

‘I thought this place was supposed to be barricaded?’ Billy asked. ‘That window’s broken. The screechers can get in.’

‘He’s right,’ Ameena nodded. ‘What happened?’

I shrugged. The broken window felt like one problem too many. I was already dangerously close to breaking point. If something else came up, there was a good chance I’d lose the plot completely.

‘Right, then,’ Ameena said. She pointed to a door that led off from the living room. ‘Stairs are that way. Billy, take Goldilocks and wait up there. We’ll be up in a minute.’

‘Don’t be long,’ Billy said below his breath. ‘Rosie’s scared.’

‘Yeah.
Rosie
’s scared,’ Ameena snorted. ‘Relax, Billy, we’ll be up to look after you in a minute.’

Without saying any more, Billy led Rosie out through the door. We listened to the creaking of their footsteps on the stairs until they made it all the way to the top.

Ameena sat down on the floor beside me. She ducked her head, trying to meet my eye, but I didn’t look up. ‘So,’ she began. ‘What’s up?’

‘Joseph’s dead.’

From the corner of my eye I saw the shock cross her face. ‘What? How? When?’

‘Few minutes ago,’ I said. ‘He was... He was standing there at the window and the Beast came through. It took him.’

‘Good grief,’ Ameena muttered. She looked at the window, as if trying to imagine the scene I’d witnessed. ‘And are you sure he’s dead?’

I remembered the bony spike through Joseph’s chest. ‘Pretty sure.’

Ameena fell silent. She looked at the splintered wood and broken glass of the window. ‘That’s terrible,’ she said. ‘And I know this is going to sound harsh, what with the poor guy having just been killed, but did he tell you anything useful?’

‘Not really,’ I said, after a pause. I decided not to tell her about the Mr Keller connection. Not at the moment, anyway. She’d ask too many questions, and I didn’t feel like answering any right at that moment. In fact, I didn’t feel like doing anything. ‘I’m sick of this,’ I told her.

She didn’t reply, just gave me a sympathetic smile.

‘I’m sick of running all the time. Sick of everyone getting hurt, or worse. I wish... I wish it would all just end.’

‘It can, if you like,’ Ameena shrugged. ‘You can step outside and wait for the screechers to get you. Might sting a bit, but it’d be over in no time.’

I thought about this for a moment. ‘Nah.’

‘No, didn’t think so,’ Ameena nodded. ‘So quit complaining. Superheroes don’t complain.’

‘I’m not a superhero,’ I replied. ‘And I can’t use my abilities either. Everything the Crowmaster told me was true. Every time I use my power, I’m bringing the world closer to disaster. I’m playing right into my dad’s hands.’

‘Ah. Right. That’s... a shame,’ Ameena sighed. ‘That’s going to hamper the monster fighting a bit.’

‘A bit, yeah. How’s your arm?’ I asked her.

Her body language became defensive. ‘Fine,’ she said. ‘Kind of hurts, but that’s no surprise.’

I looked at her for the first time since she’d sat down. ‘Any... side effects?’

She shook her head. ‘Nope. Right as rain. I guess getting bitten doesn’t change you, after all.’

‘That’s a relief,’ I said.

‘Yeah, although it won’t do you much good if they’re eating you alive.’

‘Fair point,’ I conceded. ‘If it isn’t the bites, then, what is it? What’s changing people?’

Ameena shrugged. ‘No idea.’

‘Well, I’m glad you’re OK,’ I said. ‘I’m not sure I could have handled it if you’d... changed.’

‘Doubt I’d have enjoyed it much either,’ she said. ‘Still, at least you’d have Goldilocks. She didn’t stop talking about you the whole way back. She’s into you in a big way.’

‘Really?’ I asked, my eyebrows raised.

‘
Big
way,’ Ameena nodded.

I thought about this for a second, but couldn’t quite get it to make sense in my head. ‘Why would she like 
me
?’

Ameena opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it and closed it again. She smiled, but it wasn’t her usual cocky grin. ‘Beats me,’ she said.

Pieces of glass crunched beneath her boots as she stood up. She held a hand out to me. I took it without hesitation. ‘Come on,’ she said, hauling me to my feet, ‘we’d better get upstairs before those two start wetting their pants.’

‘What about the window?’ I asked. ‘Should we barricade it again?’

Ameena glanced at the hole. ‘Too tricky. It’ll be easier to block the stairs.’

‘Right. And then what?’

She looked upwards for a moment, deep in thought. ‘We’ll think of something,’ was all she came up with. ‘Let’s go.’

‘So, what do we do?’

Billy was sitting on the floor in the empty box room, his back propped against a damp-stained wall. I sat on the windowsill, my body angled so I could easily see outside. The lights were still burning inside my house. The streak of red that had been outside the back door was now gone, completely covered by the snow.

As soon as we’d entered the room, Rosie had run over and thrown her arms around me. Her skin felt warm against mine. She smelled
amazing
. There was nothing I could do to stop myself returning the hug.

When we finally let go, Ameena was looking the other way, facing the bedroom door. It was several minutes before she looked in my direction again.

‘Hello? Anyone?’ Billy said. ‘What do we do?’

‘I don’t know, Billy,’ I sighed. ‘I don’t know what to do.’

Billy stood up.

‘Right, fine then,’ he said with a scowl. ‘If you’re not going to take charge, then
I
am.’

