by A. W. Exley
I was miles from the farm when I decided to admit defeat for the day and return home. Soon the light would fade, and with the hive destroyed, I didn't want to be stumbling around in the dark with lost vermin. I turned onto a dirt track, one that would loop around and re-join the main road before the forest and the path to home.
As I passed green fields with contented grazing stock, I wondered why the vermin attacked humans and not animals? Did you need an undead sheep to make other undead sheep? I pondered if something about the virus made it species specific.
One farmer had made a late hay cut, and his paddock of short, golden ends was a burst of colour in the tapestry of greens. Tall stacks of hay dotted the field, waiting for the cart and team of horses to haul it back to a dry barn. A pair of lovers chased each other around the hay piles.
I smiled at their antics. It was sweet to see glimpses of romance when we lived surrounded by horror. I was half way down the road when my brain yelled STOP! My subconscious recognised something I hadn't placed at a casual glance. The motorbike's wheels spun in the dirt as I kicked it into a tight one hundred and eighty degree turn and sped back to the paddock.
The bike idled at a rough purr as I scanned the field. There was the couple, peeking at each other around a stack. What had triggered my alert? I narrowed my gaze as they wandered around a mound; one going left, the other right. A slight delay interrupted their movements, followed by a jerk as though their limbs were controlled by an unseen hand.
I switched off the motor. That was when I noticed the silence. If Seth chased me around a haystack there would be laughter and the occasional squeal. These two, while they appeared man and woman, enacted a charade of a romantic interlude. Studied closely, it was less chase and more chaotic shambling, as though they were lost.
I climbed over the stone wall, pulled the handkerchief up over my mouth and nose, and then drew my sword. A tiny part of me thought all vermin would spontaneously disappear once we destroyed the hive. Of course I was wrong, but hope had glimmered in my heart. At least I could dispatch these two and leave two fewer for Elizabeth to recruit.
As I crossed the field, other details confirmed my suspicion. While these two were relatively fresh, the man's left ear had detached and slid down to stick to the side of his neck. Exposed bone poked through the woman’s right arm. They both had the same blind, milky gaze, and their clothing was dirty and torn.
They stopped and scented the air as I approached. Both snarled. Bloodless lips pulled back over teeth in a grimace as their heads swung in my direction. With only two, I wasn't worried, I just needed to pay attention and make sure neither crept out of my line of sight.
"Let's make this quick and easy," I muttered as I considered my attack.
The female was approximately the same size as me and presented a lesser threat, so I would deal with her undead companion first. The larger one who used to be a man growled and lunged, his hands outstretched to scratch at me. I skipped to one side and brought the sword down. His forearm and hand continued to crawl toward me, but the rest of him stopped.
"How rude," I said as I kicked the limb to one side.
The smaller one circled behind her fallen wounded comrade. I turned to keep them both in view, but I ran into an eight-foot problem with the hay stack. She lurched around the obstacle, as though running away from me and out of view. I could catch her easily enough. Better to deal with him and reduce my number of problems.
With one arm missing, he became agitated and flailed the stump. Fat, congealed globs of his diseased blood fell to the grass like pigeon droppings. He roared, a rusty sound, and lunged at me again.
I knew the steps to this dance, and I was far more practiced. I dropped under his outstretched one-and-a-half arms and rose behind him. One hard thrust severed head from body. The head rolled down the gentle slope of the ground. Movement caught the corner of my eye.
The once-female vermin had clambered up the haystack and launched herself at me from above. She had the grace of a leaping ostrich trying to fly.
I ducked and rolled. As my back hit the ground I thrust up with the katana, catching the vermin in the mid-air and slicing up through its stomach and breastbone. The creature emitted a high-pitched shriek, not unlike a monstrous bird calling out, and then it fell straight to the cut grass.
Its limbs tore up loose hay as it scrabbled to right itself. Rotten viscera spilled from its torso as it struggled to its feet. That dress was completely ruined. Before it could re-orient itself, I stepped forward and swung at its neck. The head fell to one side even as the body lurched toward me.
