‘We’d be walking straight into the fire again. We should be going in the opposite direction if we want to survive,’ Raine said.
‘I wouldn’t have had a chance of gettin’ you out of there if it weren’t for Gideon. There are a bunch of good folks there. I have to at least warn them what’s comin’,’ Salty said.
‘If we’re sticking around, we need to come up with a way of getting Ethan and Foster back.’
‘We’ll go back and talk to Gideon. Persuade him it’s in the best interest of his people to help us.’
‘If this Gideon has any sense, he’s likely to just finish what O.B. started and take Ethan out,’ Raine said.
‘Then we show him how we can use what he can do to keep us safe,’ Salty said.
‘Can we do that? I saw your face after that demonstration he put on for us. You shit a brick that day because you knew exactly what it could mean,’ Raine said.
Salty nodded.
‘That bein’ true, something tells me we’re gonna need him for this to be over.’
Teddy lay under the blanket behind them, his back half turned. His eyes were open wide, darting from side to side as he listened intently to their conversation.
2
Ethan’s nails grated against the skin of his palms. He was poised to launch himself from the chair in the vestry and pound at the locked door.
Anthony stood next to him, observing his anxiety manifest through his uncomfortable body language. The gunfire and explosions had long since ended, but there had been no report on casualties or if his friends were among them.
‘Who attacked us?’ Anthony asked.
‘I have no clue. I just knew it was about to happen,’ Ethan said.
After what Anthony witnessed in the field with the way he’d rounded up the dead like sheep, he had no reason to question Ethan’s gift.
‘Can you not see if the rest of your group are OK?’ he asked.
‘I don’t have that much control over it. It tells me what it wants to tell me,’ Ethan said.
‘You have a great deal of control over the damned.’
‘That’s different. I couldn’t do that before. It’s only possible because I have their blood running through my veins, stabilised by the Lazarus Serum.’
‘The Lazarus Serum?’
‘Yes, Anthony. I think you know exactly what I’m talking about. Edwards gives all of you a shot of it when you’re delirious from the fever and then spins you some crap about God sparing you for a special purpose. There’s no magic or mysticism. It’s just a drug, an antiviral.’
‘He warned me you would do this, try to manipulate me against him and the calling.’
‘I bet he did. Tell me something, does God talk to you?’
‘Yes, yes he does,’ Anthony said.
‘Have you ever considered those voices in your head could be coming from somewhere else?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s the serum, Anthony. It makes you attuned to the dead, their fragmented memories when they seep out. I figure everyone who is infected can hear them. It’s just that most don’t live long enough to really consider what it means,’ Ethan said.
‘God tells me to protect you at all costs,’ Anthony replied defiantly.
‘Is that so? What if I told you that I’m about to do something foolish and put myself in danger if you don’t go out there and find out what’s happening?’ Ethan asked.
‘I know you’re concerned, but please try to be patient. Someone will be here soon.’
On cue, the lock to the vestry door clicked, and Ethan stood up in anticipation.
Edwards entered and quickly slammed the door behind him, staring at Ethan accusingly. His hair was even more dishevelled. Blood that had dripped from the cut at the edge of his scalp had dried on his face, sealed by the layer of dirt generated from the explosions.
‘The others, did they…’ Ethan asked.
‘By others, are you including the people who attacked our home?’ Edwards replied.
‘I swear to you, I don’t know who did that, and neither do my friends.’
The priest shook his head and then turned back to open the vestry door again.
The tall frame of Crane entered. He carried the limp body of Samuel in his arms.
Ethan and Anthony both moved back in shock and reverence at the sight of the child’s delicate corpse.
Crane carefully laid the boy onto Edwards’s desk, his small legs hanging down over one side.
‘This is the nature of your friends—killing defenceless children,’ Edwards said. ‘And you call us monsters! Don’t worry, the devil’s servants escaped. We have little desire to pursue them or the cowards who attacked us. We have more important matters to attend to.’
‘And Foster?’
‘Your sweetheart, Florence Nightingale? She could have fled too, but instead she chose to come back for you,’ Edwards said.
‘Is she OK?’
‘She’s alive.’
Ethan’s whole body eased in relief.
‘And if you cooperate, she will remain that way.’ Edwards beckoned for Anthony to leave and started to the door himself.
‘I want to see her, Edwards,’ Ethan said.
‘Maybe, but not right now. I need you to sit and reflect on the destruction your friends have brought upon us, and perhaps God will forgive you.’
Ethan realised Crane was leaving too, without collecting Samuel’s body from the desk.
‘Wait, you can’t—’
‘Every time you strike one of us down, Christ will bring us back once again. The child’s story isn’t over yet. He will join the ranks you will lead against our enemies. You may as well get acquainted,’ Edwards said.
‘What did you do?’ Ethan asked.
‘I discovered some time ago that if the dying ingest the blood of the damned, they too will rise. God truly does work in mysterious ways, Shepherd. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have saddled us with you.’
