Hellbeast

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

A week passed, during which Eva grew increasingly bored and frustrated at the lack of anything resembling information pertaining to either her husband or Swanson. Gila had remained at her side for a couple of days and together they had explored the ancient castle, sometimes joining the frequent tourist parties filling the stunning structure with life.

The castle itself appeared to Eva to be divided into three sections: the area the public saw, the private ARC residences, and an area she could not gain access to despite her most thorough efforts. Thus, when Gila was called off on council business and Eva was left completely to her own devices, she attempted to find a way into the hidden section of the castle by any means possible.

By the fifth day, Eva had determined there had to be access via the roof. Currently, she was leaning out from under a narrow overhang buttressed with aged wood reeking of decay. Having no other recourse, Eva checked the courtyard below and seeing nobody about, hooked one leg over the guardrail.

“It would be unwise to take such a drastic course of action, young miss,” said an elderly yet still strong voice, rich with culture and accented just the way Eva imagined a stereotypical English aristocrat would sound.

Eva's heart missed a beat. “Steadman,” she admonished the elderly gentleman who was officially curator for the castle. Eva believed, as with everything else inside the fortress, he too had hidden facets.

Eva pulled herself back onto the walkway. “How long have you been watching me?”

Steadman gave her a look seeming to say 'I can see right to the heart of your schemes'. He wore morning dress of a dark jacket with tails, black and grey pinstripe trousers, and matching grey waistcoat and pocketed handkerchief on his left breast. With neatly trimmed if thinning hair and his perceptive gaze, he was a man in complete control of his domain.

“Long enough, young miss, that I can see what it is you are attempting to accomplish. Yet, not too long I could not prevent you from your foolhardy undertaking. Come now.”

Steadman held out his right hand, signifying Eva should walk ahead of him down the slender pathway.

“You know why I was doing it?”

“I do. And such a course of action would be considered folly; this castle is over a thousand years old. There are a hundred different buildings merged together. Trust me when I say there is no way into the restricted rooms across the roof. ARC is not a brotherhood of cat burglars after all.”

“I just want Madden back.”

“You will have to trust and be patient, young miss.”

“Why? What's the problem?”

Steadman gave her a knowing smile. “I did not say there was a problem. As to the reason for your separation, I couldn't possibly comment.”

Steadman left her at the bottom of the stairs, specifying with a pointed finger that she should return to her rooms. Eva had been given quarters in a cottage lining the inside of the courtyard. She shared half of it with the public; the building was one of those on the tour. She was the only person with access to her private rooms.

Collapsing in a yellow-cushioned chair, Eva watched the dust settle about her, the motes catching the rays of sunlight as they shone through the grilled window panels. The room was full of the scent of burning coal, as the fires were kept burning all year round to ward off the chill of so much rock. Eva’s attention focused on the specks of soot glowing in the back of the fireplace, sending little radiant lines of ‘soldiers’ up the surface. She imagined the armies of Hell, impatient, eager for the chance to advance in much the same way, while she sat here doing nothing.

“I haven’t lost my daughter for this,” she said aloud to no one. “Demons, a year of living dangerously, my own blood spilled on several occasions, and all I have to show for it is a fancy prison cell in this damned castle in the middle of nowhere.”

Eva continued to stare into the flames. Images came to her, short-lived, appearing in her mind as impressions. In the flames, somewhere on the other side, there was a woman carrying a baby. Her baby. The child screamed and the bearer paid it no mind, her only purpose to nourish it long enough to bring about the end. There were others with them, grossly distorted figures in robes. This was a procession. Next to the woman, a large silhouette crouched, and Eva felt the hunger, the wanton and unabashed gluttony of the creature as it watched over the woman and her prize. The woman turned her head, looking straight through the flames at her and smiled. It was a reflection of her face! The eyes were red, glowing like coals; the smile was full of wickedness. This procession led to an altar, crusted black with ancient blood rites. The other Eva lay the baby down on the altar and pulled out a knife with a glassy blade. Sweeping her arm up in a grand gesture, she plunged the knife down.

Eva screamed, looking around the room. The fire had died somewhat, the coals now not much more than embers, glowing with sullen obstinacy.

