Nature or Nurture Ch. 28-30

Chapter 28

The next morning they leave, having packed for a week's journey. Grown wise from past experience, they have packed plenty of weaponry, their guns and several cartridges of bullets, a hidden knife for Adison and a sabre that Vincent carries openly.

Of course a well-outfitted doctor's bag. The carriage-driver knows where he is supposed to go, so they sit back and try to enjoy the ride.

As soon as the carriage is in motion, they are in each others arms, trying to find some release for the tension they've been under. It is not easy to make love in a speeding carriage, but it can be done. It works too, for afterwards they are a lot calmer than they were, and they start to realize what they are doing.

'If this works, we'll have responsibility for a child,' Adison says, 'she's probably not yet two years old. Do you think we'll be able to raise a child?'

Vincent looks at her with admiration and replies, 'I'm sure you are, I remember how you raised me as if it was yesterday.'

She's not having that.

'That wasn't like raising a child at all, you only needed to be reminded of things, and you had the temperament of an adult. With her mom and dad, this will be a feisty lady, she'll take some raising. Children take years to grow up, not a few months.'

Vincent is unshakable.

'Still I'm sure you can handle it, and with your help, I will manage too.'

After a short pause he adds, 'My love, I think I know how you stand in this, which is why I have not asked before, but if you object in any way to taking in a child that is not related to you at all, and whose parents you have in some way never even known, I will understand. We can just meet little Catherine and leave her with her caretaker.'

'That thought has never even crossed my mind, Vincent.' She sounds affected, and explains why. 'You know, Vincent, lately I have been thinking it would be nice to have children. This may be our only chance to have one that is related to one of us.

I'm thrilled! And besides, it would be way too dangerous to leave her there unguarded.'

This time it is Vincent's turn to have a new thought.

'You think I may be unable to have children?'

Adison nods. 'Of course I'm not sure, but somehow fertility in men seems to be connected with having a beard. I'm sorry.'

'Don't be,' he says, 'I'm very happy as we are. Let's see if we can find little Catherine first.'

After two days of hard travel, sleeping in inns twice and changing horses regularly, they reach the inn where they will exchange horses for the last time, then press on deep into the evening until they arrive at the village where Mrs Kent lives.

They go inside to have a good, hot meal after their tiring day of travel, and are soon seated snugly at a table for two, with the best fare the inn has to offer on the table between them.

The inn is very quiet, at a time of the day when one would suspect it to be filled with hungry villagers and travellers like themselves.

When the waitress brings their drinks, Vincent asks if it is normal to see so few visitors on an evening like this. The reaction of the girl to the question is strange, for her face takes on an expression of extreme fear, and she says, 'Oh no, good sir, not at all. Our inn used to be filled up with people at this time of the evening, all eating and drinking and making merry. But nowadays no-one dares go out after dark, all the good people stay inside and keep their doors and windows locked tight.'

That is weird, and Adison wants to know more.

'But why don't they dare to go out? Are there robbers about?'

'No my lady, there be no robbers, there be a gytrash on the moors, a murderous ghost in the shape of a beautiful black horse with flowing mane and tail.

It has already done for four men, wanting to catch it and ending up in the moors, drowned you see. It tempts them then kills them. No bodies were found, but they never came home to their wives and children.'

She puts their drinks down, then goes back to the kitchen.

That doesn't sound too good, even though neither of them believes in ghosts. Still, they're not going to ruin a good meal over a horror story, after all, they've seen their share of monsters and fought them as well.

And the food is good, stew with freshly baked bread, slices of roast pork, baked potatoes. They eat well, then sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee, it will be a long evening, driving through the dark. Tired, they don't talk much, the heat of the fireplace makes them sleepy, and they sit nodding.

Then a man approaches them, well-dressed but with a rather humble attitude.

Adison guesses it's the innkeeper, and she soon finds out she is right.

'Sir, my lady, I have heard from your driver that you are planning to travel on to Gimmerton tonight. May I advise against it very strenuously and offer you the facilities of my inn, it is really unsafe to travel in the dark in these parts.

