Fandel attempted a smile, but it looked more like a crack in a broken plate. ‘I’m Zach’s uncle,’ he said.

‘I’ll need to see some I.D.’ the police officer insisted, holding out his hand.

Sighing, Fandel reached into his back trouser pocket and produced his wallet. He thumbed through it until he had found his driving license. Plucking it out, Fandel thrust it under the nose of the police officer.

Without taking his eyes off Fandel, the officer took the I.D. and said, ‘thank you.’

The officer then inspected the piece of plastic. He held it up and his eyes flicked between the photo of Fandel and the real thing that stood before him. Satisfying himself that he was the genuine article, the officer handed back the driving license.

‘Is that all officer?’ Fandel sneered.

‘Yes,’ the officer said. ‘Everything seems to be in order.’

‘Then perhaps I could see my nephew. He is sick you know.’

The officer motioned Fandel towards the door without making further comment.

Easing open the door, Fandel slipped into the darkened room, closing the door behind him. He crossed the room in two lanky strides and stood beside his sleeping nephew. Stooping, his misshapen spine gave an audile crack, as he lent over Zach. Placing his puckered lips against his ear, Fandel whispered:

‘Zach. It’s your uncle Fandel. I’ve come to take you home.’

His whining voice penetrated Zach’s sub-consciousness and he snapped open his eyes. His first thought on seeing his uncle’s disgusting face leering over him was to scream. But before it had left his throat, Fandel had placed one of his skeletal hands over his mouth.

‘That’s no way to greet your favorite uncle,’ Fandel said.

Twisting beneath Fandel’s grip, Zach thrashed his arms up and down.

‘I can see that you’re not going to come without a fight,’ Fandel said.

Zach recoiled under the stench and warmth of his uncle’s breath against his cheek.

Reaching into his coat pocket with his free hand, Fandel produced what appeared to be a thorn. Zach’s eyes widened as his uncle held it above his face. Whatever it was, it looked as if it had just been plucked from a thorn bush. It was about an inch long and its point was covered with a small metal cap. Removing the cap with his teeth, Fandel spat it into the corner of the room. Then holding the thorn between his thumb and forefinger, Fandel brought it just millimeters from Zach’s face.

Zach looked at the thorn’s pointed tip and he could see a milky substance oozing from it.

‘You don’t need to be scared,’ Fandel grinned. ‘Soon you’ll be laughing about all of this.’

Then with a surgeon’s precision, Fandel pushed the thorn into the side of Zach’s neck and buried it beneath his skin.

The Mirth-Barb took effect at once and Zach began to chuckle. The chuckle then turned into laughter, which in turn became near hysterics. Placing one arm around Zach’s shoulders, Fandel eased his nephew from the bed.

‘That’s right, there’s nothing to be scared of – not for the moment anyhow. Now let’s see if we can’t get you dressed.’

Fandel helped his nephew slide into his jeans and jumper as he fell about the room in fits of uncontrollable laughter. Tears streamed from his eyes and over his cheeks, and although to the outside world he appeared to be the happiest kid on the planet, inside he was screaming:

‘HELP ME! PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME!’

But his lips just wouldn’t let him form the words as he rolled around holding his sides.

Once he was dressed, Fandel looped his arm through Zach’s and used all of his strength to keep him from falling over. He pushed open the door and led Zach into the corridor.

‘Where do you think you’re taking him?’ the police officer said, stepping in front of Fandel, barring his escape.

‘I’m taking him home, to where he belongs,’ Fandel said.

‘I’ve had instructions not to let him leave,’ the police officer insisted as Fandel tried to navigate his way around him.

‘Is my nephew under arrest?’ Fandel asked. ‘Has he been charged with some crime?’

Shaking his head, the police officer said, ‘Well, erm…no.’

‘Then as I understand the laws in this country, he is free to leave and you have no power to keep him here!’ Fandel spat.

‘Look,’ the police officer said, not knowing how to play this. However much he wanted to punch this smug idiot in the face, he did have a point. ‘Let me just seek advice on this.’

‘Seek advice?’ Fandel said. ‘Seek advice! Can’t you see that he is delirious that I have come to fetch him?’

Zach looked at the police officer and although he was standing there with a grin that stretched from ear to ear, inside he was yelling:

‘PLEASE DON’T LET ME GO WITH HIM. HE’S GONNA KILL ME!’

The police officer looked at the boy who started giggling in front of him. He did seem happy enough in his uncle’s company. But what about Tanner? The police officer reminded himself as those cold blue eyes of his superintendent bored into his mind.

