Darkness Ahead of Us | Book 3 | Darkness Lifting

by Spencer, Leif

  “He was pointing a gun at Tom,” Luke said. “I had to do something.”

  “Graham? What’s happened?”

  Sue ignored Rose and strode forward. “Where is Chris? Is she still inside?”

  Anna squeezed her eyes shut as if that could somehow stop the memory of Chris’ lifeless body creeping up on her.

  “She’s dead,” Anna whispered. “I shot her.”

  “It was you?” Tom stared up at her, fists clenched at his side.

  Anna swallowed, her eyes shifting to Graham. After Gus and Nellie, she’d accepted that the day would come when she’d have to kill.

  But—

  “I’m sorry.” Anna’s voice cracked, her throat raw from coughing.

  The hatred in his eyes vanished, leaving behind a scared little boy, crying for his mother.

  Rachel cautiously approached the burning house. “We need to contain the fire.”

  “We can’t,” Anna said. “There’s petrol everywhere.”

  “Chris did that.” Graham spat. “She has destroyed our home.” He turned to look at Luke. “Get off me! They’re the ones who have caused all of this. Him and that…sociopath.”

  Oreo backed away but growled, his ears flattened against his head.

  Anna cowered instinctively as Graham’s loud voice drowned out the roar of the fire. A paralysing fear spread through her chest, and she whimpered.

  Tom slowly got to his feet and shook his head defiantly. “That’s not true! Mum didn’t do this. It was you who—"

  “Shut up you ungrateful—"

  “You lit the match!” Anna didn’t recognise her own voice. “You set fire to the house with us in it.”

  “Would someone please tell me what the heck is going on?” Bob’s voice had an edge to it that Anna had never heard before.

  Graham tried to speak again, but Luke pushed his face into the grass, cutting him off.

  Tom looked at Bob. “I saw that there was a light on in the office after you and Sue had gone to bed and worried Mum had got out but found Graham instead. I asked him what he was doing…I don’t remember the rest. When I woke up, I had been gagged. I heard voices…Graham was telling Mum that you were fools for taking in new people.”

  “Don’t listen to him, Bob. They’re all working together.”

  “I’m a fool?” Bob whispered. “Is that really what you think?” He stared at Graham, waiting for a reply, then turned to Rose. “Did you know about this?”

  Rose was weeping quietly, her hands trembling. She looked utterly crestfallen. “I—”

  Graham cleared his throat, and Rose fell silent.

  “Rose?” Bob scowled.

  “No one was supposed to get hurt.” Rose rubbed her face. Graham lifted his head, but Luke tightened his grip on him. “I didn’t know…I didn’t know he’d take things this far. He said he was going to make it look as if Chris was stealing from us. I didn’t realise…” Rose turned to Graham and wrung her hands. “You promised you wouldn’t do this again.”

  “Do what again?” Sue asked.

  Graham didn’t reply.

  “He tried to scare you before when…when he set fire to the logs outside your cottage.”

  “That was you?” Bob narrowed his eyes.

  Tom watched the exchange with a blank expression on his face. Anna wanted to reach out to him, offer him a hug, but she didn’t.

  She couldn’t.

  She’d killed his mother.

  For something Graham had done.

  “What are we going to do with Graham?” Rachel asked.

  Sue frowned. “He can’t stay here. Not after what he’s done.”

  Graham struggled against him, but Luke didn’t let go. Oreo barked. “I was just trying to scare you into—”

  “He knows everything about how this settlement is run, about our defences,” Luke said, speaking over Graham. “And he’s shown us tonight that he’s willing to kill.”

  “We can tie him up and lock him into one of the empty houses,” Rachel proposed.

  Sue shook her head. “And what? Waste supplies on him?”

  Anna stared at the almost hypnotic flames dancing inside the office. All their hard work—their food and supplies…gone.

  If only she’d listened to Chris.

  “What are you saying?” Bob asked.

  Anna blocked out the conversation around her. She didn’t want to be a part of this decision.

