Silver Banned: Book 2 of the Saddleworth Vampire Series

by Angela Blythe

  Maurice had to think of what he could do without The Master finding out. He wracked his brains, but they didn't seem to want to work for him. Maurice could think about this day and night, until they got here. He wanted to save them from death and even worse, the monotony of vampire’s conversations. Yes, better off dead than an eternity of that. That was an idea for him really. Once he had done all he could do – when he was no use whatsoever to his friends, he might as well lay outside in the daylight on a bed of stakes. That would do it. Good and proper!

  29 – Virgins

  The group was still making their final preparations when they got two sets of visitors. The first to arrive were Sally, Kathy and Laura’s Uncle Terry. The other visitors were Beverly and Jennifer. They came within five minutes of each other up the cul-de-sac. When the two ladies were had taken their coats off and were walking out of the hall into the living room, Freddie happened to look through the window.

  ‘I have a feeling he is after us!’ Freddie exclaimed. They all walked to the window and looked out. A man stood alone, looking from one house to the next. He had a backpack on his back. Carl squinted up at the cul-de-sac and immediately knew which house to go to as it was jam-packed with people, milling around inside with backpacks themselves.

  ‘Oh, that’s Carl, the succubus’s husband, I was telling you about.’ Said Wee Renee.

  ‘Probably better to call her Kate, if we have to. Or just to avoid the subject completely,’ Terry said.

  ‘Aye,’ said Wee Renee

  ‘Ah right, yes,’ Beverly said. ‘He’s been home to call for some stuff. He said he was coming here.’

  Wee Renee went to the front of the others at the bay window waved and beckoned Carl up. He smiled and quickly walked towards the house and entered with a relieved sigh. Wee Renee shut the door and then gave him a massive hug.

  With lots of loud chatter they all congregated in Our Doris's living room. There was quite a crowd of people now, who stood in a rough circle. The excitement was palpable.

  Freddie told the new arrivals about their visit the previous night from Anne and her pack. He said that even though it was quite obviously a trap some of them had decided to go back. There were other reasons to go too. Even if they managed to save one child, it would be worth it.

  ‘I want to go too,’ Beverly said suddenly. ‘I have a child, even though she is in boarding school. I am all for walking a mile in somebody else’s shoes. What if I was in the position of one of their parents? How dreadful that would feel, and how frightened the children would be? I am definitely going. I couldn’t sit at home, knowing it might be me that could have made the difference, and I was too chicken to go. If we could quickly call at my house, so that I can pull some brief things together, I will join you. It’s on the way out of Melden, as you know.’

  ‘You’re a good girl. I was going to go past your house anyway to drop some poisoned meat off,’ Wee Renee said.

  Carl said he had planned to go anyway without this visit from Anne. He had called to tell them, and had planned to go alone because he wanted to save his wife Kate.

  ‘I am so happy that you lot are going. This gives me a much better chance at getting her back,’ Carl said. They could see he had so many plans in his head about his future. Some of them looked down at the carpet, unable to burst his bubble.

  ‘Kate is beyond saving. You must understand that. Get it out of your head that your life with her will ever be the same. I have seen her. I feel cruel, but it is what you need to hear. I am sorry,’ Laura said.

  Carl sat down on the sofa, his eyes looked from one to the other.

  ‘Alright, yeah. I know what you are saying but my brain won’t seem to accept it. I need to see Friarmere for myself. I need to see her for myself. If the unthinkable is true, I cannot stand the thought of her wandering around in her shell. I will have to sort it one way or another. It is no one else’s responsibility. If I let her murder innocents, and I know about it….well….it is like I am consenting to it. If she was a shell of Kate, that didn’t kill people, I would still let her walk around. I would want her just to be in the world somewhere, as beautiful as ever. I suppose that makes me a very sad man. I don’t know what to think anymore. But if she is a killer, she has to go.’

  His words resonated with what Wee Renee felt about her friend Carol. She came to sit beside him and put her hand on his knee.

