Chapter Four
I was woken early by one of the children in the house and set to work. Barely seeing anyone from my town, I had to wait until dinner before I caught a glance of any of them. Again the darkness drew in rapidly and as I retired for the night, I found a few extra candles already set up. Warm in the knowledge that Jonny was thinking about me, I slept well and rose early.
Setting off at first light, we were all eager to get home. At the fast pace, if we could keep it up, we would be back by midday. “What do you think my mum and dad will say?” I had slowed my stride a little and the two of us were a few feet behind the others.
“I don’t think I’ll be seeing much of you for the next few weeks. They’re going to be furious.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Just keeping it real.” He flashed a smug smile, and I kindly elbowed him in the ribs. “Hey! You asked the question.”
“I’ve been really stupid, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I had.” Something buried deep in my consciousness attempted to push its way to the surface, pushing me to recognise the wrongness of the situation. I was doing my best to ignore it.
“We did learn something though.” Jonny pulled me in close. “You know Roxie will be over the moon about this.”
I groaned. She had crossed my mind, and I had done my best to put the image of her welcome to one side. Shouts from the men caught our attention.
“The whole row must have been unstable.” One of them spoke over the others.
I knew the houses were decrepit, though it still surprised me when I saw what seemed like a complete block had collapsed, taking out the main road.
“It’s a pain but not a problem. If we take the road south it joins this one later on and will only put about 30 minutes on our journey.” The men had already turned to leave when all I could do was stare at the debris.
“Come on, we don’t want to be left behind.” Jonny eased me away from the scene.
“Do you think that was deliberate?” A weight had settled on my chest.
“And what or who would do that and why? There’s nothing out there.”
“Well that’s not true is it?” My eyes scanned the surrounding buildings as though something lurked within. “We need to get home.”
“It’s okay.” His arm slipped around my waist. “Whatever happened, it doesn’t matter now. It’s not as though there is only one road into town.”
The sun hit our backs as we continued our little detour. Clouds were beginning to gather, threatening to release its contents upon us all. I liked the idea of the water soaking through my hair and down my face. I hoped it would cool my fevered mind. Each step felt closer to danger, a feeling I couldn’t shake no matter how tight Jonny held on to me. More shouts up ahead had me jumping out of his arms and running down the road. The knot shot from my stomach and raced up my throat until I clamped a hand over my mouth in an attempt to stop the yell.
“I can’t understand it.” One of the men was scratching his head looking to anyone else for answers. “There must have been a minor quake last night.”
His words made sense yet my mouth couldn’t help adding my thoughts to the conversation. “It just so happens that the two main roads out of Hayton are blocked. Did you see any more houses down while we were walking?”
“We all know how you panic about what’s out there. It’s the whole reason you are here. Now be quiet and stop being so childish.” The eldest man snipped as he stepped forward.
At that comment, Jonny tensed at my side. I placed my hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him. A fight right now would help no one.
“We go through the gardens and over the back. Let’s not waste any more time.” With that, the eldest from the group traipsed up the side path to the nearest house and disappeared. We quickly followed.
By the time we made it back onto the main road I was tired and sore. After decades of neglect, the gardens seemed more like a jungle. I had enough cuts and stings that I felt like a pin cushion. A rather nasty gash was numbing the nerves in my hand. My fingers splayed out but it was merely an automatic reaction and one I couldn’t help.
“We need to get you to the docs when we get home.” With the gentlest of touches, he placed my hand in his and examined it closely. I watched his eyebrows knit together.
“Once it’s cleaned up it’ll be fine.” I did my best to show him a confident smile, though I fooled no one.
“What time is it?” I’d been asking for the last hour. The sun was completely hidden behind the slab of clouds that now surrounded us, but I knew midday had vanished some time ago.
“3:00.” An edge had crept into his voice, mixing with my own fear.
By the time we reached the third collapsed structure, panic had totally taken over my body. “It’s herding us.” My words were only meant for Jonny.
“There’s nothing out there in the darkness that could possibly bring down all those houses. If it was that easy, they would have smashed down our houses years ago.”
Looking up at him, I let that thought glide through my head. He was right; they would have come for us if they could do that kind of damage. “That makes sense.”
“Are you agreeing with me?” He tried to sound light, though the tight grip on my hand said otherwise.
“Did you hear me say that?”
“We split up.” Our heads spun around at the man’s words. “The only way home is to try and climb the wreckage, and I’m not sure how safe that’s going to be.”
Everyone looked at one another, uncertain of the action they should be taking. “Split up in two’s and pick a road. I don’t care if you try to go over the debris, through the gardens or take an actual road, just get going. It’s getting late.” None of us needed the reminder that time was running out.
Not wanting to waste another second I pulled Jonny behind me and headed down the side road. “Shouldn’t we go through the gardens?”
I shook my head in response, my hand still in spasm with all feeling gone. “Crawling through the undergrowth will slow us down.”
“We’re going to be okay.”
