Dwell (Kassidy Bell Series Book 2) Read online

  DWELL

  (The Kassidy Bell Series)

  Book 2

  By

  Lynda O’Rourke

  First Edition Published by Ravenwoodgreys

  Copyright 2015 by Lynda O’Rourke

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organisations is entirely coincidental.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Story Editor

  Tim O’Rourke

  Book cover designed by:

  Tom O’Rourke

  Copyedited by:

  Carolyn M. Pinard

  www.cjpinard.com

  For Mum and Dad

  DWELL

  Chapter One

  “I told you I was evil.”

  Ben Fletcher’s words echoed through my head – pounded my eardrums – made me gasp short stutters of breath. As the realisation of now being trapped inside one of Cruor Pharma’s vans raced through me, I knew I’d been an idiot. I’d been foolish. Why hadn’t I just kept walking? Taken my chances to outrun the police down Strangers Hill. I had managed to escape the clutches of the hospital at Cruor Pharma only to now end up trapped in here with one of the doctors. As if to make myself feel better, that little voice inside my head reminded me that I’d only come back to the van because I’d heard Raven call out and Ben had said that he’d picked her up on Strangers Hill. But now, as I slowly turned my head and stared into the back of the van, all I could see was blood. No Raven – just blood, and lots of it.

  “I heard her,” I whispered, my eyes now falling upon Ben. He clutched the steering wheel tightly in his hands.

  Ben turned his head sharply. His cloudy black eyes met mine. A chilling grin stretched across his face.

  “No, you didn’t,” he sneered. “That was me.”

  Ben swung the van off the road that led into Holly Tree and sped down a narrow lane through the patchy fog. He took the bends at speed, his driving becoming more erratic. If he didn’t kill me, his crazy driving would.

  “Where are you taking me?” I gripped the edge of my seat as the van took a sharp left heading further away from the town of Holly Tree.

  “I don’t know,” Ben laughed and shook his head. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing”. He slammed his fist down hard onto the dashboard. “I should be taking you back to the hospital. Or I could just have you all to myself.” He grasped a fistful of his black hair and yanked on it. “But what I’m trying to do…” he stuffed his knuckles into his mouth and bit down hard. “What I’m trying really hard to do is… help you get away.”

  “Why would you even think about taking me back to Cruor Pharma when it was you who helped me escape?” I shifted away from Ben, nearer to the door – out of his reach. His unpredictable mood sent fear rushing through me.

  “Because that is what I want to do but Ben keeps on fighting back,” he hissed. “He always wants to do the right thing – I can’t get him out of my head.” He took his hands off the steering wheel and cradled his head in his arms.

  The van lurched to the right – heading straight for a ditch. I flung myself toward the steering wheel and tried to straighten our path.

  “Take the fucking steering wheel!” I screamed. “You’re gonna kill us both!”

  “I can’t die,” Ben laughed. He took the steering wheel in his right hand and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me close to him. “But I wish Ben would.”

  I tried to pull away from him but he held me tight. He buried his face into my hair and sighed. “I want you,” he breathed, “I want to keep you – back at the hospital you invited me to go with you – remember?”

  I nodded my head – too afraid to speak. The outside world was rushing toward the windscreen at a terrifying speed – I felt like I was falling from the sky – waiting for impact. I wanted to pull away from Ben – leap for the door and throw myself out. But I was still held in by the seatbelt and Ben’s tight grip. If I struggled with him then the van would surely crash. I had to wait for the right moment. Wait for him to stop the van.

  The radio suddenly blasted into life making me jump. It had turned on all by itself.

  “Let’s have some music, shall we? I love this song,” Ben whispered into my ear. He sung the lyrics.

  I was made for lovin’ you, by Kiss filled the van. Ben began to tap in time to the music against my hip. His hand had now loosened its grip on me. I screwed my eyes shut as we took another tight bend to the right. I had no idea what crazy shit was going on inside Ben’s head or even if it was him sitting beside me in the van. He kept referring to himself like he was another person – like he had been taken over by Ben, but it seemed more like the other way round. If Ben was the one wanting to do everything right then I wished he would take over the body sitting next to me. I wanted the Ben who had let me escape Ward 2 – the one who had led me to the canteen and given me the key to my freedom – Doctor Ben Fletcher with the crystal blue eyes. Where had he gone? Lost inside his own body – swallowed by another. Maybe I could release the seatbelt while the music played loudly and he wouldn’t hear it. I would have to stretch a little to reach it. I turned my head slowly and looked down. Talk to him – keep him calm, that voice inside my head instructed me – don’t let him suspect anything.

  “Why did you help me?” I asked, my eyes never leaving the seatbelt.

  “There’s something about you I like,” Ben shouted over the music.

  “What’s that then?” I asked casually, sliding my hand slowly over the leather seat toward the release catch on the seatbelt.

  “You’re easy to play with,” his voice lowered, his hand fell from my hip and slid down my thigh. I felt his fingers dig into my flesh and slowly stroke the top of my leg – up and down. I wanted to push his hand away but I didn’t want to make him angry – not while I was trying to undo my seatbelt. I could feel myself tense as his fingers pushed further up under my hospital gown. I stretched a little further. My fingers just an inch away from the button that would free me from the seatbelt.

