Demon Storm (8 page)

Ben turned, holding the phone out in front of him and aiming it at Maria. She was still smiling, but while the rest of the picture was just what he’d expect to see on a mobile phone camera, Maria seemed to be glowing. Just slightly – as if she was lit from behind.

With Rupam the effect was similar – a glowing edge, a shimmer. An aura.

When Ben turned the phone towards Gemma, it was difficult to make out any detail she was glowing so much.

‘With your sister, Sam,’ Knight said quietly, ‘the whole screen went white.’

T
HE CHILDREN HAD THEIR OWN PLAYROOM,
though Maria called it a living room, where they could spend their free time. They tended to congregate there in the evening, lounging in the battered armchairs or on the old sofa. There were books, a TV with DVDs and games consoles, and a couple of up-to-date laptop computers with wireless Internet connections. There was also a kettle for them to make hot drinks and a fridge which Mrs Bailey kept stocked with cold drinks, healthy snacks and the occasional bar of chocolate.

It was here that Ben got to know the others. Gemma and Rupam told him more about Maria than the girl did herself. She was the oldest – eighteen according to Gemma, but Rupam said she was guessing.

‘Where does she come from?’ Ben wondered one lunchtime.

Neither of them knew. ‘She was here before we were,’ Rupam said.

‘When I first came here, I thought she was Knight’s daughter,’ Gemma confessed.

Rupam laughed.

‘It’s not that funny.’

‘Just can’t imagine Knight having children,’ Rupam said.

‘Except us,’ Ben pointed out.

Rupam’s smile faded. ‘I suppose.’

He was from India, somewhere close to Mumbai. ‘Different sort of spirits and demons over there,’ Rupam said knowingly. ‘Not better or worse, just different. My uncle could see them too, when he was younger. He’s in the local government, knows some people. They contacted Knight and here I am.’

‘Don’t you go home between terms?’ Ben asked.

Rupam frowned. ‘Why would I do that? I remember everything about home. Every detail. Every moment I lived there.’ He shuddered. ‘I have no wish to go back.’

Ben knew better than to ask any more. Instead he asked Gemma if she had family.

‘I’m like you, Ben. A
foundling
, with no parents. I was living with my nan when Mr Knight came
to our school. I thought he was funny – with his box and Maria …’ She stared off into the distance, remembering. ‘Until he opened the box. Maria used to laugh and smile back then. She could see as much as me.’

‘But not now?’

‘She sees less than she used to,’ Rupam said.

Then Maria came in to get herself a cup of tea, and Ben and the others moved on to computer games.

Ben and Rupam played a battle game with futuristic tanks attacking robot soldiers dug in round a ruined city. Gemma was happy to sit and watch – clapping when things went well and sighing loudly when they didn’t. She seemed even more involved than Ben and Rupam.

Two levels of game-play later and they were stuck. Rupam’s tank was bogged down in a muddy street, surrounded by rubble. Ben’s was between a collapsed bridge and a huge bomb crater. After several attempts to drive over the rubble or move fast enough to make it over the gap in the bridge, both of them were ready to give up.

‘It’s impossible,’ Ben complained.

‘There must be a way to do it,’ Rupam said.

‘But what is it?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Webby will know,’ Gemma said. ‘I bet Webby knows. Let’s ask him. He won’t mind.’

‘I suppose,’ Rupam said glumly. ‘Though we should be able to work it out ourselves.’

‘Who’s Webby?’ Ben wanted to know. He’d heard the name mentioned before.

‘You haven’t met Webby?’ Rupam’s mood immediately brightened. ‘You must meet Webby.’

Maria looked up from her cup of tea and a paperback romance. ‘Don’t eat the pizza,’ she warned. ‘It’s growing things.’

Heading the other way past the lecture hall, they came to a door at the end of the corridor. It was opened by a number pad – the code was 666. Beyond the door, stone steps disappeared into the gloom.

‘There’s lights on at the bottom,’ Rupam told Ben. ‘You’ll see as soon as we turn the corner.’

‘Unless Webby’s asleep,’ Gemma added.

Rupam laughed. ‘Webby doesn’t sleep.’

‘So who is Webby?’ Ben asked as he followed Rupam down the stairs.

‘He’s just … Webby. He runs the website, works all the computers and everything.’

‘And he does it from the cellar.’

‘The vault,’ Gemma corrected him.

The light did indeed increase as soon as Ben was round the corner of the stairs. And he felt the cold, like walking into a fridge. There was a noise too – a steady thump like a heartbeat.

