Doorways (A Book of Vampires, Werewolves & Black Magic) (The Doorways Trilogy - Book One) (13 page)

Chapter 22

William and Neanna had watched from the shadows of a nearby alleyway as Zach had been carried into the ambulance on a stretcher. A man and woman dressed in green coloured overalls slammed the doors closed and went to the front of the vehicle. With sirens screeching and lights pulsating, the ambulance rushed away up Victoria Street pursued by several police officers on motorbikes.

‘We’ll have to follow that flashing thing,’ Neanna said.

‘I’m fast but not that fast,’ William replied as he stared at her in the darkness with his bright red eyes.

‘I can fly after it and then come back for you,’ Neanna suggested.

‘No need,’ William told her as he began to sniff the air with his long white snout. ‘I have Zach’s scent. I can follow it.’

‘Are you sure?’ Neanna asked.

‘Yes,’ William said. ‘Now get going!’

Without another word, Neanna rolled her shoulders beneath her coat and unfurled her wings. Tilting her head back, she rocketed into the night sky like a firework.

William looked across the road at where the ambulance had been. He could see thin wispy tendrils of colour floating a few inches above the street. Just as he had seen Zach through his spectacles in Endra, he could now see his friends scent, and it glowed a warm orange. Keeping to the shadows of shop doorways and the overhangs of tall buildings, William followed the orange wisps of colour along Victoria Street, past Westminster Cathedral, New Scotland Yard, the Houses of Parliament and across Westminster Bridge until the tendrils of orange disappeared into a large building.

From a side alley
, he heard his name being called and he looked to see Neanna peeking out from behind several tall industrial rubbish bins. William skulked into the alley and passed through hundreds of tendrils of mauve and black. These were bad scents; the smells of decaying waste and rotting food.

‘They’ve taken
Zach into that big building. It’s a hospital,’ Neanna told him as he came to rest beside her.

‘Is he injured?’ William barked.

‘I don’t know. I couldn’t get too close, but he looked unconscious.’

‘Maybe one of those peace…I mean
cops
, shot him?’

‘No, I don’t think so,’ Neanna whispered in the darkness.

‘How can you be so sure?’ 

‘I would have been able to smell the blood. You don’t get shot without losing some blood and believe me I would have smelt it!’ She breathed in then exhaled, releasing a plume of breath which floated away like a tiny cloud.

William eyed her and said, ‘are you feeling ok?’

Neanna nodded. ‘Just thirsty.’

William had heard the tales of Slath that had been through the doorways into Earth. Most never returning as they had become addicts – addicted to the blood of humans. He knew that if Neanna stayed for too long, if her thirst became too strong and she tasted human blood – just one little drop – she may never want to return home. She might not be able to.

‘We’re gonna have to get
Zach out of there and back to Endra as quick as possible,’ he said thinking aloud.

‘What’s the plan?’ Neanna asked.

‘Dunno yet, but I’ll think of something,’ William said, settling down and resting his snout on his giant paws.

‘Well think of something quick,’ Neanna said. ‘I don’t know what time sunrise is in Earth, but I don’t want to be here to find out!’

William lay silent for the next few hours in the darkness of the alleyway, while Neanna sat beside him, her eyes closed. The wolf knew she wasn’t sleeping. He could tell that she was meditating, trying to ignore her thirst which grew more intense with every moment they stayed in Earth.

‘How you doing?’ he asked her after a few hours had passed.

‘It feels like I’ve got an itch that I just can’t reach and it’s driving me mad,’ Neanna said through clenched teeth. ‘How
you
doing?’

‘What ya mean?’ William asked.

‘The plan! The plan!’ Neanna hissed.

Then standing on all fours and peering acr
oss the street, William said, ‘look who it is!’

Neanna opened her eyes and followed William’s stare.

‘I don’t believe it,’ she whispered, watching Fandel Black climb from his car and skulk into the main entrance of St Thomas’ hospital.

‘I have an idea. Follow me,’ William said, bounding across the street.

After being pointed in the right direction by the night porter, Fandel made his way through the labyrinth of corridors, passageways and stairwells until he found his nephew’s room. He knew he had found the right place because only his obnoxious nephew could command the presence of a police officer on guard outside his door.

Without making contact with the police officer, Fandel went to enter Zach’s room. Before he had even managed to push the door open an inch, the police officer blocked his way with one muscular arm.

‘Whoa! Hang on a minute. You can’t just go bowling in there. Who are you?’ the police officer asked, eyeballing Fandel.

Fandel attempted a smile, but it looked more like a crack in a broken plate. ‘I’m Zach’s uncle,’ he said.

‘I’ll need to see some I.D.’ the police officer insisted, holding out his hand.

