I choose not to go into my home but decide instead to take refuge in the garage going through a side door that is always kept unlocked, I enter quickly and close the door behind me sitting on the floor with my back against the door. Waiting and listening I try to calm my rapid breathing fearing that Heldac and Heldor will hear me, I put my hand to my mouth to help silence myself only to be repulsed by the vile stench of the muck that is still clinging to my fingers. I listen for the approach of the twins but all I can hear is the continuing sounds of suburban life, a car passes by stops and doors slam, the distant wah wah of a police car and Mrs Spindler shouting for her children to come in and eat – apparently some of the local residence set their watches by her hollering, that woman has some voice on her.
Eventually my breathing slows and my eyes become more accustomed to the darkness, I can see all the usual paraphernalia that is our (my) garage, the paint tins, the lawnmower, ladders, bits of tools laying on a workbench over by the far wall and the bicycles. My eyes wander over these innocent items each having a different memory attached – one and all both pleasing and painful. I begin to wonder about what Drufus had said, could Lilly still be alive? But how could she be? Three bodies although unrecognizable were recovered from the car and one was that of an adolescent female (Lilly). My survival was apparently due to good fortune and also the fact that I hadn’t used my seatbelt and so was flung clear on impact. The oddest thing is I always use my seatbelt but I must have forgotten that morning.
Something moans and my daydreams evaporate and my senses heighten, it is coming from within the garage, I curse at myself for being such a fool – they must have been in here all the time watching and waiting and now they are ready to pounce.
Another moan.
I try the door but it has jammed I kick and barge at it but it won’t open - so I turn and ready myself for the assault – what are they waiting for? - Spotting an old garden fork over by the workbench I decide to make a grab for it, I launch myself across the garage and grab the folk twisting around so my back is against the bench. Where are they, why can’t I see them? Can they make themselves invisible? I shuffle towards my right and the main door hoping that I can somehow open it from the inside but as I do something grabs my ankle and moans, I raise the fork and aim it toward the source of the sound another moan and my leg is pulled out from under me, I tumble to the ground my head thumps onto the concrete floor my eyes open wide with terror and I can see a very familiar face inches away from mine.
“McFizzer?”
Another moan - I can now see he has a piece of tape across his mouth which I remove.
“McFizzer,” I repeat as I sit up and look down at him lying on the floor like a pile of dirty old washing.
“At your service,” he smiles. “Would you mind removing this?” he holds up his hands that are bound together by electrical cord. “Also there is some around my legs.”
I begin to undo the knots in the cord and then stop. “You are McFizzer, aren’t you?”
“Yes of course I am, who else would you expect me to be,” McFizzer pauses and then continues. “Ahhhhh you must have met Heldac and Heldor.”
“To right, - what are they all about?”
“They are beings of a cryptic nature that have evolved into something far more gruesome than nature ever intended.”
I undo McFizzer bindings and we both slide across the floor and sit resting against the work bench.
“Cryptic? I don’t understand.”
“A cryptic is an animal that can mimic something else, usually for protection or to hide - a camouflage of sorts. Heldac and Heldor are mutant cryptics - a perverse metamorphosis, they can transform themselves into an exact copy of any living creature taking on its mannerism, voice and even its memory, once transformed they are almost impossible to detect from the original.”
“And they can do this at will?”
“Yes, however for them to achieve the transformation they first have to eat the flesh of the person they wish to become. They are truly loathsome beings without conscience.”
“But Heldor became you. - How?”
McFizzer pulls back his shirt sleeve to reveal a wound on his forearm that judging by the teeth marks was a bite. “When I was returning from the shop they jumped me bundled me into here trussed me up and Heldor took a slice out of me,that is how. Please could you pass me my coat it is just over there.”
I pass McFizzer his coat and he takes the bottle of healing potion from a pocket and applies some of the liquid to the bite on his arm we both watch as the flesh slowly begins to knit itself back together magically repairing itself.
“No doubt if all had gone to plan they would have returned to feast on me later.”
Sat on the cool floor in the darkness of the garage I explain to McFizzer about my encounter with Drufus at number 22 about the brutal murder of Mr & Mrs Dennison and about how he still insists that Lilly is alive and is somehow important to him.
McFizzer listens intently and then says, “Drufus may be a cold single minded killer, he may be selfish and driven by his own personal gain but one thing he isn’t is a fool, so if he believes that your sister is still alive then maybe just maybe he is correct.”
Before I have a chance to respond, McFizzer stands puts on his trench coat and walks towards the door. “Come along Tavis, there are questions to be answered.”
“That door is jammed I couldn’t move it an inch.”
“Nonsense,” McFizzer turns the handle and pushes the door open. “Come along Tavis don’t dawdle it is time for action and we have at least a days walk from here.”
I step out of my garage into a field of corn waste high – I look back at where my home should be but it has gone – I am stood in open countryside not a building in any direction just fields and trees and hedgerows.
McFizzer is marching off toward the horizon I run after him following in the track he has forged.
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