“The eyes too, Jiyaa stabbed her brother in the eye before we managed to escape from him”
The nurse nodded, the two of them holding each other’s gaze for what seemed an eternity, finding comfort in their shared experience, a bond seeming to forge between the two strangers, and then with a sigh, Lauren turned to glance about the operating theatre, “You keep that scalpel, I will try and find dressings for Jiyaa and Jennifer”
Nodding, Alice turned back to the body upon the table, realising for the first time that it was a man, a sigh of relief escaping her as she considered how bad it would have been for her and Lauren if the ghoul hadn’t still been sedated from the operation that the doctors had been performing on it then blinked, her eyes widening.
“Oh God, we need to get out of here!”
“What is it?” Lauren began to move back towards her, her right hand clasping a small pile of bandages, “What is the matter?”
“It was still anesthetized” Alice pointed at the dead ghoul with the scalpel, “It was unconscious”
Lauren nodded, “Yeah, I know”
Wincing, the embalmer gestured to the three dead bodies on the floor, “So what killed them?”
The young nurse gave a grunt, blinking in shock, and then together they were running from the operating theatre, calling for their companions.
Chapter Twenty One
“It looks blocked” Victor grimaced, sitting forward slightly in his seat, grey eyes locked to the small road ahead of them where several cars were stopped, one of them nose first in a fence, four others sideways in the road behind it, smoke coming from the engine of one of the vehicles.
Beside him, Bella gave a grunt, and opened her door, stepping up onto the edge of the car as she stared ahead of them, “I can’t see any of them”
Them. The things. The white-skinned monsters.
How had those that she had shot back at the farmhouse not been killed by the two barrels?
Victor had realised that their skin was thicker and harder now since their change, but surely a shotgun should have been enough to kill them.
After all, hadn’t she killed two that way earlier?
Grimacing, he turned to glance at her as she got back in, asking her that very question and she winced, head shaking, “I used both barrels on grandad…at nearly point blank range to the head, then just as I reloaded gran ran in, I tried to shoot her in the head but she grabbed the gun and took both shots in the chest from than a foot away”
Her words were precise, her voice monotone, as if she were giving a report, and Victor nodded, realising it was her counselling, breaking everything down into logical no-nonsense facts.
He had learned the exact same techniques in the long course of his therapy in the aftermath of the fire that had claimed the lives of his entire family.
“What do you think?” Bella turned to look back out of the windscreen, her face screwing up as if deep in thought, “Shall we try and move the cars out of the way?”
“And if we find some of those things out there?” Victor grimaced, glancing down at the shotgun he was holding before looking back as she met his gaze, “How many shells do you have left?”
“Three” she reached into the right breast pocket of the chequered shirt that she was wearing, fishing out the three shells, red jackets with gold tops, and handed them to him, “Here you go”
He took them, breaking the gun as he pushed one into right barrel and then closed it once more, an eyebrow rising as he found her studying him with interest, “What?”
“Why not fill both barrels?”
Victor gave a soft chuckle, “And get scared and fire both together…then only have one left?”
She nodded, “But what if it takes two to take one of these things down? Even at close range?”
Victor shrugged, “Then three shells isn’t going to make much difference no matter how we try it”
For a moment they sat staring back at each other in silence and then he closed the shotgun, handing it across to her, “You take it”
“Are you sure?” she eyed him curiously, “Why?”
He shrugged, “Well, for starters its your gun…and you are ex-army…you know weapons”
“So do you by the look of it” she nodded and he sighed heavily, shrugging as he held her gaze.
“Where I grew up there was a massive forest surrounding a stately home, it had pheasants, grouse and the like, poachers were always trying to take the birds, and the gamekeepers had to stop them and keep the birds safe, so my dad taught me to use a rifle and a shotgun”
Bella nodded, a hand rising to run back through her silver hair, “Ah, your dad was a gamekeeper”
What…oh God no” Victor gave a chuckle, “No, my dad was a poacher…but I learned guns”
A comfortable silence settled over the pair of them and then she reached out, taking the offered shotgun, and Victor smiled grimly, turning his head to look into the rear of the Land Rover behind them, his stomach tight as he found Moonshine lying on the deck of the area, usually red features now pale and bathed in sweat.
He had been that way within minutes of driving away from the farmhouse, the stress and pain of his injury and the exertion of the day finally seeming to have taken their toll upon the man.
“Is he going to be OK?” Emily glanced up from where she was sitting near the rear door, the border collie named Lexie asleep on her lap.
“Yeah” Victor nodded at her, trying to sound positive, “He’s just got a broken leg but he’s in a lot of pain…he could use the rest”
“I think he’s dead” the voice of Eric dragged Victor’s attention and he found the boy sitting several feet to the left, a concerned look upon his face as he stared at the unconscious Moonshine, the larger dog Castiel sitting protectively at the side of the boy as if it had known him forever.
