《The World Between》 Prologue A woman in a white nightgown kneels on the floor praying in a tiny room. One single candle lit below the cross. Words in Latin pouring from her lips in something like a panicked rush. Eyes closed tightly. The candle flickers without any wind. Drip, drop. The sound of something wet dripping to the floor boards. The sound repeats. The woman slowly opens her eyes. A puddle of something dark red on the floor. Eyes looking up at the cross, as the prayers die on her lips replaced by a scream. Blood pours from the cross, down the wall with a dripping wet sound. She shuts her eyes, tries to pray it away but it¡¯s too late. Dripping blood, the wet sounds, flesh tearing. Darkness. Smell of blood. A full moon in the window. It is not the room upstairs, but someplace else. Long dark hallway. There is a squelch from under her feet. Something glistening in the moonlight- blood and something else. Torn bodies, flesh and guts thrown about. She feels sick, doesn¡¯t want to be here. Something moves ¨Ca shadow passing over the moon in the window. The woman directs her eyes to the hallway. Standing there is a little girl, holding a rag doll, can¡¯t be much older than seven. ¡°Will you help me? I can¡¯t find my mummy. Please help me.¡± With a thud her body falls to the floor, back in the small room. No blood, just the wooden cross on the wall and a burned out candle. Albert Dalton was a rich man, being one of the main importers from India. Luxury goods such as tea, spices, fabrics and the occasional contraband of Opium from further east. Many shops in London sold the item he brought in. In his younger days he had made many trips to India himself to secure these good and inspect their quality. Having traveled to far and dangerous parts of the country in his youth, clashed with pirates and seen many things foreign to London of 1864 during these trips he was not man that scared easily. Now aged 44, he no longer took trips to India. However the lust for adventure of his younger days did not quite fade. Only now he enjoyed himself in a much deferent way. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The map of London lay open on the table, marked with various handwritten notes and newspaper clippings, lines connecting dots. He leans over it, carefully inspecting it. Removing a clipping and tossing the rest into the fire. It was an article about a body found in the river. He ponders over the map. Thoughts interrupted by a sudden knock on his office door. ¡°Come in¡± The door opens without a sound and the lights in the room seem to flicker all at once. He turns, now seeing the young woman standing there. His expression changes from serious to concerned but only briefly before turning stern. ¡°Emily?¡± The woman does not answer. He walks forward. ¡°Emily?¡± She looks at him, face wet with tears. ¡°It happened again.¡± Her voice is just a whisper. ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. There was blood. So much of it ¡­ and a little girl. She couldn¡¯t find her mother.¡± ¡°Was there anything else?¡± ¡°No. Yes. The moon was full.¡± ¡°Did you see anything else? Any details¡± ¡°It was dark.¡± She sits down facing away from him arms wrapped around herself. ¡°Think back. Was there anything else?¡± His voice is strict. The woman closes her eyes, Tears still falling, and takes a deep breath. ¡°There is a window.¡± Her eyes move under her eyelids¡± the moon is full. It¡¯s a hallway on the second floor. There is a circular yard and an old tree. Grass beyond the hedges ¨Cnothing but fields.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like London.¡± ¡°No.¡± she opens her eyes. He writes down her description. ¡°How many victims do you think?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll wait for the morning. There might be something in the papers. Depends on how far it was. Now go to bed and get some sleep. You look dreadful.¡± The woman leaves not giving him another look wiping the tears with her hands. Gertrude, the maid of the house, walks from around the corner, oil lamp in hand. Emily startles. ¡°Miss Watson, you gave me a fright¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She tries to keep her head down so her hair covers her face. ¡° Did something happen?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m quite fine.¡± The maid just shakes head. ¡° Did he say something mean to you again?¡± ¡°No. Good night ,Gertrude.¡± ¡°You pay him no mind, dear.¡± The maid says after her. Emily shuts the door of the small room. Complete darkness sets in. She doesn¡¯t light the candle, kneels on the floor and starts to pray again. Chapter 1 James Ward put down the bottle after pouring himself a half full glass of whiskey. It was early, not many people. The few patrons that there were looked with suspicions at his black eye and bloody lip but the looks didn¡¯t bother Ward none. He was used to people staring at him from his time as a sheriff in the Wild West. Finishing his drink he took the bottle and began making his way upstairs to the small room. ¡°Wake me up when it gets dark.