Darkmoor (7 page)

Darkmoor is marching out of the mist. He is facing me now, and I can feel his dark piercing eyes burning through my skin and searching my soul. His long black hair is swaying in the chilling breeze and then, suddenly, he commands his wolf-lizard’s to kill me.

“No, please no!” I am shouting, but there is no one to hear me. I am alone.

The deadly monsters are plunging themselves one by one into the white misty river and have started to wade across. I can see their fiery tongues whipping around their sharp white teeth.

My legs are numb, my whole body is shaking.

Where is Catherine? Just then, I remember Catherine, my Catherine.

His laughter starts to roar out across the land followed by screaming, Catherine. I hear her screaming, calling for me, Catherine!

I can’t get to her, Darkmoor has her.

Silence is descending around me. All the while his mighty monsters are coming closer. I look across the river to see Darkmoor. He is taking her away into the darkness. Then, I can’t see anymore, the darkness has swallowed them up and Catherine has gone.

“No, Catherine!!” I shout, but she can’t hear me calling.

“Catherine!”

Chapter Eight

Reuben’s Story

Soaked in sweat, Matthew opened his eyes and wiped the sweat off
his brow. Still breathing heavily from his living nightmare, Matthew’s eyes darted around the room before focusing upon the grey sky, which peered through the gaps in the roof. Matthew removed his dusty torn blanket and made his way outside.

Sat next to the camp fire, trying to reignite it was, Reuben.

“Morning Reuben,” Matthew spoke gently as he approached him.

“Morning Matthew, did you sleep at all?” Reuben asked as he threw some more twigs onto the fire.

“Yeah I actually dreamt of-” then remembering Sam’s warning, Matthew quickly changed the conversation. “So you and your brothers, have you been here long?”

“Yeah about six years I guess, you sort of lose track of time in here.” Reuben replied staring into the fire. Watching the dancing flames steadily grow, Reuben couldn’t help but think back to the day that changed his life forever.

“Reuben! Reuben! Where are you?” Mama’s strong African accent boomed throughout the house, causing the pictures hanging on the walls to rattle.

“Reuben!”

“Mama I am here!” I shouted back from the kitchen. Her feet thundered down the hallway in my direction.

“Don’t raise your voice to me young boy!” Mama said waggling her finger. There was no reasoning with Mama, you were best saying nothing at all except, “Sorry Mama!”

She stood wobbling from side to side in the kitchen doorway. Her big hooped earrings swayed frantically as she glanced over the tops of her rectangular glasses.

“Yes, Mama?” I asked nervously, trying to think of what I was in trouble for this time!

“I’m going to the shops, so I need you to watch Claude and Oliver for me.”

Oh great, Claude was stubborn and never did anything without objecting first. And Olli, well he was Mama’s little angel, or so he led her to believe, but every time she left me in charge, he would always get up to mischief.

Through my fake smile, I reluctantly agreed.

Mama stomped back up the hallway bellowing up the stairs to Claude and Olli, “Be good!” (Yeah right, I thought) then slamming the front door behind her, she was gone.

Upon hearing the door close, Olli immediately came charging downstairs and into the kitchen.

“What we gonna do, Reuben?” Olli eagerly asked.

I sighed. I couldn’t be bothered to do anything. Olli asked again, only this time his eyes grew wider with excitement. Coupled with a cheeky grin, I couldn’t resist his enthusiastic and persistent request.

Bending down to pick him up in my arms, I asked stupidly, “What would you like to do, Olli?”

“Play football?”

Of course! That’s all Olli ever wanted to do, play football. At the age of six Olli lived and breathed the sport.

Begrudgingly I said, “Ok, better tell Claude.”

Whilst Olli ran off to get his football from under the stairs, I shouted up to Claude. With no reply, I shouted up again, “Come on Claude, Olli wants to play football!”

Dragging his feet across the landing, I could hear Claude muttering under his breath, probably cursing me, but I didn’t ask.

“Right, we all need our coats on it’s cold out there,” I ordered, trying my hardest not to sound like the nagging older brother (or mother come to think of it!)

“If it’s cold, why don’t we just stay in?” Claude stated.

“Because, Olli wants to play out and I can’t leave you here alone,” I replied calmly.

“We always do what Olli wants, it’s not fair,” Claude complained, but nevertheless continued fastening up his duffle coat.

I didn’t reply, I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. Helping Olli fasten his buttons, I then grabbed my coat and the three of us trudged off into the cold winter air.

Frost nipped at our fingers and toes, it was freezing. The snow filled clouds hovered overhead, I was certain it would snow any minute.

Claude stood at the road side, his arms firmly crossed. This time I couldn’t really blame him for sulking, as the cold air had already started to numb my body.

Olli didn’t seem to feel the frosty nip though, he ran up and down the street with his football.

“Olli!” I shouted. “Don’t go near that old building!”

“Ok Reuben!” Olli’s voice echoed down the road.

I rubbed my hands together trying to warm them up. Claude was almost blue, his teeth chattering together like a woodpecker against wood.

“Reuben, please I’m freezing, can we go back in now?” Claude pleaded.

I didn’t argue.

“Olli, come on!” I called taking a few steps towards home.

“Olli, come on, it’s freezing!” I shouted louder. Still there was no answer.

Both Claude and I shouted, but nothing, not even the sound of his football bouncing. Just silence.

Frantically gazing onwards, we both ran up the street desperately searching as we made our way towards the run down vicarage.

That place sent a shiver down my spine. It stood alone at the end of our street, a rumbling wreck which could tumble down at any minute. Mama had severely warned us to stay away.

Edging closer towards it again I shouted, “Oliver!”

Tiptoeing up to the boundary of the Old Vicarage, my heart thumped against my chest.

