Finally, she had been within the rear of the car, lying hidden as best as she could, shivering against the cold, her ears straining to hear the snarling of the ghoul over the heavy rain. At some point during the night it had got so cold that she had cut open the seats with the piece of glass she was holding and pulled out pieces of the cushion within, stuffing pieces inside her clothing in a bid to ward of the biting cold, the idea coming to her after she recalled Sarah once telling her that tramps often stuff their clothes with newspaper to keep warm in the winter.
Once more, battered and bruised, shivering badly, she had fallen asleep once more, only to awake to the sound of Sarah talking to her, and she had blinked, staring at the figure of her former best friend and lover as it had sat in the darkness of the upturned Land Rover with her. For several moments she had let it talk, listening to it tell her in detail about how the failure of their relationship had been her fault, and that ultimately her suicide was on Alice’s conscience, until finally, the embalmer had shaken her head and given a sad chuckle, her voice soft, “You’re not here, you are dead”
“So will you be soon” Sarah had replied and Alice had fallen asleep once more for an unknown period of time before awaking to find Geri turning to stare back at her from the front seat, her eyeless sockets fixing to Alice as she nodded.
“Ye hang on in there, hen, d’ ya hear me! Help will come for ye…ye just have ta hang on!”
Once more, the darkness had taken her and then she had awoken once more, her heart skipping a beat as something heavy crashed against her hiding place, her blood running cold as she had heard the ghoul snarling loudly, its movements loud as it crawled around outside the vehicle.
Except it hadn’t been Marcus after all.
It had been Bella.
Sat in the back of the car behind Dog and Bella, she suddenly felt overcome with emotion as she recalled the intensity of the embraces each had given her upon finding that she was alive, Bella beside the upturned Land Rover and Dog at the top of the slope when she had finally reached it, and instantly the tears came, a wave of high emotions coursing through her body, grief at the loss of Geri, and even Marcus, relief at having been rescued, and overcome with the love and care that she had been shown by Dog and Bella.
Her smile slipped as she recalled how she and the silver-haired woman had stopped on their climb back to the road, Bella collecting her shotgun and Alice standing staring at the thing that had been Marcus, wanting to hate it but not having the energy. After all, he was a victim too.
“What do you want to do with him?” Bella had moved alongside her, offering her the gun and Alice had winced, watching as the broken-backed ghoul had tried in vain to crawl towards her.
“Leave it” her voice had been little more than a whisper, “If we shoot it we might attract more”
Bella had nodded, then gestured to a large rock that had lain nearby, “We could crush it’s skull?”
Again, Alice had shaken her head, feeling suddenly nauseous as she had stared into the milky white eyes of the ghoul, “Let’s just go”
And so they had, slowly making their way back up the steep slope, picking their way from the debris site back over to the sheep track as they climbed towards the road and the waiting Dog.
“We’ll soon have you back at the farmhouse” Dog turned suddenly, forcing a smile and forcing herself to concentrate on the present, she cringed as she saw the look of concern in his eyes still.
“I look a mess right” she raised her hands, thumbs trying to clear the tears from her eyes, her palms brushing them away from her cheeks.
He chuckled, “I’m just glad you are safe, I wish I’d argued harder against you all leaving last night”
Alice winced, “And then Marcus would have turned into a ghoul back inside the farmhouse, who knows how many would have been killed”
Dog nodded at her words, smiling sadly and Alice raised an eyebrow, “How did you guys know we had the accident?”
“We didn’t” Bella stated, meeting her gaze in the rear view mirror and Alice shook her head.
“So where were you going?”
“The village that we skirted past the other day, I cant remember its name” Dog explained, then turned to glance at Bella as she gave a chuckle.
“Hanward”
“Yeah, whatever” the bearded man smiled, turning to look back at Alice, “We were headed there to try and get some supplies to tide us over at the farmhouse, but we’ll get you back first”
“No” she sat forward, her head shaking, “No, we can go to the village still, I’ll come with you”
Grimacing, Dog glanced at Bella and she met the gaze of Alice in the rear view mirror once more, her head shaking, “After the night you have had I think you need to get back to the farmhouse and rest…you deserve it”
“How can I?” Alice shook her head, smiling sadly as she gave a shrug, “I wouldn’t be able to rest knowing that you two were out there on your own when I could be helping you!”
“Alice…” Dog began then fell silent as she fixed him with a meaningful stare, hands raising, “OK”
Behind the wheel, Bella turned her head quickly, glancing at Dog before looking at Alice through the mirror once more, “Are you sure, really sure”
“I am” Alice fought to control the fresh wave of emotion that was threatening to wash her away, nodding as she met the gaze of each of her new friends, “We make a good team right?”
As Dog chuckled, nodded at her, Bella winked in the mirror, the vehicle speeding up as she put her foot down, “Right then, Hanward here we come”
Chapter Thirty Nine
“Well, it looks quiet” Victor muttered as he and his two companions stood in front of the Toyota Landcruiser, his features grim as he stared at the village of Hanward, hands clasped to his shotgun.
Several feet away, Bella stepped forwards, her weapon held ready before her, while Alice stood between the pair of them, glancing about slowly.
