Origins of a Smile - Episode One

Red awoke to dust and smoke and fire. He was completely disorientated, didn’t know where he or anyone else was.  Moving the wood and brick off his legs, Red tried to stand. Nothing was broken it seemed so with help from the surrounding mess he managed to haul himself up. 

If he could work out whereabouts he fell, he would know which way to leave. But he couldn’t just go. He couldn’t just leave them to the dead and the flames. Barbara had given him a name and that was the single nicest gift anyone had ever given him. So Red would stay and search. Even if it would end up being the last thing he ever did.

Looking around, Red noticed one or two items which helped him work out where he was in relation to the front door. He was towards the back of the House it seemed, so a fair slog through dangerous territory lay ahead. Why Vincent and Jacob didn’t want a back door was anyone's guess and Red was sure he didn’t know. He heard there was one once when they first moved in, but they decided to wall it up. How strange and how helpful.

As his eyes became more accustomed to the dark, smoke ridden room, Red noticed a mound of rubble with a pair of legs sticking out just ahead of him. The legs were still waving so he assumed the owner was still alive. He grabbed hold of the both of them and pulled really hard. It was a bit of a struggle but eventually the legs and the body they were attached to came free.

Red fell backwards and the owner of the legs folded forwards as they came so they landed almost bent in half and face to face with their saviour. Red realised now that just because the legs were waving does not mean their owner was living. The bent-over Endless grinned at him as all Endless seemed to do.

“I’m bloody sick of you lot always smiling” said Red. “Let me give you something to smile about.” He head butt the corpse, its neck made an almighty crack as its head flung backwards then swung loosely, now all it could see was the ceiling.

The Endless was now disorientated and therefore easier for Red to push off. It fell on its chest, its upside down head staring up at Red intently whilst its arms and legs still flapped about, not knowing which way was up or down.

Red was going to move on when something stopped him, the way the Endless looked at him with its stupid smile and in its stupid position. It looked like it was mindless, but Red knew it couldn’t be.

“Why?” Red asked.

The Endless said nothing. Its arms continued to flap and its eyes continued to stare, but not one word parted from its lips.

“Why” Red demanded, but still no reply.

Red had had enough. The anger built up inside him to the point that Red literally saw red. He lifted his booted foot above the silent witness, than stomped down as hard as he could. There were various crunches, a crack and maybe a pop or two. His foot went further down then he thought it would, like the whole face had caved inwards. He tried to wiggle his foot free but it was stuck. He pulled his leg away as hard as he could and after a short struggle his foot was finally free of the body, but not unfortunately of the head. The neck, already weakened by death and Red’s earlier attack, came apart and the head ripped away from the body with ease.

Red stretched his leg out and shook his foot hard, but it looked like his new friend was attached for good.

“I think you’ve trodden in something mate” a voice said from behind Red. He quickly turned on one leg to see who it was and subsequently nearly toppled over.

It was the Detective. He was pulling himself up out of another pile of wood and what looked like several parts of toilet.

“Mr Harrison” said Red. “We must find Barbara and the others before the rest of this house collapses.”

“I don’t think there’s any house left to collapse.”

“But where do we even start looking though?” said Red.

“They’ve got to be in this area, we all fell through the same bit. I landed just over there” David pointed to just beyond the area where Red first saw him. “Anyway we better get started or we’ll never get a head. Oh wait a minute, you already have.”

Red looked down at his foot encased in face, then back at David.

“Not funny. Any chance you can you help me get it off?”

“No sorry, I’ve been near enough to last me a life time. Just, I don’t know, try to scrape it off against that bit of wall.”

Red looked at the bit of wall jutting out to the side by him, and thought what the hell, worth a shot. He put his foot by the edge of the wall, making sure the head was hanging over the top and attempted to scrape downwards. He managed to forcibly move his foot down a bit and some of the head came away. Was that a bit of ear and cheek? It was a smooshed mess now, so hard to tell. But the next bit to drop was definitely an eyeball, or part of one. Red would recognize that stare anywhere.

