With a roar like a lion, the white skinned figure in the porters uniform suddenly slammed up hard behind the seat of the Scots woman, strong arms reaching around to grasp at her head, fingers dragging at her face. Screaming in dread and horror, Alice slammed on the brakes, the road forgotten as she watched the ghoul that had been Marcus push its fingers against the Scots woman’s face, fingers smashing through the lens of her glasses deep into the eyes sockets beneath.
Moaning in pain and terror, Geri raised her hands to weakly try and drag off her assailant, choking on a scream as one hand hooked fingers into the left side of her mouth, tearing her open to the cheek, blood cascading down over her body.
“Leave her alone!” Alice screamed, realising the futility of her words, Geri was all but dead, and with a roar of excitement, the ghoul turned to stare at the embalmer, a hand reaching for her.
Heart skipping a beat, Alice shifted in her seat, desperately trying to ward off its attack, then screamed as the Land Rover skidded and slid.
It turned sideways in the road and toppled over, smashing down onto its driver’s side as it slid, glass shattering and flying up against Alice.
With an almost sober and calm part of her mind, she suddenly recalled the winding roads that she had been negotiating in the dark, and the drop to their right, then screamed as they struck the low wall that bordered it. The vehicle lurched with the impact, flipping back the other way, the bloodied and broken body of Geri lurching like a ragdoll, and then the Land Rover was flying through the dark night towards the valley below.
Chapter Thirty Five
“So, where do you fancy going?” Victor turned to meet the gaze of Bella as the pair of them shut the doors of the dark silver Toyota Landcruiser that Robert Naughton had leant them for their foray to the nearby village of Hanward, and began fastening their seatbelts, “Asda?”
The former soldier chuckled at his words, her head shaking as she pushed the keys into the ignition and began to drive the vehicle forwards, past the front of the farmhouse, the pair of them nodding at the Naughtons as the couple stood outside the building with Doctor Green, the trio waving as they passed. Ahead of them, the ambulance had been moved by Lauren, the young nurse sat behind the wheel ready to reverse it back into the entrance at the top of the winding track and block it again when they had passed.
She raised a hand at them as they drove by, and once more, Victor and Bella returned the gesture.
Then they were off, driving slowly down the winding dirt track towards the distant main road.
They had spent an uneventful second night under the roof of the Naughtons, the couple feeding them all the previous evening and again that morning when they had awoken, neither of them seeming bothered that without any warning their home had been overtaken by eleven strangers.
No, that was incorrect, with the departure the previous evening of Alice, Geri and the whining porter Marcus, they were only eight in number.
He smiled sadly at the thought of the brown-haired Alice, a part of him missing her despite having only known her for a little over twenty-four hours. She had been with him and Bella during their drive through the moorland two days before, and she had been with them then they had found the ghoul the previous morning and discovered their weakness, be it minor.
And now she was gone, as quickly as shed come.
“I hope she gets back to Newcastle OK” he stated, turning to glance at Bella and the silver-haired woman nodded, smiling at him as she replied.
“I hope so too…nice lass”
He nodded, “Yeah she was, and the Scots woman”
“Geri” Bella chuckled and Victor followed suit.
“That’s her…tough one wasn’t she”
“Yeah” Bella grinned, slowing the vehicle as they reached the main road that cut across the barren moorland, “She was for sure”
Victor smiled, the pair of them falling into a comfortable silence for a minute and then he glanced back at Bella, “Do you think we will see them all again when this is over?”
Bella grimaced at his words, “If its ever over”
“Yeah” he nodded, sighing, “Alice, she left her phone number back at the farmhouse, I think we should check up on her once we get back”
Again the former solder gave a nod, her head turning to smile at him, “Missing her are you?”
“Oh, jealous are you?” he teased, then regretted it as she winced, her eyes locking to the road, and feeling suddenly awkward he did the same, the silence no longer as comfortable as it had been, not helped by the fact that they had fallen asleep on the living room floor side by side talking the night before, only to wake up spooned into each other that morning, the embarrassed smiles on the faces of Lauren and Doctor Green, and Jiyaa showing they too had witnessed the scene.
They drove on in silence for a moment and then he gave a sigh, “Look, about this morning…”
“It’s fine” she shook her head, blushing, “Really, we were asleep…its not like we slept together”
“Exactly” he gave a laugh, surprised by her words, and then he grinned, “Lucky I guess”
“Oh?” she sent him a look, trying not to smile.
“Well” he gave a shrug, shaking his head in mock irritation, “All we did was spoon and you still managed to take all of the duvet”
She laughed at his words, head shaking and he grinned as he glanced at the side of her features, throat tightening as if he was seeing her for the first time, “You look different when you smile”
“Less of a grumpy bitch, you mean?” she glanced at him, trying not to laugh and he nodded back.
“Yeah, of course…but seriously, you should smile more, it suits you”
She blushed, head shaking as if she was going to deny his words, then she sighed as she steered the vehicle around a tight bend in the road and straightened up once more, “Shut up, Dog”
Victor nodded, stunned that he had been so open but then he frowned in confusion as his eyes fixed on something in the distance ahead through the windscreen, “Stop the car, Bella”
“What?”
