Chapter 14

The flash from the camera illuminated the blood that had smeared and dried on the walls and floor of the dusty old apartment. The photographer moved slowly as he took pictures of the blood stains (and there were many) before moving onto capturing permanent images of the mangled body in the middle of the floor. The man was very careful not to step in any of the blood that had pooled on the carpet as he moved methodically around the crime scene. Finished, he left the apartment and walked back out into the alleyway, his eyes now sensitive to the natural light outside after spending so long in the poorly lit apartment. The man let out a big stream of air as he sighed and fitted the camera strap around his neck so his hands would be free. He fumbled, with slightly shaking hands, to pull a pack of cigarettes from the inside of his jacket pocket.

“You don’t mind if I smoke do you Westwood?” He turned his head slightly to the taller, older man who was at that moment bent down and examining what was left of the front door to the apartment.

“No”

“You want one?”

“Nah, I quit years ago.”

“No kidding. I quit years ago too.”

“It’s a filthy habit”

“We all got those. You been inside yet?” Sergeant Westwood stood up as his colleague took a long drag on his cigarette, his eyes closed and his faced showed the enjoyment the hit the drug was now giving him.

“Nope. Was waiting for you lot to take your pictures and collect evidence, ‘friad it’s now my job to go in there and start moving things around”. Neither man spoke for several moments, they both just stood there staring at the brick wall opposite them.

“What you reckon to that door then?”

“Well.” Westwood rubbed his eyes. The dark rings underneath them had increased of late and he got so little sleep that the sun was making his eyes sting. “Looks to me like it was ripped or kicked just clear off its hinges. Not very remarkable but the odd things is, however it was done, it near destroyed the door.” He gestured inside the apartment where, just over the entrance, the remains of the wooden door lay in a splintered heap. “There’s not even enough left of it to make a door stop.”

“Yeah well.” The photographer exhaled the last puff of his cigarette. “Wait ‘til you get inside. There’s nothing that’s ever gonna explain the mess of that man in there. I swear the fuckers in this town get sicker every year. Anyway, I’d better get these developed.” He patted the camera gently. The man said his goodbyes and left. A shorter, younger man stood approached behind Westwood now. He was wearing an impeccably smart suit and looked like the chalk to Westwoods cheese as the older man turned to face him in his creased and old brown jacket.

“Well, Sergeant. Forensics are just about done with the inside. Ready to go and check out this crime scene? ” Westwood made a mental note to himself, this man was an idiot.

“Sure.”

The two men walked slowly into the apartment. There was very little light and it took their eyes several minutes to adjust before they could get a full view of the horrifying scene before them. In the middle of the floor was the body of a man. They could tell instantly that this was once a large man, even if he was now missing almost the entire left side of his body. The top of his head, devoid of any hair, now resembled minced meat rather than a shape you normally associate with someone’s head. His right arm was twisted at such an unnatural angle that the bone now protruded a good three inches from the elbow joint and what was visible of his face beneath the blood was clearly turning a dark shade of blue.

“Shit. What you think that looks like Westwood?” The sergeant lowered himself slowly so he could get a better look at the wounds on the body; his eyes were not what they used to be.

“Hard to say really, there’s nothing obvious. But...” He stood up again, his knees clicking loudly as he did so. “I’d say.....animal attack.” The younger man placed his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes. “You see here?” Westwood pointed at the mans open stomach. “The way the skin and flesh has been ripped, consistent with claw marks.”

“You’re saying an animal did this?” The younger man couldn’t keep the hint of scorn out of his voice. Westwood shrugged.

“I’m not saying one way or the other, just stating what I see. I’ve seen enough murders in my years to know a bit about wounds and no knife could have done this. Nor a machete or a chainsaw for that matter.” He frowned slightly. “It looks like he lost damn near all his blood.”

“Surely an animal would have eaten him after killing him. He looks intact to me just....ripped apart.” Westwood grimaced.

