Dancing Jax. Robin Jarvis

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СКАЧАТЬ excitement in him. It was as if he knew what was down there, as if he knew exactly what was waiting.

      “It’ll be swarming with rats!” she said. “I’m not coming with you.”

      He looked back at her – his eyes shining like an owl’s in the light.

      “There’s no rats down here,” he assured her with consummate confidence. “They’re not allowed.”

      Shiela watched his figure bob further down the steps. “Come back!” she called. “Jezza!”

      He disappeared round a corner and she wished she’d kicked him harder.

      “Jezza…?” she shouted.

      She was alone. “Tommo, Miller…” she said, but her voice faltered and wherever they were they did not hear her.

      Shiela looked anxiously at the open front door. The sunlight had dimmed and the outside seemed grey. A wind was shaking the trees.

      “Save me, save me,” she whispered urgently. Everything appeared threatening. Shiela thought of the magazine and what had happened to the boy it had belonged to all those years ago. Suddenly a gust of wind banged the front door against the wall. It bounced back and slammed shut. The hall was plunged into darkness.

      The girl yelled and flung herself down the stairs.

      “Jezza!” she cried. “Jezza!”

      She leaped down two steps at a time and whirled around breathlessly. The cellar was built of vaulted grey stone that formed small, dungeon-like chambers, each with a single light bulb suspended from the apex of the ceiling.

      The first chamber was empty, but a draught was moving the hanging light and the shadows swung sickeningly around her.

      “Jezza…” she called again. “Damn – what the hell am I doing down here? You need your brains testing, you crazy—”

      She couldn’t find a word dumb enough to describe herself. She shivered, but noticed that although it was cold down here, it was the only place in that awful house that was not damp.

      “Jezza!”

      No answer. She moved warily across the chamber to the next archway. That too was empty, except for strange drawings chalked on the walls, but this was not childish graffiti like the scribbles above. Here were intricate geometric patterns, interlocking circles and squares, surrounded by florid lettering spelling out Latin words. Shiela stared at them and her skin crawled. She had seen Howie, another of Jezza’s disciples, tattoo similar pentacles on the backs of many heavy-metal fans and wallowing emos.

      “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Jezza spoke in her ear.

      The girl flinched and hit him. “Take me to the van right now!” she demanded.

      “Wait till you see this,” he said, leading her to the next chamber.

      “I’ve seen enough!” she replied, tugging away from him.

      “No, just this,” he said firmly. “Come on, girl.”

      They passed into the third chamber. It was larger than the previous two. Three wide, concentric circles had been inscribed into the stone floor, in the centre of which were six large wooden crates.

      “What’s them?” she asked.

      “The jackpot, girl. Only the ruddy jackpot.”

      “But what’s inside?”

      With a triumphant laugh, he leaped into the circles. A rusty crowbar was lying across the top of one crate and he grasped it with both hands.

      “Let’s open them and find out!” he yelled.

      “No,” Shiela objected. “Leave it. There could be anything in there. Jezza, leave it!”

      The man took no notice and was busily prising off one of the lids. The old nails squeaked and the wood splintered. Shiela looked around and cursed herself for ever suggesting they come here.

      “Bobby Runecliffe!” she blurted, edging away. “That was the name of the boy. He was famous, all over the news back then. My mum knew him. They were in the same class. Bobby disappeared one night when he was thirteen. He was missing for three days. They finally found him wandering out on the motorway, but he was different – mental. He couldn’t speak. When they took him home, he killed all his pets, strangled them. Then he tried to do the same to his kid sister. He’s been locked up ever since. Nobody knew where he’d been, but it must have been here. Oh, God, it was here and it drove him crazy. Jezza – don’t open that! Please!”

      He only laughed in answer as the final nail was torn free and he wrenched the lid clear.

      Shiela was shaking. The adrenalin was coursing through her veins. She was ready to race away at the slightest thing.

      “If something flies out of there,” she said.

      Above them, in the rest of the house, Miller’s voice was bawling. “Guys! You will not believe this! Guys! This is seriously weird, man!”

      Shiela spun around. “What?” she cried. “What did he say?”

      Jezza dropped the crowbar and the noise of it clanging on the stone floor made her scream.

      “Don’t do that!” she yelled.

      “Calm down, baby,” he muttered, gazing admiringly into the open crate. “Calm down.”

      “That was Miller,” she said. “He might need help.”

      Jezza chuckled. “I think our flatulent friend has merely discovered my conservatory,” he told her. “Nothing to worry about.”

      Shiela stared at him. “How do you…?”

      He grinned up at her and beckoned with his cigarette-stained fingers. “Come look,” he said. “Look what we found.”

      “I don’t want to see,” she told him. “I’m so out of here.”

      Jezza dipped his hand inside the crate.

      “Don’t be scared, my honey, my pet,” he said.

      In spite of herself, Shelia remained. Jezza was always bizarre and never behaved as society expected him to. That was part of the attraction. But this was different. She had not seen this side to him before.

      Now he stood before her, holding something that caused his eyes to widen, and he drew in a marvelling breath.

      “Look at this,” he whispered reverently. “There’s plenty more in the box. Each one is packed with them.”

      Shiela lowered her eyes to the thing in his hands and the surprise and relief almost made her laugh out loud.

      “It’s just a book!” she exclaimed. “Just a… kids’ storybook!”

      His grin grew wider as he gave it to her. In the stark glare СКАЧАТЬ