“Yeah, FYI, maybe don’t leave any windows or doors open just now,” Robyn replied.
“So, the zombies…what are they like?” Matthew asked with the curious zeal of an eight-year-old boy.
“They’re like demons,” Wren said distantly.
Melissa grabbed Matthew’s hand. “She’s just speaking figuratively,” he said.
“They have skin drained of colour, and the most terrifying, ghoulish eyes you could possibly imagine. Their pupils are in constant flaring motion; you can feel their hate,” Wren said, talking to herself more than anyone else. “It’s like they lock you in this malevolent gaze, hypnotising you with their loathing, looking into the very depths of your soul, all the time, reaching…for you…grabbing, hoping they can catch you to turn you into one of their own. Their mouths open and close like they’re already feeding on your flesh, and they are so fast! They can run and run and run, and they don’t seem to tire, they just keep going. And that growl…”
“G...growl?” Melissa said, cutting off the circulation in Matthew’s hand with the strength of her grip.
“This gurgling guttural growl that doesn’t belong to anything from this world…” she turned to look at Matthew and Melissa; they had both turned pale. “You asked what they were like. That’s what they are like.”
There was a long pause before Robyn broke the silence. “You can see why my sister was never invited to parties, can’t you?”
Matthew and Melissa smiled politely, but their thoughts were elsewhere. There was a long, uncomfortable silence as the journey continued through the woods, and it was not until the tree line broke that anyone spoke again. The four of them stopped to behold the view. There were several fields of vegetables growing in between the forest and the tall, black wall that protected the monastery. A wide, dirt track meandered between them up to the broad, open gates. There were dozens of men, women and children in the fields, weeding and tending the crops, while still more were wheeling barrows up and down the makeshift road. They all wore the same gold clothes that Matthew and Melissa sported.
“Matthew! Matthew!” shouted a young girl with the same light ginger colouring as the boy she approached. She flung her earth-stained hands and arms around him. “Who are these people?” she asked, wearing the same pleasantly mindless smile Melissa had worn earlier.
“This is Robyn, and this is Wren, and this is my little sister, Ruth.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you,” said the little girl, politely extending her hand. Robyn and Wren smiled and reciprocated the greeting.
Shortly they were joined by a friendly-looking man with dark features and a pretty woman with a pale complexion and the same colouring as Matthew and Ruth. “This is my father, our leader here,” Matthew said to Robyn and Wren. “Father, I think you should talk to them; they bring important news.”
“Oh,” he said, smiling. “What kind of news?”
“News from outside. News you will need to hear,” Matthew replied.
“We are our own world, Matthew, you know that. What goes on away from here is of no concern to us.” He turned to look at the girls. “You are welcome to stay with us for lunch if you wish.”
“Father, I really think you should hear what they have to say,” Matthew said again.
Matthew’s father raised a disapproving eyebrow at being contradicted but extended a hand to the young women. “I am Adam, this is my wife, Elizabeth. My son seems to forget himself, but whatever you have told him is obviously weighing on his mind, so please, come with me, and we can discuss it in comfort.”
Robyn and Wren shook hands with the two adults and then followed them as they walked across to the track. They realised that every set of eyes in the fields were now fixed on them.
“Please forgive our brothers and sisters,” Elizabeth said. “I can’t imagine how you must feel, but we don’t get many visitors here.” The track is an ancient one; we never had a road built, so when people show up, it is usually by mistake.
“Is that the sea I can hear?” Wren asked as they made their way up the muddy road towards the large open doors.
“Yes,” Elizabeth said. She pointed to the walls. “We are walled on either side to the edge of the cliffs. Beyond our monastery is the Firth of Forth. It is a truly beautiful setting. We are so blessed.”
“So is this an ancient monastery?” Wren asked.
“The building was ruinous before Adam had his vision to rebuild it,” Elizabeth said proudly.