¡± He said in an American accent to the bar keep. The man just gave him a look and returned to polishing the stein. James dropped down on the bed and took a sip straight from the bottle. Sleep wouldn¡¯t come. A ship was coming in later in the night and he signed up to help with unloading the cargo. The work paid little but he could at least afford a roof. ¡°There¡¯s gotta be some real work somewhere in this town¡± he thought to himself. Putting the bottle down by the bed her rolled over on his side and tried to fall asleep. On the other side of town Emily was waking up. It was already well into the morning. The house was quiet. She listened for a little bit. Gertrude soon knocks on her door. ¡° Are you up, dear?¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you breakfast. Don¡¯t worry he isn¡¯t home so you can have it downstairs.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Dressing in a dark grey dress and doing her hair up the woman made her way down stairs. Gertrude placed a tray with coffee, a small bowl of fruit, fresh baked bread slices with a jar of jam. Emily smiled smelling the air. ¡°I do love the smell of bread Alfonse makes.¡± ¡°He¡¯s made a lot of it, eat up and let me know if you need anything else.¡± ¡°I will.¡± She smiles softly She sat down on the sofa in the living room. So rare to be all by herself, to have the space and the peace to enjoy it. Spreading some jam on the bread she takes a bite. Usually she had breakfast in her room or in the basement kitchen with the servants. Small rays of sunlight come in thought the window, hitting the paper on the table. Emily picks it up. Nothing in it about a murder, at least not yet. Perhaps not yet discovered or perhaps not yer occurred. She puts the paper down and reaches into the pocket of her dress, small and hidden. In her hand is a deck of cards. Eyes closed, one hand hovers above the deck. Image of the dream in her mind. She takes one from the top and places it faced down. Then another and another until five cards make a cross pattern. With her eyes still closed she begins to flip them open. A feeling comes over her, like a tremor in the air when she flips the last one and comes face to face with the devil. She glances over the cards briefly. The moon at the top, death on the left, devil on the right. There is a feeling growing stronger, something is there, something is close. In the middle -the strength, below it the hermit. Emily holds her hand out above the cards and stands eyes closing again, head leaning back as if she¡¯s about fall. The front door opens and a bell on it rings. The woman startles and quickly gathers the cards hiding them back in her pocket. Albert walks past the arch of the entrance giving the room and Emily a short glance. ¡°Has anything else happened.¡± he asks. ¡°No.¡± She takes a small sip of her coffee. ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to the police. So far there haven¡¯t been any murders. We¡¯ll need to be on the lookout. Let me know if you get anything else. I¡¯ll be in my office. Tell Gertrude to bring me my tea¡± The sound of his steps going up to the second floor disappears leaving only silence once more. Gertrude emerges from the kitchen. ¡°I thought I heard voices. Is he back?¡± ¡°Yes. Mr. Dalton said he will have his tea in his office.¡± ¡°Would you like anything else?¡± ¡°No. I think I¡¯ll go to my room.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve hardly eaten anything. Are you unwell?¡± ¡°I am feeling a bit under the weather today. I think I¡¯ll go lay down.¡± The door to the tiny room shuts behind her, the key turns in the lock. Emily undoes her hair, letting it fall loose in dark brown curls. She takes the cards again, the same five as before but the feeling is gone. The woman sighs leaving the cards laid you on the floor. It¡¯s been a year since she came to this place. Albert while making it his disapproval of her clear never cast her out. Emily often wondered if perhaps it was out of guilt because it was most certainly not out of the kindness of his heart. Gertrude carried the tray with tea up to Dalton¡¯s office. The man was seated at his desk with book and papers piled around a map. ¡°Your tea, sir.¡± She said knocking. ¡°Come in.¡± She placed the tea next to him and turned to leave but lingered. ¡°If I may ask, sir. Why did you let her stay here?¡± He looks up at the woman, brows furrowed. ¡°Who I allow into my home and why is my own business.¡± ¡°Yes, of course, sir.