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45 year old loner Jack Hollis stood motionless over the wreckage of his new car, as his dead parents were stretchered into the ambulance. He was the sole survivor. The Police breathalysed him and asked him to have a blood test, he obliged but although no alcohol was in his blood, his group could not be matched.

The police had doubts about Jack after his involvement in the accident because of his strange reaction; he didn’t show any emotion to his parent’s deaths, it was as though he accepted the deaths as irrelevant to the ruin of his new car. The Hollis’s were on their way to their new home in a small Devon village when the car crashed into a tree. 

His parents adopted Jack when he was six years old, from a Convent during a visit to the Himalayas. The Nuns appeared reluctant to let this boy into the outside world, much to his new parent’s amazement.

Not able to have children of their own, they idolised Jack, giving him the love and home any young child could wish for. However, they were unsure of how the little boy ended up at the Convent and no-one knew where he had come from.

During his school days Jack spent a lot of time studying and had few friends, but he did have an enemy, one troublesome boy who took a dislike to him.

This boy mysteriously disappeared from school one day and the teachers couldn’t explain his absence when he failed to return, even the police were involved with a nationwide search.

After leaving school Jack kept himself isolated from any social life, spending most of the time studying chemistry and micro-organisms at University.

He didn’t have any attraction to the opposite sex Jack never married, much to his parent’s disappointment.

People at his College thought he had either an eating disorder or a thyroid problem, as no-one saw him eat. Sometimes he would look quite thin and drawn, like a ghost and others times he looked obese. He was six feet seven inches tall with shoulder length black hair and a beard that swept onto his chest, he wore small rounded spectacles, giving the impression that he could be a rock star although he only listened to classical music on the radio.

Jack’s glasses were darkly tinted so no one could see the sinister look in his eyes. He had always worn black clothing since his school days, no one knew why, some thought he had suffered a nervous breakdown, His college tutors also thought he was strange. But he did not retaliate to taunts from other

Students for fear of being expelled and the effect of this would have on his studies.

Once he set his mind on a certain project, he wouldn’t let anything get in his way, he would spend all hours of the day and night working on it. 

Roy Fitzgerald returned home to find his wife Janet, sitting in her chair by the fire. Her long auburn hair was a mess; she looked up, tears falling on her cheeks as she stroked Marmalade, her favourite cat who lay lifeless on her lap.

Brutus, Roy’s old bloodhound lay close by, limply wagging his tail. He barely had any strength to get up and greet Roy like he normally would.

The room had a distinct smell of death, and Roy knew from the state Janet was in that the last of their six cats had died and now he would no longer be greeted by them when he came home.

Janet spoke, “It was him, that Bastard Jack Hollis from next door, and he is a bloody weirdo!” Janet rose from the chair arguing at Roy for not getting home from his Seminar in time. Roy tried his best to console her; He tried to convince her that the new neighbour was all right, when he said “I had a drink with him down at the local pub and that he seemed a decent bloke.”

Janet was furious, “What! I don’t believe it; you mean to tell me you drank with that thing, who has killed my cats, while I was trying to save the last one as well as your beloved dog. Ooh you’re nearly as sick as him.”

She pointed out the evidence, informing him angrily why she suspected Jack and how over the last week while Roy was away, Jack was not only rude towards her but threatened to sort her cats and dog out if he saw them on his land again.

Roy removed his jacket and tie then went and tended to Marmalade who had just died and asked Janet about what had been going on. He looked closely at Brutus who again wagged his tail and groaned, looking very thin, a poor reflection of how he looked last week; Janet told him some more.

Roy’s blood began to boil as she began to get through to him that their new neighbour was not only a weirdo but was responsible for the deaths of her cats.

The Vet, Richard Jones arrived he was a close friend of the Fitzgerald’s; he had been called by Janet to see to the sick animals and was very saddened to find only Brutus left alive.

