The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle (6 page)

*    -    -   
-    *

‘So how did the
interview go?’ Rebecca asked Justin when he picked her up from work.

‘All right, I
guess,’ he said. ‘A lot better than any of the other interviews I’ve been on
the past few months.’

‘Just all
right?’

‘Well...I know I
did well on the technical side of the interview,’ he said and paused. ‘It’s the
personal side that bothers me a bit.’

‘Like...?’

‘Like the fact
that I don’t have a job at the moment; that I didn’t have one for the past five
months. What also bothers me is that I’ve jumped between a few companies the
past three years.’

‘Some of that
jumping had to do with mergers,’ she said. ‘You had no control over any of
that.’

‘I know,’ Justin
said and sighed. ‘It just doesn’t sound too great in an interview, that’s all.’

‘But if they
take you now, you’ll be able to build a solid foundation with them, right?’

He nodded. ‘I
hope so.’

‘And the company
itself?’ she asked. ‘What do you think about it?’

‘The company is
great. It’s a stunning building with a little waterfall and a pond at the back
where you can sit during lunch hour. There’s a canteen right next to it, for
those days when I might need a snack.’

‘That’s great,’
Rebecca said and patted Justin’s leg.

‘The work sounds
like fun. I’ll basically be doing workshop, in-house, and onsite support.’

‘Huh?’ she
asked. ‘What’s that?’

Justin laughed.
‘The workshop is where clients send their computers to when the field engineer
can’t fix it at the premises. In-house technicians would assist the Cybernetics
staff, like the receptionist for example, who might have problems with their
computers.

‘Oh,’ she said
humouring him. She didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but loved the
fact that he was excited about something again. ‘What kind of problems?’

‘Well...imagine
the payroll department not being able to connect to the Internet and pay staff
salaries at month end.’

‘Aaah,’ Rebecca
said and nodded. ‘And the other one?’

‘Onsite is where
they send a technician to a customer’s site for a week or so where they help
out with general support calls or audits.’

‘A week?’

Justin knew that
it was going to be an issue with Rebecca. They haven’t ever been separated
since they got married and a week apart would almost be unbearable for her.
‘That shouldn’t happen too often, love,’ he said. ‘But at this moment I can’t
really be picky, right?’ He smiled and added. ‘Besides, I see it as short-term
pain for long-term gain.’

‘I guess you’re
right,’ Rebecca said and playfully pretended to sulk. ‘But that doesn’t mean
that I have to like it.’ She then looked up as she suddenly remembered
something. ‘Oh yes, who was that in the car with you this morning?’

Justin pulled
his face. ‘In the car with me?’

‘Yes,’ she said.
‘When you came back for your file, you drove off with someone sitting next to
you.’

Justin laughed.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he said. ‘But there was no one with
me. I promise.’

Rebecca just
shrugged.
Whatever. I know what I saw.

Justin sighed
and took her hand in his. ‘I don’t like the idea of going away every now and
again either, Becky, but at least we will now be able to get our lives back on
track; especially with the baby on its way.’ His plan to change the topic
worked like a charm. As soon as he mentioned the baby, her face lit up.

‘I saw the
nicest little baby clothes today...’

Justin smiled as
she talked about the baby clothes and accessories non-stop until they finally
reached home.

*    -    -   
-    *

Sunday afternoon
lunches at Justin’s parents were always a bonus for the young couple. It saved
them on food supply, preparing a meal, and also the hassle of washing dishes.
After lunch, they caught up on the week’s events. Justin made a big fuss about
the pregnancy, handing out the printed sonar scan for all to see.

‘Isn’t it just
the most precious thing you have ever seen?’ Justin’s mother asked as she looked
at the scan. Justin wondered if those were tears welling in her eyes. She would
never admit it, but the prospect of becoming a grandmother was a milestone. She
had finished the race. She had reached full circle. She was complete.

‘So whaddaya
think, grandpa?’ Justin asked and his mouth stretched into a large grin.