Spinning around, I came to a dead stop, causing him to crash into me. He caught me in his arms, stopping the both of us from falling over. “Don’t say that. You and I both know that something is wrong.”
“Issy.” His arms enveloped me. I could feel the warmth radiating from his body helping me to take a deep breath and forcing me to relax. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”
“That’s not the same thing,” even to me, it sounded like a whine.
“No, but it’s the best I can do.” Resting his chin on my head we stayed motionless a little longer until I wriggled free.
“Right, let’s get on with this and find out what my mum has to say about me running away with my lover.” Who am I kidding? I didn’t fool either of us insinuating there was nothing to worry about or that we were on a simple adventure.
“Remind me to be somewhere else when you ask.” His tone may have sounded light but the fingernails digging into my palm indicated that he was as worried as me.
We continued on the side roads, not able to traipse through the brambles and thistles and reluctant to try the main road in case we came upon another road block. I said nothing as Jonny took the lead down another small road, which twisted and turned away from our goal.
“We’re going ‘round in circles.” My frustration finally found its voice. It grew inside my stomach, threatening to explode and rip open my body.
“Okay it’s not straight, but look out there.” He pointed to the disappearing sun. “We’re heading in the right direction, just slowly.”
The sun had travelled across the sky so quickly since we had split up. I didn’t dare ask what the time was; I could already feel the darkness drawing in. Unconsciously, Jonny sped up, obviously thinking the same thing as I did. Time is running out. Because I had never left our town before, I had no idea how close we were
to home. There were no landmarks to show me the way, only buildings that lined most of the roads that we travelled. Only when we hit the outskirts of town would I know we were home.
“Do you have any idea how long it will take us?” I almost told him not to tell me, my mind racing through the possibility that this could be our last moment on earth, that death was surely just around the corner.
“I’m not sure. Maybe an hour, it can’t be much longer.” His eyes strained to see something in the distance that would be familiar to him.
“Should we stop?” I huffed trying to keep up with his renewed pace.
“Are you crazy? After everything you’ve said over the last couple of days and you want to stop.”
Shaking my head, I tried to put my thoughts in order before answering. “When we’re home we barricade ourselves in, bathed in candle light, and we wait for day to show its face. Let’s find a house, find something to burn, and hope nothing gets through.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I’m not sure how far we are from home.” Looking around for inspiration he pointed to the distant line of houses. “They don’t look too bad. If we could lock ourselves in and burn something, it will give us a couple of hours before nightfall.” He didn’t wait for me to answer, just ran toward the last line of houses. I was right behind him. The door was gone, even though the rooms looked safe enough despite the rotted floor boards that were not quite completely collapsed.
While I was standing in the doorway looking at our home for the night, Jonny had been busy. One room on the top floor was reasonably secure. With no windows to worry about, he had patched up any holes by the time I had caught up with him.
“How are we going to contain a fire in here? Won’t the whole place set alight?” My panic was still in my stomach waiting to take over at any moment. We both knew that this was a long shot.
“We have plenty of water. If we soak the floor around the fire it might slow it down.”
“What? Slow it down? We have to make this last all night.” That was it; I couldn’t take any more of this. We would either have to face whatever was in the darkness or burn to death. “Maybe we should still make a run for it?”
Jonny closed the gap in seconds. Bending down so we were at the same height, he leaned in, making it impossible for me to look anywhere other than at him. “This is the best idea for the situation we’re in. There is no time to make it home. We stay here, keep the lights on and leave at first light. We are going to get through this, do you hear me?”
“Well you’re making it hard not to. How about taking the ‘save the day’ speech down a notch?” I smiled despite the circumstances. “Are you really that desperate to hear what Roxie is going to say and do about the two of us?”
“It’s what I live for,” his smile waivered at his own words. Fear was evident in his clear brown eyes. However much he tried to convince me that everything was okay, he couldn’t lie to himself. His grip became tighter cutting off the circulation.
“Err, I’d like to use them in the future.”
Dropping his arms to his side he stared open mouthed at me. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Let’s get on with this?” I was angry at myself. Every time I moaned and whined about what might happen, I simply slowed us down. “A few days ago, I was worrying about whether I was going to be stuck on veggie duty for another week.” Shaking my head I thought about how much had changed in so little time. “Look at us now.”
“We will get through this.”
“Of course we will.” This had to stop. Grabbing my extra clothes from my pack I started to shove them at the bottom of the closed door. “Well, get the fire organized.”
“Yes, Sir.” Giving me a weak salute he turned and started to gather everything that he could set alight.
We worked in silence preparing our little love nest as the pressure of the coming night increased. It began to pour into the abandoned town and seep through the houses as it closed in. “It’s almost time,” I whispered to myself, not sure if Jonny was paying any attention to me. From the corner of my eye I could see that the fire was ready and he was pouring water a small distance around it. With the floor now soaked he finally turned to me, his brow creased tightly in concentration.
“Are you okay?” I knew it was a silly question, but it slipped out anyway.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“Would it make any difference what I say?” We automatically moved closer, the darkness now pressing on the very walls of the building. “Let’s light this baby up.”
