Read Online Hellraisers by Alexander Gordon Smith - Free Book Online Page B

day when I started here, by mistake, kind of stuck.”
    â€œHere,” said Marlow, chewing on the word. “A hospital, right?”
    It had to be, didn’t it? With this bed, and all the equipment. That explained a lot. Explained why he’d imagined the world coming to life and trying to murder him. Explained why he’d seen somebody return from the dead. He stretched his mind back, trying to put the chaos of his memories in some kind of order. The school, the store.
    â€œIt’s all real, before you ask. What you saw. I’d love to tell you otherwise but that would make me a liar. And say one thing for me, I’m not that.”
    Real. Marlow shook his head.
    â€œNo way,” he said. “No way.” As if repeating it might make it true. He tugged at the straps, grunting with frustration, his mouth drier than ever. “Think I could get something to drink?”
    â€œIn a minute,” said Herc. The big man winced, his injuries obviously painful. “Got some choices to talk over first.”
    â€œChoices?” Marlow frowned, didn’t like the expression on the man’s face.
    â€œI’ll keep it simple. What you saw back there was never meant to be seen. Not by you. We have a protocol here. The first law. The world cannot know.”
    â€œKnow what?” Marlow said, feeling the panic start to claw into his lungs, the asthma a claw around his throat. He coughed again, wheezing as he drew breath, trying to work out where his inhaler would be.
    â€œWell, that’s the problem, ain’t it?” Herc said. “I can’t tell you, because then you’ll know. Why don’t you start with what you think you saw.”
    Marlow frowned, his mind slipping back into the fire, into the chaos.
    â€œThose things,” he said. “They were made of … They were … What were they?”
    And too late he figured he should have said, I didn’t see anything, everything is a blank, was I in a car accident?
    â€œI mean, I don’t remember,” he stuttered.
    â€œNice try.” Herc sat back, sighed, the chair creaking under his bulk. “Okay, so you saw them. That limits what choices you get, and they were a limited bunch of choices anyway. Pick door number one, you come work for us.”
    â€œWork for you? As what?”
    â€œAn Engineer,” Herc said, grunting when he saw Marlow’s expression. “A soldier, really. Of sorts. Good work, great pay, we look after your family too.”
    When you die. He didn’t need to say it, it was right there in the way his eyes never left the floor.
    â€œI’ll pass, thanks,” Marlow said. “Whatever you guys are into, you’re welcome to it. I don’t want any part of it.”
    The hum of the MRI machine faded, making the room seem deathly quiet. Marlow looked over as the tray slid free from the machine. Pan rolled off, as graceful as water, dressed in her underwear, her hands fluffing up her short hair. There was still a scar over her heart but it looked ancient now, like it had healed years ago. She caught him staring and scowled, snatching up a dressing gown and marching behind a curtain.
    â€œYou sure?” Herc said, reminding Marlow that he and Pan weren’t the only two people in the world. “ She’s behind door number one.”
    â€œI thought you said don’t go there?”
    â€œJust saying,” Herc said. “There are other perks too.”
    â€œYeah? Like what?”
    â€œLike anything you want,” Herc said with another gruesome smile. “ Literally anything.”
    Marlow shook his head, trying to shuffle his thoughts into some kind of order. He snatched in a breath, caught the stench of smoke wafting off Herc. And suddenly he was right there again, in the heat of it, his lungs full of fire and burning flesh. He closed his eyes and all he could see was the world tearing itself apart, a creature made of