  “Does that feel good, Kassidy?” Ben whispered into my ear. “You said you wanted me to take you – back at the hospital.”

  I turned to face him, my left arm still stretched out behind me – my finger now on top of the button. As I pushed down on it, my eyes met his. They were still a cloudy-black but there was something in them – something that seemed to trap me – pull me in – like a magnet. The van had slowed to a crawl. Ben’s eyes were now on me and not the road. His hand had travelled higher up under my hospital gown and his touch was like electric. Short sparks of heat seemed to be going off inside my body, like fireworks exploding. He leant over to kiss me – I leant forward to feel his lips. The seatbelt fell away breaking the magnetic stare between us. Ben’s eyes looked down – they followed the seatbelt as it left me free.

  “You’re not leaving me,” Ben hissed, “I won’t let you.”

  As Ben lunged forward, I lifted my legs and shoved my heels hard into his chest. I flung my arm out behind me and blindly fumbled for the door handle – my fingers frantically searching for my escape.

  “Let me go!” I shouted, slapping him across the face as he crawled over me. His ha
nd caught mine and he pinned it down.

  “I thought I’d already told you – I want to keep you – forever.” Ben smiled.

  “I don’t think so,” I spat. “I’m not yours to keep.” My fingers pulled on the handle – the door fell open. I tried to push myself out from under Ben. My head hung from off the seat and I could see the gravelled lane as the van continued to roll on. The cold morning air struck my face and stung my eyes.

  .

  “Kassidy, what the hell are you doing? You’re gonna fall out and kill yourself.” There was panic in Ben’s voice as he grabbed me up and slammed his foot on the brake. “I didn’t help you to escape just so you could throw yourself out of a van and die, you know.”

  I stopped struggling with him. My heart thumped wildly as I looked up into his eyes. As they peered down at me, a look of confusion was etched across his face. Those crystal blue eyes were back. Ben had come back.

  “You were trying to hurt me,” my voice trembled. “I was trying to escape from you.” I flinched as he leant across me and shut the door – afraid that he would flip back into crazy mode.

  “I don’t remember,” Ben shrugged. He looked down at his hands and shook his head slowly. “I remember you getting in the van – that’s all.”

  “You tricked me into the van,” I whispered. “You told me Raven was in here. You even spoke to me in Raven’s voice and I was dumb enough to believe it.” I shifted away from him. I wanted to put as much distance between us as possible.

  “I’m sorry, Kassidy. I don’t want to hurt you – I really don’t. I wanted to take you far away from here and Cruor Pharma. Far away enough so Doctor Middleton could never find you,” said Ben, staring out the windscreen. “I thought I could manage it – control myself but…”

  “But what?” I snapped.

  “I don’t know,” he glanced back at me, a look of sadness in those eyes. “Back at the hospital, I can control myself better – push the real me through, but out here – with you – I just lose myself.” He buried his face in his hands. “Damn it,” Ben kicked out – his foot caught the accelerator causing the van to rumble and shake.

  “Don’t get angry, please.” I reached for the door handle, ready to run.

  “I’m okay,” Ben looked up, his blue eyes still present. “I have to get you away. You’re all right – I’m in control.” He reached for my hand but I snapped it away.

  “In control for how long?” I asked. “I can’t take that risk.”

  “Please, believe me. I can’t just let you out here in the middle of nowhere. The police are after you, the cleaners are looking for you and if either one of them finds you… Cruor Pharma will be your next stop and final stop,” said Ben, “Believe me – I’m not lying to you.”

  I shook my head, “You’ve already fed me a bunch of bullshit – not just lies.” I held my arm up. “You fed me with VA20. Look at my arm. I believed you back in Ward 2. I believed you when I got into this fucking van and now you want me to believe you again?”

  Ben nodded his head. “You don’t stand a chance out here by yourself – you have to believe me.”

  I knew deep down that I would never make it in time to Holly Tree if I got out of the van and walked. My ankle was still hurting – that would slow me down. I needed to get to The Fallen Star where Jude, Max, and Raven were hopefully heading for – if they were still alive. Driving far away with Ben wasn’t a safe option but if I could get him to take me to the bar where Jude’s car was, then maybe I might stand half a chance. I looked at Ben. Could he drive me to The Fallen Star without turning on me? Could I trust him? I had to. Time was running out and if I didn’t make it to The Fallen Star then I just might miss my friends. Then where would I go?

  “One day I’m gonna believe you and you’re gonna kill me,” I whispered. “Take me to The Fallen Star.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  “The Fallen Star isn’t far away enough for you to be safe,” said Ben, glaring at me. “Why do you want to go there?”

  “Because that’s where I’m meeting my friends,” I said, “that is if you or your cleaning buddies haven’t disposed of them.”

  “I haven’t touched your friends,” said Ben. “I know they made it out of Cruor Pharma together. I saw them scampering down Strangers Hill. As for the cleaners, I can’t say. I know they’re looking for you all.”