Sighing, Fandel reached into his back trouser pocket and produced his wallet. He thumbed through it until he had found his driving license. Plucking it out, Fandel thrust it under the nose of the police officer.

Without taking his eyes off Fandel, the officer
took the I.D. and said, ‘thank you.’

The officer then inspected the piece of plastic. He held it up and his eyes flicked between the photo of Fandel and the real thing that stood before him. Satisfying himself that he was the genuine article, the officer handed back the driving license.

‘Is that all officer?’ Fandel sneered.

‘Yes,’ the officer said. ‘Everything seems to be in order.’

‘Then perhaps I could see my nephew. He is sick you know.’

The officer motioned Fandel towards the door without making further comment.

Easing open the door, Fandel slipped into the darkened room, closing the door behind him. He crossed the room in two lanky strides and stood beside his sleeping nephew. Stooping, his misshapen spine gave an audile
crack
, as he lent over Zach. Placing his puckered lips against his ear, Fandel whispered:

‘
Zach. It’s your uncle Fandel. I’ve come to take you home.’

His whining voice penetrated Zach’s sub-consciousness and he snapped open his eyes. His first thought on seeing his uncle’s disgusting face leering over him was to scream. But before it had left his throat, Fandel had placed one of his skeletal hands over his mouth.

‘That’s no way to greet your favorite uncle,’ Fandel said.

Twisting beneath Fandel’s grip, Zach thrashed his arms up and down.

‘I can see that you’re not going to come without a fight,’ Fandel said.

Zach recoiled under the stench and warmth of his uncle’s breath against his cheek.

Reaching into his coat pocket with his free hand, Fandel produced what appeared to be a thorn. Zach’s eyes widened as his uncle held it above his face. Whatever it was, it looked as if it had just been plucked from a thorn bush. It was about an inch long and its point was covered with a small metal cap. Removing the cap with his teeth, Fandel spat it into the corner of the room. Then holding the thorn between his thumb and forefinger, Fandel brought it just millimeters from Zach’s face.

Zach looked at the thorn
’s pointed tip and he could see a milky substance oozing from it.

‘You don’t ne
ed to be scared,’ Fandel grinned. ‘Soon you’ll be laughing about all of this.’

Then with a surgeon’s precision, Fandel pushed the thorn into the side of
Zach’s neck and buried it beneath his skin.

The Mirth-Barb took effect at once and
Zach began to chuckle. The chuckle then turned into laughter, which in turn became near hysterics. Placing one arm around Zach’s shoulders, Fandel eased his nephew from the bed.

‘That’s right
, there’s nothing to be scared of – not for the moment anyhow. Now let’s see if we can’t get you dressed.’

Fandel helped his nephew slide into his jeans and jumper as he fell about the room in fits of uncontrollable laughter. Tears streamed from his eyes and over his cheeks, and although to the outside world he appeared to be the happiest kid on the planet, inside he was screaming:

‘HELP ME! PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME!’

But his lips just wouldn’t let him form the words as he rolled around holding his sides.

Once he was dressed, Fandel looped his arm through Zach’s and used all of his strength to keep him from falling over. He pushed open the door and led Zach into the corridor.

‘Where do you think you’
re taking him?’ the police officer said, stepping in front of Fandel, barring his escape.

‘I’m taking him
home, to where he belongs,’ Fandel said.

‘I’ve had
instructions not to let him leave,’ the police officer insisted as Fandel tried to navigate his way around him.

‘Is my nephew under arrest?’ Fandel asked. ‘Has he been charged with some crime?’

Shaking his head, the police officer said, ‘Well, erm…no.’

‘Then as I understand the laws in this country, he is free to leave and you have no power to keep him here!’ Fandel spat.

‘Look,’ the police officer said, not knowing how to play this. However much he wanted to punch this smug idiot in the face, he did have a point. ‘Let me just seek advice on this.’

‘Seek advice?’ Fandel said. ‘Seek adv
ice! Can’t you see that he is delirious that I have come to fetch him?’

Zach looked at the police officer and although he was standing there with a grin that stretched from ear to ear, inside he was yelling:

‘PLEASE DON’T LET ME GO WITH HIM. HE’S GONNA KILL ME!’

The police officer looked at the boy who started giggling in front of him. He did seem happy enough in his uncle’s company.
But what about Tanner?
The police officer reminded himself as those cold blue eyes of his superintendent bored into his mind.

‘I’m going to have to call this one in,’ the police officer said. ‘I need to check this out with my super…’

‘Do whatever you feel is necessary officer, but I’m taking my nephew home. You can contact me there if need be,’ Fandel said, dragging his laughing nephew up the corridor and out of the hospital.

