Hell's Requiem (Book 2)

Chapter 3

The village green was right where I knew it would be. I'd managed to find my way back there without any issue, which was pretty good going considering it had been dark, not to mention pure accident the last time I'd found myself there. The bench I was facing, the same one I had chosen to sit on the night Frances had sacked me, however, was empty. There were another two in front of the line of hedgerow a little further along the road, but they were empty also. I should have know it wouldn't be simple; nothing ever was.

“Bollocks!” I cursed as I slumped heavily down onto the bench, causing the old wooden slats to groan loudly in protest.

“Tut, tut, tut. Now what kind of language is that to use, love?” The crooning voice made me jump. Why hadn't I guessed he'd be lurking in that damn hedge again?

“Shit, Frank. Do you have to keep doing that to me.” I clutched a hand to my chest and felt the racing of my heart beneath my fingers. He hadn't scared me that much, but it had very quickly dawned on me that this was now the moment of truth. I'd been so focussed on the task of finding Frank that I hadn't thought enough about how I would approach things when I finally did find him. Perhaps, fortunately for me, he already knew exactly why I was there.

His chuckling laughter was coupled with the rustling of the bushes as he crashed his way out of the hedge and ambled around to face me.

“So finally come crawling back to me have you love? Realised old Frankie had something useful to say, huh?” His blotchy red face was strangely animated, his grey eyes wide with gleeful excitement. He'd been looking forward to this moment.

“You knew what was going to happen didn't you? Knew I'd have to come back to you in the end. I don't understand, what did I do wrong?”

The words came out much more desperate and pleading than I had anticipated they would, and they elicited another round of sinister chuckles from Frank.

“Aww, aren't we a poor hard done by girlie. Found yourself in such a mess haven't we. Could have saved yourself a lot of problems if only you listened to me earlier. And now here we are, you're hoping I'm going to just rush in and save the day. Well...What's. In. It. For. Me?”

He emphasised each word, pausing between every one as he moved closer, invading my personal space until he had a palm laid flat on the bench either side of my legs. His face was so close to mine I could smell the stale alcohol from his previous night's binge on his breath. And I frowned, something had occurred to me properly for the first time.

I looked up, straight into Frank's eyes, and I wondered out loud, “I don't know. What is in it for you?”

Frank frowned and leaned back a little giving me some breathing room; for which I was thankful. He hadn't been expecting that response. I should have asked him what he wanted in return for his precious information, offered to give him absolutely anything if only he'd help me. But once again, just being in Frank's presence caused a wave of suspicion to roll over me. What was in it for him?

When we'd had this encounter before - beyond thinking our meeting was pure coincidental – I'd just assumed the prospect of being freed to cause some destruction on the surface was that much more appealing than whatever he'd been offered from the demons for his 'services'.

By all accounts he'd been in the village much longer than I had. It had taken some digging to figure that out, but most people had seemed to notice a definitive change in Frank's behaviour several months ago. He'd always been a drinker but the binging had started suddenly and so far hadn't stopped, marking the time the Whisperer had taken possession of him. I'd realised by this point that I'd been sent to this village specifically because of Frank's presence there, it was not some happy coincidence. But, now that I had put two and two together, started to see the situation for what it really was, Frank's place in it became a little more blurry. How would helping me ever be of any benefit to him? I just couldn't see any good side, and I started to fear being double-crossed.