Death in Stockdale (part Three)

Previously on Death in Stockdale:

Henry Hut has travelled back in time (by 1 hour) to save the life of his Friend Lemiwell Jones. He has teamed up with Chub, a young girl who knows Henry has travelled back in time and also has the ability to predict the future. To complicate matters (especially for the author) Henry has just discovered that the killer of Mr Jones is in fact … Mr Jones himself…

“I don’t believe it!” repeated Henry from last weeks episode.

Chub Shrugged for the sake of continuity.

Mr Jones dusted himself down and spoke.

“Henry. I knew it would be you. You have to let me in there. I have to kill that version of me before it’s too late.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” barked Henry, his arms outstretched to highlight his rage. “I’ve not travelled a hour back in time just to watch you die again. You are too important to this town to die twice. WE NEED YOU!” He pleaded.

Mr Jones shook his head sadly.

“No Henry. I have to die. It’s the only way to stop the madness that’s coming. Everything that happens… it’s all on me…it’s my fault.” Lemiwells face lost its determination and sagged a little.

It was at this point that Henry realised just how different the man in front of him looked to the one that he had wished good luck to just a few hours before.

“A year from now – today in fact – I used Professor Proctos time machine to come back here and stop myself from winning the election. All the things I wanted to do, all those people I promised to help. They were all dead. It was all my fault….” His voice drifted a little.

Henry frowned. “What? How can you be responsible for anything bad happening. You were... will be going to save the town from that rat bag Dr Malevolent. He’s the bad guy I all this.” He bargained.

“That’s what we all thought Henry.” Lemiwell choked back the pain of memory. “But it turns out that he is the only one capable of doing what is going to be necessary to save us all.”

“Bollocks!” swore Henry. “He’s a nutter. He want’s to stop my mum from making me dry Weetabix – he’s a fruit cake!”

“If only Dry Weetabix were the worst of our problems..” Said Lemiwell as he explained what the past/ coming year would have/had/did in store for Stockdale.

Chub listened impatiently as the two men jibber-jabbered about Zombies, dinosaurs, alien abductions and a mad old lady turned serial killer.

After a couple of minutes Chub stood between the two.

She pointed a dirty finger at Lemiwell Jones and said “You. Do what you came to do. Once it’s done you are coming with us.”

“but..” started Henry.

“Shut yer gob!” growled Chub. “Find a car for us to escape in. Once Mr Jones has killed…um .. himself(?) then we are all going to same Gus. Anybody has a problem with that then you can discuss it with my mates Lefty and Righty” She held up two sets of very sharp knuckles that may not have done much damage were it not for the fact they were coated in months of dirt and muck and for all their adventures neither Henry Hut nor Lemiwell Jones wished to get a tetanus jab.

Three short minutes passed before Henry heard the muffled BANG of a gun. His body twitched at the memory but he did not have time to react before the hooded figure he now knew as Mr Jones ran out of the town hall and toward the car Henry had procured for their get a way.

“Nice wheels” Said Mr jones.

“It’s Dr Malevolent’s.” noted Henry. “Seemed appropriate. I don’t trust him, but if he’s going to be in charge of this town he can start by walking the streets for a while. Where to Chub?”

Chub directed Henry to the edge of town. The car weaved in and out of traffic and before long it was clear where they were headed.

There was a sign by the road.

THE TOP SECRET HIDEOUT OF DR MALEVOLENT: NEXT LEFT – no salesmen.

Chub explained. “Mr Malevolent took Gus a few months ago. I was supposed to find the Professor but when I got to his house, you fell over me Henry. I thought you would be able to help me.”

“Why not ask for the Prof?” asked Henry.

“He’ll be there.” She said quietly.

The car pulled up in the car park.

The three of them ran inside the warehouse that was the (not so) secret HQ of the Doctor and his devilish plans of domination.

They were met inside by a large amount of darkness. Darkness that was broken by small flashing lights. Scientific lights on scientific machines that had large cables running out of them in all directions.

Henry, Chub and Lemiwell allowed their eyes to adjust and follow the path of the cables as they ran down the length of the warehouse.

That was until they came to a pair of feet.

Eyes stopped. Throats gulped in fear and dread.

Then ears popped at the single most glorious word they had ever heard.

“SCIENCE!”

It was Professor Procto. His arms filled the darkness as he spun in wonderment at the amount of technical gizmos and gadgets around him. “Isn’t it wonderful?” He asked nobody in particular.

“Where’s Gus?” Pleaded Chub.

“How did you get here?” Asked Henry at the same time.

“Over here.” Said the Prof, followed by “SCIENCE!” The latter response being aimed at Henry.

Lemiwell Jones followed in silence. It was just hitting him that he had caused his own death to save the future but something didn’t feel right.

The foursome followed the line of cables until they across a large metallic tube. The tube had a large glass window and inside was the body of Gus, Chubs mentor and only friend.

