"I hated Aiden. He could have helped me in the past and he never did, so I think I lashed out at him at the time. I can't believe what I've done." I watched Shirley cry louder. She didn't appear to be mad in any way or dangerous to anyone at present.
Lydia put her arms around Shirley's shoulders trying to console her. I was certain it would be okay, because Shirley seemed to be genuinely distraught. She didn't appear to be mad or angry. Her cries for her husband were very sad and it choked me up to see it.
I turned around, with my back to them just for a minute. I didn't want to see the sadness anymore. It was too painful like a knife ripping me open.
Of course, Shirley had got to me. She deliberately angled me into believing her. The minute I took my eyes off of her, I heard Lydia scream. I swung around and at that moment, the others came into the room trying to pull Shirley away from Lydia.
It was too late. Shirley struck her with a sharp object. Lydia's wrist had been cut deeply. I grabbed Lydia. I pulled her away from Shirley. Nick and Joe grabbed each of Shirley's arms and held her down tightly.
"I'll have my revenge on all of you... just you wait and see..." Shirley spit out at us.
It went crazy from there. I knew it had begun. Shirley's madness was getting to her. She couldn't move on and she never would.
"Hold her down." I shouted. "Someone call Jenny."
"I'll get her." Aiden replied.
"You! You are a bully Aiden. I hate you... I wish I had killed you!" Shirley shouted.
Aiden stared at Shirley for a second and then left the room. He came back within a minute with the doc who took Lydia out of the room.
"Aiden... go get some rope so we can tie her up. We need to keep her mouth closed too, so go get something to cover it." I said angrily not caring what came out of my mouth.
I was annoyed with myself for letting my awareness drop for just a second. I knew that she was bad news. Charlie had told me so during my time with him. He had told me things that I hadn't told anyone else. I had questioned him in the right way and it had worked. I wanted to tell Lydia now. I needed her to understand what I was about to do.
32. Lydia Brown - Wounded
Jenny took me to her medical doctor’s room that she used in her home. I looked around and saw a white room equipped with hospital equipment. I imagined that she must have taken it all from the hospital or the medical centre where she worked.
"Sit down Lydia and I'll sort you out." Jenny said as she got her first aid box.
"Please... just wrap it up with some bandage... I need to get back to Tim and the others." I said urgently.
"Don't worry... but I must try to stop the bleeding Lydia... it could get infected." Jenny replied.
She sorted out my bleeding wrist. It hurt like hell, but I was more worried about what Tim would do next. I wanted Jenny to patch me up as quickly as possible, so I could get back to Shirley. I didn't want anything going wrong now.
"Okay, but do it now and hurry." I said as Jenny cleaned my wrist and tried to stop the bleeding.
"I'm afraid you will need stitches... I have to do it Lydia or you will bleed out."
"Fine... do it quickly." I urged her.
"Do you want some pain relief? I can give you some now." Jenny said as she got a syringe ready.
"Will it make me tired or sleepy and do you have enough to spare?" I asked. I wanted to be alert.
"I have plenty, so don't worry... and no... it will just numb the pain in your wrist whilst I stitch you up."
"Fine... just do it." I said as I winced.
I could feel a sting as Jenny inserted a needle into me. The pain in my wrist was worse. It was constantly dripping with blood as Jenny tried to fix it. I moaned as she worked on it. I hadn't realised how much pain I was in until now. Shirley had really dug into me, more than I had thought originally. The inside of my wrist was deeply cut as I watched Jenny working on it.
"Keep still Lydia... it will be finished in no time. Does it still hurt?" She asked as I glanced at the needle going in and out of my wrist.
"It's fine... just a little sting now and then... that's all. Just hurry... I need to get back to Tim. I don't want him doing anything wrong in there." I said anxiously as my wrist started to feel numb.
"He won't... I'm sure he knows what's right." Jenny said unexpectedly.
"Why do you think he knows what's right?" I asked.
