Hamelyn's Curse
Prologue
He plays it here He plays it there.
His Melody drifts through the air.
The tune it rises. The tune it falls.
To their doom the young it calls.
So not listen! Do not peek! His
enchantment your soul doth seek
Chapter Twelve
Colby came awake suddenly. At first he wasn't sure what had woken him? He glanced around. Shukr was staring at the campervan door and softly growling - then he heard it. All the hairs on the back of Colby's neck rose and his skin grew clammy. From just outside. He heard the distinctive sound of a flute. He swayed in time with the melody. He couldn't help himself. The tune was strangely alluring. Each note rising and falling in a very enticing manner. Colby sat up and listened. It was almost as if the sound was calling to him? His hand strayed towards the curtain. He wanted to lift it and peer out But he resisted the urge. His inner sense of self-preservation told him. That if he were to look, upon the face of the elusive Piper? His soul and his life would be forfeit. The music grew louder and closer. It sounded as if the Piper was outside his van? Colby put his fingers in his ears in the hopes it would stop. It didn't. It seemed to be reverberating in his head
Then Shukr stood up. He bared his teeth and let forth a long loud howl. Colby gasped! The music died in an instant. It didn't fade away. It stopped mid note! One moment it was swirling around in his head. The next it was gone. Silence reigned. Colby realized he was shaking and sweating. He sat on his bunk shivering in fear. How had the Piper had detected his presence? Colby knew the villain had been trying to eliminate him? He took several long deep breaths. To try and calm his still thudding heart. Shukr padded across from the door His claws tapping on the linoleum floor. The dog thrust his huge head onto Colby's lap. He released another long shaky breath then stroked the hound. "Thanks Buddy I think I owe you one - big time!"
David was sleeping peacefully. When the cell-phone on his bedside cabinet began to buzz. The man in the bed groaned. His arm flopped out from beneath the quilt and groped blindly about. Until it finally landed on the shrilling handset. Still half-asleep David raised it to his ear.
"Sinclair!" he spoke the deeply ingrained response into his Cell.
"David!" The anxious voice drove the last vestiges of sleep from the Gman, David instantly sat up.
"Colby?"
"David I need you!"
"What? Colby are you ok?"
"No! I need you now."
"Colby it's ten to one in the morning!"
"Please David! It's important. This can't wait."
"Okay hang tight I'm on my way. I'll be with you in thirty minutes."
"Hurry David! Hurry!" His partner was already out of bed and pulling on his pants. David contemplated waking Don. Then decided against it. He'd seen the six pack of beer in his partner's refrigerator and the bottles of spirit in holders on the Campervan wall. If Colby had just got drunk? Don would not be happy? Especially not! If he was dragged from his bed because of such foolhardiness? Somehow though! David knew. This wasn't a false alarm. The urgency he'd heard in in his friend's voice. Made his stomach cramp fearfully. He ran to the parking lot. Where'd left his car. David unlocked it, got in it. Then backed it out of the secure holding area. A minute later saw him on the main road. Heading out of town. He made it to the campsite in just under twenty seven minutes. He had to slow down then. As there were numerous signs enforcing a speed limit of five kilometres an hour. It was as he rounded the second corner That he saw the stranger. David frowned as he drove past. The strangely dressed clown.
"What's he doing wandering around at this time of night?" he asked himself glancing in his rear view mirror. Then his blood ran cold as the odd man. Turned and looked at him.
"Sod this!" David muttered. He put his foot down and the needle on his speedometer jumped up to fifty. He looked in his mirror again but the Clown had disappeared. "It's just a coincidence!" He tried to tell himself then to his extreme relief. David saw Colby's camper ahead on the left. Another minute and he was parking opposite the Motorhome. Colby almost wept with relief, as he heard. The car pull up outside. He knew it was David. He recognized the sound of the SUV's engine. Cautiously he opened the van door and waved to his partner.
"Quick get inside!" David locked the car and sprinted the twenty yards to the door. Colby virtually dragged him inside then slammed the door closed and locked it.
"What the hell is going on?" David demanded. "What was so important? That you had to drag me. All the way out here? At one in the morning? Are you drunk?"
"I haven't touched a drop!" Colby poured David a coffee then led him through to the sleeping area. David immediately saw that a second wall bunk had been pulled out of its closed position and had a sleeping bag on top of it. Colby waved to it "Sit down you need to hear this." He began to relate his earlier experience. David felt sick
"Bl**dy hell!" then he remembered the clown. "Oh God! I just saw the B*stard!" He told Colby about the strange man he'd spotted. "He can't have got far. Let's get after him."
"No!" Colby held him back. "We can't do this alone. I've heard the Flute I know what it can do? This is one time. We wait for Don and the squad." He then went into his bathroom and using a small penknife. Sliced off four tiny slivers of soap from the new bar on the shelf above the sink. He wet his fingers then squished them into small spheres. "Put these in your ears. I've a feeling. We haven't heard the last of that piping fiend." David saw wisdom in Colby's words. He pointed to the spare bunk. But before they both blocked off any sound to their ears David said.
"It had better be as comfortable as my nice warm bed back at the hotel." Colby grinned. Feeling a lot safer with both his partner and his dog protecting him. He climbed back into his bed. David stripped off the sweat pants and jersey he'd hastily thrown on over his pyjamas, kicked off his shoes and climbed into the sleeping bag on the second bunk. Colby switched off the light and lay down. His heart again thudded. But the soap plugs in his ears were an effective sound barrier and he soon slipped back into sleep. David lay awake for several minutes. His eyes grew accustomed to the darkness as he lay. Reviewing the night's events in his mind. He tried hard to recall the clown's face but all he could conjure up was a grotesque, grinning skull.