“That’s a fair observation. Who knows? There are so many sick people in this town we can’t go two days without a murder or an attack. I wouldn’t put it past someone to have done this to him . Attacks on people have been getting more and more violent. It’s been like this for years....” Westwood tailed off as a frown creased his already lined forehead.

“What’s this guys story then? Heard you’d had a dealing with him recently.”

“Yeah, he was a witness to the kidnapping of a young women a few weeks back. Worked as a bouncer at a nightclub in town. Not exactly an outstanding member of society.”

“ Deadbeat?”

“I never liked that word. But he wasn’t winning any citizen of the year award. I’d say a guy like this would have a list of enemies as long as your arm. He’s on the record for petty theft, few assaults, some minor drug offences.”

“Sounds like someone did this town a favour by offing him.”

Westwood was disgusted. How did this guy ever become a detective, he wondered. He showed so little respect for the victim. Westwood knew that his job was to find those responsible for this murder and to ensure justice was served. You never brought your personal opinions or prejudices into a case, everyone knew that.

An hour had passed since Westwood had first seen the body. It had finally been removed from the crime scene now and two policemen were standing guard over the apartment. I really don’t need this, the sergeant thought sadly; Missing persons and now a murder that would likely have no witnesses and no leads. As he strode to his car he couldn’t ignore the thought that kept popping into his head: is it just coincidence that this man was one of the only witnesses to a kidnapping and now he’s dead? As he turned the key in the ignition of his car the engine spluttered to life. Westwood gripped onto the steering wheel tightly, he knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep again that night.

“Yes hello. I’m Sean Witcher, I called you a few days ago to schedule a meeting with Doctor White at 1pm today. ”

“Yes, please take a seat , I’ll let the doctor know you’re here.”

The young women sitting behind the desk started typing at the computer in front of her and then slowly stood up and walked down a small corridor and out of sight. Sean starting fiddling with his hands nervously as he waited. The hospital building was huge; built out of stone and flanked by a small, newer, brick building. It was in the newer building that Sean currently sat, in a posh, newly furnished waiting room. He already hated himself for making this appointment but he knew the time had come. The clock on the wall read 1.15pm. The doctor was already late calling for him and the secretary still hadn’t come back yet. Sean was hot and sweating with nerves. He stood up, ready to leave, taking the doctors lateness as a sign that he wasn’t meant to be there. As he turned to leave an even, gentle voice called to him.

“!” Sean turned around quickly, his nerves making him jumpy and twitchy. “Sorry for my lateness. I’m ready for your appointment now, if you’d like to follow me.”

Sean followed the man down a small corridor. There were paintings along the wall; depicting flowers, fruit, gardens, beaches, even the obligatory rainbow. All the usual paintings you’d expect to see in a doctors, designed to make patients feel less nervous and more at ease. Yet Sean had never felt more nervous in his whole life. He couldn’t forgive himself for what he was about to do. It was a decision he would have to live with for the rest of his life, one that in years to come would haunt him. Was it the right choice?

The aptly named Dr. White held open the door to a small office room and allowed Sean to enter first and sit down before he closed the door. The doctor sat himself down slowly and pulled a folder towards himself. He took several minutes to read the information in the folder before he set it down and gave a most wide smile.

“Mr. Witcher”

“Sean, please.” The smile became, if possible, larger.

“Sean, I want to say first and foremost that you are making the right decision. The information you and her doctors have given us on Tanya is most distressing and worrying. I assure you that she will receive the best attention and treatment while she is under my, and my staffs, care.” Sean’s face though flushed and moist from nerves, remained steady and fixed as the doctor continued to speak. He gave what was the world’s best advertisement for his care home. Inwardly, Sean wanted to wipe the smug and insincere smile off his round face; this man wanted nothing but Sean’s money. Maybe sometime, years ago, he truly cared for his patients but the words coming from his mouth now where rehearsed and mechanical.