The police officer just stood and watched as Fandel disappeared. Deep down inside, he knew that he was going to be in a pile of trouble. Someone was going to have to take the blame for this mess and crap ran downhill. The officer’s hands moved to his equipment belt as he contemplat
ed the situation. He then realised his handcuffs were missing, and that made him feel worse. That
was
down to him?

It was cold outside and the first rays of sunlight were beginning to break over the River Thames. Fandel yanked open the rear passenger door of his car and threw Zach face down onto the back seat. His nephew found this amusing and sprayed a mouthful of laughter.

‘See if you find this so funny?
’ Fandel said, taking the handcuffs he had slipped from the police officer’s belt and snapped them onto Zach’s wrists.

He slammed the car door shut and jumped into the driver’s seat. He roared the engine into life and sped from the parking space and out onto
Westminster Bridge. Zach roared with laughter and Fandel screamed:

‘Shut up! You’re getting on my bloody nerves!’

Chapter 23

Neanna Cera perched on the top of St Thomas’ Hospital and trembled from head to toe. She gripped the stonework and her knuckles looked as if they were going to burst through the skin of her slender fingers at any moment.

The thirst was overwhelming now and she struggled to focus on the mission in hand. She was desperate to swoop from the sky and sink her teeth into the neck of one of those humans passing below on their way to work.

I could be down there and quench this thirst in seconds
, she tried to convince herself.
But what if Fandel should appear with Zach, while I was meant to be keeping watch? I might miss him and he would be left to his brutal uncle.

Neanna fought the temptations that her thirst conjured in her mind, but this wasn’t the sole reason she trembled. The sun was rising, spraying its rays li
ke a pink halo across the river. Her flesh itched and had started to feel sore. She knew it wouldn’t be long before her skin started to blister, leaving her looking as if she had been covered in bubble-wrap.

William had told her not to strike until Fandel had left the city and was well away from people. ‘Wait until we reach a quiet road. Somewhere nice and secluded,’ William had stressed. But that had been over an hour ago and it had still been pitch-black. Neanna had no intention of being burnt to a cinder
, so she had altered the plan. As soon as Fandel appeared, she was going to strike. Closing her eyes, Neanna fought the temptation to swoop down and quench her thirst. She rocked semi-conscious on the lip of the hospital building and trembled. Without realising, she had begun to lose her grip, teetering ever nearer to the edge. Then, as she was about to fall, she snapped open her eyes and tightened her grip. She looked down at all those passing humans with that gorgeous warm red stuff pumping through them. Crying out as if in pain, her lips rolled back revealing a gaping red mouth, which was full of razor-sharp teeth. She trembled, and her eyes shone a brilliant blue. In her minds eye, she could see herself lunging down at one of the passing humans and ripping their throat out. She could almost smell and taste the warm red liquid gushing into her mouth and down her throat.

One wouldn’t hurt, would it?
She wondered.
I’m so thirsty – I can’t bear it – it’s driving me insane. Just a mouthful – that would do. Just one mouthful!

Then snapping open
her eyes, her teeth gleaming in the light of the dawn, she readied herself to swoop down and take one of the humans when she saw Fandel’s car speeding from the parking space and go racing across Westminster Bridge.

Without hesitating, Neanna let go of her perch and dropped through the sky like a stone. She raced towards the ground below and, just when it looked as if she was going to smash head first into the pavement, she shook her shoulders and her dead-black wings unfolded. Neanna soared over the bridge as she sped after Fandel’s car.

With her wings rippling like kites on either side of her, she swooped level with the car and peered inside. She could see Zach lying face down on the back seat and his wrists seemed to be bound. That was part ‘A’ of the plan accomplished. William had told her that there was no point in striking if Fandel had been unsuccessful in taking Zach from the hospital.

‘Now for part ‘B’!’ she said to herself, soaring upwards and racing ahead of the car. Arcing through the air like a boomerang, Neanna turned so she was facing the vehicle and went racing towards it like a kamikaze pilot.

Fandel was still
screaming at Zach to stop laughing when Neanna hit the windscreen. He looked up to see her fangs inches from his face on the other side of the windshield, which was cracked like a sprawling spider’s web. With her wings spread open it was impossible to see anything. Covering his face with his hands, Fandel lost control of his car. It went careering across the path of oncoming traffic, and racing across Parliament Square. Taxis spun three-hundred-and-sixty degrees to avoid him, throwing their fares out of their seats. Buses skidded on the icy roads and crunched into one another, sending passengers screaming for the emergency exits.

It was too early in the day for tourists but those commuters making their way to the tube stations to get to work, produced mobile phones and began recording their latest upload to YouTube. Yet, even they couldn’t have imagined what was going to happen next.

