Chapter 4

Launching himself onto his bed, Elliot tried to think what was going on.

His sister could be fucking with him. Yeah that was a definite possibility. But why would his Mum join in on that joke.

He could have imagined the shriek. Maybe. It would get him sent to the nut house though if he continued to think like that.

Maybe he had a fever, and due to being completely delirious he’d imagined the noise. He didn’t feel ill. but right now, that was his safest bet. Both to explain what he’d heard, and as to why he’d been the only one to hear it.

Elliot thumped the pillow, trying to get comfortable. But the same questions and possible answers kept running wild in his head.

Maybe the simple answer was the truth. He was just going mad. He’d imagined the shriek after years of being cooped up in this hotel that hardly anyone ever visited.

Getting up off the bed, Elliot chose the only cause of action that he could think of. He’d go back down to the Mr Reed’s room, to see if he could hear the sound again. If he could, then he knew that it wasn’t in his imagination and he could rest, well, sort of easy. If he couldn’t.

Elliot stopped thinking at that point. If he couldn’t then he really had just gone insane.

Exiting his own room, Elliot looked around at the shabby corridor.

His twin was nowhere to be seen. She’d probably already gone back to her own room by now anyway with no opportunities to get him into more trouble.

There was a problem though.

From down the corridor, Elliot could hear the sounds of his Mum cleaning up the damage he’d caused when he’d crashed into the picture after hearing the shriek.

If his Mum found him wandering about then he would be really dead.

Slowly creeping and peering his head round the corner, he saw his Mum pick up the last of the ruined picture. She was mumbling to herself now, as Elliot had seen on most nights ever since they’d bought the place.

“Can’t keep doing this.” Amanda said under her breath, wiping sweat of her brow as she worked. “They’ll bankrupt me at this rate.”

A sense of dread came over him then. He couldn’t stay here. If his Mum found him, he’d be dead meat. Worse though was the thought of what would happen if his Mum didn’t find him, and what else he would hear. He knew that his Mum would never blame either him or his sister for the problems at the hotel. But he wasn’t stupid. He knew that having to run this place would be bad enough, hell, both he and Isla, had, in what would be their only agreeable moment, had agreed to sell this place the second that they inherited it. But their Mum was running it, whilst also having to help them out.

Elliot decided that he didn’t want to hear anything else. So, he turned to head back to his room before he heard his Mum’s mind continue to break any more than it had apparently already done.

But just then, the sound of the bin liner being fastened up, followed by his Mum’s heavy breathing disappearing towards the reception, signalled that the coast was clear.

Breathing heavily, and making ready to run if this was just a trick. Elliot crept up to the door of Mr Reed’s room, placed his ear against the wood and began to listen in.

“Yes that’s right Mr Baldwin.” Mr Reed’s voice came through the door, though Elliot had no idea what was being discussed. “I’ve located the place that the creature has made its home. Do I have permission to use whatever force required?”

Elliot learned harder against the door, wanting to hear as much as possible.

“Understood.” Mr Reed said after getting whatever answer he’d got. “I’ll report back once I’m-”

That was when it happened, Elliot lost his balance and stumbled, colliding ever so slightly with the door.

Despite the fact that it hadn’t been hit hard. To Elliot it sounded as if a cannon had gone off.

The voice in the room halted.

Two quick strides later, and that was when the door opened, and Elliot fell face first into Mr Reed’s room, where he found the man himself staring directly down at him.

“So,” Mr Reed said imperiously. “Eavesdropping. Again.”

“Please don’t kill me. I promise I didn’t hear or see anything.” Elliot babbled as he cowered underneath the imposing form of Mr Reed, his hands over his face in a vein effort to protect it from whatever the big man was going to do.

A pause where the big man just continued to stare at Elliot, then he began to laugh. It wasn’t a friendly laugh, but it was enough to defuse the tension.

“Get up kid.” Mr Reed said as he half dragged Elliot onto his feet. “I ain’t going to hurt you.”

Elliot didn’t believe him, but if it was a choice between shouting and screaming, and probably dying, or staying quiet and living a little longer. He’d take the latter.

“You heard the screech, boy.” Mr Reed said. It wasn’t a question. “Didn’t you?” That part was a question.

“Yeah. Wait. What. You know about that?” Elliot asked.

“Course I do. Same way I know you can see my real eye colour.” Mr Reed said as he flashed his red eyes at Elliot.

“What’s wrong with them?” Elliot asked, backing away from this man. He’d seen enough monster films to know that red eyes was a pretty fucking big red flag.

“Nothing.” Mr Reed said, his eyes shifting back to the green that Elliot had apparently tricked himself into seeing when this man had arrived. “I knew there was something special about you though. The way you clocked on to me so quickly.”

“Okay. What’s wrong with me then?” Elliot retorted. If there was really nothing wrong with this man’s eyes, or that screech. Then the only common denominator in all of this world of wrongness was him.

“Oh, it’s a low-level telepathy most like. Extra nerves or synapses firing in your brain. You were probably born with it.” Mr Reed said as he opened the largest of his bags, only turning around to see Elliot’s stunned face when he never reviewed the expected rebuttal.