  If only she’d told the others the truth. If only Chris hadn’t stayed.

  Sarah pulled her into a gentle hug, and Anna sobbed into her sister’s shoulder.

  “Please don’t hurt him.” Rose’s voice penetrated the fog in Anna’s mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

  Just as it had been with Chris, there was only one option.

  “We won’t,” Bob replied.

  Anna allowed her tears to fall as the stress of the last hour began to lessen. Taking a step back, she wiped her cheeks and smiled at her sister. “I’m okay.”

  Tom walked up to her, eyes unreadable. She didn’t react when he pulled the pistol from her belt. She didn’t have the strength to stop him.

  Unable to breathe, she watched as he turned away from her, simultaneously raising the gun and aiming it at Graham.

  No one else noticed.

  Tom fired.

  Someone screamed. Bob dove for Tom, his hands reaching for the weapon. Rose’s jaw dropped as she stared at her husband.

  Blood ran in rivulets from the gunshot wound in Graham’s head.

  Tom let go of the weapon, dropping his hands at his side. “It had to be done.”

  No one else moved. No one said anything.

  Sobs shook his shoulders as he stared up at the burning house and whispered, “I understand you now.”

  18

  Anna spent the next forty-eight hours in a frantic daze.

  They soaked the ground surrounding Graham and Rose’s house with water from the nearby river, working tirelessly until it finally started to rain. But even with the rain, the fire didn’t die down until the second night after it had been started.

  In the morning, pillars of black smoke rose above what used to be the building, blackened, jagged walls all that remained of the house.

  The fire hadn’t spread, but the scorched grass near Luke’s bungalow was testament to how close it had come to doing so.

  Bob stood in front of Neil’s house with his shoulders slumped in defeat. He was hugging his arm to his side, the sling blackened with soot. No one had dared to speak to him as he’d been barking orders. He hesitantly knocked on Neil’s door, then took a step back. His face was black from fighting the raging fire, parts of his clothing singed, but the look in his eyes was one of determination. When no one opened the door, he broke it open with a crowbar.

  There was no sign of Neil. Instead, he found some of their supplies in the sitting room.

  “He never came back, did he?” Bob fixed Rose with a disappointed stare, his voice raw from the ordeal of the last forty-eight hours.

  Rose shook her head. “He tried to make you understand that—”

  Bob cut her off with a wave of his hand.

  Anna stared down the long hallway that led from the front door to the sitting room. Graham’s footsteps were still faintly visible on the dusty floor.

  She felt…nothing. She should have been shocked. Upset that they’d been betrayed.

  All she could think about was Chris and what she’d done to her. Even as Bob started counting the supplies together with Luke, she couldn’t bring herself to help.

  She offered to be on watch instead. She wanted to be alone. Not that they needed to be on watch, she thought bitterly as she climbed the rope ladder.

  Chris was dead. So was Graham.

  The threats hadn’t come from outside. Always from within.

  It didn’t take long before Sarah followed her up to the platform. Her sister sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. “Talk to me?”

  “I don’t want t
o.” Anna kept her eyes on the road. If she looked at her sister, she wouldn’t be able to hold back the tears.

  Her tongue tasted of ash. The stench of smoke clung to her. She thought it would never come off—a constant reminder of what had happened.

  “I’m sorry,” Sarah said quietly.

  “What for?”

  “That you had to do…that.”

  Anna bit down on her lip to keep it from quivering. “I killed the wrong person, Sarah. Chris was right about Graham. I thought…I thought she…” A painful lump formed in the back of her throat, and she swallowed.

  “Someone had to do it.”

  Anna slowly turned around, fighting the tears that threatened to spill. “I knew the day would come when I’d have to…kill but…Chris was right.”

  “So what? Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” Sarah shrugged. “Chris was a sociopath, Anna. She belonged in prison. Someone had to do it eventually.”

  “But…”

  “No, Anna. Someone had to do it. Even Tom was afraid of her.”

  “Then why do I feel so guilty?”

