Beneath the Ashen Veil of Darkness

by Robert Bartlett

  The funeral pyre for Aubrey Bryant has been unceremoniously lit and is in full blaze as Cain slips out of the compound to sit and wait with his back resting against a large rock that is nestled in the woods about seventy five yards off of the main path to the water station. He catches the low slinking form out of the corner of his eye as it seems to slither up towards him from the deepest recesses of the black menacing darkness that covers the dead wilderness surrounding the compound. A low raspy cough followed by a mixture of whining and growling comes from the form as it inches closer and closer to the outstretched hand holding the offered meal. “It’s ok boy, I won’t hurt you again. I’m sorry about before I didn’t know it was you” Cain says, prodding the form to come ever closer. Again the low soft raspy breathing and growling escapes the form as it slithers up on its belly to rest just out of the reach of the boys’ outstretched arm. Getting down on one knee Cain goes the final half yard to meet the form. Ravenously snatching the small burnt arm of a baby from Cain’s hand as the demonic form rushes back into the darkness to eat at its’ leisure and to rest in the comfortable embrace of the black that it has grown all to accustomed to.

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  Veronica stands examining the dying embers of the final contribution Aubrey offered to the compound. An eight hour circle of light and warmth as the cleansing flames rid the world of the vessel that a blackened soul had used in its animated form to commit haunting and horrific acts. Acts of atrocities that now keep Veronica awake at night as they run through her head stealing away any real chance she had of ever getting a peaceful night’s sleep again while Clay was away. Acts committed to children. To the sick members of their party. To the scared and desperate they had met along the road. To thier babies. Acts that this vile soul can no longer commit against anyone in this world. A .45 caliber bullet placed through her brain by Dylan had seen to that. The fire had taken care of the rest. Veronica shivers as she looks down at the journal she is holding and the nightmares that she knows are contained within it. She lightly tosses the despicable manuscript in the center of the smoldering embers and watches as it slowly catches fire. Burning away all the evidence and memories written within its pages of how truly evil some human beings are capable of becoming. As the flames that are eating the journal reach their zenith, Veronica shudders once more and turns away from the final resting place of the desperately insane and cannibalistic Aubrey Bryant for the last time.

  Veronica makes her way back towards the pantry to begin the awful job of cleaning up the mess left behind in the back room from yesterday mornings twisted and deplorable events. As she rounds the corner of the pavilion she notices that it looked like someone had been out here not to long ago sitting around the fire pit. The evidence left in the form of a dirty cup and a blood covered washcloth. Scowling to herself as she examines the items she can’t help but to walk a little faster to begin her chore of cleaning the pantry. An uneasy feeling had begun to settle over the camp like a fog creeping up from the sea to lie upon the beach. Thick and menacing, fear and distrust ebbing out from the fog in twisted tendrils of evil, threatening to filter into every crack and crevice of the compound. Shivering, either from the cold or the uncomfortable atmosphere settling over the compound, Veronica can’t be sure which, as she finally opens the door to the pantry. Stopping just a few steps inside the room as the closing door reveals a light glow shining from the underneath the door that leads to the little back room. Gathering up all of the courage she can muster, Veronica approaches the door and slowly pushes it open.

