The curious case of Joe Bloggs

 Prologue 

I wandered aimlessly, the sun setting in the sky, beaming it's last rays. My clothes were ragged and dirty, torn in places. Still I wandered, wandering endlessly it seemed. The dirt and grime that covered the city of London was chokingly thick. I'd better find somewhere to stay, or the best spot's will be taken. 

Night fell, still I wandered. I had found no places to sleep; yet the city seemed to be slumbering. Every person I came across just mumbled and walked. Their bones just sagged. Suddenly I wanted to get away from the city, it was creeping me out. 

I found an old train station, alone and abandoned, not a soul in sight. I climbed the fence, and in the gloom did not notice the danger signs, the symbols, warning me. I did not see the triangular yellow eyes watching my every step. I heard a noise, a wailing, and a calling. I froze, feeling something was near. The noise stopped. I waited a moment before continuing. 

I sat on a bench on the platform of the old station, looking at the soaring roof, the steel girders and red brickwork. Around me, shadows jumped and danced in the moonlight, which was spilling in from the numerous holes and cracks in the roof. I sat there, on that lopsided bench, fascinated by the cracked and dirty mosaics on the walls, though they were tainted by graffiti. The rails were rusty and old, overgrown in most places. As I tried to sleep, the light disappeared. i felt around for my backpack, it had a torch in there somewhere. I found it. Both 'it's'. I shone the torch around the station. I spanned the station, exploring every corner. As I looked, a strange moaning echoed throughout the station, the same as the one that had greeted me as I arrived. Then, my torchlight fell onto and old woman.

Her skin was deathly white and littered with wrinkles, her eyes hollow and empty. Strings of what looked like the remains of lips held her mouth together. In my shock I drop the torch. I cursed and hunt around on the cold concrete floor. I found the torch and again flashed it into every corner. The moaning stopped. The lady was gone. No. 'Lady' was too nice a word to describe that thing. It was a monster. A creature from hell. Ghostly white wisps danced through the station, as if they were enjoying my terror. I stood up and backed away. The moonlight returned, not as healthy as before but still, it was something. The bench area was still in shadow, but the moonlight offered a little comfort. I sat down on the bench. It wasn't there. I crashed down onto the soft moss, the impact jarring my arm. I heard a shrieking whistle of a train. The rails rattled and squeaked, my fingers trembled with fright.

'Oh God.' I whispered.

It was black; black as midnight, and the moss growing off it was an eerie glowing yellow. I backed away, shaking my head. I backed into something. I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was slimy. I whirled around. It was the monster. 

'ello preshus' she cackled.

I fled. Anywhere, to the train if necessary. Yes! That's where I’d go. I leaped up into the carriage. The train started moving. I breathed a sigh of relief. The carriage was basked in light, there was no way the monster could get me now. My eyes closed. There was something not quite right about this. The monster looked like it came from a bog, yet it didn’t smell of bogs. The way the mouth was constructed, it wasn't sagged or anything at all. It looked reinforced. Those eyes, I’d seen contact lenses that could do that. A coffin of darkness that was sleep beckoned. I succumbed. No. There was a moaning again, and after a bit wolves accompanied it. Great. That was all I needed. A fake monster was ok, but a pack of wolves, they couldn't be fake. Surely not. I looked out of the window. The ring closed in, snarling and spitting. They were big wolves; their long limbs were sinewy and covered with long, shaggy hair. I looked towards the driver of the train. He was a burly man, his clothes were dirty and old and his flat cap looked similar. 

The driver hurled insults and curses at the wolves fending them off with a shovel, slapping it down on their snouts if they came near. The train had stopped. We were in the countryside. i saw a shadow leap up behind the driver and snatched him away. The moon grew brighter, and with it came cries of muffled pain. A wolf appeared at the window, his large jaws gnawing at the pane. Jagged rocks clawed the sky, as if swatting a fly. Something moved behind me. It was a wolf. And with it was.... Oh no! It couldn't be.

'ello preshus'

The hag stood, staring, her hollow eyes empty pits of despair. The wolf snarled, saliva dripping from it's bloody jaws. I gulped. This couldn't be real, surely not. 

Look in your backpack

The voice inside my head confused me. It was a soothing voice, similar to the tone a mother would use when comforting a baby. 

DO IT!

The voice screamed, deafening me momentarily. Hastily, I opened the backpack.

It was empty.

What? How is this possible? 

I always have things in my bag. Money, food, clothes, water, even a penknife that my father gave me. 

I have to search for clues. I rethink my thoughts. My father, the knife. 

Suddenly, I became aware of footsteps closing in on me. The dripping hag cackled and gagged as she stumbled blindly towards me. 

Wait. Bogs. There was water in bogs. One link. The water must be somehow linked to the hag.

But how?

And what about the knife, my father, and all the other items that were missing? 

The wolf leaped forward, I stumbled back onto a seat. The wolf skidded to a halt, before turning, a venomous look in it's eyes. I reached up into the compartment above, looking for something, anything. 

My hands came to rest on a suitcase. 

The wolf jumped. Everything happened in an instant. 

I swung the suitcase blindly. I felt a satisfying crunch as it crashed into the wolf's head. 

The hag screeched, and latched herself forward, wobbling and swaying as if she were drunk. 

My eyes caught a glint of metal, flashing from the hag's waist. It was my penknife. 

But how?

Slowly, the jigsaw came together in my mind 

'You’re lost' I shouted

She froze

Whoever your creator was must not like you enough to care. You're just like me. Alone, unwanted. I'm guessing your part of a scientific experiment, one that brought you back from the brink of death. They told you it would make you better didn't they? It hasn't. You probably look worse than before.

In fact, I'm willing to vouch that you are just looking for a home, for someone to care. Someone to love you.'

The hag stood there, dumbfounded by what I had said. 

Then she spoke her reply.

'Yer right preshus. How did you know?'

'It's simple really. You have that sad, lost look. Similar to me I suppose.' I notice a watch on her wrist. I had seen that somewhere before.

FLASHBACK 

5 years earlier

It was Christmas at last, this year had been good for harvest so we had some money and I was looking forward to seeing what present I had. 

It was a watch. A silver watch, embroidered with red lace. Beautiful. 

I wore that watch wherever I went, every hour of every day up until last year. By this time I was homeless, and I wandered the streets every day. I got into a scuffle with some other people, tattoos, piercing, that type of gang. 

They stole my watch, threw it down the drain. I had never seen it since.

5th may 1870 

That watch. It was silver, and it was embroidered with red lace. 

It was mine