“Stop the fucking car, now”
Grimacing, she did as he had instructed, turning to glare at him, but he raised an arm, pointing ahead of them, “Someone has gone off the road”
“What?” she frowned, following his gesture, the muscles in her cheeks tightening as she noticed the damaged section of wall he was pointing to.
“Dog!” Victor heard her voice call out to him as he opened the door and climbed out, one hand rising to adjust the straps of the empty backpack that he was wearing over his shoulders, then he gripped the shotgun that Robert had given him with both hands as he began to cross the road.
“Dog!” the voice of Bella called out to him once more, hushed slightly now, and he paused and turned, watching as she moved swiftly over the road to stand beside him, her own weapon ready.
As he took another step along the road, Bella gave a grunt and turning, he found her staring down at the road surface and he did the same, his stomach tightening as he saw the skid marks.
“They seem new” Bella’s voice was grim, and Victor shook his head, voice tight with emotion.
“Do you think it was them?”
“I don’t know” she answered simply as she began to walk once more and he fell in beside her, the pair stopping once again as they saw scrapes on the road, and a path of broken glass and blood.
Taking a steadying breath, he watched as Bella scuffed at the blood with the toe of her left boot, then met his gaze, “It doesn’t seem that old”
Grimacing, Victor nodded and strode away from her towards the broken section of the low wall, stepping over the loose stones on the road, to stand staring down at the valley below, “Fuck”
“Is it them?” Bella was at his side instantly, her features grim as he gave a nod, the pair of them staring down the steeply sloping ground to the Land Rover that lay upon its passenger side.
“No-one could survive that” s
he grimaced, and he nodded at her words, his eyes drifting over the glassless window frames of the vehicle, the Land Rover looking like it had been in a fight with a wrecking ball as it lay some seventy feet below.
Gritting his teeth, Victor turned to meet her gaze, nodding as he spoke, “We have to check, you know that right?”
Bella nodded back, forcing a grim smile, and sighing, Victor turned back to study the slope, trying to work out a safe way for them to get down to the Land Rover without falling themselves and making things even worse.
“There” as if reading his mind, Bella pointed with a finger, holding onto her shotgun with her left hand, “See where the ground has more rocks showing through the peat…it looks to me like sheep use that route to get up and down…I will try that way down”
“Sure, no problem” Victor grimaced, only to frown as Bella shook her head at him, eyes grim.
“What are you doing?”
“We are going down to see if anyone is still alive”
“No” Bella shook her head, grimacing, “You have a broken rib…you shouldn’t even be out here on the run to the village…I only agreed you could come on the promise that you behaved”
“I am behaving” he sent her a tight smile, “Right”
For a moment, she held his gaze in silence and then she shook her head, “No dice Dog, you are waiting here…its not up for discussion”
For a moment, he considered arguing but then he sighed, seeing the determined look in her and he shook his head, “OK, fine, but be careful
Bella chuckled, “Aw, worried about me?”
Victor gave a grim smile, “I’m worried I’ll end up spooning Doctor Green if you don’t come back”
Chapter Thirty Six
Holding her shotgun before her, Bella watched as Dog made his way back over to their vehicle, and started the engine, driving it to where she stood.
“Right listen” she fixed him with an almost motherly stare as she stepped alongside his open window, “You stay here, keep an eye out to make sure no more of those things are coming”
He nodded and she turned to glance both ways along the road as she continued, “If you see any, give the horn one blast and I will hide, you do the same OK…don’t let them see you”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come?” he stared back at her, an eyebrow lifting and she shook her head, stepping away from the window.
“Don’t start Dog, you aren’t fit enough to climb”
“But I’m fit enough to spoon?” he risked a smile and she turned away from him, feeling her cheeks warming as she blushed unexpectedly.
“For fuck sake, just keep your eyes open”
“Sure” he replied, but she was already moving before he could say something else, trying to keep the smile from her face as she forced herself to concentrate on the task facing her, guilt at her smile touching her as she considered the facts.
Three of their number were most likely dead, killed in the crash at the bottom of the slope.
Sadness touched her as she pictured the woman Alice, realising that she had grown to like her in their brief acquaintance, and had trusted her.
Likewise she had liked the Scottish woman, Geri and had been impressed by her strength and manner, yet she had not liked the porter, Marcus.
Still, any death was sad, especially given the dire circumstances that they had found themselves in.
Grimacing, she began to edge down the slope, taking the sheep track that she had pointed out to Dog just a few minutes before descending, her heart skipping a beat each time her boots almost slid on the grass, still wet from last night’s rain.
For several minutes she moved on slowly, pausing every few steps to cast her eyes about at the wide open moorland stretching away from her in three directions, suddenly aware of how visible she must be out on the open hillside.
Grimacing, she turned her head slowly, eyes squinting as she studied the landscape, searching for any sign of white figures, certain that they would be in the open and unafraid of being seen.
Yet when they had been driving away from Thames, they had seen a large group hiding behind overturned cars while one of their number had stood in the open, taunting them.
Had they really been trying to set a trap?