  Holly stands in the center of the room with her back to the door. Hearing the door swing open she turns to see Veronica standing in the doorway.”Oh Holly thank god. You scared me to death” Veronica chuckles nervously as she sees that it’s just Holly in the room and not the demon she had envisioned inside the blood stained room waiting to devour her soul. Holly wears a mask of disappointment and regret as she addresses the room “I came in here early. I thought since I didn’t do anything to help yesterday, I could at least come in here and clean up for everybody today.” Holly looks at Veronica and with a slight shrug adds, “I was hoping I could help anyway. Looks like you already beat me to it.” “What? I didn’t clean this up. When I walked in and saw you in here I thought you did” Veronica answers with a hint of confusion in her voice, “I was about to thank you.” “It wasn’t me. I wish it had been. I don’t feel like I’ve been much help lately. With the whole Gracie thing, then the attack on the girls, and now” Holly pauses and spins in a circle raising her hands to the room, “this.” “No Holly everything is fine. You have Belle to worry about.” Veronica, now over her initial shock at finding someone in the back room, says as she walks over to Holly and hugs her sympathetically. “How is Belle’s ankle and foot healing by the way?” Veronica asks Holly as she pulls away from the hug. “I wish I knew” Holly answers dropping her head to gaze at the ground as she shuffles her feet anxiously. Veronica doesn’t say anything she just gives Holly that “what do mean” look that all mothers possess. “Belle spends all of her time with Lily. That was another reason I thought I could get in here and get everything cleaned up before anyone else woke up. Belle in asleep with Lily” Holly says, a hint of sadness apparent in her voice at not being the shining light in her daughters eyes anymore. “Oh it will pass Holly. Belle and Lily have just shared a deeply traumatic event. Lily is like her security blanket right now. It’s just a phase, she’ll bounce back before you know it” Veronica says hoping to raise Holly’s spirits. Memories of passages of how the people in the journal had treated their children playing through her head once more. Veronica closes her eyes as she tries to fight back the demons she had discovered there. She realizes at that moment that even after the cleansing of the burning, that the demons would haunt her in her thoughts and dreams forever. “Come on, let’s go get the coffee started. I know I can definitely use a cup” Veronica says as she takes Holly by the hand and begins to lead her out of the room. “So could I” Holly says as she allows herself to be lead away from the horrible little back room. As the two friends cross over the thresh hold they both turn and give the room one last look. “I wonder if we should just board this room up. We don’t really use it that much anyway” Holly says trembling slightly as she does. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing” Veronica says hugging Holly close once more, “Let’s talk to Willy about it this morning.” They turn and close the door to the room for the last time. Walking to the pavilion arm in arm a light rain begins to fall, playing nature’s incantation that everything is going to be ok.

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  Year One, Day Three Hundred and Thirty

  The rain is falling more heavily now as Ray leads the convoy up and over what he hopes is the last hill that will lead to the trailhead that takes them to the compound. It’s hard to make out the turn off for the trail from the main road against the colorless backdrop of the dark mountain and land marks are a thing of the past amongst an erased landscape. As Ray strains against the dark and rain to find the marker they had set up this time out to mark to the trail head, he is haunted by the labored breathing of his dying friend from the seat behind him. They couldn’t find the turnoff to the trail when they had gotten back from their last scavenger sortie so Clay had hiked back to the turn off from the main road with Levi and Cain to build a landmark. Ray sighs at the thought of his friend, whose ever worsening breathing stands out even among the sounds of the rain and the engines. Coming in and out in ragged gasps more than breathing, countable seconds apart, Ray knows that it’s only a matter of time before his friend stops taking breaths all together now. He is in a race against time and death to get Clay back home to his family. He glances in the rearview mirror at Levi cradling his father against him in an attempt to make what were probably his final moments as comfortable as he can. Ray is thankful that Levi chose to ride with them instead of Paige when they had packed up camp and got started towards home this morning. As the muddy turnoff to the t
railhead finally manifests itself like a beacon of hope standing out against the darkness, Ray’s sigh is audible even over the cacophony of heavy rain that beats down on the roof of the truck. The welcomed sound of tires over mud soon adds its voice to the harmony that sings them home. “We found it” Jim calls out from the passenger seat next to Ray, letting out a sigh of relief as he does. Ray is so deep in the midst of his contradicting thoughts of being happy at finally being home and being distraught at the news he is bringing home with him, that he doesn’t even respond to Jims’ exclamation. Making their way little by little but steadily up the trail, the headlights of the vehicles cutting a path through the dark. The butterflies inside Ray’s belly gradually begin turning into vultures as hear the words come from behind him that he has been dreading now for two days. “I don’t think we’re going to make it in time Ray, my dad isn’t breathing anymore.”

