Until the person next to him spoke.
“How you feeling there, Harry Boy?”
Harry almost choked at the sight of the Irishman – The Devil – and started to panic as it all came rushing back. Please, not again. Is this hell? Is this the abyss?
“Calm there, fella. You made it. All is well for another millennium or so. The big guy gave you all another chance.”
Harry was stunned. “He…he did?”
Lucas laughed and sipped a pint in front of him. “Don’t act so feckin surprised. It’s what you planned, isn’t it?”
“Well…yeah, but I didn’t expect to be back at the bar. I thought I really would go to the Abyss, or maybe, best-case-scenario, God would let me into Heaven for my good deed. I didn’t expect…this.”
“Well, as it turns out the man-upstairs loves a little sacrifice, here and there, and yours was a biggy. He decided that your final deed was enough to convince him that maybe humanity still had a fighting chance. Good on you, lad! Though you’re the only one that can remember any of it, so don’t expect a fanfare.”
Harry shook his head, blinking, and feeling like he’d just awoken from a dream. “So why are you here? Here now, I mean?”
“Because I wanted to give my thanks. I like this crazy, fecked-up world as much as anyone, and without it I wouldn’t have a thing to do but sit around in an overcrowded Hell. Truth is I knew there was a chance you might turn things around.”
“That’s why you were here wasn’t it? To help me?”
Lucas hushed him and looked left and right shiftily. “Keep your voice down. If Michael and his choir of gayboys heard that, they’d be after me with their self-righteous wings all in a flap. I didn’t come to help you. I just wanted to make sure you were…properly informed.”
Harry nodded and smiled, looking around the brightly-lit bar and feeling more hope than he had since Toby was born. “Well, Lucas,” he said, “if you didn’t fill me in on what was happening then I wouldn’t have had a clue. I certainly wouldn’t have made the deal I did. If you hadn’t turned up we’d all be in Hell, so…thank you. For a Devil you’re sure not what I expected…Lucas?”
The Prince of Hell had departed, disappearing without Harry or anybody else noticing. Harry hoped Lucas had stayed long enough to hear him say thanks.
At the end of the bar, Harry noticed Old Graham sitting alone, drinking by himself. Harry smiled, finding it ironic that he was so happy to see the old codger. Harry made his way over to Old Graham who looked up as he approached.
“Hey, Harry,” he said.
Harry sat on the stool next to the old man. “Hey, Graham. You’re into History and all that aren’t you? Weren’t you in the army?”
Old Graham beamed proudly. “That I was, ten long years. In the Signals I was. Hit the Falklands a full hour before the SAS did. Yet they get all the glory.”
“Brilliant,” said Harry. “I wanted to learn more about the past, and about brave men like you. I was thinking about going to the Imperial War museum at the weekend. Would you like to come with me and be my guide?”
For a moment, Harry thought the old man was going to fall off his stool. Then he gathered himself together and nodded enthusiastically. “You know I haven’t been out of this bloody town in eight years. I would love to come, Harry. Thank you, I mean it.”
Harry patted him on the back. “Good. We’ll have to make a regular thing of it. Right now though, I’ve got to go, so I’ll come by tomorrow night to see you. You’ll be here right?”
Old Graham laughed. “Does the Devil have horns?”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “I think you’d be surprised.”
Old Graham obviously didn’t understand and Harry was glad about that. Knowledge of the night’s previous run of events was a burden he was more than happy to shoulder alone. He walked over to the centre of the bar where he had been speaking to Lucas before he disappeared. Back to Hell or wherever. On the other side of the wooden surface was someone he wanted to talk to very much.
Steph spun around and smiled when she saw him. Harry couldn’t forgive himself for ever ignoring how beautiful she was. He would make up for it though.
“Harry,” she said to him. “Another drink?”
Harry shook his head. “No thanks, I’ve given up.”
Steph looked at him in bewilderment. “What since five minutes ago?”
Harry nodded and grinned. “It seems like longer, but yes I have. Time to start living my life in better ways.”
Steph seemed genuinely happy. “Good for you, Harry.” Then suddenly her expression flipped upside down and she seemed very sad. “Does that mean you won’t be coming in here anymore?”
“Maybe,” said Harry. “Which is why I wanted to know if you’d come to dinner with me on your next night off.”
Steph’s face lit up. “I’d love to. I’m free Thursday night.”
Harry reached out and took Steph’s hand. She seemed embarrassed but he could tell that she also liked the feel of the two of them touching. “Then it’s a date. You can tell me all about this pet grooming business you’re going to set up.”
Steph was surprised. “How did you know about that?”