They continued, and finally, the huge black stone construction came into view. “Oh my—” started Robyn before Wren tapped her on the arm. “Goodness,” she finished. “This must have cost a fortune.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Money is a creation of man. Here we have a higher purpose.”
“Yeah, but how did you pay for this?” Robyn asked, in awe of the beautiful architecture.
“Please excuse my sister,” Wren said, “she doesn’t understand what a rude question that is.”
Robyn looked angry at first, then realised, Wren was right. “I’m sorry...it’s just so…I’m amazed.”
Adam laughed. “My father made a fortune...a real fortune, from gambling. When he passed, I sold the shops, sold the online business and put the funds to something good to try and make up for all the wrong he had done. We lead a pure life here. We live in harmony with nature and each other. We worship our Lord, and we love the lives we have been given. The money that caused so much ill and suffering has been put to good use.”
“Amen,” Elizabeth, said.
“Amen,” repeated Matthew, Melissa, and Ruth, who, up until that point, Robyn and Wren had not even known were behind them.
They all walked through the gates. The monastery was the main focus of attention, but there were some smaller buildings, as well as polytunnels and several vegetable patches. In front of the grand building itself was a spectacular garden, alive with colour.
“This is really magnificent,” Wren said.
“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Elizabeth said. “My husband is a man of vision.” She reached across and took his hand.
“I am just a man, Elizabeth, just a man.”
Robyn and Wren shot each other nervous looks; the whole goody-goody thing was grating on both of them.
Adam and Elizabeth climbed the steps to the grand building, and the rest of them followed. Robyn and Wren looked in wonder at the incredible engravings on the door frame and vast oaken doors themselves.
“There are zombies everywhere Dad, these girls—”
“Silence, Matthew!” Adam said, holding his hand up. “We are heading to my study; we do not discuss any matters of the outside world in these hallways. Do you understand me? In fact, I want you and Melissa to take your sister and go get washed up. And don’t discuss any of this with anyone.”
“Yes Father,” Matthew replied, and he, Melissa and Ruth veered off in another direction.
Adam and Elizabeth continued to lead the two sisters down the vast corridor. Many doors to the left were open, allowing light in from the windows of those rooms, but there were also electric lights built into the walls. “So you have power?” Wren asked.
“We have skilled electricians and engineers living here, and a number of wind turbines. We only use electricity for what is necessary,” Elizabeth replied.
Adam came to a stop outside a closed door. He brought a key from his pocket and unlocked it. “Please, join us,” he said, turning around to flash an insincere smile. He and Elizabeth walked into the room, and the two sisters followed.
Adam took a chair behind a grand, ornate desk and gestured for Robyn and Wren to take seats on the opposite side. They slid off their rucksacks, placed their weapons on the floor and sat down. Elizabeth stood behind him to the right. “So girls,” she said, “What have you been telling our son?”
Elizabeth was smiling, but suddenly the friendly tone and warm, caring eyes had disappeared. Wren opened her mouth to speak but closed it again, a little intimidated.
>
“We just told him what was going on out there. You need to prepare. The world has been taken over. It’s like H—a nightmare out there. There are zombies...the living dead everywhere. And there’s this army of men looting, taking everything. They steal, kill and worse. It’s...it’s…”
Adam gestured to the window. “Do you see the living dead out there?” he asked, smiling.
“No, but—”
“Do you see men coming to steal from us?”
“No, but—”
“I am not unfamiliar with the things you have said. Some of my people have brought back word of these atrocities when they have ventured outside, but we have made the decision to keep the burden of this knowledge to ourselves. What happens out there does not affect us in here.”
“Maybe it hasn’t yet, but this virus has spread everywhere,” Robyn replied.
“The Lord has protected us thus far. The Lord will continue to protect us,” Elizabeth said.
“It doesn’t work like that,” Robyn replied. “Praying doesn’t help, believe me, I’ve tried it.”
