Chapter 11: Chapter 11

David has remained just as quiet on the journey back from their impromptu visit to Kevin Reilly, but for a completely different set of reasons than his silence on the way there.

The silence is so complete that Alice jumps a little when his phone rings. Her mind has been on other things since she is unable to have a conversation with her boss. She was trying to think of an appropriate nickname for him. So far she had not got beyond Dave, which, frankly, was quite rubbish.

Without taking much notice, he pulls the phone out of his suit jacket pocket and flips open the activation flap, his driving unaffected in anyway. Alice is sure that she would have swerved off the road.

“David Oswald.” He tells the phone.

“Is that David Oswald?” Asks a timid voice.

“Yes!” He replies.

“Robert told us to call.”

This attracts David’s attention. “Who is this?”

“We’re friends of Robert. He told us to call and tell you that he’s going to…”

There is silence on the other end of the phone for a moment

Then: “What did he say again?”

Another voice pipes up, the first evidence that the caller is not alone. “Haunt 9!”

“Oh yeah. Robert said he’s going to Haunt 9. He also said he might need backup.”

“I understand. Thank you!”

With that, David flips his phone off, his eyes still concentrating on the road. He hasn’t missed a beat.

Alice is looking at him, wanting to know what was going on. “What is it?”

“I have no idea how but Robert seems to have got himself involved in the nights events after all.”

“You’re joking?”

David shakes his head solemnly. “I’m really not in the mood to be joking right now.

3.

Tuesday 27th April 2010

02:17

Kevin is sitting in his office, staring out into space and thinking dark thoughts. It just so happens that there is a window in front of him and anyone coming in would assume that something outside had caught his eye. Strangely enough he is staring at a spot where a girl had been brutally raped and murdered six years before. He has no idea about this but is aware that something is not right about that spot. It’s just a damn creepy coincidence.

A smile plays on his lips. Just then, he hears a noise and turns around. The man in the black suit who had visited David earlier tonight… this morning is more appropriate… is standing at the corner of the office.

“You should have knocked.”

“Everyone’s a comedian tonight.”

“What do you want? You shouldn’t really be paying me a visit unless…”

“Don’t worry, I’m just bored and seeking intellectual stimulation. I visited David earlier.”

Kevin looks more interested. “Did you?”

The man nods.

“I haven’t seen you in ages. How have you been?”

“Okay, I lied. This isn’t really a social visit, Kevin. We’re not exactly on the same side any more…”

“That’s a matter of opinion. I mean we’re both fighting the Brethren.”

The man cuts him off with the wave of a hand. “Don’t do it, Kevin.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I have no idea either. You’re aware how this works. I just know that the path that you’re considering will not end well for someone.”

“And you know which person?”

“I certainly do.”

Kevin sits back in his chair and his hands form a steeple, unconsciously mimicking a posture that he has seen David in a hundred times.

“And pray tell, who may that be?”

The man shrugs. “You know that I can’t say!”

“It’s not like you to issue warnings. Can you not get into trouble for that?”

“You’re right. I probably could if I got found out. The fact of the matter is that there is nobody around at the moment in a position to be aware of this meeting; ergo there is nothing they can do to reprimand me. The reason I am telling you this is because I happen to like this said person. I would never admit it but… he’s a friend.”

“People in your line of business shouldn’t have friends.”

The man laughs. “You couldn’t be closer to the truth. Just think about it Kevin! I don’t know what you’re planning but… well just think about it.”

Kevin nods slowly, already sure that he isn’t going to heed his advice. With that, the man is gone.

4.

Tuesday 27th April 2010

02:19

Another victim of coincidence or something more cosmic, Gary is just heading towards the phone to give his father yet another one of his promised calls, when it starts to ring. Suddenly hoping for the best, he picks it up, short bursts of exciting breath issuing from his mouth.

“Hello?” He so desperately wants to add, “Isabelle?” But he manages to resist.

“Gary, it’s David.”

There is a mixture of disappointment and relief in his voice. “Hi David. I’m glad to hear from you. Somebody’s spying on my house.”

“Really?” David does not sound overly surprised by this, for some reason.

“Yeah.”

“You should have called me. Things could have become dangerous.”

“I know. I took precautions. Any word?”

“Not yet. But I just got a message that Robert has gone to Haunt 9.”

This news surprises Gary as much as it had Alice. He had expected that Robert would have nothing to do with the events of the night. “Why the hell would he do that?”

“I’ve no idea… yet. But it might be related to Isabelle’s disappearance. I just thought I would keep you up to date.”

“Thanks David, I appreciate that.”

“Just sit tight Gary.”

“Okay. Thanks David. Speak to you soon.”

“Goodbye.”

