“We could ring someone but I haven’tgot any money.”
Bill brightened. “I have and we couldring my mother. But I don’t know how to operate one of these public telephonecontraptions.”
“Give me,” said Arthur grabbing thehandset. “Tuppence for a local call.”
Bill handed him the money and he putit in the slot and dialled the numbers Bill recited.
“It’s ringing,” he said, handing thehandset to Bill.
“I can’t hear mother. I think it’sstill ringing. Wait a minute. It’s nearly one o’clock. I guess she’s in bed.”
The phone box shuddered and the boysheard another window break. The barking was very loud and Bill had to put hisfinger in his ear and shout a little.
“Hello mother... Yes, I know it’s verylate.”
“No I haven’t seen Professor Nox yet.I will, I promise. Listen mother, I’m in a spot of bother. I’m in a phone boxwith Arthur. There’s a mad dog outside that wants to eat us.”
“What do you mean describe the dog?It’s not some poodle. It’s a great big thing with funny yellow eyes and – Iknow this sound crazy – a halo around its head, like those people I told youabout. Also, there’s something else Mother. I’ve been stabbed in the chest.Yes, sorry. There a lot of blood. Everything’s spinning.”
Bill looked at Arthur and said, “She’sfreaking out now.”
“We’re behind the college, in a phonebox. Okay. I will. Sorry Mother.”
Bill hung up and looked at Arthur.“She’s sending Mordred in the Rolls.”
“Fat lot of good that’ll be,” saidArthur. “It’ll probably eat him too.”
*
TheProfessor watched Lord Percy open his black lipped mouth and expose a row ofpointed yellow teeth. He was almost touching Lilith’s neck.
“Wait!” she said. “I have VitaDantis. Step back and let me give it to you.”
With a huge effort of will, Lord Percystopped moving, then pushed Lilith away.
“A thousand thanks madam,” he said.“The damn voice does whisper so in my ear.”
Lilith looked offended at Percy’srejection.
The Professor took out the contraptionof metal pipes and wires from the black bag. She switched it on and it began tohum quietly. Then she opened the small ebony box and pulled out one of theglass phials. Removing the cork stopper, she poured the acrid smelling liquidinto the silver bowl built into the top of the machine. It began to heat up,smoke slightly, and swirl down a tiny hole in the bottom of the bowl. She tookthe thin plastic tube coming out of the bottom of the machine and screwed along needle to the end.
“What is this contraption?” said LordPercy. “The Good Doctor has Vita Dantis in glass jars. We have oneservant working the pump, another does the bellows.”
“Just give me your arm,” said theProfessor.
Lord Percy rolled up the sleeve of hisvelvet jacket and presented his forearm. The Professor slid the needle into hisvein and they waited a few minutes, watching intently. The girls saw a slight frownclouding Percy’s handsome brow, saw his fist clench and the sinews in hismuscled forearm twitch slightly. The Professor saw the red veins inside theblotchy alabaster arm spasm and, close up, saw the skin on the arm grow flakyand bruised.
“Something is terribly wrong,” saidLord Percy. “What is this foul poison you feed me?”
“It’s Vita Dantis. Just give ittime,” said the Professor, watching the bruised cast to his skin travel slowlyup the arm.
She looked directly into Lord Percy’sface and could see it growing deeply black and ruddy, like rotting meat. Thesavage yellow eyes were glaring at her in a very threatening way. She suddenlyfelt extremely scared and vulnerable.
Lord Percy pulled out the needle fromhis arm and let out an anguished wail. To the girls it sounded like a plaintivecry for help. To the Professor it sounded like the baying of some sinisterbeast.
He lashed out and knocked the ebonybox out of the Professor’s hand. It shot across the church and hit a stonecolumn. He grabbed the metal contraption and hurled it over the altar.
“Og shall not be silenced! No more ofthis poison. Og is my destiny!” wailed Lord Percy. He looked over at Lilith,quickly mumbling a strange incantation. She smiled back in a very flirtatiousway. “You my dear, come over here. I must take your blood and make you one ofus!”
*
Mordredturned the Rolls around a corner and saw the huge dog attacking the phone box,its furious barking and growling echoing around the deserted night-time street.He glided the Rolls to a halt, took off his grey driving gloves and put on apair of yellow Marigold’s – giving them a disdainful sneer because they clashedterribly with his smart grey uniform. Getting out slowly, he walked around thecar and opened the front door. On the passenger seat was a plate piled highwith raw meat and a large ceramic bowl filled with blood. He grabbed the plateand bowl and placed it on the kerb away from the car, being careful not tostain the leather seat.
“Here doggy doggy,” he called in animperious voice. He dipped a fairly hefty steak into the bowl of blood andthrew it towards the dog. It stopped barking for a moment, pounced on the steakand ate it ravenously.
“Here doggy doggy,” he called again,dipping more lumps of meat into the blood and throwing them so as to leave atrail to the bowl.
The dog jumped away from the telephonebox and began eating each piece of meat, following the trail to the bowl.
Mordred marched regally over to thephone box and opened the door.
“Sir. Sir’s friend.”
Arthur and Bill stumbled out of thephone box with Bill almost falling into the Butler’s arms. Mordred curled hislip in disdain when he saw the blood on Bill’s hand and across is stomach andwas horrified to see it had stained his grey uniform.
“The Rolls if you please.”
As they hobbled over to the car Billsaw the gate to the woods open and the huge bald man come out. He was clenchinghis fists and looking very angry. As he turned his head he caught Bill’s eyeand the man’s face split into a terrible grin. He started bounding over theroad, running in huge strides, never taking his small beady eyes off Bill.
As the brute of a man got to the