Ethan caught a glimpse of the priest’s deranged smirk as he closed the door, leaving him alone with the boy’s body.
3
The guards positioned on the walls surrounding Medora sprang to attention when they heard the vehicle approaching the main gate.
Timo happened to be near the entrance and heard the local alarm being raised. He climbed the set of steps up to the parapets of the gate.
‘What is it?’ he asked.
The female guard he was closest to pointed to the road. Timo recognised the van that was already slowing down.
‘Easy on those triggers, guys,’ Timo said. ‘Stop your vehicle and get out where we can see you,’ he shouted to the van.
It ground to a halt, and the driver door opened.
Salty exited, his hands in the air, raising his face to the wall so he could be identified.
‘How did you do?’ Timo asked.
‘I got two out, but two are still bein’ held,’ Salty said.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. Were you followed?’
‘No. We made sure,’ Salty replied.
Timo nodded and then signalled for the gate to be opened.
The van pulled over just inside, close to the town hall. Several residents gathered in the gloom of early morning and watched as the rest of the group climbed out. They were particularly unnerved by the two newcomers who were both sporting crew cuts like Edwards’s disciples and were covered in cuts and bruises.
Raine and O.B. responded to their morbid curiosity with cold stares that suggested their eyes had seen more than anyone should.
To the residents, they appeared as outsiders, though not just because they were strangers. There was something about them and their intimidating projections that many members recognised from their encounters before reaching the safe haven of Medora.
Gideon moved through the crowd so he could get to the front and greet them. He approached Salty first and smiled warmly.
‘Yeah, well, we didn’t all make it,’ Salty said, shaking his hand.
‘Are your other friends dead?’
‘Not as far as we know,’ Salty said.
‘Was there bloodshed?’ Gideon asked.
‘Some.’
The memory of laying Samuel’s lifeless body to the ground flashed through Raine’s mind.
‘We can talk about that later if you wish,’ Gideon replied. ‘It’s late. Maybe you’d like to eat before you take some rest. I can get something fixed for you. I can even wake the doctor if any of you have injuries that need tending to.’
‘We’re good, Gideon. Thank you. If you could show us where we can bed down for the night, we’d appreciate it,’ Salty said.
‘Of course. I’ll get someone to set up some cots here if that’s OK,’ Gideon said, gesturing to the town hall behind him. ‘We can discuss what you wish to do after that in the morning.’
‘If it’s all the same to you, we’d like to speak with you tonight—somewhere more private,’ Raine said.
Salty gave her a look, unsure what her intentions were.
Gideon regarded her with a cautious disposition.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,’ he said.
‘It’s Miller,’ Raine said.
‘If it’s something urgent, Miller, once you’re settled in at the town hall, come visit me at my office. It’s just across the street.’ Gideon pointed to an unusual red brick building with steps leading up to its door.
‘We’ll see you soon,’ Raine said. She returned to the van to start unloading the guns and supplies they had brought back.
Salty followed her so he could whisper in her ear.
‘What are you gonna tell him?’ he asked.
‘Only what he needs to know. Let me do the talking,’ she replied.
As Gideon instructed, some of his people set up cots for their six visitors on the floor of the town hall, just beneath the stage that had been set with background and props for the community theatre production of Richard III.
Anna immediately curled up in her bed and fell into a deep sleep. Kaos, Teddy, and O.B. soon followed her lead as Raine and Salty left them to head to Gideon’s office.
The town’s leader was sitting at his desk reading a book on the history of Medora when they knocked at his door. He set the book down carefully and got up to let them in.
‘Hello again. The beds are agreeable?’
‘Fine,’ Salty said.
‘I take it what you have to tell me isn’t going to be pleasant,’ Gideon said. He stood in front of the desk, the concern in his expression lit by flickering candles.
‘You have to leave this place, relocate your people,’ Raine said.
‘I beg your pardon?’ Gideon said.
‘The Children have found a way to herd the dead together, and they’re going to direct them straight for your town.’
‘And how exactly do you propose they’re going to do that?’
‘This isn’t a theory. In a matter of days, your walls will be surrounded by those things, and without access to the outside world, The Father and his disciples will starve you out,’ Raine said.
Gideon leaned against his desk in order to steady himself and scratched his head in bemusement.
‘With all due respect, you’ve just arrived, and you expect me to take you at your word and put all the people here at risk by moving them out of their homes?’
‘I’m not telling you what you or your people should do. I’m just telling you what will happen if you stay here,’ Raine said.
‘Thank you for your advice, Miller. I’m sure you only have our best interests at heart, but this place is not ruled under a dictatorship. I’ll have to consult the council in the morning, and they, like me, will ask to see some evidence.’
‘There isn’t much time. The Father is already putting his plan into action,’ Raine said.
‘Most of the town are in bed. I’ll make an early morning call to convene. If you don’t mind, I would like you and Jake to be present. You can then explain, in detail, about this revelation and exactly what we can expect from an attack,’ Gideon said.
Raine was reluctant to do as he’d asked. It wasn’t in her plan, but she nodded in agreement all the same.
