Scott Mariani - Uprising

‘Mr Maddon, I came to see Dec.’

‘Right. Where’s the ID?’

‘My name’s Joel Solomon.’

‘I don’t care what you call yourself. Show me your warrant card or get the fuck off me doorstep. It’s almost one in the friggin’ morning. People are trying to get some sleep here. We work for a living.’

A middle-aged woman Joel took to be Mrs Maddon appeared in the hallway with her arms folded. She was about two feet shorter than her husband but looked twice as hard.

‘Who is it, Liam?’

‘Some joker says he’s a cop,’ Liam Maddon said, still staring at Joel. Mrs Maddon’s brow creased.

‘Is this about our Dec? Has something happened?’

‘Isn’t he here?’ Joel asked her.

‘We’re telling you nothing, mister, until we see some proper identification. This bastard could be anybody, Beth.’ He turned back to Joel. ‘Understand? Now fuck off.’

And he slammed the door in Joel’s face.

Joel stood on the doorstep for a moment, then sighed and started heading back to the car, wondering what to do next.

As he was about to get into the Mondeo and drive off, he heard footsteps behind him and a voice said, ‘Psst! Officer?’

Joel looked round to see another version of Dec Maddon sneaking down the drive towards him. He looked about five, maybe six years older than his brother, dark and unshaven and was built like he did a lot of weights.

‘I’m Cormac,’ he whispered.

‘Joel.’

‘I know who you are. Dec’s talked about you. I’m sorry me da sent you away. He can be a right wanker sometimes, so he can.’

‘Where is Dec? I need to talk to him.’

‘That’s what I came out here to tell you. Dec’s gone funny.’

Joel glanced up at the house. The upstairs light had gone off again and the house had fallen into darkness, but someone could still be watching from the window.

‘Let’s talk in the car.’ He slung the metal case into the back seat as Cormac climbed into the passenger side.

‘Cameras, is it?’ Cormac asked, pointing at the case.

‘Yeah,’ Joel said, shutting his door. ‘Now, I think you’d better explain. How has Dec gone funny?’

‘Ever since the wee girl next door died.’

Joel stared at him. ‘Kate Hawthorne? Dead? When?’

Cormac shrugged. ‘Couple of days ago. Terrible, isn’t it? She just faded away, like. Family’s in a right state. I never liked them much. Bunch o’ snobs, especially that Gillian. But you have to feel sorry for them.’

‘Where’s Dec now?’

‘Gone to stay at a mate’s. Won’t come back to the house. He’s just acting weird, like.’

‘Have you seen him?’

‘Just talked on the phone a couple of times. He sounded ill. I went round there but he wouldn’t let me in.’ Cormac frowned. ‘He may be a wee shit, but he’s me brother. I’m worried about him.’

‘Tell me where this mate’s place is.’

‘I’ll show you the way as we drive.’

Joel glanced at the case on the seat behind them. ‘I think it’s best if you stay here, Cormac.’

Cormac had been reluctant to stay behind, but his directions were good and it didn’t take Joel long to find the block of concrete flats in Brewer’s Lane on the other side of Wallingford. Joel left the car in the shadows a few yards down the lane and walked the rest of the way, clutching the metal case tightly under one arm and wondering what he was going to find at this Matt’s place. Metal steps wound up and round onto each terraced balcony. He climbed two flights, checking door numbers until he came to the one he was looking for.

The pale blue door to Flat 22 was open an inch. Joel listened to his instincts and didn’t knock. He pressed his hand against the worn wood, praying the hinges weren’t creaky, and slipped silently inside. He found himself in a narrow passage that was dimly lit by a lamp shining through from the open door at the far end. Through the gap he could see garish floral carpet, the corner of a peeling James Bond poster tacked to the wall, and the end of an old couch that had someone’s hand resting on it.

Someone was talking inside the room. Joel tensed, listening hard. The voice was little more than a whisper, but he recognised it as Dec’s. Who was he talking to?

The answer came a second later when Joel heard a low giggle.

A girl’s voice.

Joel’s blood turned ice cold. Scarcely breathing and terrified to make a sound, he slowly unclipped one of the catches of the metal case. Then the other. And opened the lid just a fraction.

That was enough to tell him all he needed to know. The quiet room exploded into uproar. A piercing, wailing shriek of agony and terror. Dec’s voice yelled, ‘What’s wrong, Kate? What’s wrong?’

Joel slammed the lid shut, sealing the cross back inside its lead lining. He burst into the room to see Kate Hawthorne scrabbling desperately across the carpet, frantic to escape. She made a dive for the window, but he quickly stepped across and blocked her exit. Her eyes were fixed on the case. She backed away like a cornered leopard –

frightened but dangerous. She rolled back her red lips and Joel quaked at the sight of the long curved fangs. There was a smear of blood on her chin, and her fingertips were red with it. Her hair was tousled, feral. She was naked underneath the translucent white dress she was wearing.

‘You!’ she hissed at him. ‘Policeman.’

Dec stood frozen next to the couch, watching the scene in horror. His eyes were sunken, his cheeks hollow and colourless. The wounds on his neck looked as if they’d crusted over and been reopened several times. Fresh trickles of blood were running down to his shoulder, soaking into the material of the grimy T-shirt that clung to his emaciated torso. He staggered towards Joel.

‘What are you doing to her? Leave her alone!’

Joel shoved him lightly in the chest, and he fell back on the couch. ‘This isn’t Kate, Dec. Kate’s gone.’

‘He’s lying,’ Kate spat. ‘Don’t listen to him.’

‘How long has this thing been feeding on you?’ Joel demanded, pointing at her.

At that moment, she tried to make another break for it, and he opened the box a crack.

A huge ripple of pain seemed to shudder through her body and she collapsed to the floor, thrashing and writhing. Joel smelled burning, saw the smoke rising from her bare flesh. He shut the lid.

‘That’s just a small dose of what’s in here,’ he told her. ‘You know what it is, don’t you? You know what it can do to you.’

‘Stop it!’ Dec shouted at him from the couch. ‘What are you doing? You’re hurting her.’

‘She’s a vampire, Dec. Forget about her.’

The kid turned to gaze at Kate with tears of longing in his eyes. ‘We love each other. We’re going to be together forever.’

‘She’s been living here with you, hasn’t she?’

Dec nodded. He pointed at a cupboard. ‘She sleeps there during the day. I take care of her. That’s how it’s going to be. Nothing you can do about it, get it?’

‘This has to end,’ Joel said. ‘If she keeps feeding on you like this, you know what you’ll become. One of them.’

Tears flooded down Dec’s cheeks. ‘I don’t fucking care any more. I love her, man.’

Coiled in the corner, Kate was slowly recovering from the blast of the cross’s energy. She raised herself up weakly on her elbows. ‘He loves me, you fuck. Leave us alone.’

Joel shook his head. ‘I’m sorry for what’s about to happen,’ he murmured.

Shaking with anticipation, he moved his hand to open the box and take out the cross.

Now he would see exactly what happened when a vampire was exposed to the full force of its power. Kate saw what he was doing and screamed.