Black, p.15
Black, page 15
‘I know what you’ve done. I know how many have died at your hands. You are a murderer. Isn’t that against one of your commandments? Thou shalt not kill? Not that anyone needs to go to church to know that’s wrong.’
‘… and I walk in full surrender …’
I can only hear snippets of Ratchet’s words.
‘Shall be guided … will show the demon no mercy … will sacrifice what is necessary for you.’ Ratchet raises his voice as he finishes his prayer and blesses himself.
He goes to the table of candles and picks up the metal dish. He moves around the room dipping his fingers inside and flicking the water about, whispering more prayers, this time in an indecipherable language. Droplets land on me, the bed, the walls and ceiling. When he’s done, he takes the dish back to the table.
Ratchet pulls the bed further away from the wall and then walks around it. He circles me once, twice, three times … He keeps circling, like a vulture over a dying animal. He’s quiet. He looks at me from every angle and it’s so creepy my legs start to tremble.
I thrash my arms. The shackles crack as I jerk the leather taut. I kick my legs, hoping something will give.
Ratchet keeps walking around me, but now the hint of a smile plays on his lips.
‘Get away from me!’ I screech. The iron bed rocks back and forth as I writhe.
Ratchet comes to a standstill at the side of the bed. He holds his hand over my stomach. ‘Show yourself to me.’ He whispers the words, but it’s fierce and threatening. ‘Show yourself!’ His voice rises into a loud demand.
Panic grips me so hard I freeze. I can’t breathe. I force myself to inhale. It’s short and sharp. I do it again. In, out. And again: in, out. But my breathing is so shallow the air doesn’t reach my lungs. My heart races and my face heats up. Tears stream from my eyes.
Ratchet stands behind my head and places both hands on either side of my face. I shut my eyes tight. His thumbs peel back my eyelids and he bends down close, staring straight into my soul.
‘Through me, allow the light of the Lord to shine into and weaken the demon,’ he whispers. ‘Allow the light of the Lord to shine into and weaken the demon.’ He says it over and over until my eyes sting from dryness.
He walks over to the candle table and picks up the dish of water and a crucifix. He pulls up my shirt and lays the cross on my stomach and then flicks water all around me. He continues to pray. From the few words I can make out, I figure this prayer is about keeping him strong and pure so that when the demon comes out it can’t enter him and, instead, it will weaken and flee.
How will he know if the demon comes out? Does he think he’ll be able to see it? Should I pretend I somehow feel it leaving my body? Would he believe that?
I don’t know what to do so I lie still and stay quiet, hoping he doesn’t hurt me. Ratchet whispers and chants over me for what seems like hours.
I’m startled by a loud crash hitting the side of the house. The wind howls and pushes against the window.
Ratchet ignores it. He slowly lowers his hand to rest on my stomach. Then he pushes down slowly. ‘You will come out.’ It’s that threatening whisper again. ‘You will not evade me this time.’ He suddenly pushes down on my stomach so hard it’s like a punch.
A deep noise escapes me and sick reaches the back of my throat.
Ratchet moves to my other side and again positions the heel of his hand on my stomach. I brace my stomach muscles this time. Which is good, because this time the punch is harder. His body weight is behind it.
I snap my head to the side as vomit surges up my oesophagus and shoots across the room.
I gasp for air, my diaphragm spasming. Before I can recover, he punches down hard again. This time it’s lower.
I scream with pain and heat. He’s going to damage my organs, pulp my insides. I wonder if I’m already bleeding internally.
There’s knocking. A loud banging, coming from downstairs. Someone’s at the front door.
Ratchet goes to the bedroom door. Cole is there.
‘Deal with it,’ Ratchet snaps.
‘Keep things quiet until I come back.’ Cole’s footsteps fade out as he goes down the stairs.
Ratchet stands near the end of the bed. He leans against the wall and doesn’t take his eyes off my stomach.
A few minutes later Cole comes to the door.
‘What is it?’ Ratchet can’t keep the irritation from his voice.
‘Not sure. Someone, though. There’s a dead bird on the doorstep.’
‘Or something,’ Ratchet says.
‘You’d better come down and take a look.’ Cole’s voice is thick with fear.
