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  Ben turned to face me. A faint shadowy-wave rippled over the blue in his eyes. “Demons. They are demons without a body to dwell in.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  I sat back in my seat, my eyes fell upon the satchel that I had taken from the chapel in the grounds of Cruor Pharma. Father Williams’s journal was tucked inside. Max and I hadn’t read it all. We’d skipped entries – desperate to find some answers about Cruor Pharma. Max had been anxious to know if there had been anything written in the journal about his missing brother, Robert. After hearing Ben’s answer about the cleaners, I remembered the last entry that Father William had written. It had read:

  I know now what evil lives amongst the walls of Cruor Pharma. I know what resides within Doctor Middleton. He is possessed. A demon has taken him.

  Ben’s answer wasn’t really much of a surprise. Although I had believed the cleaners to be something else other than demons. They weren’t the same as Ben, Doctor Middleton, and Doctor Wright. On the outside, Ben looked just like any other human being but the cleaners – they certainly couldn’t be mistaken for humans.

  “So, what’s the difference between you and the cleaners?” I asked. “How come you look normal and they look like monsters?”

  “The demon inside me is strong. I don’t know much about him. I get little snippets of him when he’s trying to control me. He hasn’t been strong enough to take me over completely like the demon inside Doctor Middleton but he’s been powerful enough to dwell in my body and keep it preserved for way too many years possible for a human to live. The cleaners are weaker. They don’t seem to be able to dwell inside a human. I’ve seen several attempts of a cleaner entering a human body – taking it over – possessing it, but it never worked. The human body just couldn’t cope with it dwelling inside. You’ve seen it yourself – Carly. Look what it did to her. It sends the human brain into meltdown – turns them insane. Doctor Middleton wants to find human bodies that can withstand his servants – not weak humans that turn into vicious evil monsters that can’t be controlled.”

  “So that’s why he does those fucked-up drug trials. He’s searching for the right type of human body.” I looked down at my hand and ran a finger over the lumps that clotted my vein. I prodded it gently – almost afraid to touch it – scared that it would push the VA20 around my veins quicker. “I guess the human body just isn’t enough for the cleaners – is that why we’ve been fed VA20?”

  Ben nodded his head. He pulled the van into a layby and switched the engine off. Taking my hand he said, “VA20 is dark matter taken from demons. Not just one but from six. I have no idea how it turned the other volunteers to crazy, killing monsters and not you. Your friends also seem to have taken it without any consequence. You are the first humans to survive this – the first ones who haven’t gone insane. I don’t know what it will do to you, but Doctor Middleton’s idea was to take a human body and feed it with dark matter so it would be more compatible with a demon. I don’t know if this drug will kill you but what I do know is that every demon will want you and Cruor Pharma is not the only place that has demons wandering about. They’re out there – looking for a body and a demon knows a good catch when they see one. I think that’s why I find the demon hard in me to control when I’m near you. It can sense there’s something different about you – you excite the demon in me.”

  A small flash of black appeared in Ben’s eyes then disappeared again. I pulled my hand away from his. I stared quietly out of the window. There was nothing to see except swirls of thick fog and hazy dark shapes of trees. It was silent. Even the birds hadn’t come out. My mind slowly worked through everything that Ben had told me and then I remembered something he had mentioned back in the hospital.

  “What about Doctor Langstone? You said that he might help me. Do you think he will?” I shifted round in my seat so I was facing Ben. I couldn’t spend the rest of my life on the run – that was impossible. I had to find help from someone.

  “Doctor Langstone didn’t like the drug trials that Middleton and Wright were doing. He was quite happy to leave the cleaners as they were. He moved away after the first couple of drug trials went wrong,” said Ben. “But, he has a demon in him as strong as Middleton and I don’t know how he will react to you. You see, the problem is, a demon who has been quite happy living inside a human body might come across you and decide that you are a better body to dwell in, especially now that you have VA20 in you. You really need to stay well away from demons.”

  “Tell me about it,” I said, glaring at Ben. “I can’t stay like this. If there’s a chance that Doctor Langstone might help me then I should take that risk.”