¡± Bowing in apology she quickly left. He couldn¡¯t blame her for asking as he had asked himself this many times. Dark brown eyes wander over the picture of a woman with light hair and a little girl. Anna had been the love of his life. They have met through a mutual friend. After his first successful trip to India he proposed and soon the two had been married. Albert was often away on business so they had their first and only child fairly late. Annabel was beautiful just like her mother. She was three years old. One late night he came back home only to find that door was open. Assuming somebody had broken in he drew the blade he kept in his cane. Anna screamed upstairs. He rushed over and saw them both being held by a dark figure that looked more like a shadow than a human. He could remember the red glow of its eyes and the cold wind coming in through the open window. One moment they stood there before him and the next they simply vanished before his eyes as if they were never there. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The police came and searched the house but turned up nothing. Albert knew he had many who were jealous of him, enough to do something like this. And then there were the scum that walked the streets of this city looking for empty homes to break into, looking to take other peoples possessions or their loved ones. In the past four years had turned the underbelly of London inside out looking for them but nothing came of it. Until a year ago. It was cold and rainy September night. There was a sudden knock on the front door. Outside, drenched from head to town stood a young woman and demanded to speak to Albert Dalton. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for charity you¡¯re at the wrong door.¡± He was about to shut it. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been looking into the murders. I want to help.¡± The idea almost made him laugh out loud. ¡°What help could you possibly have to offer?¡± ¡°I can see things and know things that others cannot.¡± He began closing the door- the girl was clearly delusional. ¡°I know what¡¯s been taken from you.¡± Her words made him pause. ¡°Who sent you?¡± ¡°Annie Chapman. She came to me about a week ago.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say Annie Chapman has been dead for more than a week. Whoever it was, it was most certainly not her.¡± ¡°It was her and yes she was dead.¡± ¡°I have no interest in cheap parlor tricks ,girl. Whatever delusions you have about talking to the dead interest me not.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never catch him. Not if you keep doing it like this.¡± He was so tempted to turn her away. Her insistence that she was some kind of psychic was ludicrous. Letting this young woman into his home seemed like an impossible thought, dangerous even. Yet there she stood, wet and shivering and unrelenting. ¡°If it is proof you require.¡± She reached out a hand.¡± I can tell you things nobody else knows.¡± He took her hand, that was surprisingly hot despite the rain and the cold. He could feel something in the back of his neck. A cold spot that seemed to be spreading, like ice water tricking down his back. He was still very much inside but it felt like he was caught in the rain. Memories surfaced almost as if being pulled out forcibly. ¡°You killed a man when you were 22. He did nothing wrong. You didn¡¯t understand what he said. You thought he had offended you. You thought he wanted to rob you. You thought he was taking you to the wrong place. You killed him because you didn¡¯t trust him. But then you don¡¯t trust anyone.¡± Letting go of her hand he takes a step back. The feeling of being submerged in ice cold water was slowly going away. He looked at her again and moved side, opening the door wider. ¡°Somebody could have told you that. Now let me make this clear. I will allow you to spend the night and I want you gone in the morning. And I will have you searched before you leave.¡± She took a step inside seeming completely unafraid. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± ¡°Emily. Emily Wattson.¡± He knocks on the door to Gertrude¡¯s room. The woman soon emerging with a candle in her hand. ¡°Yes, Mr. Dalton? ¡° ¡°I need you to prepare a room.¡± He gestures to Emily. The maid look horrified at the sight the wet girl and hurries to do as she was told. ¡°I drew you a hot bath, dear.¡± She says taking Emily up to the room. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find you some clothes. How long will you be staying?¡± ¡°Just the night, but thank you.¡± ¡°Are you a relative of Mr. Dalton¡¯s?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. We haven¡¯t met before tonight.¡± Emily goes inside the bathroom leaving a stunned Gertrude outside. The water is warm and slowly washes away the coldness. She holds her breath, submerges under the water. The sound of rain becomes louder almost as if she can feel it again on her skin. She is in a street. It¡¯s dark and cold and rainy. Quiet. A woman stands alone in a dark alley. Small sheltered area where the rain doesn¡¯t reach. There is a sound of footsteps- she is no longer alone. Albert came down to find his breakfast already prepared and left for. Sitting down he took the small cup of coffee and began scanning the room for the paper. He heard the step of the stairs creak in the hall. ¡° Gertrude, did you get the paper yet?