Preys and Predator Part II; the monster and witches' Chapter 44

 

44.

Victor woke up in a state of pain. Both his ribs ached, and there were bruises on his face. He found himself on the divan at the library of the mansion. He looked at the portrait of his Dada, who was frowning at the sight of the son.

“Arghh….” Victor groaned when he tried to sit up. He felt hands upon him and saw it was Sven.

“Are you okay, Master Victor?” Sven asked.

“Sven found you at the creek. You were on the ground.” It was Spielsdorf. “He saw you there.”

“It was those monsters who injured you, Master Victor. I saw two of them there, and one was kicking at your sides. I rushed in and clubbed them on the head. They went down on their faces.”

“Monsters they were!” Sven did not hesitate in his anger. “I told them to scram off or it will be my bayonet into them. They left in a hurry.”

“Sven carried you back here.” Spielberg looked at the younger man. “I had bandaged your wounds. It will hurt for a while, but I doubt you have any broken bones. Perhaps when you can travel, I will get Sven to take you to the next village and get the doctor there to check you.”

“No …… Not required. What about Silvus?” Victor asked.

“Dead, Master Victor. He was dead even before I checked on him. I have seen many dead men before. His head was on the wrong side, and his left arm was removed from his shoulder. He was one dead man then. I have no tears for him. He was a bad man.” Sven looked away. “If I……”

“We will find him soon.” Spielberg assured the concerned guardian. “I am sure Henry is out there and will return.”

“Henry…….” Victor muttered, and Sven rushed to approach him.

“Did you see Henry, Master Victor?”

“I…… I……” Victor struggled to reply. “I went to look for him, but did……. Not seeing him. I was hit in the back, and then I am here.”

“You are lucky, Master Victor. I had not joined the crowd and checked my own. I was past the creek and to the yonder treelines. It was getting late, and I doubled back, and that was when I saw you. I rushed forth and clubbed them. Bess here never likes those who hit a man when he is down.”

“Thank you, Sven.” Victor looked at the devoted servant. He felt a sigh of remorse for what he did to Henry. “Where is Elizabeth?”

“She went home. The maids told me.” Sven replied. “I was not here.”

“Home? I …” Victor struggled to get up, but Spielsdorf stopped him.

“You cannot be moving. Stay there. I will tend to Ms. Elizabeth myself.” Spielberg walked out of the library.

“Sven, if you happened to see Henry. Tell him I am sorry and missed him.” Victor looked at the servant.

“I……” Sven paused in his reply. He was unsure why the Master needed to apologize. He was the Master, and in the eyes of them, the Master could do no wrong. There were unanswered issues from the death of Ernest and Maple. He had no answers to why they were there and how they died. He had assigned Maple to take care of the youngest master, but that was all he was to know. He heard of the rumours of Elaine and William, but he stifled the gossips. He wanted them to do their duties and not get into their heads that the way to be promoted was with their legs opened. He does not need any more unwanted business.

Taking care of unwanted business was the duty of Mother Hubbard. The committee assigned her the new task: terminate Victor Frankenstein. Killing was the correct term, but termination had a ring of official note there.

“You do not kill a cockroach. You terminate it. If you say I kill a cockroach, then it was done with a sharp object or a gunshot, but the fact you smacked it with its innards splattering out, that is a termination process. You had left nothing to be salvaged from the carcass.” Mother Hubbard learned that from her departed lover, Major Stony Stubbins, who explained the difference between a kill and a termination.

“I terminate them.” The major had clarified. “I am an artilleryman, and with my cannons, I had them terminated with little to nothing of them left. I even do have their names or their ranks, for I cared none of that.”

Mother Hubbard believed him, but when she killed him on finding out that he was a filthy son of a bitch who had another family with his kids in Paddington while he was professing his love to her on their bed in the city,. She saw him on the train from Paddington at 4:50, right across the rail. She confronted him, and he confessed, but she was not accepting it.

“Stubbins, confessions are best said at the booth, for I am not a priest but a lady scorned with fury. When Hell demands retribution, I will deliver.” Mother Hubbard shot her lover in the face and groin.

One day, it will be recognized as the ‘double tap,’ but for then, she felt she killed two monsters in one day. One was his face, that she saw the monster in there, and the other was the monster she had named him.

“Yes, Stubbins. You are going to Hell without a monster between your legs, but a monster will get at you there from the rear. Do not bend, squat, or look behind. You are not going to like that monster staring at you there.”

Like the time you lost your virginity, it can be hard to forget, and Stubbins was her first kill.

Virginity; that is a lady’s secret.

“Mrs. Muriel. I accept the task.” Mother Hubbard smiled. “I heard the Frankenstein will…… pardon me, must need a new matron for the mansion.”

“I held out the needed credentials for the post.” Mother Hubbard pushed her heavy bosom forward.

It was also Lauren who pressed on with her father that she needed to be there to see Carmilla. Spielberg was undecided on the action, and with the pressing matter of Frankenstein, he used that as an excuse to delay the trip.

“Lauren, we will leave soon. I just need to settle the matters here in the mansion.” Spielberg looked at his daughter. “Give me a few days, please.”

“That was what you said last week.” Lauren was upset. “You have been……”

“Lauren, do not taunt me with your words. I am your father. I will do what is needed.” Spielberg drew the line on the discussion.

“What if I tell you I am dying?” Lauren called out. “My heartbeats are getting low. I can hardly hear it. I need to ask Carmilla. It was like this before I met her. Now I am back to then.”

The topic of Lauren’s health dismayed the father’s mood. He was not prepared for that. He approached his daughter.

“Please tell me.”

The chief constable stood at the road looking at the returning group of villagers. He was doing a mental count to ensure no one was left behind. Watson was next to him, tabulating the figures. He saw Patrick approaching him. That was certain to be bad news.

“Chief Constable, Clarence and Carson were set upon by the servant from the mansion. They told me they were helping the young master at the creek when they were clubbed by the servant.” Patrick indicated to the two men staggering out of the forest, assisted by others.

“Ask them to make a report to Watson here.”

“Added to that, they found Silvus’s body there. He was trampled to death. I am telling you a monster did that.” Patrick was focused on putting the blame on the monster. “Dead, sir. Dead.”

Dead meant the monster was up another notch in the list of deaths.

“Where is Silvus’s body?”

“Coming out, sir. We will take him back to the village for a decent burial.” Patrick nodded. “I think he has a cousin there. We will inform her.”

“Sir,” Chief Constable Lestrade stopped the man. “Please tell the event in regard to that.”

“They saw the young master on the ground. They were assisting him and then were set on by the servant. He left them injured and then carried the Master Victor off. The two recovered and saw the Silvus body. They then called for our help, and here I am to report to you.” Patrick repeated his words. Constable Watson was jotting down in his notebook.

“Add to that, the name of Silvus to the list of dead.” The Chief Constable, Lestrade, told Watson,.

“Sir?” Watson looked to the Chief Constable. “Shall we check on the young master?”

“I will. But not now. I am due to return to the church and get my needed rest. The dead will not come alive, and the injured will need to rest. And I am to rest too, for I am……tired.”