Wings of Sorrow (A horror fantasy novel) Read online

  “Hey, yo, Scar! I need to go real bad!”

  Scarlet saw Indy sticking his head through the door and grimaced. “Yow, Indy, I forgot, sorry. Go, go!”

  Indy raced off towards the toilet like a cartoon mouse—areeba areeba, andale andale—while Scarlet went and manned the shop floor, content that she wasn’t going to need to get a mop to clean up any of Indy’s pee.

  ***

  Scarlet didn’t greet a single customer for the remainder of the day, and by the time she’d pulled on her favourite peach cardigan and was ready to go home, she wondered how Mr Chester managed to keep Little Treasures afloat. She had experienced that most days were slow, but it never seemed to faze her boss. In fact, Mr Chester seemed to fret very little over actual sales. If people came and bought, great. If not, then it never seemed to be a big deal. How on earth did he make enough money to keep on adding to his ‘personal collection’?

  “Thank you for today,” Mr Chester told her as he wiped at the already-clean desk with a cloth. “Mind yourself on your way home now, won’t you?”

  Scarlet frowned. “Redlake isn’t exactly known for its mean streets.”

  “All towns have their dangers, Scarlet, no matter how big or small. You should always be careful.”

  “The night is dark and full of terrors,” Indy muttered from the back of the room. He had put on his luminous green baseball cap and looked ridiculous.

  Mr Chester folded his arms and scowled. “What have I told you about quoting Game of Thrones, Indy?”

  Indy shrugged. “Don’t do it?”

  “That is correct.”

  Scarlet kept a slight grin on her face. “I’ll keep an eye out for muggers, Mr Chester, I promise.”

  “I’ll walk you home,” said Indy with a wink. “I’ve been meaning to check out your bedroom anyway.”

  “Mr Chester, I wish to report sexual harassment in the workplace.”

  He sighed. “Must I have you castrated, Indy?”

  “No sir. That would be unfair to all the ladies who want a piece of my Valerian Longsword.”

  “That’s it! Go! Get out! Please leave.” Mr Chester waved his arm dismissively, but his usually stern face had softened to an almost-smile. “I will see you both tomorrow, okay? Enjoy your evenings.”

  Indy winked at Scarlet again. “Oh, we will.”

  Scarlet punched him on the arm. “I’ll be walking myself home, thank you.”

  Mr Chester locked the door behind them and disappeared back inside. He lived alone in the flat above the shop, so in a way he never left work. Scarlet thought it must be depressing, but at least the commute was short.

  Indy headed up the high street to go and get himself a chicken kebab with hot sauce. Scarlet headed the other way, down Unicorn Hill—which was the road that led to the lake. If it had been winter, she probably would have caught the bus, but the summer nights were so pleasant that it was hard to resist a picturesque stroll before reaching home and watching Eastenders. She and her dad had moved from Moseley in Birmingham, where very little was green and natural, so she was enjoying the change. Perhaps the novelty of living in a rural hamlet would eventually wear off, but right now, it was one of the few things that made her feel fortunate. She had no mother, no friends, no hobbies, but at least she didn’t live in a concrete jungle anymore.

  Her dad had moved them from the city when he’d lost his job as an advertiser when a Qatari company purchased the firm he worked for. Relocation had become necessary when he took a job as a marketing consultant for a shipping firm with rural headquarters, so Redlake became their new home. The problem was that her dad was so eager to impress his new employers that he barely spent any time at home anymore. Losing his job had shaken him, but even before that he’d been a workaholic. Long ago she had decided that it was because he didn’t know how to be a parent. When her mother had still been around, Scarlet’s dad had been home for dinner every night, and would always read to her before bed, but once it became just the two of them, he had seemed to close up emotionally. She couldn’t remember the last time they had laughed together. Even when he was home, she felt lonely.