"Because... he seems to know what's right for us all and I'm sure he's just trying to protect us... these are bad times Lydia... we have to watch out for anything or anyone that tries to ruin our chances of being able to live here. Don't you think?" she said.
I thought she had a point, but killing a person was not something I was up for.
"Yes I agree, but to a certain extent... we can't go around killing people Jenny. It's just not right." I said feeling determined.
"I know... but Shirley seems mentally unstable." Jenny announced.
"How do you know that Jenny? Is there something you're not telling me?" I asked curiously.
"No... it's just that... well... she seems odd at times... one minute she's nice and then the next she turns against us... and... well.... earlier... when I was in the room with her alone, she said something that I can't get out of my head." Jenny said seriously.
"What did she say?" I asked.
"Well... she didn't say it aloud... she just whispered it... like she was talking to herself. I think she forgot that I was there for a minute."
"So... what did she say Jenny?" I asked urgently again.
"She said... "I will kill them all"... she said it about three times over and over."
"Was she alert at the time?" I asked.
"Oh yes... most definitely... I had helped her to sit up and when I moved away from her... well... that's when she spoke." Jenny said with certainty.
"Well... I think we should keep this to ourselves... don't tell Tim yet... unless you have already." I stated.
"No... I haven't told him yet, but I was about to earlier until he cut our conversation short... I'm not sure though... about keeping it to ourselves Lydia."
"No we won't, but I want to talk to Tim first and then I'll tell him... don't worry Jenny... we will sort this out. I promise." I said hoping she would go along with me.
"Okay... but if you don't tell him soon then I will have to... because... I don't want anything going wrong here. Do you understand? We have it good here right now, so we don't want anyone ruining that for us." Jenny stated with determination.
"I understand, but we cannot kill a person... even if they are mentally unstable... not now... not ever!" I said angrily.
"No... I see your point." Jenny said in a low, anxious voice.
Jenny finished stitching my wrist and then I got up. I left her alone and went back to Shirley's room. I needed to see if Tim was still there. I worried that he might have seen to Shirley already.
I opened the door and panicked when I saw that Shirley wasn't in her bed. Everyone had left. The room was empty. Where was she? Did Tim take her?
I looked around and couldn't see any of Shirley's things. I ran out of the room and went to find Jenny. I was determined to sort this out.
Of course, Jenny wasn't where I had left her, so I went into the living room to find the others. The kids were there playing cards and Trudie was sitting in an armchair feeding her baby.
"Trudie, where is your dad?" I asked as she smiled up at me.
"Oh... em... I'm not sure... Aiden came in here and got him earlier, but I haven't seen him since... in fact, I haven't seen anyone for a while... why... what's going on Lydia?" She asked curiously.
"Nothing... I'm just looking for Tim and your dad... nothing to worry about Trudie... I'll see you later." I said and left the room quickly. I didn't want to spoil Trudie's or the kids' contentment, so I went on my way to find the others by myself.
I looked everywhere, but no one was about. I, suddenly, thought of the barn, so I made my way to it. I trembled as my beating
heart pumped erratically as I ran outside. I hoped everything would be fine. I hoped Tim hadn't committed a crime. Did he have it in him to kill someone? Could he really do that to Shirley?
33. Lydia Brown - The Search
To my disbelief, the barn was empty as I pushed the door open and I walked inside. Where are they?
No one was in sight. I was certain that they would be here. I couldn't understand it. Where else could they be? Surely, this would be the only place Tim would take Shirley. Unless…
I, suddenly, wondered if Tim would drive away somewhere with the others to do something awful. Would he? It could be a possibility. If Tim wanted to kill someone, he would probably do it somewhere other than here. But where?
I didn't know what else to do and then I thought of something. Why would they all disappear and leave the children here? Of course, they knew that I'd be here, but it really didn't make any sense. Unless…
I ran inside in a hurry. My heart pounded as I rushed towards the living room. I had to ask Jenny and John's kids what they knew. I had a feeling they had an answer for me.
