Prang!

The spade struck the back of Terry’s head and sent a shock wave through the handle. Terry stumbled into the house and landed on his face.

“Sorry, Terry!” David leapt over the momentarily stunned Terrence and scooped up the flintlock from the ground. “I’ll need this.”

“Captain!”

David glanced back at Terry who had pulled himself to all fours.

“David!” Elizabeth glided into the living to block his path.

“Stay away from me demon.” He raised his flintlock and pointed it at Elizabeth while moving into the room so he could keep an eye on Terry.

“Captain.” Terry approached slowly. “Don’t do it, you can get through this.”

Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears that streamed down her cheeks, “David, I love you. Don’t do this.”

“Nobody loves me in this village. You’re all against me.”

Jimethy entered came through the front door and let out an audible gasp. “Oh, what’s happening?”

“Shut up, Jim. All of you in the room.”

Terry, Jim and Elizabeth stood before David in the living room with their hands by their sides.

“Sit.”

They obeyed the captain's orders and sat down on the couch.

“I want answers.”

“I’ll answer all your questions, David.” Elizabeth bowed her head. “Please don’t shoot.”

Terry placed his hand over Elizabeth’s.

“Did you find, Alius’ body?” David barked.

Jim looked up from the couch with a quizzical frown. “Alius? He’s been dead for years, Captain.”

“He was hanged but two days ago, Jim. Don’t play silly with me, boy.”

“I’m not.”

“You two were sent into the woods to fetch his body back, where did you go?”

Jim looked at Terry like a lost puppy, “I–I don’t know what you’re talking about, we’ve been doing our village rounds.”

David walked backwards and sat on the chair, gun still pointed at the three. He looked around in amazement. “What happened to this place?”

Elizabeth followed his eyes, “What do you mean, David?”

The house was beautiful. No longer the dishevelled mess Alius had left it in. The woodwork was fresh. The seats were new, a gorgeous rug lay before the crackling fireplace. “It’s lovely in here.” David gawked at the brightly coloured wallpaper with its intricate embossed patterns. “How did you do this?”

“Do what, David? This is your house. We had it renovated after Alius was relieved of his duty.”

“You mean after we murdered him!”

“There was a trial, he was guilty of murder.” Elizabeth’s eyes flashed. “Please, David.”

“I found a note in the pantry,” David said softly, lowering his gun.

“The pantry?” Elizabeth tilted her head, watching the gun.

“Yes, the dungeon in the pantry.”

“David, that old tunnel was blocked up years ago.”

David stood and thrust the gun back at them, “No, it’s open and I found the note. We are guilty Elizabeth.”

“Guilty of what?”

David leapt off his chair and dashed to the pantry door. He swung it open and gasped. It was filled with food and tinned goods. The old cupboard at the end had been replaced with a beautiful cabinet. “Where is it?”

David heard a mechanical click then a loud crack.

Blackness.

Terry inspected the Captain's body which lay in a pool of blood outside the pantry door. “He’s dead, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Excellent shooting, Jim.

“Thank you,” said Jim. He placed the smoking flintlock back on the side table where it lay.

“What do we do with him now?”

Elizabeth smiled, “We shall soon be free. He has lost his mind. He must repent.” she said sadly. She looked at Jim and Terry, smile widening to show her rows of sharp teeth. “Our hunger grows.”

Terry nodded. “Alius haunts the woods still, he will seek to end disrupt our plans.”

Elizabeth smirked. “Leave him to me.” She approached David and knelt beside him. “Open his mouth.”

Terry held David’s mouth agape.

Elizabeth ran her fingernail across her wrist in one smooth motion. The seam opened and her black blood ran free. She held her arm over David’s mouth and let the blood drip in.

“This will make him stronger, Elizabeth. Can you be sure he’ll comply?”

“David’s lust for power was the downfall of this village and will be his downfall. We have shown him terror and madness. Now we shall save and cherish him into compliance.”

Terry frowned at Elizabeth. “I hope you are right about this. I cannot bear this hunger any longer. I am set to tear this village limb from limb.”

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“The hunger is taking hold of me too,” said Jim.

“Enough of your chatter.” Elizabeth clicked her fingers. “Clean up the mess. I want David’s revival to be without suspicion.”

Jim wiped up the blood and Terry prepared a pot of tea.

They lay David on the couch and sat at the dining room table to wait for his return to the living world.

“What will you do about Alius?” Terry cocked his head.

Elizabeth sipped her tea. “I do not know.”

“Because you cannot stop him.”

“I do not need to stop him. I’d like for Alius to speak to him,”

“Are you mad?” Terry’s eyes were wild and maddened.

“No.” Elizabeth shook her head. “Alius has been blinded by his vengeance. He doesn’t even consider our plans worth his acknowledgement.”

“Alius has become jaded by his hubris.” Terry nodded solemnly.

“His tenacity cannot be disregarded,” Jim added. “How he drives the Captain mad is commendable, from a purely mechanical perspective.”

Elizabeth frowned, “What Alius does is nothing short of striking an ant with a hammer. David’s mind is his playground.” She looked over at David who was still. “Drop him in the forest, allow him to awaken there.”

“Why?”

“Alius will find him.” She sneered. “By the Lord, I hate these men. Sometimes I think we should perpetuate this torture.”

“You sympathise with Alius?” Terry smirked.

“Out. Both of you.”