‘I am proud of
you, son,’ Justin’s father said.

Justin soaked in
those six words. His father rarely used them together in a sentence, so when he
did, Justin knew it best to savour the moment.

After what felt
like an hour’s worth of superstitious advice, Justin saw it best that they
leave. It was getting dark, and they still had a long evening ahead of them.
Once outside at the car, Justin searched for his cell phone and realized that
he left it on the living room table.

‘I’ll be right
back,’ he said and then made his way to the house. Halfway to the front door he
felt that something was wrong. He turned around just in time to see a huge
black dog charge at him.

‘
Help!
’
was all that Justin managed before the dog was upon him. It jumped up and
knocked him off his feet. It then bit him on the shoulder and a stabbing pain
shot through his arm as razor sharp canines sunk into soft flesh. He tried to
scream, but nothing came out. The dog then bit into his upper arm and he felt
the strength in his arms and legs seep away. Then it put its face right up to
his and bared its fangs in a grotesque snarl before going for the throat.

Justin woke up
screaming.

The phone rang
somewhere in the distant background and an early noon sun flooded the room as
he ripped open the curtains. He groaned and rubbed his aching arm as he made
his way to the phone. The vivid dream still haunted him when he picked up the
phone. It felt very real; almost
too
real.

‘Hello?’ Justin’s
voice croaked.

‘Good afternoon,
may I please speak to Justin Greene?’

‘Umm...you’re
speaking to him.’

‘Mister Greene,
my name is Louise Johnston from Cybernetics Computers.’

Justin’s stomach
constricted. ‘Yes...?’

‘I’m calling on
behalf of Ian Robertson to inform you that your application for the Junior
Technician position at Cybernetics Computers has been successful.’

‘Oh wow...’

‘We would like
to know if you would be able to start on Monday morning?’

Justin sat down.
His head was spinning and he felt as light as a feather. ‘I...uh...sure,’ he
said. ‘What time should I be there?’

‘Eight o’ clock
should be fine,’ she said.

‘Thank you,
Louise,’ Justin said. He wondered if he should say anything else, but decided
that it would be best not to. After they both hung up, Justin just stood there,
wondering if he should call Rebecca at work, or leave it as a surprise for when
she got back home. He decided to opt for the surprise route and ran some hot
water for a warm shower instead.

*    -    -   
-    *

‘Oooh, what’s
that delicious smell?’ Rebecca asked as she entered the apartment.

‘I call it
Justin-ala-surprise,
’
Justin said and hugged his wife.

‘I can get used
to this,’ she said and giggled. Rebecca stopped in mid-smile and frowned. She
took a step back and tilted her head only slightly. ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘What do
you want and how much is it going to cost us?’

Justin laughed.
‘It’s not that,’ he said. ‘I got a call today.’

Rebecca held her
hand to her mouth. ‘You got the job?’

‘I got the job!’

Rebecca shrieked
with utter delight and flung her arms around Justin’s neck. ‘I’m so happy for
you, baby.’

Justin led
Rebecca to the living room where a candle-lit dinner had been prepared. ‘For
the mommy,’ he said and pulled out a chair.

‘I...I don’t
know what to say...’ she said. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

‘You don’t have
to say anything,’ Justin said. ‘It’s about time that I treated you for a
change. Just sit back and enjoy it.’

They both did.
For the first time since Justin lost his job did both fully enjoy dinner and
relax in each other’s presence. After dinner, Justin brought Rebecca a warm
pudding, after which they watched some television as they snuggled on the
couch. After taking a bath, Rebecca ordered Justin to wait in the living room
until she called him. When she finally did, he entered the bedroom to find that
she wanted to return his dinner surprise by wearing lingerie that she bought
for their anniversary weekend away.

‘Hey you,’
Justin said and embraced his wife. They both kissed passionately and as they
got into bed, Rebecca switched off the lamp. They kissed some more, but after a
while, something started bothering Justin. He couldn’t figure out what it was,
but he felt a definite presence in the room. An image of Megan flashed through
his mind and he abruptly stopped kissing Rebecca.