Something? Does he think more demons are coming?
As soon as Ratchet leaves, there’s a ripping sound behind me, then the small tap of breaking glass, the flip of a latch, and I hear the window sliding up. A figure crashes into the room. I startle, start to scream. But then hands fumble at my wrist and a familiar voice gives orders.
‘You do the other hand while I untie your feet.’
It’s Ed. I realise that he’s undone one shackle and I quickly release the leather strap on my other wrist. Suddenly I’m free. Ed stands me up. He’s rescuing me. I’m confused, but there’s not time to ask questions.
‘Quickly.’
Ed sits on the windowsill with his legs outside and I stand behind him. The wind whips around the plastic flaps so that they flick me in the face.
Ed unties a rope and grips one end. ‘Sit behind me, like I’m giving you a piggyback.’
‘What?’ I understand, but can’t believe what he’s asking me to do. Can’t believe what we’re about to do.
‘Can’t we go down the stairs?’
‘Black, there are about ten people down there, and Cole is one of them.’
I do what he says. I swing one leg over the windowsill, then the next, and place my arms around Ed’s neck.
The door behind us opens just as Ed pushes off. We swing from the window in a long arc into pitch darkness. We rush at the ground and for a split second I think Ed may have miscalculated and made the rope too long. I envision escaping Cole and Ratchet only to thump hard into the ground, injure myself and get caught again.
But we skim the surface of the grass. Ed releases his grip on the rope at exactly the right time so that we skid along the ground. We fall gracelessly onto our sides into thick underbrush which is wet from this morning’s rain.
Ed is up and pulling me to my feet before I’m ready. I look back to the window and see Ratchet’s huge silhouette. He’s scanning the night but it doesn’t look as if he can see us.
‘Catch them!’ he screams, then he darts out of sight.
Ed grabs my hand and takes off. I follow his lead and without looking back we run.
My eyes can’t adjust to the pitch-black. I stall.
‘I’m wearing night-vision goggles,’ Ed says. ‘I can see. Hold my jacket, keep your head down and run behind me.’
I do as he says.
We cut through the trees. I stay on Ed’s heels, terrified that Cole or Ratchet or the other Whisperers are catching up. My feet pound the ground and I struggle to keep up.
A car engine roars to life, then another and another. Headlights light the forest to the side of us.
‘They’re going to find us.’ I pant hard.
‘No they’re not.’
As much as I want to believe Ed, I know he can’t be sure. They’re never going to let us get away. Ed might have a plan but they’re coming. And they’ll keep coming. Ed doesn’t realise how deep this goes, how desperate their hunt for this non-existent demon has become.
Ed hurdles over a small stream of water. I lose my footing and stumble through it, crashing into the bank. Ed rushes back, grabs me and pulls me to my feet. Then we’re running again.
My ankle is weak now. I must have sprained it. I feel no pain, but it’s numb and slowing me down, making me limp.
‘Not far now,’ Ed says. We stop. He grips my hand. ‘You ready?’
‘For what?’ I say.
He pulls me forward. We cross a dirt road and skid down an embankment, loose gravel beneath us. My hopes rise when we hit a sealed road. I’m disorientated so I’m not sure what road this is, but out from under the trees, visibility is better and I can see a few metres ahead of me.
‘The car is about a hundred metres this way,’ Ed says, pointing down the road.
We start to run again, but just as I see the outline of Ed’s car, lights speed down the road above us. The lights hit the bend and a car squeals around the corner. It’s Cole. We dive into the gutter alongside the road and lie flat. Cole skids to a stop beside Ed’s car. He gets out of his car, opens the door to Ed’s, takes the keys out of the ignition and slams the door shut. The rear lights flash twice – Cole has locked Ed’s car. He looks back up the road.
‘You left the keys in it?’ I gasp.
‘I didn’t want to lose them running through the bush. And I thought it would be quicker …’ he whispers.
‘Shit.’
‘Mmm,’ he says. ‘We’ll have to move on to Plan B.’
I wonder how many plans Ed has, but don’t dare ask as Cole is turning his car around. His window is open and he holds a spotlight. He drives at a snail’s pace towards us, scanning the bush. He’s going to see us if we stay, but if we move we will definitely catch his eye.