I hated the next bit as I waited for the bodies and dismembered pieces to stop their jerky movements. Limbs shouldn't crawl around once separated. That always reminded me how this unnatural plague violated the laws of God and Nature.
Some newspaper articles spoke of this being a work of evil, as though some unseen hand had raised legions of demons to blight us. As I watched the severed hand and forearm creep toward my ankle like a monstrous spider, I wondered if those reporters were right.
Reaching into my jacket pocket, I pulled out a notebook and a pencil to take what notes I could of the two. I jotted down a description of their physical appearance and clothing. One of the fingers that inched toward me bore a wedding ring. Were they a married couple, or had they met after death?
The notebook went back into my pocket and I cast around for a suitable spot to burn the remains. I didn't want to risk setting fire to the hay, which meant I would have to drag them down to the greener road edge. This was the bit that made me nervous, picking up legs and having my back to the rest of the vermin parts. I waited another five minutes to make sure they had stopped moving before I dragged them bit by bit to the roadside.
Then I had to go find heads. I had learned not to pick them up by the hair, even though that was easier. The scalps had a tendency to slough off in my grip and leave me clutching hair and nothing else. I placed my hands by the ears, well away from gnashing teeth in case the bodiless head wasn't quite done yet.
The light had faded by the time I had two bodies, two heads, and a wayward forearm stacked on the verge between stonewall and road. From the back of Trusty the Triumph, I grabbed a fuel can. I doused the dead flesh, stood well clear and tossed on a match. Thick black smoke soon spiralled up to the darkening sky. I kept my face turned away; I didn't want to inhale the sickly scent even through the handkerchief.
To make sure no stray spark caught the loose hay still on the ground, I settled in to watch. A truck rumbled around the corner and pulled to a stop a safe distance from the pyre. Painted a dark khaki, it resembled the one that returned father and Henry.
Two soldiers climbed from the cab—Jake and Jack, the unnerving twins who were first to explore the burial mound containing the hive.
"Need a hand, Miss Jeffrey?" one of the identical men asked me.
"It was just the two. I found them wandering around the haystacks as though they were lost." I rose from the grass and brushed myself off.
"Like bees who have lost their hive, they'll go around in circles until they find a new queen." One of the twins stared into the flames.
"We can mind this, if you like? We have more fuel in the truck if need be or water cans if it spreads too far." The other grinned and gestured at the vehicle.
"Do you mind terribly? I'd love to get home before dark." The bath called. I needed to scrub vermin odour from my body before I could relax and unwind from the rush of sending them back to the other realm.
"Captain deMage has us out patrolling this area until after dark, it's all part of a day's duty." I couldn't tell who spoke, Jack or Jake. I wondered if even their mother could tell them apart.
Of course the highly efficient and organised Seth would have his soldiers out patrolling. What changes would his touch bring to our corner of Somerset?
"Thank you, lads." I hated watching the bodies break down into charred skeletons. With a wave at the two soldiers, I kicked Trust
y into action and pointed the motorcycle for home.
4
Over the course of the week, our farmhouse settled into a new routine, one that was more relaxed and involved more laughter. The telephone hardly rang as the soldiers under Seth's command undertook the bulk of the slaying that the village once looked to me to perform.
When Friday arrived, I busied myself all morning and tried not to think what would happen that evening. Seth had sent a note asking me to arrive early, to discuss War Office issues first. After luncheon, I packed a saddlebag, and then wheeled Trusty out of the barn and started the engine.
"Don't come home early!" Alice waved, wearing a cheeky grin as she stood by the kitchen door. For the first time, we wouldn't trade secrets as we lay in bed tonight, but I hoped she would curl up in my room to hear about my evening with Seth.
