CHAPTER FIVE: Fluffy red hats can look like red hair.
The ‘monster story’ was not mentioned between Jude and his mum again that day. He didn’t ask what Dr Anderson had talked to her about and she didn’t tell him. But she seemed reassured and happy, so he wasn’t going to spoil it by referring to it again. As far as she was concerned Jude had shown a symptom of illness, they’d gone to the doctor and he’s prescribed some pills in the way of doctors and it was all now sorted. Jude was not going to tell her that he had no intention of taking them. It wasn’t that the crazy guy at Ravenscar had told him not to take them. It was just that he didn’t feel depressed. But the main thing that was putting him off taking them was the information leaflet that came with the pills, listing all the possible side-effects. Constipation and diarrhoea, no thank you.
Jude had no nightmares of monsters that night. Just very pleasant dreams involving red hair and green eyes.
Jude was woken the next morning by his mum shouting good-bye as she set off for work. He had the day to himself, his mum would be at work all day and he had no college, as it was the holidays. What to do? His first inclination was to see if he could find Ruby and make sure she was okay, she still had his jacket after all. But how to go about it, she could be anywhere. He thought she would in all likelihood try to get as far away from Ravenscar as possible, but in what direction, she wasn’t likely to be close, after all the Institute was on the other side of town from him. His second thought was to see if he could find the monsters again and perhaps take photos. But what was the point he’d only risk upsetting his mum again.
He decided to just go out and have a wander around and see what happened. But cautiously, he didn’t really want to run into any more monsters, even if they were surposively figments of his imagination. Plus if he was really lucky he might even run into Ruby. He got up and got dressed, tying the coin around his neck under his clothes so it was hidden.
Jude decided to head for the town centre and wander around there. He found himself unconsciously looking out for a mass of red curly hair. Jude had thought red hair was really rare until he’d started to look for it and then he seemed to see heads of head hair (and once a fluffy red hat) every where, but no shining green eyes and mischievous smile underneath. He was starting to feel dispirited and was getting tired of the adrenalin spikes every time he thought he might of spotted Ruby. He was really tempted to go back to the wood and see if he could see the little winged creature; it seemed cute and was a figment of his imagination that he could deal with. But to get to the wood he’d have to go through the Industrial estate and risk seeing the monsters. But he knew where they’d gone the first time so if he just went the long way round he might not bump into any.
He headed towards the industrial estate, aiming to go around the outside the best he could, he wasn’t as familiar with this part of it, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t get lost and would end up where he wanted to be. As he entered the estate and started to walk past the old warehouses, he could feel himself starting to feel more anxious. He felt himself listening for any unusual sound, his ears peeled for any shuffling feet or grunting noises. He kept telling himself to pull himself together, these warehouses were nowhere near where he’d had the previous encounter. These warehouses were just the usual big, boring buildings with stuff stored inside, no monsters hiding in them. He was glad it was still daylight, he’d have been creeped out at night. Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders he continued on, cautiously. He reached a part of the estate he wasn’t too familiar with and was debating which alleyway to go down. Having picked the one that looked the most direct, he started down it when he felt the coin around his neck begin to warm up. He took it out from under his shirt and it was glowing. He had a flash back of what had happened the last time it had glowed and he quickly turned around to head back the way he had come.
Then he heard shuffling footsteps and grunting voices coming from that direction. He would have to go on. He hurried away from the sounds further down the alleyway and around a corner. Then he heard another set of shuffling footsteps coming from the opposite direction to the first. He felt trapped; he could hear his own heart beating. He saw some crates on the other side of the alleyway and went and hid behind them. Hopefully both sets of whatever was coming would pass by and he could run back the way he’d come. He prayed they wouldn’t start fighting.
The footsteps were coming closer in both directions. Jude hoped they wouldn’t hear his heart beating, it sounded so loud to him, and find him. The two sets of footsteps met and hailed each other, within feet of where Jude was hiding. The coin, next to Jude’s skin started to feel warm and Jude found to his surprise and increasing horror that he could understand the jist of what they were saying to each other. Jude knew they were the same as the monsters he’d seen before. The mumbling and grunting was the same and he found a crack between the crates where he could see a glimpse of large, knobbly green heads with sprouts of black wiry hair growing out of them, the pointed green ears, and the horrible yellowing teeth. He wanted to shudder but daren’t move a muscle, he tried to hold his breathe, he was so afraid they’d find him. He dreaded to think what they’d do to him if they did find him. He tried not to think of what they’d done to one of their own in the fight.
As the monsters talked Jude became even more afraid of them finding him. He gathered from their speech that two of the monsters from the first group had been recruited and the second group was welcoming them to their army. An army of these monsters did not sound good.
They continued to discuss fighting to have their own land, so they wouldn’t have to do anymore sneaking around. Then went on to discuss in fairly gruesome detail what they were going to do to their enemies. Jude had the horrible impression that he would be counted among their enemies along with everyone else in England. How many of these monsters were there that they were hoping to kill everyone in the country. Jude’s heart was in his mouth. His limbs were feeling stiff from staying still for so long, but he didn’t dare even try to move them.
One of the new recruits was asking when they could start the slaughter, why couldn’t they start now. The biggest monster from the second group, Jude was starting to think he might be a leader replied. “When you’re told, maggot, the New Boss has a big plan to rid this land of scum.”
The recruit snarled and shouted something at the leader who lashed out at him with his fist, sending him flying backwards. Unfortunately this was right into the crates Jude was hiding behind.
The crates crashed over and the stunned monster nearly landed on top of Jude. The other monsters saw him and let out an angry shout. They lunged towards him. Jude with the speed of fear and adrenalin shoved the crates towards the monsters and ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could. He could hear the leader shout behind him. “Get him, he’s heard us.”