“Any luck?” asked David. Red noticed he was looking the other way. He really didn’t have the stomach for any of this.

“Some” replied Red. “But if a whole head attached to my foot was something you didn’t like to look at, then definitely don’t look back now.”

“Yuk. Yeah, there’s only one thing worse than having a severed head attached to your foot, and that’s half a severed head.”

After many attempts to remove the remains of the head, Red sighed and gave in, unfastened his shoe and removed it.

“That’s one sole that’s past saving I’m afraid” said David as he began his search through the rubble.

“Are your jokes always this bad or are they just under stress because of all that’s happened” replied Red as he followed suit.

Some time had passed before Red and David had searched the whole room, but there was no sign of Barbara, Betty or Christopher.

“How can this be” Red thought aloud. “Could it really have thrown them that far. Could they be somewhere else entirely?”

“We’ve looked everywhere in the room, Red. They must be.”

Red sighed and stared upwards for inspiration. He got it immediately and smiled.

“Actually David we haven’t looked everywhere” He laughed.

“What do you mean?”

“We haven’t looked up.” Red pointed above both their heads. David looked up then also started to laugh.

There Betty was, hanging upside down, swaying from a wooden beam. Her eyes were closed but her arms were strangely folded across her chest. Her hair was a dangled mess all around her and her glasses were hanging half off. One closed eye was huge while the other almost impossible to see in the light. So it could even be open for all they knew.

“Betty” shouted Red as he jumped up and smacked her on the arm.

“Ouch” said Betty.

“You’re awake?” said David. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“For a while I thought it must be a dream”

“Why?”

“Because you’re standing on the ceiling, well I thought you were standing on the ceiling when in fact now that I look at it, with the whole swaying thing and my hair seemingly alive. I’m hanging from the ceiling aren’t I?”

“Let’s get you down from there.” Said David as he and Red grabbed Betty, lifted her and pulled her away from the beam, than down onto her feet.

“Wow, head rush” said Betty grabbing her head. “That reminds me of the night I spent undercover with this big London drug baron, if I remember, his name was Brian. Oh the stuff he had, I kid you not, I smoked and sniffed things you wouldn’t believe. I saw attack ships explode over the shoulder of oh no wait a minute, stupid brain. But I was dancing on the ceiling that night though, I can tell you.”

“He was a big London drug Baron, and his name was Brian?”

“Yes, what’s wrong with the name Brian? I think it’s a good name. It’s almost a Brain but not quite.” Betty continued. “He was such a lovely fellow, well apart from the fact that the main ingredient of the drug was fluid extracted from people’s brains, and apart from the fact that, well, he was drugging me to extract fluid from my brain too. He would have killed me if it weren’t for Barbara. But apart from all that he was a nice fellow. He had green eyes.”

“That’s two minutes we can never get back, but thank you Betty all the same.” said David. “Now we must find Christopher and Barbara.”

“And we’ve looked everywhere” added Red.

“Have you looked under the bed and down the back of the sofa?” Betty smiled. “You wouldn’t believe what I found down the back of the sofa the other day, and it was still throbbing after all those years.”

“And that’s where I’m going to interrupt you Betty, I’m sure whatever it was we don’t need to know. We’ve got to find them and get out.”

“Ah wait a minute. Yes. You see it’s all starting to make sense now. Now I know what’s up and what’s down.”

“Right?”

“Yes I think I can help solve where they are.”

“And?”  

“Well before, when I was on the ceiling, when I thought it was a dream, when I thought you were all on the ceiling. I didn’t think anything I saw mattered. You know, because it was a dream.”

“So what are you saying. You saw something you know now matters?”

“Yes. Christopher and Barbara got up first before you lot woke up. An Endless grabbed Christopher and dragged him through that opening over there. And Barbara went after, which was quite funny because her back half got a little stuck, I did laugh. Dreams are funny aren’t they?”

“Except it wasn’t a dream was it” said David a bit angrily.

“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that.”

