Hikers - The Collection (Complete Box Set of 5 Books)

by Lauren Algeo

  I’ve always imagined rabid dogs as slobbering, wild beasts, like Cujo, but the boy said the foaming at the mouth came a lot later, when their symptoms were really pronounced and they were close to death. This dog just looked weak and out of breath.

  The boy took me to the lab to show me the saliva and tissue samples they’d taken from the infected dog. I pretended I needed a drink of water then slipped two vials of the saliva into my jacket pocket while the boy was fetching me one. I feigned a call on my mobile when I heard him coming back and made my excuses to leave.

  It was easy really, just saying I was a police officer was enough to get me in the door, and if you act with enough bravado I suppose you can get away with anything. I feel bad for lying to the helpful boy though, so I guess a life of crime is not really for me.

  Georgie was relieved when I eventually met her outside, apparently I’d been gone for so long she thought I’d been caught out and the real police would be showing up at any moment. She was delighted when I showed her the vials – we’re one step closer. We just need to wait for the tranquiliser gun to arrive now.

  29th December 2011

  It’s here and it’s an impressive looking weapon. It has a sleek barrel with a compact sight on top. It feels light so I’m comfortable with Georgie handling it.

  We went to the local park as soon as it arrived this morning for a dry run. Georgie’s a decent shot. She managed to hit several plastic bottles with empty darts and I’m satisfied she’ll be able to hit a hiker from a fair distance. We just need to find one now.

  We’ve been monitoring the news over the last few days for possible activity. There was one in Poole two days ago but that’s too far and it’ll be gone by now. The other is in north London, which is where we’re going to head today. A woman was fatally stabbed on her way home from work in St. John’s Wood last night. The details are vague but she was a high profile investment banker so there could be a money motive there. It’s worth a shot, if you’ll excuse the pun.

  We’re in luck – it’s a female hiker and she’s still in the area. She has a young man in her clutches and is goading him about an exam he failed. We’ve tracked their location to a block of flats near Willesden and are camped out on the steps of a nearby library. We just need to wait for an opportunity to strike.

  I’ve fucked it all up! I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been. Oh god. What have I done?

  I suppose I should explain myself now I’ve calmed down a little and got myself together. It’s evening and I’ve just left my solicitor’s office. Georgie has no idea yet but I’ve just signed the forms I asked them to draw up last week, leaving everything to her in the event of my death.

  This afternoon went horribly wrong so I’ve got no choice but to go down the suicide route. I messed up royally and now the Grand knows where we are. God knows how many hikers are going to descend on us tomorrow. The only way I can stop it is to get to the Grand first.

  It went to plan initially. We followed the hiker’s target to a nearby park, where he was going for a jog, and we knew the hiker was close by. Georgie sensed her in the woods and we went to hunt her down. I accidently stepped on a branch and alerted her to our presence (my first screw up of the day) but Georgie managed to make the shot before she got too far inside my mind. She knew exactly who we were.

  The dart hit her directly over her heart and I managed to get the handcuffs on her while she was struggling to get it out. I cuffed her to a tree and thought the worst was over at that point. How wrong I was.

  The hiker was howling and thrashing against the tree only we couldn’t risk moving her once she was infected with the rabies. She’d already tried to bite me when I was securing her to the tree. We had to think of a way to keep her quiet so she wouldn’t alert passers by to us. The woods were fairly secluded but they wouldn’t stay that way with dog walkers and other joggers. Although Georgie had hit her in the heart and the disease would be rapidly accelerated, it could still take hours for her to die.

  I came up with the stupid idea of letting her into our minds a little to keep quiet. Not giving her access to anything of importance of course, just titbits of the past – like films we’d watched or holidays we’d been on. I figured her mental strength would soon weaken as her body fought the rabies.

  The hiker didn’t accept that. She slammed into our minds again and again to snatch information about what we’d injected her with, and learnt that we’d killed her brother, who she called Greiger. We questioned her in return and she refused to answer at first but as the rabies took hold, she couldn’t control her responses. Her mind began projecting random images to us both.

  She was slumped against the tree, dribbling, and revealed that her name was Matildah. Most of what she showed us was indecipherable, like an image of a mystery woman with auburn hair when we asked how old she was. ‘Matildah’ had a bout of violent vomiting a little while later. Georgie couldn’t stand watching and went for a walk so I took the opportunity to ask about the Grand while she was gone.

  Matildah showed me some random visuals – a man silhouetted in a doorway, a view of some vast land – but then I saw a village signpost with the word upon it clearly visible: Embsay.

  The hiker started laughing through the blood and foam on her lips and the sound sent a chill down my spine. She told me she’d gotten more than I anticipated from my head – that she’d seen the town we live in and the Grand would be coming for us before we could find him. She used the last of her strength to send a pulse to him before dying. Showing him where we live.

  I freaked out. Everything is a blur after she did that. I vaguely remember removing the handcuffs from her and taking a couple of samples of bloody saliva. I guess I was running on autopilot because somehow we made it back to the flat without me completely falling apart. It was all my fault. I thought we could keep the hiker occupied with little snippets from our minds but clearly she’d been stronger than I expected.