A so-called gytrash has been sighted and it has taken the lives of four men so far.'

He wrings his hands in worry, apparently seriously upset by the idea of people going out after dark. Adison looks at Vincent, who tells the innkeeper, 'We are planning to continue our journey with fresh horses, we mean to reach our destination tonight, it is only three more hours of travel on an excellent road.

Whatever could a horse do to us, as long as we don't follow it into the moors?'

Adison agrees totally with him, but she hopes the driver will see it their way. If he refuses to drive, they will be forced to stay the night.

As it happens, the driver agrees with them totally, he is very much a city man and not inclined to believe farmers' folk tales, as he puts it.

He clearly is a man of the world, as he shows them a large gun on his belt as well as a sword like Vincent's.

'I can protect myself, sir, have been in several gang-wars in my wilder days. Needs to be a big bad horse to scare me,' he brags, 'if there is trouble I can't handle I'll knock on the carriage window, and you can do your part.

I've heard of your reputation as a fighter, master Heathcliff, I'm guessing together we can handle pretty much anything this here country can throw at us.'

Thinking of the vampire creatures, Adison is not so sure of his fighting prowess when under attack by the supernatural, but she finds his superior city attitude very entertaining, and she does trust Vincent's ability to handle almost anything.

And maybe she also suffers from city superiority, for she finds it hard to imagine something out there in the country that can harm them. Unless, but that seems quite far-fetched, it is the enemy plotting to take the child, waylaying them in the country, where they don't have allies.

She asks their host, the innkeeper, how long these attacks have been going on, and he answers, 'A few weeks now, madam, and if they keep up much longer my business will start to suffer seriously.' She thanks him for his answer and his good care, and observes to Vincent, 'That is too early to be set up to stop us, but it could have been set up to get at your daughter.'

'We could do worse than be on our guard. I will not sleep and I suggest you do the same and keep your weapons ready for use and within reach.

I am considering riding on the box with the driver, to allow me to keep an eye out for danger. Would you mind that?'

Though she doesn't like being alone in the carriage, Adison doesn't feel like being surprised by enemies either, and in a closed carriage they'll be sitting ducks.

'I don't like it, but I realize it is the wisest thing to do if we're not to be ambushed or surprised by attackers.'

And so it happens that when they set off again, with fresh horses, Vincent rides along on the box, fully armed and alert, and Adison sits inside the carriage, also fully armed and keeping her senses open for the feeling of evil.

After two hours of driving, they are making good time and no suspicious horses have shown themselves.

Vincent has no trouble staying awake, and neither has the driver, who he now knows is called Neil.

Neil has apparently driven him often when he was still Heathcliff, and it is clear from their conversation that Heathcliff had a formidable reputation for being a ferocious fighter, but also for having a vicious temper. Having a serious conversation on the box seat would have been out of the question with him.

Vincent learns that Neil also thinks that he has to have experienced something unspeakably fearsome to have turned white, and to have suffered such a wound as to leave a big scar in his face. Apparently the story of Adison's healing power has already spread, for she is credited with both his survival and his change of character.

That won't do her practice any harm, he guesses. Neil himself comes from the poorer quarters, and has worked himself up from stable boy to driver by his extraordinary talent with horses of any stamp.

He knew Heathcliff's horse not only by reputation, but also from experience.

'I could have handled him, but I couldn't afford to keep such an animal,' he says, 'and anyway, what would I do with a gentleman's horse?'

He has a nice home and a family, and is satisfied with life as it is. This trip is a nice change from hasty trips in the city, and long waits in the cold, keeping the horses quiet and warm whilst the rich enjoy themselves in the theatre or their club.

And it pays well, of course.

Now, they don't talk much anymore but rather watch the road and the darkness around it.

Neil also watches the horses closely, with their keener senses they will warn them of danger before a man can sense it.

Sitting next to a man whom many would think of as one of the most feared men in the city is decidedly weird, especially talking with him as if he is truly human, about common things like family and dreams for the future.

Neil used to be really careful around him, and wisely so, for he could turn violent in an instant. He was not surprised when Mr Heathcliff disappeared and word on the street was that he had been killed in a bar brawl.