They all looked up as I stood there trying to get my breath back.
"Lydia... are you okay?" Trudie asked as she stared at me with a slight grin on her face. I looked at her as she patted her baby's back.
"I'm fine... but I need to ask you something... is there any other place here... you know... like the barn maybe?" I tried to guard my words carefully, but I could tell they were all wondering what was going on.
"Em... yeah... I guess," Trudie answered.
"Where? Tell me Trudie." I asked urgently.
"We have a small cottage out in the fields that we used to rent out sometimes, but it's old and falling to pieces now... why?" She asked suspiciously. "Is something up Lydia? What's going on... maybe I can help... I can take you there if you like... I'll leave my baby here with Molly and come with you." She said as she started to get up.
"No!" I almost shouted at her.
"But why? You won't find it unless someone shows you where to go... and... well... you might get lost out there in those fields... and there might be biters lurking down there." She said urgently.
"It's okay... just give me directions... you have to stay here just in case."
"Just in case of what?" Trudie asked in a trembling voice.
"Nothing... I want you to stay here as you are the eldest and well... it's just best that's all... now show me where this cottage is." I said trying to control myself.
"Okay... go out the front door and walk straight through the fields... but you have to climb over the fence that we've built and walk straight until you see a smaller fence... climb over that or go through the gate ... then walk to your left and you will come to a clearing and there will be a road sign... in the distance you will see a small cottage." Trudie stated as she put the baby down in her crib and then walked over to me. "Are you sure you should be going there on your own? What if you get into trouble? Do you think that's where my parents have gone with the others? Tell me Lydia!" Trudie shouted.
I pulled her out into the hallway so I could speak to her privately. I didn't want the other kids hearing what I was going to tell her.
"Look... I'll tell you, but you must stay here and look after the others... I think Tim and the others have taken Shirley somewhere... she went a bit mental when she woke up and well... Tim has this theory that she shouldn't be here anymore... like..." I didn't know how to tell her so I paused to think. "I'm not sure what he's going to do with her, but I have to stop him."
"Stop him? Is he going to kill her?" Trudie asked me.
"I hope not... I really don't know... all I know is I have to find him. Now... please... just stay here and look after the others... okay?" I asked pleadingly.
"Okay... but... wouldn't it be best for you to wait here for them too... I mean... just let them do whatever they are going to do Lydia... isn't that the safest option?" Trudie was right, but I couldn't do that now.
"I can't let Tim do this... please understand Trudie." I said in a whisper.
"Right... well... if you or the others aren't back within an hour, then I'm coming to find you." She said.
"Ok... deal... now go back in there and try not to look so worried, because it will scare everyone else." I said hoping that I would be back by then, because I didn't want her wandering around just before it got dark.
"Okay... I'll try." Trudie replied. She seemed shaken by what I had told her, but I knew she could handle it. She appeared to be strong.
I nodded and then she left me out in the hallway alone. I went back to my room and got my coat and some weapons... a stick that Tim had sharpened for me, a knife and a gun. I packed them away in my backpack. I was terrified, but I had to find them. Something wasn't right, because they had all been gone for far too long. It seemed like an hour had passed since Jenny had patched up my wrist.
I walked outside. It was getting late and I knew it would be dark in a couple of hours, so I needed to do this now. I climbed over the fence and walked through a muddy, frozen field. It was snowing again. The coldness hit my cheeks. It was freezing and my ears were numb as the icy chilly air had got to them. I put my hand in my pocket and took out a woolly hat that I had kept there. I put it on and carried on walking.
I could see the smaller fence that Trudie had mentioned. When I reached it, I went through the gate and turned to my left, and then walked towards some snow filled trees. A clump of snow hit my right cheek as I pushed my way forward. The snow was falling more heavily as I dragged myself through to a clearing. I stopped and stared into the distance. I could see a building, but it was a long way from here. Was this where Tim had come with Shirley and the others? Why would he come here?