Fandel’s car nosedived into the security crash barriers that had been erected around parliament and its hood crumpled as if made from tissue. Neanna shot from the hood and cart-wheeled through the air. Arching her back, the wings grew taught and she broke her fall, hovering just above the car. Fandel sat dazed and confused in the driver’s seat and rubbed his nose which was now gushing blood down the front of his clothes. The coppery scent of it wafted on the air, causing Neanna’s stomach to somersault with hunger. The impact of the crash had thrown Zach off the back seat and onto the floor. But still he laid and roared with uncontrollable laughter. Even as the boot of the car exploded, he laughed.

Hundreds of people were now gathered on the streets and roads around parliament. As they watched and filmed in amazement, two giant paws burst out of the boot of the car, tearing it open as if it were made of papier-mâché. The sound of metal being torn was followed by a deep throated g
rowl, which made the spectators chests rattle as if they were standing too close to a speaker playing the base at full blast.

The boot of the car flew through the air, spinning like a Frisbee. Some of the onlookers ducked out of its way as it sliced into the doorways which led into the House of Commons. Then, others began to scream as the biggest wolf they had ever seen sprang from the boot of the car and landed on top of the vehicle.

In the distance the sounds of sirens could be heard as the police officers that guarded parliament called for urgent assistance.

William stood on top of the car and the roof began to crumble inwards under his weight. Arching his back, he roared into the morning sun and howled. Later that night on the evening news, those living in the East End of London claimed to have heard that howl.

Making a fist with his right paw, William punched it through the roof of the car and tore it open like a can of sardines. Chucking the roof to one side, he reached in and pulled Zach out.

The spectators screamed and wailed as the gi
ant wolf pulled the handcuffed Zach from within the wrecked innards of the car.

‘L
ook! He’s going to kill him!’ one woman said at the top of her voice.

‘Somebody do something!’ a male shouted, gesturing towards the wolf with his umbrella.

‘Hang on!’ some one else shouted from nearby. ‘The kid thinks it’s funny. Look he’s laughing!’

Seeing this, those that hadn’t already be
gun to film this peculiar incident searched for their phones in their handbags or pockets. They too wanted an exclusive they could later sell to the highest bidder.

Without warning, William threw
Zach into the air. He tumbled upwards and, just as he reached the peak of his accent, Neanna swooped down and snatched him out of the air. Neanna climbed upwards as she fought to hold on to her friend. The sun was almost up now and her skin began to smoke beneath its rays. Her whole being trembled as if she were freezing cold. Fearing that she may lose her grip on Zach, she corkscrewed up through the air and came to rest on the large hand of Big Ben. She glanced at the time. It read a quarter to seven.

William looked upwards and, seeing his friend’s precarious position on the face of Big Ben, he glanced back into the car to finish off Fandel. To his dismay the driver’s seat was empty – Fandel had gone.

The sirens were close now and William knew that those cops wouldn’t let him and his friends escape again. Bounding from the remains of Fandel’s car, William raced across Parliament Square, howling and barking at the crowds that had gathered. As he drew near to the tall clock, he leapt through the air, and unleashing his claws, he began to scale it to the top.

Neanna held on to Zach as he wriggled and laughed in her grasp. She was burning up now and her thirst was driving her insane. Maybe if she had something to drink, something to cool her throat, perhaps she wouldn’t feel so bad. Neanna held her friend in her arms and looked down at his neck. She then lent forward, and placing her lips about his throat she began to suck.

‘Neanna stop!’ William howled, as he reached them.

Her lips had formed a vacuum around
Zach’s neck, and William could see the muscles in Neanna’s throat pumping up and down.

‘Let go of Zach!’ William barked, swiping at her with a huge paw.

Neanna broke the seal her lips had formed around Zach’s neck and looked at William.

‘Do you think I would kill our friend?’ she asked.

‘What were you doing if you weren’t drinking?’ William roared.

Neanna opened her hand and spat something into her open palm. William looked down and could see what looked like a thorn lying in the creases of her hand.

‘What’s that?’ William asked.

‘Poison,’ she said, looking away as she cradled
Zach against her.

William looked down at the streets below and all the upturned faces, blue flashing lights and police officers.

‘How do we get out of this alive?’ William said.

‘Through that doorway I guess,’
Zach said, peering over the crook of Neanna’s elbow.

William and Neanna looked up. A few feet away, f
loating in the sky was a white wooden door, and it was open. On the other side there was sky.

Shaking all over, Neanna stood on the large hand of Big Ben. Holding
Zach against her, she said, ‘let’s go home.’ She then swept through the doorway as William leapt after them.

They tumbled through the air as the doorway slammed shut above them with a deafening bang. They seemed to fall forever, the wind rushing past them, pulling at their hair and clothes. Even if Neanna still had her wings they wouldn’t have saved her. She was unconscious and her skin was smoldering like burning wax.

With a terrifying splash they hit the water, and disappeared beneath the thick, black waves of the
Onyx Sea.