‘Sit down, Billy,’ said Ameena sternly.

Billy sat down.

‘Well, we can’t just sit around here waiting to die,’ he mumbled. ‘We’ve got to do
something
.’

‘You’re right. We do,’ I nodded. ‘We’re going to stick to the original plan. You and Rosie are going to get out of the village.’ I turned to Ameena, knowing full well she wasn’t going to like what I was about to say. ‘And I want you to go with them.’

Ameena snorted. ‘Yeah, like that’s going to happen. I’m staying with you.’

‘No,’ I told her, pulling her aside. ‘You aren’t. You’re a good friend,’ I said. ‘You’re... you’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Ameena. And I want you to keep being my friend for a long time.’

‘Shut up,’ she said.
Was she blushing?

‘And for that, you have to be alive.’

‘Yeah, well so do you,’ she retorted, ‘and there’s no way you’re going to avoid being killed by yourself.’

‘A few weeks ago, maybe,’ I agreed, ‘but I’ve been to the Darkest Corners and I made it back. I survived – I even saved someone else – and I did it on my own.’

Her eyebrows knotted. ‘So, what you saying? You don’t need me any more? Is that it?’

‘No, just the opposite,’ I said. ‘It’s because I
do
need you that I want you to go. I can’t let anything happen to you. Not you too.’

I searched her face, trying to gauge her reaction. I needn’t have bothered. ‘Tough,’ she said firmly. ‘I’m staying.’

‘Ameena, listen to me,’ I pleaded, but a whisper from Rosie stopped me short. She was standing by the window, keeping look-out.

‘Uh, everyone?’ she said. ‘You might want to come and see this.’

We gathered around the window, all four of us, and looked down at the garden below. I realised, in that moment, that arguing with Ameena was pointless. She wasn’t getting out of the village. And nor was anyone else.

‘This is your fault,’ Billy spat, shooting me an evil look. ‘If you hadn’t wasted time talking to your girlfriend we could’ve been out of here. We could’ve been safe.’

‘Are... are you his girlfriend?’ Rosie asked. Ameena blanked her and turned to Billy instead. Outside, half-hidden by the dusk, an army of screechers swarmed towards the house.

‘Shut up, Billy,’ she warned. ‘This is no one’s fault.’

‘What are you even doing here, anyway?’ Billy demanded. ‘You’ve been bit. You’re one of
them
!’

‘Does she look like one of them?’ I snapped. ‘Really?’

‘Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time!’

‘No, it isn’t, Billy,’ I said. ‘Look, she’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with her. Now shut up so I can figure out what we do next.’

‘What we do next?’ he spluttered. He gestured down to the garden. More screechers were climbing or leaping over the fence, headed in our direction. ‘What we do next is
die
, Kyle. Can’t you see that?’ He looked me up and down. ‘Unless you’re going to do your... whatever it is you do.’

I shook my head. ‘I can’t,’ I said.

‘You might have to,’ Ameena said softly. ‘If there’s no other way.’

‘But... I can’t,’ I said. ‘Something terrible might happen.’

‘Something terrible will
definitely
happen if you don’t,’ she pointed out. ‘Involving their teeth and our innards!’

There was a
crash
from downstairs, then a screech from directly below us. ‘They’re in the house,’ Rosie whimpered. ‘They’re already in the house. What do we do?’

‘It’s OK,’ Ameena said. ‘We closed the door to the stairs and jammed it with a chair. They can’t get up. We’ve got time.’

Rosie’s bottom lip trembled, but she held herself together. ‘Time for what?’

Ameena rubbed her temples, as if trying to ease a headache. ‘I Spy?’ she suggested. Despite the danger we were in, I almost smiled at that.

‘Time to try to figure out exactly what’s happening,’ I said. ‘If we can do that, maybe we can find a way to stop it.’

‘We know what’s happening,’ Billy grunted. ‘There’s a big monster and lots of zombies. What’s to figure out?’

‘But where did they come from?’ I asked. ‘Not from biting each other, or Ameena would be one already. So where?’

‘I don’t know! Maybe... maybe she’s immune somehow?’

My eyes met Ameena’s. ‘That’s a possibility,’ I admitted. ‘You sure you feel OK?’

‘Fine,’ she said promptly. ‘No change.’

THUD!
The screechers hit the door hard. Even up here, we felt the floor shake. A quick glance outside told me they were still coming. The garden was filled with them now, and the night was filled with their cries. They raced across the snow-covered lawn and flung themselves against the house’s walls. Although some had clearly found their way inside, most of them weren’t smart enough to have discovered a way in.

‘OK, so what do we do now?’ I asked. Something
thumped
against the floor beneath our feet. ‘The screechers. How do we stop them?’

Billy jumped in first. ‘Destroy the brain.’

‘We’re not destroying anyone’s brain,’ I reminded him. ‘They’re people, Billy.’

‘They
were
people, you mean.’

‘So, what about Lily?’ I barked. ‘Huh? You going to bash her head in too? You going to destroy
her
brain?’

Ameena stepped between us. ‘Taking out their legs seems to work,’ she suggested. ‘Sends them to the floor, but doesn’t kill them.’

It sounded like an out of control party was going on downstairs now. Dozens of sets of feet trampled through the rooms below. Screeches and screams and high-pitched howls rose up through the box-room floor. Any minute now I half-expected to hear someone start singing karaoke.