The cellar was a single large room with whitewashed brick walls. A big arched alcove at one end held a wine rack full of dusty bottles. A circular metal door like you might find on a submarine filled another alcove. A heavy locking wheel was fixed in the middle and huge bolts held the door in place.

‘The vault is actually through there,’ Rupam told Ben. ‘It’s like a big safe or strongroom.’

‘So what’s in the vault?’

Rupam shrugged. ‘No idea. Never been inside.’

Most of the rest of the cellar was taken up with computer equipment – system boxes, monitor screens, disk drives. Cables ran across the floor like creepers and up the walls like vines.

In among the jungle of wires and cables was a narrow bed, on top of which was a cardboard box with a pizza in it. Ben didn’t need to look too closely to know that Maria had been right – not everything on the pizza was original topping; some
of it had grown since. A couple of slices had been pulled away, but they didn’t look like they had been touched any more than the rest of the pizza.

In the middle of it all sat a young man in a wheeled office chair. He had long, dark, greasy hair and was wearing jeans and a denim shirt. He looked incredibly pale and rather gaunt, with angular features and dark-rimmed eyes. The heartbeat thump of rhythm was coming from his earphones, connected to one of the computers in front of him.

‘That’s Webby,’ Gemma said.

The man was bobbing his head in time with the music. He tapped at a keyboard, moved a mouse, slapped the side of a screen and sighed. When he saw them, he swung round rapidly in the chair, the wire from his earphones knocking a couple of CDs to the floor, but he didn’t seem to notice.

‘Hi, guys,’ Webby said – more loudly than was necessary. ‘Hang on.’ He pulled out the earphones and clicked with his mouse, stopping the beat of the music. ‘What can I do you for?’

‘We came to introduce Ben,’ Rupam said. ‘He’s new.’

‘Hi there, new Ben,’ Webby said. ‘Look, will this take long, only I want to finish up here. Just another week or two and I’m out of here.’

‘He’s always saying that,’ Gemma whispered to Ben.

‘So what do you do down here?’ Ben asked. ‘Is this where you live?’

Webby picked up a can of coke from one of the worktops. He swilled it round, then put it down again without drinking.

‘Just till the job’s done,’ Webby said. ‘Taking a bit longer than expected. But as soon as everything’s set up and working properly, I’m history.’ He pointed to the main screen in front of him. ‘Monitoring the various emails, text messages and reports that come in from the School of Night agents out in the field. That’s the other kids to you, Ben.’

‘Webby set up all the systems,’ Rupam explained. ‘Any agent can report in, then Webby’s systems automatically filter out the important information and pass it on so Mr Knight can decide what to do about it. Isn’t that right?’

‘Sure is,’ Webby agreed. ‘Every time one of you guys uses their mobile, the image data is sent here to be analysed and stored. It’s a full-time job keeping all the systems running and monitoring all the messages and reports that come in. Then there’s the blogs and the conspiracy websites that I need to keep checking for any hint of
dangerous paranormal activity that might need further investigation. You can only automate so much of it.’

‘Keeps you busy, then,’ Ben said.

‘Oh, I’m just doing it until the systems are all up and running properly. Short-term contract, you see. Not a lifetime’s work. Can’t wait to move on to the next challenge. That’s what it’s all about. Variety – the spice of life.’

Gemma nudged Rupam to ask about the tank battle game and Webby laughed.

‘You’re supposed to pick up anti-gravity converters from the warehouse on the previous level once you clear it of bad guys. Then you fit those to your tanks using the upgrade option and float out of the rubble and over the bridge. Easy.’

Rupam looked at Ben and shook his head. ‘Oh yes, easy. We should have guessed.’

‘Thanks,’ Ben said.

‘Any time.’ Webby pushed his earphones back in and started the music again. ‘Catch me while you can, though,’ he shouted above the noise in his ears. ‘Shan’t be here much longer.’

‘When does he leave?’ Ben asked as they climbed back up the stairs.

‘Never,’ Rupam said. ‘He says he’s on a three-month contract.’

‘He’s been here longer than any of us,’ Gemma said. ‘Except maybe Maria.’

Rupam nodded. ‘He’s been here for years. I think he likes it down there. He never goes out.’

‘So does he sleep down there?’ Ben asked. ‘I saw he had a bed.’

They had reached the top of the stairs. Knight was standing waiting for them in the corridor.

‘Maria told me you were down here,’ he said.

‘Sorry,’ Ben said instinctively. He assumed they were about to be told off.

