Frank grabbed him forcibly by the armand pulled him back. “Be quiet you.”
Professor Nox removed Bill’s glasses,strapped the belt around his head and plugged the ends of the wires intosockets on the side of the box.
“Now we have you all prepared,”mumbled Nox, “I think I will start with three milliamps.” He turned a dial onthe box and Bill felt a tingling in his head.
The Professor filled the syringe withclear liquid from a jar. “You think this amount maybe a little too much?” hesaid to Doctor van Devlin.
“Maybe for his size, but we have runof of time and must take the risk.”
“Just inject the little freak,”snapped Frank with a scowl. “He’s been nothing but trouble.”
The Professor rolled up Bill’s sleeveand quickly injected the liquid into his arm. Bill tried to protest but foundhis words slurring. He watched Arthur’s face began to sway and blur. ProfessorNox dangled a cut jewel on a chain in front of his eyes. As it spun slowly hismind forgot about escape and he gazed in fascination at the light dancing offits facets.
Bill heard the Professor’s deep voice,distanced and detached. “You will go back, back to a time before you first wokeup in this world…”
Bill involuntarily obeyed and tried tothink back. But his mind found only a black void. The Professor turned a dialon the grey box. The needles on the ammeters began to flick wildly and Billconvulsed. Suddenly a whole world of memories began to open up before him…
*
DoctorWilliam Whitebeam’s body was racked with shooting pain. His mind was a jumbleof confused thoughts and strange visions. Eventually things became clearer, thepain subsided and he realised that he was lying on his back on a hard stonefloor. It felt very cold where it touched his bare skin. Then the pain vanishedand his mind cleared. He was naked and shivering badly from the intense cold.He opened his eyes, desperate to see where he was, and found himself in a verystrange and scary place. Out of darkness were floating beams of white lightthat surrounded him and swept all over his body. He perceived that these lightswere somehow held in the hands of a small group of people. He couldn’t seetheir faces as they were hidden in shadow, but he could hear mumbleddiscussion.
“Who the blazes are you?” he croaked,then coughed. “I demand that you show yourselves at once.”
Beryl came forward from out of theshadows and got him to sit up. She wrapped a thick blanket around his shouldersthen grabbed his trembling forearm and held it up. Doctor van Devlin appeared,his pale face full of grim fear, holding a needle attached to the end of a longplastic tube. He inserted it carefully into a vein.
“What is this?” said Doctor Whitebeam.
“We’re administering Vita Dantis.Be still.”
The Good Doctor took a few deepbreaths and let the chemical soup feed into his body. He was beginning toremember the tragic events of that morning. He was up in his room at theUnicorn. The Apostles were downstairs searching for Rowena. The stagecoach wasdue to leave in a matter of moments. He knew he had to catch it, had to getback to Middenmere, but the risk of discovery was great.
He went downstairs and managed to getout of the inn without being found – to the stable yard just a few feet away –but he was ambushed by a group of earnest young men who pulled back the hood onhis cloak and demanded to know where Rowena was. His skin became painful in thesunlight and he felt it blister and smoke. They dragged him behind the stableblock and threw him roughly to the ground. The last thing he remembered waswatching the grim, wide eyed face of a young man as he blasted a shotgun intohis chest…
Doctor Whitebeam came out of hisreverie, looked down at his chest and could see it was unharmed. Was hisimagination playing tricks? He gave Beryl a determined look. “I must away tothe woods to see if Rowena still lives. It is imperative we catch the nextstage to Middenmere…”
Doctor Whitebeam stopped talking andbecame wide-eyed. He’d just had a sudden and shocking realisation. He knew he’dnever see Rowena again and the aforementioned stage had long since departed. Hewas very far away from the safe and comfortable world he’d known. His eyes hadgrown accustomed to the darkness and he could see that the people around himwore strange clothes of bright colours and unusual fabrics. They had tinywatches on their wrists, with no waistcoat to hold a pocket watch. Although itseemed but a moment, many years must have passed before his awakening.
“Tell me madam, what year is this?”
“Don’t panic Doctor. It’s 1972.”
“19… Surely you jest madam! If so thenthis is a most remarkable feat of resurrection. How did you regenerate ceare ofsuch age? Can you vouch for the purity of the blood?”
Beryl held up her arm, which wasbandaged, and smiled. “I am impressed with your deductive powers, Doctor.”
“Has science brought understanding tothe resurrective powers of ceare?”
“Science?” said Beryl suddenly growingangry. “You are nothing but Satan’s abomination! We have followed theresurrection incantation from the Almanac Regenerationis. We dance with the Devil because theneed of you is so very great. I don’t pretend it’s something to celebrate.”
The Doctor didn’t quite understandBeryl’s furious rant. “Where am I?”
“You are in the cellar of Conatuschapel. This is where your cask was laid to rest. It should have been for alleternity.”
Doctor Whitebeam considered the hugespan of time. A hundred years! What marvellous progress science must surelyhave made! He thought again of the Apostles and the earnest young man blastingthe shotgun into his chest.
“But what of the Apostles? Do theystill pray on those who are cursed?”
“We are the Apostles.”
Doctor Whitebeam went pale. He eyedthe people surrounding him with suspicion and fear. “Your nefariousorganisation had me put to death! Now I understand your repugnance madam, butwhy in God’s name do you bring me back?”
“Do not dare mention the Lord!”
“Madam, what do you want of me?”
Beryl looked at the others and calmedherself. “We have your journal and have studied it very closely. The Apostlesof
