“Don’t touch it…it needs stitches…you’ll infect it”
He nodded, a corner of his mouth twitching up as he held her gaze, noting her thick north-eastern accent, “My name’s Victor…”
“Call him Dog, I do” Moonshine interrupted, and Victor cringed, head shaking as he sighed heavily.
“Ignore him”
The woman nodded, features devoid of emotion, yet her eyes continued to glance about them constantly as she spoke, “Any other injuries?”
Victor grimaced, shrugging, “My nose is broken, I might have broken a couple of ribs too”
She nodded, and Victor tensed as he saw her fingers tighten upon the shotgun, “Anything else? Any itchy white skin…memory problems?”
For a moment, he stood staring back at her in silence, eyes travelling over her features, and then he gave a nod, “You’ve seen them…not just the one I drowned down there…you’ve seen some of your own haven’t you”
It wasn’t a question, and the woman took a step back, the shotgun rising to point at Victors face, “I asked you a question…any white skin patches?”
“No”
“Any memory loss or tiredness at all?”
“No”
“You?” she took another step back, the gun turning to point at Moonshine, “White skin?”
“No, fucking hell!” he shook his head, “Not me”
“Memory loss?”
Moonshine gave a chuckle, “I can’t remember!”
With a grimace, the woman clenched her teeth, looking like she was about to open fire and as Moonshine cursed and dipped his head, Victor stepped in front of his friend, hands raised beside his head, “He’s fine…he’s just a fucking idiot!”
“I am!” Moonshine announced, his free hand raising like Victors, “Just ignore me…fucking hell”
She nodded, her mouth twitching, her shoulders seeming to loosen slightly and then she lowered the gun to the ground, “You are lucky I found you out here, these albino fuckers are everywhere”
Victor nodded at her, “Where are you from?”
She gestured off along the track with a jerk of her head, “My grandparents farm…you?”
“I told you there would be a farm!” Moonshine interrupted, sounding pleased with himself, only to fall silent as Victor sent him a weary glance.
“The A66” the bearded ranger sighed, “We work for the Forestry Commission in Hamsterley Forest. Moonshine here has broken his leg and I was trying to get him to the hospital at Thames”
The woman raised an eyebrow, “Surely Durham hospital would have been nearer for you?”
“Actually its six and two threes…” Moonshine began to explain, his words trailing off as both Victor and the woman turned to look at him.
Sighing, worried that his friend was about to start gibbering once more, Victor nodded, “So we were on the A66 and the lorry in front of us went over…proper crashed. We got out of our jeep but then that got destroyed in another crash. Another lorry crashed behind us and then we had to rescue some…”
His words trailed off as he grimaced, head turning to stare off through the woodland, stomach lurching as he remembered the two children. Before him, the woman raised an eyebrow, “What is it?”
“Two children…they were with us…we rescued them from the car on the A66 and then we got chased through the wheat…”
“The creatures?” the face of the woman was pale.
“Whoa” Moonshine raised his free hand, a nervous smile on his face, “They are people, lets not start calling them all sorts of silly names”
Ignoring his friend, Victor nodded, “Yeah, three of them chased us to these woods, I sent the kids on to safety…then the others seemed to not be able to see us and headed off towards some sheep. We were trying to find the kids when that bastard attacked us…using a bone as a club”
The woman grimaced, head shaking as she glanced down at the river and then met his gaze once more, “Is that the first one you have killed?”
He nodded, “You?”
She stayed silent for a moment, the muscles of her cheeks tensing, throat tightening as she swallowed, “Two…I killed two…in the early hours of this morning”
Victor grimaced, nodding, “At the farm”
Once more, the woman winced, the effort of trying to keep calm showing upon her features, and the bearded ranger nodded in sudden understanding, “I’m sorry…I really am”
She winced, casting a glance at Moonshine as he frowned, “I don’t get it…what’s happened?”