Gary puts the phone down and waits for a few seconds before picking it up again. He swiftly dials a number. He hits the wrong digit and has to replace the handset before picking it up and starting again. He is too psyched up by now. After a few seconds there is an answer.

“Hi dad. It’s Gary.”

“Gary? You okay?” He has asked that every time Gary has called this morning.

“Yeah dad. Everything’s under control now! Sorry if I scared you.”

“Gary what the hell’s…”

“Look, I’ll explain it all tomorrow. You should get some rest. I’m really sorry… Goodnight.”

Before his dad can say anything, Gary replaces the handset back on the cradle. For a couple of seconds a few things go through his head and then, almost as if by automatic pilot, he gets up and grabs his jacket, heading for the front door.

5.

Tuesday 27th April 2010

02:21

Time perception is not good and he is unaware that he went back to sleep for no more than an hour and a half. Horrible dreams have made him think that he has been at that place forever… he doesn’t want to go back, despite the erection he has managed to gain from that hellhole. Life really is screwed up, isn’t it?

There are a couple of moments when he is not too sure where he actually is or what is going on. But that is normal for Christopher when he wakes up because he can be a very deep sleeper. It takes him a few moments longer to realise that he is alone and that Alice is gone. It all comes back to him in bits and pieces, with the horrors of his sleep cutting in between like a shard of a mirror cutting into his wrists… That place!!!

“Fuck!” This is the most legible thing that he can utter.

His plan had been to wait for a couple of minutes after Alice had left the house and then follow her at a discreet distance to her office.

Part of him says that it is too late and he should just stay where he is and drift back into some sort of semblance of sleep (but what about the nightmares?) and save his investigating for another night. It isn’t as if this scenario is not going to present itself again.

But he finally manages to force himself out of bed, knowing that this is the time for action, even though every muscle in his body tells him otherwise, along with the phantom pains in his arms. He flips his legs round and shivers as they touch the colder than he expected carpet. When he flicks on the bedside lamp the argument in his body is over. For better or worse, Christopher is awake.

His head seems to be just one itchy mass and he is not sure why he always feels like this when he wakes up. He doesn’t have any dandruff to speak of and wonders if it is the phantom of the childhood skin condition he had, rearing its ugly head in his subconscious. He can almost cry sometimes from the pain of his nails scratching his skull. But then, as soon as he is fully awake, it is always gone. After a brief scratching session, he gets up and walks over to the window.

It is still pitch black outside and the streets are empty. He likes this time of night. Sometimes, when he is awake he imagines that he is the only person in the world who is awake at that moment, knowing that it is complete nonsense. He sometimes wonders what it would be like to be the only human alive on the face of the earth and has to admit that it is an appealing thought.

He feels the tiredness begin to creep back and decided to fight the yawns. He has to dress before the thoughts of returning to bed overcome him and he gives up his night’s excursion. The clothes he has worn the evening before are hanging over a chair and he slips them on quickly, feeling a little disgusted that he is going to wear the same boxer shorts, even if it is just for a short period of time. He doesn’t plan to be staying out for too long.

As soon as he is dressed, he grabs his car keys and leaves the house, heading for the car, realising on the way that he could really do with a glass of water. He remembers reading in a book that if you didn’t need to piss then you were dehydrated. He has no idea how true that is. It sounds like bullshit to him but the book was written by someone smarter than he was so who was he to argue?

He ignores the theory, however, deciding that he could drown himself in water when he gets back to the house if he so desires. He gets into the car and rubs the final remnants of sleep out of his eyes before he starts the short drive to the Progression Software office.

He wonders what he will do if Alice and the others are there and see that he is spying on them. She would not take kindly to him doing this. Alice can be a very private person and it takes a lot to get her to talk about anything, especially work. And even then, she only speaks about the computer programming side of it. Does she think Christopher is some sort of idiot? That he is oblivious to what her real job is?

It is a moot point because, as he had suspected, the offices are empty, even David Oswald’s office light is no longer shining like a beacon in the night. He sits there for a little while, wondering when they will be back and wanting to make sure that he isn’t there when they come. If he had been here earlier he could have followed them. But that is a job for another night, he decides.

Just before he is about to leave, he has a swift look around to make sure the coast is clear. It is then that he spots the van that is also staking out the building. He can see people looking out of the windows and notices that they are also watching him with equal curiosity. They obviously don’t know who he is.

He gets out of the car and starts to walk over to the van. He decides to have a little fun with them before he leaves. If he isn’t going to get any joy out of his stakeout then neither should these guys. He knows that they will evacuate soon after the conversation he is about to have with them. He is very surprised that they don’t even give him a chance to talk, instead being very unprofessional in their task. The engine bursts into life and the van is gone before he is even halfway there.

He smiles a little at this and turns back to the car. He gets inside and sits for a couple of moments in silent contemplation before turning the ignition key and starting off on his journey back to the house.