Star Drawn Saga (Book 1): Death Among The Dead: A Zombie Novel

by Charlick, Stephen

  ‘Tom, if you wouldn’t mind,’ Father Matthew continued, nodding to the fistful of the young Brother’s hair he had clenched in his hand.

  ‘Your house, your rules, Father,’ replied Tom, instantly releasing his hold on Brother Alex who then dropped to his knees, holding his stomach.

  Father Matthew glanced at the ashen face of Brother John, the young man’s mouth slightly agape as he shook his head as if already denying the accusation and then moved on to Lucy or rather to the blossoming red patch on her wrist where she had been restrained.

  ‘Lucy, I…’ he started to say, visibly searching for the appropriate words to make this right.

  ‘No, Father Matthew,’ she interrupted, knowing whatever Father Matthew said she would still have to deal with the fallout somewhere down the line, ‘nothing happened… not really.’

  ‘Lucy,’ sighed Father Matthew.

  ‘Nothing happened,’ she repeated, at last pushing herself away from the potting table, her head held high in defiance. ‘Now… if you’ll excuse me, I… I have work to get on with.’

  ‘Lucy, please wait,’ Father Matthew called after the young woman as she pushed her way past him, purposefully avoiding meeting his eye. ‘Lucy, please.’

  But as she hurried out of the greenhouse and along one of the twisting island paths, the calls of Father Matthew fading behind her, Lucy knew she had made the right decision. For as much as she hated Brother Alex and his young cohort, putting up with their unwanted attention was a small price to pay for a life away from the horrors of the mainland; of course the only problem she had now was how she was going to explain the bruise on her arm to Scot.

  Back in the greenhouse, Father Matthew seethed with anger as he watched Brother Alex using the side of the potting bench to pull himself back up from his knees.

  ‘Well?’ said Father Matthew through his gritted teeth.

  ‘It’s like she said, Father, nothing happened,’ the Brother replied. ‘We were…’

  Whatever the rest of Brother Alex’s excuse was it was abruptly cut short by the crack of Father Matthew’s fist back-handing him across the face; the force of the blow knocking him crashing backwards into some tall runner bean plants.

  ‘And this is how you repay the Lord for your salvation!’ he spat, looming over the crumpled young man now nursing a bloody split lip amid a jumble of crushed plants and broken bean poles.

  ‘Father Matthew, please… forgive me,’ Brother Alex managed to say, his bloody saliva splattering the leaves about him. ‘We were weak, we… we fell to temptation. Brother John and I, we…’

  Looking over to his partner in crime for confirmation and support, Brother Alex was visible shocked to find that the younger man had suddenly disappeared.

  ‘I…’ Brother Alex continued, aghast that he had been left to feel the brunt of Father Matthew’s immediate rage.

  ‘Don’t you worry about Brother John,’ barked Father Matthew, grabbing a hand-full of Brother Alex’s tunic to pull him roughly to his feet, ‘I’ll be having words with him soon enough.’

  With a thrust, that almost sent Brother Alex sprawling again, Father Matthew let go of him and reached forward to pull free a length of one of the broken bean poles.

  ‘You have allowed your lust and sin to taint the purity of God’s blessed vessel,’ growled Father Matthew, his fist tightening about the bamboo pole in his hand, ‘and that sin must be excised to make you worthy once more.’

  Brother Alex, looking at his feet, slowly wiped a dribble of blood from his chin.

  ‘Now, get to the Chapel,’ Father Matthew continued, the flick of the broken pole in his hand dismissing the young man. ‘I’ll be along shortly.’

  ‘Yes, Father Matthew,’ mumbled Brother Alex, turning to leave, his head held low in apparent shame and remorse.

  Yet as he stepped past Father Matthew he caught Tom with a sideways glance and in that instant Tom knew whatever this young man was, it certainly wasn’t remorseful. Pure hatred and an intense loathing boiled within the young man’s glare; a glare that spoke of a spiteful and malicious revenge yet to come.

  ‘Looks like I’m off someone’s Christmas card list,’ Tom thought to himself, as Brother Alex finally disappeared from sight down one of the twisting paths.

  ‘Please,’ said Father Matthew, turning to address the group, ‘please do not judge us by this one act… this… this is not who we are.’