“Get him out quick!” Screamed Chub.

The professor unlocked the door to the large tube and together with Henry and Chub they helped the half naked man out of his strange prison.

Lemiwell stood back and noticed other lines of tubes reaching further into the warehouse. 

He followed the trail while the others fussed over Gus.

As he disappeared into the darkness his voice echoed back to the group.

“My God! Look at this!” said called back.

The group followed Lemiwells voice until they all stood together and viewed their worst nightmare.

They hadn’t known their real nightmares until this moment, as before them stood dozens of similar tubes to the one that held Gus.

Gus lifted his head to look upon the fate of Stockdale.

“My God!” repeated Lemiwell. “That’s Shabby… and his dog.”

“yes..” croaked Gus. “Dr Malevolent has been experimenting with cadavers. He planned on using my mind to reanimate these corpses and unleash them on the town.”

“The filthy bast….” Henry stopped mid-sentence as one of the many bodies in front of them twitched.

It was only a small movement, but when a dead body moves – nobody with any sense of self-preservation stands still long enough to see if it will do anything else.

“EVERYBODY OUT!” Exclaimed the Professor.

And out, everybody went.

The Professor joined them as they clambered into the stolen car.

“Let’s go before…” Started the Professor but he cut off by a huge explosion that cost most of the budget. (it really was a fantastic explosion, with fire of red and orange and flames and smoke and sparks and everything!!)

It didn’t take long for everyone to arrive back at Mrs Featheringays for tea and illicit Weetabix of the dry variety.

Mrs Featheringay listened, in that way that old ladies do, to the story of Henry’s time travelling, Gus and Chubs abilities and how the Professor blew up his nemesises…es(?) HQ and the troubling confusion of Mr Jones killing himself even though he was  still here to tell the tale.

“So we won’t be having zombies knocking on the door then?” She asked.

“No.” Said The Professor triumphantly.

“But the horrible Dr Malevolent is now in charge of things?” She continued.

“ah.. yes.” Mused Henry.

“But not for long!” Chirped Gus, who was feeling much better after his ordeal now he had eaten a bowl of irradiated wheat crumbs and had a nice cup of tea.

“What do you mean?” said Lemiwell, worriedly.

Chub shrugged in reply.

And Mrs Featheringay slapped Henry on the legs when he swore. “I don’t BLOODY believe it!”

And everybody laughed because it was the end of the story.

The Seven Sorrows of Stockdale (part three)

It took a while for Chub to get her breath back, but the time it took was enough for her to feel her legs stop twitching from all that running and also for her lungs to stop feeling like they were on fire.

She sat in a small shack which seemed to be made of old pallets, chicken wire, newspapers and various bits of odds and ends. It was cramped but well built and was far enough from view that Chub felt as safe as one could when sat in a hut made of junk with a very strange man with hair like a drunk birds nest who claimed that spiders had told him to put the kettle on.

Her hands cupped a... well, a cup.

The cup in question had been handed to her by the very same individual who had made the very peculiar statement about spiders and time keeping previously.

His name is Gus, as will be confirmed very shortly.

"Drink slowly. You'll get hiccups otherwise. Nobody likes hiccups." said the man named Gus.

"I'm Gus by the way." (told you!).

Gus had a friendly smile. The sort of smile simpletons utilise instead of wearing a sign that says DON'T ASK ME, I'M AN IDIOT, but there was also an air of serenity that only emanates from those who are truly at one with the universe. So Gus was a bit of a conundrum really.

Chub couldn't help but gulp at the cup of herbal tea Gus had given her. "What did you mean about the spiders?" She asked between slurps.

"You have heard of Chaos theory yes?"

Chub shrugged in agreement.

"Well, simply put, in Chaos theory, a butterfly flapping it wings in Brasil can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world."

Chub pondered the implications of this and said "Why don't they just kill all the Brazilian butterflies then? Hey presto - no more hurricanes."

"no." said Gus. "It doesn't work like that. I was using a metaphor...."

Chub rolled her eyes. "Dur... I'm joking. I know what Chaos theory is. I read about it in one the books we exchanged for a dead pigeon."

Gus sighed a sigh of relief and continued. "Everything we do has reactions. Some small and others big. They spread, causing other things to happen and not always directly linked... I can see patterns in things and can calculate their path both back and forth. That's how I knew you would be coming here, today."

Chub shrugged again. Although quite impressed at his story telling she had no faith in his mad ramblings.

Gus, however, continued to explain in detail lots of things that he couldn't have otherwise known. He also showed Chub how he used everyday objects to find out the information.

"You try.." He said with that idiot smile of his.

"Give over!" Laughed Chub. "It's a load of codswallop." She snorted.

Gus raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. 

"Frightened are you... never mind then." and before he could make another sound, his brief use of reverse psychology Chub picked up an old can of fizzy drink from the floor.

