Blood Water

CHAPTER 35

The creature had entered a large round chamber. When it shone the torch ahead, strange patterns danced across the wall as the light reflected off a pool of water. It stood by the edge, looking down into the dark water through the young man’s eyes. Was it a trick of the light, or was there something moving down there?

Suddenly there was a crash from above, and it seemed as if the whole ceiling was falling in. The creature turned and looked up to see rocks and a body tumbling down towards it. The figure landed with a thud, winced, then looked around, startled. The creature watched as the cloud of dust settled, then turned back to the pool. There really was something moving in the water. In fact, there were a lot of things moving…

Waites had managed to get hold of a ledge of rock and avoid slipping down the treacherous, rocky slope towards the cave at the bottom. He hadn’t been able to grab Sean though; he swung the torch beam frantically around the sloping tunnel, but there was no sign of the boy. He couldn’t tell where the slope led to, or how long it was, but Sean might still be alive: he had to reach him fast.

He retraced his steps, hobbling painfully over the loose rocks and was soon back at the fork. The other passage was narrow at first, but it soon widened out. He hobbled along as fast as he dared, aware that there could be another collapse, shutting his mind to the pain in his foot. If Sean was injured or worse, it might take a very long time for rescue to come – and he had other more pressing problems…

The creature was aware of the boy scrabbling about in the rubble, panting, cursing and trying to get back on his feet, but all this was only on the periphery of its consciousness. It couldn’t tear its gaze away from the black shapes swirling beneath it. There were so many of them, swimming under and over each other. Tens of thousands perhaps. It knelt down and reached out to touch the surface of the water. Gradually it became aware of sounds, voices even, all talking at once, saying the same thing… although the meaning was unclear. Perhaps the language was unfamiliar because of the time the creature had spent in human minds. And perhaps this odd language had been forgotten over the millennia of separation. How joyous though, how wonderful to finally be here, with so many of its kindred, after so long. The loneliness, the isolation had been appalling. But now all that was at an end. The creature felt like crying with relief.

Sean was in pain – lots of pain. He didn’t try to get to his feet straight away; instead he moved each arm, then each leg and foot, just in case something was broken. Despite being banged about and bruised he didn’t think he’d suffered any serious damage, so he carefully stood in the darkness. He was shaken, and for a moment had no idea where he had landed, but it was clear it must be some large subterranean cavern. He saw a figure in the distance – could it be Waites looking for him? – and was about to call out when he heard it laugh out loud and realized who it was.

‘James.’

The creature heard the name and knew what it meant, but still it didn’t turn round. It could feel as well as hear them now. It felt like it was absorbing energy from them – some kind of force that was generated from their mass.

‘James!’

Again the creature paid the call no heed. It was so close to its goal now. But suddenly the sense of familiarity was gone and it experienced an odd feeling of disassociation. Now it was actually questioning what it was doing, and what these creatures really were. Had it really been spending too long inside the minds of these human beings? Was its true identity becoming lost? It started to panic. It couldn’t allow itself to have second thoughts: this was something it had to do, this was what it had been yearning for.

‘James, it’s me, Sean…’ The voice was closer now – it was irritated. But it didn’t matter, it could put up with it for now. All those dark bodies down there, all twisting and writhing together. Family. The creature wanted to belong more than anything else, more even than conquering the human race and spreading through them like a virus. It now knew with absolute certainty that it was never meant to be on its own, it was meant to be with them; now it could return to its family for good.

‘James, I know you’re in there. Please listen to me. It’s me, Sean, your brother. You have to fight it.’ The voice was right behind it now, and louder than before. The creature was having difficulty ignoring it, its thoughts confused. It could feel the boy, hear his breathing.

‘James, please just try—’

The creature turned and pushed the boy over with as much force as it could muster.

