And All Hell Broke Loose (A LIKE HELL collection)

The Last Lover (Part #1)

Victorian England was pissing Samuel off.

It wasn't so much the people – the boisterous, mouthy brothel-owners, the innocent-looking pickpockets, the crooked carriage drivers. It was the sheer speed at which they were dying, and being chucked on his doorstep.

He stared around at them in the entrance chamber. They were a sickly-looking bunch; cholera, typhoid or scarlet fever, Samuel guessed. Only a couple were starting to stir, and the rest lay unconscious on the wet rock floor. He'd kill Attis for this. The Depths had already swollen to breaking point, and the Senatus were denying him the cull it needed.

A surge of hatred rushed through him. A hundred and fifty more years. That's all that stood between his freedom and the end of Nathanael's imprisonment curse.

One of the new Dwellers coughed, and Samuel nodded to Endelman. Break them early, that was always the plan. A good dose of fear did them the world of good. He smirked as Endelman stalked towards the coughing boy on the floor, and roughly grabbed his shoulders. Let this one be an example the rest. Let them see his power, and what he'd do to them if they disobeyed. Last week's welcome had been a particularly boring one, and he'd had a few of the Inflamers throw a group of new Dwellers down into the Pit. They'd screamed for what felt like minutes before a sickening crack had reverberated around the Vent.

'Hello, bottom-dweller,' Endelman said, a terrifying grin on his face. He leaned down and seized the boy until he stumbled to his feet. Around them, the rest of the chamber was awakening, and staring with wide eyes at the Inflamer among them.

Samuel lazily folded his arms, and leant forward on his lectern. It was always a treat to see the fear flicker on their faces – to see the terror unfold as they learned where they were.

'Welcome, Dwellers,' he called, watching every face in the room ripple to look at him. 'Welcome to the Ember Depths.'

Someone started crying. A spill of satisfaction settled in his stomach.

'My name is Samuel. If you hadn't guessed already, this is your new home for the next hundred years.' He let his gaze slowly scan the room. 'If you don't obey my wants and needs, Endelman and his friends here will show you what happens.' He grinned, a flash of white teeth. 'Oh, and they get very hungry. Very, very hungry. So if I were you, I'd stay on their good side.'

A wave of silent horror crashed over the chamber.

'The Inflamers will show you to your quarters. I need you all to be ready for our Welcome Feast tonight.' He paused, then pouted at the looks of confusion on their faces. 'Attis told you I was a complete monster, didn't he? Well, boys and girls, I'm not completely debauched. I want you to enjoy your time down here. And take it from me, there's lots to enjoy.'

The chamber remained silent. Then the boy that Endelman had hold of jerked his head. 'Like what?'

Samuel's head whipped around to the speaker. Surprise flooded through him – he couldn't remember the last time one of them had dared to speak with him on their first arrival. The boy was watching him with steady green eyes, bright against his moon-pale skin. Samuel studied him a little more closely; not really a boy. He looked about nineteen or twenty.

'Well, Dweller,' Samuel drawled, not taking his eyes from the newcomer. 'What is it you desire?'

The boy tilted his head to one side, his teeth catching his lower lip. The deluge of seawater had washed most of the grime from him, but Samuel could see how worn and ragged his clothes were. Probably a miner, or pulled straight from the warehouses.