  ‘Yeah, we’ve heard all about who you are,’ thought Fran, glancing at Tom who was obviously thinking the same.

  ‘Those who have taken the robes of the Red Brotherhood,’ Father Matthew continued, his free hand fiercely clutching the cross about his neck while the other noticeably still held onto the broken cane, ‘have truly offered their lives in service to God and his children but... but they are still only men. Men cursed with weakness, stupidity and lack of judgement.’

  Looking from one face to the next, he wondered if these people could accept his words as the truth and hoped they wouldn’t now only see those who wore the red robes as bullies and abusers, hiding behind a vale of piety.

  ‘Anyway,’ Father Matthew sighed, realising only time could convince those that stayed that what they had witnessed was only a temporary slip in devotion and nothing more. ‘I’m afraid I shall have to cut short our little tour of the island and leave you in Brother Gregory’s capable hands. As you have seen, Brother Alex is in need of my… administration.’

  ‘And just what would you like me to show them?’ asked Brother Gregory, sounding a little put out to have the task of tour guide for the group so unceremoniously dumped upon him.

  ‘I think the rest of the gardens and… and then down Harbour’s Walk,’ advised Father Matthew.

  ‘And then what?’ said Brother Gregory, knowing at best this tour would use up only half an hour of what remained of the day ahead.

  ‘Well, I’m sure our guests would appreciate a day of rest, free of fear and death, don’t you?’ he replied, recognising that for the group of new arrivals this day may very well be the first they experience in the last five years where they were truly safe from the Corrupt.

  ‘Ladies, gentlemen, tomorrow we will find jobs for you do but until then, please, feel free to spend the rest of the day as you wish,’ Father Matthew continued, turning his attention back to the group.

  ‘And Bella,’ cried Peter, playfully, ‘don’t forget Bella too.’

  ‘Yes, Peter,’ smiled Father Matthew, ‘I won’t forget Bella.’

  For a moment the sincerely warm smile on Father Matthew’s face washed away the worry that Brother Alex and John’s actions had brought to those of St Michael’s mount but even as he fought to hold onto the comforting sight of Peter boisterously hugging Bella, his gaze drifted to the broken cane in his hand, causing his smile to slowly slip away.

  ‘You… you must excuse me,’ he mumbled, his words almost inaudible as he fought to tear his eyes away from the length of cane in his hand.

  ‘Of course, F…’ Dave began to say but no sooner had he started to speak than Father Matthew had turned his back on the group and already began to walk away from then, the tightly held cane in his fist shaking by his side.

  ***

  ‘Why does trouble follow you around like a bad smell?’ Fran whispered slyly to Tom, as they trailed with Kai a few paces behind the group being led along a steep hillside garden.

  ‘Hey, I thought I was very restrained,’ he replied from the corner of his mouth, only while half listening to Brother Gregory droning on about the productivity of this particular sun dappled slope, ‘I let the little shit go when Father Matthew asked, didn’t I?’

  ‘Hmm, very diplomatic of you,’ chuckled Fran, plucking at the tips of thyme bush that she had been forced to step into to escape the innocent yet tantalisingly exciting touches from Kai as they walked side by side.

  ‘Yeah, well, I’ve met types like those two before,’ Tom continued, glancing to his side looking briefly from Fran to Kai. ‘They’re just
a pair of thugs, plain and simple… and somehow they’ve managed to pull the wool over Father Matthew’s eyes and set themselves up in a position of power.’

  ‘And I suppose that in a place like this once you’ve got that power who’s going to dare to question it?’ added Fran, her brow creasing as she idly rubbed the end of the sprig between her fingers, releasing its sharp heady fragrance.

  ‘Exactly,’ Tom sighed, watching Brother Gregory approach an older man working with two women, one in her sixties and the other the young redhead that had served them food earlier. ‘Oh, I’m sure there are people here who believe in this Father Matthew and his acolytes,’ he continued, glancing away from Brother Gregory who had started to introduce the older man to Jane, Dave, Riley, a smiling Peter showing off Bella and a sullen looking Max, ‘but for the others…’

  ‘They’re t…trapped,’ suggested Kai.

  ‘Trapped in a nightmare of their own making,’ added Fran, just as they closed the gap on the rest of the group and found themselves also being introduced.