Adam looked at Elizabeth, and they both smiled. “Then maybe you are doing it wrong. Maybe you should come and pray with us. We are his servants, not the other way around.”
Robyn looked a little flustered. “But…”
“Listen. Our Mum and Dad were good Christians, they lived good lives. Our dad got bitten by one of those things, and within a few seconds, he’d turned. He attacked our mum, and she turned. They don’t distinguish between good and bad, holy and unholy. These things attack anybody who is breathing,” Wren said.
“But you are here,” Elizabeth said.
“Yeah, by the skin of our teeth! We’ve put down more of these things than we can count,” Wren replied.
“You’ve killed them?” Elizabeth asked, suddenly horrified.
“No, not…exactly. They’re already dead. You can’t kill what’s already dead. But we’ve stopped them from biting us or scratching us or—”
“Scratching you?” Elizabeth said.
“Scratches can cause infection, as well.”
Elizabeth glanced towards Adam and then looked back towards the two girls, with a forced smile.
“So, you’ve become quite adept with your weapons then,” Adam said.
“If you want to survive, you have to learn how to fight,” Wren replied.
“That might be the case outside, but not here. We virtually never get visitors because we’re so far off the beaten track,” Adam said.
“But your traders who were attacked...Matthew said that you traded with people. You won’t be able to do that anymore,” Wren said.
“Our son clearly has to learn to use discretion. They were hardly attacked; they just ran into a few difficulties. If we can no longer trade, then we will adapt. We are guided by His hand, and He will provide,” Adam said, smiling.
“Robyn, Wren, I hope you will dine with us?” Elizabeth said.
“Thank you,” Wren said.
“Eh hem, I would ask first that you relinquish your weapons. We are people who value peace above all else. We are vegetarian, we do not endorse the killing of animals, four-legged…or two-legged,” Adam said, smiling.
“Erm…” began Wren.
“Don’t worry,” Adam said. “As soon as lunch is over, you can be on your way, weapons in hand.” The sisters looked at each other. Wren reluctantly placed her javelin against the wall, and Robyn leaned her bow next to it while shuffling the three quivers from her shoulder.
Elizabeth walked across to one of the walls and pulled a thin rope. A bell rang, and within a minute, a petite and attractive young woman knocked on the door and entered. “Susan, take these two young ladies to one of the guest rooms so they can freshen up. Lunch will be in half an hour,” Adam said, “and when you’re done, come back here. I’d like to talk to you.” The young woman cast a glance towards Elizabeth, whose eyes were already looking down to the floor.
Robyn and Wren placed their rucksacks back on, picked up their belongings and followed Susan out of the door. When it closed, Elizabeth and Thomas looked at one another.
“We must make sure word of this doesn’t get out. They’ll eat with us, then they’ll be on their way. The last thing we want is to spread panic,” Adam said.
“You promised me we’d be safe. You never said anything about scratches. We’ve got two people in the infirmary who’ve been scratched. What are we going to do?” Elizabeth said angrily.
Adam stood, knocking his chair over. He grabbed a fistful of Elizabeth’s hair, yanking her head back, and she let out a small scream. “Don’t you speak to me in that tone, woman. We are safe. Our people are recovering. They’re being given antibiotics, the only thing they’re suffering from is shock. Remember who you’re talking to.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she screeched as he pulled still harder on her silky strands.
There was a knock and Adam immediately let go of his wife as the door swung open. Susan stepped in. “You wanted to see me?” she said with a worried look.
“Leave us please, Elizabeth,” Adam said, as a leering grin appeared on his face. “I’ll join you for lunch shortly.” Elizabeth straightened her hair, looked towards the younger woman, then towards Adam once again. She headed out of the room, desperately trying to hold back tears of humiliation. Once she was on the other side of the door, she heard the key turn in the lock and lost her battle as she began to sob.
chapter 7
Robyn and Wren looked around the spacious room. The tall ceiling was decorated with a detailed rose medallion around the light fitting. Everything about the place shouted history.
