Barry Hutchison - The Crowmaster

‘Remember in the garage?’ she said. ‘When we fought Mr Mumbles. You told me you thought about a light coming on, and what happened?’

‘A light came on,’ I frowned, ‘but—’

‘And you thought how handy it would be to have a weapon, didn’t you? And then…’

‘I found the axe.’

‘Exactly,’ she nodded. ‘So what happened downstairs? Just before you saw Mr Mumbles.’

‘I dropped a glass,’ I told her.

‘And?’

I hesitated, having already realised the road this conversation was taking me down. ‘And I remembered him coming through the window.’

‘And I’ll bet just before your other guest turned up you’d been thinking about her too.’

I looked from Ameena to the spot where Caddie had been standing. Though I didn’t realise it, I must’ve nodded.

‘Thought so,’ Ameena said. She looked pleased with herself. I felt like she’d just kicked me in the stomach.

‘So, what,’ I began, ‘every time I remember them they’re going to come back, is that it? Every time I think about what happened they’re going to come leaping out of the shadows?’

‘There’s a simple solution.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Don’t think about them.’

Easy for you to say , I thought, but I didn’t say it out loud. I looked down at the floor. Was this it? Was I doomed to a life of running from ghosts of monsters past? I had to know. One way or another I had to find out for sure.

‘You might be right,’ I nodded, standing up.

‘Of course I’m right. I’m always right.’

‘But let’s do a test,’ I suggested.

Ameena’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. ‘What kind of test?’

‘I’ll think about one of them and see if I can make them appear.’

Ameena didn’t say anything for a moment. I saw her look over at my bedside alarm. The LED display told her it was well before five. She sighed as she realised she wouldn’t be getting back to bed any time soon. ‘OK,’ she nodded. ‘Let’s give it a try.’

‘Close the door,’ I instructed. I bounced up and down on the spot a few times, taking four or five big, deep breaths.

‘Ready?’ Ameena asked.

I stopped bouncing and nodded. ‘Ready.’

We stood there for a long time, neither one of us saying anything, until Ameena eventually broke the silence.

‘You started yet?’

I winced. ‘I don’t know which one to think about.’

‘Good grief,’ she muttered, shaking her head. ‘Think about whatever one scared you the least. I don’t want you freaking out on me if you do make them appear.’

‘Right,’ I said. ‘Good idea.’

I closed my eyes. It was a close-run thing, but I found Mr Mumbles marginally less scary than Caddie, even though it probably should have been the other way around. There was a vague familiarity to Mr Mumbles that Caddie didn’t have, and I think that’s why he didn’t terrify me quite as much as the girl with the doll did.

Lost in the blackness behind my eyes, I tried to picture my old imaginary friend. It wasn’t hard. He had a face that wasn’t easy to forget, and I’d seen it up close so many times it was burned into my memory for ever.

Almost straight away, Mr Mumbles stumbled from the fog inside my head, arms outstretched, hands clawing at thin air. Instinctively I opened my eyes and pulled away, although there was nothing to pull away from. Only Ameena and I were there in the room.

‘What happened?’ she asked.

‘I thought about him,’ I said. ‘I could picture him coming at me.’

‘And what about now?’ she asked, casting her eyes around the room. ‘Can you see him now?’

I shook my head. ‘Maybe I should try again.’

‘If you like,’ Ameena nodded, before she gave a yawn so big it threatened to swallow her own head.

‘Let’s try in the morning,’ I suggested, taking the hint. ‘It’s late. Or early, depending on how you look at it.’

‘Good call. You be OK?’

‘Course,’ I said with a smile, as I guided her towards the door. ‘I’ll be absolutely… Wait. Did you hear something?’

We stood listening to the silence.

‘Nope.’

I hesitated, then reached for the door. For a moment there I’d thought I heard…

‘Footsteps,’ I whispered. ‘Listen.’

We leaned closer to the door. Ameena stared down towards the end of her nose, the way she always did when she was listening hard.

Thup . The sound of the footstep on the hallway carpet was almost too soft for us to hear. Almost.

Ameena’s eyes met mine. She gave a brief nod and we both stepped back from the door.

Thup .

‘Now do you believe me?’ I whispered as I looked around for something to use as a weapon. The only thing close to hand was a pillow, and I couldn’t see that being a lot of help.

Thup . The footsteps stopped right outside the bedroom door. Ameena and I both took another step away.

I narrowed my eyes and gave the power sleeping inside me a nudge. At once I felt the familiar tingling sensation creep across my scalp; saw the flashes of blue and white sparks across my vision. When Mr Mumbles stepped through the doorway he’d be stepping straight into a world of pain.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, I felt Ameena tense as the handle of the door slowly began to turn. The dull metal gave the faintest of creaks as it was pushed all the way down.

The electricity buzzed through my skull. I raised my hands, not yet sure what I was going to do to Mr Mumbles, but certain it was going to be something nasty.

The door edged open and a head appeared through the gap. Mum looked half asleep. She also looked angry.

‘What’s going on?’ she demanded, pushing the door the rest of the way open. ‘It’s the middle of the night.’

‘Mum,’ I breathed, feeling the tingling in my head subside. ‘It’s only you. We thought it was—’

He stepped out behind her without a sound, raising the axe before I could grasp what was happening. Everything seemed to lurch into jerky slow motion as Mr Mumbles swung his arm round in a wide arc. I heard Ameena give a yelp, and watched, helpless, as the blade of the axe sliced through the air.

And straight towards Mum’s neck.

Chapter ThreeA GOODBYE

I have no memory of moving. I don’t remember hurling myself at Mr Mumbles, or how I managed to reach him before the axe could find its target.

All I remember is my shoulder hitting him hard in the chest and the sound of the air leaving his body in one short sharp breath.

We tumbled, a flailing ball of arms and legs, through the door into Ameena’s room. He was laughing before we hit the floor, that low, sickening cackle I’d heard too many times before.

My fist glanced off his chin. He didn’t flinch. Kept on laughing. I brought the sparks rushing across my head. Pictured my muscles bulging. Faster. Stronger.

Bam . The next punch twisted his head around. That shut him up, but I hit him again anyway, across his crooked nose this time. It split with a crack , spraying thick black blood on to the carpet.

This time I was getting rid of him for good. There would be no coming back from what I was about to do to him.

How many times did he try to strangle me at Christmas? Four? Five? I’d lost count of how often I’d felt his hands around my throat. Now it was my turn. My fingers wrapped around his windpipe and I pushed down with all my weight. His eyes bulged and his grey skin took on a purple hue as I choked whatever passed for life out of him.

I heard a sound on the carpet right behind me. Caddie, I thought, releasing my grip and twisting at the waist. The lightning zapped through my brain before I knew what was happening. Mum was lifted off her feet and driven backwards into the wall. It shook as she slammed against it, hard enough to send some of Nan’s old ornaments toppling from their shelves on the other side of the room.