The Mariner (49 page)

But an overriding urge to flee was more potent. Not from the shifting world, not from the shaking ground, not from the confusion, but from a tall office block that overlooked the park. An office block that contained the mind that had disgusted every other in existence, the mind that had frightened the Wasp away.

Unable to resist, she turned and looked, somehow sensing a monumental change was about to take place in the fabric of the world. Windows on the top floor shattered, fragile beneath the awesome tonnage of water that suddenly poured through, a river-worth tumbling from the office without any possible source. It cascaded down, crashing into the streets below, tossing cars and frightened pedestrians in its wake.

Heidi averted her eyes and ran, never looking back, not even when water lapped at her heels. Not even when the world she’d known became lost.

All this, Elli Heidegger would have remembered if that experience hadn’t faded from her head, just as it had from everyone else’s; gone to join the Wasp. The event existed only in the Mariner’s, who’d lost it to the Pope, only to have it returned years later.

And as the Mariner reminded her of this, Heidi’s mind tried to retrieve the memory. Just as Absinth had of Claude. Just as Pryce had of the stars. And just as before, the search found no trace of the Wasp where trace should lay, the needle skipped the record, the human within awoke.

And so too did every other who heard his story.

Mavis craned her neck and bent her head to try and hear what the Mariner was saying. It was no use, her tired old ears just didn’t catch any-more. Getting old was tricky business, every passing day brought new bodily failures. Long ago she’d become accustomed to the digestive issues, but it was the slow degradation of the eyes and ears that gave a sour taste. They should stick with you till the end! How long would she have to go without? When would they finally give up the ghost? She’d rather die than live without, it would be terrible to linger on, deaf or blind.

Whatever the man was saying, it had the rapt attention of the whole gathering. Probably lurid descriptions of his crimes, it was always the gory details that kept people hanging (to excuse the pun). She would have to ask Heidi about it later. It would be a shame to miss out.

However, looking at the woman who’d served Mavis as a loyal captain, she was doubtful that Heidi would be able to recall
anything
. The young lady was beginning to twitch and shake on stage as if in the grip of a fit.

“Oh my goodness,” Mavis groaned. She grabbed the sleeve of the gentleman by her side. “Excuse me? I think my friend up there is having some sort of seizure.”

The man didn’t respond. How frustrating! To go one week from total power, to this! Ignored in the street. “Excuse me!” she yelled at him, anger brimming over.

Suddenly the man’s head twitched back, juddering as if electrocuted. Mavis dropped his arm and backed away, alarmed. “Are you alright?” she asked, but like before there was no reply, just another judder and grimace, as if the man’s facial muscles were being pulled against his will.

She turned, afraid, hoping to push through the crowd, but everywhere she looked people were beginning to twitch and growl. Heads twisted as if on wheels, eyes rolled like dice, and where there had once been silence, a low moaning grew.

Mavis, terrified in her old years, felt her bladder give way, and release warmth down her legs. They were all around her: Anomenemies. More than she could ever have imagined! Too scared to do anything else, she looked back at the stage. The Mariner had ceased speaking, instead he looked out at the audience with regret and tears streaming down his face.

“What have you done?” she tried to appeal, but her voice couldn’t penetrate the screams that erupted about her. The Mariner turned and ran, slipping past guards who’d dropped their weapons as their bodies gave in to spasms; as, in a strange way known only to the Mariner, they finally became fully human.

Hands grabbed at her frail body and fingers scratched her face. Rage filled voices rumbled through her mind, until ears were torn loose and blood filled the drums. Distorted faces, like those of beasts, danced across her vision, only blotted out as her eyes were dug from their sockets.

Gripped with terror, Mavis was plunged into a sightless, soundless void with naught else to sense but pain. Her earlier wish was granted however; it didn’t last very long.

45
CHRISTOPHER McCONNELL WISES UP

A
CACOPHONY OF BELLOWS ROSE
above the town like distant thunder. McConnell had been sitting on a pew, idly running beads through his hands. Now they dropped to the floor with a light patter.

Harris cocked his head, questioning the sound, but the answer was already in both men’s minds. Both had experienced the Mindless. They had heard those howls before.

“Where the fuck did they come from?” McConnell ran to the door, pushing it wide open and looking up and down the empty streets. It didn’t take long to realise the sound was hurtling down from the central courtyard. Harris joined by his side, mouth agape.

“The execution?” he stammered like a billionaire whose balance had suddenly hit zero. “Arthur Philip? Oh my god, what’s he done?”

The sounds grew louder, and suddenly the north end of the street was awash with bodies all pushing and writhing against each other, struggling to be the first in line. They ran without direction, eyes searching, fingers grasping. They moved like a tsunami, a great wave of limbs and gnashing teeth.

“Inside, now!” Harris pushed the reverend back and pulled the door closed. “Key? Key?! Give me the fucking keys!” he screamed, tugging them off McConnell as he fumbled.

They jangled in the lock, and for a moment gave stubborn resistance, but finally clicked into place.

“Is there a back way out of here?”

“Y-yes,” McConnell stuttered. “Through there.” He pointed a shaky finger. “What’s happened to them?”

“They’re Mindless. That bastard Philip is some sort of Anomenemy, another Oracle! He must have done this.”

“We don’t know that!”

“Fuck! Of course we do, who else would do this?” The door began to shake as fists pounded upon it, furious voices screaming their frustration. “We need to go, now!”

“Where?”

“The dock, we’ll grab a ship and get out of here.” He turned to go, but McConnell grabbed his arm.

“But the library? The plan? Harris, this may be our last chance to preserve what’s left! There may be others like us?”

“Reverend!” he snapped, and McConnell winced at the defunct title. “Did you see the number of them out there? There’s nothing left. Nothing! We’ve got to go!”