Red was already at the opening the moment Betty said where Barbara had gone. He hoped he wouldn’t be too late. He wanted Barbara to be alright. The route was remarkable tight and Red wondered how Barbara had managed to squeeze through, then immediately he apologized to Barbara in his mind for thinking so rudely about her.

The tight space opened out into a larger area. Red could see Barbara wrestling with an Endless who had its hands around Christopher’s throat. Barbara raised a knitting needle in the air then plunged it into one of the corpses hands, obviously hoping it would let go of Christopher.

It didn’t seem to work. So Barbara tried again, this time aiming for the creature’s eye. It seemed to have more of an impact as the Endless let go of Christopher immediately, who quickly scrambled away out of its reach. Barbara pulled the needle out and did the same again to the other eye, this time wiggling it about a bit. Then jumped off the creatures back and joined Christopher out of the way.

“You’re okay” said Red when Barbara finally realised he was there.

“Of course I’m okay.” Barbara gave Red a smile. “Though I think I may have just over done it with the whole needle in the eye wiggle.”

“At least it can no longer see us.” said Christopher.

“Yes but it can still hear us” reminded Barbara. Then at a whisper “Shall we go?”

They both agreed then all squeezed back through the tight opening in the wall, Christopher and Red either side of Barbara, ready to pull or push when needed.

Back through in the main room, Red could tell Betty was pleased to see both Barbara and Christopher still in one piece, she even looked happy to see him, which was nice. They were all back together again, they were like a team. Red had never been part of a team before.

“Right then we’ve got past the worse of it.” Barbara spoke to them all. “So I’m going to have to cancel the official definitely last moment I’m afraid, Betty.”

“Absolutely fine, I always thought I’d die on the loo anyway” replied Betty.

“All we have to do is get out of here. There that sounds easy enough.” continued Barbara. “The fire and house have probably got rid of most of the Endless, as long as no stragglers get out.”

“But which way is out?” asked Betty.

“And for that we look to our friend Red” said Barbara looking straight to Red. He was so happy Barbara asked him for help. Not only was he part of a team, but they must think him equal among them. Had he finally found a home with Barbara, Betty and Christopher?

“It’s pretty much through that hole up the end there where the door used to be, and if some of the path is clear straight ahead almost all the way, then a right and you’re at the entrance.”

“Brilliant” said Barbara. “Do you want to lead the way Red?”

“No, after you my lady” said Red with a bow.

“Okay I think you’re taking this whole thing to far” said David. “I draw the line at calling Barbara a lady.”

Barbara gave David one of her stares, and David went quiet.

“Right then come on everyone, let’s get out of here” said Barbara as she lead the way. Red followed closely behind her and the rest after him.

“I can’t wait to finally get out this place. I’m sick of zombies now” said Betty

“And how are you, okay Red?” Barbara asked. Red looked up and realised Barbara was looking at him. “I’m sorry about your friend.”

“The man who never speaks”

“Didn’t he have a name?”

“No, so that’s what I called him and I called myself the man who does speak, for a time. So he and me could be like Brothers.”

“Clever” said Barbara. “And still I’m very sorry.”

“Can I ask” asked Red. “What happened to Jacob and Victor?”

“Gone I think” replied Barbara. “Well Victor had gone long ago, but whatever was in him was trapped in the grand hall with Jacob”

“The heart of the fire”

“I guess something like that.”

Red went quiet for a moment.

“You know what this means though, don’t you Red?”

“Everyone I’ve known and lived with for the past countless years is dead.”

“Well yes, but more importantly it also means you’re free.”

“Free? What does that even mean?” said Red.

“It means you can go where ever you want and do whatever you want. It means there’s no one to tell you what to do anymore. And that’s a good thing.”

“But I don’t know if I would like that. I’ve always been told what to do. I think I still need that. The opposite is too scary to think about.”

“We could always do with a cleaner” Betty piped up behind them.

Red liked the idea of this, to serve his lady. He looked up at her approvingly, hoping she would agree to this arrangement.

“No, no. That would be no good at all. I don’t want you to swap one master for another.”

“But I would be happy if my Lady was my master. I really would.” Red added hoping it would help.

