The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle (48 page)

Jared nodded and held in the button
until the doors were firmly shut. ‘Two-oh-six,’ he breathed softly as the
metallic dinosaur transported them in its mouth. They reached the second floor
with a jerk and the doors slid open with a high pitched screech. After opening
and closing the metal gate, the two stood in the hallway, facing a door
numbered 202. To the left of them the hallway ended in 201. Without saying a
word, Jared and his mother made their way to the very far end of the hallway
until they stood in front of apartment 206.

‘This is it,’ Rebecca said and
unlocked the door. She followed Jared inside and closed the door behind them.

The apartment was even smaller than
he had anticipated. It consisted of one bedroom that acted as a living room.
The kitchen was as small as the guest toilet in his previous house, and had it
not been for the counter, might have been part of the living room. The smell of
stale beer lingered throughout the apartment. It came from everywhere as if it
was part of the place. Right next to the kitchen was the bathroom that
consisted of a shower and a basin. From the living room, he could look into the
kitchen and the bathroom at the same time. The entire apartment would fit
snugly into his old bedroom. Jared shook his head. Was this what his life had
been reduced to? He shivered at the thought.

‘I know it’s not much,’ Rebecca said
as she placed the suitcase next to what was supposed to be both a couch and his
bed. It was merely a brick extension of the wall with a mattress on it. ‘But
it’s not like we’re going to be in Kelwick much longer, anyway.’

Jared merely nodded and ran his eyes
across the apartment again. He walked over to the cupboards in the kitchen and
opened them. The contents were basic, but enough to keep him going until the
weekend. ‘Can I get you something to drink?’ he asked.

‘Oh no,’ she said. ‘I have to get
going. But get some rest and I’ll see you soon, okay?’

‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Where will you be
staying?’

‘Still at Tanya’s. She’s been very
hospitable to me since I got here.’

The two of them headed down to the
parking lot and after a hug and kiss, Rebecca started the car. ‘I’ll see you
soon,’ she said. ‘Let me know if you need anything.’

‘I will,’ he said. ‘Drive safe.’
Jared stepped back and waved as she drove off. He waited until the car
disappeared around a corner before turning to face the building. He didn’t soak
in much of the detail the first time, but now that he was alone and vulnerable,
the building appeared almost predatory, as if it wanted to consume him and spit
out the bones. It was a rustic place where peeled off plaster revealed cracked
bricks. He could picture the tiny rooms and the lights that flickered on and
off in the hallway. ‘Oh well,’ he sighed and shrugged. ‘Guess it’s better than
nothing.’

Slowly, with each limp and click of
the cane, the building drew nearer, growing more ominous with each passing
moment until it towered over him. Jared looked up and squinted at the early
afternoon sun. On the rooftop of the building, he could make out four
silhouettes. People were leaning over the edge, looking at him.

Oh, give me a break,
Jared thought and
quickened his pace. He half-limped, half-ran for the security gate. Pain stabbed
up his leg with each step he took and twice did he almost lose his balance and
fall. At the elevator, he jerked open the gate and once inside, slammed it
shut. He pressed the button for the second floor repeatedly as the door lazily
shut him inside the box. Through the thin sheet of glass in the elevator door,
he could see silhouettes of hands and arms, running up and down the glass as if
there were many people trying to get in. Only once the doors were closed and
the elevator started moving did he exhale deeply.
You’re losing your mind,
Jared Greene,
he thought and wiped the perspiration from his forehead.
You’re
nuts!

The soft
ding
of the elevator
interrupted his train of thought. The cart stopped with an abrupt jerk and the
doors slid open. Jared needed no invitation. He opened the gate and without
closing it again, limped to his apartment. He fumbled with the keys and after
what felt forever, managed to unlock the door. Only when the door slammed shut
and the bolt was locked did he allow himself to relax. He sat down on the bed
and gave it a little bounce. Once satisfied, he lay down upon it and exhaled
slowly. ‘Not good,’ Jared thought. He sighed and closed his eyes. Images of
people watching him flashed through his mind. Blown-out buildings and burnt-out
cars crept uninvited into his thoughts. Jared sat up straight and raked his
fingers through his hair. Trying to sleep now would be futile, so instead, he
limped over to the microwave and took the car keys from on top of it.
Have
to get out of here,
he thought as he left the room.
Got to clear my mind
before I lose it completely!

*   
-    -    -    *

After his legs finally adjusted to
the rhythm of working the pedals, Jared pulled the car from the parking lot
into the street. The Chevrolet Metro was no comparison to the Vanquish, but at
least he had transport. He made a mental note to get his mother something nice
for all her hard work—and most importantly—patience.

Jared had no specific destination in
mind. He briefly considered going to see Natasha, but decided against it. He
wasn’t ready for seeing her yet, and so he found himself driving aimlessly
around through the back streets of Kelwick, soaking in the sunlight as people
around him went about their everyday business. In Ridge street, he felt a
sudden urge to pull over. He got out of the car and with the use of his cane,
limped to the window of the nearest store.

Jared lightly touched the glass with
his fingers.

The image of a blown-up hardware
store flashed through his mind.

Jared stepped back. He looked down
the street and took a deep breath. ‘Dejavú,’ he said softly and closed his eyes
as he probed his memory, trying to figure out why everything felt so familiar
to him.

‘Can you spare me a dollar?’ a voice
croaked from behind him and Jared spun around. He saw the dirty hands with the
torn gloves before he saw the unshaven, soot-covered face with the toothless
grin. Jared instinctively shook his head and took a step away from the man.
‘Jus’ a dollar, sir,’ the man said.

Jared stuck his hand in his trouser
pocket and pulled out a few wrinkled notes. ‘Here,’ he said and held his hand
out to the beggar. ‘Take this and leave me in peace, please.’