Not sorry either, to be honest.

But now that has changed, whatever Mr Heathcliff has been through seems to have thoroughly changed him, and though Neil will not take any liberties towards him, so far the change has been real.

Lost in his thoughts, Neil is still very attentive to his surroundings, and when he notices an extra alertness in the horses he quickly tells Mr Heathcliff, who has his gun out before Neil can finish his warning.

Mr Heathcliff used to be quick, but not thát quick.

He is barely able to finish that thought, for in front of the carriage, standing by the side of the road, is a beautiful coal black horse. It is not threatening, but grazing. In the dark.

He says in a low voice, 'Horses don't graze in the dark, or beside the road.'

Their own horses don't seem nervous or disturbed by this horse now they've spotted it. Not wanting to have a potential threat behind them, they decide to stop and investigate.

Mr Heathcliff knocks on the carriage window to warn his fiancée, Miss Adison, who looks like a little grey mouse, but who apparently saved Mr Heathcliff's life and single handedly tamed her wild lover to the well-mannered, mild spoken man sitting next to Neil.

With the carriage come to a halt, Neil immediately sees to the horses, they are his first responsibility and Mr Heathcliff can clearly take care of himself and his fiancée very well.

From his position at their heads, he can see Mr Heathcliff climbing down from the box and opening the door for Miss Adison.

She doesn't look scared or helpless at all, not burdened by any ladies' stuff like a bag or a kerchief, but rather carrying a medium sized gun as if she knows how to handle it.

He can see a large knife on her belt, and she walks alert and balanced like a street-fighter.

Mr Heathcliff now looks more like he used to, a predator on the loose.

He does not look at Miss Adison, rather trusting she is at his side, as if they have been into danger before. Having been a gang-member, Neil knows how people move in a group, and these two have fought together before.

Strangely enough, Miss Adison is the first to approach the horse, and it nears her fearlessly, as if it is just a horse that has escaped and wants to be found by humans. Neil studies its stance and its demeanour, and though it looks like a normal horse, it behaves more like a predator, too fearless and too forward, almost eager.

Miss Adison has stopped, and is discussing something with Mr Heathcliff now.

Neil decides to warn him, in a quiet voice that carries far enough in the night.

'Be careful Mr Heathcliff, that looks like your former horse, but it moves like a hunting dog.'

Mr Heathcliff nods, and both point a gun at it. The horse-like creature seems to know its chance to fool these victims has passed, for it now shows its true nature, and Neil's special report with horses is soon tested to the limit as the large black horse broadens and changes into a huge black slavering dog with red eyes and teeth gleaming white in the light of the carriage-lanterns.

The horses snort and tremble in fear, and try to flee. But they are already a little tired, and he is at their heads, so he manages to get them calmed down, convincing them they don't want to look at the horrifying beast but at a few treats he carries in his pockets.

Now, he can look at the terrifying scene again, and the enormous black beast now resembles nothing so much as a creature he once saw at the zoo, a hyena, only much bigger and intensely black.

It has sprouted a second head, which proves to Neil that this is not a natural creature from the moors, but a supernatural threat.

He is frozen with indecision, there is no way Mr Heathcliff can beat this creature on his own, but if he releases the horses they'll break and run, almost certainly ruining the carriage and costing them their own lives.

He knows shots will be fired, so he attends to the horses again, and none too soon, for both his passengers now empty their guns' cartridges into the beast with a thundering noise.

Noise over, he can see that the beast has taken damage, but it has not been beaten by any means. Now Miss Adison falls back on a shout by Mr Heathcliff, and he takes on an offensive stance, one that Neil doesn't recognize.

Miss Adison now joins Neil at the horses' heads, and warns him to keep his gun ready to shoot if Vincent, the name by which Mr Heathcliff goes now, should fall.

But for now, there is no need for his gun. The small, dark figure whirls a shining sword, clearly an expert swordsman.

He doesn't attack yet, which is not as Neil remembers Mr Heathcliff, always a hothead ready to launch himself into a fight.

