Hatred is the madness of the heart...


Epilogue

"Before he killed me he monologued the whole thing. I didn't think people actually did that."


"I'm sorry about the tape but you really aren't going to shut up otherwise are you? Not that I mind the conversation, it's the accent. I don't have a clue what you're saying.

"And biting isn't very feminine."

Cutler finished sticking the strip of gaffer tape over Alex's mouth despite her attempts to squirm away. He checked that the tape holding her wrists and ankles to the chair was secure and then smoothed down the skirt of her dress and brushed her hair back from her face.

"You dressed up for him. They always did but he never cared. I'm not sure he even noticed.

"I hear you walked out on him. That's something he would never have stood for in the old days. He really has changed. You wouldn't have made it to the door alive back in the day."

Cutler laughed.

"You have no idea what he is, do you? Who he is.

"Maybe I should explain."

He walked over to the door and for a moment she thought he was leaving her there alone but he came back with another chair and sat down in front of her. She was torn between struggling to get free and wanting to hear what he had to say but the tape was too tight, she couldn't move. It was pointless exhausting herself, she'd wait, bide her time. He'd have to let her go eventually.

Cutler sat back in the chair, his fingers pressed together, hands in front of his face and although he was looking at her his blue eyes were distant. He wasn't seeing her, he was seeing his past and Hal, wondering just how much to tell her. He shrugged, he could tell her anything. Everything. It wasn't as if she'd have the chance to pass it on to anyone else, was she?

"Hal. Lord Hal. Harry. Mr Yorke. Call him what you like, it doesn't matter. He's a vampire. A five hundred year old dead man walking.

"I can see you don't believe me. Why would you? It's completely ridiculous! Especially the way he's been acting, I think he's been off blood and it's sent him mad. Well, he was off blood, I've started to deal with that. He had one glass, just one tiny glass and he was shaking. I thought he'd cry. Hal Yorke in that state? It's totally unbelievable. He's been hiding away somewhere, trying to be nice and good and... to be honest I have no idea what he's trying to be but I do know what he really is.

"How do I know?

"I'm one as well. He made me into a vampire in 1950 when I was 26 years old. He killed me. I lost everything because of him – my career, my wife, children, any chance of happiness. He took everything that made me human.

"'I've set you free' he said. Well he didn't. He made me an addict and a murderer and then he left me. That's not freedom, that's slavery. He was the one who killed Rachel – did you know that? He kills and he tortures, he's the cruellest creature I've ever known. Over and over and over again he destroys people. He'll kill you. Or he would if he had the chance.

"Who was Rachel? She was my wife. My perfect beautiful angel. And he killed her and he made me drink her blood. And now I'm going to do the same to him.

"He'll thank me for it in the end. Maybe not straight away, maybe he'll have to suffer first.

"Good.

"I want him to suffer and hurt and crawl like I did. I want him to endure the same pain he put me through, I want him to feel the agony and the hopelessness and the humiliation...

"And then I want him back.

"I want him back how he was, how he used to be."

Cutler was on his feet, pacing backwards and forwards in front of Alex. His voice had got louder and louder and he realised he was on the verge of losing control. He carried on pacing, staying silent for as long as it took to collect his thoughts.

He stopped in front of Alex. He had regained his composure and his voice was level.

"You think I'm mad. That I'm making all this up. I can see you rolling your eyes."

He smiled at her and then closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again he let her see the monster – the fangs and the soulless black eyes and he saw her flinch. He moved closer to her, relishing the fear, hearing her heart race and watching the pulse beat in her neck. He got closer and closer, knowing she couldn't move, watching her eyes widen until his fangs touched her throat and just – only just – broke the skin. She screwed her eyes tightly shut not wanting to see what he did but he pulled away. He didn't need her blood – she just had to know that he was serious. He watched the tickle of red run down her neck, assessing how he felt. He wanted Hal to understand more than he wanted to drink. He could wait.

"You were never part of my plan. Hal wasn't either. I thought he was proper dead, he's been gone fifty years or more. Everyone thought the werewolf had killed him.

"Yes. Werewolves. They exist as well. I'll come back to them."

There was a noise from outside the cellar and Cutler went over to the door. One of his men was standing there with a large cardboard box.

"Put it over there." Cutler's voice was curt and the man was quick to obey. He put the box down close to where Alex was sat without looking at her and then hurried away.