‘Thank you, mister,’ the man said
and held his hands out, expecting the cash to fall into his cupped palms.

Nothing came.

‘Sir...?’

Jared looked at the homeless man and
then shifted his focus back to the store window behind the man. He looked
around and then back at the window.

‘What’s wrong, sir?’

‘That man,’ Jared said and pointed
at the window. ‘Can you see him?’

The beggar looked at the window and
then back at Jared. ‘What man, sir?’

Jared pointed. ‘That man. The one
with the black robe looking right at us. How can you not see him?’

The beggar looked again. He pointed
at Jared’s reflection. ‘There’s you,’ he said and then pointed at his own. ‘And
there’s me. But there’s no one else.’

Jared dropped the bills to the
ground and clicked his cane furiously as he headed for the car. He got in,
started the engine, and sped off without looking back.
What the hell is
happening to me?
Jared wondered as he sped through the streets of Kelwick.

Turn right.

Jared felt an urge to turn at the
next traffic light. He passed two stop streets before he had the urge to turn
left into Clover Street. Through the thick cluster of trees he could see Lake
Metanoia.

Stop the car.

Jared stopped the car and cut the
engine. He had an overwhelming urge to get out and head for the lake. ‘This is
ludicrous,’ he said and started the engine again.

Get out.

Jared cut the engine again and pulled
out the keys. ‘What am I doing here?’ he whispered to himself. ‘What’s here
that you simply
have
to see, Jared Greene?’

He thought about driving off for a
moment longer, but eventually he opened the door and got out.

*   
-    -    -    *

 ‘It’s time,’ Natasha said as
the red in her irises faded. ‘We have one last chance of winning his alliance.’

Tanya nodded. ‘We can’t afford to
mess this up again,’ she said. ‘We’ve waited too long and made too many
mistakes already.’

‘We?’ Natasha asked with just a hint
of a growl in her voice. ‘Not
we
,’ she snarled and pulled back her lip
to reveal her jagged teeth. ‘I did my part and can assure you that any mistake
whatsoever was no fault of mine.’

‘Control yourself, demon!’ Tanya
snapped. ‘You’re here to do
my
bidding and nothing else. Do you
understand?’

Natasha backed down, growling. She
did nothing to hide the contempt in her facial expression. ‘I still say we have
to get rid of that woman.’

Tanya slapped her hand against
Natasha’s cheek, scratching the soft flesh with her nails. ‘I warned you that
you are not to harm her. If you do, I will have you bound and cast into the
abyss until the end of time itself, am I clear?’ Natasha didn’t answer. She
merely continued to growl softly, the sound not entirely unlike the purr of a
cat. Tanya lit a cigarette and blew the smoke into Natasha’s face before she
spoke again. ‘Our objective is Jared. Stick to it. We have until tomorrow.’

Natasha nodded.

‘Don’t fail me again, Nahemah,’
Tanya warned. ‘We will not get another chance.’

‘I understand,’ Natasha said and
turned to leave. ‘We shall win his side by any force or means necessary.’ At
the door she stopped. ‘And if we can’t have him,’ she said as her irises flared
up. ‘No one can.’

*   
-    -    -    *

 ‘I had a bad dream last
night,’ Justin said. He neglected to mention that it wasn’t his first.

‘Really?’ Rebecca asked. ‘What was
it about?’

‘You know, it’s stupid now that I
think about it.’

‘Tell me nonetheless,’ Rebecca
urged.

‘Well, I was hanging from a building
with one arm. In the other hand, I was holding my book.’ Justin took a deep
breath. ‘I couldn’t use my other arm for support because of the book. My
fingers started slipping from the railing and I realised that I had to choose
between letting go of the book and saving myself, or to falling to my death.’

‘And?’ Rebecca asked. ‘What did you
do?’

‘I couldn’t let go, Becky,’ Justin
said. ‘I couldn’t let go of the book and I fell.’

‘Oh dear.’

For a moment Justin didn’t say
anything. ‘What do you suppose it means?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Rebecca said. ‘It
could mean that you’re holding on to the book too tightly. It could also mean
that the book could be withholding you from something else. Then again, it most
probably means that you had something spicy for dinner.’

Justin chuckled. ‘Yeah, I guess
you’re right.’

‘The truth is that I don’t know what
it means,’ she said. ‘But I’m sure that if it does mean something, you’ll know
when the time is right.’

‘I guess you’re right, eh?’ Justin
said and sighed. ‘I was just a little spooked, that’s all.’ He decided to
change the topic instead. ‘How’s Jared?’

‘I just dropped him off at his
apartment. If all goes well, we should be home before next weekend.’

‘Hearing that makes me so happy,’
Justin said. ‘I miss you both so much.’

‘And we miss you too. Speaking of
which, if I don’t hang up now I’m going to miss my soap. We’ll talk a bit
later, okay?’

When he hung up Justin sighed deeply
and replayed the previous evening’s dream in his mind. Something about it
gnawed at his gut. ‘Lord, please let me know what it’s supposed to mean,’ he
prayed. ‘Please tell me what I should do.’

*   
-    -    -    *

The cool breeze kissed Jared’s cheek
as he got out of the car. He looked around at the lovely scene of nature that
surrounded him. Once a person was inside the park, it was difficult to imagine
that there was a world outside of this one. In the park, a person had a new
identity. One where concrete and steel buildings were vague memories of another
life and where time stood still, where itineraries didn’t matter and board
meetings didn’t exist.

Using his cane for support, Jared
followed the footpath through the park to a steep embankment. With painful
effort, he inched his way down the embankment and once at the bottom, took a
moment to catch his breath underneath a huge tree. Not too far off was the
lake.