***

David woke, gasping for breath. The ground was hard and uneven. A pool of mist surrounded him. The warm wind whistled through the trees and the familiar sounds of the forest chirped around him. “Ah.” He rubbed his tender chest.

“Good morning, David.”

David looked around. His vision was sharp and the clarity was unlike anything he had known. The colours of the forest were vibrant and numerous. He could hear the rustle of small animals in the foliage, smell their blood and hear their heartbeat.

“Where are you, Alius?”

“Right here.”

David followed the voice that came from above. Alius waved as he swung from a rope around his neck. The tree branch creaked.

“Why are you hanging?”

“Because you hanged me, David. Don’t you remember?”

“You’re not real.” David sat up and covered his face.

“Did you find your notes?”

“You put that letter there to trick me!”

“Oh, David.” He shook his head. “Your denial of your past is disappointing.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” David picked up a rock and hurled it at the swinging corpse. He struck his limp leg.

Alius laughed, “That would spoil the fun, wouldn’t it?”

“You think this is a game?”

“It’s become a sad play, Captain. Remember when I said the demon watches?”

“No.” David looked for another rock to chuck at Alius.

“That demon is you, David. You’re the curse. You’re a murderer.”

“I did not kill my Esme.” He found another stone and pelted the corpse once more.

Alius shook his head, “Good arm, David. You were always good at dishing out violence.”

“I wish to leave this village, I am tired.” He dropped to his knees.

“Good! You brought this on yourself, David. You must kill them all now.”

“Kill them all?”

“Elizabeth, Terry, Jimethy.” He smiled. “Punish them for what they have done to you.”

David shook his head, “No. I won’t play your game.”

“You are already playing it, David. It’s not my game. It’s yours.”

“The note spoke of walls. What is in the walls?”

Alius grinned wide. “Your evil waits in the walls. Your mountain of corpses. Go, make more.”

“What do you mean?”

Alius’ eyes closed and he swung silently.

“What do you mean?” David roared so loud that a flock of birds evacuated a nearby tree. David kicked the dirt. “You miserable horse saddle!” He bent down to pick up a hefty rock so he might toss it at Alius once more. When he looked up at the tree, Alius was gone.

David sobbed into his hands.

“Captain!”

“Who is it?” David shouted back.

“It’s Jim, where are you?”

David clambered to his feet, wiped his eyes and dusted himself down.

Jim came from behind the tree and waved. “Captain, there you are! We were worried.”

He narrowed his eyes, “Worried?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

“Your wife is beside herself.”

David bit his lip. “Who is my wife?”

Jim blinked. “Elizabeth is, are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, I think I hit my head.” David could smell Jim’s apprehension. His heightened senses gave him a powerful feeling. All his pain had flushed and the feeling of tiredness was clearing up. For the first time in a long time, he felt well. Feeling well made him happy. “Take me back home.”

“Right you are, Captain.”

David walked briskly. He moved so quickly with such little effort. It felt good.

They walked through the village and people nodded at him and offered great respect. He smiled wide at them all. “Morning,” he waved.

Villagers waved and called back in return.

“They like me.”

“Of course they do, Captain. You have led us well for a long time.” Jim patted his back.

He marched up to his extravagant manor house and walked through the door. Elizabeth was waiting in the living room. “You’re back!”

“I am.” David, smiled.

“I was so worried!”

David moved before Elizabeth and took her by the waist, pulling her in for a deep kiss. Elizabeth half kissed back. “I see clearly now.”

Elizabeth nodded. Her fizzled with a fiery gaze. “I am glad.”

“Life is good.” David nodded. His new vitality had taken hold. His psyche reverted to the original ambitious desires, the same ones that drove him into action.

“It most certainly is, David. I shall head into the village and fetch us lunch.”

David smiled broadly. “Excellent.” He floated upstairs to explore the rest of his wonderful home. He touched the lacquered bannister, ran his hands over the golden door knobs and bounced on the fine carpet.

The door to the storage room that looked out onto the village eeked open. David remembered how this room frightened him so. Now he feared nothing. He pushed into the dark room and lit a few candles.

Alius’ study desk had been cleaned and sat neatly in the corner. A single leaf of paper rested there, begging David to read it. He glided to the desk and turned it over. The note read: She will betray you. He emitted a low growl and approached the window. He drew a curtain to one side and looked out.

Elizabeth was walking towards the village, accompanied by Jim, with a basket over her arm. She stopped dead and looked back over her shoulder. Her bright eyes flashed.

David smiled and blew her a kiss. The candles went out and he let the curtains close.

“Everything well, Elizabeth?”

She nodded and continued to the village. “Yes. The monster has returned.”

Jim sighed, “He always returns. Are you sure we overcome him?”

Elizabeth shook her head, “I am sure of nothing but this torture and the hunger this curse causes.”

“Alius surely spoke to him in the woods.”

“Of course he did. David is Alius’ monster and he will try to keep it that way.”

Jim scratched the back of his head nervously, “Can he kill us?”

Elizabeth smiled, “He can do anything he wants. He is the Captain. This is his village. We have simply changed the rules. He returns on our terms now.”

The villagers offered Elizabeth free food and other gifts as she meandered through the stalls. She spoke quietly to Jim now. “We must be patient. Do not allow him to lose his temper.”

“Sometimes I wish to try and flee.”

“We can never run, Jim. The Captain allows no one to leave. Not even himself.”