Did their intelligence stretch that far?
Releasing a shaky sigh, certain that there was nothing out on the moorland watching her, Bella began to descend once more, her thoughts straying to the bearded man back in the jeep, her cheeks colouring once more as she recalled waking with his strong arms wrapped about her body, holding her to him as he lay close behind.
For several minutes she had stayed there, her breathing shallow, her heart hammering in her chest as she tried to stay calm, unsure how to react. She had known instinctively that he hadn’t been trying anything funny with her, that fact alone settling her stomach and so she had stayed where she was, shamelessly enjoying the warmth and close proximity of him underneath the duvet.
It hadn’t been sexual, far from it.
It had been companionship that she had felt, a deep-rooted affection forming for the man who was without question the most trusted and important member to her of the fledgling community that she had found herself a part of.
Closing her eyes, she had leaned back slightly against him, casting her mind back to the conversation that they had shared the night before, and the way they had opened up to each other in the parking area the day before that.
They were kindred spirits, survivors.
Theirs was a friendship unmarred by attraction.
Then Dog had shifted beneath the duvet, pressing against her in his sleep and she had felt him.
As she had stiffened, her throat going tight with shock, he had grunted softly and came awake behind her, his voice thick with embarrassment as he had rolled away, “Oh my fucking God”
“It’s fine” she was instantly up, avoiding his eyes as she had stepped towards the kitchen, noticing for the first time that the living room was empty.
As she reached the door, she turned back, unsure whether to laugh or blush as she had seen him sat up with his pillow upon his lap atop the duvet, and she had winced, “Do you want a tea?”
he had nodded, wincing himself and groaning, Bella had made her way through to the kitchen to discover the Naughtons, Jiyaa, Lauren and Doctor Green all seated about the large wooden table, chatting amiably, tea and toast before them all.
As she had stepped into the kitchen, they had all fallen silent and looked up at her, and the nurse Lauren had smiled, “Hey”
Shaking her head, Bella had chuckled and rolled her eyes, “Don’t start”
“My lips are sealed” the nurse had chuckled, a fingertip pushing her glasses back up her nose as she had thrown Bella a wink, and then Valerie had risen, fussing about the former soldier.
“A cup of tea for you and your fella?”
Bella had shaken her head, “He’s not my fella”
“Not yet he’s not” Lauren had teased, taking a bite of toast, and groaning, Bella had flicked the nurse the middle finger of her right hand, chuckled, and joined the small group at the table.
Pausing once more on the slope, Bella smiled at the memory, then turned her face to stare at the uneven moorland to her right, realising that it was where the Land Rover had crashed down the slope, pieces of the vehicle strewn about, leaving a trail like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs.
Grimacing, her good mood slipping away once more, she changed her direction, picking over towards the trail of debris, her right boot turning various bits over, a wing mirror here, an aerial there, then she paused as she saw something several metres down the slope from where she had stopped, half hidden among some flattened gorse bushes. Nearly a minute passed by as she stood staring at what she had seen, and then she began to approach it, her shotgun raised ready, stomach knotting in dread as she heard its snarls.
She stopped once more, just two metres short of the figure in the blood caked uniform of
a hospital porter, shaking her head slowly as he turned its hairless, white features towards her, right hand reaching out to grasp at the air between them as it snarled in excitement.
For nearly a minute, Bella stood with the shotgun pointing at the ghoul that had been Marcus, waiting for it to make a move towards her from where it was lying, not wanting to ruin her one chance of getting away from it by shooting early and missing. The moment it rushed for her she was going to give it both barrels and as it fell down the hill she would try and make her way back up towards the top where Dog was waiting.
Yet as she stood there, weapon pointing at the face of the ghoul, it did nothing more than reach for her with that one arm, and grimacing, she took several steps to the right, watching it intently as it tried to follow her movement.
Snarling like a rabid dog, the ghoul twisted, its right hand grasping at a rock on the floor between them, and with a supreme effort it managed to drag itself from within the bushes.
“Fucking Hell” Bella took a step back, the slope behind her now, her eyes wide as she studied the ghoul which was trying to crawl towards her, one hand grasping at the uneven ground as it dragged itself forwards, its left arm hanging beside it, bent the wrong way at the elbow, and his lower back bent at an off angle, its legs dragging limply along behind it as it crawled.
The cause of the accident seemed clear.
Marcus had changed into a ghoul, just as Dog’s friend Moonshine had done two days before, and the shock of it had no doubt made the driver, Alice, go careening off the road in the darkness.
But what had happened to the ghoul?
Had it been thrown from the vehicle as it rolled downhill and broken its back during the crash?
She frowned, her eyes drifting over the ghoul as it once more dragged at the ground, edging closer, its teeth snapping at the air, and Bella took another step away from it, realising that it seemed to be suffering from no external wounds.
That meant the blood upon its uniform belonged to either Geri or Alice, perhaps both women.
Wincing, she turned her head to stare down at the wreckage of the Land Rover, realising that she was now only about thirty feet away from it, then cursed and gasped in dread as the ghoul suddenly grasped at her right leg with its hand.
Ghoul: The Beginning Page 21