  “You made a mistake. We all did. We needed a nurse. Tom needed a home. I should have realised Graham had tampered with the inventory.”

  “You couldn’t have known,” Anna protested.

  Sarah shrugged. “Neither could you.”

  Later that day, everyone gathered to eat on Bob and Sue’s patio. Rachel and Sue had baked fresh bread. Tom leaned against the oak tree, Oreo by his side. His eyes were bloodshot, but his expression was devoid of emotion.

  “Why don’t you come and sit with us?” Bob asked.

  Rose pursed her lips. “He didn’t have the right to kill my husband.”

  “And your husband didn’t have the right to do any of the things he did,” Luke spat. “Tom spared us a tough decision.”

  “He had no right,” Rose repeated.

  Tom’s stare hardened and he lifted his chin defiantly as he approached the patio. “Graham was trying to frame my mother, and when he was caught, he didn’t even hesitate…”

  “I should have known that something was going on,” Bob said.

  Tom touched his swollen cheek and winced.

  “I’ve been thinking about your question, Bob. How can we spot evil?” Anna said. “I don’t think we can. None of this was your fault.”

  “Chris was…” Luke looked up at Tom.

  “She tried her best to protect me,” Tom said. “I know that much, and no matter what happens, that’s how I’ll remember her.”

  Anna could hear his voice trembling, even though he tried his best to keep it steady.

  Sue smiled. “She talked about first aid while we were weeding, as if she knew that she might not be here for long.”

  “Is he going to stay with us?” Rose’s mouth tightened.

  “What about you?” Luke asked sharply. “Are you going to stay with us? You knew about Graham…”

  Hearing the accusation in his voice, Rose averted her eyes and stared at her bread.

  “Don’t worry,” Tom said. “I’m going back to the farm. I want to find James.”

  “No one is going anywhere,” Bob said. “We need to stick together. Now more than ever.”

  “What’s the point?” Rachel asked. “We thought we were building something worth fighting for, and instead it’s been destroyed.”

  “That’s not true,” Sarah said. “The fire is out. Bob and Luke spent all morning counting the supplies and updating the inventory. It doesn’t look too bad. We’ll recover.”

  “What about those new people? Henry and his family?” Anna asked. “When are you going to meet them?”

  Bob blinked. “Do you still want me to do that? After everything that’s happened?”

  “Whyever not?” Sue reached out and wiped some soot from his cheek.

  “So you don’t think taking in new people is dangerous?”

  “Of course it is,” Luke said. “But we’re not going to let two little girls spend the entire winter in a tent.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of Bob’s mouth. “I thought…perhaps Graham was right after all.”

  “I like Sue’s idea about including a meeting point on your flyers,” Sarah said. “We all do. I’m not the biggest fan of taking in strangers, but I love your kindness, Bob. I don’t think we should stop trying to help people just because of one or two rotten apples.”

  “I agree,” Rachel said.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Rose whispered. “I wish…”

  “What’s done is done,” Luke said.

  Bob turned to Tom and offered him a slice of bread. “You’ll always have a place here.”

  “Thank you.” He inhaled the scent of freshly baked bread before taking a bite. “But I can’t stay here. Not after everything that’s happened.”

  “Are you sure?” Bob asked. “I enjoy your company. You are a good student.”

  “I appreciate that, but the farm…it’s the only home I have left.”

  Anna studied his face, the steely determination in his eyes. She remembered how he’d asked to find James back when he’d been staying with her in Harlow. If it hadn’t been for Chris, he’d have gone there in the first place. “I’ll come with you. We can cycle there.”

  Tom chewed on his bottom lip, hesitating.

  Anna lifted an eyebrow. “What is it?”

  “I wanted to…I wanted to go home first and bury Dad.”

  “It’s been almost three months, Tom.” Anna shook her head. “He’s…you don’t want to see him like that.”

  “I’ll come with you too” Luke offered. “I’ll help you with the remains. We can bury him together.”

  Tom stiffened, his eyes darting from Luke to Anna. “Are…you sure?”

  Anna nodded.