  “I think it’s too big a gamble to take, Kassidy. I think you should just keep moving from one place to the next and have as little contact with other people as possible,” said Ben. “You don’t want to end up like me – do you?”

  “Of course I don’t but I don’t want to be running from demons for the rest of my life either,” I snapped. I turned away from him. My eyes caught sight of something in the wing mirror – something dark coming out of the fog. I froze.

  Ben must have noticed the sudden look of fear across my face. “What’s wrong?” He leant over me and stared into the mirror. “Shit, it’s the police. Climb into the back and keep down.”

  I didn’t need persuading. I climbed over the back of the seat and pulled the black curtains shut. Crouching low, I steadied myself by placing my hands on the floor of the van. I immediately took them away when I felt something wet and slimy on them. Blood. I gagged. I’d forgotten that the back of the van was covered in it. I frantically wiped my hands over the back of Ben’s seat. I’d seen and felt enough blood to last me a lifetime.

  “Keep quiet,” hissed Ben. “Inspector Cropper’s coming over to the van.”

  I tried to steady my breathing – gulping down a mass of fear that was pushing its way up my throat – threatening to explode in a loud gasp. I felt sick. The fear of being caught and taken back to Cruor Pharma filled me with dread. What would happen if Ben’s demon showed itself? Would it give me up? Hand me over to Inspector Cropper?

  “Morning, Doctor Fletcher. What’s this then – time out? I’m surprised you ain’t driving up and down these country lanes in search of your missing volunteers.”

  “I have been, Inspector Cropper. Unfortunately, I haven’t come up trumps yet. I pulled over to have a think about where they might be heading,” said Ben. “What about you?” Had any sight of them yet?”

  “Only from one of my constables who thinks he saw a blonde-haired girl climbing into a black van up on Strangers Hill.”

  There was a short pause. I held my breath. Was Inspector Cropper going to ask to search the back of the van? I turned my head to see if there was anything I could hide behind. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, all I could see was an empty space smeared in blood. My eyes fell upon something shiny where my knees rested on the floor. Picking it up between two fingers, I held it up. It was an I.D badge, the name printed on it was Nurse Jones. As I lifted it higher, I could see a clump of bright orange bloodied hair attached to a flap of skin hanging from the pin behind the badge. I wanted to throw it away, but instead, I calmly placed it back on the floor. I couldn’t risk being heard. I screwed my eyes shut as I tried to rid myself of images of Wendy in the morgue and Nurse Jones being taken apart by the cleaners. The hideous pictures were snapped away as I heard Inspector Cropper begin to talk again. His voice was full of suspicion.

  “Are you sure you ain’t seen her, Doctor Fletcher? It’s vital we get her back and the others. Can’t have a bunch of murdering freaks on the loose. I don’t want my police force coming under questions like I’m sure you don’t want the reputation of Cruor Pharma to come under fire – I think you know what I mean.”

  “I understand perfectly well, thank you,” said Ben. “I’m sure Doctor Middleton will pay you well for all the inconvenience this has caused. Now if you don’t mind, Inspector, I would like to continue my search
.”

  “Just remember, Doctor Fletcher, we need to be singing from the same hymn sheet. I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine – get me? You don’t want to be crossing me – the shit I’ve got on you is enough to have you sent down for life.”

  “And the shit we’ve got on you is enough to have your life wiped out, Inspector – don’t go forgetting that,” hissed Ben.

  The sound of heavy boots on gravel crunched past the side of the van. I tiptoed to the back window and peered through the only clean spot. Inspector Cropper looked nothing more than a towering thug – a giant who could crush me in his large hands with one swipe. I watched as he stooped down to get back into his car. His bulbous eyes sent a shiver through me. Within minutes, the rumble of the police car slowly died away as it disappeared into the fog back the way it came.

  The curtains separating the front of the van from the back were pulled open allowing some light to filter in. I turned to find Ben watching me.