  Georgie thought she’d been bluffing but I knew she wasn’t. She’d sent the location of the flat to the Grand. I wanted to punch and kick everything in frustration yet somehow I reined in my anger. Long enough to come up with a new plan… or a rehash of an old one at least. The flat has always been a safe place but now it’s compromised, unless I can find a way to stop the hikers before they locate it.

  The idea of hiding for eternity is no good. We’d need to sell the flat eventually in order to live and we can’t do that if the hikers are monitoring it. I refuse to let them take the flat from me too. It’s my hideout, god damn it.

  The only solution is to take the fight to the Grand, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I know the name of his village and I can hunt him down. If I’m successful, it will be safe for Georgie to remain at the flat. She’ll be set up for the future and can have the normal life she deserves. One in a hiker-free country.

  I feel guilty that I bolted from the flat before I could explain anything to her but I had to make the solicitor’s office before it closed. Now it’s official and I can end my life knowing that it will benefit hers.

  I’m going to walk back to the flat now and find out where his village is then head there first thing in the morning. I think I should call Marcus before I do though. If this is my last night then I owe it to our friendship to at least say goodbye. He won’t know that it will be the last time he sees me but I will get some closure.

  30th December 2011

  Georgie is coming with me. It’s not what I wanted but it’s done now. We’re heading to the station as soon as she’s finished packing. Embsay is a village on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales so we’ve got a long journey north.

  I guess you’re wondering how I went from being adamant that I was going to kill the Grand alone to having Georgie come with me? It happened last night. We had a row as soon as I got back from the solicitor’s office. Georgie had figured out where the Grand’s village was too and she was insisting on coming. When I refused, it dawned on her what I was really going to do.
I wasn’t going to kill him with Matildah’s rabid saliva; I was going to do it by suicide. I didn’t want her with me because I wasn’t planning on coming back.

  She was furious. I tried to explain that we’d never get near the Grand armed with the tranquiliser gun; there could be dozens of hikers guarding him. If I went unarmed, they would take me straight to him. I told her about leaving the flat and my money to her and she looked taken aback. She yelled that she didn’t want my money, she wanted me alive – just like I knew she would.

  I left her full of anger to go and meet Marcus for a pint. She was so mad I heard a glass smash against the door after I closed it. Marcus couldn’t stay at the pub long but it was nice. We talked about old times and Karen, and I felt at peace. You know, after all this business with hikers, who’s to say I won’t be reunited with her somewhere in the afterlife?

  When we said goodbye, I felt a choking lump in my throat. We were best friends once and the thought of never seeing him again is unbelievably sad. Of course, he just thought it was a normal night and my aggressive hug took him by surprise. I said goodbye.

  I was still set on my plan then, it only changed when I got back to the flat. The place was dark and quiet, and at first I was worried the hikers had come already but then I saw Georgie in my armchair, and the empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the table in front of her. She was a mess, slurring her words and trying to stagger to her feet. She asked if I’d changed my mind and I said no. She was wearing my dressing gown and she opened it with tears in her eyes. She offered me her naked body to stay.

  It broke my heart. I saw her as the scared, vulnerable girl she was. A kid who’d suffered so much depravity that she thought sex was the only thing people wanted from her. I firmly told her that I didn’t want her like that. She is like my daughter. She began to sob uncontrollably and begged me not to leave her. She didn’t want to be left alone in the world.

  All of my resolve melted as she clung on to me, crying and pummelling her little fist into my shoulder. I could feel tears in my own eyes. How could I abandon her after all that? So I agreed to try the other way. We’ve got the vials of saliva (enough to kill three hikers), the tranquiliser gun, and our knives. We’re going to try and fight.

  We’ve seen the Grand. I can’t believe that is what he looks like – so old and frail. We found his house in the village; it’s an enormous place, sitting on plenty of land. The Dales are to the north, with some woods to the west and fields south and east – secluded and hard to reach undetected.

  We trekked through the woods to get a closer look at the house and check for weak points, or places we could sneak in. We saw him coming out of the front door. Georgie knew it was him instantly, she could feel his power and it sent her doubling over in pain. I took the binoculars to get my first look at the man the hikers are so afraid of. Their father.

  He’s a little old man, who walks slightly bent over. He is bald on top, with white wisps of hair at the side of his head. He had on a tan blazer with navy trousers and dark shoes. The Grand is a decrepit, ancient man. Except I know how strong he is mentally. I’ve seen him kill a hiker using only that power. We can’t underestimate him based on appearance.

  Georgie can feel more of them in the house but she can’t pinpoint how many. It could be up to ten of the bastards. We’ve only got enough rabies for three, and one of those needs to be the Grand himself. I think I’ve got a solution though.

  The Grand is walking around his garden alone, so we don’t actually have to get into the house to reach him. If we can sneak into the garden overnight and hide somewhere then we just have to wait for him to come out again. We can use the gun to shoot him from a distance. We looked at the house on Google Maps and there’s a maze on the other side of the grounds so we could hide in there. We’re going to head to a local library and see if they’ve got any plans of the house on record. There’s a stone wall all around the perimeter and we need to see if there’s some other way in besides the iron gate in front of the driveway.