“Nothing” her voice was thick with emotion, her head nodding as she met the gaze of Victor once more, “My name is Bella…Bella Atkinson”
He nodded, then frowned as she took a step away, gesturing for them to follow, “Come on”
“We can’t” Victor shook his head, sighing as spoke, “I have to find the kids”
“I’ve found them” Bella Atkinson nodded, taking another step away through the woodland, “They are at the farm”
Blinking, Victor exchanged stunned glances with Moonshine and then took a step towards her, an eyebrow rising, “Seriously? You found them?”
She gave a soft chuckle, “They found me but yeah…what did you think I was doing out in the woods…I was looking for you two”
Chapter Thirteen
“Come on!” pulling Jiyaa's hand, Alice felt like she was dragging the poor girl along behind her. Jiyaa still had not spoken but appeared to have given in, letting the stranger pull her to safety.
Safety? Alice thought, was there anywhere safe?
Alice had one goal and that was to get herself and Jiyaa as far away from Opinder as possible.
Racing out the door of the chapel, Alice quickly scanned the corridor that lay ahead, then the commotion coming from the chapel spurred Alice to take a quick left, hoping that Opinder, or whatever he was, had not seen them head that way. As much as Alice wanted to call for help, she knew that it would attract the girl’s brother. Both women proceed to edge down the corridor, then froze upon hearing a snarl from what used to be Opinder, closer than they had expected. Hearing a gasp, Alice turned and saw the fear in Jiyaa’s eyes. Putting a finger to her lips to remind Jiyaa to stay silent, Alice gently guided her further from the chapel, her heart hammering in her chest. As they turned another corner, they almost crashed right into a nurse heading around it.
“Whoa!” the nurse exclaimed, her wide eyes taking in the blood coming from the wound in Jiyaa’s arm, “You need that looking at!”
Before either woman could silence the caring nurse, Opinder was suddenly upon her, drawn by the sound of her voice. She screamed as he sank his teeth into her plump left cheek, his arms and body pinning her to the wall, her eyes wide as she screamed in confusion and fear, blood running freely down onto her uniform. Teeth still clamped to the woman’s face, Opinder began to bang her against the wall, over and over, her head making a sickening thunk each time it struck the surface. Knowing there was no way that they could save the nurse, Alice took a step away, realising that she and Jiyaa had to get some distance between themselves and Opinder. Yet again, dragging Jiyaa, they ran, Alice realising that they would be better off getting out the corridor. Quickly scanning the doors, not knowing which room to go into then Jiyaa signalled to the female bathroom. Without any thought the two women raced towards the door and barged inside as behind them the nurses agonised screams eventually faded to nothing.
Pushing Jiyaa into the restroom ahead of her with force, Alice did not think there could be anyone else in there, till Jiyaa collided straight into the admin woman that she had seen eating in the chapel, before all this madness had begun.
“Fuck, what the hell is going on? " the admin called out as Jiyaa knocked her slender frame backwards into one of the sinks, her eyes then noticing Alice as she shut the door, “You are tha lassie from the chapel aren’t ye?”
As Alice nodded, grim faced, the admin noticed the blood on the Sikh girl, “Geez hen, we need to get that seen t
ae! Was it you tha was screaming?”
Unable to reply, Jiyaa tapped a finger on her lips.
“There is someone...something out there" Alice whispered, pointing back away from the rest room door, “It has just murdered a nurse, if we don’t get out of this hospital, we will be next!
Confusion washed over the Scottish admin’s features, as she glanced between them, “Are ye shitting me?”
“Look at her arm!” anger started to rise through Alice, “Does this look like a joke? Please, you work here, what is the best way to get out?”
Head turning as if she was viewing the whole hospital in her head, the Scots eyes suddenly lit up, and she smiled grimly, “The quickest way we are getting off this floor is the lift near the stairs”
Alice nodded, contemplating the idea when the roar sounded from outside, deafening in its intensity. Jiyaa was instantly cowering in the corner of the bathroom, the small curved knife raised before her, knowing it was her brother.