“Her treatment will centre mostly on individual therapy sessions and group therapy, which many people find most rewarding and helpful. However, if her behaviour is deemed erratic and a danger to staff, other patients or herself will follow the legal procedure of restraint, confinement and the administration of approved drugs to correct her behaviour.” At this Sean sat up slightly, so he could look the doctor straight in the eye.

“drugs?”

“Yes, mood altering drugs such as Prozac and sedatives to keep her calm and immobile for short periods until her behaviour has calmed down. Let me assure you that this procedure has nothing but a positive effective on the patients and really works in their best interest” There was the grin again. Sean’s brow furrowed. He did not like the idea that Tanya would be drugged up, restrained and confined to her room if she refused to comply with the doctors.

“I don’t think I like the idea of Tanya being given drugs and confined to her room”

“Many people feel that way about their loved ones. It is as much for her own safety as those around her and this only happens in extreme circumstances”

The doctor had leaned back in his chair now, he’d really relaxed into the meeting, clearly confident that Sean would not leave the room without signing the papers that put Tanya into his care. What choice do I have, Sean thought sadly, he couldn’t help her find closure while he had to care for her 24 hours a day and the care home came had a good reputation, even if he did greatly dislike Dr. White and his false smile. The rest of the meeting was a blur; Sean saw the other mans mouth moving but heard nothing, while his blood pounded loudly and relentlessly around his head, like it was threatening to burst through his skin with the pressure.

Sean signed the papers and was still wiping the feel of the doctor’s handshake from his palm as he unlocked his car and sat down. It was done now. No turning back on saturday he would be driving back here, Tanya would be sat next to him on the long drive out of town. Sean was hoping for a sense of relief, now that he knew that Tanya would be cared for and taken care of in a safe environment but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. It didn’t help that he could still smell that mans blood all over him....

Living in your own head was not exactly a pleasant place to be. It was an even less pleasant place to be when you’d spent half your life not particularly liking yourself. Andria felt dizzy, weak, sweaty and angry. Not being the happiest of people at the best of times, along with currently feeling physically and mentally drained, Andria’s anger was escalating and she thought to herself that if Selena made that face one more time she might just have to re-arrange it for her. No sooner that this thought crossed her mind then -

“If you could take me, that threat would be a lot more interesting”

“fuck it!”

Andria uncrossed her legs and as quickly as her body would allow her, got onto her knees and pushed herself off the floor so that she was standing. Selena followed her, though a great deal more gracefully.

“Anyone would almost think you weren’t trying, the progress you’re making” Andria paced, or more correctly hobbled, up and down a small area of the room. “You’ll wear a hole in the carpet doing that”

“That’s it, fuck this” Andria threw up her arms in exasperation. “I’m not doing it, this is bullshit and pointless and so...so...fucked up!”

“Such a dirty mouth you have” Selena tutted. “I’d hate to have to tell Brishen that you were talking inappropriately to me” Andria scowled at her. She knew how much Selena had enjoyed running to Brishen and telling him after every lesson how much she sucked and it annoyed Andria even more that she really was trying her hardest and getting nowhere. “Do you enjoy me learning every small detail of your life? Do you want me to find information that I could use to hurt you, to destroy you?”

Andria gritted her teeth. “No, obviously I wouldn’t want that”

“Well that’s too bad because you suck so much at blocking off your emotions, your memories, that - ”

Selena never did get to finish the end of her sentence. Bian made a point of shutting the door loudly behind himself as he entered the room. Andria jumped and started pacing again, desperate to avoid any kind of eye contact with him. Her heartbeat quickened and her nerves increased just knowing that he was in the same room as her. Great, just what I need to help me focus and clear my mind, Andria thought sarcastically.

It annoyed her that she was so pathetic around him, more then she was when they first met, and all because he was slightly attractive. Don’t lie to yourself, that’s just sad, he’s more than slightly attractive. Her cheeks burned red and her head snapped round to look at Selena. The girl had a Cheshire cat grin on her that would have made Alice nervous and Andria knew she had been accessing her thoughts. You’re a nasty bitch and I don’t like you. The grin stayed where it was.