Colby woke slowly. The sun was just beginning to shine through the curtains. He remembered the night's adventure and sat up. David was snoring in the bunk to his right. Colby slid from his bed and went to put coffee on. While it percolated? He did the necessary and had a quick wash and shave. David was roused by the smell of sizzling bacon. He rolled over and squinted at the ceiling. Confused slightly by the strange surrounding. Then he too remembered the previous hours. He wriggled an arm free of the sleeping bag and unzipped himself. A minute later he padded into the camper-van's kitchenette. "Have you got a roll handy mate?"
"No rolls just a loaf pop a couple of slices in the toaster for us."
"Not a bread roll, a roll of paper. I've got to go into the woods and do what bears do." Comprehension dawned on Colby. "Why do you want to go outside? There's a perfectly good lav at the end of the passage."
"Urgh! Chemical toilets are a big turn off for me!"
"It's not a chemical, It's a proper toilet my van has both and since this site has Elson Extraction Facilities and Fresh Water Hydrants." He stopped talking his friend had vanished down the indicated passageway. David appeared a few minutes later. "Good job we're close in size," Colby pointed to a slatted cupboard. "You're going to need to borrow some clean clobber." David nodded his thanks. Then availed himself of some of Colby's high quality clothing. By the time he was dressed? Colby had set up an outside table and was laying breakfast on it. David glanced at the time on his Cell phone. It was twenty past six. He hurriedly sat in the spare fold up chair and helped himself to a generous portion of the offered food.
Colby grinned and continued. "I know Eppes! If he says he'll be here at seven? We can pretty much guarantee he will be." David his mouth full of food nodded in agreement. "Are we going to tell him about last night?"
"As much as I hate the thought of telling him? I bottled it and called you for support. I think we're going to have to?" David understood Colby's reluctance. "No one saw me return to the hotel last night We could just say it was getting late and I decided to stay over." Colby gave his partner a warm smile and the two just decided. That what Don didn't know couldn't hurt him? After all it was not as if any harm had been done? David wasn't even sure the clown. He'd seen was the elusive kidnapper.
"It was probably just a late night reveller returning home from a party?" he said leaning sideways and feeding Shukr his last bit of sausage. "Coincidences like that happen all the time." Colby drained his coffee cup then rose to clear the dirty plates away Just as a dark SUV rounded the corner. Don saw the two men and pulled over. Into the parking area twenty yards away. He and Liz alighted From the vehicle as second car pulled up alongside it. Ian and Charlie slid from it as a third vehicle arrived. The Dallas Agent who had recognized the Celtic Symbol. The day before, got out of the third SUV. The group walked across to Colby's camper. Don raised an eyebrow at David. "I figured you had stayed over. When you didn't come down for breakfast? At the hotel." he said then to his seasoned agent ordered. "Make some fresh coffee David. I'm pretty sure we can rely on Colby To have a decent blend." He grinned at Liz. "I swear that muck. They served at the hotel was instant." He glanced sideways at the lone agent from the Dallas Field Office. "Where are the rest of your squad Agent Hedger? I am certain I said to be here at 7:00am?" The man swallowed.
"SSA Fuller felt there was more to be learned up at the Plateau." Colby saw his boss's jaw tighten and exchanged glances with David. They both knew Don did not like being disobeyed or have his orders countermanded. Neither man voiced their thoughts.
David went to make the coffee. But as he leapt up into Colby's RV. A gust of wind blew the door closed. Charlie who was facing it. Gave a horrified gasp? Colby alerted by the sound and the look on his face. Spun round to see what had alarmed him? He inhaled in shock then without thinking screeched. "The Bastard! Does he know how much its going to cost me to have my van re-sprayed?" David hearing him cry out stuck his head around the door – his eyes widened as he beheld the Symbol burned into Colby's camper.
"Oh my God! It was him!" Don had risen and approached the door.
"Was who?" he demanded to know. "Just what exactly happened last night and why haven't you reported it?" Colby swallowed at Don's fierce tone and lied. "You only arrived a few minutes ago, I was waiting until we all had a fresh coffee. Before I said anything." David inwardly admired Colby's wits. But retreated back inside. To finish making the coffee Before Don turned his attention to him. Hopefully Colby would have related. The tale to Don? By the time it was percolated. Which he had but Don was still grouchy as David laid the tray of beverages on the table and resumed his seat his boss said.
"So you didn't stay over after all?"
"Colby called me just before one."
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"To be honest I wasn't sure Colb was actually sober. I'd seen some booze in the van earlier," he faltered. "I figured I'd assess the situation first?" Don gave a curt nod. But then his mouth dropped as David admitted. "I think I might of seen him as I drove into the campsite."
"You should have called me then!" Don growled.
"It was late and dark and by the time I realized he was long gone."
"Did you get a good enough look at his face. To work with a sketch artist." David shook his head.
"Like I said it was dark." Don scowled. But acknowledged David probably hadn't seen enough. To make a positive ID. Ian was now inspecting the burn mark. "It's definitely the same as the other one."
"So you know what it means then?" Colby asked. Ian straightened up and replied. "It is the Mark of Sacrifice!"
"The what?" Hedger was truthfully out of his depth. Among this new squad. Ian gave him a tight smile and enlightened them all. A long time ago This," He tapped the door symbol
"Was the symbol tattooed on people who were to be sacrificed to the Ancient Gods. Some modern theologians suspect it was placed on the victim's forehead. To prevent escape. If by chance a sacrificial victim did manage to evade their fate and flee? Anyone meeting them would know not to hide or help the poor person."
"Great!" Colby griped "So not only have I got a massive bill for repairs to my RV. The Piping Creep wants to feed me to his Evil Over-Lord!" The moan actually made them all laugh. All bar Don. His eyes narrowed and he resolved. He was not going to lose any others to the centuries old cult or it's so called God.
TBC