They gazed, stunned and feeling beaten. This small group of eleven people, against a horde of intelligent monsters. They felt so small. The size of this wall, represented the size of their problem. The friends were stuck here.
‘Eh, never mind that way,’ Freddie said, 'There are more ways than that to get out of this village. We will just go in the opposite direction. We won’t go towards Manchester, we will go towards Yorkshire.’ He kept his voice light, not wanting them to hear the worry in his voice.
‘Not to be negative,’ said Gary, ‘But do you think they will have only blocked this way out?'
‘We will have to check. What are we supposed to do?’ Freddie replied, and wanted the women to not panic, especially Liz. 'Just try this way and then give up?'
‘No, don’t get me wrong, Freddie, I agree with you,’ said Gary, ‘They are always one step ahead of us. So, I think we have to prepare ourselves and start thinking outside the box.’
It took them about two hours to get to the other side of the village, through the snow. In the summer it was a half hour walk. On the Yorkshire side of the village there was a viaduct bridge. Again, a double decker bus had been carefully parked underneath. This and the drifting snow had helped make this into a solid wall, even higher than the other one.
Liz started crying and said that she was getting tired. She did look dark under her eyes and her rosy cheeks had disappeared. So had the sun, with their good moods. It was just a plain cold day now.
‘Shall we go back to the band room, to have a rest and a think?’ Andy pleaded.
‘As much as I am sympathising with you Liz, I think that would be very silly. What is going to happen tomorrow? We will have less food. And will probably have to make a stand in the band room against a lot more vampires than last night. You know how much you wanted to get out this morning. Imagine feeling worse tonight. We will still have to find a way out, we can’t get through them walls,' Wee Renee said gently, ‘now we are out here, let's just try and go for it.’
They all agreed, including, reluctantly Liz and Andy. Downhearted and wracking their brains for ideas, they started to walk back towards the centre of the village. When they had walked for about half an hour, they went over the rise that took them to the lowest part of the village, which was its core. They could see a man standing in the middle of the road looking towards them. Just standing alone, in the middle of the empty road, looking towards them. It was obvious he was waiting for them and they all pulled out their weapons ready for another fight.
‘Are you ready?’ Gary asked them as they trudged to their fate.
‘Wait a minute,’ Wee Renee reasoned, ‘It can't be a vampire because he's out in the daylight. It must be a friend, someone wanting to join our group. Needing our help. Safety in numbers and all that.’
‘Not necessarily,’ said Liz, sadly, ‘It might be someone like me.’ Instantly they knew she was right about this. They again wondered what they would have to deal with now. This one wasn’t going to be easy. When they were about a hundred feet away, their eyes stinging with the cold, a couple of them recognised who it was. Freddie was the first to name him.
‘It’s Michael Thompson!’
As they got closer, he smiled at them. Some of them looked around at the sides of the road to see if there was some kind of half vampire ambush about to occur. But there was not one other person there, just Michael. They kept around twenty feet away from him.
‘Afternoon,’ he said genially, ‘Out for a nice stroll are you? On a little band outing, and not invited me?’
‘Judas!’ spat Liz. He laughed loudly before answering her. He was the most confident they had ever seen him. Michael had a load of new friends, part of a powerful gang. Hanging around with a pack of vampires meant he could act how he liked.
‘Yes I am a Judas. But it is better like this than how I was, and how you are still. Who is in a better position here? You or me? I can assure you I aren’t at the bottom of this food chain.’
‘What do you want?’ asked Gary
‘Yeah just get it over with,’ said Danny angrily.
‘Just to tell you, that it is no use trying to get out of this village. We will find you in due course. No-one here is getting out alive. You are not fetching help and you won't be saving anyone. So I just thought as a friend or an ex- friend, I would put you in the picture.’
‘All right then,' shouted Freddie, ‘You can bugger off now back up to The Grange. I suppose that’s where all the monsters are?’