“Awww, hun, that’s so sweet. I feel exactly the same way” Bian looked between the two of them at a loss as to what Andria had thought, Andria turned promptly away and pretended to find an interesting bit of the wall to stare at. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing; just calm down. In through your nose and out through your mouth, slow and steady, he’ll be gone soon. Andria vaguely heard Bian and Selena talking behind her but they sounded muffled and far away. She heard the door close again and turned around, more relaxed and ready to tell Selena, politely of course, that she was giving up.

“I hear it’s not going too well” Bian spoke softly and gently, no trace of mocking in his words. Andria swallowed hard.

“Not really” she mumbled.

“Well, it’s tough, blocking your mind. Not really something humans ever have to worry about. I think sometimes we all forget how difficult it is”

“We?” Bian smiled slightly

“We non humans”

“Oh” Andria fiddled with her trouser pocket, wanting to ask what exactly he was if he wasn’t human, but too afraid to form the words. After all she had been forced to accept recently she didn’t think she could face never being able to look at Bian the same way again.

“I think Selena, as gifted as she is at entering minds and protecting her own, is especially guilty of forgetting that it doesn’t come naturally to humans” Andria continued to play with her pocket, her eyes cast downwards, but she gave a little nod in response, just so he didn’t think she was ignoring him. Andria had spent several hours every evening for close to three weeks having Selena break into her mind and access her thoughts, memories and emotions. The first time Andria experienced the assault on her mind she thought it was to most painful thing she would ever experience. After hours of work she had managed to get the sensation to resemble a mere headache rather than a knife slicing into her head but her progress had ended there.

“Can’t we just write this whole thing off as a wasted effort and I’ll just agree to not go anywhere near anyone who’s likely to read my mind?” Andria asked desperately. Bian chuckled slightly.

“I wish it was as easy as that Andria, I really do. If you ever hope to leave this house however, you need to learn certain things first. It just isn’t safe enough for you outside.”

Silence followed his words. Andria’s thoughts had been filled with nothing but her old life, her best friend, her job, ever since she had entered the house. She wanted to leave it so badly. It was an odd situation to be in; she wasn’t exactly a prisoner, but it had been made very clear to her from day one that she would not simply be to allowed to leave via the front door any time she chose. Andria finally looked away from her trouser pocket and at Bian. His face was as unreadable and impassive as ever. She had never met anyone who was so hard to read, to learn anything about. She wondered vaguely if that was why he seemed to be on her mind so often.

“Do....can I....will I ever be allowed to leave?”

Bian weighed his response very carefully and spoke slowly.

“The plan is not to keep you locked up in this house forever. Brishen does not keep prisoners. However, it would be...unwise, impossible for you to try and return to your old life.”

“Why?”

“Well, your friend would not have simply let you disappear, there will be police files and a missing persons report. You’ll need an explanation for where you have been. Plus, our worry is that you will simply be in too much danger. You need protection. You are too important to us, the life that lives inside you.....it’s our duty to guard it. ”

Andria couldn’t respond to his words. There was nothing she could say. It was futile to argue, to bitch and moan and whine that she was unhappy, to say that deep down a small part of her thought everyone here was a fruit loop and that all these weird creatures and magic was just the overactive imagination of crazy people. Logic, everything she thought to be true about the world was blocking her acceptance of the situation. She’d had a plan to do everything they asked of her and once she could leave, to shake off whoever went with her and to run and never look back.

“What do I have to learn before I can leave?”

“How to close your mind, control your emotions. How to spot creatures who are posing as humans. More about the history of Fanya.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Sit down.”

“Huh? Oh....right here?”

“You can move back over to the rug if you want. ”

They both sat crossed legged and facing each other. Bian straight-backed and calm, Andria slouched and wide eyed.

“Just relax. Sit up and concentrate on breathing. It’ll be easier at first to block me if you’re calm.”