Without another word he lit the match and set the kindling going. In the dry air, the whole lot was soon blazing. I felt the darkness groan in response as it pulled back from the house. “This could work.”
“Because you’re a genius.” His smile was genuine, warm, as he pulled me into his arms. “We can get through this.”
Sitting with his arms around me and the fire keeping us warm, I felt relaxed in his company. Maybe not at peace; I could never be totally calm with the night scratching to get in and take me. Somehow I knew it wouldn’t waste time in ripping me open and absorbing everything I was.
“Hey you’re shaking. This is working. You have nothing to be afraid of.”
“My body doesn’t want to hear it.” I placed my head on his chest and listened to his racing heartbeat. “It would seem your heart doesn’t either.” Shifting under me, I felt his body tense. What did I say to upset him?
The fire crackled loudly and the ground beneath it groaned. Jonny had done his best to keep the fire off the floor. Fear caught a tight hold around my pounding heart. If the floor started to burn, it wouldn’t be long before it fell through, and there would be nothing to protect us.
A loud piercing noise filled the air. It was nothing like I had ever heard in my life and one I wished I would never hear again. Jumping to our feet, we realized that we had nowhere to go, nowhere to escape from the screams outside. With my hands over my ears I tried to block out the noise. “Why won’t it stop?” I screamed right along with it. Pulling me into his protective embrace, I felt his heart beating as the tears rolled down my cheeks.
A deafening silence followed, as though the world outside had been swallowed up into nothingness. The only thing stopping my body from shaking apart was Jonny’s tight grasp of me. Pain raced down my back as he continued to squeeze, somehow thinking he could keep me safe. I twisted in his grasp and he finally loosened his hold on me.
“It’s over,” my volume was lost in the ruffles of his jumper. “Do you think that was all the men?”
“I don’t know.” He sounded distant, lost in thought. “It didn’t sound human at all.”
Huddled together, we wished for the sun to rise. With each passing minute the floorboards cracked and split beneath the fire. Our eyes were red and sore from the smoke which escaped through tiny gaps in the walls, but not with enough volume to help us breathe easier. Suffocation was something else to add to the growing list of things that could kill us. Holding each other tight, we waited for the race against time to end. Since the screams, there had been nothing but silence, and that included us. I couldn’t keep my body from trembling, even cocooned in his arms, and my heart was racing so fast that it felt as if it would punch a hole through my chest. Darkness pulled at the very fabric of the building, seeking a way to reach us. My fevered mind accepted that the black smoke played a part by inviting in the darkness.
“Another hour. Just one more and we’ve made it.” Jonny was looking at his watch, counting the seconds. It was at that point that the floor shuddered beneath us, the fire making the whole structure shift.
Unable to do anything but scream, I pulled away from him, scurrying until my back hit the wall. “It won’t last. The place is falling down around us.”
“Keep still,” he barked at me. His arms were outstretched as though he was balancing himself. And that was exactly what he was doing. The wooden floor had caught fire and Jonny was precariously pois
ed above a gap that was quickly expanding.
Ignoring his words, I dived for my pack, knowing there was a little water left. Praying for a good shot, I put the fire out in two attempts despite Jonny constantly shouting at me. “I’ve got it,” I yelled back, not really listening to his words. If I had, I may have noticed the blackened boards around me. I looked up to see the horror in his eyes … just before I fell.
Something sharp dug into my back, piercing my skin, and I called out in pain. My leg lay beneath me as I tried to pull myself to a sitting position before letting out another cry.
“Issy, Issy are you okay?” Jonny’s face popped over the gap. He was lying down on his chest, trying to get a good look at me.
“Still in one piece,” I called back. There was banging and pounding from above, and the whole lot came crumbling down around me. My only option was to throw my hands over my head and hope that nothing crushed me.
To my amazement, only small bits rained down on me, nothing too substantial. Behind me, the blaze quickly caught fire to the debris around it, and I felt the heat from where I was kneeling. Jonny skillfully jumped down next to me, making me scream. Lifting me off my feet he carried me toward the raging fire. “What are you doing?” I howled in his ear, doing all I could to stop his motion.
“There are still 40 minutes before the sun comes up. We have to stay near the fire.”
“We’re going to burn if we get any closer.”
Turning me to face him, he took a choking breath. “We don’t have a choice.”
There was no mistaking the dread that filled me. The initial worry for my own physical safety disintegrated when I felt the pressure of the darkness seeping in through the front door. Ignoring the pain in my back and leg, I allowed him to pull me in a little closer to the fire. Regardless of the danger of being that close to the flames, it was a better option that straying into the shadows surrounding us. I could feel the terror, the pain and anguish. “How long will the fire take to burn the building down?”
“Longer than 35 minutes. All we have to do is stay within the circle of light. Whatever is out there it doesn’t seem to want to get too close to it.”
After Tomorrow: A CHBB Anthology Page 11