“Wait. I can read minds?” Elliot asked, he knew what telepathy was. And if he had it, it would make living here so much easier.

“I dunno kid. Can you?” Mr Reed asked and even if he didn’t have telepathy, Elliot knew that the old man was being sarcastic. “What am I thinking about, right now?”

“Err.” Elliot said, trying to concentrate. To think. “You’re pissed off that I’m here?” Yep, he had nothing.

“Correct. But no marks. You don’t need to be able to read minds to pick that up.” Mr Reed said, dragging a shrunken head out of his bag. “Nah. You’re more like a radio receiver, picking up random signals that are given off by these creatures.”

“Like you?” Elliot said.

“Yeah kid. Like me.” Mr Reed said. “But I’m one of the good ones.”

“That’s what the evil ones would say.” Elliot said, backing towards the door. He didn’t care how much money this man gave him, he was getting out of here now.

“Yeah.” Mr Reed said clicking his fingers, and Elliot heard the sound of the door, and his only immediate way out, lock itself shut. “But before you run kid. I’ve got to show you something.”

“What did you do to Danny?” Elliot said, his back was pressed against the locked door, his hand fumbling at the handle, trying to make it move.

“Do your ears work kid.” Mr Reed exclaimed, more to himself than to Elliot. “I just told you I’m one of the good ones. So, you can stop messing with the door handle. It won’t open until I want it too.”

Elliot eyes were flashing around the room, until they locked on the window. It was big enough for him to fit through if he managed to get it open. And it was only a one story drop to the ground. High sure, but not to the point that it wasn’t doable.

“The bad monsters, they wouldn’t have shown you their real eye colour, kid.” Mr Reed said. “And the window won’t work either.” He looked at Elliot’s shocked face. “You may not be able to read minds kid. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t.” He sighed, clicking his fingers once more, and Elliot heard the door and window unlock. “Now I don’t know what happened to this Danny. But I’m here to hunt whatever took him.”

“Why?” Elliot asked, received that he could now run if he wanted to.

“Why?” Mr Reed echoed.

“Yeah. Why?” Elliot said, gaining a little bit of his confidence back. “I mean, since when does the government care about people like us.”

“We ain’t government, kid.” Mr Reed said and giving off something that was close to laughter at the notion. “We’re private, but the less that you know about that the better.” That was when he trailed off into muttering as he delved deep into what seemed like a regular rucksack. In these muttering though, Elliot thought he heard the words ‘memory wiping’ come up. “Now, here it is.”

From inside the bag, Mr Reed took out what could only be described as a severed head, with what looked like branches impaled through its eye sockets and mouth. Elliot made for the door again, but stopped when Mr Reed did not lock it.

“Yeah. Nasty isn’t she.” Mr Reed said as he deposited the head onto a small board on the table.

Elliot thought he was about to throw up.

“Witch’s head.” Mr Reed said, examining the head. “Found her down in Plymouth few weeks ago. Finally got it a few days back, and tracked its mate halfway across the bleeding country to this town.” Mr Reed smiled weekly at him. “That scream you heard. That was this, just me finishing it off. Oh, I made her suffer for what it did.”

“What do you mean it’s mate?” Elliot asked nervously. He didn’t exactly know how much he wanted to know.

“Witches usually come in pairs. But this one, it was on its own. Big problem. Mate left to start here some years ago apparently.” Mr Reed explained calmly. “Job can’t be completed until I get them both. With this one dead, the mate will become much more desperate, and powerful. It’s already lashing out.”

“And if you don’t?” Elliot asked, what little confidence he’d gotten was now gone. “Stop it, I mean?”

“Then it will continue to lash out, taking more and more until it can find a new mate.” Mr Reed replied simply. “It’s a cat and mouse game now kid. And this thing is going to try everything possible to prolong itself long enough to escape me. It’s not going to be easy.”

“How you going to get it?” Elliot said, intrigued despite his fear.

“Well, right now it’s a cornered animal. And like all cornered animals, it’s going to attack on panic and base instinct. Which will lead at some point to a mistake.” Mr Reed said.

Elliot was turning all this over in his head. If this was a hunt, as Mr Reed said it was, then one very crucial piece was missing. A mouse would leave their dens for food, despite the danger. If cartoons were to be believed. And right now, this man was clearly waiting for said mouse to make another mistake.

“You’re using this town as bait. Aren’t you?” Elliot said. “We’re the food for this mouse.”

“I told you it wasn’t going to be easy.” Mr Reed said walking over to the door and opening it. “And now. With any luck, I won’t be here long.”

As Elliot walked out the door, mulling over everything that had been said, he heard Mr Reed call him back.

“This missing kid. How’d you know them?” Mr Reed asked.

“We played football together.” Elliot answered before he could stop himself. “Why?”

“Know anything else about him?” Mr Reed asked further, and more importantly, not answering the question.

“No sir.” Elliot replied, he knew Danny at school and football. But that was about it. If he’d spoken to Danny more than five times outside those two places, he’d be surprised.

“Okay.” Mr Reed said, and slammed the room door shut in Elliot’s face.