‘I’m going to have to call this one in,’ the police officer said. ‘I need to check this out with my super…’

‘Do whatever you feel is necessary officer, but I’m taking my nephew home. You can contact me there if need be,’ Fandel said, dragging his laughing nephew up the corridor and out of the hospital.

The police officer just stood and watched as Fandel disappeared. Deep down inside, he knew that he was going to be in a pile of trouble. Someone was going to have to take the blame for this mess and crap ran downhill. The officer’s hands moved to his equipment belt as he contemplated the situation. He then realised his handcuffs were missing, and that made him feel worse. That was down to him?

It was cold outside and the first rays of sunlight were beginning to break over the River Thames. Fandel yanked open the rear passenger door of his car and threw Zach face down onto the back seat. His nephew found this amusing and sprayed a mouthful of laughter.

‘See if you find this so funny?’ Fandel said, taking the handcuffs he had slipped from the police officer’s belt and snapped them onto Zach’s wrists.

He slammed the car door shut and jumped into the driver’s seat. He roared the engine into life and sped from the parking space and out onto Westminster Bridge. Zach roared with laughter and Fandel screamed:

‘Shut up! You’re getting on my bloody nerves!’

Chapter 23

Neanna Cera perched on the top of St Thomas’ Hospital and trembled from head to toe. She gripped the stonework and her knuckles looked as if they were going to burst through the skin of her slender fingers at any moment.

The thirst was overwhelming now and she struggled to focus on the mission in hand. She was desperate to swoop from the sky and sink her teeth into the neck of one of those humans passing below on their way to work.

I could be down there and quench this thirst in seconds, she tried to convince herself. But what if Fandel should appear with Zach, while I was meant to be keeping watch? I might miss him and he would be left to his brutal uncle.

Neanna fought the temptations that her thirst conjured in her mind, but this wasn’t the sole reason she trembled. The sun was rising, spraying its rays like a pink halo across the river. Her flesh itched and had started to feel sore. She knew it wouldn’t be long before her skin started to blister, leaving her looking as if she had been covered in bubble-wrap.

William had told her not to strike until Fandel had left the city and was well away from people. ‘Wait until we reach a quiet road. Somewhere nice and secluded,’ William had stressed. But that had been over an hour ago and it had still been pitch-black. Neanna had no intention of being burnt to a cinder, so she had altered the plan. As soon as Fandel appeared, she was going to strike. Closing her eyes, Neanna fought the temptation to swoop down and quench her thirst. She rocked semi-conscious on the lip of the hospital building and trembled. Without realising, she had begun to lose her grip, teetering ever nearer to the edge. Then, as she was about to fall, she snapped open her eyes and tightened her grip. She looked down at all those passing humans with that gorgeous warm red stuff pumping through them. Crying out as if in pain, her lips rolled back revealing a gaping red mouth, which was full of razor-sharp teeth. She trembled, and her eyes shone a brilliant blue. In her minds eye, she could see herself lunging down at one of the passing humans and ripping their throat out. She could almost smell and taste the warm red liquid gushing into her mouth and down her throat.

One wouldn’t hurt, would it? She wondered. I’m so thirsty – I can’t bear it – it’s driving me insane. Just a mouthful – that would do. Just one mouthful!

Then snapping open her eyes, her teeth gleaming in the light of the dawn, she readied herself to swoop down and take one of the humans when she saw Fandel’s car speeding from the parking space and go racing across Westminster Bridge.

Without hesitating, Neanna let go of her perch and dropped through the sky like a stone. She raced towards the ground below and, just when it looked as if she was going to smash head first into the pavement, she shook her shoulders and her dead-black wings unfolded. Neanna soared over the bridge as she sped after Fandel’s car.

With her wings rippling like kites on either side of her, she swooped level with the car and peered inside. She could see Zach lying face down on the back seat and his wrists seemed to be bound. That was part ‘A’ of the plan accomplished. William had told her that there was no point in striking if Fandel had been unsuccessful in taking Zach from the hospital.

‘Now for part ‘B’!’ she said to herself, soaring upwards and racing ahead of the car. Arcing through the air like a boomerang, Neanna turned so she was facing the vehicle and went racing towards it like a kamikaze pilot.

Fandel was still screaming at Zach to stop laughing when Neanna hit the windscreen. He looked up to see her fangs inches from his face on the other side of the windshield, which was cracked like a sprawling spider’s web. With her wings spread open it was impossible to see anything. Covering his face with his hands, Fandel lost control of his car. It went careering across the path of oncoming traffic, and racing across Parliament Square. Taxis spun three-hundred-and-sixty degrees to avoid him, throwing their fares out of their seats. Buses skidded on the icy roads and crunched into one another, sending passengers screaming for the emergency exits.