“I’m so sorry Roy and Janet, I had the results of the blood tests from the other cats and there’s no sign of disease or blood disorders and even the most common wasting diseases. It’s as though something is eating away at them, as though they’re deflating and we couldn’t find any parasite or anything else.”

Richard immediately put Brutus on a drip, and got ready to take him into the animal hospital for observation. “Hold it!” Roy said quickly as Richard was about to pick Brutus up.

“What?” Janet and Richard both said together, stopping suddenly in their tracks.

“Could we make it look as though he’s dead?” Roy went on, “As Janet and I suspect that our new neighbour has something to do with the deaths, he might try and finish off poor old Brutus, and I am going to sort that little bastard out.”

“That is a very serious accusation Roy and can lead to legal consequences.” Richard explained but finally agreed to give Brutus a sedative to keep him sleepy.

It was early evening as Janet and Roy went out with Richard, who was carrying Brutus under a blanket and talking with them about using the dead animals for forensic testing.

They looked towards the run down house next door where only a dim light showed. Jack Hollis stood in the window looking out. Not only was he smiling but they also noticed he was now larger and taller, both Janet and Roy wondered had Jack Hollis grown or did he have a larger brother with identical looks?

Janet returned to the house with Roy who stopped saying “You go on love I’ve got a few words to say to our Jack Hollis.”

She told him to be careful and waited outside. Roy jumped over the short wooden fence towards the front door. The number seven was upside down with only one screw holding it on. Paint was peeling and the knocker was stiff with rust. He composed himself then knocked hard. There was an echo in the hall, followed by a sound of shuffling feet dragging on the floor, then the door opened slowly.

Roy shoved the door open, nearly knocking Jack over, grabbed him by the lapels and pinning him against the wall and shouted “You low down, cruel, snivelling Bastard you have giving my Janet hell over the last week.”

Jack looked Roy straight in the eyes, and clasped his hands around Roy’s neck and began to squeeze until his strength made Roy let go. Roy was amazed at Jack’s strength as he was lifted off the floor by this man who a few hours previous seemed to be about the same height and build as himself but now seemed inches taller and broader.

Roy was thrown across the hallway like a rag doll, but he wasn’t going to go without a fight. He hit Jack with a left hook straight to the jaw, but Jack hardly flinched, he just grabbed Roy by the scruff of the neck and threw him out of the house saying “Don’t come back, I’m not in the mood; I will finish you my way and in my own time.”

Janet ran over to help Roy who had hurt his leg and was hardly able to walk. “You’ll pay for what you have done to my Roy and our animals.” Janet yelled at him as the door slammed.

 Then Jack shouted from within “It’s your animals who have given me this strength and now it’s your turn Roy Fitzgerald, I have other plans for you Janet my lovely.” He laughed hysterically and the echo from in the hall gave Janet and Roy the creeps.

A week had passed Brutus made a slow recovery and was ready for a return home. But the couple hadn’t forgotten the fight and also feared for Brutus’s safety, so they arranged for Janet’s sister Anne, to look after him until they moved.

There was no alternative but to put the house on the market, but they had to drop the price because of the smell and run down condition of Jack’s house. Number 7 Gooseberry Lane, always used to be a credit to the neighbourhood before Jack Hollis arrived.

Janet and Roy had kept a distance from Jack for nearly a week and although things had got quiet, they were still unsure of Jack’s sinister plans. That evening they were due to collect Brutus and just as they approached their car, Roy grabbed his stomach in pain. “What’s the matter Darling?” Janet asked concerned.

“I don’t know, ouch! Oh flaming heck! That hurt, it feels as though someone’s trying to pull my stomach out.” Roy replied in pain.

They returned to the house that once had been full of caring animals that used to bring both Roy and Janet comfort. Janet helped Roy get up onto the bed, got him some aspirin tablets then phoned Richard to say that they were going to be late. The pain eased for a while, so enabled Janet to go and transport Brutus to her sister, but as she reached the gate she saw Jack’s curtains move once again and could hear faint laughter.