Cutler opened the box and looked at the contents and then up at Alex, assessing. She shivered. There was something in his eyes, something cold and dead that was really starting to scare her. He smiled as he closed the box and sat down again facing Alex.

"Hal wasn't part of the plan but now I know he's not gone I need to have him at my side, to watch when I show the Old Ones what I can do. When they make me a part of their world. He needs to see what he did, what he made me into, how I can be everything he was and more. We can sit side by side with the Old Ones and be at the centre of everything. They'll listen to me then. I want him to see how much they will listen to me and I want him to be proud.

"I haven't told anyone exactly what I'm doing. Oh, I've told lots of people some things – not all true – but no one else knows it all. I can tell you though. It would be good to talk to someone after all these years."

He stood up again and carried on talking as he paced backwards and forwards across the cellar.

"The Old Ones are due here any day. They are the most powerful vampires, the very oldest. They haven't been to Britain for centuries but when they arrive your world will be finished. They will take over and then the vampires will rule and humans will just be food and slaves. They think it's that simple.

"But they are wrong. No one dares to tell them that but they have no idea of the world they want to take. They've been away from it for far too long, they don't understand how it works. That's where I come in. I will give them the world. I'll show them how to win.

"They think that humanity will just let them take over but they are so wrong. You'll fight back. Not all of you but enough and they don't even understand how you communicate. Twitter, Facebook – all that stuff. They don't have a clue! They are totally mired in the past; they have never moved on as the world changed around them. I mean they're coming by boat for Christ's sake! They could buy a fleet of planes but no... they're coming by sea.

"Even more insane than that is that they are starting the revolution in Barry Island. I mean... have you seen this place?

"There was one of them that understood. Wyndam. He had all the right ideas and I was working with him when he was finished. He was sent here to cover up the Box Tunnel Massacre. I suppose you've heard of it? I presume they must have newspapers in... wherever it is you're from. Those killings weren't done by some random madman, it was a vampire, two vampires actually, in a fit of pique but Wyndam and the police found a fall guy to take the blame. It's easy enough, especially as we had him shot and then we started to work on the story. He and I thought the same. He was curious and he understood how the modern world works. We were going to blame the werewolves but once Wyndam was gone I had to rethink how it could be done.

"His successor, Griffin, well he didn't get it. He was pretty useless. Old school. And not in a good way. He wouldn't listen; he thought it would all happen just like the old days when just a flash of fangs was enough to rule. That won't work now. He was always doomed to fail.

"Not. A. Clue.

"Ironically he was finished by a werewolf as well – the War Child's father – and that just served him right. After that I've had a pretty free rein. The Coroner was being useful until she started whining about her kids. I had to kill her – the noise was seriously getting on my nerves. Anyway, she'd already done her job and the reports were out there to show that the Box Tunnel killer was a cannibal. The next step was to leak more results – she'd planted some odd DNA findings. A few hints along with the back story I've been working on and one of the tabloids would soon have cried werewolf."

Cutler stopped pacing and leaned against the wall. He wasn't looking at Alex any more.

"It's all been building up to tonight. Full moon. The last full moon before the Old Ones arrive. Hal wasn't supposed to be here but he won't stop me. I know what has to be done and I can deal with him too. Nothing is going to stop me now.

"Certainly not him."

He turned back towards her and sat down again, leaning forward, his eyes fixed on hers. She couldn't look away. She wasn't sure if he was mad or not but his eyes glittered with the zeal of someone who knows beyond all doubt he is right – whatever the evidence might suggest.

"Tonight is the night that the world finds out about werewolves."

Cutler laughed.

"Oh there are suspicions already – the YouTube video, the articles and the forums, they all add to the argument but what people need is proof. Good old fashioned hard evidence. That's what they are going to get tonight.

"I've found a werewolf, befriended him. He's just an innocent really – I know his history, he's lost the only family he thought he had and he sent away the girl he loves. He needed someone to care, someone to listen to him and make him feel as though he mattered. I don't think that anyone has done that since his father was killed. It wasn't easy to get him to trust me – he hates vampires – but I've done it. He'll do what I ask and he thinks he's serving his world. Keeping it safe from the vampires, from the Old Ones – apart from ones like me of course. I've made him believe that not all of us are evil, that some of us are worth knowing. I can't see that lasting much longer.

"It was almost too easy."

Cuter looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I feel sorry for him really. All he wants is to make his Dad proud of him. He has no one, no one who really cares. If he had why would he keep coming back to me? I wonder if there is another way...

