The Infernal Aether (First Draft)

Chapter 4 - Things That Go Bump in the Night

The butler gave the front door one last futile wrench before turning and charging past me. "The rear entrance," he shouted. "Through the kitchen." He held open the sitting room door and ushered out Mrs Patterson and Milly, leading us all into the kitchen. I slammed the door to the hallway behind us, breathing deeply as I watched Mister Patterson wrestle with the back door.

He turned back to us, eyes wide. "It won't open," he said.

A cold draught whipped round my arms and legs, followed by a series of bangs from around the room. I looked up to see every cupboard and drawer in the room slam open. "Get out of here now," I shouted.

The others ran past me as knives, plates and other assorted implements flew across the room, propelled by invisible forces. I yelped as a knife grazed my arm and then dived into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind me. Maxwell helped me to my feet and we followed the others up the stairs. "Why not break open a window to get out?" I shouted.

"Tried that," yelled back Mister Patterson. "The shutters are stuck tight." The kitchen door banged open, discouraging me from any further discourse.

As we ascended the stairs I felt a sluggishness in my limbs, as though my body were rebelling against advancing any further. And yet to surrender to this urge and turn back was not possible. Whilst I knew that there could be no one behind me, I could not shake the feeling of being pursued, my neck and back itching with that particular base sensation which afflicts those hunted by a beast bigger and quicker than them.

I chanced a look behind us and was shocked to see a small figure standing at the foot of the stairs. Even though the shadows were limited I was unable to make out anything more than the vague form of the individual, save that from its size it was clearly a young child. But I could not discern whether it was a boy or a girl. Emanating from the shadowy figure was a sense of malice so complete that I feared I could sense it wanting to tear me limb from limb.

"Is your daughter up there?" I called to the Pattersons.

"She is," came the reply. "Why?"

"It is just--" I looked back down the stairs. "Nothing," I said, staring at the once-again empty hallway. Maxwell ushered me upwards, to where Mister Patterson and the butler were frantically trying to force open doors under the impassive gaze of Milly, who stood unmoving in her panicked mother's arms.

A rhythmic humming came to my ears, a tune which I recognised but could not place in all the chaos. I turned to see the faint outline of a little girl standing at the top of the stairs, waving a doll around while she sang to herself in a voice which was muffled as though it came to my ears through a thick sheet. As I watched, I realised that the tune was 'Ring O' Ring O' Roses' and for a second was transported back to my childhood, playing in a dark, empty room on my own while my parents entertained guests downstairs. Now, as then, I felt the walls closing in on me; thick, impassive barriers trapping me and holding me in.

I was shocked out of my trance by the girl throwing herself backwards down the stairs. "No!" I shouted as I darted forwards and then stopped, frozen by the sight in front of me. Instead of seeing the girl falling I was confronted with a group of shadowy children, advancing slowly up the stairs whilst singing in that terrible muffled voice.

"We really need to get out of here," I shouted. I turned to see Maxwell and N'yotsu watching over my shoulder.

N'yotsu nodded and then marched down the corridor. "Stand aside," he said to Mister Patterson and the butler. With one shove of his shoulder the door gave way and swung open.

"How did you...?" said the butler.

"Just get in," said N'yotsu, beckoning us through.

N'yotsu slammed the door behind us and I was relieved to note that there was no sign of anything supernatural in what was to all accounts an extremely normal bedroom.