  The lake was just up ahead, so she exited Unicorn Hill and took the pedestrian path that hugged the water’s edge. The sun was hot, even at six o’ clock, but the newly-arrived evening had imbued that heat with a pleasant mildness. Even the usual muddy stench was missing tonight.

  When she made it beside the lake, it seemed to be humming with life. Clouds of insects hovered above its surface while ducks, geese, and swans shaded themselves amongst the gently swaying reeds.

  Scarlet thumbed at her phone and put in the attached earphones. Her favourite music began to play immediately—like she had opened a door on an orchestra—and she hummed along happily as Katy Perry did her thing. Time seemed to pass so much more enjoyably with a soundtrack.

  You could get almost anywhere in town from the path she was on, for the lake sat directly in the centre of town. The wide north end played host to an ancient monastery with a museum, while the southern tip contained a visitor’s centre and yacht club. In between was nothing but leafy paths, woods, and water. A wooden shack sat about halfway around, with pictures of ice cream on its side, but she had never seen it open. A shame, because a chilled ‘99 would be the one thing to make this evening walk a flawless pleasure.

  A sixteen year old girl should have something better to do on a Wednesday night than walk around the lake on her own—she knew that—but it had been tough to make friends at her new school. It was everybody’s final year—their friendships were long-established and their groups nigh on impermeable. Nobody had time for an average-looking girl that they probably wouldn’t know in six months’ time. It’d been a lonely time, but it wasn’t that bad. She was well used to having only herself to rely on by now.

  Water splashed nearby. A goose honked and flapped its wings.

  Scarlet looked to the lake and saw something lying amongst the reeds.

  A man.

  “What the fudge?”

  She crept cautiously down the bank, making sure that her eyes were telling her the truth (they definitely were), and making sure not to step on the broken beer bottle that hid amongst the grass. The naked man lay on his back, choking. Gouts of water came out of his throat with every cough, and his hacking sounded painful. What on earth was he doing there?

  She ran to his aid, but when the struggling stranger saw her, his eyes went wide and he seemed to panic.

  “It’s okay,” she said, placing a hand against his hitching chest. She blushed when the corner of her eye detected his penis flapping around only inches from her hand, but she tried to focus on the fact that he was in need. Something had obviously happened to him, and it was lucky she had been here. He managed to sit up and allowed her to pat him on the back with her palm. There was a sloshing sound as she beat at him, and then, eventually, more water came up, flooding out through his mouth and nostrils. The man took in a single sucking breath that seemed to go on forever, then began hacking again.

  “There you go,” she said soothingly. “Cough it up.”

  A ragged groan escaped his lips. “W-who…”

  “My name is Scarlet.”

  “…am I? Who am I?”

  “You don’t know who you are?”

  He was mid-twenties and handsome, with dark brown hair and a layer of stubble on his chin, but his scrunched up forehead and quivering lower lip made him seem like a lost little boy. “I… don’t remember,” he eventually admitted.

  Still patting at his back, she asked him, “What happened to you? How did you lose your clothes? Did you go skinny dipping or something? Because I can tell you that swimming in a lake alone in the evening is pretty dumb.”

  “Dumb?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, dumb—stupid. I’m going to call you some help, okay?”

  He grabbed her arm, making her recoil, but she quickly realised that he was not trying to hurt her. “I have something to do. I’m here to… I need to rem
ember. Take me somewhere I can think.”

  “Like where? You probably need a doctor. Are you hurt?”

  He shook his head. “I function correctly.”

  “Well, that’s just… super. What do you want to do then? Because you can’t just lie here. I can see your… you know, your junk.”

  The man followed her sideways glance to between his legs. “My genitalia offends you?”

  “What, no, it’s fine… No, wait…. I mean…” She felt herself growing redder in the cheeks. “Just saying you should cover up.”

  “Cover up?”

  It was a warm evening, but the thin cardigan she was wearing went down to her knees and would perhaps be enough to give him back his modesty, so she took it off and thrust it at him. “Put this on.”