‘What’s wrong?’
she asked.

‘Turn on the
light,’ Justin said and Rebecca did so.

‘What’s wrong?’
she asked again.

Justin looked at
the corner of the room. There was nothing there.

‘Talk to me—’

‘Shush!’

Rebecca kept
quiet. She hated being afraid, and the fact that Justin didn’t tell her what
was wrong frightened her even more.

Justin turned
around and lay with his back turned to Rebecca. She gently touched his
shoulder, but he shrugged it off. Rebecca didn’t want to upset him even more,
so instead, she switched off the light and placed her arm carefully around his
waist.

From the corner
of the room, two glowing eyes observed the pair on the bed. It advanced and
then stopped short at the foot of the bed, still observing. It watched them for
a while longer before fading away.

The music was loud.
Too loud
.
Justin scanned his eyes across the crowd at the party. There were all sorts of
people: the fighting couple who managed to pique everyone’s interest for at least
a minute; the players who pretended they had all the connections and cash
anyone would ever need; the managers who preferred to socialize in small groups
of three and avoid staff at all cost; and last, but also least, the general
company employees. Justin didn’t know anyone.

‘Hell of a
party, eh?’ one of the office pencil pushers asked Justin. He waved his whiskey
glass in the general direction of the five people twitching on the space set
aside for dancing.

‘Yeah, okay,’
Justin said, trying to humour the man. He searched for Rebecca but couldn’t
find her anywhere.
Most probably fled to the ladies room,
he thought.
Which
isn’t such a bad idea, come to think of it.

‘So in which
department are you?’ the man asked.

‘Technical,’
Justin said and shoved past the man. ‘Excuse me, will you? I need to use the
John.’

‘Sure thing,
buddy,’ the man yelled above the music. ‘I’ll be on the dance floor if you need
me.’

Like that
would ever happen,
Justin thought. He faked a quick
smile and then proceeded to search for the men’s room. It didn’t take long to
find it, and he soon found himself staring into a mirror, wondering how he got
conned into going in the first place.
I hate corporate functions
, Justin
thought as he splashed some water over his face. A cold draft coming from an
open window above the basin made the water sting his face and he instinctively
reached to close the window. As he pulled the handle, a grunting sound outside
made him freeze in mid-motion.

He listened.

Was there
someone back there? He strained to see into the darkness outside, but could
only make out basic shapes of trees and cars.

Ruffling of
leaves in a tree nearby.

Another grunt,
but this time so close that Justin jerked. Something shuffled past the window;
something huge. The pungent smell of charred flesh struck Justin’s nostrils and
he almost lost his lunch as the huge thing made its way past the window.

What the hell
is that?
Justin’s mind screamed. He tried to
manoeuvre his head in such a way as to see what it was, but it had already
disappeared from view.
Whatever it is
, Justin thought,
it’s heading
towards the people!

Justin bolted
for the door, but he froze when the screaming started. The music stopped
abruptly and Justin could hear people running and trampling one another as they
tried to get away from the beast. Justin ran for a stall and locked himself
inside, clenching his teeth and eyes as tightly as he could while people
outside continued to yell and scream. The screaming stopped just as suddenly as
it had started, and Justin slowly opened his eyes.
Rebecca!
he thought,
but as he was about to get up he heard the bathroom door break open with a loud
crunch. There was a shuffling sound; the smell of singed flesh again.

Oh no!
Justin thought and his stomach churned.
Help me, someone! Anyone!

The shuffling
neared his stall door; the stench became stronger, almost unbearable. Finally
the shuffling stopped right in front of his stall door.

Bang!

The stall door
cracked.

This isn’t
happening! Help me!

Another grunt.
The thing on the opposite side of the door snorted.

Bang!

The stall door
cracked down the middle. One more blow of that force, and the door would cave
in.

‘Leave me
alone!’ Justin screamed.

In the
background, the music came back on, louder than before.