He heard another say in reply. “We’ll rip him apart.”
Jude needed no further motivation to run top speed away. The monsters had been taken by surprise and it seemed to take some time to sink in what was happening. But once they’d got the idea they had prey to catch they enthusiastically pursued it. Jude could hear them gaining on him. He kept running down different alleyways, changing direction, trying to loose them, but it was no good. He was now hopelessly lost, his breath burning in his chest. They were nearly on top of him and making such a hullabaloo that any other monsters near by would be sure to be attracted to the chase.
The shouting of the monsters seemed to echo against the warehouse walls it sounded like they were all around him. They were, suddenly ahead Jude could see another group of monsters coming towards him heading him off. He couldn’t see any more alleyways leading off this one or any means of climbing up the walls of the warehouses. He was trapped.
This is it, thought Jude, I am not going to get out of this, and they are never going to find my body. My mum is going to wait for me to come home and I never will. She’ll never know what happened to me, and my bedroom is such a
mess too. Jude slowed down; he couldn’t see anywhere else to run.
The monsters ahead of him, which a moment ago had been letting full cry to their blood thirsty shouts, suddenly changed their shouts to ones of fear and stopped in their tracks. Jude was confused; it certainly couldn’t be him they were frightened of. Jude felt a rush of warm air above him. Looking up he saw something snake-like with shiny red scales flying on bat-like wings towards the monsters. The monsters fled in panic as the beautiful creature swept down on them in a graceful arc, letting forth a fearsome roar. Jude could see it had four short legs with ivory claws and a mane of hair around its head and in a ridge down the length of its body. It turned to look straight at Jude with its green eyes and he could see a long snout with rows of sharp white teeth. Having chased off the monsters, it flew over the top of a warehouse. The sun catching its scales, made them sparkle as it disappeared in a flash of tail.
The way forwards was now clear and Jude ran with renewed vigour, relieved to still have his legs to run with. The monsters were still chasing him and Jude’s breath was coming in gasps. How long can I keep going until they catch up with me he thought? He saw a turning ahead, perhaps this one would lead to a way out of this place. He turned the corner and ran down the alleyway, only to discover it was not the way out, it lead to a dead end. He was trapped again; Jude’s heart sank, no, not after having such a close escape, not to be trapped again. There was no way out of the alleyway, Jude searched desperately for any hidden passageways or doors, any way to climb up onto the roof even. But there was nothing, no way of escape. He had no where to go and the monsters were closing in, with whoops of bloodthirsty delight as they realised Jude had stopped and was trapped. Jude looked to the skies, hoping to see a streak of fiery red scales. Nothing alleviated the blue sky. He turned to face the ugly green monsters, which were closing in on him, drooling at the thought of tearing him limb from limb. It was not a pretty sight. Is this going to be the last thing I see before I die? He looked up again in a last vain hope.
At the end of the alleyway, behind the monsters, he saw something leap down from the wall in a swirl of black fabric. A figure wearing a long black leather coat stood motionless behind the monsters, its face hidden by a hood. Jude hoped he was a friend; he was suspicious of hoods now. The figure silently reached over his shoulders with both arms and drew two, thin blades one in each hand. He then proceeded to perform a series of graceful movements, almost a dance, incorporating martial arts moves with the swords swinging in elegant circles. He looked straight ahead never once turning his head to left or right; his full coat skirts swirled through the air. Jude looked on in amazement as the monsters fell around him. The first monsters were taken by surprise, but the others soon caught on that they were no longer the hunters, and ran to attack. But it made no difference to the dance of the dark avenger, wherever their axe blows fell, he was not there. The monsters fell, the swords singing through the air uninterrupted.
The swords were gracefully returned to their scabbards and the swirling coat became still. The monsters were all laid on the floor, dead faces twisted in surprise and fear. It had all happened so quickly, but Jude felt as if he’d been watching it in slow motion, he could remember every detail of every spinning kick and every sword blow arcing elegantly through the air. Jude realised he’d been holding his breath throughout the encounter and his protesting lungs gasped for air.
The figure in front of him lowered his hood, and Jude saw a familiar face with long blonde hair. The eyes seemed more intense than mad and staring this time. He beckoned to him, “Come”, and in a swirl of leather he headed back out of the alleyway. Jude didn’t need to be asked twice. He didn’t think he’d be lucky enough to get a third rescue.
Jude could hear more shouts in the distance and they were getting closer. His rescuer was running ahead of him with fleet silent steps, his coat billowing out behind him, and he seemed to know where he was going. Jude hoped so anyway.
Suddenly ahead of them in the alleyway near some crates, Jude saw something red and sparkling. He sprinted ahead; they were red, sparkly shoes. Behind the crates, lay Ruby, her eyes were closed and she was still dressed in pyjamas and Jude’s coat.
“Ruby”, he called, shaking her arm. She murmured, she seemed only to be asleep Jude thought in relief. Two leather clad arms reached past Jude and picked Ruby up as if she weighted nothing at all, slinging her over his shoulder. They set off running again, the shouting getting closer. His burden seemed to make no difference to the speed of his and now Ruby’s rescuer. Jude wondered if he could carry him as well, he didn’t think he could run much further his legs felt like lead and he was sure he had no adrenalin left.
They turned another corner and Jude saw green ahead of him and felt the wind on his face. They had made it out from the warehouses and were headed into the woods.
“Will they follow us into the woods?” gasped Jude.
“Trees don’t like Orcs.” He replied.
“Don’t you mean that they don’t like the trees?”
“No, I mean the trees don’t like Orcs.”