‘Yes, that is exactly where I am going, and you can go back to the band room. Tonight, me and The Master will be outside watching you once again, laughing.’
‘You’ve said your piece. Sling your hook, back to your Master. And keep away from the band room. You don’t belong there,' Wee Renee, poked her finger at him, with every word.
‘We will see you later. Count on it,’ he laughed and began to walk away up the hill. He carried on laughing loudly, obviously put on for their benefit.
‘Nothing he said was funny,’ Bob commented, ‘Why is he laughing like that?’
‘Because he is an evil minion, of course, son,’ Tony said smiling.
‘He’s a bag of shit, he is. Always was and always will be,’ Pat sniffed. They watched him walk past the track to band room, where they had originally come from.
‘Why did you tell him that we were going back there, Rene?
‘So they would try there first,’ Wee Renee solemnly looked at her friend.
‘I get it, now Rene. It buys us some extra time tonight.' Wee Renee nodded and Pat hugged her, a very rare event. They walked to the place where Michael had been standing - he was already halfway up the street that led away from the centre of the village. It would take him straight up to the top of Friarmere and to The Grange.
‘I am going to kill him,’ said Liz flatly and they all looked at her and said nothing.
Freddie looked to the left of him and saw that the pub was open. He could see through the window from where they stood, it was empty. The fire glowed red through the window, so inviting.
‘Come on,’ he said, rubbing his hands and making his way towards the door, without waiting to their comments. ‘Let's make a plan. In here! Come on.’ He said insistently. It seemed a brilliant idea and they all went in, and were glad to get in and relax.
The barmaid sat on a stool behind the bar. She was reading a book about wolves, that she had borrowed from the library. When she heard the footsteps, her eyes darted to the door, and she held her breath, ready for danger.
‘Oh, thank heavens, normal people,’ she said, letting her breath out, her shoulders relaxing, ‘I can't believe it, you are all fine!’ She was visibly happy to see them. They all congregated in front of the bar, smiling back at her.
‘What are you even doing open?’ Freddie exclaimed.
‘I thought some people might need a place to come. I will be shut at dark and these are massive doors. They won't get in. I am quite safe in the day. I will put a light on upstairs tonight, but I am off to my friend’s house. Safety in numbers, you know.’
‘Well I am glad you did. Do you know that they've blocked off the main road either side through the village?’
‘I know. I suspect that they are the ones that have taken the phones out as well.’
‘Yes that isn’t the snow, I imagine,’ said Tony.
‘What can I get for you lot?’
‘Mmm….we don't have much money.' Gary muttered, embarrassed.
‘I wouldn’t take any of your money. And I don’t have everything from the usual menu. Today this pub is for the community. It is a house after all, a public house. Go sit down by the fire, I’ll come over.’
Happy to do just that, they all sat down in their usual places. She came from behind the bar, with a pen and pencil.
‘I can maybe rustle you up some hot soup with some bread? Would you like that?’ It was just what they needed. ‘What do you want to drink, something hot? Hot chocolate for you Bob?
’
‘Yes please,’ he said at once. His eyes lit up.
‘For everyone else? Tea, coffee, beer, whisky?’ Everyone asked if it was okay, if they had hot chocolate too. Wee Renee asked if it was okay if she had a wee dram of whisky to settle her nerves, and a hot chocolate. The barmaid laughed and said, 'Of course.' She went off into the kitchen and they all heard her clattering about in there. In between they could hear the crack and snap of the logs, on the fire. If only they could pause this moment.
‘We can't be here too long,’ Wee Renee informed them, bursting their bubble, ‘It is too easy to get comfy here. Warming our toes, as the hours tick by, whilst he sharpens his knives up at The Grange.’
‘I know,' Gary said, nodding.
‘His knives? He doesn’t need them. Don’t you mean his teeth.’ Liz said.
‘Aye. His dirty infectious teeth.’ Wee Renee replied.