"No."

He shook his head, annoyed at his sudden weakness.

"I need him. I don't know if he'll survive tonight. If someone calls the police quickly enough they'll trap him. If it's before he changes back then I expect they'll shoot him like the animal he will be. If they can catch him, trap him or find him when he's human they'll put him in a cage in a lab and study him. Take him apart and see what makes him what he is.

"Whatever. Either way works for me.

"The club upstairs is going to be full tonight. I've made sure of that – cheap drinks, cheap admission, it's going to be irresistible. I've even set up competitions for those who tweet about their fabulous night out! Humans are so easy to manipulate, they'll do anything for a free drink. They'll all have their phones primed and ready...

"Tom thinks that this is where the Old Ones are gathering and that when the moon is full he will rip them apart, stop them talking over the world. Tear the vampire world apart. It wasn't what he wanted to do but I've been working on him, he'll do anything I ask of him now. He wanted to reason with them. Bless... As if that is even possible. I wonder if he will get away. Once he knows what he's done I have no idea how he'll react. He'll probably be a bit upset so I'll have to watch out for him. I can make sure he's caught though – all I have to decide is whether to hand him over or keep him. I think he might still be useful.

"He doesn't know the Old Ones haven't even landed yet and that he'll be faced with a room heaving with humans. I know once he's transformed he won't be able to stop himself and once we've set him lose then we'll run and leave him to wallow in the slaughter. I've made sure some of the doors are locked, they won't be able to get out and by the time some manage to escape there will be corpses everywhere. And every one of the survivors, every one of the dead will have a phone with pictures and film of a real live werewolf. If I'm really lucky there'll be film of some actual killing. I hope so – I can't hang around obviously – but that's what I want to see.

"I want to turn on the television in the morning and see a human being dismembered on the news. Torn apart by a real live werewolf. Dozens and dozens of bodies, grieving parents and devastated survivors. Humanity will be horrified and disbelieving – and best of all, you'll be desperate for help.

"Tomorrow werewolves will be all over the press, the TV, the internet. There will be panic – how many more of these creatures are out there?

"And then the Old Ones will arrive and they will present humanity with the answer. You've seen the danger – the werewolves will kill you all. But we can save you.

"Trust us.

"And you will.

"Then they can take over. I'm the only one who can give them that power.

"I can change your world."

Cutler leaned back and smiled, closing his eyes and imagining the scenes. How he would be feted and admired.

But first there were still things to be done, everything had to be perfectly planned and set up, no detail could be overlooked.

Cutler opened the cardboard box again and lifted out two large plastic bottles and a tangle of tubes. He put them down in front of Alex, her eyes following every move he made.

"Plastic. Convenient and cheap. Not like the old days when we used glass jars and rubber tubes. They were a nightmare to clean, of course, and they blocked but we managed. Nowadays it's so much easier and we'll just throw them away afterwards.

"Have you worked it out yet? Why you are here?"

Alex frantically shook her head. She had mostly figured out what was happening but she wouldn't let herself believe it. She might be wrong. She really hoped she was wrong.

"Then I'll spell it out. We'll open your throat and put the tubes in your veins and drain your blood into the containers. It keeps long enough that way and when Hal arrives – he's coming here later – he'll drink it. I wonder if he'll know it's yours. I didn't when it was Rachel's and I should have done. I knew everything about her, how her skin felt, how her hair smelled, even how her tears tasted but not her blood. How could I have done?"

He reached into the box again and picked up two scalpels, turning them so the wickedly sharp blades caught the light.

"It's time. I need to be prepared for tonight and your blood has to be ready. I can't risk Hal getting in the way – not that he will. Once he sees what I'm doing he'll understand. After all it's only what he did. So many times and not just to me. Once he's back to himself we can greet the Old Ones together. They'll welcome him. He's one of them.

"I won't do it though. It's a big night tonight and I don't want blood on my suit. Mark is an artist with a knife and I know he'll do a good job. It'll hurt but if you're lucky you'll pass out quickly although you don't look the fainting type.

"It's necessary that you are still alive to drain as much blood as possible, it's not that I want to hurt you. I don't really care enough either way. You're just here so I can get to Hal. Collateral damage. It's his fault this is happening to you.

"Such a shame you wasted your good frock on him but at least you know you're part of something that is changing the very world you live in. A day that will live on in legends.

"That's what I'm doing.

"I'm making history."