I couldn’t move. Whether it was the fear, or the powerful influence she exerted over my body, I don’t know. Either way, she had me at her mercy. Her feeding tube, long, glistening and sharp, could be beneath my skin in less than a second. I couldn’t actually see her at this point, as she was under my chin, but I could feel her. A harsh humming came from her legs, and I felt the odd brush of air whenever her wings flapped. I was thankful when at last she broke the silence between us.
I understand how you feel. You long for this woman because you believe she will complete you. The only way of easing the pain in your soul, of filling the emptiness in your heart, is to know that the love you feel for her is returned. That is the truth, is it not?
I couldn’t move my lips to speak. Maybe it was because I was still paralysed by the shock of the mosquito’s proximity; maybe because of the way she had summed up my feelings in a few simple sentences. Whichever, I had never felt so vulnerable in my life.
I can offer you an alternative, however. Once she has gone, I can take her place. Your blood is that of my husband’s. You would be an ideal mate. If you give up your blood freely, I will give myself to you
.
‘I’m not giving up on her. There must still be a way—’
Mather will kill her. You must know that
.
I think I did know it deep down, and had been trying very hard to ignore it. There was little or nothing I could do to help her. On the other hand, I knew there was a chance that everything Mather had told me about the mosquito’s ability to kill could be wrong. She could be harmless, but then again how could something so outsized and colourful be anything but deadly? I couldn’t stand the thought of Mather touching Gina, and I couldn’t help her if I was drained of blood, my flesh dissolving into liquid. My only hope lay in putting the mosquito out of action long enough to free myself and get away. And I would have to act soon. The look I’d seen on Mather’s face before he and Gina had slipped out of sight was one of eagerness, impatience.
It will be so much better if you stop fighting me. Be still, let me in. You’ve no reason to be afraid any more. I shall not harm you . .
.
Her voice was utterly bewitching. For a brief moment I was convinced that the best thing I could do was to just forget my troubles and submit to her seduction. It would be so easy, so effortless. In a terrible way I actually began to find her presence comforting. My head no longer ached, the panic had left me, to be replaced by a growing calm. It didn’t occur to me that she was manipulating my mind, but if it had I might not have cared. I was feeling better and better by the second. What finally wrenched me from the deepening torpor was the thought of Gina, which washed away the insect’s influence in one mighty stroke. At once the pain and the torment returned, and the mosquito’s hold was broken.
‘Please, just get her off this island alive. After that you can do what you want with me.’
She started laughing then, a sound I really didn’t like. It sounded dry, old and seemed to hint at the centuries she’d spent roaming the earth.
You must stop this foolishness or I may be forced to kill you, and I don’t want to do that
.
Her voice resounded in my head, holding me, fixing my thoughts. The pain began to subside once more. This time, when I tried to think of Gina, I couldn’t quite picture her face. It was as though the mosquito were blocking my efforts, distorting my memories. I started panicking, concentrating hard on bringing her to mind, but my energy was rapidly dwindling. The insect wasn’t just numbing the pain and frustration, she was also sapping my strength, my will. I was being reduced to a vegetable, a subdued prisoner in my own body. I was aware that I had started moaning, though it sounded as if it was coming from someone else. She was saying something to me. She may have been singing – it was hard to tell – but it was so soothing, so placating that I didn’t want her to stop . . . ever.
And just when I thought I’d never have to worry about anything ever again, I heard something trying to push its way through the narrow space between the door and the frame. I opened my heavy eyelids to see the gap widening and a small shape emerging into the room. It padded across the floor to the bottom of the bed near my feet. I carefully moved my gaze down and saw the cat looking from me to the mosquito on my neck. I was surprised to hear the insect continuing its melodic chant. It couldn’t have heard Mr Hopkins’s entrance.
Even though I had seen it, what happened next came as a complete shock. The cat sprang into the air, straight for me, its right forepaw catching the mosquito and hooking it by one of its wings. The two of them went flying off my chest and onto the floor. The spell broke instantly. With an effort I hauled myself to my feet and went straight to the open door, nudging my way round it as fast as I could. I found the front door closed but not locked. Gripping the catch with my teeth, I managed to get it open, terrified all the while that I’d hear the frantic whine of the mosquito behind me. In a second I was out in the cold night, and with renewed energy I tore across the clearing to the path, not daring to look behind. As if fate hadn’t dealt me enough blows already, my foot thumped into a rock, my ankle twisted and I went flying forward onto my face.
My cheeks were hot and stinging, but thankfully my nose wasn’t broken. Bits of dirt and grit had embedded themselves in my forehead, but I was otherwise unhurt. Turning over, I managed to get myself into a sitting position. I searched for the rock in the moonlight, and managed to locate it about a metre behind me. One side of it looked particularly sharp, so I turned my back to it and used it to saw at the rope binding my hands. It took a good few minutes to do the job, but I knew I’d be little help to Gina unless my hands were free. I gasped in relief when the rope was finally shredded, and threw the bonds away before getting to my feet. My arms ached badly, and as I stood a pain shot up my right leg. The ankle had been twisted, and I had a horrible feeling that it was no simple injury. I managed to walk, and after a few seconds was able to jog, albeit awkwardly. The pain was awful, but there was no time to take it easy. Gina’s life hung in the balance.
I made it to the gate faster than I’d expected. I reached into the foliage on one side and located the spring-loaded bolt, drawing it back and swinging the gate wide open. There was no need to close it – I needed to keep the escape route clear for later.
The darkened research centre was a ghost in the night-time. If it had looked this bad the first time I’d found it, I would never have gone in. It seemed warped by a foul, infernal sickness. Knowing what awaited me inside, entering was a horrifying prospect. But the thought of leaving Gina with Mather a second longer was far worse. I moved forward, swearing as the pain in my foot reasserted itself. I took one final breath of fresh air, then hobbled into the building, allowing its nightmare darkness to swallow me whole.
