Duplicity (17 page)

Henry took a deep breath and shook his head. “No, the apartment stinks of blood and chemicals.” He then began to shake. Henry released Joanie’s arms and fell back onto the chair behind him. “I don’t believe it. I can smell my own mother.” He looked up at them. “Our queen has come with them.” He closed his eyes, thinking that their task had just become impossible. If she was here, then the tribe would have nowhere else to go. That also meant that they were here to stay. If Henry wanted to keep this form then he’d have to destroy his own species.

He opened his eyes and saw that Joanie had given her screwdriver to William. She now held a samurai sword.

“Henry, I’m still going to kill every one of those bastards and if you try to stop me then I’ll run this through you.”

He shrugged and stood up. “We’ll have to kill them all anyway now, Joanie.”

“That’s fine by me.” Joanie growled.

William was about to open his mouth, Henry shook his head and walked right past him. His opinion about anything didn’t count. He walked through the room and into the bedroom. Henry stopped; he bent down and picked up a tattered baseball cap. “This doesn’t belong to your grandma does it?”

She shook her head. “No, of course it doesn’t. I know who it does belong to though, that fucking creepy janitor.” Joanie walked over to the living room window. “He lives over there. My grandma hated him. She said he used to watch her at night.”

Henry pushed the sword away from his face. “Would you say that this particular janitor had a thing for women?”

She shivered. “Oh yeah, that creepazoid could undress any girl with his eyes for ten paces.”

“I think we’ve discovered who my mother chose as her mate.”

He rushed past them and out into the open air, glad to be away from the chemical stench. Henry was not alone for long. The girl pushed past him and ran towards the apartment. She was eager to use her new toy. That eagerness may be her downfall but Henry didn’t think the girl cared.

Henry hurried to join the girl, wondering how she’d adapt if they survived this night, he too had lost everything he cared about. He glanced behind him, watching William leave the dead woman’s apartment. Henry had even lost his only friend. How would he adapt?

“Wait a second, Joanie.” He said.

The girl ignored him and continued towards the open door.

“Joanie’s got a right fire going in her belly.” William said. “Hell, it’s like a furnace.”

“For crying out loud, man, she’s just lost all of her family and her two friends. What else do you expect?”

The man shrugged. “I’m not sure, it’s just that she’s a girl, so I’d have thought that she’d have curled herself up under a table or something and shivered a lot.” He licked his lips. “I bet she knows how to keep a man happy in bed, I think..”

Henry stopped him in mid conversation. “For fuck’s sake, can you give your raging libido a rest for a second?”

The man almost slapped William when he saw the idiot wasn’t even listening to Henry. Something behind him was of far more interest. He turned and gasped. He saw himself pressed against the upper floor window, smiling back at Henry. The girl had just gone through that door, alone.

“Oh no!” he whispered. Henry just knew that the figure in the window wasn’t alone. There was no way that she’d be able to take them all on, even armed with that sword. He raced up the embankment and dived through the doorway, into the pitch-black living room, his night sensitive eyes immediately picking out two males stalking Joanie. It still freaked him to see that the bastards had all taken the original Henry’s appearance.

The two males then saw Henry running into the apartment and changed their stance.

Henry snatched a metal tankard as he ran past a wall cupboard. He knew that he’d have a poor chance of beating just one male never mind two, but he had no choice but to try. He couldn’t let them kill the girl. His metal tankard seemed woefully inadequate.

One male ran at Joanie screaming.

“Joanie!” he yelled. “Look out behind you.”

She spun around and flung out her sword hand, catching one of the males across the throat. The other took advantage of Joanie’s inability to see and dropped to the floor. He kicked out with both his feet smacking the girl in the knees. She yelled and fell to the floor. Henry saw that the sword flew from her hand.

The other male growled. His body already in transformation, Henry ran forward and slammed the ornament down upon the top of his head. The creature fell to the floor. Henry ran over and picked up the sword.

“I’m sorry about this.” He cried, pushing the sword through the male’s heart. He crawled over to the girl and picked her off the floor.

“Hush there, Joanie.” He said, crawling over to her. “That’s the last of them.”

Henry cried out as the room exploded with light.

“Where the fuck were you?” Joanie screamed.

William stood by the light switch. Henry could have kicked himself, why didn’t he think of flicking on that light when he barged in?

“Well, excuse me, little miss but I can’t see in the dark and unlike you, I don’t have a big fucking sword!”

“Can you lot really see in the dark?”

Henry nodded. “Yeah, it sorta helps when you spend all your lives living in lightless caverns.”

“Should we not be getting a move on?”

Henry nodded. He helped the girl to her feet and searched through the rest of the apartment. He found no sign of anyone else but found plenty of human bones piled up in a corner. Henry didn’t tell the others what he’d found.

“There’s nothing else here.” He said. “I think we’d better look somewhere else.”

William shook his head. “No thanks. There’s bound to be more of those things out there. I’ll stay here, thank you.”

“Okay William, you stay here.” He turned to the girl. “Joanie, kill him. Push your blade through his heart.” Henry shrugged. “He’s right, if we leave him here, the yearlings are bound to find him hiding in this apartment. A quick death is infinitely preferable to having those ravenous beasts eating you alive.” He smiled at the man. “You don’t have to thank us. I can see the gratitude written all over your face.”

“Do you still want me to kill him?”

