Gods and Monsters

X

Brick Lane, London

The nearby pub was packed with punters spilling out of the door so they could see what was happening in the rugby match. A loud cheer went up from inside with half the punters celebrating and the others finding their heads in their hands. Tommy LeBlanc stood further down the street on his tiptoes as he angled himself in an attempt to get a better view to what was happening in the match.

"Tommy! Look casual, Jacob could be there any minute," Tommy heard Charlie say from the earpiece he had been given by the team.

"Look casual? You've got me standing in the middle of the street with a bloody slushy in me hand. How's that casual?" Tommy replied quietly so as to not draw any further suspicion to himself.

Charlie and Peggy were parked in a van just round the corner from Tommy, and Peggy looked over at Charlie with a look which said: "He's got a point, you know."

Turning back to the microphone Charlie said: "I just thought it looked a bit better if you had something in your hands, making it seem like you're doing something."

Peggy decided to interject. "Have you seen him yet, Tommy? He was previously wearing a brown trench coat and cowboy hat."

Tommy looked around the busy street in an attempt to see if he could find his old friend. Everyone rushed by in such a blur that Tommy wasn't sure who was who, and he was now beginning to regret making this deal; if what the police had said about his life being in danger was true, then maybe it made sense to have them watching his back for free, but the longer he stayed here, the stupider and more like a snitch he began to feel. A figure bustled past Tommy, knocking his slushy out of his hands and onto the floor.

"Hey! You better pay for that mate!" Tommy shouted at the old man who had instantly apologised after the accident. "You think you're better than me, do you?"

Peggy didn't like how this was turning out. "Tommy, calm down! You're making a scene, unnecessarily. Leave the man be, and get back to looking for Jacob."

That was the final straw for Tommy. He was done being given orders by the police of all people. Having stood there for the last forty minutes with no sign of Jacob and only orders being barked at him, he had had enough. The small black earpiece was pulled out and thrown to the ground before being stomped on, next to the melting slushy.

"Oh for fuck sake!" Peggy said as she and Charlie exited the van and ran round the corner so that they could catch Tommy. Their plan to draw Jacob out had failed so far, and Tommy's outburst wasn't going to help anyone. They quickly found the crushed plastic and melting flavoured ice, but no sign of Tommy. Peggy didn't even want to imagine what trouble they would get into if Tommy got hurt, especially since only Atlin and Mike knew about this operation and had agreed to keep Yates busy with Katherine's interview while Peggy and Charlie pursued Jacob.

A loud shriek went up from around the corner, causing numerous heads to turn, but only Peggy and Charlie to pursue. They raced around the building and found the cobalt figure of Jacob standing over Tommy as his body filled with water.

"Police! Step away from Tommy, Jacob!"

Jacob froze for a moment, stopping the drowning of Tommy as he coughed up a huge amount of liquid before crawling up against the wall. Jacob rose his hands once again, aiming one at Peggy and one at Charlie, ready to drown both of them where they stood.

Do it, Jacob! Kill them, they'd do the same to you!

Jacob, control yourself. This isn't you. Give yourself up and get the help you need.

Jacob wasn't sure what to believe anymore. Standing there at that moment, Jacob agreed with both of the voices. Sure, this wasn't him, he wasn't a killer, but at the same time, he couldn't help but think that if they were allowed guns, Jacob wouldn't have been standing upright anywhere near as long as he had. The only problem was that he didn't know whether he even deserved to stand anymore. Peggy and Charlie began to move forward before Jacob raised his hands once again, and created a wave which sent the pair hiding behind their respective walls.

They both chased Jacob through the streets, this time, his head start once again allowing him to stay just far enough ahead to avoid being caught. He needed to escape, but he wasn't as familiar with this part of London, unaware of where the alleys led and what lay on the other side of each wall.

This is pointless, Jacob! Kill them now!

Jacob heard the voice louder than ever, no longer accompanied by the calmer alternative, and he realised that it was clear that the schizophrenia was beginning to win. Continuing to run, Jacob held off the urges the voice gave him as he worked out how to end this once and for all. Taking a sharp left that almost wrong-footed Charlie and Peggy, Jacob began to follow a surplus of signs which led him to a nearby building.

Charlie and Peggy both looked up at the sign for the leisure centre in curiosity, as they quickly followed Jacob through the doors. The corridors became tighter and the turns more frequent, but they still managed to keep up with Jacob as he dashed through sets of double doors before taking the final corner. As Peggy and Charlie entered the final room, there was no sign of Jacob. An eerie silence filled the room as they searched it, careful to not turn their backs for too long, before a door slammed shut, causing them to turn and pay attention to the sign alongside it.

SAUNA

Peggy's heart sank as she realised what Jacob was going to do to end his suffering, and she dashed forward to get him out of the room before Charlie grabbed hold of her.

"It's his choice, Peggy, let him do it."

She tried to wrestle free of his grasp, but Charlie held on tight. He knew Jacob was too dangerous to be let loose, and there was no chance they'd be able to arrest him or keep him locked up in a normal prison for too long, without him either escaping or killing someone.

"But... we can't just leave him there!" She screamed, still attempting to get to the door.

The noise from outside the room was making Jacob panic as he waited for the inevitable, but he was glad that he hadn't been disturbed just yet. The heat was excruciating, as he felt the liquid which ran beneath his skin begin to boil. Jacob poured more water on the stove, causing the temperature of the room to rise further. Jacob struggled to type as he wrote one final message to Katherine, his fingers barely able to put enough pressure on the screen to type.

Peggy finally managed to wrestle free from Charlie, charging towards the door, but she found she was too late. A wet pile of clothes lay in the corner of the room as the liquid that had once been Jacob slipped down the drain of the sauna. Charlie slowly entered and noticed Peggy crouched next to the pile of clothes.

"I'm sorry, but I hope you understand why I did this. You're still new to posthuman's and the like, but I've been dealing with them my whole life and I know what damage they can cause. Jacob is no

different." He backed out of the room and headed back towards Peggy's car, hoping that she would understand his choice and be able to forgive him.

The phone that Jacob had been using moments before his demise was damp, but still functioning. Peggy lifted it up from the clothes and noticed the last message was meant for Katherine, but hadn't been completed.

"I love y" It currently read. Peggy thought back to Nick and her last moments with him, and could only feel sorrow for Katherine as she would never get to say that to Jacob just one last time. Lifting her fingers, Peggy added the final two letters before hitting send, hopeful that it would at least help Katherine a little. She put the phone back among the clothes and left the room, wiping the sweat from her brow before calling it in with Yates. As she explained what happened, she realised why Charlie had done what he did, and whilst that didn't make it right, it still gave her some comfort that he was looking out for her. Peggy took one final look inside the sauna room, curious as to where the drain lead, before shutting the door and beginning the sweaty walk back to her car. She needed a shower, but after today, Peggy wasn't too sure she wanted anything to do with water anytime soon. 

Continued in Part 11