  It’s going to have to be a ladder over the wall, there’s no other way to access the grounds. No hidden gates, just solid stone. We’ve picked up a folding metal one from a nearby DIY shop and we’re going to approach from the fields to the east. After dark, of course, so we won’t be spotted. We’ll hide in the maze overnight until the Grand comes out again.

  We’ve got a couple of hours to kill in the meantime so we’re going to grab an early dinner. I can’t quite take in that this is about to happen. It feels too surreal. The Grand is no longer a mysterious voice that I’ve only heard giving orders – he is a living, breathing being, who we are going to kill. The enormity of it will probably sink in right when we scale the wall.

  Georgie is trying to pretend that she’s fine yet I can see the tension in her pale face. I’m still not keen on her coming into the garden but she’s too strong-willed to back down. I would be more insistent but I need her to make the shot. I’d miss the Grand with my terrible aim and be in a whole lot of trouble.

  The aspect I’m most nervous about is what will happen after we hit him with the rabies dart. It will take a couple of hours to kill him and we’ll be trapped in the maze for that time. The other hikers may come and attack but they won’t know how much of the rabies we have. We could hit two more of them and block our minds so they won’t know we’ve run out. It might be enough to keep them away.

  If not, I want Georgie to get the hell out of there. I can go out and fight them with my knife and keep them distracted while she escapes. Hopefully it will be enough. We can use her senses to check exactly how many are in the house tonight. Maybe less than we thought today; they might have left with new targets to kill.

  Georgie’s waiting for me so we can go and find a café or somewhere to have dinner before we leave for the house. Our last supper. I’ll see you on the other side. I hope.

  31st December 2011

  She’s gone. Georgie is dead. Oh god.

  14th January 2012

  I dreamed of her again last night. The moment she crashed through the glass. Her lifeless eyes and the blood stained gravel. I’m scared to close my eyes for fear of what my mind will show me in the darkness.

  I’m alone again. The hikers are gone but I don’t care. It’s not worth it without Georgie. The tears are blurring my vision only I have to get this down now or I never will. Someone has to know what she did. How brave she was. That she gave her life for you.

  The Grand’s house. I have to tell you about it but I’m terrified of reliving what happened. I’m to blame. My fingers are already trembling as I try to write this. Forgive me if I don’t go into great detail. Here it goes.

  We got into the Grand’s garden using the ladder, just like we planned. We thought we’d got in undetected but they knew we were coming from the start. We didn’t know it, but the Grand had a gifted hiker at the house, Celiah he called her. She could skim over people’s minds without them ever knowing she was there and she discovered us approaching.

  They turned on all the lights in the garden, illuminating the maze and leaving us with no place to hide and no way out of the garden. We were forced to break into the house or risk being seen in the grounds. We naively thought we still had the element of surprise. We went in through a kitchen door around the back, and the room was dark and quiet. We’d seen a few hikers leaving in a car and Georgie could only sense four left in the house. Almost perfect for the rabies we had – there would only be one hiker that we couldn’t shoot.

  They were all in a room upstairs and we went up via a back staircase. I could tell how petrified Georgie was and I told her to leave, one last time, but she refused. She knew I couldn’t make the shots myself. She agreed that she would shoot them and run while I stayed to fight, but in my heart I knew that was a lie.

  It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have taken her in there. She should have been outside the house, safe, while I went to kill them. The Grand was my responsibility. All I can think now is ‘what if’? I will keep tortu
ring myself with that night for the rest of my life. I let her come to that room with me. The only thing I can cling on to is that before we went in, I told her that I loved her like my own child. At least she knew what she meant to me.

  We hadn’t even opened the door before everything fell apart. The Grand’s voice burst into our heads while I was still reaching for the handle. He said he’d been expecting us. He took control of our bodies easily and walked us into what turned out to be a bedroom. Georgie had been right, there were four of them: the Grand, Celiah, and two male hikers. We were outnumbered and powerless under the Grand’s hold.

  They took our weapons and turned our own minds against us. The Grand ransacked my memories; he was so much stronger than I’d anticipated. He saw that I had been a vessel before and he managed to find Karen. He made a vivid image of her face appear and my heart constricted. He hunted through Georgie’s past too. Whispering about her mother and Nick. He was clearly making her remember the abuse and I could somehow feel a jolt of her pain; our minds were connected by him.

  Through the paralysing fear, I managed to ask the Grand what he was. He told us they were a genetically superior family. That he was born a boy but he had an extraordinary gift, one that his children could inherit from him and pass down to future generations. They could read people’s minds and control them. Just born with it – no science experiments or genetic mutation. Hearing about what they were from him was no comfort, not when he was going to kill us and we were going to fail.

  I wanted to reach out to Georgie but I couldn’t move. The Grand was angry that we’d been watching them for so long. He didn’t like my theory that if he died then his children would be killed too, due to their interlocked minds. He began to toy with us then, pressing Georgie’s knife to her face and telling us that he was going to break us. That after his torture we would be mentally weak enough so he could use us to kill each other. The menace in his voice turned my blood ice cold. He was a complete psychopath. He was fully intent on murdering us and there was nothing we could do about it.