The hall was nothing but grey and black shapes. Mather could have been hiding anywhere. The only sound was the crunch of glass under my feet as I hobbled towards the other end. I thought I could see a faint light around the basement door, but it was hard to be certain. I made my uncomfortable way over to it, listening carefully for any sounds.
He had tried to close the door, but being so stiff it had only jammed against the frame. With some effort, trying all the while not to make any noise, I pushed the door inwards. Looking down the stairwell, I could now see a flickering light at the bottom. They were down there. Grabbing the handrail to support some of my weight, I took the stairs carefully.
When I reached the bottom I heard Gina cry out. She sounded shocked, scared and angry, but at least she was alive. My head seemed to clear a little. I crept to the doorway of the theatre and slowly peered round.
I could only see Mather. He had his back to me, and was standing by the lip of the pit, one hand holding the dagger, the other by his side. A lamp was placed by his right foot, spilling light into the opening. He must have been watching Gina, though what she was doing in the pit I couldn’t tell. Then there was a bright flash, and it became clear that she was taking photographs for him. He didn’t intend to let us leave the island, so why have pictures taken when he could come to the pit whenever he liked? Maybe he wanted a record of his work to survive, long after the bodies had decomposed. But as the mosquito had pointed out, Mather’s time would soon be up. Gina and I wouldn’t go unmissed. Eventually the authorities would come to the island. It was possible that Mather wanted to be remembered. The photographs might represent peace of mind for him, a way of assuring him that the world would see what he had done, that he would not be forgotten. It could have been as simple, as vain and as crazy as that. I could hear what sounded like sobbing. I knew what Gina could see and smell down there. I had to get her out.
Time was a factor. I didn’t know how long Mather’s patience would last, but I knew it would run out eventually, possibly quite soon. Another flash went off, causing Mather to flinch and rub his eyes for a second or two afterwards. This was something I could use to my advantage. Shaking with nerves, I waited for the next flash. It was impossible to warn Gina, or move further into the room in case I made a sound and gave myself away. The light bloomed, and as Mather lifted his hand to rub his eyes, I ran straight at him.
The pain was as surprising as it was terrible. I was moving fast, and the impact jarred and moved my ankle about, possibly causing further damage. Nevertheless, I banged Mather hard with my shoulder, throwing him forward into the pit. He hit the wall opposite with his head before crashing onto the pile of bodies below. It was the second time I had sent him down there and, I prayed, the last. I was greatly relieved to see that he hadn’t landed on Gina. It had been a risk I’d had to take. He was lying on his side atop the bodies, moaning. The dagger was nowhere to be seen. I looked down at Gina, her features thrown into sharp relief by the light from the lamp, which had remained in place by the doorway. She looked at me, then at the crumpled body of Mather, then climbed over two or three corpses until she was standing below the doorway. I dropped to the floor, trying not to put any weight on my ankle, and reached down for her hands. I hoisted her up and into the room.
‘Are you OK?’
‘Oh God. Oh my God!’ She was shaking as she reached out and hugged me. ‘What the hell’s going on?’
‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’ I turned to leave, but Gina stopped to look back down into the pit at Mather’s tangled form.
‘Shouldn’t we . . . do something about him?’ She swung the camera around her neck.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, do you think he’s dead?’
‘I don’t know, we haven’t got time—’
‘We can’t just leave him. He’ll come after us.’
‘I’m not killing anyone . . . and neither are you.’
‘That pit . . .’ I could see the tears in her eyes. ‘Do you know what’s down there?’
‘Yes, I do . . . Alright look, give me a hand with this,’ I said, rushing around the side of the operating table and taking a firm grip. Thankfully with some effort I could feel it budge. Gina took the other side and we turned the table so that the narrow end was facing the doorway.
‘On top of him?’ Gina asked, her eyes bright white circles in the gloom.
‘Yeah.’ We both pushed hard, noticing the dried blood peeling off the floor in sheets as we moved. The table teetered on the threshold, then with one final shove, it slid forward and down onto the bodies below. There was a loud thud and Mather screamed. Without further hesitation, we turned and fled.
I led the way up the steps as fast as my ankle would allow. Gina insisted on supporting me, pointing out that a fall back down to the basement wouldn’t improve our situation. I had to agree, but I couldn’t help feeling that I was hindering what could be our only chance of escape. Thankfully we made good speed and were across the main hall in no time. We reached the porch and froze. From behind and below us came another hideous, inhuman scream. An angry, cheated bellowing, so loud it seemed unreal. Mather was furious. Judging by that awful primal roar, I imagined he would gladly tear the limbs from our bodies, given the opportunity.
We turned and ran out of the porch and onto the forest path. I insisted I could move unaided, and despite the pain I managed to keep up a good pace.
‘So what did he do to you?’ Gina asked as we tore along.
‘He hit me with a shovel.’
‘Oh.’
When we arrived back at the house, it was disturbingly quiet. I could see no sign of the mosquito or the cat. Gina pulled my arm and I followed her in the direction of the beach, and her boat. If we were lucky, we might just make it.
As we came to the start of the path that led through the trees to the beach, I heard a voice in my head. I stopped and grabbed Gina’s jacket, halting her progress. We both looked back towards the house and saw the small humming demon approach.
Take one more step, and I’ll kill her!
XV: DISASSOCIATION
There was nothing I could do. We both stood rooted to the spot as the insect approached. Running would have been pointless. There was nowhere it couldn’t follow. The monster stopped in front of us and hovered in the air, twitching its head from side to side. It didn’t seem to have been harmed by Mr Hopkins’s attack.