‘Maybe we could hole up in one of our own houses,’ offered Sue.
‘I don’t think it would take them long to find us, that way,’ said Danny.
‘Besides that, Ernie and Lynn know where we all live, they have all our addresses for the registration cards. Think about it too, these houses around here have big picture windows that would easily be smashed. They are low and the vampires could just walk through them. We would be eaten up in a couple of days,’ Freddie informed them.
‘Okay,’ said Bob, ‘I know this is probably a bad idea and you will think I am a very silly boy for saying it but what if we go along the top road by Lazy Farm?'
‘That means going past The Grange,' said Liz, quite horrified.
‘It means going right through the middle of the Melden Triangle. All the wee beasties could get us out in the open, I need to make that clear. Think of my tinsel triangle. Just picture it!’
‘Bloody hell, Wee Renee, as if we haven’t got enough on our plates, we have to think of your tinsel triangle. Anyway back to the plan, Bob.’
‘Sorry Wee Renee, that is the only way out now, but maybe if we can get past and they are somewhere else or we are really careful then we can manage it.’
‘You know wherever we go, we are leaving footprints,’ Laura added.
‘And that Liz is exhausted!' said Andy’
‘I have an idea about that as well,’ said Bob, ‘We could go up to our house. I have a sledge we could put Liz on, then we could all take turns pulling hair along.’ They all thought this was a revelation.
‘That is not as stupid an idea as you think, son,’ Tony said pleased.
‘I didn't think it was a stupid idea,' said Sue crossly.
‘I think that is a bloody brilliant idea,’ commented Pat, ‘You don't have more than one, do you?
‘We have three actually?’
'What do you need three for?' asked Freddie.
‘Because we all go out on one. We all go up to the farmer's top field, and come down on our sledges.’
‘I get it now, so we could have up to three sledges. One with Liz on, and two with…..maybe provisions on!’
‘What I am thinking as well,’ said Sue excitedly, ‘Is that if we pull the sledges at the back, then it might cover-up footprints, as we drag it over them.'
‘It would cover them but it is still a track. They will probably still know, but maybe they won't be able to see how many of us there are,' said Gary.
‘Yes that's a good idea,' Wee Renee clapped her hands.
‘Can I just bring us down to earth?’ Laura shook her head, ‘We have nowhere to go tonight. The band room is definitely out of bounds and they know we also meet here. So we only have about three hours of daylight left.’
‘I know what we can do!’ shouted up Bob, ‘The sledging! The farmer’s top field? We can go through the estate, using the public footpath, cut through Lazy Farm. And go nowhere near The Grange!’ They were ecstatic.
The barmaid returned with the first tray of soup and rolls. She came back again with another tray. Then the hot chocolates. She then went around the back of the bar and came back with five separate measures of whisky. Wee Renee picked her glass up, flicked the glass back at her lips and knocked her wee dram back. The waitress asked if she was welcome to sit with them and they were very happy that she did. She sat down with them.
‘Do you fancy coming with us?’ Freddie asked.
‘We’re going up the public footpath, up through the farm. Escaping,’ Bob told her.
She looked shocked and rushed back to the bar, picking up her book. She turned it around. ‘Wolves?’ Bob whispered.
‘I got it from the library after Tommy was in. It’s not as silly as you think. Some people had them in private zoos. They are here in England. Packs have escaped in the past! Now they are running wild around Tommy’s farm!’ She looked at them all, wide eyed, ‘I will stay here and hold the fort. Someone else might want to use the pub this afternoon or tomorrow. I am still holding out for good outcome.’
The group ate their soup and drank their hot chocolate whilst they went over the plan. They would walk up to Sue and Tony’s house, and get the sledges. Once they got them they could put Liz on one of them. They would fill the other sledges with drink and food that could be easily eaten. On top of this, blankets. Bob had had another idea, about where they could stay overnight and they thought that this was great, but they had not seen it themselves. He ensured them it would work.