BANG!

The door
splintered open and he saw the face of a hideous creature coming at him.

Justin woke up
screaming, clawing in the darkness as Rebecca tugged at his arm.

‘Justin, wake
up!’

Justin was
disorientated. It was dark, but the music was still playing at top volume. He
jumped from the bed and stood still for a moment as he tried to figure out what
was going on.

‘The music,’
Rebecca urged from somewhere in the darkness. ‘Turn off the music!’

Justin ran to
the living room and after a few attempts, managed to switch off the radio that
was blasting at top volume. The living room light went on and Justin jumped.

‘What was that?’
Rebecca asked as she joined him.

‘The radio,’
Justin said. ‘It must have gone on or something.’ There was a distinct ringing
in his ears as he unplugged the radio.
Just in case it wants to go on again.
‘Did you set it on timer or something?’

‘I hardly ever
use it,’ Rebecca said. ‘I haven’t touched it in almost six months.’

Justin looked at
the digital clock on the wall. It was 03:00 AM. ‘Is this time correct?’

Rebecca nodded.

Justin rubbed
his face. ‘Are you sure you didn’t set the alarm by accident?’

‘I didn’t even
know the radio
had
an alarm,’ she defended.

‘Weird,’ Justin
said. ‘Come, let’s get back to bed. I have to get up for my new job in about
two hours.’

Rebecca followed
him and darkness instantly returned when she pressed the light switch.

*    -    -   
-    *

The cool night
breeze sent a shiver down Simon’s spine. Something evil was brewing in Kelwick.
He could sense it; feel it; smell it in the air. It wasn’t something obvious.
It was so subtle that people pre-occupied with the everyday running of their
lives probably wouldn’t notice any change at all. But it was there; and Simon
sensed it.

There was the
heat wave and the strange and violent behaviour in animals, especially dogs,
but what bothered Simon the most were the bad dreams. He could handle normal
nightmares; but there was something evil about
these
nightmares; almost
as if influenced by an external force. It was something that he could sense,
but not see; and that frustrated him.

‘Why?’ Simon
whispered softly. He looked around him, but the streets were deserted at this
hour of the morning. It would be three more hours before the sun would even
begin to make a faint appearance on the horizon. ‘Why am I so different, Lord?’

The soft
rustling in the nearby trees was the only answer he received. Since he could
remember he had been able to ‘sense’ certain things about people and situations
with one hundred per cent accuracy. He also had a gift of healing people and
animals, but restricted himself from using it for fear of becoming a lab rat or
some sort of messiah figure. He hated the idea of using his gifts as cheap
cocktail party thrills.

A dog howled
nearby, and another joined in. Soon, a frantic barking and howling chain
reaction echoed into the early morning skies. This had become a common
occurrence since roughly two weeks earlier. Something agitated the animals.
Simon could sense it. Something invisible and undeniably evil.

*    -    -   
-    *

‘How’s the tie?’
Justin asked.

‘Hold on,
Tanya,’ Rebecca said and cradled the phone between her cheek and shoulder as
she straightened his tie.  She took a step back and eyed her corporate
husband from top to bottom. When she was satisfied that he was presentable, she
gave him a thumbs up. ‘Yeah,’ she said once the phone was pressed to her ear
again. ‘I completely hear what you’re saying.’

Justin beamed.
He contemplated making himself some coffee before leaving for work, but decided
against it. He didn’t want to spoil his mint-flavoured breath this early in the
morning, so he opted for another check-up in the bathroom mirror instead.

‘She should have
put that dog down a long time ago,’ Rebecca said as she made her way to the
kitchen. In the hallway she absentmindedly corrected a photo frame that was
hanging skew. ‘And how is little Timmy doing?’

She walked into
the kitchen, filled the kettle with water, and flipped the switch. The water
should be boiled by the time Justin had left. ‘Uh-huh,’ she said. In the living
room, she corrected a skew painting that hung above the television. ‘It’s that
bad?’ She switched on the television and muted it. She just wanted the white
noise in the background until Tanya got there. ‘That’s just terrible.’