All three women looked at each other nervously, Geri’s eyes widening, “What was tha?”
“The thing…it was her brother” Alice gestured to Jiyaa, and then looked back at the admin, “Look, I'm Alice, this is Jiyaa. We need to make a move now! Do you think you can get us to the lift?”
“Geri...Geri Larkin” the admin nodded, “I will give it ma best shot!”
Gathering Jiyaa to her feet, Alice firmly grabbed the young woman’s free hand, pulling her into an embrace, the Sikh woman returning the gesture, then stepping back, she looked into the confused woman’s eyes and motioning for her to follow. “Let’s do it!”
As Geri opened the bathroom door, the women edged slowly out, their eyes scanning the corridor, relief flooding over Alice as she saw it was clear. Still holding tight to the free hand of Jiyaa, they moved on, the three of them walking single file down the corridor until they hit the corner where they left Opinder. He was still there, down on the floor now squatting in a pool of blood, his broad back to the women, gnawing upon the leg of the now dead nurse, the wet chewing sounds making Alice grow nauseous. Grimacing, a hand motioning for them to follow, Geri led Alice and Jiya slowly away in the opposite direction, down another corridor. As they moved, Alice swapped places with Jiyaa, gesturing for her to move behind Geri while she followed keeping an eye behind them, still holding tight to the hand of the Sikh woman.
Elation coursed through Alice as she spotted their safe haven at the end of the corridor, so near yet so far away, her stomach knotted with the fear that at any moment they could be attacked again. Each step made Alice’s heart felt like it would burst from her chest and the closer they got to the lift, the harder Jiyaa squeezed upon her hand. Somehow, some way they reached it unscathed, and the admin, Geri, turned and gave both her new companions a cheesy smile and thumbs up, her other hand gently tapping the button to call the lift. Relaxing slightly, Alice glanced along the corridor they had traversed, seeing that it was still clear, then turned to watch the elevators descent on the screen, right boot tapping in anticipation. She almost cheered as the lift arrived, but then as the doors slid open the bell made its usual ding.
Oh fuck, no. The bell!
Instinctively Alice turned, heart skipping a beat as she found Opinder at the end of the corridor facing them, the now severed leg of the nurse clasped by the ankle. He let out a menacing roar of anger as he began to charge down the corridor towards the almost free women, snarling in hate.
Unable to move, Alice cringed, her head shaking.
This is it. This is how I die.
Then hands were on each of her shoulders, and she was dragged back into the confines of the lift, though she was still unable to take her eyes off the monster, tearing towards them, howling now.
“Shit, Shit, Shit!” Geri’s words grew louder each time as she pounded on the buttons, begging for the doors to close, while Jiyaa stood sobbing in the corner, the knife of her brother clasped in her hand still, her back to it all. Grim-faced, Alice still watched as the white-skinned, hairless creature approached, closer and closer, snarling in hatred, one eye a bloody ruin from Jiyaa’s attack on it. Fourteen feet, twelve feet, ten feet.
Somehow Alice still kept her eyes on the beast’s blood covered, snarling face as it drew closer.
Eight feet, six feet, four feet.
Then with another soft chime of its bell, the doors slid shut, taking the image of the monster away, and groaning, Alice collapsed to the floor.
Chapter Fourteen
“I don’t think we are allowed to be here” the voice of Brandon made Lauren flinch as he spoke suddenly, the nurse wincing as she saw him repeatedly tapping a finger against his right temple, the fingers of his left hand fidgeting as he clutched his book, and despite his monotone statement, she could tell that he was agitated.
Turning to face him, she reached out a hand, resting it gently upon his left shoulder as she gave a nod, “I have permission from the cook”
“The cook who cooked our food?” he blinked.
“Yes, that cook” Lauren nodded, humouring him as he went with her lie to calm him down, “Now the cook has said we can be here but we have to be quiet, we need to be as quiet as mice, we can’t talk too loudly, do you understand?”