Freddie loved this idea, as this road they would be taking, meant going over the tops of the Pennines. The first village they would get to would be Melden, and he could check on Brenda. They all knew that no matter what, this journey was going to take hours and hours and they needed some place to hide when it was dark, away from the vampires. Bob’s idea, might just work.
29 - Sledge
After they had left the pub and attempted a brisk walk up the high street, which was now getting quite slippy, they were not relishing the uphill journey to Sue’s house. The group arrived at Sue and Tony's house just after two, leaving less than one and a half hours of daylight left. On the way up, chatting, everyone had been assigned their own little jobs in Sue’s house, as they needed to use the time they had left, very effectively.
They knew they were in for quite an uncomfortable night outdoors, so as Wee Renee lived just a little further on than Sue, they would be briefly calling at her house as well.
The women rushed into Sue’s house, going through the food cupboards and bedding. Between Sue and Wee Renee, they could provide each of them with either a blanket, quilt or sleeping bag. These were to be lashed to a sledge or in a backpack. Wee Renee said she was going to fashion hers into a wee walking cape for herself. Bob’s job was to sort the three sledges out and put them out onto the drive in the snow.
Sue had been very worried about her cats and had laid all of their dried food into several bowls. She estimated that, if need be, they could last about six weeks on that, as there were sacks full. She left the cat flap open, thinking that they could make an escape, if the vampires came to attack. Although not happy, that was the best she could do for them. She told them she would return.
Bob had run upstairs to pick up his Swiss Army Knife. Yesterday he had felt it was pretty small and useless against the vampires. He hadn’t bothered to take it to the concert and was glad, as he might have lost it. Today it was going to come in pretty useful indeed.
The men went outside into the back garden, down the path to the shed and went through Tony’s tools. Tony had found a new washing line, and taken down the current one. This was to be used later. Gary already had his tool belt on, which still contained a hammer. He took some nails from the shed and a couple of other items. Hooks, ground pegs and wire. Tony and Danny took the tarpaulins off all the garden furniture that had been covered up for the winter. They folded these as small as they could and put them in a backpack, which would be carried by Tony.
Liz got on to one of the sledges and felt very, very guilty. She didn’t really want to catch anyone’s eye, so stared at her knees. Food was
packed around her in bags, then her blanket put on top of her. As she wasn't walking she would soon get cold, but with one of the quilts on her, she should be able to manage. Gary had found a bungee cord in the shed and he fastened it around Liz, the sledge and the quilt, to form a large oval parcel.
They moved off to their next stop. Liz skittering along at the back on the sledge. Bob and Wee Renee ran in, whilst the others waited outside. Wee Renee ran upstairs, taking all of her quilts. Bob, started taking the crosses off the walls. She picked up her last few cloves of garlic from the fridge, and locked the door.
Bob and Wee Renee shared the cloves and the crosses out between the group. Wee Renee was adamant that Bob was to wear one, which Sue agreed to. Even though they had rushed and couldn’t have possibly done it any quicker, they were shocked to see that it was nearly four o’clock and that it would be dark in less than fifteen minutes.
They had just got out of Sue and Wee Renee's street, which led straight onto the road that ended up at The Grange. They turned left, which would take them up the hill and away from Friarmere. When the first signs of darkness were coming, they tried to walk as fast as they could. They were still undecided as to whether they would chance going past The Grange, even when they had waited for it to be empty, or away from the Grange, and up on the public footpath, through the field, where the wolves had eaten the flock of sheep.
They knew that not only the Grange at the bottom of the country lane would be extremely dangerous, but after last night knew that Christine's house at the top of the lane would also be a no-go area. They carried on walking up-bank and were not making much progress with the depth of the snow, up here was much deeper. The wind was picking up a little, making it more difficult to drag the three sledges behind them. Gary looked up into the sky and sniffed.
Sticky Valves: Book 1 of the Saddleworth Vampire Series Page 25