The two men fled to the back of the church, knocking over stands of long dead flowers and incense in their haste. Behind, the door began to shake against its hinges, cheap wood splintered under the frantic blows and mindless faces peered at them through the gaps, ever widened by torn and bloody fingers.

Outside, behind the church, was a thin alley, secluded in the shadow of two tall houses. Both men bolted, glancing fearfully behind, waiting for the Mindless to burst forth. Beyond the protective walls they could hear the cries of a thousand madmen. Occasionally a terrified scream would join their bellows as the Mindless hunted down the few thinking left, spared from insanity by not hearing the Mariner’s words.

As McConnell and Harris reached the street, they saw two such people; a father and his daughter, the child presumably too young to attend an execution. He was carrying her on his back whilst he ran, desperately clutching onto her arms draped about his neck. Daughter, unable to confront the horrors behind, buried her head in his shoulder, closing her eyes tight.

McConnell watched as the pair were dragged to the ground by the pursuing horde, forms instantly hidden by the mass of bodies that clustered over them, punching and kicking and clawing.

“To the dock!” Harris grabbed McConnell by the arm. “I jumped in the sea last time. I’ll do it again if need be.”

The unlucky child and her father weren’t halting the crowd. Already their heads had been smashed open and brains shredded; creatures devoid of thought desperately seeking what had abandoned them. When the Wasp failed to return to their bosom, the humans moved on, traces of Wasp scented ahead encouraging their hunt.

McConnell and Harris fled further down the street, away from the brutality taking place. Turning a corner, they got their first view of the dock.

“Look!” Harris said, carelessly loud in his frustration.

McConnell followed his gesture. In the distance he could see the Neptune slowly gliding away from the dock, wind in her sails taking her from the cursed island.

“Arthur?” And sure enough it were the Mariner. Escaping. “That fuck!” McConnell grabbed Harris’ shoulder. “He mustn’t get away. He mustn’t!”

“Then keep running!”

The pair sprinted to the dock, making no attempt to hide, just a final desperate dash. The two designers of Sighisoara’s new beginning, abandoning her to ignorance. Others could be heard behind, feet slapping against the cobblestones, hoarse voices screeching.

With a final push they reached the dock. Stone turned to wood, and with relief found themselves skirting along the promenade, looking for something to sail.

“Just get in any!” McConnell pleaded, glancing towards the mainland. Already Mindless had advanced to the edge of the dock. He could feel the wooden beams below his feet judder at their approach.

“We need something we can sail ourselves, we have no crew!” Making his mind up as fast as possible, Harris pointed to the trawler that had delivered the Mariner just a day before. “That one. Get in!”

Harris dived on and started to fire up the motor, leaving McConnell to untie the mooring ropes. They gave his numb fingers trouble, but first one, then the rest submitted, and the reverend threw himself aboard, only realising once the ship was pulling away that he hadn’t allowed himself a breath since they’d first picked the boat.

Huge fearful gasps made his vision waiver, and McConnell slumped, unable to take his eyes from the Mindless as they gathered about the end of the promenade, screaming in fury at being thwarted. Some leaped into the water and swam in pursuit, but the motor was many times faster. McConnell wondered how long they would swim, and if they’d ever work out how to get back.

“Can you follow him?” he called to Harris. “He can’t get away. Not now. Not after this.”

“I can see the Neptune in the distance and I know where he’s headed.”

Still unable to take his eyes off the Mindless creatures on the dock, McConnell tensed. Amongst their number he could see Heidi, just one amongst many, her noble form now distorted into that of a dumb gargoyle covered in scratches where she’d clawed at her own head. She was lost. As were they all.

He was pleased Harris sounded as resolved as he. The Mariner must die. With the loss of everything, what else was there to do? “Where’s he headed?”

“He told me in the clock-tower. The Waterfall, reverend. Back to that bloody Waterfall!”

Somehow, despite his lack of a crew, the Mariner was able to keep leagues ahead. As Sighisoara disappeared behind, McConnell refused to consider any other action. He didn’t know what they would do once they killed Arthur Philip, but returning to Sighisoara was not an option. Perhaps he didn’t need one? Perhaps seeing the Mariner with a bullet through his brain would be enough? Perhaps that would bring him peace?

Harris governed the small ship onwards, giving relentless pursuit to the larger vessel. They never stopped. By night, McConnell would maintain hold of the steerage, just enough to keep the boat on target. By day, Harris would take over and allow the reverend to rest.

“Who takes over for him?” Harris screamed frustration one morning, looking at the Neptune on the horizon.

“He doesn’t need to sail,” McConnell replied, grim to his core. “She sails for him. She decides the way.”

And so they continued their chase. Two after one. Day after day.

Until eventually the Waterfall was within sight.

It seemed squatter than before, the building had once reached high into the sky, at least eight stories up, but now it had been reduced to a mere three.

“No, it hasn’t been reduced,” McConnell muttered to himself. “We’ve been raised. The world is filling up.”

Indeed, it appeared as if the quantity of water falling from the top floor of the office block had increased, so much frothing out the windows that no sign of the building beneath could be ascertained through the brine. Even the top, the glassless hole through which the water fell was masked in mist. From a distance, it looked like a strange sparkling column.

Harris slept, it was early morning and McConnell had been awake through the night, manning the boat as it blindly sailed onwards. Now he shuddered with trepidation. They were here! The Mariner had nowhere else to run!

He turned to wake Harris, intending the shake the man from his slumber. But as he reached out his hand, a figure beyond caught his attention.

She stood upon the waves, a tiny figure in an infinite expanse. Her frame was delicate and small, yet seemed to radiate a strength from within, a familiar, yet tragic face.