‘Good. You can tell the rest of your group they can attend too. This affects everyone here. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to at least try to get some sleep so I’m functional for what’s ahead tomorrow.’
‘Thank you for giving us shelter,’ Raine said. She walked out of the study and into the hallway.
Gideon shared an uncomfortable look with Salty.
‘Your friend has a unique way of announcing herself,’ he said, picking up the book he’d been reading and cradling the hardback to his chest.
‘Ain’t no one gonna argue with that assessment,’ Salty said. ‘Goodnight, Gideon.’
‘Goodnight, Jake.’
Gideon stood in the flickering candlelight at the window and watched quizzically as the two newcomers left his office and made their way back across the street to the town hall.
‘Pretty economical with the truth back there, weren’t we?’ Salty asked, scanning the curbs on both sides of the street in case any residents were doing some late-night eavesdropping.
‘The only reason I was able to do that is because you spun him a yarn when you first got here. We both did it for the same reasons. Who knows what this community would do if they knew the truth,’ Raine said.
‘Fair enough. We better get our story straight. O.B. too, because there’ll be a hell of a lot more probin’ questions at the council meetin’ tomorrow.’
‘I know,’ Raine said.
‘So, what’s our next move? I know your evacuation plan ain’t just about them.’
‘If we can empty this town, you, me, and O.B. can stay behind, remain hidden, let the herd walk right inside. That means Ethan and the disciples will enter too. Once they’re in here looking for Gideon’s people, they’ll reveal their location. We can take them out from a distance. If we can deal with them easily, we may be able to reach Ethan somehow, get him to lead the herd away again. If Gideon’s community can stick close by, we might even have a shot at bringing them back.’
‘That’s high risk. What if you’re half right and they take the bait and we get clean shots on all of them, but we can’t get through to Ethan? If he’s totally lost to the herd, we’ll be trapped inside with hundreds of dead,’ Salty said.
‘Then we’re shit out of luck. If it goes that way, the only option would be to deal with Ethan. It would be the only way to stop Edwards. This is going to have consequences for more than just us and this community if he gets his way,’ Raine said.
Salty nodded. ‘I hear you.’
4
Crane placed an unwelcome hand on Foster’s shoulder as she faced the vestry door.
‘You’ve got five minutes,’ he said.
‘Alone?’ Foster asked.
‘Alone. Well, almost alone.’ A wry smile curled Crane’s lip. ‘This wasn’t my idea. The Father has granted you this time. Use it wisely.’
He unlocked the door and shoved her inside, closing it quickly behind him.
Ethan jumped up from the sofa when he saw her. He hadn’t changed all that much, but he seemed paler and frailer than she remembered.
Foster was about to rush to greet him until she noticed another presence in the corner.
The young boy was motionless, standing against the wall. It didn’t take her long to realise he had passed over—transitioned. No longer a he but an it. Eyes discoloured, skin almost grey, lungs deflated.
The creature didn’t react to her arrival. It was under Ethan’s spell.
‘This is Samuel,’ Ethan said. ‘He has retained one specific memory. It’s fro
m before the outbreak. He and his parents are out on a lake in a small rowing boat. It’s raining, but the sun is out too.’ As he spoke, Ethan stared off into the space of the vestry, playing back exactly what he described from the archives of the creature’s infected brain. ‘There are swans on the water, and there’s an island in the middle of the lake that has a tree with a twisted trunk growing from the sunken ground at its centre. It almost seems enchanted to Samuel.’
‘Did he die during the attack?’ Foster asked.
‘He did. It was Miller who all but took his life, although I don’t think she intended to. She just wanted to keep him quiet. Edwards quenched the dying boy’s thirst with some infected blood so he would return.’
‘Jesus Christ!’ With one eye still on the creature, Foster knelt in front of Ethan and cupped his cheeks. ‘We don’t have much time,’ she said.
Her touch seemed to transport him back to the present, and he finally made eye contact.
As he began to focus on the contours of her face, he saw the large bruise where she’d been struck.
‘Did they hurt you?’ he asked.
‘It happened at the research compound when we were captured.’
‘I’m going to make sure they don’t hurt you again.’
‘Listen to me. You can’t do what they’re asking. There could be hundreds of people living in that community… children. I have enough blood on my hands because of my involvement with the Lazarus Project. I don’t want theirs as well,’ Foster said.
‘I’m supposed to just watch while they bleed you out like they did to Jason?’
‘Agree to whatever they ask, and then turn the dead against them. Maybe that will at least give us a fighting chance.’
‘I can’t do that. When I command them to attack someone who has the serum running through their veins, I have to focus one on one. I don’t have enough strength to redirect the entire herd. They’re too resistant. Edwards is going to stay protected and keep you close to him until I’ve done what he wants me to.’
‘Don’t do this, Ethan. The more you give in to this, the more you’ll lose yourself to the infection,’ Foster said, fighting back tears.
Everything Dies | Season 3 Page 23