Ward Z: Revelation (6 page)
“Oh joy,” Freeman muttered as he checked his phone and saw that his boss was trying to get in touch with him yet again. Stopping in a clearing, he debated not answering for a moment, before finally hitting the button to accept the call.
“Where the hell are you?” Crystal asked before he could say anything.
“I'm up on top glade,” he replied, “checking for -”
“I need you back here immediately. Another girl has gone missing.”
“Another...” He paused for a moment. “What exactly do you mean?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you? A girl who is supposed to be here, is not here. She and some of her new friends went out for a midnight swim in the lake last night, but while the others made it back tired and hungover, Miss Beth Bondell is nowhere to be found.”
Freeman turned and looked back the way he'd come.
“How long since she was last seen?”
“A few hours.”
“So there's no need to panic just yet.”
“After what happened last time, I think panicking would be a very good idea, don't you?”
He paused again, his eyes scanning the horizon.
“This is perfect,” Crystal continued. “After all the effort I put in to keep the situation under control last time with that other girl, and after I managed to keep the reputation of Camp Everbee from being torn to shreds, now
another
dumb little bitch goes walkabout. Seriously, can't any of these people show a little gratitude for all the work I put in? They're like disobedient little puppies.” She sighed. “I'm sure the Bondell girl is just out there somewhere, mindlessly picking fucking bluebells or something, completely unaware of the trouble she's causing. That's the problem with kids today, they only think about themselves.” She let out a groan of frustration.
“What's her condition?” Freeman asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Her cancer,” he continued, with evident frustration in his voice. “What type of cancer does she have?”
“Oh,” Crystal replied airily, “I think it was... hairy cell chronic lymphcytic leukemia. I don't remember precisely which band she was in, but that's the general area. So not great, but not awful either.”
“She still shouldn't be out alone. She could suffer sudden weakness or shortness of breath. What was her last platelet count?”
“How should I know?”
“Don't you have all the campers' medical files?”
“Somewhere, but I don't see how that's relevant. None of these people are at death's door. I make sure not to accept anyone who's got less than six months to live. I don't like it when they get that yellow-skinned look, it's just unsettling.”
“I'll check the area between the camp and the lake,” he replied, barely able to hide his disgust at her attitude, “but you need to think about calling the -”
“We'll handle this internally.”
“But -”
“The same way we handled the Ally Andrews situation, if necessary.”
“That didn't work out so well.”
“It worked out just fine. Her family accepted that she had run off with that dreadful boy, and as far as they're concerned she had a lovely two week stay here at Everbee. Really, given the circumstances, things couldn't have worked out any better.”
“You know she didn't run off with that guy.”
“How do I know that? She wouldn't be the first young lady to get all starry-eyed over some man.”
Freeman paused for a moment. He wanted to tell her exactly what he thought, not only about her but about her whole rotten camp, but once again he forced himself to stay quiet.
“I hope you won't be causing trouble,” Crystal continued. “We did have a very long discussion about the matter a few weeks ago, and I was under the impression that we'd rather put it to bed.”
“One missing girl is one thing,” he replied cautiously, “but two -”
“Is still not a good enough reason to endanger the whole Camp Everbee project,” she said firmly. “We do so much good work here, let's not risk it all just because a couple of foolish young girls can't stick to the rules. Ally Andrews was an unfortunate situation that was swiftly and, in my humble view very effectively, dealt with. Off she went with that young man, and none of us here at Everbee saw her again.”
“I
did
see her again,” Freeman replied, interrupting her. “That night when I thought I saw someone and I chased them, I swear it must have been her.”
“Did you see her face?”
“No, but -”
“And you didn't catch up to her either, did you?”
“She just seemed to vanish into thin air when I got to the cabins. All the doors were locked, so I figured she must have kept going, but I keep thinking back to that night and -”
“Well
don't
,” she said firmly.
“It was her!”
“Which is impossible, when you think about it.” She paused. “Face it, Miss Andrews probably ran off with that awful boyfriend of hers, and Miss Bondell is most likely going to come wandering back to camp at any moment. Please, Freeman, don't let that bleeding heart of yours cause any more problems. Remember that I took a big risk when I hired you. With your background and history, there aren't many people who'd take you on.”
He turned and looked toward the lake, which rippled in the distance, far beyond the trees.
“I'll spend the morning checking the area,” he said finally. “If she's out here, I'll find her.”
“I'm sure you will. You're the best landsman around.”
