“But don’t bring anyone else. It’sjust you and the other one who are suitable.”
“Okay, anything you say.” Bill thoughtof something. “But you haven't told me where it is.”
“At the back of college is a footpaththat leads through Wych Elm Wood. Follow that until you go uphill. You’ll seean old ruined church called Saint Pius.”
Bill was confused. “You want us tofollow a path to a church?”
“That’s where the moot is, got it?”
“Okay, got it. What time?”
“The main action is at midnight,tomorrow night, so you arrive fifteen minutes beforehand.”
“Well that’ll be excellent. What Imean to say is... thanks,” said Bill with a nervous grin.
Lilith turned to have a sip of herdrink. Bill stood and looked at the girls for a few seconds. “Well run alongthen!” she said.
Bill left the girls and made his waythrough the archway and into the main part of the pub. He couldn’t wait to tellArthur the news.
As he pushed through the crowd hecould see that there was some sort of commotion. A plump, middle-aged woman...was attacking Arthur! Bill could see that she was one of the creatures. She hadher hands out, trying to grab Arthur around the throat and was mumblingsomething under her breath. Bill couldn’t hear what she was saying becausepeople were shouting. A couple of men grabbed the woman and tried to pull heraway.
“Not another one,” said the barman,then shouted angrily at the woman, “You need to take your drugs, regular like.I can’t have all this trouble.”
Bill pushed his way forward until hewas standing beside Dean, Frank and George.
The woman had been dragged backwardand was pinned down by the two men. She was gnashing her teeth, trying to bitethem, fighting furiously to be free.
“What’s going on?” said Bill.
“Second one this week,” said Dean.“It’s getting worse. It’s all over.”
“Really?” Bill looked at the woman’sghostly-white face, threaded with tiny red blood vessels, her pointed eyes,curled horns, bestial eyes. “Can you see it? She looks horrible.”
“She looks just like my mum,” saidGeorge. “Looks like she wouldn’t harm a fly. Who’d had thought she’d be acrazy? But you just can’t tell.”
Frank had remained silent, but whenshe spoke his voice was earnest. “Satan has possessed her. We must do somethingbefore he takes us all!”
George rolled his eyes. “Not thatagain. You promised you’re put a lid on it.”
Bill looked at Arthur, who was sittingdown in the corner. He looked a little shaken. A barmaid handed him a glass ofwater.
Then one of the men who’d been holdingthe woman shouted in surprise. The woman had managed to bite a fairly largechunk of flesh out of his forearm. He jumped back, shocked as the blood ranonto the carpet and down his jeans. Her chanting became much louder and moremanic. She seemed to be speaking in an ancient language but there was uproar inthe pub and Bill couldn’t hear her properly. The man fell to the floor,unconscious.
The other man who’d been holding thewoman released his grip for a moment, scared of also being bitten, and thewoman took this opportunity to struggle free and get to her feet.
“Coming through, move back,” said aloud voice from behind.
Bill turned and saw three policemen cominginto the pub. Each was carrying a long black rifle. The crowd parted to letthem past. The woman, who face was now covered in blood, and was still mumblingstrange words, was looked at people in the crowd, deciding who to attack next.Then one of the policemen took aim and fired. The woman screamed, convulsed andfell to the floor unconscious. She wasn’t dead, only stunned by electricity.
“Thank God someone rang the coppers,”said Dean.
Everyone in the pub visibly relaxed,began chatting about their ordeal, but Bill saw something. The man lying on thefloor, the one who’d been bitten, had horns growing out of his forehead. He’dgrown very pale and a shimmering light danced around his head.
“Look at him,” said Bill. “He’sturning.”
“Has he been bit, sonny?” said one ofthe policemen.
“Yes.”
The man got to his feet, but before hecould say or do anything one of the policemen shot him with his electric rifle.
*
Thenext day Bill met Arthur in his room just before lunch and tried to explainwhat he’d seen.
“And they all had really weird yelloweyes. It was scary.”
Arthur gave Bill a puzzled look. “Thatbeer must have really gone to your head.”
“I don’t think alcohol causeshallucinations.”
“Well I didn’t see any yellow-eyedweirdo. Just some soppy looking woman trying to strangle me, bite me, chantingsomething as well.”
“Well I saw quite a few. But theyweren’t attacking anyone. Mother said they won’t attack, so what happened?”
“Next one you see you point it out andI’ll have a good look.”
Bill thought hard. “I’m going to getto the bottom of this, find out what the hell’s going on. They’re not justcrazy people, they change.”
“I’m not saying I don’t believe you,but what you’re saying sounds impossible.”
“It does. Maybe I’ve got specialpowers?”
“Yeah! Like Spiderman or the GreenLantern.”
Bill had no idea what Arthur wastalking about. He was glad he’d told his friend about his strange sightings,but knew he couldn’t really help. When he’d seen them at Brimstone Manor andtold Beryl, she’d said something about the time not being right. Maybe shemeant he would find out after his 'treatments'? Maybe the university had somesort of expert in the field of beast spotting. Bill had no memories beyond afew months so didn’t know if beast spotting was something a lot of people coulddo.
“Anyway, we have much more importantthings to worry about,” said Arthur wiggling his eyebrows.
“Like what?”
“Like a certain party you said we’regoing to tonight. Can you believe it? Two gorgeous girls inviting us to aparty. This could be our lucky night.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well you know, two cool girls, twocool guys. We’d better buy supplies. Follow me.”
Bill nodded his agreement but had noidea what Arthur was talking about.
They left the room, went downstairsand out of Connaught Hall. Crossing the path through the rose garden, they leftcollege through the side gate in the railings.
They stopped at a hardware shop nextdoor to The Dizzy Duck and bought a torch.
“’Cos it’ll be dark