¡± ¡°I believe she has just left to get it.¡± Emily said. He turned. She was wearing one of Anna¡¯s old dresses. Light gray with white lace around the neck and sleeves. ¡°There¡¯s been another one.¡± She said.¡± Her name was Elizabeth Stride, Berner Street. ¡° Gertrude comes in holding the paper. Seeing them both she bows her head. ¡°My apologies, I thought I could make it back before you came down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all right.¡± He takes the paper from her and looks at the front page. The headline says ¡° Jack The Ripper strikes again.¡± ¡°Miss Watson, would you like some breakfast before you go?¡± the maid asks. ¡°Actually,¡± Albert said.¡± Emily is going to be staying with us for a while. ¡° It¡¯s been a year since that rainy night. Emily continued to live in the Dalton estate. Throughout her time there she continued to be visited by those who sought aid in avenging their deaths. Albert had been a skeptic of the supernatural but over time he grew accustomed to it. He had made his wealth by having an eye for useful and profitable things and Emily certainly had her uses. Night has fallen once again. Emily watches the streets empty and the full moon rise into its position in the sky. The tarot laid out on the floor, the cross hangs on the wall, the candles unlit. She walks over to the cards, eyes wandering over each one. The feeling is gone. Kneeling down before the cross she starts to pray. Full moon rising higher over the roof tops, its light pouring over the cards. The rhythmic sound of prayer interrupted by the sound of something animalistic. Growling and snarling, flesh tearing. It¡¯s night and it¡¯s dark out on the road. Tall trees on way side and blood soaking into the ground. Blood on the road sign and the body of man who was wandering home drunk. Her eyes snap open, getting to her feet she walks out of the room. Albert is just preparing to leave his office as Emily knocks on the door. ¡°I¡¯ve had another one.¡± ¡°Was it the same one? ¡° ¡°No. It was different. It was a man this time and it was outside. It was like he was attacked by some large animal. It was near Rochester. I saw the signpost.¡± ¡°That is most certainly close. But it might take some time before it makes it the local papers. You said it was an animal?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The man who was killed believed it was. I think.¡± ¡°You think?¡± ¡°It never happened before. I mean an animal killing. It doesn¡¯t feel human but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an animal.¡± ¡°What else would it be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She puts her arms around herself. ¡°Humans I know how to handle but with animals I¡¯m no expert. I feel that we might need some extra protection for this one, preferably someone comfortable with fire arms.¡± James Ward awoke to the knocking on his door. It had gotten dark. Still groggy from hangover and restless sleep he made his way to the docs. He is perhaps an hour into his work when somebody taps him on the shoulder. It is well dressed man with graying dark hair and beard. From his clothes and cane it¡¯s obvious he comes from wealth. ¡°I¡¯m looking for John Grant.¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking at him.¡± The man gave him a careful upraising look. ¡°Mr. Grant, do you have experience with fire arms.¡± ¡°Plenty.¡± ¡°I saw your add in the paper this morning. Are you still looking for work?¡± ¡° Depends on the work.¡± ¡°I am preparing to go a little expedition and I would like to hire you as extra protection.¡± ¡°Expedition to where?¡± ¡° Rochester.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound very dangerous.¡± ¡°One can never be too careful. I¡¯ll make it worth your time if you¡¯re interested.¡± ¡°How much are talking?¡± The man took out a pouch of coins and handed it to Grant. He looked inside and laughed in disbelief. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m definitely interested.¡± ¡°Good. Then meet me tomorrow morning at this address.¡± The man took his money back and handed him a piece of paper with the address. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Dull grey morning light pours in through the window of the small room. Emily awoke after the first pleasant dream in a while. It was earlier than the usual time she got up. Gertrude was usually out on her morning errands around this time. Wrapping herself in a robe, pain gray color with wide sleeves and a waistline that imitates a dress, she goes downstairs. As she¡¯s descending there comes a sound from the front door. Somebody is knocking. Emily goes to open the door. A man she has never seen before stands there. Brown hair and eyes, uneven beard, worn clothes and shoes. He doesn¡¯t seem offended by her inappropriate attire but does look surprised to see her. ¡°I¡¯m John Grant, here to see Mr. Dalton.