Henry walked out of the apartment and stood in the middle of the hallway. He closed his eyes and opened his mind, seeking out the strong female minds. They were so close now he could almost taste them. “Joanie, do you know the layout of this place?”

“I reckon so, why?”

“There’s a room a five doors in that direction. Have you any idea what’s in there?”

Joanie followed his gave and nodded. “Yeah, that’s the nurses’ station. My gran used to visit the place every Tuesday.”

“Do you still wish to stay here and get eaten, William?” He didn’t bother waiting for an answer. Henry hurried along the carpeted the corridor and stopped by the closed door. He looked at Joanie then slowly pushed open the door.

“Bloody hell!” hissed the girl.

Henry ducked down and crawled over to the control panel. Through the glass partition, he saw two females sitting in the middle of the room, slowly combing each others hair. All round the women were dozens of sleeping yearlings.

William looked through the glass. “We can’t go in there. He whispered. “They’ll pull us apart.”

“I know that.” Henry stood up. He looked around the room, his eyes finding exactly what he needed. “Wait here.” he whispered.” The man rushed over to the medicine cabinet. The door was locked but that presented him with no problem. He ripped open the door and unwrapped out two syringes. Henry pushed both needle into a large plastic container of cleaning fluid and filled the containers to the top.

Henry hurried back over to his two companions. “It’s time for you to play your part, William.” He said, showing him the syringes.

He shook his head. “You have got to be having a laugh. There’s no way that I’m going in there.”

Henry smiled. “I already knew that you wouldn’t volunteer. He slammed both needles into William’s chest then picked him up and then launched the man through the window. Both the females leaped onto the screaming man and started to tear off his clothes.

He yelped in shock when he found the tip of the blade pushed against his neck.

“Am I next, you fucking monster?”

Henry jerked his head back and snatched the sword out of her hands. “No, you’ve suffered enough, Joanie.” He gave her the sword back and took her over to the window.
“There’s not much left of poor William. Look at them, Joanie.” He watched them convulsing, he had just poisoned two of his own people. Their agony would be just indescribable. “They fought over him, Joanie. When neither of them could gain the advantage, they took their frustrations out on William and ate him.” Henry felt tears springing from his eyes, watching some of the yearlings lapping up the poisoned blood. He felt like a mass murderer.

A dozen yearlings saw them, staring through the shattered glass window. Henry grabbed the girl’s hand. “It time to go.” He said, pulling her out of the room and into the hallway. Henry took her to the door opposite. “I’m sorry, Joanie.” He uttered, “I don’t think I’m strong enough to finish this.” He looked into the girl’s eyes then kissed her. “I’m relying on you now.” Henry opened the apartment door and pushed her through. Henry followed her in and clicked the door closed.

“Where is she, Henry?”

He placed his hand on her shoulders and turned her around. Somehow, he knew the queen would take on this appearance.

“What’s going on?” Joanie spluttered. I thought, I thought you were dead!”

“Eh? Do I look dead? What’s going on out there? That creepy janitor put me in here earlier this afternoon.” The queen looked over at Henry. “And who the heck are you? Joanie, I don’t like this one.”

He watched the girl’s face go through a variety of expressions. Henry swallowed his terror and moved away from the door, shocked that he was able to move at all. “It isn’t her, Joanie. Deep down, you must know that.”

The woman glared at him. “Of course I’m your grandma. That’s just silly talk. Who else could I be?” She slowly lifted her frame out of the chair. “Joanie, I really don’t like that man. I think it would be best if you just put him out of his misery.”

Henry fell to his knees, unable to tear his eyes away from his mother’s mesmerizing gaze.

“Go on Joanie, my dear. Push that sword of yours through the horrible little man’s throat. It is your sword by the way, Joanie. I was going to give it to you for Christmas last year but your mother wouldn’t let me.” The old woman gasped. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot her death. Forgive me, Joanie. I didn’t mean to upset you.

“Joanie!” he yelled. “How did that woman know that?”

“Oh, fuck this.” muttered the woman. She strode over and snatched the sword out of the girl’s hands. “I don’t even know why I was bothering to play mind games with you, it serves no purpose.” She dropped the sword and picked the girl up. “You’re rather pretty. I may take your form after I eat you.”

Henry crawled towards the sword, sobbing. “Leave her alone, you bitch.” The girl struggled like a caught fish but to no avail. “Mother, please, no. I’m begging you.” The old woman’s face began to melt away.

He wrapped his arms over his head, his shame was total; he’d failed everybody. He heard the woman cry out in shock as the door burst open. Henry rolled onto his back and watched his sister run into the room. She grabbed the sword off the carpet and thrust the blade into the old woman’s chest.

Joanie cried out and kicked the woman in the face. “You bitch! You fucking dirty bitch.” The girl looked over at Henry. “A fat lot of use you were.”

He hung his head.  “I know, Joanie. I’m so sorry.”

Henry’s sister placed her arms around Joanie and led her over to Henry. “Don’t be too harsh on him, young lady. He can’t help what he is. After all, he’s only a man.”

She looked over at the dead queen. “The tribe belong to me now, Henry.” She kissed him. “I’m going to take them back home; we don’t belong under the sun. Come with us?”

He shook his head. “I can’t I belong here.”

She kissed him again and walked over to the door. “You’d better change that face then.”

He nodded. The man’s face melted away and changed to William’s features. “Does this please you, Joanie? I know you liked him.”

The end