Gods and Monsters

XI

Peggy's apartment – Finchley, London

Slumping down into her living room chair, Peggy felt exhausted by everything that had happened today. She couldn't say that she was all that surprised that her day off was called short; being a police officer, it came with the territory, especially with an event with the potential impact of the one this afternoon.

She had struggled to get the images of the man's body out of her head. He had been torn to shreds, his insides painting the white interior of the lorry and then just left by the group of Kill Bill wannabes, one of whom killed Nick. It was all too much for her, and as she lay back further she attempted to focus on anything else, the nuances of the ceiling, and the specks of dust on the lamp shade. Anything to keep her mind off the rapidly approaching thoughts of the pills which she could see beckoning for her on the kitchen counter just a few steps away.

"C'mon, Peggy!" She said to herself. "You can do this, just find something else to focus on." Flicking on the TV, Peggy found herself bombarded with images from the days earlier events as the channels reported on the heroic bomb defuser and bizarre events which no one had come forward to claim responsibility for yet. Seeing a quick image of herself and the other members of the task force, Peggy could only cringe. Even though it wasn't a particularly clear image and didn't even actually focus on them, Peggy hated it, squirming up into a tiny ball on the sofa before turning the TV off altogether.

The temptation grew and grew and grew until Peggy finally gave up, throwing the remote to the floor she ambled over to the kitchen counter and knocked back a handful of the pills, swallowing them with a mouthful of milk straight out of the bottle.

Nothing. Emptiness. The pills had no effect.

Now in a panic, Peggy stormed around the room waiting for the kick to take effect and knock her out for the night on a high. Her coat still hanging on the chair, Peggy grabbed it and quickly searched through the pockets, finding the small white packet of pills she had acquired from Charlie's pub. She had never been so careless and inconsiderate, especially when it came to her health, but Peggy had finally had enough with all the shit of the cases, Nick's death, Yates and Eugene, and God knows what else was going to be thrown at her over the next few weeks. Peggy swallowed half of the pills in a single go before lurching down onto the sofa.

That was it; the hit instantly took effect and Peggy felt like she was whisked away to a new land – Alice down the rabbit hole. Her new found feeling of ecstasy was abruptly halted as she noticed the figure standing on the opposite side of the room, a silhouette who's only visible feature was his blue eyes, intoxicating and enigmatic, and more vibrant than any she had ever seen before.

"Miss...Parker...." The voice crooned, soft and slow like its host was just learning to speak again. "It is...good...that we finally have...the chance to meet...although...I wish it was...under...better circumstances." The Man with the Blue Eyes moved out of the shadows and walked closer to Peggy. A rather lanky man who looked to be in his mid-50s, Blue Eyes was dressed in a tailored Italian suit with red and white striped tie and a black overcoat neatly pressed which he took off and placed on a chair as he moved around the flat, gliding silently as if his feet never truly hit the ground when he walked. Peggy had no idea who this gentleman was or what he wanted but in her state of incapacity she had no choice but to remain where she was, watching the man stroll around her flat as he picked up a picture of her and Nick before continuing.

"It...is such a shame...that Mr....Campbell was unable...to join us on our....future endeavours...but yourself and the....others....particularly Mr Quinn...are doing an amicable job...so far. Be careful with your investigation...into Mr Yates and Mr McDonald...you are already...down a dark path...Miss Parker...and we would hate...for you to be put...further into harm's way...than necessary.

Her lips quivered as Peggy attempted to speak, she had so many questions for the mysterious stranger, but she was paralysed in her seat.

"You have...a lot...coming up in the future...Miss Parker...dark people down dark paths...who wish to cause...others pain...but we have...every confidence that you...and your friends will...be able to stop...them...but we would advise...that you remain vigilant of...those close to you..."

How did this man know so much? Who was he? Was he human...a posthuman...something else? Peggy's limp body was deceiving when compared to her mind that was running faster than ever, switching through thoughts like a flipbook.

Blue Eyes sighed as he placed the picture back down on the dresser. "I only...wish...you and I had...met under more...appropriate circumstances...I felt my...presence was...necessary while you were in...this state...you need to control...your urges Miss Parker...only then will we meet...again. Picking his coat back up from the chair, Blue Eyes folded it neatly before placing it on his forearm and turning back towards the door.

"Mr Campbell...the pills...Mr Yates and...Mr McDonald...This is just a minor setback. Rest assured...Miss Parker...the grand scheme...shall proceed...as planned..." He looked towards the sky, taking a deep breath of the atmosphere. "The light of...Erinis...shall carve the...path...to...the future." With that, Blue Eyes left Peggy's flat before her eyes became heavy and she slipped into a deep slumber.

Peggy's apartment – Finchley, London

Peggy shot up from the sofa, her body now caught up with her mind. It was still dark outside so she could only have been out for a couple of hours at most. Rushing towards her bedside table, she withdrew Nick's handgun and scanned her apartment still unclear what that...episode had been all about. Had there really been a stranger in her apartment, or was he just a hallucination brought on by strange drugs? Peggy hoped for the latter, but something about the experience had felt so real. Not that Peggy knew what a drug induced hallucination would feel like, but this she assumed was something different to the typical experiences. The picture frame which Blue Eyes had supposedly lifted was clear and there was no fragment of material left on the chair where his coat had laid, but Peggy knew what she had seen. She threw the packet of pills into a drawer in the kitchen, unable to throw them away permanently, but convinced that she would return them to Charlie at a later date.

Noticing the time, Peggy washed quickly before returning to her bedroom, the orange walls garishly haunting her as she settled down for the night. Peggy lay there hoping that the next few days might be a little more relaxed and that she would be able to get a proper day off sometime soon. Maybe she'd even go back to Reggie and listen to some more of his stories from his days in Zero Company. Her bedside light was switched off and the pistol placed back in the drawer, Peggy pulled the duvet close. Her last thoughts were of Nick as they often were before she went to sleep, she wished him a goodnight wherever he was before slowly drifting off into a deep sleep.

Blue Eyes stood in the corner of the room watching Peggy. "Goodnight...Miss Parker."

To be continued...