After Darkness Falls: Volume One Part 14

There were several sepia photographs framed on the wall. Most were of construction crews working on the resort; huge sweaty men armed with only rudimentary tools as they hammered away at the mountainside. Their faces were darkly tanned with the sun. She stood as one face caught her eye. A man was standing in the background holding what must have been architectural plans as he directed the men. She walked over to the image. The man in charge was in the background of the shot and she squinted to make him out clearly. His hair was short and his face was clean shaven, but she could have sworn that it was Casper. She wiped her hand across the gla.s.s to clear the dust, written beneath the image was a date, 1929.

"It appears we have fox in the henhouse," a voice startled her from behind and she screamed.

"Oh easy, easy," Casper said holding his hands out in a peaceful gesture. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said concerned.

"Jesus Casper you scared the s.h.i.+t out of me," she gasped.

"Sorry," he shrugged and smiled. "What were you looking for, maybe I can help?"

Duke tried to take her attention away from the photograph but Casper saw her looking.

"Oh the construction. Yes you wouldn't believe what those men went through to carve this place out," he said leaning past her.

"1929?"

"Yeah, that's my grandfather in the background; he's the one holding the plans."

"Your grandfather?" She said unsurely.

"Who did you think it was? Me?" He laughed and then stopped when he saw her face. "Wait a minute Duke, you think I'm what, about 120 odd years old?"

She shrugged, embarra.s.sed.

"Elixir is good, but it's not that good, at least not yet" he smiled again. "Come on I'll walk you back to your room, you must want to get ready for the big s.h.i.+ndig."

She allowed him to guide her out and down the corridor. Her sense of direction had now completely deserted her and she was lost. They walked through a part of the resort that she hadn't seen last time and it was clearly a part for staff only.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"This is the medical suite," Casper replied.

"Medical? You mean in case people are taken ill here? Does that happen a lot?"

"Not exactly," he said evasively.

"Well then what exactly?" She snapped irritably. She urgently wanted a drink but she only had the one left and part of her didn't want to appear desperate. Easy now, the fly buzzed with a warning.

"Well, some of our guests here require a little cosmetic help," he said awkwardly.

"Cosmetic?"

"A little nip and tuck here and there, a little liposuction, whatever the client requires," Casper said uncomfortably.

"So it's not quite the au natural spa that it looks from the outside then," Duke said triumphantly.

"You do remember that you are an employee here Duke don't you? A member of the family? And as such bound by our confidentiality code?" Casper said primly.

"Cool your jets Casper, I'm a company girl," she grinned.

As they walked she heard loud machinery suddenly start up and crank into life. "I thought that the place was closed for the weekend?" She asked, turning to Casper who looked uncomfortable all over again.

"It is," he replied. "Some of the system works automatically, probably routine maintenance."

Is it just me or is he lying? The fly buzzed into life again, and she found herself agreeing with him once more.

"But the factory is way down there and you just said that this is the medical suite didn't you? Why is the medical suite kicking into some automated life?" She probed.

"I'm hardly an engineer now am I?" Casper laughed nervously.

"Why are you lying?" Duke asked succinctly.

"I really don't know what you mean Duke, now we must be going as time is running short," Casper said taking her arm.

She shook his touch away, suddenly sure that she was missing something important. She took a couple of steps towards the medical suite door.

"Now really Duke, Ms McHale, this is most improper," he stated as firmly and with as much authority as he could muster. "I'm afraid that I really must insist."

She turned to wither the man with contempt. She was taller and felt stronger than him and he seemed to offer her little threat. But she saw in horror that he was holding a small silver pistol. "Ok, ok, don't have a coronary," she said compliantly. He seemed to relax a little and she ignored the buzzing fly that was trying to tell her that this was a bad idea.

As Casper turned to lead her away she shoved him forward as hard as her carefully toned arms could muster. Casper fell forward violently as he was caught unaware and crashed head first into a beautiful landscape painting hanging on the wall. The gla.s.s cracked and jagged shards bit into his forehead as he sank to the floor. Quick as a flash she leapt forward and grabbed the gun from the floor where he'd dropped it.

"Uuuhhh," Casper moaned from the floor.

That's right, the fly buzzed as Duke kicked Casper hard in the flank.

"On your feet mister," Duke barked as she jabbed him again with her foot.

"What are you doing?" Duke slurred.

"I want a tour Casper, and a guided one at that," she demanded. "I was wondering what was behind that door," she said pointing at the medical suite entrance. "And after you pulled a gun on me, now I'm downright anxious to find out."

She stood behind Casper as he staggered to his feet. She prodded him forward with the gun thinking that she had no idea if she could even pull a trigger.

"Please," Casper pleaded. "Please."

Tell him that he can shove his pleases, the fly buzzed. "You can shove your pleases Casper, now open that door," she commanded.

He used his key card to open the suite. She shoved him through and felt on the wall for a light switch.

"Why are you doing this?" Casper asked sadly. "We thought that you would be happy here, we thought that you were happy."

"Because I want to know just what the h.e.l.l I've been putting in my body Casper, I want to know what you've been poisoning me with."

That one, the fly in her brain buzzed, although his voice was growing softer and more distant. "What's in there?" She pointed to a side room as her stomach cramped and she doubled over in pain.

"Just one of the medical bays," Casper answered sulkily.