  He rose up to his knees, allowing her to notice a pair of long, thick scars on either side of his back. Before she could take a closer look, though, he had wrapped the peach coloured cardigan around himself and was examining himself wearing it. “I don’t like the colour,” he said.

  “Beggars can’t be choosers, and it’s better than wandering around butt-naked. Do you need me to call anyone? I have to tell you that this is all really weird.”

  The expression on his face was distrustful, and he seemed most wary of a nearby group of geese. “Will you take me somewhere where my appearance will not offend? I wish not to be disturbed until I can remember my purpose for being here.”

  Scarlet frowned. “Your purpose? Are you some kind of nut-job, because if you are, then I really should be going.”

  His eyes went manically wide. “No, Scarlet, please? You are… kind.”

  It was an odd situation, but the compliment made her smile. She was kind, and it was nice for someone to notice. It had started to feel like kindness didn’t get you anywhere, and that was kind of sucky. “Yeah, well, I’m sure anybody would be willing to help a stranger in need.”

  “No, they would not. There is great trouble in this world. I sense it all around me. Sorrow is everywhere.”

  “Are you always this light-hearted?”

  “My heart weight is normal. Please, Scarlet, take me somewhere I can think. Those creatures concern me.”

  Scarlet glanced at the honking geese and chuckled. “You really are confused, aren’t you?”

  “I understand little, but I am here for a reason. You may be it, kind Scarlet. Perhaps our meeting is destiny.”

  Scarlet groaned. “What is it today with all the crazy talk about destiny? Look, I’m pretty sure that you’re crazy, but you seem harmless, so I’ll help you. My house is ten minutes away; we can go there. Soon as we do, though, my dad is going to call the police to come and get you.”

  “The police?”

  “Yeah, you know, the men in uniforms who stop bad guys?”

  “I would like to meet the police.”

  Scarlet turned around and started walking. “Hurry up then. Anyone sees you walking around in just my cardigan, I’ll never make a friend in this town as long as I live.”

  “I would like to be your friend. Your sorrows trouble me.”

  “No offence, but you don’t even know your own name.”

  “Then you shall provide me with one. Whatever you wish.”

  Scarlet glanced at him and smirked. “Fine, I’ll call you Sorrow. It seems to be your favourite word.”

  “So be it. I, Sorrow, will be your friend.”

  Scarlet shook her head. “I’m really not going to be one of the ‘cool kids’ in this town, am I?”

  “It is, indeed, very warm this evening.”

  “Let’s just hurry up, Sorrow, before somebody sees us.”

  ~ Chapter Three ~

  “Dad, are you here?” Scarlet opened the back door, from the garden, to avoid the neighbours seeing her with a strange, older man currently dressed in only her peach cardigan. Sorrow had remained silent during the remainder of their walk, but had glanced around from time to time like a child at a funfair. Everything seemed to either intrigue or amuse him. Except that he really didn’t seem to like geese and had gone so far as to chase one away from the edge of the path. Scarlet hadn’t been able to contain her laughter when the plump bird hissed at him from the safety of the lake.

  They had reached her house now, but her dad wasn’t there—obviously working late again. So as Sorrow stepped into the kitchen behind her, she began to tense up. The joviality of the situation drained away as she realised that she had placed herself alone with an unusual stranger in her home.

  “I think I ought to call the police now,” she said nervously.

  Sorrow nodded. “They will help me?”

  “Yes, that’s their job.”

  “Will my appearance offend them?” He glanced down at the cardigan, which had fallen open, exposing his penis again.

  Scarlet covered her face with a hand. “For God’s sake, will you put your todger away for one minute?”

  “My todger? I am sorry, your cloak is too small to fit me sufficiently. I mean no offence.”

  “Look, just stay here. I’ll go get you some of my dad’s clothes, and then I will call someone.”

  “Thank you, Scarlet.”