“He’s not dead” Victor shook his head, “Trust me”
The boy nodded, looking unconvinced and Victor turned back to the front, staring out through the windscreen at the blockage ahead, his head shaking as he glanced at Bella, “Maybe I should go alone…leave my door open…if there is anything there I can run back and we reverse”
“No” Bella shook her head at him, a hand rising to point at several different places, “There’s too many hiding places…you could get caught out in the open if you go alone…I’m coming too”
He winced, his voice lowering as he gestured back with his head, “And leave these alone?”
Bella grimaced, nodding at his words and then shrugged, “I get that, but its not safe to go alone”
“Then maybe we need a new plan” he suggested, head turning as he studied the road ahead of them for a moment then turned to look at the fields either side, his brow furrowing. They had headed west from leaving the farmhouse where Bella had lived, the former soldier throwing the Land Rover around the small country roads with skill, and thus far they had only seen one other car, a red Vauxhall Cavalier which had been embedded in a tree and on fire, the burnt and blackened remains of one of these bald new humanoids hanging through the windscreen on the driver’s side, flames rising from its corpse.
“We could go through the field” the voice of Bella had him turning his head, studying her intently as she pointed out of her window at the fence that the car ahead of them had driven into, a strange smile on her face as she looked back at him, “The fence has been weakened by the impact up there, if we can knock it down with the front off the Land Rover the four wheel drive on this thing will get us through the field with ease”
“Are you sure?” he raised an eyebrow and she nodded, turning to glance back at the old fence.
“If we hit it between posts on the old slats, it will break, I am sure of it…here, take the gun back”
Victor nodded as she passed him the shotgun, placing it back down between his feet, the barrels pointing at the ceiling, “OK, let’s do this”
Smiling grimly, Bella turned to look back at the two children behind them, “This
is going to get a bit bumpy but we are going to be alright, OK?”
There was a chorus of uncertain agreements, and then throwing Victor a grim look, she turned the wheel, easing down on the accelerator as she angled the Land Rover across the road so it was facing the fence on the left hand side, “Ready?”
“No” Victor shook his head, and she gave a humourless chuckle, her head shaking back.
“Me neither” without another word, she suddenly floored the accelerator, and Victor cursed as the Land Rover lurched forwards. The old wooden fence slats broke under the impact, and then they were through, the Land Rover bouncing as they drove over the uneven ground of the field, and grimacing, Bella slowed down and then stopped.
“Everyone OK?” she asked turning her head to the rear once more and again the chorus of confirmations sounded, this time accompanied by one of the dogs barking, and Bella smiled, turning to meet Victor’s gaze, “You good?”
He gave a nod, turning his head to study the crash as she began to drive on, brow furrowing as he saw movement amid the smoke, “What…?”
The white-skinned figure burst from the black smoke like a greyhound out of the starting trap, casting aside what looked like a bloody hunk of meat as it leaped effortlessly atop the bonnet of one of the vehicles and cleared the fence, landing cat-like in the field as it gave a roar of hatred.
“Go!” Victor muttered, a strange sense of horror washing through him as he realised that the figure was wearing the white shirt, black trousers and black stab vest of a police officer, the fact that even those who were supposed to keep people safe from harm were changing too seeming to be the final horror. Yet of course they could change as well, why couldn’t they do so?
With another roar, it began to charge at the Land Rover and cursing, Bella put her foot down on the accelerator, clearly intending to get them quickly away from it, only for the back wheels to suddenly slide sideways, edging themselves into the soft earth of the field, the curses of the former soldier growing louder as she snarled, “Fuck it!”
“What…fuck it what?” Victor turned to throw her a look of dread, “Speak to me…what?”
“We’re stuck at the back” Bella’s voice was grim, her features looking like she was going to be sick, and cursing Victor snapped his face back to watch as the thing that had once been a police officer charged at their vehicle, snarling in rage.
Gritting his teeth, Victor turned the handle on the window beside him, his other hand swinging the shotgun back up over his lap just as the figure reached the Land Rover, the end of the barrels butting it in the forehead as it reached for him.
The retort of the shotgun was loud as the former priest pulled the trigger, drawing screams from both children and sending the dogs into a barking frenzy as the shotgun discharge, and wincing, Victor watched as the force threw the white-skinned figure back to the field beyond.
Instantly regretting only loading one barrel, he passed the now empty weapon to the silver-haired woman beside him, his other hand slipping her the two remaining shells, “Here!”
“Where are you going?” she grimaced, loading the gun as she held his gaze, clearly so adept at the task that she didn’t need to look, “Dog?”
Without replying, he closed his window and opened the door, stepping down into the field, his heart hammering in his chest as he began to approach the body that now lay sprawled in the grass, arms and legs bent at obtuse angles. He stopped by its left side, fighting the wave of nausea that washed over him as he saw the top half of the figure’s head was missing from the left eye upwards, a nervous chuckle escaping him as his mind conjured up a sudden image of a hard-boiled egg with the top cleanly sliced off.
“Is it dead?” the voice of Bella had him glancing back through the door that he had left open, nodding as he saw the grim look upon her face.
“Slightly, yeah” he grimaced, his gaze drifting from his new friend down to the belt that was fastened about the waist of the dead police officer, and he crouched, his hands searching through the various pouches and clips.