They had arrived at the small village some ten minutes before and had sat in the car with the engine running, and the windows done up, while Bella had held down the car horn several times, their plan being to see how many ghouls there were in the small village. Yet as the minutes had dragged by, there had been no sign of any of the white-skinned creatures at all and casting each other hopeful smiles the trio had climbed out.
Yet now, as he stood beside his two female companions, Victor began to feel exposed and at risk, his previous encounters with the ghouls having set him on edge. They now knew for certain that there was a weak spot upon the chests of the creatures which was great, but unless there were only one or two ghouls that information was next to useless. If they were attacked by a crowd of ghouls they were screwed, even armed with the two shotguns.
“So, what’s the plan?” Alice asked, and as he glanced at her she gave a nervous laugh, “You have a plan, right guys?”
As Bella turned to look at Victor, he gestured towards her with a hand, “Well…you are the former soldier…what’s the plan?”
She grimaced at his words, then turned to glance at Bella as she raised an eyebrow, nodding as if in approval, “Former soldier…that’s cool”
Victor watched as Bella tried to smile, flinching slightly at the compliment then Alice turned to meet his gaze, “Well, Dog…what do you do?”
He winced, shrugging slightly, “I work for the Forestry Commission…just general stuff”
“Oh cool” Alice nodded, smiling then turned to look at Bella as she gestured towards Victor.
“He was a priest”
“A priest?” Alice shot him a look of surprise.
“It was a long time ago” he winced, throwing Bella a look of mild irritation, then turned to look back at the village ahead of them, changing the subject, “So, what are we doing? Any ideas?”
She moved alongside him, a worried look upon her features as if sensing that he might be annoyed with her, “Are you good?”
“Yeah” he nodded
, forcing a smile, “I’m sorry, I just don’t like to talk about myself too much”
Bella nodded, a hand leaving her gun to give his arm a gentle pat, and he lowered his gaze staring at where she had touched him, embarrassed by the fact that she had become so important to him when she was effectively still just a stranger.
So why had a touch on his arm made him smile?
He winced as an image of his wife entered his head, a wave of guilt washing through him and he turned away from his companions, stepping further into the village as he stared slowly about.
Behind him, Bella was talking, suggesting that they leave the car at the entrance to the village and carefully scout around, before returning.
Alice grunted, “Wouldn’t it be easier to drive?”
“It would” Bella agreed, and casting a quick glance back at the pair, Victor found her nodding at Alice, “It’d be quicker too, but I’m concerned in case we run into a big group of ghouls. If we are in the car we make more noise than the three of us sneaking around on foot”
“But if we do run into a group wouldn’t we be safer inside the car?” Alice seemed unsure.
“Again, I agree” Bella replied, “I just don’t want us to commit out only way of getting quickly back to the farmhouse into an unknown situation”
“Good point” Alice chuckled, “I can tell you have done this sort of thing before”
As the two women chuckled softly, Victor began to walk slowly forwards, his head turning to stare off up a long driveway to their left, his brow furrowing as he studied a house about thirty metres down it, and then another large structure further back, beside what looked like a hay barn.
“Dog?” he turned as Bella and Alice moved up to join him, the voice of the silver-haired woman tense as they both joined him in staring up the driveway, “Everything OK?”
He nodded, forcing a grin, “Just me being nosy”
Sending him a smile, Bella stepped past him, to stare off down the main street and he and Alice joined her in doing so, his brow furrowing as he studied the houses on the left and right of the street, the latter appearing to have several small roads leading off, and then he frowned as he stared at a larger building in the distance at the road’s end, what looked like railings around it.
“Right” Bella began walking, “Let’s do this, we keep quiet and stay together, I’ll take point, Alice in the centre and Dog, you bring up the rear”
For some reason he chuckled at her words and she sent him an embarrassed look, her cheeks flushing with colour, “Behave will you”
Between the pair of them, Alice cast each a glance, a curious smile on her features, “I feel like I’m playing gooseberry”
Victor gave an awkward chuckle, while at the front, Bella shook her head but stayed silent, the trio moving off down the old village street as one.
For several minutes they walked in silence, stopping every few metres as they glanced about, not wanting to take any chances whatsoever.
They paused as they reached a road entrance on their right, what appeared to be a cul-de-sac, and for several minutes they stood staring down it in silence, waiting for something to move, then moved onwards before stopping three houses down as yet another road opened up on the right.
“It looks like this one turns towards the centre of the village” Alice muttered as the three of them stood shoulder to shoulder, staring off down the street, and Victor nodded, his eyes then flicking to settle upon the two cars that appeared to have been abandoned in the street, a red Nissan Sunny which appeared to have driven into a garden wall and a white transit van which sat in the middle of the road with the driver’s door open.
Grimacing, Victor swallowed against the sudden tightness in his throat, the hairs rising on the back of his neck as he glanced about, “See that”
“The cars?” Bella muttered, moving into sight in his peripheral vision, “Aye, it looks like the occupants either turned or they were attacked and fled from the scene”
“Why would you leave your car?” Victor winced.