  ‘Ah, this is Fran and Kai,’ Brother Gregory was saying sounding quite disinterested in the whole situation, ‘they may be staying with us… and the other gentleman, who seems to be making a habit of falling behind, is Tom.’

  ‘Alright,’ said the old man, extending towards Tom a solid looking hand, weathered from years of hard work, ‘I’m Roy, Roy Willis.’

  ‘Roy.’ nodded Tom, taking the man’s hand to give it a brief but firm shake.

  ‘And this is Beth Keys,’ continued Brother Gregory, idly wafting a hand in the older woman’s direction, ‘and I believe you met Kasey earlier.’

  ‘Yes, yes we did,’ said Fran, smiling from the older woman to her younger counterpart. ‘Hello again.’

  ‘Surely you and your young man can’t be thinking of going back out there,’ asked Beth, a soft but noticeable Irish lilt running through her worried voice as she pulled off, one by one, a pair of thick gardening gloves.

  ‘Well…’ Fran began to reply, her cheeks flushing slightly that this woman, a complete stranger, had noticed within seconds her attraction to Kai that she herself had tried to hide and deny.

  ‘No, no, that just won’t do,’ Beth continued, stepping forward to take Fran’s hands in her own. ‘The Lord has seen fit to bring you to our door… and to Father Matthew. He has watched over you and guided you among the damned, sparing you from the Corruption. You cannot throw this back in His face and reject salvation when it is offered… It is His will that you live, both of you.’

  ‘I…’ Fran started to say, struggling for the right words so not to offend Beth’s conviction.

  ‘Now, now, leave the poor girl alone, woman,’ said Roy, a chuckle softening his words as he reached over to gently separate the two women. ‘That’s a conversation she needs to be having with Kai here, not you.’

  Yet even though Roy smiled at Beth while he eased Fran’s hands from her grasp, as he met Fran’s eye she instantly knew he would offer quite different advice to her about staying.

  ‘And have the cliffs been checked thoroughly this morning?’ asked Brother Gregory, idly pulling off a bright green pea pod from the plant by his side.

  ‘Why, of course!’ Roy snapped back, breaking eye contact with Fran to glare at the Brother.

  ‘Oh, now don’t give me that look,’ sighed Brother Gregory, popping open the pod with his thumb to reveal half a dozen fat peas. ‘I can remember on more than one occasion where one of the Corrupt has somehow managed to claw its way half way up before anyone has noticed and then of course there was our dear Kasey here.’

  ‘What? You fell down the cliffs?’ asked Jane, surprised the fall hadn’t crippled the young woman.

  ‘Oh, good heavens, no,’ said Brother Gregory answering in Kasey’s stead before the young woman had even managed to draw breath to reply, ‘she’d tried to cross the causeway at high tide and got caught by the currents. Got quite a battering against the rocks, didn’t you Kasey… You really were quite a bloody mess when Roy and the others eventually found you clinging to the cliff face.’

  ‘God!’ exclaimed Fran, noticing the way Kasey’s hand subconsciously rose to the almost invisibly pale scars that crisscrossed up from her neck and part way over her left cheek.

  ‘Almost got a spike in the head for your troubles too, if I remember correctly,’ Brother Gregory continued, deriving some strange pleasure from reminding the young red haired woman of the nightmarish event. ‘Lucky you managed to find the strength to speak or Roy would’ve finished you off for sure.’

  ‘Luck, had nothing to do with it, Brother Gregory,’ interrupted Beth, taking Kasey’s hand to rub it affectionately. ‘God saved her from the Corrupt and brought her to us; our own little Moses, spared from a watery grave by His hand.’

  ‘Yes, Beth… by His hand,’ said Brother Gregory, empting the contents of the peapod into his mouth, seemingly bored with the conversation already. ‘Anyway,’ he continued, tossing aside the empty pod skin, ‘I’ll let you three get back to work… Oh, and Roy, could come up with a list of work that our guests can do. They’ll be starting tomorrow, so if you could see that Father Matthew has it by this evening.’

  ‘Well, there’s always work in a garden for hands willing to do it,’ Roy replied, warily glancing at Max, stood with his arms folded, his back to the group and looking out across the gardens, pointedly ignoring the conversation behind him.

  ‘Well, yes… I’m sure there is,’ said Brother Gregory, quite uninterested by Roy’s musings as long as the list was produced as he had requested.