Weird stuff started to haunt my mind. I couldn't stop the thoughts from entering my head. I remembered my parents before they died. I remembered Cindy's death too. I felt that death was upon me. It was like a warning.
I felt as if a knife was about to go through me as I stood there silently. I was freezing up. My coat was soaked with white snowflakes and I was shivering wildly. My hands trembled as I didn't have any gloves on. The cold was eating me up and I knew I had to keep moving before it got too late.
I carried on through the clearing and walked some more until the cottage was more in sight. I saw a flicker of a light or a flame. It could be a torch I thought.
As I got closer, I thought I heard voices or some kind of sound, but then I looked behind me. Dozens of biters were chasing after me and I hadn't noticed until now.
I ran further, but I tripped over something. My backpack was hanging from my right arm. I tried to get it off so I could open it and get a weapon out, but as I turned to get up there was a ripped up biting creature behind me who was starting to pull on my leg. I screamed and screamed, hoping that someone would hear me. Both my hands were trying to push it away. I couldn't even get a weapon out of my bag.
I tackled the creature as best I could. I could see black eyes and bloody teeth aching for a piece of me and trying to get a bite out of me. Is this the end? Am I about to die?
The thoughts in my head about death whirled around like crazy in my mind as I screamed louder and louder. No one was coming! You will be dead soon! The voice in my head told me as I desperately tried to free myself.
34. Tim Sparks - Ditched
It was drearily cold, as I ventured outside. The moment I stepped through the cottage door, the icy wetness of the snow hit me. The weather was getting worse and that meant it would be harder for all of us. Heating was a problem lately as the generator back at the farm was playing up. Nick suggested he would take a look at it. I hoped he could fix it or at least solve what was wrong with it.
Standing outside, I could hear Jenny talking to Shirley about her mental state. She asked her questions relating to her past and her mentality. We were trying to get the gist of what she had suffered with in the past, but Shirley wasn't talking. I didn't know what to do. Every minute with Shirley was p
roving to be hard. I knew it was time for things to end, but I couldn't do it. I needed to think first. I didn't want to give up.
I took a swig out of the whisky bottle that I had stashed away in the barn and that I had retrieved before leaving there earlier on today. It felt good. The cold air didn't feel as harsh after the liquid entered my lungs. I was glad for it. I didn't drink as much as I had done before and I was careful to control my liquor these days.
Standing there alone, I looked up at the sky as darkness started to fall. I stared into the distance and thought I could see a figure. Not just that, there were a few biters coming towards the cottage. Oh no! More of those evil creatures!
I turned around to go back inside to warn the others when I heard a scream. It got louder. I turned to look where it was coming from, but I couldn't see clearly as the night sky was getting darker. I ran back inside to get my flashlight and then I heard the screams get louder. I thought I recognised the voice too.
"Joe... Aiden." I called. "Come with me now... someone is out there... they need help and the biters are starting to reach us. Quickly!" I shouted as I collected my sticks and my sword.
We ran outside and walked slowly towards the screams.
"Help... help... someone help." I could hear her voice.
"Damn! That's Lydia!" I yelled as I ran towards the ripped up bodies that were now heading our way.
We ran further through the snow as we fought our way through about six biters. Just when we thought we were all safe, after combating our way through them, more came. About another ten were upon us. With just three of us there, it was proving difficult to get rid of them. I had to call for help.
"Jenny... John... get out here now!" I shouted.
They came running towards us and tried their best to help us. Thankfully we managed to get rid of them just in time, as John proved to be quite smooth with his knife as he bounced about and dodged each creature before cutting them.
When I finally reached Lydia, I could see she was struggling to keep one from biting her. I gave it a whack with my sword and it fell sideways.
The Biters (Book 1): Time to Run Page 13