  I felt a sense of relief knowing that my friends had made it out of Cruor Pharma. It gave me some hope and reassurance that heading for The Fallen Star was the right thing to do. I wanted to see them again. I didn’t want to be alone like this – always looking over my shoulder – always on the run. But that sense of relief was overshadowed by the thought of the cleaners roaming the countryside looking for us. How did those shadowy creatures get about unnoticed by members of the public?

  “Tell me about the cleaners, what are they?” I asked as Ben turned the van around in the lane.

  He sighed, reluctant to tell me. “They are servants who clean, kill, and destroy whatever they are asked to. They are unrelenting. They won’t stop until they have got the job done. Which is why you aren’t safe in Holly Tree. They are monsters who will haunt your every step. You will never be free of them. You will never be able to stop anywhere for too long. The cleaners will always be following, but if you keep one step ahead of them – you can stay alive.”

  “So I’m not safe anywhere. Whether it’s Holly Tree or the other side of the world – they will always be chasing me?” I said, staring out at the patchy fog that lingered over the empty fields.

  “That’s why I wanted to take you as far away from here as possible. If you keep a few days ahead of them then you stand a chance of leaving them behind, at least for a while.” Ben turned the van into another lane. The wooden sign post read Holly Tree – 4 miles.

  My heart sank as I realised that I would always be on the run. I would never be able to settle – never sleep soundly – never live a normal life.

  “How can I spend the rest of my life like that?” I snapped. “A life on the run – I can’t live like that.”

  Ben looked at me, his eyes full of regret. “I’m so sorry, Kassidy. I wish I could make it all better, but I can’t. I wish I could make you better.” His eyes fell upon the black, lumpy veins that twisted under the skin on top of my hand.

  “Make me better like a normal doctor would you mean?” I scoffed. “How can you walk about parading yourself as a doctor? Pretending to be something you’re not. Hiding the monster that you really are under your scrubs. How can you live with yourself?”

  Ben nodded his head as if in agreement with me. “I’m not living, Kassidy. I should have been dead long ago – my life has gone on way beyond what it should have. And as for parading as a doctor – a very long time ago, I was a very good doctor – a real doctor who cared for his patients, but that got taken away from me. I wasn’t given the chance to argue – I had no choice. It happened.”

  “But it didn’t have to happen to me, did it? You could have stopped this. It’s no use pulling the drip from my arm after the damage is done and then trying to help me. You know, maybe you should have just left me in Ward 2 for Howard to finish me off – at least it would be all over now,” I spat.

  “I know this sounds crazy, but that wasn’t always me in Ward 2.” Ben held up his left hand as if to stop me from butting in. “It was my body but it wasn’t me making the moves. I was in there somewhere – trapped inside my head but I can’t always get out. It’s like a prison inside me. It snatches me away from the living and throws the key away. When the door reopens, I’m left with nothing but horror. Gruesome sights of something I don’t remember playing a part of.”

  I leant my head against the window and curled my legs up onto the seat. The motion of the van making me feel sleepy. If Ben was telling me the truth about himself and he had no control over his actions or couldn’t remember the things he did, then could I really blame him for what had happened to me? I thought back to Carly – that room wher
e she had tried to kill me in the hospital. That wasn’t really Carly – she’d had no control over herself – something else had. I glanced over at Ben. I knew I was taking a big risk letting him drive me to The Fallen Star. He could flip at any moment and then the struggle to get away from him would begin again. I tried to reassure myself that my decision to let him drive me was a good enough reason to risk sitting in this van with him. I couldn’t run very fast with my ankle, the police were after me, and the cleaners were hunting me like some kind of blood sport.

  “You didn’t tell me what the cleaners are,” I said, staring at Ben. “You told me what they did. I want to know – what are they? Ghosts? They float through walls and doors – that’s what ghosts are meant to be able to do – isn’t it?”

  “They aren’t ghosts,” whispered Ben, running his fingers through his black hair. He continued to drive the van along the road, his eyes constantly checking the rear-view mirror.

  When he didn’t offer up an answer to my question, I said, “I used a makeshift cross against them - back in the hospital kitchen. I hadn’t meant to but it worked. They seemed to shrivel away.”

  After a few minutes of silence, Ben said, “A cross will only work for a short time. It may gain you a couple of minutes to run but if you keep using it on them, they will eventually find a way to get around it.”

  “How?” I asked, my fingers rummaging around in my jacket pocket – searching for the crucifix that had belonged to Father William.

  Ben shrugged and shifted in his seat, “They will wait until you’re asleep – unprotected – unguarded. If you’re careless they’ll take you. You make one rash move when the cleaners are near… then that’s it – game’s up.”

  I shifted across the creaky leather seat toward Ben. Leaning in close, I could see the faint stubble shading the lower half of his face. His eyes flicked nervously from the wing-mirror to the lane up ahead. “What are they?” I wanted his answer. I had him cornered. I wouldn’t give up until he told me. I was so close to him now I could smell him. His musky aftershave still lingered from when he’d examined me on Ward 2 last night. “Tell me.”