“I don’t know,” said Harry, “but I want to learn all about it, and all about you. Right now I have to go, so I’ll be back tomorrow night to arrange with you.”
Harry left Steph in a fluster behind the bar and moved towards the exit. Damien was lay across the coach, enjoying the fire. As Harry got closer Damien noticed him staring. The boy stood up.
“The fuck you looking at?”
Harry smiled. Finally he could see through Damien’s hardman disguise and see the lost boy beneath it. “Hey, Damien. I just wanted to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Well, I used to have a successful business, but I sold it. I was thinking of starting up again, though, so I need a partner – someone young and smart. Guess I’m looking for an apprentice, but I don’t have a son. I used to but he died. His name was Toby.”
Damien’s eyes flickered back and forth, as if he expected a sneaky attack to come at any moment.
Harry continued. “I know you’re a busy guy, but I don’t think you enjoy selling drugs. You’re better than that and I’d really like to help you be successful in a less dangerous way. I need a man like you. I think we can make a lot of good honest money together.”
For a while it seemed like Damien was going to strike out and hit him. Harry wondered for a moment if he’d misjudged the boy and was relieved when his demeanour finally softened. “You serious?” he said.
“Very!” Harry went for a handshake. “Deal?”
Damien smiled and shook Harry’s hand. “Yeah, deal.”
“Great, I’ll speak to you about it soon.” Harry walked away, but Damien stopped him.
“Harry?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. You know, for the opportunity and everything. Most people just think I’m a thug.”
Harry nodded. “You and I are going to change their opinion.”
He made it over to the pub’s door and prepared to leave. There was a lot to do in order to get his life back on track, but first he needed to find a phone. Harry was going to make a call to the Police and tell them about a rapist named Nigel. The sicko’s truck was parked off the main road right now and if they came quickly they would find enough evidence inside to put the man away for a very long time.
Harry was going to start living his life, putting the world right and making things better, one thing at a time. For the first time in a long time, he was finally looking forward instead of back.
SPECIAL EDITION BONUS CONTENT
TALES FROM THE FINAL WINTER
And
THE PEELING OF SAMUEL LLOYD COLLINS
CHANCE OF SNOW
“I can’t believe this!” Richard turned away from the window and faced his family, each of them huddled beneath a blanket. “I know it’s winter, and everything, but this is Florid
a.”
Richard’s family, daughter and wife, said nothing. They knew better than to converse with him in the state he was in. He wasn’t angry at them, of course – wasn’t angry at anyone in fact – but he’d built the vacation home in Florida purely to get away from home during the winter months. He expected snow like this in England, but not here.
Richard looked back out of the window and stared out over the lake that edged his second home. The water was starting to freeze over and snow banks had built up around its edges. If there were any alligators currently in there then he held little hope for their survival.
Least I’m not them, thought Richard.
“Why don’t you come and sit down, honey,” said his wife. “I’m sure they’ll be a weather forecast soon. They’ll tell us what to expect.”
Richard huffed. “Well, they didn’t bloody-well tell us to expect this, did they? Would have stayed in England if I knew there was going to be all this snow.”
“Miriam said it’s the same back home,” his wife stated. “I called her this afternoon. They’re completely snowed in.”
“It’s like this everywhere,” Richard’s daughter chimed in. “They said on the Internet that every country in the world is covered in snow. There’s a group on Facebook that say it’s all down to aliens.”
“Don’t be so stupid, Charlotte.” Richard went and took a seat beside his wife and wrestled the television remote from her hands.”
“Don’t snatch,” she said meekly.
Richard ignored her and flicked through the TV stations. He hated American channels; they were filled with so much dross. How he longed to flip on BBC One and get some straight-forward news. Eventually he found a station that seemed to be discussing the weather and he settled on it, resting back into the sofa.”
“…temperatures expected to drop further in the coming hours and are likely to remain there,” the weather report informed. “Be sure to wrap up warm, Florida, and enjoy the snow while we have it. It’s once in a lifetime.”
“Enjoy the snow,” Richard grimaced. “Who comes to Florida to enjoy the snow? They certainly don’t spend half-a-million building a house here to enjoy the snow.”
Richard’s wife stood up from the sofa and headed off. “I’ll go make a pot of tea and turn the heating up. I wish you’d stop stressing. We’re still on holiday and together, aren’t we?”
Richard let out a sigh and rubbed at his cold forearms. He turned to Charlotte who was sat on the armchair beside the sofa. “Am I being a bit of an ogre?”
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Little bit. Just chill out, dad. You’re upsetting mom.”
She was right of course. Richard was not unaware of how tightly-wound he could be. That was why he’d built the holiday home sixty miles north of Miami. It was supposed to be their place to relax and spend some quality time together.