She was so worried about leaving Roy; she forgot about Brutus and ran as fast as she could up the path, through the front door and up the stairs.

Roy looked pale but although he felt weak, was quite hungry. So Janet got him a light meal. She was concerned that he was looking thin in the face, his eyes looked old, weary and lifeless. She helped him change into some pyjamas and stood back gasping as she saw Roy’s ribs showing under his thin body that only a few days ago boasted bulging muscles.

She then heard some heavy footsteps climbing the stairs next door and again Jack’s cynical laughter.

She cried out to Roy. “It’s him, it’s that Jack Hollis doing this to you just like he did to my cats and your dog Brutus. I’m going to get Doctor James.”

Half an hour later a young Doctor James pulled up in his MG sports car. As he got out he took a cloth out of his pocket and wiped a smear from the wing-

mirror.

The car was his pride and joy and everything was second to its appearance unless he was in a real emergency, and even then, he would take a quick glimpse. A tall man standing over six feet five inches tall now, he stooped and grabbed his briefcase then made his way up the long garden path. He sniffed the air and noticed the smell of death as he approached the front door. He rang the doorbell and while he waited, he noticed the run down condition of Jack’s house, with the guttering hanging off, damaged by the storm from a fortnight ago. The door opened, Dr James turned to see a very frail Janet Fitzgerald. She welcomed him into the house; her eyes were dark, looking as though she had been crying heavily. “Thank God, I never thought you were coming Doctor” was all she could say, she was feeling very weak and just able to climb up the stairs.

“Oh dear!” was all Dr James could say when he first saw Roy who lay in the bed in a semi-conscious state. Although Roy was only thirty-two-years-old, he resembled a man of around ninety.

“How long has he been like this and when did you first notice the symptoms?” Dr James asked as he took Roy’s pulse. He then pulled out Roy’s medical notes then took his blood pressure while Janet found enough energy to tell him.

“Unusual, even Anorexia can’t have such a rapid effect on anyone, I think I had better admit him into hospital Janet. It seems as though he’s being eaten away or deflated.” Dr James picked up his mobile and Janet broke down in tears. He put it back down and comforted her, then gave her a check up while listening to the rest of the remarkable story she had to tell.

An Ambulance arrived outside with two police cars, Dr James showed them in to the house, while the neighbours looked on in horror as they pulled out two stretchers, and Janet had also collapsed.

Dr James followed, he looked at Jack’s house with some suspicion as he saw the curtains move then greeted the local police constable handing him the keys to the house.

“Hello Fred, I don’t think you’ll find anything, but I think it might be worth having a word with Janet Fitzgerald before talking to the neighbour next door. She has a fascinating story to tell but let us get her settled in hospital first.” He turned towards his car to follow the ambulance as it drove off at speed with its sirens wailing and blue lights flashing through the night sky.

Richard Jones was waiting patiently for the Fitzgerald’s to arrive, when the doorbell rang. He answered to Dr James, who told him the news about the unfortunate couple. Richard confirmed Janet’s story about the animals and the treatment he had given Brutus, hoping that this might help Roy and Janet recover.

The following morning Janet had just finished breakfast in her hospital bed when she was visited by Constable Fred Jenkins and Inspector Jones who were intrigued by her story. They found it hard to believe but called around to interview Jack Hollis as a course of procedure.

When the Police arrived to interview Jack, they found he had disappeared, the house smelt of burning incense and the atmosphere was very stuffy. There was only a little amount of furniture which prompted Inspector Jones to investigate further. He looked into the drawing room first and in the writing desk that was unlocked. Looking through the draws he found some letters written in a foreign language, but he or his Constables couldn’t make out what language it was.

The Inspector looked around the rest of the house then returned to drawing room absorbing the atmosphere of the house, sent a shiver down his spine.

“I think there is more to this Jack Hollis than meets the eye. Take copies of these letters and get the forensics, we must find this man,” said Inspector Jones.

ENDS