“Alright Red you and Betty win, you can come and stay with us for a bit. But for goodness sake think of it as a holiday for a while, will you?”

Red clapped his hands, squealing with delight. He was so happy. In fact he had never felt happier.

Suddenly the whole structure shook again, sending more and more pieces of house crashing down around them, and it was getting hotter again.

“We must be near the fire, everyone be very careful” said Barbara as she stepped forward pushing a piece of wood out the way that was semi blocking the route ahead. Unfortunately what Barbara didn’t realise was this piece of wood was keeping up more than it looked in its sorry state. As Barbara pushed it away there was an almighty crashing sound than huge sharp pieces of wood and stone and brick and god only knows what else poured down on top of her.

Quick as a flash Red leaped forward managing to push Barbara out the way just in time. He felt the weight of all that rubbish as it came down on top of him. He felt and heard numerous bones break throughout his body. The pain that shot through him was agonizing. Red could hear them all around trying to pull all the heavy mess off of him. They were working as a team, his team. One of them turned him over.

“Oh” said David. His eyes seemed to be drawn to Red’s stomach.

“Subtle” said Betty. She too was staring at the exact same spot.

With what little strength Red had, he raised his head high enough to look down his body to his belly.

“Oh” said Red.

A thick piece of wooden beam was sticking out of Red’s stomach. It looked like one of those situations Betty and Barbara called an official definitely final moment.

“Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks” offered Betty.

“Yeah and maybe it’s not as bad as it feels either.” Red tried to laugh, but it didn’t really come out properly.

Barbara sat next to Red then pulled him over so he was resting on her legs, his head cradled in her arm.

“I’m sorry my lady.”

“But you saved me Red. How can you be sorry about that?”

“I wanted to save you a hundred times”

“Are you saying I need saving that many times?”

“Yes”

“I’m sorry I didn’t manage to get you all the way out to freedom.”

“This is still a freedom, a shitty one. But freedom none the less” Red smiled, but then his face changed. He could feel the Endless. “Oh no, I feel them Barbara. On my skin, gnawing to get in, to take over my body and I’m not even dead yet.”

“I’m sorry” said Barbara, a tear in her eye. “I don’t know how to stop them.”

“It’s okay Barbara I’ll be gone soon. They can have this body. Just make sure you’re long gone when they do.”

Red tried to hold on for as long as he was able. He could feel the Endless trying to get in, to kick him out and take up residents. But he wasn’t going to give up just yet. Now he could feel and hear their thoughts, just on the horizon like whispers. Though he didn’t understand the words, he understood how they felt. It filled Red with dread, emptiness and despair. At first he thought it was how they made him feel in the closing seconds of his life, but it wasn’t, it was all them.

“We made a good team, didn’t we my lady? All of us together, we made a good team.”

“Yes Red, one of the best we’ve ever had. Irreplaceable, that’s what you are irreplaceable.”

“I do have one regret though.” said Red.

“Oh” replied Barbara

“That I didn’t get to sit down with you in your lovely cottage and have a nice cup of tea. I would love to have seen your cottage.”

“But you have” said Barbara with a smiled. “You see Betty may make the most marvellous tea in the whole entire world. An unforgettable taste you will never remember. It has the ability to wipe itself and any event around it from your mind. But the tea does have one flaw.”

“A flaw?”

“Yes. No matter how much Betty tinkers with the recipe she can’t seem to make it last indefinitely. There is a moment in everyone’s life when it stops working” Barbara squeezed Red’s hand, “Their final moment.”

Red looked confused.

“You’ve tasted Betty’s tea Red, only you forgot. But now it’s time to remember.”

Thoughts Red didn’t know he had bubbled to the surface of his mind, and with them a memory, a taste on his tongue. It tasted like the nicest tea he ever had.

“I did see the cottage” Red laughed.

“And we did drink tea.”

“You are a naughty woman, my lady”

Red looked up at Barbara one final time as the Endless almost filled him whole, and he thought what a magnificent woman she was. She smiled, it was a kind smile mixed with sadness.

Red smiled back.

To Be Continued...