“What do you think?” Wren asked, walking across to the window to look out over the Firth of Forth.
“I think it could do with a couple of posters up and I’m not a big fan of white walls,” Robyn replied.
“Not exactly what I meant.”
“There’s something very wrong about this place. You can feel it. This holier-than-thou thing. That Adam guy was checking both of us out. He’s no angel; you can see it in his eyes, and if this is all one big happy open community, why is the door to his study locked? And I really don’t like the fact that we had to give up our weapons.”
“Not all of them,” Wren said, smiling. Remember, I’ve got the two pistol crossbows and plenty of bolts, and we’ve got knives. I’ve also got screwdrivers and a crowbar.”
“That’ll come in handy if they need something fixed around here.”
Wren smiled. “Yeah, well, I’m glad we’re just staying here for lunch, anyway.”
“Me too.”
The rain had started to pour hard again. There was a knock on the door; it was Elizabeth. “May I come in?” she asked, putting her head around the corner.
“It’s your place,” Robyn replied.
“Do you need anything?” Elizabeth asked.
“No, all good here, thanks,” Wren said. “It’s nice to have hot running water again.”
“There’s a natural spring on the premises, and we have a furnace which heats the water, and obviously, the radiators too. We are very blessed,” she said with the same forced smile she had revealed earlier. A few seconds passed before she said anything else. “May I ask that you don’t discuss the outside with anyone? We will break the news to them, but let us do it our way in our own time.”
“Hey, you’re buying us lunch; our lips are sealed,” Robyn replied.
There was another pause. “I’m very sorry to learn about your mother and father. It must have been incredibly difficult for you,” Elizabeth said.
“It was...still is,” Wren replied as a gust of wind blew the rain hard against the glass, blurring the view of outside.
Elizabeth walked up to the window. “The clouds are full for as far as you can see. It’s a dark day. Maybe…” she trailed off in her own thoughts.
The two sisters looked at each other. “Elizabeth, are you alright?” Robyn asked.
Elizab
eth shot her head around suddenly to look at Robyn. “Yes...yes, I’m fine. The day isn’t going to get better. Maybe you should think about spending the night here with us.”
“It’s only early,” Wren replied, “hopefully it will clear up, and we can be on our way.”
“Well, the invitation is open if you change your mind. Two young girls shouldn’t be out in this; you’ll catch a chill,” she said, heading towards the door. “When the bell sounds, that will be lunch. Just follow everybody else,” she said and left.
Wren walked towards the window. “That wind is picking up too.”
“I noticed,” Robyn replied, joining her.
“I don’t want to spend the night here, Bobbi.”
“Me neither. Look, let’s have lunch, and we’ll see what it’s like then, okay?”
“Okay.”
✽ ✽ ✽
The two sisters felt like animals on display in the large dining room. They sat at the long table at the front with Adam and Elizabeth on either side of them. Lunch was a simple meal that consisted of a large bowl of salad, a slice of bread, and three oat biscuits, all washed down with elderflower cordial.
“This is good,” Wren said, trying to make polite conversation.
“Everything you’re eating was grown here, other than the oats for the biscuits. The water’s from our own spring; the salad ingredients are from our own fields,” Adam said proudly.
“Do you make your own clothes too?” Wren asked.
“Yes,” Elizabeth replied.
“Why are they all the same? And why are they all gold?”
“It’s because—” Elizabeth began.
“It’s because we want to remind everyone that we are equal,” Adam interrupted. “We are all His children, not one of us any better than the other. Society has become obsessed with status. Everyone aspiring—not to be better people, but to have more material wealth. We lost track of what was important: the common good. And as a people, we lost track of who we follow; instead, it became what we follow,” Adam said, pulling a shining, two-pound coin out of his pocket.
The End of Everything Box Set, Vol. 1 [Books 1-3] Page 42