‘He’s going to see our tracks,’ Ed whispers. ‘We’re going to have to make a run for it.’
‘Okay.’ My heart thuds so hard I feel it in my eardrums.
‘On three,’ Ed says.
I nod but he can’t see me. My silence is agreement.
‘One, two –’
‘Wait. Which way are we running?’ I want to cross the road and run downhill towards Dainsfield. I want to put as much distance as I can between me and the house, Rockland Forest and Ratchet. I want to get closer to home, find Mum, make sure she’s okay and then leave this place.
‘Up.’
‘No. Down.’
‘Up,’ Ed snaps. ‘Go.’
‘No, Ed!’
Ed springs to his feet and leaps up the embankment. I’m furious and terrified, but I follow. It feels wrong, like I’m running back to my death.
Cole swings his spotlight onto us, but doesn’t chase us. Why? What’s he doing? Has Ratchet got a radio? Is Cole contacting him? Are there other Whisperers on their way?
Ed and I run. And run and run. Ed’s GPS is on his wrist. I remember when he bought it. He was so proud of his new gadget. He used it to find his way around the dams for weeks and drove us all mad reciting stupid coordinates. I bet this is the first time he’s really used it.
We hit the dirt road and turn right. We’re running further into the forest.
‘Where are we going?’ I pant. I need to stop running. My ankle hurts and my lungs are burning.
‘Dam Eight. I know somewhere you can hide.’
‘Hide? I don’t want to hide.’ I stop running and talk through my puffing. ‘I want to escape. We need to get as far away from here as possible. I want to be warm and dry and safe until Ratchet and Cole and all those other freaks are caught and put in jail.’
‘Who’s going to catch them? Who’s going to put them in jail?’ Ed’s voice rises. He’s about to lose it. I’ve never heard him lose control before and it scares me almost more than Father Ratchet does. ‘We have to resolve this now or we’re screwed. We have to work out how to finish this.’
The fear in Ed’s voice makes me gasp. He said ‘we’re’ screwed. Suddenly he’s in danger, too. Suddenly another person might die because of me. I can’t do it. I can’t let this happen. Aiden’s words from the night of the school formal come back to me. ‘The past dictates our future. Every minute of every day passed adds up to where we are in this very minute of this very day … This goes back generations. What our parents or grandparents did has a flow-on effect to us.’ What I do now will affect people now and in the future. If I escape tonight, perhaps someone else will be hunted down for this demon. Future boyfriends, other friends or family, my children, my grandchildren …
Ed’s voice changes. It’s softer. ‘Besides, I’ve gotta go back.’
A chill creeps into my bones at the thought. The way he says it makes me feel defeated. ‘Why?’
‘They have your mum.’
‘What?’ I shriek. All my gratefulness towards Ed vanishes. All I feel now is anger and terror. How could Ed not have told me this earlier?
‘I left a dead bird on the doorstep with a note to lure Ratchet away so I could rescue you. When Cole opened the door, I saw your mum inside, running towards it. But she didn’t get out. I heard noises and I guess they must have restrained her somehow.’
‘But the door is covered in plastic. Did you actually see her?’ Surely he’s made a mistake.
‘No … I could only see blurry shapes, but she yelled out. It was definitely Rebecca. I’m certain. And it makes sense, Black. Think about it. There’s no way they would leave her back at your place. She’s the only one here who believed your dad’s story about the house and that woman. She would know where they were taking you tonight. And they know that she would know. I went to your place, Black, before I came here, but she wasn’t there. She’s at that house. There’s no other explanation.’
I lean back against a tree and try to calm my breathing, try to think. The town’s two most powerful people have my mum. Never in my life have I felt so helpless. Fear pumps through my veins and reaches every cell in my body. I know I have to control it. I have to turn it into energy, into white-hot hatred, because I’m going to need every bit of it to fight them. I will do whatever it takes. I’m not leaving Rockland Forest without Mum.
‘We’ve got to keep going, Black. I need to get you to safety so I can get back.’
‘You go. It’s me they want.’
‘What?’
‘Leave me here.’
‘No.’