“Mice don’t talk” he shook his head at her, “They squeak. Its talking to other mice but its not words like we would use”
“OK” she winced as he spoke, gesturing for him to be quiet, her hands waving downwards, “Cool”
“Did you know that there are over thirty species of mice?” Brandon tapped her upon the shoulder as she started to turn back around, only to glance at Mary as the old woman nudged him gently, a finger rising before her lips as she winked at him.
Throwing the elderly woman a nod of gratitude, Lauren turned back to peer around the edge of the wall, grimacing as she saw the three white-skinned figures that were crouched down on the floor of the kitchen some twenty feet away near a bank of ovens, their hands and teeth tearing into the body of what might have once been human but was now little more than just bloody meat.
Releasing a shaky breath, Lauren dropped down to a crouch, eyes narrowing as she stared past the metal wash station beside the wall, studying the three white-skinned figures in disgust and confusion, realising that one of them was dressed in nurses scrubs, while the other two wore what looked like kitchen overalls, each of them bald, their skin covered in the same calloused and cracked flesh as the others in the restaurant.
They had rushed past the counter from the carnage in the main restaurant to discover that the way to the door leading out was blocked by the trio of figures that were crouched around a struggling figure upon the floor, their hands hammering punches down and tearing at it, and heart in her mouth, she had led her companions behind the large workstation where they were now hiding. The figure they had been attacking had long-since stopped moving, and Lauren had initially been content to wait, hoping that the trio would wander off so that she could get herself, Brandon and Mary out of the hospital to safety.
Yet it had only taken a couple of moments for her to realise that as hidden as they were from the murderous trio of what Brandon had named ghouls, if any others from the restaurant came to the counter behind them they were in plain sight.
Leaning back slightly, she turned to study her companions, the severely autistic young man, and the elderly lady, neither capable of fighting their way clear of the kitchen if the need arose.
No, that was the worst-case scenario.
They needed somewhere better to hide, to wait.
Then, and only then, when the coast was clear, would they be able to escape themselves.
A grimace creased her features as she glanced back at the trio, realising that maybe they wouldn’t even need to escape. Reports of this would soon reach the emergency services and they would send people to help, most likely armed police or local territorial army reserves.
Frowning, she let her gaze drift over the ghouls, wondering just what had happened to them.
They had clearly been in good health earlier today, the very fact that they were wearing their work uniforms a clear indication that they had recently had their wits about themselves.
So, what had occurred?
What had turned them from everyday normal human beings into these mindless ghouls?
She shook her head as the white-skinned figure in the nurse’s scrubs suddenly snarled at one off those in overalls, snatching the hunk of meat from its hands and Lauren fought the nausea that washed through her as she saw that it was a foot, the remains of a blood soaked sock hanging from the ragged stump. As she watched, the nurse thing shoved the foot into its mouth, crunching down, as it began to chew, and she realised how perfect Brandon’s name for the creatures was.
Ghouls.
Creatures that preyed upon the dead.
What better name could there be for them?
She flinched as the ghoul that had lost possession of their victims foot suddenly turned in her direction, its face tilting as if it were sniffing the air, that thick beige liquid still running from its eyes like tears, dripping to its bloody clothes.
Lauren winced suddenly, her stomach knotting as she caught the sudden stench of something, recognition touching her almost at once as she recalled growing up in her parents home, and how a cat had got stuck in the closed off chimney.
It had been summer, the hottest on record, and the first that they known of the cat’s presence was when it had begun to fester and rot away, the stench of its decaying carcass lingering in the home for weeks. Even afterwards, in subsequent summers, whenever it got too hot it was if the faint smell of that rotting cat had returned.
Trying not to breathe through her nose, she edged back, her stomach knotting as she turned her gaze, desperately seeking some place that she and her companions could find sanctuary.
They had entered the kitchen not that long after the arrogant security guard had fled that way, yet they had not seen him anywhere within it yet.
Ghoul: The Beginning Page 7