  ‘That is fair enough. At least you have company now.’ She was holding back her tears. The whole group felt terrible for Carl.

  ‘I am going too,’ Sally said. ‘I need to help the children.’ Kathy and Terry for the moment wanted to stay behind and tried to persuade Sally not to go. She listened to his words, but like Beverly, she could not just sit there and do nothing. So, they would be quickly calling at Sally's house, to pick up her items.

  Terry and Kathy said they would be so worried about her, until she was back.

  ‘Do you want to say at my house Dad, so we both aren’t on our own?’ Kathy asked.

  ‘Yes, I think I need that,’ Terry replied quietly.

  ‘Bugger that!’ Our Doris said, ‘You can stay here with us. Safety in numbers and all that. There will be plenty of room as over half of us are off to Friarmere. Please say you’ll come?’

  ‘Er…yes. We’ll come. Okay, Kathy?’ Terry’s face lit up a little. Kathy nodded happily. ‘Thank you Our Doris. That sounds wonderful!’

  Beverly and Sally had come out this morning dressed for the weather, so there were only a few other items to pack. Our Doris said she would make a few more sandwiches for them. Beverly admitted to them that there was another reason she wanted to go. She wanted to know, what it was like over there. It intrigued her. The vampires, Norman, Kate. If there would soon be an end to it, she would have missed the opportunity.

  ‘Just remember curiosity killed the cat!’ Wee Renee said gravely. Beverly laughed.

  ‘I’ll be fine, I’m no cat.’

  ‘Seriously though Beverly, it is not to be taken lightly. When you see them close up, well, it is hard to laugh off.’ She replied.

  ‘So, the fact that Melden has wolves and werewolf vampires, isn’t enough for you?’ Her mother asked.

  ‘It mustn’t be I suppose. Because I am champing at the bit to go to Friarmere. I want to see it all……and I aren’t scared, not one bit.’

  The group spoke for a while about their plans and where they might end up. They made a joint list of various locations, in case the others wanted to look for them. And a list of signs or secret signals they might use, that only their gang would recognise. Gary said he would lash the top of the tarpaulin down in the den, as he had done before. After they had used it, he would leave it there in case they had to make a hasty retreat, or if some of the others decided to come over. It was handy to have as a bolt hole, and it was no use keeping on carrying it forward and back.

  ‘Er…Gary, what are you are wearing on your head?’ Our Doris asked.

  ‘Sue’s pink earmuffs,’ Gary said, very embarrassed.

  ‘They’re fab, them. I’d love a pair of those. I prefer a muff rather than a hat. You know, so it doesn’t squash my hair.’

  ‘You’re welcome to these, if Sue doesn’t mind.’

  ‘By all means have them Our Doris. Gary’s ears will get cold though,’ Sue stated.

  ‘Oooh, I think I can sort him out with one of my husband's hats. Have we got a deal?’ Gary immediately pulled the earmuff’s off his head, passing them to Our Doris.

  ‘Deal,’ he said.

  The final group to set off from Our Doris’s house were Carl, Gary, Tony, Sue, Bob, Laura, Liz, Andy, Danny, Sally and Beverly.

  Haggis was staying behind with Our Doris, but Bob was very sad to be leaving him. They had a big hug on the drive and Bob said he would see him again. Haggis seemed to understand this. The little dog replied by wagging his tail happily, and giving Bob a big kiss on the hand.

  Wee Renee, Pat, Terry, Kathy and Jennifer walked with the group into the vil
lage. Wee Renee had got her special meat with her. They had already put one small portion outside their house at the bottom of the drive. Our Doris did not let Haggis out on his own so he was perfectly safe. Our Doris was a little bit worried about all the other dogs or cats eating it.

  ‘When have you last seen a cat or dog in your cul-de-sac? I personally haven’t seen one out in this village since I have been here. Not loose anyway. People are keeping them in, away from the clutches of the wolves, Our Doris. Not to mention, a lot have already been got at!’ Pat said. So it was settled.