  “Thanks for hiding me,” I said, taking a step nearer to him. I wanted to make sure that his eyes were still that crystal-blue before I got too close. I looked down at my bare feet. The soles were covered in blood as were my knees. I shrugged it off. What did some more blood matter when I was already covered in so much?

  I climbed back over the seat and sat down. In the silence, I thought about what I’d heard between Ben and Inspector Cropper. I wondered how much the police knew about Cruor Pharma. Did they know it was run by demons? Or was it just that they knew about the unauthorised drug tests and what it did to the volunteers? Did they really think we were to blame for all those deaths at the hospital? Was that all they believed they were covering up? I glanced at Ben – what shit did Inspector Cropper have on him? My thoughts returned to the blood in the back of the van.

  “Whose blood is that?” I pointed my finger behind me.

  “I don’t know,” answered Ben. “It was already there when I took the van. I’m guessing the cleaners removed some of the volunteers from Ward 2.”

  He was very casual in the way he answered – like it was no big deal – like it was an everyday occurrence – the norm. Didn’t he care that he was driving around in a van that had been involved in the cover-up of several murders? But then again, why would he? He had played a part in all this.

  I looked back at the wing mirror. I wanted to make sure that no one else was creeping up on us.

  “Do you think Inspector Cropper will come back?”

  “Probably,” Ben shrugged. He leant forward resting his elbows on the steering wheel and stared out into the foggy morning. “I wish I could leave.”

  “Why don’t you?” I said, twisting my bad ankle around. It had loosened up a little.

  “I tried before. But I always end up back in Cruor Pharma. It’s like I wake up and find myself back in the hospital – like I never really did leave. But I know I did. I just don’t remember going back. The demon inside wants me to stay. It won’t ever let me go too far.”

  The radio suddenly switched on, filling the van with the sound of Oasis singing The Importance of Being Idle. I snapped my head around and looked at Ben. A faint swirly black mist lingered in his eyes.

  “Ben… are you still with me?” I whispered, scared I would wake up the demon in him.

  “I don’t want to let you go…” a deep voice came from Ben. He shook his head and gripped the steering wheel. “I… I… I’m still here,” he struggled to stay in control. “I have to let you go, Kassidy. If I don’t, the chances are I will wake up back in Cruor Pharma and you will be in the hands of Doctor Middleton and I won’t remember how the hell that happened. I’m gonna drop you off in Holly Tree.” He turned the key in the ignition and pulled the van back out onto the lane. “I can’t stay with you – I thought I could, but I can’t. I’m nothing but trouble.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The atmosphere in the van was changing. I could feel it. I didn’t need to look at Ben to know that the demon was coming back. As the van lurched over the bumps in the lane, it seemed to grow dark. Things were moving by themselves. I gasped as Nurse Jones’s I.D badge was thrown at the back of my head. The windows had misted up and I stared in horror at the words that appeared in the condensation.

  “Go get your old man a bottle of whisky.”

  “Dad?” I mumbled. No sooner had the writing appeared, it vanished and another message appeared.

  “You killed your mother, you killed me.”

  My body had gone rigid – numb to everything except the message on the window. I struggled to breathe. My ears flooded with the beat of my pounding heart. How did these demons know anything about my family? Which demon was it? The same one that had possessed Carly? Or was it the demon in Ben? Was it really my dad talking to me? I was so confused. I didn’t know what to think. Ben’s shouts suddenly snapped me out of my dumbstruck trance like I’d been slapped across the face.

  “It’s back. I don’t know how long I can hold it off!” yelled Ben. He struggled to keep the van on the lane. The tyres screeched as they took a sharp bend to the left.

  As I reached out to hold onto the dashboard, I was pulled back into my seat. It was like a pair of hands had snatched me – holding me down – rooting me to the spot.

  “Stop it, Ben. Stop it!” I screamed. I tried to pull away from the grip but it held me tight. I could feel hands around my throat – the pressure increasing. I frantically reached out for the door handle. The locks went down, trapping me inside. The van filled with static from the radio. Whispery voices echoed from the speakers – calling my name.