Sean went flying across the hard rocky cave floor. He felt his whole frame shake. His back hurt the most, followed by his head, but pretty much every part of him groaned in pain. He looked up to see that James and the thing that controlled him had now turned back to the pool. James was holding his arms up, opening them wide as though ready to embrace some invisible friend. A prolonged gasp seemed to issue from his mouth and he was swaying on his feet, in danger of falling forward into the pool. Sean hadn’t actually seen what was in the water, but now he realized that the creature must have found its kin down there. Was it going to free them somehow, let them loose? This could be the end, he thought. Unless I do something right now, this could be the end for everyone.

He tried to push himself up onto his feet, but the effort required was too great. Most of his strength seemed to have left him. He looked across at his brother in anguish and frustration. Had welts started to appear? He had to do something before the disease took hold. Sean put everything he had into moving his battered body, but as he regained his feet a wave of dizziness came over him and he had to put a hand on the cave wall to steady himself. He tried to focus, and just as he turned to look across at his brother, the worst happened. With a loud, echoing splash of water, it was all over.

Waites was lost. The path had led over jagged rocks and through narrow, claustrophobic tunnels. He could well be getting further and further away from Sean, and if he came to a dead end he might never be able to find his way back. He swore and decided to carry on for another minute or two before turning back and finding another way. Suddenly, in the distance, he heard an awful scream. A cry of denial, of horror. He stopped to listen, but it wasn’t repeated, and he had no idea where it had come from. He walked on, praying he was on the right track, but stopped when he heard another noise behind him somewhere – a movement. Something had disturbed the rocks. He turned and shone the torch into the darkness, hearing his breathing quicken. Nothing. Must be that dog, he thought. Must have tracked me all the way down here.

Sean rushed towards the water’s edge, ignoring the protests of his muscles. When he reached the pool he picked up the torch his brother had dropped and was awed and repulsed to see the teeming mass of black creatures, so numerous and so animated that he was reminded initially of television static. Of James there was no sign, and despite the overwhelming urge to do something to save him, he could only gaze at the pool of death from which his brother would surely never return.

But just then a hand reached up through the surface of the water, scrabbling for the rock. It was followed by the head, hair dripping, eyes bulging, with several black, wriggling creatures squirming all over it. Sean could see the desperation in his brother’s eyes. He dropped the torch, reached down and grabbed both his brother’s hands, pulling him up with every ounce of strength he had left, until they both lay gasping on the floor of the cave. Immediately Sean began to help James tear off the slug-like things and throw them back into the water. James was spluttering with horror. ‘Get off! Get off me!’ Finally his body was free of them.

Sean retrieved the torch and pointed the beam across at his brother, who now lay staring at the ceiling, slowly shaking his head.

‘James?’ Sean asked. ‘Are you OK?’

‘I remember now,’ James said, looking beaten, dejected. He was shaking and crying. ‘I remember all of it.’

‘Remember what?’ Sean asked.

‘They’re not like me. Not one of them.’

Sean was confused.

‘They have no interest in power…’ James growled angrily. ‘Why must it be like this?’ He turned to Sean with open, searching eyes. ‘If only they could see how I see, then this world could be ours. How can they possibly be content here, in the dark, for all this time?’

‘Sean!’ It was Waites’s voice. Sean turned to see him limping over from the other side of the cavern.

‘Pathetic,’ James said. ‘Every one of them.’ Suddenly he sat up and roared at Sean, reaching out to grab him. Sean knew he had to act fast. He pulled the container of liquid from his pocket, screwed off the lid, then rolled onto his brother’s body before he could react, and poured some of the liquid into his mouth. He clamped one hand over James’s lips, the other pinching his nose, and forced him to swallow. James bucked beneath him, his eyes bulging as he easily pushed his brother off. He was soon able to get to his feet, where he stood coughing and retching.

Waites approached him, mouth open with horror, but before Sean could shout out a warning, the black creature, covered in a fizzing white foam, shot out of James’s mouth and landed on the teacher’s face before forcing its way inside. Almost gagging with revulsion, Waites tried to bite down, but the creature’s body was as tough as leather now. Somehow it had adapted: it had learned to survive. In no time it was sliding and squeezing its way through the man’s sinuses and up into his brain.