Darren Shan - Hells Horizon

Adult Novels by Darren Shan

The City
Procession of the Dead

Young Adult Novels by Darren Shan

The Demonata
Lord Loss
Demon Thief
Slawter
Bec
Blood Beast
Demon Apocalypse
Deaths Shadow
Wolf Island
Dark Calling
Hells Heroes

Cirque Du Freak
A Living Nightmare
The Vampires Assistant
Tunnels of Blood
Vampire Mountain
Trials of Death
The Vampire Prince
Hunters of the Dusk
Allies of the Night
Killers of the Dawn
The Lake of Souls
Lord of the Shadows
Sons of Destiny

Other Novels
The Thin Executioner

For:
Bas, Biddy & Liammy personal chakana

OBE (Order of the Bloody Entrails) to:
Helen Johnstonethe Paucar Wami of publicists

Editors:
Sarah Hodgsonthe Ford Tasso of the present
Simon Spantonthe Frank Weld of the past

And all the villacs of the Christopher Little order

room service

I n Room 812 of the Skylight Hotel a woman lay close to death. She was sprawled facedown across the bed, naked and lacerated. Her back had been cut to fleshy shreds. Dark blood seeped from the wounds, trickled down her sides and gathered in the folds of the crumpled sheets beneath. A spider crept across her face, sensed death and scuttled away to safety.

A maid entered. A thick-limbed, middle-aged woman. She spotted the blood-drenched body instantly. Anyone else would have shrieked and bolted. But death was nothing new to this lady.

Closing the door gently behind her, she moved closer to the body. A dripping knife lay on the floor close by. She was wearing plastic gloves but didnt touch it. Instead she stood over the corpse, gazing down appraisingly.

Kneeling, she pressed two fingers against the victims neck and checked for a pulse. Nothing. She was about to leave, when

A slight vibration. She prized an eyelid open. The pupil dilated in the light and when she took her finger away the lid twitched and the womans mouth moved a painful fraction.

The maid frowned, then picked up the knife and scanned the wounds. She settled on one near the heart. Leaning over, she prized the flesh apart with her fingers, inserted the tip of the blade and wriggled it around in gentle circles, holding the woman down with her other hand, until she felt the body shiver for the final time.

She checked the pulse, the eyes, the lips.

Dead .

The maid dropped the knife, went to the bathroom, rinsed the blood from her gloves, balled them up and pocketed them. She strolled to the door, opened it, mussed up her hair, took a deep breath, then let fly with a scream, bringing staff and guests running.

shes my girlfriend

B ill reeled in his line and switched hooks. Wed been fishing since Friday and all we had to show for our efforts was an undernourished trout wed have thrown back any other time.

Reckon thatll change our luck? I asked.

Probably not, Bill sighed, tugging at the collar of his jacket. He wasnt enjoying himself. I was happy to sit and chill, but Bill was a demanding angler and grew impatient when things werent going his way. I told you it was the wrong time of year.

Quit moaning, I retorted. What else would you be doing? Reading or fiddling with fireworks in your cellar. At least here we can enjoy the fresh air.

Long way to come for that, Bill grumbled.

Theres the view too, I noted, nodding downstream at the trees and fields. In the distance we could see the hump of the citys skyline, but it didnt distract too much from the beauty of the open countryside.

Bills expression softened. Know what we should do? Build a shack and move out. Fish from dusk till dawn.

Sounds good to me, Huck Finn.

Bill smiled and jiggled his line. We should do it.

Im with you all the way.

He sighed. But we wont, will we?

Nope. He looked so miserable, I had to laugh. Were city boys. We wouldnt last pissing time living wild.

Speak for yourself, he snorted, but he knew I was right. Bill thrived on city life. Take him away from the metropolitan buzz and hed shrivel up and die.

We were silent awhile, thinking about the lure of the simple country life. Then Bill spoiled it all. Hows The Cardinal?

You know I dont see much of him, I muttered.

Its not too late to get out, he said. Theres plenty of security jobs going. A man with your experience could make a

Bill, dont.

He cocked an eyebrow at me. Conscience pricking you, Al?

Weve been through this before. I like what I do. Im not gonna quit.

What if youre asked to kill a man one day?

I sighed and stared into the cool night water.

Maybe youve already been asked, Bill said softly.

I maintained my silence.

Have you killed for that monster, Al?

I looked over at him. You really want to know?

Bill chewed his lower lip, studied my face and shook his head. No. Guess I dont.

Bill was a cop. I worked for a gangster. Our friendship eased along nicely so long as we didnt discuss work. Hed only raised the subject now because it had been a long weekend and he was irritable.

I checked my watch. Monday morning beckons. Well have to be on our way soon if you want to beat the rush.

I should have taken the day off like you. Bill sounded regretful. He reeled in his line and began dismantling his rod. Stood and gazed off at the city, then said, Fogs up.

I squinted and saw banks of thick green fog billowing over the roofs of the city like a dome. The city was famous for its mysterious green fog, which blew up at random and made a mockery of meteorology.

Great, I groaned. That adds a couple of hours to our journey.

Roads are fairly quiet this time, Bill said. Shouldnt delay us too long. Want me to drive?

You drove coming. My turn going back.

I know, but its my carI dont want you wrapping it around a tree. Ill take the wheel if youd prefer.

I shook my head. I dont mind.

In that case, Ill treat myself to another beer.

While Bill was cracking open a can, I began tidying everything away. It didnt take long. I asked if he wanted the trout but he said I could take it. I put it on ice and loaded it along with the gear.

I looked at the distant city again, which had all but disappeared under the fog. A stranger to these parts might have missed it altogether, mistaken it for a shrouded lake.

Looks like its down to stay, I noted.

Yeah, Bill agreed, rolling up a sleeping bag and sticking it in the back of the car. Could be a bad one.

I hit bed as soon as I got back. Since Id booked the day off to make a long weekend of it, I left the alarm off and slept in late, a luxury I rarely enjoyed. I woke about twelve and spent the next hour propped up on the pillows, listening to the sounds of the street outside. It wasnt as busy as normalthe fog kept a lot of people inside.

I turned on the radio. A DJ was talking to a woman with piles. She was sick of the attached stigma. She wanted to build a society where people could discuss such matters openly, without fear of embarrassment. The DJ was on her side and invited listeners to call in with their ownas he elegantly put it piles files .

I surfed the airwaves. Found a couple of politicians arguing about the fog. One wanted to know why more wasnt being done to make life easier for the citizens during times of siege. He wanted extra-strong streetlights, emergency buses and trains, home delivery services for the elderly and single mothers.