"What do I do then." She said defiantly.

"Look for a pattern." Said Gus. "Find the pattern and allow it to form ... a message."

Chub stared at the can. She moved it around in her hand looking for dents and bumps in its aluminium sides.

Then she saw it.

The bar code.

The little square of black lines on the side. To anybody else it would just look like a random group of thick lines and thin lines. But something spoke to Chub telling her that there was more to it than that.

Minutes passed and Chub realised she had not blinked in all that time.

Here eyes began to smart and she was forced to blink a few times to relieve the itch. As she did her eyes watered and from nowhere... a shape behind the pattern began to form.

Gus could tell from the look on her face she had succeeded.

"What did you see?" Gus whispered with wonder.

Chub Shrugged and shook her head. "I want to go home..... But I can't...." She said without any enthusiasm. Something had obviously given her a fright.

She handed Gus the small piece of paper with the items she needed to collect before being allowed back inside Lenny Henry Tower.

"I've already made you a bed behind those curtains." Gus said politely. "It's lucky I just happen to have a Glass Hammer and some tartan paint in here somewhere... as for the long weight... we'll see about that in the morning. I'm sure Geds Brick-n-Brack shop will have some in stock." He said with a knowing wink.

Morning came, although for Chub it took a long time. She couldn't sleep.

The day before she had been happily running backwards and forwards across the landing, getting under everyone's feet, annoying her brother Handle and her sister who had the unfortunate fortune to also be named after the first thing their father saw as they were born. It never really dawned on any of the siblings that Rising damp was NOT a real name for girl, so we shall say no more on the matter.

Gus took Chub out for a walk. She still wouldn't talk about what she saw in the patterns of the fizzy drinks can, but she had an urge to be somewhere else.

After a quick visit to Geds Brick-n-Brack shop, they left Chubs wares in the shack and headed out.

They walked in almost silence through the streets of Stockdale. They passed Mabels Cafe,  The Hat museum, down and along the canal and carried on until Chub grabbed Gus' arm.

"Here." She said quietly.

Gus frowned. "The Old abandoned Fun Fair?" He said. "Curious. Nobody has been here for years."

Gus prised open the old rusted gates and they both squeezed through and into the park.

It was eerily quiet around the park and the evening light was quickly fading.

"I think we should leave." Said Chub. "I don't like it he...." But her words were halted in their tracks by the arrival of two shadowy figures.

Gus grabbed chub and they hid behind one of the rusting dodgem cars.

The two men lit flashlights and walked into, what used to be, the old haunted house.

Moments passed before Gus turned to Chub and asked. "What did you see? What brought us here?" 

"That!" She answered and pointed to the haunted house where there was a loud shout and as both Gus and Chub looked up, a large dog came crashing through the (admittedly thin) wall upstairs.

There was a scream, something that sounded like "DOOBY SCOO - WHERE ARE YOU?" before another figure hurtled through the hole in the wall and to his doom.

Gus stood up. "Get out of here... RUN!"

Together they moved as fast as they could back to the gates. Before they got three steps forward though, both Gus and Chub found themselves in a heap on the floor.

It's the kind of thing that happens when you run straight into a very large man of the "hench" variety.

"Well, well, well." said a well spoken man with thick glasses and thinning hair (for who long time readers might recognise as Dr Malevolent! - shock and gasp!)

"Sneaky little nosey parkers are we? poking our nosey noses into things that don't concern us are we?" He laughed evilly.

The large henchman stood next to Malevolent picked up Gus with one hand and punched him unconscious. 

Chub ran.

She was beginning to regret her desire to know what running felt like as it often seemed to involve people chasing her with no good intentions.

"Go after her Barnabus, then come back and put that dog and his idiot into the van."

Barnabus was a giant of man and it didn't take long for him catch up to Chub and grab her with one of his huge hands.

Chub wanted to scream but Barnabus leaned in, his hand over most of her head, let alone her mouth.

"Sssh!" He whispered, out of site of his employer. "You need to run. Don't come back. It's too dangerous for you here. Find the professor. He will help you." and with that, He lifted Chub over the fence and returned to Dr Malevolent. 

Chub ran.

See Chub run.

Run Chub, run.

EPILOGUE:

Gus wasn't clear on how many days had past, but he knew he had been held captive for a long time. He drifted into awareness and looked around.

Unable to move, as his arms and legs were tied outstretched, he was just able to move his head. What he saw shocked him. Lines and lines of bodies, all tied up like him. Some in glass cabinets, some dismembered.

Along the line he saw his keeper making his way toward him.

"Ah, you are awake at last... Gus isn't it?" Smirked the Doctor.

"What do you want from me?" gasped Gus. "Do you expect me to talk?"

"No." said Malevolent, with mockingly shocked. "I expect you ... well, actually yes. I want to ALL about you and that special brain of yours...."

aaaaaand fade to black - fade in dramatic music - roll credits