  Carl had everything with him so the first house they called at was Sally’s. Bearing in mind that she only had a few minutes to get everything, she came out with a large backpack full of what she said was interesting stuff. Kathy and Terry went off to fetch their overnight belongings and would return later to Our Doris’s.

  The final stop was Beverly’s house. Whist she went inside, Wee Renee put the bag of meat in a bowl outside her door. It was indeed quite ripe now and Jennifer covered her mouth, as she felt herself starting to heave, her stomach convulsing quickly. Wee Renee hoped, if the wolves decided to pick up the groups scent, they would stop here for a quick snack. It was after all, on the way to Friarmere.

  Beverly had her bag with her soon. Wee Renee, Pat and Jennifer walked with them to the edge of Melden.

  ‘Good luck.’ Pat said to the departing friends.

  ‘Thanks, but we don’t need luck. We will be fine. I am sure of it. Don’t worry.’ Gary said confidently.

  With those departing words, they all turned towards the snowy hill and started walking upbank to their fate

  Wee Renee, Pat and Jennifer watched the group walk up the hill until they were out of sight. They hoped they would be okay and Pat said she had a good feeling about it, in her waters.

  Jennifer had decided to stop at Our Doris’s house, with Brenda and the remaining survivors for safety and company, now her daughter would not be around. This is where the three ladies called at next. She went in for some overnight clothes and toiletries.

  ‘I am going to check the house, as I have not been there for a while. It might have been laid waste to, whilst I have been stopping at Beverly’s.’ Inside her house, all was well. She checked her CCTV feed and Anne could still be seen on occasion, snooping round the house. The vampire seemed very eager to see beyond Jennifer’s gates.

  ‘When I see what’s been going on outside here, even though I wasn’t here, I feel like I am going to be sick!’ Jennifer said.

  ‘It makes me want to do poopoo,’ Pat said. ‘It’s her ugly face. Norman doesn’t shit me up half as much as her with her twitching and her mad laughter. Actually, I’ll just nip to the toilet before we set off.’

  After Pat’s visit, they dropped the meat into a bowl underneath the front camera, locked up and started to walk back to Our Doris’s. When they got to the centre of Melden, Wee Renee paid a visit to the shops again. She picked up some more meat for the wolves and groceries as instructed. Brenda had provided her with a list and the ladies, split the bags of provisions between them. Joyfully and finally, they started back to the safety of the cul-de-sac.

  Liz had felt better this morning. She thought that maybe the antibiotics had worked a little, and also she was another day further away from the initial infection. For the moment, she did not need the sledge, but the sledges were there with supplies strapped to them. If needs be, she could get on one.

  This time they did not have Wee Renee to sing Christmas carols. Now they realised she had been the most necessary of their party. She got them to march to the beat, distracted them, passed the time and kept them happy. After a short while they could feel the weight of the mission on their shoulders. Of course Carl was extremely worried, now the prospect was getting closer. He was very miserable about a possible confrontation with Kate understandably, and the atmosphere around him was very dark.

  Gary could feel the general mood becoming more and more oppressive with every step, so he decided to sing a few songs himself. He said he knew a particular one, from when he used to go to watch rugby. This was when he was younger. Tony said he knew another one from when he was in the army and advised that Bob closed his ears. He knew that Bob wouldn't, but instead would try to remember all the lyrics. But, after the horrors he had seen, and had yet to witness, a bit of rude singing was not certainly going to hurt him.

  Gary thought that it would lighten everyone’s journey and would pass away the time. His first song was Four and Twenty Virgins Came Down from Inverness. Laura, Bob, Tony and Sally were in absolute hysterics. They laughed so much that they couldn't walk. Laura was clutching on to Sally, so they didn’t both fall into the snow.

  Danny made up a few verses afterwards of his own, which they thought were great. Gary advised him he would have to write them down for posterity, so that they could sing them at another time.

  The trudge up from Melden was extremely steep, but they seemed stronger than they had been when they had made this journey the first time, in reverse.