“Also, I found another dead animal yesterday, and my sister -”
“I don't need to hear about this,” she replied, interrupting him. “I'm sorry, Freeman, but I have to go. Pop by my office around lunchtime and we can see how things are looking. And please, don't bring up any more trouble right now. The last thing I need is you to keep nagging about dead squirrels again.”
“But -”
Before he could finish, he realized that she'd hung up on him.
“Idiot,” he sighed, slipping his phone into his pocket before turning and making his way down the gently sloping hill that ran east through the forest, with sunlight glinting off the surface of the distant lake.
***
“Okay, you,” Karen muttered as she finished pinning the dead squirrel down onto an examination table, “let's see what we're dealing with.”
Using the tip of a scalpel, she cut into a section of fur running around the squirrel's neck, before peeling back a flap of skin to expose the meat beneath. Once the meat had been excised, she took a magnifying glass and used it to examine the base of the skull at the point where it met the spine, only to see that a thin black tendril seemed to have reached up through the squirrel's body, winding around the spine until it poked up into the skull itself.
“Invasive,” she whispered, taking a small clamp and using it to gently dislodge the lower jaw. Tilting the dead creature's head back, she could see that the black tendril seemed to extend significantly into the brain cavity. She took a moment to peer at the squirrel's face, before looking back down at the main bulk of the tumor, which remained a large, shiny black mass in the abdominal cavity.
Grabbing a different scalpel, she pressed gently against the side of the tumor, and she could immediately tell that the interior seemed to be fairly solid. Running the scalpel's blade to the base of one of the tendrils, she considered cutting it loose before deciding, instead, to focus on the main mass. Placing the edge of the blade against the tumor, she began to slice a thin section away.
“Fuck!” she exclaimed as a spray of black liquid burst from the tumor, hitting her on the face and neck. Her protective glasses kept her eyes safe, but she felt a faint burning sensation on her chin. She grabbed a towel and wiped herself clean, but the black mass in the squirrel's abdomen was already starting to deflate a little.
Heading over to the other side of the lab, she wiped some more of the black liquid from her face and neck, before grabbing her phone and bringing up her brother's number.
“Hey,” she said as soon as she was put through to his answerphone, “it's me. Listen, this might sound weird, but... Do you remember that ridiculous story you told me about an incident a couple of years ago at Leadenford Hospital? The one that supposedly got covered up after the whole place was destroyed?” She glanced back over at the dead squirrel. “Well, I really don't want to set you off on another of your conspiracy rants, but I think I might have something that you're going to find very interesting. Call me back as soon as you get this message.”
“This is a mop,” Marlowe said, handing Lizzie a mop.
“I know.”
“And this is a bucket.”
“I know.”
“And this,” he continued, turning to look at the three portable toilets lined up in the shade, a few hundred meters from the cabins, “is your task for the afternoon. Just be glad you got sanctioned on the first day. There hasn't been much time for anyone to make too much of a mess.”
“What about medical waste?” she asked.
He turned to her, with a hint of panic in his eyes. “What?”
“Twenty-odd cancer patients are using these things,” she continued. “God knows what drugs they're all on for their conditions. Don't you think there might be some toxic material in their waste?”
“Huh,” he replied, looking back at the plastic cubicles, which were resting haphazardly on the grass. “I never really thought about that. You might be right.”
“And the chemicals used to keep the toilets clean?”
He sniffed.
“And needles?”
“Do you think there are needles?” he asked, turning back to her.
“If anyone has to self-inject, and if they're dumb enough to flush the -” She paused, suddenly aware of the clueless look on his face. “Never mind, I'll make up a policy on the fly.”
“Well, maybe -”
“I can do it,” she told him, turning to look back at the cabins just as the rest of the campers headed off to get started with the afternoon's aerobics class. “Just leave me alone to get on with it, and I promise that by dinnertime these toilets will be cleaner than you can possibly imagine.”
“That's a good way to see it,” he replied with another sniff. “Take pride in your work.” Turning and heading back to the cabins, he began to lazily scratch the back of his trousers.
“Gross,” Lizzie muttered, turning back to look at the toilets. Figuring that she might as well get started, she took the bucket over to a nearby free-standing tap and began to fill it with cold water, before grabbing a bottle of bleach and pouring some into the concoction.
“Hey,” a voice said suddenly.
Turning, she saw Laura limped across the grass on crutches.
“Not going to the aerobics?” Lizzie asked.