Had the fire hypnotized her? Had the vision been accurate? Eva focused on herself, seeking inward. Whatever had happened, she came to only one conclusion: if she had to wait any more, her daughter would be gone forever. The thought lay heavy on her mind and on her heart. As much as she knew the loss, coupled with so much dormancy, was leading her down a spiraling path on the way to depression, she began to hatch a new plan.

Checking she was alone, Eva peered out of her cottage. There was nobody in the forecourt; it was pitch black but for the occasional spotlight focused on the walls, lighting the castle for those who passed in the night along the highway nearby.

Slipping into one of the great halls used for banquets when not open to the tourists, Eva looked about. The leftovers of one such event still remained; messy tables, no doubt left for the morning staff, were covered in an abundance of cutlery. Amidst this was exactly the tool Eva desired: a carving knife. About a foot long, this had obviously been used for something b****y judging by the stains. Eva ran her finger along the blade, leaving a narrow line of red where the skin separated. It would suffice.

Stalking out of the hall, Eva went in search of the next part of her plan. In truth, she had no idea what she was doing, but Nina’s cry filled her mind. This overrode anything resembling sanity.

“Madame, may I help you?” A French accented voice asked from an open doorway Eva had just passed.

Eva stopped, turning on the spot, and appraised the blonde girl in the grey dress and pinafore, standard uniform for the castle staff, as she stepped forward.

“I think you can,” she answered, a numbness overcoming her better judgment. “I need to find a place. You are going to help me get there. You see: I lost my daughter.”

“Oh no, how dreadful. How did this happen?” The concern on the young woman’s face was absolutely sincere; despite this, Eva began to stalk her.

“She was taken from me, only days after she was born. She is an innocent, the innocent. Thrust into a world she can’t possibly know or understand. Sin took her there and only sin can save her.”

“Oh no, Madame. There is no way sin can offset sin.”

Eva shook her head. “No, you are wrong. Sin is not just an act of wrongdoing. Sin is a gateway. Sin is a portal to another place. Sin is a means to an end.”

Pulling the knife from behind her back, Eva continued hunting the girl, who began retreating into the room. She ignored the girl’s gasp of fear. The subsequent screams for help just washed over her, convincing her she was doing the right thing.

“You will help me find her,” Eva droned, grabbing a fistful of blonde hair and raising the knife, preparing to plunge it down exactly the way the dark version of her had done in the dream.

The maid screamed; her eyes focused on the blade.

Eva saw her own reflection in the polished metal of the knife and hesitated. This mask of rage was not her. This was not who she had spent all her life striving to become. She was a doctor. She preserved life, in her own way.

Releasing the hair of the maid, Eva just stood there, numb, watching herself in the blade, so close to committing the worst of sins. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and she doubled over, vomiting on the floor. The pain filled her middle now, radiating out anguish and loss. She began to sob, hoarse noises never seeming to contain enough air. Her vision faded. Her face in the knife was the last thing Eva saw before she blacked out. Eyes glowing red, teeth filed to points, grinning in satisfaction.

Eva stirred. She was comfortable and felt a lot better. Moving her pinkie against her ring finger and finding no ring there, Eva realized she had returned to the harshness of reality. Without opening her eyes, she concluded she was back in her quarters, her wedding band missing, lost in the collapsed cave housing the Orpheus sensor. But she was not alone. There was breathing in the room and a scent so familiar it made her feel whole.

“Hey you,” said Madden’s deep voice from across the room. Eva’s eyes sprang open.

“Madden!”

He smiled at her, all warmth and confidence, the feeling suffusing her with joy but never quite undoing the knot of pain at her core. Madden rose gingerly from his seat and came to sit on the edge of the bed beside her.

Eva grabbed his head, clutching him to her as she planted a kiss on his warm lips. Madden reciprocated but then groaned as she attempted to pull him closer.

“What is it?”

“Careful,” he said, wincing. “They only let me up this morning.”

“Why? What happened? Where have you been?”

“They have had me shielded. I was very badly injured at Orpheus. Worse than you knew. That blow from Asmodeus crushed everything in me. I was in pieces. As I understand it, I was safeguarded from those beyond by the residual energy from the collapsing portal. Once we were away, they used the same technology Ivor Sarch had been developing to keep a portal open, except they reversed it and used it to keep them shut. They did it in the ambulance, but more so here. Eva, the other side can’t know about this castle. The technology is in its infancy. Powerful, but it is not strong enough to stop the inevitable. Portals will open, and I need to be healed.”