  A relieved smile played on his lips. “Thank you.”

  Sarah flipped open her scheduling notebook. “When are you leaving?”

  “That depends on Bob,” Anna said. “We can’t both leave at the same time.”

  “Why not?” Bob asked.

  “We can’t take Oreo, not if we’re cycling, and if we take one of the guns and you take the other, the settlement will be vulnerable.”

  “I don’t need a gun,” Bob said. “Oreo is sufficient. He’s proved himself.” Bob broke off a chunk of his bread and threw it in the dog’s direction. Oreo caught it in mid-air. “Haven’t you, boy?”

  “Sleep first,” Sue said. “You can leave tomorrow morning.”

  The next morning, Anna found Tom standing by the gate to Luke’s garden, staring at what used to be Graham and Rose’s house.

  He’d lost everything. Everything he owned had been in there. His laptop, his clothes and shoes, all of his personal belongings he’d brought from Harlow.

  And, of course, his mother.

  “We can ask Sue for a small Tupperware container to take some of the ashes with us,” Anna proposed. “You can bury them with your dad?”

  “I’d like that,” Tom said softly.

  “I’m sorry…about what happened.”

  “I’m not. I’ve always known she’d pick the wrong fight one day.” He turned his head to look at Anna. “I feel…”

  Anna thought of her father and how she felt after he’d died. “What do you feel?”

  “Relief…” He bit his lip, his gaze lingering on the space where the guest room used to be. “Is that bad?”

  Anna shook her head. “No. That’s perfectly natural. It’s okay to feel that way.”

  “She hurt so many people.”

  “I know.”

  “But I…I still loved her.” A single tear trickled down his cheek.

  “She was your mother. Of course you loved her.”

  Tom gave her a grateful nod.

  “Are you ready to go?” Anna asked, and he nodded.

  Luke was kneeling by the gate, pumping up the bicycle tyres.

  Bob stood next to him, holding a bow and a set of arrows. “I made these fo
r you, Tom.”

  Tom’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? You should keep them.”

  “I’m not letting you go without anything to remember us by.” Tears glistened in Bob’s eyes as he patted Tom’s shoulder. “I put a book on hunting and preparing meat in your bag and…and I want you to know if you ever change your mind…you can always come back here.”

  Tom shook Bob’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “We should be back by tomorrow,” Anna said.

  “So should I,” Bob replied.

  They were picking up the pieces. It was hard and would take time, but they would heal.

  “Ready?” Luke asked, shouldering his backpack.

  Anna nodded.

  No, Anna Greene hadn’t been prepared for an emergency, let alone an apocalypse, but she didn’t think she’d done too badly, all things considered.

  She’d learned a lot about herself. About her sister. About human nature. And while adapting to this new world, she hadn’t allowed herself to turn into someone she no longer recognised.

  She’d changed without losing herself, and with her strength and dedication had helped build a safe haven for her sister and herself.

  And for others.

  Most importantly, she’d learned to trust herself.

  Anna grinned at Luke and said, “I’m ready” before turning to Bob. She opened her arms and pulled him into a hug. “See you tomorrow.”

  End

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  Turn the page to read the first chapter of Stolen Visions, the first book in a post-apocalyptic series set in and around London where the survivors develop supernatural powers.

  Stolen Visions (Excerpt)

  The old VW camper van rusted where the paint had been chipped, which was practically everywhere.

  “Car cancer,” my brother Rick had said, but it didn’t really matter. No one would ever drive it anywhere again, and rust didn’t make it a bad shelter.

  It was late, and the promise of frost filled the crisp air. The headache throbbing behind my right eye reduced my surroundings to a painful blur. I was curled up on an army coat behind the passenger seat, my head on a linen backpack that had more tears than compartments. The thin blanket didn’t quite reach my feet unless I exposed my shoulders. Cold air numbed my toes through the countless holes in my shoes. Back when I’d bought them, I didn’t think they’d have to last. Walking had never been an important part of my life, more one I tended to avoid, and shoe shops weren’t exactly rare.