Peering over the wall, our eyes quickly darted back and forth through the broken windows.

Sitting still upon the doorstep, minding his own business, was a crow. Although more importantly, we had found Olli and relief came over me. I smiled and called towards him, “Come on you cheeky thing.”

Without warning, Olli set off running up the garden path towards the crow. Before I knew it, Olli had disappeared once more.

This time he had run into the old building, that old vicarage, followed bizarrely by the crow.

“Quick!” I commanded, “run! We have to get in there and get Olli!” thankfully Claude didn’t need telling twice.

Together we raced around the broken wall, across the cracked driveway and headed straight through the open doorway.

“Olli, where are you?” I whispered, not wanting to waken the nasty ghosts Mama had warned us about.

“Olli, Olli,” Claude whispered.

“Boo!” Olli jumped out scaring us both, causing us to jump back and accidently forcing the front door to slam shut.

I tried to open it, without success. I yanked harder, but couldn’t force it open. It was as though, somehow, it had locked itself.

“That’s weird,” I said quietly to myself, not wanting to frighten Claude or Olli.

“We will have to find another way out,” I said passively.

Holding my brother’s hands, we slowly crept down the hallway of the derelict building. The floor boards creaked as we continued our way through the eerie soulless place. A cold chill shot down my spine and I became more and more uneasy about being there.

Olli glanced up at me, his eyes flooding with tears, his bottom lip trembling and an overall sense of fear written all over his face.

“I’m sorry Reuben, I just wanted to stroke the crow,” Olli began explaining with tears tickling down his face. I couldn’t get mad, he didn’t understand.

“Listen Olli, I will get us out of here, don’t worry.” I didn’t even believe what I was saying, but Olli wiped his eyes and nodded confidently.

“Look there’s a light on down there,” Claude pointed towards the staircase which disappeared into the cellar below.

“I’m not to sure that’s a good idea, Claude,” I don’t know why but something inside was telling me to run, run as far away from that place as possible.

But Claude being Claude, convinced me he knew best so, I let him lead us down the wooden steps and into the dusty, damp cellar.

It was empty, nothing. A light blub was spinning round as it freely dangled from the ceiling. The sound of bugs and insects echoed through the hollow space.

“I don’t like this,” I felt nervous, but Claude and Olli had already reached the bottom step.

Once I joined them, I realised the cellar wasn’t completely empty. Sat under the staircase was the crow which Olli had chased, and positioned next to the crow, was a snow globe.

“Come on let’s not scare the crow,” I said turning to walk back up the wood wormed riddled stairs.

Olli could resist though. I should have grabbed him there and then, I should have played the mean big brother card, but regretfully I didn’t.

I let him run over to the crow. I let him pick up the snow globe. I watched in slow motion as the crow flapped his wings in temper. I watched as Olli dropped the globe causing it to smash into a thousand pieces on the floor. A cold icy wind blasted throughout the room, growing stronger and stronger.

The howling wind engulfed our screams as an unstoppable force dragged us towards the broken glass.

I reached out to grab Olli and Claude, with all my might I pulled them into me and told them to close their eyes. The hurricane like wind reached its maximum intensity, causing the light blub to shatter. Then darkness!

Cautiously I opened my eyes. We were no longer in the damp, cold, cellar and we were no longer in the cold winter air.

Everything had vanished. Our feet became wetter, darkness enveloped us. I looked down at the ground. Mud had replaced the hard cellar floor. We were outside, but not on our street. Claude and Olli clung on to me, not wanting to look.

That crow, the same crow as before, was soaring high above us and up into the heavy stormy clouds. He cawed down at us in temper. Then, he just disappeared.

“And then?” Matthew asked sitting on the edge of his stump, lingering on Reuben’s every word.

“And then,” Reuben repeated staring into the incessant fire.

“And then somehow, we ended up here,” Reuben swallowed hard trying to keep his tears at bay.

Matthew stayed quiet for a moment before asking, “The vicarage, Reuben, where was it?”

But before Reuben had chance to answer, Sam’s shadow appeared over the two of them, and quickly Reuben turned.

“I was just telling Matthew,” Reuben’s voice shook nervously.

“I know what you were telling him, Reuben!” Sam said crossly causing Reuben to stand and cowardly retreat back to his hut.

Sitting down on Reuben’s warm stump, Sam looked intently at Matthew. “Now then,” she started, “I think we should talk about last night, don’t you?”

Chapter Nine

Preparing for Darkmoor

Dear Diary,

You will never believe this, but Matthew and I
are not alone. Yesterday we found a place called the forgotten, whatever that means! Anyway Thomas and Isabella are here along with lots of other people.

Sam is the lady in charge. She and Matthew are talking by the camp fire as I write.

The camp is ok. They have built mud huts for houses, which are very cold! And beds made out of trees, not quite luxury, but better than a muddy floor!

I’m still not sure what has happened to us. I don’t know if we will ever get home, although Matthew promises me we will. I really miss Mum and Dad.

Catherine momentarily stopped writing. Tears fell onto the page, and she tried to find the words to express her feelings.

Anyway, I don’t really feel like writing much more. It makes me sad. I’m going to talk to Matthew.

As Catherine wrote the words she could hear Matthew shouting, then Sam crossly instructing him to calm down. Quickly flinging her diary across the bed, she raced towards Matthew.

Matthew was stubbornly looking at Sam, and Sam was sternly looking back at him.

Walking around the back of Matthew, Catherine stroked her hand gently across his tense shoulders, but Matthew didn’t respond. Sitting herself beside him she asked, “Is everything ok?”

Sam coughed, Matthew snorted, and Catherine didn’t dare asking again.