“With these legs?” Laura replied, allowing herself a faint smile. “Hell, no. I persuaded that Wallace cow that it'd be cruel and unusual punishment to make me take part, so she said I could amuse myself for the afternoon. Besides, I saw you down here and I felt bad. There's no way you should be the only one who gets it in the neck. I tried confessing, but Kirsty and Todd flat-out denied the whole thing and, anyway, I think Wallace has taken a real dislike to you for some reason.” She sniffed. “She's clearly a bitch, so if she doesn't like you, I guess you must be okay.”
“It's okay,” Lizzie muttered, turning the tap off and carrying the bucket over to the first plastic cubicle. “I'm gonna shine these toilets up so good, she'll be able to see her own reflection in the seats.”
“So where do you think Beth has got to?”
“Still no sign her?”
Laura shook her head.
“Crystal Wallace was no help,” Lizzie continued, dipping the mop into the bucket. “I swear, it's like she couldn't give a damn. I tried to tell her that the longer we leave it, the bigger the chance that something might happen. I mean, Beth seemed fairly healthy but you never know with these things.” She glanced back toward the cabins, where she could see Crystal leading the aerobics class.
“She only cares about the camp,” Laura replied, “and her own reputation. I've seen her type a million fucking times. She wants everything to know what a wonderful person she is, so she sets up a cancer charity. Plus, even though it's a charity, I guarantee you she's paying herself a decent wage as its boss. There's money to be made in the cancer industry, you know.”
“Meanwhile, the only person who actually cares is stuck down here doing a dumb-ass job.” Opening the door of the first cubicle, she looked inside but immediately took a step back. “Jesus Christ. We've been here less than a day, how have people managed to make the damn thing so filthy?”
“Wow,” Laura said, peering into the cubicle, “that's kinda impressive.”
“I have bowel cancer,” Lizzie pointed out, “and
I
don't make that much of a -”
Before she could finish, she let out a gasp of pain as she felt something shuddering through her belly.
“You okay?” Laura asked, putting out a hand to support her.
“Fine,” Lizzie winced, even though she was feeling a little hot and sweaty, “just... It happens sometimes, that's all.”
“Me too. Maybe you should sit down.”
She shook her head.
“You don't want to push yourself,” Laura continued. “Get someone else to muck out the toilets.”
“You know what?” Lizzie replied, turning to her. “I've got an even better idea.”
***
“Wallace is going to kill you when she finds out you ditched your job,” Laura pointed out as she limped along on her crutches. “I like it.”
A few steps ahead, Lizzie fought her way through a patch of dense weeds as she continued to lead Laura through the forest.
“I can't spend my time cleaning a bunch of toilets,” she replied, “when someone might be in trouble. Screw Crystal Wallace. What if Beth's hurt? What if she's out here, terrified and alone, desperately waiting for someone to come and find her?” She stopped in a clearing and waited for Laura to catch up. “She's been gone too long for this to be anything else. Something's wrong.”
“I can't believe Kirsty just left her in the dark like that. I mean, that's like the meanest thing she could have done. Beth's blatantly scared of her own shadow.”
“What's done is done,” Lizzie replied, looking around in the hope that she might spot some sign of Beth's location. “This place is overgrown as hell,” she continued. “If someone
had
collapsed and was unconscious, they could be just a few meters away and no-one would even see them.” Looking toward the lake, she saw the water glistening under the afternoon sun.
“This could actually be serious,” Laura said after a moment, “couldn't it?”
Lizzie took a step forward and cupped her hands around her mouth.
“Beth!” she shouted at the top of her voice. “Can you hear me?”
She waited.
No reply.
“Beth!” she yelled, trying again. “Try to make some kind of sound!”
Again she waited, but all she heard was the gentle rustling of the tree-tops as a breeze passed across the forest.
“Beth!” Laura shouted. “Hey, are you -”
Before she could finish, she broke down into a coughing fit.
“She'd have replied by now,” Lizzie pointed out, patting her on the back. “Either she's too far away, or she's close and she's unconscious. Still...” She glanced back through the trees, toward the clearing that led to the cabins. “This is the route they took last night to get back to camp, so she wouldn't have deviated too far, not unless she got totally lost.”
“She might have become disorientated,” Laura replied as they made their way through the undergrowth. “She's from the city, right? She probably doesn't have much experience out in the wilderness. I sure as hell don't.”
“All she had to do was go in a straight line,” Lizzie muttered. “I know that's not always easy, but -”
She stopped suddenly as she saw something up ahead: a thick swarm of flies had gathered around a patch of tall grass, and something bulky seemed to be on the ground.
“What's that?” Laura whispered, with fear in her voice.