After a quick wave, it was two hands on the handlebars as I opened the throttle and we shot along the road. I still wore trousers, but I had tucked one of Louise's old dresses and a pair of shoes in the saddlebag. I didn't want Seth to think I was completely uncouth.
I left the motorbike around back with the other motors. Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to march up to the front door, preferring to sneak in the tradesman's entrance. Perhaps it was all those weeks working here as a nurse, rushing in through the side door to report to the housekeeper. Or did I simply not think I was good enough to use the front entrance? That was for quality. Workers like me knew our place around back.
Warrens, the butler, patrolled the tiled entranceway. He spied me as I snuck across the hall toward Seth's study.
"Welcome, Miss Jeffrey." He stressed my surname, my real one and not that of my mother, which I had used on previous encounters. Sly old dog, he knew exactly who I was, but he held his silence. I appreciated his discretion.
I rocked back on my heels, unsure of how to proceed. "Warrens. His Grace in?"
"Yes, miss, if you'll follow me." He led the way and rapped on the double doors with his knuckles.
At the muffled, "Enter," he slid the doors apart.
"Miss Jeffrey to see you, your grace."
He stepped to one side, and as I walked past, he lifted the saddlebag slung over my shoulder. "I'll have this waiting for you in your guest room, miss, so you can dress for dinner."
My guest room. Crikey. I guess I wouldn't be changing clothes in Seth's office anymore. Not that it was an office anymore. With each visit it had acquired more equipment, maps, and bodies. What was once a duke's study transformed into a military headquarters.
The duke was pushing what looked like tiddlywinks counters around the map laid out on the massive table. Lieutenant Bain hovered at his side. The two men waved their hands around and moved the markers after more discussion.
Seth smiled on seeing me. "Ella, I believe you know Lieutenant Bain."
I knew the lieutenant was handy with a sabre and would improve with practice. The sort of man you wanted at your back. "Lieutenant Bain."
"Miss Jeffrey." He had a friendly smile, and while he was shorter and not as dashing as Seth, he was a pleasant looking chap.
Further inspection of the lieutenant halted as Seth took my hand and brushed his lips against my knuckles. I guess he couldn't take me in his arms and kiss me senseless if he was working. Or with the lieutenant watching.
Their map showed all of Southwest England in the same topographical style as the map of our corner of Somerset pinned to the wall.
Seth gestured to the new map. "We are gathering data from the rest of Somerset, Wiltshire, and Devon to try and replicate the work we have already done here. But there's a lot of information to collate, and other villages are not as organised as you. We are starting with parish records of the deceased."
Beside the table sat a number of boxes, each containing numerous sheets of paper with rough figures and lines of writing. I craned my head sideways to read names and dates. It never occurred to me that other villages throughout England might be keeping their own tallies. The tiddlywinks counters made sense now; it seemed they marked the locations of mass graves.
"This is what I wanted to discuss with you, Ella. The War Office has offered you a position, here, as my civilian liaison, and it comes with an annual salary." He smiled and I discovered when he really turned on the charm, he had a dimple in one cheek.
An official job at Seth's side, a regular pay packet, and I wouldn't have to leave the county or my family? I would be a career girl, the first step on my path to a new life. The other benefit would be staying at the forefront of this particular fight. "I would be honoured to be your civilian liaison."
The smile widened a fraction more. "Wonderful. I believe the War Office may hand over the entire of Southwest England to our command if we prove ourselves capable. But to do that, I need your help to draw any hypotheses about the existence of other hives."
I was a working woman who had to hunt down any other vermin hives. Not a glamour occupation. I cast a glance at the boxes of papers and had a sinking feeling that there would be nothing glamorous about this job at all. I was about to find out if the pen truly was mightier than the sword, as I tackled an enormous pile of paperwork.
I swam through an ocean of paper where numbers jumped from the pages like strange fish. At times, I had to tread water while I marvelled at the complete lack of inquiry by some people. One parish recorded that they lost ninety-seven people to the original pandemic and, so far, had dispatched one hundred and twelve. There was not a single question about where the extra bodies had come from, nor any hint if they were infected in the subsequent waves when the Turned attacked. Idiots.