“What are you doing?” Bella called out once more, and he turned, holding up his finds.
“Handcuffs, baton, taser and a torch”
“Wonderful” she grimaced, “Come on”
Victor nodded, rising to his feet then turned towards the cars as he heard something move upon the road, his pulse quickening in dread.
The second creature came scrambling over the wooden fence somewhere between where they had crashed through it and where Victor stood, roaring as it landed in the field and saw him.
Instantly he was running, clutching his finds to his chest as he did so, cursing as he almost slipped but then he was back inside the car, slamming the door behind him. Once more, Bella put her foot down on the accelerator, the engine roaring but still the back of the Land Rover swung back and forth as it slid in the wet mud, the wheels refusing to find purchase on anything.
Victor cursed in dread as the white-skinned figure was suddenly there beside his window, snarling in hatred and excitement, and as the children began to scream again and the dogs went crazy, he tried to bring the shotgun up.
Beyond the window, the figure snarled once more, its right fist rising to hammer a punch into the glass only for the sliding Land Rover to strike it side on, throwing it back to the ground behind.
Victor cursed, Bella following suit as something slammed into the rear of the Land Rover, and turning his head, the bearded ranger watched in dread as he saw yet another of the figures there, brutish cracked-skinned features pressed up against the rear window as it snarled loudly.
With a scream, Emily threw herself away from the rear door, arms encircling Eric as he sobbed hysterically, both dogs moving to stand before the window, snarling and snapping angrily, and cursing, Victor glanced down at his friend, shouting angrily, “Moonshine…wake up!”
Yet the shorter man stayed unconscious, his face awash with sweat, oblivious to the creature that was trying to get into the rear of the vehicle.
Without warning, the Land Rover lifted slightly at the rear, and gritting his teeth, Victor glanced in the side mirrors, his mind reeling in disbelief as he realised that the newcomer had lifted the rear of the vehicle from the earth with ease.
How strong had these things become?
“Look!” the voice of Bella was grim as she motioned past Victor, and turning his head he saw three more of the white-skinned figures creeping into sight beyond the fence, snarling aloud as they saw two of their brethren below.
Without warning, the figure that had chased Victor was back beside the window, one hand swinging back, the white skinned fist smashing through the glass with ease, showering Victor in sharp fragments, and cursing, he turned to scream at Bella, “Throw it in reverse!”
With a grimace, she did as instructed, her left hand slamming the gear stick back into the reverse gear, and with the wheels suddenly free of the clogging earth, held aloft as they were by the enraged figure behind, the Land Rover lurched quickly back with a sickening crunch, the figure that had just been trying to gain access through the broken window beside Victor falling sideways as the vehicle moved. Without having to be told, Bella switched gear once more, shoving it back into first as she gunned the engine, the Land Rover surging forward across the field, Victor grimacing as he turned to look back out of his broken window as the figure that had smashed the glass began to rise, joined by the others from the road, while the one at the rear lay still, crushed by the reversing vehicle.
Without even telling the children to prepare, Bella smashed back through the fence, having cleared the small obstruction and the Land Rover sped along the road, leaving the horror behind.
Chapter Twenty Two
Several minutes passed by as they drove on in silence, the children finally calming in the rear of the Land Rover, and the dogs settling back down.
Yet Moonshine was still unconscious, his body having slid slightly about upon the floor in the rear of the vehicle, yet still he had
n’t woken up.
“I’m worried about your friend” Bella finally muttered as she steered the vehicle along a ridge of ground that crossed between two large sections of open countryside, the Northern Pennines in the distance showing that they were heading west. Victor grimaced at her words, his head turning as he glanced into the back of the Land Rover, shaking his head as he saw his friend was still unconscious, his features even paler.
“I think the pain has gotten to him, he’s in shock”
“Maybe” Bella nodded, casting him a quick glance, her mouth a tight line, and he frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing” she lied, the act obvious, and Victor nodded, turning to look out of the windscreen as they drove on for several more minutes, then frowned as the former soldier suddenly pulled the car over at the side of the long narrow road.
For nearly a minute the pair of them sat there in silence, she gripping tight to the steering wheel as she stared ahead and he turning to study their surroundings, refusing to ask what she meant.
If she wanted to tell him the problem she would.
“Why have we stopped?” there was panic in the voice of Emily as she moved to look between the seats, and turning his head, Victor forced a smile.
“We are just checking the route to the hospital”
“Yeah?” she raised an eyebrow, her head jerking towards where Bella was still sat staring ahead like a statue, “What’s wrong with her?”
“I’m fine” the former soldier muttered, and Victor nodded at the girl in the rear of the Land Rover.
“See, she’s fine, why don’t you check on your brother for a moment…me and Bella have to talk”
“Ugh” she grimaced, moving back away from their chairs, her head shaking, “You better not be about to do it”
Despite his best efforts Victor laughed, “What?”
“You heard me” Emily looked disgusted, “That’s the excuse adults use when they want time alone to do stuff…its sick…especially at your age…”
Ghoul: The Beginning Page 12