Good job you’re making of it!
Richard stood up from the sofa and made for the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Charlotte asked him.
“To apologise to your mother.” He headed through a door that bordered the lounge and entered the family kitchen area. It was a large, modern room with a breakfast bar at its tiled centre. It was his wife’s favourite part of the house. Currently, she stood up against the oversized ceramic sink, filling up the kettle beneath one of the chrome taps. He went up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She did not jump so she must have expected his arrival.
“You calmed down yet?”
Richard squeezed her shoulders gently and began rubbing. “When do I ever calm down? The best you can hope for is that I realise when I’m being insufferable.”
“And have you?”
“Have I what?”
“Realised that you’re being insufferable?”
Richard turned his wife around to face him and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “Yes, I realise, sweetheart. I’m sorry, okay?”
She kissed him back. “You’re forgiven. Let’s just enjoy ourselves for the rest of the week. They’ll be plenty of sun next time, I’m sure.”
Richard nodded glumly. “Hope you’re right.”
His wife was about to reply to him, when Charlotte’s voice carried from the other room. “Hey, mom, dad, I think you better come look at this.”
Richard and his wife looked at each other and frowned. Together they exited the kitchen and walked back through to the carpeted lounge. Charlotte was stood up against the window where Richard had earlier been looking out at the lake.
“What is it?” Richard asked her.
Charlotte turned around and faced him. Her expression was mostly one of curiosity, but Richard could see a hint of anxiety there as well. “Come look.”
Richard walked up beside his daughter and leant forward to look through the double-glazed glass window. Outside was the same, semi-frozen lake that he’d already seen, snow pilling up all around it as fresh powder continued to fall. “Everything seems normal to me, sweetheart.”
Charlotte nudged him on the arm. “Look closer, at the far end of the lake.”
Richard focused his eyes further afield. If it were not for the outdoor lighting then he would have seen nothing at all, but thanks to the illuminating glare of the high-watt bulbs, Richard could see what his daughter was trying to point out to him. “Gators?”
“Yeah,” Charlotte replied. “What are they doing?”
Richard’s best guess was that they were migrating. They were common visitors to the lake and they always seemed happy to bask and feed in a group, so seeing them all bunch together now was not all that interesting. What was a little more unordinary, though, was the fact that they were currently fighting their way from the lake, pushing and burrowing through the snow banks that towered over them. “Looks like they’re leaving the lake,” Richard guessed. “I’m not surprised with the water as cold as it is.”
“But where would they go?” Charlotte asked. “Surely they wouldn’t be any better off in the snow?”
Richard shrugged. “I expect they’re just as confused as everyone else is in Florida right now.” His wife was nearby and he smiled at her so she knew there was nothing to worry about. “Go get that tea on, sweetheart. We can settle down and try to watch a film.”
His wife smiled back and quickly departed, leaving him alone with his daughter. Charlotte was still looking out of the window, enthralled with the alligator’s behaviour.
“There must be at least fifty of them out there, all in a group,” she said.
“Will you just get away from that window? I want to close the curtains and keep the heat in.”
Charlotte sighed and turned away from the window. Richard took her place and prepared to close the curtains. He took one last look outside at the departing alligators and let out a chuckle. It really was something to behold. He stretched out sideward and grasped the curtain and started sliding it across the window, but, before he got it all the way across, something made him stop.
“What the…?”
Charlotte came back over to the window and looked out through the small gap that still remained through the curtain. “What?”
Richard didn’t turn to face his daughter. His eyes were too transfixed on what he was seeing. “There’s someone out there in the snow.”
“You’re joking,” said Charlotte. “They must be mad. It’s freezing.
“Mad or not,” said Richard, “they’re there.”
Richard left the window and marched across the lounge towards the French doors at the rear of the house. They led out to a veranda which doubled as a smoking shelter for his wife’s habit. As soon as he pulled open one of the doors, the cold hit him like a punch in the face. His nose started burning almost immediately as the chill bit at his extremities.
He stepped out into the snow nevertheless, but wishing he was wearing something more substantial than trainers – snowfall was not something he’d packed for. The growing wind also made him wish hard for a winter coat.
�
��Who’s out here?” he shouted into the floodlit night. “This is private property. I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.”
There was no answer and Richard took it as a threatening sign. He stepped cautiously as he approached the front of the house where he had seen the stranger. He couldn’t be sure, but it had looked to be a man; a tall one wrapped in a billowing coat – or maybe a cloak.
When Richard reached the side of the house that faced the lake, he was surprised to find the stranger was still standing there, quite assumedly. The man seemed to care little about his trespass.
The Final Winter: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel Page 24