Warrens threw me a life preserver at five o'clock and saved me before I drowned.
"Perhaps time for a bath and a change of clothing?" he asked in his polite tone.
Sounded wonderful. Names, dates, and details seemed etched in my skin, and I longed to scrub them away.
"Good idea," Seth said. He stretched his arms over his head and then dropped them back to his war table. "Let's meet at six-thirty for drinks before dinner."
Warrens led me up the grand staircase and along the wide corridor. Then he opened a door. "This is your suite, Miss Jeffrey."
The room within was far bigger than anything in our small farmhouse. The enormous four-poster bed had rich forest green and blood red drapes pinned back at each corner. The colours were repeated in the wallpaper and carpets. Combined with hints of gold and the dark panelling, the room had an exotic feel, as though I was somewhere in the Middle East.
Warrens stood on the threshold. "The maid will be along shortly to run your bath and assist."
I flicked open my saddle bag, pulled out Louise's dress, and laid it on the bed. "Thank you, Warrens, but there's no need. I'm quite capable of bathing and dressing on my own."
The butler made a noise in his throat, a little warning hitch that insinuated one had committed some faux pas. No doubt I would greatly offend those below stairs if I ran my own bath, but I couldn't do it. Not yet. Plus, the voice at the back of my mind whispered, You shouldn't be here. You're not quality and never will be.
"Just this once, Warrens, if you don't mind terribly. I would appreciate some time on my own."
He arched one eyebrow. "Very well, miss. I will let the staff know."
I waited until the door gave a soft snick behind me and then moved to investigate the next room. It contained a bathroom tiled in white, with a stripe of brightly patterned tiles in swirls of red, green, and gold. In the centre sat an enormous bath, the outside enamel deep green with griffin feet clutching gold balls at the corners. I dropped the plug and turned a giant tap. It rattled a few times, spat, coughed and then started running with hot water. Oh, the luxury of plumbing and not having to haul buckets up the stairs.
I let out an audible sigh as I sunk into the bath. It seemed so decadent after the tin bath we used in the kitchen. Perhaps when our finances improved, we could finally put a little aside to have our bath plumbed. I pondered the magic of ba
ths. Thoughts appeared and disappeared in the steam that swirled around me, like tricks performed by a great illusionist.
If I accepted Seth's proposal one day, could I adapt to life as his duchess? The sheer size and scale of the house made me feel tiny and insignificant. I would need a map to navigate the hallways and hundreds of rooms, and a guide to survive the minefield of upper class society. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see myself slipping into this lifestyle. Yet I easily conjured Louise dominating life at Serenity House.
My heart weighed heavily and pulled me under the water. How did you reject the trappings of a duke's title while embracing the man? There was no way to separate Seth from the obligations his birth forced upon him. I desperately wanted the man, but would rather face a vermin hive unarmed than have to organise a dinner party for a bunch of toffs.
The water cooled and I still couldn't see a way forward. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked back to the bedroom. I could put on a brave smile and face one dinner. One day at a time, I reassured myself.
Just as the clock on the mantel struck the half hour, a soft rap came at the door. I smoothed the dress over my hips and pulled the door open.
Warrens stood in the hall. "I shall escort you to the drawing room, Miss Jeffrey, if you are ready?"
"Ready as I will ever be." I felt strangely naked without a weapon. What if the vermin returned like they had on the night of the ball? I would have to trust that Seth had swords secreted around each room.
Downstairs, Seth kissed my cheek and slid a warm hand to the small of my back. "You look fabulous."
A glass of wine took the edge off my nerves, and before I knew it, Warrens called us to dinner. In the library. A small table that could seat four at most was tucked in a corner, surrounded by a soaring double height of books. I frowned at Seth while inside I sighed to caress the thousands of books that enclosed us.