¡± He says with an American accent. ¡°Funny, you don¡¯t look like a John.¡± She says with a smile opening the door wider.¡± He walks in almost timidly; looking around like the whole place is not what he expected. ¡°I¡¯ll tell him you¡¯re here.¡± She goes up the stairs and turns to the right. Albert is just leaving his room, fully dressed for the day. ¡°There is a John Grant here to see you.¡± ¡°Unexpectedly punctual.¡± He says pleased. ¡°Why is he here?¡± ¡°For your protection. We¡¯re going to Rochester tonight. Now get dressed and join us downstairs.¡± He finds the man in the living examining the maps of India over the fireplace. ¡°Good morning Mr. Grant.¡± He turns as if startled. ¡°Mr. Dalton.¡± ¡°Thank you for coming. Now have a seat we have much to discuss before tonight.¡± Emily walks down now fully dressed, hair done up. ¡°Mr. Grant this is Miss Emily Watson.¡± ¡°Emily this is Mr. John Grant he will be your protection for this expedition.¡± She looked over at the man and smiled. He gave her a warm smile back. ¡°How do you do, Miss Watson.¡± ¡°Shall I make tea?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t supposed you have coffee.¡± Grant asked. Emily smiled again. ¡°I¡¯ll go make some.¡± She turns leaving for the kitchen. ¡°This expedition what is it?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°Not especially. Although if I am expected to murder somebody I feel like I have the right to know.¡± ¡°Nothing of the sort, Mr. Grant. Emily and I are going on a little hunting expedition. Word has reached me that there has been a rather nasty beast in the area that has been causing problems. If it were to make its way to London things would not end well.¡± ¡°What kind of beast?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. All we know is that it seems to like the taste of human flesh. It has already killed several times.¡± ¡° Miss Watson, what¡¯s her part in all this? Why bring her?¡± ¡°Emily has certain talents that make her invaluable to this. Now, your job is merely to make sure no harm comes to her. We leave tonight. Take this time to prepare however you see fit. ¡° ¡°Since this is a nightly expedition, do you have a room I can stay in? I¡¯d like to be well rested for the night.¡± ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll have Gertrude prepare a room for you.¡± Emily returned with a tray of coffee. ¡°Breakfast will be along shortly.¡± She announced ¡°Is Gertrude back yet?¡± ¡°She is.¡± ¡°Tell her to prepare one of the spare rooms for Mr. Grant.¡± Emily gave a little surprised look but said nothing and went to tell Gertrude. ¡°If you require anything else don¡¯t hesitate to ask the servants or Miss Watson. Now I have my own preparation to make if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± Gertrude soon came up from the kitchen with a tray of food. Emily was close behind her. ¡°Care to join me for breakfast, Miss Watson?¡± Emily smiled. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.¡°I¡¯m afraid I have my own preparations to make. ¡° ¡°Until tonight then.¡± ¡°Until tonight.¡± Emily sat on her bed with the food barely touched on the bedside table. The cards were still laid out on the floor. There was a feeling in the air, something strange. Building up the courage she went to Daltons study. ¡°I have a bad feeling about tonight. There is still much in this we do not understand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s precisely why I have hired Mr. Grant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not who he is.¡± He lifted his gaze from the paper and looked at her. ¡°Yes, I know. He is a man with a gun who provides a service for money. Using a false name under the circumstances is understandable. ¡° ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried about me.¡± ¡°I assure you the moment Mr. Grand does anything untrustworthy I will take care of him myself.¡± Her eyes grow stern. ¡°You know perfectly well what I mean.¡± There is evident fear and frustration in her voice. ¡°You have a link to whatever man or beast we are hunting; we cannot do this without you. Whatever happens tonight, we must go.¡± ¡°I know¡± she says solemnly. Returning to her room she kneels and begins to pray. Evening sets in over London. A carriage stands outside the estate. Emily sits next to Albert across from John Grant. Alfonse and the driver were still loading some things onto the back of the cab. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any more information about this beast?¡± John asked. ¡°Not much. Aberrantly there¡¯s been cattle attacks as well as people.