  Ray had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t realized that Levi was right. Clay’s labored breathing no longer filled the car. “Are you sure Levi? I mean absolutely sure?” Jim asks turning around to look at Levi who is seated behind Ray, “I mean we’re almost……” The look and rolling tears on Levi’s face as he stares Jim directly in the eyes causes Jim to trail off on finishing his last statement. “Yes, I’m sure” is all Levi says as he turns his gaze from Jim back to his father. From the driver’s seat Ray is unable to say anything as his own sorrow and tears for his friend drown his voice.

  Chapter Forty

  Veronica stands upright from where she was bent over the fire getting the coffee started and looking quizzically over at Holly she asks, “Did you hear that?” Holly, who had slipped back into a state of being somewhere between being awake and going back to sleep, looks up groggily and says, “Huh? What? I’m sorry Ronnie did you say something?” “Listen Holly. Do you hear that?” Veronica asks excitedly as she takes a step towards the edge of the pavilion. Holly wears an obvious look of concentration on her face as she strains to make out what Veronica is hearing against the noise of the rain. Then as Holly too begins to hear what excited Veronica, she looks up at her friend and excitedly exclaims “The trucks! Oh Ronnie I hear the trucks!”

  Holly jumps up and rushes towards the front gate of the compound so fast she almost knocks Veronica down in the process. Veronica can’t stop herself from smiling as she follows Holly’s lead and takes off for the gate just a few steps behind her friend. Willy emerges from his hobbit hole just in time to see Holly and Veronica streak by its opening “Whoa! Hey girls where’s the fire?” Wily asks startled by the unexpected sight of the sprinting females that greeted him first thing this morning. “The trucks Willy! We hear the trucks!” Veronica and Holly shout back over their shoulders in chorus to Willy. “What?! Really!” Willy says now smiling himself as he falls in line behind Veronica, the newest happy member of the compounds welcome home committee. Despite, or maybe in spite of, all that has happened over the last week or so since the scavenging group left the compound on a supply run the trio can’t help but to be ecstatic over the return of their family and friends. As much as the needed relief of the supplies they were undoubtedly bringing home with them would bring the compound, it was also the extra security and shared responsibilities the group offered with their return that was just as much of a welcomed bonus.

  Veronica runs right into the Back of Holly as she comes around the corner of the washrooms that lead to the front gate. Holly had stopped so suddenly that the momentum of Veronica was almost enough to take them both to the ground. Willy’s momentum however was another story as he slams into the back of Veronica who was holding up Holly taking all three of them down to land in the mud. “Humph” all three of them say as they hit the ground in a shower of muddy water. “Damn it! Why did y’all stop like that? We’re still twenty five yards from the gate entrance!” Willy exclaims as he begins shaking mud off of the palms of his hands and knees. “Willy” Veronica whispers, “please be quiet.” “What?” Willy asks before looking up from rubbing the mud off of his knees and seeing Holly and Veronica staring at the two trucks that were now parked inside the compound. The group was busy unloading their supplies as well as what looked like……Willy can’t be sure but it looked like….. Yes it looked like they were unloading a body from off of the roof of the Tacoma.