‘Oh, it’s no problem.’ Knight smiled. ‘I’m sure it does Webby good to see some real people now and again, rather than just his machines.’ He turned to Gemma. ‘It’s time we were going. Are you ready?’

Gemma nodded. ‘Sorry, I’d forgotten the time. I’ll get my coat.’

‘No problem, but we need to make a start.’ He turned to go, then changed his mind and turned back. ‘We’re off to a school about fifty miles away,’ he said to Ben. ‘One of the teachers there is a former pupil of the School of Night and she thinks she’s got a few children who might be of interest. Why don’t you come along as well and
keep Gemma company? You never know,’ he added as he headed off down the corridor, ‘you might learn something.’

Miss Jansis had asked some children to stay back after school for a reading club. There were half a dozen nine-and ten-year-olds in a temporary classroom that was parked like a large caravan in the playground of Tollarton Hall Primary School.

It was like a replay of the special assembly at the home, but in less impressive surroundings and with fewer, younger children. Knight didn’t bother to send any children out, there were so few to start with. Gemma sat at the side of the classroom, watching the six children intently. Ben sat beside her while Knight set up his Judgement Box on the teacher’s desk. The children watched with interest.

‘We’ve been reading about pirates and treasure, haven’t we?’ Miss Jansis said. She was a small lady, with tiny glasses and a northern accent. ‘Can you guess what our visitor has in his box?’

‘I bet it’s treasure,’ one boy said.

‘Or an elephant,’ a girl suggested.

‘An elephant would be too big,’ the boy told her.

‘Not if it’s a baby elephant.’

Knight unlocked the box. Again he murmured the words that Ben had half heard in his study.

‘What’s he doing?’ Ben asked Gemma.

‘You know what’s in there. The box is like a gateway to part of Hell. You have to know the right words of power to open it. And to close it again. To seal it tight shut so nothing can escape from it.’ Gemma leaned closer to Ben. ‘Can you see it? Her aura?’ she asked quietly.

‘Of course.’ Though Ben couldn’t see anything. He didn’t even know which girl Gemma was talking about. He took out his mobile phone and flipped it open.

At once he knew who Gemma meant. She was sitting beside the elephant girl and on the phone it looked as if her hair was on fire. Knight glanced across at Gemma and Ben. Gemma nodded, indicating the girl with the aura.

Then Knight opened the box.

‘No elephant, I’m afraid,’ he said, tipping the box so the children could see inside. ‘No treasure either. In fact – can any of you see anything at all?’ He was staring at the girl with the aura, looking to see her reaction.

She went white, her mouth trembling.

Quickly, Knight closed the lid of the box. He
locked it and spoke quietly again: ‘
Arceo excludum
coerceo Hades terminus
.’

Miss Jansis hurried to the girl. ‘Oh dear, Toni – are you all right? It was just a box. I expect you’re tired. Have you had a drink recently?’

But Ben heard none of the fussing. He barely noticed Knight talking quietly to Gemma, then taking Miss Jansis to one side to give instructions for monitoring the girl’s progress and gradually introducing her to the world of ghosts and demons …

Ben was staring ashen-faced at the screen of his mobile phone. He was biting back the urge to yell out in fright and disgust. On the phone, for the first time, he had seen what was really inside the Judgement Box.

He knew from talking to Gemma that the more gifted children might see the vague shape of the creature. They might see shadows and flickering images. Glimpses of the thing that lived in the box.

What Ben had seen on his phone was much, much clearer – much, much worse. He could only begin to guess what Gemma might be able to see. What Sam had seen. The fleeting image that Ben had witnessed was more than enough.

An imp of a creature with skin like the bark of an old tree. A forked tail, gleaming yellow eyes,
a forked tongue that licked over drawn-back lips. Teeth as sharp as blades. A face so ugly and horrific that Ben never ever wanted to see anything like it again.

‘I need some fresh air,’ he gasped to Gemma and Knight, and left them to finish with Miss Jansis while the children chose their reading books.

There was a woman standing by the school gate. Probably a mum come to collect her child from the reading group, Ben thought. Except she didn’t look like he’d expect a school mum to look. She was about the right age to have a ten-year-old child, but she was dressed smartly in a dark jacket and skirt, her black hair falling in perfect symmetry round her face and on to her shoulders. She was holding a briefcase. Perhaps she’d come straight from work.

But if she was a waiting mum, why didn’t she come into the playground? She was standing on the other side of the school fence and she was looking over at the temporary classroom that Ben had just left. Was she a teacher?