Thursday 22 December 2016

"The Monsters Within" Part 4

Ok people: here is the final part of this challenging tale:

"THE MONSTERS WITHIN" : Part 4

As the Professor issued his warning several of his assistants, wearing lab coats and carrying guns, entered the room. Ben was led out into the hall and down a flight of stairs to the underground laboratory while Kyle and Katie remained in the drawing room with Professor Garson, who held a gun in one hand and a cognac in the other.  Ben saw, on entering the lab, a much larger apparatus than the other machine.
"You will sit in that chair and let me strap you down", one of Garson's assistants, who physically resembled the actor Boris Karloff, instructed. Ben frowned:
"I am not in the habit of being strapped down by strange men I'll have you understand", Ben wryly stated. The assistant laughed coldly:
"That will disappoint the Professor I'm sure. However enough of this nonsense, we are here to test this machine. The professor is certain that your unconscious mind will be of great experimental use."
The other assistant pushed Ben violently down into the chair.
Meanwhile, back in the drawing room, Garson sipped his cognac and smiled sinisterly at Kyle and Katie:
"You must surely admit that it will be fascinating to see what monsters Ben's unconscious mind will dredge up this time. I should draw back the curtains so that we have a good view of the action." Katie gave him an icy stare:
"What you mean to repeat that horror we witnessed earlier when those wolf things killed that farmer? You really are a piece of shit."
"Oh no MIss Ryan. That was an accident, this will be a real experiment. My assistants are right now guarding a group of children from the local care home down the road. We bunged the manager ten grand to let us have them and they're unlikely to be missed."
"Ere, you mean your gonna let them things loose on a bunch of bleedin' kids?" Kyle exclaimed. Garson chuckled and went over to the curtains, drawing them back to reveal a group of children being led out into the garden and given rounders bats and a ball to play with.
"There is no need to be emotional about this. There have always been sacrifices in the name of science." As Garson spoke the electric side light dimmed a little then came back on:
"Ah, I see my assistants downstairs have flicked the switch so to speak. Ben is now creating from the depths of his unconscious mind."
Kyle leapt up from the sofa with such rapidity that the Professor had no time to raise his gun before Kyle punched him in the teeth, before grabbing the gun:
"Katie you try an' 'elp Ben, I'm gonna get to those kids."
Katie ran out into the hall, grabbing a large poker from the fireplace first. She saw the staircase leading down to the lab and strode feistily down it. As she entered the lab, one of the assistants went for his gun, however Katie jabbed the poker into his left eye and he fell to the floor, writhing in agony. She grabbed the gun and pointed it at the other assistant:
"Turn off that machine and take that headset off Ben now".
"It is too late, once the process has begun, to halt it early could be fatal", the assistant stammered.
Out in the garden, the children were screaming as a large creature, like a cross between a wold and a bear came out of the bushes. It had already caught a rabbit and it bit the head off before tossing the carcass aside. It growled and went for one of the children. Kyle shot it three times in the head and it collapsed to the ground. He herded the screaming kids into a conservatory and shut the door. More creatures appeared out of the woods and they started sniffing around the carcass of the dead animal. Kyle gestured to the children to crouch down low, however the creatures' attention had been grabbed by the sight of Professor Garson staggering to his feet within the house. The frenzied animals ran towards the house and the first one launched itself at the large window of the drawing room, the glass shattering and shards flying everywhere. The creature grabbed Garson's throat in its jaws and bit into it, blood spurting out in a fountain. The other creatures clawed and ripped the room apart before bounding into the rest of the house. Kyle turned to the terrified kids:
"Right' I've gotta leave you 'ere ok. Them things could be about to kill everyone in the house."
In the lab, Katie heard the sound of banging and animalistic howling from upstairs. She scowled:
"Ok shitface you need to hut down that machine now, whatever ben is conjuring up is in the house. Just do it."
"But he could die". Katie paused for a moment in reflection then held up the gun:
"Ben will not die. Ben is resilient. Do it." The assistant flicked down the switches and pulled the headset off Ben's head. Ben gave a scream of agony and slumped down into the chair, limp and cold. Katie grabbed his arm and tested for a pulse:
"Come on Ben, don't give up on me now. You can make it through this Ben, come on."
"I'd give up if I were you miss", the assistant stated.
Upstairs the creatures faded and vanished. Kyle glanced round at the dismembered pieces of Professor Garson that were strewn around the room then went into the hall and down into the lab. He found a distraught Katie whose usual hard composure had melted in the face of her concern for Ben. She shook his limp body, tears welling up in her eyes:
"Come on Ben, don't give up *to the assistant* fucking do something, don't just stand there."
The assistant gave Ben an adrenalin  injection:
"This might help."
Kyle rushed down and lifted Ben's arm:
"Ere I can feel a pulse. Cam on Ben...."
Slowly Ben lifted his eyes open. He looked at Katie and Kyle and sighed listlessly:
"Oh well, this vale of tears called life has dragged me back into it."
Later, Ben, Katie and Kyle were discussing recent events in the Mermaid Wine Bar in Cambridge:
"So how come those creatures like vanished so bleedin' quick?" Kyle asked.
"Clearly because the process wasn't complete unlike the first time. Katie was quite right to stop the experiment even though it risked my life. Thankfully I'm completely fine now and not some dribbling, brain-damaged cabbage. Unfortunately this just gives people yet another excuse to tell me that I should count my blessings or be optimistic about myself or some such nonsense." The others laughed:
"Oh Ben, how could we exist without you. Don't ever change will you", Katie said with a laugh, hugging Ben.
The End.

