He arrived at work a stranger. He felt immediately out of place in the office. Being a middle manager Hendry wanted to say hello to his team who had carried on without him. For some odd reason they seemed aloof and distant. He had got on well with them all in the past.
He tried to approach Rigg his deputy but she vanished into another office before he could reach her.
He sat down at his old desk. It stood there like a lost soul. An altar gone sour. He knew he'd once been the shepherd of his flock but it didn't feel like that anymore. The dead flies chided him. Legs up.
He looked at the files on the corner. He pulled out the bottom one, a manila folder. He tried to read it but the lettering seemed shaky and weak. He stared at the shifting words but couldn't make sense of it.
He walked slowly through the office with the manila folder under his arm.
"Price. Hi! I'm back and was wondering what you know about this file?!
He held the folder out towards his junior landscape architect. Price was sat at his desk eating. He stared at the file and immediately stood and backed away. His hand covered his mouth and he began to gag. He quickly spun round and ran towards the toilets.
"Price!"
Hendry shoved the file back under his arm and tutted. Turning he saw the spilled contents of Price's packed lunch. Hendry stared in disbelief. The sandwiches were thick with furry mould and green slime oozed from the filling. An apple moved slightly and a thick maggot fisted its way out of its rotten peel.
Hendry blinked and the lunch was back to normal. Fresh. Succulent. Healthy.
"What is going on here?" He muttered and headed for the coffee machine. He needed a cup.
"Why are you asking about the file Hendry?"
Madeline had crept up without him noticing.
"I'm trying to find out what happened to this client. Do you know?"
"Leave it alone Hendry."
"But why is the client's name not here? Its not on the database either."
"Forget it. You've been ill Hendry. You were lucky. Move onto another project."
But Hendry persisted and opened the folder and showed Madeline a photograph of a row of dried moles strung across a barbed wire fence.
The man with the manila folder stared in horror.
Rigg screamed.
"Hendreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
"Price. Hi! I'm back and was wondering what you know about this file?!
He held the folder out towards his junior landscape architect. Price was sat at his desk eating. He stared at the file and immediately stood and backed away. His hand covered his mouth and he began to gag. He quickly spun round and ran towards the toilets.
"Price!"
Hendry shoved the file back under his arm and tutted. Turning he saw the spilled contents of Price's packed lunch. Hendry stared in disbelief. The sandwiches were thick with furry mould and green slime oozed from the filling. An apple moved slightly and a thick maggot fisted its way out of its rotten peel.
Hendry blinked and the lunch was back to normal. Fresh. Succulent. Healthy.
"What is going on here?" He muttered and headed for the coffee machine. He needed a cup.
"Why are you asking about the file Hendry?"
Madeline had crept up without him noticing.
"I'm trying to find out what happened to this client. Do you know?"
"Leave it alone Hendry."
"But why is the client's name not here? Its not on the database either."
"Forget it. You've been ill Hendry. You were lucky. Move onto another project."
But Hendry persisted and opened the folder and showed Madeline a photograph of a row of dried moles strung across a barbed wire fence.
"What's this?"
Madeline flinched and turned green. She was sick in her mouth.
"You're a flibbertigibbet Hendry. A nosy bast .....", she puked into the nearest waste bin.
"For fucks sake. We went there, OK! It was the worst thing I've ever seen. No-one could move like that. He crawled like a cra..", she puked again.
A mist had started to develop round the office and Madeline looked frightened.
"We were scared shitless Hendry! No one will ever go back there. Ever!" she screamed and staggered away for the rooftop stairs.
Hendry looked for Rigg. He saw her, mirage-like in the fret. A fata morgana by the water fountain.
He strolled towards her but she disappeared again.
"Rigg!"
Hendry peered round but saw nothing. He lumbered into the side office where he thought he saw Rigg eating. She had her back to him. He came closer. She wasn't how he remembered her. Her hair was grey and her face creased as if it had been sucked dry. The room quivered.
"Rigg. Hello. Its Hendry. I wanted to ask about this folder. Its not been signed off."
"Go away Hendry. Forget about that file. It should have been burnt!"
"But what's going on? Everyone's so ... coy about it."
"Hendry. Jesus Christ. Why do you have to push it. OK, if you have to know. We'd never seen anything like it. Me, Price and Madeline went with the new drawings. Oh God, in the grounds, crows dying in droves. Foxes fucking rabbits raw. Maggots seething through the trees. Shit everywhere. His servants eating .. each .... other. Oh my God Hendry. They were biting chunks of flesh out of their faces! Blood spurting. And then we saw him. Our "client". He bent his back right over and fingered his way across the filth. Upside down. A spider. Yes. Just like a spider. I remember Price fainting then. Mads ran. I tried to run too but got stuck on barb wire. He crawled up from behind. I never heard him. Hendry, he did things to me. Terrible terrible things and then he hung me up next to his shrieking moles."
"Who in God's name was he Rigg? Have you told the Police?"
"Who? Do you really want to know? It was Ashtero ......"
Rigg collapsed to the carpet, her legs parting.
The mist thickened then in that room. Something malignant had arrived. It moved and jerked closer with a slow twitchy decisive advance.
Madeline flinched and turned green. She was sick in her mouth.
"You're a flibbertigibbet Hendry. A nosy bast .....", she puked into the nearest waste bin.
"For fucks sake. We went there, OK! It was the worst thing I've ever seen. No-one could move like that. He crawled like a cra..", she puked again.
A mist had started to develop round the office and Madeline looked frightened.
"We were scared shitless Hendry! No one will ever go back there. Ever!" she screamed and staggered away for the rooftop stairs.
Hendry looked for Rigg. He saw her, mirage-like in the fret. A fata morgana by the water fountain.
He strolled towards her but she disappeared again.
"Rigg!"
Hendry peered round but saw nothing. He lumbered into the side office where he thought he saw Rigg eating. She had her back to him. He came closer. She wasn't how he remembered her. Her hair was grey and her face creased as if it had been sucked dry. The room quivered.
"Rigg. Hello. Its Hendry. I wanted to ask about this folder. Its not been signed off."
"Go away Hendry. Forget about that file. It should have been burnt!"
"But what's going on? Everyone's so ... coy about it."
"Hendry. Jesus Christ. Why do you have to push it. OK, if you have to know. We'd never seen anything like it. Me, Price and Madeline went with the new drawings. Oh God, in the grounds, crows dying in droves. Foxes fucking rabbits raw. Maggots seething through the trees. Shit everywhere. His servants eating .. each .... other. Oh my God Hendry. They were biting chunks of flesh out of their faces! Blood spurting. And then we saw him. Our "client". He bent his back right over and fingered his way across the filth. Upside down. A spider. Yes. Just like a spider. I remember Price fainting then. Mads ran. I tried to run too but got stuck on barb wire. He crawled up from behind. I never heard him. Hendry, he did things to me. Terrible terrible things and then he hung me up next to his shrieking moles."
"Who in God's name was he Rigg? Have you told the Police?"
"Who? Do you really want to know? It was Ashtero ......"
Rigg collapsed to the carpet, her legs parting.
The mist thickened then in that room. Something malignant had arrived. It moved and jerked closer with a slow twitchy decisive advance.
The man with the manila folder stared in horror.
Rigg screamed.
"Hendreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