  ‘Okay,’ said Gary, ‘this mission isn't going to be very nice. Is there anything that we are looking forward to, once we get back to Friarmere?’

  ‘I am looking forward to seeing my cats,’ Sue said enthusiastically. ‘I can't wait to see their little faces. I am hoping that they are all well. I will hold them and hug them until they are all squashed.’

  ‘And me Mum, I’ve missed them.’ Bob said.

  ‘Right, first on the agenda then is squashing cats. Anyone else?’ Gary asked. No one else could think of anything, so that conversation fell flat.

  It was a dull day, and with their dour moods, as soon as they stopped singing or talking, the darkness quickly returned to envelop them. It seemed to be always waiting, just a couple of steps away.

  They were making good progress. Now, when they looked back they could no longer see Melden, but they weren’t at the apex of the hill. Gary decided they should break for a while, as there was a good low patch of dry-stone wall to sit on. Each had a couple of sandwiches, not wanting to have too much because of feeling sluggish or getting a stitch in their sides

  Again the mood went quickly downbank and Gary thought, if he didn’t get them going again, they would never get to find shelter tonight. He had noticed the more miserable they were, the slower they walked.

  Gary decided he was not going to stop conversation or singing until they got to the den. That was the only way. He started off by saying that he had an idea of how he could make a flamethrower. It would be a brilliant tool if he could manage it, although it could be a little bit dangerous for him to use. He would be worried about using it to rescue the kids in case one of them ran past it. What would be doubly pleasing was that he could use it to melt great swathes of snow. Danny thought this was a great idea. Tony said that he was going to tape a knife to his gun to make a bayonet and they thought that that was good too, although just being a short handgun meant it would have limited use.

  They got to the highest point, which then levelled off, at about one o’clock. Walking across the brow of the Pennines, the view was enchanting. Gary knew that at this rate, they would definitely have to do some of the walk in the dark. After walking a short while he asked if anyone wanted another bit of sustenance. They all did.

  ‘Five minutes rest. That is all, as we are sitting away the daylight,’ he said, but tried to keep it cheerful.

  Gary wasn’t about to tell them they would have to walk a short way in the dark, and be vulnerable, very shortly. The friends sat on a wall handing out their sandwiches. Laura walked around the whole time, flapping her hands at her sides like a penguin. She didn’t want to get cold. There was low cloud below them. Because of this they could not see Friarmere or Melden, only grey silvery cotton wool beneath them. They were above it and might be the only people left in the world. It was as if they were walking through a snowy heaven in the clouds. Sue noticed that Bob was not eating.

  ‘Did you eat a lot at the last bre
ak?’ she asked.

  ‘No Mum. I haven’t had anything. I don’t fancy it.’

  ‘Bob….’

  ‘Mum, I keep thinking about Adam and how scared he must be. My stomach has kind of closed off.’ Tony joined in the conversation.

  ‘How will you help him if you are weak through hunger? Try to forget about that closed off feeling. You have used an awful lot of energy coming up here and you are still a growing lad. You will need lots of strength for what is to come,’ Tony said plainly. Sue mouthed the words thank you to him. Although Sue just wanted her son to eat, Tony had actually spoken the truth. He needed his strength. If he was weak, they would have to drag him and Liz on sledges.

  ‘Pat and Our Doris have gone out of their way to put your favourite stuff in there, so just think about everyone else,’ Sue said to him finally.

  ‘Yes,’ Gary said, ‘that it is for the best. Get something in your stomach lad.’

  Five minutes were very quickly up and they set off once more. Quite tired now but glad that there was no more upbank walking. Only across a bit and at some point down, into Friarmere. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Don’t think about being tired, or blisters. Definitely don’t think about what faced them when they got to their destination.

  The travellers were all warm. Their hats were off, in their bags, and their gloves too. Gary had even undone his coat to try and get a bit of cold air through to his skin. He was really sweating. When they had made the reverse journey before, he had been going into what he thought was safety. Now he knew he was walking into a hellhole again and it was affecting him.