Sunday 4 December 2016

The Monsters Within: Part 3

OK people: Here is part three of this dark story:

"THE MONSTERS WITHIN": Part 3

Ben writhed in agony as Professor Mike Garson held a gun at Kyle and Katie:
"Ere stop this you nutter!" Kyle shouted. The Professor remained calm:
"There is no need for hysterics young man. Anyway, as you can see the process is near completion."
They looked down as the humming noise subsided and Ben lapsed into quiet unconsciousness.
"Look you piece of ¤¤¤¤, I want an explanation for what just happened to Ben," Katie demanded, hand on hip, throwing her blonde hair to one side and fixing Professor Garson with an icy glare. Garson lowered the gun and smiled politely:
"Now look Miss Ryan, I'm sorry I had to resort to a course use of firearm threat. However it was essential that we test the machine. I assure you that Ben here will be perfectly fine again after a short sleep. Anyway, shall we look to see what he has created?"
"I'll give you a bleedin' knuckle sandwich in a minute mate if yer don't....." Kyle stopped his angry tirade short as he glanced at the glass box and saw within it an elaborate gold crown, encrusted with sapphires, rubies, pearls and emeralds:
"Ere it's a friggin crown".
"Oh yes, and you will find that it is as real and authentic as any crown in any museum", the Professor stated, lifting the object from the box.

Later, a recovering Ben was resting on the Professor's sofa in the drawing room as Katie and Kyle sat round the large wood fire. Katie sipped her brandy and frowned:
"We need to get out of here as soon as Ben is fit to walk. Probably a case for UNIT I'd say." Ben lifted his head languidly and sighed, his eyes tired and sad:
"No. We have no evidence yet that this is a UNIT related case. Given how bureaucratic they are we'd get no help from them. So Garson has designed some futuristic technology and used a gun on us to ensure I acted as guinea pig. More a matter for the regular police really. We need to stay and find out more. Anyway, on a more important note, where is my crown?"
Kyle lifted the crown out of a plastic bag near his side and handed it to Ben:
"Trust you to think of creatin' a bleedin' crown for yerrself Ben" he said, laughingly throwing the crown to Ben.
"And trust you to put a priceless gold crown in a Tesco plastic bag Kyle", Ben replied. They both laughed. Ben examined the crown carefully:
"I've always wanted to wear a real crown. I need to be surrounded by beautiful, expensive objects. They act as compensation for all of the loss, hurt and loneliness that I have suffered in my life. I deserve this."
"You will always be a true Prince Ben", Katie remarked and they all laughed. Suddenly they heard a frightful howling from outside the house, like a pack of wolves . It was accompanied by a frightful screaming sound. Kyle rushed to the window and they were horrified to see a man being torn apart in the grounds of the house by several huge wolf-like animals. One of them had ripped his throat out and was gorging itself on the exposed flesh.
"Jeez what the hell are those things? If it ain't a case for UNIT now then what is?" Kyle shouted. As he did so, the Professor entered the room with Payanda, the latter carrying a tray of food.
"Oh come and sit back down by the fire. The entertainment will be better enjoyed in the warm."
"Entertainment? You call that sight entertainment?", Ben exclaimed. The Professor smiled:
"There is no need to be frenetic about this. Now come and sit down, shocks are much better absorbed with the knees bent you know".

Ben and the others returned to the sofa and Ben glared angrily at the Professor:
"Look I demand that you explain immediately and fully exactly what the hell is going on here Garson". The Professor poured Ben a brandy:
"You know you are a most attractive young man when you are angry Ben. Here, have some brandy. It's a curative you know. I do apologise for the experiment earlier being a little demanding however I hope that you will see the bigger picture."
Katie fixed him with a cool stare:
"Cut the genial crap Garson and get to the point."
"The point, Miss Ryan, is that those creatures out there, and isn't it delightful to see wild nature in action, those creatures are the product of Ben's subconscious. My machine has the power to create not just objects projected by the conscious mind, such as Kyle's gold chain and Ben's crown, but also manifestations from the inner mind. The monsters within so to speak. Earlier I let Ben thumb through my library and pick up a book on werewolf cults by Montague Hesketh. That planted the seed of an idea in Ben's mind. And my machine watered that seed. Ben here is a natural sensitive, he has a most superior mind, both conscious and unconscious. Kyle here with his courser, more primitively evolved mind could only manage to conjure up a few supernatural manifestations. But Ben created those creatures out there. Don't worry about the dead man, he was only a local farmer who comes here to supply us with logs for the fire."
"Ere, he was a person with a life. And look dude you'd better cut the primitive mind crap or I'll conjure up a manifestation of my fist hitting your teeth", Kyle shouted. The Professor smiled:
"You know some of my friends at Cambridge would find the combination of your aggressive realness and good looks very exciting, in a bit of rough kind of way. However let us focus on the big picture. I want to see exactly how far I can go with this. To test this technology to the limits. I have designed a larger and more powerful version of the machine which you have seen. And I want Ben to test it." Ben swallowed his brandy and glared at Garson:
"I am not your guinea pig. That last session created those creatures out there and has led to a man's death. More importantly, it rendered me unconscious. I am not prepared to risk harm or either death to myself in order to further your monstrous schemes", Ben firmly stated. Professor Garson frowned:
"Oh that is sad, it really is. I was hoping force would not be necessary. You will do as I say Ben or die. Your choice......."


..............to be continued.