She pushed him forward and staggered after him with the gun still in the small of his back. The room looked like any other medical bay. There was a long and comfortable looking bed in the centre of the room and a tall s.h.i.+ny silver box was standing on casters against the wall. The box had long thin transparent tubes hanging from the sides with what looked like sharp needles attached to the ends.

"What is that?" she demanded.

"It's just a liposuction machine."

Ask him what those are for, the fly croaked looking at the pipes that ran from the ceiling and down through the floor and sounding as though he was on his last legs. She wanted to take a drink from her last bottle and clear her head, but the fly said no, the fly told her that it was the worst thing that she could possibly do.

"What are those pipes for?" She groaned as her insides felt like they were turning to jelly.

"I don't know, maybe heating, maybe water, who knows?" Casper said happily as he watched her sink to her knees. "How long has it been since you last had a taste Duke? Because you're not looking well, not looking well at all."

She stared up at him and raised the gun with a trembling arm as he walked closer to her p.r.o.ne position. Her vision was clouding and she used her free hand to reach for the last bottle in her pocket.

"Yes, yes, that's right, a little taste to take the edge off and smooth out the rough patches," Casper smiled.

"What is it?" She whispered as her strength failed and she slipped to the floor.

"Why it's everything that growing boys and girls need," Casper grinned. "It's a taste of heaven and it will change the world."

"What is this place?" She asked weakly, looking over at the liposuction machine.

"I suppose that you could call it our collection area. You see Elixir's main ingredient comes from a..., shall we say, an organic source."

Duke looked from his face to the liposuction machines and thought about the amount of Elixir that she had ingested. She wanted to vomit violently, but a part of her still wanted to reach for the bottle in her pocket. "I've been drinking people's sucked out fat?"

"Well not just the fat. Think of Elixir like a hotdog, we take all of the leftovers from our surgeries. Pieces of nose, b.r.e.a.s.t.s, discarded flesh and bones and they all go down there," Casper said pointing at the pipes. "Everything gets mashed up together down in the processing plant and we add a little flavoring via the kind people over at Brainfreeze. Now I will admit that it's a little moreish," he laughed. "But in our business that's hardly a bad thing now is it?"

"It's addictive is what it is," she whispered.

"But just look at the benefits," he cried triumphantly. "You've been feeling like a G.o.d haven't you? I am going to more than double mankind's life expectancy. Just look at me, I've been testing the prototypes for decades."

"That was you in the photograph."

"Yes, unfortunately during construction we were cut off as a storm raged around us. 27 men were stranded, but I was the only one who survived, can you guess how?"

"Cannibalism," she hissed.

"Exactly,," he beamed. "And you won't believe the benefits of drinking at the source," he smiled evilly. "The taste can be so much stronger when taken in the rawest form. That was what gave me the idea. But hey, I'm not a monster, what I serve the public is a watered down version."

"For G.o.d's sake Casper it's cannibalism!"

"Is that really such a bad thing? I mean we're only using the spare parts after all, no-one is dying for this, well almost no-one," he said regretfully looking at her. "Can't make an omelette and all that I guess."

"How did you ever get this past all the licensing procedures?"

"You'd be surprised just what people will do to keep drinking this, once they've had a taste," Casper winked.

Duke fell onto her face on the floor. Despite her revulsion she still tried to reach for the bottle, but she had no strength left.

"It is a rather unfortunate side effect I'm afraid," Casper tutted. "You are rather hooked for life," he said as he stepped forward and took the gun from her weak grasp.

"What are you going to do with me?" She asked as the veil of unconsciousness closed in around her, but Casper only smiled.

When she awoke it took a few moments for her head to clear. Amazingly her mind was sharp and her thoughts were her own. The fly had stopped buzzing in her brain and had presumably left for the evening.

She tried to sit up and realised that she couldn't move. She craned her head and looked down to see her arms and legs were bound to a wooden trolley that was gliding smoothly along a corridor. There was an appetizing aroma in the air around her of herbs and spices.

The trolley moved along the dimly lit corridor until they stopped at a set of double doors. The trolley battered them open and they pushed their way into a brightly lit room. Duke couldn't see anything that wasn't directly overhead but she recognised the voice that greeted her.

"Well now, the guest of honour has arrived," Casper said amidst an accompaniment of banging fists on a table.

"Casper?" She cried. "What is this? Why am I awake?"

"Well we couldn't have you in such a state now could we? After all I firmly believe in free range meat."

Duke felt herself lifted onto the centre of the table, still bound. The faces seated around her drooled in antic.i.p.ation. Casper's inner circle was apparently going to be brought in even further.

"An added bonus ladies and gentlemen, and all provided by our generous host," she heard Jenkins announce to the room amidst rapturous applause and clinking cutlery.

Casper's face appeared over hers on the table. "I must admit my dear, that when you've tasted the real thing, I'm afraid that Elixir is a poor second," he said as his mouth salivated.

"Will everyone who tries Elixir eventually turn this way?" She asked through trembling lips.

"I suppose so, the human race are gluttons after all and evolution will have her way whether we like it or not. My board members have been on Elixir for several years now and just look at them," he cackled through razor sharp teeth.

As the knifes and then ravenous teeth tore into her, shredding her flesh and spouting her blood, her last thought was of the surprise deal that she had struck and was preparing to announce to Casper and the board tonight. She had just finalized a deal to provide Elixir in every pre-school across the country. Every small child would receive a daily bottle of Elixir at break time, just the job for growing bones and hungry mouths.

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