‘Go!’ I scream. ‘Go get help while you can. Leave me. As long as you’re with me you’ll be hunted down and …’ I can’t even say it. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to Ed.
‘Black, you’re being stupid!’
‘No.’ My voice falls soft with resignation as I realise what I have to do. ‘I’m going to go back. I’m going to let them get their demon. This has to finish tonight. I think Cole and Ratchet are responsible for other deaths – some of the people on Ged’s flyer. The deaths Ged blamed me for. If what I think is right, too many have died because of this demon they think is inside me. They can have their demon – they can have me – but they’re not getting Mum. Run until you’re in range and call the police from Stanton. When they come, you can get her out.’
I turn and start walking in the direction of the house. Ed grabs my arm.
‘Go!’ I push him. ‘Go and get help.’
‘They’ll kill you.’
‘Please, Ed. You risked your life to rescue me. Thank you.’ Tears spill down my face. ‘But, you’re right, it’s got to stop tonight or it might never stop. You go and get help. Do what it takes to protect yourself and Mum.’ I don’t want any more people dying because of me.
‘No.’
I start walking. Ed runs in front of me and puts his hands on my shoulders, blocking my path. I push him aside.
He grabs my arms. ‘I’d rather die –’
‘Ed –’
‘I’d rather die with you than live without you.’
‘Ed, no one’s going to blame you. You tried to get me out. You did get me out. We swung from the window like two Tarzans. Now go. Get help. Save Mum.’
‘No, you don’t understand. I’m in love with you, Black. I have been since my first day at the lab when you came in with Bob.’ He pauses. I don’t know what to say. ‘It was just before you started working. You’d just turned sixteen. You had your hair up in a ponytail and you wore a red t-shirt with a geeky ferrous wheel pun on the front. I couldn’t stop staring at you, but I had to. You were the boss’s daughter.’
I stare at Ed. ‘I saw your necklace on the ground outside the house. Until you came through the window, I thought … I thought you were a Whisperer.’ On the surface it seems like a weird thing to say after what he’s just declared, but I see it as a betrayal in a sense. When it came to it, I didn’t believe in him. I feel that I have to tell him, in case it changes how he feels.
Ed feels for his pendant. ‘I drove up to the house this afternoon because I was curious after what you told me. No one was there, but it was covered in plastic. I was heading straight back to yours to warn you when I saw Cole on the road. I was about to tell him about the house but I noticed black mud on the wheels of his car. And Cole’s face was all red and puffy and he was on edge. It was obvious something was going on, I just wasn’t sure what. I felt so uneasy I didn’t say anything about the house. I told him I was checking the dam. I drove straight to your place, but I couldn’t find anyone …’ There’s hurt in his voice. ‘I called you and I could hear your phone inside your mum’s car in the driveway. I could just tell that something was wrong.
‘I wanted to ring Stanton police but I didn’t. What was I going to say? I knew nothing for certain, and I was worried they’d call Cole. I had to get more information, so I drove back out here, parked my car so it was hidden off the road and walked to the house.’
‘When you saw Cole on the road I was in the boot of his car, in a body bag, handcuffed and gagged. I heard Cole say your name.’
Ed shakes his head in disgust. ‘And you want to go back? No way. Not in a million years.’ He steps forward and hugs me. My head rests on his chest, beneath his chin. ‘I wish you weren’t covered in vomit right now,’ he whispers. ‘Kind of takes away from the moment.’
I expel a laugh. Ed hugs me tighter. ‘We need to calm down and take a few minutes to make a plan,’ he says.
‘So there was no Plan B?’
‘Well, I made up Plan A as I went. Even when I went to the house for the second time, I wasn’t certain they had you. When I arrived it was dark but the window upstairs was lit up, so I climbed the tree to see in, but the plastic made it impossible to tell who was in there. There were a few cars parked outside the house and Cole’s was one of them. So I set up the rope just in case and then dropped the dead bird on the doorstep to creep them out and give me time to gauge the situation, to see whether I could go through the front door or not. My plan involved both of us running away, hiding, escaping, but we can’t do that now that they have Rebecca. And besides, you’re right that we need to resolve this, otherwise you’re going to be running and hiding for the rest of your –’ Ed stops.