¡± He extended the paper clipping to the man. The news was of several cows being ripped apart and half-eaten. It also mentioned a man found dead in a similar manner on the road to town. ¡°That is quite a beast,¡± John said handing the clipping back. ¡°Cows can fight off a wolf or even a few if the herd is large enough. And there¡¯s no witness? I imagine something like that must have made a lot of noise.¡± ¡°I believe we shall find out tomorrow if we do not encounter the thing tonight.¡± ¡°Whatever it is seems to be strong and fast.¡± ¡°I believe we shall find out very soon just what manner of creature this is.¡± ¡°You seem awfully calm about this.¡± ¡° Have you ever been to India Mr. Grant?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°There are tigers there. Some of them have developed a taste for human flesh. In some parts, there¡¯s quite a lot of them. They know how to sneak up on you, hiding, moving without a sound. Both fast and strong. They are also good swimmers.¡± ¡°You think a tiger is responsible.¡± ¡°I think that could be likely. If got captured and brought back to be sold as some exotic pet. Perhaps it escaped.¡± The cab took off towards Rochester. John Grant looked between Emily and Albert. Emily looked out the small window into the passing view of the streets. The fading light of the sun still lingered over the fields. ¡°So this tiger, how do we find it?¡± John asked. ¡°Tigers live in the jungle among the trees. It won¡¯t be out in the open. We should start in the woods around Rochester.¡± ¡°In the dark?¡± ¡° This one seems to hunt at night so we have a higher chance of running into it. ¡° ¡°That sounds extremely dangerous.¡± ¡°We are armed. The animal is out of its natural environment. I don¡¯t think it will be too difficult to deal with.¡± The cab stops in the middle of the road through the woods. They get out, Albert getting his hunting rifle from the back. Other items in the luggage include traps, a box of meats, lanterns, ammunition, couple of other guns. The men begin setting up traps around the road. Emily stands by the cab. Occasionally Albert looks towards her but she just shakes her head. John observes the two. The sun has set and the full moon rises above the trees. They wait. Emily looks up at the moon. It¡¯s almost a clear night with tiny clouds. There is enough light to see pretty well. Then there is a shift, like a shiver in the air. Emily closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly. Her eyes open scanning the woods. Albert looks at her and she nods. She begins walking towards the trees on the right side of the road. They follow close behind her. ¡°Since it won¡¯t come to us. We will have to go to it.¡± Albert says. John stops and gives him a disapproving look. ¡°You know I think I finally get it.¡± He looks towards Emily¡± You¡¯re using her as bait.¡± Albert stops and turns around. ¡°And if I am? What¡¯s it matter to you?¡± ¡°If that thing is as dangerous as you said we could have at least brought more people.¡± ¡°No. A large group would scare it off. It won¡¯t attack when it knows it won¡¯t be able to win. You merely have to shoot it before it gets to her. That¡¯s what you¡¯re here for after all.¡± Emily walks in the front of the group. Her eyes are half closed, her left hand reaching ahead as is holding on to some invisible line. James walks behind her, gun at the ready. The night is dead quiet. The air feels heavy as even the crickets have fallen silent. The signs of something in the area scared them all into silence. Emily suddenly stops and tilts her head upwards. He follows her gaze. In the pitch-black darkness, there is a pair of golden eyes staring at him from high up in the tree. ¡°That¡¯s not a tiger.¡± He whispers reaching to pull Emily away. Before he can reach her the creature leaps out of the tree and lands before them. Standing on its hind legs- is a massive black wolf. It drops back to all fours and growls. Emily stands there in front of the creature, completely still. He grips his gun ready to shoot the thing but feels a hand on his. ¡°No sudden movements,¡± Albert whispers. He wants to object but the air feels so tense that even speaking feels a risk. The wolf smells the air. It sniffs Emily, growls, and moves back. It looks like it¡¯s about to walk back into the woods. ¡°Now.¡± Albert gives the command. He has a riffle at the ready. James raises his pistol. They fire at the same time. Emily kneels on the grass, below the line of fire, hands covering her ears. The bullets pierce the flesh of the beast but it doesn¡¯t fall. James had emptied his gun into the thing. Albert reloads his rifle. The beast turns around and it seems to notice the men now. Albert lands a shot at its chest. ¡°It¡¯s wounded, it shouldn¡¯t be long now,¡± he says with certainty. James follows his lead, gun reloaded and ready. The wolf once more stands on its hind legs. James fires directly into its chest. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± He says. He can see the light of the moon coming down on the beast. The wounds they have inflicted on it are healing. Flesh stitched back together before their eyes. ¡°What the hell?