“We did” the voice of Alice had Victor looking at her and then turning to glance back off down the road at the distant shape of the Landcruiser, suddenly wondering if they had made a mistake.
“There’s a shop” the voice of Bella had both Victor and Alice turning to watch as she began to walk away from the entrance to the road, their eyes fixing upon the building that she was gesturing to with the end of her shotgun, “There”
Stretched in a small procession, the trio slowly made their way up the empty street, pausing as they reached what appeared to be the centre of the village, the three of them stood looking about.
Grimacing, Victor adjusted his grip on the shotgun, and turned to glance across the centre of the village, his brow furrowing as he studied their surroundings. Directly to their left sat a small convenience store, the door closed, and the window dotted with small multi-coloured carboard stars with the special offers written upon them in black marker pen, and blank postcards offering items for sale or services.
“Dog” the hissed whisper of Bella had him turning his body quickly towards her, wincing as the sudden motion sent a stab of pain lancing through his injured side, and a stern look creeping onto the faces of the former soldier, “I told you that you should have stayed back!”
“I’m fine!” he stated, words tinged with pain and she shook her head, seeing his lie for what it was.
“Give Alice your rucksack…you wait here and keep an eye out for any trouble…if you see anything come inside and we’ll all hide there!”
“Bella!” he grimaced but she was having none of it, her features defiant as she moved to stand in front of him, her brown eyes boring into his own.
“Dog, listen to me…I need you safe OK, and so do Eric and Emily…I’m not going back to the farm and telling them you didn’t make it because you got hurt due to your stubbornness…don’t make me do that!”
He winced at the depth of emotion in her voice, and embarrassed he looked away, one hand releasing the shotgun as he slid his arm from the straps of his rucksack and then repeated the process with the other arm, before handing it to Alice, who took it with a grim smile. Only then did he meet the gaze of Bella once more, “Do me a favour, be careful in there OK”
She blushed at his words, looking unsure whether to smile or not and he felt his cheeks flush with colour beneath his beard, and he gestured to Alice as she stood watching, “That goes for both of you…go on…I’ll wait here!”
Bella nodded, looking like she wanted to say something else but then turned and stepped towards the shop, Alice nodding at Victor as she moved to join her, “We’ll see you in a minute!”
“You better” he gave a grim chuckle, then watched as Bella pushed open the door of the shop with the muzzle of her shotgun, and froze as a small bell jingled above it. Wincing, she cast a look back at them, and then continued into the shop, the embalmer following quietly behind her.
Turning away from the shop as the door closed behind them, Victor took a breath then winced as it sent another jolt of pain through his side, one hand leaving his shotgun to press against it. For several moments he stood there grimacing, trying to focus past the pain and then shaking his head, he grasped his weapon again then turned to stare about the village centre once more.
Directly opposite where he was standing was the building with the railings that he had spotted from near their car, and he raised an eyebrow, realising it was a nursery and primary school.
For a moment, he let his gaze drift over the building, and the small play area behind the railings, and then he let his gaze drift onwards to settle upon the building to the right of the school.
Taking a step away from the shop, Victor studied the village hall for a moment in silence, then turned his head again, his breath catching in his throat as he saw the small church and graveyard nestled on the far side of the village centre, partially hidden by a cluster of large Oak trees.
Wincing, he took another
couple of steps towards it, his eyes drifting over the architecture of the old building, a sadness entering his heart as he recalled the church that had been so dear to him, and the congregation that had been like family.
Yet the sadness became replaced with guilt as he recalled once more standing outside the home beside the church, desperately trying to get inside his home while his beloved children had banged upon the glass – knock, knock, knock.
Fighting the urge to vomit, trying to ignore the phantom touch of fire that always seemed to lick at his back and shoulders when his episodes began, Victor bent slightly, trying to force himself to focus on the present, cursing as the sound came once more – knock, knock, knock, the tapping of his children upon the glass growing in intensity as they fought to be free of the house.
“Leave me alone” he snarled, rising to stand, a hand leaving the shotgun to clasp at his forehead in a bid to stop the sea of sweat that was forming there only to stare back in shock at the two figures that stood within the school building, their clenched fists rapping hard upon the glass.
Knock, knock, knock.
Chapter Forty
“Why?”
Lauren winced as Brandon raised his voice, one hand tapping repeatedly against the side of his head, his other clasped tightly to the envelope that he had just shown her. For a moment, she held his gaze in silence as she stood facing him in the kitchen of the Naughton’s farmhouse, aware that the eyes of everyone else were watching her, and then she sighed and forced a sad smile, “I just told you Brandon, it’s not safe for us to go out”
“But why?” the young black man asked again, his features twisted in confusion, “Tell me why?”
“I just did” she sighed, shaking her head, “You know the trouble we have had…the ghouls…”
“But why aren’t I allowed to post my letter”
Lauren winced, unsure what else to say, a hand rising to rub at her temples as she turned her face to meet the gaze of Jiyaa as the woman sat at the dinner table beside Dr Green and the farmer, Robert, all three of them looking uncomfortable. Sighing, trying to come up with a good reason for him to not post his letter, the nurse turned to look the other way, watching as Valerie stood beside the oven talking to the teenage girl, Emily.
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