This figure takes his time, waiting for his opponent to strike first. And as the huge creature goes for his throat, the man flashes under it with incredible speed, raking its tender belly with the sword.

The first blood spouts, and the man emerges behind the monster and starts hacking at its hind legs with a vengeance.

The creature howls in pain and anger, and turns in an instant. It is not bested by far, but it leaves a trail of blood, and one of its hind legs is not moving as fast as the rest of it.

Mad with anger it again attacks Mr Heathcliff, is this cool headed figure really him?

And the human figure launches itself over the heads this time, flying or so it seems, slashing at the neck of the head to the left in whirlwind moves.

Both feet back on the ground, he closes in, knowing the creature will turn on him again any moment, and slashes once more at the already damaged leg.

The man is so incredibly fast that it just seems humanly impossible.

But hacking through a leg the size of a plough horse's takes time, and the creature has spun again and delivers a slashing bite of its own with its undamaged right head.

The small figure is flung a distance, fortunately away from the horses, and lands with a crash.

Neil is crushed, he seemed to be doing so well, why didn't he take more time?

The creature was bleeding profusely, it couldn't have lasted much longer.

He reaches for his gun, ready to defend his life and the horses' against the monster.

Beside him, Miss Adison is readying her knife, looking crushed by the damage done to her lover. But that one is already back on his two legs, bleeding now, but not looking any weaker for it, nor any slower.

He faces the monster attacking him again, and this time he jumps up to the height of the creature's one undamaged face, then slashes down two-handedly in a terrifying show of strength.

The blow, delivered with incredible force, causes the monster's right head to split in a shower of blood.

Can this be a normal man, delivering blows like that? Neil shakes his head to clear his mind, he cannot believe what he just witnessed.

There is still some life in the huge creature, but its movements no longer seem coordinated, they look more like spasms.

The only slightly wounded left head still feebly threatens its small human attacker, and Mr Heathcliff braves the thrashing pillars of its legs and the badly coordinated left head to deliver a final killing blow to the monster.

Its thrashing stops, the head drops, leaving a huge carcass lying beside the road. The man still stands, tired to death and bleeding, but victorious.

How one man managed to beat such a creature is a total mystery to Neil, even though he saw it happen right before his own eyes.

Miss Adison now asks him for his gun, and realizing she wants to go to her lover he hands it over. Rather she than him, he'll guard the horses a little longer.

Holding the gun ready, Miss Adison nears Mr Heathcliff, who is now clearly on the point of collapse.

Neil is impressed by her guts as well, that is a fearsome creature, even apparently dead.

She is just in time to catch her lover as he falls, and remembering she is a doctor, he is not surprised that she manages to keep him upright, and guides him to the carriage.

She asks Neil if he can leave the horses for a bit now, and he judges he can, helping her set Mr Heathcliff down on a grassy knoll next to the carriage, well within its lights.

She tells him, 'He is not badly wounded, I'll take care of him in a minute.

But first I want to see if that creature is really dead, and what it was.

So she leaves him with Mr Heathcliff and coolly walks to the dead monster, checking its vital signs, gun at the ready in her one hand, knife in the other. She spends another minute observing it in total silence, almost like a trance.

Then she quickly runs back, returns his gun, puts her knife away and climbs into the coach to grab a big bag.

Now Miss Adison returns to her wounded man, and finally shows the concern Neil would expect her to. She strokes his black hair, his white cheek, until he looks up at her.

Embarrassed to witness such intimacy, Neil busies himself with the horses, certain she'll call him if she needs help.

Chapter 29

Adison tries to get into contact with Vincent, to see how badly he is hurt, but she finds it hard to wake him up.

She decides to give him a bit of a new component of her doctor's bag, some of the director's vile liquor. Feeding him a sip from a stoppered vial he sputters and wakes up immediately.

'That really is gross. I got him, didn't I?'

Adison looks at him proudly.

'You sure did, you were magnificent, 't was as if you were flying. Shame Bruce couldn't see it.

Why weren't you awake just now?'

Vincent looks truly surprised.

'I don't know, it got a hit on me only once, and that didn't stun me. You think it spelled me?'

Well, at least he seems wide-awake now.