How can I be calm when all I can see is your eyes, she thought, a person could get lost in them they’re so shiny and blue. And sparkly...no, no, bad Andria! Breathing, think about breathing!. She closed her eyes. He waited several minutes before she opened them again and nodded, indicating her readiness.

“I want you to close your eyes again and think about nothing. Picture a black void stretching on endlessly in front of you, devoid of light, sound, or anything else. I’m going to try and gain access to your thoughts, you know how that will feel; a sharp pain in your forehead that slowly spreads throughout your head the more information I take from you. Now, when you feel me, I want you to imagine a wall in the void. It’s strong enough to keep your thoughts and emotions from me. Know that while the wall is up, I cannot gain entry. Once you can picture this wall, nod.

Andria sat perfectly still for close to three minutes before nodding. She could see very clearly a worn brick wall, stretching higher and further then she could see. She nodded. It wasn’t instantly that she felt him. She couldn’t describe how she knew it was Bian and not Selena, she only knew that the two felt very different as they probed her mind. Bian’s presence was warm somehow, inviting, whereas Selena’s was cold. It was hard to stay away from the feeling of warmth, how could it be bad when it filled the void so invitingly. Andria gasped as a brick was removed from the wall in front of her. They were sliding out at random, crumbling to the floor, revealing a bright and painful light shining from the other side. Her head started to hurt, the stabbing pains centred in her forehead. Panic gripped her, the emotion brought with it memories. Events from her past which had scared her. Like the night that she had first met Bian....

In a flash it was all gone. Her eyes snapped open and her head was pounding. Bian’s face showed an expression of worry that he tried instantly to hide.

“You blocked me. Not for long, but I felt it, at first. ”

“Really?”

“Yes. Your wall was powerful but you let me in, you dropped your guard.”

“It.....was strange. You....with Selena I never wanted her presence in my head. She felt cold, for lack of a better word. It’s hard to explain but- your presence seemed harmless” Andria deliberately avoided saying that his presence had felt ‘warm’.

“Yes. Selena was forcing her way into your mind. I on the other hand, was not. Some creatures are able to.....‘hypnotise’ you, of a sort. Trick you into letting them know whatever they want by appearing harmless. That’s a much more dangerous situation to be in.” She didn’t reply, she merely looked at him. “Well, I’m willing to bet you have a pretty bad headache by now. I think we should stop there for now. How do you feel about me teaching you from now on? I don’t mind if you’d prefer Selena to carry o-”

“No, I...I mean...I think I’d prefer it if you taught me. Selena’s.....good and all but, we just don’t get along.”

“I’d be happy to teach you.” A small smile played on Bians lips. “I’ll stay on the same programme Selena had you on, that okay?”

“Yes.” Andria smiled.

“Good. Well, I guess I should be getting to bed, it’s kind of late.”

“Yeah, time flies when you’re having fun.”

They walked towards the door together. Bian held it open for Andria and she blushed slightly as she walked past him. They carried on in silence until they came to the large staircase in the main hall.

“Well. My room’s this way.” Bian pointed to a door on his right. Goodnight.”

“Yeah, goodnight.” Bian walked to the door.

Andria turned from him and walked awkwardly up the stairs, glad to be away from him as he made her so nervous but a little sad at the same time. Her thoughts made her oblivious to his actions. He had stopped with one hand on the door handle and turned to watch her walk away. As her feet finally went out of view he released his grip of the handle and instead walked to the main front door of the house. Late though the hour was, it was nowhere near his bedtime. The door gave a quiet click as it shut behind him. It was more like his dinner time.

A/N: well, this chapter has been FOREVER in writing. I’m not at all happy with it but, first draft and all that, it will get changed in the future that’s for sure. My updates are infrequent as ever, my degree the biggest stealer of my time. Thanks to everyone who has stayed with this story. I only wish I could get new chapters up faster, as a reader of stories on this site, I know how frustrating and disappointing it can be when authors don’t update for months.