Doc Mortis. Barry Hutchison

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СКАЧАТЬ this what Mum had looked like too? Lying there in this bed, bruised and battered from the attack by the Crowmaster? I couldn’t imagine it. I didn’t dare imagine it. Things I imagined had a nasty habit of coming true.

      Like Mr Mumbles, for example. Years ago, when I was four or five, he’d been my imaginary friend. Eventually I’d outgrown him, forgotten about him, moved on.

      He, it turned out, hadn’t.

      Just over two weeks ago he came back and tried to kill me – or rather, a twisted, mutated version of him had come back, with dirty stitches sealing his mouth shut.

      I only managed to survive when I discovered that I had a... special imagination. By concentrating hard enough – by picturing something clearly in my head – I could make it happen. I’d created fire. I’d created weapons. I’d even created a large, angry dog. And possibly a flying monkey, although the jury was still out on that one.

      ‘She was there. She was right there.’

      Ameena’s voice sounded tinny and distant; I turned to face her. It took the room a few seconds to catch up.

      ‘Well, she’s not here now.’

      A flicker of worry passed across Ameena’s face. ‘Are you OK? You look terrible.’

      ‘I’m fine,’ I lied.

      ‘You’ve been getting worse all night.’

      ‘I’m fine.’

      I wasn’t fine. I was far from fine. My head was full of marshmallow and my legs were solid stone. My whole body was shaking with cold, but a thin film of sweat stuck my T-shirt to my back. My eyes felt like they were boiling in their sockets, and the five scratches I had received when the Crowmaster’s claws had dug into my scalp were burning holes through my skull.

      I was sick. Maybe really sick. But it wasn’t my health I was worried about.

      ‘We’ve got to find her,’ I said.

      ‘You need to sit down before you fall down,’ Ameena told me. ‘I’ll get you a doctor.’

      ‘I’m fine,’ I snapped, turning and staggering out of the room. ‘Don’t worry about me. Worry about Mum.’

      ‘Can I help you?’

      I looked in the direction the voice had come from. A tall, slightly overweight man in a white coat gradually swam into focus. His face looked like it hadn’t seen a razor in days, and the stubble that grew from his chin was flecked with grey.

      ‘My mum,’ I said.

      The doctor raised an eyebrow and looked me up and down. ‘Sorry?’

      I shook my head and cleared away some of the fuzz. ‘My mum was here,’ I explained. ‘In that room. She’s not there now.’

      The doctor glanced in through the open door of the room. ‘Yes?’ he said, his tone clipped and irritable.

      ‘So where is she?’ Ameena asked.

      ‘Transferred.’

      I frowned. ‘Transferred where?’

      The doctor glanced at his watch. ‘That’s confidential. Now, if you’ll excuse me...’

      Ameena stepped in front of him before I could. ‘He’s her son,’ she said, jabbing a thumb in my direction. ‘And I’m the one who brought her in. You can tell us where she is.’

      The doctor folded his arms across his chest and leaned back on his heels. ‘The family has already been notified,’ he said, looking me up and down for the second time. ‘So, if you really are who you say you are, I suggest you check with them.’

      Ameena didn’t move. She just stood there, blocking his way and giving him the evil eye.

      ‘Should I call security?’ he asked impatiently.

      For a few long moments Ameena remained defiantly rooted to the spot. Then, although she didn’t step away, her shoulders slumped and she broke eye contact with the man in the white coat.

      Keeping his arms folded, the doctor side-stepped her and carried on along the corridor. He didn’t even glance in my direction when he passed.

      ‘Family?’ Ameena asked as we watched him go. ‘What family?’

      I laid a hand against the corridor wall, steadying myself. The paintwork was pleasantly cool to the touch, and I realised my insides felt like they were boiling. I’d gone from freezing in the cold to almost choking in the heat. I wanted to press my head against the wall and smother the fires that were burning there, but I didn’t. That would’ve taken time, and I was beginning to feel that time wasn’t something I had a lot left of. Besides, I’d have looked mental.

      ‘Nan,’ I croaked, letting go of the wall and forcing myself to stand up straight. ‘We have to go see Nan.’

      I’d only been to the nursing home a couple of times since Nan had gone to live there, but I knew more or less where it was. We’d caught the bus. Ameena had paid for the tickets using money she got from who-knew-where, and then had half led, half dragged me to a seat somewhere near the back.

      The journey went quickly, helped by the fact that I kept falling asleep. Every time I did I’d be greeted by a vision of the Crowmaster, or one of the enormous flesh-eating birds he’d sent after me.

      Mum had sent me to stay with her cousin Marion for a few weeks, hoping it would help me escape from the horrors I’d encountered recently. I’d agreed because I thought it would keep her safe. I thought it would help keep everyone safe.

      It didn’t.

      As she left the train station, Mum had been attacked and almost murdered by the Crowmaster. I later found out he was Marion’s imaginary friend from long ago, but I didn’t find out in time to save Marion. She was dead. For all I knew, Mum might be too. I thought I could protect them all.

      I couldn’t.

      Ameena had nudged me awake as the bus rattled to a stop. I’d told her where we needed to get off as soon as we’d taken our seat, knowing full well I’d sleep through most of the journey.

      As we stepped down from the bus the evening wind rushed to meet us. Its icy fingers snaked and probed through my dirty clothes, but my skin was so hot I barely felt their touch.

      With a low rumble and a whiff of burning diesel, the bus rolled away, leaving Ameena holding on to me on a deserted residential street. A row of neatly kept bungalows stood on either side of the road. It was only early evening, but already lights were on in most of the windows, preparing for the long, dark night ahead.

      ‘Where to now?’ Ameena asked. Her voice was right by my ear. I could see one of her hands holding me under the arm, but I couldn’t feel it.

      ‘Thish way,’ I slurred, staggering onward a few steps. Ameena took my weight, probably stopping me falling. Good old Ameena. I’d only known her for a couple of weeks, but I had no idea how I’d cope without her.

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