Lizzie watched for a moment as the flies buzzed around the object. Whatever it was, it was large, maybe even human-sized.
“I don't want to look,” Laura said finally.
“It's not Beth,” Lizzie replied. “It can't be. There wouldn't be that many flies after just...” Her voice tailed off as she stared wide-eyed at the dark shape behind the grass.
“Do you think we should call someone?” Laura asked.
“I think we should take a look. It's probably nothing.”
They both stood in silence for a moment, before Lizzie finally took a couple of steps forward and made her way around the side of the patch of grass. Scrunching up her nose, she waved away a few flies as she continued to edge closer to the object, and finally she stopped and stared down for a few seconds, watching as flies and maggots crawled all over the carcass.
“Oh thank God,” she said finally.
“What?” Laura asked.
“It's a deer. Or... at least, it
was
a deer.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty much,” she continued, breathing a sigh of relief. “Come and take a look.”
Limping over to join her, Laura looked down at the carcass.
“It stinks,” Lizzie pointed out.
“It's kind of beautiful, though,” Laura replied, tilting her head a little as she stared at the animal's partially-rotten head, with its dead eyes staring up at the sky. “I mean, we all end up like this in the end, don't we? Sometimes I think it's better to just be left out for other creatures to feed on you, instead of being burned or nailed into a wooden box.”
“So this is how you want to go when it's your time?” Lizzie asked. “Dumped in the forest so flies can work on you?”
“Maybe. My mother would
never
allow it, though.”
“Let's not talk about funerals,” Lizzie replied. “There's no need.”
“Do you seriously think any of us have got much time left?” Laura asked. “This cancer camp is just one final chance for our parents to act like we're normal. Soon we'll be back in hospital, hooked up to packs of chemicals again, waiting to die slowly and painfully. All the positive thinking in the world can't change the fact that when we get to the end of our monochrome rainbows, all we're gonna find is a sad, early death.”
“That doesn't mean we have to talk about it,” Lizzie replied firmly.
“Yeah, but you -” Suddenly, Laura took a step back.
“What?” Lizzie asked.
“Something moved in there!”
Turning to look down at the dead deer, Lizzie watched the flies and maggots for a moment. “It's nothing,” she said after a few seconds, “it's just -”
“Something
moved
,” Laura said again. “I swear to God, it wasn't the maggots or the flies or anything like that, something moved
under
the skin.”
“You think it's still alive?” Lizzie asked. “That's kind of gross.”
Laura shook her head. “It wasn't the deer itself, it was more like...” She paused. “It was like something moved in the belly or the gut area. Something big.”
“You're imagining it,” Lizzie replied. “You're just letting yourself get spooked out, there's no -”
“There!” Laura shouted, taking another step back as the deer's rotten torso seemed to flex and bulge for a moment. “You saw
that
, right?”
“It's probably just gas,” Lizzie said uncertainly.
“No way was that just gas. Something's in there!”
Lizzie took a cautious step forward and leaned down. Just a few feet from the deer now, she watched as the creature's belly seemed to writhe and wriggle. The surface was covered with maggots and flies, which seemed to be feasting on the flesh, but she couldn't deny that something deeper seemed to be churning in the deer's corpse. A moment later, part of the fur seemed to slice open, and a patch of maggots was sucked down into the interior of the body.
“Woah,” Lizzie whispered, “that's messed-up.”
“What did you see?” Laura asked, having turned away to avoid seeing the mess.
“It's like something's in there,” Lizzie continued, “and it just ate some of the maggots from the surface.”
“That's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard. Can we please get out of here?”
“Hang on.” Making her way around the body, making sure to keep a short distance back, Lizzie watched the churning corpse, waiting for another hint about whatever was lurking inside.
“Lizzie, can we
please
just get going? We're supposed to be looking for Beth, remember?”
“I know, but this is insane.” She took a cautious step closer, unable to stop staring at the dead deer. “I'm no expert, but I've never heard of anything like -”
Suddenly something thin and long and black whipped out through a hole in the deer's side and scooped a load more maggots up, before disappearing back inside as quickly as it had appeared.
“That's not normal,” Lizzie said, wide-eyed with shock.
“What isn't normal?” Laura asked.
“It was like a worm or...” She paused. “Or a tentacle!”
“Oh God,” Laura replied, looking up at the sky. “Oh God, please, can we just leave it the fuck alone?”
Lizzie picked up a stick from the ground before taking another step forward and reaching out until the stick's tip was touching the deer's rotten chest.