  “Kassidyyyy… Kassidyyyy.”

  The voices were all around me – whispering in my ear – breathing down my neck. I gulped down air as I tried to release the grip around my throat but there was nothing physical to grab onto. The van sped up.

  “I’m gonna get you to Holly Tree – I am.” Ben’s voice was full of panic but determination. He pushed his foot down on the accelerator.

  “Just let me out,” I gasped, my throat was tightening – my chest heaved in and out as the force around my neck continued to squeeze. My eyes caught sight of a large sign along the lane as the van thundered past. Half a mile to Holly Tree. I didn’t care about the police. I didn’t care about my bad ankle – fuck the pain – anything had to be better than this. I wanted the attack over with. “Ben… just let me go.”

  “I’m trying to fight him… he’s too strong!” shouted Ben.

  “Get the fuck off of me,” I choked, scratching at my throat. No sooner had I spluttered the words out the pressure went – vanished. I gasped in air – slumped back against the seat – exhausted, but it wasn’t over yet. My eyes widened as the windscreen was suddenly peppered in black fluid. It shot up like two fountains and slowly ran down the glass in long strands of goo, like blackcurrant jelly that hadn’t set. “What is that?”

  “Blood,” murmured Ben. “It’s coming from the screen wash.”

  The wipers switched on. The black goo smeared across the glass, leaving a wet trail of thick blood. Clots of flesh clung to the wipers as they moved back and forth. It almost seemed to wriggle as it flapped about over the windscreen. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. How was this happening? Where did the blood come from? There was so much of it. It hit the windscreen in a torrent of hailstones shooting up like an eruption of lava. The van was filled with the noise from the wipers frantically swishing over the bloodied glass. Even on full speed they struggled to keep the windscreen clear. I tried the door again. It was still locked.

  “I can’t see where I’m going!” shouted Ben, slamming his foot down on the brake.

  I was flung from the seat. My arms shot forward, waiting for impact, but I was pulled back by Ben, grasped tightly in his arms.

  “It’s okay,” he breathed. “I’ve got you. The blood’s gone.”

  “Where did it go? How…?” I shook my head, staring at the windscreen, which was now clear. “How does that shit happen? Did you do it?” I looked up into hi
s face. It was dark – covered in shadow like he had his own personal storm hanging over him. Behind his angry black eyes there was something else. A deep sadness seemed to hide in them. Flecks of blue floated amongst the rage that thundered in his eyes. A hurricane was brewing and the eye of the storm was trying to fight back.

  “I can make anything happen.” A deep, sharp voice cut through the silence. “But I’m trying to stop myself. Ben doesn’t want me to hurt you. He thinks you’ve been hurt enough.”

  I sat, still wrapped in Ben’s arms. The demon was talking to me. I felt myself shudder. I didn’t know how to respond to it. I didn’t want to make it angry. I had to get out. But I didn’t want to leave Ben. I knew there was good in him – but he was trapped and there was nothing I could do about it. I took a deep breath. “Why don’t you leave Ben? Why do you stay in him?”

  The voice cackled. “I like living in Ben. I can do whatever I want. My own body has rotted – fallen apart. It sits in its coffin, decaying. Why would I want to go back to that?”

  “What about Ben? He wants his life – you’ve taken it from him,” I snapped, trying to wriggle free from Ben’s arms.

  “Ben’s life is long over. He’d be dead if it wasn’t for me. I give him life. I could give you life, too. I could be your companion – your constant.” Ben’s grip tightened around me.

  “I don’t want you, I want Ben,” I said, pushing my hands against his chest.

  “You can’t have him – not without me.” Ben’s hands released me and snatched at my hair pulling me toward him. The pain shot through me. I could feel my hair ripping from my scalp. I reached up, my fingers frantically trying to release the vice-like hold he had on me.

  “Get off of me!” I knew it was pointless even asking but it was a natural instinct to say it. “You said Ben didn’t want you to hurt me.” I wanted to pull away but I couldn’t. I found myself moving closer to him just to release the pain - my face was just inches from his.