  She hurried upstairs and headed straight for her dad’s wardrobe. She half-expected Sorrow to run up after her, even readied herself to bolt inside the bathroom and make a call on her mobile—but he remained downstairs in the kitchen. The sound of a stool scraping suggested that he’d sat down at the breakfast bar. His bare ass-cheeks were probably sliding across the back of her cardigan right now. Gross. Although, he was kind of cute—and a decade older.

  She snatched up a pair of her dad’s jeans and a white, casual shirt, and then headed back down the stairs. As she’d half-expected, she found Sorrow sitting on the stool beside the breakfast bar. He was examining a Braeburn apple as if it were a jewel, but smiled when she entered the room. Scarlet was surprised when her stomach fluttered.

  “I found you something to wear,” she said. “Didn’t get you any underwear, though, thought it would be weird. Against the ‘Guy Code’ or something.”

  Sorrow placed the apple down and took the clothes from her. “Guy Code?”

  “Nevermind. Just put the clothes on so I can call somebody.”

  Sorrow did as she said and put on the jeans and shirt. Once dressed, he looked less like a crazy person and more like a model for a cologne advert. His tussled, dark hair pointed in a thousand different directions, and his angular face was softened by a pair of gentle, green eyes. Scarlet no longer felt in danger around him, but she knew that she still needed to inform the police. She’d found a man lying half-drowned by the lake, who’d been talking nonsense ever since. Something was wrong with Sorrow—or whatever his real name was.

  “The police will probably take you in and question you,” she explained, “but then they should get a doctor to have a look at you.”

  Sorrow nodded. “Then you and I can figure out why I am here.”

  “What? No, I’m going to stay here.”

  “I do not want that. We must stay together. There is a reason you found me.”

  “Yeah, because I happened to be walking by when you were choking. It could have been anybody.” She had to be firm; this was no longer a joke. “This is all getting a little silly, Sorrow. You haven’t tried to hurt me—thank you for that, by the way—but you are acting way too crazy. You need help; help I can’t give you.”

  “This saddens me.”

  “Then I guess Sorrow really is a good name for you.” She turned around and snatched the phone from the kitchen counter. Dialling 999, she waited for someone to answer. She flinched when she heard her dad’s voice.

  “Hi, honey, sorry I’m late.”

  Startled, she ended the call before anyone came on the line. Her dad strode into the kitchen and picked up an apple from the counter. He took a big bite. “You okay, hun? Did I scare you?”

  Scarlet glanced around the kitchen, but Sorrow had gone. He must have left when she’d turn
ed around to call 999. He really was crazy, wasn’t he? He wasn’t wearing any shoes.

  “I’m fine. I… did somebody pass you on the way out?”

  “No, why? Who was here?”

  She shook her head. “Nobody. I thought I heard a knock at the door.”

  “Okay, well I was thinking of ordering a pizza tonight. What do you think?”

  She shrugged. “What’s another few inches on the waistline?”

  Her dad walked over and patted her on the arm. It was an awkward gesture. “I know I should be home more often to cook, but I just want to get nice and secure in my new job first. After what happened last time…”

  “It’s okay, dad. I only just got home myself. Mr Chester didn’t close the shop till half past five and then I walked home.”

  “You didn’t take the bus?”

  She shook her head.

  “You should have caught the bus, Scarlet. I want you to be safe. Lot of nutters in the world.”

  Scarlet grunted. “You don’t know the half of it.”

  “What’s that now?”

  “Nothing. Pizza will be great. I’m just going to take a shower, and then I’ll order.”

  “Great. Thanks, Scarlet. I could do with a wash myself. How was work, by the way?”

  “Good. Drags a bit now that I’m doing longer days, but it’s okay. All experience, I guess.”

  He smiled. “Yep. Customer service skills can help in a lot of careers, so learn whatever you can. You thought anymore about college?”

  “Not yet. I’m not sure what I want to do.”

  “Well, you need to think fast. Your future will be here before you know it.”

  She rolled her eyes. There was never any stopping to smell the roses with her dad. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

  He patted her on the head. “Good girl.”