¡± James stares at the beast with disbelief. ¡°Run!¡± Emily yells. The danger dawns on them -¨C the beast cannot be killed with bullets. Albert wastes no time. James looks back at Emily who still hasn¡¯t moved. ¡°Miss Watson, it¡¯s time to go.¡± He moves to grab her but the wolf lunges forward. Something knocks out of the air. There is a sound of shrieking and growling. James looks at the two creatures wide-eyed. It looks like smoke in the shape of a human, he thinks he can make out wings and something else. Emily falls to the ground unconscious. The creatures vanish into the woods. He picks up Emily and takes off running. ¡°What the hell was that back there?¡± he¡¯s out of breath, heart pounding in his chest. ¡°You saw that! I know you did.¡± ¡°Calm yourself, Mr. Grant.¡± Albert seems unfazed and somehow it makes James feel angry. ¡°You want me to be calm after what I saw?¡± ¡°I have seen exactly the same thing.¡± Albert stated,¡± There are some things in this world that human rationale cannot easily explain. Now we will be returning to London. You will receive your pay for the night. I suggest you give your further employment some thought because if you wish to remain here you might have to witness more things that cannot be easily explained.¡± Emily lies on the seat still unconscious. James looks at her as if seeing her for the first time as the cab heads back towards London. ¡°What is she? The way that thing acted around her and she just led us to that thing.¡± ¡°Emily is special in certain ways. ¡° ¡°You mean like a psychic?¡± ¡° She seems to have a connection to the creature that neither of us entirely understands.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Albert gives him a questioning look. ¡°There were two creatures.¡± The older man¡¯s look turns to one of deep concern. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 It¡¯s been a month since Emily had shown up on his doorstep. While the young woman seemed to have information about the murders that were not in the papers and somehow predicted things before the papers reported them he was still skeptical. Perhaps she was actually speaking with the dead or perhaps she just had someone in the police giving her information. The thought had been in his mind for a while now. It¡¯s been years since his wife and daughter were taken. He never received a ransom request. Whoever took them didn¡¯t want money, so they were unlikely to still be alive. If Emily could truly speak with the dead, then perhaps he could finally find the one responsible. She¡¯s laying out her cards on the living room floor. He observes her for a bit. She said it helped her get additional insight into things. Waste of time in his opinion. ¡°How do they find you?¡± He asks¡± These spirits.¡± ¡°They just do.¡± She looks at him over her shoulder, loose hair flowing down her back.¡± You still don¡¯t believe me.¡± She says it as a statement. He sits down, the photo held in his hands. ¡°No, not entirely. Have you ever tried to reach out to them?¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± ¡°Well, what if you need to talk to them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She seems frightened.¡± These things just happen. I don¡¯t really have any control over it.¡± ¡°Have you ever tried to take control?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can, to be honest.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s put that to the test shall we?¡± He extends the photograph of Anna and Annabel. ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Do you need to know that to reach out?¡± ¡°No. I suppose not, but I don¡¯t even know if I can.¡± She takes the photo with great hesitation and looks at it for a long time. ¡°Anything?¡± ¡°No. Nothing.¡± He tries to keep his disappointment in check. The girl might just be insane and that would make him a fool, who got tricked by her delusions. ¡°Wait.¡± He looks at her, still sitting on the floor, one hand hovering over the photo. ¡°I feel something.¡± She stands to her feet looking almost panicked. Albert rises to his feel with anticipation. Emily closes her eyes, her head tilts back a little. ¡°Something is there.¡± her lips move slowly. Her face contorts, body twisting, arms moving as if to protect herself. ¡°No. Something is wrong! They¡¯re not dead! There¡¯s something else. Something is coming!¡± This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it She creams as if in pain and begins to lean back as if falling. ¡°Emily!¡± She doesn¡¯t react, leaning back so much it looks like she might snap. He walks closer and calls her name but she doesn¡¯t react. The view of her legs is no longer shielded by the table and he stops -¨C her feet are not on the ground. Slowly she is rising higher above the floor. She snaps back forward, head hanging low, hair falling over her face. ¡°Emily!