‘Becky,’ Justin
called from the bedroom.

‘Gotta go,’
Rebecca said. ‘See you in half an hour.’ She hung up and walked to the
bathroom, fixing another skew painting on the way.

‘I’m ready to
go,’ Justin said and pushed out his chest. ‘Wish me luck.’

‘Good luck, sweetie,’
Rebecca said and kissed him. ‘Go make me proud.’

Justin picked up
his briefcase that contained a notebook, some pens, his lunchbox, and a basic
computer repair toolkit. ‘I should be back at around six.’

‘Have fun,
love,’ she said and walked with him to the car.

‘Oh yeah, what
was Tanya on about?’

‘Oh,’ Rebecca
said and her eyes widened. ‘You know the Buckman’s dog?’

‘Brutus? What
about it?’

‘It attacked
little Timmy, their next door neighbour’s boy.’

‘That’s
impossible,’ Justin said. ‘That dog couldn’t attack a ball of fluff even if it
wanted to.’

‘Tell that to
Timmy’s parents. He’s in intensive care at the hospital in critical condition.’

‘That kid must
have done something to seriously agitate that dog,’ Justin said. ‘There’s no
way it would attack for no reason at all.’

‘Hey,’ Rebecca
said and kissed him on the cheek. ‘Don’t shoot the messenger.’

Justin grinned.
‘I’ll see you tonight.’

He got into the
car, started it, kissed her goodbye one more time, and then drove off. Rebecca
waved at him until he disappeared around the corner. She had half an hour to
kill before Tanya would pick her up for work. Enough time for a nice cup of tea
and heavy duty catching up on her magazines that she had been neglecting the
past two weeks. She stirred the tea and made her way to the living room, but
when she got there she froze on the spot. She stood perfectly still and moving
only her eyes, surveyed the living room. She slowly turned and made her way to
the hallway.

Rebecca dropped
the cup and her hand reached her mouth before the porcelain shattered against
the tiles. Both paintings in the living room and the photo in the hallway were
hanging skew again.

*    -    -   
-    *

‘This is the
workshop,’ one of Cybernetics Computer’s in-house technicians said as he guided
Justin on a tour through the company. ‘If the field engineers can’t fix a
problem on site, they bring it here.’

Justin nodded.

‘If the broken
part, say, for instance, a motherboard or hard drive can’t be fixed here; we
either swap it under warranty or quote the client for a new one.’

‘I see,’ Justin
said. When they entered the workshop, the five technicians looked up for a
brief moment.

‘Guys,’ the tour
guide technician said. ‘This is Justin Greene. He’ll be joining you as of
today.’

The other technicians—the
eldest being no older than twenty seven, Justin estimated—acknowledged him with
a mere murmur, nod, or wave before continuing with what they were working on.
Justin figured that he might get a more formal introduction a bit later when he
would actually start working in the workshop. For just a brief moment a fear
crept into his thoughts; fear that he didn’t have what it takes. He wondered if
he would be able to do what was expected of him.

‘Let me show you
the kitchen.’

The two of them
walked down the long hallway and up a flight of stairs. ‘This is most probably
where you’ll be spending most of your time,’ Tour-Techie—as Justin came to dub
him—said, taking a stab at humour.

Justin chuckled.

Someone walked
up from behind and placed his hand on Justin’s shoulder. ‘Justin, right?’

Justin turned
and greeted the stranger from the coffee shop with a firm handshake. ‘That’s
right,’ he said. ‘And you are...?’

‘Simon,’ the man
said. ‘I’m glad to see that you got the job.’

‘You and me
both,’ Justin said and laughed nervously. ‘Thank you so much for arranging
this.’

‘I didn’t,’
Simon said. ‘I merely gave them your details.
You
did the rest.’

‘Thank you
anyway,’ Justin said. He liked Simon’s humility.

Simon frowned.
‘Is something wrong?’