“But you are hellbounce. You can heal quickly.”

Madden held up his hand. The cold had spread crystalline veins up his arm to the elbow. “Not as quickly as I once could. They only let me out this morning. They had you sedated after your little stunt. Now, you are going to have to do some answering of your own.”

On the tail of his words, Gila, Swanson, and Steadman entered the room, along with a couple of the castle staff, a man and a woman. Mercifully, Eva suspected for sake of both their wits, the poor girl who Eva had assaulted was not among them.

“While you were recovering,” began Steadman, “Doctor Scott attempted several times without success to breach the restricted area. She became quite adept at eluding me.” With this comment, the elderly curator arched an eyebrow at her.

“At least we know the defenses are secure,” Swanson commented, receiving a glare from the unnamed pair across the room.

“The charge leveled is very straightforward,” Steadman continued. “Eva Scott assaulted a member of the castle staff with the intention of grievous bodily harm.”

The couple glaring at Swanson now settled their gaze on her. There was undisguised hostility there. Eva suspected had she been alone with them, more than hostile looks would have been traded. Thank God for Madden.

There was no point being coy here. “It wasn't bodily harm. I intended murder. For a moment, I was going to kill her. I would have killed anybody crossing my path.”

The woman gasped and the man took a step forward.

“You would have killed my Shelly?” His accent betrayed his English roots. His face was beetroot with indignation at this disclosure.

“May you go straight to Hell for even considering such an act,” his French companion, a short woman of middling years spat.

Swanson nodded in the background, understanding on his face.

“Are you her parents?” Eva asked.

“We are,” replied the Englishman, tall and rangy, with short grey hair. “What you did was unforgiveable. What you could have done was worse. If you had a daughter, could you imagine what life would be like if you lost her?”

The comment hit Eva like a well-aimed punch to the stomach. “I… I… I'm so sorry. I wasn't myself. I would never…”

Shelly's mother began to retort but Swanson stepped in. “Look. There was no harm done beyond a bit of a scare. This was all clearly a misunderstanding. You and your daughter have served well in the castle. I understand if you feel you need to press charges; it’s your right and you are entitled to move forward, but for now, we need some time with Doctor Scott alone.”

The tone in Swanson's voice when he said 'alone' brooked no argument and with one final glower from Shelly's mother, the couple left.

“The depression. Is it bad?” Swanson asked after Steadman had locked the door.

“It is my fault,” the ageing curator said, his voice heavy with sympathy. “I should have seen the signs. I thought her desperation to reach you was borne out of loneliness.”

“No, Steadman, my actions were my own,” Eva said, smoothing out the sheets of her bed. “I miss my daughter. She has been gone a week, and I yearn for her more than ever. She is in great peril. I saw an image in the fire. A vision. A dream. I could not tell. Nina and Elaine were there, as well as great shadowy monsters, contorted and evil. They all wanted to consume Nina, but something worse prevented them. I knew I had to get there by any means necessary. The quickest way to Hell was murder, then suicide.

“I guessed as much when I heard what was happening.” Madden took her hand. “I do a lot of hand holding it seems. You are a nightmare.”

“I wish I could make it up to the family. The poor girl must have gone through hell. What will happen now?”

Swanson looked over at Gila, who nodded back.

“They are castle staff, not ARC,” Gila said. “They will be offered compensation. If they choose to pursue the matter, well, let’s just say the case will never reach the authorities. We do not have carte blanche to do as we will in this world, but these are exceptional circumstances. You and your daughter are far too crucial to get caught up in so trivial a matter.”

“Attempted murder is not trivial,” Eva argued, amazing herself with the words coming out of her mouth, even though she was the culprit.

“Yet we will take these steps for you. It may be what you saw was, in fact, your daughter reaching out to you. It is acknowledged you have a preternatural link. We have seen evidence of this far too many times to deny it.”

“Also,” added Swanson, “the boundaries are thinning. As Hell and Earth come closer, it may be Nina can reach you. The enemy has a plan, and the time has come for you to see the final part of the castle. Eva, if you feel up to it, we have something to show you.”