  ‘Oh, Beth, do you think Scott will still be in the harbour?’ asked Brother Gregory, hoping he could palm off a few of his tour guide duties on to the young fisherman. ‘I heard he was going out to Foster’s rock to collect mussels… perhaps some of our guests might like a trip?’

  ‘I want to go on boat!’ cried Peter, suddenly interested in what the adults were discussing. ‘Can I go on the boat? Me and Bella will be good, really good, I promise. Please, please, can we go.’

  ‘I think Scott may have already left, Brother Gregory,’ Beth replied, turning to smile at Peter as she pulled a gold chain with an oval pendant out from under her blouse. ‘Hmm… I suppose you may still catch him though,’ she continued, flipping it open to reveal a delicately engraved clock face, ‘and I’m sure he’d be glad of the company.’

  ‘Can we go now then?’ asked Peter, starting to pull at Brother Gregory’s sleeve. ‘Can we go?’

  ‘Peter,’ warned Riley, noticing the look Brother Gregory was giving the hand that had suddenly latched onto his arm.

  ‘Come on, Peter,’ added Jane, gently unhooking the excited young man’s fingers from the folds of Brother Gregory’s sleeve. ‘Let Brother Gregory go. He can’t lead us down to the harbour with you hanging on his arm, now can he, hmm?’

  ‘Yes, Jane,’ Peter replied, rocking backwards and forwards as he rapidly open and closed his fists as if trying to use up the excitement running through him. ‘No, Jane. Sorry, Mr Gregory, sorry.’

  ‘Brother Gregory,’ he corrected, giving Peter a disapproving look.

  Once again the uncomfortable silence briefly descended upon the group, until, realising if he ever wanted to rid himself of this babysitting duty he had better get them to the harbour as soon as possible, Brother Gregory simply marched off; a brief wave to those behind him the only indication that they were to follow, that or he was bidding an uncharacteristically familiar farewell to Roy, Beth and Kasey.

  ‘What a twat,’ mumbled Tom under his breath as he looked from Brother Gregory’s back to nod a polite goodbye to Roy, Kasey and Beth.

  Obviously having misjudged the volume of his grumble, Tom noticed Roy’s mouth twitch into a grin; quickly hidden behind the man’s sudden urge to scratch his nose.

  ‘Look, I don’t do relaxing very well, so if you need any help checking the cliffs again later…’ said Tom, letting his offer of help hang between them.

  ‘Yeah,
sure, that’d be much appreciated,’ Roy replied, his eyes drifting to the twin blades Tom had strapped to his back. ‘Just come find me and we’ll check them together.’

  ‘Will do,’ said Tom, giving Roy another nod before turning to catch up with the rest of the group which seemed to be leaving him behind once again.

  Although what he had said was partly true, Tom also had another motive for checking the cliffs. For even as he spoke to Roy he fought to keep his tenuous hold on reality and he knew these cliffs with their possible harvest of the Dead they offered, were his only chance to silence the voices, if only for a short while.

  ‘Soon,’ he hissed, knowing his slaughtered wife and daughters heard him no matter how quietly he spoke. ‘Yes, I will, I promise… soon.’

  ***

  Walking past row upon row of vegetables, fragrant herbs and heavily laden fruit bushes, the small group followed Brother Gregory along the zigzagging gravel path as it made its way down the cultivated cliff face and back towards the small village-like collection of buildings at its base.

  ‘Oh, Damn,’ sighed Brother Gregory, shielding the sun from his eyes with his hand as he looked out over the row of cottages just below him to the set of grubby sails moving slowly the past the harbour wall and out into open water, ‘he’s already left.’

  Less interested that his charges had missed out on their boat trip and more concerned that he was going to be stuck with them for the rest of the day, Brother Gregory mentally flicked through the limited options available to him. It was only when he noticed the smoke lazily drifting up from one the cottages that an idea came to him.

  ‘Change of plan,’ he said, briefly glancing over his shoulder. ‘It appears that Scot’s already left for Foster’s rock so…’

  ‘But…but I want to go on the boat,’ interrupted Peter, his excitement visibly crumbling as he started to nervously pull at his ear. ’You… you said we could go on the boat.’

  ‘Yeah, well, that ship has sailed, Einstein,’ said Max, snidely laughing at his own joke.