The Teratologist by Ward Parker

Author:Ward Parker [Parker, Ward]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pandamoon Publishing
Published: 2018-08-08T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The Stockhursts’ housekeeper peered through the front door of the cottage with half-asleep eyes.

“Is that you, Doctor?”

“Yes,” Follett said. “I need to speak with Mr. Stockhurst at once. I’ll wait out here.”

Almost immediately, Stockhurst joined him on the porch. His eyes were bloodshot from drink and lack of sleep. His shirt was open and collar removed. He had thrown on a jacket but no vest. His hair stood up at the back and his face hadn’t been graced by a razor in quite a while.

“Has he been found?” were the first words out of his mouth.

“I just saw him, but he escaped. This is difficult to speak about.”

“Tell me! Is he all right?”

“He appears in good health. Mr. Stockhurst, I saw him kill another man tonight.”

His head dropped but he didn’t say anything.

“Richard Spence. Darryl killed him right in front of me. Probably in retaliation for taunting him.”

“Did he use a weapon?”

“No. He didn’t need a weapon.”

“I see.”

“We need to have a frank discussion,” Follett said. “I need to understand more about Darryl’s abilities. For instance, has he always been this strong?”

He nodded. “Fast and strong.”

“Strong enough to decapitate an adult without using a weapon?”

“How should I know?”

“What about his supernatural abilities? Has he always been able to read minds and move objects without touching them?”

“It began after he reached puberty.”

“Mr. Stockhurst, I have a confession to make. At my request, Darryl was using his abilities to attempt to contact the spirit of my deceased wife. In doing so, he became, I think, possessed by a malevolent force—a spirit or entity that had been communicating with him previously. I believe this entity has unleashed Darryl’s powers or perhaps even made them stronger, while encouraging him to seek revenge against anyone who has wronged him, and possibly to pursue this entity’s own agenda. It has freed Darryl from any moral constraint, setting loose the animal that is suppressed within him as it is with all humans.”

“You had promised you wanted to help him,” Diana said, standing in the doorway. “But instead you led him into this…this insanity!”

“I apologize,” Follett said. “It was selfish of me, I admit. I’ve made many irrational decisions since I lost my wife.”

“Well, what are we going to do about this?” Stockhurst said.

“I’m afraid that I have to return to New York. There is something I need to investigate.”

“You can’t possibly be serious,” Diana said.

“I need to find out some information that will help us understand Darryl more.”

Diana’s brow furrowed and her nostrils flared as she said in a flat voice, “You can’t leave. You have to help us save him.”

“Miss Strom, you don’t understand. Darryl has threatened my life. I watched a man’s head…I saw a man brutally slaughtered tonight. What purpose would I serve waiting around until Darryl does the same to me?”

“To repair the damage you set in motion,” she said. “I understand you were traumatized by the war and you miss your wife; but still, you must face this. Isn’t the motto of physicians to do no harm? Yet harm is exactly what you have done and now you want to leave.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.