  Chapter Forty One

  Ray had never seen a more welcomed sight than the front gate of the compound come into view of the headlights of the Tacoma he was driving. Once camouflaged with vegetation, as the vines and trees died around them the gates now were only slightly concealed with the dead foliage of days gone past. Still Ray’s heart filled a little, pleased with just the mere sight of it. Then it sunk at the thought of the people he knew would be both hurt and relieved at their return. Jim exits the truck to open the gate as Ray brings it to a stop about ten yards from the gate entrance. Allowing enough room between the trucks and the gate for the gate to be swung open wide enough to allow the trucks to pass through. Jim opens the gates to their widest point and stepping out of the way, waves the trucks trough. Following Laura’s truck in through the gate as she slowly pulls it into compound to park next to Ray; Jim closes the gates behind him as he walks over and begins to help unload the vehicles. Thinking the compound was still asleep due to the early hour the group carries the supplies they had been able to gather over to the dispersing shed the supplies were held in before deciding where they should be stored permanently. As they finish unloading the packed vehicles they all gather around the Tacoma for the heartbreaking job of unloading the bodies of Colt and Clay. Two more unfortunate casualties of the harsh world they all now lived in. They had Colt strapped down to the roof of the Cherokee to allow for more room for supplies inside the vehicles. It was a calloused move but one that rendered itself necessary due to the abundance of supplies they were able to collect on their excursion. And leaving Colts dead body behind was not an option. They would have brought him home to be buried next to his loved ones even if it had meant sacrificing certain supplies to do so. The recent passing of Clay has already laid a thick melancholy fog over the group that is only thickened as they lower Colt’s body to the ground. Just as they are about to finish Ray and Grant are startled by the sudden gasp from Laura and Paige standing just behind them. The graveness of the situation is summed up in an instant with the two simple words uttered by Laura, “Holly, Veronica.”

  Ray stands up like a child that has been caught doing something he knew he wasn’t supposed to be doing. Grant stands up slower than his father wiping his hands on his jeans as he does like he had just touched something dirty. Holly’s tears are rolling down her face as she asks the obvious question that was burning on her mind. “Is that my Colt Ray? Wrapped up in that tarp? Is that my Belle’s daddy?” Ray walks quickly over to Holly to help her up off of the ground from where she was she still kneeling in the mud and the rain. “Yes Holly, it is. I am so sorry you had to find out like this” Ray begins. “How else was I going to find out Ray?” Holly asks, “What happened to him?” As Laura walks over to help her father with Holly, they begin trying to explain to her what exactly had happened out on the excursion and inside the waiting room of the chiropractor’s office. Holly sits kneeling in the mud and falling rain that has again grown heavy, listening to the story of her husbands’ demise. Face blank, staring expressionless at the body wrapped up in the tarp lying on the ground next to the Jeep Cherokee. Next to her, Veronica turns to Willy who is steadily shaking his head at the news of yet another tragedy to a member of the compound and asks, “Willy where’s Clay? I don’t see Clay.” Her voice cracks threateningly as she struggles not to lose control of her own emotions. Calling out Clay’s name she rushes toward the trucks looking for her husband. As Levi cuts her off, blocking her path to the Tacoma his own tears tell her all she needs to know about the fate of his father. They tell her everything she doesn’t want to believe about her best friend, her lover, her soul mate. “Oh god no, not Clay” she whispers. She breaks out of
Levi’s grasp and sprints the last few yards to the truck where she can see Clay’s still form leaning against the opposite window. Climbing in the truck to sit next to Clay, Veronica impulsively throws her body across his in a lover’s embrace of regret and loss. As she lays there holding her husband sobbing in the regret that she now knows she’ll never get to make up for the time she lost punishing him for the death of her brother. Something that she always knew was never really his fault. That the one person she was waiting for to help her take all the pain of the last week away was now the newest part of the pain. She cradles his head against her chest as she sobs her apologies to what is left of the man she knows she will never be able to replace. In this world on any other version of it. “Oh Clay I am so sorry my love, I love you so very, very much” Veronica sobs over and over. She bends over to kiss his lips for the last time and feeling how close she was from being able to confess her love and sorrow to him while he was still alive. Her sobs grow stronger and she begins kissing him over and over again unable to stop herself in her grief. Whispering “I love you” in between each kiss of Clays’ lips that still held a touch of the warmth of the fever that only an hour ago had been raging through, what was then, his still alive body. The mystery of who had cleaned the gore from the walls in the little back room of the pantry had all been washed away in the fresh rain and tears of the community’s reunion.