¡± he yells not sure what else to do. ¡° You said they were alive. Where are they?¡± Her eyes shoot open but they have completely rolled back into her head. She looks at him and there is an unnaturally wide grin on her face. ¡°Like you care?¡± the tone of her voice is different more guttural and growling. ¡° Like you cared about poor lonely Anna when you fucked all those women. Like you cared about Annabel when you murdered all those children. Like you cared about anything but yourself when you raped and murdered and plundered halfway across India.¡± He feels an invisible force push him against the wall. A sense of terror begins to overwhelm him but he quickly forces it down. ¡°Where are they?¡± he demands. Emily releases in a hissing sound that doesn¡¯t sound human. ¡°Where are they? Who has them?¡± he walks towards her, grips her arms, and stares her in the eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll never see them again.¡± There is nothing but pure malice in every word.¡± They suffer each day knowing they are suffering because of you. Among the rats and spiders, among the whores and filth. Raped by passing men each and every day. All because of you.¡± He hits her across the face, anger pulsing in his veins from every word. Emily falls to the ground and lies there laughing manically. ¡°You¡¯ll never get them back.¡± She hisses He hits her again. There is blood on his palm, he takes a step back. Her lip is bleeding she looks terrified and confused. Emily looks at him with wide eyes, tears start streaming down her face. She scrambles to her feet, backing away from him. ¡°Emily, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He begins. She runs out of the room, out the front door, out into the night without so much as a glance back. He sat in the living room for a long time pondering over what had happened. Emily couldn¡¯t have known those things unless she could truly speak to the dead. There was no doubt now. ¡°Where¡¯s Emily? Asked Gertrude. ¡°She went out.¡± ¡°In this weather? At this time of night?¡± It was raining just like the day she first came to this house. Now she was out there alone in the rain in the streets of London and so was Jack. Albert looked at the photograph of his wife and daughter. They were gone. Perhaps what Emily said was true and they were still alive somewhere but it was clear they weren¡¯t in London. Probably sold to slavery in some distant country or perhaps it was all lies from the resentful dead. Even if they were alive he would never find them, even if he searched the entire world. His life was probably not going to last long enough to find them. Deep down Albert had always thought his wife and daughter were already dead. But what about Emily? She was a stranger, yet if her photo ended up in tomorrow''s paper as the latest victim of Jack, could he really feel indifferent about it? Getting to his feet he grabbed his coat and headed out the door. Emily sat on the steps of the church. Rain had soaked her down to the last thread but she didn¡¯t really care. It seemed that no matter how many times she tried her feet would stop one step away from the top. She couldn¡¯t make it all the way to the door. It was the feeling that she would not be welcomed that always held her back in the end. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter if it was a church or not ¨C it seemed that she wasn¡¯t welcome anywhere. So she sat there on the steps of the church, crying in the cold rain and silently praying. A cab stops at the steps of the church. She doesn¡¯t notice it at first. Albert opens the door. ¡°Emily, let¡¯s go home. Please,¡± he adds that he thinks she isn¡¯t going to move. She does get into the cab. He doesn¡¯t know how to feel about her. There is a sense of danger and unpredictability to her. He wonders if he made the right choice allowing her back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Her voice is quiet, tired, and strained from crying.¡± I don¡¯t remember what happened. I¡¯m sorry for whatever I did when I wasn¡¯t myself.¡± ¡°This has happened before?¡± She nods, still crying. ¡°How often does this sort of thing happen?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t happened in years.¡± ¡°Do you have any family?¡± The question seems to catch her off guard. ¡°I did once, but I¡¯m not sure anymore. We don¡¯t talk.¡± The cab stops at the house. He opens the door and holds his hand out for her. Gertrude opens the door looking shocked seeing them. ¡°Oh my lord,¡± she practically drags Emily to the bath.¡± You¡¯re soaking wet! You¡¯ll catch your death of cold! I¡¯ll prepare a hot bath for you right away.¡± She gives Albert a stern look. ¡°Why did you let her go out in such terrible weather?¡± ¡°Miss Watson can is not a prisoner, she can go out whenever she pleases. And she¡¯s free to consider this place her home as long as she chooses to do so. ¡°